Let's Rock the Beach

"Streetz Tonight" by Araabmuzik

2011-12-04T11:19:00.000-05:00

"Emergency Room" by Ford & Lopatin

2011-08-02T21:20:00.000-04:00

Video: "True Loves" by Hooray For Earth

2011-07-28T22:05:00.000-04:00

"True Loves" has been floating around the blogosphere for a while now (it even snuck on to my favorite songs of 2010 list), but with Hooray For Earth's debut album just out, similarly titled True Loves, I felt it was appropriate to revisit this great track. And the visually impressive video makes for a dramatic companion to the electronic epic.

Album Review: Umphrey's McGee - Anchor Drops

2011-07-10T03:05:00.000-04:00

Umphrey's McGee: Anchor Drops

[SCI Fidelity 2004]

8/10

For a jam band like Umphrey’s McGee, it is understandable that their comfort zone lies on stage where their extended jam sessions and creative genre-fusion experimentation yields an enthusiastic crowd response. In the studio, however, the goals are somewhat different: like always you want to entertain and otherwise move the audience, but the lack of live, in-person energy must be considered. Speaking for myself, at least, extended jam sessions (I’m thinking several tracks off of the Allman Brothers Band’s At Fillmore East) can grow tiresome even on a live album, let alone an album recorded in the closed, comparatively stale environment of a studio. While Umphrey’s McGee’s 2004 album Anchor Drops is not without the epic jam journeys that are in their nature, it is a very tight, well-produced album that carries over energy from the stage to the living room.

Hailing from the Chicago area, the band members embrace the city’s strong jazz influences and urban culture while fusing numerous other genres like rock, heavy metal, funk, and even some country. This fusion lends to some incredibly complex and carefully constructed song compositions with styles, melodies, and instrumentation changing abruptly in many songs. The large band behind this blend consists of Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger on guitar and vocals, Joel Cummins on keyboard and vocals, Ryan Stasik on bass, Kris Myers on drums and vocals, and Andy Farag on percussion. Over the course of the album, just about every member has time in the spotlight, from the organ-like keyboarding in “Miss Tinkle’s Overture” to the furious drum intro to “Mulche’s Odyssey.” More constant and predominant, however, are Stasik’s funky and outstanding basslines and Bayliss and Cinninger’s heavy guitar riffs and warm, clear vocals.

The album’s opener “Plunger” well characterizes the album as a whole with a prominent scratchy guitar riff leading into a number of pace and style changes from a psychedelically synthesized guitar portion to acoustic fingerpicking, calming piano melody, and then back to a gritty electric guitar riff. It’s one thing to incorporate these elements within a single song, but it is quite another to do it well and seamlessly, which Umphrey’s McGee accomplishes more often than not. “Anchor Drops” and “In the Kitchen” are two of the catchiest songs here, with the first offering a groovy bassline and climactic guitar work, the latter bringing alternately foreboding and uplifting melodies and excellent lyrics, and both radiating pure coolness.

The pace and style of the album then abruptly changes with the slow, laidback country tune “Bullhead City” on which Bayliss’ wife Elliott Peck provides a wonderful harmonizing vocal. The song is very calming and beautiful, but it (along with the acoustic instrumental closer “The Pequod”) feels out of place on the album. While the structure of numerous songs leaves the door open for even greater experimental jamming, song lengths are kept to a minimum (maxing out at 7:43) and the album is better for it. “Miss Tinkle’s Overture,” an epic instrumental jam session driven by keyboard and a soaring guitar, lets the band flex their instrumental muscle, as do the bluesy-rock of “Jajunk Pt. I” and “Jajunk Pt. II” and the psychedelic machine-filterings of “Robot World.” As impressive as these demonstrations are, however, many songs do tend to step on each other’s toes and contribute to a sense of repetition.

The last standard song on the album, “Wife Soup,” is also arguably the best. Beginning with another groovy bassline, the song descends and then rises into an upbeat guitar and brass section (courtesy Karl Denson on saxophone and Andy Geib on trombone) before making a number of piano-driven melodic detours. For all its intricacies, the song converges twice with a soaring, catchy, and instantly sing-along chorus that makes the song standout on the tracklist.

As mentioned earlier, Umphrey’s McGee wears their pride for Chicago on their sleeves. If their Chicago pride weren’t obvious enough from their album cover, the album is dotted with urban sound effects and references from the “doors closing” announcement of an L train (“Anchor Drops”) to street scenes (“Jajunk Pt. II,” “Robot World”) and lyrics depicting urban living (“In the Kitchen,” “Walletsworth”). The city’s love of jazz and blues music is embraced throughout the band’s work in addition to a number of other genre influences. In addition to the jam band formatting their music expertly into a studio album format, their consistent musical energy and masterful jamming abilities should make Chicagoans and jam bands alike proud.

"Milkshake" by Yuck

2011-06-01T21:48:00.000-04:00

Video: "Celestica" by Crystal Castles

2011-05-03T21:20:00.001-04:00

I went to my first legit music fest last weekend! Actually, perhaps not as legit as your Coachellas, your Bonnaroos, your Lollapaloozas, but still an awesome time. The 2nd annual Sweetlife Festival was a one day affair at Maryland's own Merriweather Post Pavilion and while most everyone was there for Girl Talk and the Strokes (both of whom were amazing), one of the more memorable performances earlier in the day was Crystal Castles. I hadn't gotten around to listening to them before, but this concert changed that. How would I describe it? Alice Glass hopping around stage on crutches (due to broken ankle), falling to the floor and writhing frequently, screaming chants piercing and incoherent. All backed by a seizure-inducing light display and a comparably dizzying rapid fire of electronic beats and hisses from Ethan Kath. It was bewildering, challenging, and strangely captivating. As I see if their two studio albums capture the dramatic freakout of their live show, here is the video for one of their more popular, quieter songs "Celestial".

"Bedouin Dress" by Fleet Foxes

2011-04-30T01:03:00.000-04:00

Album Review: Real Estate - Real Estate

2011-04-08T20:27:00.001-04:00

Real Estate: Real Estate

[Woodsist 2009]

9/10

Does New Jersey truly suck? Admittedly, I've only been on the excellent, highly abridged tour: the picturesque beaches of Cape May, the nice parts of Camden County that are far cries from actual Camden, the affluent suburbia of North Jersey, and not-unpleasant excursions through said region's more dilapidated, less Kodak-worthy cities on the way to New York. The state has its haters for its undoubtedly shitty aspects, but you will nevertheless find plenty of natives with boisterous, non-ironic pride for the Garden State.

Lo-fi surf rockers Real Estate are patriotic Jersey boys, but absolutely not in the Bruce Springsteen way. Their self-titled debut is a seamless blend of mellow psychedelic folk, surf pop, and alternative country that whispers odes to the home state and the imagery of chilled out fun in the sun. "Carry me back to sweet Jersey, back to where I long to be" sings Martin Courtney, whose everyman vocals are usually buried in the mix, but the emotional resonations of his words make up for the physical distance of his voice. The overall effect is not too dissimilar from James Mercer's layered croon on Oh, Inverted World. The suburban imagery is more evoked sonically through patient, looped rhythms and warm lo-fi glow.

Resting on Courtney's reserved singing are airy guitar riffs that hit decidedly country tones (Read: the second half melody of opener "Beach Comber" will hook you on these guys). But as informed by CCR (at their slowest) and outdoorsy folk as Real Estate may be, it is still a sound that lives on the Jersey Shore. The jangly guitar chords and psychedelic underpinnings flesh out the band's mellow, summertime aesthetic. "Atlantic City" is an instrumental, slow motion hang ten that's far prettier than its namesake, and "Let's Rock the Beach" doesn't so much rock it as it puts on a blissed out liquid light show for the beachcombers. Only closer "Snow Day" breaks seasonal rank, serving sing-along folk and softly soaring vocals not far removed from Robin Pecknold and Fleet Foxes.

As much as the tunes stick, you may realize, once broken from trance, how effortless and unassuming Real Estate really sounds. The post-college members of the band seem to speak to a time when summer actually meant trips to the beach and relaxation before another school year, not actual jobs and actual stress. It's not all sunglasses and above-ground pools, but damn if it isn’t a beautiful life created in Real Estate. Courtesy of sweet Jersey.

"Beach Comber":

"The Morning" by The Weeknd

2011-03-29T21:38:00.000-04:00

Video: "Wolves, Lower" by R.E.M.

2011-03-17T21:32:00.000-04:00

As much as I want to say Collapse Into Now is a rebirth, or at least a crawling-out-of-the-grave, for R.E.M., sorry, but it's really not that good. In fact, I prefer Accelerate, which itself is barely above average. But I'm on a strong R.E.M. kick lately, delving into their latest proper live album, 2009's Live at the Olympia, which is a lovingly compiled double-album that focuses more on early-career hits and deep-cut favorites. The album inspired me to finally check out the oldest R.E.M., their 1982 debut EP Chronic Town, which has just the kind of jangly guitars and mumbled lyrics that counts as quintessential R.E.M. for me.

"Hamilton Road" by Ducktails

2011-03-05T13:01:00.000-05:00

Album Review: Christmas Island - Blackout Summer

2011-02-26T17:44:00.000-05:00

Christmas Island: Blackout Summer

[In the Red 2009]

4/10

The members of Christmas Island appear to be well into their 20s, but the hallmarks of their debut peg them more in the middle teenage years: messy outbursts, undirected angst, general "why me" confusion over girls and life, and pessimism to boot. Once you've grown through the pubescent years, you probably have less sympathy for the melodrama and self-pity that teens rub in peoples' faces. In music, particularly brands like punk and indie rock that often pedal in teen angst, it takes a lot to make this material compelling and make you care, and the lo-fi garage pop of Blackout Summer misses that mark.

The band's aesthetic does include certain influences that would be lost on the typical teen garage punk band, including Beach Boys-inflected melodies and guitar work that hints at surf rock. The songs of Blackout Summer seem to reach for surf pop hooks and an underlying sense of innocence, but any pop approachability is kept at bay by the bleak lo-fi recording quality that buries the guitar and drums in heavy muck. Whether it's by drums of impending doom ("Pre-Apocalyptic") or horror movie organ ("Egypt"), Christmas Island takes a number of slanted pop tunes and weighs them down with stark production and off-kilter instrumentation.

The effect is less off-putting, though no less unsettling, on the tracks more imitative of straight punk rock, like the cymbal-crashing "I Don't Care" and the start-and-stop of "Anxiety Attack". Besides lo-fi production that purposefully lends Blackout Summer a gristly demeanor, tying the tracks together are the vocals of frontman Brian Island. Delivered with complete articulation and a nasally impersonation of a nerdy teen punk, Island's vocals are simple, blunt, and eventually tiring. While the band's lo-fi aesthetic sounds in part like fellow San Diegan Wavves, Island's vocals are mostly distinguishable above the guitar and drums, creating a less claustrophobic atmosphere than Nathan Williams' relentless fuzz. How much Island's voice, and the band's general sound, is aimed at mimicking (sympathizing with?) garage-playing kids is not clear, but whatever the aim, the album loses traction fast for its lack of maturity.

Island's one-dimensional vocals already denote a simplistic worldview, but the lyrics further stress a grating lack of intelligence. It's easy to point the finger here at "Dinosaurs", which stomps along with lines like "Dinosaurs, I can't believe you ever existed" and "Stegosaurus…Tyrannosaurus REX!" Elsewhere, as on "My Baby", simplicity doesn’t amount to any sort of charm: "My baby, I love you, more than the stars above you. My baby, please hold me, if you don’t I'll die slowly."

For all the aesthetic choices that, at parts of the album, feel like self-sabotage, there are moments where Island's ramshackle moan and instrumentation confused between surf pop and downer punk make for interesting ditties, even if they are just that. The feverish guitar licks of "I Don't Care", the rare (at least musical) uplift of "It's True", and the accessible melody of "Bed Island" are replayable tracks, even if they still subscribe to an aesthetic that gets old fast.

Christmas Island can go ahead and muddy up their pop songs with lo-fi production, gloomy instrumental effects and punk inflections, but ultimately, the band must face up to the question of why anybody should care. And it's hard to invest much into Blackout Summer when it so often hints that it's almost brain-dead.

"Blackout Summer":

Photo: Loud and Quiet

"Codex" by Radiohead

2011-02-22T21:43:00.001-05:00

Album Review: Ambulance LTD - LP

2011-02-19T10:53:00.000-05:00

Ambulance LTD: LP

[TVT 2004]

8/10

"Guitar solos are so back!" raved Rolling Stone magazine in May, 2004. Those solos would be courtesy of Ambulance LTD, an indie rock outfit from Harlem with a sound varying from dreamy pop to loud, dense shoegazing. It was back in 2004 that the band released this confident, mature rocker, officially titled "LP." But neither Rolling Stone's nod nor the praise of numerous other music critics has given the band much notoriety or public recognition since it was released. Furthermore the state of the band since has been turbulent and unfortunately dissolving: 3 of the 4 original members left to form The Red Romance citing "interpersonal dramas", leaving lone member Kevin Congleton on his own until 2008 when he acquired 3 new bandmates. But it was also in 2008 that their record label TVT filed for bankruptcy and then tried to sell their artists' back catalog, prompting Congleton and labelmates The Polyphonic Spree to sue.

All this is such a shame, because LP is indeed a very satisfying rocker that has the potential for mass appeal, even years after it was released.

Opener "Yoga Means Union" immediately shows the old Ambulance LTD flexing its guitar might as this instrumental rocker leads to an exciting climax. The use of distortion and the removal of drums at the climax add to the incredible ambiance and attitude of the song, which immediately is candidate for the best song on the album.

Enter Michael Di Liberto, the confident yet simultaneously restrained lead vocalist and guitarist of 2004's Ambulance LTD. His vocal debut on the album's second track "Primitive (The Way I Treat You)" is full of promise, but the song's high attitude and swagger suffer also come with a bit of cockiness and annoyance that is not smart for an early track in the album. The band quickly recovers, however, humbling themselves with an acoustic guitar, keyboard, and a muffled drum beat and electrical guitar on the more pleasing "Anecdote," which was featured in the background of a recent Nokia commercial. While pleasant sounding, it is ironic that this has basically led to the band's only 30 seconds of mainstream fame, as it can easily be interpreted as a depiction of heroin use.

Coming off that foot-tapper is the best song on the album, "Heavy Lifting." Half of the song is recorded as a lo-fi, almost Sebadoh-esque dream song that is undeniably cool in its delivery. Then, quite unexpectedly, an unshielded electric guitar leads the way into a drawn out falling action for the song that, wordlessly, closes out the first half's dreamy landscape in a totally different mood.

"Ophelia" and "Stay Where You Are" follow Ambulance LTD's standard, engaging formula of combining a quite standard, melodic rock guitar riff with a vocal presentation covered in a light cloud of distortion to create a calming, psychedelic environment, that simultaneously...well, rocks. "Sugar Pill" similarly combines both elements, but added is a constant "beeping" beat and loud, fast drumming that create a sense of panic and urgency that is also present in "Stay Tuned". It is especially not on the next track "Michigan," whose slow buildup and forgettable melodies make it the low point of the album. Next with that aforementioned song, "Stay Tuned" has a rather intense opening mood that is combined with mysterious lyrics as well as a lighter, more pop sounding chorus that is thoroughly satisfying.

On "Swim," Ambulance LTD combines both dreamy instrumentation and vocals to create a very mellow whose melody rises over the chorus like a wave. The tempo changes a little over halfway through the next tune "Young Urban" when the mellow song rises to a climax followed by the loudest minute in the half on the album. This final minute and a half is the clearest example of shoegazing on the album as the song builds in intensity with loud drumming and a heavily distorted vocal and guitar riff.

