A music enthusiast's thoughts on any and all music in the realms of rock, folk, indie, metal, and electronic.
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.
In 2007 Caribou’s fourth album, which was his second under the “Caribou” moniker was really more of an ambient pop album that used electronic elements but wasn’t completely dominated by them. That was a first from him and it resulted in a more coherent album than his other Caribou album or either of his two under the name “Manitoba.” Swim is predominantly an electronic album but it is hard to pinpoint exactly what style of electronic music it is. Sometimes it’s clearly ambient techno, other times it has an atmospheric vibe like Autechre. Some tracks, like “Leave House” are closer to the poppiness of Andorra, which I loved. Overall, this is a good album with a lot of pleasant sounds that don’t sound overly derivative, but listening to it, it may be difficult to know exactly what you’re listening to.
Murder by Death’s fifth full-length album is to be released on April 6th. From the first listen, I immediately found it to be another strong addition to their catalog. Their most immediate quality is Adam Turla’s voice, which is rich, soulful, and very deep. The band’s use of an electric cello also adds immensely to their sound, lending it depth and creating a darker mood than the music would otherwise have. Good Morning, Magpie has more of a Western/Country feel than their past albums, although that style has always influenced their sound to some degree, though perhaps never as much as in their last two albums. Songs like “As Long as There is Whiskey in the World” and “Yes” are good examples, showing the band as blatantly western as they get, with catchy melodies, Turla’s great voice, and a moodier overall style. Some songs have a lounge vibe, such as “Piece by Piece” and “You Don’t Miss Twice (When You’re Shaving With a Knife).” On these songs they use horn sections and bass melodies to create something both upbeat and dark. “The Day” closes the album with a bang as the song’s lively percussion, rumbling bass, well-placed piano notes, and Turla’s relatively amped-up vocals all work together so well making it one of the best songs on the album, and in their discography. I once heard someone describe this band as a cross between Johnny Cash and Cursive, and although that doesn’t completely capture their sound, it’s not far off. Murder by Death create a tense atmosphere, with their cello and guitar sound, similar to Cursive. However, unlike Tim Kasher’s dramatic, highly emotional singing style, Adam Turla doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. His songs, first of all, tend to be in the form of stories, rather than diary entries, and his vocals are understated, sung in a voice that is closer to talking than howling. When Turla does sing “loud” he still doesn’t sound like he’s straining himself to do so. Turla doesn’t exactly sound like Johnny Cash either, but like Cash, his deep, distinctive voice has an odd sort of charm to it. It’s really a joy to hear, although I tend to enjoy low-voiced singers. This album definitely has that old western feel, but it also has an ominous tone to it, which makes it unique and worth checking out. It's not easy to describe this band in terms of who they remind me of. It should suffice to say the music has significant depth to it, is often moody, but has a fun aspect as well, has the flavor of country music without being country, and uses its instrumentation to maximum effect. This band’s meticulous songwriting, coupled with their unique sound, and strong melodies make Good Morning, Magpie one of the best albums I’ve heard in recent memory. This isn’t just a unique album, but it’s one of five from a unique band, who have given me no reason not to expect their next album to be gold.
I hate being the guy who complains about a band abandoning their old sound, but it’s difficult to avoid that sentiment with Against Me!’s new album. They have been my favorite band for about four years now, with their debut album Reinventing Axl Rose remaining one of my favorite albums of all time. Now, eight years after they released that album, something is different. Something is even quite different from 2007 when they released New Wave which was a great album despite being miles apart from their debut. Now, in 2010, the songwriting is definitely weaker. I keep feeling as though they’re trying to replicate their previous fury, but not quite nailing it. The lyrics feel a bit forced and are more general complaints than specific criticisms, as they used to be; they’re less hard-hitting. I should note, that in the hands of most bands, these songs would be far worse. Tom Gabel injects passion into everything he says, and his voice is capable of turning a bad song into a mediocre one, a decent one into a great one, and so on, in my mind. “White Crosses,” “High Pressure Low,” and “I Was a Teenage Anarchist” are all quite catchy. “Suffocation” is the best song on the album and fits nicely alongside my favorites from their back catalog. There are a few that I haven’t learned to like yet, but in time I’m sure I’ll come to terms with Against Me!’s changing sound and my opinion of this album will probably become more positive. I think that when they play these songs live, they’ll be performed with the same passion and fury as all of their material. This is certainly my least favorite album of theirs, but I remain a fan because they’ve given me so much terrific music. One album not up to their usual standards is not going to end my fandom, and if they want to play radio-friendly modern rock they’ll do it better than most of the bands doing that.
