Faronheit

Youthful Indiscretions

2009-11-03T23:07:00.000-06:00

Things just haven't been the same in the Weezer camp since the 90's. We've all just been waiting for them to get back to the "Blue Album" and "Pinkerton" days, right? That's sort of been the mantra for those of us so strongly influenced by the band's earliest records. At the time I thought, and I hope many others did too, that as we grew up and evolved, Weezer would too. They went on hiatus at the end of the decade, and their legend only grew. The dark but intensely poignant and personal lyrics that populated "Pinkerton" were a guide through my turbulent teenage years, and when the band came back in 2001 with "The Green Album," I was hoping for more of the same. Yes, Weezer was back, and thankfully so was their sense of melody. Just a taste of songs like "Hash Pipe" and "Island in the Sun" heralded the band's return to the pop forum, but at the same time something felt a little off. Chalk that album's success up to everybody being really excited to have Rivers & Co. back in the game, and you may notice it's just a little bit weak. The speedy follow-up "Maladroit" didn't help matters in the least, though times wouldn't hit the band really hard until "Make Believe" landed in our unfortunate laps. I'm seriously pushing for "Beverly Hills" to be named one of the worst songs created in the past decade. Before "Make Believe," Weezer's problems were more fundamental and superficial, and Rivers' lyrics weren't completely in the crapper yet. It was the aforementioned "Beverly Hills," along with second single "We Are All On Drugs" that really exposed the deep-seeded problems the band was having, and there's a reason why so many people continue to hate that record to this day. "The Red Album" fared better, but only slightly. The decision to allow each of the band members to write and sing a song apiece was a huge mistake. Rivers also continued to have lyrical issues ("marrying a beyatch, having seven kiads"), and the viral web stars music video for "Pork and Beans" has already become a bit dated. Which brings us up to "Raditude".

Let the record show that "Raditude"'s opening track and first single "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" is the best single song that Weezer has written since probably their 90's heyday. Granted, it still sounds like a Jonas Bros. song from an alternate universe, but damn is it catchy, and the lyrics are oddly compelling. One of the best things about classic 90's Weezer was that Rivers made specific references to things plenty of people could relate to ("I asked her to go to the Green Day concert/She said she'd never heard of them/How cool is that?/So I went to your room and read your diary"). So when he mentions the movie "Titanic" and a Slayer t-shirt and going to Best Buy, we understand because we know or have done these things. Yet they're also not too general like some of the platitudes that Rivers has offered on the last couple Weezer albums. "Everyone likes to dance to a happy song/With a catchy chorus and beat so they can sing along" is one such example of some uninspired wordplay. So when "I Want You To" was released for radio and download purposes a couple months back, it stood as a great sign that "Raditude" would be largely in the same vein, which meant there was the potential for long-time fans of the band to finally get that old school-styled record we've all been hoping for.

First and foremost, on a majority of the songs across "Raditude", Rivers Cuomo has gotten much of his writing chops back. That is to say, many of these tracks are filled with very specified and geeked out details that were so effective in Weezer's early work. There are a few giant lyrical missteps however, and those are the songs that sound the strangest and most like they don't belong on this album at all, let alone attributed to Weezer. To start, I realize that "Can't Stop Partying" is a song written and done in the most ironic sense possible, but the whole Lil' Wayne cameo and dragging club beat get into a weird area that I just don't understand. You move from guitar pop to this frankly boring and one-note track that falls prey to the very issues it's looking to expose. It's the sort of song you can put out as a b-side or on an EP of experiments, but to shove it near the middle of your high energy and fun record just makes no sense. In fact, "Can't Stop Partying" made its first appearance on Cuomo's second album of home demos "Alone II". The somber, acoustic demo version of the song is much better and more memorable than the studio tricked out version.

The second most confusing track on "Raditude" is "Love Is the Answer," which attempts to exert some Middle Eastern influence on top of a softer guitar track. Some sitar and a woman singing in Hindi are what push the more experimental side of the song, and while those things themselves are out of place, it's the extremely bland and uninspired lyrics that truly ruin this one. The chorus of "Love is the answer/Makes no difference what you've heard/Love is the answer/You have got to trust in the world" is some seriously low-grade Beatles-baiting shit, and the band didn't even go to India and visit with the Maharishi. How or why Weezer thought this would even start to be a good idea is beyond me. Instead it turns out to be a failed attempt to broaden some horizons, and it's something that nearly ruins the rest of the record.

Let me take a brief moment here to discuss the ongoing difficulties that Rivers Cuomo seems to be having with growing up. The guy spent much of "The Red Album" in something of a conflicted mid-life crisis mode, and now it just feels like he's writing songs to pander to a new generation of converts. If I were a teenager looking for some music that helps define me, most of the songs on "Raditude" might fit the bill. Of course I'd be naive and awkward and have terrible taste, but that's pretty much what my life was like 10 years ago anyways. So explain to me this: How exactly is Cuomo more qualified to write or relate to today's teens than I am? When you hear a song like "I'm Your Daddy," does it seem just a little creepy that it was written and is being sung by a man in his 40's, or are you only paying attention to the hook and lyrics? For the teenage target audience here, Cuomo really could be their fathers. That song is followed up by "The Girl Got Hot," a song that is both a relatable situation yet also seems a little strange to once again have Rivers behaving like a horny teenager. Pulling back on the throttle just a bit though, I will say that if you completely ignore the context of where these songs are coming from or who wrote them, fun and catchy are the two words that immediately enter my mind. They're essentially well-written songs from both a lyrical and instrumental standpoint, and the only thing holding them back is my own mind and the knowledge of the fully grown men behind the pen and paper. Well, that and the fact that I know Weezer is capable of so much more.

There are many people out there who will have little problem throwing praise on "Raditude" and calling it Weezer's best album in years. I can understand where they're coming from. Aside from two or three missteps, most every song on the album has some redeeming or enjoyable quality to it. Cuomo's words are sharper and more descriptive than ever, the songs tend to be effortlessly catchy, and Weezer isn't the sort of band you look to for critical acclaim anyways. Hell, even "Pinkerton" was slammed by critics upon its initial release. "Raditude" will never achieve that same cult classic status, but rest assured that plenty of people will buy it and love it (I'm looking at you, teens and tweens and fans of bands like Coldplay and Snow Patrol). Having stuck by Weezer for such a long time and having listened to multiple albums filled with plenty of crappy songs, I'll say most definitely that this new album goes higher than their career-long batting average. It is, for all practical purposes, an improvement over their last 3-4 records, and that alone should get you sitting up and paying attention to it. Of course there's no consoling some people, and plenty will cite "Raditude" as another plague of songs that don't equal what Weezer did in the 90's. Personally, I'm finally starting to realize that not only is this a band beyond saving, but it's also one that doesn't want to be saved. There's a good reason why Weezer went on hiatus after "Pinkerton," and I'll argue that it was less because of school stuff and more because Rivers Cuomo was so depressed he didn't care/want to write music anymore. The intensely personal and emotional nature of "Pinkerton" was born out of pain, and when given the choice between more of that or working to heal old wounds, Cuomo chose the latter. He started meditating and took an oath of celibacy for a time, all in trying to find that happy place once again. Ironically enough, at this point in time Weezer's career is best defined by the classic song "The Good Life". Here's a lyrical sidebar for you:

I don't wanna be an old man anymore
It's been a year or two since I was out on the floor
Shakin' booty makin' sweet love all the night
It's time I got back to the good life
It's time I got back, it's time I got back
And I don't even know how I got off the track
I wanna go back, yeah

With "Raditude," Weezer has gone back. It may not be the days of "The Blue Album" again, but they've taken their "old man" sentiments seriously. They all may be pushing 40 and have families now, but there's little doubt that they're once again living the good life. Sure, they're the big kids playing in the sandbox now, but really they're just looking to have some fun with people no matter what their age. If their music wasn't selling then it'd be one thing, but fans are still putting down their hard-earned money in the hopes they'll catch some of the infectuous joy these grown men have to offer. So when all's said and done, who am I to judge the Weezer model? I have to settle on the idea that they're no longer the band I once loved, and that they'll more than likely never make another album of any real significance to me again. That also doesn't mean some 15-year-old isn't sitting in his room right now rocking out to "Tripping Down the Freeway" and thinking it's an incredible song. There was a time when I didn't know any better either. "Raditude" reminds me of that. There's no way I can give this record a recommendation to any reasonable music fan, but I will say that there are worse and less fun ways to spend your cash. Perhaps you'd be wise to go digital and only pick up the singles from this album. After all, whenever they finally decide to do so, the best Weezer album ever will ultimately be their greatest hits singles compilation.

Buy "Raditude: Deluxe Edition" from Amazon

Folk Classic

2009-11-02T23:46:00.000-06:00

If I've said it once, I'll say it again - Rock Plaza Central is a pretty awesome band. Their last two albums, "Are We Not Horses?" and "At the Moment of Our Most Needing" are both nothing short of excellent, and if you've not yet heard them, well I just don't know what you're waiting for. Back in September, RPC's principal songwriter/novelist Chris Eaton was kind enough to do a lengthy interview with me while the band was out on a short fall tour. Well, Rock Plaza Central is on a bit of a break right now, as Eaton's taking more time to focus on his writing and is also preparing for the birth of his first child. There's also talk that he's spending a little time writing more music for the next RPC album. Anyways, between all that, he was kind enough to shoot me an email late last week and to pass along a song the band recorded back in mid-September. The long and short of it is that they did a cover of Bob Dylan's great song "I Want You", and for one reason or another their label decided they weren't going to put it out. I don't know if that can be counted as a good or a bad decision, but either way this works out in favor of the band's fans.

Speaking directly of Rock Plaza Central's version of "I Want You", I'll comment that it's a bit longer and a bit slower than the original Dylan version. Part of that has to do with the desire to put something of a different spin on the track. After all, Dylan's version is a pretty fast-paced folk pop tune. Taking things in a slower and more measured direction, with some violin thrown in for extra flavor, what Rock Plaza Central does here is emphasize the depth and emotion behind the words. One of the great things about Bob Dylan is that he's able to write purely poetic and heartfelt lyrics while turning the songs into digestible pieces of folk glory. With some of his most pop-oriented songs however, it's easy to forego what's being said and just allowing for a focus on the addictive melody. With their take on the song, Rock Plaza Central may not have retained the speedy delivery or the plucky piano, but they have put some serious heft behind the song, allowing for a re-interpretation of a track you may not have paid as much attention to before. I'm not calling it better or worse than the original, just different, and done with different motivations. Have yourself a listen, and I hope you enjoy it.

Rock Plaza Central- I Want You (Bob Dylan cover) [alt]

Buy a very limited edition copy of "Are We Not Horses?" on vinyl

Show Recap: Monsters of Folk [Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, 10/30/09]

2009-10-31T05:57:00.002-05:00

If you read my review of the Monsters of Folk album a few weeks back, then you'll know a couple things. First, that I really respect all the members of this band, from Oberst to Ward to James to Mogis. From Bright Eyes to My Morning Jacket and just plain M. Ward, everybody's an exceptional talent, and that's why Monsters of Folk is technically a supergroup. Now you would also gather from my review of their self-titled debut that while I thought the songs were pretty good and it was an admirable effort, there were too many tracks and a couple of geniune duds could have been removed. So when presented with the opportunity to see Monsters of Folk perform on their first official tour, I was both hopeful and a bit apprehensive. On the one hand, seeing these four guys together on stage playing the songs from the album would be an entertaining prospect unto itself. Part of me was a little worried though about how good it could really be with the material they had to work with. Still, I didn't have much better to do on the day before Halloween, and they were playing the beautiful Auditorium Theatre, which is like a treat unto itself. Besides, there was very little chance that the show would suck.