The album's concluding piece is where the band's Velvet Underground connection lies. The band performs a solid cover Lou Reed's "The Ocean" from his self-titled debut solo album from 1972. Furthermore, in 2007, Congleton was working with John Cale to develop new material for what would have been a new Ambulance LTD album, but in keeping with a trend, neither a new LP nor any Congleton/Cale collaborations have surfaced.

So what is Ambulance LTD today? Your guess is as good as mine. With no new music in five years (after 2006's New English EP), it's perhaps easiest to say they're down for the count. The cruel intervention of the music gods have made sure a promising band in Ambulance LTD was cut down just as it was blossoming. But to dwell too much on the band's perhaps fatal growing pains is to miss what we should be thankful for: LP. The reason we think about where they are now is because in 2004 Ambulance LTD released a confident, melodic, fully accomplished shoegaze-rock album that still holds its own today. Through the reshuffling, lawsuits, "interpersonal dramas", and bad management, to the four guys behind LP: be proud.

Video: "The Tracks of My Tears" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

2011-02-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

Another soul kick. This one is courtesy of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. On a whim of somewhat recognizing the album cover, I bought their 1965 landmark album Going to a Go-Go at the DC Record Fair. Since then I've been enthralled with this record, particularly their classic "The Tracks of My Tears". I'm not the karaoke-inclined man, but if I was to find myself on stage in front of a microphone and eager audience, I might just have to (lovingly) butcher this song out of euphoric admiration.

The Dismemberment Plan

2011-02-12T23:43:00.000-05:00

OK, so I've been away from Let's Rock the Beach for almost a month now. What have I not chronicled in that time? Hmm...well, one of the best/most important/most memorable concerts of my life.

It was just another Monday at my work last September. Time for my lunch break, so I minimize the spreadsheets and surf over to Pitchfork. And what should appear on my screen, but news that rocked my world, news that I would never have expected, news that almost got me doing cartwheels down the office corridors:

"The Dismemberment Plan Reunite"

I was beside myself. I called my buddy with the ecstatic news and later that week we had our tickets (with hardly a minute to spare: the Plan's initial two shows in our hometown Washington, D.C. were sold out within 10 minutes). Now I just had to wait til January...

In college several years earlier, I had began my fervent love affair with this quirky, keyboard-smearing rock(?) band from Northern Virginia, when I heard "Gyroscope". It was two and a half minutes of tight, smart, absolutely electrifying rock with a catchiness that you couldn't shake off. Soon I was listening to Emergency & I religiously for its unique sound that was also so irresistibly melodic and fun. But it was once I started to really dig into what this Travis guy was sing-talking about that I realized Emergency & I was my absolute favorite album.

Travis Morrison's plainly worded observations on the insanities of everyday life sounded like musings that had crossed my mind countless times. The sudden realization of social isolation in "Life of Possibilities", the spelling-it-out anthem of "What Do You Want Me to Say?", the frustrations of relationships nixed in a transient urban life ("The City"). In a nutshell, it was everything that living through my 20s has been and continues to be. And it wasn't just Emergency & I; the Plan's more composed final album Change and previous records The Dismemberment Plan is Terrified and ! all spoke to the anxieties of growing up, facing the uncertainties of the post-college world, and hoping you don't wake up one day and, as Travis puts it, "don't know how you picked the wrong life".

But what ultimately makes this band so incredibly special and important for me is that the music faces these challenges, absorbs the pain and confusion, and decides to press forward, at times bravely so (I mean, what else are you going to do?). They're not always confident, but neither are we. We all have our doubts in times of depression, but the Plan knows that if we stick with this whole "life" thing, we'll eventually pull ourselves out of the doldrums, and not simply live again, but thrive. It's the unceasing humanity of the Dismemberment Plan that makes them so special.

...So January 22, 2011 arrived, and here I was at the 9:30 club seeing a concert I never thought I'd be able to see. The show was incredible, as expected, and as the band returned to the stage for the encore, I could sense what was coming next. One of the Plan's best concert traditions occurs when they play "The Ice of Boston", a track from Is Terrified that is one of the band's best and most hilarious tunes. It is customary for dozens of audience members to jump on stage to dance around and sing along to Travis's bizarre Bostonian New Year's story. When I heard the song's distinctively sharp guitar pluck, it was time to push to the front. And sure enough, I was living a dream: I was among the onstage mass of the 9:30 club belting out the words to "Ice of Boston" with the Dismemberment Plan. ("All fine mom...HOW'S WASHINGTON!!").

Emergency & I came out in 1999, and the Plan's last original music followed just two years later. But as I navigate the glorious highs and deflating lows of my 20s, their music becomes all the more relevant and resonating each day. And for speaking to my life in a way that perhaps no other band has, I'd like to say:

Thank you, Dismemberment Plan.

"and sometimes that music drifts through my car
on a spring night when anything is possible
and I close my eyes and I nod my head and I wonder how you been
and I count to a hundred and ten
because you'll always be my hero
even if I never see you again."

Photos from Pitchfork and mehan (1) and (2) on Flickr.

Video: "Life in Technicolor II" by Coldplay

2011-01-18T22:10:00.001-05:00

Well done Coldplay! I don't say that too often these days, but they surely deserve the kudos on the music video for "Life in Technicolor II", which I've just recently had the pleasure of seeing, while more non-cave-dwelling music fans surely saw it when it came out two years ago. Highly entertaining and very funny (particularly 2:57 and 3:28), I highly recommend it you haven't seen it. You've seen it a million times already? Oh, sorry.

"Shell of Light" by Burial

2011-01-15T16:31:00.000-05:00

Top 10 Albums of 2010

2011-01-07T22:01:00.003-05:00

Now for the top 10 albums of 2010. While not as extensive as listing my favorite 50 songs of the year, it was probably no less difficult to determine my 10 favorite long-players of the year, but here it is:

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Toro Y Moi: Causers of This
Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma

10. All Day by Girl Talk

[Illegal Art]

"Really?" Yes, Really. Throwing on Girl Talk at a party seems like an almost instinctual move to get the house thumping, which itself is a credit to Girl Talk's entertainment value. But I see the greatest mashup artist around as doing more than just getting a houseful of drunk collegiates dancing like no tomorrow and screaming "I know this!". Dare I say that, in the infinitely danceable frenzy, there's a heart...even a brain? If All Day is "listened to" as opposed to "thrown on", perhaps more people would appreciate that Greg Gillis is uncovering a hidden kinship among seemingly divergent musical styles that we never knew were blood brothers. It's up to you: enjoy for its creativity and/or enjoy because it's a party. Or you can miss out.

9. Nothing Hurts by Male Bonding

[Sub Pop]

While this year I was particularly fond of the overt pop statements and music that peddled in airy optimism, Male Bonding's blistering debut of grunge-inflected punk and No Age-style noise rock was addictive from first listen. Male Bonding accomplishes a biting edge while still delivering a solid compilation of catchy hooks and melodic rock.

8. Big Echo by the Morning Benders

[Rough Trade]

One of the best produced albums of the year, Big Echo is polished indie rock that feels big budget and quaint at the same time. Big budget because of the immaculate production work of Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor, who makes each track glow vocal harmonies and glistening guitar. But also quaint, in that the Morning Benders keep most of Big Echo as low-key, contemplative rock resembling Cymbals Eat Guitars' loud/soft dynamics but with more angelic vocals. As pleasant as these moments are, the album's more active highlights ("All Day Day Light", "Excuses") showcase a band with impressive balance, wide range, and considerable promise.

7. Plastic Beach by Gorillaz

[Parlophone, Virgin]

As odd as it sounds for a big name band like Gorillaz, Plastic Beach is the Gorillaz we've been waiting for. Gorillaz was a beloved trip-hop beat machine and Demon Days was a radio-ready bass-thumper of polished electro-rock, but Plastic Beach is their concept album, and one with more cohesive identity and personality than either of its predecessors. Sporting a half-dozen single-worthy tracks that are the band's most melodically strong yet, Plastic Beach represents an expanded range for Gorillaz that doesn't change the band's image, but makes them more sonically and artistically dynamic.

6. Shame, Shame by Dr. Dog

[Anti-]

I'm so glad I gave Dr. Dog another chance. The on-paper intentions of reviving 60s pop-rock in 2008's Fate were admirable, but the execution was sorely underwhelming. On a whim I checked out a few tracks from Shame, Shame not expecting much, but finding them to be more confident and well-rounded than anything on Fate. Very gradually I found its optimistic indie rock sneaking into my listening time until I realized that Shame, Shame is one of my most played albums of 2010. More fully realized than any prior Dr. Dog release, the West Philadelphians have come into their element with an extremely solid set of warm, catchy and in some cases risk-taking rock (namely including "Where'd All the Time Go" which features all three). Creating a gorgeous nostalgia for an era of more easy-going rock, Dr. Dog's fifth album is an addictive treat that's certainly the most pleasant surprise of the year.

5. Contra by Vampire Weekend

[XL]

Contra is more playful, globally influenced pop from Vampire Weekend, but make no mistake: Contra is also a serious artistic statement that establishes Vampire Weekend as more than a fleeting 2008 buzzband. Their second album hits all the targets of their debut, from stirring up a preppy yet universal and smart pop image to crafting youthful melodies with clever African influences. Only this time Vampire Weekend is far more ambitious in doing so, embracing symphonic electropop ("White Sky"), harnessing thoughtful auto-tune ("California English") and sporting world-conquering radio rock ("Giving Up the Gun"), among other innovations. Many put off by Vampire Weekend's simplistic pop and ivy league culture doubted the band's staying power two years ago. Contra should firmly declare that not only does Vampire Weekend have legs, but they have the confidence to enter a full sprint.

4. Stuck on Nothing by Free Energy

[DFA]

Free Energy is exactly that. Placing an album that's so expressively and convincingly optimistic as Stuck on Nothing in my top five for the year was a no-brainer. Free Energy riffs on strong classic and glam-rock influences to create songs that are imitators of the past (and this is meant in the absolute best possible way). Massive power chords strike down and epic guitar solos permeate this record while Paul Sprangers sings anthems about being young and wild, going after your dreams, taking chances, and living with no regrets. As a twenty-something feeling new to the post-college world, Stuck on Nothing represents life as it looks to me now as well as the potential of life that I need to grasp. Regardless of your age, Stuck on Nothing is a powerful mission statement, but above all else, it's an incredibly fun listen.

3. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West

[Roc-a-Fella, Def Jam]

I used to really not care too much about Kanye West, as his self-absorbed public antics befuddled and annoyed me while I really couldn't get into any of his music. Then this came out. The absolute game-changer of the year, West's fifth studio album translates his celebrity tribulations and personal psychosis into an endlessly creative and entertaining art form. Each track on Twisted Fantasy takes interesting left-turns away from your standard chart-topping rap, and just about each one is confident, fascinating, and extremely refreshing to hear for such a top-tier, popular hip-hop artist. The sparse piano and auto-tuned fuzz of "Runaway", the angelic sampling of "Devil in a New Dress" and the loud-soft dynamics of the stunner "Lost in the World" all complement strong rapping on each track, as well as rock-solid contributions from Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, and a host of other guests. It's strangely comforting that an A-list media-hogging celebrity like Kanye West can stay in touch with his day job and, at the peak of his popularity, create amazing art as well.

2. Astro Coast by Surfer Blood

[Kanine]

If Weezer were to turn it around and get back to those nerdy bedroom rockers we used to love out of them, perhaps they could be reborn as a musically relevant band again. But even if they did, at this point, they'd probably have to be called "the next Surfer Blood". Astro Coast's simple formula of polished, calculated, old Weezer-like pop rock is executed with a level of sophistication and energy that exceeds original expectations for this young Florida band. From mountain-sized anthems like the resounding "Swim", to the tropical riffing of "Take It Easy", to the determined rocker "Anchorage", Surfer Blood manage to show off a mature variety of song structures that are all the more impressive for their confident execution. Forget Hurley, get some Astro Coast on rock radio!

1. The ArchAndroid: Suites II and III by Janelle Monae

[Bad Boy, Wondaland Arts Society]

It's a beautiful thing when bounding ambition and expansive vision is matched by the successful creation of something truly ambitious and visionary. The ArchAndroid is just such an accomplishment. Out of almost nowhere (besides a prior EP and being taken under the wing of Diddy and his Bad Boy Records), Monae has come out with the most imaginative LP of 2010, fusing together dozens of distantly related styles (feisty dance rock, fragile R&B, experimental indie) into a compelling concept album with Disney-like production. Besides a complex narrative undercurrent to the album (android love in a future dystopia?), The ArchAndroid more obviously showcases musical literacy, as Monae jumps among a dizzying array of styles with ease and, more impressively, total confidence in what she's doing. It's easy to see that that confidence stems from her golden pipes: she has a beautiful voice that lets her hit the belting numbers with gusto ("Tightrope", "Cold War") and the lighter tones with grace ("Oh, Maker", "Neon Valley Street"). It's exciting that a blossoming new artist that's gaining exposure to mainstream R&B and pop circles is also an artist that breaks away from what less skilled musicians are crapping out on the Top 40 and dares to be catchy, though-provoking, and most of all, unique.

Top 50 Songs of 2010: 25 - 1

2010-12-23T22:12:00.001-05:00

..And now, the 25 best songs of the year. After this, I'll be listing the top 10 albums of 2010.

25. "Slow Jabroni"

Surfer Blood
Astro Coast

Astro Coast's slow burner, "Slow Jabroni" is riveting in expressing cold separation and striking intimacy that's impressively honest for such a young band: "Ooohhhhh...take it easy on me".

http://tinyurl.com/2eaj595

24. "The Popular Thing"

Jukebox the Ghost
Everything Under the Sun

A big, happy, piano pop bear hug.

http://tinyurl.com/2agb94j

23. "All Things This Way"

Male Bonding
Nothing Hurts

At a minute and a half, "All Thing This Way" must be 2010's highest concentration of face-melting rock.

http://tinyurl.com/2gykjzr

22. "Blessa"

Toro Y Moi
Causers of This

"Blessa" rides the gentle waves of a summer coastline, while warped beats and keyboard glisten, submerged below.

http://tinyurl.com/y8g8p69

21. "Bottled in Cork"

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
The Brutalist Bricks

Feel-good rock that actually rocks. Ted Leo and co. remain electrifying.

http://tinyurl.com/2uv7skg

20. "Bang Pop"

Free Energy
Stuck on Nothing

Speaking of feel-good rock, how about feel-on-top-of-the-world rock?

http://tinyurl.com/365qp3x

19. "Devil in a New Dress"

Kanye West [ft. Rick Ross]
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

That looped sample from "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" by Smokey Robinson, that swaggering guitar bridge, that smooth-as-silk verse from Rick Ross: all make for a showstopping track.

http://tinyurl.com/2ezy96l

18. "What's In It For?"

Avi Buffalo
Avi Buffalo

"What's In It For?" has the warmth and sing-along friendliness of a campfire song, only with some beautiful guitar flourishes and an airy chorus the Shins wish they'd discovered first.

http://tinyurl.com/24spj4u

17. "True Loves"

Hooray for Earth
[Album out Spring 2011]

Forgive me again for perhaps jumping the gun on another pre-released song, but "True Loves" demands urgency: tribal drums frame a sleek, futuristic pop song that rises and falls like airwaves into space.

http://tinyurl.com/2c9wpdc

16. "Where'd All the Time Go?"

