An American journalist working for an Australian music magazine talking about music.
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Neutral Milk Hotel, musical project of elusive American musician Jeff Mangum, delivered one of the most stunning records of the last twenty years in his sophomore In The Aeroplane Over The Sea and then disappeared.
Mangum’s vocals are not strong. He is not what many would call a “gifted” singer. But it is his voice that first arrests you. It trembles and struggles to hit high notes, cracking under the sheer weight of his intricate and abstract prose. The vocals are imperfect, presenting a quality of authenticity. He believes in what he sings, and that dedication soaks you to the bone...
Scotland seems to have a penchant for producing melodic, winsome pop packages, most notably Belle & Sebastian. You can chalk yet another Glasgow-based band to the long list of Belle & Sebastian copycats. Zoey Van Goey (The Zoey’s? The Goeys?) try just a little too hard to be that slightly eccentric yet compelling artsy girl. You’re drawn to her, but you know deep down that she’s going to be unbearably pretentious and artificial...
Snowman vocalist Joe McKee has said his band’s newest album is “about tearing yourself away from the things you love in order to do just that…move on. It’s about not turning into this thing that you have created. Keeping that distance. Killing the myth.” Absence is a poignant title considering the fact that the band has officially broken up at the time of this writing. Absence is an epithet for a band, an auditory Quija board session in which grieving fans can pay their last respects and be haunted by the spirit of a band that called it quits way too early...
Before New Order, there was Joy Division. It was a pact made by a young group and a troubled lead singer’s tragic suicide that gave birth to one of the most influential and critically acclaimed bands of all time...
When Sean Rowe’s voice comes out of your stereo speakers you’ll be reminded of the first time you found out Rick Astley was a skinny red head. Rowe’s deep, soulful voice is somewhat jarring upon first listen, however the overwhelming powers of his delicate arrangements quickly demand your attention...
Hello all, I just wanted to apologize for my lack of updates lately. I am currently writing for a magazine and I have a lot on my plate which includes a biweekly television review column in addition to the album reviews. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I will still be posting my album reviews on this site, along with all of the other goodies (i.e. mp3s, soundclips, videos), albeit in a shorter format.
I will still make an effort to provide totally original content for this site, however it may be more sporadic than you're used to. That's all for now, I just wanted to keep all of you in the loop!
In all seriousness, this trio crafts simple garage rock tunes with pop sensibilities. Single "Don't Ever Change" is nothing special, it doesn't light a fire under your ass, or do anything particularly spectacular. It is, however, a slow burning, feel good type of song. It's simplistic nature and charming attitude is hard to shake, especially when you couple it with its accompanying video (see below).
Bare Wires seems like the type of band who would play with the same amount of enthusiasm and energy regardless of whether the crowd consisted of twelve people or twelve hundred. They look like a band who is having fun, genuinely reveling in what they're doing. In an age where every buzzband has some kind of avant-garde attitude concerning their art, it is refreshing to see a band just enjoy themselves.
That being said, Bare Wires aren't really all that interesting. We've heard garage rock, noise pop, et al. before, and Bare Wires don't bring anything new or innovative to the mix. But something tells me that they don't really care all that much.
The Drums are the perfect band to kickstart summer. With songs like the bouncy, can't-help-but-singalong nature of their signature track "Let's Go Surfing", the band really shines with their brand of sun soaked indie pop. The only problem is that Australia is on the other side of the world, and whereas the warmer months are encroaching on the States, The Land Down Under is slipping into chilly nights and lots of rain. Despite this, The Drums came to Adelaide this past Tuesday with hopes of invigorating the crowd and helping them forget that they'd have to put off surfing for another few months.
Australia loves their indie music and The Drums are no exception. The New York trio (although since the departure of their guitarist, the band has become a five-piece) was well received in the tiny Adelaide Uni Bar, which as you might have guessed, is a quaint little bar on the campus of Adelaide University, and virtually everyone in attendance was anxious to get through the support acts. When The Drums did finally start cranking out tunes, I couldn't help but be underwhelmed. The band had a lot of energy, and rolled through track after track of fan favorites, including "Best Friend", however they sounded terrible.
I don't know whether it was the small venue (I would estimate that the sold out crowd hovered around 300), crappy acoustics, or a sub-par soundsystem was the culprit, but the crisp, jangly tunes of their debut album were replaced by a muddied, second-rate version of themselves. Vocalist Jonathan Pierce also sounded atrocious, leaving me wondering how much of the studio-version of his voice was achieved through post-production wizardry. Aside from sound quality issues, the band stuck primarily to the well known tracks of their debut, occasionally tossing in a new song here and there. The new songs that we did hear didn't really impress me all that much, however it should go without saying that because of the audio-related disparities the finalized studio versions of these songs will probably sound a lot better.
