Guided by Voices — Let's Go Eat The Factory A rather busy end to 2011 and start to 2012 saw me miss what I thought would be a lot, but it turned out that I was just late to my first listen to the new Guided by Voices record. Wait, what? I shouldn't be surprised.* When I saw GBV at Matador at 21 — you know, that concert that was supposedly their only reunion show that turned into a full-fledged tour — they looked, well, happy. And really happy at that. None [...]
White Orange - White Orange Loud. Insane. Tritely comprehensive. A shit ton of fun. This could pretty much sum up Portland Oregon's newly founded thrash rock sensations White Orange. They are a loud brand of pyschedlic madness, the likes of which have rarely been noticed until now. With their self titled debut album in hand, this is a group that is approachable for metal, punk, and good old rock and roll fans alike. While a track with a title such as "Kill The Kids" might disrupt the average not-so-hard rock listener, it is actually [...]
Another week, another chunk of albums released. Here are three that may have flown under your radar more than, say, new Bjork or Wilco. I'm sure, however, there's plenty I've missed, so send it along! Twin Sister — In Heaven I first saw Twin Sister open for Beirut in Salt Lake City. Until I heard In Heaven in its entirety, my knowledge was limited to basically that. That this is their debut LP might be a little hard to believe — it's mature, inviting and a nice [...]
Right, here are three albums released this week that I thought were worth touching on. If I've missed something you really enjoyed, please, let me know. Preferably not by yelling, but do what you must. Ivy — All Hours Full album stream (Soundcloud) Here's some interesting indie pop that delves into the electronic side of things. If you like what you hear from a few tracks, you'll probably like the whole thing, though personally the strict rhythmic nature gets [...]
Yeah, that's the cover. Sometimes, during that ever-so-regular search for something rare and interesting in the bargain bins of thrift stores and consignment shops, you run across a record that gives you pause for thought — something so bizarre that you can't much pass it up. Sometimes, it's Peter and Wolf with David Bowie doing narration. Other times, it's a spoken word record with presidential speeches. Few can top, though, the strange 1979 recording of Sesame Disco. It's an album that includes such, uh, hits as "I Lost Me Cookie in the Disco" ("...and me [...]
AA Bondy — Believers Well, he's done it. He's gone and changed his signature style. You know the one: stripped-down recordings, acoustic guitars, that voice of his. Thankfully, the change really is quite good: Believers is lush, evocative, and most importantly, an enjoyable 40 minutes of great songwriting. Girls — Father, Son, Holy Ghost I reviewed this album last week because I've been consistently impressed by the band and thought the new album would probably be worth a go. I think that may be the understatement of the [...]
A. A. Bondy — Believers You probably know A. A. Bondy for his evocative songwriting and stripped-down style — a reasonable expectation, as his first two albums were in that very style, and it's what he made his solo name on. Through those first two albums, he made his name as an effective songwriter in the folk style, and his songs were really very good. But with Believers being his third album, it was perhaps time for a minor shift in style to, you know, freshen things up. Why, then, am I [...]
The front cover of Nick Drake's Five Leaves Left. Photography by Keith Morris. The inimitable Nick Drake , recognized after his death as a brilliant songwriter but rarely before, is still the master of that brand of moody, emotive finger-picked acoustic guitar. The haunting melodies, the unshakable vocals, the ability to move through song: Nick Drake, an English songwriter but a speaker for deep veins of sadness and despair running through all culture, is still untouchable as a musician. His first album, Five Leaves Left , was produced between 1968 and 1969, [...]
Early on every year, there are those records that you're certain will make the top of your year-end charts, that you're sure is going to be among the very best the year has to offer. Perhaps it's in part due to our particular demarcation of years as periods for music, when clearly the shifts and swings are more organic than that. Perhaps it's just out of a desire to start with a clean slate: The music really piles up when you're making those year-end lists, then there's nothing of note for two, three, maybe [...]
Early on every year, there are those records that you're certain will make the top of your year-end charts, that you're sure is going to be among the very best the year has to offer. Perhaps it's in part due to our particular demarcation of years as periods for music, when clearly the shifts and swings are more organic than that. Perhaps it's just out of a desire to start with a clean slate: The music really piles up when you're making those year-end lists, then there's nothing of note for two, three, maybe [...]
