Posted by: Anthony Morrow on April 29, 2009 at 10:00 am
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 Read more
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Tags: Dave Feeny, Golden Silvers, Immaculate Machine, Jens Lekman, Ode to the Inverse of the Dude, Old Empire, Queen City Quandaries, R Kelly, Robyn, The High Strung, The Hives, The Sweptaways, The Sweptaways Show
Posted by: Ryan Allen + Scott Bragg + Adam O'Connor + Laura Witkowski on April 21, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Art Brut, Art Brut vs. Satan (Cooking Vinyl, 2009)
MP3: Alcoholics Unanimous
Talking instead of singing is Art Brut’s trademark, and while it sounded cute and fun at first, it has ended up just being schtick-y. Their first two releases came out around the time(s) Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand were building their fame. Unfortunately, nobody took Art Brut entirely seriously. Their latest release, Art Brut vs. Satan, while still fun and not taking-themselves-too-seriously, highlights at hits “Alcoholics Unanimous” and “Just Desserts”. Everything on this album is actually joke-y and entertaining. There really is too much ego and not nearly enough Read more
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Tags: Art Brut, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, Camera Obscura, Cryptacize, Dan Zimmerman, Firs & Spruces, Japandroids, My Maudlin Career, Mythomania, Super Furry Animals, Tell Em What Your Name Is
Posted by: Ryan Allen + Adam O'Connor + Laura Witkowski on April 14, 2009 at 10:19 am
Clint Michigan, Hawthorne to Hennepin (Kiam Records, 2009)
MP3: Blue and Gold
Clint Michigan isn’t a place or a person, but a Brooklyn based duo consisting of Clint Asay and Amy Bezunartea. They make hushed and plaintive boy/girl harmony music about love and heartbreak — but before you doze off, unlike others of their ilk these two have a firm grasp on the concept of melody and (bonus prize!) both play the banjo. Reminiscent of Drop Nineteens (remember them?) with a more engaging and diverse Ida, Clint Michigan have coined the phrase “journal rock” to describe their sound, and it’s entirely accurate. Hawthorne to Hennepin is the magical stuff successful “I’ve got a crush on you” mix tapes are Read more
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Tags: Clint Michigan, John Doe and the Sadies, Papercuts
Posted by: Ryan Allen + Scott Bragg + Adam O'Connor + Laura Witkowski on April 7, 2009 at 11:00 am
Antony & The Johnsons, The Crying Light (Secretly Canadian, 2009)
MP3: Kiss My Name
If Dracula and Andrew Bird had an illegitimate child, The Crying Light is exactly what it would sound like. The term “haunting” is an oft-thrown-around description for certain modern music, but really, on this release, even the album art is jarring. Both eerie and beautiful at the same moment, Antony & The Johnsons have managed to release an album that will both entertain and keep you up at night. “Epilepsy Is Dancing,” in addition to title-track “The Crying Light,” are songs that you won’t remember the words to, but that will Read more
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Tags: A Living Thing, Doves, It Hugs Back, Leonard Cohen, Live in London, Peter Bjorn and John, Red Red Meat, Royskopp, The Boy Least Likely To, The Law of the Playground, Thermals
Posted by: Ryan Allen + Adam O'Connor + Laura Witkowski on March 31, 2009 at 11:53 am
Aceyalone, The Lonely Ones (Decon, 2009)
MP3: Working Man’s Blues (feat. Bionik)
Every once in a great while, there is something refreshing that comes out of the hip-hop community. Typically, it’s not by the new kid, fresh on the scene. It’s normally thrown out there by some nutty old hip-hop pioneer, who’s been around to see the shit get old and then come back again. Aceyalone, who’s been putting out records since ‘95, is that guy that thinks outside the box. He’s responsible for 9 solo albums and nearly 50 appearances on releases by other artists. He’s a pretty hard-working dude. His last album, a collaboration with RJD2, was a Read more