Despite the fact that I was disappointed with the show, I can't say that it in any way influences my view of the band. I still love their debut, and it goes without saying that I will pick up their new album whenever it is released...I'll just think twice about dropping $50 to see them live.
I would be hard pressed to think of an artist or band whose name accurately captured their sound as well as Georgia's Washed Out. The project of musician Ernest Greene, Washed Out seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and quickly became synonymous with the then newly coined sub-genre, chillwave.
After a few EPs and singles, Washed Out has released the first sample of his debut album, Within and Without, on iconic label Sub-Pop. Titled "Eyes Be Closed", the single is exactly what we have been expecting. Heavily processed loops and samples dominate, and effects laden synths swoop throughout.
The song itself is a shimmering piece of 80s nostalgia. Borrowing from New Wave, lo-fi and shoegaze movements, Washed Out has created a track of unadulterated bliss. Taking one look at the album art summarizes it all. This is pop music, filtered and strained to its core. It creeps up on you and swallows you whole, drowning you in a sea ecstasy. That being said, if you're not already a fan of Washed Out's brand of fuzzy, summery glo-fi anthems, this single isn't going to change your mind.
Washed Out and his contemporaries create music that is easy to listen to. It rolls and undulates in waves, literally washing over you. Despite the immediate likability of these tunes, it remains to be seen whether or not Washed Out can keep our attention for the length of an entire album. So far Greene has succeeded in delivering pop songs in the three to four minute range that captivate and get the collective blogospehere's panties in a bunch. It will be interesting to see if he can keep the momentum going over the span of a full length album.
The Antlers announced their arrival with one of the most melancholy and critically acclaimed albums in recent memory. Titled Hospice, it was a concept album of sorts that dealt with the pain of everything from surviving a loved one's passing to unplanned pregnancy with overwhelming distress. It was the type of album that crept up on you slowly, with each song building slowly to a crescendo of emotional anguish. It succeeded by creating an atmosphere of dense, complex songs that tugged at the heartstrings. Even the more sonically heavy songs like "Sylvia" retained this feeling, which helped with the overall mood and atmospehere of the album.
The latest single from the perpetually despondent Brooklynites is a bit of an enigma for the sole reason that we are forced to listen to it without the context of the entire album. The boys from the band said that their new effort, Burst Apart, would be a step in a different direction, even hinting at incorporating electronic sounds to a certain extent. "Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out" does indeed have an electronic tinge to it, in that there is an echoing little twinkle that had me searching for my mobile, as I thought it was ringing. Peter Silberman's voice is also processed to a certain extent, although the band primarily sticks to traditional instruments.
The single clocks in at a little over three minutes and while I can't work out whether or not there is any significance to someone's teeth falling out, it is a tight, engaging ride. "Every Night" seems to incorporate all of the elements that made their first album such a joy to listen to. Vocal croons are left in tact, and delicate finger plucking leading into massive wails of electric guitar with bombastic choruses fuse together seamlessly. The song seems to be an organic and natural progression in The Antlers sound. That being said, one of the reasons Hospice was so good was because of its cohesiveness, it remains to be seen whether or not that cohesion reappears on Burst Apart, but so far, so good.
Listen to Burst Apart in its entirety courtesy of NPR.
With a name like Sun Glitters, you would expect the music to be unabashed candy coated fluff, complete with every Garageband Wizards wet dream of studio indulgences. The Cosmic Oceans EP from Luxembourg beat sorcerer Victor Ferreira is somewhat surprising because it doesn't really play up to any preconceived notions. Instead, Sun Glitters presents a small collection of songs that is like the sun drenched cousin of the rapegaze (erm, witch house) sound pioneered by the likes of gloom peddlers Salem.
Melodies are buried underneath wave after wave of processed ambient tinkerings, effectively creating rich electronic textures that succeed in creating a mood, but not much else. Opener "it's like a monday, but it's not" features a skittering beat, haphazardly skipping across ethereal moans and see-sawing metallic pangs. The lyrics are of no consequence as they are processed to the point of indecipherable wails and murmurs.
"it's like a monday but it's not" bleeds into "cosmic oceans", which, unfortunately, follows the same formula as its predecessor. It does this so much so that the two songs could have been easily mashed into one five minute track instead of two two and a half minute ones. "yesterday's weakness" is easily the most interesting, and listenable track, as it features a variety of layered effects that give the song a structure that is desperately lacking in the previous tracks. That being said, it fails to save the droney, pensive undercurrent that weighs down the entire EP.
