Saturday, October 24, 2009
Tegan and Sara - Sainthood (2009)
Heard the leak and it's pretty good. A bit more energetic than their last few albums. Some of their songs are so catchy that I can forgive the mediocre lyrics and abrasive vocal pitch. LISTEN
Converge - Axe to Fall (2009)
Axe to Fall is their seventh studio album and I think it’s a step up from their excellent 2006 album No Heroes. Musically, this is a bit more diverse than anything they’ve done, and it doesn’t sacrifice that intense catharsis for which they are known. Everything about this band is heavy, the vocals aren’t just screamed, they’re screamed in such a way that the human throat should not be capable of. The slower dirges are really powerful too. The drums are frantic and intricate, as are the guitars which play some really awesome riffs here. My favorite tracks are “Dark Horse” which has a delightful guitar riff, and “Cruel Bloom” which has some cool vocal parts. If you don’t like heavy music, stay away, but if you do, this band makes the some of the most intense music on this planet.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head (2009)
As with many shoegaze/dream pop albums, it isn’t hard to hear some pretty standard pop motifs here, whether they be a guitar riff or melody or vocal hook. The difference, of course, is the hazy guitar sound that turns this into something else altogether. The drums and vocals are very low in the mix so you hear the wailing guitars, and what drums and vocals there are seem to be coming up from beneath something chaotic. This chaos is an illusion though, because if you listen close, which you should be if you decide you like this, you’ll hear that this isn’t very well disguised pop music. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when you take away the haze, you might think you’re hearing a Cure cover band, so those guitars really are necessary. Overall, this is pretty good, but I find that it’s better background music when I’m in the mood for something a bit challenging and abstract. It is being a bit overhyped, but I’ve given it a fair amount of time, and it is a solid release, I think. (Record label won't let me share this with you)
Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights (2009)
A heavy noise album, although it isn't as chaotic as one might expect noise to be. Instead, it's pretty musical, oftentimes taking a bass-heavy riff and just sort of running with it for a while, as the occasional random noise seeps in and out. It's pretty interesting. LISTEN
Jurassic 5 - Power in Numbers (2002)
Another type of music I don't normally listen to. This is intelligent hip-hop that has a really good flow to it, and lacks the posturing and cliche of so much other rap music. I still very rarely listen to hip-hop, but I think this might be my favorite album of the genre. LISTEN
John Zorn - O'o (2009)
Got some catching up to do. This is a really good jazz album. Even if you don't normally listen to jazz, you might find this a pleasant listen. LISTEN
Friday, October 9, 2009
Elliott Smith - XO (1998)
Some of Elliott Smith’s most tuneful songs are on “XO” which makes his poetic lyrics, relevant song themes, and pleasant singing voice that much more pleasant. All Music Guide describes the record by saying it’s easy to get lost in the beautiful melodies and not realize what he’s singing about. The words are as beautiful and the guitar playing. My favorites: “Waltz #2 (XO)”, “Baby Britain”, “Independence Day”, “Bottle Up and Explode!” LISTEN
TRACKLIST
1. Sweet Adeline – 3:152. Tomorrow Tomorrow – 3:07
3. Waltz #2 (XO) – 4:40
4. Baby Britain – 3:13
5. Pitseleh – 3:22
6. Independence Day – 3:04
7. Bled White – 3:22
8. Waltz #1 – 3:22
9. Amity – 2:20
10. Oh Well, Okay – 2:33
11. Bottle Up and Explode! – 2:58
12. A Question Mark – 2:41
13. Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands – 4:25
14. I Didn't Understand – 2:17
Arab Strap - Monday at the Hug and Pint (2003)