This is the first album by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club I’ve listened to and I immediately understand the widespread positive reaction to this album. It’s a creative take on post-punk, psychedelic, and garage rock that at times shifts closer to one style than the other, but is never easy to categorize. This album boasts a terrific, lively, guitar sound that lends some power to tracks like “Bad Blood.” The vocals tend to be in a lazy sort of drawl, akin to what most of those garage rock groups of the early 2000s went for. While it is a creative combination of rock subgenres, at times a given song will tread a little too close to a particular touchstone. This makes the band sometimes sound too much like their influences. This makes for enjoyable rock music, but it is hard to shake the feeling that they borrow a bit too much from their influences. Lyrics are a weak point (see “Evol,” for example), but since the music tends to either be very strong on its own, or else mostly drown out the words, this isn’t as much of a problem as it could be. Some tracks enter a sort of psychedelic/hard rock area, with “War Machine” especially reminding me of early Black Sabbath. Other times they will enter Velvet Underground territory on songs like “Evol” which makes me think of what it might sound like if Bono joined The Velvet Underground. The only true low point on the album is “Aya” which is an exercise in faux-goth brooding a la Marilyn Manson. I imagine I’ll skip that song more often than not. More often than not, they are an adequate modern day version of some of the more interesting musical styles of the past.
So, where’s him? That’s what I kept thinking while listening to this album. M. Ward’s bluesy guitar playing pops up here and there, but his awesomely rustic singing voice is unfortunately used very sparingly in favor of Zooey Deschanel’s higher, sweet-but-relatively-bland voice. It just comes down to a matter of preference, and I much prefer M. Ward’s singing style. When he finally appears, on “Ridin’ in my Car,” he injects some much overdue soul to the music that lends some variety, but he only sings a few lines and then goes back to playing a supporting role to Zooey. His guitar playing is generally good, and he sings backup now and then, but everything Him does is overshadowed by She. There is a place on my itunes for pleasant, female sung, indie pop. I like Rilo Kiley, Camera Obscura, and The Fiery Furnaces, to name a few off the top of my head. However, those bands pull it off with a bit more style than Zooey does. The album has a distinctly old-timey style to it. Zooey’s voice, which is nice, reminds me of those old girl groups, and M. Ward provides backing music that mostly remains in the background as if it wants not to distract from the vocals. I was somewhat disappointed this isn’t a truer collaboration. M. Ward might as well be a session musician. Some duets would have been wonderful. As most fans of Volume I (which I haven’t heard) might expect, this is a decent pop album. I doubt those searching for this really want another M. Ward album—as I do, admittedly—and I’m sure this will satisfy fans of the genre.
I haven’t listened to Aloha since shortly after Some Echoes (2006) came out, so needless to say, I am not their biggest fan. I do really like their sound, however. It’s guitar-based indie rock with the drums a bit lower in the mix and vocals that echo as if sung in a tunnel, but are more subdued than on past albums. It tries to create an atmosphere rather than simply deliver rock songs. I think Home Acres surpasses Some Echoes by showing stronger overall songwriting and a more accessible sound. Previously their game plan seems to have been to take a pretty melody and sing over it, which works to a point– Some Echoes was a very pleasant album. Every melody was gorgeous, but sometimes the songs didn’t really click. A nice melody only makes for a good song if it meshes nicely with the vocals, which it does throughout Home Acres. To their credit, they have really embraced synthesizers more than ever before, and I think this takes some pressure off the guitars for carrying the songs. The first track to really stick is “Microviolence,” which follows an opener that works more to prepare listeners for their sound than as a song in its own right. “Microviolence” uses an acoustic guitar and drums to create one of the better melodies on the album. “Everything Goes My Way” is a good example of their more melodic approach, instead of focusing primarily on texture. “White Wind” is a slower song that has a folky melody (I think I hear banjo but that might just be a guitar effect); it’s probably my favorite on the album at this point. “Blackout” is more garage-rock than the rest of the album, and I didn’t like it as much as the rest of the album, but that’s more to do with my take on the style than the execution of the song, which is solid. “I’m in Trouble” has a twee vibe to it, maybe caused by the synths, toned-down vocals, and the guitars’s jangle. “Ruins” ends the album on a high note with a longer track that encompasses everything that works well on the tracks before it. It sums up the album nicely, gorgeous synths, intricate percussion, good vocals, and a catchy refrain. The second time through the album, everything I liked about it was still there, but the tracks that didn’t impress me the first time around began to click a bit more. Songs like “Moonless March,” “Cold Storage” and “Waterwheel,” may not be as immediately gripping, but are good songs in their own right. Listening to Home Acres, I found myself torn between being caught up in the beauty of their sound and the catchiness of the songs. That’s a very good thing, and this is a very good album.