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Tags: Aceyalone, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Chris Richards and the Subtractions, Great Lakes Swimmers, Malajube, Merge Records, Obits, Telekenisis!, The Blueflowers
Posted by: Ryan Allen + Scott Bragg + Adam O'Connor + Laura Witkowski on March 24, 2009 at 10:30 am
1990’s, Kicks (Rough Trade, 2009)
MP3: The Box
When Glasgow’s Yummy Fur broke up, the various members went on to form two bands: Franz Ferdinand (have you heard of them?), and 1990’s. Though working with a slightly different line-up, 1990’s takes it’s cues from the 70’s and 80’s and hamfistedly constructs fun, glammy party rock for today’s Brit pop set. Produced by former Brit pop guitar God Bernard Butler in Edwyn Collins’ studio, Kicks mixes Iggy Pop, T-Rex, Adam Ant and the Knack in a blender with Capri Sun and Bacardi. Though at times a bit too cookie-cutter, it’s still got more hooks than you could possibly Read more
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Tags: 1990s, Bishop Allen, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Merge Records, MF DOOM, Morrissey, Superchunk, Superdrag, The Decemberists
Posted by: Adam O'Connor + Laura Witkowski on March 17, 2009 at 10:37 am
Hot Leg , Red Light Fever (Barbecue Fever, 2009)
MP3: I’ve Met Jesus
The Darkness obviously always had a shtick. It was a shame, although nobody seemed to notice or even fucking care, when they broke up in 2007, when frontman Justin Hawkins checked into rehab for cocaine and alcohol abuse. While the remaining members scraped themselves together under the moniker Stone Gods, Hawkins set off to start his own project (with Pete Rinaldi of Anchorhead and Samuel SJ Stokes of the Thieves). Thus, we have Hot Leg. Thank god, nothing seems to Read more
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Tags: Anni Rossi, Hot Leg, Mazes, Neko Case, Swan Lake, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Posted by: Ryan Allen + Laura Witkowski on March 10, 2009 at 10:19 am
800 Beloved, Bouquet (Moodgadget Records)
Uh oh. Looks like Detroit’s got its very own Joy Division. At least that’s what the uniformed will think when they hear the cold, slightly Goth-ish tones on 800 Beloved’s icy Bouquet. While the monotone vocals, slashing guitar work, melodic bass-lines, apocalyptic synths, and dark tunnels 800 Beloved travel down certainly bring to mind Curtis & co. — and, to a much lesser extent, Interpol, for those without a decent record collection — what the band is really up to seems a lot more endearing. In all reality, Bouquet is a well-crafted continuation of a long-standing Mitten tradition of producing quality space-rock and shoegaze; one that started with groups like Majesty Crush, Windy and Carl, and Asha Vida (featuring a much-less pop inclined Casimer Pascal of Pas/Cal fame), and has continued to this day with sonic shredders like Dark Red (Rob from Paik) and the super-underrated Dykehouse (hell, we could even go out on a limb here and dub Javelins and Deastro branches on the Michigan-shoegaze family tree). So it’s with open arms that we welcome 800 Beloved to the fold. And how could we not, with certified New Romatic-era jams like “Show Me Evil” and “The Skeleton Collection” stuffed up their frilly sleeves? The band is slightly elusive (they hardly ever play around town), but fans of M83, Robert Smith-hair, and City Club will surely find something to adore about this collection. — RA
Julie Doiron, I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day (Jagjaguwar)
MP3: Consolation Prize
Julie Doiron’s work with 90’s Canadian favorite Eric’s Trip has certainly helped her build a consistent solo career. More or less until this point she’s delivered solid, but relatively quiet records that only hint at the lo-fi squall of those early Eric’s Trip days. Though the title sounds like a note your adorable stalker might leave inside a mix tape under your windshield wiper, I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, also contains some of Doiron’s most fuzzed out and melodic material yet. Thickly distorted, yet melodically solid tracks are interspersed with introspective observations. Her most immediately catchy release yet. — LW