My fears were mostly put to rest a few days ago when I started reading reports of Monsters of Folk playing nearly 3 hour sets with material from across all the members' careers. Knowing that I'd get to hear some "classic" material served as a comfort as I headed into the Auditorium Theatre, and sat down just as the curtain was starting to rise. Right out the gate, the guys hit hard with the single "Say Please". It was over and done with in under 3 minutes, reminding me that sometimes it's cool when a band just gets their big song out of the way immediately so the focus shifts elsewhere. It's also kind of funny, because the place was only half filled at the time as the early-ish 7:30pm start time caused plenty of latecomers. A woman a couple seats over from me showed up a few songs in during an Oberst and Mogis-only moment and asked when the full band would be coming out. I told her that they had already been out. She then asked whether they played "Say Please," to which I told her yes. Then, as if she didn't get it, she asked if they might play it again, with the full band this time instead of just Oberst. So yeah, I'm sure there were plenty of other people wanting to hear "Say Please" that missed out because they were late. To suggest though that that was anywhere close to the best moment of the entire night would be short-changing so much more.

After a couple quick M.O.F. songs as I mentioned, Ward, James and drummer-for-hire Will Johnson exited the stage so Mogis and Oberst could play a few Bright Eyes tunes. That was a good time, though it sucked the early energy right out of the set with the quiet acoustic versions of the songs. I'm glad Oberst did "We Are Nowhere and It's Now," though I think it would have benefited more from a full band rendition rather than the sparse one he wound up giving instead. And that was the one thing I really learned from the band's set - Conor Oberst playing Bright Eyes songs by himself or with just Mike Mogis can be emotionally effective, but also serve to point out weak songwriting, especially when facing off against the music his Monsters of Folk counterparts have written. So indeed, Oberst's moment in the spotlight didn't shine as brightly as the other guys in the band.

With a few Monsters of Folk cuts in between, both Jim James and M. Ward would have their turns to play some of their material as well. Both fared much better than Oberst did, though I do have to wonder if that had anything to do with the set's general ebb and flow, moving from high energy to quieter stuff, and getting used to it the more the set went on. Jim James was nothing short of delightful during his specific portion, often enlisting either Ward or Oberst to assist him with an extra guitar or vocal harmony here and there. But James typically does great no matter how he's performing a song, adding an extra piece of guitar flair here or an extra vocal moan there. A rendition of My Morning Jacket's "Golden" was one of the bigger highlights, though honestly I was a little disappointed with some of James' personal song choices. That is to say it might have been nice to have heard more of my favorite MMJ songs, but what he ultimately settled on was nice enough, and beggars can't be choosers.

A little over halfway through the main set, I suddenly found myself utterly surprised at what was happening. M. Ward was stealing the show. He came out to do a couple solo tracks, "One Hundred Million Years" and "Chinese Translation," and I sat there mouth agape as he finger picked and rhythm guitar-ed his way through the songs with extremely impressive precision. Seriously, I can't recall the last time I saw an acoustic guitar manipulated so fluidly and beautifully. Those two songs, for me, were pretty much the highlights of the night. And the thing about it is, compared to James, Oberst and even Mogis with his instruments, I was expecting Ward's performance to be the weakest among this strong collection of musicians. Suddenly I like M. Ward a whole lot more than I did before this show (for the record, I didn't dislike him before the show, rather just moderately liked him).

So long as I'm mentioning individual contributions at this Monsters of Folk show, let me not forget Mike Mogis. He didn't have any songs to perform on his own, but as the silent member of the band, he did an extraordinary job. The guy pretty much switched instruments on most every song, dealing with electric guitars, acoustic guitars, pedal steel guitars, keyboards, tambourines, triangles, mandolins and probably a bunch of other stuff I don't even know about. There's a reason why he's officially part of this group of four, and he more than proved his worth during the show.

Getting back to the full group performances, which took up the vast majority of the entire 2 hour and 50 minute show, one of the biggest benefits of having people constantly moving on and off stage was that things never stayed in the same place for too long. You were kept on your toes, not really knowing what to expect next, be it a Monsters of Folk song or something from one of the guys' other projects. Parsing out the M.O.F. album tracks over the course of the entire show eliminated the tediousness of listening to them all in a row on the album version, thereby making even the more difficult to like songs work in some capacity. And the Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket and M. Ward material wasn't just restricted to solo shots either. For example the Bright Eyes material improved greatly when Oberst, James and Ward each took a verse of "At the Bottom of Everything". In fact, "Another Travelin' Song" and "Hit the Switch" were excellent as well. The full band version of My Morning Jacket's "Smokin' From Shootin'" took on a life of its own as well way beyond what you got on the "Evil Urges" album. Jim James positively slayed with an electric guitar in hand, and suddenly the crowd could no longer stay in their seats. It was a party from the end of the set through the encore, and I can't think of a more fitting way to end the show. The band ultimately shut things down with "My Master's Voice," the final song on the Monsters of Folk record. The curtain closed and the crowd went wild before it rose one last time so the guys could all stand together and take a bow.

I have to say, for a show that lasted nearly 3 hours with 30+ songs and featured no opening band or intermission, time sure flew by. That's what happens when you're having fun. And in fact I had more than fun at this show, I had a blast. Sure, there were a couple small rough patches here and there, but even those came out shinier when you think about them as a small part of a large whole. The technical skill displayed by all these guys was more intense and better than I could have expected, but I suppose that's why you can call Monsters of Folk a supergroup. There was a point during Jim James's solo stuff when he talked for a moment about the Auditorium Theatre. "One of the great things about this tour is that we're getting to play in a lot of theatres I have never been in before. This is my first time in the Auditorium Theatre, and it's just gorgeous. Earlier today before anybody was here I went all the way up to the back of the balcony and sat down, just staring out at this majestic ceiling with the halos of lights overhead. There's something almost spiritual about it, you know? Like this is God's theatre, and staring into those beautiful lights might just be what it looks like when you die and enter Heaven." If ever there was a musical parallel to the visual glory of the theatre, I'd like to think that the Monsters of Folk set came close to doing it justice. This may not be one of the best shows I've ever seen, but in this calendar year, it's quickly taken a spot among my favorites. Go see them if they're coming to a city near you!

Monsters of Folk- Say Please
Monsters of Folk- Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.) [alt]

Buy "Monsters of Folk" from Amazon

Monsters of Folk U.S. Tour Dates:
October 31 - Louisville, KY - Palace Theatre
November 2 - Toronto - Massey Hall
November 3 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
November 6 - New York City, NY - United Palace
November 8 - New York City, NY - Beacon Theatre
November 9 - Philadelphia, PA - Academy of Music
November 10 - Richmond, VA - Landmark Theater
November 11 - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
November 13 - Austin, TX - Stubb's

Live Friday: 10-30-09

2009-10-30T08:54:00.003-05:00

One look outside at the weather today in Chicago and you pretty much decide on one word: miserable. Granted, we're not Colorado, which has gotten a few feet of snow this week, and thankfully our temperatures are in the upper 50's and low 60's, but the rain! It's pouring outside, and it's supposed to stay that way for most of the day. The weather makes it a great time to break out this session that Rain Machine did a couple weeks back at Minnesota Public Radio. If you haven't heard of Rain Machine, it's the second side project of Kyp Malone, who is most familiar to you for his role in TV on the Radio, but also is one half of the band Iran. Now that TVOTR is on hiatus for the next year or so, Malone has some extra time on his hands and wanted to put out some songs that addressed issues that were important to him. That's really the whole purpose behind Rain Machine, and he's put a touring lineup together to play those songs should you want to see them done live. Otherwise, there's always the self-titled Rain Machine album to catch your ear. It's pretty good if you've yet to hear it. The band's performance on MPR is pretty good as well. One of the more interesting things to hear is set closer "Smiling Black Faces," which gets extended by a minute from the album version, and features a part where Malone decides to rant against the FCC because he is being forced to censor a certain "seven letter word" for the session. You don't hear that stuff everyday. In terms of interview content, Malone talks a bit about managing his various bands and why Rain Machine means so much to him. Stream that below if it intrigues you. Otherwise, just stick to downloading the songs. And have a great Halloween weekend! Do some drinking, dress up in a crazy costume, and above all else, try to stay dry.

Rain Machine, Live on MPR 10-16-09:
Rain Machine- Leave the Lights On [alt]
Rain Machine- Give Blood [alt]
Rain Machine- Smiling Black Faces [alt]

Stream the entire interview/performance

Buy "Rain Machine" from Amazon

Show Recap: múm + Sin Fang Bous [Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, 10/28/09]

2009-10-29T07:14:00.004-05:00

Iceland is a curious place, that's for sure. They're not a country with a huge population, yet we seem to have a fair number of noteworthy artists coming from there, be it a Bjork or a Sigur Ros. The best part is that there's very little you might call "traditional" about these artists - they don't seem particularly concerned with adapting to musical trends or even creating music that's less than innovative. I've not yet heard a plain-sounding artist that has come from Iceland. I'm mostly convinced that it has almost everything to do with living in a country of such beauty and culture. To put it simply though, if you introduce me to an artist from Iceland, I've already made the assumption that their music is nothing short of interesting and good.
This is how I was introduced to Sin Fang Bous, the latest musical project put together by Sindri Már Sigfússon, whose one-man band Seabear got attention of its own a couple years back. Sigfússon allowed Seabear to grow by adding a few members before finally putting that band on hold (they'll be back in 2010) to pursue other projects. He decided to get back to the simplicity of being a lone wolf, recording under the name Sin Fang Bous for the debut album "Clangour". That album, which I heard for the first time a few months ago, is a highly interesting take on acoustic-based pop music, with added elements of vocal overdubs, electro beats, flutes, psychedelic haze and other little oddities. The album may not be one of the absolute best things I've heard so far this year, but it's definitely a record that I strongly admire and advise you to pick up should it catch your ear. That being said, Sigfússon decided to join his friends múm on the road for a U.S. tour this fall to play some shows before returning to Seabear for a new album and spring tour (of note, there will also be a new Sin Fang Bous album in 2010). That tour stopped by Chicago's own Logan Square Auditorium on Wednesday night, and I was privileged to be in the crowd for it.

I arrived at Logan Square Auditorium early enough to catch an early set from Hildur Guðnadóttir, who is the cellist for múm and has a solo career of her own. She creates darkly cinematic instrumental landscapes in a live setting primarily by looping her cello for the various parts. She also had a little bit of help on bass guitar for a few songs towards the end of her set. It was definitely good, and something I'd expect to come out of Iceland. They'd be right at home amid the glaciers and palatial landscapes of that country, though would probably be most effective in the darkness. It was a great post-rock sort of way to start the night out, leading into the more upbeat and poppier songs that Sin Fang Bous brought to the table.

So either Sindri Már Sigfússon has already added members to Sin Fang Bous, or he's just got some extra musicians helping him out to recreate the sounds of "Clangour" while on stage. I did see a couple members of múm play with him on some or all of the songs, along with a couple of other guys to create a 4-5 piece band. Through the use of 3 different microphones (for vocal effects) and a couple different instruments, Sigfússon did an excellent job recreating the sound of his album, but it was often done with a bit of a twist. A few of the songs took on lives of their own, breaking from their album versions to give an extra little instrumental tweak here and there or just to break from a 4/4 time signature to switch up the tempo. There were times when some of the songs took on a Jekyll and Hyde personality, speeding up and slowing down between verses and the chorus. It was a pretty cool way of doing things, even though sometimes I halfway thought there were mistakes being made because something didn't sound quite right. Turns out it was all part of the plan, as I quickly picked up on after giving "Clangour" another close listen after the show. In terms of stage banter, I don't typically expect foreigners that don't speak English as a first language to be incredibly talkative when they play in the U.S., but Sigfússon did an admirable job introducing the songs and kindly explaining that this was his first time visiting Chicago. I hope he had as good of a time here as the crowd seemed to have while he was playing. So the Sin Fang Bous set was great, and above all else I hope some people were inspired enough to look into their music further.

