Category Archives: Music Review

by | April 30, 2012 · 12:30 pm

Playlist: The Best of April

As April comes to a close, here are 5 tracks I found irresistible for the last 30 days. Enjoy. Or don’t. You decide!

1. Lotus Plaza – “Strangers”

Though Lockett Pundt lacks the indie-ubiquity of his Deerhunter bandmate Bradford Cox, his second solo album under the Lotus Plaza moniker confirms his ability to write music that is big, catchy, and incredibly good. “Strangers,” the first single from Spooky Action at a Distance, finds its lineage in Pundt’s Deerhunter contributions (especially “Desire Lines”), but doesn’t sound like a leftover from any of their sessions. Guitars twinkle and shine in between one another beneath Pundt’s calming voice in pure pop perfection. I could have picked any track from Spooky Action, but “Strangers” stands out for the simple fact that after nearly a month, I still want to listen to this song multiple times a day.

2. Father John Misty – “Hollywood Forever Cemetery”

For such a spare, minimally composed song, “Hollywood Forever Cemetery” packs an immediate punch. While I’ve never been a big fan of Fleet Foxes (the reasons why could fill a separate blog post), former member J. Tillman adds a jagged edge to their simple formula to craft a song that has more power than it would seem at first listen. With just reverb soaked guitar and clattering drums, “Hollywood Forever Cemetery” is the kind of song you can listen to at both 2PM and 2AM and experience it differently each time. Equal parts catchy and dark, the song showcases Tillman’s ability to craft complicated ideas in simple arrangements with great effect. (The Aubrey Plaza-starring video makes for an awesome companion btw)

3. The Walkmen – “Heaven”

The Walkmen have come a long way from the the discontented 20-somethings that broke onto the scene with their fantastic second record Bows + Arrows. On 2010’s Lisbon, they finally found the middle ground between the fire and passion of “The Rat” and the gorgeous “We’ve Been Had,” and the lead, eponymous single from their newest effort finds them in an even more comfortable spot than before. Hamilton Leithauser still lets his uncertainties and doubts come to the fore, but they’re mixed in with a sound and feeling of contentment the band has yet to display. I don’t know when exactly The Walkmen became one of my favorite bands, but songs like “Heaven” verify why.
Stream “Heaven” here

4. MMoths – “Heart (Featuring Keep Shelly in Athens)”

While fans of louder, faster tempo jams might find “Heart” too slow and atmospheric, the standout track from the band’s self-titled debut has been in heavy rotation for me since first hearing it. Equal parts meditative and moving, “Heart” builds slowly to a drop that is subtle, but powerful. The song finds the middle ground between Grouper’s palette of washed out beauty and Beach House’s dreaminess, coming together to create a song that draws you in and becomes embedded in your mind.

5. The Death Grips – “Get Got”

I’m going to be completely honest and say I have no idea why I find this song as compelling and great as I do. Sometimes, a song just has intangible qualities that are hard to define, and “Get Got” is undoubtedly one of them. I don’t know if it’s the track’s wiley hook or frontman MC Ride’s seemingly disinterested snarl or even the inherent weirdness of the song that has kept it on repeat, but whatever it is, it works incredibly well.

Honorable Mentions: Screaming Females – “It All Means Nothing,” The Chromatics – “Kill for Love,” Breton – “Edward the Confessor,” Dirty Projectors – “Gun Has No Trigger,” Japandroids – “The House That Heaven Built”

Best Old Song Discovered Now: Grizzly Bear – “Easier (Alternative Edit)”

Daniel Rossen’s fantastic solo EP led me back to the welcoming embrace of Grizzly Bear, especially this alternate take on the opening track from 2006’s Yellow House. A b-side to the band’s breakthrough, “Knife,” this version of “Easier” features a different set of lyrics and some major arrangement changes that in many ways are superior to the album cut. This song isn’t just for obsessives like myself either. It’s a gorgeously arranged song with a level of emotional resonance that made the band’s name in the first place.

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by | February 27, 2012 · 8:30 am

New Music Mondays – Since We Parted Ways

In lieu of Official Album Reviews like we usually do around here, I thought it might be fun to present, instead, wholly unformed thoughts on some things that I happen to be listening to each week. So this week, here’s a few records that I’m slightly ashamed to admit I’m into because of how middle-of-the-road they are.

The Craig Finn thing is kind of easy to understand given that for much of my college career, no band was as important to me as The Hold Steady. However, their graph has been trending downward, unmistakably so in light of the uneven and bloated Heaven is Whenever, and a Finn solo record held the potential of a palate cleanser or perhaps a bold new step. But Finn isn’t one for boldness and Clear Heart Full Eyes sounds like The Hold Steady drained of its scope. It is an intimate album and its best songs, specifically “Jackson,” sound more personal than Finn has sounded in years. But they also sound like acoustic performances of Hold Steady songs, Finn’s storytelling remains idiosyncratic but a touch underealized and that sin was easier to ignore when it was covered up by the band’s boozy festival field scope. Clear Hearts Full Eyes has none of the Springsteen scope or Replacements rambunctiousness of Finn’s best work, its subdued, singer-songwriter vibe may be more mature but is far less satisfying.

Listeners looking for some of that old Hold Steady swagger, but with more than a touch of Clear Heart’s lilting Southern drawl would do well to turn to the newest record from Heartless Bastards. On Arrow, Heartless Bastards do little to change their heady, classic rock direction nor do they need to. This is the genre of music that Erika Wennerstrom’s voice was basically created to sing and she doesn’t let it down. Arrow cuts between heavy riffs and introspective slow cuts with ease and while the album struggles to match the highs of “Parted Ways,” that song is more than enough to fuel your Dazed and Confused reminiscing.