Dr. Dog
Shame, Shame

"Where'd All the Time Go?" is charming, 60's-washed folk pop showcasing Dr. Dog at their most assured and most musically engaging.

http://tinyurl.com/2824oxw

15. "Oh, Maker"

Janelle Monae
The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)

Nestled among a frenzy of high-tempo funk, experimental pop and a vast array of other wild and wonderful genre fusions, I found this song's sweet soulful tune irresistible and performed beautifully.

http://tinyurl.com/2bmdw35

14. "Carolina"

Girls
Broken Dreams Club EP

Girls channel Pink Floyd to stunning effect, before emerging with the kind of sweeping, heartfelt chorus we all knew Girls was capable of. But here they outdo themselves.

http://tinyurl.com/28aw658

13. "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

Arcade Fire
The Suburbs

The Suburbs intends to be, but it is on this track where it feels like there's the most at stake. Throbbing synths ring out like approaching alarms and Regine Chassagne's singing is, well, mountainous on a truly compelling epic.

http://tinyurl.com/2awwzkx

12. "Let's Go Surfing"

The Drums
The Drums

That whistle. Sure, this is an awesome song in large part because of that surfy riff, and the simplicity is disarming (the guy just wants to go surfing, and don't care 'bout nuthin' else). But that carefree whistle is probably what I'll remember most about this song.

http://tinyurl.com/yegttlv

11. "All Day Day Light"

The Morning Benders
Big Echo

With a chorus you want to shout from the rooftops (once you watch the music video to figure out the words), "All Day Day Light" is a great indie rock band at its greatest...so far.

http://tinyurl.com/2clycu7

10. "When I'm With You"

Best Coast
Crazy For You

Southern California stoner pop with a penchant for the days of fun-in-the-sun Beach Boys. Best Coast's debut LP closes on this exciting lo-fi rocker that combines a cowabunga surf riff with lyrics less innocent than its surface suggests.

http://tinyurl.com/y35jreq

9. "Year's Not Long"

Male Bonding
Nothing Hurts

It only takes about 6 seconds for the year's best punk album to burst with a transcendent fury. While Kevin Hendrick's ghostly wail floats above, Robin Silas Christian and John Arthur Webb lay down a fiery punk soundscape leaving no earth unscorched.

http://tinyurl.com/392ffj9

8. "Diplomat's Son"

Vampire Weekend
Contra

Playful synth beats and a sunny tropical melody propels Vampire Weekend's longest track to a warm summer day you never want to end.

http://tinyurl.com/2fm8wo9

7. "Ambling Alp"

Yeasayer
Odd Blood

Primal urgency makes the futuristic pop of "Ambling Alp" compelling from start to finish. The thundering drums force you alert, while the soaring chorus pulls you closer and commands you to live in the now.

http://tinyurl.com/22tqyk7

6. "Tightrope"

Janelle Monae [ft. Big Boi]
The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)

Staying stationary for the duration of this frenzied boogie is scientifically impossible.

http://tinyurl.com/yzhl4wa

5. "Stay Close"

Delorean
Stay Close

The official song of summer 2010. Rare are songs like this that can capture the enthusiastic freedom, fond nostalgia, and simple high-on-life excitement that this Ibiza-flavored dance pop gem can.

http://tinyurl.com/y88jnfh

4. "Swim"

Surfer Blood
Astro Coast

As you can tell, I absolutely love songs that explode right out of the gates, and "Swim" is one such song. But the fact that it keeps bursting through a pounding drums and a stadium-sized chorus quickly earned the song a place in the year's top 5.

http://tinyurl.com/26rkt2b

3. "Free Energy"

Free Energy
Stuck on Nothing

Everyone has an anthem, at least for certain periods in their life, whether they admit it or not. I don't know if "Free Energy", with its classic rock swagger and lyrics about finally letting out into the world on your terms, is that song for me right now. But it's trying awfully hard to be.

http://tinyurl.com/yl2u5ty

2. "Runaway"

Kanye West [ft. Pusha T]
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

A stunning response to his many haters. Every artistic risk works here, from the sparse piano-note time keeper to the opaque singing dying an autotuned death. I'm moved in particular by the latter motion, as the meaning is unknown, but breathy gaps in the gorgeous drone prove that something is trying to get through.

http://tinyurl.com/24ks2lc

1. "Heaven's on Fire"

The Radio Dept.
Clinging to a Scheme

The best, and most romantic, song of the year is not about romance. It is probably not obvious upon the first few listens, as the first obstacle is the shoegazing haze softening Johan Duncanson's humble vocals, but it's about the soullessness of the music industry, working for profits rather than art. This position is more authoritative when taking the opening quote seriously: Thurston Moore's railing against rock and roll as "big business" and "the bogus capitalist process that is destroying youth culture". The lyrics are thematically clever, hinting that it's actually a girl Duncanson's thinking about; whenever he sees her, "heaven's on fire". But ultimately, the message is strengthened by the sonics, which are gorgeous from all sides. Heavenly piano pulls the composition skyward and weaves through the bridge. Clean bass and warm guitar ground the song in a strong melodic base. Duncanson's low drone bends with the melody just enough to guide it along wonderfully. The piece de resistance is probably that burst of joyful horns and Disney strings to add just another flourish. As all these elements wash over, it feels like a grand symphony for that really special someone. While the Radio Dept. seem to have more political intentions in mind, it doesn't make "Heaven's on Fire" any less intimate, even if the only sure love here is between me and this song.

http://tinyurl.com/ybx5sv9

Top 50 Songs of 2010: 50 - 26

2010-12-22T09:53:00.000-05:00

I've done the tabulations, calculated the masses, and mixed and matched bubbling chemicals in test tubes to finally arrive at the 50 best songs of the year! I've never done such a song-ranking experiment, and it was not without arduous list making, checking it twice, thrice, etc. But while my methods ultimately aren't scientific, and more weight should be given to ordering in, say, the top 25, this list represents the best songs of 2010 I've had the pleasure of listening to. First are songs 50 to 26.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
"Go Outside" by Cults
"Chinatown" by Wild Nothing
"Mirror, Mirror" by Dr. Dog

50. "Hold Yuh (Double Dubplate) ft. Gyptian"

Major Lazer & La Roux
Lazerproof

An unexpectedly moving finale to an underrated mixtape.

http://tinyurl.com/2aer2lr

49. "In the Sun"

She & Him
Volume 2

The chorus really doesn't have to be "in the sun", but it's not important, and that's the point. This is simple, innocent, charming pop. And Zooey certainly doesn't hurt.

http://tinyurl.com/yano58c

48. "Daisy"

Fang Island
Fang Island

Fang Island likes to think that no matter what age we are, there's a sugar-crazed 10 year old inside of all of us.

http://tinyurl.com/ya2sm5y

47. "Imagination (I Want You to Know)"

Miami Horror
Illumination

Unpretentious dance pop that's South Beach-dreamin'.

http://tinyurl.com/2g3s2yj

46. "If You Want It"

TV Girl
TV Girl EP

A song about featuring drunken bedroom antics, it's a pleasant surprise that "If You Want It" is so carefree and bursting with life.

http://tinyurl.com/233vxhd

45. "Some Kind of Nature"

Gorillaz
Plastic Beach

Alternating between a bouncy pop song and a foreboding bass-heavy tune, "Some Kind of Nature" is one of Plastic Beach's most replayable tracks.

http://tinyurl.com/33lvefc

44. "Limit to Your Love"

James Blake
James Blake (out February 7th, 2011)

Although this has yet to see a proper album release, it was impossible to ignore this absolutely breathtaking cover that beats the Feist original.

http://tinyurl.com/27enj53

43. "I Want to Be Well"

Sufjan Stevens
The Age of Adz

A unpredictable odyssey-within-an-odyssey that exhibits Stevens' bold new course into electronica on Age of Adz.

http://tinyurl.com/2eucs6t

42. "Am I Real?"

Nite Jewel
Am I Real? EP

The budding 80s-style synthpop artist turns out a polished gem with groove and intellect.

http://tinyurl.com/27c9w72

41. "Waterfall"

The Fresh & Onlys
Play It Strange

A easy, rambling jam that lovingly pays homage to 60s garage pop and psychedelic rock.

http://tinyurl.com/2fss3ut

40. "My Chariot"

The Depreciation Guild
Spirit Youth

Beautiful shoegaze pop that makes no hesitation in embracing the latter.

http://tinyurl.com/23lm8vg

39. "I Don't Believe You"

The Thermals
Personal Life

I may not be liking the Thermals' recent move towards a slower pop-punk style, but as long as they can still drop a fist-pumping powder keg like this, I'll be looking for them on tour.

http://tinyurl.com/23jx98u

38. "Jesus"

Dom
Sun Bronzed Greek Gods EP

A bite-sized nugget of sparkling, riff-drenched pop.

http://tinyurl.com/2c4r8sv

37. "Post Acid"

Wavves
King of the Beach

While Wavves is now more pop punk than fuzz-times-10 punk (Wavvves), he still has legions of haters. You can buy or pass on the snappy melody of "Post Acid", but whatever you think of him, he may be thinking the joke's on you: "I'm just having fun with YOOOUUUUU!"

http://tinyurl.com/2w86cba

36. "Jackie Wants a Black Eye"

Dr. Dog
Shame, Shame

Dr. Dog's easygoing, nostalgic pop rock is on full display on Shame, Shame's penultimate song.

http://tinyurl.com/y8koqeq

35. "Dark Trance"

Free Energy
Stuck on Nothing

Heartfelt power pop with powerful words of wisdom: "But if you wait too long...you might miss that song, you might never meet that girl..."

http://tinyurl.com/2boybly

34. "Written in Reverse"

Spoon
Transference

Don't piss off Spoon, or they'll make a song like this that will almost literally kick your ass.

http://tinyurl.com/28qap4s

33. "Home"

LCD Soundsystem
This Is Happening

In an album of solid long-running songs, "Home" feels the most impactful and complete. Don't miss the music video, as it's easily one of the year's best.

http://tinyurl.com/2caltcb

32. "Excuses"

The Morning Benders
Big Echo

Swirling in a beautiful collage of cinematic strings and earthy drums, "Excuses" is one of the year's best album openers.

http://tinyurl.com/y9btdoe

31. "Round and Round"

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Before Today

For all its dimensions (aged-sound, modern sound, avant-garde, catchy), what's most impressive about "Round and Round" is that all those seemingly contradictory traits coalesce seamlessly into a lovably quirky pop song.

http://tinyurl.com/yjcwzje

30. "Valley Hump Crash"

No Age
Everything in Between

Not one of Everything in Between's more hyped tracks, but "Valley Hump Crash" simply wins you over on a ridiculously strong guitar riff.

http://tinyurl.com/23ywdzs

29. "Can't Stay Awake"

Cloud Nothings
Turning On

Turning On bursts open on this jangly lo-fi firecracker from a promising bedroom pop artist.

http://tinyurl.com/23am4cz

28. "Giving Up the Gun"

Vampire Weekend
Contra

One of Contra's most fully realized singles is a head-turning showcase for a band that's only getting better.

http://tinyurl.com/ycf627a

27. "Book of Stories"

The Drums
The Drums

Perhaps 2010's best 80s-aping band, The Drums have a capture a beautiful melancholy on the catchy "Book of Stories".

http://tinyurl.com/2vtd72d

26. "Rhinestone Eyes"

Gorillaz
Plastic Beach

Stark synths deliver a solid groove and alarming melodrama that drips with cool.

http://tinyurl.com/2uc5soc

Most Memorable Lines of 2010

2010-12-18T19:43:00.001-05:00

Before I get to the reviewer's customary songs of the year countdown (there will be 50) and albums of the year (there will be 10), these are a few of the most ear-pricking lyrics I heard in 2010.

"I Want to Be Well" by Sufjan Stevens

"I'm not fucking around!"

Well, that got everybody's attention.

"Ambling Alp" by Yeasayer

"Stick up for yourself son! Nevermind what anybody else done!"

Now that's a rallying cry.

"Free Energy" by Free Energy

"We're gonna start a new life, see how it goes."

Being in my early 20s, this is 100% my life. And very likely yours as well.

"Pow Pow" by LCD Soundsystem

"On this occasion, there are a couple of things that we know that we learned from fact magazine. One, the king wears a king hat and lives in a king house. Two, your time will come, but tonight is our night, so you should give us all of your drugs. Three, we have a black president and you do not, so shut up, because you don't know shit about where I'm from that you didn't get from your TV."

James Murphy reps for us North American scum.

"Pirate Jet" by Gorillaz

"It's all good news now, because we left the taps, runnin', for a hundred years."

Or: What we've done/are doing to this earth.

Photos: Sufjan Stevens by badnbode; Yeasayer by trainstobrazil_; Free Energy by LokiDePirate; LCD Soundsystem by VGoRiLLaZ; Gorillaz by I_LOVE_DONUTS

"Banned in D.C." by Bad Brains

2010-12-13T20:31:00.001-05:00

Album Briefs: Kanye West, The Rolling Stones, Sleepingdog

2010-12-07T21:45:00.001-05:00

Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

[Roc-a-Fella, Def Jam 2010]

8.5/10

There's no telling where the melodramatic saga of Kanye West will go from here, but My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, his magnum opus, is the culmination of all the hubris, all the contradictions of image, all the public meltdowns, and all the inner demons and paranoia made public from life under a magnifying glass. As someone who was not particularly enthralled by West's antics or music until buzz tracks for Twisted Fantasy started dropping, this album has floored me in its excitement, honesty and boundary-bending ambition. "Power" indulges West's self-glorifying tendencies to startling impact, "Devil in a New Dress" gorgeously samples Smokey Robinson's "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?", and centerpiece "Runaway" closes on several minutes of auto-tuned, destroyed vocals that is riveting in its opaqueness. West raps with a confidence reflected in his music and the guest appearances shine brightly, especially Nicki Minaj's scorched-earth verse on "Monster", John Legend's graceful piano and singing on "Blame Game", and the numerous contributions of Bon Iver's (?!) Justin Vernon, which includes the generous donation of his song "Woods" for West's re-imagining in "Lost in the World". You could say Dark Fantasy is a game-changer in hip hop, and it should be, but perhaps it's not. Instead maybe it's just a stand-alone masterwork from an artist in a league all his own.

The Rolling Stones: Some Girls

[Atlantic 1978]

9/10

I'm far from a Rolling Stones aficionado or completist, but all I can say is that recently I've fallen in love with Some Girls, after sitting on it for several uneventful years. When I'm in the mood for a real man's album, I'll turn to the testosterone-fueled swagger of songs like "Miss You", "Some Girls" and "Respectable". Aside from being a really tight set of catchy classic rock, they include some of the Stones' funniest songs, namely "Far Away Eyes" in which Mick Jagger does his best redneck, and the title track, where Jagger recounts the peculiar generosity of his assembly line of lovers (Most rock 'n roll line: "Some girls give me children I never asked 'em for"). Some Girls is basically the sound of classic rock superstars being exactly who they are and singing about what they know. Rock n' Roll excess and daily debauchery was the Rolling Stones experience, and in this line of work they were more than comfortable.

"Beast of Burden":

Sleepingdog: Polar Life

[Gizeh 2008]

4.5/10

The quality standards for music strictly designed as serene or calming seems to be lacking. How hard is it to mess up the sound of soothing? Go out to the forest with a tape recorder and you're likely to come back with the easing ambient of birds chirping, the wind rustling, and the rest of the natural world doing its thing. Polar Life was an underground favorite in 2008 for its supposedly beautiful minimalism. But in the serene, I see the sterile. Each track is designed to be sharply sparse, with little more than piano, humble strings, and whispery female vocals. But the few elements that are there are so thin and chilly they don't provide a welcoming appeal. Chantal Acda's clean singing isn't pushed to any limits, but rather stays in a barely expressive whisper. Calm becomes tedium on most of Polar Life, with an exception being "The Sun Sinks in the Sea" in which the music accomplishes tension in its negative space. Without the intrigue though, you're left with music so quiet and slow it's really only meant for an unadventurous Sunday morning headphone listen.