Sin Fang Bous- Catch the Light
Sin Fang Bous- Sunken Ship [alt]

Buy "Clangour" from Amazon

Headlining the night of course was múm, and I can say that the crowd was very excited about that. Speaking of the crowd, there were a good couple hundred people at this show, filling up Logan Square a little over halfway. From listening to some conversations going on around me between sets, I can say that a fair number of those people weren't American, but of course spoke English with heavy accents. Not that the ethnic diversity of the crowd mattered, it's just that I typically don't see that many foreign-born people in one place. But it was a couple of Americans that partially ruined my múm experience by being pushy, taking too many photos, and attempting to dance in some of the most awkward ways possible. Simply put, I was a little annoyed at these people, but I suppose they had themselves a great time at the expense of few others aside from me. But about múm's set. It was nothing short of excellent. Not only was it technically proficient, with Sigurlaug Gísladóttir and Hildur Guðnadóttir doubling over vocals with Gunnar Tynes along with plenty of melodica, cello and trumpet, but it was a whole lot of fun as well. Of course múm naturally lends itself to such fun, as their albums have a real sense of childlike wonder and innocence to them. The material they pulled from during their set was largely off their last two albums, which isn't entirely a good thing. Their latest record, "Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know," is a bit shaky compared to the rest of their discography, though really things haven't been the same since Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir left the band a few years ago. Still, I like to think that with all the talent still left in the band, they can do most anything convincingly, and that includes putting on a great performance of songs that are considered by many to be some of their weakest to date.

If I had one wish for this set, it was that it be set in a venue that had seats. When you get a band like múm, equal parts lighthearted pop and soothing quiet melodies, there are certain songs you just want to relax for and let them take you away on a river of beauty. There was a certain point about midway through the band's set that I just wanted to lay down and take a nap right there on the floor, and it would have helped if I had a chair to sit in. That's not to call it boring, but rather soothing, like an aural massage where you just want to pass out on the table while the music does its magic on your ears. Eventually though I came out of my haze, somewhere around an energized version of "Dancing Behind My Eyelids" and the recorder/kazoo fun that happened immediately afterwards, and that's when things really got good. To end their set, múm played the song "Sing Along" and held up poster boards with some of the lyrics on them. It was amazingly cute, much like the song itself, and I don't know how anybody could resist smiling from ear to ear during it. The encore was great as well, sending the crowd into more of a frenzy than they were already in, which is really how you want to end things - with people wanting more.

múm- Illuminated
múm- They Made the Frogs Smoke 'Til They Exploded

Buy "Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know" from Amazon

Delightful is the word I'd use to describe the night overall, and a couple bands from Iceland are responsible for it. Seriously, the country has a wealth of amazing artists, with Sin Fang Bous and múm being just two of them. The music they have to offer isn't always mindblowing, but their live shows are nothing short of excellent. If you've got the chance to see this tour before they leave North America, you'd be wise to do so.

Restrained Jubilation

2009-10-28T08:11:00.002-05:00

Before the low budget musical "Once" ever hit theatres in 2007, the self-titled debut album by The Swell Season was already available in stores. Yes, "The Swell Season" came out in 2006, and not a whole lot of people noticed. This was essentially Glen Hansard taking on a side project from his day job in The Frames, the band he'd been in with his mates for over 15 years. I was very much aware of The Frames by 2006 and had heard a few of their many albums by that time, but even I didn't hear of The Swell Season until 2007 when everything changed. As I've already alluded to, the tiny musical that could known as "Once" came out, and people flocked to see it. The film wound up being one of the best reviewed movies of that year, and it more than made back its meager budget. Most notably though, it took the two people playing the lead roles in the film, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, essentially musicians and non-actors, and catapulted them into the spotlight. The "Once" soundtrack, featuring Swell Season songs and a number of reworked Frames songs, sold tons of copies and the song "Falling Slowly" won an Oscar for Best Song. People were certainly paying plenty of attention to Hansard and Irglova as a result of all these things, though I'm still not sure how many were aware that they had made music as the Swell Season before this whole movie business came about. Add to the mix that Hansard and Irglova wound up in a relationship with one another that gave people the happy ending the film didn't quite have, and all this seems like music made out of pure love.

Well time passes and things change. In the past couple years since "Once," the Swell Season have done a boatload of touring, and eventually found the time to record their second official album, titled "Strict Joy". There's a few changes this time around, and not all of them have to do with the sound of the album. To start, Hansard and Irglova ended their romantic relationship, but not their working relationship. They're still the two people in this band together against all odds, but whereas the last record may have been influenced by the rosy side of relationships or the general yearning for another, this album addresses the theme of heartbreak - something not uncommon in some of the old Frames albums, as well as a whole lot of records across history. And like many breakup albums, "Strict Joy" is a unequivocated success, providing the creative spark needed to advance both the story and creativity of these two great artists.

There are two main elements outside of personal issues that contribute to the Swell Season's display of strength on "Strict Joy." The first is having a solid theme for the entire record. Given that the "Once" soundtrack was largely a mish-mash of songs pulled from various Hansard-related projects, the thing holding those songs together was really the film's storyline, which had a number of different moods and themes, depending on the situation. There's no movie this time around, and given the emotional trauma Hansard and Irglova experienced with their breakup, it served as a perfect thing to write about across a dozen tracks. Secondly, The Swell Season now has a number of additional backing musicians as part of its lineup, and they contribute a whole lot to giving this album a much fuller and richer sound overall. Yes, Hansard and Irglova remain front and center with the guitar and piano respectively along with their vocal contributions, but all the singer-songwriter shtick that dominated before is now replaced with careful arrangements and delicately beautiful songs. It's somewhat unexpected, and while it takes away a bit of the intimacy and rawness of the early Swell Season material, for what they're doing now, it feels like much more of a collaborative and thought out effort.

If you're scared that this new full band approach is going to ruin the sound of the Swell Season you've come to know and love, I say fear not. They still take on that softer, adult-oriented folk that's somewhat reminiscent of Van Morrison. Your parents won't be disappointed if they've been sucked into this band, and if you like them too, so much the better. One of the bigger pieces of familiarity you'll find here are the couple songs where Marketa Irglova takes lead vocals. "Fantasy Man" and "I Have Loved You Wrong" are somber piano ballads, but significantly helping matters this time is Irglova's voice, which seems to have improved in both pitch and tone. She actually sounds confident rather than tentative like she did on the last album. You can call it one of the most pleasant surprises of the record, and it only makes the whole thing stronger yet again.

So stronger and fuller and richer are words best used to describe "Strict Joy" as an album, and the Swell Season are certainly better for it. The songwriting also remains exceptionally strong, and the meditations on heartbreak and getting over a relationship are both intimate as well as meaningful. Perhaps there's also some comfort in knowing that despite what these songs were written about, Hansard and Irglova are still fond enough of one another to remain friends and in a band together. After all, he could have just gone right back to The Frames and called it a day. Instead, we get this lovely yet sad record about love and loss. Yes, this sound and these themes have been covered before, but rarely have they been done so well and with such talented musicians. If innovation and revolutionary musical styles are your thing, you'll probably be turned off by this album, but for those of us that now and then enjoy some complacency with some well-written songs that don't try anything too fancy, the Swell Season does just fine.

The Swell Season- In These Arms [alt]
The Swell Season- Paper Cup [alt]

Buy "Strict Joy" from Amazon

Show Recap: Neon Indian + The Smith Westerns [Lincoln Hall, Chicago, 10/27/09]

2009-10-28T04:43:00.006-05:00

First thing's first: If you've not yet heard, there's a brand new concert venue in Chicago. It's called Lincoln Hall and it's a 500 capacity place put together by the owners of Schubas. Lincoln Hall opened a little over a week and a half ago, and in that brief period of time they've had such notable acts as Mike Doughty, Ted Leo and Ben Gibbard with Jay Farrar all play there. On Tuesday night it was time for Chicago's own The Smith Westerns along with Neon Indian to help break the venue in further. I'll get to their individual sets in just a minute, but I'd like to remark about how classy and cool Lincoln Hall really is, with a great beer selection and food menu, not to mention the nice stage setup and sound system that's nothing short of excellent. It may not have the intimacy and history (though that building has housed many great things) that Schubas does, but as a new place to see a slightly larger indie show, I'd just like to say that I'm impressed and wish it the best of luck in the coming months and hopefully years.

For a Tuesday night show, I was a little surprised to see that there were four artists on the bill that night. I did miss the first two, one of which was the great Prairie Cartel, but arrived just in time to see The Smith Westerns take the stage. The band is made up of a rag-tag bunch of 18 and 19 year olds who for the most part look like they've just emerged from puberty. Yet that hasn't stopped them from garnering a surprisingly large amount of buzz around the music scene, with their punky, lo-fi self-titled debut album getting high praise from important publications. This was The Smith Westerns' first show back in Chicago after their long weekend at CMJ in New York, during which they reportedly caused all kinds of mischief that included working extra hard to do some underage drinking. They were apparently kicked out of at least one venue for doing so, though most reports at some of the more popular showcases said they were on good behavior. I can assure you that they were also on good behavior during their Lincoln Hall show, where they decided to tear through the tracks on their album almost as fast as they could. The pace was very frantic, and the sound mix sonically clearer than how it sounds on record. Whether that was by design or just because the venue's sound system was too excellent to allow for a muddy mix, this was the cleanest I've ever heard the band sound. I wouldn't call that a bad thing, but it did make these ramshackle kids seem more prim and proper, which to be quite frank isn't exactly the best look on them. The songs were actually the best part of the band's performance. Call it a lack of experience, but though the energy may have been high, they spent much of their set standing in the same place and doing workmanlike renditions of their album tracks. The stage banter was also a little iffy, like this intro, "This song is called 'Dreams'. It's about dreams." Yep, pure Shakespeare. But again, it's not like these boys are fully weather-tested performers just yet. For being at the place they're currently at in their careers, The Smith Westerns are actually doing just fine. As they spend more time on the road and write/record new material, expect their sound and live show to improve dramatically. At least that's what I'd hope for. Until then, I suppose they deserve a break or at least a hefty dose of slack. I did enjoy the set thoroughly, and that's about all I was looking for in the first place.

The Smith Westerns- Be My Girl

Buy "Smith Westerns" from Amazon

Headlining the night was the freshly hypeworthy Neon Indian, otherwise known as Alan Palomo and his band of merry misfits. Neon Indian's debut album "Psychic Chasms" can be considered part of the very recent explosion of bedroom dance pop currently being labeled a number of different things which nobody can seem to settle on. I suppose the most frequent term I hear used is "glo-fi," which signals, you know, a mixture of the frequent dance club tool glowsticks combined with a lo-fi aesthetic. And while this fascination with this sort of music will surely be fleeting and reach backlash capacity by the end of the year, the Neon Indian album is actually very good on its own and I'm hopeful that they'll survive the ever-impending rebellion. Now prior to this set, I was under the impression that given Palomo's collaboration with visual artist Alicia Scardetta, that meant the Neon Indian live show would be both a visual and aural spectacle. This turned out to not be the case, as the stage setup was simplistic in design with a mere black backdrop and traditional lighting (though some overhead colored lights did swirl around the room a few times during the set). The lack of a visual element placed the emphasis back on the music itself, which given how good it is, was perfectly okay.

Much like The Smith Westerns, Neon Indian was coming off a large number of shows at CMJ in New York over the weekend. Unlike The Smith Westerns, they were able to avoid being labeled troublemakers. But with nary a break in sight, Neon Indian didn't stop to take any rest after CMJ. I'm not entirely convinced that was a good idea, especially coming straight off playing multiple shows each day, but who am I to judge? It just seemed to me that Alan Palomo seemed a little tired during the set. Not that it detracted from the dance party happening in the crowd. Granted, it wasn't a frenzied, massive dance party, but given the moderate-sized crowd and somewhat low BPM on a number of the band's songs, the crowd energy was about what you'd expect on Tuesday night. The band powered through their set, essentially playing "Psychic Chasms" in its entirety, and it was a good sign when everything shut down and everyone started chanting for one more song. I don't think they had any more songs they could play, which is why there was no encore, but the point is that we all wanted one anyways. It was fun and we were all enjoying ourselves. It marked a lovely way to cap off the evening, and Neon Indian wound up doing themselves some justice after all. Now I do want to give special credit to special guest Leanne Macomber from Fight Bite on keyboards, who was cute as a button getting her dance on and clapping along with the music on stage. Alan Palomo may be the front and center of this project, but she was the one to watch for that performance. I'm convinced she singlehandedly brought the set where it needed to be, which is why I wanted to take a moment to mention it.