Generally, the more I ramble, the stronger my feelings are for a given album. That's the case here.
Thrushes have just released their second album, Night Falls, and it’s a winner in my book. This band from Baltimore sounds a bit like The Cure with vocals reminiscent of Rainer Maria. It’s a recipe for success, since I love The Cure’s dark, brooding, bass-heavy style, and Rainer Maria had gorgeous, emotive vocals. I actually had to check the band’s website to make sure the singer wasn’t Caithlin from Rainer Maria (it isn’t). Lyrically, this is in line with those latter-day emo groups who sang introspective lines, often sung in the first person and directed at someone who caused the singer some intense sadness. Sometimes the music sort of drowns out the vocals though, but that’s a small complaint when the album is really a good example of this type of music at it’s strongest.
Blood Red Shoes remind me of bands like Kaiser Chiefs and Hot Hot Heat. They play catchy rock music that does a lot of things we’ve heard before, but it does them fairly well. The music generally feels “right,” as in there is nothing especially bad or offputting about it unless you’re bothered by its derivative nature. I can’t help but wishing their sound had a bit more style to it—something to make the band a bit more individual. As it is, they don’t stand out from the legions of bands who combine garage rock sensibilities with a hint of punk, grunge, and sometimes shouted choruses. Bands like the aforementioned Kaiser Chiefs tend to stick because they release singles that are so infectious that you cant avoid them if you try, and when you hear them, while on line to pay for you groceries or what have you, it makes those three minutes slightly more entertaining than they normally would be. Blood Red Shoes don’t have that. They don’t have any standout track that makes me want to keep this album on repeat. They don’t have the one super-catchy chorus or that one really clever line to bring a smile to the face. They do have forty minutes of catchy alt. rock that has energy to spare but no distinct character to make this anything special. It’s a toe-tapper but a relatively empty one.
I am in no position to comment in much depth since my experience with this band is minimal. In the past I’ve not been terribly impressed, but since my early impression of their new release is in sharp contrast to those initial opinions, I am unsure whether to trust my past or present self. This is a defiantly fun album, despite having a very bubbly surface qualities that probably have turned a lot of people off this band. The vocalist often sounds pre-pubescent, and the music is unabashedly sunny, but they seem perfectly comfortable with their aesthetic and perform these songs with conviction and a high level of energy. There are some really fun, upbeat pop songs, like “Dream About the Future,” “Hey Elevator,” “No Vacation,” and “Next Year About the Same Time.” But, there are also a handful of overly simplistic songs that aren’t fun enough to distract from their utter simplicity. This simplicity doesn’t make for enjoyable music unless the melody is especially catchy, so songs like “CPU,” “Dignified Dignitary,” “Told You Once,” and “Wings Away” are easy to skip. The vocals can become a bit tiring after a while, and the album runs about four tracks too long, not counting the intro, outro and interlude. Again, fun counts for something and they get credit for a very spirited album that wont appeal to some people simply because of that.
I’ve not been the biggest Xiu Xiu fan in the world, but they (or is it just one guy?) always put out adventurous music that’s worth checking out. From Dear God, I Hate Myself, I expected a heavy dose of self-loathing, electronics, ambiance, and general eccentricity. What I found was pretty much just that, but it is surprisingly accessible. I had trouble last time I played Fabulous Muscles, which was a few months ago, and figured that if I couldn’t get it to stick, it wasn’t worth returning to Women as Lovers or La Foret. At any rate, the music itself is beautiful at times, and always quirky and adventurous. He uses synthesizers, drum machines, and other effects to create a pretty engaging electronic backdrop for these songs. It may seem a bit schizophrenic though, with the melodies constantly shifting almost at random. It makes me wonder if the arrangements are purely artistic or if some of them are arbitrarily complex simply for the sake of being challenging. Some songs, like “Gray Death” and the title track are really catchy. Songs like “House Sparrow” and “Cumberland Gap” are quite beautiful. The latter is sort of his odd foray into bluegrass music, but I like it.
