Flashback Review: Bratmobile: Ladies, Women, and Girls [B+]

Artist: Bratmobile

Album: Ladies, Women, and Girls

Released: 2000

Label: Lookout! Records

Genre: punk / riot grrrl

Purchase date: 2 Mar 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

I first heard of the riot grrrl punk movement in 1991 when I was a senior in college. A friend of mine who was a self-described radical lesbian feminist was playing Bikini Kill's self-titled record, and when I said I liked it and asked who it was, she dubbed me a cassette copy. That cassette is long gone, but I always had a soft spot for fiery female-led rock. Then Sound Opinions did a brief retrospective of riot grrrl in March of this year, and I bought this album by the other American exemplar of riot grrrl, Bratmobile.

Ladies, Women, and Girls was released by Bratmobile in 2000, seven years after the band's debut, and a year after the band re-formed after a five-year hiatus. The band retained its energy and message espousing female empowerment, and it's a whole lot of fun. Bratmobile would release only one more studio album in 2003 before disbanding.

Rating: B+

Album listing at Amazon

Album listing at eMusic

"Eating Toothpaste" official video

Review: Sufjan Stevens: The Age of Adz [B-]

Artist: Sufjan Stevens
Album: The Age of Adz
Released: October 2010
Label: Asthmatic Kitty Records
Genre: Electronic / experimental

Purchase Date: 02 Mar 2011
Format: mp3 files
Source: eMusic

This is one album I bought unheard based solely on the reviews of other critics that I respect. The Age of Adz showed up on the "Best of 2010" lists from just about every other music critic I follow, so I decided to take a chance and see what the fuss was all about.

Stevens' music is deeply introspective and extremely complex. He merges the an acoustic folk structure with strangely experimental electronic effects, which can be both intriguing and jarring (sometimes at the same time). Many songs start out simple and then deconstruct themselves into near-chaos, only to coalesce into something else entirely. The songs on the album are also very different from each other, to the point where I found it difficult to discern the connection between them.

This is difficult music that demands repeated listens, if only to try to tease apart what the artist was trying to accomplish with it. It is also music that I didn't find compelling enough to to want to make that kind of investment. While I found bits and pieces of this album to be intriguing, on the whole I found it to be a bit of a mess, with songs exploding into cacophonous electronic bleeps and bloops with nigh-indecipherable lyrics. This experimentation seems to have worked for a lot of critics, and while I applaud the ambition behind this record, as a piece of music, it mostly left me cold.

Rating: B-

Album listing at Amazon

Album listing at eMusic

Listen to "Vesuvius"

Review: DeVotchKa: 100 Lovers [C+]

Artist: DeVotchKa

Album: 100 Lovers

Released: February 2011

Label: ANTI- Records

Genre: indie folk

Purchase date: 2 Mar 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

I'd heard of DeVotchKa for years, but had never bought an album of their before. All Songs Considered put up the album for free streaming for a week or so back in February in their "First Listen" series, so I gave it a listen one afternoon while I was working. I liked what I heard, so when Amazon listed 100 Lovers among its $5 albums for March, I downloaded it.

It's an interesting album, and a bit hard to classify. They use eastern European chord and song structures with alt-rock instrumentation, for a sound they call "Gypsy punk." The music is fun, but after a few listens, I found that it didn't have a lot of staying power, and it never entered my high rotation. Basically, I can't say anything bad about this album, other than it just didn't click with me all that much. Honestly, the songs kind of run together in my mind, and I can't really pull a lyric or melody of this album from my memory.

So, it's kind of fun, but a little on the bland side for my tastes.

Rating: C+

Album listing on Amazon

Album listing on eMusic

"The Man From San Sebastian" Official Video

Review: Dum Dum Girls: He Gets Me High [A]

Artist: Dum Dum Girls

Album [EP]: He Gets Me High

Released: Feb 2011

Label: Sub Pop Records

Genre: garage rock / lo-fi

Purchase Date: 02 March 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

I loved this band's 2010 debut full-length I Will Be, and when I saw that they had released a new 4-song EP, I bought it two days after it came out. I was not disappointed. They polished their sound a bit, taking maybe a quarter-step away from lo-fi toward an ever-so-slightly richer production. They have kept the '60s garage rock sound, and the four tracks are three rockers and a ballad. The highlights are the title track and a cover of The Smith's "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out," which closes the record.

This is an extremely fun record. Highly recommended.

