Eschewing Obfuscation

Listen to I Am Very Far on Spotify

Artist not available at eMusic

Review: Okkervil River: I Am Very Far [A-]

2011-11-19T21:47:00.002-05:00

Artist: Okkervil River

Album: I Am Very Far

Released: May 2011

Label: Jagjaguwar

Genre: indie rock

Purchase Date: 11 May 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

I'll start by saying that Okkervil River has been, consistently, one of my favorite bands of the past few years. The sixth release from this band from Austin breaks a bit from their usual style of producing tightly-written thematic albums that tell a sonic story. I Am Very Far is much looser, and the lyrics of the songs are much more free-form and obscure than those of earlier albums. At first, I found the songs to be a bit more hit-and-miss than earlier releases, and while the album had some stand-out tracks (notably "Rider," one of their best songs), I didn't think it worked as an album. After repeated listens, the album grew on me, and while I don't think it's quite as strong as the outstanding The Stand-Ins, it's still one of the best albums of the year so far.

Rating: A-

Listen to Mare Decendrii on Spotify

Review: Mamiffer: Mare Decendrii [A-]

2011-11-19T19:24:00.000-05:00

Artist: Mamiffer

Album: Mare Decendrii

Released: March 2011

Label: Conspiracy Records

Genre: Post-rock / neoclassical rock

Purchase date: 27 April 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

I don't really know a whole lot about this Seattle-area trio. They have a dark, ambient, neoclassical sound that would work as the soundtrack of a horror movie. Actually, when I stumbled across this band, I became interested in their music for just that reason: I thought it would be great mood music for a horror role-playing game that I was putting together at the time. Since then, the album as really grown on me, and I find myself playing it at the office as background music that helps keep me focused on the task rather than on the music itself. That said, it's delightfully creepy music to play when you're alone in the house at night with the lights off. For those with similarly off-kilter sensibilities, I would strongly recommend this album.

Rating: A-

Review: Parts and Labor: Constant Future [B+]

2011-11-12T21:14:00.000-05:00

Artist: Parts and Labor

Album: Constant Future

Released: March 2011

Label: Jagjaguwar

Genre: experimental rock

Purchase Date: 27 April 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

The fifth full-length from the Brooklyn-based experimental rock trio, Constant Future, brings more of the guitar-synth-and-noise sound that has become their style. Unlike a lot of noise-rock acts, they focus more on the rock than the noise, and all of their songs have a strong sense of melody through the sludge. This seems to be their most accessible album yet, full of big sounds that teeter on the brink of chaos but always manage to stay cohesive. One downside is that Constant Future isn't as strong lyrically as some of their previous releases. Still, it's an enjoyable album and definitely worth a listen.

Rating: B+

Play album on Spotify

Listen to "Damn These Vampires"

Review: The Mountain Goats: All Eternals Deck [A-]

2011-10-16T16:36:00.002-04:00

Artist: The Mountain Goats

Album: All Eternals Deck

Released: March 2011

Label: Merge Records

Genre: indie folk

Purchase Date: 19 April 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

John Darnielle, leader and often only member of The Mountain Goats, returns with his 14th full-length album. All Eternals Deck features a rich, polished sound to Darnielle's character-focused story-songs, now with a full band. Lyrically, the songs are intricate, witty, and uncompromising, and have a theme of survival against the odds. Musically, they run the gamut of quiet folk to almost unhinged folk-punk. It's a fun ride, and I heartily recommend it.

Rating: A-

Album not available at eMusic

Review: Esben and the Witch: Violet Cries [B-]

2011-10-16T16:08:00.004-04:00

Artist: Esben and the Witch

Album: Violet Cries

Released: January 2011

Label: Matador Records

Genre: dream pop / nightmare pop

Purchase Date: 15 April 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

Named for an obscure and macabre Danish fairy tale, this British trio's sound uses the dreamlike and ethereal tones of dream-pop, but to disturbing and nightmarish effect. (Several other critics have dubbed this "nightmare-pop".) Layered, echoed vocals, whispered spoken-word, guitars sounding like they are coming up from the bottom of a well, and an overall tone of melancholy-bordering-on-despair, this isn't music for the faint of heart. These elements come together with a brooding, dark intensity on the tracks "Warpath," Marching Song," and "Skeleton Swoon," but don't quite gel for much of the rest of the album.

Rating: B-

"Warpath" official video

"Bury Us Alive" official video

Artist not available at eMusic

Review: Starfucker: Reptillians [B+]

2011-10-16T15:00:00.004-04:00

Artist: Starfucker

Album: Reptillians

Released: January 2011

Label: Polyvinyl Records

Genre: electronica

Purchase Date: 01 April 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

Another good band with a terrible name, Starfucker (or STRFKR, as they bill themselves on public marquees) is an electronica quartet from Portland, Oregon. The music is upbeat, catchy electronic rock with a philosophical bent. Many tracks include recorded spoke word from the late philosopher Alan Watts, an odd yet fascinating feature. The songs are tremendously fun while they're playing, but they don't have a lot of sticking power: it's been a month or so since I've listened to this record, and I can't remember the tunes to any of them. Nevertheless, Reptillians is a very good album and deserves a listen. Recommended.

Rating: B+

Review: Ringo Deathstarr: Colour Trip [A-]

2011-08-31T23:20:00.003-04:00

Artist: Ringo Deathstarr
Album: Colour Trip
Released: March 2011
Label: Sonic Unyon Records
Genre: indie rock / shoegaze

Purchase date: 1 April 2011
Format: mp3 files
Source: eMusic

I first heard of this Austin-based indie rock trio during NPR's coverage of the 2011 SXSW Muisic Conference. They are a very young band who uses blistering, layered, distorted guitar sounds and murky vocals over a heavy drum and bass rhythm. When I heard them, I immediately thought "My Bloody Valentine" or "Jesus and Mary Chain" with a female lead singer. Despite the heavy influence, I thought that they bring a fresh take to a sound that had been the cutting edge of the early 1990s.

This is an immensely fun summer album that drips equal amounts of joy and angst. I've been blasting this on the car stereo with the windows down on every sunny day I can. It's nothing terribly new: just a whole lot of fun.

Recommended.

Rating: A-

"Imagine Hearts" official video

Review: Wye Oak: Civillian [A]

2011-07-25T23:28:00.003-04:00

Artist: Wye Oak

Album: Civillian

Released: March 2011

Label: Merge Records

Genre: indie rock

Purchase date: 22 Mar 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

The third full-length from the Baltimore-based male/female duo finds Wye Oak growing both more comfortable in their own abilities and more ambitious in their sound. Jenn Wasner's haunting vocals sound in sharp contrast to her powerful guitar, but she seems to get that balance exactly right. Drummer/keyboardist Andy Stack fills in the rest of the sound. Live, he's got to be the best one-handed drummer in music today, as he plays three keyboards simultaneously with his other hand. In the studio, his precision shines through.

Wye Oak has always liked to play with large dynamic shifts. They are still here, but the shifts are less abrupt, subtler, and manage to draw you completely in. The highlight of the album is the title track (which appears about half-way through the album), and it is one of the best songs of the year so far.

This is most definitely Wye Oak's best album yet, and is one of my favorites of the year so far. Highly recommended.

Rating: A

Album not available at eMusic

Listen to "Civillian"

GrassRoost Festival: Saturday (Day Three)

2011-07-24T16:23:00.006-04:00

Saturday is always my favorite day of the GrassRoots Festival. This year, for various reasons, I won't be able to attend on Sunday, the last day, so I decided to go all-in for Saturday this year.

I got to the fairgrounds at around noon, and set up my blanket, cooler, and chair on the Infield again. The crowd by the stage was very thin, and it looked like the previous performer had just left, so I wandered the fairgrounds a bit. I caught one number by the Dead Sea Squirrels in the Dance Tent, and enjoyed their traditional American folk. The fairgoers dancing to their set were doing contra dancing, so I just watched for a few minutes, and then moved on.

Returning to the Infield Stage, I got there just as The Believers took the stage. Singer-electric guitarist Craig Aspen and chanteuse/acoustic guitarist Cyd Fazzari hail from New Orleans (via Seattle), and have consistently been one of my GrassRoots favorites. This year was no exception. Aspen said on stage, "We love country music but grew up listening to punk rock and heavy metal." On their website, they describe themselves as "a rock band with a country problem." I stayed for their full set. While I was hoping they'd play a cover of "Helter Skelter," which was their final encore last year, they closed with their eponymous signature song, which I also really like.

After their set was over, I went over to Cabaret Hall to catch the local traditional Celtic fiddlers The Grady Girls. They are always a lot of fun, but they were having some trouble with their amps and it was very hard to hear them.

After a bite of lunch, I went to the Grandstand to hear The Horse Flies, one of the most popular and longest-lived local bands. I know fiddler Judy Hyman and bassist Jay Olsa personally, so it's always fun for me to see them on stage. They were also having some sound trouble, but their extended sound check was pretty much a improvised song, and was very danceable. Once the engineers got the mix straightened out, they put on a great show. The highlight was "Roadkill," which Ritchie Stearns introduced as "our tribute to the local food movement." Despite the heat, I ended up dancing very hard in front of the stage. After about 40 minutes, I was getting a bit light-headed from dancing in the heat, so I left the performance to buy a lemonade and find some shade.

I returned to the Infield Stage about an hour later to catch Blackfire, the Navajo punk band. I've seen this trio of siblings (brothers Klee and Clayson Benally and sister Jeneda) at every other GrassRoots I've been at, and always find them to be a highlight. I'd missed their first few numbers, and was surprised to see them performing as a duo-- their guitarist/lead vocalist Klee Benally wasn't on stage, and I wasn't sure why. Unfortunately, when a punk band is missing its guitarist, it really takes a toll on the sound, and their performance was very much off this year. I stayed for two numbers, then decided to go see someone else.

That someone else was our local African musical legend Samite. With his stunning looped vocals and kalimba, I find his music to be soulful, joyous, and wonderful. I was sorry that I only managed to catch two numbers before he left the stage.

I went back to the Infield Stage to hear the local prog-rock band Ayuvrveda. I'd heard of them, but hadn't seen or heard them before, and they were a real treat. I was a little too tired to dance, but I thoroughly enjoyed their full set. The sun was just starting to set when they left the stage, and I took a brief nap to gather energy for the rest of the night.

Next up at the Infield Stage was the high-energy Afrobeat band from Nigeria, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80. Wow. They were amazing. Another band I hadn't encountered before, they brought the house down. I haven't danced so hard since... well, since that afternoon at the Horse Flies show, but I digress. I will most definitely be buying their album sometime soon.

After they left the stage, I rested for a bit, then sat for a short performance by Americana legend John Specker. I've seen John Specker play at every GrassRoots Festival I've attended, and he is always a real treat to see.

Specker left the stage a little after midnight, and about half an hour later Donna the Buffalo took the stage to raucous applause. The host band and founding member of the GrassRoots festival, Donna attracted a huge crowd-- the biggest I'd seen at this year's festival. I got into the thick of it in front of the stage and danced the night away to one of the best performances by Donna that I can remember. At one point, Tara Nevins dedicated a song "to water," and half-way through the song, it finally started to rain. The rain was welcome, as it was still above 80 degrees well after midnight.

They left the stage at about 2:00 AM, and I gathered up my stuff. The line for the shuttle bus to the off-site parking lot seemed immensely long, so I wandered back to the Dance Tent to hear some of Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band. Keith Frank is another long-time GrassRoots favorite, and while I was too tired to dance, I listened for about half an hour until the line for the bus got short enough.

As I borded the bus back to the parking lot, I bid GrassRoots a farewell for the year. Despite the heat and my abbreviated attendance, it was a great fest this year.

GrassRoost Festival: Friday (Day Two)

2011-07-22T23:44:00.004-04:00

I just came back from the second day of the GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance in Trumansburg NY. I have a weekend pass, but I decided not to go yesterday due to the weather-- it was a record high in Ithaca (official temperature at the airport was 100ºF, with a heat index of 109). This is the 21st annual GrassRoots Fest, and my tenth.

The Kid and I got to the fairgrounds a bit later than we'd intended, and set up our chairs, blanket and cooler on the Infield.

We managed to catch the encore of The Town Pants, a Celtic and Americana band from Vancouver. I hadn't heard them before, and I really liked them: high energy and a lot of fun. I'm hoping to catch them again tomorrow afternoon in Caberet Hall.

After a delicious gyro and a frozen chocolate-covered strawberry, we settled in for one of my festival favorites, the local funk/soul/reggae act Thousands of One. Their infectious groove and rhythm got me out of my seat and dancing. They also announced the release of their second CD, SoulForce. I'll probably be picking that one up sometime soon.

