Reviews

Album Review: Angles

March 29, 2011 By Mark 2 Comments

What a massively addicting album this is! From the masterstroke of an opener in “Machu Picchu,” which is personally my favorite track of 2011 so far, to the Cornel West namedrop in “Life Is Simple In The Moonlight.” Yes, Is This It? was THE album that reinvigorated an apathetic rock scene early last decade. And it was an album that cannot be disputed as an all-time great. Fortunately, The Strokes topped themselves with 2003′s Room on Fire, which I contend is their best.

With their fourth album, Angles, the band releases their most diverse album to date. In a sense, they have reinvented their sound and challenged themselves to progress their amazingly successful formula. Of course, you still have that classic Strokes sound in tracks like “Under Cover Of Darkness” and “Taken For A Fool.” But I’m a bit disappointed by all the fans who are instantly dismissing so much of this album. “You’re So Right” has been labeled a “throw away” in many reviews and by fans on social networks. The track is refreshingly unique and comprises elements the band has yet to explore. I’m reminded of Radiohead when listening to the glitchy percussion and late screeching guitars. Julian Casablancas never ceases to amaze me with his ability to deliver vocals with a unique approach on each track, which is exemplified on “You’re So Right.” It may be an unpopular declaration, but it’s a standout for me on Angles.

The Strokes – Machu Picchu

Angles is not an album that I needed repeated listens to appreciate. The 80s vibe of “Two Kinds of Happiness” and “Games” and the Steely Dan homage on “Gratisfaction” had me instantly hooked. It’s a shame that many reviews of the album focus on the struggles the band had during recording sessions. Some even admit that you hear a separation in Julian’s vocals and the rest of the band. Let’s write about the music, ya’ll! I revisit the discography more often than I’d like to admit, but Angles is my favorite album of 2011. Hipsters, you may resume your head bob.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: julian casablancas, radiohead, the strokes

Album Review: Collapse Into Now

March 21, 2011 By Fishpork Leave a Comment

Collapse Into Now is without a doubt R.E.M.’s best effort in the 15 years that have passed since New Adventures in Hi-Fi. It’s the most “R.E.M”sounding record in a long time as well. Back is Peter Buck’s mandolin, and back are the classic lyrics of Michael Stipe. A lot of people wrote this band off when Bill Berry retired in 1997, saying they would never again reach the perfect flow of albums like Automatic For The People and Green; it seems that they’ve finally proven the critics wrong with Collapse.

Although 2008’s Accelerate was a great punch in the arm for the band and a return to the form of the classic Document, their latest seems like a real comeback for the band responsible for some of the best songs of their generation. Although opening with back to back rockers “Discoverer” and “All the Best” might trick you into thinking this is Accelerate Part 2, they dial it back a bit with “Überlin,” an easily relatable story of just making it through the day with your dignity intact. Another highlight, “Walk it Back,” brings to mind “Drive” off of Automatic with its almost laid back shuffle and lyrical content. The album ends with the hauntingly beautiful almost spoken word “Blue,” featuring guest vocals from Patti Smith. This my friends is one of the best songs this band has ever written. “Blue” also has one of the best codas I’ve ever heard in a song, reprising lead off track “Discoverer” in the final seconds.

R.E.M. seem to have found a producer who fits them in the new millennium with Ireland’s Jacknife Lee. He brings a classic sound to these new songs that can simply make you smile and remember albums’ past. Collapse Into Now is, at times, a cross between Out of Time and Monster, showing that they can be contemplative but also kick out the jams when they need to. If you’re a fan of any era of R.E.M, I can’t recommend this album enough. It draws on all of the band’s strengths without sounding redundant and contains some of their strongest songwriting in years. I’d be very surprised if this isn’t near the top of a few lists come year’s end.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: R.E.M.

Album Review: Let England Shake

March 15, 2011 By Fishpork Leave a Comment

On Let England Shake, PJ Harvey’s fifth album since 2000, she takes a new direction both in songwriting and vocal style. Gone is the sometimes harsh singing that listeners have become accustomed to. Also gone are the abrasive songs heard on albums like Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea and Uh Huh Her, replaced with almost quiet, contemplative tracks that deal with the subject of war and the havoc it can cause ordinary people.

