and miscellaneous ramblings
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and miscellaneous ramblings |
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Made it to the stores in Europe toward the end of last year, but didn't hit here in the US until the end of January. Fits like an old friend. Man, he's got a top flight rock band working with him the last few years. Aces all around. Perfect guitar foil in Jason Victor. Their teamwork this time even brings memories of Duane Allman and Dicky Betts at times. Just a beautiful and fluid intertwining of strings. But they get a little raunchy too, never keeping it too refined for long. Victor started playing with them on the Here Come the Miracles tour and now has been on the last 2 albums. Linda Pitmon has been playing with him since before Here Come the Miracles and is a very good, no unnecessary fills and frills rock drummer in the mold of the ready steady, mod drummers of the 60s, like Ringo and the more rambuctious Moon, or his reeled in Who replacement Kenny Jones, propelling the song along without getting in the way of the groove. I know she's a fan of Georgia from Yo La Tengo too. Perfect for his music. Anyway, I absolutely adore the whole album, but am totally loving the 8 minute closer called "No Tomorrow", which might be the best thing he's done since the early Dream Syndicate days. It's a two-parter, a conversation between broken lovers, she in the first part (as relayed by Steve), sounding a bit like Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue", disillusioned, just wanting to hole up and fade away, and he in the second part, not wanting to let her disappear, with a glimpse of what could be their redemption toward the end...
... and with lots of that great guitar playing throughout with the Allman Brothers feel I mentioned above, at least until they take it more into that dirtier Velvet Underground core sound. Reminds me a bit of that first Television album sometimes. And some rocking Neil Young with the Crazy guys too. Good stuff. Great band with Steve Wynn--vocals, guitar / Jason Victor--guitar, vocals / Dave DeCastro--bass, vocals / Linda Pitmon--drums, percussion, vocals. |
Like Giant Sand backed by a gospel choir. A Canadian gospel choir called Voices of Praise, or as Howe says, "it was a grand experiment to see if we could mesh the sounds of the muck I make with the dizzying effect of the glorious sound [the choir] makes." The beauty of recording in the harsh Ottawa winter, juxtaposed against his normal Tucson retreat that can be just as harsh in the summer. And it works beautifully. If Chore of Enchantment is one of your favorites like it is mine, this new one should be a big hit. The recording of Chore was a very troubled time with Calexico starting to take off and so John and Joey were beginning to leave Giant Sand behind, and Howe's best friend (and Giant Sand co-founder) Rainer Ptacek had died and he was having trouble coping with the loss, and they were having record label problems, and recording problems, and on and on, but in the end they still managed to put together a very nice album and get it finally released in 2000. Seemed like that would be the end of Giant Sand at the time since Calexico was already the bigger band, but it also seemed a fitting farewell. But they have worked together backing others like Neko Case, and did some recording together after that. And they did release Cover Magazine with them and a bunch of other folks. And Howe made a new Giant Sand record a couple years ago with a different lineup that had some pretty nice stuff on it. And he still releases a ton of stuff under his own name, or as The Band Of Blacky Ranchette (btw, the last one in 2003 was really nice). But back to the present, this one has some really stunning arrangements and great sound too. Even closes with a revisit to what coulda been Chore's title track. And reworks a couple older Giant Sand tunes in very nice new ways. And includes a version of his buddy Rainer Ptacek's "The Farm", the title track from his last recording just before he died in '97 (a very nice CD too that Howe was able to get released in 2002), along with a couple other Rainer songs. Anyway, really enjoying this one and it's very nicely done. "Howlin' A Gale" is a real highlight, with the drummer from Arcade Fire really letting loose, almost primally, and Howe's howling guitar and raspy voice, played against the beautiful choir backing. Very rousing song. Almost like a new genre. And not too surprising, it's also one of the highest acclaimed records of the year so far at metacritic. Very nice review at AMG along with many others you can hit from that link. Might just be one of the best records he's ever done, in a very long career. |
Hmmm, a prog-punk allegory of a hunter and a falcon, in this case taking the form of (as described by Sean Ingram at their label site), "a family separated, a daughter's ghost, a once loving father racked with guilt, brutality manifesting like a shell around him, a son fighting against his enmity, and the avenging angel, the daughter, Peregrine" ... yeah, me too, sounds godawful pretentious at best. Top it off with packaging that looks like a book by a medieval scholar, and a silly slip cover strip calling them "America's answer to Radiohead", and things are looking pretty grim in the heartland for this once majestic and experimental Kansas band that wooed critics and fans alike a few years ago with the Low Level Owl 2-disc project. But yikes, I really like it! The music leans more toward indie post-rock, fueled by layers of distorted guitars, and epic drumming. And it also has the ghost of the Cure and Disintegration lurking around the edges of this one. Still a real majestic sound that stands up to repeat listens, actually requires repeat listens. I love that highly acclaimed Low Level Owl project, and this one is quite a bit different with a more forceful sound at times, but I like it a lot too. It's got the big drums which sometimes dominate the sound, and the sweeping melodies, and the soaring emotion. And yeah, that does take it a little into the dreaded e-m-o realm, but not far enough to activate any warning signs (at least for me, but I'm pretty tolerant if I find the sound interesting). And it also sometimes moves into that bluegrass and folk and avant-pop sound from side project Old Canes, with similarities to my favorite band Califone. Nice article about it at, of all places, MSNBC. |
As good as ever, and that is very very good Beatles pop like the La's and Stone Roses and the others, but this time paying a little tribute to their idols in Miles Davis and Gil Evans as the title suggests, augmented with a brass band and string quartet. Very impressive. Some are even calling it album of the year. Not sure about that but it is very classy, and like an old friend from first listen. Gonna be listening a lot to this one. Not released in the US so had to order mine through a UK source. The CD comes in a nice mini-lp gatefold package with a glossy movie credits type poster and lyric sheet on the back. Or in a full size gatefold LP package if you buy the double vinyl. Probably not quite the revelation and long time impact of an album like Waterpistol, a real 90s classic in my mind, but still very good. As usual though in modern times, unfortunately mastered way too loud with way too much compression applied. |
Probably my favorite of the year so far, seems to always be playing when I'm home lately, as addictive and spellbinding as the title suggests. Don't know if it's their best or not, since I absolutely love most of their past albums, but this one sure works for me. Dark and cinematic. They're one of my favorite bands of the last few years, since about 1999, and so I've really enjoyed the adventure as each new album, and each new direction, took form. They still have a very unique voice, kind of a mix of Nick Cave and Neil Young, and maybe Will Oldham. But with that quavering saw often helping to give the songs an eerie backdrop. The dark lords of indie rock. Anyway, been spinning the new one quite a bit lately, trying to decide what I think. I mean, I love it because it's the BHP and all that, but how much? As much as 2 or 3, something like modern classics in my mind? Well, not yet, I've only had it for a short while compared to years of listening to those others, but it is very good, and really without a misstep anywhere in sight. Great flow and some very good tunes. And the band has never been more cohesive, Tobias playing guitar with a brilliance that I honestly hadn't noticed before. Sounding kind of like Doug Martsch of Built To Spill, and that is very good. And the epic title track set against a nervous background, sounding a little like it could've been the perfect result of a collaboration with their labelmates Calexico, has moved up in my mind to match any of their past glories, especially when Pall pleads, "So please forgive me, for this spell I am under", and then more urgently, "I lose myself, in this spell I am under." Just completely addicting and mesmerizing.
