Seattle Subsonic - Album Reviews
Ravenna Woods
If you were in a cult and you wanted a soundtrack for your seaside bonfire and kool-aid party, I would recommend you hire Ravenna Woods. Only don’t pay them in punch, we are going to want them around for a while.
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The most notable element of this band’s recent release “Lakes and Demons” is rhythm. Everything revolves around the rhythm. I immediately recall the Dodos’s use of all things percussive. Singer/guitarist Chris Cunningham’s guitar work is also noteworthy; his playing is equal parts rhythm and melody, if not more of the former. The guitartistry invokes the thought of a Jose Gonzalez LP spinning at 45 rpm. This record is ambitious, full of thought and craftsmanship that deliberately toes the line of lo-fi/overproduction. The backup vocals ubiquitously flow in and out of audibility, and for me, it’s working. This record has energy. The more I listen, the more impressed I become that this is only three people. It’s like the organic brand of Menomena. It’s an album that can be enjoyed in full, although “People in High Places” and “Ghosts” are garnering the most plays. They make the most of their sonic canvas (via healthy doses of xylophone) and I really hope they can translate this live…
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I arrived at Chop Suey to find that these twat-bots left me off the list… no matter, I’m absolutely willing to support this band and I’m curious to see the trio in a live setting. Am I a sucker for a crazy looking dude jumping around, pounding on some floor toms? The answer is yes, I am, and they have one of those. I’m also a sucker for a guitarist that plays without a pick. They have one of those too. Most of the vocals are done in two-part harmony and are drenched in delay. The third song they played, “Devil’s Coming,” made it apparent that these two gentlemen have been singing together for sometime. There is a lot of “whoa”ing. So if you’re someone who likes lot of “whoa”s, to you I give the green light. As for me, the ambition heard on the record was being delivered. I liked it, a lot. After the show, my verdict was this: the folly of creating a record you can’t replicate live does not claim this band.
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The first night I spent in Seattle I went to see a friend-of-a-friend’s band… some local upstart that was part of a bill that was drawing about 30-40 folks on a Friday at Chop Suey. At one point during the show the guitar amp quit and the singer did an acoustic song while the problem was being resolved. It was a song called “Icicle Tusk.” Since I was new to the city, and so as not to appear naïve, I wanted to disguise how impressed I was with this guy. “Is everyone this good?” I wondered. I probably offered my buddy some insightful bit of critical analysis such as “fuckin good, man,” but secretly I was thinking to myself, “These guys are not going to be playing to this small an audience for very long.” And they didn’t. I got a similar feeling at the Ravenna Woods show. File under “Band to Watch” and hope they stay together.
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For fans of: The Dodos, Bon Iver, Yeasayer, Sea Wolf
Real Estate: Easy, Breezy And Not The Least Bit Sleazy
Given that I’ve listened to Real Estate about 50 times in the past six weeks, you’d think I would have managed a write up by now. Well, as luck would have it, you’d be wrong. (To be fair, you’d be “wrong” about something which you had no intention of or reason to be thinking about. Which is silly. Never mind, this is anti-thought.) Real Estate is the first proper record from Real Estate, a young outfit from New Jersey which features the man—on guitar—behind the lo-fi jam-pop of Ducktails and more sun-drenched slacker songs than you can shake a stick at. The guitars are lazily layered one upon the other, replete with copious amounts of jangle and chained delay. The vocals, provided by Martin Courtney, are warm and distant, like the late summer sun. The thematic imagery of water is omnipresent, from song titles to lyrics to supposed recording techniques. The drums—quite literally—sound as if submerged in a turquoise swimming pool, recorded to cassette, and then played back into a mic through a shitty boom box. And it sounds fantastic.
