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Thursday, November 20, 2008
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Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Dolores (Ipecac) [audio] [upcoming shows]
At its core Dolores is a dark and brooding jazz album infused with elements of ambient and electronic music. Moving at a slow and purposeful pace, the music has a simple yet elegant beauty. This is a great album to listen to while sitting on a leather chair in a darkened room and drinking a glass of single malt. The music hangs in the air like smoke that is waiting to enlighten you, or to snuff you out.
- j.p.
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Released 11.04.2008
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Wednesday, November 19, 2008
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Palodine - Garden of Deceit (Tarnished) [audio] [upcoming shows]
I should have lined this up to run on Halloween. Palomine has followed up their debut with another round of spooky gothic indie folk. You've got scars, graves, Cain running amok, and drowned bodies "floating naked and bloated." Yippee! Katrina Whitney's hypnotic voice, against layers of Michael Aryn's ominous guitars, conjures the atmosphere of an Edgar Allen Poe story. They'd do well on a double bill with The National Lights.
- meredith
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Released 03.25.2008
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
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The Decemberists - Always the Bridesmaid: A Singles Series (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The Decemberists are getting better with age, and it's the new material that is sounding more young and fun than ever before. In a three-part singles series, the gang is still offering their trademark melancholy beauty on songs like "Record Year" and "Raincoat Song", but also including a handful of dancey tunes like "Days of Elaine" and a version of The Velvet Underground's "I'm Sticking With You". The standout track might be "Valerie Plame", a song for the outed spy that's potentially as catchy as "16 Military Wives".
- cormac
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Released 10.14.2008
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Monday, November 17, 2008
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Kasms - Taxidermy 7" (Trouble) [audio] [upcoming shows]
If this were any hotter, the vinyl it's pressed on would liquify. "Taxidermy" pulls in equal measure from the uninhibited, paint-peeling wail of Bikini Kill and the menace of early Siouxsie & The Banshees—doom and gloom at its essence. "Elevator" and "Siren Sister" are likewise dark in nature, but dispense with the punk and aim at the "post" in post-punk. What Kasms would do with an entire LP remains to be seen, but this single indicates very good things are to come.
- paul
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Released 08.05.2008
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Friday, November 14, 2008
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Various Artists - Rachel Getting Married Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Lakeshore) [audio]
I can only imagine how the music might be used in the story without having seen the movie, but it's an eclectic mix; many incidentals anchored by more complete songs, evenly splitting the running order. Robyn Hitchcock's two new originals rank with the best of his recent work. Sister Carol East provides a reggae bounce with "Dread Natty Congo". The best thing here, though, is the opener. TV on the Radio's Tunde Adibimpe (also a cast member) sings Neil Young's "Unknown Legend" a cappella, and it gives me a shiver.
- sam
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Released 11.11.2008
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Thursday, November 13, 2008
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Tunnels to Holland EP (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Listening to the self-titled EP from New Jersey band Tunnels to Holland is like going on a journey. Their style is like a roadmap of everything that is great about American rock & roll music. This stuff just oozes cool. Comparisons can be made to the music of The Doors, but listen more closely to hear inspiration from Tom Waits, Lou Reed, and more. But don't be fooled into thinking this is some sort of retro trip. This band is taking you somewhere new.
- j.p.
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Released 10.21.2008
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008
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Dar Williams - Promised Land (Razor & Tie) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Dar Williams' music is a peaceful explosion of melodic folk americana. She has mastered melody with her alluring voice and continues over the years to entertain with her thoughtful lyrics. Dar's songs are like charming mini-stories, exploring topics such as relationships, aging, and the ups and downs of human nature while encouraging you to hum along. In "Buzzer", Dar draws parallels between daily life and a social psychology experiment of obedience and authority, and simultaneously delivers one of the catchiest melodies of the fall.
- cormac
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Released 09.09.2008
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
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Ralph Myerz - Ralphorama! (Beatservice) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Ralphorama! reaches a height often unparalleled; a hip-hop/space age funk/disco tour de force that rolls on for an amazing twenty tracks without ever once spreading itself thin. Producer Ralph Myerz cooks beats thick and extraordinarily musical. But like most producer/performer albums, it's all about the cameos—and there are more cameos on Ralphorama! than a Jay-Z & Beyoncé Christmas Special. Notably, Devin the Dude and Talib Kweli deliver while Karin Park's Björk-like performance steals the show.
- paul
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Released 11.04.2008
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Monday, November 10, 2008
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Peter Bjorn and John - Seaside Rock (Almost Gold) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This is one of those things that bands do. It's fine for jazz musicians, but why do indie rock bands even bother? I assume even good bands make mistakes. Mercury Rev did it this year with Strange Attractor. Is there a market for this? Can diehard fans, even impassioned geeky music snobs, honestly claim to give these albums repeated listens? Is it the band's initial concept for the album, or just a convenient packaging of scrapped and unfinished material? Why, oh why, do good rock bands put out instrumental albums?