Elvis Perkins In Dearland, Elvis Perkins In Dearland (XL Recordings)
MP3: Shampoo
Elvis Perkins sound like the name of a Southern Rockabilly revivalist, but instead, he’s a revivalist of a different sort. For his second album, he’s now formed a complete band — and this additional trio of multi-instrumentalists bring something special to the music of the exceptional songwriter. With a sound reminiscent of classic Cat Stevens and Josh Ritter meets a New Orleans funeral band, Elvis Perkins In Dearland march through the streets in joyous defiance. Bursts of harmonium, trombone, banjo and clarinet punctuate clever and biting lyrics. Songs like “123 Goodbye” and “Hey” wouldn’t sound out of place a Wes Anderson film soundtrack. — LW
From Monument to Masses, On Little Known Frequencies (Dim Mak/Downtown)
MP3: The First Five
Instrumental music is always a hard sell — it’s not like Tortoise are packing out arenas these days, ya know? But, music without lyrics has quite the history. Ever hear of this dude Johann Sebastian Bach? Yeah, thought so. So, in the tradition of ol’ white-wig himself, we give you the occasionally cinematic soundscapes of the vocal-less Oakland trio From Monument to Masses. Combining the bass-heaviness of the aforementioned Tortoise, with the electro-rock of Minus the Bear, and the metallic shrapnel of, say, Mastodon (fun fact: producer Matt Bayles oversaw records by both the latter groups), FMTM often show up their instrumental peers by A) being not boring (unlike Godspeed You Black Emperor), and B) having a tasteful hip-hop influence (think Prefuse 73, not Diddy) featured throughout. It’s hardly a symphony, but this ain’t your older brothers math-rock either. — RA
Handsome Furs, Face Control (Sub Pop)
MP3: I’m Confused
Face Control will quickly become the “it” record for the ironic hipster set, so expect every person who sees gold lame’ stretch pants and rubber wading boots as essential wardrobe pieces to adore this record. But Handsome Furs bring just enough earnestness with their 80’s throwback synth sound to avoid being a flash-in-the-pan trendy favorite. Of course staying power is also improved when one half of your band is Wolf Parade’s Dan Boeckner. Along with his wife Alexei Perry, the two follow up 2007’s Plague Park with a fuller, more realized set of songs. Gets better with each listen. — LW
War Child presents Heroes (Astralwerks/War Child)
MP3: The Like, You Belong To Me (Elvis Costello)
Did the masterminds behind Urban Outfitters in-store playlists and SirusXMU get together and put together a comp? A quick scan of the artists that make up War Child’s Heroes collection — the Kooks, Estelle, TV on the Radio, Lily Allen, Franz Ferdinand, Scissor Sisters, etc. — and it would seem so. Indeed, you could hear any one of these middle-of-the-road alt.rock and pop pansys blasting over the loud speakers while you snatch up your newest pair of skinnies, but this time around, the kids are covering legendary tracks by the likes of the Ramones, Iggy Pop, U2, and the Kinks, amongst others. The catch? The roster was chosen by the legends themselves. The verdict? It’s pretty hit-and-miss, with nu-Winehouses Estelle and Duffy doing predictable “SNL”-esque big-band takes on Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. Elsewhere, the Hold Steady cover Bruce (shocker!), TV on the Radio do Bowie (no shit!), and the Like do Elvis Costello (actually awesome!). Nitpicking aside, it’s for a good cause (proceeds go to benefit children affected by war), so buy it for you dad and feel good about yourself. — RA
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Tags: 800 Beloved, Astralwerks, Dim Mak, Elvis Costello, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Estelle, From Monument to Masses, Handsome Furs, Heroes, Julie Doiron, Kooks, Lily Allen, Matt Bayles, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, The First Five, The Hold Steady, The Like, Tortoise, TV On the Radio, War Child
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