Neon Indian- Deadbeat Summer
Neon Indian- Terminally Chill

Buy "Psychic Chasms" from Amazon

So on the whole it was a pretty good night, especially for a Tuesday. The crowd was very receptive to both the bands I saw, and there was plenty of fun to be had if you were looking for it. That, combined with a great new venue really added something extra to the proceedings. But should you have the opportunity, by all means check out either The Smith Westerns or Neon Indian in a live setting. The Smith Westerns seem to be taking a break for the moment, either to record or just to plan out their next tour, but you can still see Neon Indian in a city near you should that sound like a good idea. Have a look at the dates below.

Neon Indian Fall Tour Dates:
10-28 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
10-29 Bloomington, IN - The Bishop
10-30 Madison, WI - University of Wisconsin
10-31 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
11-07 Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Festival
11-08 Lubbock, TX - Bash Riprock's
11-10 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
11-11 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
11-12 Boise, ID - Neurolux
11-13 Guadalajara, Mexico - Lemon Beat
11-14 Mexico City, Mexico - Pasaje América
11-15 Seattle, WA - Nectar Lounge
11-16 Vancouver, British Columbia - Shine Nightclub
11-17 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
11-19 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
11-20 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
11-21 Tuscon, AZ - Club Congress
11-22 Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room

Beatification

2009-10-26T05:55:00.001-05:00

Maybe this will sting slightly less if I start by establishing that I consider myself an avid Tegan and Sara fan. Their last two albums, "So Jealous" and "The Con" were both excellent, for wildly different reasons actually. "So Jealous" was a loud, spunky collection of great indie pop songs that wore its heart on its sleeve. That was actually the album that turned me from somebody that thought Tegan and Sara were "just okay" into somebody who said, "these girls are genuinely talented, and their album is filled with pop gems." What "The Con" did was to further establish their reputations as twin sisters who could not only write a catchy tune, but hit straight to the emotional core of a number of subjects, but mostly love and relationships. "The Con" was a darker and more serious album, but it was also much more layered and had much more depth than Tegan and Sara had ever shown previously, only furthering my admiration for them. It also served to really give each of the girls their own identities separate from one another, with Sara being the better lyricist and Tegan crafting better pop songs. Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla stepped in behind the boards as producer for the girls as well, and his contributions to the album were greatly felt and largely helped establish the more serious tone. If you're asking me, "The Con" wound up being Tegan and Sara's best album to date, which is why you could call me very excited about their new album coming out on Tuesday, titled "Sainthood".

Hoping to capture lightning in a bottle for a second time, Chris Walla is once again producing this album, but the results are a bit different from "The Con". All the layers and complication that Tegan and Sara took on last time? It's mostly gone, scaled back in favor of quicker and dirtier songs that tend to have a distinct punk rock edge. It does feel like a sharp step backwards, but you still get the same dynamic established on the last album, with Sara once again writing some dynamite lyrics and Tegan pushing for more of a pop direction. So "Sainthood" is definitely better than their somewhat rocky first couple of records, but it also feels weaker than the Tegan and Sara we've come to know.

One of my biggest concerms is with what seems like a lack of a true blue single on this album. I don't mean that there aren't some songs that could do well for the girls, but I don't hear a thing on "Sainthood" that compares in terms of catchiness with tracks like "Back In Your Head" or "The Con" or even "Speak Slow". I hear a number of these new songs and say, "yeah, that was nice and halfway decent," but having listened through this album a good half dozen times now, I honestly can't recall one chorus off the top of my head. Sorry, but I consider that to be a little bit of a problem. Something's amiss, and I just can't go on pretending like high energy and emotionally powerful lyrics automatically make this as great as their last two albums.

That said, I do appreciate the more straightforward and direct approach Tegan and Sara are going for on "Sainthood". Keeping things fast-paced and light amid the sometimes turbulent lyrics allows you to feel much of the emotional impact without having to put yourself in a dark corner wanting to cry. It'll certainly make for better live shows as well, giving people something to really tap their toes or jump around to. I also appreciate some of the more interesting and odd musical choices they make on occasion here, where a song like opener "Arrow," with its guitar squelches and computer beats can throw you a little off balance if you're unprepared for it. It'd be even better if they'd consider doing something like that a little more often, though that might take things in a distinctly weirder and more uncommercial direction compared to everything they've done previously.

Finally, I want to make mention of a couple things I really miss on "Sainthood". First of all, it seems that the girls have stopped doubling over their vocal tracks for the most part, and also doing far fewer harmonies than they did on their last two albums. This makes the songs feel plainer and more straightforward, as is much of the record anyways with the plaintive electric guitar jams with electro-assistance. Which also reminds me - what happened to their liberal use of acoustic guitars? They seem to have ditched them on most songs, along with the piano, in favor of synths and electric guitars. Not that there's a whole lot wrong with synths and electric guitars, I suppose it's just that they've used acoustics for so long (and in fair balance with electrics on "So Jealous") I kind of miss them a bit.

Now you might have read through all these paragraphs and thought that I'm being overly harsh on Tegan and Sara. That "Sainthood" is actually pretty much on par with their careers so far. Ultimately when you think about it, there's kind of a distinct difference in the sound of "So Jealous" and "The Con", so yet another switch-up in sound actually makes some sense here. What I've ultimately determined is that "Sainthood" is closest to a precisely calculated blend of their last two albums, perhaps with a little bit of a harder rock edge. So why then, does this new album feel weaker than their last two efforts? I've mentioned a number of issues in this review, but am not entirely positive that they're all part of the problem. I suppose trying to put it as simply as possible, I continue to love the lyrics, but think the instrumentals have gotten a little plain and a bit too mainstream. This leads to less memorable melodies, which is really what bothers me. Maybe after a couple dozen listens through the album something will start to stick in my head, but at the moment I'm really struggling to accept these songs into the fold. I wish Tegan and Sara nothing but the best and all the success in the world, but am not really sure I can fully throw my support behind "Sainthood". The album is currently streaming at Myspace for at least a day or two more, so I'll merely advise you to listen to it there and make your own decision on it. Oh, and feel free to defend/criticize the album in the comments section, I'm definitely interested to hear your impressions!

Tegan and Sara- On Directing [alt]
Tegan and Sara- The Ocean [alt]

Stream the entire album at Myspace

Buy "Sainthood" from Amazon

Live Friday: 10-23-09

2009-10-23T04:58:00.005-05:00

A few months back, I posted a live session from Camera Obscura. They did a radio session in Minneapolis and played a couple songs from their latest and excellent album "My Maudlin Career," along with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Tougher Than the Rest". It was a pretty great session on the whole, and apparently a lot of you also thought so, because I got a number of emails about it, some thanking me and some asking me to re-upload the songs after they became no longer available after about a month or so. To be clear about my policies on this here site, I guarantee that mp3s will be available for 7 days after they're posted. Beyond that period of time, I guarantee nothing, and unless there are extra special circumstances, I won't re-up anything (but I may send you the files in an email if you ask nicely and I've got a spare few minutes on my hands). So because the Camera Obscura session was one of the more exceptional sessions of the past year, I've decided to post a different live session the band did back in August for WXPN. They cover most of the same bases from the session a few months back, but throw in the song "James" for good (if not great) measure. The Springsteen cover also makes a return appearance, and Tracyanne Campbell's voice sounds effortlessly sweet as usual. The songs are once again excellent, though I do feel the need to say that the live version of "Honey In the Sun" doesn't quite reach the album version's greatness. Still, the songs are fantastic. Additionally, should you want to listen to the interview, there's talk about both the love and heartbreak that went into writing these songs, as well as a discussion about the pluses and minuses of what Scotland has to offer. If that sort of stuff intrigues you, by all means have a listen below. Have a great weekend!

Camera Obscura, Live on WXPN 8-20-09:
Camera Obscura- Honey In the Sun [alt]
Camera Obscura- James [alt]
Camera Obscura- Tougher Than the Rest (Bruce Springsteen cover) [alt]
Camera Obscura- French Navy [alt]

Stream the entire interview/session

Buy "My Maudlin Career" from Amazon

Reliance On Others

2009-10-22T05:00:00.001-05:00

One of my more favorite recent mix-ups has been with the large number of people who have gotten confused between Kings of Leon and Kings of Convenience. No legitimate Kings of Convenience fans have mixed the two groups up, but given Kings of Leon's rise to popularity in the past year, most of their new fans have clearly not been paying close attention. There have been stories of Kings of Leon fans showing up at Kings of Convenience shows, tickets in hand, only to be surprised when they don't hear "Sex on Fire" but are instead treated to some gorgeous acoustic pop songs. I'd call these mistakes "happy accidents" because they're getting treated to a great show and are being introduced to a band they might have never heard of otherwise, but it seems that Kings of Leon fans are less than pleased with how this confusing scenario typically goes down. Technically it's their fault though, for not paying closer attention to their "new favorite band". I can only hope that some of these Kings of Leon fans also get confused at the record store when looking to buy a CD and accidentally pick up the new one from Kings of Convenience instead. Again, I'd call a mistake like that a "happy accident".

"Declaration of Dependence" is the first Kings of Convenience album in 5 years, which is somewhat surprising given how many fans of the band that I know are somewhat obsessed with them. Of course Erlend Øye has been keeping busy with The Whitest Boy Alive and Eirik Glambek Bøe was working some other job, but given KoC's period of inactivity, many thought that the duo had broken up. Thankfully, playing a show here and there in 2007 helped to shut those rumors down, though it did take them a couple years to record this new album, apparently.

For those of you familiar with the band's back catalogue, most notably their first two albums "Quiet is the New Loud" and "Riot on an Empty Street," I'm sure you're more than familiar with the Norwegian duo's hushed acoustic pop, which tends to be nothing short of lovely. While a fair portion of that past material had some energy and effortlessly catchy choruses to stand behind it, "Declaration of Dependence" is actually a much more subdued and relaxed affair compared to those records. That's not to say it's worse than the older stuff, just a bit quieter. This is definitely something for the bedroom pop or coffee shop crowd, in particular because the album is even more effective with a hot beverage in your system. Virtually all of the songs are just Øye and Bøe on acoustic guitars, mixing their melodies with vocal harmonies that are sweet as honey. Occasionally a track will feature some violin or piano, and much of the time that's just icing on the cake.

To say that I'm happy to have Kings of Convenience back and making new material would be an understatement. I'm thrilled actually, and "Declaration of Dependence" is yet another great notch in this duo's belt. This may not be their strongest or best album, but it's remarkably close, and a delight to listen to. Sure, it's not an everyday sort of record, but on a quiet Sunday morning as you read a newspaper on the couch, make this your soundtrack and enjoy. Let's hope we don't have to wait another five years for these guys to get back into the studio.

Kings of Convenience- Boat Behind (via Insound)

Buy "Declaration of Dependence" from Amazon

Trilogy

2009-10-21T23:52:00.001-05:00

I will readily admit that I have never paid very much attention to the band Espers, and haven't heard that much of their material before now either. It's actually not meant as an offense to them, because from what I understand their first two albums were pretty good. I heard their second record, "II" only a couple times and liked it well enough, but never thought to review it back in 2006 because I think there were a bunch of other albums coming out right around that same time. Now in 2009, we're essentially in that same position, with probably a dozen halfway decent records being released this week. But it just so happens that in picking what to review I wanted to go with something more unfamiliar and unexpected. Also, there are so many bands out there making music these days, and I digest so much of it on a daily basis, that on occasion an artist slips through the cracks. I wanted to correct that with Espers, which is why I'm taking the time now to actually spend some time with their third record, aptly titled "III" which is out this week.

To make sure I knew where Espers was coming from on "III," I felt it appropriate to go back and give "II" another listen for the first time in a couple years. That actually turned out to be one wild trip down the dark psychedelia lane as I sought to digest the record's lengthy interwoven guitar, vocal and odd instrumental attack. I vaguely recall listening to "II" back in 2006, and there was a reason why I didn't give it more than a couple spins. Not to say that album was bad, but given the breadth of my sonic palette at the time, it's not something I would have been very interested in back then. Today, however, is something of a different story. I like what I'm hearing from this band, and am a little upset I didn't catch onto this sooner. But let's consider "III" my attempt to reconcile that, because I'm extremely impressed with this album, and for good reason I think.