Sun Glitters creates pretty background music, the kind of stuff that would play in elevators if the world was populated by pretentious hipsters. Listening to Sun Glitters is kind of like a dream, while sweet, when its all over you can't really remember all that much about it.
Videogames have come a long way sincePac-Man and the original Super Mario Brothers. Today, videogames are immersive and compelling modes of storytelling, even sparking debates as to whether they can be considered works of art. While modern games are no strangers to having big name composers create original music (Hollywood staple Hans Zimmer forCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, for instance), we haven't really seen popular music break into games (unless the music actually is the game, i.e. Guitar Hero).
Portal 2, the sequel to the massively popular first person shooter/puzzle game Portal, is slated to have a song written exclusively for the game by Ohio bred, indie rock sadgasm, The National. A spokesperson for the band had this to say:
"After I met with Valve and learned about the intricacies and story line of the first Portal game, I knew The National's music would fit beautifully in the sequel. The National's raw and emotive music evokes the same visceral reactions from its listeners that Portal does from its players."
The song, "Exile Vilify", is a piano driven ballad that will sound familiar to fans of The National. The track doesn't ever really make its mark, meandering about without a sense of direction or purpose. It lacks the unrefined immediacy of the rest of The National's catalog, which strips away most of the emotion, leaving it to flip flop between verse and chorus with a whimper.
Taken out of the context of the game, "Exile Vilify" may lose some of its potency, but realistically speaking, this one is reserved for fans of the game and die-hard collectors who have a compulsion to own everything The National has ever recorded.
Yeasayer released an EP (more like a single) consisting of two previously unreleased songs for Record Store Day back on April 16th. The band had this to say:
"We are releasing these two tracks to purge our brains and make way for new sounds/ideas."
The two songs are called "Swallowing the Decibels" and "Phoenix Wind", both of which can be heard below. Apparently these songs were written during the Odd Blood recording sessions, but were left unfinished, that is, until now. Upon listening to the tracks, one can easily imagine them being included on Odd Blood. Despite the similarity in sound, neither song is particularly interesting or strong in comparison, which may explain why they were left off in the first place.
"Swallowing the Decibels" is an eerie, slow burning song completely with the heavy electronic accents that came to define Odd Blood. "Phoenix Wind" is like listening to Yeasayer underwater, or in slow motion. The vocals undulate like a slow rolling tide against the backdrop of a lazily plucked guitar riff. This release is a companion piece to Odd Blood (hence the title, End Blood), however at the same time it posies some questions about the direction Yeasayer may take in the future. Their debut saw the band experimenting with world sounds and indie pop, whereas their second effort was more accessible and electronic. Will Yeasayer further redefine their sound? It remains to be seen.
The tough-to-Google Belfast band, Girls Names recently did an interview with Ragged Words in which lead singer, Cathal Cully, claimed that his band was the only one making "this sort of music" in Ireland. He went on to say, "Seriously, to the masses of Belfast this is not cool music. Due to the internet now, though, geography isn’t as important any more, is it?"
I can't speak for the music scene in Ireland, but I have to disagree with Cully on the issue of the importance of geography. No one may listen to the lo-fi noise pop Girls Names proudly tout as being unique and original in Ireland, but the fact of the matter is that people do listen to it stateside. When every other band that comes out of Brooklyn is also a fuzzy, washed out version of the band who came before it, you're going to be in for some stiff competition.
The debut album from Girls Names, Dead To Me, is here and it's...adequate. The band garnered some attention by signing to U.S. label/indie music haven Captured Tracks (home of the likes of Beach Fossils, Wild Nothing, and a bunch of other bands that either formed or relocated to Brooklyn, NY), and even some kind words from Pitchfork. The problem is that they sound just like Beach Fossils, et al. Dead To Me is competent, but it is far from being interesting or unique. In a genre that is so over saturated as it is, bands like Girls Names need to do something special in order to differentiate themselves from the crowd.
Unfortunately, Girls Names fail to do this. Any of their songs could have easily appeared on a Crystal Stilts record and no one would be the wiser. When your music is that interchangeable and virtually indistinct from your competitors it should be a red flag, but Girls Names seem oblivious to the fact that they are setting themselves up to be forgotten. Cathal Cully's eerie croon and the scratchy, bedroom recorded guitars are indiscernible, with every song being buried underneath a hazy, muddiness that is meant to be passed off as atmosphere. Instead, they only serve to obscure any subtle hooks or catchy melodies, effectively making every song a chore to listen to. Granted, Girls Names are foreign and they came to the lo-fi noise pop rock party a little late, but its no excuse for being stale and unoriginal.