Really love these guys, but honestly didn't imagine this would be so good. I don't know of anybody else making music like this, it's just so nearly perfect for me. Finally got around to reading the Pitchfork review ... not bad. I agree that it is probably their best record so far, even if maybe not my favorite. There are moments from their past that really can't be overshadowed in my mind, like the opening beat leading into their best song "A Light So Dim", and the galloping honky-tonk piano driving "It's A Crime I Never Told You About the Diamonds In Your Eyes", the instruments seeming to gradually coalese out of the air for the beginning of "We Always Knew", with it's hypnotic bass and that little squawk thing that comes along occasionally, and keeps me waiting, and wanting to hear it more than the two or three times in the song, the simple beauty in the lyrics of "Why I Stay", I know we won't ever learn, these things they'll never change, this is why I stay, but this is why I must go, the continuing saga of "The Waiter" weaving its way through their career, the eerie backup vocals by Kazu Makino (Blonde Redhead) on the great "On Ships of Gold", so many things endear this band to me, but it does really all come together on this latest one. Easily their best band lineup with ex-Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer doing a fantastic job here, as well as two Album Leaf members, bassist Jimmy Lavelle and violinist Matt Resovich filling out the sound, and that haunting bowed saw, which has become a signature of their sound, is back to bring on the night in songs like the great closer, "To Bring You Back." Yeah, very good album. |
Another favorite from the dark lords of Americana, kind of a meeting of the Doors and Nick Cave and John Cale. Might not be as good and overall cohesive as the last one, the great Regard the End, but sure sounds good to me right now. Got my UK copy from a guy on ebay for a pretty good price. Not real cheap, but what ya gonna do when you have the need and it don't make it to your shores. Speaking of my shores, you can watch a video for the opening "Distant Shore" at the label site. It's based closely on the well known Sullivan Ballou letter from the Civil War, a soldier's thoughts on the night before battle, knowing he probably won't be coming home to his wife, and he didn't. Driven along by piano and violins and viola, and siren-like trumpet by the guy from Lambchop that made the last album so good too, and that deep baritone voice of Fisher's. Really nice song ...
The amazing title track that follows the opener runs for almost 9 1/2 minutes, with a lot of the Doors and Nick Cave goodness. Quite an opening statement. It'd be near impossible to make a complete album at that high level, and they don't, but it's still fine by my standards. The inclusion of the cover of Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man" they recorded for Uncut's tribute to Highway 61 Revisited would've worked better tacked on the end as a bonus, because it was one of Dylan's shining moments as a vocalist and interpreter of his own words, and I don't know anyone who could top that amazing original, although I don't dislike this version, it's just that it is a little too reverential and doesn't play to Fisher's strengths as a vocalist since he kind of does it in Dylan's style, but without Dylan's style. But most of the rest is golden. Love the song he co-wrote with Steve Wynn...
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Love that sand-blasted Neil Young meets the Velvet Underground sound. Always have, always will. It makes no apologies for sounding pretty much like the last one, the excellent Stalled Parade, and none required. And even though it does still revel in that usual meeting of old timers Neil Young and Lou Reed, with the modern post rock of Tortoise, this time it starts with off with a little twist of 60s Who-flavored psychedelia. Might take a few listens to sink in, even with an old fan like me, but starting to pay off big now. "New Rules" is turning into my song of the year. Almost 8 minutes of Yo La Tengo-like bliss, with Rick and Janet exchanging vocals, and those Tortoise-like effects from Doug McCombs and John McEntire, and new guy Mark Greenberg, and all those lovely droney and jangly guitars, and with a guitar solo to ride out the second half that is just so heartfelt and well done. Classic, and very cool, even if a bit understated. Has the feel of an album that will age well into the future, even if it didn't blow me away from the start. Too bad only one song with Janet taking lead vocals since it stands as one of the album's best. |
Damn, this is some good ol' bluesy Americana rock and roll. One of the early highlights of 2006, although it got a European release late last year. Think of the Band mixed up with the Exile-era Glimmer Twins. Maybe some early Wilco/late UT on the side. Takes you back to Dylan's basement, and another time. Maybe too far back and too reverential for some, especially when they cover the Band's "Get Up Jake", but it still makes a vintage guy like me smile a bunch more than usual. And when they launch into "Blindfolded", all those nods to the past are forgiven. Great rec from a young Detroit band keeping that rockin' Americana torch lit. Good singing and nice production too. A couple mp3 at their label, and a couple others floating around elsewhere. |
Whatever that title means, not sure. I'm sometimes a little bit apprehensive when one of my old favorites puts out a new one, you know, the inevitable letdown when compared to your memory of their past greatness. But screw it, I try no longer to make those comparisons, I just go with the flow. And this one has a great flow. It kind of straddles the fence between the longer guitar workouts on my favorite Perfect From Now On with the somewhat more upbeat and crunchy sound of the later ones like Keep It Like A Secret. I'd have to say this new one is their closest brush with Crazy Horse yet, but in the end it really doesn't matter to me because it's all just so mesmerizing and charming in its own way. Really a nice album, but it does seem to be getting its share of detractors too who would prefer a return to that more concise pop sound. Oh well, we all know what happens when you try to please everyone ... I was bobbing my head and smiling even on the first listen, so no surprise that it just gets better and better as the songs start to open up more and live on their own. The line in the opener about, "When I was a kid I saw a light, floating high above the trees one night, thought it was an alien, turned out to be just God". And in "Liar", when he sings, "Well I sat on the patio, while the pianos were being tuned, forget about it all for a little while". At first I thought he was singing, "outside on the patio, while a piano's weeping tune ..." Actually, I still do. Doesn't matter though. It's the, "She don't mind, she don't care" part that sells it. Just lots of little moments throughout that start to emerge after a few listens. Also, one of my biggest gripes with the last one was that the songs often ended right when they were starting to get interesting to me, and they didn't end right. They just faded out. Always bugged me. But this one is full of guitar workouts and proper endings on most of the songs without those annoying long fadeouts (still a couple, but mostly done right this time). It does have similarities to the last one, but I find the music more substantial here. I like Ancient Melodies of the Future, and loved a couple songs, but always felt it was missing something. That vision he had on PFNO. The fire in his heart. The willingness to put it on the line. But this one seems to bring it all together, all the good parts, without having to sacrifice much depth. Most of the songs are longer than normal, average about 5-6 minutes. It takes a big chance and opens with a 9 minute opus, and it doesn't feel like a wasted second to me. It really is one of their best albums yet, and coming so far into their career, and 5 years after the last release, it's amazing to me. |