Tennis is probably the most embarrassing of these three records, after all it is the follow-up to a breeze-pop record about buying a sailboat and sailing along the Atlantic coast. It is indie at its Vampire Weekend bougiest and, to top it all off, this album is produced by one of the Black Keys guys and man do I fucking hate the Black Keys. And yet I can’t stop listening to Young and Old, even when I should be giving my attention to the perhaps too thought-out new Sleigh Bells album or the more complex Grimes record. Part of that is Young and Old simply makes itself so easy to listen to. I’m not even sure which song is the single because they’re all so brisk and joyous. The band added a light folk touch to their first record’s traditionalist pop bent and the result is a kind of generic brand Grizzly Bear (albeit lacking in the dense, exacting production, lush instrumentation, or intricate songwriting that we’d need for such a comparison to make any sense at all) that would fit almost as snuggly in the 1930s as it does on Spotify.

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by | June 1, 2011 · 11:12 am

Review: My Morning Jacket – Circuital

If there was ever a band whose live shows outweighed their albums, it’s My Morning Jacket. The band built their reputation on their epic live shows, and by the time 2005’s Z rolled around, they were packing tents at Bonnaroo on a yearly basis. In the studio, the triumph of Z was followed by the weird experimentation of 2008’s Evil Urges, where many fans, were turned off by Jim James’ falsetto and the oddball sounds of “Highly Suspicious.” Still, their live act was perfect, with the missteps of the album disappearing underneath a wall of rock and roll. In the downtime between records, James took on a few side projects, most notably his gorgeous, spare EP of George Harrison covers (under the moniker Yim Yames) and his Monsters of Folk side project with Conor Oberst and M. Ward, which brought him back towards the sound MMJ perfected early in their career.

So after the dust has settled on Evil Urges, its tour, and James’ extracurricular work, MMJ has returned with Circuital, an album that isn’t as instantly endearing like Z, but not as instantly divisive as Evil Urges. For the recording process, the band took a cue from their live successes, recording most of it in a circle in a church instead. The result is an album that feels both polished and spontaneous, one that has the wrinkles of the recording process smoothed out in advance. There are still unexpected flourishes, like the horns at the start of opener “Victory Dance” or the choir in “Holding on to Black Metal,” but for the most part, Circuital doesn’t rely on studio enhancements the way its predecessor did.

What’s also noticeable about the record is its relative brevity. At only 45 minutes, it is their shortest record to date, using its tracks in the same concise manner Z did. The only two longer tracks come at the beginning with “Victory Dance” and the title track, which blend into each other, sonically bringing together the ambitious side of the band (think “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream, Pt. 1”) and the guitar jaunts they’re also fond of (i.e. “Mahgeeta”) into a 13 minute suite.

The record holds this way through the solid “The Day is Coming” and the slightly over sentimental acoustic ballad “Wonderful (The Way I Feel).” “Outta My System” finds James returning to the same goofy storytelling that he first tried on Evil Urges’ “Librarian,” this time with the protagonist relating that he was told not to “smoke drugs” instead of falling in love with a pretty librarian. Lyrically, it’s the weakest song on the record, but the sound is classic MMJ.

What follows track that’s likely to divide fans as much as “Highly Suspicious” in “Holding on to Black Metal.” Inspired by a track from a ’60s Thai pop compilation James says he was mesmerized by, it features call and response with a choir and bright horn flourishes that would seem out of place if the band had never breached that territory before. It’s pretty far from “One Big Holiday,” the band’s signature song, but as James told Vulture recently, “The song is about holding on to things that others might consider outdated, like holding on to certain kinds of music for too long and not graduating to other kinds.” Anyone that’s ever listened through MMJ’s discography knows that they can be restless, and haven’t ever really stuck to a consistent sound. While “Holding on to Black Metal” is contradictory to the songs on At Dawn or It Still Moves, it’s well within the band’s wheelhouse, and therefore, a seemingly natural evolution.

Though the first half of the record is easily the better, “You Wanna Freak Out” provides a fantastic highlight for the flip side. Just as “Smokin from Shootin” provided a nice “classic” sound to the latter half of Evil Urges, “Freak Out” finds the band at their most comfortable, jamming out to the sound that led many fans to fall in love with them in the first place. While it won’t ever earn itself a place on a greatest hits compilation, it’s an enjoyable track that will garner repeat listens for old fans. Though the funky “First Light” is another fun track, “Slow Slow Tune” and “Moving Away” are uninspiring, failing to match the ambition of the rest of the record.

Following It Still Moves, Rolling Stone referred to My Morning Jacket as “the Radiohead of the Midwest,” a designation that seemed incredibly odd given the vast difference in sound between the two bands. That comparison seems more apt today, however. Radiohead pushed the boundaries of guitar rock, even breaking from entirely, just as My Morning Jacket pushed the boundaries of the “Southern” roots rock they made their name from, also departing from it entirely at times over the past five years. That’s not to say that Circuital is by any means a paradigm shifting album (that would be Z), but instead a solid record that further cements the band’s reputation for originality and resistance to the notion of a signature My Morning Jacket sound.

