My tastes change like the currents change. Which it's as if to say I change my tastes to fit the current trends, which couldn't be further from the truth. Case in point: whenever I go into a store, say, I don't know, Urban Outfitters and/or H&M, I am usually disgusted by what I hear coming out of the store's PA system. I'm not trying to get every new album by every new hipster band, although I will give it a sincere "couple o' listens" and actively try to engage the music, evaluating the goods and bads.
Latest example: Snowden, which I found out is on repeat at one of the aforementioned shops. I do not like this band. I can tell you why, but I need 300 words to explain this. I can say it in two: they suck.
Another example: Shiny Toy Guns. Again, 300 words are useless when I only need one: sucky. Thank you for reminding me why I hate L. A.
Enough crap-band bashing, I'm here to talk about what I'm loving at the minute. My girlfriend is trying to get me into the habit of every time I say something negative, to come back with three positives.
So, here are many postive things about the current state of my musical tastes.
Will Oldham- Palace Music, Palace Brothers, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, etc...
This man is fast approaching sainthood in my world, a spot safely reserved for only a select few. Yes, it's lonely at the top, and Mr. Oldham captures that loneliness like no one else and puts it to song. And to make matters worse, I didn't discover this amazing singer/songwriter/actor until a few months ago, much to the chagrin of my dear friend Raph who had been singing this man's praises for quite some time. I'm a resistant and defiant person, but I could save myself so much trouble if I just listened to other's suggestions. Also, he's one hell of an actor, check out his part in Old Joy.
Naked Eyes- Promises, Promises
Yes, that terrible 80s song. I love it so much right now, it's so awful I cringe. And then I play it again. Wanna see the video? It's even more tragic than just the song. Click here.
Gillian Welch- Black Star (Live)
A live, bluegrass version of one of my favorite Radiohead tracks, from Minneapolis way back in September of '04. It's so good you'll only notice the mistake in the solo if you're as anal as I am. (Read: music nerd- I really need a hobby.) How I found Gillian Welch? She's featured a few times on the next album:
O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack
It's so insanely awesome a film that works for the following reasons: a) Because the music is so integral to the cinematography-slash-storyline that there's just no way that movie would've worked without it. b) If you don't like this movie, you are completely dead inside... A modern classic, indubitably in my top 10.
Michael Jackson- Human Nature
Let's make pretend Michael Jackson didn't have the most crazy, slow burning descent into madness since Howard Hughes, and there's no doubt in my mind that he'd still be banging out hits with Quincy Jones, still carrying MTV on his back and still selling Pepsi like it was crack in Washington, DC circa 1988. Anyway, this is my favorite song in his catalog. But 10 years from now, everyone will be like "the real king of pop is Justin Timberlake". Plus, I really don't think we'll be hearing from Michael anytime soon, so if you're reading, Jacko, please turn your crown in.
Grizzly Bear- Knife
This song is so sexy, and these Brooklyn hipsters made one of the best sleeper albums last year. I'm calling it a sleeper album because I totally slept on it. Again, I should listen to advice given to me...
Memphis- A Little Place In The Wilderness
A beautiful and heartrending pastiche borrowed from his day job, Torquil Campbell of Montreal band Stars, one of my faves of the last few years, puts together a wonderful side project with Chris Dumont. It's happy and sad; melancholia sprinkled with touches of hope just around the edges. Oh Canada, you rule...
Her Space Holiday
If there was such a genre as emo-electronica, Marc Bianchi would be at the top. Intensely personal lyrics over heavily orchestrated strings, replete with trip-hoppy breakbeats and swinging basslines bouncing underneath. But the strength of HSH lies in Bianchi's lyrics: "So carry me around/ Like a picture in your purse/ Pull me out when things are at their worst/ You can show up at my house/ Completely unannounced/ We'll have that movie kiss we talked about..."
Joan As Police Woman
Silky smooth vocals over excellent instrumentation equals pop stardom. I often wonder aloud (much to the chagrin of anyone within earshot of me) how an act like Joan As Police Woman isn't ridiculously huge. And being that I'm so unique (yes, it's terminal, I can't be saved now, it's too late...), no one can ever answer my pleas. Her voice is like a cross between Leslie Feist and Regina Spektor, and her songwriter is intensely personal. Music this good can't stay a secret for too long.
The Pipettes- We Are The Pipettes
"Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off, but it's better if you do." If Natalie Portman's character Jane (in the stunning movie Closer ) says it, then it must be true. (Nevermind that Panic! At the Disco used that line for not one but two song titles on their breakout album.) Listening to these three reformed riot grrrls take on an updated version of 60's girl pop is as refreshing as it's alarming- not only because they lie to guys, because they have a whole lot of fun doing it. Direct from the UK, bringing charming songs with titles like Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me, Because It's Not Love (But It's Still A Feeling), and One Night Stand, be prepared to see these lovely ladies all over the radar in '07.
Menomena
Take a three piece band, make them all multi-instrumentalists, give them a digital loop machine, and send them to Portland, Oregon. The resulting noise becomes pure beauty- it's part trip-hop, part jazz, part rock, all with that experimental, DIY indie attitude.