I guess the best thing I can say is that this is a pleasant adventurous listen. The first couple times through I had no idea what twists and turns the music was going to take, even within each song. Notes don’t follow one another in a logical, melodic progression. As a result sometimes various notes, whether on the synth, guitar, or random glitchy electronic sound, appear as if out of nowhere and disappear before you really take them in. You have to stick around to hear how the songs will end, without having the slightest clue how they will end, and I thought it was worth waiting around to see where the songs go. One glaring flaw is generally mediocre lyrics. It kind of dulls to creative soundscape when he sings about the merits of chocolate over what would be a pretty great electronic jam. Oh, and the self-loathing is there. Stewart’s voice sounds so sad; I imagine a very meek individual curled up in the corner of a recording studio delivering these lyrics, which are full of lamentations of his surroundings and his past, and often, his present self.
I don’t believe this album deserves the accolades I imagine it will get. It is a good album because it’s creativity makes me curious to hear what comes next. However, it’s a very polarizing album. People will love it or else they’ll completely not get it. I found myself shifting between both areas while listening. Xiu Xiu is certainly entertaining, but this isn’t something I’ll listen to often.
Bands of this ilk characterize what’s going on with the indie rock/pop crowd these days. They meld genres by including various instrumental themes and stylistic motifs over a skeleton that’s just standard pop/rock at its core. The illusion is something grand and abstract, but strangely accessible, when in reality it isn’t far removed from much of what we hear out there every year. Frightened Rabbit are a pop group, and quite a good one at that. They are led by a vocalist who sings in a rather serious tone though the Scottish accent is relatively pleasant to listen to. A healthy dose of strings and keyboards give these songs in a whistful glow, and the addition of occasional woodwind and string instruments makes this feel like an artful collection of songs. Admittedly, their style is somewhat derivative, which isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, but it colors my perception of that album. I hear The Arcade Fire as an obvious touchstone, most notably on “The Loneliness and the Scream.” There is an austere quality to the music that makes it hard not to take seriously, but also limits the “fun factor” inherent in the music. It is a very pleasant album, as its affect is serene and calming. Certainly not a brilliant work but Frightened Rabbit show that you can be a follower and still produce something worth indulging in. My favorite tracks are "Nothing Like You" and "Yes I Would" which sound the least like the bulk of the album. The former being more upbeat and the latter stripped-down.
Ambient techno; it's more about creating an atmosphere than being dancable, and it succeeds on that front. Check it out. This Bliss (2007) is good too.
This is wonderful folk rock with a bit of psychedelia. My jaw dropped upon hearing “Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent; Pt. 2: The Innocent,” an epic track of wailing guitars, a really rhythmic percussive effect created by the rhythm section, and glorious vocals. The guitar solos throughout are gripping, as is the overall guitar tone which really propels the album. “Land of Living Skies Pt. 2…” has some really nice guitar harmonics going on. The vocals have a hazy quality to them that really gives the album an almost hypnotic vibe. On the slower tracks, like “Chicago Train,” the singer approaches a Bon Iver-esque croon. Otherwise, it has a deeper echo. The female vocals, which appear on tracks like the afformentioned “Like the Ocean…” and “Albatross” are gorgeous. Some reviewers have noted hints of shoegaze and dream pop, which isn’t the best way to characterize the album. I hear more of a psychedelic-influenced arena rock. This is only their third album since 2003, but if they’re going to wait 3-4 years between albums, music this good is worth waiting for. I don’t typically go for psychedelic stuff, but this is too addictive to pass on. Highly recommended if you like music.
I hear a hint of Radiohead with more of a folk aesthetic and vocals that sound like The National's, which is a recipe for success. These vocals have a pleasant baritone sound. The music, which has a very acoustic feel, sometimes approaching smooth jazz, is quite pleasant and well written. This is an album that creates a distinct mood of melancholy before shifting midway to more rock/pop oriented songwriting. The textured sound continues throughout, however and that is what reminds me of Radiohead circa early 2000s, the melding of melancholic textures, layered effects, and pop/rock elements. The harmonica on “Peanuts” is a very nice touch and shows their attention to detail and mood. “Black Smoke” has nice percussive effects and is the most pop-oriented song; it's accessibility is immediately apparent. I like the flute on “She Rode Me Down” as well. Overall, I like this. I was initially contented by the serenity conveyed by the music before noticing that there's more depth to it. I expect most non-fans to have a similar reaction. Initially this may appear a bit dull, but it grows on you and it is hard to deny that they create some gripping music.
2010: The National - High Violet 2009: Metric - Fantasies 2008: The Gaslight Anthem - The 59 Sound 2007: Against Me! - New Wave 2006: Band of Horses - Everything All the Time 2005: The Decemberists - Picaresque