Michael’s Score: 78
TUiW Grade: B+

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by | February 22, 2011 · 10:00 am

TUiW Conversation – The King of Limbs

Jonah: Just think, 10 days ago we didn’t even know there was going to be another Radiohead album and now we’ve all listened to The King of Limbs and seen Thom Yorke’s sweet dance moves. I know a lot of fans were disappointed by both the length and content of the album, but I don’t agree. Either way, I think this album is going to take some time to fully digest, but having lived with it over the weekend, I can say I’m kind of fascinated by it. What do you think? 

Michael: I’m with you on that last point. When the final notes of “Separator” played through my speakers, I knew I needed to listen to it a couple of more times before I could fully grasp it. It’s a record of two halves, the first five songs leaning heavily on glitches and jitters, the back three taking a more subdued route. I don’t know if I’m really surprised by the material on The King of Limbs given the work the band has done since wrapping up In Rainbows. The two singles the band released in that time, “These Are My Twisted Words” and “Harry Patch (In Memory Of)” would fit well on this record, and they’re echoed in “Little by Little” and “Codex.” The spastic solo work of Thom Yorke, Johnny Greenwood’s classical ruminations, and even Phil Selway’s moody songwriting are all present and working together. I like the record, more and more with every listen, yet there’s this nagging feeling that I should be mad at the band, for not shattering the mold or for offering up such a short record. Am I alone in thinking this? Is the hype of a new Radiohead album overshadowing the music?

J: Well, I’m kind of mad about the length, but that’s mainly because I’m one of the suckers fans who shelled out for the deluxe version. That being said, I think there’s certainly an expectation that every Radiohead album be some kind of mind-rattling blockbuster and this is certainly not that (good catch on “Harry Partch” and “Twisted Words” by the way, I’d forgotten about those!). It isn’t the paradigm-shifter that Kid A was or the arena-filler that In Rainbows was. I’ve been comparing it in my mind a lot of Amnesiac, which is also a lot slower and gentler and more difficult than its predecessor. I also wonder if the problem isn’t just the lack of a “Karma Police” or “Idioteque” but the fact that their music sounds a lot less sinister and frightening than their earlier work. There’s always been a bit of fearmongering to Radiohead’s best stuff and without that, maybe they come off a little too polite? Still, I think its unfair to expect a life-changer every time, especially since this album has different ambitions. Does Radiohead’s name and release strategy cause people to have unfair expectations for a Radiohead album, or do you think the band may be starting to run out of places to go? And what about the songs themselves? Any standouts? Do you prefer the glitchy drum-and-bass side or the softer, ballady half?

M: In regards to their expectations being based on simply being Radiohead, I thought this Vulture piece was of particular interest. I’m not sure the band has run out of places to go, because TKOL is still different than anything they’ve done before. Not to go on too big of a tangent, but I think there’s something to be said about the way the music industry has changed since In Rainbows appeared in our inboxes nearly four years ago. While the pay-what-you-want system didn’t catch on, Internet distribution has changed dramatically, Twitter has made it easier for band’s to share tracks that may otherwise never see the light of day, and discourse that zips around in 140 characters or less is given as much weight as a review in Rolling Stone. Perhaps we’re just not as surprised by the sounds we hear this time around. To answer your question though, I think I started liking the softer stuff the most, but I’ve since become attached to “Morning Mr Magpie” and “Lotus Flower.” I don’t know if there’s a track that has instantly become my favorite, but I jump around a lot. Do you have a favorite? Do you buy into the rumor that there’s more coming? How about that deluxe box we were suckered into buying, is it a sales gimmick or something genuinely for the fans?

J: You make a good point about how far the Internet has moved since 2007, which in a way makes narratives and ideas catch even faster now (as far as I’m concerned, Chuck Klosterman pretty much nailed it in this tweet). Kanye did something similar to this with G.O.O.D. Fridays, and its no coincidence that these are the last two records to really seem to dominate the conversation and get people excited. At first, I was more drawn in by the first half, because it was so rhythmically complex and interesting and because I’ve always needed a little more time to absorb Radiohead’s ballads. In a way, I think “Lotus Flower” almost represents a compromise between the two sides. Yorke’s voice is a little higher in the mix and, as glitchy as it is, it seems to be moving into the same headspace as “Codex.” I also especially liked “Morning Mr. Magpie,” which almost sounded to me like Sgt. Pepper for Coachella-goers, and “Little by Little,” which is probably the most recognizably Radiohead song of the bunch thanks to Jonny Greenwood’s guitar. I don’t really buy the conspiracy theory about it being a double album, since I feel like they would have said so by now. As for the deluxe box, short of a bonus disc or Stanley Donwood art that can talk to me or do the “Lotus Flower” dance or something, I imagine it probably wasn’t worth $50, but I guess I think it is both a sales gimmick and something genuinely for the fans? What I mean is that it is certainly a way to make more money, but I also think that given the loyalty of the fans and the fact that they offered a similar box last time, people would have been upset if they didn’t do some kind of deluxe edition. Its not like 2 more songs would make that much of a difference when you’re paying $50 anyway. How did you feel about it? I know you got the In Rainbows one, so how do you feel about this one after hearing the album compared to that one? And what do you think of the ballady side? How does it compliment/fit with the electronic stuff and what songs stand out to you?

