Reviews
This is getting out of hand. Now all reviews are going to be mixed in with regular posts. Sorry if that makes it harder to find them!
Band Of Horses
Cease To Begin
(Sub Pop)
First things first – the album cover. Having just relocated back to Charleston, SC, Ben Bridwell wanted to portray the SC state flag in an interesting way for the album art. He definitely succeeded. Though it evokes the (utterly annoying and overused if you live near SC) South Carolina state flag’s crescent moon and palmetto tree, it’s not overbearing or too obvious. So kudos to the artists.
Now that the cover is out of the way it’s time to address the contents of the album. The opener, “Is There A Ghost” was released as a free download a few weeks ago and it still remains the strongest and most EATT-reminiscent track. Sure, the lyrics are a bit repetitive, but the song has a vibe that would set any album off on the right foot with it’s quiet, minute long intro of “I could sleep / I could sleep / When I lived alone / Is there a ghost in my house” before blasting into the same lines, but with a near perfect fuzzed out guitar and driving rhythm section. From there the album moves on to “Ode To LRC,” a shuffling narrative that keeps the energy level going for another 4 minutes before the tempo slows considerably with “No One’s Gonna Love You.” Granted, Bridwell’s lyrics are still reverb-washed yarns worthy of poetry journals. “It’s looking like a limb torn off / Or altogether just taken apart / Wheeling through an endless fog / We are the everliving ghost of what once was” couldn’t fit better into a love song destined for mixtape notoriety. Without going through every single song individually, the rest of the album fails to deliver the same chest pounding intensity of Everything All The Time. Does that mean it’s time to sound the sophomore slump alarm? No! Definitely not. This album is a test for time. Though it’s clichéd to hell, it’s the truth that Cease To Begin unfolds like a century plant – slowly and with patience. The difference being that when CTB finally does bloom for you, it won’t die. Rather it’ll have a lasting place on your iPod or Zune (yeah, right). Definitely listen to “Islands On The Coast” and “Cigarettes, Wedding Bands” if you’re having a hard time digesting the album on the first couple listens. Those tracks are auditory Icarus wings, waiting to carry you off to the sun.
Minus The Bear
Ice Planet
(Suicide Squeeze)
“What have you done?” That’s the rhetorical question posed by Minus The Bear right out of the gate on Planet Of Ice, their follow-up to their stellar sophomore effort, Menos El Oso. Jack Snider and his merry men waste no time in establishing Planet as a solid contender for their best album to date. Bouncing synths, percussionate guitar stabs and Reggaetonic drums once again come to the forefront offset by Snider’s symphonic vocals. Most songs are hits, with the exception of “Part 2″ which serves mainly as an interlude, so does it really count against them? Planet Of Ice, continues to make Minus The Bear a band that begs to be blasted from car stereos, leaving bystanders wondering what the hell that crazy shit was. Standouts are “Double Vision Quest,” “Dr. Lling” and “Ice Monster”.
Architecture In Helsinki
Places Like This
(Polyvinyl)
Multi-instrumental six pack, Architecture In Helsinki are the only that I can honestly say draw heavily from Prince, Daft Punk and Revenge of the Nerds! Originally formed in Melbourne but now spread around the globe, AIH’s newest offering, Places Like This is all over the map, but in a good way. The album opener, “Red Turned White” blasts off with a cowbell poppin’ groove and singer/songwriter Cameron Bird sounding off about his bride and groom before keytars take over and make you long for Anthony Edwards sporting a pocket protector. Before you even know what’s happening the album breaks out the single on the second track, “Heart It Races” is about as groovy a jam as you’re likely to hear this summer all spitting “boom dah dah dah dah” and steel drums keeping time. This is the highlight of the album, but the majority of the songs stay close to level of intensity except for a slow spell towards the middle of album with a meandering “Lazy (Lazy)” before picking it up again and closing it out with “The Same Old Innocence”. A definite contender for plenty of 2007 Best Of lists for sure.