"The Sun Sinks in the Sea":

"Carolina" by Girls

2010-12-04T09:54:00.000-05:00

Album Review: Mishka - Above the Bones

2010-12-01T20:13:00.000-05:00

Mishka: Above the Bones

[j.k. living 2009]

4/10

Each time I listen to Above the Bones, the third proper album from Bermudan reggae singer Mishka, I can’t help but think of Ras Trent, played by Andy Samberg on Saturday Night Live last year. That boneheaded white Rastafarian spends his days quoting Selassie I, smoking pot, and otherwise trying to be the ultimate, oh-so-cool college Rasta just like the Jah-loving scenesters that have inspired him. And I can imagine that besides adorning his walls, Ras Trent’s iPod is full of Bob Marley, as well as any other reggae artists with a leftist message and chilled out groove. All things considered, Ras Trent would love Mishka.

That’s not to say that Mishka’s musical intentions are inherently inane. Reflecting a childhood bouncing around the Caribbean, Mishka is a straight up reggae man with a gentle, widely accessible aesthetic. Bob Marley is his man, the legend’s music permeating deeply into his style and vocals, and surely there’s nothing wrong with having the king of reggae as a major creative influence. But what Mishka does with this influence is what’s important, and unfortunately, on Above the Bones, it isn’t much.

Mishka’s brand of reggae is rife in adult contemporary pop clichés, and while Above the Bones may make for good background music at a chill college party or a pleasantly simple source of relaxation, it’s still a predictable and generic record. The problems start from the get go, as opener “Higher Heights” plods along on a dime-a-dozen slow reggae rhythm before reaching an unimaginative chorus. “Train Again” doesn’t sound too dissimilar, except here the song is marred by a guest vocalist whose deep-voiced toasting is grossly overdone.

While ultimately a flop, at least “Train Again” takes a risk, which is more than can be said for the safe soft rock that elicit bored yawns elsewhere on the album, especially on “Mountains Meet the Sea.” “Peace & Love” is a slow pseudo-kumbaya of mind-numbing simplicity, while the acoustic closer “Guy With a Guitar” is cheesy, overly-suave, and designed to elicit lovestruck sighs in girls’ dorm rooms.

The gentle soft reggae rhythms match the album’s generic lyrics, making Above the Bones a boringly tame listen. Even the brief periods of ambiance sound effects, like the party crowd on “Higher Heights,” the train noises of “Train Again,” and the wash of the tide on “Coastline Journey” sound clichéd and amateurish. In singing in generalities and not varying his Marley-like vocals, most of Mishka’s songs pack no punch and become exceedingly forgettable. When Mishka most directly confronts social ills on “3rd Eye Vision,” which is musically one of the few catchy bright spots on the record, his lacking songwriting skills are most evident. Although sporting an enjoyable chorus and a nice use of horns, the song’s lyrics are laughably ridiculous, as Mishka shares that “I keep wishing corporations/ And the politicians/ Would make title restrictions/ On the fossil fuel emissions.” It’s one of those toothless songs for political change that you know will end up accomplishing zilch.

Despite its rudimentary treatment of world peace, love, and other feel-good notions, Mishka does manage several worthwhile tracks besides “3rd Eye Vision.” The title track is an uplifting, relaxing tune helped out by female backing vocals and Mishka’s most graceful singing on the album. Darker tones mark the more serious, but still relaxing “Some Paths,” another highlight.

In the end, however, besides being a competent soft reggae album, Above the Bones offers no surprises. Mishka sticks to a tired formula that ultimately yields few rewards, while his lyrical takes on world politics and “peace and love” are sorely lacking creatively and intellectually. Between thought-provoking social consciousness and radio-friendly tunes geared for the college set, Mishka can’t accomplish both, and ends up with more of the latter. So while the gospel for folks like Ras Trent remains Bob Marley and the other legends of real roots-reggae, there’s a good chance the reggae heads will find time to obnoxiously blast Above the Bones down the hallway.

"Coastline Journey":

"Hey Cool Kid" by Cloud Nothings

2010-11-26T12:30:00.000-05:00

Video: "The Reeling" by Passion Pit

2010-11-21T10:33:00.000-05:00

I'm just one man, and I can't even begin to try to listen to all the year's best music in that calendar year. In 2009 I did not properly register the warm and mellow surf rock of Real Estate and now I see I've also sorely overlooked the wacky electropop dance party that is Passion Pit. Among the best from last year's debut LP Manners is the ecstatic song-of-escape "The Reeling".

Album Review: Candy Claws - Hidden Lands

2010-11-13T11:31:00.007-05:00

Candy Claws: Hidden Lands

[Twosyllable 2010]

6.5/10

One childhood fantasy that hardly ever dissipates with age is the dream of discovering unseen worlds. Brushing apart the tall grasses, stepping out of the space capsule, stumbling upon a world of color when all you’ve known was black and white. Hidden Lands promises in its title to show you this alternate universe and the songs (“Miracle Spring”, “A Strange Land Discovered”) further guarantee sights seemingly foreign to this earth. Such a virginal utopia can cater to a multitude of experiences: carefree leisure, wild adventures, or, as Candy Claws seem to like it, a meditation like none other.

The sleepy indie pop soundcapers are at total ease in the dream worlds they create. While their 2009 debut In the Dream of the Sea Life was billed as a “musical companion” to the 1951 best-selling book “The Sea Around Us”, their follow-up takes more cues from their Colorado roots, inspired by Richard M. Ketchum’s “The Secret Life of Forests”. Birds chirp, babbling streams flow by, and the majesty of sweeping forests and mountain slopes take form in lush washed out keyboards and orchestral accents.

Despite the wealth of delicate sounds populating Hidden Lands, the album is considerably, and perhaps overly, quiet (or “feeling” quiet). The effect of quaint children’s songs on loads of Benadryl is accomplished in whispery, droned vocals layered in unison. Lyrics are vague at best, as the vocals clearly serve to be another calming tone among the rest (similar to cited influence My Bloody Valentine). As serenely as these compositions flutter past, the songs maintain a subdued hum that can be hard to shake, in that the band doesn’t shake things up. While “Sunbeam Show”, with its mesmerizing sirens and clean melody, is a gentle charmer speaking to the best of dream pop intentions, the interweavings of “On the Bridge” and “Hiding” blur the lines between sleepy and sleep-inducing.

Candy Claws radically endorse a connection to nature through a drugged-out psychadelia that stays firmly in one gear. But in this sleepy haze, there is a colorful sonic diversity that rewards focused listens. Whether stuck in first gear or happily never wanting to leave it, beautiful serenity is an accomplished goal here. We may never see strange new worlds like the ones we imagined in our youth, but perhaps the lesson in Hidden Lands is that the undiscovered is all around us; we just have to slow down, be quiet, and listen.

"Silent Time of Earth":

Photo: DigiDan

"Waterfall" by the Fresh & Onlys

2010-11-10T21:43:00.000-05:00

Album Review: Ken Nordine - Colors

2010-11-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

Ken Nordine: Colors

[Asphodel 1967, 1995]

6.5/10

The year was 1966. Ken Nordine, the widely recognized baritone voice behind dozens of commercials and movie trailers of the time and the originator of “word jazz,” which involves spoken word narration over cool jazz, was approached by advertising agent Bob Pritikin. Pritikin wanted Nordine to narrate radio commercials for the Fuller Paint Company that would focus on the colors of the spectrum, giving them distinct and absurd personality traits. Nordine agreed, and in the studio recorded ten commercials of the rich make-believe world of colors, complemented by the almost improvisational smooth jazz of the project’s band, led by Dick Campbell.

The result? Fascinated radio listeners called into the stations asking to hear the “colors” again, perhaps unaware that they were commercials. Spurred on by the success of the commercials and Nordine’s own enjoyment with the project, he decided to expand the idea of colors in word jazz into a full album, recording narrations for secondary colors and removing references to the Fuller Paint Company. With the addition of 10 bonus tracks left off of the original album, 1995’s rerelease of Colors covers 34 colors, ranging from lavender to orange to mauve, all in about 1 1/2 minutes each.

While Ken Nordine denied that he was a “beatnik,” his surreal narratives, social commentaries, and prominence in the poetry-and-jazz movement at the height of the beat era make his recordings, especially Colors, sound very much entrenched in the subculture. Knowing this background is helpful in understanding what you’re getting into in listening to Colors: mystery, bizarreness, intellectualism, and a large helping of pretentiousness.

Colors finds “Olive” being named “color of the year,” “Azure” feeling “bored with just being blue,” and “Crimson” described as “sick in the red!” One of the best and most well known tracks is “Yellow,” a mystical story of yellow being added to the spectrum. “Yellow” famously begins with “In the beginning… oh, long before that…” Nordine’s brief illustrations of the colors, whether they be short stories or wild sketches of personality, are often funny, frequently puzzling, and always artsy. His rich, expressive voice certainly breathes life into the colors, showing that perhaps no other voice could pull of this daring project. Supporting the endeavor, the jazz band assembled for the album does a solid job of providing clear moods and well-fitting tones for Nordine’s color interpretations. But regardless of the quality and necessity of the band’s performances, they take a backseat to Nordine’s suave poetry; this is Nordine’s work, and his words are always prominent and at the center of attention.

However, even when broken down into small portions of the color spectrum, the idea can be grating with over 30 colors covered, and many listeners will find the obtuseness and intentional elitism of Nordine immediately annoying. An example of this intellectualism is on the back cover of the album, which features a scientific-styled slide of some blue and black figure with the description “obviously the infratension is too facile and this has sorely affected the darkest force just behind the left kneecap.” Its meaning is entirely lost on me, and I can imagine that it’s understanding can only be faked by those of Nordine’s highly educated, artistic persuasion. But I feel that Nordine was very aware of his often-snobby approach to artsy poetry; he was aware of its pretentiousness, but his intentions were always, at their core, lighthearted and in the name of fun.

While Colors may not have a lasting enjoyment for many listeners beyond being a “colorful” remnant of the ‘60s beat era and an important album in “word jazz”, it is an amusing oddity. Music lovers looking for a unique, high art experience may find some special pleasure with Colors, but don’t be surprised if you get some strange looks from your friends. In fact, they should be expected.

"Green":

Video: "Soul Serenade" by Aretha Franklin

2010-10-31T20:32:00.001-04:00

I've been on a soul kick lately. In watching old Aretha Franklin videos and absorbing every second of I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, I'm convinced she could have read the phone book and make it sound like a Sunday spiritual reawakening. This simple black and white video from 1968 captures her in her time of breakthrough to superstardom.

"Chinatown" by Wild Nothing

2010-10-27T21:12:00.000-04:00

Album Review: Umphrey's McGee - Mantis

2010-10-22T21:08:00.001-04:00

Umphrey's McGee: Mantis
[SCI Fidelity 2009]

4.5/10

Before Mantis, we didn't see Umphrey's McGee as one of those jam bands. They weren't the kind to launch into overly meandering prog rock journeys or have a 30 second "Preamble" track. From their onstage jam sessions ("Jimmy Stewarts") to the compact radio-ready songs of Anchor Drops and Safety in Numbers, UM has stayed user-friendly; everyone's Rock with a capital R. For all it’s familiar elements, however, Mantis trades the warm and accessible for unfocused rambling that flies by in a messy blur.

The lead up to Mantis quickly revealed that the album would be a game changer for the band. Rather than road testing new songs, like they had done their whole career, UM was mostly hush hush on new material, instead crafting them in the secrecy of the studio. It was an inward-looking recording process that is not inherently misguided, but is surely risky considering the band's preeminence as a live, crowd-pleasing group (you know, a jam band).

Mantis is still recognizable as UM, but only in a piecemeal form. Trademark UM melodies and propulsive rhythms dot the landscape, but they are soon absorbed into aimless experimental riffing and spacey detours. "Turn & Run" is Umphrey’s McGee in true form until around the two-minute mark, when spacey synths transplant the steady groove into alternate dimensions for the next 5 and a half disjointed minutes. In fact, "disjointed" appropriately describes much of Mantis, from the bloated 12 minute title track to the forgettable meandering of "Spires". I’m sure the frequent tempo shifts looked great on paper (I would think so too), but in practice, they more often leave listeners lost and confused.

Even the album's several bite-sized tunes can't register the energy and excitement of previous records. Its flat chorus renders "Made to Measure", the first song and single, utterly forgettable and "Prophecy Now" is a dull mood piece. Closers "Red Tape" and "1348" simply pack in the prog-inclined exercises of the longer tracks into tighter quarters. Could it be that the most enjoyable track is the tight, bass-driven dance beat of "Cemetery Walk II"? Well, "Cemetery Walk" is the only long-runner here that doesn't collapse under its own weight, but altogether, Mantis delivers few of the really memorable, hook-adorned tunes that proliferated Safety in Numbers ("Nemo") and Anchor Drops ("Anchor Drops", "In the Kitchen").

Had this prog rock experiment worked out better for UM, Mantis could have its long-runners, but smoother transitions, more patient tempo shifts, and more cohesive song structures would have to be part of the equation. When the songs aren't submerged in obtuse prog foolery, Mantis at least shows that Umphrey's McGee can still be catchy and fun as hell. But listening to the band's latest outing, as the minutes pass by, I shouldn’t be asking myself: "What song am I listening to again?"

Video: "Pillar of Salt" by the Thermals

2010-10-19T21:38:00.002-04:00

A fantastic live show can ease away many a disappointment on record, and that's exactly what I saw the Thermals do last Friday. I was let down with the voracious pop punk trio's fourth album Now We Can See and have found their most recent LP, the mostly mid-tempo Personal Life, to be a major downgrade from their more agitated and engaging past. But in seeing them absolutely kill it at the Black Cat, I'm reminded of why I still love and respect these guys. Whether through fiery politics or composed reflection, the Thermals are a crowd-pleasing kind of band that values most an audience enjoying the hell out of their music. This philosophy explains the awesome video for "Pillar of Salt", arguably their best song. Watch out for the Arrested Development chicken dances and the Decemberists' Colin Meloy!

Album Briefs: Miami Horror, Guster, Bibio

2010-10-16T20:50:00.014-04:00

Miami Horror: Illumination

[EMI 2010]

7/10

Miami Horror is (at least half) an excellent moniker for this Australian electropop outfit, in that their debut LP Illumination sets the vibrancy and glitz of South Beach to disco-indebted dance music. "Horror"...well, creative license. Anyways, these Aussies deliver an impressive set of warm synthpop tracks with nuances of indie rock and more experimental soundscapes. The focus, nevertheless, is on songs designed to have you moving physically rather than mentally. The super-catchy beach party "Holidays" is a standout here, featuring Alan Palomo of Neon Indian, who seems like a natural contributor here. "Imagination (I Want You to Know)" is an innocent dance-pop pleasure rollerblading down the boardwalk. What's particularly refreshing about Illumination is that while a number of tracks don't manage to accomplish a distinctly memorable legacy, altogether the band clearly has no intention of cornering a narrow demographic. Rather, all of Illumination has an inclusive gravitational pull.

"Holidays":

Guster: Easy Wonderful

[Aware, Universal Republic 2010]

6/10

On 2006's Ganging Up on the Sun, Guster suited up when we wanted them dressed down, releasing a super polished, meticulous pop rock affair that succeeded in parts but was altogether a rather lackluster effort. It's a shame then that on Easy Wonderful, Guster overcompensate to deliver an easygoing, cloyingly friendly album that is their most unimpressive release yet. It's hard to hate on Guster, because even here you want to be friends with these guys and have their optimistic pop songs soundtrack your young adult life. "Do You Love Me" is a beaming chorus surrounded by jovial but less necessary song parts, while "Well" is a rather creative folk story delivered in a quirky hush. But just about all else on Easy Wonderful is certainly easy, but disappointingly forgettable. The more laid-back vibe that is seemingly the bent here turns into song after song built on the same old guitar strum and half-baked chorus that quickly goes stale. The album is also lyrically corny and perhaps a bit to watered down by an aiming for the Christian Rock demographic ("Stay With Me Jesus", "Jesus & Mary"...enough with Jesus!). The album isn't enough for me to break up with you, Guster, but it's fair to say things are on the slide.