Rating: A

Album listing at Amazon

Album listing at eMusic

"He Gets Me High" official video

Review: Glasser: Ring [B]

Artist: Glasser

Album: Ring

Released: Sept 2010

Label: True Panther Sounds

Genre: experimental pop / electronic

Purchase date: 28 Feb 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

Glasser is a hard act to categorize. It's another of those one-person bands: Glasser is really Cameron Mesirow, and she brings along other session musicians for her stage shows. Mesirow's voice is extremely expressive and fluid, with a very wide range. Paired with electronic instrumentation and driving percussion, the music of Glasser is arresting and hypnotic. Pitchfork and the AV Club have compared her music to that of Bjork, and I would agree that the two share some similarities on the surface. Glasser's music is brighter, and does not plumb the darkness of the human soul as Bjork so often does. I think a better comparison would be Bat For Lashes.

It took me a few listens to appreciate this record, and I do recommend it. It's kind of difficult, but I thought it was worth the effort.

Rating: B

Album listing at Amazon

Album not available at eMusic

Listen to "Home"

Review: Ludicra: The Tenant [A-]

Artist: Ludicra

Album: The Tenant

Released: March 2010

Label: Profound Lore Records

Genre: black metal

Purchase date: 31 Jan 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

I first heard of Ludica (and Agalloch, for that matter) on a "Viking's Choice" episode of NPR's All Songs Considered. In that episode, Lars Gotrich, NPR Music's resident fan of and expert on metal, hardcore, post-rock, and other polarizing music, shared his 2010 best-of. It contained a lot of music that I didn't like all that much, but Agalloch and Ludicra both stood out.

Ludicra is a black metal band from San Francisco with the unusual feature of a female lead vocalist. As is the custom with black metal vocals, Laurie Sue Shanaman howls, shrieks, and stage-whispers the lyrics over blistering guitar and bass with pneumatic percussion. However, it's not all power chords and trolls-under-bridges: Ludicra varies its tone and can suddenly shift into folk-metal moments with eerie tonal vocals in two-part harmony. The instrumentation is moving: powerful yet melodic with a strong sense of emotion. This is powerful stuff, and if you can move through the shrieking, a very rewarding listen. Recommended.

Rating: A-

Album listing on Amazon

Album listing on eMusic

Listen to "Stagnant Pond"

Review: Best Coast: Crazy For You [B+]

Artist: Best Coast

Album: Crazy For You

Released: July 2010

Label: Mexican Summer Records

Genre: indie rock / garage rock

Purchase date: 31 Jan 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

I've said this before, and I'll say it again: December and January are the best months to discover new music, as you scan other critics' annual "Best Of" lists and find things you either missed or dismissed when they were released. Best Coast fell into the latter camp for me when their debut came out in the middle of summer 2010. I half-listened to a track on the radio over the summer, and it failed to move me, so I didn't pay this band much attention until this album started appearing on a number of other critics' lists. I decided to give it a full listen.

As their name implies, this is joyful summer beach music. As with the Dum Dum Girls, another band I really liked this year, Best Coast evokes the sounds of garage rock, surf rock, and '60s girl groups while remaining firmly in the 21st century. Lead singer and songwriter Bethany Cosentino doesn't go for profound or heavy philosophizing with her lyrics, but she sure has a lot of fun with what she's got. This music isn't deep, but it sure is fun. Recommended.

Rating: B+

Album listing at Amazon

Album listing at eMusic

"Boyfriend" official video

My 2010 Mix Tape

Since I've gotten heavily into music, I've started to put together end-of-year "mixtapes." Okay, they're actually playlists that are short enough to be burned onto a single music CD. They tend to be a list of, not exactly my favorite individual songs of the year, but songs that sort of my musical highlights of the year. I deliberately sequence the songs so that they (hopefully) either tell a story in music, or at least have an emotional and stylistic flow to them. Ideally, my mixtapes should be listened to in sequence, rather than just dumped into iTunes.

So, without further ado, here's Mike's 2010 Mix Tape:

1. "Tron: Legacy End Titles" by Daft Punk from Tron: Legacy Motion Picture Soundtrack

2. "The High Road" by Broken Bells, from Broken Bells

3. "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons, from Sigh No More

4. "Boyfriend" by Best Coast, from Crazy For You

5. "And He Slayed Her" by Liz Phair, from Funstyle

6. "It Only Takes One Night" by Dum Dum Girls, from I Will Be

7. "Month of May" by Arcade Fire, from The Suburbs

8. "Medulla Oblangata" by Buke and Gass, from Riposte

9. "Infinity Guitars" by Sleigh Bells, from Treats

10. "Coquet Coquette" by Of Montreal, from False Priest

11. "Digging for Something" by Superchunk, from Majesty Shredding

12. "You Must Be Out of Your Mind" by The Magnetic Fields, from Realism

13. "Dancing On My Own" by Robyn, from Body Talk

14. "Fuck You" by Cee Lo Green, from The Lady Killer

15. "Swim" by Surfer Blood, from Astro Coast

16. "Peace Signs" by Sharon Van Etten, from Epic

17. "Your Hands (Together)" by The New Pornographers, from Together

18. "The Hair Song" by Black Mountain, from Wilderness Heart

19. "Lawless Lands" by The Sword, from Warp Riders

20. "Stagnant Pond" by Ludicra, from The Tenant

[Update: 26 Dec 2011]

Listen to the entire playlist on Spotify!

