Jakob Dylan - Women + Country (2010)

Obvious comparisons notwithstanding, Jakob Dylan’s second solo album is a fine alt-country album. This is definitely more country than folk, a relaxed affair that, unlike many of his father’s greatest songs, are not confrontational in the slightest. Many of these songs are built around gentle acoustic strumming, slow tempos, and a subdued percussion that propels the songs nicely. Dylan’s voice doesn’t sound all that much like his father’s, aside from some similar tonalities, but this commonality wont jump out at the listener. It would be silly to expect anything all that similar to his father, and sillier still to judge Jakob’s work in comparison to Bob’s. I don’t remember the elder Dylan ever recording anything quite as mellow as this, even in his advanced age. There’s an edge inherent in nearly every word he sings. Jakob Dylan doesn’t have this edge, with a voice more suited for lullabies than protest songs. This style suits him well on this album, and though I cannot compare it to his other solo album of any of the Wallflowers’ albums, this is strong enough for me to consider giving those a chance. The drawback is that, by the time the album is halfway over, a lack of variety becomes evident. Too much of the same drums beat, the same soothing acoustic rhythms, it just becomes a little too similar after a while, but, soon after this becomes evident, the album suddenly branches out slightly, and thus saves the album from being a one-trick pony. The eighth track, “Truth for a Truth,” breaks up the semi-monotony with a surprisingly upbeat melody. The song has a nice flow to it, with Neko Case providing background vocals that lend a great deal of texture to the song. The track that follows this, “They’ve Trapped Us Boys,” is another highlight. It’s sort of a bluegrass ballad, with a rollicking guitar and banjo melody. Nothing on this album is bad, as I’ve said, but right when I started thinking everything sounded a bit too similar, these two tracks came on and reignited my interest in this album. There’s another noteworthy track, earlier in the album. “Lend a Hand” is a slow, plodding, brass-augmented, track that certainly doesn’t sound like most of the album. The album, despite a lot of similar sounding songs, is pretty consistant in terms of quality. The songs capture the feel you’d expect from a country album, though it doesn’t tread so far into country as to become a charicature of the genre (like more mainstream country music). I feel like this is a very strong album, almost bordering on being a great one, but it will certainly get a lot of plays through this summer from me.

Recommended Tracks:
“Nothing But the Whole Wide World”
“Yonder Come the Blues”
“Truth for a Truth”
“They’ve Trapped Us Boys”

Hour of 13 - The Ritualist (2010)

This is the sophomore release of this doom metal band, and as near as I can tell, this is pretty true to traditional doom metal. I really don’t fully understand what “traditional” doom metal was, but if this is it, then I wasn't far off. This has more in common with Black Sabbath, than some of the bands bordering on drone/doom like Earth. I guess that traditional means the stuff that sort of influenced the doom metal movement. I hear vocals that sound like Ozzy, guitar playing heavily influenced by blues, and drums that have a sort of hollow sound. These guitars, rather than pummeling, grinding, or droning, tend to play tangible riffs. Now, these riffs are of the mid- to low tempo variety, distorted so that they sound kind of bleak, and they tend to ring out a bit (a la drones) but I’m really hearing more Sabbath than the really dirgey stuff that, to me, characterizes doom metal. The guitars really dominate the mix, again lending credence to the doom label, but it’s really just a classic metal, straying closer to blues than doom. If this is “traditional” doom metal, then so be it, but I challenge you to hear this and not immediately think of Sabbath. I’m not the biggest Ozzy/Sabbath fan, but I liked this Hour of 13 album a lot. I tend not to be interested in what I consider classic heavy metal; I tend to like it a bit more unusual or extreme, punishing and technical if it’s of the death metal family or else atmospheric if it’s of the black persuasion. As a “noob” to doom metal, and still unsure if this really qualifies or is just kind of influenced by the same stuff as the forefathers of doom, I’d be interested to hear what more people think of this. Reviews and information about this band are scarce. I must say, this album really hit the spot for me. It’s heavy, dark, mysterious--gave me everything I want from my metal albums--it's got some mean guitars tones that just kind of wash over you as you listen. Very nice.