The Besnard Lakes- The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse
Again, I can't get off of Canada's dick just yet. Pretty much every band coming out of the Great White North is dominating my playlist recently, and The Besnard Lakes are just another example of the rampant creativity floating around in the cold air. Montreal is the spawning ground for fellow bands such as The Dears, Arcade Fire, Islands, Stars, Sunset Rubdown and Wolf Parade. Imagine atmospheric/dream-pop, like Brian Wilson fronting My Bloody Valentine. Call it baroque-pop, chamber-pop, whatever you want. I call it amazingly good music.
Next: ______________ (fill it in yourself!)
Friday, March 30, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Better Late Than Never...
Remember that time I was all, "Dude, this week I'm writing every day and blah blah blah..." and then I trailed off and did a bunch of other stuff, obviously preventing myself from writing and all that jazz?
Here's one of those overdue reviews:
Minus the Bear- Interpretaciones Del Oso (Suicide Squeeze, released 2-20-07)
Loosely translated: Interpretations of the Bear. Remix albums, man... Minus The Bear's 2005 magnum opus Menos El Oso gets the track-by-track pirate hijacking treatment from 11 DJs-slash-musicians, only because remix albums are so hot right now and so is Minus The Bear. One of the best live acts I've experienced in the last few years, a remix album doesn't do this band justice- perhaps a live album would've been a better choice for this band at this point in their career, but a bold move nonetheless. It's something for the real fans, and the energy of Menos El Oso is conserved for either the new album (currently being recorded; tentatively titled Planet Of Ice) or the eventual tour (sweet, dude!).
Speaking from a fan's point of view, this serves as an excellent reminder, a side-by-side companion to or a compliment to Menos El Oso. And if you haven't figured out yet that I only review albums that I'm a fan of, well then- you haven't been paying attention. At least not very closely. But mark my words: this band should be huge. Like Burt Reynolds huge. For real.
So does this album warrant a track-by-track review, or do I just give a skimmed review, cut the fat out and tell you what I think of the highlights? Overall, its vibe is very chilled, a down-tempo lesson in music booth production values, and a few tracks are even completely overhauled- Tyondai Braxton strips Fulfill The Dream of its skeleton and gives it a new structure entirely, as does Dark Baby with Hooray. FOG takes Memphis & 53rd and plays it at half speed over a distorted droned-out synth, which is basically a 4 minute wet-fart sound. Michio's Death Drive by Michio aka Monostereo, most closely resembles the original work of all the re-workings and The Game Needed Me, gets a Bjork-stylized Army Of Me bassline, courtesy of The Oktopus.
El Torrente gets spookied up by Jason Clark of Pretty Girls Make Graves, the only musician I've heard of prior to seeing the who's who on this album. So that leads me to this assumption: that I know what you're thinking, I've never heard of these DJs either, and they may as well be 16 year-old kids in their bedrooms armed with overly-expensive music production software a la ProTools or FruityLoops, underneath their posters of My Chemical Romance and Pam Anderson's plasticized rack.
But Pachuca Sunrise, the centerpiece of Menos El Oso, also becomes the most arresting remix on here. Equally engrossing is Morgan from Blood Brothers' O, Hunter Remix of The Pig War, done with clarinets (or oboes?) and Jake Snider's vocalized oohs and ahhs. So, my three favorite tracks: the opener, P.O.S.'s Drilling, which gets a very stuttered and choppy treatment, Alias' Pachuca Sunrise and J. Clark's El Torrente. Again, I can only restate my earlier advice- this album may come with the disclaimer: for true MTB fans only, but I would suggest giving it a listen. Overall rating: 84
Here's one of those overdue reviews:
Minus the Bear- Interpretaciones Del Oso (Suicide Squeeze, released 2-20-07)
Loosely translated: Interpretations of the Bear. Remix albums, man... Minus The Bear's 2005 magnum opus Menos El Oso gets the track-by-track pirate hijacking treatment from 11 DJs-slash-musicians, only because remix albums are so hot right now and so is Minus The Bear. One of the best live acts I've experienced in the last few years, a remix album doesn't do this band justice- perhaps a live album would've been a better choice for this band at this point in their career, but a bold move nonetheless. It's something for the real fans, and the energy of Menos El Oso is conserved for either the new album (currently being recorded; tentatively titled Planet Of Ice) or the eventual tour (sweet, dude!).
Speaking from a fan's point of view, this serves as an excellent reminder, a side-by-side companion to or a compliment to Menos El Oso. And if you haven't figured out yet that I only review albums that I'm a fan of, well then- you haven't been paying attention. At least not very closely. But mark my words: this band should be huge. Like Burt Reynolds huge. For real.
So does this album warrant a track-by-track review, or do I just give a skimmed review, cut the fat out and tell you what I think of the highlights? Overall, its vibe is very chilled, a down-tempo lesson in music booth production values, and a few tracks are even completely overhauled- Tyondai Braxton strips Fulfill The Dream of its skeleton and gives it a new structure entirely, as does Dark Baby with Hooray. FOG takes Memphis & 53rd and plays it at half speed over a distorted droned-out synth, which is basically a 4 minute wet-fart sound. Michio's Death Drive by Michio aka Monostereo, most closely resembles the original work of all the re-workings and The Game Needed Me, gets a Bjork-stylized Army Of Me bassline, courtesy of The Oktopus.
El Torrente gets spookied up by Jason Clark of Pretty Girls Make Graves, the only musician I've heard of prior to seeing the who's who on this album. So that leads me to this assumption: that I know what you're thinking, I've never heard of these DJs either, and they may as well be 16 year-old kids in their bedrooms armed with overly-expensive music production software a la ProTools or FruityLoops, underneath their posters of My Chemical Romance and Pam Anderson's plasticized rack.