The first thing I noticed about "III" was that it's definitely cheerier and more upbeat instrumentally than "II" was. But while the songs sound brighter, the lyrics aren't exactly sunshine and rainbows. In fact, they're mostly down in the dumps and upsetting, but in a highly poetic and beautiful sort of way. The way these elements blend together, the lighter nature of the instruments and the darker side of the lyrics, says a whole lot about what Espers does in general across this entire album, effortlessly mixing the two in some unholy hybrid that's challenging and gorgeous at the same time. It's been three years, and in that time they've clearly gotten better. One of the things that really helps in this case is the band's scaling back of their lengthy psychedelic trips. "II" featured 3 songs that were 8+ minutes long, and none of the 7 tracks clocked in at under 5 minutes. On "III" half the songs are all under the 5 minute mark, and only one track out of 10 makes it past 6 minutes, and even then it's just barely. I love a good and spacey rock song now and then, but balancing out with something shorter only helps the cause I'd argue. Which is why "III" also features some of Espers' poppiest and most accessible songs to date.Yeah, there's still a number of trippy and complicated numbers, but they don't feel overlong or dragged out thanks to the breezier stuff mixed in with it.

Take the album's first track, "I Can't See Clear" as an interesting example of how expectations are thrown for a loop right from the start. Kicking in with some simple and jovial acoustic strumming, Meg Baird's lovely voice comes in and you think you're getting this peppy folk song. But things quickly get shaken up by a distorted electric guitar that meanders its way into the mix and decides to string along for awhile. Suddenly this nice perfect pop song has been pushed a little beyond its means, like a storm cloud on an otherwise sunny day. It's a catchy tune with a bit of a dark side, mostly thanks to the lyrics, and it ends right when it should. That leading into "The Road of Golden Dust," which is a significantly more sober and psychedelic journey down a drug-addled rabbit hole, features some seriously menacing cello and harsher guitars beneath a spacey backbeat. Baird and Greg Weeks trade off and intertwine their vocals and truly turn the song into something hypnotic. And those two tracks are great testament to what the rest of the songs on the album are like. I do want to give special mention to album closer "Trollslända" though, which is amazingly gorgeous and is easily the best Espers song I've ever heard. Keep your ear close for the mindblowing cello solo in that track, which is in itself miraculous.

Having not heard Espers' debut album or their covers EP, I may not be fully qualified to say this, but I think that "III" is the band at their absolute best. It sounds to me like they've grown by leaps and bounds since their last album 3 years ago, and I hope more people will give them recognition for it. Apparently I'm not the only one who's overlooked or not given this band enough attention in the past, and I hope "III" will change all that. If this album is giving off any sort of message, it's that this is one band that deserves your attention. They very much earn it this time around, and I hope you'll see fit to give them a try.

Espers- Caroline
Espers- I Can't See Clear [alt]

Buy "III" from Amazon

Relaxing the Jaw

2009-10-20T23:36:00.000-05:00

The band Bear In Heaven have gotten a fair amount of press recently, all surrounding their new album "Beast Rest Forth Mouth," which arrived in stores today. Well, I'm expecting the hype storm to only grow as more and more people begin to catch on to this record. Bear In Heaven are the sort of band that eccentric music lovers can't wait to latch onto, mostly because it feels like they're trying to do something different but within the relative constraints of a pop song structure. In other words, they're odd enough to be appreciated, but thanks to some relatively friendly hooks and decent musicianship, they're able to hold the attention of some listeners whose sonic palette may not be so "refined".

Part of what makes this sound so attractive has to do with Bear In Heaven's somewhat unique blend of electro-pop and psychedelia. The guitars often swirl and make apt use of the space between the heavy synths and propulsive drumming. The vocals tend to be on the echoey side, which only adds to the trippy vibe of many of the songs. What I find most interesting about "Beast Rest Forth Mouth" though is how the songs cycle from the more blatant and fun rave-ups to the intensely dark, almost nightmareish stomps. One second they're close to a marriage between Of Montreal and Animal Collective, and the next they're sounding like estranged cousins of The Knife. And despite what could be interpreted as Jekyll and Hyde tendencies, somehow all these sound collages mesh together quite nicely to form what's ultimately a great record.

My personal problem with "Beast Rest Forth Mouth" is less with the record as a whole and more with the ever-evolving culture of hype recently. Most assuredly, Bear In Heaven are going to wind up with a lot of new fans as a result of this album. The question is whether or not that will be because they earn or deserve that attention, or because this album just "sounds" like it should be great? That is to say, this record has plenty of hallmarks of recent highly praised albums, so does that automatically give Bear In Heaven an easier way to a good review, or will they get raves because it "seems like the right thing to do"? To be clear, I'm not in any way suggesting that "Beast Rest Forth Mouth" is a poor album, or at least poorer than I may have described in the paragraphs above. It's very good and worth your time and money. But when you start hearing people raving and calling this album immediately among the best released this year, I hope you'll take a step backwards and not blindly accept what's being sold to you.

To bring this whole thing back around, I like "Beast Rest Forth Mouth" a whole lot, but wouldn't go so far as to say I LOVE it. The drumming reminds me a lot of Can, which is a very positive thing, and the synths tend to be top notch as well. My main concern is with the overall number of hooks, which seem to be absent from a large portion of the album. Granted, I'm not expecting every song to be memorable and stick in my head, and these songs are different enough where they don't necessarily require an addictive chorus, but I do think a couple more catchy tracks would do this album wonders. Don't let that stop you from checking this record out though, because at the very least it's an interesting listen with multiple layers on most tracks that reveal new things to you over multiple listens. There are some very talented guys in Bear In Heaven, and while "Beast Rest Forth Mouth" may not be amazingly mindblowing, something tells me they've got very bright futures ahead of themselves. Keep an eye on this band, they may be doing some truly big things over the next few years.

Bear In Heaven- Wholehearted Mess
Bear In Heaven- Lovesick Teenagers

Buy "Beast Rest Forth Mouth" from Amazon

Representative Symbols

2009-10-19T23:40:00.000-05:00

Raise your hand if you remember the time awhile back when Deerhunter's Bradford Cox accidentally left his Mediafire folder open for public viewing and downloading. The guy left a wealth of musical material, much of it unreleased and a fair portion of it also still in demo form, available to take at your own discretion, though not because he wanted people to have it. No, some discerning fans found it and downloaded away, prompting all that music to flood out over the internet and for Cox to write a long missive about private property and his general anger over the situation. I can honestly say that I didn't look for or attempt to download a single shred of that material, no matter how much I might have liked to. But contained within those available files were the full length albums of the then-unreleased Deerhunter records "Microcastle" and it's eventual bonus-record "Weird Era Cont", along with the demo cuts for his next solo record "Logos" under the moniker of Atlas Sound. "Microcastle" and "Weird Era Cont" came out packaged together last year, but "Logos" is just making it's way into stores and our hearts this week. It'd be interesting to compare the demos to the finalized versions of these songs, but again, I haven't heard those demos so I can't play judge and jury. I also have no interest in stealing material from Bradford Cox, especially when it gets out through an unfortunate accident.

I'll readily admit that I was incredibly wary to accept Bradford Cox as some "brilliant mind," which seemed to me a bit premature given that those things were being said after the release of Deerhunter's second album "Cryptograms" in 2007. It was wildly experimental and psychedelic beyond belief, and while I found much enjoyment out of that record, it wasn't until last year's "Microcastle" that I really think that both Cox and the rest of Deerhunter came into their own and truly evolved to a level of songwriting that could be deemed worthy of all the high praise being heaped on them the year before. Something happened in that period of time, and I'm not sure exactly what it was, but Cox suddenly became a songwriting machine. In the past 3 years Deerhunter has released 3 albums and 2 EPs, and Cox's Atlas Sound has now released 2 albums. All these things aren't even including the free non-album tracks Cox has posted on his blog in that time, which probably amounts to another 2 albums worth of material. So when you put out that much music in such a short amount of time, you're bound to develop a lot faster than most other artists. And I suppose that is the mark of true brilliance, like the 15-year-old kid who's somehow so smart that he's already in college Bradford Cox has accomplished more in 3 years than many artists complete in 6 to 8 years.

For the record, I liked last year's Atlas Sound debut album "Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel," but ultimately came to regard it as more of a messing around side project rather than a legitimate attempt towards creative development. It was almost like the songs on that album were tracks that the rest of the guys in Deerhunter didn't like enough to try and record them as a band. Again, the songs weren't bad, and in some ways I think that after they heard the finished versions of them, Cox's Deerhunter bandmates might have wished the full band had recorded them after all, but what's done is done. There's also the notion that Cox just wanted to get the songs out of his head and do a little experimenting with different sounds in the process, so that's really the point of Atlas Sound. In many ways, that's also what he does on "Logos," taking on some different genres of music outside of the neo-psychedelic pop that Deerhunter has become known for. Which is why you get a mixture of atmospheric psychedelia, experimental folk-pop, electro freak outs and a host of other strange trips on this album. You could call this album an exploration of bi-polar tendencies, but honestly I think that's a label you'd affix to it if you weren't paying close attention to what was going on. Don't ask me how he does it, but for all of the wide-ranging stylistic shifts on this album, everything sounds remarkably cohesive and all part of one drug-induced haze.

So, much like Deerhunter's evolution from "Cryptograms" to "Microcastle," Atlas Sound's evolution from "Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel" to "Logos" is both remarkable and captivating. I'm not entirely sure how much Bradford Cox's friends helped him out on this one, especially when you get incredible songs with Animal Collective's Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear) and Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier, but once again the man has managed to one-up himself. This is yet another psych-pop experimental masterpiece inspired by the pop music of the 50's and 60's, and it makes for one of the best things I've heard so far this year. In other words, expect to see "Logos" show up again when I'm evaluating my favorites from 2009. Somehow with each of his new releases, Bradford Cox keeps winning me over more and more each time. I'm not sure how much longer this creative explosion and exposition can continue, but rest assured the next time either Deerhunter or Atlas Sound puts something out, I'll be handing over my undivided attention.

Atlas Sound- Walkabout (ft. Noah Lennox)
Atlas Sound- Washington School [alt]

Buy "Logos" from Amazon

Live Friday: 10-16-09

2009-10-16T14:30:00.000-05:00

If you caught my review of the new Sea Wolf album "White Water, White Bloom" a couple weeks ago, then you'd know that I thought quite highly of the sophmore effort. I believe I called it a "much fuller, smarter and more beautiful album than the last one." So if you've not yet been convinced to check this record out, maybe this Live Friday will sway you in that direction. Alex Church and his band stopped by the Minnesota Public Radio studios at the end of last month to do an interview and play a few songs. If anything, I'd hope the quality of these live tracks will convince you to go see Sea Wolf perform them at a venue near you. The interview mainly talks about how Church was inspired to write the songs he played during the session, but he also discusses his general creative process along with some of his favorite literature. Overall pretty good stuff, so please download or stream these songs should you be so inclined.

Sea Wolf, Live on MPR 9-30-09:
Sea Wolf- Wicked Blood [alt]
Sea Wolf- Turn the Dirt Over [alt]
Sea Wolf- Orion and Dog [alt]

Stream the entire interview/session

Buy "White Water, White Bloom" from Amazon

Happy-Go-Lucky

2009-10-15T23:04:00.000-05:00

The first two things that come to my mind when you say the words Bad Lieutenant are both film related. The 1992 Harvey Keitel movie about a drug and gambling addicted cop who tries to pull his life together while investigating the rape of a nun. After that movie, I think about the "unofficial" sequel that's due out later this year, starring Nicolas Cage and directed by the always-great Werner Herzog. That's something to actually get excited about, if early buzz is any indicator. But the third (and probably final) thing that comes to mind when you say Bad Lieutenant is the band. This is the group that emerged out of the ashes of New Order, who broke up after Peter Hook said in an interview he was no longer in the band but failed to inform anybody else about it. So the remaining members of New Order carry on, with guitarist Bernard Sumner, Phil Cunningham and Stephen Morris on board (though reportedly Morris is not an official member of the band). They brought in vocalist Jake Evans and bassist Tom Chapman and chose to name themselves after the aforementioned Harvey Keitel film.