I knew this guy his name was Mark with a C. His sister was like the heat coming off the back of an old TV Been listening a lot to the latest installment of Dave Berman's poetry meets rock and roll, with Steve Malkmus bending some tasty guitar licks, and his Pavement buddy Bob Nastanovich back to pound on some drums. And then there's Dave's loveable wife Cassie Berman taking a bigger role in the vocals on this one. And a few others in the Tanglewood Band including Paz Lenchantin, Tony Crow, Bobby Bare, Jr., Pete Cummings, Duane Denison, Mark Nevers, Will Oldham, William Tyler and Azita Youssefi. It does get back to the sound of American Water, although it's a more rocking affair overall this time out. There's a couple songs that I wish they'd taken to the limit instead of just fading out, but I'm always complaining about that. My feeling is that when you've got someone in your band playing with the chops Malkmus has right now, you should use it to the fullest. Not the popular view in indie rock, and maybe it does take away from the star here which is and should be Berman, but ya gotta go with the flow, and right now Malkmus seems to be playing as good as anyone in rock. And the sound unfortunately isn't nearly as nice as on the great sounding American Water either, this new one following the modern practice of using lots and lots of compression, giving it a more "in your face" type of sound. But that's all just minor qualms and quibbles, this is one very good album. Maybe not as good as his best, but it sure is making me real happy. |
I've been listening a lot the last few days to this new collaboration from David Sylvian with his brother Steve Jansen and electronic composer Burnt Friedman. It's somewhat of a return to the lush and accessible sound of Dead Bees On A Cake, but with a bit more of the electronica elements, and more of a jazz feel, especially on the amazing third track called "The Banality of Evil" that goes on for 8 minutes, sounding very exotic and polyrhythmic, somewhat reminiscent of Peter Gabriel, with some enchanting backing vocals, and then the ending comes along with some soft but skronky horn soloing somewhat akin to Ornette Coleman's work with Joe Henry on his great Scar album. Wonderful song that is a real standout for me right now. Could probably listen to it on constant repeat. But it's only one of many. Really a nice album. First track is pretty nice too. Great vocals traded between David and Swedish vocalist Stina Nordenstam. Think I might have to check out one of her albums too. Like much of his work, it gets kind of intoxicating with that deep and subtle voice playing against the oftentimes complex arrangements and textures. Always surrounds himself with a group of excellent musicians and this is no exception. Probably the best thing he's done in recent times. Full of sorrow, as the title suggests, but doesn't drag you down into a world of self pity. Almost cathartic. On the same samadhisound label as that excellent Harold Budd Avalon Sutra album that came out the beginning of 2005 too. |
Love the "Dondante" closer from their latest. Something like 8 minutes long, starting out reminiscent of that great David Bowie song "The Man Who Sold the World", but slowed down and quieter. With Jim James reverb laden and high pitched Neil Young meets Jeff Buckley vocals. Then at about 3 1/2 minutes in it erupts into something closer to Jimmy Page, with some nice bluesy guitar soloing for awhile, before calming back down for the last couple minutes to close it out gently like it began. Very cool. Usually have to repeat this one a few times cause it goes by way too fast. The whole album is very nice, with a lot of diversity. I have the two previous ones, and like them a lot too, but this one does more for me overall. Some pretty tight songs to go along with the jam happy stuff. I think maybe the third song "Gideon" is my favorite right now, a nice anthemic rocker, but the first half of the CD is one of the strongest I've had the fortune of hearing this past year. Lots of nods to Mercury Rev and The Band and Neil Young and the Who and other classic rockers, but with a slightly twisted view, somewhat akin to the White Stripes at times. Sure got a lot of critical acclaim, and I was half expecting a big letdown to be honest, so held off getting it for a long time. And there was also the big issue about the invasive copy protection under Windows, but I just copied it with EAC and no problem. You just have to hold down the shift key when you put the CD in the computer to make sure the software on the disc doesn't load. Apparently the band was pretty mad at Sony for putting this stuff on their disc so have offered to send anyone who has bought the CD a CD-R copy with no protection. Of course, one good way to avoid that SunnComm MediaMax content protection software crap is to get the nice looking gatefold 2-LP package on Badman Recording that comes with an extra song too. Kind of limited from what they say, but who knows. Seems like they could always just press more if there was enough demand, and apparently they still have the last one available. Anyway, really fun to watch a band like this progress over the course of their young career, exploring their roots and influences, changing direction as the band members and other circumstances change, and making the move to the majors without losing sight of their music. |
Voyager One has been one of my favorite electro-pop meets space rock bands for the last few years and this new one is very nice. They've moved solidly beyond the shoegazer tag at this point, even though it probably never did quite fit their sound. I'm reminded of early Alan Parsons I Robot in the third song, "Endless Repeat". And "Floating Bridges" is reminiscent of that great first side of David Bowie's (and Brian Eno's) Low. Not so much the dark and cold feel, but I can hear some of the solid Eno soundscapes, and a Kraftwerk-like moto groove. The dense sound comes back a little slower and darker in "Life, Truth, and Light" later on. Very nice references for me. But they sound more modern too. There are samples and drum loops and processed vocals at various times. Inspired enough by that live bootleg of the early Verve to borrow the title for their name, those early bands in the space rock shoegazer field also shaped their sound. But there's so much more here than just copying a certain sound or revisiting a lost era. There's still some of that Echo & The Bunnymen feel as on the last one, Monster Zero, which even pulled off a great cover of "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo", but this one is more electronic, with piano and guitar layers artfully handled, and much care in the production. Backwards guitars and stuttering beats and lazy vocals in "The Good You Do Not Do" give it a "Strawberry Fields" feel, but with an extra swirl of electronics riding in the mix. All of the songs are quite distinctive, and yet flow so well together. They even bring in friend Liz Green to supply some extra vocals beyond their two. And cap off the disc with one of the most beautiful and moving closers I've heard since "Consequence" on the Notwist's modern classic Neon Golden. Usually gets repeated a few times before I breakdown and play the whole CD again. Only to be repeated a few times again a way too short 38 minutes later. The music has light and color, with images sometimes reflecting the neon lights pictured on the striking CD cover. It's an intriguing album that really draws me in, and the production makes it a great listening experience, either loud or soft, headphones or speakers. But it does really come alive when you crank the volume. And it does have some very nice headphone effects. Amazing what some of these guys can do on such a small budget. One of them even took the picture for the cover. |