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If I may gush, “Fake Blues” is my absolute JAM right now. I simply can’t get enough. I replay it, and then I replay it, and then I switch to “Beach Comber” (my other absolute jam right now) and then replay it again. The former is a peppy and ironic take on a classic formula, Courtney confessing that he’s really got no business writing the blues. Life is good. The up and down rhythm of Matthew Mondanile’s high pitched Strat is hypnotic while the deep “timpani” drums gallop in the background. The latter is thoughtful twang, easy and breezy, gussied up for a waltz-y shoreline jaunt and laid out in the sand to bake. The album isn’t all catchy ditties, though, as the foursome wanders in and out of its own bliss to explore their tunes with a mature naiveté.
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From a West Coast perspective, the culture of New Jersey has historically been equated with general sleaziness (i.e. Bon Jovi’s glory years, Atlantic City, the Sopranos), but this record bucks that trend quite emphatically. Maybe it’s because Courtney (astutely) spent his college years here in our Evergreen State? Dunno. Whatever the reason, warm up your winter with the tracks below.
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(Sorry for the low digital quality)
Bassnectar Cozza Frenzy Remix Pack v.1 Release
Bassnectar is sick. If you’ve never been to one of his shows your seriously missing out. Even if your not into the super electro-upbeat-tempo sounds, the live setting will floor what your pre-cognition would be. Hundreds of sweat-soaked, head-bobbing, body pulsing peeps sucking every last drop of aural bliss out of the tables and what is the entity known as Bassnectar. The super low house hitting bass will shake even the most timid Seattlite out of their rain soaked pail-skinned shell and into the sexual heat. This is no shit, the show is killer, and he definitely has a way of making a house move to every beat. Tomorrow night Saturday, February 6th he’s lighting up The Showbox Sodo and unveiling his latest cuts called Cozza Frenzy Remix Pack v.1.
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The release is great and features remixes of album tracks by RJD2, Stagga, Son of Kick, Robot Koch, J-Boogie, Amp Live and more. Some of the songs include several remixed versions of Teleport Massive, Boombox, and West Coast Lo Fi Rides Again on the bonus tracks. Go to the link, download the album, and pump your body into whatever headspace you need to get down with the get down. And seriously I’m not fucking around go to the show, the guy will light the place up like he dropped a match on it. C out!
Street Lights For A Ribcage
So, I’ve had Street Lights For A Ribcage pretty much on repeat for the past ten days. This, as you may know, is the first LP from local robot-rockers Sleepy Eyes of Death, released in 2007. It’s turned out to be one of those records that I bought a while ago and is just now dominating my cognizance. Funny how that works. In short, it’s highly recommended.
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In long, it’s a fantastically dense sci-fi record of cyborgian proportions, filled with caustic synthesizers, shimmering vistas and thundering drum crackles. There are scant vocals, and only of the vocoder variety. One gets the sense that this could be the “singer/songwriter” album of a gentle yet erratic T-1000 in a post-human war-torn compuscape. In fact, there’s an alluring (for fans of artificial intelligence, anyway) string of thematic imagery that combines both the organic and the synthetic in bombastically beautiful ways. In the album’s title, in the song titles (i.e. “Tired Channels”, “Capsule-Collapse”, and “Static For Blood”), and even in the arrestingly varied moods found throughout.
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“Eyes Spliced Open” has a wonderful change of pace 3 minutes in where the manic drumming and suffocating sheets of laser suddenly cease, as if to recharge, or shake hands with their inevitable demise. I often envision the final scene of “Terminator” during this song, feeling as though I should be in an abandoned steel mill, thick steam pouring out of loose valves, precariously perched on rickety catwalks. This outro is indicative of a pensiveness that pervades SEOD’s modus operandi and shows up in other places, in other forms. This thoughtfulness, melded with such a brisk and futuristic record, should be cause for applause.
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Fun Fact: Did you know Sera Cahoone played drums on “Cells Divide”? Man, she just keeps getting cooler and cooler.
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Stream Charlotte Gainsbourg’s IRM
NPR is streaming Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Beck-produced/co-written album over at their First Listen site. It’s really good. Based loosely on health scares the singer/actress endured a few years back following a brain hemorrhage, IRM (MRI in French) is an atmospheric, murky and ebullient pop and electro-folk record that is every bit as good as, say, The Reminder by Feist. But also a little weirder and less defined than that album. Beck’s widescreen, motley sonic musings are unmistakable.