Note: Ludicra's label hasn't signed a deal with Spotify, so that track does not appear on the mix above.

Enjoy!

Review: Agalloch: Marrow of the Spirit [A]

Artist: Agalloch

Album: Marrow of the Spirit

Released: November 2010

Label: Profound Lore Records

Genre: Black Metal

Purchase Date: 18 January 2011

Format: AAC files

Source: iTunes

I'm pretty new to the realization that I like some extreme forms of music. I never thought that I would totally love a black metal album, as the typical "troll under a bridge"/"cookie monster growl" vocal style of black metal tends to really turn me off. However, the vision and musicality of the Austin-based black metal band Agalloch transcends the extreme into a place of true dark beauty.

I will be the first to admit that the scream/growl black metal vocals of Agalloch was a barrier that needed to be surmounted, and nearly put me off this band. I found it a strange disconnect from the ambient-yet-melodic music, with shimmering guitars and pounding percussion. This is a band that knows how to paint a landscape with music, using natural sounds and wide dynamic range to vary the aural landscape. At times, the music seems more like instrumental post-rock, akin to the harder moments of Explosions In The Sky or If These Trees Could Talk. After repeated listens, I warmed to John Haughm's whisper-growl vocals. Unlike some black metal bands, Agalloch doesn't present an anti-Christian screed in its lyrics. I found that I became immersed in the neopagan nature-reverence of the lyrics.

This album isn't for everyone: black metal is an extreme music form, and it took repeated listens for me to "get it." I found a strong emotional connection to this album, and it was one of my favorite albums of 2010.

Rating: A

Album listing at Amazon

Album listing at eMusic

Listen to "The Watcher's Monolith"

Review: The Decemberists: The King Is Dead [A]

Artist: The Decemberists

Album: The King Is Dead

Released: January 2011

Label: Capitol Records

Genre: indie rock / folk rock

Purchase date: 18 January 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

The sixth full-length album from the Portland-based indie rock darlings, The King Is Dead marks a return to The Decemberists' early folkier sound. After their 2009 love-it-or-hate-it operatic prog-rock concept album The Hazards of Love, Colin Meloy and friends released a collection of Americana-influenced indie folk-rock. I've been a fan of this band since their first album was released in 2003, and I do own all of their albums (and most of their EPs). I bought this album the day it was released.

I was not disappointed. With guest guitarist Peter Buck (of R.E.M.) playing in classic R.E.M.-style on three tracks, this collection of songs showcases The Decemberists firing on all cylinders. Standout tracks include the slice-of-life mini-epic"Down By The River," the R.E.M.-styled "Calamity Song," and the bluegrass-tinged "Rox In The Box." Colin Meloy's nasal singing voice can be polarizing (my wife hates it), but his strong songwriting and sense of melody really carry this album. So, while I have a soft spot for prog, this album is a welcome step in the right direction for The Decemberists. So far, this is my favorite album of 2011.

Rating: A

Album listing at Amazon

Album listing at eMusic

Listen to "Down By The Water"

Listen to "Calamity Song"

Review: Clive Tanaka: Jet Set Siempre No. 1 [B]

Artist: Clive Tanaka y su Orquesta

Album: Jet Set Siempre No. 1

Released: January 2011

Label: TallCorn Records

Genre: Electronic / Lounge

Purchase Date: 15 Jan 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: TallCorn Records Online

I had never heard of Clive Tanaka until Jim and Greg over at Sound Opinions played a few tracks from this album on their "Buried Treasures" show last January. I was intrigued by the Caribbean-lounge sound of the track "Neu Chicago," and bought the album from the label that day. It's a fun album, split into two "sides" as if it were an LP or cassette: Side A "For Dance" and Side B "For Romance."

The music is laid-back and has an almost retro-future sound; like '60s lounge using contemporary production and effects. About half of the songs are instrumental, and when Tanaka does add his voice, it's run through a bunch of effects (vocoder, distortion pedals, etc). This is more for playing in the background while you do something else than for a deep listen, but it's great fun for what it is.