This is a dark and dreamy mix that apparently got released in Europe at the end of 2004, but not until a few months into 2005 in the US. It reminds me at times of Isaac Brock and Will Oldham and Nick Cave and Tom Waits and Jeff Mangum and some of my other favorites. A couple of the songs do get a little repetitious, and I'd drop them to make a stronger album, but then he follows it with a jaw dropper and I forget all about the minor missteps. Quite a few standouts along the way, but the last three songs really send me off in the right direction. And the third song titled "Don't You, Pts. 1-2" sounds a lot like Modest Mouse, especially when he sings, "that don't mean a thing anyway", it sounds almost just like Brock, and also sounds like something he would write. But talk about a disc for broken-hearted lovers, this is the drug. There's a song called "I Still Remember" in the middle that is just a heart ripper, "And I still remember thinking, I wish I could know you, for an eternity, or at least until we grow old. And I still remember thinking, how lovely it could be, to hold you for eternity, or at least until you fell asleep", Micah trading verses with the angelic Sarah Lowes from the Earlies (who back him and produce the album). Beautiful. And that 8 1/2 minute epic cosmic country closer, "The Day Texas Sank To The Bottom of The Sea", just knocks me out. And the opening block of three songs is a highlight as well. And then there's "Stand in My Way" that comes along with a sad country waltz, interwoven with a mournful cello and accented with plucked strings and a background accordian and piano, initially reminding me a little of a cross between the moody middle section on the great Modest Mouse The Moon & Antarctica and something from the Black Heart Procession, but then a brass band comes in and drives it more toward Neutral Milk Hotel territory. Great song! Great album! |
This new one has turned into quite a grower, in kind of the same sonic mold as the new Elbow Leaders of the Free World, but more Echo & The Bunnymen in their sound than Elbow's link to Peter Gabriel. Kind of subdued compared to their fun and often manic self-titled debut, but still some of that nice Bowie and Pere Ubu influence to keep me happy. Speaking of Pere Ubu, some of it does remind me a lot of that nice Worlds In Collision sound they were working in the late 80s/early 90s. Gives it kind of a quirky, yet epic Brit pop sound, much more accessible than some of those oblique early Pere Ubu experiments. Wasn't sure how much I would like it after the first listen or two, but now it's turning into one of my favorites this year, and I don't have a clue why I didn't know that at first. Really has a nice shimmer that totally draws me in. Pretty highly compressed sound, but I haven't heard any pop out of the UK that isn't lately. Too bad, cause it could be even better if it didn't need to be mastered so loud. You can hear the nice recording and production in there, but they just can't put out a CD anymore that uses more than a few percent of the available range. Still sounds great! |
Willy Vlautin wrote these stark tunes while tucked away in the Fitzgerald Casino Hotel in Reno for a few weeks, and it's pretty vivid and powerful stuff, full of characters whose lives revolve around that central location. A little of the flavor of Springsteen's Nebraska, and also reminiscent of the sad tunes on that first Steve Earle album after he got out of jail. And a more recent touchstone in the work of Damien Jurado. And with a weedy voice similar to the much more popular Jeff Tweedy of Wilco fame. But with maybe a touch of Tweedy's ex-Tupelo partner, Jay Farrar, in the lower registers. One of those dusty, lived-in, stripped-down productions that is guaranteed to alienate some fans looking for the more up-beat and rocking alt-country they've come to expect from Richmond Fontaine, but I can't stop listening to it. Not a bad recording either, with some nice bass, and not all compressed like most new CDs. |
Contagious and mesmerizing album, with lots of clever wordsmithing to go with the imaginative music. It is highly emotional subject matter for the most part because it deals with a lot of hurt left from his childhood and abusive stepfather, but what a great album. I just can't stop listening. Kind of like a combo of Will Oldham and the Silver Jews, but without the twisted country vibe. Lots of variety in the music, and with good engineering and production work from John Vanderslice and Scott Solter. And there's even some nice cello work and string arrangements by well known Erik Friedlander. And though some of it does sound similar to the whimsical pop of John Vanderslice's own work, this generally has a more subdued folk-pop sound, though quirky and fractured sounding at times, and lyrically it's much more serious. |
This new one seems brilliant so far after a few listens. Really seems to be channelling John Lennon to very good effect. The opener may be the best thing he's done so far, "The Beast and Dragon, Adored". Love it. Only goes 4:18 but seems kind of epic in nature. Really pulls you along and holds you with its dark and moody tension. The lyrics seem to be somewhat autobiographical...
Nice choppy guitar soloing toward the end and that insistent piano. Very cool, and that's just the opener! Still lots of Elvis Costello and ELO and Jam and sounds like that throughout, as in the past. And like in the past, it's not really a stormer since the sound is kind of understated, but it does rock pretty good all the way through and is easily accessible. It's definitely got the feel of a slightly more refined and mature take on Girls Can Tell, which is one of my favorite albums of the last few years and one I often recommend to friends. And it gets better and better the more you listen, rewarding your patience. But even so, by the second listen I was thinking this might be my record of the year. Right up there with the new Andrew Bird. It's got all the things I like about Spoon, but also adds a new dimension with some of that early McCartney and or late Beatles sound. Playful stuff too, like Admiral Halsey or Yellow Submarine, bridged with the added background noises and spoken parts. Some very nice vocal backup throughout too, whether it's by Britt or others. But then there's the more substantial Lennon influence I mentioned running through other parts. Not the ripping his heart out with scream therapy stuff that punctuates Plastic Ono Band, but still parts from that album. There's one song that almost breaks into one of my Lennon favorites, the tightly coiled "Remember" that finally explodes at the end. Really knocked me out when I first heard that one. Britt's version isn't quite that explosive, but it's a definite highlight, and only one of many rewarding moments throughout the disk. Just a very solid album. Nice professional artwork too that mimics the quality of the music. The sound is kind of compressed but still sounds pretty good. And you can always pick up the beautiful 180 gm gatefold version which should have less compression if it's anything like the past. |
Andrew Bird is my savior from the mundane. What a gem of a CD that I just can't get enough of lately. Every listen is like a brand new experience. The lyrics are fun, but at the same time insightful. Clever, but not to the point of being silly. Sophisticated music, but not at the listener's expense. Think orchestrated Beatles, but as interpreted by some alt-country-cosmopolitan leaning Radiohead-like band playing with a fabulous guest violinist who likes to play with a bit of eclectic abandon on occasion. One of the best albums that is gonna be released this year. Pretty nice sound quality too, at least for a new recording which unfortunately has to be pretty severely compressed to fit in the couple of bits of dynamic range left after the "make it as loud as we can" CD marketing idiots have gotten their way. This guy should be huge but he doesn't have a sound that bowls you over, at least not at first. But the songs get stuck in your head, usually a line or a verse at a time, and they just grow on you until you don't wanna hear anything else. Not like the stupid commercial jingles that make up most radio playlists, but complex, melodic music with quirky lyrical imagery. Every song intrigues me. It seems almost a concept album. Apocalyptic tales about monsters and judgement and rebirth (and even some pony rides and dancing bears along the way). Memories of younger days highlighted by brilliant music from the likes of Paul Simon and David Byrne are never far away either. And from more modern times, the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev and Radiohead. None of this generation's songwriters really have anything on Andrew Bird. not those more popular ones like Thom Yorke, Wayne Coyne, Ben Gibbard, Conor Oberst, Isaak Brock, Beck, or the less known ones like Win Butler, Sufjan Stevens, Devendra Banhart, Mark Linkous, and whomever else you wanna toss out. I love a good lyric and a good melody and a surprize or two along the way, and I like most of the artists mentioned above, but Andrew Bird is still pretty special. Adventurous music steeped in tradition. Just listen to "Fake Palindromes", one of the best things I've heard this year ...