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I’ve seen a few of her movies, but I haven’t really listened to much of her music until now; IRM is technically her third album, following a 1986 duet album with her famous father and 2006’s 5:55. Given her pedigree and the collaborators she’s chosen in both her film and music career, it’s not too surprising that her output has been steadily intriguing. Did you guys see the insanely awesome video for “Heaven Can Wait”? Please watch it, it’s one of the best. EVER.
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dj100proof Picks the Best of 2009
Yes, I know “best of” lists are played out. Everyone has one, and I always contemplate whether or not I should make one. Everyone’s a critic now…blah, blah, blah. But every year, people always ask me about it and some thank me for hipping them to some good stuff so I keep cranking them out. Plus, I’m a dj so you should listen to me!
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It’s December 31st, and I always work best under pressure so here it goes. My best albums of the year (that felt like a month)…2009.
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BEST ALBUMS OF 2009
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25. DJ Quik & Kurrupt – Blaqout
This album is pure West Coast. DJ Quik’s simplistic production is a change of pace on this record, but Kurrupt rides each beat like it was a 6 fo’ adding another layer to the mix as if it was an instrument. Your ears will be pleased with the results
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24. Shawn Lee – Soul in the Hole
Shawn Lee is a master funk musician. He plays, records and arranges every instrument on his albums. This time around he recruits some top notch vocalists to season each of his fine tuned soulful recipes and the finished product is quite scrumtrelescant.
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23. D. Black – Ali’Ya
206 and Sportn’ Life representative D. Black released his sophomore album amidst many questions. Is he a Christian rapper? A Jewish rapper? Well, this album is non denominational, but incredibly personal, containing positive messages to the community and youth over soulful drum heavy beats provided by town greats Jake One and Vitamin D. He dropped the tough guy talk and started speaking from his heart and we are all better for it. This is a local album to proud of.
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22. N.A.S.A. – The Spirit of Apollo
This album made it’s way into my top 25 because about half of it was on repeat for a good portion of 2009. The production was handled really well and even though some of the guest spots lacked the rocket fuel needed to be on my radar the album as a whole was a success for such an ambitious project.
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21. Raekwon – O.B.F.C.L.II
The return of the Chef! Raekwon pulled no punches in this 2nd installment to his classic purple tape. After delay after delay I admit I was a bit worried, but this album satisfied all my cravings for what the Chef was capable of cooking up. Rza has some classic Wu gutter production on this and as a whole, this was one of the better hip hop albums to come out in a long while.
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20. Brother Ali – Us
Brother Ali gets very introspective on this album and radiates optimism that is downright contagious at times. He is a gifted wordsmith and rides the back beats on this record with ease. Still not as good as his classic ‘Shadows on the Sun’ but this was a strong release that is sure to keep Brother Ali in the underground spotlight for years to come.
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19. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz
This album could have been a disaster, but it was instead a triumph. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs went mainstream and it worked. They are this countries biggest rock band at the moment and they embraced a new musical direction that many band would have swung at and missed. It’s Blitz hit for the cycle.
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18. Breakestra – Dusk til Dawn
Breakestra can do no wrong. From their live mix series to their debut album a couple years back, nobody really captures Cali funk and soul like these fellas. If you like breakbeats, vibrant horns, wah-laced guitar and jazz flutes get on the good foot and pick up this record.
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17. Electric Wire Hustle – Every Waking Hour
This is an perfect example over where hip hop and neo soul can go in the next decade. Take what Common started on ‘Electric Circus,’ up the wattage and add some down tempo Detroit style shuffle and out comes Electric Wire Hustle through your speakers. This is a blissful listening experience for those craving something new heading into the new year.
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16. The XX – XX
The only way I can to describe this album is BIG. Big sounds, big chords, big arrangements, big vocals. The tracks on this album all feel like they were made with a purpose. For someone that doesn’t listen to much rock, this is the type of shit I can get down with.