M: First off, I’m actually excited for the box. If nothing else, I’ve paid for the album of a band I love and for some (presumably) cool artwork from Mr. Donwood. As a fan, I think the box is a way of expressing your fanhood if that makes any sense. There’s a difference between buying a $50 box and downloading it for free. It’s a sign of pride of being a Radiohead fan, exactly what they’re going for. As for the more ballady side of the record, I like it a lot too. You and I saw “Give up the Ghost” played by Thom Yorke at Coachella (nice brag!), which might be one of their prettiest songs to date. “Codex” seems like a callback to the better side of Hail to the Thief, and “Separator” feels like a leftover from In Rainbows (even though I know it’s not). I think what is really baffling me about TKOL is that it doesn’t have one joining theme. What made OK Computer, Kid A, and In Rainbows so great is that they have a defining sound. TKOL is a bit of an odd duck in that it doesn’t really stick to a formula. They’re good songs, worthy of being in the Radiohead pantheon, but I don’t think TKOL works as well as an album as their previous work, which I think is my biggest issue. Is this over analyzing too soon or a legitimate point? What are your final thoughts on The King of Limbs, another masterpiece, just a good album, or a big disappointment?

J: I’ve definitely been trying to figure out the connecting fiber for the album as whole and so far I’ve come up empty. That seems to be the reason why people keep comparing it to an EP (well, there’s also the length thing). But I feel like the songs cohere better than I can rationally argue for, if that makes any sense. Maybe its the mood or something, but I feel like in a blind taste test I could pick out a King of Limbs song. What’s odd is that you would expect a shorter record like this to hang together better than a longer one, but that’s not necessarily true here. I think that The King of Limbs is still an achievement, but a much smaller one, The Prestige to In Rainbows’ Inception (although that’s a confused metaphor for a number of reasons). In a year or so I could see everyone forgetting entirely about it or I could see it being the kind of record that inspires tiny but feverish cult. Honestly, I could probably go either way at the moment. But to wrap this up, I guess I’d say that what I admire most about Radiohead is their refusal to compromise or bend. The King of Limbs is complex and weirdly gentle and baffling in the way that I want every Radiohead to be. In the end, I don’t really think I can ask for anything more than that.

Jonah’s Score: 88
Michael’s Score 85

TUiW Grade: A

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by | January 31, 2011 · 2:05 pm

Review: The Decemberists – The King is Dead

Throughout their entire career, the Decemberists have been nothing if not ambitious. Their debut record, Castaways and Cutouts, sounded unlike anything else around at the time, Colin Meloy’s hyper-literate lyrics and the lush, complex melodies came together to create a unique sound that would define the band for the better part of the early 2000s. They closed out their time on independent labels with Picaresque, an adventurous album that featured ruminations on war, youth sports, and an eight and a half minute story of a sailor being swallowed by a giant whale. The band was at their creative peak, and it was truly a sight to see.

Since the band moved to Capital records, starting with their 2006 album The Crane Wife, they have continued to display that ambition, but with diminishing returns. The Crane Wife is an enjoyable album to listen to, though it never seems quite as fun as Picaresque or any of their earlier material. Their last album, The Hazards of Love, was a proggy opera, which had its moments, but frequently felt too big for its britches. Ambition is a good thing, but it seemed the Decemberists were a balloon of it, just inches away from popping.

With this in mind, I went into their newest effort, The King is Dead, expecting to hear the next big leap for the band. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a laid back, fairly simple record that may not set the world on fire, but is incredibly enjoyable to listen to. Largely gone are the dense stories and complex arrangements, with softer country and Americana homages to R.E.M., Dylan, and Neil Young in their place. I don’t know if Meloy got tired of writing grand stories or if the band was just choosing to explore a softer side, but whatever it was, it works to tremendous effect.

The R.E.M. influence is fairly obvious, especially given the band’s guitarist, Peter Buck, guests on a few tracks, each of which echo the signature style the band had in the 80’s and early 90’s, and it’s hard not to notice the similarities. “Calamity Song” sounds slightly like a sped up version of “7 Chinese Brothers,” while lead single “Down By the Water” sounds like the kid brother of “The One I Love.” But rather than coming off as cheap imitation, the band makes the sound their own, much as Arcade Fire took Springsteen’s sound and imposed it on their own on songs like “Keep the Car Running.” The band’s voice is not lost in homage, it’s always present and in the foreground.

The other main guest on the album, Gillian Welch, appears on seven songs, filing in the band’s always open spot for a female counterpart to Meloy, previously filled by Petra Hayden, Laura Veirs (who appears here as well), and My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Warden. Her smooth voice adds a certain soothing sense to each track she appears on, mostly in contrast to Meloy’s sharper voice. “Rise to Me” melodically sounds like a Neil Young Song, with Welch adding a bit of sweetness to the chorus.

The only time we really hear a bit of classic Decemberists is on “This is Why We Fight,” which is reminiscent of early tracks like “Song for Myla Goldberg,” with the country tinge of the rest of the album mixed in. It’s an interesting statement from the band, given how ambitious they’ve been over the last six years, that they’re revisiting a more simplistic sound, perhaps as a way of creatively recharging their batteries. Most of all, it finds the band more relaxed then they have in years, which is truly fun to listen to.

Michael’s Score: 74
TUiW Grade: B

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by | December 24, 2010 · 1:48 pm

TUiW Best of 2010: The 15 Best Albums of 2010

Our Year end list-making comes to a close today our list of the year’s best albums. Be sure to add your thoughts in the comments and have a Merry Christmas!

15. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Over the course of three albums, Arcade Fire have become titans not just of the indie scene, but of music in general. Their third record finds the band exploring new territories musically, with solid results. Taking on the theme of urban sprawl, The Suburbs is a powerful album full that finds the band getting loud (“Empty Room”), getting quiet (“Wasted Hours”) and offering their trademark churning, building, rock songs (“Ready to Start”), creating a winning combination. (M)

14. Marnie Stern – Marnie Stern
Marnie Stern decided to choose a simpler name for her 2010 release than her second album (This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That) but that is just about the only thing that is simpler. On songs like “For Ash” and “Nothing Left,” Stern improbably bridges the gap between metal, jittery post-punk, and Animal Collective spazziness. And yet all of it is in service of a record that deftly depicts mental turmoil and depression in an engaging and exciting new way. (J)

13. The National – High Violet
After the triumph of Boxer, the National returned with another record that gets better and better with every listen. As the band has gotten older and wiser, so has their music, with lead singer Matt Berninger offering ruminations on married life and being a father as the Dessner Twins combine on the bubbling melodies below. If there was any question that the band would loose steam, High Violet more than dispelled that notion. (M)

12. Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz
When Sufjan released All Delighted People EP, it was a bit of misdirection, pointing at what seemed to be a continuation and slight expansion on his trademark sound, which only made The Age of Adz all the more surprising. Loaded with apocalyptic imagery and electronic instrumentation, Adz is a world away from the gentle orchestral music that Sufjan is known for. The record is dense and difficult, but immensely rewarding for the listener willing to invest some time. (J)

11. Robyn – Body Talk
It’s hard to believe that in the late 90’s, Robyn was being promoted in the States as a version of Brittney Spears and the other pop princesses of the time. It’s now clear however that Robyn was going to take that crown, just a little later. The three body talk mini albums are pop perfection, full of dancable, catchy, fun songs that become ingrained in you head, not just for days, but weeks at time. Hopefully Robyn won’t take another five years to give us a follow up, and we get more great songs like “Dancing on My Own” or “Hang With Me” soon. (M)

10. Best Coast – Crazy For You
There weren’t many records this year that were more straightforward than Crazy For You – a celebration of cats, beaches, weed, and boys. But its beauty is in its highly listenable simplicity, as Bethany Cosentino and company presented just enough variations on those themes to keep Crazy for You catchy and interesting. From “Boyfriend” to “When I’m With You,” Crazy for You was the obvious choice for soundtrack of the summer. (J)

9. Wolf Parade – Expo 86
On their first two records, Wolf Parade has had songs by Spencer Krug and songs by Dan Boeckner, but Expo 86 finds the two frontmen joining forces and crafting their most complete album yet. Expo 86 is the band’s best record to date, one that is relentless and incredibly fun to listen to. The band announced it was going on an indefinite hiatus to focus on their side projects, so until they return, but it’s a good thing we got an album this good first. (M)

8. Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
After a troubled history and numerous delays, Big Boi finally unleashed Sir Lucious Left Foot on the world and it was glorious. From the bass-rattling of “Daddy Fat Sax” and “Shutterbugg” to conspicuous consumption of “Shine Blockas” to the melancholy “Be Still,” Sir Lucious Left Foot was worth the wait. (J)

7. Superchunk – Majesty Shredding
Majesty Shredding comes after a nine year studio hiatus from Superchunk, but it sounds like they’ve hardly missed a beat. The record is full of energy and insanely catchy songs, and ranks among the band’s best. Songs like “Digging for Something” showcase Superchunk at their rockiest, while other tracks like “Fractures in Plaster” and “Rosemarie” show a maturity they gained in their years off. Listening to Majesty Shredding makes us awfully happy to have Superchunk back. (M)

6. The Walkmen – Lisbon
The Walkmen are quickly getting into the musical Twilight Zone where every record they put out is so good that it is kind of boring to talk about how great The Walkmen are. Nonetheless, Lisbon may be among their best, from the light jangle of “Juveniles” to the forlorn funeral march of “Stranded” to the blister of “Angela Surf City.” The Walkmen are a more focused band right now who are currently going through their prime, churning out great release after great release, and Lisbon follows perfectly in that series. (J)

5. Beach House – Teen Dream
Teen Dream is a record that finds Beach House growing as songwriters, adding a lush arrangements to their dreamy (no pun intended) sound. The songs on Teen Dream are far more expansive than on their last record, Devotion, with standout tracks “Walk in the Park,” “Norway,” and “Used to Be” offering a great amount of depth and variation in the band’s signature sound. Victoria Legrand’s voice floats above Alex Scally’s surprisingly bright guitar work on a record that is the sound of late, lonely nights. (M)

4. Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
It takes a mix of confidence and foolishness to attempt an hour-plus punk rock concept album about the Civil War, but it takes true genius to pull it off. With The Monitor, Titus Andronicus somehow made a record that feels both sprawling and tight, sweeping and intimate, by filtering the Civil War through modern college turmoil (or perhaps vice versa). From “A More Perfect Union” to “The Battle for Hampton Roads,” The Monitor is a record of soaring, triumphant, fist-pumping rock, concept be damned. (J)

3. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
On record number three, Bradford Cox and company seamlessly integrated the ambient rock of Cryptograms and the sprawling rock songs of Microcastle. The combination finds the band at their best, with a record that ebbs and flows, finding the right places to offer homage to the sounds that influenced them and the places to showcase their own. Both Cox and Lockett Pundt have crafted their best album to date with Halcyon Digest, a record that will undoubtedly prove to be influential for years to come. (M)

2. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West, the genius behind the famous Twitter account @kanyewest, decided to branch out into music this year too! All kidding aside, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is an explosive pop record that manages to be sophistacted and complex but catchy and accessible. Certainly there are the singles – the straight-up nasty “Monster,” the soaring “Power,” and TUiW’s song of the year “Runaway” – but the album never slows down or stops to catch its breath. Many athletes famously use personal slights – real or imagined – to fuel their competitive fire. In 2010, it seems like Kanye worked the same way, molding all his turmoil and drama into one incredible record. (J)

1. LCD Soundsytem – This is Happening
With This is Happening, James Murphy and his band became the undisputed champions of their genre. As Kanye examined his self destructive tendencies, Murphy continued to examine his own status as an aging hipster, but not without giving up his goofy side, a struggle he characterizes in “Pow Pow” as having “advantages to both.” The album plays out as such, with tracks full of sincerity like “I Can Change” and “Home,” but also songs like “Drunk Girls,” where the title speaks for itself. Either way, This is Happening is a top notch record musically, with so many catchy hooks its practically impossible not to want to listen to over and over. (M)

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by | December 23, 2010 · 2:56 pm

TUiW Best of 2010: The 15 Best Songs of 2010

2010 has been a fantastic year for music, making it especially difficult for us to narrow our list down to 15. After much deliberation, we’ve made our choices and now bring you TUiW’s picks for the Best Songs of the Year.

15. Local Natives – “Sun Hands”
Local Natives have all the sophistication and worldliness of Grizzly Bear without the austerity. There’s no better example of that than “Sun Hands,” an energetic, wide-eyed indie anthem with all the pastoral trappings and Talking Heads influences that you need to Make It on a blog in 2010. And yet Local Natives is more than the sum of their parts, and “Sun Hands” is a catchy song that is hard to get out of your head once it takes up space there. (J)

14. Broken Social Scene – “Forced to Love”
When the record came out in May, I wrote that “Forced to Love” is “the type of song that demands loud speakers on a sunny day,” a description that holds true even in the cold days of winter. It’s the standout track on Forgiveness Rock Record, one that has the band at their best, not only playing to the rafters, but over them. (M)

13. Wavves – “Post Acid”
Wavves mostly ditched the lo-fi in favor of a different quintessentially 1990s sound: the power-punk of Lookout Records. Like someone else you’ll be seeing a little higher on the list, Nathan Williams distilled his self-loathing and public meltdowns into some of the most infectious and catchy music of the year. On “Post Acid,” Williams turns in a ranging, stomping piece of SoCal punk with energy and hookiness to spare. Its hard to think of a song that earned an intro from John Norris more than “Post Acid.” (J)

12. The Morning Benders – “Excuses”
A lush, beautiful song that recalls the Wall of Sound, “Excuses” kicks off Big Echo in grand fashion. The crashing drums and wobbly strings, combined with the “la-la-las” make the song incredibly catchy, and one that won’t leave your head for days. (M)

11. Wye Oak – “Emmylou”
My Neighbor/My Creator, like a lot of EPs, expanded Wye Oak’s slowcore-leaning musical aesthetic, nowhere more so than on the infectious rocker “Emmylou.” The song reshapes the Wye Oak aesthetic, adding a punkish energy and a slight power-pop edge, while not losing their confessional, sharply lyrical style. Like other Wye Oak songs, “Emmylou” is pretty, but it isn’t nearly as fragile.

10. Best Coast – “Boyfriend”
Best Coast had a breakout year in 2010, and the lead off single from Crazy For You is about as catchy as they come. Bethany Cosentino shares her yearning for a boy, while also adding that he has a better girlfriend already that’s “prettier and skinnier.” It’s a charming track that’s just as fun to listen to one the hundredth time as it is on the first. (M)

9. Arcade Fire – “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”
Even given the expanded sonic palate of The Suburbs, the album concluding Blondie/disco of “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” comes as a bit of a surprise. The only song that features Regine on lead vocals, “Sprawl II” makes great use of her voice, setting it against a rising synth line that betrays a kind of innocence. “Sprawl II” summarizes the entire album, finding a measure of beauty in the “Dead shopping malls” that “rise like mountains beyond mountains” while still showing how stifling living there can be (“quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock”). (J)

8. Robyn – “Dancing On My Own”
One of the most infectious dance songs of 2010, “Dancing On My Own” displays a vulnerability not often found in the genre. Frequently aggressive in her songs, here Robyn has a sad side to her tone, offering up a song that is both moving and catchy as hell. It’s hard to listen to “Dancing On My Own” without hoping that all pop songs could be this good. (M)

7. Deerhunter – “Desire Lines”
On “Desire Lines” Bradford Cox digs deep into his library, merging everything from 1960s doo-wop to shoegaze to ambient noise to make an anthem to being bored and disappointed. With lyrics about outgrowing enthusiasm, “Desire Lines” feels like a great anthem for a time when a lot of us were struggling just to find jobs we didn’t want. And yet there’s a quality of serenity to the song, as if Cox is at peace with the notion of forever cycling through desire and disappointment. (J)

6. Superchunk – “Digging for Something”
After a nine year absence from the studio, Superchunk returned, with “Digging for Something” kicking off Majesty Shredding. It’s a swift and insanely catchy rocker, and it’s probably the year’s best rock song. With John Darnielle providing some back up vocals, “Digging for Something” is the type of song that you can listen to and start over right away.(M)

