Click album covers for links. Feel free to share your opinions on these albums and keep in mind that what I write are merely my thoughts and feelings and I do not expect them to be shared.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career (2009)


This came out a while ago, but I'm posting it now because I didn't like it the first time I heard it and only listened to it again in the past few days. I don't think it's quite as good as their last two, and I still haven't heard their debut, but this is good enough. I think the main attraction here is the vocals, which strike a nice balance between sounding pretty, but so pretty that they become comical. Stylistically, I really don't think this is all that different from past work, other than the fact that this batch of songs isn't as immediately affecting as the past two.

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Thursday, November 26, 2009

Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind (2009)


It’s interesting that they’ve released two well-received full-length albums over the past two years, and have also released two short EPs of songs that would probably have fit on either of those albums. Maybe there are some subtleties that I am not getting, or some aspect of their artistic vision that makes the first sentence of this paragraph incredibly stupid, but from what I’m hearing these are along the lines of their recent work. “Graze” has some pretty, echoing vocal harmonies over fluttering synth and what sounds like flute. It’s sunny, cheerful, a bit abstract, and very beautiful. In other words, it would have sounded great on the latter half of Merriweather Post Pavillion. “Bleeding” isolated their vocal harmonies, lending an echo to both voices, which sound like they are in conversation with each other over droning synths. Both tracks are similar in quality to the best they've released over the past couple of years.


I read the pitchfork review of this EP, anxious to find out what I’m missing. Were these songs not complete on time for MPP’s release in January? Did they simply not make the cut because something had to be cut and these were it? Were they artistically uncompatible? Certainly, these 27-minutes of music would have made MPP way too long and turned a perfectly satisfying album into a pleasant, yet complex, exhausting affair. Pitchfork was no help, as is the case 50% of the time. They launched into descriptions of Animal Collective’s perfect use of tension, their departure from typical hipster-approved indie stylistic choices. They did not know why these songs were isolated onto this EP, but indicated that they were written around the same time.


Anyway, the music here can be described with any adjective used to describe any of the last 4 Animal Collective albums. Of course it’s good. They’re a good band. They have so much going on, layered electronics, multitracked vocals, songs that seem to change direction at the drop of the hat, and others that shift subtly over five-plus minutes. And, they manage to make all of this sound good. The highlight isn’t their adventurousness, or their status as extremely influential and respected, it’s that this sounds really pretty. I know that’s a simplistic assessment, and one that most of their fans would turn their nose up at. But this EP stays interesting throughout and has a nice, dreamy, psychedelic sound that barely masks their pop sensibilities, which are part of what make them a good band. For the longest time, I resisted liking this band, but with MPP, I really couldn’t do that anymore, and this EP is almost as good.


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Condo Fucks - Fuckbook (2009)


Condo Fucks are really Yo La Tengo, and this is a cover album of short, punchy garage-rock songs, as opposed to Yo La Tengo's typical drawn-out jam sessions. Though the shortness is appropriate, it's an enjoyable album of fun music and is a welcome break for those who may appreciate the band's aesthetic but lack patience for their indulgence.

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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Maybeshewill - Sing the World Hope in Four-Part Harmony (2009)


Maybeshewill is a post-rock band from the UK who sample spoken word passages over their music to lend a lyrical effect. These speeches are invariably political in theme and, while meaningful, do not really add all that much to the music. It works best on the last track (title track) on the album.
While this doesn't feel all that cohesive, it quite good musically, with arrangements that aren't among the best of the genre, but are passable. They are similar to French Teen Idol, another post-rock group that pulls this off a bit better. Despite this, Maybeshewill have released an album worth its runtime, and if nothing else, they provide a nice break from all the pop/rock music I listen to, especially when I feel tired of those same Mogwai and Sigur Ros albums.