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15. The Physics – High Society
This EP was my go to summertime feel good record. It’s short but ever so satisfying. Each track has a very sensual vibe to it and makes for a real good soundtrack if your tryin to spend some quality time with the lady, if you catch my drift. The beats are the audible equivalent to a sunshiny day off in the 206 and MCs Thig Nat and Monk Wordsmith have such an effortless delivery that you can’t help but feel on the ‘higher’ end of things.
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14. Blakroc – Blakroc
This could be the most hyped record of the year, but it delivered on many levels. The beats are well constructed and the combo of BK and hip hop is kind of a win no matter how you look at it. Some of the guest spots were mailed in and the inclusion of a Jay-Z knock off (NOE) was kind of a joke, but there are some seriously great songs on here. Billy Danze of MOP shines on these beats and I would love to see a full lenth Black Keys / MOP collaboration, but for now I am satisfied with this offering.
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13. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
This was a wake up call for me. I didn’t know this type of rock existed. I was not just surprised but really excited and blown away all at once. The vocals, the production and arrangements are unlike anything I had ever heard before and the have some seriously fresh loops that are ripe for sampling. (Which I would do if Seattle outfit ‘They Live” hadn’t already given Stillness is the Move the business). Do yourself a favor and check these guys out if you haven’t already.
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12. Maxwell – BlackSummer’s Night
Maxwell was back with a vengeance this year! I can’t even tell you when he released his debut and quite frankly I don’t feel like googling it. I will tell you that this album is a magnificent soul offering and features some of the best mixing and production of any record to come out this year. Maxwell does a fantastic job on vocals . His range is jaw dropping and his lyrics are incredibly moving, but the backing band and the engineers in the lab are the ones that really make this album as great as it is.
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11. Mos Def – The Ecstatic
Black Dante was another candidate for comeback of the year in 2009. His last few efforts could be summed up in one word, lazy. This album is a return to form. He picks tremendous beats from Madlib and Oh No, and even has a guest spot from Rick the Rulahhhh. That is a huge win. Still lacking a strict focus, this album takes you on a great ride through the mind of one of hip hop’s most talented and creative figures.
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Best of 2009 – Kevin’s Top 20 Singles edition
I’ve finally pulled together the top 20 singles I found to be outstanding from 2009. My favorites for this year span the entire spectrum from the bright and cheery to dance hall grandeur, fringe hip-hop to R & B redux. One thing I noticed is that this years list is decidedly marked by old-timey folk revival. For one, there’s Portland’s Builders and the Butchers who take on a dark approach to the whole jangling jubilation of the mountain song. The damp mossy days of the Pac NW have steeped into their lyrics focusing them towards death, the devil and other unmentionables found in the deep dark well. Seattle’s Cave Singers on the other hand are a more free-spirited clan, instilling an undeniable need to dance rather than broody introspection. Far and away the best local band I’ve seen live in recent times.
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This year I discovered some bands that have been producing for years but only just appeared on my radar. The most outstanding of which would be The Heavy. Hailing from Noid, England, (and apparently spending a significant stint in Seattle) they play a style of neo-soul full of crunchy guitar and horns, like a mix of old Black Keys and Jon Spencer. Their last album, The House that Dirt Built, is riddled with hits – sometimes sleazy, sometimes straight rockin, always addictive.
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Now while the Heavy have producing albums since 2007, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears put out their first release this year, but if I were to guess I’d say it sounds as if it were put out by Stax Records in the 60’s. On their album Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is the 8-piece ensemble, lead by the heavily funktified vocals of Joe Lewis, struts their way through a mix of Soul, Funk and R&B that would impress James Brown himself.
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One other funny thing I found about this years faves is that they keep appearing on TV. Phoenix’s music is used in the Cadillac commercials, Matt and Kim were featured in a Bacardi rum ad and Peter, Bjorn and John bring extra light to the It’s Always Sunny… spots. Other greats finds this year are simply far too numerous for listing out in detail so I’m going to let the music do the rest of the talking. Some relatively obvious but others are more obscure, and hopefully you’ll be introduced to something new. I’ve inverted the list to go “most best” to “least best” – it takes away some of the mystery but hell, life is short, viva hedonism.