After dancing so hard, The Kid told me that a strong weariness had set in, so we decided to head back home. While we were packing up, we heard the sound check for Balkan Beat Box, a gypsy-rock/hip-hop act from NYC that seems to be attracting quite a following. They sounded great, but we had to catch the bus back to the parking lot, so we said good-bye to the first day of the festival.

Tomorrow's line-up includes some other festival favorites that I hope to see, including The Believers, Blackfire, The Horse Flies, and Donna the Buffalo. I hope to encounter some other acts that will become new favorites, too. More to come later.

Review: Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More [A]

2011-07-15T23:19:00.003-04:00

Artist: Mumford & Sons

Album: Sigh No More

Released: February 2010

Label: Glassnote Records

Genre: indie folk

Purchase Date: 11 Mar 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

I'd heard of the West London-based indie folk quartet Mumford & Sons in early 2010, but I hadn't actually heard the music. Pitchfork, the hipster Bible, gave this album a terrible review, (primarily challenging the band's authenticity), and none of the other critics I follow reviewed it at all. My spouse was the person who turned me on to this band-- and what a find!

The music is heartfelt, warm, and played pretty much exclusively on acoustic folk instruments. These aren't traditional folk songs, but they sure are played that way. Marcus Mumford handles the lead vocals, and he puts just enough emotion into his presentation to make you feel what he's feeling, without crossing the line into melodrama. His lyrics are literary, intelligent, and amusingly self-depreciating. I loved this record. Highly recommended, especially to fans of indie folk.

Rating: A

"The Cave" official video

Review: Caribou: Swim [B-]

2011-07-04T15:31:00.004-04:00

Artist: Caribou
Album: Swim
Released: April 2010
Label: Merge Records
Genre: Electronic

Purchase Date: 10 Mar 2011
Format: mp3 files
Source: Amazon

I really wanted to love the fifth full-length album from Dan Snaith, who is the band Caribou. His 2007 album Andorra was one of that year's best. Swim is rather a dark record: most of the songs are about the end of relationships and the music is awash in heartbreak. While dark, this album is much more dance-friendly than his previous release. Musically, Snaith's meticulous precision comes through overall: as the whole album is sequenced, there's not a bleep or bloop out of place. Snaith has always been an electronic artist, but I feel that this is far less organic and feels a lot more sterile than his previous output.

That's not to say that there's no fun to be had in this album. The opener, "Odessa," is the high point, and it is a very enjoyable track. The twists and turns, the numerous false endings, and sever changes in tone speak to a very ambitious musician making very ambitious music. While I applaud the ambition, the actual results of this experiment are mixed. Overall, I do like this album, but I was hoping to love it.

Rating: B-

Album listing at Amazon
Not available at eMusic

"Odessa" official video

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

2011-06-30T14:20:00.006-04:00

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+

"Eating Toothpaste" official video

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

2011-06-30T14:00:00.003-04:00

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-

Listen to "Vesuvius"

Review: DeVotchKa: 100 Lovers [C+]

2011-06-30T13:36:00.003-04:00

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+

"The Man From San Sebastian" Official Video

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

2011-06-26T19:17:00.003-04:00

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

"He Gets Me High" official video

Review: Glasser: Ring [B]

2011-06-26T14:01:00.006-04:00

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 not available at eMusic

Listen to "Home"

Review: Ludicra: The Tenant [A-]

2011-06-25T22:57:00.003-04:00

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-

Listen to "Stagnant Pond"

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

2011-06-25T22:33:00.004-04:00

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+

"Boyfriend" official video

My 2010 Mix Tape

2011-06-25T14:53:00.002-04:00

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]

2011-06-25T00:12:00.004-04:00

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

Listen to "The Watcher's Monolith"

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

2011-06-24T23:30:00.004-04:00

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

Listen to "Down By The Water"

Listen to "Calamity Song"

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

2011-06-15T23:08:00.003-04:00

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]

2011-06-03T20:09:00.004-04:00

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 not available at eMusic

Listen to "Scherzo"

Listen to "Love Theme"

Review: Charlotte Gainsbourg: IRM [B+]

2011-06-01T22:48:00.005-04:00

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+

"Time of the Assassins" Official Video

"Heaven Can Wait" Official Video

Review: Bullet For My Valentine: Fever [F]

2011-06-01T22:19:00.004-04:00

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.)

Flashback Review: The Sword: Gods of the Earth [B+]

2011-05-21T21:54:00.003-04:00

Aritst: The Sword

Album: Gods of the Earth

Released: July 2008

Label: Kemando Records

Genre: Metal

Purchase date: 02 Jan 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

This is the sophomore album from the Texas metal band The Sword. Their 2010 release Warp Riders had become one of my favorite records of the year. I had picked up their debut years ago, so with a few bonus eMusic credits, I decided to download this one.

Searing dueling metal guitars and sludgy bass stand up to leader JD Cronise's clean vocals. Lyrically, the songs are all about fantasy and mythological themes, a trend shared with their first album Age of Winters. Despite the kind-of-hokey D&D themes that so many metal bands seem to like, this is a very good metal. It's more of a throwback to '70s-vintage acts like Black Sabbath and early Iron Maiden. I didn't like it as much as their most recent release, but this is still a lot of fun.

Rating: B+

Watch "How Heavy This Axe" official video

Watch "Dog Days Are Over" official video

Review: Florence + The Machine: Lungs [A-]

2011-05-21T21:25:00.004-04:00

Artist: Florence + The Machine
Album: Lungs
Released: July 2009
Label: Universal
Genre: Indie Pop

Purchase date: 01 Jan 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

This is one of those albums that had been on my "Save For Later" list on eMusic for more than a year. Florence + The Machine is British singer-songwriter Florence Welch, plus whatever backing musicians she can put together for a given performance.

Welch has a very powerful and expressive voice, and she puts her impressive vocal range to excellent use on this record. Stylistically, the music is all over the map: songs range from quiet bluesy ballands, to explosive rock, to off-kilter folk. In the hands of a less-skilled or more-pretentious artist, this would have tipped into camp, but Welch is an artist in full control of herself, and she transcends the material. This is an excellent album that will hold your interest.

Recommended.

Rating: A-

Listen to the full album stream at Reprise Records

Review: Royal Thunder [C+]

2011-05-21T18:34:00.005-04:00

Artist: Royal Thunder
Album: Royal Thunder [EP]
Released: December 2010
Label: Relapse Records
Genre: Hard Rock

Purchase Date: 02 Jan 2011

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

I first heard this debut 7-track EP from the Atlanta-based hard rock trio Royal Thunder on an NPR Music First Listen. Fronted by the strong female vocalist Mlny Parsonz (who also plays bass), Royal Thunder plays bluesy Southern hard rock. Their songs tend to start slow and quiet and then intensify gradually to full-blown hard rock. (Lars Gotrich of NPR Music calls it the "slow burn" approach). At 33 minutes, this EP is about as long as some full-length albums.

I liked the intensity of this band on the first listen, but I found that the tracks ran together a bit after successive listens. This is another of those bands that I like well enough, but probably won't think to spin up all that often.

Rating: C+

Listen to "Medulla Oblongata"

Top 15 of 2010

2011-05-15T14:38:00.005-04:00

Okay-- I've now done it: I reviewed all of the albums I purchased in 2010!

I am going to keep going with album reviews, but I though I'd stop here (as it's now mid-May of 2011) and present my Best of 2010 list.

Most of these albums I have already reviewed, but there are a few I bought in 2011 and haven't written reviews yet. Rest assured that I will continue my little album review project, despite not really having any readers.

So, without further ado, here are my top 15 favorites released in 2010:

15. The Magnetic Fields: Realism

14. Shearwater: The Golden Archipelago

13. Superchunk: Majesty Shredding

12. Freelance Whales: Weathervanes

11. Black Mountain: Wilderness Heart

10. Sleigh Bells: Treats

9. Sharon Van Etten: Epic

8. Buke and Gass: Riposte

7. Mumford & Sons: Say No More

6. Cee Lo Green: The Lady Killer

5. The Sword: Warp Riders

4. Broken Bells: Broken Bells

3. Agalloch: Marrow of the Spirit

2. Dum Dum Girls: I Will Be

...and my favorite album of the year...

1. Arcade Fire: The Suburbs

I came up with the list based on a combination of factors including star ratings and play counts on iTunes, and a subjective gut reaction. This is far from scientific, as I changed the above line-up a bit from the one I'd put together three weeks ago, and I probably would do so again if I were to write this post in another two months. Suffice it to say, that all of the above albums are excellent, and I highly recommend them all.

(Links go to my reviews. I will edit this posting when I get around to reviewing the above albums that I hadn't at the time I wrote this.)

Review: Buke and Gass: Riposte [A-]

2011-05-15T14:10:00.005-04:00

Artist: Buke and Gass

Album: Riposte

Released: September 2010

Label: Brassland Records

Genre: Experimental pop

Purchase date: 21 December 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

The first full-length from this duo from Brooklyn, the band gets its name from the two homemade instruments they play: singer Arone Dyer plays a homemade baritone ukelele (or "buke"), and Aron Sanchez plays a homemade combination acoustic guitar and bass (or "gass"). They both also play foot-controlled percussion instruments, and run their instruments through effects pedals creating the sound of a full band even when it's just the two of them. This wildly creative streak runs through the music itself, which is off-kilter, chaotic, in strange time signatures, and a whole lot of fun.

Their wildness could perhaps be tamed a bit, as the middle of the album starts to run together after a while, but it is full of stand-out moments. The opener "Medulla Oblongata," "Your Face Left Before You," and "Bundletuck" are the three strongest tracks. This is a wonderfully weird acoustic album, and I recommend it strongly.

Rating: A-

View Buke and Gass performing live at NPR's Tiny Desk Concert

Listen to Tron: Legacy (End Titles)

Review: Daft Punk: Tron Legacy Soundtrack [C+]

2011-05-15T13:36:00.003-04:00

Artist: Daft Punk

Album: Tron Legacy Soundtrack

Released: December 2010

Label: Walt Disney Records

Genre: Soundtrack / Electronic

Purchase Date: 17 Dec 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

While I found the movie Tron: Legacy to be a bit of a let-down, I did like the music of the film. So, when Amazon made this album available for just $5, I bought it.

Daft Punk are amazing electronic artists. For this album, the Disney Corp gave them a huge budget and tasked them to make a big soundtrack for a big-budget film. One of the resources at Daft Punk's disposal was, of all things, the London Philharmonic Orchestra. While the French duo is very much at home using music to tell a story, I feel that the big budget got in the way of their creativity. The main Tron: Legacy theme runs through almost the whole album, and it gets a bit repetitious. Also, the whole thing sounds very, um, movie-soundtrack-y.

That said, when Daft Punk lets go of the orchestra and focuses on being Daft Punk, the results are pretty darn good. One of the highlights of the album, and one of my favorite individual songs of the year, is the album closer "Tron: Legacy (End Titles)" which is a top-notch Daft Punk song.

So, a few standout tracks in a hum-drum electronic background, this is a decent soundtrack but not a standout.

Rating: C+

"Fuck You" official video

Artist not available at eMusic

Review: Cee Lo Green: The Lady Killer [A]

2011-05-15T12:49:00.005-04:00

Artist: Cee Lo Green

Album: The Lady Killer

Released: October 2010

Label: Radioculture / Elektra Records

Genre: R&B

Purchase date: 17 Dec 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

Known primarily as half of the band Gnarls Barkley, Cee Lo Green surprised many with his smash hit of the summer, "Fuck You." Incredibly catchy, the song (and it's inferior radio-friendly version, "Forget You") harkens back to a classic Motown R&B sound. Two months later, the full album The Lady Killer was released to great acclaim, and I am going to agree wholeheartedly with the majority on this one.

The Lady Killer is a nearly perfect R&B album. With nods to Isaac Hayes, James Bond, and the aforementioned Motown, Green's wit and humor percolate through the music. At the same time, there is just a hint of darkness, particularly in the track "Bodies," in which you're not quite sure if the protagonist is being literal or metaphorical when he sings, "Today the morning papers read/ they found a body in my bed."

I think this album is one of those rare instant classics. This is one of the best albums of the year.