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Monday, November 16, 2009

Built to Spill - There is No Enemy (2009)


I'm very pleased with this album. Built to Spill have a great sound, but have not always been able to make great albums. I love their messy, dreamy guitar sounds, and similar vocal style, but they haven't always combined them with great songwriting. Instead, there have been some very good albums, that were plenty enjoyable, but seemed a bit aimless at times. I tend to find myself revisiting the standout tracks, jumping between albums, rarely letting one play all the way through. I really love this band, but there are only so many times I can play "Goin' Against Your Mind," or "Carry the Zero" without wishing I had an entire album of similarly awesome songs. So, I was pleased to find There is No Enemy more cohesive than anything they've released in at least ten years, if not ever. It has their typical hazy guitar sound, but it also has some of their strongest songwriting in a long time, and is among the best releases I've heard this year. The guitar work in "Aisle 13" is a treat. The country/bluesy feel of "Hindsight" is similarly glorious. The horns in "Life's a Dream" are a nice touch. The last track on the album is also among their best, with a bass heavy guitar melody. It's little things like this that give the album more flavor than some of their past ones have had. To me, this album has the band at their best, and although they have not released an album I don't like, this could become my favorite.

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The Cribs - Ignore the Ignorant (2009)


The Cribs' fourth album features a notably cleaner, more streamlined sound than their popular Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever (2007), but it isn't necessarily worse off. The songs are still punchy, catchy, and full of energy, with solid lyrics. Even though nothing is quite as great as "I'm a Realist," "Men's Needs," or "Be Safe" from two years ago, this really shouldn't lose them any fans.

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Monday, November 9, 2009

Kickball - ABCDEFGHIJKickball (2006)


Kickball are a band I know very little about and cannot seem to find much information on them on the web. I forget from whom I got this album, so I cant do much more than describe the music and let you take a listen. I guess I'd call them an indie rock band with elements of math rock, in the vein of Minus the Bear or Pinback. It’s very rhythmic, with the bass high in the mix and the guitars providing more textures than riffs. It also has a high degree of similarity to latter-day emo groups with vocals that are delivered in a very plaintive emotional way. This resides somewhere in the middle ground between groups like The Promise Ring and Minus the Bear.

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Sunday, November 8, 2009

The Fall of Troy - Doppelganger (2005)


There’s some insane guitar playing on this album, although the more melodic vocals get on my nerves a bit. This is still really great, even though it’s been a while since most people have been impressed by this sort of hardcoreesque stuff. It’s a really well done blend of styles that winds up sounding really intense but it’s those really great guitar parts that make this good. Highlights: “I Just Got This Symphony Goin’”, “Act One, Scene 1”, “Mouths Like Sidewinder Missiles”, and “Whacko Jacko Steals the Elephant Man’s Bones.” LISTEN

Against Me! - The Original Cowboy (2009)


Eight demos of songs from their second album As the Eternal Cowboy (2003). They do sound somewhat different from the final versions, mainly they’re a bit rougher around the edges, but none of these are really alternate versions of the songs, and thus they may not seem necessary for those who aren't already fans of the band. None of the songs are really different enough to merit purchasing this. Against Me! is my favorite band, so this is worthwhile for me, but unless you are a fan or haven't heard them and want to, you probably don't need this. LISTEN

Friday, November 6, 2009

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion (2009)


I’ve been having trouble keeping up. Anyway, 2009 is almost over and I thought I should post some of the more interesting stuff I’ve heard this year, whether or not I love it. Some really great stuff has come out this year, much more so than last, I thought. Anyway, here’s Animal Collective’s eighth album in nine years and even though half the world seems to be drooling over it, this is quite an impressive album. I guess the main knock on it is that there’s so much going on, and that’s a legitimate complaint. They really want their music to be a challenging listen and there always seems to be a mess of electronics, atmospheric sounds, and other chaos swirling about. Since their early albums, their sound has shifted towards more accessible territory, and Merriweather Post Pavillion is the next logical step for them. If you can get past the unconventional sounds, this is actually very poppy and some of these songs are extremely catchy. Besides just being an adventurous listen, this is also a very satisfying one, and that makes it their best release yet in my mind. LISTEN