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Enjoy and Happy New Year!!
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01 The Heavy - No Time - The House That Dirt Built
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02 Thunderheist - Jerk It - Thunderheist
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03 Cave Singers - At the cut - Welcome Joy
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04 Phoenix - 1901 - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
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05 Handsome Furs - Talking Hotel Arbat Blues - Face Control
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06 Final Spins - Who Whoa - City Of…
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07 Matt and Kim - Daylight - Grand
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08 Heads will roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Its Blitz
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09 Dan Auerbach - Heartbroken In Disrepair - Keep it Hid
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10 tUnE yArDs - Sunlight - Bird Brains
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11 Nickodemus - Sun Children - Sun People
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12 Black Joe Lewis - Sugarfoot - Tell’em What Your Name is
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13 Builders and the Butchers - Devil Town - Salvation is a Deep Dark Well
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14 peter bjorn and john - nothing to worry about - Living Thing
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15 Thermals - How we Fade - Now We Can See
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16 K-Os -I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman - Yes!
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17 Gossip - Heavy Cross - Music for Men
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18 Electric Tickle Machine - Part of Me - Blew It Again
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19 BrakesBrakesBrakes - Crush on You - Touchdown
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20 Deer Tick - Easy - Born on Flag Day
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Listen To The New Laura Veirs Album
NPR is currently streaming the new Laura Veirs album, July Flame, as part of their Exclusive First Listen series. You can (and should) listen to it here. Veirs, based in Portland, is easily one of the best solo artists to come out of the Pac Northwest (for those interested in picking nits, yes, she grew up in Colorado). And I’ve only really listened to two of her records prior to this one. To me, 2005’s Year of Meteors is a highlight of her catalog, and where that release had a bit more of a bouncy, filled-in loveliness to it, July Flame, while not without its brighter moments, delves more into her spartan, folk-driven leanings. I don’t normally like to list off a bunch of other artists when describing a musician, but I’m instantly reminded of both Chutes Too Narrow by the Shins and Only As The Day Is Long by Sera Cahoone while listening to this. I think it’s mostly the voice—hers is a mid-range, tomboyish flight brimming with both confidence and anxiety—but the moods and tones and instruments and arrangements also recall those two excellent records. Lots of piano, banjo, pedal steel, violin, and good ol’ regular guitar to boot.
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I think the title track will be the focal point of most listener’s affection—and for good reason, it’s awesome, and about a peach!—but the entire record is fantastic. So far, I’m also really diggin’ on “Sun Is King”, “Summer Is The Champion”, and “Wide-Eyed, Legless”. Veirs is heading out on a European tour for most of January and February, but will follow that up with a US tour. You can catch her and her backing band—the Hall Of Flames—at the Tractor on March 13th with the Old Believers and Cataldo. July Flame is due out January 12th on Veirs’ own label, Raven Marching Band Records. Hit the link.
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HT: me
LB’s Favorite Non-NW Albums of 2009
So, coming up with this list proved to be a bit more difficult than my Northwest version. I’m not quite sure if it was due to quantity or quality, but I had to ignore or eliminate a handful of records that in another year, I might’ve included. In the end, though, I sunk into a stack of pretty amazing albums, all with more ambient or electronic tendencies than those heavy with guitar and trad-rock ilk. Plenty of guitar, to be sure, but plenty of non-guitar, too. It was a good year for that.