But Pachuca Sunrise, the centerpiece of Menos El Oso, also becomes the most arresting remix on here. Equally engrossing is Morgan from Blood Brothers' O, Hunter Remix of The Pig War, done with clarinets (or oboes?) and Jake Snider's vocalized oohs and ahhs. So, my three favorite tracks: the opener, P.O.S.'s Drilling, which gets a very stuttered and choppy treatment, Alias' Pachuca Sunrise and J. Clark's El Torrente. Again, I can only restate my earlier advice- this album may come with the disclaimer: for true MTB fans only, but I would suggest giving it a listen. Overall rating: 84
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
LCD Soundsystem's Sound Of Silver...
So much music, so little time. I'm beating myself over the head for not finishing other reviews, which I won't name right now, but you, my loyal readers, know exactly what I'm talking about.
Better late than never, right?
LCD Soundsystem- Sound Of Silver (DFA Records, released 3/13/07)
Dear James Murphy,
Thank you for bringing electronic music back to me! It had been a while since I was interested in anything not made by guitar/bass/piano/drums, and I sincerely and honestly owe you a great deal of kudos. When I was a teen in the late eighties-slash-early nineties, New Order and Depeche Mode was all I had, and in the late 90s Massive Attack, Portishead and Bjork caught my ear. I even went to a few raves, and yes- I've familiarized myself with drum and bass and know who Paul Oakenfold is, even seen Sasha & John Digweed spin. Your last album made me once again appreciate Daft Punk, and I wondered aloud if they were really playing at your house as you claimed. But it doesn't really matter, now does it? I also lost my edge and tried so hard to get it back, all that posturing and posing and trying to get myself noticed- you were speaking to me, and in a lot of ways, you were there for me... Anyway, I really like your new album a whole bunch, and please keep those DFA Remixes coming!
Yours Truly,
Jimmy Mac of Berkeley, CA
PS- My city is both a sucker AND a creep!
I've only written fan letters to Morrissey and Salma Hayek, so Mr. Murphy should feel really special about this. It's not as if I'm actually going to send this and you will probably never read it, but I feel a sense of overwhelming shame because of it. But look at the company you're in- my two celebrity crushes. Okay, Salma went and got herself knocked up, ending any chance of romance between us. And Morrissey- well, that's a whole 'nother story...
...which, er, awkwardly leads me into a review of Sound Of Silver, LCD Soundsystem's latest release.
Get Innocuous starts off the album, almost too predictable in its style, and sounds like a cross between LeTigre and the Talking Heads, most notably the refrain from Crosseyed & Painless off of 1980's Remain In Light. That's not so much a knock as praise- I adore both of those bands. Let's just say that Murphy and Crew won't be called "groundbreaking" at any time in the near future. But what they do better than anyone in the game, is get the self-serious indie kids moving their hips to-and-fro.
Tongue-in-cheek suits LCD so well, as witnessed on the double album and here with the album's first single and video, North American Scum. Not as much as an apology for "us", it's a jokingly self-righteous and indignant stab at our own psyche, and I laugh my way through this song every time I encounter it. Self-aware but not self-important, this track details the why and how we are the way we are: "I hate the feelin' when you're looking at me that way- 'cause we're North Americans. But if we act all shy, it’ll make it ok- makes it go away." He excludes Canadians in this attack, however.
One thing James Murphy does well is his vocalization- he can get across his sincerity, melancholia, sarcasm, sexiness, etc. all by the tone he keeps. Not a great voice by any stretch of the imagination, it's the way he uses it; Murphy goes back and forth between his speaking voice, a disco falsetto and that "head register" to get his point across. It works especially well on the title track, with his dancehall-MC voice which calls attention to the lamentations of lost youth: "Sound of silver talk to me, makes you want to feel like a teenager- until you remember the feelings of a real life emotion of teenager. Then you think again..." I can agree, I definitely don't want to revisit those teenage emotions, all that confusion. These current "adult situations" are much more comforting...
New York, I Love You closes the album down, and lyrically, the best song in LCD's catalog. So caustic in its condemnation of new New York vs. old New York, Murphy longs for the days of trash and crime. But by the time he arrived, it was a clean, safe and hospitable city: "So the boring collect, I mean all disrespect; In the neighborhood bars I'd once dreamt I would drink." After reading Freakonomics and Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point, there's no real rhyme or reason to how Manhattan turned it around. Once the worst city in America, it's now one the safest places to raise a family. Whether it's stroller derby on the Upper West Side, the gentrification of TriBeCa, New York isn't the New York of Ghostbusters, circa 1984.
And LCD Soundsystem isn't the beatbox, synthesizers/sequencers and turntables of yesterday either- going for a full-band approach, relying more on live instrumentation than previous efforts, it seems as if Murphy has also gentrified his act, but still retaining his edge.
Overall rating: 87
I'm still all backed up...
I've been promising Minus The Bear, !!! and Do Make Say Think for weeks now. I'll get around to it, eventually. I'm waiting for Axl and G'n'R put out Chinese Democracy still!
Better late than never, right?
