New Music Guide

Reviews of Golden Silvers, The High Strung, Immaculate Machine, The Sweptaways + More

Posted by: Anthony Morrow on April 29, 2009 at 10:00 am

nmg428
The Ghost Is Dancing, Battles On (Sonic Unyon, 2009)

MP3: Battles On

The previous release by The Ghost Is Dancing, The Darkest Spark, was pure hipster indie pop. But it was excellent. It had great hooks, it was just poppy enough to not be completely offensive, and it seemed to utilize each band member’s talents to their maximum. Their newest release, Battles On, builds on that not-yet-commercial success. The tracks are definitely more polished, cohesive, and mature (mid-album track “This Thunder”, for instance) in the way that Arcade Fire stepped up their game from Funeral to Neon Bible. Unfortunately, in doing so, TGID have glossed over the group’s biggest asset. The blending of Lesley Davies and Jamie Matechuk’s unique vocals have been slightly overrun by well-orchestrated noise. But that’s what happens when you have a band of 6 Canadian misfits jamming away on their respective instruments. You have to take the bad with the good, and there’s definitely more of the latter on this album.  –AO

separator.jpg

Golden Silvers, True Romance (XL Recordings, 2009)

MP3: Arrows Of Eros

If you’re a fan of MGMT, American Apparel, and Apple products, you’re going to love Golden Silvers! The new indie kid fav have just released their debut album True Romance. Just about all you need to know is that it’s very melancholy-pop, danceable at times, and kids on drugs will love it! Especially check out hits “Arrows of Eros” and title-track “True Romance”, they’re actually very impressive, dance-y, and palatable.  –AO

separator.jpg

The High Strung, Ode to the Inverse of the Dude (Park the Van, 2009)

MP3: Standing at the Door of Self Discovery

The High Strung are one of the best bands from Detroit that nobody in this city ever makes a big deal about. It’s hard to understand why when the trio of Josh Malerman, Chad Stocker, and Derek Berk have consistently written better and better songs with each successive album. Ode to the Inverse of the Dude, their sixth full-length release, continues the pattern of self-improvement (even in the midst of self-discovery!) and achieves even more than 2007’s excellent Get the Guests, which is hard to fathom since that album is killer from start to finish. Produced and recorded by David Newfeld (Broken Social Scene, Los Campesinos!), Ode is bolstered by some nice studio touches and instrumentation not present on previous albums. But it’s the excellent songwriting that makes The High Strung a band worth celebrating. “Guilt Is How I’m Built” delivers on the driving guitar hooks and rhythm that is a hallmark of their live shows, while mid-tempo gems “Bad With My Hands” and “Rope” offer more mature songwriting and Malerman at his lyrical best. He’s one of contemporary music’s great storytellers and The High Strung continue to supply those words with the hooks and melodies they deserve.  – SB

separator.jpg

Immaculate Machine, High On Jackson Hill (Mint Records, 2009)

MP3: Sound The Alarms

It’s the biggest letdown when indie bands actually get good. Immaculate Machine is coming off 2007’s incredible release Fables. That’s a tough album to follow. But, as bands are supposed to progress and refine their sound, they’ve come back with a gem in High On Jackson Hill. Their sound is tighter, they seem to have slightly gotten away from the stereotypical indie ambient folksy sound (although not entirely), and have turned out a finely-crafted album. The album in its entirety is very listenable, with Police-inspired tune “Primary Colours” holding down the middle of the record, and throwback “Only Love You For Your Car” reminding us that Immaculate Machine hasn’t strayed too far from their roots.  –AO

separator.jpg

Old Empire, Queen City Quandaries (Gangplank, 2009)

MP3: Sweaterdress

Ferndale’s Gankplank Records‘ newest release introduces us to Old Empire. Queen City Quandaries is a tutorial in classic guitar-driven pop song writing.  The band has a penchant for adding a bit of country twanginess to its pop, and like all great pop bands, Old Empire isn’t trying to impress anybody. Instead, they offer a fun soundtrack to the comings and goings of your weekend nightlife, with pinches here and there of heartbroken balladeering (”Sea Captain”) and swinging, soulful lamentations on loneliness, touched up by classic Dave Feeny pedal steel slide (”Lonely Girl”). And album highlight “Sweaterdress” will certainly make many a summer mixtape (when, ironically, most sweaterdresses will be closeted for the season). Queen City Quandaries reminds us that it’s not hard to write pleasing pop. You just have to commit to it. – SB

separator.jpg

The Sweptaways, The Sweptaways Show (Hybris, 2009)

MP3: Happiness Will Be My Revenge (featuring Jens Lekman)

A chorus of thirty Swedish women stylishly garbed singing covers and some original songs with some of Sweden’s best known Indie artists–sounds like a bad gimmick, right? Well, it isn’t. These ladies know how to sing and how to arrange already great songs and make them into something that’s very much their own. Even their cover of R Kelly’s  ”The World’s Greatest” becomes not a tongue-in-cheek impostering but something truly sweet and pleasurable in its own right. Other unlikely combinations work out just as well, such as The Sweptaways‘ collaboration with The Hives’ lead screamer Pelle Almqvist on a cover of The Zombies‘ “Time of the Season,” or a cover of Jamaican Grammy winner Lady Saw’s “I Got Your Man,” with Robyn bustin’ the rhymes. And every Jens Lekman fan must be sure to check out an original Jens tune called “Happiness Will Be My Revenge,” which is as good as anything on Night Falls Over Kortadela. The Sweptaways Show is not currently available in the US, but you can download it at Klicktrack.com or enjoy all of the songs on YouTube, where there’s a video for every song on the album. This is one of the best finds of 2009 so far, and no gimmick. — SB

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Comments

Comments are closed.

SHWFLYR

The Gories

  • Recent Posts

  • Tags

  • Archives