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10. Le Loup – Family (Hardly Art)
“It follows suit, then, that the second record from the D.C.-area band, courtesy of Hardly Art, depicts an amorous, wide-eyed view of the universe and its indigenous contents. Entitled Family (naturally), it’s a collection of songs that should be experienced in the presence of an outdoor landscape, with a macrocosmic frame of mind, or with a circle of friends. It’s an album that is best described using terms such as ‘percussive’, ‘tribal’, and ‘folk’; or ‘pastoral’, ‘rustic’ and ‘anti-urban’. There are idyllic reverences to beach towns, open plains, mountain foothills, oceans, peaks and valleys. There is nothing pristine or rigid about these songs; their fluidity and rugged familial openness are utterly human and, ultimately, vulnerable.” [Full Review & .mp3s]
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9. Junior Boys – Begone Dull Care (Domino)
It’s not quite certain whether Canadian croon-poppers Junior Boys made the ninth spot based on past memories or present-day sensation. Likely it’s a combination of the two. For inexplicable reasons, the calm and collected heart-thumping of this band sticks stubbornly to my hippocampus. First poignant memory: 2006 Yule Benefit at Neumos. Second poignant memory: riding around the trains of Germany in 2007. Third poignant memory: October 2009 at Chop Suey. Fourth poignant memory: miscellaneous geek out sessions with a party of one. Begone Dull Care might be the least attractive of the duo’s catalog, but to me, it was a graceful expansion of their commanding dance-throb, equal parts emotional blue and electric blue. Nobody does electro-beats this gallantly.
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8. The xx – xx (Young Turks)
“In sound, the music is defined by (Oliver) Sim and (Romy) Croft trading flirty, pillow-soft vocals (I prefer her endearing Londoner lisp to his sleepy schoolboy singing) over his plucky, unfettered bass lines and her lonesome, crystal-clear guitar melodies. The same kind of hi-pitched somber melodies made popular during the early 80s post-punk scene. The usual accoutrements of romantic synths and background drums round out the rest of the ear candy. The first half of the album is quite revealing, with “VCR”, “Crystalised” (watch a great live video of this song on KEXP’s blog) and “Heart Skipped A Beat” impeccably introducing the xx’s minimalist MO. But it’s the final three tracks— “Infinity”, “Night Time” and “Stars”—that really click, creating a pitch black, wide open lover’s lane that slowly seeps into the deep, never to return again.” [Full Review & .mp3s]
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7. The Raveonettes – In And Out Of Control (Fierce Panda / Vice)
“Since 2003, the Danish duo has concocted four increasingly addictive albums that don’t differ terribly from one single-dose narcotic formula. That formula, for those caught unawares, is essentially created by dissolving an infatuation with lovesick, pre-hippie American pop into a trashy, drug-and-sex induced obsession with 80’s shoegaze storms…So, no, the new LP, In and Out of Control, doesn’t bring any new toxins to the table, but (Sune Rose) Wagner and (Sharin) Foo sure as hell know what they’re doing. And they sound good doing it. Right off the bat, with “Bang!”, they’re singing (in the androgynous dual-harmony style they’re known for) about teens having summer sex.” [Full Review & .mp3s]
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6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz! (Interscope)
It seems to me that there’s a certain sect of the population that believes the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (can we all now agree that’s one of the coolest band names ever?) have never again reached the critical climax of Fever To Tell. While nothing short of a scintillating, searing stunner, I do believe their second and third albums are just as tantalizing. Where we see the difference, however, is in the difference. From raw power to heavy power to disco power, the trio has continued to surprise and evolve with equal success, and in contradiction to the millennial status quo. The band’s latest Blitz-krieg showed us that Nick Zinner is more than just a monolithic guitar czar; he also has some slinky synths shoved up his sleeve. It showed us that Karen O not only has a soft side (albeit a zealous one), but that her Dragon Queen risk-taking—including her score for Where The Wild Things Are—has her hysterically headed to a stratospheric altitude. And it showed us that Brian Chase has zero qualms with either of them.
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LB’s Favorite NW Albums of 2009
As is custom, below is a handy-dandy list of those local (Pacific Northwest, actually) records that really reverberated in me this past year. And it’s all quite varied, which was a nice surprise: some garage, some psych-pop, some desert-rock, some hip-hop, some art-punk, some dance-punk, some black metal, and some glue-wave. Three Portland bands made the list (five counting the Honorable Mentions), and one from Anacortes, one who may not ever make another record and one big smart one who isn’t really local anymore. DO YOU HATE IT? OR HEART IT?