Rating: A

"Bright Lights Bigger City" official video

"Running With The Wolves" official video

Album listing at eMuisc

Review: Cloud Cult: Light Chasers [B+]

2011-05-15T11:58:00.005-04:00

Artist: Cloud Cult

Album: Light Chasers

Released: September 2010

Label: Earthology Records

Genre: Experimental pop

Purchase Date: 6 Dec 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

I first encountered the Minneapolis-based experimental band Cloud Cult in 2008 on the Sound Opinions radio show a few years ago. Jim and Greg reviewed the band's last album Feel Good Ghosts (Tea Partying Through Tornadoes) on a "hidden gems" episode. I really liked the track they played, so I bought that album, and it became one of my favorites of the year. When performing live, the band has a lot of people on stage, and the members include a cellist, a violinist, two brass players, a bassist (playing both electric and upright), and a percussionist. Their sound can vary from classical chamber music to heavy rock (sometimes in the same song). It is this playfulness with sound and mood that drew me in.

Led by vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Chris Minowa, who is married to fellow band-mate Connie Minowa, the band often explores heavy concepts like life, death, faith, and the afterlife. This is understandable, as the Minowas lost their first child in 2002 at the age of two. Minowa used songwriting to channel his grief, but managed to keep the music playful while exploring the darkness. The Minowas had a second child in 2009 (whom they named Nova), and Light Chasers explores the life-death cycle from a much happier perspective.

Possessing extremes of dynamics, mood, and orchestration, Light Chasers is a wild ride, and ultimately an uplifting one.

Rating: B+

"Coquet, Coquette" official video

Review: Of Montreal: False Priest [A-]

2011-04-24T14:54:00.004-04:00

Artist: Of Montreal
Album: False Priest
Released: Sept 2010
Label: Polyvinyl Records
Genre: Chamber Pop / Indie Rock / Glam Rock

Purchase Date: 6 Dec 2010
Format: mp3 files
Source: eMusic

Of Montreal plays extremely energetic music that's a whole lot of fun. False Priest is the tenth album from this Athens, GA band, which was one of the founding members of the Elephant 6 Recording Company. The band has evolved much over the years, and its current incarnation hearkens back to David Bowie's '70s glam period. The third album in this glam phase (including 2006's Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, and 2008's Skeletal Lamping), False Priest is another danceable sex-soaked romp with big nods to R&B. A featured guest artist is the amazing Janelle Monáe, who sings three duets with bandleader Kevin Barnes. Many of the songs are very funny, too.

I really liked this album, and recommend it.

Rating: A-

Listen to "How Does Somebody Say When They Like You?"

Review: A Sunny Day in Glasgow: Autumn Again [B]

2011-04-24T14:15:00.005-04:00

Artist: A Sunny Day in Glasgow
Album: Autumn, Again
Released: Oct, 2010
Label: self-published
Genre: dream pop / indie rock

Purchase Date: 29 Nov 2010
Format: mp3 files
Source: Amazon

I had never heard of this band from Philadelphia, but their album showed up as a free download from Amazon, so I thought I'd give it a try. The music is somewhere between alt rock and ambient dream pop, and is very nice. This is yet another band with a male and a female vocalist who trade off the lead and harmonize, which is a format I tend to fall for. The songs are catchy, with a hint of the currently-in-vogue '60s girl-group vibe, and the lyrics are clever. On the down side, this album includes many of the tropes of the current hipster sound. When a track from this album pops up on my iTunes party mix, I can immediately tell it's from the past two or three years, but can't put my finger on the artist.

While it didn't knock my socks off, I liked this, and I'm glad I took a chance on them.

Rating: B

Listen to "Write About Love"

Review: Belle and Sebastian: Write About Love

2011-04-15T22:44:00.003-04:00

Aritst: Belle and Sebastian
Album: Belle and Sebastian Write About Love
Released: October 2010
Label: Matador Records
Genre: Indie pop / twee pop

Purchase date: 23 Nov 2010
Format: mp3 files
Source: Amazon

I've been a fan of Belle and Sebastian since the late '90s when I first heard If You're Feeling Sinister, and I've picked up all of their albums since. The eighth album by the premiere Scottish twee pop act comes almost five years after their previous release, 2006's The Life Pursuit. Despite the hiatus, Write About Love feels like it picks up right where Life Pursuit left off: it's exploring the same themes and is lyrically and musically very similar to its predecessor. That's not to say this is a bad album, but it's not breaking new ground or going into any direction that this band hasn't thoroughly explored previously. I think that any year that Belle and Sebastian put out an album can't be a bad year for music, but as much as I hate to say it, if you've heard their last three albums, you've pretty much heard this one.

A decent album from Belle and Sebastian, but more of the same.

Rating: B

"Welcome To The World of the Plastic Beach" Official Video

Artist not available on eMusic

Review: Gorillaz: Plastic Beach [B]

2011-04-15T22:00:00.004-04:00

Artist: Gorillaz

Album: Plastic Beach

Released: March 2010

Label: Virgin Records

Genre: Alternative Hip-Hop

Purchase Date: 23 Nov 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

I'm not much of a hip-hop fan. There are a few hip-hop acts that I appreciate, and a few of those I actually like, but rap and hip-hop usually just don't do a whole lot for me. So, I was rather skeptical when so many other critics started to heap this album with praises: especially by a virtual band whose members are cartoon characters. (A phenomenon that reminded me of The Banana Splits.)

With the extremely positive reviews and a bargain-basement one-day sale price at Amazon, I decided to buy the album. I was really impressed

You've got to hand it to Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, the real-world creative team behind this virtual band. First of all there's the sheer ambition of this album: It's concept album about an island called Plastic Beach that formed when enough of the pastic garbage floating in the ocean coalesced. The music is extremely eclectic: there are notes of dub, ska, indie rock, and pop all mixed together. And there's a long list of special guest artists including rappers like Mos Def and Snoop Dog, along with artists from outside the rap world like Lou Reed and the Syrian National Orchestra for Arab Music.

I mostly liked this record. I found the music to be engaging and that it had a real story to tell. It's not going to be in heavy rotation, but it works.

Rating: B

"Dancing On My Own" official video

Artist not available at eMusic

Review: Robyn: Body Talk [B+]

2011-04-14T21:54:00.005-04:00

Artist: Robyn

Album: Body Talk

Released: November 2010

Label: Interscope Records

Genre: Dance pop

Purchase Date: 23 November 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

As you could probably tell from reading my reviews, I'm not much of a dance pop fan. I don't have anything against dance pop as a genre, but clubbing was never my thing, and dance pop as music is best experienced when, um, dancing at a club.

However, some critics that I usually trust raved about this platinum-haired Swedish artist and the three Body Talk EPs that she released over the course of 2010. Then Amazon listed this album for $2.99 during their Black Friday Download sale. I figured that for three bucks, I'd gave it a try, and I was not disappointed.

For a genre known for its artificiality, I hear an authenticity in the lyrics that I find very appealing. Melodically, the songs are there too, and the production is excellent without drawing undue attention to itself. And while I don't see myself getting on the dance floor any time soon, I can totally see that this would be amazing music to dance to.

I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this record. Kudos to Amazon for pricing an album that I probably wouldn't have bought otherwise at a point that I was willing to take a chance.

Rating: B+

"Digging For Something" official video

Review: Superchunk: Majesty Shredding [A]

2011-04-14T21:24:00.004-04:00

Artist: Superchunk

Album: Majesty Shredding

Released: September 2010

Label: Merge Records

Genre: Indie Rock

Purchase Date: 11 November 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: Amazon

The first release in 10 years from the '90s indie rock powerhouse (and the band that founded the incredibly influential independent label Merge Records), Majesty Shredding sounds like Superchunk had merely stepped over to the minimart for another 12-pack, and came right back. It's a return to classic Superchunk, reprising their uptempo indie rock sound from the mid-90s. It doesn't sound like a re-hash: they may be in their early 40s but they still have something new to say. The music is energetic, catchy, tuneful, and just raw enough to keep it interesting. If you liked Superchunk in '95, you'll love this album. Standout tracks include "Digging for Something" and "Crossed Wires," and the rest of the album works well too. Highly recommended: this is one of the best albums of the year.

Rating: A

Artist not available on eMusic

Review: Beach House: Teen Dream [B+]

2011-04-12T21:55:00.005-04:00

Artist: Beach House
Album: Teen Dream
Released: January 2010
Label: Sub Pop
Genre: Dream Pop

Purchase date: 02 November 2010
Format: mp3 files
Source: eMusic

This album had been out for almost a year before it caught my attention. One of the great things about other critics' annual "Best Of" lists is that you find out about so many artists and albums that you had missed the first time around. One critic (I think it was Robin Hilton of NPR) called November and December the absolute best months for music discovery for that reason.

Anyway, the previous album from this duo from Baltimore (2008's Devotion) just didn't do a lot for me at the time. I had bought it based solely on the good reviews from other critics I trust, but I didn't understand the hype. So, I passed on Teen Dream when it came out.

In early summer, Beach House played live for Sound Opinions, and then NPR streamed a live concert, and then a bunch of critics put Teen Dream on their "Best of 2010" lists, so I thought I would give them another shot. I bought it as my last album ever under eMusic's older (and better) download policy. (More on my opinion of eMusic.)

Much to my surprise, I really liked this album. It's moody dream pop with some catchy hooks and lovely vocals, and is much more upbeat than their previous release. Honestly, I tend to listen to this album as an album and individual tracks don't really stand out, but the whole thing is has a quiet dreamy beauty that's hard not to like

Rating: B+

Listen to "Zebra"

Watch Old Fangs official video

Review: Black Mountian: Wilderness Heart [A]

2011-04-12T21:13:00.003-04:00

Artist: Black Mountain

Album: Wilderness Heart

Released: September 2010

Label: Jagjaguwar

Genre: Hard Rock

Purchase date: 02 November 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

This was one of the albums that I had anticipated most this year. I really loved this band's 2008 album In The Future (it was my #3 album of 2008), so when NPR streamed the album as part of its first listen series, I was there. I was not disappointed.

Wilderness Heart is Black Mountain's third album, and is even stronger overall than their last one. The songwriting and playing are both tighter and much more mature. Wilderness Heart moves even farther away from the band's stoner rock beginnings, to more of a late-'70s hard rock sound, but they manage to avoid the bombast that plagued so many of the bands of that era (and the bands of today that echo them). This is yet another band with male and female lead singers, and Amber Webber's voice is showcased much more here. This may be due to her successes as the lead in her spin-off band Lightning Dust (which was my top pick for 2009).

Standout tracks are "Rollercoaster," "The Hair Song," and "Old Fangs," but this one doesn't have a weak spot. Another winner from Black Mountain.

Rating: A

Listen to "Everything Is Wrong"

Review: Blonde Redhead: Penny Sparkle [B-]

2011-04-02T22:27:00.004-04:00

Artist: Blonde Redhead

Album: Penny Sparkle

Released: September 2010

Label: 4AD

Genre: Dream Pop / Shoegaze

Purchase date: 01 November 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

The eighth full-length album from these veteran international New York-based indie rockers, Penny Sparkle sees the band take fewer chances and move toward an antiseptic electronic chill-out vibe. While it mostly works, Penny Sparkle lacks the balance between zoning and rocking that their brilliant 2007 album 23 seemed to get perfectly. It's also a move away from their driving, layered, bendy-guitar shoegaze roots (à la My Bloody Valentine) and more toward quieter trippy electronic dream pop (more akin to Beach House). While I appreciate that the band is playing with its sound a bit, it seem to me that Penny Sparkle is an entire album that sounds very much like what I had considered the slower, weaker tracks of 23. It's worth a listen, but if you are expecting the power and resonance of 23, you'll probably be a bit disappointed.

Rating: B-

Watch the "Who's Gonna Win The War?" official promo video

Album no longer available at eMusic

Vintage Review: Hawkwind: Levitation [B+]

2011-04-02T16:56:00.005-04:00

Artist: Hawkwind

Album: Levitation

Released: 1980

Label: Atomhenge/IODA (2009 re-release)

Genre: Space Rock

Purchase date: 1 November 2010

Format: AAC files

Source: iTunes

Hawkwind is a British hard rock band that formed in the late 60s. They pioneered the "space rock" genre, and were the first band that metal-god Lemmy Killmister (of Mötorhead fame) every played with. (Note: Lemmy got the name for his new band from the last song he'd written and recorded with Hawkwind). Led by Dave Brock, Hawkwind is probably one of the closest British analogues to The Grateful Dead when it comes to die-hard fans who follow them around. (There isn't much similarity otherwise.)

One of my college buddies turned me on to Hawkwind back in the late '90s. (Hi, Curtis!) At the time, this band's records didn't have a US label, so I dubbed copies of his tapes and CDs onto cassette.

Levitation has a hard rock sound, bordering on heavy metal. The band downplays the intricate guitar solos typical of metal and instead uses sound effects, electronics, and spoken word interlude to evoke science fiction imagery that's typical of space rock. It's not a terribly intellectual take on science fiction, but I think it's a whole lot of fun.