5. Big Boi – “Shutterbug”
Being the straight-man in a group is a difficult and unrewarding task. Ask Jason Bateman or Chico Marx. So it was easy to, if not overlook Big Boi, then at least expect a more straightforward album than you’d look for from Andre 3000. However Big Boi smashed that expectation, nowhere more so than the infectious bass-rattler “Shutterbugg.” Big Boi rattles off classic lyrics like machine gun bursts, climaxing in the catchy bridge and a command to “throw your deuce up in the sky for the shutterbugg.” (J)

4. Joanna Newsom – “Good Intentions Paving Co.”
With a nod from Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom offered up one of her catchiest and most accessible songs. Always a fan of long, flowing narrative, Newsom her crafts a song full of pop sensibility without giving up her unique sound in the process. If you’ve been hung up on Newsom and her love it or hate it voice before, be sure to give this track a try before writing her off. You won’t regret it. (M)

3. Beach House – “Walk in the Park”
For such a melancholy song, “Walk in the Park” is oddly soaring. That contrast, one that permeates Teen Dream, somehow makes “Walk in the Park” all the more heartbreaking. Depicting a shattering relationship with Beach House’s usual ambiguity (“the face that you saw at the door, isn’t looking at you anymore”), before switching to its equally wrenching conclusion. “Walk in the Park” is a beautiful, fragile, sad song and one of the best of the year. (J)

2. LCD Soundsystem – “I Can Change”
James Murphy hasn’t been shy about getting introspective in the past, but on “I Can Change,” he starts to question the idea of we change one another to be in love. “Love is a murderer” he cries in the song, offering a serious rumination on love in complete contrast to the goofier “Drunk Girls,” found previously on the record. Murphy has said there might not be any more LCD Soundsystem records, but if he keeps putting out singles like this, we’ll have more than enough great songs to keep us satisfied.

1. Kanye West – “Runaway”
What better way to summarize 2010 – a year that gave us The Decision and Rand Paul and the continued success of Jersey Shore – than with an infectious toast to douchebags, assholes, and scumbags. On “Runaway,” Kanye confronted his public persona, his award show escapades, and his outspokenness and generally agreed with the haters, while at the same time showing how that side of his personality is inseparable from his genius. From 35 minute music videos to moving paintings to epic SNL performances, Kanye reminded us all of his outsized ambition, and nowhere did he cash in on that more than our Song of the Year. (J)

Be sure to come back tomorrow as our Best of 2010 coverage wraps up with the 15 best albums of the year.

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by | November 23, 2010 · 11:15 am

TUIW Conversation: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Jonah: So, I don’t really know where to start with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, the new album by an up-and-coming young artist named Kanye West. The ridiculous album art? The first perfect score from P4K in a decade? The fact that I can’t stop listening to “Monster?” On a macro level, what I find so compelling about this record is that Kanye seems to have spent the last year reading every negative thing written about it and decided “you guys are right, I’m an awful person.” Am I reading too much into it? Is it possible to hear Kanye The Musician WITHOUT hearing Kanye The Public Crazy Person? What are your thoughts on MBDTF?

Michael: I’m with you, lost on where to begin. There’s so much hype surrounding this record, most of it based on its egomaniacal author. I can tell you that after my first listen, I was impressed on several levels, but I didn’t get up on my roof and sing Kanye’s praises to the world. On second listen, I was further impressed, yet there’s still several things that are far from perfect for me. On one hand, I think you have the first great rap album of the 2010s, the record that will change the way rap sounds and is perceived for this decade. But on the other hand, I hear songs that go on too long and childish or poorly conceived lyrics coming from Ye that lack the power songs like “All Falls Down” or even “Stronger” had. Do you think Kanye has traded in better music for weaker lyrics? How do you compare him to the hit machine that made The College Dropout?

J: I definitely agree about songs going on too long, being too childish, and generally feeling overstuffed (case in point, the Chris Rock monologue about how happy he is Kanye improved his sex life by sleeping with some woman first at the end of the otherwise bleak and powerful “Blame Game”) and yet, its Kanye’s inability to stop himself that makes MBDTF such a compelling and singular listen. I think all of it – Kanye’s need to load every song with every idea, his attempts/desire to sing like MJ even though he can’t, his weak and goofy lyrics (which aren’t exactly a totally new development – klondike/blonde dyke? – although they grated on me more here), his inability to censor himself – are what allows Kanye to release such consistently singular and compelling music. Its weird to listen to College Dropout and hear where Kanye was then compared to now, but I think the crucial difference is that Yeezy lost interest in being a rapper/producer somewhere along the line and decided he’d rather be a pop star/performance artist. Which Kanye do you prefer? When you look back at what he’s done since Graduation, does it seem like he’s been trying to figure out exactly what kind of musician he wants to be? Is MBDTF the answer?

M: It’s interesting that you ask that, because all along, I’ve thought of MBDTF as Kanye’s return the past successes he had on his first three records. Yet the more I listen to it, the more I find it a culmination of it all: one part the ambitious producer (“Lost in the World”/”Who Will Survive in America”), one part unstoppable hitmaker (“Power”), one part tortured artist (“Runaway”), and one part introspective minimalist (“Blame Game”). It’s all these things combined that lead me to think this is Kanye’s strongest complete album to date. It’s by no means flawless, but I think this is what he’s been gradually building to throughout his entire career. I think that anyone that thinks Kanye isn’t that bright is wrong. He’s just a man with an ego that overshadows his brilliance. Not to knock Lil Wayne, but he could never in a million years put out a record as complex on so many levels as MBDTF. I love Jay-Z, but while the production of his recent albums may match MBDTF, his lyrics haven’t been this deep or real in years. So Jonah, I’ll pose to you my last questions: is Kanye West the best popular artist today and should MBDTF be added to the pantheon of great rap albums?

