Posts Tagged ‘review’

album reviews: Attention, Atlas Sound, and Birdmonster

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Attention – Everything Takes Forever (2009)

A few years back a band called Gratitude featuring Far’s Jonah Matranga burst onto the rock scene with minimal success. Jonah left (as he usually does) and did his own thing while the rest of the members went on to start Attention. Attention is basically Gratitude’s 4-minute rock song formula with guitarist Jeremy Tappero belting out the vocals this time around. The album is nothing new whatsoever. I do give respect to any band that self records, produces, and finances their own effort, which is what these guys did, and it’s pretty impressive considering. It actually fits rather well with the Jimmy Eat Worlds and Switchfoots. Does this make it a bad record? Not really. It’s fun for those of you planning to buy the new Foo Fighters Greatest Hits and it’s pretty catchy. However catchy is easy and so is this record.

C+

Attention – Whatever Gets You Through The Night from Everything Takes Forever (2009)

Atlas Sound – Logos (Kranky, 2009)

This is the second solo album from Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox following his debut Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel from early 2008, and what an amazing piece of work it is. While Walkabout, featuring Panda Bear of Animal Collective, is the star indie-pop jem on this record, the whole album is a genuine walk-through the mind of a brilliant songwriter. With the dream-like folk aspects of The Light That Failed, the endless sound-scape that is Shelia, and hypnotic West African guitar of Criminals can cause detachment from one’s physical surroundings. Logos is a tender and honest piece of work that will be appreciated for years to come.

A-

Atlas Sound – Walkabout (w/ Noah Lennox) from Logos (2009)

Birdmonster – Blood Memory EP (Fader, 2009)

San Francisco quartet Birdmonster have been known as a cross between Ted Leo, a mellowed out Fugazi, and a youthful Springsteen. On Blood Memory, that seems to ring true. Singer/songwriter and guitarist Peter Arcuni’s clear vocals are quite heartfelt and end up sounding like Stars vocalist Torquil Campbell at times. Aside from their keen melodic sense, the musicians alternate between acoustic strumming and electric thrumming; fast songs and leisurely ones, like the Simon and Garfunkel-ish I Won’t Be Long / True Romance and the Morrisey influenced Day To Day. But this EP’s polished brand of folk-rock may come off too Americana for the mainstream and too mainstream for the Americana. There seems to be no happy-medium, just medium.

B-

Birdmonster – Mine To Say from Blood Memory EP (2009)

[Click album covers to purchase record]

Tags: Atlas Sound, Attention, Birdmonster, Blood Memory EP, Bradford Cox, Everything Takes Forever, Gratitude, Logos, review
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album reviews: Flaming Lips, El Parro Del Mar, Noah and The Whale

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

The Flaming Lips – Embryonic

As if The Flaming Lips hadn’t already changed the face of experimental pop music already, they release one of their best and least accessible albums of their entire catalog. This album is proof that the band has a perfect understanding of ‘evolution of pop music’ and recognizes that the game has changed. Hardly a song on Embryonic isn’t repeatedly distorted and epically gigantic–taking the listener to the very place the band lives; in the deepest reaches of abstract pop fun. As with any album by the band, it’s hard not to imagine an alternate universe where foreign dances are practiced and psychedelic dreams are required in order to survive–this is classic Lips with an extra dimension to explore. The most immediate songs, like Convinced Of The Hex and See The Leaves are very close to early trip-hop dance numbers that sound like Debut-era Björk with desert-like dustiness of Queens of the Stone Age. The album is a bit lengthily [runs an exhausting 73 min.] but it does not feel that way at times. The best part about Embryonic for me though was that the guests [MGMT and Karen O] add a nice touch to the record yet don’t overstay their welcome. This album was a nice surprise and will be known to me as The Flaming Lip’s In Rainbows.

Purchase album here.