Every week, we'll take a look at some new releases (not all of them, unfortunately!) and talk a little about them and give you a chance to listen. God bless Tuesdays! Regina — Soita Mulle While people in the U.S. are busy sleeping, Regina are busy making beautiful indie pop in Helsinki. Unless they record at night. That's possible. Check out "Unessa" and "Haluan Sinut" from Soita Mulle, due out September 20 on Friendly Fire. They'll be releasing the album in Finland tomorrow. [...]
Father, Son, Holy Ghost When Girls released Album two years ago, most reactions were incredibly supportive of their debut effort. It was a stunning indie rock album that avoided the complications flooding the genre at the time — it wasn't soaked in reverb, the band seemed to understand when it was okay to let things quiet down for a few minutes, there was obvious passion involved — and as a result, it was named one of the top albums of 2009. In November, Girls charged out with Broken Dreams Club, a six-song EP that [...]
Lotte Kestner Even the meekest and most pretentious hipster on earth should clearly admit Beyonce Knowles has a voice that can call upon the angels of the midnight hour tstare the world down until all of their children are safe. We also know, based upon the words of the one of the finest artists of the modern world, that she made "THE GREATEST VIDEO OF ALL TIME!!!". But, what happens when the king of modern R&B is unintentionally outdone? Is it possibly that a goddess from the independent music world could legitimize a pop princess? The [...]
Jonathan Jones of We Shot The Moon is coming to you, Utah! Yes, the piano man behind the acclaimed indie pop troubadours We Shot The Moon is striking out on his own to support his latest solo effort, Community Group. He's got a swell band to cover his ass on the way through the Inland Northwest as well. To help distribute the wealth of piano laced excellence, Jones has enlisted his fellow Moonies, as well as some new recruits including Spokane, Wa., based drummer Ben Hilzinger (The Young Professionals). It is suffice to say, something brilliant [...]
Drums Between the Bells, vinyl edition artwork Brian Eno's 40-year career has seen him push the bounds of art rock, innovate ambient and redefine the sounds we hear every day. His last album, 2010's Small Craft on a Milk Sea, is still sinking in, but Eno's wasting no time in sending out blasts of experimental, boundary-pushing music. Drums Between the Bells , due for release July 4, promises to evoke that same imaginative young man that literally shifted musical paradigms. It's a dazzling combination of music and poetry — a marriage [...]
When an artist "goes solo," does the sophomore album rule of thumb still apply? No matter, David Bazan's avoided that particular pitfall with the solid Strange Negotiations with — not grace, but something like it. He's never been a particularly graceful artist, and it's one of his enviable strengths. When he was fronting Pedro the Lion, Bazan was clumsy, awkward even, but he was ruthlessly efficient. That's continued into his solo career: Bazan doesn't just throw ideas into a song; he molds and crafts them to a point that the music almost seems [...]
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out Yo La Tengo — a band with a penchant for album art that lives on its own but never overpowers the music (that would be a feat!) — produced one of my favorite albums, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out. Musically, it's sublime, and its packaged in something strangely compelling. The photographs of Gregory Crewdson line the album and provide scenery that matches the musical approach the band takes. They're surreal, evocative — even edging toward creepy at times — but they feel genuine and believable. Check [...]
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out Yo La Tengo — a band with a penchant for album art that lives on its own but never overpowers the music (that would be a feat!) — produced one of my favorite albums, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out. Musically, it's sublime, and its packaged in something strangely compelling. The photographs of Gregory Crewdson line the album and provide scenery that matches the musical approach the band takes. They're surreal, evocative — even edging toward creepy at times — but they feel genuine and believable. Check [...]
Soul Distraction If you've ever dug through your parent's vinyl collection and felt a slight sense of apathy you can't really explain, trust in me that you are not alone. Most of us in our 202s and early 302s know that there was a period of time, in which some of us were actually alive, that you could turn on the radio and hear a song that was absolutely to die for. Although most of us can't really remember such a time. Soul Distraction — "Talk About It Later" [...]
The Seldon Plan In the world of music criticism, there are a few on rules that are supposed to be followed, but are routinely dismissed. One is using the first person reference in a review. Thankfully, blogging as completely destroyed this concept, so we, actually I, can say whatever the hell I want. Amongst the probably hundreds of other ridiculous rules is to never make assumptions about a record/artists/burlesque show if the standards are too high for a band that can't live up to the expectations you have set. It's also not a good idea to [...]
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