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10. The Curious Mystery – Rotting Slowly (K)
“Rotting Slowly, their debut on K Records, is a crawling, creeping panoramic desert-rock vista that intently blazes your brain, parches your senses, and allows you to quench with sweaty vocals and twist-heavy garage psychedelia dirges. Gothic Americana layered thick with ramblin’ hippie blues…My favorite so far is “Nicaragua”, a cinematic soundscape that earnestly plods through the grass fields, palms outstretched, searching for that familiar country home. Gonzalez masters his strings like a snake charmer, and the final flourish from a hypnotized Hudson really delivers.” [Full Review]
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9. Talbot Tagora – Lessons in the Woods or a City (Hardly Art)
“The trio’s ardent output is rife with haunting, atypical rhythms, oblique guitars shrouded in drone and reverb, and echoing vocals cloaked cryptically in both their content and audibility. There are few refrains, and lyrics are made up of nonsensical tales, abstract imagery, and convoluted, anti-culture rhetoric. It’s an arresting collection of angled, like-minded punk songs laced with a gaunt hypnosis, a deathly fluidity that demands repeat listening. If only to figure out what the hell is going on within all that chaos.” [Full Review & .mp3s]
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8. Champagne Champagne – Champagne Champagne (self)
“The self-titled album plays like a graphic novel written by John Hughes. And like a superhero’s illustrious cape, it’s wide-spread, dashing, confident and passionate, emblazoned with a bleeding heart nostalgia that captures exactly what you’d expect it to. Executed against the vivid backdrop of Mark Gajadhar’s colorful, inventive, and electro-funk beats (not to mention a few choice samples, one of which fans of Mr. Rogers will enjoy), Pearl Dragon paints his heart on sleeve, coming across as neither hard nor soft but as a dynamic persona looking to right his wrongs.” [Full Review & .mp3s]
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7. Viva Voce – Rose City (Barsuk)
“Kevin and Anita Robinson are the masterminds behind Viva Voce, and, as the more countrified psychedelia of previous records might suggest, hail originally from Alabama. They’ve called Portland, OR home for most of this millennium, and found it so fit that they decided to write a song about it. “Rose City” is a swaggerin’, struttin’ fast-paced homage with some incredibly nimble—and often nasty—guitar licks. Anita, whose alluring, comfortable coo often provides a nifty counterbalance to her brash and fiery axe-swingin’, sings “I wanna go back where it’s grey and green / and the protest songs have tambourines”. As a former Portland resident, I get giddy listening to this line.” [Full Review & .mp3s]
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6. The Purrs – Amused, Confused, and More Bad News (self)
“The quartet, for the most part, stays true to its atmospheric psych-pop maxims: vocalist/bassist Jima’s lucid bellyaches about his heartbreaks and hangovers, eternally stuck in the doldrums, and Jason Milne’s high-fret wandering manifestos. Like any good songwriter, Jima is adept at turning his written prose into singing poetry, often laced with cynicism and snark. The guy’s probably had ten times as many breakups as you or I, yet he is nothing if not resolute, determined to shake off his funk, and preferably with a drink. There is a heaviness to this album that differs from their first two, as the band opts for less exploration and more immediacy in achieving their final compositions.” [Full Review & .mp3s]
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Mew Is Fantasy
I’m not sure how many of you have caught onto Mew, a fantastical prog-pop trio from Denmark, but their new album is quite good. In the event that you are familiar with the band, you’ll agree that their output can be…a bit much. First off, let’s start with that title: No More Stories Are Told Today I’m Sorry They Washed Away No More Stories The World Is Grey I’m Tired Let’s Wash Away. Holy crap, that’s pretty much the longest album title I’ve ever seen. It’s the lyrics to one of the album’s interludal tracks— “Hawaii Dream”—and one of the first indicators that you’re not quite in Kansas anymore. In fact, sometimes I wonder if Jonas Bjerre, Bo Madsen, and Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen are indeed apparitions from another fairytale world, bequeathing the soundtrack to their wondrous and magical lives unto us flawed and depraved humans. Eh, probably not, but for a band whose dapper appearance and upper-class suburban background fuel arguments that they are simply wealthy eccentrics with too much time on their hands, it might not be such a bad idea to believe in such an impossibility.