Rating: B+

Review: Eric Clapton: Complete Clapton [A/D]

2011-04-02T16:24:00.005-04:00

Artist: Eric Clapton

Album: Complete Clapton

Released: 2007

Label: Reprise Records

Genre: Classic Rock / Blues / Pop

Purchase Date: 26 October 2010

Format: CD (used)

The last CD I picked up at last October's Tompkins Library Book Sale was the two-disc Eric Clapton best-of collection Complete Clapton. As far as collections go, this one is pretty good-- it contains just about every major hit from Clapton's career from The Yarbirds to the present day. As a career retrospective, it's excellent. The tracks are mostly in chronological order by release date, and it's really interesting to hear Clapton's evolution over the past 40+ years.

Unfortunately, this is also the compilation's weak point. Clapton is one of those musicians who started out at the apex of his talent and slowly declined. His records from the '60s are by far his most interesting, and the absolute dreck he's released in the past decade is the palest of shadows of his former talent. Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis of Sound Opinions did an episode last summer called "Off the Rails," in which they took a look at artists whose careers have gone completely off the rails. Clapton was their number one pick of how the mighty had fallen.

From the amazing heights of his work with Cream, Blind Faith, and Derek and the Dominoes, to the kitschy nigh-unlistenable "blues lite" of his recent work, Complete Clapton is an excellent career retrospective. Disk 1 is amazing, chronicling Clapton's career as a superstar in the 60s, 70s, and early 80s. You can hear the quality of his songwriting and the level of his ambition decline a bit by the end of Disk 1, but it is a wonderful ride with just one or two weak tracks toward the end. Then there's Disk 2. When the best track on a Clapton album is the yawn-inspiring acoustic version of "Layla" from his 1992 MTV Unplugged album, you have a problem.

So, while an excellent career retrospective for one of the great musicians of the late 20th century, I found this album to be a disheartening chronicle of the deterioration of a once-great career.

Rating: Disk 1: A; Disk 2: D-; Overall: C+

Listen to "Layla" (Derek and the Dominoes, 1970) [The "A" part]

Listen to "Riding With The King" (2000) [The "D-" part]

All Tomorrow's Parties: Moved to NJ?

2011-03-21T18:48:00.003-04:00

I had pretty much decided to attend this year's All Tomorrow's Parties festival. I was looking forward to spending a weekend grooving to cutting-edge music while enjoying the trappings of the decaying splendor of the Borscht Belt at Kutscher's Resort in Monticello, NY -- which is where the 2008, 2009, and 2010 festivals were held. The resort is only about two-and-a-half hours away from my house, so getting there would have been a breeze.

I had seen an announcement from the ATP site that they were throwing an I'll Be Your Mirror event in Asbury Park, NJ in late September (which is when ATP-NY usually is), but I had assumed that this was an expanded event.

Today, I finally got confirmation that ATP at Kutscher's isn't happening, and that the Asbury Park IBYM is this year's ATP-NY, and it's now sold out. I'm really kind of bummed out over this.

Oh well, I do have tickets to this year's Grassroots Festival, and it's a blast, so I will get my fix of music festivals this summer.

Classic Album Reflections: Traveling Wilburys

2011-03-21T18:07:00.005-04:00

Artist: Traveling Wilburys

Album: Volume 1

Released: 1988

Label: Warner Bros. (original) / Rhino (reissue)

Genre: Rock / Folk / Americana

Purchase Date: 26 Oct 2010

Format: CD (used)

Watch the video of "Handle With Care"

I suppose it's a bit of a stretch to call the Traveling Wilburys' first album a "classic," but the mature musicians comprising this late-'80s supergroup were certainly classics in and of themselves. Comprised of Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne (of Electric Light Orchestra), the group put out an album of music that was a whole lot of fun and helped re-launch Orbison's career.

The album came out during my first semester in college. I couldn't afford a CD player at the time (they were in the $250 price range, if I recall correctly), and I didn't bring my turntable out to college with me, so I bought it on cassette. I was heavily in my prog rock phase at the time, so this album of folk-rock, country-tinged Americana, and off-kilter humor was a real breath of fresh air during my Jethro Tull - Yes - Rush - Pink Floyd marathons. For a year or so, I played this tape pretty frequently, although eventually it started to gather dust in my tape rack.

I haven't had a working cassette deck in more than a decade, so my old tape isn't doing me much good any more. I heard the odd track from on the radio every once in a while. At one point I tried to pick up the CD, but I found that it went out of print in the mid '90s, and used copies were trading well over $40, so I never acquired it. (Fortunately, Rhino Records re-issued it in 2007.)

So, when I found this CD on the rack for $3, I had to snap it up. Listening to it now, I think it still stands up. The opener "Handle With Care" and the closing "End of the Line" are the strongest tracks. It's a period piece, but a fun one, and a wonderful showcase for the voices of Orbison and Harrison, both of whom are no longer with us.

Rating: A

(Note: includes a whole bunch of nostalgia points...)

Classic Album Reflections: Synchronicity

2011-03-17T22:30:00.005-04:00

Artist: The Police

Album: Synchronicity

Reased: 1983

Label: A&M Records

Genre: Rock / pop / post-punk

Purchase date: 26 Oct 2010

Format: CD (used)

Synchronicity II Official Video

In the summer of 1983, I had just finished seventh grade, and was finally becoming interested in the popular music scene. I was listening to the local hard rock station on the radio a great deal at the time, and one of the DJs put the album cut of "Synchronicity II" on high rotation that summer. I wasn't all that familiar with The Police, but I really liked the sound of that song. Then, "Every Breath You Take" became one of the big hits of the year, and The Police seemed to be everywhere.

I remember buying the LP at the Record Town at the Bedford Mall with money I'd earned mowing lawns. I also remember that this was the first record I brought home that my mom took an instant dislike to, and asked me not to play it on the living room stereo. Fortunately, we had a cassette deck, so I dubbed a copy onto cassette and mostly played that. (I realized that this was also a very effective way to keep my LPs in excellent condition, so I started to do this for all of my records, at least until I was able to buy my own stereo for my room.)

Nominally a loose concept album about Jungian psychology, I'd never heard of Jung at 13, so most of the literary references were lost on me. What I did like was the music plus the vivid imagery in the lyrics. The fact that most of the lyrics are distinctly creepy was not lost on me. This was one of the first pieces of music I'd encountered that had disturbing or otherwise difficult lyrics, and I really enjoyed the darkness of it.

I hadn't listened to this record in years, and really enjoyed hearing it again. I'd forgotten how creepy some of the lyrics are: the hit single "Every Breath You Take" is about a stalker. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" seems to be about a Dom-Sub relationship. "Mother" (the stinker track of the album IMAO) seems to be told from the perspective of the character Norman Bates from the film Psycho. "Synchronicity II" is about the living hell that is the suburban rat race-- and who can forget the post-apocalyptic imagery of the video? "Walking In Your Footsteps" is a typical '80s afraid-of-the-Bomb song, and the closing track "Tea In The Sahara" leaves its protagonists to die stranded in the desert.

This music certainly showcases the fear and anxiety that was latent in the mid-'80s zeitgeist. Not an uplifting album, but the music really carries it. I had fond memories of this album, and I think it still stands up very well.

Classic Album Reflection: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

2011-03-14T19:11:00.012-04:00

Artist: The Beatles

Album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Released: 1967

Label: Capitol Records

Genre: Pop / Classic Rock

Purchase Date: 26 Oct 2010

Format: CD (used)

Listen to "Mighty Fine Pie"

I picked up a handful of classic albums in October at the Friends of the Tompkins County Library Book Sale. I had previously owned these albums in some form or another, but for whatever reason, did not currently have them on CD or other electronic format. Instead of a review, I thought that I'd share some personal thoughts related to these albums. After all, what kind of a review could an amateur blogger with two followers write about Sgt. Pepper that hasn't already been said, better, by far more qualified people?

I picked up the Sgt. Pepper disc because I'd never had it on CD: I had an old LP and a well-worn cassette copy of that LP. I also had the mp3s, which had been ripped from CD by the employee who had been assigned my office computer before it was assigned to me. So, I'd never really been without this album.

I'm a Gen-Xer, so the music of the Beatles didn't permeate the zeitgeist like it did for the Boomers. I didn't wallow in the mud at Woodstock; I didn't tune in, turn on, or drop out for the Summer of Love; and I never dropped acid and went to a love-in. The '60s were long over before I had any awareness of them. But it was the music of the '60s that made me a music fan, and Sgt. Pepper was the gateway.

Growing up, no one in my family had much interest in contemporary music. At the time, my mom had a "I know what I like and I like what I know" relationship with music. She had about two dozen records that she liked to play: LPs by Dean Martin, Elvis, Ann Murray, Johnny Mathis, John Denver, and Crystal Gayle were frequently on the turntable. There were a few songs on the radio I liked, and I did buy a few '45s to play on my kid's record player. Of course, we only listed to my parents' radio stations, and my singles mostly reflected their taste. I remember getting singles of Glenn Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy," Mecco's disco version of "Star Wars," and Arlo Guthrie's "City of New Orleans." But I was barely even aware of rock, and I didn't know what to make of it when I did hear it.

When I was 10, I won a copy of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in a radio contest. I remember dropping the needle onto the LP and being confused for a moment when all I heard was crowd noise and an orchestra tuning. But then, the music of "Sgt. Pepper" started. I remember being fascinated with the changes in style and mood of the record. I was entranced by "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," with the psychedelic imagery, distorted instruments, and tempo changes. It was the same with the rest of the album: the exotic "Within You Without You," the sort-of Big Band sound of "When I'm Sixty-Four," and the tragic wistfulness of "A Day In The Life," which I thought was a very strange way to end it.

I listened to this record over and over. This was the record that first got me really excited about listening to music, and so began my journey into music geekdom. No single album looms larger in my personal music history.

I still listen to Sgt. Pepper frequently. I continue to be amazed at how fresh this music sounds, more than 40 years after its publication. This is truly one for the ages.

Review: Endless Boogie: Full House Head [C-]

2011-03-12T16:04:00.004-05:00

Artist: Endless Boogie

Album: Full House Head

Released: January 2010

Label: No Quarter Records

Genre: jam band / blues-rock

Purchase Date: 5 Oct 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

I first heard of this Texas-based country-rock jam band on the Sound Opinions radio show. Back in August, Jim and Greg did one of their semi-regular "Buried Treasures" shows, in which they talk about some new releases that they really liked but hadn't caught the attention of other critics. (That's also where I first heard of Sweet Apple.)

As you might guess from their name, Endless Boogie is a jam band with a danceable beat. They meld Texas blues-rock with a jam band sensibility to craft very long, droning songs that are still kind of catchy. I really liked the excerpts that they played on Sound Opinions, and I found the 30-second snippets on the download sites appealing, so I bought the album.

While I can see that this band must be pretty fun live, this recording didn't do a lot for me. The guitar work is very good, and I liked the bluesy droning at first, but after a little while, it all starts to get monotonous. The songs are all very long, and I was looking forward to the end of many of them. I also wasn't a fan of the lead vocalist's style-- it's more of a growl than singing, which I found mildly unpleasant.

Sound Opinions called this album buried treasure, but I wish it had stayed lost.

Rating: C-

View Sharon Van Etten's "Tiny Desk Concert" at NPR

Review: Sharon Van Etten: Epic [A]

2011-03-11T22:38:00.004-05:00

Artist: Sharon Van Etten

Album: Epic

Released: September 2010

Label: Ba Da Bing Records

Genre: acoustic folk / singer-songwriter

Purchase Date: 5 Oct 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

Sharon Van Etten is an acoustic singer-songwriter from New Jersey. Her music is deeply personal without being over-earnest, with an elegant simplicity that gives it a sound that's a whole lot bigger than it should be. The title to the album, Epic, is at once ironic due to the scaled-back instrumentation and production, and fully apt due to Van Etten's intense guitar style and emotional vocals.

It's a short album, clocking in at a little more than half an hour, but those minutes are completely arresting. There is not a weak track on this record. This is one of the best albums of the year.

Rating: A

Album Listing at Amazon

Album Listing at eMusic

Review: Vampire Weekend: Contra [B+]

2011-03-06T16:06:00.005-05:00

Artist: Vampire Weekend

Album: Contra

Released: January 2010

Label: XL Recordings

Genre: indie rock

Purchase date: 5 Oct 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

Contra is the sophomore album from this polarizing band from New York. The band is an indie rock act that incorporates world music instrumentation, most notably the clean, staccato sound of Afro-pop guitar. (That none of the members of this band of recent Ivy-league graduates are African has drawn criticism of cultural appropriation.)