And from "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left" ...
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I'm really enjoying this new one. Kind of a mix of Led Zeppelin and Exile era Stones with some Lou Reed and the VU thrown in, meaning it's got a dirty, bluesy, foggy sound, but some of that Zep art-rock boogie too. The singer's not in the same style (or class) as Jagger and Plant, but he's not bad. Gives it a sound not too different from the Masters of Reality. A little Gomez, maybe. Or Mountain, that's probably a good comparison. But they've also got a girl by the name of Amber Webber in the mix, and she takes them into very interesting territory. Adds maybe a touch of Jefferson Airplane sound to it. Some of the song titles do seem to toy with their obvious influences. Like "No Satisfaction", which has kind of a foggy Velvet Underground meets the Stones foot tapping sing-a-long rhythm to it. The next song is one of my early favorites, "Set Us Free", with some Buffalo Springfield sound mixed with a bit of that (for me at least) ever-present Zeppelin. Anyway, pretty cool CD. But one thing that I wanted to mention is that it's recorded and mastered pretty nicely for a modern rock release. Just on a tiny Indiana indie label named Jagjaguwar, and recorded at the Argyle Hotel and at the Hive by Colin Stewart and the band. Mastered by Doug Van Sloun. No idea who any of these people or places are, but I can tell you that it's got a refreshing sound to it. Not highly compressed and with some nice dynamics. Not perfect by any stretch, but the cymbals at least sound like shimmering metal instead of the splashes of white noise you hear on most modern rock CDs due to all the heavy compression. No boomy bass either. Sounds kind of like a vintage recording. Lots of potential - scores heavy points with the indie crowd, but still has a classic rock sound. Or at least a classic stoner rock sound. Even scored high points at Pitchfork. They're a Vancouver band that's been around in a few similar incarnations for a while now. |
Very nice sounding CD. I love that you have to really crank up the volume. Why can't they record and mix and master more rock records like this? What is wrong with everybody nowadays? Doesn't anyone in the industry know what good sound is anymore, besides just a small handful that still sit down and listen? Doesn't anyone care? And now that my rant is over, this is just such an incredible album. I only picked up a copy recently (late 2005) thinking that I already had enough Wilco, but how wrong I was. Probably my pick for best album of 2004 in retrospect, even if I am late to the party. "Fill up your mind with all it can know, 'cause what would love be without wishful thinking?" Ghost might be the best one for me right now. Probably just because it's fresh, but it hit my sweet spot right away and now just gets better and better. Absolutely love it. Almost an embarrassing amount. It does have a prodigious amount of bass, but not sure if that is a fault or not. Depends on your system. Right now mine is kind of bass shy so no problem. But contrary to the poor reputation Abbey Road has had in recent times for their highly compressed mastering, this one was mastered there by one of the good guys, Steve Rooke, just like some of those excellent sounding recent Steve Albini projects I love so much by Electrelane and Nina Nastasia. I wonder if it all revolves around the Chicago scene now? Wilco and Albini and O'Rourke and the Tortoise guys and Sonic Youth and all the rest that have been through that windy city scene at some point seem to all be bucking the industry trend and still putting out decent sounding rock music. |
I've been soaking in this one a lot recently. As big a fan as I am of these guys, it surprises even me that I only just got this one in late 2005 since it's about 2 years old, but really liking it right now. Only got in a few listens so far, and it is definitely more experimental than their other normal releases, but works well enough for me. Still lots of those Califone magic beans scattered amongst all the quiet noise and loops and Rutili fragmented ramblings and the skronky sounds. Some of it does harken back to Roomsound, and some of it is closer to their experimental Deceleration limited releases, but when these guys get going in one of their deep grooves, there just isn't anything I like much better these days. My favorite is "2 Sisters Drunk On Each Other", which was the only song from the album I knew since I downloaded it before release. With lyrics like, "Red foot cold floor, you're the root, you're the hanging tree, you're Easter in the Philippines." Where does Rutili come up with this stuff? No idea half the time what he's talking about, but it still seems to make sense in the song context, and I love it just the same. |
Been listening a bunch to this one lately. Probably my favorite right now in early 2005. Missed it last year, but it really has grown on me fast. Sad that it has almost no distribution or press because it's really a nice album. Probably comes closer to that magic sound of After the Gold Rush than Neil could get today, but still never sounds dated. A little of that "Helpless" flavor in the chorus of the second song. Guess they did some shows opening for My Morning Jacket so that's a good comparison too. But closer to the Songs: Ohia take on Neil Young, maybe. Not the totally melancholy Molina as on Didn't It Rain that I love the most, but the more twangy and hopeful one that made Magnolia Electric Co so good. Kind of like Doug Martsch and his Built To Spill take on Neil Young, but more lap steel. And Doug's quirky and mystical, but loveable take on the world around him. And they do let loose on occasion with the full arsenal of noisy guitars, which always makes me smile. Like on the third song "Jesus", which starts out slow and acoustic sounding but takes off into Spiritualized meets Crazy Horse territory in the second half after they crank up the guitar amps past 11. Lots of distortion. Very cool. Good lyrics too, even if I don't always know quite what the songs are about. Only 10 songs and a couple do go on a little longer than they should, but the rest is golden, especially for a debut. Kind of self-released so only available at a couple places. Do a search and buy it from Wayne...it'll make you happy. Pretty nice and uncompressed sound along with HDCD encoding for those that care about these things. |
This one is very nice and a big surprise for me. At the time I wrote this, AMG had only given it 3.5 stars and no review, but I think it rates much higher than that. If you like the sound of shoegazer power pop (ie noise pop), this is the deal. Like My Bloody Valentine covering a Pixies tribute to the Shoes, if that makes any sense. Hints of the Cocteau Twins on the slower songs, especially when drummer Carla has the mic. Obviously not the most original sound in the universe....but pretty damn irresistible to me. DMZ label co-owner T-Bone Burnett is in the producer's chair which seems like an odd choice, but whatever his role was in the sound, it definitely works. I guess DMZ is affiliated with Sony so it's got some big backing and hence is a lot more popular than your normal little LA band's debut release, but don't let that stop you. Hints of the softer side of Pink Floyd at times and some of that gentle Abbey Road suite of songs sound as well. It does erupt with squalls of guitar feedback on most of the songs, very much like MBV and Ride, which are probably the closest references. Too close really, but very nice nonetheless. Big drums too which separates it a bit from the more blissful sound of something like Loveless. One of those CDs that I could probably listen to exclusively for days and still not feel like I had completely absorbed it. When the guy is singing I swear they do sound a lot like the Shoes. Now there was a great pop band that went almost completely unnoticed and stays that way today! Oh well, Autolux isn't the most original or innovative or mind-bending or dangerous band around, but they sure made a nice record that's a lot of fun, and I'm sure glad I bought it. |