"Do You Love Me":

Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue

[Warp 2009]

7/10

While there are plenty of vaguely classified indie rock bands that dip their toes, or go waist high, into the vat of electronica in all its forms, I find less familiar to be the electronica producer making an indie rock album, which is sort of what Bibio does with Ambivalence Avenue. Bibio (England's Stephen Wilkinson) has crafted a calming electro-acoustic aesthetic over five albums, but Ambivalence Avenue introduces vocals and weightier song structures to give his music more inertia. The result is a eclectic but cohesive statement incorporating a groovy faux-funk ("Jealous of Roses"), urgent electro ("S'Vive"), strongly affected R&B ("Fire Ant"), and soothing, all-the-time-in-the-world acoustic tracks like the innocent "Lovers' Carvings". Ambivalence Avenue is a smartly executed work, but despite its broad palette, like its cover art, it lacks color to really impact emotionally and sonically on multiple levels. In a gorgeous, perhaps Parisian streetscape, a dash of red mysteriously marks an alcove in an otherwise grayscaled world. Wilkinson should let more engaging tones and hues color the rest of his sonic landscape.

"Jealous of Roses":

"Valley Hump Crash" by No Age

2010-10-08T20:38:00.000-04:00

Currents: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Arcade Fire, Nite Jewel

2010-10-05T22:28:00.003-04:00

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: Let It Sway

[Polyvinyl 2010]

Over three albums and five years, SSYLBY have commonly taken cues from the likes of the Shins in developing a composed, guitar-centric indie pop. They were most successful with the organic pop melodies of 2005's Broom, while after that letting studio polish and cruise control result in the more sterile Pershing. Let It Sway has the band as bent as ever on making agreeable melodies and being that nice mellow folk rock that floats around in the scenery until you're bored before the record's done. As on Pershing, the band does have its moments (the propulsive singing on "Back in the Saddle", the tightness of "Critical Drain"), but the rest of the album plods along on weak choruses, rehashed acoustic riffs and mutually embarrassing songwriting ("All Hail Dracula!"...really?). It sounds like SSYLBY have become (are spearheading?) a kind of indie brand more inspired by soft/alternative rock than anything else. And just like, say, the Goo Goo Dolls after Dizzy Up the Girl, SSLYBY have their moments of pop relevancy, but more often, the attempts at catholic melodies evaporate almost instantly.

Arcade Fire: The Suburbs

[Merge/Mercury 2010]

Arcade Fire has surely represented the most glaring gap in my '00s indie music education, as I had barely heard a single song by them until I first gave The Suburbs a shot a few weeks ago (yes, I didn't start with Funeral; so it goes). I don't know what drove my insulation from them, but with The Suburbs, my awareness begins. After numerous listens, I have developed that vague notion that I'm hearing musical brilliance in the form of intensely detailed compositions and lyrics of obsessive conceptual significance. But is the music actually grabbing me? No, not really. The sweeping gestures seem to not pack the gravity and emotional familiarity to keep most of the songs from running together to the point of stressing a narrow point ad infinitum. I didn't expect to hear it like this, but I probably enjoy some of these songs, like "Rococo" and "Modern Man", as standalone singles, rather than lumped in other melodramatic rockers. A very notable exception here is "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)", which has a welcoming immediacy and synthy, dance-focused undertones. I first heard this track while crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge just after dusk, looking over an industrial south Jersey shore and the monumental suspension cables. Musically and conceptually, it had quite the effect. As for the rest of The Suburbs, it could still prove to be a strong grower over time, but presently I'm not swept away by it. Where are the "Wow!" moments?

Nite Jewel: Am I Real? EP
[Gloriette 2010]

Nite Jewel's most recent release, this 26 minute long EP, is only seven minutes shorter than her 2009 debut full-length Good Evening, so it's tempting to treat it as a proper album statement as opposed to a scattering of tracks L.A.'s Ramona Gonzalez has been working on lately (fair or not). Whatever the intention in not just going for the LP label, Am I Real? shows artistic growth as well as stylistic continuity. Gone is the lo-fi buzz that lay like a fine dust upon Good Evening, now replaced by a sleek sheen clarifying every floating synth and sinking bass thump. What stays the same for Nite Jewel is a creative celebration of the electro '80s in a decidedly 2010 fashion. Gonzalez's voice is still ethereal and lyrically obscured, the synth keyboards build dreamy, sexy grooves, and nimble beats keep the music rooted in dance, with bookends "Another Horizon" and "Am I Real?" being the best examples of this.

"Am I Real?":

"Woods" by Bon Iver

2010-10-01T18:21:00.000-04:00

Album Review: Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere in the Between

2010-09-27T21:34:00.001-04:00

Streetlight Manifesto: Somewhere in the Between

[Victory 2007]

8.5/10

In 1007, original material had been a long four years in the making for Streetlight Manifesto, who have arisen to become one of the preeminent ska punk bands today. While the 90’s had the original Keasbey Nights, a landmark recording by Tomas Kalnoky’s old outfit Catch 22 in that decade’s third-wave ska boom, the 2000’s brings us Somewhere in the Between, Streetlight’s best work yet and a new pinnacle in this decade’s ska scene. This record is exciting, smart, aggressive, and fun. There are good things to be said about pretty much every aspect of this album and altogether, Somewhere in the Between is brilliant.

First and foremost, as is critical to the reputation of a ska band, is the instrumentation, especially in the horns department. Like in their 2003 debut Everything Goes Numb but perhaps even more so, Somewhere in the Between is sonically pristine and very polished. The great saxophone work, especially, contrast nicely with the hard and angry guitar, like on the album’s opener “We Will Fall Together.”

Elsewhere, Kalnoky brings the pace of action down to delicate melodies complemented beautifully with electric guitar plucking and occasionally soft backing vocals. Speaking of backing vocals, they play a huge role in this album, as they always have in Streetlight’s music, increasing the force and energy of each chorus, which has been one of the band’s best qualities.

While thematically darker than it’s predecessor, Somewhere in the Between continues in the style of Streetlight’s knack for peril-minded melodies in that the songs are often musically of an epic quality, which are supported completely by Kalnoky’s excellent lyrical work. The album does, however, have plenty of light moments, like on the extremely catchy “Down, Down, Down to Mephisto’s Café” and “The Blonde Lead the Blind,” which sounds the most like fellow kings of ska Reel Big Fish. The big divergence here, however, is that while RBF thrives on sarcasm and self-deprecating humor to launch into commentaries of adolescent life, Streetlight Manifesto seem to take themselves quite seriously, but with Kalnoky’s lyrics to support, the album feels smart and sophisticated while still being fun.

Despite the dark themes, the message delivered by the dynamic lyricist and leadman Tomas Kalnoky is thought provoking and inspiring. Kalnoky’s ear for catchy, satisfying rhymes extends to the larger scale of emotionally abrasive yet inquisitive narratives and snippets from life. Somewhere in the Between sounds like a commentary on mankind’s battles between good and evil and heaven and hell. We are, as the title suggests, in the middle of this eternal struggle. This idea also seems to be reflected in the album’s stylish cover art.

It is hard to find many flaws in this album, let alone any glaring ones. The final two tracks, while being strong and passable respectively, seem to step on each other’s toes in similarity. What is perhaps most disappointing however, is the length. Given the time Streetlight has had to record it, one would hope that for their sophomoric release they could muster up more than 10 songs over 44 minutes, which is about 10 minutes shorter than Everything Goes Numb. At least, however, they have put quality over quantity.

For Streetlight fans, they can rest assured that Somewhere in the Between does not break from the formula that produced their critically hailed debut from 2003, and it in fact exceeds that effort. New listeners to Streetlight Manifesto and even to ska itself will find much to enjoy hear as well, as the album’s plethora of catchy hooks and infectious energy make it the band’s most broadly appealing release yet.

"Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" by Arcade Fire

2010-09-24T21:52:00.001-04:00

Album Review: My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realise

2010-09-22T21:47:00.000-04:00

My Bloody Valentine: You Made Me Realise

[Creation 1988]

9/10

Outside of 1988's Isn’t Anything and 1991's landmark Loveless, the work of shoegazing kings My Bloody Valentine is spread out over a string of almost a dozen EPs, many of them documenting the band’s earlier gothic rock style. As the band moved into shoegazing, a genre My Bloody Valentine could pretty much be credited with as creating, one of the earliest examples of their later style is in the EP You Made Me Realise from 1988 and just prior to Isn’t Anything. It is uniquely more instrumentally upbeat than Loveless and more lyrically clear while still captivating with the “wall of sound” that is the band’s hallmark.

You Made Me Realise begins with the namesake of the EP and one of the strongest tracks in MBV’s catalog “You Made Me Realise,” a powerful song featuring soaring vocals from Kevin Shields and Belinda Butcher and a simmering guitar riff. As opposed to the use of vocals as sounds more than anything in Loveless, the lyrics are quite clear even amid distortion and carry out the frenzied pace of the song. A little past the minute and a half mark, the song begins to descend into a very thick layer of guitar distortion, almost seeming to showcase the use of ambiance to deliver the surrealistic sensations of their music, before the standard guitar riff reappears to close out the forceful opener.

More relaxed and dreamy is “Slow,” which seems to make little effort in trying to conceal that it is about a blowjob. Shields’s groaning vocals encapsulate the quite explicit nature of the song, which fits under the intimate themes in much of MBV’s music. Evident here is a consistent ambient melody through the entire song that is indicative of Loveless. More sunny and pleasant images come to mind in the next song “Thorn,” which showcases MBV at one of their lightest moments. The strongly pop-oriented melody is only restrained by the distorted ambiance that carries on in the background.

“Cigarette in Your Bed” brings the EP back into a darker, dreamier landscape that is complemented by cryptic lyrics (“Arms untied / Scratching your eyes out / With a smile”). Be it some description of S&M or something else, while the song is perhaps a bit off-putting, the band keeps the song from reaching any more morose with the familiar fast strumming of an acoustic guitar and more innocent vocalized melody from Butcher.

The EP’s conclusion with “Drive It All Over Me,” the only song here given joint-writing credits between band members (the others written by Shields), shows that each band member was right on the same page. Back into “Thorn” territory, “Drive It All Over Me” is another uplifting daydream, spearheaded by the once-again innocent vocals of Butcher backed by a wall of distortion and powerful drumming from Colm O'Ciosoig.

Alongside the popularity of Loveless, You Made Me Realise showcases the band’s ability to apply the same shoegazing innovations to a more down-to-earth release that could even be considered more accessible.

Video: "Coffee & TV" by Blur

2010-09-20T20:22:00.003-04:00

Behold: my absolute favorite music video! Fantastic song, thoughtful plot, and most of all, an iconic and utterly adorable protagonist in Milky the Milk Carton. Check your pulse if you don't at least crack a huge smile while watching this.

"Sunbeam Show" by Candy Claws

2010-09-17T06:09:00.000-04:00

Video: "Mmmhmm (feat. Thundercat)" by Flying Lotus

2010-09-15T20:58:00.000-04:00

As much as I hear technical skill, wide-eyed imagination and obsessive experimentation overflowing from Flying Lotus's Cosmogramma, it's a maddening work that I feel like I'll never figure out. The lush sonic textures warrant a headphone listen, and yet the abrasive tones have me at a distance now matter how low I turn down the volume. It's certainly the most challenging album I've heard all year, but amid the jungle is the superb space odyssey of "Mmmhmm" featuring Thundercat. The music video is exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to go along with this song.

Album Review: Cut Chemist - The Audience's Listening

2010-09-10T21:16:00.001-04:00

Cut Chemist: The Audience's Listening

[Warner Bros 2006]

5/10

The wikki-wikki scratch from a DJ’s turntable is, in essence, a musical surprise. A steady melody is stopped abruptly and a most unnatural scratching fuzz takes over. The DJ freezes the original piece in place, goes forward and backward in time, makes it do his bidding. It can be exciting, it can be as fun as hell, but standing in front of a huge apparatus of musical control, it’s understandable that a DJ is susceptible to letting all that power go to his head in a bad way. What might an over stimulated DJ sound like? Perhaps something like The Audience’s Listening, the first solo, full-length album of Cut Chemist, who is off-stage known is Lucas McFadden. While certainly enjoyable and interesting for several key tracks, Cut Chemist’s time to shine on his own suffers from the symptoms of a DJ just trying to do too much with his resources without a coherent plan.

Cut Chemist’s first solo album comes off of a long history of affiliations, compilations and contributions to other artists. In addition to his work with Latin fusion band Ozomatli, alternative hip hop group Jurassic 5, and a diverse list of other artists in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, Cut Chemist conspired with sampling legend DJ Shadow on several DJ mix albums that more closely characterized the alternative club/dance/hip hop of Cut Chemist’s The Audience’s Listening. This latest collaborative duo opens the door for what could be some largely harsh comparisons between the two. However, with the comparative successes of DJ Shadow’s sampling work, as on the colossal critical hit Endtroducing from 1996, and Cut Chemist’s respected but less acclaimed behind-the-scenes engineering, the duo hints at a master-apprentice relationship between DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. Regardless, Cut Chemist’s solo album is his opportunity to chart his own artistic direction independent of DJ Shadow’s. To give McFadden a fair shake, let’s table the DJ Shadow comparisons for now.

That said, Cut Chemist’s hybrid of club genres on The Audience’s Listening doesn’t quite play to the club scene, nor does it cater perfectly to an earphones listen or radio. In whatever environs, the album falls short of being an engaging listening from start to finish. The songs, which seldom break from a sense of repetition, feature promising, often electronica-influenced beats that aren’t employed to their full potential. Examples include “Metrorail Thru Space,” which unsurprisingly evokes thoughts of futuristic space missions but with vocal accenting that wears off the novelty quick, and “2266 Cambridge,” whose brooding beats and cityscape atmosphere end up not going anywhere. The reverse, in which Cut Chemist’s techno stylings mar an interesting vocal layer, occurs with “Storm,” where the abrasive rapping of Edan and Mr. Lif is dulled by an obnoxious, spacey beat of honks and beeps that leaps too far out of the background and into the foreground of the song.

What should instead be a major asset to the DJ, Cut Chemist’s scratching does little to advance the drama or excitement of the pieces. As if filling a quota, Cut Chemist’s scratches focus on already dull sections of songs, particularly the clichéd children’s screams on “(My 1st) Big Break” that are not enlivened by scratching. All in all, the scratching just doesn’t “ooh” and “aah” like it should, and the more times it fails to illicit a response, the more irksome it gets. However, the one ironically shining moment of Cut Chemist’s scratching here is on “Spat,” in which a clever use of scratches take center stage over a lounge piano and bass groove to create a humorous sketch.

Back to “(My 1st) Big Break” the song is a jumbled, annoying mess (save for a cool glass shattering effect) that epitomizes the excessiveness of Cut Chemist’s tweaking with his resources. The song further suffers from an atrocious overuse of blank vocal samples that creeps into other songs as well and is rarely interesting until the opening of “Spoon.” When it’s not a vocal sample that lets Cut Chemist down, it’s usually an actual singer or rapper. Aside from the moronic “The Audience is Listening Theme Song,” “What’s the Altitude” is the worst vocal culprit and probably the album’s worst song. In addition to inconsequential scratching and sampling, the hip hop tinged singing of Hymnal sounds horribly laid-back, mailed-in, and silly on top of atrocious lyrics.

Amid the dullness that permeates most of the album, the few bright spots on The Audience’s Listening are worth a listen. Despite a fierce non-message, “Spoon” features an almost Gorillaz-esque groove of a prominent bassline and funky guitar and is one of the few organic-sounding parts of the album. Another such moment of brilliance is the Brazilian bossa nova journey of “The Garden,” which is far and away the best song here. The song is a mysterious and dramatic piece with interesting scratching and appropriate vocal samples. At center stage, Cut Chemist resurrects the angelic “Berimbau” by Astrud Gilberto (of “The Girl from Impanema” fame) to give the “The Garden” a natural gracefulness and quality the rest of the album doesn’t touch.