LCD Soundsystem- Sound Of Silver (DFA Records, released 3/13/07)
Dear James Murphy,
Thank you for bringing electronic music back to me! It had been a while since I was interested in anything not made by guitar/bass/piano/drums, and I sincerely and honestly owe you a great deal of kudos. When I was a teen in the late eighties-slash-early nineties, New Order and Depeche Mode was all I had, and in the late 90s Massive Attack, Portishead and Bjork caught my ear. I even went to a few raves, and yes- I've familiarized myself with drum and bass and know who Paul Oakenfold is, even seen Sasha & John Digweed spin. Your last album made me once again appreciate Daft Punk, and I wondered aloud if they were really playing at your house as you claimed. But it doesn't really matter, now does it? I also lost my edge and tried so hard to get it back, all that posturing and posing and trying to get myself noticed- you were speaking to me, and in a lot of ways, you were there for me... Anyway, I really like your new album a whole bunch, and please keep those DFA Remixes coming!
Yours Truly,
Jimmy Mac of Berkeley, CA
PS- My city is both a sucker AND a creep!
I've only written fan letters to Morrissey and Salma Hayek, so Mr. Murphy should feel really special about this. It's not as if I'm actually going to send this and you will probably never read it, but I feel a sense of overwhelming shame because of it. But look at the company you're in- my two celebrity crushes. Okay, Salma went and got herself knocked up, ending any chance of romance between us. And Morrissey- well, that's a whole 'nother story...
...which, er, awkwardly leads me into a review of Sound Of Silver, LCD Soundsystem's latest release.
Get Innocuous starts off the album, almost too predictable in its style, and sounds like a cross between LeTigre and the Talking Heads, most notably the refrain from Crosseyed & Painless off of 1980's Remain In Light. That's not so much a knock as praise- I adore both of those bands. Let's just say that Murphy and Crew won't be called "groundbreaking" at any time in the near future. But what they do better than anyone in the game, is get the self-serious indie kids moving their hips to-and-fro.
Tongue-in-cheek suits LCD so well, as witnessed on the double album and here with the album's first single and video, North American Scum. Not as much as an apology for "us", it's a jokingly self-righteous and indignant stab at our own psyche, and I laugh my way through this song every time I encounter it. Self-aware but not self-important, this track details the why and how we are the way we are: "I hate the feelin' when you're looking at me that way- 'cause we're North Americans. But if we act all shy, it’ll make it ok- makes it go away." He excludes Canadians in this attack, however.
One thing James Murphy does well is his vocalization- he can get across his sincerity, melancholia, sarcasm, sexiness, etc. all by the tone he keeps. Not a great voice by any stretch of the imagination, it's the way he uses it; Murphy goes back and forth between his speaking voice, a disco falsetto and that "head register" to get his point across. It works especially well on the title track, with his dancehall-MC voice which calls attention to the lamentations of lost youth: "Sound of silver talk to me, makes you want to feel like a teenager- until you remember the feelings of a real life emotion of teenager. Then you think again..." I can agree, I definitely don't want to revisit those teenage emotions, all that confusion. These current "adult situations" are much more comforting...
New York, I Love You closes the album down, and lyrically, the best song in LCD's catalog. So caustic in its condemnation of new New York vs. old New York, Murphy longs for the days of trash and crime. But by the time he arrived, it was a clean, safe and hospitable city: "So the boring collect, I mean all disrespect; In the neighborhood bars I'd once dreamt I would drink." After reading Freakonomics and Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point, there's no real rhyme or reason to how Manhattan turned it around. Once the worst city in America, it's now one the safest places to raise a family. Whether it's stroller derby on the Upper West Side, the gentrification of TriBeCa, New York isn't the New York of Ghostbusters, circa 1984.
And LCD Soundsystem isn't the beatbox, synthesizers/sequencers and turntables of yesterday either- going for a full-band approach, relying more on live instrumentation than previous efforts, it seems as if Murphy has also gentrified his act, but still retaining his edge.
Overall rating: 87
I'm still all backed up...
I've been promising Minus The Bear, !!! and Do Make Say Think for weeks now. I'll get around to it, eventually. I'm waiting for Axl and G'n'R put out Chinese Democracy still!
Friday, March 9, 2007
78% Nitrogen & 21% Oxygen Equals: AIR...
...and there's also some argon and carbon dioxide in that mixture, but hey, it keeps us alive, right?
I'm sure if I had to write a review on air I'd find something wrong with that, too. It might go something like this: the air in the Rocky Mountains smells sweet and light, whereas New York City air in the summer time smells like liquid garbage and really bad body odor. I'm giving air an overall rating of 88.
Then I'd surely go on to review water and then soil.
But music, that's what I do:
Air- Pocket Symphony (Astralwerks, released 3/6/07)
When a great chef makes a new dish, do they do it because they love the labor that goes into the art of cooking, or do they do it to see their diner's reaction? Like two great cooks, Air's Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin serve up some new fare which can be described as silky and smooth, light and creamy, with just a hint of trip-hop-adelica. But mostly it's flaky and crisp around the edges, let's dive into the center, shall we?
As if there was anything else you'd expect from the masters of the chill out game, (I'll give them that title at least until Portishead gets back to us later this year...) Air comes at you with a subtle variety of textures- those sultry and always sexy female vocals, excellent production values a la Nigel Godrich (the "sixth" member of Radiohead), vocals from Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, new instruments (Godin learned how to play both the koto or Japanese floor harp and the shamisen from a master in Okinawa), and of course all those smooth down-tempo rhythms combined masterfully with sweet pop sensibilities abound over the course of the album.