The title track kicks off the album with an addictive xylophone melody and Harvey’s new high register. It’s been said her new voice is distracting and not fitting to the music; however, this reviewer couldn’t disagree more. Her voice fits the songs perfectly and actually makes you wonder what her other albums would sound like had they been sung in this fashion. The first single, “The Words That Maketh Murder,” sounds a bit like Patti Smith Lite, which coming from any other artist might come across like a joke. Here though, Harvey is able to suck you into a story of war’s destruction in the Middle East, leaving us with one of the most intelligent songs to be released this year.

PJ Harvey sounds vital on this album in a way she hasn’t in years. This is one of the most subdued efforts from her that I can remember hearing and serves as evidence that a protest album can actually come across quite well in the modern era. The album tends to drag on a bit towards the end and, at times, the message gets lost. In the end, this is another solid effort from the lovely Ms. Harvey. I’d recommend this if you enjoy a little intelligence with your music listening experience.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: PJ Harvey

Album Review: The King Of Limbs

March 4, 2011 By Mark Leave a Comment

Radiohead took a four-year hiatus only to return and release an eight-song, 37-minute LP of pretentious, heavily-looped B-sides. That sentiment seems to be a popular complaint among the talentless members of the underachieving blogosphere. Let’s take another listen, evaluators! Radiohead albums have always required repeated listens. I despised Amnesiac upon first listen, but the album grew until it sprouted into a six-month addiction during Napster’s peak. Why are we expecting another OK Computer or Kid A? Let your favorite band explore new ground, experiment, and not give a fuck what you think …

The King of Limbs not layered enough for you? The opening track, “Bloom” features more gorgeous layers than I can recall from other songs in the entire discography. Haunting strings and the high-pitched perfection of an emotional Thom Yorke conduct a stunning wall of noise. “Little by Little” sounds like a bastard child of Amnesiac and In Rainbows. “Feral” is my favorite track this week, a complete departure from anything the band has released in years. Yorke is definitely wearing his recent collabs with Flying Lotus and Modeselektor on his sleeve. “Lotus Flower” is a beautiful and stifling track that features exquisitely ambiguous lyrics from Yorke, who also serves up a free-form dance for the official video (see below) inspired by his freak-out antics during live shows. YouTube videos immediately surfaced with Yorke dancing to mainstream dance favorites like Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.” I’m not going to embed it here, you can search for yourself.

“Codex” finds Yorke at a piano singing a heart-wrenching ballad: “Jump off the end into a clear lake | No one around, just dragonflies | Flying to the side, no one gets hurt | You’ve done nothing wrong.” Although the song reminds me of “Last Flowers” or “Videotape” from In Rainbows, it’s a severely stripped down track that relies on Yorke’s delicate delivery and late accompanying strings. Another highlight is “Give Up The Ghost,” which finds Yorke singing along with a sampled version of his own voice, as he’s done on previous efforts (see “I Will” from Hail to the Thief). For those complaining there is no guitar on this album, have you listened closing track, “Separator”? Johnny Greenwood’s melodic guitar arrangement accompanies Yorke’s harmonies and Selway’s off-time back beat for a nearly perfect ending. “If you think this is over, then you’re wrong” Yorke repeats four times near the end of the track. While some are hoping for a sequel, I’m going to put this one on for another spin and be thankful my generation’s most talented group of musicians still finds the energy and inspiration to continuously challenge my musical predispositions. The King of Limbs is our early leader for favorite album of the year.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: radiohead

Album Review: Ritual

February 11, 2011 By Mark Leave a Comment

Ritual is the White Lies surprisingly brilliant follow-up to 2009′s To Lose My Life … With such high expectations in England and abroad, it’s not uncommon for one of the most hyped bands around to release a sophomore dud. However, there’s not a skippable track on the record. We gave their first album an average initial review, but it eventually made our list favorite albums in 2009. Ritual resonated immediately. In the same vein as the album that preceded it, White Lies have written ten songs that are in a word “epic” … as though they were meant to become arena anthems alongside U2 (circa 1980s). Bassist and primary songwriter Charles Cave is still writing all the lyrics for Harry McVeigh to belt out using his best Ian Curtis impersonation. McVeigh denies their music sounds like Joy Division, but the voice is eerily similar.

