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.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Battles - Gloss Drop (2011)


In some ways I like Gloss Drop more than their massively-hyped debut Mirrored (2007). That album had some excellent tracks, like “Atlas” and “Tonto,” but spent too much time not doing anything all that compelling. I enjoyed the album, but there were about 50 albums that came out that year that I liked more. I did think that Battles were as true a blend of electronic music and rock music as I’d ever heard. Both elements are about as central to their music as the other.

The most notable difference is that Tyondai Braxton’s vocals are absent. Without him, the band is largely an instrumental band, in fact, Gloss Drop listens like something of an electronic jam band. That high-pitched bell-like electronic effect that appeared on Mirrored is all over this albums. It’s absolutely inescapable and it gets irritating after a while. John Stanier’s drums play an especially prominent role in their music, with his chaotic stuttering beats, but the combination of his beats (which blend together after a while) and that bell sound become kind of irritating.

While there are subtle differences between most of the songs, and not-so-subtle differences between the others, this album kind of does sound too similar throughout. That bell sound kills me because I think I would enjoy this thing a lot without it. Battles are a talented band but too self-indulgent for my liking, at least thus far, two albums into their career.

I quite like the more straightforward track “Sweetie & Shag” which features Kazu Makino on vocals. Also, “Africastle” takes some interesting turns and “My Machines” creates some interesting tension.

Monday, April 18, 2011

TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light (2011)


Nine Types of Light is a soulful album, borrowing as usual from funk, post-punk and electronic music styles. The production value creates some distance between the listener and the sounds, which makes this something as a grower. Having not listened to this band since their last release in 2008, and only giving their previous albums a handful of cursory listens each, I did not know what to expect from this album but the time felt right to give these guys another chance.

After spending some time with this album, I’d be inclined to believe TV on the Radio are at their best when the songs are catchy. They aren’t a band that can get by on a great sound or on an interesting atmosphere. Not that their sound is especially bothersome, but when the melodies don’t work, the entire song just falls flat on its face for me. Examples are “No Future Shock” which just feels too cluttered in combination with the synthesizers and layer of fuzz that covers the track and “New Cannonball Blues” which had some annoying vocals.

There are more good moments than bad ones here though. The first track, “Second Song,” “Keep Your Heart,” and “Repetition” are all fantastic songs. “Killer Crane” is a more atmospheric track that works well and the last track on the album, “Caffeinated Consciousness,” is a bombastic song that is about as funky as they get on this album, but I thought it served them well to end the album on a different note.

I’m not totally nuts about this album like a lot of people probably will be. There are some really catchy, soulful moments on this album. The general sound of it, mainly due to this warmth given off by the synthesizers, is warm and approachable. Save for a few awkward moments where it felt like too much was going on and a few moments where the vocals bugged me, this is worth checking out.


Saturday, April 16, 2011

Obits - Moody, Standard and Poor (2011)


Moody, Standard and Poor is the 2nd LP by Obits, a band from Brooklyn, New York notably featuring Rick Froburg, the former frontman of a highly-regarded hardcore band called Drive Like Jehu and terrific punk band called Hot Snakes. Obits are unlike any of his other projects, however. They don’t have the raw emotional outbursts that characterized Drive Like Jehu songs, and they just aren’t as aggressive as Hot Snakes were.


The songs on this album are built around very understated, controlled melodies, simple drum beats, audible bass melodies, with one of the guitars just sort of chiming, buzzes and screaming over everything. With post-punk bands like this, it’s really all about the sound. You want to hear something unsettling that doesn’t try to be pretty or melodic or fun, but gets mileage from portraying a certain type of emotion—and it’s generally a relatively bleak one.


These songs are rarely far above midtempo and for the most part they avoid being too loud and aggressive. These guys aren’t going for the catharsis of Drive Like Jehu or the intensity of Hot Snakes. In some ways, you could call this band a more restrained version of Fugazi. It's a moody album (partially titled appropriately) with some really nice, rough guitar tones.


Obits are not doing anything new in terms of sound and approach to their sound. Many of these songs are very straightforward and an obvious complaint is going to be the lack of variation, but at thirty-five minutes, this thing doesn't overstay its welcome. My main issue with this album is that, because nothing really gets all that loud, it might not be the most gritty, or loud, or dark, or most [anything] post-punk album you'll hear.


That doesn't mean it isn't worth your time. The melodies and the textures are nice enough. Forburg's vocals have an urgency to them that is sometimes at odds with the music. When a guy is wailing over slow, midtempo, understated melodies, it doesn't always make for something especially intense. These guys are going to fill clubs just by virtue of playing that sort of slightly abrasive post-punk.

I am a firm believer that it is perfectly okay to adopt a sound or a specific set of influences and just go with it. Not every band has to rewrite the book or necessarily do anything that throws sand in the face of convention.


I like their sound, and Obits are the kind of band that I could see live and expect to have some common musical interests with the rest of the crowd, but what makes Moody, Standard, and Poor work for me is the songwriting. They deliver some great melodies and some great guitar sounds. My favorite tracks include the urgent "I Want Results," the almost dancable "New August," "Shift Operator" which has one of the catchiest vocal hooks on the album, and "I Blame Myself" which is the band at its moodiest with a brooding bass melody and this really hollow guitar sound.


I can definitely see how one music fan’s reaction would be to just revel in the mood and tones on this album, and how another fan might hear these sounds all sort of blending together. I find myself liking most of the songs on this album, loving some of them. Hating none of them. I like this album, if you like this type of music, you may enjoy it. Go listen.