Though they technically formed in 2007, Bad Lieutenant are just now coming out with their debut album, "Never Cry Another Tear". The sound is decidedly different from New Order, and Sumner & Co. designed it that way. After all, if they were going to stay true to the path that New Order had set for themselves, they probably would have kept the name. That, plus anything they'd release under the New Order name would automatically have to live up to the lofty standards that band set for themselves. So Bad Lieutenant is an entirely different animal, and the band members work hard to avoid connecting this band to any past projects they might have worked on. So you don't wind up with songs that are particularly beat-heavy or danceable here, but you do get a whole helping of breezy guitar pop that's unassuming and easy on the ears. As such, the name New Order rarely comes to mind when listening to Bad Lieutenant, and even when it does, you feel a little fickle trying to compare the two groups given that "Never Cry Another Tear" is so simplistic and unambitious. If that sounds like a backhanded compliment of sorts, you're dead on.

Bad Lieutenant is more about inoffensive fun than anything else, and that's absolutely the way you should treat "Never Cry Another Tear". Should you start expecting anything other than that, you'll probably wind up disappointed. Surprisingly, that's about all I have to say about this album. Have a listen to a song or two and decide for yourself if this seems like it'd be worth your time and/or money. I do have an appreciation for this record, but I'm thinking part of that has to do with my continued love and devotion to the New Order cause. I'd like for this band to succeed because I'd like to see Sumner and Cunningham continue to make music. Yeah, this isn't panning out to what I'd hoped it would be, but in my mind these guys deserve all the slack I can give. Who knows exactly how much life these guys have left in them or how long they'll keep going, but I'm also hopeful that Bad Lieutenant will pick up that slack with their next album. The last thing I want is to have my final memories of the guys behind Joy Division and New Order be tainted because they wanted to "take it easy" for their last decade or two. I'd almost rather they put out nothing at all.

Bad Lieutenant- Dynamo [alt]

Buy "Never Cry Another Tear" exclusively from Amazon

Mental Gaps

2009-10-14T23:04:00.002-05:00

In an interview a few years back with a musician that I highly respect (but who shall remain nameless), I asked him what he thought the next evolution of music might sound like. Clarifying that a little more, I basically asked what the next piece original music might emerge from. Without hesitation, this guy said, "There is no such thing as original music anymore. Everything that we're hearing, and everything we will hear for the foreseeable future, will be a retread of what's come before. The reason new music sounds new or fresh when it reaches our ears is often because the generational gap allows for people to be fooled into thinking something hasn't been done before. Either that, or it's the same as before, just dressed up in shiny new clothing or presented in a slightly different way than before."

Pessimistic? Yes. True? Maybe. Either way though, I still get pretty jazzed about hearing a song that's really brilliantly put together. A good hook, a great beat, a beautiful bit of orchestration, and I can completely ignore a thought of where I might have heard something similar to it before. After all, everybody's inspired by something, even the most fickle of musicians, and we'd all be idiots not to try and pay some sort of homage to those people and things. So original or not, great music is great music.

Which brings me to Neon Indian and the debut album "Psychic Chasms". Alan Palomo is the man behind the name, having spent previous musical incarnations under the monikers of Ghosthustler and VEGA. Why the reason for yet another name change? From what I understand, a large part of the Neon Indian project stems from Palomo's collaboration with visual artist Alicia Scardetta, which seems to say less about the music itself and more that they're working on a multiple media front rather than just your typical sonic bombardment. That, and Neon Indian gives a slightly different take on the beat-heavy music that Palomo has previously made under other names.

What Neon Indian does is something you could very well file underneath the umbrella of glo-fi, or whatever the hell they're calling the latest incarnation of indie electronica. Basically it takes the lo-fi bedroom pop sounds and marries them with modern electro beats. The result sounds something close to poorly produced dance music, but the beats and hooks are so strong they typically can't be ignored. Yes, it's another one of those hype-fueled subgenres that has emerged in the wake of the lo-fi/no-fi explosion from early this year. Chances are this new dance-driven edge will have come and gone by early 2010 anyways. But that's not really the point. There are some distinctive and great artists that emerge from these momentary flights of fancy, and they're the ones worth following and paying attention to even when the hype has subsided and the backlash is in full effect.

Neon Indian very much has the chops to survive this impending storm, and "Psychic Chasms" is really all the evidence you need to get hooked into Alan Palomo's world. Pulling largely from 80's dance music, Neon Indian adds in all sorts of video game sound effects, guitar distortion and canned drum beats to keep things fresh and unique. It's not the dance music of your parents' years, nor is it the dance music from any of our times exactly. It's something darker and a little more sinister, with an odd twist or two, that successfully mines from our troubled teenage memories. Loves won and lost, hazy days, drug trips and the loss of innocence, these are the places in the mind that "Psychic Chasms" pulls from. It's cool and danceable and depressing and fun. You could almost call it a bi-polar record, but I think that your own personal interpretation is based upon your state of mind at the time you put it on. It is, in many ways, what you want it to be when you want it to be so. And that's also what makes a great album, which is what "Psychic Chasms" is.

So yes, you can't call "Psychic Chasms" a piece of truly original music. To be fair, it never seemed like it was intended to be. Instead, Palomo puts an interesting twist on a variety of scattered pieces. Above all else it works, which is about all you can ask for when trying to come up with something you can call your own. First as Ghosthustler and VEGA and now as Neon Indian. Palomo proves he's got some serious talent inside that young brain of his, and after this record I can now honestly say that I'm very much looking forward to whatever he chooses to do next. By all means buy a copy of "Psychic Chasms" if you can, it's one of the best danceable albums I've heard so far this year.

Neon Indian- Deadbeat Summer
Neon Indian- Terminally Chill

Buy "Psychic Chasms" from Insound

Neon Indian Fall Tour:
10-15 Miami, FL - RokBar
10-16 Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under
10-17 Jacksonville, FL - TSI
10-18 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
10-19 Washington, DC - Rock N Roll Hotel
10-20 Philadelphia, PA - The Barbery
10-24 Brooklyn, NY - ROOT Studio
10-25 Hartford, CT - HPSU Theatre
10-27 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
10-28 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
10-29 Bloomington, IN - The Bishop
10-30 Madison, WI - University of Wisconsin
10-31 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
11-07 Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Festival
11-08 Lubbock, TX - Bash Riprock's
11-10 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
11-11 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
11-12 Boise, ID - Neurolux
11-13 Guadalajara, Mexico - Lemon Beat
11-14 Mexico City, Mexico - Pasaje América
11-15 Seattle, WA - Nectar Lounge
11-16 Vancouver, British Columbia - Shine Nightclub
11-17 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
11-19 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
11-20 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
11-21 Tuscon, AZ - Club Congress
11-22 Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room

Conception Division

2009-10-13T23:13:00.000-05:00

Since the end of the 90's, The Flaming Lips have not needed an excuse to do what they want. They earned the respect of many a critic, thankfully making the really strange music that they had always wanted to. Whether it was the desire to broaden themselves or earn a larger fan base, 1999's "The Soft Bulletin" marked a shift in the band's sound towards something much more direct and easy on the ears. Granted, this is "direct and easy on the ears" compared to what they were doing before, which was extremely weird. So basically, they pared back the oddities somewhat in favor of better marketability, which is what songs like "Race for the Prize," "Do You Realize?" and "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" accomplished for them. It brought the band a newfound relevancy, and their eccentric stage show filled with confetti canons and people dressed as plushies only furthered the cause. Some people started to remark around the release of 2006's "At War with the Mystics" that the Lips had become something of a cliche unto themselves, that a band once known for the completely unconventional had become victims of their own convention. It may have been a delightful and much respected convention, but what upset some was how easy to predict the band had become.

Well, all it takes is one sly move by the band to shake things up again and get people talking. Their new album "Embryonic" is exactly what does that for them, a 70 minute "double" album that's stranger than The Flaming Lips have been in over 10 years. Many have already called it a potential marker to usher in another new era of the band, in which they'll continue to confound expectations and expand the minds of their fans. Plenty have also heaped praise on the band for "Embryonic," though much of it seems to stem from the fact that they're not sincerely aiming for commercial success anymore. While it does get me a little giddy that recent fans of the band might be more than freaked out by this complete change of pace, that's not the reason why I'm impressed with the new album. The reason why I like it so much is because it attempts to do something original, not just original for the Lips, but original compared to much of the music that's out there today. And when you do something so strange and oddball, you're pretty much walking down one of two paths - total brilliance or total failure. Granted, it's not so black and white, but it's a risky move that really does skate the line between stupid and clever.

Some of the songs are very short and feel closer to sketches than completely thought out ideas. Others are epic psychedelic fuzz-outs that break free from any real constraints you might try and impose on them. Then you get a song like "I Can Be A Frog," which largely incorporates animal noises as provided by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Where one comes up with ideas like these tends to be lost on me, but I'm more than willing to take the ride if the Flaming Lips are behind the wheel. If they are anything, they are consumate professionals, a group of guys who've been making music since the mid-80's and have more than earned the right to take their sound back there should they feel so inclined. Thankfully they're leaning towards the sound of "In a Priest Driven Ambulance" rather than something like their debut, "Hear It Is," which wasn't so much as poor album as it was a confusing one. It's a smart, and decidedly calculated move by a group of gentlemen very much aware of and in control of their own destinies.

"Embryonic" marks the first time in a long time that I'm finding myself invigorated by something The Flaming Lips have done. Almost as if they've decided that continuing to build a fan base is no longer necessary or they really just don't give a fuck anymore, the band is back to being as weird as they want to be. Yes, plenty of people will be turned off, though if the band's live show continues to be the love fest it currently is then that fallout will probably be smaller. Who knows how long this is going to last, but if this were the last album the band were to release, they'd be going out in excellent form. If odd squeals and errant noises amid half-formed songs and lengthy freak outs sounds like something you might be into, "Embryonic" will be right up your alley. For everybody else, maybe my best advice is to just sit back and remember that first time you heard "Do You Realize?" and it moved you. Or something like that.

The Flaming Lips- Silver Trembling Hands
The Flaming Lips- The Impulse [alt]

Stream the entire album at NPR

Buy "Embryonic" from Amazon

Live Friday: 10-9-09

2009-10-09T10:30:00.002-05:00

As I prepare to spend the weekend trying to battle a head cold, this week's Live Friday should provide me a little bit of solace as the temperatures outside also go into the toilet. In an interview and live session that was recorded shortly before Ben Gibbard stole Zooey Deschanel away from me by marrying her, the band talks a bit about their most recent album and EP, and plays a few tracks from them. The songs in this session are primarily focused on "The Open Door" EP, which primarily featured songs that for one reason or another didn't make their last album "Narrow Stairs". Death Cab gives what I would call a semi-acoustic performance, because the bass and drums are plugged in and there are no electric guitars. The songs still in many ways sound like they're being performed by the full band, and they don't really lose much, if any, punch because of the acoustic handling. It's all very well fine and good. In the interview, Ben Gibbard and Chris Walla mostly talk about how many of these songs evolved over time and what they were inspired by. There's only a brief mention of Gibbard's (at the time) impending nuptuals, really just to showcase the irony of the song "A Diamond and A Tether" ("that song was written at a different time in my life," Gibbard says). So if you're a fan of the band, or just want to hear some slightly different interpretations of Death Cab songs you might already have, then by all means download this session. I wouldn't call it a must-have, but then again they can't all be.