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The word “epic” often comes to mind when listening to Mew, and if you’re the type drawn to sparkling fantasy and glimmering white magic, or extreme depth and wild excitement, their operatic and incredibly inspired thunderstorm rock will be right up your alley. Oftentimes, I feel like I’ve been dreamily transported to the kid-friendly fantasias of The NeverEnding Story or Return to Oz. In composition, No More Stories… essentially picks up where 2005’s And The Glass Handed Kites left off: Madsen’s colorful, uneven guitar treatises balance exuberant keyboard flourishes and Bjerre’s precocious, somewhat nonsensical choir-boy storytelling. Songs build up and break down, meander aimlessly and fly pointedly, sending listeners on enchanted journeys through implausible universes.
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Bjerre’s lyrics are often humorously bizarre, asking endearingly awkward questions like, “How should I / hold this girlfriend?” and “Have you / touched the bottom?” Song titles, such as “Repeaterbeater”, “Cartoons and Macramé Wounds” and “Introducing Palace Players” make little sense on first (or second) glance. But, if the words are baffling, the music is exhilarating. Madsen is an exemplary guitar player, and has an astonishing imprint on most every track. The jagged to-and-fro on “Introducing Palace Players” introduces his sui generis. Jørgensen’s kick drum propulsion highlights many songs, and his work on “Beach” is one of my absolute favorite moments of the record. All put together, Mew is a radiant example of where unhinged imagination can take you.
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See the Danes at Neumos this Thursday, December 10th, with local boys The Lonely Forest.
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The xx’s xx is xcellent
If you’re “on the internet”, you’ve likely heard many folks singing their praises for this budding band out of London, the xx. “Subtle and sexy” you’ve maybe heard, or “naked soul” perhaps. As with most British bands these days—thanks to the UK press corps’ astounding affinity for slamming superficially fleeting bands down our throats based on a single hook—I glared from afar with a skeptical eye. But when I gave it a chance (or succumbed to the curiosity), I, too, found myself drawn to its stark and sparse infinite night time rock ‘n soul.
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The band was started by lifelong pals Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft all the way back in 2005 and, given ample time and space by their label (Young Turks), developed a sound and concocted their first album, xx. This name they’ve chosen is not a reference to some idealistic statement against band names, an underground art movement, or even algebra variables. Instead it refers to the Roman numeral for 20, the age each band member reached before their record was finally released. Yes, they are young. But the music has an air of sophistication and restraint not often seen in a music landscape saturated with audacious and extroverted rock star wannabes. They’re friends with and toured with Micachu & the Shapes (“Basic Space” even sounds a bit like a sedate Micachu song), if that provides any context to you.
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In sound, the music is defined by Sim and Croft trading flirty, pillow-soft vocals (I prefer her endearing Londoner lisp to his sleepy schoolboy singing) over his plucky, unfettered bass lines and her lonesome, crystal-clear guitar melodies. The same kind of hi-pitched somber melodies made popular during the early 80s post-punk scene. The usual accoutrements of romantic synths and background drums round out the rest of the ear candy. The first half of the album is quite revealing, with “VCR”, “Crystalised” (watch a great live video of this song on KEXP’s blog) and “Heart Skipped A Beat” impeccably introducing the xx’s minimalist MO. But it’s the final three tracks— “Infinity”, “Night Time” and “Stars”—that really click, creating a pitch black, wide open lover’s lane that slowly seeps into the deep, never to return again.
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The band, who has admitted to a less than stellar stage presence, play Neumos this Friday, November 27th, with middling disco-rock outfit Friendly Fires. It’s sold out, so if you don’t have tickets, you might get to the Sonic Boom in Ballard well before 3pm to catch their scheduled in-store. Below are some of my favorite songs. Immerse yourself in the vast spellbinding space dreamt up by the xx.
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