With Contra, the band has tightened their musicianship and songwriting. The songs are breezy, catchy, and positive, although the lyrics are sometimes hard to decipher. The whole album exudes a level of up-front pleasantness that some critics have objected to (I heard one critic refer to this as "anti-punk"), but I like it. There is so much music that's depressing, dark, and difficult, that I found Contra to be a breath of fresh air. It's music thats...nice, without being saccharine.

So, if you haven't yet checked them out, I do recommend Contra. It won't change your world, but just might make you smile.

Rating: B+

"Holiday" official video

Listen to "A Song For Our Fathers"

Artist not currently available at eMusic

Flashback Review: Explosions In The Sky: How Strange, Innocence [B]

2011-03-05T23:33:00.006-05:00

Artist: Explosions In The Sky

Album: How Strange, Innocence

Released: Jan 2000

Label: Temporary Residence Limited

Genre: instrumental post-rock

Purchase date: 7 Sep 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

How Strange, Innocence is the first album by this instrumental post-rock band from Texas. Explosions In The Sky is probably best known for the soundtrack to the 2004 film Friday Night Lights and for much of the incidental music for the TV show of the same name. I've been a fan for a few years now, and when this album popped up in my "recommended" list on eMusic, I decided to give it a try.

The band is known for painting aural pictures with cinematic grandeur, using tempo changes, dynamic changes, and mood shifts to great effect. While not as well-executed as the band will do in subsequent recordings, the music on this album is vivid, exhilarating, and can transport your imagination to other places. Never poppy, this is music that pulls you in.

It's not this band's best record, but I still recommend it.

Rating: B

"Do You Remember" official video

Review: Sweet Apple: Love & Desperation [B+]

2011-03-05T13:16:00.004-05:00

Artist: Sweet Apple

Album: Love & Desperation

Released: April 2010

Label: Tee Pee Records

Genre: hard rock

Purchase Date: 07 Sep 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

You'd think that a band composed of vocalist/guitarist John Petkovic, guitarist Tim Parnin (both of Cobra Verde), drummer/guitarist J Mascis (of Dinosaur Jr), and bassist Dave Sweetapple (of Witch) would be another angsty '90s-inspired indie rock band, but Sweet Apple's debut album is a rollicking throwback to '70s arena rock.

With an album cover that's an homage to Roxy Music's 1974 release Country Life, this album packs a nice punch with its sound: good riffs, tight drumming, and witty lyrics. Standout tracks include "Do You Remember" and "Flying Up A Mountain." While it isn't groundbreaking, this was a nice reminder of the kind of classic hard rock that I grew up with.

Rating: B+

"Lawless Lands" official video

Review: The Sword: Warp Riders [A]

2011-03-03T23:05:00.005-05:00

Artist: The Sword

Album: Warp Riders

Released: April 2010

Label: Kemando Records

Genre: metal

Purchase date: 7 Sep 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

Although I never used to like to admit it, I've always had a soft spot for harder-edged music. The Sword is a metal band from Austin TX. Warp Riders is their third album, with a sound that leans more toward classic hard rock that's reminiscent of early Black Sabbath.

Warp Riders is a science fiction concept album. The story involves a swordsman, a time-traveling wizard, a starship, and space pirates, and I'm not going to try to make sense of it. The music is what counts, and it's great. This is hard-driving guitar metal with a strong 1970s vibe. Even the album cover looks like hat of a '70s scifi novel. The band plays extremely well together, and the music is a whole lot of fun. Looking over my iTunes play history for music from 2010, this album has the most plays.

If you like hard rock or metal, I highly recommend it.

Rating: A

Listen to "September Gurls"

Vintage Album Review: Big Star [A-]

2011-02-28T19:38:00.007-05:00

Artist: Big Star

Album: #1 Record / Radio City (double album)

Released: 1972 / 1974

Label: Columbia Records

Genre: Power Pop

Purchase date: 22 Aug 2010

Format: AAC files

Source: iTunes

Founded Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, Big Star was a critically-acclaimed and hugely influential band from the early '70s that never really caught on with the public. Chilton, formerly of The Box Tops (known for their 1967 #1 hit "The Letter"), was the primary creative force of the band. Their sound combined British Invasion and American '60s rock with dark and introspective lyrics. The resulting power pop sound beguiled contemporary music critics, but their label mishandled concert promotion and record distribution, and the band never caught on with the public. A few weeks after their third album was released in late 1974, Bell was killed in a car crash.

Big Star was one of the bands to pioneer the power pop sound: driving guitar rock with tight harmony vocals and a pop sensibility. While they weren't successful commercially, Big Star was a huge influence on other bands. It was so much of an influence that at times Big Star's music sounds overly familiar, or even deriviative, of late-70s power pop, when in fact it was an originator.

I first heard of Big Star about a year ago, when the news broke of the unexpected death of Alex Chilton just before he was scheduled to perform Big Star songs at the 2010 South by Southwest music festival in Austin TX.

Key tracks on this double-album set are "The Ballad of El Goodo," In The Streets," and "When My Baby's Beside Me" from #1 Record, and "O My Soul," "September Gurls," and "I'm In Love With A Girl" from Radio City.

I do recommend that everyone check out this neglected corner of rock history.

Rating: A-

"Small Talk" official video

Review: Faded Paper Figures: New Medium [B+]

2011-02-27T19:04:00.005-05:00

Artist: Faded Paper Figures
Album: New Medium
Released: May 2010
Label: Shorthand Records
Genre: electronica / indie pop / synthpop

Purchase Date: 19 Aug 2010
Format: mp3 files
Source: eMusic

I first heard of this LA-based synthpop trio when the CD Baby Music Discovery Podcast played "Small Talk" back in July. Synthpop normally isn't my cup of tea, but I really liked this song, so I bought the album from eMusic on a whim.

This is another band with male-and-female singers who trade off the lead. It's an effect of which I'm rather fond. Their sound is like a cross between MGMT and Belle and Sebastian. It's reserved synthpop that still has a beat, but you probably won't hear it at a dance club.

I liked this album quite a lot, and it's currently on high rotation during the work day.

Rating: B+

Review: Railroad Earth: Amen Corner [C-]

2011-02-26T23:07:00.004-05:00

Artist: Railroad Earth
Album: Amen Corner
Released: June 2008
Label: SCI Fidelity
Genre: Americana / country

Purchase Date: 19 Aug 2010
Format: mp3 files
Source: eMusic

I hadn't heard of this band before when I saw them perform at the 2010 Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance in July 2010. They put on a wonderful and energetic show, and I really liked them. Their music is country-folk, with long on-stage jams. They kind of reminded me of a country version of Phish. I purchased and downloaded their most recent (at the time) album a few weeks later and was really looking forward to hearing their recording.

Unfortunately, this album showed once again that terrific live acts often don't translate well to recording. Amen Corner is lively enough, but over-produced, such that the sparks that the live act throws have been airbrushed out. I found the record to be kind of boring, which was a huge disappointment for a band that was so much fun live.

Rating: C-

Live performance of "Down This Road Before"

"The Suburbs" official video

Review: Arcade Fire: The Suburbs [A+]

2011-02-24T22:47:00.003-05:00

Artist: Arcade Fire

Album: The Suburbs

Released: August 2010

Label: Merge Records

Genre: chamber pop / indie rock

Purchase Date: 06 Aug 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

The Suburbs topped many critics' lists for 2010, and it was awarded Album of the Year for the 2010 Grammy Awards last week. I often get annoyed when underground sensations that I like go mainstream, but for once I have to totally agree with the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. This is a phenomenal recording.

I've been a fan of this Canadian band for years, and I snapped up their third full-length album four days after its release after hearing only one track. I was not disappointed. The Suburbs is a loose concept album about growing up in the suburbs, suburban life, and how the concept of suburban life ripples through the zeitgeist. As always, Arcade Fire's music is intense, complex, and tragic. Unlike their 2007 release Neon Bible, which dealt with the individual vs. overwhelming organizations like government and organized religion, The Suburbs' subject matter is deeply personal.

On the downside, the album is maybe two tracks too long, and Win Butler gets a little preachy at times ("...never trust a millionaire/ quoting the Sermon on the Mount. / I used to think I was not like them / but I'm beginning to have my doubt..."), but on the whole this record is simply brilliant. Even before the Grammys awarded it top honor, I knew it was going to be high on my best-of-2010 list. If you've never heard Arcade Fire before, this is a great place to start.

Rating: A+

"The Wilderness Downtown" interactive film (using "We Used To Wait")

No longer available at eMusic

Review: Freelance Whale: Weathervanes [B]

2011-02-19T20:16:00.005-05:00

Artist: Freelance Whales

Album: Weathervanes

Released: April 2010

Label: French Kiss / Mom+Pop Records

Genre: chamber pop / indie pop

Purchase date: 06 Aug 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

Weathervanes is the debut album from this unfortunately-named band from Queens. Their music is much more interesting than their hippy-dippy name (which came up on The AV Club's 2009 list of bad band names) would otherwise indicate. Their sound owes quite a bit to bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Belle and Sebastian, with a nod to the neo-folk-rock movement, but is just different enough to stand out. It didn't knock my socks off, but I liked this record.

Rating: B

"Hannah" official video

Listen to "Higher Ground"

Review: The Believers: Lucky You [B-]

2011-02-06T17:23:00.005-05:00

Artist: The Believers

Album: Lucky You

Released: April 2009

Label: Bona Fide Recordings

Genre: Alternative Country / Country Rock

Purchase date: 06 August 2010

Format: AAC files

Source: iTunes

I first encountered The Believers about four years ago as a live act at the Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance in Trumansburg, NY. (Yes, I already have Early Bird tickets for this summer's show.) The band is a duo from New Orleans, made up of guitarist/vocalist Craig Aspen and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Cynthia "Cyd" Frazzini. They self-describe as being "a rock band with a country problem." They have amazing stage presence and put on a wonderful show, and I do recommend seeing them live if they ever play in your area.

Lucky You is the band's third studio album. The album opens with the title track, a strong rock number with a bit of an edge and a touch of twang. Despite the rocking opener, the rest of the album has much more of a country sound, and while very good, doesn't return to the power of the opening track. While I found that a little disappointing, as their live act has a whole lot more energy than this album would indicate, I did still like this album, and do recommend it to country-rock fans.

Rating: B-

Live performance of "And He Slayed Her"

Album not available at eMusic

Review: Liz Phair: Funstyle [D]

2011-01-30T21:46:00.008-05:00

Artist: Liz Phair

Album: Funstyle

Released: July 2010

Label: Rocket Science Records

Genre: indie rock

Purchase date: 22 July 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: Artist's site

I've been a big fan of Liz Phair since her first album Exile in Guyville came out back in 1993, and I have all of her other records. When I heard that Capitol Records dropped her after her second major-label release Somebody's Miracle in 2008, I wasn't all that surprised. That album hadn't been a commercial or critical success. Phair's music was always best when stripped to its simplest. On her two major label releases, she went for a much more polished sound, with heavy production and a more mellow "adult contemporary" sound... and it just wasn't memorable or distinctive.

So, for her sixth full-length album, I was really expecting and hoping for a return to form, especially as this album was self-produced and self-released. Unfortunately, this record left me scratching my head. Funstyle is a very weird record, and I don't mean that in a positive sense. It has an almost unhinged wackiness throughout, that I think is supposed to be a joke, but I'm not sure. While there are a few decent tracks (and one very good one), the misses on this record are almost unlistenable. We're talking "Revolution 9" - level experimental stinkers.

She raps. (Badly.) She does an almost-racist Bollywood soundtrack "spoof" that falls flat and is just mean-spirited. She attempts a dance-pop number.

And she does one amazing track in the classic Liz style.

That track, "And He Slayed Her," (a play on "Andy Slater," president of Capitol Records) is the kind of song I was hoping the whole album would be: bitingly witty, simple, and melodic. While I recommend that one track, you really can forget the rest of it. This album is a failed experiment. Let's hope that Liz can get her career back on track.

Rating: D

(Would be an "F" but for the one great track.)

Note: Three months after I purchased this album from Phair's website, she re-released the album with a second disc of material: the Girlysound tapes. Phair recorded these songs in 1990-91, and released them as a series of self-produced cassettes under that moniker. I do not have this version of the album, and can't comment on the Girlysound material.

Review: Surfer Blood: Astro Coast [B+]

2011-01-30T21:26:00.005-05:00

Artist: Surfer Blood

Album: Astro Coast

Label: Kanine Records

Released: January 2010

Genre: indie rock

Purchase Date: 10 July 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

An impressive debut release from this very young band from West Palm Beach, Florida. Astro Coast is a guitar-driven indie rock album with strong influences of garage rock and Afro-pop sounds. The sound is powerful and straightforward, but with some feedback buzz and deep reverb that deliberately muddies the sonic waters, giving it an extra depth. The songs are all very strong melodically, with great hooks and West African-tinged rhythms. The standout track is the single "Swim," a perfect summer song.