Since I'm big on comparing artists to themselves (and I've already compared Air to another band already), I'm not going to do that here- you may be wondering where this album stands up in their body of work, and I'm going to leave my opinion out of this review on that subject. It wouldn't be fair to compare this to Moon Safari, (their magnum opus) but then again, it would be fair to compare this to 10,000 Hz Legend (creative doubt?). I'll leave that aside (in a passive-aggressive sort of way) and just get to the meat and potatoes of Pocket Symphony.
It's a more relaxed, hushed album overall, playing very well in the wee hours of the morn after a night out of sensory-overloaded debauchery, serving to center one's mindset in a Zen-like quiesence. Acoustic guitars, Japanese strings, and much less beat heavy than previous contributions, the French duo happens upon a personal and pensive posture- the title implies that you can in fact bring this symphony along in your pocket, a prix fixe for the iPod set.
Highlights of this album include: Mer Du Japon (en francais), or Sea Of Japan, one of the few songs that relies on driving bass and drum with a mid-song breakdown of wave sounds instead of a bridge, which to me is ironic- instead of going over an actual bridge, you get the sound of what's under it. Maybe I'm digging to hard, but iTunes has informed me that I've listened to this album 7 times in the last three weeks. I live with albums, they bend my psyche and become a part of my collective reality. And in turn I look too hard for the meaning in them.
Space Maker, the opener, picks up exactly where Air left off on Talkie-Walkie- trip-hoppy beats over synth washes and acoustic guitars, with an excellent breakdown: a familiar and comfortable bass and piano line which leads directly into Once Upon A Time, a revolving and steady piano and cymbal hit, and lovely vocals before the drums enter: "I'm a little boy, you'e a little girl, once upon a time..." And Left Bank, another acoustically driven number with no drums, could pass itself off as an Elliott Smith song, and Somewhere Between Waking And Sleeping lends its dreamy melody to a latter-day Nick Drake psych-folk excursion.
The songs are here, the production is remarkable as always, and thematically Pocket Symphony sticks to its intended point, but (here comes the knock) this album will surely only serve in this capacity: the late night, chill-out, let's get ready for bed album. It's not an album I could listen to while driving, not an album for a late-afternoon pick me up. This is Air, and that's pretty much what they do, and do it so well, but how many albums do I need to bring me into slumberland? Where Moon Safari and Premiers Symptomes serve that purpose, I'd rather listen to those than this.
I also said I wasn't going to compare Pocket Symphony to the rest of their back catalog, seeing how this is basically a leitmotif of the sum and scope of Air's body of work, I'm only going to throw down an average score for this album.
Overall rating: 81
Coming Up:
Minus The Bear
Do Make Say Think
!!!
LCD Soundsystem
I'm sure if I had to write a review on air I'd find something wrong with that, too. It might go something like this: the air in the Rocky Mountains smells sweet and light, whereas New York City air in the summer time smells like liquid garbage and really bad body odor. I'm giving air an overall rating of 88.
Then I'd surely go on to review water and then soil.
But music, that's what I do:
Air- Pocket Symphony (Astralwerks, released 3/6/07)
When a great chef makes a new dish, do they do it because they love the labor that goes into the art of cooking, or do they do it to see their diner's reaction? Like two great cooks, Air's Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin serve up some new fare which can be described as silky and smooth, light and creamy, with just a hint of trip-hop-adelica. But mostly it's flaky and crisp around the edges, let's dive into the center, shall we?
As if there was anything else you'd expect from the masters of the chill out game, (I'll give them that title at least until Portishead gets back to us later this year...) Air comes at you with a subtle variety of textures- those sultry and always sexy female vocals, excellent production values a la Nigel Godrich (the "sixth" member of Radiohead), vocals from Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, new instruments (Godin learned how to play both the koto
It's a more relaxed, hushed album overall, playing very well in the wee hours of the morn after a night out of sensory-overloaded debauchery, serving to center one's mindset in a Zen-like quiesence. Acoustic guitars, Japanese strings, and much less beat heavy than previous contributions, the French duo happens upon a personal and pensive posture- the title implies that you can in fact bring this symphony along in your pocket, a prix fixe for the iPod set.
Highlights of this album include: Mer Du Japon (en francais), or Sea Of Japan
Space Maker, the opener, picks up exactly where Air left off on Talkie-Walkie- trip-hoppy beats over synth washes and acoustic guitars, with an excellent breakdown: a familiar and comfortable bass and piano line which leads directly into Once Upon A Time, a revolving and steady piano and cymbal hit, and lovely vocals before the drums enter: "I'm a little boy, you'e a little girl, once upon a time..." And Left Bank, another acoustically driven number with no drums, could pass itself off as an Elliott Smith song, and Somewhere Between Waking And Sleeping lends its dreamy melody to a latter-day Nick Drake psych-folk excursion.
The songs are here, the production is remarkable as always, and thematically Pocket Symphony sticks to its intended point, but (here comes the knock) this album will surely only serve in this capacity: the late night, chill-out, let's get ready for bed album. It's not an album I could listen to while driving, not an album for a late-afternoon pick me up. This is Air, and that's pretty much what they do, and do it so well, but how many albums do I need to bring me into slumberland? Where Moon Safari and Premiers Symptomes serve that purpose, I'd rather listen to those than this.