Deer Tick - The Black Dirt Sessions (2010)

Deer Tick’s third album was recorded around the same time as their second, Born on Flag Day (2009). They play a bluesy sort of alternative country with vocals that approach grunge territory. I thought their music that would be more comfortable in some honky-tonk bar than at some large festival in Texas, until I heard this new album. These songs are stripped-down to the bare essentials. Mostly gone is the distorted guitar buzz that drenched the songs on their 2009 release. Gone is the gritty country vibe. The rural elements are still here; you’ll notice plenty of bluesy guitar tones and the vocals still have that country vibe, but these songs sound clear and crisp, the product (or victim?) of impeccable production. These songs just reveal themselves to you very quickly. You can pick up the melodies and the vocals, and just sort of get it. This album is not so much about creating any sort of mood, just about delivering the melodies. I like a lot of these songs, but cant help wishing there was a bit more going on. Deer Tick haven’t exactly disappointed me, but I’m having trouble getting too excited about this new album. If you liked Born on Flag Day, I’d suggest giving this a listen before you buy it. You might miss the overall grittiness, but these songs really aren’t bad.

Stars - The Five Ghosts (2010)

I enjoyed this album a lot more than I expected to. I expected the sweet, charming vocals. I expected unchallenging, easily digestible song structures, with lots of pleasant keyboard and guitar sounds. A lot of chiming melodies, synths, and songs about breakup, loss, uncertainty, all things I can easily relate to. What I didn’t expect of the latest Stars album, was that it would be as diverse as it is. It really doesn’t take many listens for these songs to each take on their own identity. The album shifts seamlessly between upbeat dance-pop and lush, atmospheric balladry. Similarly, the emotions communicated in the songs shift from sad and reflective to confidence on the more upbeat tunes. The band, especially Amy Millan’s vocals, are of similarly high quality throughout. Millan pulls off each mood quite well, never sounding overly bubbly or too self-loathing. She never approaches anger or outright ebuliance, with her reflections constantly sounding even-headed. This makes her a likable and aesthetically pleasant storyteller on these songs. This is a moody album, but it doesn’t ride a particular disposition to the point of novelty or overindulgence. It’s constantly believable. The music frequently dabbles with the hazy guitar tones characteristic of dream pop (check out “He Dreams He’s Awake.”) The twee sensibilities are pervasive, but there is more to Stars than sugary sweetness. They use their guitars and synthesizers to create the mood, thus taking some pressure of Amy Millan to be the only communicative vessel on this album. A few songs approach dance-pop (“We Don’t Want Your Body”), but only under appropriate restraint, so this never feels too dancey or club-ready. Millan also pulls off sultry, almost bluesy vocals quite well on “Winter Bones.” The male vocals that appear on several tracks, were rather nondescript, with the exception of the album opener, “Dead Hearts.” This track is a duet—really a conversation—between the two vocalists, and is one of the highlights. It’s about as close as two vocalists can come to having “chemistry,” and is a rather affecting track, despite the awkward transitions into the choruses. If you liked Stars before, I don’t see why you wouldn’t like these songs. I’d expect some fans might want that band to change their approach a bit before album six, just to keep things fresh. I think these are talented enough musicians to be able to experiment a little bit without completely abandoning who they are. The band is very good at musically representing the ups and downs relating to their chosen subject matter. They sing about break ups, about people changing, and about coping with such changes. This is an album that pulls off lush and catchy equally well. It plays like a quick tour through a variety of emotions, all presented with a pleasant pop façade.

Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void (2010)

I’ve tried to get into Blitzen Trapper each time they’ve released an album for the past three releases and I’m afraid they still don’t really interest me all that much. On Destroyer of the Void, I hear a lot of classic influences. There is a distinctly Southern feel to the whole album, with songs that have a dirty sort of guitar sound, banjos and harmonicas, the sort of stuff that makes you think of some tavern off a dirt road in the Deep South. Another influence is mid-era Beatles. The vocals sound like they’re somewhere in between Lennon and McCartney territory, perhaps a little closer to the former. The melodies sung are very Beatlesque, reminding me of albums like Revolver and Rubber Soul. Of course this is all packaged as a folk-rock album. It has that sort of aesthetic, the lyrics tend to come from a weary, love-starved, traveler. I think I hear the influence of Love as well, an early folk-rock group. These influences give the songs a distinctly late-60s feel to it, but beyond that, Blitzen Trapper really doesn’t do much to make this sound their own. This album is a nice tribute to some of the sounds of 40 years ago, but it feels sort of anonymous. I can listen to The Beatles, or Love, or Grateful Dead and get it right from the source. I probably wouldn’t though, and that’s the thing about this album. If you’re a die hard Dead, Love, or even just a fan of early folk-rock with a bit of psychedelia thrown in, this will probably cure your itch. My problem is not that this is a bad set of songs, they are actually quite well written and performed proficiently. You have to care for the band’s influences to appreciate Blitzen Trapper. I give them credit for some really good vocal hooks, some clever songwriting, and generally being a talented band, but this is all sort of under the heavy shadow of their predecessors. If you’re looking for something that fits nicely alongside the folk-rock, or even psychedelic-tinged rock of the late 60s and 70s, maybe this band is for you. Check it out.

Wolf Parade - Expo 86 (2010)

Wolf Parade is the collaboration of two prolific singer/songwriters, with a handful of other projects under their belts. Within the indie community (whatever that means), they might as well be Gods. Spencer Krug is worshipped beyond anyone this side of Steven Malkmus, and let’s face it, he’s a talented guy. Krug has written and performed some incredible music with Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, and Swan Lake, to name the most prominent of his projects. Wolf Parade’s third album is due out at the end of June, and the music doesn’t feel quite as fresh as it did the first time around. Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005) was an immaculately crafted pop/rock album. It had character, was fun, approachable, and the attention to detail on that album was impressive. Down to every last pause, every last fill, the band seemed to make all the “right” choices, if that makes sense. I liked At Mount Zoomer (2008) too, but thought it was a moodier, less accessible album.

I often wonder how an artist with a variety of projects can return to one after extensive work in others, and not have the music colored by his/her more recent work. Dan Boekner’s songs don’t really sound like his work in Handsome Furs, and Spencer Krug’s don’t really sound like Sunset Rubdown songs, but I hear influences from both of those bands on this album. I hear Handsome Furs in the rigid, angular nature of some of the riffs. I hear Sunset Rubdown in the more left-field direction of Krug’s songs.

Another issue with Wolf Parade is that they embody many indie stereotypes. The eccentricity in Krug’s voice, his abstract lyrics, the odd song titles, the stylistic choices they make on their records. But let’s not confuse Wolf Parade’s adventurousness with indie wankery. It really isn’t. Wolf Parade is a band that is not afraid to take chances. They’ll include a verse here, a note there, a shift in melody anywhere, that seems odd from the standard pop/rock rulebook. That’s a really cool thing, and it’s part of what makes Wolf Parade an interesting band to me. My issue with the new album is that the band covers these songs with too much fluff. The synths and guitars wail in ways that distract somewhat from the skeletons of these songs. That makes these songs far more challenging than the ones the band released five years ago. My opinion of this album is largely a positive one. I expect that over the coming weeks, I’ll discover more to like about it.

Another gripe of mine is that there are too many “who-oh’s” in these songs. One vocalist will be singing, and the other will keep interjecting with “who-oh, who-oh, who-oh.” That gets annoying after a while.

link in comments

Peter Wolf Crier - Inter-Be (2010)

This is the debut album of a folk duo from Jagjaguar records, who have some very good artists on their roster. The vocals often remind me of M. Ward, a very good thing, though sometimes they enter a more soulful area. The music is built around simple guitar melodies and percussion. These songs are not badly written, they just don’t sound as though they are performed with much passion, which is a shame, because the album has some fine moments that would be made even better if performed with more conviction. I think this is a band to watch, as they probably are capable of topping this.

link in comments