- cormac
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Released 09.23.2008
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Friday, November 07, 2008
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Juliana Hatfield - How to Walk Away (Ye Olde Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The first time I ever heard Juliana Hatfield was in 1990, when a friend put "Cesspool" on a mixtape she made. Cut to 18 years later, and I'm hearing How to Walk Away. I never expected to be floored by another Juliana Hatfield album after a long (long) string of releases ranging from, at best, ambitious to, at worst, uninspired. But the whole of How to Walk Away just has a natural, effortless easiness about it, much like her earliest work—except now there's some hard-earned wisdom behind it all.
- paul
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Released 08.19.2008
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Thursday, November 06, 2008
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Two Cow Garage - Speaking in Cursive (Suburban Home) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Picking up where 2006's III left off, the Ohio band continues their rock n' roll manifesto which includes: writing great songs, putting out great records, and being one of the best live bands working today. The songs on Speaking in Cursive are heavily influenced from 70's rock, while still keeping that Two Cow sound. Stand out tracks include "Bastards and Bridesmaids", "Swing Set Assassin", "Glass City", "Your Humble Narrator", and "Sadie Mae". Unfortunately for TCG, they're the best kept secret in rock.
- kyle j.
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Released 10.21.2008
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Wednesday, November 05, 2008
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The Morning Paper - It's Getting Clearer (Skipping Stones) [audio]
Musically, The Morning Paper are more than capable of putting together gauzy, lighter than air songs with key shifts and chord changes that may induce goosebumps. Atmosphere-rich synths and heavy reverb make these eight rather simple, yet effectively direct, songs sound a lot larger than they actually are. The only weak link here is David Kyhlberg's voice, which needs more improvement than any amount of studio trickery can conceal. Comparable in most ways to M83's Saturdays=Youth, but with one unfortunate flaw.
- paul
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Released 10.14.2008
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Tuesday, November 04, 2008
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Emmylou Harris - All I Intended to Be (Nonesuch) [audio] [upcoming shows]
From her early duets with Gram Parsons through her groundbreaking Wrecking Ball album and even now, Emmylou Harris has always granted her words a home within the most crystalline voice in American music. The songwriting quality sometimes ebbs and flows from album to album, but All I Intended to Be is exceptional in mood, atmosphere and a warm melancholy that doesn't beg, but rather demands repeat listens.
- paul
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Released 06.10.2008
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Monday, November 03, 2008
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Jesus H. Christ & The Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse - Happier Than You (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Imagine that Sarah Silverman never decided that saying "fuck" and shocking people was clever, and it actually made her funnier. And then while working on Mr. Show, Jack Black played her a Tenacious D demo and she decided to steal the idea and rework it as horn-laden power pop. That's basically what we've got here, and it is fantastic. Any album that teaches me a new song to sing for my 2 year-old, including the lyric "Like an anorexic needs self-esteem/you gotta have a dream" ...well, that's a winner.
- tom d.
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Released 10.21.2008
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Friday, October 17, 2008
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The Disciplines - Smoking Kills (Voices of Wonder) [audio] [upcoming shows]
I can't you tell how much I'd been hoping Ken Stringfellow would make a record like this again one day. The ex-Posies troubadour has guested with other bands, released a few solo discs and done some great production work, but none of it has really packed the punch I grew accustomed to with The Posies in the '90s. His new band The Disciplines seems to have recharged his harmony-rich power pop batteries, and Smoking Kills is an embarrassment of riches—the likes of which I've not heard in a long while.
- paul
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Released 05.27.2008
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Thursday, October 16, 2008
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Zebra & Giraffe - Collected Memories (Just Music) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The sound of Zebra & Giraffe is not unlike that of other big, alt-rock bands you've heard. There's some Linkin Park, a touch of Bloc Party and more than a little Foo Fighters. That's not the only common trait shared with Dave Grohl's Foo Fighters. Just as Grohl worked solo on the Foos debut in 1995, Collected Memories is likewise the work of one man, Greg Carlin. Ten blaring tracks of slick, radio-friendly ear candy—completely irony-free. You can almost hear how badly he's wanted to make this record since birth.
- paul
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Released 05.06.2008
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008
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Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul (Reprise) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Oasis haven't made a great album since...well, ever. But they have made a couple of good ones and, with Dig Out Your Soul, have added a third. For as much criticism as they receive for their transparent Beatles-aping, it's actually the best thing the Gallaghers do. And it works especially well when the tribute is more poetic than literal, like on "Falling Down" and "Waiting for the Rapture." The ghosts of Revolver are audible, but not a distraction (this time). Hit play and enjoy.