Rating: B

"Neu Chicago" Official Video

Album Listing at Amazon

Album not available at eMusic

Flashback Review: Wendy Carlos: Tron Soundtrack [B]

Artist: Wendy Carlos

Album: Tron: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Released: 1982

Label: Disney Music

Genre: Soundtrack

Purchased: 10 Jan 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

Having purchased the soundtrack to the 30-years-later Tron sequel, I wanted to listen again to Wendy Carlos' 1982 score for the original Tron. Carlos has been a composer for analog synthesizer for close to 40 years now, and back in '82, she seemed the obvious choice to write the score for a movie that was set inside a computer.

Tron was the first film I ever saw that had far more impressive special effects than story. When I watched Tron for a college class in the early '90s, I remember being far more impressed with the soundtrack than the storyline.

The soundtrack itself is a mixed bag. When it's just her on synth, Carlos' music is fascinatingly off-kilter, in odd or shifting time signatures, and often shifts keys abruptly. Strangely, I find synth simultaneously coldly impersonal and wildly expressive. On the other hand, when she uses the full symphony orchestra to embellish or enhance her themes, I find it to become far less personal, and sound more like your basic action movie soundtrack. The 80's power-pop band Journey (who were at the height of their popularity in 1982) add two bland '80s rock numbers, which I honestly don't remember from the movie.

I'm glad I picked up this album. It was a blast from the past, and even included some music that I remember from the old Tron arcade video game. When left to her own devices, Carlos made some very exceptional memorable music for this film. On the other hand, the tracks that are primarily symphonic are mostly forgettable, and the Journey tracks are just bad.

Rating: B

Album listing at Amazon

Album not available at eMusic

Listen to "Scherzo"

Listen to "Love Theme"

Review: Charlotte Gainsbourg: IRM [B+]

Artist: Charlotte Gainsbourg

Album: IRM

Released: Nov 2009

Label: Elektra Records

Genre: experimental pop

Purchase date: 09 Jan 2011

Format: AAC files

Source: iTunes

I had known that the Anglo-French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg also had a singing career, but I hadn't paid it much mind, as there are so many actors who use their fame to attempt to cash in on meager musical tallent. Then, I heard an interview with her on on World Cafe last June, and I was really struck by the music. IRM, her third album, had been on my wish list since then, and I finally got around to buying it with some extra iTunes credits.

This emotional album is a loose concept album about Gainsbourg's near-death experience in 2007 after an apparently-minor water skiing mishap. Two weeks after the accident, she walked into a hospital in Paris complaining of dizziness, blurred vision, and severed headaches, and discovered that she had a slow cerebral hemorrhage, and her skull was filling with blood. She was immediately rushed in for brain surgery. ("IRM" is the French acronym for the medical scanner called "MRI" in English).

Produced by Beck, the musical styles are all over the map. There is a touching ballad, an alt-rocker, a French cabaret number, and some electronic tracks which Gainsbourg half-raps over. She doesn't have a broad vocal range, but the stylistic changes and overall mood of the record more than compensate. The theme of the album is the thin line between life and death, and how close we all are, but how life has a way of going on regardless.

It's kind of Zen, but all-in-all, I liked this record.

Rating: B+

Album listing at Amazon

Album listing at eMusic

"Time of the Assassins" Official Video

"Heaven Can Wait" Official Video

Review: Bullet For My Valentine: Fever [F]

Artist: Bullet For My Valentine
Album: Fever
Released: April 2010

Label: Jive Records

Genre: heavy metal

Purchase Date: 07 Jan 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

I bought this album based on eMusic and Amazon recommendations, without knowing much about the band or its sound. I listened to the 30-second clips on Amazon and it sounded like decent metal, so I gave it a chance. Big mistake.

I knew that I would eventually buy an album that I didn't like, but I can't remember having such a violently negative reaction to a piece of music. To be honest, the lyrics of this record so enraged me that I could not force myself to listen to the whole thing.

The blatant misogyny that BFMV displays in this recording is just beyond the pale. The first track, "Your Betrayal" is about how much the singer wants to exact violent revenge on his ex-girlfriend for the unpardonably sin of ending their relationship. Next up was a song about stalking a woman who wouldn't talk to the singer at a bar with the insinuation that he planned to rape her. There was a song about how all women are evil and that the best thing is to hurt them first. There were more songs on the album, but I had to stop listening because I was becoming sick to my stomach.

And the music. They guys are technically competent, but they sound, more or less, like Nickelback. 'Nuff said. I have actually deleted the mp3s from my computer so that I don't accidentally stumble across this music again.

This was an absolutely terrible album. Avoid at all costs. I wish I could get my $5 back.

Rating: F

(I'm not going to give them the courtesy of linking to a video. You can see one on their home page, which I linked above, if you really want to. I don't recommend it.)