White Lies haven’t changed their doom and gloom formula but do explore some new territory on the record. On standout track “The Power and The Glory,” the band infuses electronic drum and bass with one of the more infectious choruses on the album. With lines like, “Hold tight for heartbreak, buckle up for loneliness, right time to get away, where I’m going I couldn’t care,” from “Streetlights,” Cave is keeping things bleak, setting up for more hopeful choruses that pay off for those who can stand in the desolate mud for that long. Ritual is not for everyone, and there has been some major critical lashing out toward the album. Why all hate? Ritual will be on our favorite albums of 2011 list at year’s end.

Check out a short film made for the album and featuring four songs below:

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: joy division, white lies

Album Review: Rolling Blackouts

February 1, 2011 By Nicholas Leave a Comment

The Go! Team are a UK based sextet; they are a psych-pop/trip-hop avant-garde band… if that makes sense. No matter how you classify them, it will never be dead on. Their songs just don’t normally stick to one particular genre. But that is besides the fact that Rolling Blackouts comprises all the elements of what I consider to be a great album.

The band captures the essence of pop music with the new record without becoming a “pop” band. Each track offers something new and original but always focuses on hooks and catchy melodies. The diverse styles the band explores from song to song are utterly engaging; I couldn’t keep up with genre changes. The pop influence is front and center on tracks like “Ready to Go Steady” and “Buy Nothing Day (featuring Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino).” Instrumentals such as “Bust-Out Brigade” venture into other directions but are equally catchy. Despite the constant shift of style, the entire album is full of energy and has incredible staying power on repeated listens.

Tobacco even remixed Go! Team’s “Voice Yr Choice,” which is only available on the Amazon MP3 exclusive version of the album. That version is only $4. Go pick it up! Listen to “T.O.R.N.A.D.O.” below:

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: the go! team, tobacco

Album Review: The King Is Dead

January 23, 2011 By Fishpork Leave a Comment

2009’s The Hazards of Love was considered a misstep for The Decemberists, but in my mind it was a beautiful mistake. Many derided it for being an overblown mess of Neil Young-esque guitar and long-winded storytelling; I for one loved the album for those very reasons. With The King Is Dead, the band has remarkably progressed their songwriting while not abandoning their roots.

Colin Meloy has greatly matured as a lyricist and storyteller. Where he used to take what at times seemed like forever to tell a story, his thoughts are now condensed into short succinct verses; and it works to the album’s benefit. These are story songs in the traditional Decemberists form. They tell tales of beleaguered and flawed characters, but the lyrics are more contemporary and straightforward then ever before.

Enough about the lyrics though. Where this album truly shines is with the music. R.E.M.’s Peter Buck guests on album opener “Don’t Carry It All,” “Calamity Song” and lead single “Down By The Water,” and it’s not surprising that these are the standout tracks on The King Is Dead. Buck still hasn’t lost his touch for a great hook, proving so with “Calamity Song” in particular, sounding like something off of Murmur. The Decembrists still sound like a band of pirates, but now it seems that they’re pirates who’ve honed their craft.

The Decemberists are tight as ever on this album, and it might be their best effort to date. It’s up there with their first two albums Castaways and Cutouts and Her Majesty The Decemberists. If you were scared off by The Hazards of Love, give them another chance with this release. It’s a musical experience you’ll be happy to have been a part of.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: peter buck, R.E.M., The Decemberists

Album Review: Outside

January 14, 2011 By Mark 1 Comment

With the release of Outside, Tapes n’ Tapes have already put their hat in the ring for our favorite album of the year. 2005′s The Loon is on my short list for favorite album of all-time, and I loved Walk It Off much more than most. On Outside, however, the band shows an astonishing growth of a unique sound they’ve been honing for years now. With strings, horns, samplers and an arsenal of instruments that raises the musicianship of the band to an all-time high, the sound is almost orchestral but still comprises of the occasional off-time percussion and quirky vocals that drew me in as a mega fan.