I also said I wasn't going to compare Pocket Symphony to the rest of their back catalog, seeing how this is basically a leitmotif of the sum and scope of Air's body of work, I'm only going to throw down an average score for this album.
Overall rating: 81
Coming Up:
Minus The Bear
Do Make Say Think
!!!
LCD Soundsystem
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Schedule? We Don't Need No Stinking Schedule!
I lied. I can't seem to do anything in a timely manner, and if you're annoyed, just imagine how I must feel. I have to live with me 24/7...
Arcade Fire- Neon Bible (Merge Records, released 3/6/07)
Only a quarter of the year has gone by, but I see a possible album of the year with the Arcade Fire's latest offering. A bold statement? Perhaps, but after the first listen to the leaked tracks I knew I was hearing something special, and it's the finest album of 2007 as of press time. I gave The Decemberists' The Crane Wife a perfect score last year, as if Colin Meloy and company could do no wrong. This year, Win Butler's crew looks as if the title of Perfect Score could apply. Read on...
Lyrically, Butler's words are as emotionally open as the wounds he's trying to heal through his art. It's a cathartic yet healthy soul-bearing, not like that screamo/emo shit that does way more damage than it's actually worth. I'll save that bashing for another day. I'll also save the "what's in the water in Canada?" question for another day also, but I would be remiss to not add that for the last few years, all the best bands come from that great country to the north.
I'd also be doing this album (and this review for that matter) a great injustice by not reviewing some of my favorite couplets. And in classic AP English style I'll go ahead and offer my opinion to what they may mean. Call it a psychoanalysis of Neon Bible if you will.
Intervention - "You say it's money that we need, as if we're the only mouths to feed- I know that no matter what you say, there are some debts we never pay..." I'm thinking this is one of those "Oh, George Bush, what have you done to the world?" songs. Hey, I'm all for outsiders' opinions on this stupid war on terror. Thom Yorke dedicated a whole album to it, Bloc Party has an opinion on it, and how about fellow Canadians Stars? It seems that the most insightful (or insipid) remarks made against our shitty president comes from a more worldly point of view.
Ocean Of Noise - "No way of knowing what any man will do, an ocean of violence between me and you. You've got your reasons and me I've got mine- But all the reasons I gave were just lies to buy myself some time. I'm gonna work it out- 'cause time wont work it out, I'm gonna work it out- 'cause time wont work it our for you. I'm gonna work it on out." These may be the most powerful lyrics on the entire album. A break-up? A death? What could it be? Oh, please tell me!
Windowsill - "Don't wanna give 'em my name and address, don't wanna see what happens next- Don't wanna live in my father's house no more; don't wanna live with my father's debt- You can't forgive what you can't forget. Don't wanna live in my father's house no more, don't wanna fight in a holy war- don't want the salesmen knocking at my door. I don't wanna live in America no more..." Pretty self-explanatory right there. Working on personal demons as well as the ills of society, from what I can gather. Strong introspection, self-effacement and resolution, all in 8 lines. Great songwriting!
My Body Is A Cage - "I'm living in an age that calls darkness light. Though my language is dead- still the shapes fill my head. I'm living in an age whose name I don't know. Though the fear keeps me moving- still my heart beats so slow." This theme is the theme of modern man, for more on this, read my review of TV On The Radio's Return To Cookie Mountain. To paraphrase myself: "...(it signals) man's divorce from romantic, individual thought and his embrace of technology and information. I think the relevant voices of modern society all echo a similar sentiment- that man becomes destitute by elevating himself, and (that Neon Bible) is the soundtrack for the impending apocalypse."
Musically, it's exactly what I expected, as in: excellent. Not to compare Neon Bible to Funeral, but stylistically speaking, it only differs slightly from what Arcade Fire does so well, and the title track closes in on a Joy Division-esque drone that would make Ian Curtis so very proud. (Antichrist Television Blues) suggests back to a little Springsteen-ish shuffle. Churning organs, strings, slowed-down rhythms, it's just what you know from Arcade Fire, plus a little added oomph in there for good measure.
The only knock I can lay on this album is the choice for the opener, Black Mirror. I'm not in love with it like the other 10 tracks here, and it may have served a better purpose wedged between songs toward the bottom of the playlist. If only I was a record producer. And sadly, that's my same knock on Funeral- that album should've opened with their concert opener, Wake Up. I'm a picky little bastard, ain't I? And was it totally necessary to re-record No Cars Go from their first EP? So, regretfully: because of these minor malfeasances, I can't give this album a perfect score. But it's so close...
Overall rating: 97
I'm not even going to post what's coming next. Tomorrow? A few days? Next week? Meh...
Arcade Fire- Neon Bible (Merge Records, released 3/6/07)
Only a quarter of the year has gone by, but I see a possible album of the year with the Arcade Fire's latest offering. A bold statement? Perhaps, but after the first listen to the leaked tracks I knew I was hearing something special, and it's the finest album of 2007 as of press time. I gave The Decemberists' The Crane Wife a perfect score last year, as if Colin Meloy and company could do no wrong. This year, Win Butler's crew looks as if the title of Perfect Score could apply. Read on...
Lyrically, Butler's words are as emotionally open as the wounds he's trying to heal through his art. It's a cathartic yet healthy soul-bearing, not like that screamo/emo shit that does way more damage than it's actually worth. I'll save that bashing for another day. I'll also save the "what's in the water in Canada?" question for another day also, but I would be remiss to not add that for the last few years, all the best bands come from that great country to the north.