Any band that mixes some of the best sounds of the post-punk era including the Jam and XTC and Gang of Four is gonna wind up high on my list. And it's just their debut! Not as stylistically varied as the Franz Ferdinand debut, but overall more likeable for me. It's a head bobbing blast of a record and they really do sound like early XTC mixed with just a smidgen of Gang of Four and/or Buzzcocks and/or Jam (and/or substitute your own favorite from that post-punk-pop pool). I'm surprised at how accurately it can be described. Good singing too. Maybe not as quirky as XTC, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, because some of the quirk doesn't always work for me. The catchy "Carnival Kids" is a standout on first listen, along with "Robot" and "The City Is Here For You To Use", although to be honest, they don't really deviate much from the core sound. Of course, if this kinda punky-pop stuff isn't part of your normal music diet anymore you might wanna approach with caution. Not really a substitute for the "real" thing if you haven't yet found the classics like Singles Going Steady and Black Sea and Entertainment! and Snap! and all the rest that have gotten a lot of mentions around here in the past, but a nice update if you have. And the Gang of Four's own Andy Gill as producer does lend them a lot of cred. And then there's also that very cool cover of Kate Bush's "Hounds of Love" to really seal the deal. There's just some honest quality to it that most of the other retro bands lack for me. It's like they're really playing their own music and not just mimicking their idols and trying to be fashionable and stylish. Quite a debut. |
What a cool song. I was listening to Devendra Banhart this morning and this song always just floors me. So simple, yet so gentle and sincere sounding. So many quavers and quivers in his voice and delivery. I read in an interview that he really does have a good friend named Will, and he does sing like that great British blues man John Mayall, and he's always singing Mayall's "Goin' Back to California". So the song was meant to be kind of an ode to him. One of many highlights on a completely charming, yet still very eclectic sounding album. |
I read an excerpt from Rolling Stone that says something silly like "Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks leading the Flaming Lips", but I hear a lot of Kinks goodness in it myself. The softer, literate, non-garage band Kinks that comes out on their epic albums like Village Green and Arthur. Of course, a band that takes its name from the great American novel by Saul Bellows would be expected to have a literary bent, and they do. But the words never get in the way of the music, they work together as they should, both supporting each other. Apparently it was released in their native Australia way back in 2002 on BMG and received a great deal of critical acclaim, but spinART just recently released it here in the US, also to a bit of critical acclaim. So what to call it, a 2002 or 2004 release? Well, my copy says 2004 on the back and so that's what it is. A song or two remind me a bit of David Kilgour from New Zealand's Clean, but more so from his recent solo work with the Lambchop backing. Some of it is on the precious side, like that BW/VDP connection mentioned above. It has a lush sound that could almost be described as ornate. Reminds me a bit of the experimental pop side of Robert Wyatt, fragile but not as quite soft and feathery like Wyatt. Lots of piano and strings. But then along comes a hard driving song like "This Train" which makes that description sound like a different record. Comes with a couple videos that you can also watch at their site. |
This one might take a few listens to really soak in since they do harken back to earlier times with lots of Police influence in the dark but melodic punk sense. And not too far removed from old school mid 90s emo like Sunny Day Real Estate, but not nearly as whiney. Police meet Modest Mouse with the drummer from Appleseed Cast? But there are still hints of that Three Mile Pilot heritage they share with Black Heart Procession. Still, the first listen might go by without too much really sticking. But a couple more listens and the individual songs all start to blossom and then snake into your brain. Hard to believe that the bulk of this was recorded in a bedroom and a spare room because it sounds so damn good. Very nice mix with lots of great vocal harmonizing and shimmering guitars. Seems like the best thing they've done yet. Beautiful flow and nearly every song has a lot going for it. Totally love the aggressive "AFK" album closer, with the pounding drums and shout along lyrics that convey the album title in the chorus - kind of like Isaac Brock and company, especially in that megaphone-enhanced backing vocal track...
Getting close to album of the year for me - top 5 for sure. |
Wow, this album has really been growing on me lately. Great lyrics throughout and fantastic music. Gets by with a little help from his friends including the always loveable Polly Jean Harvey who pops up on two of the most majestic tracks ("Hit the City" and "Come to Me"), plus Izzy and Duff from GNR on backing vocals ("Strange Religion"). And of course his old QOTSA buddies, Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri, popping out here and there. And Afghan Whigs/Twilight Singers leader Greg Dulli puts in some time in the mix as well. It rocks and seethes with lots of bluesy energy throughout. I really liked Field Songs too, and the more unified or consistent sound he's getting nowadays, but it was kind of subdued compared to the old days. I would've liked it more if he'd let loose more like he does on this one. What a voice though. Just gets better all the time. The ravages of whiskey and cigarettes. Mama don't let your babies grow up to sound like this, but one of my favorite singers right now. You can almost see the words come out of his mouth. The Chris Goss production won't let it be mistaken for an audiophile disc, but it does sound right for the music. Kind of a Tom Waits junkyard percussion sound on much of it. Definitely high on my best of the year list right now. |
David Kilgour and his brother formed the Clean way back in the late 70s and were putting out similar music to the Feelies in the early 80s, although with more of an early Who influence mixed in. Their first single "Tally Ho" is one of the lost gems of rock n roll. Very cool. Not sure they ever really quite matched that level of fun and charm again as they moved more into jangle-rock, but there's a 2-disc anthology that collects all those early songs and it's a great listen. All the early stuff is pretty lo-fi, especially compared to those great sounding Feelies albums, but essential nonetheless for any VU fan. Lots of the sound that Yo La Tengo later became (listen to "Point That Thing Somewhere Else" by the Clean). And blueprints for many other bands, including recent faves like the sadly now defunct Life Without Buildings (just listen to the song "Side On" by the Clean). Highly influential. A buddy from New Zealand sent me a copy of the 1997 solo album from David Kilgour titled David Kilgour & the Heavy Eights (not released in the US) and I loved it so picked up his latest A Feather In The Engine, which is released in the US on Merge. It's one of those albums that I've listened to many, many times over the last couple years and it's something that I bet a lot of people would probably like a lot too. The everpresent VU influence is there, but not to the point of sounding like them. More like the Feelies and Chills type sound, along with some Eleventh Dream Day maybe. Great guitar work and kind of psychedelic sounding, mixed with that jangle sound of the other bands mentioned above. Kind of along the lines of vintage Steve Wynn, but little softer. Wonderful album. Not one that slaps you in the face and declares its greatness right away, but one that you keep playing long after the other big hitters have been forgotten. Similar in some ways to Yo La Tengo (whom they coincidentally thank in the liner notes), which means that much of the influence comes from the quieter side of the Velvet Underground. Very nice recording too. I love the smart and fun music of David Kilgour, and have now managed to get my hands on all his solo work, and this might be his best record yet....solo, or with the Clean. Top notch all the way through. But so are all of his last few, so it's kind of pointless to rate them against each other. Simply put, if you love the best of bands like Yo La Tengo and Luna and REM and the Feelies and all the other descendants of the softer jangle rock sound of the Velvet Underground, you'll love these records too. His last two are on Merge in the US so are very easy to come by, as opposed to the excellent one before that with the Heavy Eights I mentioned above, which is a NZ import. All have very nice sound as a bonus, especially this latest one. Lots of cool guitar and dreamy melodies. Only 35 minutes long so I have to play it at least twice. Even has the guys from Lambchop backing him on this latest Frozen Orange along with the Heavy Eights crew, and they recorded it down in Nashville. |
