The Sea and Cake, Car Alarm (Thrill Jockey)

MP3: “Weekend”

Not really famous for straying the course, Car Alarm is an album that you would expect to come from Chicago’s the Sea and Cake. If you’re into the band, then odds are you know exactly what to expect, and you will dig it. And why wouldn’t you? All the key elements have been assembled for a typically great Sea and Cake record: Sam Prekop’s smooth, breathy vocals, Eric Claridge’s impressive and tight bass playing, John McEntire’s jazzy and precise drumming and the jangly guitars of Prekop and Archer Prewitt. Like all their records, it is a combination of indie rock, pop, jazz and tropicalia. It is the obvious next step the band could have taken after 2007’s awesomely poppy Everybody, with a very subtle return to some of the electronic sounds of the previous few records (check “Weekend” for some oscillating keyboard work that makes us yearn for some of the blippity-bloop jams from 1997’s The Fawn).

After almost 16 years worth of stellar, reliable releases, Car Alarm mostly sticks to the same strategy the band always has. But, we’re huge fans, so we couldn’t care less. Never change, boys. — Aaron Quillen

Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains, S/T (Saddle Creek Records, 2008)

MP3: “I Hate My Friends”

If somebody slipped us this new Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains album with a homemade cover on it saying “New Killers Album Inside!,” we’d probably totally believe it upon first listen to lead track “Love Can Be So Mean.” It’s all there: the synthy undertones, the double-time on the hi-hat drumming, the BIG TIME guitar riffs, the overwrought, dramatic singing. All that’s missing are some lines about Las Vegas casinos and a jacket with bird feathers on the lapel.

Thing is, we’ve heard some of the new Killers album. And, you know, it’s not that bad or whatever (although that “are we human, or are we dancers” line is pretty awful), but, it’s still the Killers: a band so un-punk and prissy that it’s almost impossible to (more…)

Deerhunter, Mircocastle (Kranky Records, 2008)

MP3: “Nothing Ever Happened”

It’s bizarre to review an album that has been leaked for what seems like an eternity now, and one that has been available on iTunes, even, for at least a few months. But when you craft something as monumental and mesmerizing as Deerhunter’s Microcastle, it’s hard to just ignore it as if it’s old news.

Certainly, by now, we’re all pretty familiar with Deerhunter’s story: Lead singer and resident minor-celebrity Bradford Cox is a lanky, humorous, effeminate, outspoken, blog-addicted, songwriting machine. Besides his well-received output with Deerhunter (including the much hyped Cryptograms and Fluorescent Grey EP), he has pumped out loads of stuff under his own Atlas Sound moniker, including the material released on last year’s Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, and the musical treats he consistently (more…)

Of Montreal, Skeletal Lamping (Polyvinyl, 2008)

MP3: “Id Engager”

Kevin Barnes must be a terribly difficult man to love. He laid out his case with last year’s psych pop masterpiece Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, a record that explored an extraordinarily dark period in his life including nervous breakdowns, suicidal tendencies, chemical imbalance, freaking out after his daughter’s birth and a period of bleak self-isolation in Norway. With Skeletal Lamping, Barnes continues his confessional trend by attempting to let listeners into the darkest corners of his mind. The results are jarringly erratic, emotionally unbalanced and impossible to predict –- which is to say Skeletal Lamping could go by the alternate title, A Tour Through the Mind of a Sexually Deviant, Bi-Polar Individual: The Musical. Yes, it is a harder album to digest than Hissing Fauna, as each track morphs several times making them feel more like medleys than individual songs, but despite the emotional and musical roller coaster, the high points are brilliant and addictive. Skeletal Lamping occasionally veers into rehashed or less memorable musical territory, but like Waiting For Guffman’s Mayor Welsch says about the weather in Blaine, Missouri, just wait five minutes and it’ll change. And with the hard work Of Montreal put into Skeletal Lamping, they really have gotten it down to three or four minutes. So for a disturbingly revealing yet good time, crawl into the mind of Kevin Barnes — and make sure you bring some Zoloft along just in case things get too manic-depressive up in there. — Laura Witkowski

Crystal Stilts, Alight Of Night (Slumberland, 2008)

MP3: “SinKing”

In 08, “crystal” has become the new “wolf,” and we have proof: First we had electro-zombies Crystal Castles exploding all over the Internets, getting in all sorts of trouble on tour across the nation, and even accusing Timbaland of stealing one of their beats. Then PFork introduced us to Crystal Antlers, a rough and tumble rock outfit who deliver aggressive sounds akin to Shellac, Les Savy Fav, and the Jesus Lizard — and we must say, they’re pretty exciting.