Sea Wolf
Get to the River Before It Runs too Low
(Dangerbird)
Dangerbird is poised to be the next big indie label with recent releases from Silversun Pickups, One AM Radio, and Sea Wolf. Sea Wolf’s debut EP, whose title is too long to repeat, is a great example of what primary, Alex Church (Irving) is capable of when left to his own devices. A pleasant mix of driving indie pop, folky ballads and rock. At times a little too reminiscent of Tom Petty, GTTRBIRTL, is a great 5-track EP and sets a firm stage for future Sea Wolf releases.Pseudosix
s/t
(Sonic Boom)
Pseudosix’s self-titled LP has it going on. This is what a collaboration with Santana, Frank Black and Stephen Malkmus would sound like performing at a funeral. Bleak? Yes. Harmonically rich? Yep. Structurally sound? Uh-huh. In high school, this record was voted “Most likely to be playing while overdosing on sleeping pills and Champaign” but hold up… you might pass before you hear the album’s closing track, the Pavementian “Fire vs. Flame,” a strummy dose of early-‘90s indie rock with subtle hints of ‘60s pop.The Brunettes
Structure and Cosmetics
(Sub Pop)
Every time I hear “B-A-B-Y,” the opening track on the Brunettes’ new album, I can’t help but think this is what the Go! Team would be if they rocked just a little bit more. Taking cues from 3rd-Gen rock (Modern Lovers, Television), this Kiwi (that’s racial slang for New Zealander, I just learnt from Flight of the Conchords) outfit lays down some sugar-pop songs with just a hint of electronica. It’s a fitting mix considering they were “discovered” by Sub Pop while opening a tour for lap-poppers, The Postal Service. Structure and Cosmetics is definitely one of those albums that you can leave on repeat for 2 days and not really get sick of. Dynamic duo of Jonathan Bree and Heather Mansfield are the Brunettes. Definitely a must-have for fans of twee pop or mellow indie rock.
Marmoset
Florist Fired
(Secretly Canadian)
It’s been 5 years since the last Marmoset album and 10 years since the first, so that alone should suggest seasoning and ripeness, but truth be told, the songs on Florist Fired suggest a youthful innocence befitting the new crop of fresh-faced indies making the scene nowadays. Songs like “Apples,” with xylophone and muted buzzy guitar further this assumption of youthfulness. “Apples are the things I give to you”… I love that this band comes off so lighthearted. It’s refreshing to see a band with the sense to not take themselves so seriously. Juggling between Hey Jude-era Beatles morosity (”Luckcharm,” “Not Nice”), something along the bizarre lines of Destroyer (”Florist Fired,” “Apples”) and the ecstatic romp of early Pixies (”Das Boot”), Florist Fired has a little bit of everything. Yet, they’re just the tiniest bit inaccessible, which will make you that much cooler for having them in your record collection.
Young Galaxy
ST
(Arts & Crafts)
I’ve got three words to sum up this album – “Outside The City.” I’m in love with this song from Young Galaxy’s self-titled debut full-length. When that driving drum beat, sustained guitar and rolling bass is joined by Catherine McCandless’ lyrics I just get all goose-bumpy on my arms. “Out the city I see / I see I’m inside out” pretty much sums up the story behind this Canadian indie rock band. Originally from Canada’s western wild, the duo of Catherine and Stephen Ramsey now reside in Montreal. There are other very memorable tracks on the wall including “Wailing Wall” with its devotional cry of “Dialed your number / You blocked my call / Your back is my Wailing Wall” and the minimalist, “My Sun Is Coming Up And My Plane Is Going Down” sort of speaks for itself. The whole album is one aural gem after another. I could wax poetic on the intricacies and beauty of every track on the album, but it all boils down to a plea for you to go buy this debut and let it envelope you like Okanogan fog. Unlike Rachel Ray’s talk show, you won’t be confused and disappointed.
