As much as their electronics and reverb shoot their sound into the stratosphere, the boys and girl from Fields. Produce songs that would work just as well as acoustic ballads. That’s not to say that the electronics aren’t warranted, they add a trippy psychedelic atmosphere that heightens the concepts of their songs into almost an out of body experience. Like watching yourself go through a traumatic event in slow motion. Tracks like the poignant “You Brought this on Yourself “ (6) and “Skulls and Flesh and More” (7) illustrate this point, while the highlight of the album “If you Fail, We all Fail” (9) accesses the kind of hyper emotion generated by the likes of M83, albeit in a more accessible form. The forlorn boy/girl vocals and gentle to processed guitar work to create an atmosphere that emotes better than any top 40 fodder on a teen drama ever could. It’s painful and somehow beautiful at the same time.
The Arctic Monkeys return riding a wave of breakneck rhythms and in your face grooves. Alex Turner and company return with a more limber and polished sound. It seems like the expectations placed upon them are making them work harder, and I have to admit they have improved. They’ve been listening to their influences just as hard. I can hear traces of Damon Albarn, Morrissey, Klaxons, and the Strokes interspersed among the many tracks. Their attitude even reflects in the lyrics of flagship single “Brianstorm” (1), with lyrics like “Some want a kiss, some want to kick you” implying the very mixed reaction they’ve been dealing with since their success. If the sonic fury of “Brianstorm” is any clue, they’re out to prove that they deserve every bit of success they’ve had. They’re careful not to play just 3 minute rave ups using various songs that don’t go immediately for the aural sucker punch. The best of these tracks is the breezy reggae influenced “Fluorescent Adolescent” (5) which wouldn’t sound out of place on a strokes album. I wasn’t really that impressed with their first album as much as I tried to like it, but this time around their reaction to the backlash is making them more compelling as well as more dynamic.
LCD Soundsystem is playing a sold out show tonight at Le Spectrum in Montreal, and unfortunately I am in the middle of the final week of classes. There is a silver lining though, as James Murphy and co. released a new single of off their sophomore album “Sound of Silver”. The single in question? The excellent dance ballad “All My Friends”. The single features covers by Franz Ferdinand and John Cale and some new material, but the most exciting thing about this release, for me, is their superb new video. Shot all in one take.
Ranging from the annoying to the oddly inventive comes, Dan Deacon’slatest album “Spiderman of the Rings.” Composed of equal parts bombast and ridiculousness, that occasionally provide some fun beats and the intriguing sonic interplay that the man’s arsenal of electronic equipment provides. “Jimmy Joe Roche” (9) sounds like a corruption of the music from the original Pitfall game. Spectacle aside, there are some funky 8-bit breakdowns like “Snake Mistakes” (7) and “Okie Dokie” (5). If you can get used to the outlandish electronics and the equal parts Alvin the chipmunk/Crazy Uncle vocals you’ll find something to enjoy here. Or maybe you should get drunk first. That might help.
The Flesh’s new dark and dangerous songs from latest LP “Fire Tower” bounce along to their familiar stop and go rhythms, but the work is more developed than their debut.The grooves flow, the guitar spirals around melodically but the biggest change in their sound is that keyboardist Gabriella Zappia offers up lead vocals this time around. I find that her sultry vocals emote more and add a connection to the urgency that the band so often evokes. The best example of their new more cohesive sound is “The Cradle, The Brothel, and the BibleSchool”, with its incredibly catchy hook and increasingly funky sound. The Flesh also make excellent use of some strings on the tracks “Firetower” (3) and “Justice” (7). On the former, the strings lend an ethereal touch, veering directly into Echo and the Bunnymen territory; on the latter they add a satisfying dramatic determination. “Cross the Ocean” (11) is a beautiful adventure into the acoustic ballad and it is hypnotizing and rich. The Flesh prove that they are more than just a copycat dance/punk band, and I for one am eager to see where they go next.
Young Galaxy’s debut is a mostly a plodding melodic celebration of reverb and delay effects. They sound like early 80’s Cure if they were expansive and optimistic rather than claustrophobic and depressed. Admittedly, not all of the songs are really that gripping, but none are jarring or unpleasant. When the beats and the melodies do come together, they make for some memorable singles. “Outside the City” (3) rides on waves of feedback and gentle effects to a chorus that’s bound to get stuck in your head. The Cure references don’t stop there though, “Wailing Wall” (5) sounds like it could be a close cousin of the groups’ classic “Love Song”. There is a constant blanket of reverb cushioning most of the album, but once in a while a bouncy rhythm does pop up, but it doesn’t stay out too late. This album reminds me of a good dream. One that I will remember in the morning.
The White Stripes Return with a familiar crash bashing sound. The single is a strange mélange of arena rock riffs, almost raps, and rambling bag-pipe like keyboards.Sounds like a return to form in comparison to their enjoyable piano laden latest release “Get Behind Me Satan”. Looks like another good album from the White Stripes. Surprised?
The new Spider-Man soundtrack seems to have put away mainstream radio chasing in favor of songs that have a more indie flavor. Well, they’ve still got that one sentimental opening track that will probably end up being synonymous with the summer movie and the romance between lead characters Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, but many other tracks seem somewhat out of place for this series of soundtracks. Granted, the first soundtrack had The Hives and The Strokes, and the second album had… Jet, but all the remaining spaces were filled mostly with forgettable no-name mainstream rock, be it the gaudy guttural groans of Nickelback or the histrionic whining of Dashboard Confessional.