Death Cab for Cutie, Live on WXPN 10-2-09:
Death Cab for Cutie- Little Bribes [alt]
Death Cab for Cutie- My Mirror Speaks [alt]
Death Cab for Cutie- Grapevine Fires [alt]
Death Cab for Cutie- A Diamond and A Tether [alt]
Death Cab for Cutie- Title and Registration [alt]

Stream the entire interview/performance

Buy "The Open Door" EP from Amazon

Untrained Animals

2009-10-08T06:27:00.002-05:00

We've been over this twice before, but perhaps this is something that could bear repeating yet again. I promise I'll try and make it as short and sweet as possible. I have a length history with the band Headlights, most notably that I've been following the band members since before Headlights even existed, and I've also had the distinct pleasure of interviewing them a few times in the time period before this site even existed. In that long period of time that's been the past few years, I've gotten to know them somewhat well, that is to say more than probably 99% of the other bands I talk about on this site. So upon reviewing their music, this is something you should be aware of, and that I may possibly harbor a slight bias towards the band given the history and that they've been nothing but exceptionally kind to me through the years. Seriously, they're some of the nicest people I think I know. Yep, this shouldn't cloud my judgment at all.

Believe it or not, "Wildlife" is Headlights' third full length album in four years. They're remarkably productive, particularly given that I keep seeing new batches of tour dates emerge every couple months or so. They don't seem to be resting on their laurels, and that's great, because the world could use more bands like Headlights. Last year they released "Some Racing, Some Stopping" to the best reviews of their careers, then followed it up with a remix album. Their song "Cherry Tulips" also earned them a healthy bit of blog buzz, which was nice to see for once, though it didn't fully pan out to the storm if praise I had hoped for. Still, the band was right to head back into the studio almost immediately after getting done touring to record a follow-up album. Then problems struck in what ultimately amounted to frustrating and challenging recording sessions. Still, they pressed on, and the final version of the album that's out now represents another slight shift in their direction.

Starting with their earliest EPs in 2004 and 2005, Headlights have consistently shown great progression with the development of their indie pop sound. The early days were marked with bouncy modern-day energy that proved they knew how to write catchy tracks that were nearly on par with your Death Cab for Cuties or your Shins. The remarkable development from their first full length, 2006's "Kill Them With Kindness," to their sophmore album "Some Racing, Some Stopping" was that they really worked hard to show their influences and turned back the clock a bit to give that new record a 60's pop vibe. As I've already mentioned, that worked well for them, and separated them from a lot of other similar indie pop bands out there.

What "Wildlife" manages to accomplish, in terms of Headlights' constant sonic tweaks, is an increased reliance on pure emotion and what I would affectionately call "bedroom pop". If the previous albums were heavy on the faster paced, propellant songs that got your toes tapping and head bobbing, the new material is far more sedate and quiet. Yes, you do get a couple of their trademark peppy pop tracks, but for the most part this is a pretty slow and steady affair. Upon saying that, I'm sure that gives a number of fans a bit of a worry. For those of you expecting another highlight like "Cherry Tulips," well, there's not really one to be found on "Wildlife" (though, for the record, a couple songs come close). Instead, this is an album for contemplation and care. It is, dare I say, Headlights' most tender and heartfelt album to date. Erin Fein's vocal performance is the clearest highlight here, as the emotion she puts into these songs rings clearly through the majority of the album. The harmonies between Fein and Tristan Wraight are also exceptional here, but then again they've been pretty good from the start. One of the more notable and interesting things about this album is how the band barely touched the songs during the mixing process. It doesn't make the album sound wholly lo-fi (they're not shooting for a Vivian Girls or Wavves sound), but there are things like the drums can sound a little muffled or there are moments where you can hear the room echo in Fein's voice. They recorded it at home, so you can very much call them natural, human (home-y) sounds rather than what might normally be a sterile studio recording. All those sorts of things were done with purpose, and from what I understand they actually used a lot of their first takes and re-mixed a number of the songs because they sounded too polished. It also allows the record to better represent the band's live sound.

So here I am once again recommending that you buy another Headlights album. It's not my fault they keep putting out great music that's highly enjoyable. Given the success that was "Some Racing, Some Stopping," the band could have very well gone into the studio and recorded something with a very similar vibe. Instead, as they've done with each of their full lengths, they chose to move in a different direction, towards something more introspective and personal. And despite it's quiet and calm demeanor, "Wildlife" still turns out to be a delight. This may not be an album for everybody, but for those of us it does hit home with, it'll be a record that speaks largely to our own lives. I think and hope that was the band's intention upon making it, so if this sounds like your sort of thing, please support this band by buying their music. They're totally worth it, I promise.

Headlights- Get Going

Buy "Wildlife" from Polyvinyl Records and get an animal screen print plus stickers and buttons and bonus tracks!

Headlights Fall Tour Dates:
Oct. 15 - Iowa City, IA - The Mill
Oct. 16 - Dekalb, IL - The House Cafe
Oct. 17 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
Oct. 18 - Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room
Oct. 19 - Rochester, NY - Bug Jar
Oct. 20 - New London, CT - The Oasis
Oct. 21 - Allston, MA - Great Scott
Oct. 22 - New York, NY - The Suffolk (CMJ)
Oct. 23 - Brooklyn, NY - The Bell House (CMJ)
Oct. 24 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie
Oct. 25 - Washington DC - DC 9
Oct. 26 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
Oct. 27- Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
Oct. 28 - Orlando, FL - Will's Pub
Oct. 29 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
Oct. 30 - Memphis, TN - The Hi Tone Cafe
Oct. 31 - Urbana, IL - The Iron Post
Nov. 4 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
Nov. 5 - Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
Nov. 6 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
Nov. 7 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
Nov. 8 - Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern
Nov. 10 - Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan
Nov. 12 - San Francisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord
Nov. 13 - Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland
Nov. 14 - San Diego, CA - Sodabar
Nov. 15 - Tuscon, AZ - Plush
Nov. 17 - San Antonio, TX - Rock Bottom Bar
Nov. 18 - Austin, TX - Emo's
Nov. 19 - Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
Nov. 20 - Hot Springs, AR - Maxine's Pub
Nov. 21 - St. Louis, MO - Firebird

Faith Vs. Doubt

2009-10-08T02:23:00.000-05:00

"The Life of the World to Come" marks the 16th album by The Mountain Goats, and boy has it been an interesting ride for John Darnielle so far. I don't want to say the guy's never made a bad album, but I'll definitely say he's never made an uninteresting one. We've seen a variety of stylistic shifts under the Mountain Goats moniker over the years, along with a host of faceless members who played in the band with Darnielle, so it's always intriguing to hear what he'll push for next. For the most part though, you can boil down many of the Mountain Goats albums to just Darnielle and an acoustic guitar, with varying degrees of other instruments assisting in that effort. Last year's "Heretic Pride" was for the most part a full band effort, with a wide variety of instruments making their way into the mix. Prior to that was "Get Lonely," a breakup album that all but required a man sitting alone in a room with just an acoustic guitar and a bout of depression. Between it all is Darnielle's great lyrical poetry, which often tells a story and can tend to get a bit depressing at times. But even when the lyrics do get you down, they tend to carry such weight and meaning that they're almost a comfort depending on your mood. Which is part of the reason why The Mountain Goats tend to be so great.

For the new album "The Life of the World to Come," Darnielle takes some of his favorite passages from the Bible and turns them into songs. The song titles reflect this, each being named after a verse. He doesn't quote much directly from the book, but as he typically does, writes the songs based upon the concepts discussed in those Biblical verses. It's technically not the first time he's written songs surrounding Bible verses, but it is definitely the first time he's actually spent an entire record doing so. As a person who has spent plenty of time reading the Bible himself, I'm always excited to hear when somebody takes inspiration from the Good Book and uses it to make great songs (see: Sufjan Stevens). Darnielle isn't quite working on the same mindset here though, because while many of the songs discuss faith and the grace of God, there's also a fair amount of doubt and depression littering these tales. Then again, not everything in the Bible is sunshine and rainbows either. What genuinely surprises me about this album, among other things, is Darnielle's claim that he's an atheist. Normally in a case like this I'd say that he shouldn't be writing about such a spiritual book that doesn't reflect his own beliefs, but at the same time the guy's read through the Bible multiple times, enough to have favorite passages from it, yet still chooses not to believe. That's something I can absolutely respect, and he's done more than most atheists have when it comes to weighing their spiritual options.

So let's talk about the music, rather than dwell on the spiritual topic of this album. There are four main instruments present across "The Life of the World to Come," each used to varying effects depending on the mood of the verse or story being told. Darnielle does both the acoustic guitar and piano parts on this album, and most of the guitar songs have drums or violins with them (arranged and performed by Owen Pallett), while the piano-dominant tracks tend to have no other elements aside from vocals. So the songs run the gamut from some uptempo fuller band tracks to the slow and quiet, but the overall mood of the record is meditative and somewhat dark. This is a sparser Mountain Goats effort than "Heretic Pride," to be sure, but this album's consideration of faith and how it functions in today's world more natually lends itself to that vibe. The overall songcraft is typically solid and pretty much exactly what we've come to expect from Darnielle. That's by no means a bad thing, and it helps make this album one of the stronger efforts released under The Mountain Goats name recently.

While I understand that the purpose of this album isn't to preach or worship God in any particular way, I do hope it serves the function of getting more people to pick up their Bibles. You can listen to "The Life of the World to Come" while driving in your car or working or whatever, but the way you can really get something out of your listening experience is if you read the Bible verses that are each of the song titles. Not only does it give you a bit of an educational experience, but it helps you to understand the lyrics a bit better and where Darnielle is coming from. You can also turn it into a game if you like as well. So is this worth your time and hard-earned money? I'd pretty much say yes to that when referencing any Mountain Goats album, and if you've heard any previous material by the band and liked it then you'll probably like this too. In the same way, if you haven't been a fan of the band before now, you probably won't be converted by this new one. And for those living under a rock who've never heard any of the band's records, "The Life of the World to Come" isn't a bad place to start. Check this out if you so desire, or have a listen to the couple songs below if you're at all on the fence.

The Mountain Goats- Genesis 3:23

Buy "The Life of the World to Come" from Amazon

Keeping Warm

2009-10-07T06:53:00.001-05:00

We've only been in Fall for a couple weeks now, and I've made mention of it in several different posts since the season kicked in. It is, after all, my absolute favorite time of year, even though I'm not always itching for "sweater weather". Anyways, for every season of the year I try to find one album that really captures the mood and vibe of that particular period of time just right. And now, with so much Fall still left to go, I can honestly say that I've found the perfect album for Fall 2009. It's The Clientele's "Bonfires on the Heath," and trust me when I say that it really doesn't get any better than this.

The Clientele have always been a Fall sort of band, their typically melancholy songs often tackling the topic of death, be it physical or emotional, such as the ending of a relationship. Their last album, "God Save the Clientele," showed the band progressing to the point of experimenting far more heavily with upbeat 60's-inspired pop songs, and that worked to an interesting and pretty decent effect. There's a handful more of those on the new album, and they're great as well. Really though, I doubt that The Clientele have a bad album to their name, which I'd hope is a strong compliment considering this is their fourth/fifth (depending on if you count "Suburban Light") album. Really though, I've always felt the love-themed songs that Alasdair MacLean has written over the years (positive and negative) are the best individual portions of the band's catalogue. The guy knows how to write a song about gaining or losing a woman, and there's many a time those songs have brought me some serious comfort.

Some might say that The Clientele have evolved over their last few albums, moving from a very sparse, lo-fi sound to the highly orchestrated and lush vibe that "Bonfires on the Heath" brings to the table. Others would say that this is just representative of the band trying to avoid repeating themselves. I would hope it's a combination of both these things, though in particular I think this new album benefits strongly from the contributions of (relatively) new member Mel Draisey, who adds multiple instrumental parts as well as backing vocals to many of the songs here. Those additional instruments, along with a hefty number of full orchestral arrangements really turn "Bonfires on the Heath" into a gorgeous record that is only made more vivid by the leaves changing colors. In particular here, if you listen to the title track and "Harvest Time" back to back and were film them as one long slow motion music video featuring little kids playing in the leaves at a tree-filled park on a sunny day, there's very little that could be more perfect or appropriate in my opinion. But that's what Clientele records do to you - create vivid images in your head of a particular place and time. It's like listening to the Sigur Ros of pop music in many ways.