Lots of over-the-top reviews on the web make this one of the most highly anticipated and acclaimed indie rock releases this year, but if you can forget all the hype and just let it play for a few times before passing judgment, you may just find, like I did, that it's really a very fine group of songs - adventurous but very tuneful, and it hangs together extremely well as an album. Lots of David Bowie influence, but like fellow Canadians Broken Social Scene and The New Pornographers, they are all over the map when it comes to inventive pop music. Love that rousing Disco Inferno "Burn Baby Burn" chorus rip on "Rebellion (Lies)". Great song that's been stuck on infinite repeat in my head for days. And the four song "Neighborhood" suite that opens the CD is beautifully performed, passionate, emotional music with highly evocative lyrics (though admittedly, also occasionally a little silly and underdeveloped). The closing "In The Backseat" could even be mistaken for Bjork if you weren't a huge fan. But is it worthy of the near perfect ratings and hype from many of the big e-zines? Well, this type of music is highly subjective and more so than some other types since it does draw so heavily from a myriad of influences. Some may hate it for that and possibly lose sight of how well done the music is. Me? After giving it those first few listens I'm starting to like it quite a lot. And it just keeps getting better with each listen. Definitely in contention for one of the top indie albums of the year at this point, but I can also envision some of the initial charm wearing off after a while too. Just have to wait and see. |
This is pretty addictive stuff for me and consequently I've been spinning it at just about every opportunity. Thirteen songs spread over 76 minutes obviously means this isn't your normal feel good radio friendly pop. Many of the songs are actually long suites with 3 or 4 interconnected segments, giving it a somewhat progressive feel but with an eclectic indie rock and electronica type sound. Any of you that make the rounds of the big review sites already know that this one has gotten some very mixed reviews, everything from early album of the year proclamations at places like Tiny Mix Tapes and Pitchfork to Spin dismissing it as a "joyless slog through mossy folk tedium." Hehehe, I wonder who reads Spin anymore? But after a few listens I'm pretty much in love with it. Wildly inventive in the good way that much rock music used to be in the 60s when you had psychedelic rock from the Who, and avant-garde excursions by Frank Zappa, and epic multi-faceted pop suites from the Beatles, and even druggy dreamscapes from the Jefferson Airplane. Speaking of Zappa, that leads to Captain Beefheart, and this album even reminds me of his sometime guitar player and partner in strangeness toward the end of his performing days, Gary Lucas, and his Bad Boys of the Arctic record from the mid 90s. Very hard to draw parallels and explain what it sounds like or who may enjoy it, but I do. The brother and sister team do acknowledge (and rightly so!) a big debt to those early Who rock mini-operas that showed up on The Who Sell Out. Very cool CD but not for the unadventurous. My album of the year right now and probably at year end as well. |
This one that really snuck up on me outta nowhere and now I completely adore it. It's the second album from this English girl and she knows how to rock, kind of like early PJ Harvey circa Dry, especially on the single "Into My Blood". But also with traces of a cabaret style and jazz at times. Maybe a touch of Fiona Apple in the middle section of the CD. But mostly just solid, passionate rock. I've been listening to this a lot. She's even getting MTV play from what I hear. Miracles never cease when you have Interscope big bucks behind you, although she doesn't seem to be getting much promotion, which is refreshing in a way. One of those nice price CDs too at under ten smacks locally (under 7 smacks online). I'm pretty sure this one will crash into my top 10 this year.
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One that I've been spinning a lot recently is the new Honeydogs 10,000 Years and it's a good one. Kind of like a modern day Sgt. Pepper's in some respects. Conceptual with far reaching, intelligent lyrics, all wrapped in great Beatleseque melodies and elegant pop arrangements that also bring to mind Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks. It starts out sounding quite a bit like classic Harry Nilsson. Then I think about Ben Folds or Jason Falkner or someone like that in the modern orchestrated pop field. And other times it reminds me a bit of something more rootsy by Ry Cooder or John Hiatt. Great production work by young veteran John Fields moves it far beyond the scope of most "indie" projects. It had a limited release last year and a full release just recently so should be widely available online. It's on the Aimee Mann/Michael Penn United Musicians label so shares their ideals for adult pop. The underlying lyrics is really where this one breaks out from the field. Singer/writer Adam Levy describes his "Brave New World" storyline as: Test-tube kid is born. He's stolen by a woman clairvoyant who understands his life has some kind of martyred purpose. She raises him under horrible circumstances, and the kid is influenced by all the bad stuff around him. He becomes a small-time criminal, is sent to jail, has no remorse or sense of history. But then he has a near-death experience, and then a conversion experience. He realizes he has to connect himself to a higher purpose. At the time he's having these experiences, the world is undergoing an apocalyptic war led by this Brother 33 character, who is sticking his fingers into ethnic conflicts around the world. So [the test-tube guy] goes off to war, becomes a war hero, and then his genetic background is revealed to him. He realizes he is made of some sort of engineered perfection, and if he donates his body to science, the world will basically be perfect. Kind of like "Boyz 'N the Hood" meets "The Matrix", as I think one critic described it. But here the music is more important than the concept and all the songs are fully capable of standing on their own. There's some Memphis-style soul here and there, as well as Middle Eastern, Brazilian and cabaret, giving the album lots of fun and interesting shifts in tempo. It did take a few listens before I really started to think of it as one of my recent favorites, I think partly because I haven't been listening to this type of music much lately. But it does have similarities to the Decemberists in some respects, which I have been listening to a lot lately, so maybe it isn't too far afield from my normal indie-centric music world. Cool cover too. Adam Levy has often been employed as a social worker helping troubled kids and the cover is apparently from a poster that hangs on his wall at work. |
I keep coming back to this one over and over. It's a little hard to describe just exactly what the appeal is, but it's got boatloads of it, whatever it is. One of those albums that doesn't really knock me out with anything in particular, but one that I always seem to be in the mood to hear. They do go through a few styles, but usually retain some of that Velvet Underground rhythm sound like the Feelies. And more recently, Life Without Buildings. Electrelane mixes in some of the sound that I love about Blonde Redhead too. Gives it a little bit of a fractured sound. Some very cool influences. Another thing that really impresses me about it is the mastering. Most of the CDs you buy nowadays, even the indie stuff that doesn't really have a chance at mainstream radio play, is just horribly compressed, with nearly zero dynamic range. Average level almost the same as peak. The new Modest Mouse CD is a good example. Love the music but awful recording and/or mastering on most of it. But it was designed for radio play so I wasn't really that surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised. But this Electrelane disc is great. Just the direct opposite. You really have to crank up the volume, just like in the "old days". Average levels come out in the 50% to 60% range with peaks up above 90% when you analyze it. Lots of dynamic range. Recorded by Steve Albini and mastered at Abbey Road by Steve Rooke, two of the good guys. What a great team. Hats off and kudos to all involved on this one. Oh yeah, another thing I like about Electrelane - how can you resist a lovely girl playing guitar in a Ramones shirt. Oh yeah, and "Take the Bit Between Your Teeth" flat out rocks!