Which brings us to the third band in the 2008 Crystal Trilogy: Crystal Stilts. Unlike the aforementioned bands, though, Crystal Stilts take a less modern, and much less aggro approach to their cloudy, moody rock songs. Swamped in murky reverb, and accented by vintage sounding Farfisa organ, cheap guitars, and bone-rattling tambourines, Crystal Stilts make a kind of psychedelic and stripped down doom rock that sounds like it could have come out of drug-infused late night sessions with Phil Spector, just as it could of come out of drug-infused late night sessions in the band’s own bedroom (peep “Spiral Transit” for proof, with a “Be My Baby” beat kicking things off nicely). Songs like “Crystal Stilts” and “Prismatic Room” give off the same mock turtleneck and sunglasses-at-night vibe as some of the best work by the Velvet Underground mixed in with the indie-pop quaintness of the Magnetic Fields. Elsewhere, on tracks like the mildly rocking and uptempo “SinKing” and the driving “Bright Night” the band manage to intermingle the sounds of newer acts like Vivian Girls, Aislers Set and the Shins with vintage Kinks, Rolling Stones, and even more tribal, stripped down garage bands like the Gories and the Troggs.

The question always comes, however, when you’re comparing bands to the Velvets, the Kinks, and giving them props for their Phil Spector-esque production techniques: What makes them different? What sets them apart from everybody else? In the case of the Crystal Stilts, the bizarre vocals of head mumbler Brad Hargett is a good place to start. His vocal style is all haunting and half-asleep, coming off like a strange brew of Ian Curtis’ howl (”Departure” may as well be called “Isolation”), Morrissey’s patented moan, Calvin Johnson’s effeminate baritone, and Jonathan Richman’s uncanny ability to not be able to sing, but still be totally awesome anyway. At once, it’s got all the qualities that could turn even the most adventurous listener off, and yet, simultaneously, it’s strangely lulling, inviting the curious to explore the vocal and instrumental combination that Crystal Stilts craft some more. The two can be a frustrating pairing — sometimes you just want to hear what these songs would sound like with a Jagger-esque dude at the mic who could actually sing in key. But that would make Crystal Stilts typical, and they are anything but. As you move through Alight Of Night, Hargett’s place in the ghosty, 60s garage-pop conjured by the rest of the band eventually becomes clear. Crystal clear, in fact. — Ryan Allen

Curtis Eller, Wirewalkers and Assassins (American Circus Records, 2008)

MP3: “John Wilkes Booth (Don’t Make Us Beg)”

Curtis Eller could be Sufjan Stevens’ crazy older brother. Both Eller and Stevens are banjo-wielding, history-obsessive troubadours born in Michigan, but whereas Sufjan’s style is more sedate and gentle–the blue-eyed angel of Indie music–Eller is a little wilder looking, a more unpredictable performer, and isn’t afraid to get in yer face with his American tales of long-dead presidents, robber barons, and of course, Wirewalkers and Assassins, the title of his newest album.

Now residing in NYC, Eller was born and raised in Detroit and the city’s mythology still lives in his imaginative arsenal of reference points, whether singing about “diggin’ up Henry Ford” in the hard-charging “Firing Squad” or invoking our legendary boxing icon in the melancholic sweetness of “Save me Joe Louis.” Other songs have Eller singing in unusual roles, such as the distressed wife of a wirewalker in “The Plea of the Aerialist’s Wife” and as John Wilkes Booth in “The Curse of Cain.” And if one song about John Wilkes Booth isn’t enough for you, Wirewalkers and Assassins gives us two. “John Wilkes Booth (Don’t Make Us Beg)” is a rompin’ boogie that asks “Where is John Wilkes Booth when you need him?” (and later, Lee Harvey Oswald) and you kind of get the feeling that Eller isn’t singing about the 19th or 20th centuries here.