- paul
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Released 10.07.2008
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
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Richard Swift - Ground Trouble Jaw EP (Secretly Canadian) [download] [upcoming shows]
Retro exploitation is becoming the scourge of popular music, but Richard Swift pursues his backward-looking craftsmanship with the commitment of a scholar. In his short, yet prolific career, he's never released anything so direct as his Ground Trouble Jaw EP. The opening salvo of "Would You" and "Lady Luck" sounds authentically Motown—not just as recording experiments, but "hit" songs. The remaining three tracks are similarly disarming in different ways, making this one of the best EP's released in 2008.
- paul
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Released 08.05.2008
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Monday, October 13, 2008
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Ben Folds - Way to Normal (Epic) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Again, Ben Folds ping-pongs between his two extemes on Way to Normal. His awkward and not always funny sense of humor taints what would otherwise be a few really good classic pop songs while heavy-handed sentimentality weighs down his ballads. The best examples of each would be "You Don't Know Me" with a guest vocal from Regina Spektor and the moving "Cologne," respectively. The worst examples? The rest of the album.
- paul
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Released 09.30.2008
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Friday, October 10, 2008
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The Bloody Beetroots - Rombo EP (Dim Mak) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Italian dj/producers Bob Rifo and Tommy Tea pair off as The Bloody Beetroots. In an overcrowded underground of DIY hardcore electro-disco, the Beetroots have for over a year now towered above the rest by mixing the thunderous power of distorted bass and driving drums with the lightness of party music on both their remixes and their original compositions. Rombo marks their first "official" release and it's front-to-back a thrilling coaster ride of unchecked synthesized mayhem. Move over, Justice. You're killing my buzz.
- paul
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Released 09.09.2008
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Thursday, October 09, 2008
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Serena Ryder - Sweeping the Ashes EP (Atlantic) [audio] [upcoming shows]
I can't stop listening to the latest release from Canadian singer/songwriter Serena Ryder. Her voice is unique in today's landscape of female vocalists. Wrought with emotion and power, she seamlessly flips the switch between vulnerability and dominance. The songs are well thought out and purposefully restrained so that the dynamic vocals are unchained at the appropriate moments. While the songwriting is solid, it's Ryder's voice that carries Sweeping the Ashes and sets it apart. The full-length will be a killer.
- j.p.
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Released 10.14.2008
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Wednesday, October 08, 2008
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Intronaut - Prehistoricisms (Century Media) [audio] [upcoming shows]
It's been three weeks since I started listening to Prehistoricisms, and I'm still waiting to get sick of it. While I don't normally care for the techy/jazzy metal thing, Intronaut does what like-minded bands can't—they write songs. Prehistoricisms is no six-stringer-riff assault. Rather, the ceaseless rhythms of drummer Danny Walker provide the riffage while the effects-laden guitars and fretless bass paint a near-psychedelic backdrop of semi-brutal, achingly melodic movements. Hunting for that end-of-the-year surprise? This may be it.
- jason m.
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Released 09.16.2008
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Tuesday, October 07, 2008
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Metallica - Death Magnetic (Warner Bros.) [audio] [upcoming shows]
They're going about this all wrong. Nobody has the patience to listen to seven-plus minute Metallica songs anymore, especially when the payoff never comes in any of them. Death Magnetic should have been a half hour in length with ten songs at no more than three minutes each. It's clear these guys can still engineer a nasty groove, but each one gets diluted by fighting for attention with several others in the same song. Feels like they're out to prove something, but what? Relevance? Well, good luck.
- paul
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Released 09.12.2008
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Monday, October 06, 2008
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The Precious Mings - Every Time I Sell a Record a Kitten Dies (Weekender) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The Precious Mings is the side project of Chikinki keyboardist Boris Ming, along with another twenty or so people also going by the last name Ming. Like Chikinki, The Precious Mings reside in the peculiar gap between the Devo of 1979 and the Blur of 1994, sounding so very very English while banging away on cheap synthesizers and detuned guitars over odd-yet-danceable beats. Not the arty nightmare it sounds like, but a whimsical, left-of-center pop record.
- paul
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Released 09.16.2008
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Friday, October 03, 2008
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The Fiery Furnaces - Remember (Thrill Jockey) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The Furnaces are a truly remarkable band that mixes genres into an unnaturally addictive style. Their thirst for experimentation can lead to tours de force like Blueberry Boat, while on the flipside you get their cover of "Norwegian Wood" (yuk!). Remember fails for two reasons: (1) they regularly butcher their beloved songs live with insufferable reworkings, and (2) here they use the live album format as an experiment by melding performances into a mess of segmented recordings. Disappointing, but the next studio release should be good.