Arab Strap was a Scottish duo known for their very sad, downtempo indie pop songs featuring heavy doses of sarcasm, self-deprecation, and even perversity. By all accounts, their output was unwaveringly depressing until “Monday at the Hug and Pint,” their fifth album which has songs of varying tempos. I think this album is more interesting that their others for that reason, because none of the songs sound too much like the ones before them. Drum machines, strings, and acoustic guitars are constantly present, with a few surprises (horns) thrown in. Singer Aidan Moffat’s heavily-accented voice is a constant, as is the generally somber mood. He constantly sings about relationships that haven’t gone very well, and the music behind his lyrics fits the theme perfectly. LISTEN
TRACKLIST
1. The Shy Retirer – 4:21
2. Meanwhile, at the Bar, a Drunkard Muses – 2:25
3. Fucking Little Bastards – 6:15
4. Peep Peep – 3:10
5. Flirt – 3:22
6. Who Named the Days? – 4:22
7. Loch Leven (Intro) – 2:28
8. Loch Leven – 3:17
9. Glue – 3:12
10. Act of War – 4:10
11. Serenade – 3:50
12. The Week Never Starts Round Here – 2:17
13. Pica Luna – 2:56
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister (1996)
Belle and Sebastian’s If You’re Feeling Sinister seems to be their most appreciated album, and that makes sense because it’s filler-free, intelligent, humorous, whimsical, catchy, inviting, warm, friendly, (can't think of any more appropriate adjectives, but that's enough). LISTEN
TRACKLIST
1. The Stars of Track and Field (4:48)
2. Seeing Other People (3:48)
3. Me and the Major (3:51)
4. Like Dylan in the Movies (4:14)
5. The Fox in the Snow (4:11)
6. Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying (3:25)
7. If You're Feeling Sinister (5:21)
8. Mayfly (3:42)
9. The Boy Done Wrong Again (4:17)
10. Judy and the Dream of Horses (3:40)
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Sleepercar - West Texas (2008)
2. Wasting My Time (2:57)
3. Fences Down (3:53)
4. Wednesday Nights (4:04)
5. Kings and Compromises (4:52)
6. Heavy Weights (4:42)
7. Sound the Alarm (4:19)
8. End of a Year (3:36)
9. You Should Run (4:20)
10. All Will End Well (1:22)
11. Stumble In (2:57)
Monster of Folk - Monsters of Folk (2009)
2. Say Please (2:48)
3. Whole Lotta Losin' (2:45)
4. Temazcal (3:49)
5. The Right Place (3:48)
6. Baby Boomer (2:53)
7. Man Named Truth (3:51)
8. Goodway (2:01)
9. Ahead of the Curve (3:40)
10. Slow Down Jo (3:21)
11. Losin' Yo' Head (4:37)
12. Magic Marker (3:20)
13. Map of the World (4:24)
14. The Sandman, the Brakeman and Me (3:23)
15. His Master's Voice (4:50)
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Caspian - Tertia (2009)
Tracklist
01. Mie (4:12)
02. La Cerva (5:00)
03. Ghost of the Garden City (7:32)
04. Malacoda (5:02)
05. Epochs in DMaj (5:03)
06. Of Foam and Wave (6:16)
07. Concrescence (4:22)
08. The Raven (6:59)
09. Vienna (6:12)
10. Sycamore (9:00)
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Mogwai - Young Team (1997)
1. Yes! I Am a Long Way from Home (5:57)
2. Like Herod (11:41)
3. Katrien (5:24)
4. Radar Maker (1:35)
5. Tracy (7:19)
6. Summer (Priority version) (3:28)
7. With Portfolio (3:10)
8. R U Still in 2 It (7:20)
9. A Cheery Wave from Stranded Youngsters (2:18)
10. Mogwai Fear Satan (16:19)
Sufjan Stevens - The BQE (2009)
Tracks:
1. Prelude On The Esplanade — 2:56
2. Introductory Fanfare For The Hooper Heroes — 1:07
3. Movement I: In The Countenance Of Kings — 5:19
4. Movement II: Sleeping Invader — 4:34
5. Interlude I: Dream Sequence In Subi Circumnavigation — 3:33
6. Movement III: Linear Tableau With Intersecting Suprise — 4:09
7. Movement IV: Traffic Shock — 3:24
8. Movement V: Self-Organizing Emergent Patterns — 3:45
9. Interlude II: Subi Power Waltz — 0:28
10. Interlude III: Invisible Accidents — 0:54
11. Movement VI: Isorhythmic Night Dance With Interchanges — 3:17
12. Movement VII (Finale): The Emperor Of Centrifuge — 3:51
13. Postlude: Critical Mass — 2:59