J: Kanye is certainly the pop star I’m most compelled by and, although its too early too tell, MBDTF feels like its my favorite Kanye album. I think what separates Kanye from his peers is his ability/willingness to step aside, which is at odds with his egomaniac persona. But look at “Monster,” where Kanye is basically content to play barker and ringleader while ceding the spotlight to an elder statesman (my favorite Jay-Z verse since his “retirement”?) and young guns (Nicki Minaj nearly walks off with the whole album), yet the song is still distinctly Kanye. He doesn’t have the flow of Lil Wayne and he’s not as adorably off-center as Big Boi (who made this year’s other hip hop record of the year contender) but Kanye thinks about music in such a fascinating and distinctive way that I feel challenged and engaged by him in a way I simply don’t by his contemporaries on the pop charts. Kanye has turned his unique turmoil into something universal and identifiable; My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a record for the douchebag asshole scumbag in all of us.

Michael’s Score: 89
Jonah’s Score: 86

TUIW Grade: A

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by | · 10:33 am

Up and Coming: Surf City

My first listen of Surf City’s Kudos marked the first time in a long time I’ve listened to a record and wanted to start it over and listen again. The New Zealand band packs so much punch and pop into their charging rock songsthat you can’t help but tap your foot or nod your head the entire time. Unlike so many bands that hide behind walls of distortion, Surf City embraces it, crafting catchy song after catchy song. What stands out about Surf City on tracks like “See How the Sun” or “Kudos” is that they’re carefully crafted songs, not just four guys playing their instruments, as so many indie noise makers do. Clearly influenced by the likes of Pavement and Jesus and Mary Chain (from whom they get their name), while capturing the atmospheric singing of Animal Collective, Surf City is a little indie band that you’ll fall in love with after only one listen.

RIYL: Pavement, Jesus and Mary Chain, Animal Collective, Yo La Tengo, The Clean, The Thermals, Vivian Girls

Surf City – Kudos [MP3]

Surf City – Dickshakers Union [MP3]

Surf City on MySpace

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by | July 27, 2010 · 10:07 am

Review: Best Coast – Crazy For You

Though “blog rock” seems a bit outdated, you could definitely say that Best Coast has had a huge amount of help from the Internet. But though the band has had a lot of help from various blogs, Pitchfork, and frontwoman Bethany Cosentino’s hilarious Twitter page, the hype surrounding Best Coast has come mostly from a series of delightful singles. With the release of their debut, Crazy For You, coming hot off the heels of Cosentino’s collaboration with Kid Cudi and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, Best Coast has a considerable amount of attention focused on them. Thankfully, they deliver.

The record isn’t long, but it has no need to be, filled with “ooohs” and “ahhhs,” plenty of confidence, and plenty of self doubt. It’s easy to call to attention the Wall of Sound heard on Crazy For You. Though the music lacks the dense layers of Phil Spector’s creation, the melodies, reverberations, and harmonies, not to mention Cosentino’s ability to go for vocal swoon to rock frontwoman, makes Crazy For You sound like a Ronnettes record, if the Ronnettes liked indie rock, smoked a lot of weed, and had a cat named Snacks. The album opener, “Boyfriend,” is almost a modern Spector track, where Cosentino pines for a boy she likes, but admits that his girlfriend is “prettier and skinnier” and went through college while she’s just a dropout that sits around waiting for him. Granted, it’s not exactly the pure vision of love of “Be My Baby,” but the song still sounds like its modern, hipster descendant.

What Cosentino lacks in lyrical dexterity she makes up for with wit. On “Goodbye,” she takes a goofy line like “I wish my cat could talk” and follows it with the internal conflict of, “I don’t love you, I don’t hate you/I don’t know how I feel.” The balance between the light and dark on the record is perfect, with the wit keeping the emotion in check and vice versa. The gorgeous “Our Deal,” heavily leans on the Phil Spector vibe, but instead of just singing about her man leaving, Cosentino sings, “When you leave me, you take away everything/You take all my money, you take all my weed.” There’s an emotional bent to it, but there’s also a frustration at having picked someone who will not only sneak out the morning after, but steal your money and drugs. It’s kind of funny, but also a little bit sad.

But all other things aside, Cosentino, along with multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno, have mastered the art of writing a concise, catchy pop song. The longest song on the record is a mere 3:01, giving due time to each infectious hook they could put together. The title track, in particular, will get stuck in your head after one listen, with its repeated ending of “Maybe I’m just crazy/Crazy for you baby.” They’re not just songs that have a summer novelty to them, but are just as fun in the cold dredges of winter. And after all, isn’t that what great songwriting is all about?

It can be hard to predict the success of a band after a handful of singles and an LP, but Best Coast have potential to be around for a while as Cosentino’s songwriting continues to grow. Though early tracks like “Sun Was High (So Was I)” and “When I’m With You” remain incredibly catchy and fun to listen to, they lack the musical and emotional depth the songs of Crazy For You. Though it’s a debut LP, it still is a step up from everything she’d put out before. The last five years have been riddled with bands that put out promising singles or EPs, gain web notoriety, and then release a record that fails to match the quality of their previous work (see: Voxtrot), so there’s reason to believe that Best Coast might be around a little bit longer. But thought of the future aside, I’m content to sit back, relax, and enjoy Crazy For You in the late summer sun.

Michael’s Score: 81
Jonah’s Score: 82
TUiW Grade: A-

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