If I've got one complaint about "Bonfires on the Heath" it's this: the lyrical content isn't as strong here as it has been in the past. Alasdair MacLean seems more content to allow the gorgeous atmospherics sweep you away rather than to provide you with words to ponder. I don't really blame him, given how picture perfect these instrumentals are, but I kind of miss the poignant and emotional love songs of the past couple albums. Otherwise, I say throw your sweater on, fire up the iPod or CD player, and go for a walk or drive in your nearest wooded area. As a light breeze kicks up and blows some fallen leaves past your feet, you can glance around and have the perfect soundtrack to your adventure. That can be so much more inspirational and emotionally moving than most song lyrics can provide.

So if you haven't figured it out yet, "Bonfires on the Heath" certainly gets a thumbs up from me. In fact, if you don't own all The Clientele's albums yet, now's as good of a time as any to invest in them. As to where the new album stands as part of the band's overall catalogue, I'd probably say that despite how amazing it sounds, this stands as one of their weaker records. Keep in mind though that "weaker" for The Clientele really means that it's still better than 90% of the other music out there. This is a record not worth missing if you enjoy slower, 60's-esque pop, or, as I've said time and time again, you're looking for the perfect soundtrack for this Fall season. There's word that this might just be the last ever Clientele album. Alasdair MacLean has gone on record saying that he's not sure about the future of the band. Personally I hope that's not the case, but if The Clientele do decide to call it quits soon, I like to think they'll be going out without a bad album to their name.

The Clientele- I Wonder Who We Are
The Clientele- Harvest Time

Buy "Bonfires on the Heath" from Amazon

Sung At Your Grave

2009-10-07T01:50:00.001-05:00

It's hard for me to believe that Califone are on their ninth album. They've been releasing material for just over 10 years now, yet it's been 3 years since their last album "Roots & Crowns". To clarify how they can do 9 albums in 11 years with what was just a 3 year gap, well, they released 2 albums apiece in 2002 and 2003. And assuming you've not been following the great Chicago band for these past 11 years (few people have), you should know - every Califone album is excellent (save for maaaybe one...I'm looking at you, "Sometimes Good Weather Follows Bad People"). But the grand point is that this band may have lived quite a bit and released a whole lot of material, but if they're anything, it's consistent.

Part of what makes Califone so great is their ability to confound expectations and twist what would normally be a folksy almost alt-country sound and turn it into something experimentally odd yet still rooted in the familiar. They do it yet again on their new album "All My Friends Are Funeral Singers," and once again the results are and aren't exactly what you might expect. For example, opening track "Giving Away the Bride" immediately confounds what you think is coming by delivering pure beats and one hell of an electric bass line. This, of course, sounding closer to electronica rather than the rough folk you might normally anticipate. As the song draws closer to its inevitable conclusion, you start to hear little things creep in to the mix, such as kitchen pot percussion and then some deft piano. The way the entire song develops is a magical revelation in and of itself, and that's what makes "Giving Away the Bride" one of the finest Califone tracks to date. Most of the rest of the album stays in check with acoustic and sometimes countrified tracks, but thanks to the help of lots of distortion, some bits of dialogue and the occasional xylophone, these songs never sound stale or unoriginal. That's one thing Califone has done right from the beginning, and continues to do right to this day.

One of the most interesting aspects about "All My Friends Are Funeral Singers" is that the music was intended to function as a legitimate soundtrack to a film of the same name made by frontman Tim Rutili. The movie itself is set for screenings at several film festivals next year, but if you happen to catch the band on tour supporting this album, they will play the album live accompanied by the film (or is it vice versa?). So buying a ticket to a Califone show gets you a movie and the music. Now some soundtracks sound like they were specifically written with particular themes or transitions in mind, and thereby don't always work in a pure sonic context. That is to say, the music isn't as strong without the images on film to back it up. In this case, given that most all of us will be exposed to the music before the film, I can honestly say that the songs work just fine on their own. You can't necessarily distinguish the thematic material from the lyrics, though the voices of dialogue that float in and out of a couple songs may provide some clue as to how these things fit together. For the record though, and I found out about this through research, the film plot here concerns a psychic woman living alone in the woods who discovers ghosts in her house, so she tries to get rid of them and in turn they attempt to destroy her life.

No matter what context you hear "All My Friends Are Funeral Singers" in, the album still represents yet another excellent effort from Tim Rutili & Co. Of course by now such brilliance is sort of Califone's trademark, and how they've been able to do it so well for so long is really anybody's guess. But it gets me excited every time they put something new out, because listening to it always makes for an engaging experience. So here's me once again recommending another Califone album, which I'm more than happy to do. If you've not exposed yourself to the genius of this band yet, please do so as soon as possible. I'm just grateful to have a band like this in my life, and I hope you are or will be too.

Califone- Funeral Singers
Califone- Ape-Like

Buy "All My Friends Are Funeral Singers" from Dead Oceans

In Your Coffin

2009-10-06T14:35:00.002-05:00

Everybody's been mentioning it, and you can't really read anything about the band without it coming up, so let's just address the elephant in the room instead of ignoring the obvious. Dead Man's Bones is, for all practical purposes, a celebrity music project. Actors Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields are the two official brains behind this band, and once actors get involved (save for one Ms. Zooey Deschanel...or is it Mrs. Zooey Gibbard now), things typically go down hill very quickly. At the same time, if you're asking me, there's always been something distinctly honest and legitimate about most everything Ryan Gosling has done both on and off screen. The guy is more than willing to do everything from (according to some) the "ultimate" love story in "The Notebook" to playing a drug-addicted teacher in the tiny indie picture "Half Nelson," a movie that was soundtracked by the wonderful Broken Social Scene. To say that I trust his instincts as an actor would be an accurate statement. Which is why I also thought that maybe it'd be okay if he embarked on a music project.

So the self-titled Dead Man's Bones debut recod has just made it into stores, and it's very interesting to say the least. The project originated when Gosling and Shields worked hard to write a horror-themed musical which was intended to be performed as a stage play. Well, there were some financing issues, in that it would have been quite expensive to actually produce, so instead they just decided to turn it into a record and distribute the songs that way. To help them with this project, they recruited the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children's Choir. I don't know if the object was to make the songs sound like they could be performed at a grade school play, or if Gosling and Shields were just looking to add some extra voices to most of these songs to cover up their own vocal inadequacies. Whatever the reason, it gives a unique perspective to this album that's both cool and not as gimmicky as it might sound. There were also rules that Gosling and Shields set up for the recording process - no electric guitars or click tracks, and no more than three takes per part. That helped keep the album's amateur-ish and unprofessional feel, which was something they were going for and a distinguishing characteristic.

The sound itself is also pretty original. Every song has a spooky and dark mood to it, but the styles in which they're presented range from folk to pop to nightmareish piano romps. Really though, what distinguishes Dead Man's Bones from a number of other bands or even celebrity music projects out there, is that they don't seem to want or care to write songs that are easy on the ears or have highly memorable hooks to them. Sure, you get that with a few songs, but for the most part the entire album is just a little off-kilter and strange, and I mean that in a good way. Gosling and Shields are not pandering to anybody, and instead just focusing on writing compelling songs that carry a spooky theme along with them. It's kind of a relief, actually.

Naturally then, you can gather that I do advise you to check out Dead Man's Bones should you have the chance. Not only is their debut album filled with fascinating material, but it's arriving just in time for Halloween. And while you might think that an album about death and monsters would only be appropriate during the month of October, I'd say this music is great during any of the dark and cold months of the year. So thank goodness this is another album done by a couple of actors that's actually halfway decent. I'd hate to lose respect for a guy so unrealistically cool as Ryan Gosling appears to be.

Dead Man's Bones- Dead Man's Bones (the song) [alt]

Stream the entire album at Myspace

Buy "Dead Man's Bones" from Amazon

Live Friday: 10-2-09

2009-10-02T13:33:00.005-05:00

Arctic Monkeys are still bouncing around the U.S. in support of their Josh Homme produced latest album "Humbug," and last week they found some time in their schedule to stop by Minnesota Public Radio for a wee chat and to play a couple songs acoustically (ish). The full explanation on the live session is that I think one of the two guitars used on these songs is electric, but I'm calling this session acoustic because that's the main instrument used here by far. And the songs do take on a different sound when the chords are strummed on an acoustic guitar vs. the loudened up electric versions. The interview content on this is interesting as well, but mostly because Alex Turner sounds like he took a couple of quaaludes before sitting down in front of the microphone. The dude is intensely mellow, or maybe he's just really really bored. But they talk about how they wound up recording at Josh Homme's Joshua Tree studio, how the U.S. crowds are responding to them with this new album, and how they don't feel any pressure to do any social networking via a Facebook or Twitter. There's also a brief talk about Turner's girlfriend, MTV host Alexa Chung, though getting an answer out of him about anything (in particular about his relationship) can be like pulling teeth. Ah well, the music's good though. Download it if you like!

Arctic Monkeys, Live on MPR 9-25-09:
Arctic Monkeys- Dance Little Liar (Acoustic) [alt]
Arctic Monkeys- Cornerstone (Acoustic) [alt]
Arctic Monkeys- Crying Lightning (Acoustic) [alt]

Stream the entire interview/performance

Buy "Humbug" from Amazon

Transcends Gender

2009-10-01T04:56:00.001-05:00

One of the more amusing "controversies" I've heard discussed recently was the "shock" over the fact that the band going by the name Girls was actually comprised of all guys. "How misleading!" one of my friends remarked. Granted, you could probably be forgiven in thinking that Girls was similar to the all-girl 3 piece Vivian Girls, because, well, the names are so much alike. But what's in a name, really? Are we expecting bands like Grizzly Bear and Sea Wolf to be made up of the animals in their names? A band of actual grizzly bears? Now that's just silly. Though I suppose a band of actual girls is not silly at all. But whatever, all you really need to know is that the band Girls is all guys, and their debut album is titled "Album," which as far as album titles go, is pretty creative. Oh, and that last sentence had a sarcastinc tone built into the end of it.

You could very well take Girls as being a superficial and almost-joke band, and nobody would blame you given their name and album title. The thing is, these songs and this record is so damn good that there winds up being very little funny about it at all. If anything, the joke's on us for not treating it with the respect it might deserve going into it. Stylistically speaking, the band is somewhat all over the map. Electric guitars factor hugely in Girls' sound, but it's what they do with those guitars that distinguishes them from other potentially similar bands. One second they're passing out jangly guitar pop, the next they're getting into something sounding closer to gritty lo-fi surf rock, followed by a dive into shoegaze before coming back around with something a little more garage rock passing into an instrumental and a Southern rock shuffle. The guitars are what hold it all together, anchoring the sound in familiar riffs or solo noodling that only serves to enhance each track. It's pretty wildly impressive that this band can touch on so many musical influences while simultaneously maintaining a fully grounded sound that never takes you out of the moment.

The thing that really makes Girls so attractive, I think, is their ability to write songs that are generally buoyant and upbeat while throwing in bits and pieces of dischord. They purposely mess with what would otherwise be pop gems to add a twist here or there that gives each song something unique and pushes conventions. Also a big help is frontman Christopher Owens, who not only wrote this album about love and heartbreak after a messy breakup of his own, but you can largely hear the emotion in his voice on many of the songs. That's not to suggest that these songs are too far down in the dumps or judgmental, rather they push against falling into such traps. There's no "I hate you" sentiments going out here, nor does it get to the level of a Kelly Clarkson-like "my life sucks without you". Rather, it's more about accepting that the relationship is over, trying to take equal responsibility for the reasons why, and then wishing to work past it. So it's not "you're a bitch," it's "you're a bitch, but I'm an asshole". It's no holds barred and refreshingly honest about things while holding a rosy edge to all the proceedings. That's part of what helps makes "Album" so damn attractive.

So to be as frank as possible, if you've not yet heard Girls' debut "Album" yet, you are most definitely missing out on one of the best records released so far this year. It's the combination of style, grace and emotion that help secure it so much love. This is essentially a gorgeous record that also seriously rocks. It comes off as feeling like something you've heard before, yet altogether innovative and different at the exact same time. There's something to be said for that, and I think that's why everybody likes it so damn much. I know I'll be thinking heavily about it come year's end, so do yourself a favor and get on this as soon as possible.

Girls- Lust for Life
Girls- Hellhole Ratrace

Non-album b-side: Girls- Solitude

Buy "Album" from Insound