A really fun summertime album. Recommended.

Rating: B+

"Swim" official video

"Bloodbuzz Ohio" official video

Review: The National: High Violet [C]

2011-01-24T19:02:00.005-05:00

Artist: The National

Album: High Violet

Released: May 2010

Label: 4AD

Genre: indie rock

Purchase Date: 10 July 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

High Violet is the fifth album from these Brooklyn-based critical darlings. Their music is driving yet downbeat, and their lyrics run the gamut from depressing to morose. This is one album where I'm breaking with the majority of critics: most are hailing this as one of the best albums of the year, but I just didn't like it all that much. I found the music to be overblown, depressing, and not terribly interesting. "Bloodbuzz Ohio" got a decent amount of radio play over the summer, and it is a pretty good song. However, on the whole, this album pretty much left me cold.

Rating: C

No longer available on eMusic

Review: The xx: xx [A-]

2011-01-24T12:23:00.005-05:00

Artist: The xx

Album: xx

Released: August 2009

Label: Rough Trade Records

Genre: indie pop / post-punk

Purchased: 10 July 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

While this debut full-length album from this English trio came out in late 2009, I didn't pick it up on my radar until I heard the buzz about this band from the 2010 SXSW music festival in March. (Not that I've ever actually been to SXSW, but I was closely following my favorite critics' reporting from Austin.) Then All Songs Considered webcast an April concert by the band from the 9:30 Club, and I decided that I had to get my hands on this album.

The xx is a master of getting maximum impact from minimal arrangements. Their music draws a deep intensity out of spare instrumentation and quiet vocals. This is another band with both a male and a female vocalist who each sing lead, often on the same songs. The pairing of their voices adds a delicious sexiness to the music, which often reminds me of early Portishead.

Rating: A-

"VCR" Official Video

"Jail La La" official video

Artist no longer available at eMusic

Review: Dum Dum Girls: I Will Be [A]

2011-01-24T11:39:00.007-05:00

Artist: Dum Dum Girls
Album: I Will Be
Released: March 2010
Label: Sub Pop
Genre: indie pop / noise pop

Purchase Date: 10 June 2010
Format: AAC files
Source: iTunes

Dum Dum Girls is an all-female quartet from LA. Led by singer-songwriter Kristin Gundred (who goes by the stage name "Dee Dee," a nod to The Ramones), the band radiates a cool feistiness that I just loved. Sounding like a distorted, lo-fi cross between a '60s Phil Spector girl group, a '70s punk act, and a '90s alt-rock garage band, these women have both the musicianship and the looks to really pull it off. They had a minor hit on college radio over the summer with the single "Jail La La," a peppy and upbeat song about waking up in a jail cell and not quite remembering how you wound up there.

I really liked this album. The songs are all extremely catchy nods to bands like the Ravonettes but with a very 21st century style and attitude. This was a perfect summer album, great for blasting on the car stereo with the windows rolled down.

Rating: A

"The Space In Between" official video

Review: How To Destroy Angels: EP [C+]

2011-01-16T21:19:00.004-05:00

Artist: How To Destroy Angels

Album: How To Destroy Angels

Released: June 2010

Label: The Null Corporation

Genre: Electronic / experimental rock

Purchase Date: 7 June 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: Artist's site

When Trent Reznor disbanded Nine Inch Nails in 2009, no one really expected him to retire from music altogether. Less than a year after the NIN farewell tour, he's back with a new release from a new band.

Comprised of Reznor (guitar, percussion, keyboards), his wife Mariqueen Maandig on vocals, and Atticus Ross on electronic wizardry, How To Destroy Angels has a heavy, powerful, post-industrial sound. Lyrically, this music is at least as dark and disturbing as NIN ever was, if not more so. The band actually sounds a lot like late-period NIN with a female singer. While this isn't a bad thing, this new band doesn't seem to be much of a change in artistic direction for Reznor. Fans of NIN need not mourn too hard, as HDA has picked up the same torch.

On the plus side, the band is giving the album away for free on its website. Given the price, I do recommend giving the whole album a listen, even if there's nothing all that new here.

Rating: C+

Download album from artist's site

Review: Titus Andronicus: The Monitor [A-]

2011-01-15T23:46:00.005-05:00

Artist: Titus Andronicus

Album: The Monitor

Released: March 2010

Label: XL Recordings

Genre: punk / alternative rock

Purchase date: 7 June 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

You can't fault this New Jersey-based punk band of lacking ambition. Their sophomore release, The Monitor, is of all things a loose concept album that uses the American Civil War as running metaphor. The music is brash and raw, but the songs themselves are extremely well-crafted, with wonderful melody and clever lyrics. The emotions of the music really carry this record: the highs are high and the lows are low. There's a wryness in the lyric, as if they're at once extremely serious and winking at the camera. They paraphrase their local hero Bruce Springsteen in the opening track, singing, "Tramps like us, baby we were born to die." This music is as subtle as a fist to the jaw, and man, can they rock out, with nods to '70s arena rock and the LA hardcore scene.

There's a joy to this music along with the anger, and that joy is infectious.

Rating: A-

Official video for "A More Perfect Union"

Live version of "Tugboat" from 1989.

Artist not currently available from eMusic

Vintage Review: Galaxie 500: Today [B+]

2011-01-11T20:08:00.008-05:00

Artist: Galaxie 500

Album: Today

Released: 1988

Label: Domino Records

Genre: dream pop

Purchase date: 7 June 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

I was very excited when I heard that Domino Records was re-releasing the three studio albums of the late-'80s dream pop act Galaxie 500. I had been a bit of a fan back in the day, and I still have a very worn-out cassette copy of this album that actually managed not to get eaten by my '83 Dodge Omni's terrible cassette player.

Named for the lead singer's car (a 1971 Ford Galaxie 500), the band was a Boston-based trio that formed in 1987 and released three albums before breaking up in 1991. Their sound owes a great deal to The Velvet Underground, including laid-back rhythms, droning guitars, and half-spoken, half-sung vocals. They were one of the bands of the era that set the stage for the slowcore music movement of the '90s.

Today was the band's 1988 debut album. Standout tracks are "Flowers," "Tugboat," and "King of Spain." I really like this music both as something mellow to play in the background, and as a headphones album. Hearing this album again was a great blast from the past, and it did hold up for me after all those years.

Rating: B+

Infinity Guitars official video

Review: Sleigh Bells: Treats [A-]

2011-01-10T23:23:00.005-05:00

Artist: Sleigh Bells

Album: Treats

Released: May 2010

Label: Mom & Pop Music

Genre: noise pop

Purchase date: 28 May 2010

Source: iTunes

Format: AAC files

The debut album from this noise pop duo from Brooklyn is brash, loud, as subtle as a sledgehammer, and one of the most fun records of the summer of 2010. Singer/keyboardist Alexis Krauss and guitarist/producer Derek E. Miller form a band that generates some of the most polarized opinions this side of Capitol Hill.

Treats opens with "Tell 'Em": a drum machine assault on the eardrums backed with a heavily distorted blaring electric guitar, showing Miller's previous experience with hardcore punk and thrash metal bands. The intensity of the energy is arresting, and then Krauss' extremely melodic voice brings a humanity to the aggressive energy. The drum beat outro of "Tell 'Em" becomes the intro beat of "Kids," which together make the best one-two punch of an album opener as I've heard in a long time.

Other outstanding tracks include the more radio-friendly "Infinity Guitars" and electro-noise track "A/B Machines." The band slows things down with "Rill Rill," which incorporates a long riff sampled from Funkadelic's "Can You Get To That?" from their 1971 classic Maggot Brain.

While this isn't the kind of music that I normally like, I loved the energy of this album, and I played it a lot on my car stereo over the summer. Critics seem to either love this album or hate it. I'm in the former camp, and I strongly recommend that you give this record a listen.

Rating: A-

"Your Hands" official video

Review: The New Pornographers: Together [A-]

2011-01-09T22:23:00.007-05:00

Artist: The New Pornographers

Album: Together

Released: May 2010

Label: Matador Records

Genre: power pop

Purchase date: 06 May 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

It's always a good year for music when The New Pornographers release an album. This has been one of my favorite bands for a few years now, so I downloaded their fifth album on its release date without hearing any of it. While I wasn't disappointed, Together finds this indie rock supergroup playing it safe and not messing with their formula: hooky, catchy melodies paired with very obscure lyrics (mostly penned by A.C. Newman). Newman is the main creative force behind New Pornographers. Neko Case provides lead vocals to many of the tracks, with Newman singing most of the other songs that he penned. Dan Bejar sings lead on the two tracks he contributed. The standouts tracks are "Crash Years" and "Your Hands."

While very good, this isn't the band's strongest effort. (That would be, in my opinion, 2003's Electric Version.) The songs sound a little too much like other New Pornographers songs (or A.C. Newman songs, for that matter), and the track sequence is a little disjointed. There also isn't a bowl-you-over-with-sheer-awesomeness track that all of their other albums seems to have. However, all-in-all, it's still a very good album-- just not their masterpiece. In a weaker year for music, this would probably still make my top 10 list, but 2010 has been an exceptional year, so they have a lot of competition in that regard.

Rating: A-

Live performance of "Acid Tongue"

No longer available from eMusic

Review: Jenny Lewis: Acid Tongue [B+]

2011-01-09T21:54:00.006-05:00

Artist: Jenny Lewis

Album: Acid Tongue

Released: September 2008

Label: Warner Bros.

Genre: indie pop

Purchase date: 06 May 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

I'd been hearing the title track of this solo record by Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis for more than a year, so I decided to buy it with more of the "loyalty bonus" tracks from eMusic. I was not disappointed. Lewis' solo record sounds more or less like a Rilo Kiley record, but with a slew of guest artists appearing. Lewis' lyrics are just as dark as ever. This time around, some of the music is equally dark. The standout track is the title track "Acid Tongue," which comes in the middle of the album. It's a slow ballad about addiction, sung in first-person. As with many of Lewis' songs, it's hard to tell whether or not the song is autobiographical. It goes to very dark places, and sung with Lewis' honey-sweet voice, has an added creepiness. This is a very solid album.

Rating: B+

Live performance of "1999"

I'm on the radio!

2011-01-09T11:45:00.003-05:00

Back in early December, I left a phone comment for Sound Opinions regarding my opinion about the recent changes to eMusic. They aired my comments on the 12/17/2010 show (#264)! My comments are at time mark 54:35. I pretty much say the same thing I wrote on my blog post on the same topic. Two clarifications on the comments that aired: 1) I mistakenly said that I joined eMusic in 2005; I actually joined in 2007. 2) I said that I quit the service. Actually, I suspended my account at the time, although I have since reactivated it. I'm still not a fan of the changes, and my comments still stand, but I'm going to stick around for a little while longer. Their prices on many (mostly older) albums are still quite competitive, although Amazon's special sales pricing often beats them. This just means that I have to be a little more thorough with comparison shopping.

Review: Shout Out Louds: Work [B-]

2010-12-27T18:14:00.011-05:00

Artist: Shout Out Louds

Album: Work

Released: February 2010

Label: Merge Records

Genre: indie rock

Purchase date: 04 May 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

I got a free month's worth of eMusic downloads in May as a loyalty bonus, so I bought a few extra albums that month. One of these bonus albums was the third full-length album from the Swedish indie band Shout Out Louds.

I heard a concert by this Swedish indie rock band broadcast on the All Songs Considered Live Concerts podcast, and the show gave a brief positive review of the album. I decided to give this studio album a try. All-in-all, this is a pretty solid album, and a good listen. The best track is the opener, "1999." The band doesn't really break any new ground. They sound like a solid late-aughts indie rock band, and while I do enjoy this record, the music just doesn't have all that much distinctiveness to it. It's one of those albums that you like well enough, but never think to spin up very often.

Rating: B-

Artist no longer available on eMusic

Flashback Review: Black Mountain [C-]

2010-12-27T10:58:00.007-05:00

Artist: Black Mountain

Album: Black Mountain

Released: January 2005

Label: Jagjaguwar

Genre: hard rock / stoner rock

Purchase date: 04 May 2010

Format: mp3 files

Source: eMusic

I was a big fan of this Vancouver-based hard rock act's 2007 sophomore album In The Future, which made my top-10 end-of-year list for that year. I was even more impressed with the 2009 release of the Black Mountain spin-off act Lightning Dust. So I decided to buy the band's 2005 debut album without listening to much of it first. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

Black Mountain is heavier, murkier, sludgier, and a lot less distinctive than the band's later release, and leans more toward stoner rock. Song titles like "Druganaut" highlight this. The un-ironic retro-70's heavy metal vibe, which I liked so much about In The Future, is mostly missing from this release. It is also much less polished and far less ambitious.