You don’t need to know anything about the Volstead Act or Robert Moses or the Hartford Circus Fire of 1944 to enjoy this sometimes sorrowful, sometimes foot-stompingly fun album. But it’s likely you’ll start getting curious as you find yourself singing these immediately memorable songs in your head. — Scotter Bragg

The Nice Device, Sorry We Killed You (Self Released, 2008)

MP3: “Crawlspace”

After a brief hiatus spent Von Bondie-ing for the better part of the last year, Alicia Gbur, Matt Lannoo, and the rest of the Nice Device are back, blazing like a slickly produced power-punk fireball on their new EP Sorry We Killed You. The five songs included on their latest set adds fuel to the band’s ever-increasing flame, delivering a blast of sweetened power pop that will leave your teeth aching and your head spinning. Gbur’s soprano voice is at the forefront of the new songs, and her saccharine coos fall somewhere between the bratty snarl of pop-tart Avril Lavigne and the new-wave cheekiness of Berlin’s Terri Nunn (with a little Kay Hanley by-way-of her work on the Josie and the Pussy Cats soundtrack thrown in for good measure). “Ask me if there’s someone new, and I’ll tell you gladly,” Gbur sings before ripping into a chorus that is equal parts sass and class in “No Apologies.” “Can’t Be Friends” is biting and anthemic, full of “oh snap!” moments (”…you couldn’t even pawn yourself at the second-hand store”) that will leave no mystery as to who the barbs are directed. But Sorry We Killed You is not just the Gbur show, and Lannoo reasserts himself as one of the city’s best guitar players, ushering in crunchy power chords, slinky, effected lead lines, and screeching feedback from his six-string with gusto and flair. Drummer Nick Gerhardt yet again proves to be the band’s secret weapon, delivering understated, driving beats that connect seamlessly with the conjugated basslines of Jeff Alber. And it’s hard to ignore the new-wave synth sound that explodes throughout the entire EP, giving the short collection a glossy sheen that seems fit to be devoured by mall rats, Rentals fans, and nostalgic-for-the-80s rockers alike. Put all these elements together, and you’ve got a dangerous combination that will have all the boy bands that pose as “indie groups” shaking in their Chelsea boots. — Elle Sawa

The Nice Device EP release show w/ Friendly Foes + Millions of Brazilians • Magic Bag • 10/17

Ten Kens, Ten Kens (Fatcat, 2008)

MP3: “Refined”

Despite how awesome it would be if the band Ten Kens was comprised of ten men named Ken, it isn’t. But these four guys from Toronto do manage to create the sound of ten guys. Like Broken Social Scene meets Shudder To Think, their debut album is sonic layer over sonic layer of dramatic, fuzzed out guitar-centered indie anthems. Formed five years ago by founding members and songwriters Dean Tzenos (guitar) and Dan Workman (vocals), Ten Kens cycled through various rhythm section folk before finding Lee Stringle (bass) and Ryan Roantree (drums). The album lends itself well to a game of “Name That Influence” (various tracks make hard nods to Slint, Sonic Youth, Shellac, Black Sabbath and assorted early 90s Sub Pop favorites) but still manages to bring enough new stuff to the table to avoid being derivative. Tracks like “The Alternate Biker” and “Worthless & Oversimplified Ideas” show Ten Kens have a knack for going from melodic jangle to full guitar onslaught and back without losing the coherency and melodic drive that propels the whole show. Echoing the underlying economic sentiment of our times, the album closes with a dark, down tempo track called, “I Really Hope You Get To Retire” in which Workman sings, “You’ll pass this on to me some say, afford to save some day.” Whether he’s cursing Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson or just stating the obvious to his many indie-predecessors, Ten Kens should sleep tight, because they’re clearly making wise investments. — Laura Witkowski

Deerhoof, Offend Maggie (Kil Rock Stars, 2008)

MP3: “Offend Maggie”

Unlike that totally undeserving-of-the-title crappy boxed rice side-dish, Deerhoof is the ultimate San Francisco treat. On their 10th full length, Offend Maggie, the band continues their tradition of making erratically melodic yet angularly discordant pop music. A lesser outfit could never get away with putting a voice as plaintive as Satomi Matsuzaki’s front and center, but Deerhoof have spent their career cultivating the perfect blend of brash and simple beauty. Of course, being amazingly good musicians certainly helps. Last year’s acclaimed Friend Opportunity showed that even down one member, they lost no ground as a three piece, but with the addition of new guitarist Ed Rodriguez, Offend Maggie ups the sonics to blissful proportions. What’s most surprising about Offend Maggie is the euphoric cognitive dissonance of listening to something that’s both challenging and additively catchy at the same time. “Chandelier Searchlight” showcases their mastery of quirky pop perfection, whereas “Eaguru Guru” has a jarring sense of urgency and build that’s more exhaustively rewarding. It’s like Chutes and Ladders for your ears — Deerhoof’s melodic bliss will send you climbing to new heights, and just when it looks like you’re about to over indulge your musical sweet tooth, down the cacophonous chute you go to start the ascent all over again. – Laura Witkowski

Deerhoof play the Crofoot w/ Experimental Dental School and Flying on 10/18

Bonus: The foot-tappin’ video for “Fresh Born”