This Spider-Man soundtrack differs from the first two soundtracks in that it not only has an indie song here and there on the album just to make the compilations more bearable, this album actually gets tracks from notable indie bands and puts them all up front. Snow Patrol, The Killers, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wolfmother, The Walkmen, The Flaming Lips and… Jet, all contributed new or previously unreleased tracks to the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack. Maybe a record executive decided to make a soundtrack that would best fit the movie seeing as though it’s going to do well anyway because it has the Spider-Man logo stamped across it. Maybe indie music is gaining enough popularity to cross over into the mainstream and this is just a helping hand for the “on the radio” boost? That’s probably a little idealistic, but either way, this album has some surprisingly good tracks from notable indie artists.
There’s of course the down-tempo Snow Patrol ballad “Signal Fire” (1) that probably will be crammed into our temporal lobes all summer long, which is also the only blatant bid for radio air play. After that, it gets pretty good. The Killers contribute “Move Away” (2), which sounds like The Cure jamming with a strange preacher cowboy that Brandon Flowers seems to have become. It’s actually one of the hardest rocking songs they’ve done. Ever. I can see how the sound of it would fit perfectly to a Spider-Man movie, it has that “depth” defying guitar swing that Spider-Man seems to like so much. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs contribute a slower but no less intense continuation of guitar rock in “Sealings” (3) again, another seemingly perfect fit into the spider-sound-scape.
After that, the styles start to break up a little, starting out with the rumbling drums and Jangly Guitars of the Walkmen on “Red River” which is actually the next single lined up after Snow Patrol. Also, there’s the Flaming Lips’ addition to the soundtrack “The Supreme Being Teaches Spider-Man how to be in Love” (7) which is a pleasant venture into their trademark sonic envelope specially tailored for Spidey. There are several other notable tracks on here; “Portrait of a Summer thief” (13) has the kind of emotional clout that could get them on the radio. The final note of interest is that former Phantom Planet drummer Jason Schwartzman contributes an almost acoustic song with the aid of actress Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson) on backing vocals. Some surprising contributions here, to be certain. If the soundtrack is an indicator for the quality of the movie, I think we’re in for a treat.
Froma concept steeped in gimmickry and novelty comes the Automusik “Hound Dog EP”. Said to be a statement on the current situation of popular music, the band produced an 8-bit revision of Elvis’ classic “Hound Dog”. At first listen it is painfully awkward…and the second listen, and the third and so on and so forth. The other material is a little more tolerable. The remixes feature a lesson in electronic percussion and 8-bit organ riffery (3) and a more beefy beat production reminiscent of hip hop style, but not without including a banjo for some reason. Other original material, “Everything is for the Baby” (2), Sexy Body (5), and the instrumental “De Robots Braken Mijn Radio” (6) are more tolerable than the title track. I would venture to say that they even make more of a statement on the current state of music than the title track as well. With a concept group like this you have to take their music with a grain of salt, but the beats and electronics sampled from the songs that aren’t Elvis covers suggest something more than a gimmick group, even the closing instrumental borders on actually being good. Let’s hope that further releases will go on in this direction rather than shot gunning people with sheer novelty.
You know your friends’ band that loves classic rock? Well, what if they actually got good? That is what Panthers are. Musicians devoted to the guitar riff and shout-singing rich with ambiguous sloganeering. Along the lines of an indie Wolfmother or a more fuzzed out Datsuns, all with the intensity of Death from Above 1979. That said, these guys are all that is rock. Their latest aural assault is the LP entitled “The Trick”, aptly titled, since Panther’s one trick is to rock, non-stop. Where a lesser band would have worn out their welcome in rock-land, Panthers reach to the depths of rock structure and pull out builds, chugs, screams, and organized chaos that are nearly always captivating. Opener “GoblinCity” (1) employs the speed chug riff combo along with the best vocal effort on the album. If this doesn’t get you thrashing violently in a forward direction, then you must be… unable to thrash in a forward direction. For an even rowdier number seek out “Uncertainty” (6). A relentlessly licking guitar gives way to an all out thrashing and bashing chorus moment. Fueled of course by vocals that border on screaming. Panther is not for everyone, if you have a heart condition or are pregnant or nursing it is recommended that you avoid Panther for its 100 proof rock content and relentless nature.
As much as their electronics and reverb shoot their sound into the stratosphere, the boys and girl from Fields. Produce songs that would work just as well as acoustic ballads. That’s not to say that the electronics aren’t warranted, they add a trippy psychedelic atmosphere that heightens the concepts of their songs into almost an out of body experience. Like watching yourself go through a traumatic event in slow motion. Tracks like the poignant “You Brought this on Yourself “ (6) and “Skulls and Flesh and More” (7) illustrate this point, while the highlight of the album “If you Fail, We all Fail” (9) accesses the kind of hyper emotion generated by the likes of M83, albeit in a more accessible form. The forlorn boy/girl vocals and gentle to processed guitar work to create an atmosphere that emotes better than any top 40 fodder on a teen drama ever could. It’s painful and somehow beautiful at the same time.