Look Mexico
This Is Animal Music
(Lujo)
I’ve always liked Look Mexico… they remind me of a slightly watered down version of Braid ala Frame And Canvas… and that’s not a bad thing. Any comparison to Braid is aces in my book. The debut full-length from Look Mexico, This Is Animal Music, is chalk full of pseudo-mathy guitars, melodically staccato drums, slinky bass interludes and random samples from obscure film and television. “Watch Out For This” is practically a Braid outtake… starting with a sample of a woman saying, “Just like music / It could be the wrong sound / When two people come together / If it’s toxic, it means no matter what you say / It doesn’t work and that’s what matters,” the song progresses into a a minute long emo jam session. I don’t know if Braid just made it to Tallahassee, FL, but seeing as how they haven’t released an album in over 7 years, I’m happy to take Look Mexico as a substitute for that which I personally have been missing since Bob Nanna went the way of Hey Mercedes. All in all, Animal Music is a very respectable debut from a very young band who gets off on smearing pizza grease on each other when they’re not sporting medieval armor onstage. Though I’m dying to hear their sophomore effort and the debut doesn’t drop for another 2 months. That’s a good sign.
The Narrator
All That To The Wall
(Flameshovel)
Chicago post-rock bands are a dime a dozen, it’s true. The Narrator is one of those Chicago post-rock bands. Whatever post-rock means. I think it’s like rock that humped punk and resides in a garage. But pound for pound, Chicago post-rock bands are arguably the best in the country. When you take one of the better post-rock bands and include guest appearances from other greats (Oxford Collapse, Bound Stems, Russian Circles, etc.) you get a pretty tidy package.The Narrator’s All That To The Wall (Flameshovel) hits on all the right points without losing touch. Considering that they recently parted with their full-time drummer, they resort to using a drum machine and multiple drummers, that’s a feat. Thanks to the even better unit cohesion of the remaining members, you barely notice that the drummers are alternating between tracks.Stand out tracks for me include, “Start Parking” with its slightly dark new wavy vibe and though lyrics aren’t the strongest point with choruses like, “Go find your brother / Go find your brother / Go find your brother,” it’s still a rad track. Another sweet cut is “Breaking The Turtle,” which evokes The Pixies and builds on a series of drum rolls and 2-count guitar riffs before discoing up with 8-beat hat-heavy rhythms and plinky six-string work. Singer/guitars Sam Axelrod officially apologizes to New London, CT for slanderous lyrics. Odors of Dinosaur Jr. rise to the surface on “SerfJew.” There’s even a blasé Dylan cover, “ All The Tired Horses.”Pound for pound and track for track, The Narrator’s second full length album is a sure shot. And it comes out tomorrow. How apropos is that?Listen to The Narrator – “Start Parking” (MP3)The Chinese Stars
Listen To Your Left Brain
(ThreeOneG)
We just love hearing from Mr. Pottymouth/Mr. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Mr. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – also known as Eric Paul (vocals) and Craig Kureck (drums), formerly of Arab On Radar and now of The Chinese Stars with band mates Paul Vieira (guitar) and V. Von Ricci (keyboards). Listen To Your Left Brain is their second on Justin Pearson’s (The Locusts) Three One G Records and is their finest. It’s easy to love a filthy, dance-punk record with song titles like “Drugs Are Sunshine” and “All My Friends Are Getting High.” Even the lyric content is simultaneously ecstatic and uplifting with repeating choruses like, “Your love is like a cold war / Gonna throw your heart out the door.”Now, I just used the lame catch-all “dance punk” to describe the uptempo, groovy bass and guitar/synth driven jive of TCS. Sue me. Like “post-punk” in the ‘90s and “jangle-pop” in the ‘80s, “dance-punk” is an easy nom de plume to drop on anything with distortion and rhythms that you can shake your skinny ass to. But hear me now… my recommendation is that you wait until next Tuesday, save up $12.99 and (now this is very important) run out to your local independent record store, buy this album, invite some friends over, get sorta drunk on red wine or import beer and dance your little shriveled walnut heart out, you.Listen to The Chinese Stars – “Left Brain” (MP3)