I'd also be doing this album (and this review for that matter) a great injustice by not reviewing some of my favorite couplets. And in classic AP English style I'll go ahead and offer my opinion to what they may mean. Call it a psychoanalysis of Neon Bible if you will.
Intervention - "You say it's money that we need, as if we're the only mouths to feed- I know that no matter what you say, there are some debts we never pay..." I'm thinking this is one of those "Oh, George Bush, what have you done to the world?" songs. Hey, I'm all for outsiders' opinions on this stupid war on terror. Thom Yorke dedicated a whole album to it, Bloc Party has an opinion on it, and how about fellow Canadians Stars? It seems that the most insightful (or insipid) remarks made against our shitty president comes from a more worldly point of view.
Ocean Of Noise - "No way of knowing what any man will do, an ocean of violence between me and you. You've got your reasons and me I've got mine- But all the reasons I gave were just lies to buy myself some time. I'm gonna work it out- 'cause time wont work it out, I'm gonna work it out- 'cause time wont work it our for you. I'm gonna work it on out." These may be the most powerful lyrics on the entire album. A break-up? A death? What could it be? Oh, please tell me!
Windowsill - "Don't wanna give 'em my name and address, don't wanna see what happens next- Don't wanna live in my father's house no more; don't wanna live with my father's debt- You can't forgive what you can't forget. Don't wanna live in my father's house no more, don't wanna fight in a holy war- don't want the salesmen knocking at my door. I don't wanna live in America no more..." Pretty self-explanatory right there. Working on personal demons as well as the ills of society, from what I can gather. Strong introspection, self-effacement and resolution, all in 8 lines. Great songwriting!
My Body Is A Cage - "I'm living in an age that calls darkness light. Though my language is dead- still the shapes fill my head. I'm living in an age whose name I don't know. Though the fear keeps me moving- still my heart beats so slow." This theme is the theme of modern man, for more on this, read my review of TV On The Radio's Return To Cookie Mountain. To paraphrase myself: "...(it signals) man's divorce from romantic, individual thought and his embrace of technology and information. I think the relevant voices of modern society all echo a similar sentiment- that man becomes destitute by elevating himself, and (that Neon Bible) is the soundtrack for the impending apocalypse."
Musically, it's exactly what I expected, as in: excellent. Not to compare Neon Bible to Funeral, but stylistically speaking, it only differs slightly from what Arcade Fire does so well, and the title track closes in on a Joy Division-esque drone that would make Ian Curtis so very proud. (Antichrist Television Blues) suggests back to a little Springsteen-ish shuffle. Churning organs, strings, slowed-down rhythms, it's just what you know from Arcade Fire, plus a little added oomph in there for good measure.
The only knock I can lay on this album is the choice for the opener, Black Mirror. I'm not in love with it like the other 10 tracks here, and it may have served a better purpose wedged between songs toward the bottom of the playlist. If only I was a record producer. And sadly, that's my same knock on Funeral- that album should've opened with their concert opener, Wake Up. I'm a picky little bastard, ain't I? And was it totally necessary to re-record No Cars Go from their first EP? So, regretfully: because of these minor malfeasances, I can't give this album a perfect score. But it's so close...
Overall rating: 97
I'm not even going to post what's coming next. Tomorrow? A few days? Next week? Meh...
Monday, March 5, 2007
It's Called A Hiatus...
I am a lousy writer.
In fact, I'm a pretty lousy person altogether but that doesn't have anything to do with music. Or it has everything to do with music, I'm trying to not think about my life right now. I've been without a computer for the last 2 1/2 weeks, and without a computer i haven't been writing. Yeah, I check my e-mails occasionally and still do the MySpace thing, but the only reason I have a computer is to write and download music. I should just go and get a typewriter and all your addresses and just mail you my ramblings...
So, in case you missed me, I've missed you. And I've missed out on the following reviews: Minus The Bear's Interpretaciones Del Oso, Explosions In The Sky's All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone, and Do Make Say Think's You, You're A History In Rust. And then there's this week's new reviews: Arcade Fire's Neon Bible, !!!'s Myth Takes and Air's Pocket Symphony.
That's six albums. But I feel that I'm overly prepared to review all of these, I've had two extra weeks with both Minus The Bear's remix album and the new Explosions In The Sky. So, here goes the most overdue:
Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone (Temporary Residence, released on 2/20/07)
Note to self: instrumentation is very important. If you can't play your instrument very well, you probably have a sucky band. Note to EITS: you all play your respective instruments very well, and you do not have a sucky band. It's pretty tough to review an instrumental album, like how does an artist choose either their canvases or clay or whatever their respective medium allows for? In this review, I prefer to paint a landscape with words because All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone paints a landscape with sounds. Using words to describe music is a terrible injustice, but then again, so is using words to describe anything that exhibits artisitc or creative skill. That being said, I just basically called myself a fraud- I'm living a lie by wanting to write about music.
But Explosions' latest endeavor negates my self-loathing and brings me back to why I love this brand of instrumental post-rock (see also: Mogwai, Gospeed! You Black Emperor, Do Make Say Think, Pelican). Starting the album off with a dissonant drone, it settles into a piercing (and always theatric) heart-shaped guitar line that only Explosions In The Sky can get away with and not be guilty of being too ostentatious. It's a simultaneous attack of ferocious emotion and raw power and moments later a refined sincerity and collective restraint. Drawing you in with both soft bass and light drum play, building to a release with a burst of blinding energy, then coming at you from way over head with those high-pitched squeals of unbridled guitar-driven passion, there isn't a doubt in my mind that this band is the most capable and the heir apparent to the genre's throne.