- cormac
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Released 08.19.2008
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Thursday, October 02, 2008
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GZA - Pro Tools (Babygrande) [audio] [upcoming shows]
There aren't enough rap albums like this anymore. This disc is densely packed with a relentless barrage of verses, often forgoing hooks and choruses in favor of squeezing in an extra 8 bars here and there. RZA's production is featured heavily, and his couple guest verses kill. It is a testament to the strength of GZA's flow that his monotone, battering ram delivery has commanded our attention for 15+ years. No singles or pop music here; this is headphones-on-the-bus hip-hop, with enough meat on its bones to fill multiple sittings.
- tom d.
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Released 08.19.2008
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Wednesday, October 01, 2008
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Various Artists - Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Atlantic) [audio]
Another Michael Cera movie, another achingly hip soundtrack to go along with it. And while I'm sure the movie has its charms, the soundtrack contents read like any random week's worth of posts at Stereogum. Among the familiar songs are new tracks from Vampire Weekend and Mark Mothersbaugh, both worth hearing—but it makes me wonder who's supposed to buy this. Those who know these songs already own them, and those who'd want to hear them would just download them from blogs. A moneywaster.
- paul
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Released 09.23.2008
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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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Underoath - Lost in the Sound of Separation (Tooth & Nail) [audio] [upcoming shows]
I'm hard pressed to write anything significantly positive or negative about the latest album from metalcore act Underoath. This album is what it is. They nailed putting out a polished and solidly written album, and it is one of their heaviest to date. It holds up against the works of their contemporaries like Haste the Day and As I Lay Dying, but I kept trying to listen for the special spark that would separate this album from the pack. It failed to ignite.
- j.p.
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Released 09.02.2008
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Monday, September 29, 2008
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Various Artists - Bones Original Television Soundtrack (Nettwerk) [audio]
Everyone knows Bones is a really bad show. A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad substitute for a television program. Its terrible acting and writing has caused most viewers to either change the channel or experience mild nausea. And I'm basing all this on the four minutes I watched once (by mistake). One might imagine that the harebrained idea to manufacture a soundtrack for such litter would result in a mess of big names and unknowns handing out their worst material just to make some easy cash. It is.
- cormac
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Released 09.02.2008
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Friday, September 26, 2008
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ZZ Top - Eliminator: 25th Anniversary Collectors' Edition (Rhino) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Let's not mince words. Eliminator is the definitive rock/new wave hybrid album. In its remastered and expanded state, it's even better. The most noteworthy inclusion here is the original non-truncated version of "Legs," unheard since the album's first pressing in 1983. Several live cuts are tacked on, as well as an additional dvd with all the videos (and even more live footage). More vital than all the bonuses, though, is the improved sound (the synths really pop now). Intended to be played loud, and preferably while driving.
- paul
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Released 09.09.2008
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Thursday, September 25, 2008
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Tracy Shedd - Cigarettes & Smoke Machines (Teenbeat) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Tracy Shedd isn't a household name. In fact, she's a songwriter's songwriter the way Ron Sexsmith and Mary Lou Lord are. And when she releases an album (which isn't often), more critics and music know-it-alls will buy it than average people will. I only mention all this because of how perplexing it is. Cigarettes & Smoke Machines is sharp and upbeat and, at the same time, intimate, confessional and bittersweet. Quality from beginning to end.
- paul
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Released 09.23.2008
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Wednesday, September 24, 2008
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Liz Durrett - Outside Our Gates (Warm Electronic) [audio] [upcoming shows]
I am no connoisseur of female musicians, but when I fall, I fall hard. I still have no clue what the hell Jewel was singing about and am puzzled by Regina Spektor and her barrage of "uh ohs" at the end of every line of every chorus. With a raspy voice backed by gentle string arrangements and the help of Vic Chestnutt, Liz Durrett's album lets mellowness reign with exceptions: the upbeat groove of "Wild as Them" and the heavier moodiness of "Always Signs". If Cat Power and Nina Nastastia need some company, the potential is certainly here.
- mark
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Released 09.09.2008
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Tuesday, September 23, 2008
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Banner Pilot - Resignation Day (Go-Kart) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Fuck yeah. Another band that gets it: Banner Pilot. I listened to the record over a bowl of cereal and cleaning both cat litter boxes and I was stoked. You can hear the influence of The Lawrence Arms and Dillinger Four for sure, but with a hint of some Face to Face. Minneapolis, MN has better punk coming out of it than most cities I can think of, and the record's under 33 minutes. Great job!
- emerson
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Released 07.15.2008
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Monday, September 22, 2008
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John & Jehn (Faculty) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This wasn't the easiest album to get into. It's sooo French; and not that really cool, sexy Serge & Brigitte kind of French either. It's more like that grainy, black and white Godard movie kind of French. They make quite a racket for just two people, mostly with Farfisa and drum machines. "Fear Fear Fear" comes closest of anything here to sounding like what I suspect they were going for (The Velvet Underground), but over all it satisfies in unexpected ways.
- sam
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Released 04.15.2008
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