Monday, July 18th, 2011
Purchase this album on: iTunes | Amazon
Follow this artist on: Facebook | Twitter
“Oh the horror!” Ok, I had to throw that one out there. I can remember a while back I had posted a picture online of a particular group that in some ways I considered my guilty pleasure. Someone later asked me “Hey, who are those Emo Power Rangers you posted up last week?”. For some, this is what summed up the British band The Horrors. For others (mostly Nylon reading 15 year old girls) they summed up a band with the appeal of a Tim Burton silent film remake of “A Clockwork Orange”. In 2007 the british psych-rockers released their first album Strange House, a blast of Surf Rock, Punk, and Psychedelic mayhem. Not only did they cement themselves as something different amongst a very British music scene, they cemented themselves as indie fashion icons. Their style was a chaotic mess of black and white, hip boots, Halloween inspired 60′s haircuts, and classic fashion items with the word “skinny” inserted before each title.
They certainly took the world for a spin with their still dark, poetic and glamorous second album Primary Colours, which was produced by Portishead’s songwriter and guitarist Geoff Barrow and music video director Chris Cunningham (most famous for his disturbing Aphex Twin music videos). Moving away from the screeching punk and spoken word direction, we are greeted with a lush baritone voice from lead singer Faris Badwin. Not only had they recreated their sound into something mature yet edgy, they took their trademark fashions into a classic and almost Mod inspired realm, which echoed a bit of Nick Drake. The band had become something more mature and a group with more depth and perspective.
Finally, we are reached with yet another momentous leap in direction with their current release Skying, out now on XL Records. Still flowing with the gloomy and post-punk feel of Primary Colours, this album sets a new standard in creativity and progressiveness for the group. With vocals much sweeter and even touching on the whispery-croon of Jarvis Cocker, again Faris Badwin creates new atmospheres and shades. Guitarist Joshua Hayward has given way to his crushing freight train guitar tones and effects and adds a much more standard yet tasteful texture to the keyboard/synth driven tracks across Skying. Bizarre keyboard layers and almost 80′s inspired synth riffs dot the album like monsoon rain thanks to keyboardist Rhys Webb. Although this album has the trademark sounds that the band has established, the direction is still not on the same path and leaves you at a comfortable limbo in some instances. The catchy and simplistic riffs and melodies are left behind in some cases and mood inducing endeavors are taken instead. What melody is there is still subtle and may take some mental re-play to discover what idea is being portrayed. The idea that is found though is in many cases just as rewarding in the end.
The main tracks which ring out from the get go were the melancholy pop tune “You Said”, an almost Dylan-esque Positively 4th Street lyrical attack titled “I Can See Through You”, the catchy “Dive In” and the inspirational and anthemic “Still Life”. The album as a whole is strong in that it creates wonderful mental imagery and shows growth and creativity. My only qualms with this album are the still under developed bass and drum sections. Simplicity is indeed a good thing. Less can still be more. In this particular instance I feel it does some of the songs a disservice. If you want to experience something new or for some of you a familiar sound with a fresh new twist, then Skying is a great listen.
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
Purchase this album on: iTunes | Amazon
Follow this artist on: Official Site | Facebook | Twitter
In this age of indie rock stars, no one is more synonymous with indie as a new musical continent than Bon Iver, the musical brainchild of songwriter Justin Vernon. Given his affinity to beards, acoustic guitars, tiny remote cabins, and soft-spoken vocals it’s pretty hard to tear myself away from that connotation. Bon Iver is now more than just one man, more than just a lone collection of songs written in a remote Wisconsin cabin. With the release of the self-titled album Bon Iver, we are greeted with a tidal wave of sonic exploration.
Taking flight with the beautiful and haunting “Perth”, the album sets a pretty golden standard for itself. Thankfully Vernon is able to keep this standard rolling throughout the entire album; a hard task indeed. Almost every title pays homage to a city, which one is meant to assume has significance for the sound or direction each tune takes on. Maybe each track is his portrait of some dimension to each place and it paints a beautiful world I’d be lucky to see.