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This is a really nice album with lots of Beatles and Yo La Tengo and hints of ELO and My Bloody Valentine and much more. Some very novel production too, kind of like what Jim O'Rourke did with the Aluminum Group or some of those other modern Chicago pop bands that attended the school of Burt Bacharach (Stereolab, High Llamas, Edith Frost, etc). Real studio wizards from the sound of it, and maintaining good fidelity at the same time with some nice low bass and overall warm sound. At their site they have a page dedicated to the album with lots of recording notes and stuff including a couple of Fun Facts, one being, "The top five reference albums that was listened to in the studio was: ELO / Out of the Blue, Wilco / Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, The Beatles / Revolver, Ween / The Mollusk, Elton John / Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". Nice collection of "references" there. Interesting in that it does have kind of a Mollusk sound in the production, fat and clean in a 90s hi-fi sense, but with a real fleshed-out background giving it a lot of depth. Pretty solid all the way through. The 7 minute title track is very nice with a long buildup sounding kind of like something from Elbow or Coldplay, but with sweet girl/boy vocals giving it a more pop feel. And a big, noisy "A Day In The Life" ending. And it's even sequenced at the right spot - track 10 on an 11 track album with only a relatively short and sweet acoustic closer (but definitely not a throwaway) to follow that emotional buildup. Very nice job. Can't really point to any songs on it that I don't like right now but quite a few that are very good. The second track "Sun A.M." is a blast, real cheerful Bangles meets ELO rockin' pop. I think it's the single. Followed by "Over My Head" which opens with a rather dramatic piano solo sounding more like something from Sparklehorse. The debut album from this Swedish band, June and Novas, is also very good. One that goes on repeat and stays there for quite awhile. |
Toward the end of last year, You Forgot It In People was released on the little Arts and Crafts label in Canada and it almost immediately sold out due to the heavy buzz surrounding this band. So it didn't really get a "proper" release in Canada until a few months into 2003, and not until the summer in the US, which is why it wound up on many 2003 top ten lists, even though technically it was first released in Canada in 2002. Strong and varied all the way through and gets better with each listen. A little bit like Death Cab For Cutie meets The Strokes at times, but the best of both. And then along comes a very cool instrumental or a nice horn and piano interlude. A little Belle & Sebastian sound at times. Clever and sophisticated experimental pop music but not too coy or cute. Being a Toronto collective formed from some other more epic sounding bands on the scene with the intent of making a pop music album, they do bring some of that Godspeed You Black Emperor type sound to it. But in shorter packages, nothing much over 6 minutes long. A little Spoon, but not quite as frenetic overall...maybe some Notwist, but not quite as electronic....and still some Kinks at the core like with the previously mentioned Strokes. It also has a couple of my favorite upbeat songs of the year in "Almost Crimes" and "Cause=Time". Not a perfect album, but not very far from it either. |
Califone has probably been my favorite band for the last few years and on many days this would easily be my favorite album of the year. There was a label on the cover with a quote from the Chicago Tribune, "How the Flaming Lips might've interpreted Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music". Maybe, but The Flaming Lips have never come to my mind when listening to Califone, although more pop elements have been added on this release. They've also added a little more avant-garde jazz feel to this one, kind of like they're moving beyond that Rolling Stone's Exile On Main Street blueprint for dirty folk-blues. Not that they've abandoned their original blend of electronically textured folk-blues, they've added to and extended it in new directions, making for a more diverse album than their last one, the excellent Roomsound, although that one still remains my favorite. The song "Michigan Girls" capsulizes much of the band's appeal for me. Outstanding guitar playing and song writing, with one of Tim Rutili's best vocals yet. He can really breathe life into what sometimes reads like a string of fractured images, dry white scratches on a sunburnt shin, don't give it a name, giving it color and body, yet he still manages to keep the images loosely tethered with his vocal shadings. Not that he has that great a voice, but like most good blues singers, he does know how to use what he has. Superb song, especially when it hits the chorus. Spacey percussion and piano sounds fill the background. Might be my song of the year. |
Quite a bit different from their more immediately accessible debut, this one took a while to really sink in, but after that it really got under my skin and became probably my favorite CD of the year. And the song "Young Pilgrims" is a big reason, due in no small part to the line that opens the second verse, I fell into a winter slide / and ended up the kind of kid who goes down chutes too narrow. Followed by the grand "Saint Simon" which has an almost progressive flair. The lyrics throughout the album are very nice and fit well with the music. Another very solid and highly listenable album full of very good indie pop that I expect will age well in the coming months and years. And unlike most of the albums I talk about here, they are even getting a little popular, with a song from their excellent debut album finding a place in a McDonald's commercial and performing a song from this album in a feature spot on the Gilmore Girls TV show. |
This one came out of nowhere for me, with lots of the same appeal as The Flaming Lips landmark Soft Bulletin. But in this case, mostly with real instrumentation more akin to some of the Elephant 6 collective releases such as Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control. Very nice collection of songs with the usual nods to the Beach Boys and Love and the Beatles and other orchestrated pop bands, but also XTC and Talking Heads and the irrepressible Brian Eno in his madcap and often nonsensical pop persona from the mid 70s. They even do a playfully frenzied, but still faithful cover of his "The True Wheel" from Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy). Brilliant stuff. You wonder what these guys could do with a big recording budget and a mainstream sounding singer, or at least maybe a stronger mixing of the vocals and some pitch work. But this kind of charming music doesn't exist outside of the little indie labels anymore, in this case Greyday Productions in Portland. Ever heard of Presto! Recording Studios in Nebraska? That's what I thought....unless you're already a big Bright Eyes fan or something. A couple of the concepts are a little underdeveloped, but that doesn't really detract much from the spell this album casts on me. One of those albums that I want to hear again as soon as it's over. |