Whether due to uninteresting scratches, thoughtless vocal sampling or poor basic song design, The Audience’s Listening simply lacks life. Except for on a few choice tracks, the songs come and go with nothing learned, nothing felt, and not even a particularly fun beat to dance to. Cut Chemist’s future works would be best served by a better control of his own DJing tools; perhaps turning down the bells and whistles, bringing back the surprise to the record scratch and injecting some more heart and soul into his compositions. Ultimately, in Cut Chemist’s moment in the spotlight, he throws a plethora of techno beats, random voice samples and plenty of scratching onto the album’s musical palette, but very little sticks.

"Repeater" by Fugazi

2010-09-07T21:12:00.000-04:00

Album Review: George Strait - 50 Number Ones

2010-09-05T14:55:00.001-04:00

George Strait: 50 Number Ones

[MCA Nashville 2004]

9.5/10

He isn’t an early singing-songwriting pioneer of the early country music sound, as that was Hank Williams. He has never quite gained the cross-genre celebrity, and certainly not the rebel image, of the legendary Johnny Cash. To those who have not grown up with and enjoyed his music for so many years, the pretense for George Strait’s position as the king of modern country music is in the numbers.

Strait has sold 65 million recordings, has a record 42 #1 songs on the Billboard country charts, the third most gold or platinum-certified albums ever behind Elvis and the Beatles, and he has had a record 55 #1 songs on all country charts. When Strait hit the big 50th #1 hit with “She’ll Leave You With a Smile” in 2002, it came as no surprise that two years later his top hits would be compiled into one album. Perhaps needless to say, it is a masterful collection from a living legend.

The 2-disc 50 Number Ones tracks Strait’s string of hits over 20 years starting in 1982. It starts with the first release of Strait’s new single (at the time) “I Hate Everything,” which turned out to be his 51st #1 hit. Following this, without any further ado, are all the #1 hits in chronological order. While more than a handful of these songs are instantly recognizable as modern country radio staples, others may be familiar only to the at least 40-somethings who have enjoyed Strait’s music from the beginning. This makes the album accessible for newcomers to Strait’s music as well as long-time fans young and old.

It’s nearly impossible for George Strait fans to have any qualms with this record. There are several great hit songs that, by the rigid technicality of the lack of a #1 ranking, are not here, most notably “Amarillo By Morning,” which despite becoming one of Strait’s most popular songs in his entire catalog, never became a top hit. Otherwise, this album is sure to satisfy, from the heartbreak songs like “Let’s Fall to Pieces Together,” to the impossibly cute “Check Yes or No” and the powerfully optimistic “Blue Clear Sky.”

Listening chronologically, you understand why Strait’s music has made him one of, if not the, most esteemed and worshipped men in country music: the formula. While the development of Strait’s career are marked by the inching up song lengths and the incorporation of better song production and more pop-friendly choruses, he remains true to his western honky tonk roots throughout. Strait’s often-subtle adaptations to the changing country music scene have let him court new era country fans as well as older country mainstays.

If you are just not a country music fan, then this album is not for you; for George Strait is the best embodiment of traditional country music. On the other hand, if you consider yourself a country fan, the greatest hits collection from country’s greatest hit-maker is an essential.

Album Briefs: Smith Westerns, Jack Johnson, Weezer

2010-09-03T23:32:00.002-04:00

Smith Westerns: Smith Westerns

[HoZac 2009]

7.5/10

The guys of Smith Westerns are all under 21 and yet they have lo-fi figured out a whole lot better than the likes of Vivian Girls and Christmas Island. The Chicago garage-rockers have an accomplished set of scuzzy tracks propelled by a hearkening back to classic teen pop of the 70s and 60s. Their ages and reference materials seem to naturally point to their content: love is on their mind. And that ranges from innocent yearning ("Be My Girl") to a winking you-thinkin'-what-I'm-thinkin'? ("Girl In Love"). It's impressive how cohesive and compelling the melodies are throughout this debut, as frayed guitars and clattering drums fill in a joyful romp between composure and release. The fuzzy recording quality is wisely not the centerpiece here, but seems to reflect the band as a scrappy upstart with wide eyes, towards both girls and musical success. Such beginnings seldom sound this assured.

Jack Johnson: In Between Dreams

[Brushfire 2005]

8/10

How's about that new Jack Johnson album? What album? Yea exactly. Apparently it briefly topped the Billboard chart, but really, I can't recall a less buzzed-about Johnson release. I'm an intermediate listener of Johnson and I didn't know a new LP had dropped til July! What seems more universally clear, however, is that the man-with-a-guitar thing has gotten a bit stale, a bit old, not producing enough lovely downtempo radio earworms. It's more reason to believe that In Between Dreams will go down as the definitive Jack Johnson album. It's this supremely smile-inducing album that won the most new converts, soundtracked more first kisses, sported the most catalog favorites that Johnson will be remembered for. Chillness has always been and probably will forever be Johnson's MO, which serves a purpose even when the melodies aren't as memorable. But on In Between Dreams, we could have it all: catchy choruses, infinitely repeatable singles, cohesive songcraft, and vibes as chill as the ocean is blue.

Weezer: Weezer (Red Album)

[DCG/Interscope 2008]

4/10

Rivers Cuomo has, after almost 15 years, become a "cool" kid, the center of attention, the life of the party. To look back on where Weezer has been, it's obvious how poorly this suits him musically. Not to get into the whole shpeel about the blue album, Pinkerton, and Weezer's early prime, but back then they were pioneering nerd-rock, an inspired power pop that charmed because they were the underdog freshmen we could all relate to. Whatever has gotten to them (fame? fortune? all just a joke?), they're the jocks now. So nowadays we get "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)", which is just as gaudy as it sounds, a ham-fisted ode to Cuomo's musical heroes and "heart songs", and half an album of songs that are instantly forgettable. "Troublemaker" and "Pork and Beans" get by on heavy hooks, but they still aren't exceptions to the red album's rule: big, dumb rock. A sloppy frat party would naturally blast these empty anthems, but if you're looking for the substantive, special, lovingly awkward Weezer, you'll have to go back to '94.

"What's In It For?" by Avi Buffalo

2010-08-29T15:06:00.001-04:00

Album Review: Title Tracks - It Was Easy

2010-08-27T22:18:00.003-04:00

Title Tracks: It Was Easy

[Ernest Jenning 2010]

6.5/10

I caught Title Tracks live by chance about a year ago when they played the last set of the Fort Reno outdoor concert series, a summertime tradition in Washington, DC. The hipster-ish audience had properly cogitated over the previous high-concept bands when Title Tracks started playing a slice of infectious pop as irresistible to the artistic set as it was to the passersby on the street. Soon enough, a few dozen people had gotten up from their blankets on the grass and started dancing together in front of the stage like they were all best friends. It was a memorable scene to see just about everyone letting loose so blissfully, but I’ll also remember it for one guy struggling to let down his guard: frontman John Davis.

Davis is not averse to this kind of setting. For years he was on drums for the notable post-hardcore outfit Q and Not U and briefly performed with Laura Burhenn in the indie pop project Georgie James. I didn’t necessarily need him to sell his music with a commanding stage presence that night, although that would have surely improved matters. Standing somewhat rigidly and giving only shy half-smiles early in the performance, Davis didn’t quite reflect the exuberance of his music that the rest of us were so charmed by. Regardless, I tracked down the debut LP It Was Easy upon release six months later to see if the lack of confidence translated to the recorded medium. For all Davis’ skill in crafting tight and universal pop songs, It Was Easy begs for a little more assertiveness at the helm.

As Title Tracks, Davis seems intent on playing his favorite kind of broad-appeal powerpop that was obscured in Q and Not U and perhaps not fully embraced in Georgie James. Surely songs like “Every Little Bit Hurts” and “Steady Love” are irresistible testaments to his impressive songcrafting. Each accomplishes what any proper pop song should: delivering an exceptional chorus and bouncing around in your head long after their three minutes are up.

A half dozen or so tracks prove Davis’ skill in melody, but they don’t always translate to successful pop. The aggravating jingle “Black Bubblegum” and the simplistic “No, Girl” feel overly deliberate in a quest for universal likeability. Painting more of the songs, unfortunately, is a lacking production quality. When Davis isn’t at his most convincing, the songs feel recorded on a tight budget when the sonic subject matter deserves much more. Within the context of fairly simple pop songs, muffled lyrics feel more like production flaws than stylistic choice. Perhaps it was too easy.

The ultimate surprise on the record is two guest appearances by Tracyanne Campbell from renowned Scottish indie pop group Camera Obscura. She provides backing vocals on “No, Girl” and, much more noticeably, alongside Davis on a so-so cover of “Tougher Than the Rest”. (Campbell seems to be passing this around: Camera Obscura performed their own excellent cover earlier this year.) I don’t know how Campbell became familiar with Title Tracks, let alone decided to contribute vocals to them, but while it’s a pleasant addition, she’s ultimately not a game-changer here.

What may read and sound like an underwhelming debut I actually prefer to contextualize as a promising debut that’s just stumbling out of the gate. The album’s hooks, and Davis’ efficiency in cranking them out, are undeniable, but a brighter future would be characterized by a shoring up of production issues and incorporating a broader melodic palette so that each track isn’t a simple sink-or-swim pop song. Oh, and also, smile!

Video: "North American Scum" by LCD Soundsystem

2010-08-23T19:26:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I went to a small nightclub where their Friday night thing is a dance party with indie-variety music and music videos playing on a large projector. Two of my friends lit up when this particular song started, which I was unfamiliar with. I couldn't make out much, but soon enough every 10 seconds we were screaming "NORTH AMERICA!" Passing by the projector to see two slow-motion astronauts wearing aluminum foil space suits and fighting on the moon, I knew then that I would be youtube-ing it once I got home.

Album Review: Five Iron Frenzy - Our Newest Album Ever!

2010-08-21T10:21:00.001-04:00

Five Iron Frenzy: Our Newest Album Ever!

[Five Minute Walk 1997]

6.5/10

Christian bands get a bad rap. Often categorized as preachy, musically predictable, and melodramatic, explicitly Christian musicians more often than not rub less- or non-religious listeners the wrong way. Simply put, most Christian music seems to preach to the choir, leaving little room for newcomers to the faith or those who want to listen to the music but bypass the messages expressed.

In the crowd of such bands, Five Iron Frenzy, a ska punk outfit from Denver, became one of the few Christian bands to achieve modest appeal outside of their core religious fanbase in the late 90’s. It turns out all that was needed were some catchy, upbeat ska tunes and a lighter, less dense approach to the word of God. The proof lies in songs like “Oh, Canada,” in which lead singer and songwriter Reese Roper remarks, “I want to be where yaks can run free / Where Royal Mounties can arrest me.”

It is an understandable criticism that their brand of music was just one of many copycats and look-alikes that combined to form the third-wave ska explosion of the 90’s. The jumpy melodies, upbeat horn instruments, and satirical themes are all qualities found in many ska punk bands of the era including Five Iron Frenzy, but where the band lacks in musical originality they make up for in their unique Christian themes, mastery of the catchy ska chorus, and the clear, powerful vocals of Roper.

Through the rise and fall of third-wave ska’s mainstream popularity, Five Iron Frenzy lasted from 1995 to 2003. At the time of 1997’s Our Newest Album Ever, the band consisted of Roper on lead vocals, Micah Ortega on lead guitar and vocals, Scott Kerr on guitar and vocals, Keith Hoerig on bass, Andrew Verdecchio on drums and vocals, Nathanael "Brad" Dunham on trumpet, Dennis Culp on trombone and vocals, and Leanor Ortega on saxophone and vocals.

Regarded as one of the band’s best releases, Our Newest Album Ever! begins on an interesting note with “Handbook for the Sellout,” which chastises the longtime fans of alternative bands that become popular to the point that those same fans turn their backs on the past idols because, as the song states sarcastically, “Being popular is lame.” In addition to being quite catchy, the song is a funny commentary on the cool factor that comes with loving obscure bands. The issue of bands selling out, however, is nothing new that FIF is bringing to the table, not even to the 90’s ska scene: powerhouse Reel Big Fish kicked of their 1996 album Turn the Radio Off with “Sell Out,” the band’s biggest mainstream hit and a song about payola scandals on FM radio.

What “Handbook for the Sellout” as well as the next couple songs demonstrate is that the band extensively shifts the focus of their music from religion to common, if often childish and silly, situations and occurances that the masses can relate to. “Where is Micah?” is an extended musical joke on how guitarist Micah Ortega frequently missed band rehearsals. Following this is “Superpowers,” an upbeat song describing life as a band. What is interesting here is that the song very subtly hints at the band’s religious message: “Don't want to rock the mic / Don't want to meet the pope / I just want to share with you / How we got this peace and hope.”

After these three catchy yet similar songs comes the interesting “Fistful of Sand,” which seems to bare a Middle Eastern influence and clear lyrics describing the emptiness of life on earth without God. To complement the serious nature of the song, Ortega breaks out a loud guitar riff implying impending doom while Roper sports an impassioned screaming of the lyrics just under 3 and a half minutes into the song that stands out against the other optimistic tracks here.

The album continues along at an excited pace, going back to high school days in “Suckerpunch” which reassures outcast youth that God still loves them, through the nonsensical joke/throwaway song “Kitty Doggy,” and “Blue Comb ’78,” Roper’s catchy but lame attempt at secular sentimentalism. The remainder of the album is marked by the infectious “Oh, Canada,” one of FIF’s best known songs, and “Every New Day,” a powerfully optimistic closer, that stick out amid a pool of solid yet repetitive songs.

The album is instrumentally polished and the band communicates well together to create good ska and pop punk melodies. But overall, in terms of instrumentation and songwriting, there are few big surprises as the band stays close to a bouncy ska rhythm formula. Roper’s songwriting skills yield satisfying rhyme schemes and, for Christians, some inspiring words of worship, but overall Roper is caught in the down-to-earth, often immature lyrics that are innocent but lacking much depth.

As far as 90’s ska bands go, Five Iron Frenzy fits into a common mold and formula with a large part of their individuality stemming from their Christian beliefs. Despite this, Roper’s clear, powerful vocals and tight instrumentation from the rest of the band make FIF a particularly interesting and fun ska band to listen to. Listeners can take what they like away from the band’s music in terms of religious teachings, but moreover, ska fans will enjoy a slew of infectious melodies with Our Newest Album Ever!.

"Bang Pop" by Free Energy

2010-08-18T21:48:00.000-04:00

Video: "Which Song" by Max Tundra

2010-08-16T21:51:00.000-04:00

Ben Jacobs is quite the quirky Brit. As Max Tundra, he crafts sleek and bizarre electropop that makes you question what pop is. Is this catchy? Is it odd that I'm singing along to this? That's not saying you can't have a blast listening to Tundra, particularly 2002's bloody brilliant Mastered by Guy at the Exchange, but it undoubtedly turns your expectations for hook-laden pop on its ear, and it's not for everyone. At the bare minimum, you have to say that he's economical: £22 bought him this daffy video for "Which Song".

Album Review: Quasi - Featuring "Birds"

2010-08-14T10:51:00.001-04:00

Quasi: Featuring "Birds"

[Up 1998]

8.5/10

Photo by Nathan Backous

Forget New Year’s resolutions, forget self-improvement, forget about “getting out there”. If your stuck in the doldrums of existence, it can often be so much easier to let time pass you by and just accept the futility of the world and life itself. After all, aren’t we all just dust in the wind? Portland indie rockers Quasi seem to think so, but that’s nothing to get down about. The band could have found an outlet for their persistent pessimism in self-hating grunge or tearful emo. Instead, thankfully, Sam Coomes and ex-wife Janet Weiss prefer to wrap the shortcomings of life in sweet pop melodies and witty dark humor on 1998’s sorely underappreciated Featuring “Birds”.