Do you secretly wish that all of those lo-fi bands you love so much would start caring what their music sounded like and make clearer recordings? Are you too timid to say so because you're afraid you'll tarnish your indie-cred? Fear not, Virginia Beach band We Are Trees get you out of this precarious predicament by providing some much needed HI-fidelity recordings.
We Are Trees are made up of vocals/guitarist James Nee and percussionist Josiah Schlater (and occasional violinist Rocky Capizzi). The comparison between Nee's vocals and Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen is almost impossible to ignore, but We Are Trees develop a natural sounding record all their own. The record is crisp and clear and you can pick out all of the instruments. One can easily hear how the elements of the song come together organically in airy, yet sonically lush compositions.
There is a delicacy present in each one of the tracks on the Girlfriend EP (which comes hot off the heels of their Boyfriend EP), with songs like "Teenage Heartbreak" and "Colorado" perfectly balancing yearning, apprehension and elation. While the lyrical content of the Girlfriend EP is familiar territory, We Are Trees manage to show off their range by bending genres in virtually every song. "You" is a sugary sweet, finger-picked folk song, while the EP closer "I Don't Believe In Love" is a reverb drenched pop tune that will have you humming along with all of the "whooo ooohs" from the get go.
James Nee's vocals are sweet and captivating, while the arrangements and instrumentation are invigorating and fresh. In a genre where so many bands either take the lo-fi, fuzzy-buzzy approach or try and shoehorn synths and keyboards into every track, We Are Trees go back to the basics with shimmering anthems that show off their impressive talent.
You can listen to all of the tracks on We Are Trees Boyfriend EP here.
You can listen to all of the tracks on We Are Trees Girlfriend EP here.
Mellow, dream pop band Twin Sister and their close friends The Luyas have released a double A-side single in celebration of Record Store Day this past Saturday. The split single features two brand new tracks, "Meet the Frownies" by Twin Sister and "When I Am a Woman" by The Luyas.
"Meet the Frownies" was originally recorded by Twin Sister in conjunction with the nonprofit Weathervane Music for their Shaking Through series. It is what you'd expect for a Twin Sister song, in that it is a slow burning, contemplative little number. The lyrics start with "Smoking weed with you / in the leaves, in the fall / in the yard with your dog, till the winter came". It may sound like shoddy journalism, but to be completely honest, that's all you really need to know about this track. It is a fuzzy, hazy tune that was reportedly written and recorded in under twelve hours, and I wouldn't be surprised if for the majority of those twelve hours the band was smoking weed themselves.
Canadian band The Luyas contribute the track "When I Am a Woman", and it is a trippy, unearthly song that resonates with you. Jessie Stein's delicate, innocent vocals are surrounded by the swirling horns and jangly guitar before being shot off into the stratosphere with the haunting presence of the electronic organ. It is a truly hypnotic track that is a good indication of things to come.
The two songs present on this split 7" single compliment each other well, and it is a great introduction to a couple of bands that should be on your radar, if they aren't already. The chances of you scoring a physical copy of this 7" are pretty slim, so below you will find a link to download the Twin Sister track, free of charge. Enjoy.
It seems hard to believe, but ridiculously named, Mercury prize nominated British band Guillemots (it's a kind of bird) released their second album Red, only three years ago. I thought they had called it quits, probably because they haven't been on my radar for quite some time. The album wasn't all that well received and to be completely honest, I thought that their critically acclaimed debut, Through the Windowpane, was kind of a snoozefest, save for a handful of tracks. Anyway, much to my surprise, the Guillemots are back with their third studio album, Walk the River.
Apparently Guillemots frontman and chief songwriter Fyfe Dangerfield (with a name like that, how could you not be a musician?), released a solo album in between Red and this new effort, and even though I've never heard it, it seems as though some people did, and liked it. Go figure. Before I actually listened to this album I had noticed that some critics were saying that Walk the River was a return to the sound of their debut, which was funny because I thought their second album sounded exactly the same as their first. After I listened to Walk the River, I could totally see what they were talking about. Virtually all of the tracks on any Guillemots album are interchangeable with one another.
This isn't to say that the music is bad. If you liked Guillemots' previous efforts, you will probably find a lot to like about Walk the River. There are grandiose, life affirming anthems about love and loss and all of the other pop music cliches you can imagine. There are delicate, sleepy little introspective numbers. There are even some rollicking, puffed up radio friendly songs with plenty of "whoa ohhs" and electronic twinges to satiate fickle hipster audiences. Guillemots don't exactly try anything new on this record, choosing instead to stick to familiar territory.