So, while I do give a lukewarm recommendation to Black Mountain fans (who probably already have this record) and to stoner rock fans, everyone else can probably pass.

Rating: C-

Official video of "The High Road"

Unconventional Christmas Songs

2010-12-25T21:09:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! To BOTH of my readers!

It's a little after 9:00 PM on the night of Christmas 2010. Our Christmas party has been over for a few hours, and we've cleaned up after the party. My other half is coming down with a cold, and has gone to bed. Our kid is up in her bedroom reading one of her new books. I'm sitting in front of the fire with a glass of Calvados and a slice of pumpkin pie. My cats are beside me on the couch, and my iPod is still playing my Christmas music mix on the stereo.

I love Christmas music. I love the Christmas classics: Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Johnny Mathis were all staples from my childhood, and Christmas is all about traditions. However, regular readers of my blog also know that I'm really into new music, so of course I have a lot of nontraditional or unconventional songs in the mix. I'd like to share a few favorites.

Just about everyone in my generation knows the 1984 British fundraiser by Band-Aid, "Do They Know It's Christmas," featuring just about every British pop star from the early '80s. Well, last year, the Toronto-based punk band Fucked Up released their own version featuring a who's who of indie artists. This version is not a parody, and has a much harder edge than the classic version, and I really liked it. Proceeds from the sale of this one go to several charities in Africa that empower women and aid those displaced by the numerous conflicts that continue to plague the continent.

On a much sappier note, I am embarrassingly fond of the 2003 Christmas single "New York Christmas" by Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas. It's kind of by-the-numbers, but the song has an emotional resonance that just gets to me, especially coming out just two years after 9/11.

It's not technically a Christmas song, but the final track from Cloud Cult's 2008 release Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes), "Love You All" works very well as a Christmas song. It's a song about love, and family, and the eternity of the soul. It's one of the most uplifting songs I've heard in a long time, and one of the best uses of a vocoder I've ever heard.

180 degrees from there is Tom Lehrer's 1959 satirical classic "A Christmas Carol," which always makes me chuckle. The song came out more than 50 years ago, but the sentiment that Christmas has gotten over-commercialized still rings more true than ever.

Another song I've always associated with Christmas is Gordon Lightfoot's 1967 release "Song For A Winter's Night." Most songs about winter get associated with Christmas-- and this one even has sleigh bells. I've always love the wistfulness of the lyric and Lightfoot's delivery about being home alone on a winter night while the one he loves is far away and won't be back for some time. (But please avoid the 2006 Sarah MaLachlan cover. She sounds more suicidal than wistful in that version.)

I also really like the song "Your Christmas Whiskey" by The Minus Five, which came out in 2007. It's about the other kind of Christmas spirit-- the kind you drink.

And finally, I've always had a soft spot for Dar Williams' "The Christians and the Pagans" from her 1996 release Mortal City. It's a story-song about two female pagans traveling over the holidays whose car breaks down near the home of the uncle of one of the women-- a man who has raised his own family to be devout Christians. It's a song about love, tolerance, and how family trumps religious differences. It always makes me smile. Plus, it's really catchy.

Between getting up at 6:00 for presents, hosting an afternoon Christmas party, the warmth of the dying fire in my fireplace, and my second brandy, I'm getting a little drowsy here, and I think I'll sign off.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Vintage Review: Serge Gainsbourg: L'histoire de Melody Nelson [A-]

2010-12-22T22:39:00.009-05:00

Artist: S erge Gainsbourg

Album: L'histoire de Melody Nelson
Released: 1971
Label: Phillips Records
Genre: French pop

Purchase date: 04 May 2010
Source: Amazon

Format: MP3 files

This is a classic album that I'd never encountered until this last winter. The guys on Sound Opinions interviewed Charlotte Gainsbourg, the Anglo-French actress and singer about her 2009 album IRM, and her role in that year's psychological horror film Antichrist. Part of the interview turned to her father Serge Gainsbourg, and they played a couple of excerpts of L'histoire de Melody Nelson in the background. From the moment I heard the slow-burning, blusey riff with Serge's growling yet unctuous sing-song spoken French, I knew that I had to get my hands on this album. Amazon listed it as a $5 download a few months later, and I bought it. The whole ablum tells a single story in songs: The protagonist narrates (in French) of how he accidentally ran his Rolls Royce into a 14-year-old American girl on her bicycle, then how he took her back to his house to tend her injuries, and how the two then had a torrid affair. The Lolita-like story is creepy enough, but Gainsbourg's deadpan delivery over a simple-yet-searing music line grabs your collar and pulls you in. This is a very disturbing story, but the music is trés cool.

Rating: A-

"Melody" video

Album Listing at Amazon

Not available on eMusic at this time.

Review: Broken Bells: Broken Bells [A]

2010-12-22T22:03:00.007-05:00

Artist: Broken Bells
Album: Broken Bells
Released: March 2010
Label: Columbia Records
Genre: alternative rock / electronic

Purchase date: 07 April 2010
Source: eMusic

Format: MP3 files

A collaboration of Brian Burton (better known as celebrity producer Danger Mouse) and James Mercer (frontman of The Shins), this is one of those bands that shouldn't work but does, and spectacularly. Mercer's dark lyrics paired with upbeat melodies take on new life under Burton's production: swirling psychedelic electronics, atmospheric effects, and vintage synths. This record doesn't break any new ground, but it has a whole lot of great songs. The high point is the opening track, "The High Road," but the music sustains an emotional wave throughout. This is another record I keep putting on over and over throughout the year, and I expect it will likely make my top 10 list.

Rating: A

"Lovesick Teenagers" official video

Review: Bear In Heaven: Beast Rest Forth Mouth [B+]

2010-12-17T23:14:00.007-05:00

Artist: Bear In Heaven

Album: Beast Rest Forth Mouth
Released: October, 2009
Label: Hometapes Records
Genre: experimental rock / electronic

Purchase date: 07 April 2010
Source: eMusic

Format: MP3 files

I bought this album after hearing a single track on the All Songs Considered podcast about the 2010 South By Southwest Music Festival. Bear In Heaven is somewhat difficult music that's worth the effort. They are an experimental rock band from Brooklyn NY that incorporates a large amount of electronic and synthesizer effects into their music. The result is spacious, noisy, large-sounding, music that is still very melodic. There are nods to instrumental post-rock, and I could definitely hear some '70's Kraut rock influence (e.g. Neu!, Kraftwerk). This music is unlike most of the music I listen to, and I had a bit of trouble with that. The first time I listened through the album, I felt disappointed that I'd spent the money. However, the music touched something in me that compelled me to give the record repeated listens. For me, it was worth the effort to get to know this music, as it's now on high rotation on my playlists.

Rating: B+

Flashback Review: Okkervil River: Black Sheep Boy [B]

2010-12-17T23:00:00.007-05:00

Artist: Okkervil River
Album: Black Sheep Boy
Released: August 2005
Label: Jagjaguwar Records
Genre: indie rock

Purchase date: 07 April 2010
Source: eMusic

Format: MP3 files

I was so enamored of Okkervil River's last two albums, 2007's The Stage Names and its companion record The Stand Ins, which came out the following year, that I decided to buy this record from their back-catalog without ever hearing a single track. It's a good record, with strong hints of what will be coming (notably the track "Black" -- the album's high point), but it's clear from listening to this record that the best from this band is yet to come.

Rating: B

Listen to "Black"

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" official video

Vintage Review: Nirvana: Nevermind [A-]

2010-12-15T23:02:00.008-05:00

Artist: Nirvana
Album: Nevermind
Released: September 1991
Label: SubPop Records
Genre: grunge / alternative rock

Purchase date: 15 March 2010
Source: Angry Mom Records

Format: CD (used)

I picked up a used copy of Nevermind on CD at the local used record store for a buck. I'd been planning to buy the MP3 of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from iTunes for a 90's playlist, and now I had the whole album for the same price.

What can I say about this groundbreaking record that hasn't been said before? It came out in 1991, my senior year in college. My roommate at the time had a copy, and, honestly, I wasn't sure of what to make of it when I heard it. I heard the anger and violence of punk, the depth of sound of hard rock, and the rough edges of a garage band, but through it all was the emotional pull of Kurt Cobain's lyrics and his haunting voice. Cobain could snarl, growl, and shout like punk icons Iggy Pop or John Lydon, but then could deliver heartbreaking vocals on slow tracks. This was music that defied categorization, but was impossible to ignore. I dubbed a cassette copy from my roommate's CD, but it never entered high rotation-- I was in my Progressive Rock phase at the time. Later that year, the bottom-of-the-line car stereo in my beat-up Dodge Omni ate my cassette copy, and that was that.

So, it had been close to 20 years since I'd listened to Nevermind as an album, and now I understand why it was so groundbreaking. Looking back, I really let a major trend in music just pass me by.

Rating: A-

"Hidden Lakes" official video

Review: Shearwater: The Golden Archipelago [A]

2010-12-15T22:31:00.008-05:00

Artist: Shearwater
Album: The Golden Archipelago
Released: February 2010
Label: Matador Records
Genre: indie rock

Purchase date: 07 March 2010
Source: eMusic

Format: MP3 files

Jonathan Meiburg is the creative force behind Shearwater, a hard-to-describe indie rock band from Texas. The band's music can be quiet but intense, noisy yet lyrical, and melancholy while life-affirming. I first encountered this band while listening to All Song Considered "Best of 2007" year-end show, and they played the track "Seventy-Four Seventy-Five" from that year's Palo Santo album. I was blown away, and bought the album the same day. Two albums later, the band has lowered the intensity and increased the complexity. The Golden Archipelago is a rich and complex music experience, intended to be experienced as a whole album rather than as a collection of beautiful songs. While the album doesn't have the searing rock tracks that gave Palo Santo or 2008's Rook their visceral high points, the whole work is a captivating journey through an imaginary island chain. There really isn't a weak track on this album.

Meiburg's voice has an eerie timbre to it that's quite captivating. His articulation is just loose enough to make you not exactly sure what all the words are, but compelling enough to make you want to figure them out. This is a gorgeous recording, and is one of my favorite albums of the year.

Rating: A

"Written In Reverse" official video

No longer available at eMusic

Review: Spoon: Transference [B]

2010-12-14T09:28:00.010-05:00

Artist: Spoon
Album: Transference
Released: January 2010
Label: Merge Records
Genre: indie rock

Purchase date: 07 March 2010
Source: eMusic

Format: MP3 files

I don't think I'm young enough to be a hipster (and if I was, I'm not sure I'd want to be), but my music tastes seem to run along hipster lines. Consequently, I was very excited for the new Spoon record when it came out in January 2010, and I got it as soon as my eMusic account refreshed after it was posted to the site.

As indie bands go, Spoon is one of the most successful, with a strong following and much critical acclaim. Their previous release, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, was one of my best picks for 2008.

Transference, the band's seventh full-length studio album, is much more of a mood record than its predecessor. The band dialed down a lot of its energy to produce music that's dark and brooding, while retaining Spoon's legendary intensity. This is very much a "headphones" album: best appreciated ann you can really focus on it, like in your bedroom with dimmed lights while wearing high-end headphones.

Unfortunately, the music doesn't really hold up to repeated deep listens. I did like this record, just not as much as I'd expected. While certainly a respectable album, I didn't like it as much as the previous one. I guess that's a problem with following bands you really like: sometimes they let you down by being good instead of great.

Rating: B

Live performance of "Acts of Man"

Not currently available from eMusic

Concert Review: NYS Baroque - "The Festive Concerto"

2010-12-12T19:42:00.003-05:00

Artist: NYS Baroque

Concert Date: 12 Dec 2010

Venue: First Unitarian Church, Ithaca NY

Genre: Classical

I'm just getting back from an amazing local concert by NYS Baroque, one of the premiere early music ensembles in the Northeast. They specialize in the music of the Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical periods, and perform on period instruments. A bit of disclosure: the artistic director, Heather Miller Lardin, is based here in Ithaca, and my kid is currently one of her private music students.

The concert was an all Baroque show, featuring works by Corelli, Telemann, Muffat, Locatelli, and JS Bach. The concert was magnificent: the musicians are all top-notch and their musicianship is astounding. Hearing early music performed on period instruments is a real feast for the senses, as period instruments have a distinctly different sound quality than their modern counterparts.

The only work I'd heard before the concert was the Bach piece: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. Honestly, I much preferred the version I heard tonight over any recording I've ever heard of this piece.