The strong pop sensibilities of the group are perhaps a byproduct of years of rubbing shoulders with the legendary Elliott Smith, with whom the band toured, collaborated in the studio, and at a time, shared a band (Coomes and Smith in Heatmiser). But while Smith’s brand of pop barely concealed the thoughts of a troubled mind, Quasi’s “*** happens” outlook on life makes for a much cheerier, if still bitter, message and album experience.

The album appropriately kicks off with “Our Happiness is Guaranteed,” which drops listeners into a chaotic pit of Coomes’ distinctive keyboards, Weiss’s drum slamming, and loud guitar fuzz before the main pop melody arises. Coomes’s light and clear voice is as pleasing and likable as is needed to take on the Quasi’s sardonic subject matter. His electronic keyboard is another powerful component of Quasi’s sound, contributing to the innocence of the melodies and their interesting contrasts to the lyrics.

Despite packing most of their tuneful pop jams into songs below the 3-minute mark, the band still finds time for wordless instrumental experimentation and ambiance building. “Nothing From Nothing” builds anticipation on a lengthy and energetic drum-led introduction (well, it’s 2/3 of the song, but still a great listen). “I Give Up” features bouts of rompy keyboard and crazed drumming before letting Coomes’ get a word in. The band even sets aside almost a minute and a half of simply birds chirping on “Birds,” the album’s self-proclaimed centerpiece (get it?).

As is clearly evident, the lyrical nature of Featuring “Birds” is darkly humorous and full of wisecracks and sighs on despair, hopelessness, and boredom. Summing up these notions, on “California” Coomes laments “Life is dull, life is gray / At its best it’s just ok / But I’m happy to report / Life is also short.” While Coomes smartly puts such downer musings into witty matter-of-fact phrasing, the pure pop intentions of the melodies and energetic instrumentation make the message work in consistently interesting, fun, and unique ways. And beyond being fun, the album is certainly funny (“Walt Disney cannot make me happy” Coomes moans on the mesmerizing “It’s Hard to Turn Me On”).

Considering the album’s plethora of solid pop gems, it’s difficult to pick favorites, as they are almost all designed for eager replay, if not a sing-along. Highlights surely include the sunny tempo pickup of “The Poisoned Well,” the utterly fantastic, rocking guitar riff of “Ape Self Prevails in Me Still,” and the delicate Elliott Smith-brand folk number “Please Do,” whose closer is probably the album’s most lyrically heartfelt, and heartbreaking, moment. Not to be forgotten are the vocal contributions of Weiss, who, in addition to acing the drums, sings the haunting “Tomorrow You’ll Hide” and provides sweet backing vocals, as on the drawn out howl of “Repetition.” Finally, the wordless concluding song “Only Success Can Fail Me Now” is, as the album’s final statement, a beautiful and lush piece of acoustic guitar strumming and a building-up drum beat that is a testament to Coomes and Weiss’s chemistry together (musical chemistry, that is) and a pleasantly optimistic sounding end to the album.

Armed with a knack for warm melodies and a biting humor, Quasi’s broadly accessible indie pop makes for an ironically fun celebration of the downers in life. In the end, perhaps Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss have been looking on the bright side all along (Coomes encourages us to “Smile, it’s not so bad” on 1999’s Field Studies, but that’s another issue). So, on the other hand, the good advice is to go out and actively enjoy life. Sure you’ll feel down sometimes, and sure you’ll want to, temporarily at least, just mire in your own dissatisfaction with life for awhile. At least now, when you do, you’ll know the perfect album to listen to.

"Oh, Maker" by Janelle Monáe

2010-08-11T20:45:00.001-04:00

Currents: Wavves, Best Coast, Taken By Trees

2010-08-08T17:17:00.003-04:00

Wavves: King of the Beach
[Fat Possum 2010]

Wavves' breakthrough second album Wavvves was highly divisive for the audacity of its production: ridiculously bare, ugly lo-fi. It was grating, rude, and, in my mind, actually pretty interesting. Under the impression that Nathan Williams will do what he wants regardless of the haters, it's no surprise that King of the Beach is also divisive, but for a different reason: an embrace of snappy pop punk. King of the Beach is significantly more cleaned up and user-friendly than prior releases and much more focused on catchy hooks that still punch with punk sneer and fuzzy flourishes. That said, while songs like "Post-Acid" and "Super Soaker" are propulsive hits, many of the album's hooks actually don't have much staying power and the album feels awkwardly ordered between tight punk and looser atmospheric noise rock. King of the Beach still sounds pretty good blaring with the windows down in its native summer/beach habitat, but those seeking a more enduring revolution in Wavves' progression will have to wait longer.

Best Coast: Crazy For You
[Mexican Summer 2010]

Bethany Cosentino keeps it simple: summer, love, lovesickness, weed, and her cat form the conceptual crux of her droll, easy-going surf pop. Rising artists since last year after releasing a number of catchy '60s-girl-group-inflected singles (including the as yet un-topped "Sun Was High (So Was I)"), Best Coast (Cosentino and Bobb Bruno) have finally released their first highly anticipated LP Crazy For You. Their hooks still hold the melodic charm and sunny innocence of their earlier, more lo-fi tracks, but as before, Cosentino's punky SoCal demeanor and Bruno's fuzzed out guitar lend a not-so-innocent underbelly to the surfy aesthetic. The format is consistently engaging and pleasantly accessible, although the base level simplicity of her lyrics can make Crazy For You a drag at times. But simplicity is a powerful thing in music, and when it's as happy and catchy as Crazy For You, it's hard not too like.

"When the Sun Don't Shine":

Taken By Trees: East of Eden
[Rough Trade 2009]

The world is rapidly shrinking and "world music" (the term and the common idea) doesn't cut it anymore. For the modern discerning indie music community, influences are pinpointed and appraised for authenticity and creative contributions, not the fact that "African" drums and Latin influences are thrown into a mix to let listeners be passive globe-trekkers. I think these critical listeners would welcome Victoria Bergsman's second solo album East of Eden as Taken By Trees. Bergsman (The Concretes, "Young Folks") traveled from her native Sweden to Pakistan to record her new album and in working with local artists, the results are immersed in qawwali instrumentals and a decidedly South Asian bent. She keeps one foot in the West, however, singing in Swedish on "Tidens Gång" and producing a easy-going cover of Animal Collective's "My Girls" (it's "My Boys" here). Her graceful melodies and delicate vocals allow the West-meets-Pakistan fusion to feel seamless, with the only downside being the too-short 30 minute run time. Finding this beautiful inspiration in such an unexpected place is a credit to Bergsman's abounding creativity and already builds anticipation for where it will take her next.

"Watch the Waves":

Album Briefs: Delorean, Ween, R.E.M.

2010-08-01T21:24:00.003-04:00

Delorean: Subiza

[Mushroom Pillow 2010]

8/10

There's not a single cloud in the sky when Subiza is spinning. Full of club-ready beats but sun-drenched with airy Mediterranean charm, Delorean's third but indisputably breakthrough LP is a dreamy summer dance record living on nothing but good vibes. A focus on rich atmospherics and recognizable pop structures makes Subiza too smart for the standard night club, but the strong Balearic influences keep intact the warm ecstasy of beachside dance parties. While the formula becomes a bit repetitive, with many of the tracks filling similar four-and-a-half minute frames, the music suggests that you're not meant to be fully conscious, but rather blissfully lost in the haze.

Ween: The Mollusk

[Elektra 1997]

6.5/10

Ween is Ween. Despite this being the first Ween album I've gotten into, it's clear that for almost 25 years the experimental Pennsylvania duo have established a legacy of charting their own ultra-quirky, often hilarious brand of alt-rock. Considered by many to be their pinnacle, The Mollusk is a scatterbrained gem unified by a whimsical nautical theme. It's categorically all over the map, skipping from showtune ("I'm Dancing in the Show Tonight") to faux prog-rock (the uproariously satirical title track) to sea shanty ("The Blarney Stone") to fast-paced riff-rock ("Waving My Dick in the Wind"). The Mollusk is full to the brim with side-splitting one-liners, but the songs themselves are thoughtfully crafted and convincing (particularly "Ocean Man" of Spongebob Squarepants fame). Still, The Mollusk is for a rather silly mood, and I haven't been able to get over this album as a (however accomplished) joke record that's disjointed enough for me to simply pick and choose songs of the moment.

R.E.M.: Accelerate

[Warner Bros. 2008]

6/10

I've accepted that the R.E.M. that I most adore is not coming back (Murmur and Reckoning era, that is), but so it goes. More propulsive alt-rock has been their angle for a while since then with some still fantastic hits... and a good number of misses. And at this point, Accelerate was needed to stop the bleeding, and it did. Most of the tracks are melodic frazzled-edge rockers for the masses that don't have the endurance of R.E.M.'s best, but Accelerate is still competent and enjoyable, which signals the band on a modest rebound. Judging from the excellent "Horse to Water", you could even say that, while perhaps not on the surface, deep down, they still got it.

Video: "Written in Reverse" by Spoon

2010-07-17T11:56:00.000-04:00

With so much indie built on sensitive, introspective foundations, Spoon sticks out as indie's popular kid. Besides being excellent artists, their music drips cool confidence and a commanding presence on record. This live recording of "Written in Reverse", which is not far off from the Transference version, is textbook Spoon: bluesy groove, musically tight, swagger to spare.

Album Review: Augustana - All the Stars and Boulevards

2010-07-10T14:57:00.001-04:00

Augustana: All the Stars and Boulevards

[Epic 2005]

5/10

Coming away from Augustana’s 2005 debut album All the Stars and Boulevards, what first came to my mind was “I’ve heard this all before.” Sure, there are numerous songs that are really quite melodic and pleasing, but there is nothing groundbreaking on this mainstream pop rock release. Taking pages from bigger-named modern rockers like Dashboard Confessional, Goo Goo Dolls, and even a little from Matchbox Twenty, Augustana offers no big surprises, except for perhaps their biggest hit to date “Boston,” which is the album’s high point. Playing by the book, however, does mean emotional undertones and catchy choruses abound to satisfy an audience probably consisting mostly of teenage girls.

At the forefront of this soft rock barrage is lead singer, guitarist, and pianist Dan Layus, who actually holds his own as a strong vocalist, even if he does simply sound like a more contemplative John Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls). But unlike the Goo Goo Dolls, Augustana’s formula of a usually optimistic melody carrying pensive and often woebegone lyrics result in songs that are rather forgettable in the long run. Given this formula, it is best to describe the instrumental quality of the album as meeting the standards for anthemic teenage soft rock and doesn’t stand out as being particularly interesting or innovative. The job is done by Layus, Jared Palomar on bass, keyboards and backup vocals, Christ Sachtleben on guitar and mandolin, Justin South on drums, and John Vincent on keyboards and vocals.

Right off the bat, album opener “Mayfield” sums up much of the basic sound of Augustana. The chorus truly soars and is enhanced by vocal harmonization with the melody. Underneath the polished covering, however, are unclear and shallow lyrics. Basically, it sounds like something you would hear during a first kiss scene from some network teen drama. In much the same way, “Stars and Boulevards” uses relatively quiet verses to accent a dramatic chorus, only this time some more lyrical quality is present: “One last / Phone call from you / It wouldn’t hurt much / Just like to hear your voice / And pretend to touch / Any inch of you that hasn’t said it all or read it all / I sung my life away.”

Just before this is “Boston,” which is the band’s main hit, and deservedly so. The song is strongly driven by an excellent piano melody played by Layus that quietly leads up to a powerful, lengthy chorus that appeals to the desire for change and escape. Of note here is that it seems as if this hit single is the root cause of calling Augustana a “piano rock” band. While the piano does appear on numerous tracks, its impact on the song pales in comparison to its effect in “Boston.” Judging by the song’s music video featuring the band playing on a beach covered with old pianos, the band wants this as an image for themselves, perhaps enhancing their music’s emotional, sentimental underpinnings.

The album continues at a monotonous pace until slowing down for the decent “Sunday’s Best” which features a pleasant acoustic guitar. The album’s closer “Coffee and Cigarettes” is even more pleasantly led by gentle guitar picking and a serene complemented by some of the most dreamy lyrics and vocals on the album, making it one of the few songs that break from the common formula. Although doubtful, hopefully the band can make their last track’s innovative sound reverberate over the entirety of their next album.

In terms of substance and innovation, Augustana proves their depth only sporadically throughout the album. Rather, the band seems to be following a soft rock formula aiming for the emotional, melodramatic teenage audience, but at the same time staying away from the musical tendencies that would characterize Augustana as a flat-out emo band, which they are not. With the formula accordingly come the catchy hooks that make the genre popular and instantly likable to many. With that in mind, Augustana, for better or worse, are traveling a well-trodden path.

"Hilltop Procession (Momentum Gaining)" by the Olivia Tremor Control

2010-07-05T12:44:00.000-04:00

Album Review: Q and Not U - No Kill No Beep Beep

2010-07-02T15:28:00.001-04:00

Q and Not U: No Kill No Beep Beep

[Dischord 2000]

8/10

The conventional understanding of punk, in particular that harsh brand that loyally draws lineage from the violent mosh pits of the hardcore ‘80s, tells you that punk is all politics. And if you consider D.C. punk? Well break out the megaphones, the White House is a few blocks away! But while the proud history of punk rock in the nation’s capital has surely seen plenty of anti-machine and “*** Bush” bands, some of the most important bands of the scene have eschewed the soapbox and instead got more personal and analytical; the targets of firebombs are not world leaders but societies, perceptions, ourselves. They are bands that not only leave us more impassioned, but also smarter.

Add Q and Not U to the list of such groups. Their 2000 post-hardcore debut No Kill No Beep Beep is as slanted and code-talking as its title. The album enlightens, but certainly in a lyrically avant-garde way with cryptic one-liners and fragmented imagery. Deciphering listeners require dictionaries (“No cognoscenti / can stab critique in the back for making me cognizant”) and imaginations (“Tired of waking up with a new haircut every morning / so it’s no scissors in bed”). Much of the lyrics seem to vent the frustrations of the young and urban, albeit in abstracts.

However the interpretations go, you will at least find the band’s signs and symbols are more often than not ripped to shreds by jagged riffs, beeping guitars and furious drumming. Lead singer Chris Richards spits composed, clear vocals while leaving strangled cries to Harris Klahr, whose shaky pronunciations and unstable aesthetic nicely balances out Richards. It is more credit to Richards, however, for keeping No Kill No Beep Beep consistently melodic. As machine-like guitar beeps scream for attention on “And the Washington Monument (Blinks) Goodnight”, Richards’ composed singing retains clarity and weight. “Fever Sleeves” is perhaps the most melodic track here, however, as the guitars offer less resistance to the tuneful rise and fall of the action. On many other tracks as well, Q and Not U remain tuneful, even catchy, but they never lose their rough edges.

A cursory but reasonable description of No Kill No Beep Beep would be that it definitely sounds a good deal like fellow Washingtonians Fugazi. The band has clearly memorized End Hits and it’s dabbing of the punk rock brush into quiet, brooding compositions is not lost here: “Kiss Distinctly American” and closer “Sleeping the Terror Code” both explore quiet, pensive territory (and both are great songs, by the way). Furthermore, it is a D.C. punk band after all, so it’s not surprising that Q and Not U are on the legendary Dischord records and have Ian MacKaye’s fingerprints all over it, having produced the album. Richards even pays homage to Fugazi with a rewording of a line from “Do You Like Me” off of Red Medicine, something astute fans will register.