The production for this album is immensely creative and in many ways can harken back to a prog rock direction. Any sense of a standard song structure is completely abandoned, leaving a complete mish-mash of intertwining parts. This is definitely apparent when the album decides to throw you a curveball every 30 seconds or so and therein lies one of Bon Iver’s greatest strengths. It was impossible for me to guess what would come next, and many times I was completely taken aback at how interesting and creative he was able to make each song. If you are a fan of lush arrangements, then Bon Iver delivers a healthy dose.
Lyrically, this album lacks a clear motive, and I found it to be the main weakness of the project. To be fair, after second glance, I don’t think Vernon intended lyrics to be orthodox. Not only is the music meant to create a portrait, but I believe by their very sound and delivery, the lyrics are meant to do the same. Definitely not something for the lyrically minded. Sadly there was one minor venture which I found downright silly, which was the album closer “Beth/Rest” which sounded like a straight up 80′s electro-pop ballad. The kind of thing you’d expect to hear during the sex scene in the movie “Ghost”. Beyond this though, the real stand outs on this album are “Perth”, “Holocene”, “Wash”, and “Calgary”.
The final word on this album for me is the immense and cinematic power it holds. Not only does it paint pictures in my mind, but I find its depths an inspiring change to the two dimensional “artistic” stance that so many trendy bands take. With Bon Iver, we are shown that being artistic is not just a matter of how weird you are, but how much honesty and simple beauty you use and employ when creating a piece of art.
Monday, June 6th, 2011
Purchase this album on: iTunes | Amazon | Official Store
Follow this band on their : Facebook | Twitter | Website
Not too many people start rocking the world at the tender age of 16. In fact, you’re lucky if you can even rock out in your room at the age of 16. This was never the case for The Arctic Monkeys though, as they flew to commercial success by building a fanbase through Myspace and the internet, drawing the attention of major record labels and the music industry with the mass of fans they had brought into their fold. Given that they were all barely young adults was even more impressive. Their 2006 debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not put them on the forefront of English music, and even had people like Noel Gallagher “passing them the torch”. And it didn’t stop there. With 2007’s Favourite Worst Nightmare and 2009′s Humbug, we were introduced to a much more mature sounding band, but with all the flavor and energy of their first release. Sometimes though, you make a belly flop when trying to land in the pool that is music.
Their newest release Suck It And See has the band flowing into much different waters than their previous releases. Unfortunately, for something with such a new and different sound, the substance that was the strength of the band in the past is all but missing in this artistic endeavor.
Running twelve tracks deep, Suck It And See is a rich and deep sounding record, that echoes the psychedelic fuzzed out rock of the 60′s and early 70′s. The biggest let down though was the plateau dynamic the album takes on. Song blends into song, without much of a change in the approach of the vocals or overall band. What could have been a strong album full of standout tracks quickly became a droll and monotonous repetition of the same retro-rock angles. This is not to say that there aren’t the select songs that have their own charm and magic. The gritty and razor edged “Brick by Brick” leads you on with its tilting rhythms, only to break down into shark mouthed riffs. Another strong contender is “All My Own Stunts” which echoes the bands original trademark guitar hooks.
Still, this was over all, plain and simple, a weak album. The only strength that remains for The Arctic Monkeys are lead singer Alex Turner’s biting and witty word play, which stays as strong as it always has been. Choosing his words carefully and making a landmark point with one sentence, he is clearly still in control when it comes to lyrics.
Given what they have achieved in the past, and the standards by which I measure this band, I’m deeply disappointed at such a weak piece of work. Suck It And See could have shaped up to be a fantastic record, given its new musical inflections and direction. Lack of solid and evolved songwriting left me caring very little for their new sound, and more bummed out at a very forgetful group of tracks. Fingers crossed for the next release.
Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
By Alex Waage
By this album on: iTunes | Official Store
Find this artist on: Facebook | Twitter | Website
In 2005, Death Cab for Cutie’s pop melancholia wriggled it’s way into the hearts and mix tapes of the masses with the release of their fifth album, Plans. Gorgeous though the album was, it served as a small step away from the “under the raincloud of despair” mood that would hang over their music. In sacrificing this emotional edge, Death Cab overcompensated for the loss with Narrow Stairs, an edgier record comprised of 11 attempts to remain interesting. Like Narrow Stairs, Death Cab’s newest record, Codes and Keys, tries to expand the band’s sonic palette. Luckily for the listener, the band isn’t trying quite so hard this time around. Where Narrow Stairs had gratuitous 8-minute jams (“I Will Possess Your Heart”) and half-hearted attempts at Pet Sounds aplomb (“You Can Do Better Than Me”), Codes and Keys is unified by one central idea: atmosphere.
From the delayed guitars and processed vocals of “You Are a Tourist” to the grand finale of “Stay Young, Go Dancing”, the record is soaked in production flourishes that lend it texture and provide a crutch for otherwise weak songs like “Some Boys”. On Codes and Keys’ first half, these atmospherics run the risk of feeling like unnecessary and self-indulgent attempts to bring something new to the Death Cab formula. It’s not until the glowing “Unobstructed Views” that the ambient sounds are pushed to the foreground and given room to breath and bloom. From that point on, the production becomes more subtle, working behind the scenes to give fairly typical Gibbard-penned fare like “Portable Television” a few sonic sprinkles.
Though Codes and Keys runs laps around its predecessor, it still trips up in rough patches where the songwriting just isn’t up to the par set by Transatlanticism, Something About Airplanes, and even the belittled Plans. The album sounds glorious and all, but if Death Cab dig a little deeper into their bag of tricks next time around, the end result could be a record with the same enduring replay value of their back catalog.
Thursday, May 26th, 2011
By Carlos Cisneros
Purchase this album on: MerchNow | iTunes
Find this band on: Dredg.com | Facebook | Twitter
What vocalist Gavin Hayes has said about the album rings true. It does sound like “Dark Pop”. Whether that is good or bad is really up to what kind of vibes and musical structure you like (and/or whether or not you can accept the fact that Dredg will never make El Cielo again). I will say this: this album has some of my favorite Dredg songs. It is very catchy, but lyrically, probably not their best.
If you feel inclined to ask: Why did Dredg change their sound and why are they getting all “poppy” then your reaction is similar to many. With that said, you should probably listen to Catch Without Arms and The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion again. On Catch Without Arms, you had songs like “Zebraskin” and “Matroshka” that were the polar opposite of songs on their back catalogue. The Pariah also had quite a few radio friendly songs. Just listen to and read the lyrics of “Information” and you will notice that Dredg was already showing glimpses of their ability and inclination to write a pop song.
Chuckles is a little “Zebraskin”, mixed in with some “Matroshka” and “Information”. Album highlights include the opener “The Tribe” and my personal favorite “The Ornament”. This song reminds me of “Cartoon Showroom” on The Pariah a little bit. Something worth noting is that some of the songs lyrical material come from Gavin Hayes’ recent experience with meeting his biological family. If you really give the album a good listen, you will notice that the influence this experience has had on Hayes is apparent, especially on songs like “Upon Returning”.
My final words: I like the album but it’s not my absolute favorite Dredg album. I am glad they will never make the same album twice. I can appreciate catchy songs with hints of pop. Is it Dredg meets Lady Gaga? Not really, and not to that extreme. Is it El Cielo or Catch Without Arms? No, but I am not losing sleep if they never make El Cielo again, and I am also grateful when a band refrains from making the same album eight times over. Thank you Dredg for not making the same album eight times over, and for offering us a discography that includes rock, instrumentals, pop, and covers a wide range of sounds and genres.