Dead Moon
Echoes Of The Past
(Sub Pop)
I just submitted a review of this album for Modern Fix magazine, but I felt that I was selling the band short by limiting myself to 150 words. I’m proud the review for the limitations set, but I can format myself on my own terms here.Dead Moon is a Portland, Oregan band that’s been around for about 20 years. They have released roughly a dozen albums which they recorded on their own and interestingly enough mastered themselves using the same mono lathe that The Kingsmen used to master “Louie Louie.” While it should be noted that the band are no more having announced their dissolution this past December. A successful career of 19 years is nothing to shake a stick at. The band is probably responsible for more White Stripes-brand, stripped down garage rock bands than most would care to admit. Their songs run the gamut from blues to punk to country to grunge with little regard for anything except remaining true to themselves as a band.At first listen, it might sound like this album was recorded in a closet by lunatics, but keep listening and open your fucking ears. Hear that? That’s what can only referred to as all the atoms of the universe spinning chaotically to ensure the never ending cycle of rock and roll. Dig it.Listen to Dead Moon – “Dead Moon Night” (MP3)Constantines
Tournament Of Hearts
(Sub Pop)
I need a weekly reminder that music is alive and well in North America or the world for that matter. There’s some good stuff out, but nothing is moving me quite like 2005’s Constantines album Tournament Of Hearts. Like a fine wine or a 16 year old Olsen twin – this record only gets better with age. Toronto’s Constantines prove again and again that Bruce Springsteen was born to The Blow
Poor Aim: Love Songs
(K Records)
The Blow is Jona Bechtolt and Khaela Maricich. They play for K Records and I couldn’t be happier with that. With all the emo/screamo/gleamo gloom and doom that is saturating the world, it’s nice to have some old school K. Finally – album covers with kittens (one-eyed as she may be) makes a comeback.This is the re-issue of the old issue which was vinyl and limited. Now, along with 7 lovely lap-pop original tunes the reissue also includes 5 remixes by friends such as Lucky Dragons, Strategy, Alan Fortarte and The Blow themselves. While tracks 1-7 bring to mind the happier moments of the Postal Service, the remix tracks of 9-14 give you a full-dose of indie-dance happy-bootie-grind jammy jams… it’s sweaty and manic and Khaela’s voice is as precious as a fuzzy, one-eyed kitty. What about track 8 you ask? It’s the announcement to BEGIN REMIX. My favorites from the album include the 45 second “Let’s Play Boys Chase Girls” where we’re informed of the secrets of the girlie hive mind – “Boys, the secret about girls is they want you to like us.” I’m also a fan of “Come on Petunia” which features lyrics from the Police, “Every little thing she does is magic…” The remixes are just rad. Finally an album that gives me faith in the indie underground for another week. Even if it is a glorified re-issue.The Blow are currently on tour with Of Montreal for a couple more dates and will be on the East Coast at the end of February with some Northeast and Canadian dates.We sure do owe a shit ton to Portland, OR.Listen to The Blow – “Hock It (Yacht Remix)” (MP3)Panther
Secret Lawns
(Fryk Beat)
Like Edie Sedgewick (Desoto) and the Emotron before him, Charlie Salas-Humara is a one-man stage devastator with a summer name, donning the alias, Panther. Taking vocal cues from Prince and musical cues from anything from Ratatat to Peaches to P-Funk, Secret Lawns is a mind-warbling take on experimental disco and vanguard indie dance-punk.Secret Lawns is Panther’s follow-up to the hipster-approved 12″ Yourself which cemented Panther’s place in underground infamy. Since Yourself was released Panther has been nominated for MTV2’s Video of the Year and toured with Ratatat and Gossip.With dizzying croonings ala TVOTR on tracks like “Tigers Touch” and “How Well Can You Swim?” and of Montrealean white-Prince induced vocals on “You Don’t Want Your Nails Done” it’s obvious that Charlie “Panther” Salas-Humara is a versatile stage and studio performer who leaves you wondering, “Do I still have a face?”A North American Tour begins in late February hitting LA’s The Smell on March 11 and a dope house party in Charlotte on March 21.Listen to Panther – “How Well Can You Swim?” (MP3)