Highlights on this record are abound. Opening track “Badaboom” slowly builds with twangy guitar, slightly off-time drums, and even some strings and keys into crescendo. “One In The World” may be the funnest track on Outside, an addictive pop song featuring a horn section and has lead Tape Josh Grier asking, “Am I Insane?” “Nightfall” may be the album’s best track with Grier’s repeating vocal, “And no one will wait for a sun, that no one can see” inducing goosebumps near the 4-minute mark on repeated listens. We saw the band play “Hidee Ho” two years ago and knew it foreshadowed good things to come. The track features a drowsy bassline leading into screeching guitars and ineffable shouting by Grier. “On and On” is yet another standout that begins with an addictive sample, leading into more melodic guitars and absorbing effects, all culminating into a wall of sound. It begins the perfect ending to a nearly perfect record.

Jesus Christ, other reviewers still calling Tapes n’ Tapes a flash in the pan need to recalibrate their good taste. This may just be the best album I have reviewed on this site since we started three years ago. Tapes n’ Tapes’ Outside was released on their own Ibid Records label on Tuesday. You can catch the band live on their upcoming North American tour. The video for lead single “Freak Out” is below.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: tapes N tapes

Album Review: Opticks

November 4, 2010 By Nicholas Leave a Comment

Silje Nes, a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter, released her debut album, Ames Room, in December of 2007. When I heard this album, I really enjoyed the soft, easy-listening style she had. With her latest release, Opticks, the music still has its easy listening vibe but is very spacial at the same time; you can feel an atmosphere encased in these songs. Each song brings you deep into a whole different realm. The album flows just as beautifully as every song on it. You get sucked into this album and get lost in it until about… well, actually, you kind of stay lost; but not lost in a bad way. It’s more like you let the music take you wherever it is going. The track “Branches” is a great example with its instrumentals and soundscapes.

Her music can’t really be pinned to a single similar artist; she’s more like if Mum merged with the french duo Air. Silje’s vocals are similar to Iron and Wine’s best work, with multiple vocal layers, some harmonizing and some whispering. And the vocals are embraced as an entirely different set of instruments. The real strength of this album is her delivery of different vocal styles and vocal effects. Of course, standout tracks like “Crystals” incorporate just one vocal track, and it works great, but songs like “Symmetry of Empty Space” have layered vocals that had me feeling like I was floating through a spaced out atmosphere. While the album still has a very minimalist sound to it, Opticks is a great listen.

Silje Nes – Crystals from One Little Indian Records on Vimeo.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: air, iron and wine, mum, silge nes

Album Review: Halcyon Digest

October 14, 2010 By Mark Leave a Comment

Deerhunter will never again reach the heights of Microcastle in my eyes, not because they suffer from a demise of talent but because of a reinvention of style. Cox has said he’s no longer interested in the sound of Microcastle and Cryptograms. Halcyon Digest is an attempt at a more straightforward approach to paying homage to the band’s influences. Cox seems to be trying too hard at times to conjure up formulas from different eras and genres (“Basement Scene” recalls the best of the Everly Brothers). The layers of fuzz and effects are stripped away to reveal slightly less interesting storytelling. Cox still puts his voice through some filters which adds a welcomed eeriness to tracks like “Don’t Cry.”

None of this should deter you from embracing Halcyon Digest as an impeccable collection of gems from a band that may be as consistent as any active band today. It’s just this author’s personal preferences of style and genre. We have Cox’s Atlas Sound project to cling to for his experimental compositions. Nonetheless, there is a lot to get lost in here, including the dream pop standout “Helecopter,” “Coronado,” which features a 180-degree shift in style featuring saxophone, and the (live) sample- and effects-heavy “He Would Have Laughed.” The latter is my favorite track off the album and the best closing track the band has written to date. Halcyon Digest is certainly on the short list of best albums of 2010.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: atlas sound, bradford cox, deerhunter, everly brothers