That being said, this album does sound more cohesive and mature than their previous efforts. The songs are more complex, and I feel that with repeated listens, people could find a lot to like about this album. The problem is the fact that there just simply aren't any immediately accessible songs. Absent are the types of tracks that got the Guillemots noticed in the first place. There is no "Trains to Brazil", no "Get Over It". There are no tracks that capture your attention and even fewer that demand you to even notice them. This is not an album you can haphazardly listen to, it is one that requires some patience to be appreciated.
Despite this, Walk the River is an immense step forward from their second album. Red saw the "Trains to Brazil" from Through the Windowpane derail, and many people believed it was the last we had heard of the hard-to-pronounce band. Lyrically it was weak, musically it lacked direction, and the end result was unfocused. Walk the River finds Guillemots regaining their sense of direction with tighter arrangements and stronger songwriting.
Essentially, the Guillemots have made a more grown up version of their first two albums with Walk the River. It is a sonically interesting and engaging album, however it runs the risk of boring people who don't have the time to give it a chance to grow on them. Since Guillemots have already kind of disappeared, this album could have been a loud and raucous return. Instead the band taps on the collective shoulder of music fans and whispers, "Hey, remember us?".
Pure X, formerly known as Pure Ecstasy, is a trio out of Austin, Texas. I'm not entirely sure why they changed their name, maybe it was because they felt that their musical styling were more akin to Plutonium-Uranium Extraction rather than Australia's party drug of choice. Or maybe they really like laundry detergent. Either way, they've been making some ripples in the hype ocean and their EP, You're In It Now is available now for preorder (see below).
The You're In It Now EP is comprised of four tracks, and it is an emotionally taxing 15 minutes. Listening to Pure X is like being high on valium and standing outside in the pouring rain. And your grandmother just died. And your dog. He's dead too. Every song is just so damn depressing that after listening you don't know whether it was hauntingly beautiful or just simply soul crushing.
The southern American country twang is front and center on this release, but with a tempo that clocks in somewhere between sleepy town and napville. Pure X is probably the lowest of all of the lo-fi bands I have ever heard, and that is no small feat. Their sound is laid back and relaxed, however at the same time the songs themselves demand attention through their deliberate neediness. When I listen to Pure X I don't know if I should be sympathetic or if I should just slap all of the band members and tell them to stop being such pussies.
This isn't to say that the band isn't talented. I am all for gloomy, melancholic music that evokes feelings of pain, regret and despair, and the first track, "Don't Wanna Live, Don't Wanna Die" is a perfect example of how gorgeous Pure X can be. The problem that I have with this release is the fact that it is so draining. Listening to more than one or two songs in one sitting becomes a chore and a true test of patience. While the murky and shimmering guitar work is impressive, the echoing vocals and the simplistic drumming patterns are uninteresting and do little to hold the listeners attention.
I suppose if you were severely depressed you would have a ball with Pure X, wallowing in the same sort of self-imposed despondency and misery that the band seems to revel in. If not, you're going to find yourself listening to this EP once or twice and then relegating it to the recesses of your vinyl collection, only occasionally popping up when you feel the need to lament the fact that the eggs in your refrigerator will never grow up to be free range chickens.
Radiohead will be releasing their highly anticipated post-The King of Limbs material in a few short hours to Record Store Day-ready shops around the globe (except for the United States for some reason). In an interview with Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien, BBC 6 has unveiled that "Supercollider" and "The Butcher" are the last remnants of the recording sessions that birthed The King of Limbs. This of course meaning that we will not see a The King of Limbspart 2, like we did with their previous effort, In Rainbows. Oh well.
"Supercollider" is a seven-minute piece of swirling and somewhat flighty pop music. Echoing synths plink throughout the entire song, building gradually to a crescendo while serving to frame Thom Yorke's voice in a ghostly aura. It is a moody song that relies on the ambiance it creates to carry you through to the end. It isn't exactly the kind of track that you'll be yearning to spin over and over again, but it is an engaging and ethereal piece of work.
"The Butcher" is a graphic and evocative song that is a brooding and somewhat creepy tune. Much in the same way "Supercollider" works, "The Butcher" creates an atmosphere, however this one is jarring. The overlaying percussion is unnerving, giving the entire song a menacing and ominous quality. Coupled with Yorke's hushed vocals, "The Butcher" has a disquieting undercurrent that runs throughout the entire length of the song.
Both tracks are heavily atmospheric, and neither rely on gimmicks or hooks to draw you in. Instead, "Supercollider" and "The Butcher" showcase Radiohead creating nuanced arrangements that immerse you into their world of scary teddy bears, political exacerbation and decompression sickness.