A

The Flaming Lips – Convinced Of The Hex from Embryonic (2009)

El Perro Del Mar – Love Is Not Pop

As the title suggests, El Perro Del Mar’s (Sarah Assbring) new album shares with the listener an affectionate wit and a melancholy tendency towards life’s daily routines and relationships. Yet it also boasts and expands on the affected pop elements explored on her breakout 2006 debut album. It’s no wonder she’s often mentioned in the same sentences as fellow Swedish babe Lykke Li. But don’t think of this as a cookie cutter swed-pop album. It’s minimalistic and melancholy while holding onto this childish mood. I’m not sure if it’s an album actually, it’s more of an EP with a handful of ‘meh’ remixes. Fans of El Perro will eat this up, as this is in no way straying away from her signature dream-pop sound. It’s a nice piece of work, but one can’t help but desire her to expand a bit.

Purchase album here.

B-

El Perro Del Mar – Change of Heart from Love Is Not Pop (2009)

Noah and the Whale – The First Days of Spring

The second studio album by the English band Noah and the Whale differs from Noah and the Whale’s debut album, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down, due to the break-up between lead singer Charlie Fink and former member Laura Marling, whose departure from the band lead to the absence of female vocals. Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not. This album is enormous in so many ways. Add Noah and The Whale to that list bands that have taken the Arcade Fire blueprint and built a fucking skyscraper out of it. Charlie Fink embraces the very essence of loneliness and hopefulness and creates an emotional journey that makes the listener remember what it was like to have their heart broken. The epic opener The First Days of Spring and the murky Slow Glass alone make this album a must-own for fans of cloudy folk-rock with a story. Even the unusual instrumentals and the hilariously upbeat Love Of An Orchestra solidify this record as one of the best of the year.

Purchase album here.

A-

Noah and the Whale – The First Days Of Spring from The First Days Of Spring (2009)

Tags: El Perro Del Mar, Embryonic, Love Is Not Pop, Noah and The Whale, review, The First Days of Spring, the Flaming Lips
Posted in Album Review, Music | 1 Comment »

album review: Casy & Brian – Catbees

Saturday, August 8th, 2009

Spazz-rock act Casy & Brian made the record they wanted to hear (as said within the first minute of the album). Good for them. But that’s not enough if they want to grab the attention of people who don’t have short attention spans. The album Catbees runs only 18 minutes with 10 tracks that run no longer than 3 minutes. Strikingly similar to The Mae Shi and The Blood Brothers, Casy & Brian are undoubtedly fun with arm flailing inducing songs like Animal Calls N’ Dancehalls and Adaptation X Tha Nation. The two yell back and forth over toy electronic keyboard jams and tribal beats and seem to mimic mental patients high on pixie sticks, Red Bull, and cocaine. If anything, Catbees is different and perfect for anyone looking for quick high of utter insanity. Like I said, it’s fun…but one’s definition of fun is subjective.

C+

Purchase Catbees here.

Casy & Brian will be at Thee Parkside w/ dead to me, dadfag, ornitology on the 26th of August.

Casy & Brian – Pigeon Proud from Catbees (2007)

Tags: Casy & Brian, Catbees, review
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Hyping Up The Hyp

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

Click picture to go to TheHyp.net

No not Hype Machine. Most of you probably found this place because of Hype Machine so that would be completely pointless. I’m talking about the just launched Boston based website that covers the local New England indie music scene as well as subjects like beer, film, video games, and tomato soup. Created by two friends who are willing to expose their imaginations and twisted opinions to the world, TheHyp.net is more than just another music review site. See, this website doesn’t care if you agree with its skewed view on the world of music, in fact, it prefers you didn’t. TheHyp.net opens up discussion on its message board and displays a rating system at the bottom of each page, giving you the reader the opportunity to voice your opinion on whatever is posted on TheHyp.
I have already contributed reviews, a few special Kuestionnaires, and a monthly mix to TheHyp.net. So add them to your bookmarks and show them some love.

Here’s a few highlights from theHyp.net mix…

iLIKETRAINS – Come Over