Lacking what 2003's The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place had, which in my opinion is their masterpeice, All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone makes up for their last effort, 2005's The Rescue by returning some of that lost urgency. Beautiful in its own right, The Rescue seems as if it's a throw-away record because of its rootless foudations- just four guys jamming in a room over the course of 8 days. I like the concept, but it lacks focus. All Of A Sudden... has that focus, and maybe it's a good album because they needed to get The Rescue out of their system. Some bands' best work comes from that same unrestricted, hands-off type of jamming, you know who I'm talking about right here.
Not a jam band by any stretch of the imagination, album after album Explosions In The Sky sets out to create lovely music sans lyrics by enveloping you in the imagery of their world of bursting clouds, dying supernovas, crashing waves, gently rising suns, melting lava flows and the lost days of youth; those long summer days when you played and played and the sun didn't set until almost nine o'clock, when we had to finally go in for our nightly baths. This is music to read to, to write to, to paint to, to draw to, to fall in love to, to watch those sunsets to- all in hopes of capturing what you lost before you donned a cap and gown and took that crappy 9-to-5.
Overall rating: 92
So, here's what you can expect for the rest of the week-
Tomorrow: Arcade Fire's Neon Bible and Air's Pocket Symphony
Wednesday: nothing!
Thursday: Minus The Bear's Interpretaciones Del Oso
Friday: !!!'s Myth Takes and Do Make Say Think's You, You're A History In Rust
In fact, I'm a pretty lousy person altogether but that doesn't have anything to do with music. Or it has everything to do with music, I'm trying to not think about my life right now. I've been without a computer for the last 2 1/2 weeks, and without a computer i haven't been writing. Yeah, I check my e-mails occasionally and still do the MySpace thing, but the only reason I have a computer is to write and download music. I should just go and get a typewriter and all your addresses and just mail you my ramblings...
So, in case you missed me, I've missed you. And I've missed out on the following reviews: Minus The Bear's Interpretaciones Del Oso, Explosions In The Sky's All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone, and Do Make Say Think's You, You're A History In Rust. And then there's this week's new reviews: Arcade Fire's Neon Bible, !!!'s Myth Takes and Air's Pocket Symphony.
That's six albums. But I feel that I'm overly prepared to review all of these, I've had two extra weeks with both Minus The Bear's remix album and the new Explosions In The Sky. So, here goes the most overdue:
Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone (Temporary Residence, released on 2/20/07)
Note to self: instrumentation is very important. If you can't play your instrument very well, you probably have a sucky band. Note to EITS: you all play your respective instruments very well, and you do not have a sucky band. It's pretty tough to review an instrumental album, like how does an artist choose either their canvases or clay or whatever their respective medium allows for? In this review, I prefer to paint a landscape with words because All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone paints a landscape with sounds. Using words to describe music is a terrible injustice, but then again, so is using words to describe anything that exhibits artisitc or creative skill. That being said, I just basically called myself a fraud- I'm living a lie by wanting to write about music.
But Explosions' latest endeavor negates my self-loathing and brings me back to why I love this brand of instrumental post-rock (see also: Mogwai, Gospeed! You Black Emperor, Do Make Say Think, Pelican). Starting the album off with a dissonant drone, it settles into a piercing (and always theatric) heart-shaped guitar line that only Explosions In The Sky can get away with and not be guilty of being too ostentatious. It's a simultaneous attack of ferocious emotion and raw power and moments later a refined sincerity and collective restraint. Drawing you in with both soft bass and light drum play, building to a release with a burst of blinding energy, then coming at you from way over head with those high-pitched squeals of unbridled guitar-driven passion, there isn't a doubt in my mind that this band is the most capable and the heir apparent to the genre's throne.
Lacking what 2003's The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place had, which in my opinion is their masterpeice, All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone makes up for their last effort, 2005's The Rescue by returning some of that lost urgency. Beautiful in its own right, The Rescue seems as if it's a throw-away record because of its rootless foudations- just four guys jamming in a room over the course of 8 days. I like the concept, but it lacks focus. All Of A Sudden... has that focus, and maybe it's a good album because they needed to get The Rescue out of their system. Some bands' best work comes from that same unrestricted, hands-off type of jamming, you know who I'm talking about right here.
Not a jam band by any stretch of the imagination, album after album Explosions In The Sky sets out to create lovely music sans lyrics by enveloping you in the imagery of their world of bursting clouds, dying supernovas, crashing waves, gently rising suns, melting lava flows and the lost days of youth; those long summer days when you played and played and the sun didn't set until almost nine o'clock, when we had to finally go in for our nightly baths. This is music to read to, to write to, to paint to, to draw to, to fall in love to, to watch those sunsets to- all in hopes of capturing what you lost before you donned a cap and gown and took that crappy 9-to-5.
Overall rating: 92
So, here's what you can expect for the rest of the week-
Tomorrow: Arcade Fire's Neon Bible and Air's Pocket Symphony
Wednesday: nothing!
Thursday: Minus The Bear's Interpretaciones Del Oso
Friday: !!!'s Myth Takes and Do Make Say Think's You, You're A History In Rust
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