If you ever have an opportunity to see NYS Baroque, I strongly recommend that you take it.

Review: Midlake: The Courage of Others [B+]

2010-12-11T23:24:00.008-05:00

Artist: Midlake
Album: The Courage of Others
Released: January 2010
Label: Bella Union
Genre: folk-rock

Purchase date: 04 Feb 2010
Source: eMusic

I'd never heard of this band until Jim and Greg reviewed this album on Sound Opinions. 2009 and 2010 seem to have been big years for the return of folk-rock to the scene, with acts like Fleet Foxes, The Dry Spells, and Midlake bringing in accolades from fans and critics alike. Midlake is an acoustic folk-rock band from Texas in the vein of Steeleye Span or Fairport Convention. Their music is earnest, simple in instrumentation, with great depth in complexity and emotion. They may be from the desert, but their music invokes the green primeval forests of a Britain that only exists in legend.

Rating: B+

Flashback Review: Rilo Kiley: More Adventurous [B+]

2010-12-11T23:05:00.012-05:00

Artist: Rilo Kiley
Album: More Adventurous
Released: July 2004
Label:Beaut/Brute Records
Genre: indie pop

Purchase date: 4 Feb 2010
Source: eMusic

Format: MP3 files

I'd heard of Rilo Kiley for years, but had only noticed them once or twice on the local college radio station. Then they started showing up frequently on some of my Pandora channels, and I started to pay attention to them. Then All Songs Considered played a recording of a concert, and I realized that I'd been missing out. I decided that I needed to take a chance, so I downloaded this five-year-old album of theirs with some "loyalty bonus tracks" I'd accumulated from eMusic.

Led by singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis, the band tends to pair upbeat, catchy melodies with very dark and sometimes disturbing lyrics. For example, the opening track of More Adventurous, "It's A Hit," sounds like a breezy love song, but is really a biting indictment of the Bush Administration and the war in Iraq. Lewis has a very pretty and expressive voice, which often completely contrasts with the words she's singing. The music is playful, and the band has a lot of fun with the witty juxtaposition of music and lyric. It's fun music, with a cutting edge. Recommended.

Rating: B+

Listen to "It's A Hit"

"Lisztomania" official video

Big changes to eMusic-- and not to my liking!

2010-12-10T10:56:00.004-05:00

Ever since I returned to the world of music geekery, my favorite source of legitimate music downloads has been eMusic.com. I've been a member since mid-2005. The site was a treasure trove of amazing music from independent labels and provided wonderful music discovery services through extensive editorial reviews. It was also significantly cheaper than iTunes or Amazon, with tracks costing between $0.30 and $0.60 per track, depending on the level of your subscription plan. I had been an enthusiastic evangelist for this service, recommending it to all of my musically-inclined friends whose tastes ran against the mainstream.

They opened their doors to the Sony back-catalog (i.e. anything older than 24 months) in June 2009. That added about 200,000 tracks to their catalog, but also brought some changes to their price structure that increased subscription fees and upped the per-track costs for most users. While I grumbled a bit, as I thought that this was turning their spotlight away from the independent labels that made the site so wonderful, I thought it was still a better deal than the competition, and was still a great source for indie labels. I thought it might also attract some users interested in major label artists that would then be exposed to more indie acts.

eMusic made another big change in late November of this year, and I am much less impressed with things now. They added about 300,000 tracks from Universal music, but that deal required variable pricing, so their old "X number of tracks per month" model had to go out the window. Users now have a dollar amount to spend on variably-priced tracks. Long-time users like myself have access to "preferred plans" that kick in a small bonus per month, but this new pricing plan still represents a significant price increase.

To make matters worse, several of the larger indie labels did not appreciate the changes to terms that Universal made to eMusic, and have pulled out of the partnership. Labels that have pulled out include Merge Records, Matador Records, Rough Trade Records, 4AD, XL Recordings, and Domino Records. These labels collectively removed about 10,000 tracks-- but 10,000 of the most popular, critically-acclaimed artists on the site.

I just filled out eMusic's "top 10 eMusic albums of 2010" form, and I found that 7 of my top 10 picks, including all of my top 5, are no longer listed on eMusic.

An additional kick in the teeth is that they no longer let subscribers re-download tracks that had been previously purchased.

So-- a whole lot less for more money. What a deal!

All-in-all, these changes have made eMusic a far less desirable service than it had been. I have just suspended my subscription for 60 days, in the hopes that some of these so-called improvements will be reversed.

If not, as much as I hate to say it, I will probably cancel my subscription.

As Joni Mitchell wrote, "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." They paved eMusic and put up an ersatz iTunes.

Review: The Magnetic Fields: Realism [A]

2010-12-07T21:39:00.009-05:00

Artist: The Magnetic Fields
Album: Realism
Released: January 2010
Label: Nonesuch Records
Genre: indie pop / alternative folk

Purchase date: 04 Feb 2010
Source: iTunes

Realism is the tenth studio album from singer/songwriter Stephen Merritt and his band The Magnetic Fields. It is also the third album in their "No Synths" trilogy, following 2004's i and 2007's Distortion. Merritt's musical style runs all over the map, often going in different directions on the same album. Realism has a pristine sound overall, a stark contrast from the grungy fuzz of their previous album. The songs are all heartfelt, touching, funny, and poignant, often all at the same time. The opening track, "You Must Be Out of Your Mind" is the strongest in my opinion, and it really illustrates Merrit's sense of humor, such as the line, "You can't just go 'round sayin' stuff/ Because it's pretty / And I no longer drink enough / to think you're witty." A marvelous album, it would have been hard to pick a better "first album of 2010."

Rating: A

Listen to "You Must Be Out Of Your Mind"

Album listing at Amazon
(Not currently available at eMusic)

Review: If These Trees Could Talk: Above the Earth, Below the Sky [A]

2010-12-07T21:04:00.009-05:00

Artist: If These Trees Could Talk
Album: Above the Earth, Below the Sky
Released: March 2009
Label: self-published
Genre: post-rock

Purchase date: 27 Jan 2010
Source: iTunes

Format: AAC files

I found myself listening to this instrumental post-rock album over and over again. The music is heavily layered with guitar, and has a mesmerizing complexity and wide dynamic range. Songs can start out spare and ambient, then build to a heavy rock crescendo, only to sonically disintegrate before your ears. This is a real "headphones" album: best experienced with your eyes closed in a dark room through high-end headphones. Outstanding music: at times intense and raw, others quiet and contemplative. The sonic theme is man vs. nature, but with no lyrics, you are left to fill in the storyline. I really loved this album, and continue to listen to it over and over again.

Rating: A

Listen to "From Roots to Needles"

Album listing at Amazon
Album listing at CD Baby
(Artist not available at eMusic at this time)

Review: Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix [A]

2010-12-04T12:46:00.010-05:00

Artist: Phoenix

Album: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Released: May 2009

Label: Glass Note Records

Genre: indie pop

Purchased: 27 January 2010

Purchased from: iTunes

The fourth album of this French alt-pop quartet is a whole lot of fun. The music is upbeat, accessible, and very radio-friendly. It's a very bright and cheerful album, and is more pop-oriented than a rock album. The standout track is "1901." Another darling of of the rock critics, this album deserved all the praise it got. Like other of my top picks, this album really stands up to repeated plays. It works less as a deep listen album (you know-- put on your best headphones and turn off the lights), than an album you can put on and cheerily do something else while bopping your head to the rhythm.

Rating: A

(not available from eMusic as of this writing)

Review: The Dry Spells: Too Soon For Flowers [A-]

2010-12-04T12:35:00.008-05:00

Artist: The Dry Spells

Album: Too Soon For Flowers

Released: January 2009

Label: Antenna Farm Records

Genre: Folk-Rock

Purchase date: 07 Jan 2010

Purchased from: eMusic.com

A folk-rock band from San Francisco, The Dry Spells have an early-70's vibe reminiscent of one part Fleetwood Mac and two parts Sandy Denny-era Fairport Convention. You can really feel the English folk-rock vibe on their version of the traditional English ballad "Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Hair." I've always been a huge fan of '70s English folk-rock, and this band does it really, really well. The haunting female three-part harmony vocals and crack instrumentation put this album on high rotation on my iPod. The one stumble they make on the album is their cover of "Rhiannon" (originally by Fleetwood Mac). It's a competent, faithful cover that really doesn't fit with the rest of the album.

Rating: A-

Top 10 Albums of 2009

2010-12-02T21:51:00.005-05:00

Well, it's December 2010, and I'm only a week into my re-started blog, so it's high time to let you know my Top 10 Albums of 2009.

According to my records, I bought 38 albums with a 2009 release date. Here are my 10 favorites.

#10: Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

Label: ANTI-

Between her solo career and her work with New Pornographers, singer-songwriter Neko Case was very busy in 2009. Recorded at her new home studio in Vermont, Middle Cyclone is a showcase of the alt-country artist's talent and maturity as a songwriter and as a singer. Her powerful voice retains an expressive emotional pull, and the music is haunting yet playful. This album got a lot of praise by critics, and I don't have much to add other than this is an album that I've played a lot.

#9: Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Label: V2 Records

#8: Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us

Label: Graveface Records

It's hard to put a label on the sound or genre of this enigmatic band from rural Pennsylvania. I'll go with "psychedelic electro-folk." BMSR plays electronic music on classic analog electronic instruments, including Moogs, theremins, and heavy use of vocoders. Sonically complex, and frequently veering into unexpected directions, this album is mellow and laid-back, but with a distinct undercurrent of dark weirdness that's both compelling and a little creepy. The stand-out track is the opener, "Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise," the title of which says volumes about this band. Not for everyone, but it really works for me.

#7: Vivian Girls - Everything Goes Wrong

Label: In The Red Recordings

The sophomore album from this all-girl lo-fi punk band from Brooklyn. While it didn't completely floor me like their eponymous debut, this is yet another album that just does not get old. Their musicianship has improved and their sound, while not bigger, is more refined and a bit tighter. Crank up the treble and blast it!

#6: The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

Label: Capitol Records

I've been a big fan of The Decemberists since their debut full-length Castaways and Cutouts came out back in 2002. Their fifth album, and by far most ambitious, The Hazards of Love is a 1970's progressive rock concept album. While broken up into songs, the album is intended to be listened to from start to finish as a complete piece of music. It tells a strange story of a doomed love between a human woman and a shape-shifting forest spirit some time in 19th century Europe. Setting aside the fact that it's a concept album (a love-it-or-hate-it music form), it's hard not to admire the ambition. This band proved that it can really rock out on earlier dalliances with prog (e.g. their 2004 EP The Tain and their 18-minute suite "The Island" from 2006's The Crane Wife), but they really hit their stride here.

#5: The Dry Spells - Too Soon For Flowers

Label: Antenna Farm Records

#4: If These Trees Could Talk - Above The Earth, Below The Sky

Label: self-published through CD Baby

#3: Metric - Fantasies

Label: Metric Music International

Musically, this album really struck something in me. A female-led indie rock band from Canada, Metric's sound is high-energy with a complex chord structure and witty lyrics. Another album that found itself on high rotation on my iPod. Excellent sound.

#2: Visqueen - Message to Garcia

"The Capitol" official video

#1: Lightning Dust - Infinite Light

Label: Jagjaguwar

A folk-tinged indie rock band from Canada, Lightning Dust was formed by Amber Webber and Joshua Wells, who are both also members of the hard rock band Black Mountain. The lush, yet simply melodies coupled with Webber's plaintive vocals give this music a wistful and nostalgic air that is simply beautiful. My favorite album of 2009.

Review: Visqueen: Message to Garcia [A]

2010-12-01T23:05:00.013-05:00

Artist: Visqueen
Album: Message to Garcia
Released: September 2009
Label: Local 638 Records
Genre: alternative rock / punk pop

Purchase date: 07 Jan 2010
Source: emusic.com

I guess it goes back to the alternative grrl bands of the '90s, but I've always had a fondness for female-fronted rock. Hailing from Seattle, Rachel Flotard is the creative force and frontwoman of Visqueen, an extremely talented pop punk trio. Their third album, Message to Garcia loosely chronicles Flotard's relationship with her father during his long battle with terminal cancer and Alzheimer's. The album isn't a concept album in any sense, but the songs do paint a picture of love, loss, frustration, and ultimately the beauty of the human condition.

But you don't need to know the backstory to rock out to the driving guitars, catchy hooks, and the sheer joy of Flotard's confident and emotive vocals. Visqueen's sound is something like Janis Joplin fronting Green Day. Standout tracks include "Hand Me Down," "Ward," and "Beautiful Amnesia." This is a record that I find myself coming back to again and again, and was one of my favorite albums of 2009.