The album also abounds with dance-punk influences that suggest the influence of the Dismemberment Plan, another D.C. band. While never reaching the Plan’s level of silly insanity or Emergency & I’s pop-accessibility, Q and Not U share their herky-jerky flirtations with danceable music and offer flashes of light-hearted play (See: “Hooray for Humans” about a minute in).

But unless you’re a strict, no-fun purist, the fact that Q and Not U rubs shoulders with its influences does nothing to minimize the band’s own creative directions and punk energy. Q and Not U is not posturing, they are simply a product of their environment that has taken their influences and made a new animal with so much force and brains that they don’t need blow horns and lame sloganeering to make waves. Their unique fusion of styles is more than the sum of its parts on No Kill No Beep Beep. Their debut, smart and furious, firmly builds upon D.C.’s true punk tradition.

Video: "Super Soaker" by Wavves

2010-06-30T10:30:00.000-04:00

I think the new Wavves album King of the Beach will be very good and surprisingly, a smooth and better transition from distortion-hoarding fuzz to smarter, cleaner punk. Not sure if I'm sold on the live or studio versions being the better of the two (both available on youtube), but overall, infectious song in line with "Post-Acid". Who knew after Wavvves that this band actually had legs?

"Two States" by Pavement

2010-06-29T10:37:00.000-04:00

Album Review: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand

2010-06-28T11:04:00.001-04:00

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: Raising Sand

[Rounder 2007]

8.5/10

From the outset, something like this has got to sound interesting. On one hand you have Robert Plant, singer and songwriter for rock and roll gods Led Zeppelin. On the other hand, you have Alison Krauss, the queen of modern bluegrass and the winner of more Grammy Awards than any other female artist with 20. From two seemingly diametric backgrounds, a love of harmonic vocals and American roots music brought these legends together in the studio where they charted new territory and explored new sounds for their repertoires. With the monumental direction, influence, and guitar-playing of producer T-Bone Burnett, this experimental project presents Raising Sand. What is technically a duet album sounds more like a profound fusion of two exceptional voices that play off of each other to create a collection of incredible harmonies.

Fans of either artist should know that the style of Plant and Krauss’s middle ground lie in the fields of rockabilly, blues and folk rock. While perhaps Plant strays a bit more out of his comfort zone, especially with origins as a hard-hitting rock star, both musicians were unknowing and curious about what their collaboration would yield. As Krauss tells it, when she was going over the songs Burnett suggested for her to sing, Burnett said, “Well, you both are nervous… and that’s what I wanted.”

The core band involved in this project includes vocalists from Plant and Krauss, fiddle by Krauss, producer and guitarist Burnett, guitarist Marc Ribot, bassist Dennis Crouch, drummer Jay Bellerose, guitarist Norman Blake, and multi-instrumentalist Mike Seeger.

The first track “Rich Woman” lays out very nicely what the rest of album has in store with an old-fashioned introduction of a wavering, almost haunting electric guitar rhythm and a crystal clear drum beat that really makes the song a fun toe-tapper. Before long, though, is what we have all come to hear: Plant and Krauss nail the mood of the song perfectly and strike a perfect balance between fragile harmony and the swagger of the melody. The next song, the country ballad “Killing the Blues,” however, more aptly characterizes the general speed of the album, which is very slow. That the album is too slow would be the main complaint with the album, but it is hard to deny that the songs that drag down the pace are also exceedingly beautiful. Furthermore, the second half of the album picks up in speed as well as in song diversity.

After two songs that feature Plant and Krauss together, Krauss takes the helm with “Sister Rosetta Comes Before Us,” a graceful, haunting song that is sung beautifully with Plant offering an occasional harmonization. “Polly Come Home” is very similar, except that Plant takes the spotlight. His voice is surprisingly gentle with each wavering note captured and amplified by Burnett’s expert production. A raw guitar riff by none other than Burnett himself dominates the rockabilly “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On),” which has been released as a single and nominated for the Grammy Award for “Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.” Other songs, however, perhaps more deserve being released as a single, like the following track “Through the Morning, Through the Night.” This track is the album’s best example of Krauss and Plant using their gentle harmony to make the song into an especially potent emotional force. The song is nearly impossible to glaze over (or whatever is equivalent for the ear) as both voices are full of weight and inflection that responds wonderfully to the heaviness of the lyrics: “I dreamed just last night you were there by my side / Your sweet loving tenderness / Easing my pride / But then I awoke dear and found you not there / It was just my old memory of how much I care.”

More uplifting musically is “Please Read the Letter,” which in song length (almost six minutes), building verses and soaring chorus demands the most space on the album. The sorrowful “Trampled Rose” and the mainstream-sounding folk-pop of “Stick With Me Baby” keep the album tethered to a base of downtempo folk gems, but the album is nevertheless now in its more diversified second half. Between these songs is “Fortune Teller,” which is probably the most recorded and well-known song on the album. Originally recorded by R&B singer Benny Spellman in 1962, it has been covered by The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Hollies, and many more. Like many other songs here, the duo (well, trio including Burnett) almost make it their own with an extremely catchy breakdown that boasts the band’s instrumental finesse and shows Plant and Krauss having fun on the recording.

Some fantastic songs close out this fantastic album. “Nothin’” is a steady-going but powerful song led by electric guitar roars, Krauss’s fiddle work, and comparatively quieter breaks for Robert Plant’s eerie vocals that seem to harken back to Plant’s Led Zeppelin days. It is sure to be an album favorite for Plant and Led Zeppelin fans. “Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson” is the ultimate toe-tapper of the album that dares you to get up and start dancing. As Plant had his best vocal performance on the previous track, Krauss is at her best here with some impassioned singing. She is at her loudest and most aggressive on the verses here in a performance that must be even more electrifying live. Finally, “Your Long Journey,” with its high-tuned melody and warm mood, closes out the album as it began: with Krauss and Plant singing together in excellent harmony.

For all the credit given to Plant and Krauss on this project that is surely a landmark in both careers, the stripped-down, skeletal production of T-Bone Burnett, who brought the same style and influence to the award winning American roots soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou? in 2000, must not go unappreciated. In addition to his contribution as a guitarist, this collaboration would likely not have come into fruition or have been this astonishing without Burnett’s direction and production.

With rumors and speculation swirling over the future of Led Zeppelin (New album? Tour?), one sure thing is that Plant is going to be on tour with Krauss and Burnett supporting Raising Sand across Europe in June of 2008, demonstrating how close the project is to each of them. Furthermore, new material between them in the future is not out of the question. In this exciting new experiment, Plant ventures into the new realm of harmony singing that was never really an issue with Led Zeppelin, while Krauss strays from the confining bluegrass constructs that especially characterized her early career origins and finds space to breath with help from a blending of American roots genres. Together, this unexpected collaboration has yielded unexpected results from two accomplished musicians out of their comfort zones but nevertheless shining.

Album Briefs: The Raveonettes, jj, Iron & Wine

2010-06-27T11:46:00.008-04:00

The Raveonettes: In and Out of Control

[Fierce Panda, Vice 2009]

6/10

The shoegaze-pop (heavier on the pop) of the Raveonettes bares strong resemblance to the Jesus and Mary Chain but with a more feminine aura courtesy of Sune Rose Wagner handling most of the vocals. The duo certainly knows how to craft catchy and innocent melodies, but In and Out of Control is ultimately let down by its lyrics. Unlike JMC's signature sound, Wagner's words are clear and often weighed down by awkward pretentiousness. The band wants to be as suave and winking as the music, and ultimately comes up with cringing lines like "lick your lips and fuck suicide" and seeking base attention-getting with the spelled out "D.R.U.G.S". Such attempts at street-cred don't pass as authentic, and instead suggest the hipper-than-thou duo are singing down to us about their fascinating urban lives in...um...Copenhagen. But nevertheless, if you're not hung up on the words, the sinister plots/bubblegum pop hooks of songs like "Bang!", "Last Dance", and "Breaking Into Cars" are cool sounding tunes.

jj: jj nº 3

[Sincerely Yours 2010]

5.5/10

jj's "winter" album, ay? Okay, but whatever you call it, it's very similar stuff to the mysterious Swedes' first album jj n° 2, just not as memorable. They still embrace a lighter-than-air breeziness as Elin Kastlander sings pristine over soft Balearic beats, delicate guitar plucks and piano, and the occasionally hip hop beat and broadcast sound effects. But the charm of their debut is missing here, particularly due to jj n°3's lack of graceful, memorable melodies. As pleasantly as it flies by, jj n°3 has minimal lasting impact outside of the attention placed on the enigmatic duo that created it.

"My Life"

Iron & Wine: The Shepherd's Dog

[Sub Pop 2007]

9/10

The Shepherd's Dog is an excellent success story of Sam Beam showing he could expand outside of his quiet bedroom guitar folk and incorporate true studio breadth with awe-inspiring results. Our Endless Summer Days glistened with a lush production polish, but Shepherd's Dog brings in a plethora of new instruments that lend the tracks symphonic and yet still organic and intimate settings. The broader palette suits Iron & Wine incredibly well.

Video: "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson

2010-06-26T08:31:00.000-04:00

I'm a day late. Sure, I was in the "Michael Jackson is psycho" contingent during his child sex abuse trial period(s) and like plenty others, I was fairly creeped out enough by his changing appearance and what other kind of questionable acts were going on with him. Without ever being found guilty though, time sort of moved on, and it was about three years ago that I started getting into his music rather than his public business. 'Bout time I get past "Thriller" and "Beat It" and really get at this "King of Pop." In delving into his music and influence, regardless of your fondness of it, it's indisputable his legendary impact on pop culture. In listening to his music with friends and enjoying his music videos and albums on my own, particularly Off the Wall and Thriller, I saw him as a troubled man in his later years but, ultimately, one I would greatly admire for his pop music stardom. Today I'm remembering him through the video of "The Way You Make Me Feel", which is a testament to his incredible talents, charisma, and star power.

"9mm and a Three Piece Suit" by Catch 22

2010-06-25T10:10:00.000-04:00

Album Review: Nite Jewel - Good Evening

2010-06-23T14:49:00.000-04:00

Nite Jewel: Good Evening

[Human Ear 2009]

6.5/10

On Good Evening, dance music has migrated off the dance floor and into hipster bedrooms. And this brand of it belongs there, because aside from its serious, avant-garde artist demeanor, Good Evening is radically divorced from the action-packed, body-moving efficiency of traditional dance music, be it top-40 dance remixes or variations of techno. Instead, Nite Jewel (L.A.’s Ramona Gonzalez) is an ethereal, often slow-motioned send up of ‘80s dance/synthpop.

Good Evening is dominated by keyboards, bass and neon. Every track rides a smooth wave of colorful synths that feel like samples plucked from two and a half decades back. Throbbing basslines lend tracks like “Suburbia” a forward-looking momentum. Looped drum beats vary from the smacking reverberations of “Weak For Me” to the tinny timekeeper on “Bottom Rung.”

Style is everything in Nite Jewel’s world. “Liquid cool,” the status on the band’s Myspace page, is an accurate self-characterization of the music. No matter the pace, songs on Good Evening would warrant music videos in slow motion, as they try to radiate a clubby sense of cool and sophisticated in-crowd-ness. “What Did He Say,” one of the record’s more enduring songs, occupies the same dark and smoky nightclub corners as Portishead’s Dummy. Conceptually, with its ever-present alluding to dance culture, Good Evening suggests that amidst the smoke and flashing lights, the club is full of lonely people seeking deeper connections than they are capable of and finding only false hope and emptiness under the neon lights.

But once again, the ability to set a specific aesthetic or mood is Nite Jewel’s primary currency. Her lyrics are seldom discernible, or likely important for that matter. Her submerged vocals feel far away and washed out with echo and saturation to the point where her voice becomes more of a sonic rather than narrative vessel. Through clearer lyrics, she is, however, trying to harder to say something on the moody pop song “Artificial Intelligence,” perhaps criticizing pretentious artistic license (“you’re not making a statement”).

While Gonzalez’s singing serves a purpose beyond lyrics, her usually high pitched vocals as part of Good Evening’s general aesthetic can grow bothersome. The adolescent sighs on “Weak For Me” are too naïve for her own good and elsewhere, her layered vocals feel like corny ‘80s relics, no matter how true to the decade’s aesthetic she may be reaching for. Additionally, while the album isn’t fit for a nightclub, some of the tracks unfortunately pick up the more uncomfortable traits of the venue: stale ambiance and the tedium of repetition. Despite how well Nite Jewel pegs this murky, 80’s synthpop sound (as her “statement”), many of the songs don’t have lasting power and melodic warmth.

It’s ultimately hard to appraise Good Evening as it has a very specific objective to hit a particular sonic niche. In honoring ‘80s dance and synthpop while infusing modern innovations, Gonzalez succeeds and captures a unique and interesting sound. But Nite Jewel would resonate more strongly if songs revealed more engaging personalities and melodic diversity. If she were to continue to hit the target established by Good Evening, on the other hand, at least she’d sound cool doing it.

Photo by dsbartholow.

"Post Acid" by Wavves

2010-06-22T10:08:00.000-04:00

Video: "Losing Feeling" by No Age

2010-06-21T17:08:00.000-04:00

I'd probably be mesmerized enough if the swirling pools of rumbling electronics would build wordlessly to a zenith, but No Age's punk bent brings a striking immediacy to the calm of "Losing Feeling."

Album Review: O.A.R. - In Between Now and Then

2010-06-18T13:58:00.001-04:00

O.A.R.: In Between Now and Then
[Lava 2003]

7.5/10

Besides being O.A.R.’s best album, In Between Now and Then is also their most appropriately named one. Now: O.A.R. is but a shell of their early reggae rock selves, releasing 2008’s soft rock bore-fest All Sides and offering little hope for redemption with new releases (youtube: “War Song”). Then: before 2003, O.A.R. and their everyman jams spread from campus to campus like wildfire, but in the studio, the band still lacked the composure and production to reach broader audiences convincingly. Recently, O.A.R. has been unable to muster a fraction of the charm of their early days (“That Was a Crazy Game of Poker” vs. “Shattered (Turn the Car Around)” is no contest), but it was only on In Between Now and Then that the pieces fell into place just right.

In Between Now and Then may not dispel the notion that O.A.R. in 2003 were a poor man’s Dave Matthew’s Band, with their similar affinity for brass, full-sounding choruses, and production non-coincidentally performed by John Alagia, who has done extensive production and mixing for DMB and John Mayer. But the album certainly established the group as the latest collegiate jam rock sensation since Dispatch a few years earlier. And listening to it now, you can tell why. A properly rich studio production and a long set of tight and catchy jam rock hooks make In Between Now and Then an excellent record. Despite peddling in mall rock clichés of smooth jazz accents and some corny lyrics, the melodies are honest and infectious.

While reggae only graces several tracks outright, the relaxed, backyard vibe extends across the album’s jam- and jazz-infused pop rock. Fan favorite “Hey Girl” and the huge guitars of “Right on Time” represent some of Now and Then’s rowdier moments, while smoother swaying numbers like “Old Man Time” and “Any Time Now” keep things grounded.

Besides treating the rich instrumentals to a deserving polish, the crisp production hugely benefits Marc Roberge’s vocals. Maybe it was an age thing, but prior albums like Soul’s Aflame showed Roberge as not a particularly great singer. In the context of O.A.R.’s sing-a-long catalog, perhaps all eyes aren’t on Roberge to deliver an especially remarkable delivery because fans will be singing along anyways. Nonetheless, he gets a welcome smoothing over on Now and Then.

In Between Now and Then isn’t for the wet blanket too stoic to come out on the dancefloor. The album has simple intentions of soundtracking summer barbecues and relishing in big youthful melodies, and in these respects it succeeds dramatically by capturing the laid-back charm of jam rock and emphasizing infectious pop hooks. If the O.A.R. of 2010 is down for the count, let’s at least be thankful for this moment of brilliance.