Duraluxe - III
I've been searching around for this bands last album for some time and finally just emailed the band to find out what the deal was. Turns out they have a NEW album, III, and it's available on Bandcamp. This record has let a little alt-country influence seep in, as well as some more artsy languid songs but it works well. I will argue with anyone that says they don't enjoy Turn The Dial.
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Millionaire Magicians - Millionaire Magicians
Local Nashville act crafting some quality pop rock. It's a bit on the long side - I mean, 20 tracks is a lot of music to consume. One of the more promising bands to emerge lately so I'll keep this one in rotation.
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Telekinesis - Telekinesis
Downloaded on a whim from eMusic I must thank myself later for grabbing this. I could listen to the first track on repeat if it didn't mean depriving myself of the rest of the record. Oddly, the track in question is a forelorn diddy with a strand of pop optimism and the rest of the record is a straight forward sugary pop record. Reminds me of a lot of the great pop records of the mid-90's.. something my collection has been severely lacking lately. Treat yourself, get this.
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Richard Swift - The Novelist
You ever encounter one of those artists that has a wealth of works that you've never listened but upon hearing that first record you realize that you've been missing out and feel the fool for it? That's sorta where I'm at with Richard Swift. This record has so many elements to it that I love that I'm wondering how I remained so ignorant to it until now. It's like an acceptable Randy Newman with a darker twist.
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George Washington Brown - EP
Is it cliche to describe a record as "summer-y"? Is that cheating to use a season to attempt to encapsulate how something sounds? Probably so but I think it applies. It's six songs consist of poppy, mostly languid, songs best enjoyed while sitting on a porch somewhere having a beer and doing absolutely nothing or possibly driving aimlessly in your car with all windows rolled down. Not overwhelmingly upbeat.. but just right.
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Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Who crafts a finer pop record than these French superstars? Seriously? Even New Pornographers can't touch this. Even if you don't think this record is as solid as previous works (which I might argue) you have to admit there's little else out there that works this well.
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Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us
Each BMSR record sounds, essentially, the same. This could be taken as a negative but if you're into the drippy, keyboard drenched, vocoder laden vocals they consistently pump out - it's a positive. Fortunately I find myself in that camp. Not a wild divergence from their previous work but more consistent goodness.
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Apostle of Hustle - Eats Darkness
Things I like about this record: Andrew Whiteman is obviously just having a good time in the studio recording some of his jams and doing so in a manner far better than most artists. Things I don't like about this record: I absolutely love the first Apostle of Hustle record which, I believe, was Andrew Whiteman making a very focused artsy record. Overall: I like it but it's not the optimum AoH that it could be.
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Dark Night of the Soul - Dark Night of the Soul
Sad this record sort of got squelched by the record companies for whatever reason because I think it would be one of those sleeper hits that manages to cross the lines of snobby indie rock kids across the entire college set and slowly into mainstream ears. The bonus there being that it's actually REALLY good music; deserving of such a wide audience. Instead it likely just be one of those albums that gets a press push and then simmers for years and years until it's a cult standard.
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Passion Pit - Manners
Enjoyable, upbeat little dance gems but I never find myself wanting to put it on. There wasn't a track (like Sleepyhead) that was so oddly done but charmingly poppy that I had to revisit it. Maybe I need to give it a few more listens but I don't think this one is going to last in the iTunes Library for long.
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Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
This record confirmed a feeling in me that I've been having for awhile. I really have no interest in partaking in leaks and pre-releases anymore. The enjoyment of the anticipation of a great album being released has been sucked away and it's a damn shame. I am one of those people that snagged the low-quality rip of this back in March and gave it a tentative listen but to not hear this in its full glory is a damn shame. I am shamelessly loving this record. It could not have been easy to write a quality follow-up to Yellow House but they have indeed done it.
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Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications
Jarvis Cocker is one of those artists where if you aren't familiar with his back catalog of material (Pulp) you instantly lose some sort of intangible indie rock cred. I openly admit to having never having heard a Pulp record. There, now my opinion is invalidated. It's true! With that in mind, I have heard both Jarvis Cocker solo records and enjoy them dearly. The rock vibe on this one is a bit of a surprise but his swagger could carry just about anything. I imagine putting this on at a party and boosting my indie rock cred with all three people attending.
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Prefuse 73 - Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian
I love the notion of a full-length Prefuse73 album consisting of loads of tracks - all working together but going in different directions. Too bad that listening to it just becomes a weird chore. Having one or two of these come up in a shuffle is extremely pleasant but listening to it top to bottom kinda wears me out. The longer tracks are far more pleasant than the two minute escapades.
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Papercuts - You Can Have What You Want
I bought this, listened to it once or twice and then thought I might just sell it back to the record store and call it a day. Before I was able to do that I ended up taking a random long drive on a rainy day and put this on to give it another go. It fit perfectly. It's melancholy tones are the appropriate backdrop to a slow night or a rainy day.
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Lake - Oh, The Places We'll Go
Is it weird if I think this is a cute record? The title track (parts 1 and 2) just feel like a hippie couple jamming out with some friends to a little pop song they just wrote about exploring the country in their newly renovated VW Bus. I can't imagine seeing this band playing these songs without grinning from ear to ear. They aren't especially over the top upbeat but they're just pleasant.
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Metric - Fantasties
Do people read these reviews? I'm not convinced they do. If they do, email me and let me know you saw this. As for the Metric album it seems to me that it's one of those very odd experiences that when listening to the record as a whole I don't recall any super standout tracks but when I'm skipping through each track it hits me how much I like each one. How is that possible?
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Woods - Songs of Shame
Seems like they went for a more upbeat, freak-out style on this one and that sort of goes against the hushed style that I loved so much about At Rear House. I'm sticking with it and enjoying it a bit more as I progress but mostly just want to hear At Rear House.
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Tim Fite - Gone Ain't Gone
There is no logical reason for my enjoyment of Tim Fite. I've seen him in interviews and live videos of his performances and I don't so much care for his whole vibe but something about his offbeat mixture of hip-hop, southern staples and his delivery keep me coming back.
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Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
I get a general feeling of chaos and optimism through the frantic energy put forth in some of these songs. This feels like a record that I will likely neglect at first and as it comes up more and more often in the shuffle it will dawn on me just how much I enjoy every bit of it. It skirts this fine line of feeling like something you've heard before both in the good and bad way. That being said, I still suggest you pick it up - the title track will hook ya.
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Cactus's - Tropical Terror
I bought this entire because I needed higher quality mp3's for a We Own This Town podcast than the ones I was ripping off Myspace but it turns out the chaotic, frentic energy found in this little six song EP has some real staying power. With the exception of one track, I keep it on repeat. It's not for everyone but those that enjoy some fist pumping rawk every now and again might get into this.
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Dewey Decibel - The Dusting
Nashville has its fair share of completely engaging rock bands. What it has a shortage of is quality Pop bands; especially pop bands that understand the fantastic combo of upbeat music mixed with forelorn or vaguely downtrodden lyrics / vocals. Dewey Decibel nailed it, 100%. This one has potential reach outside of Nashville and I hope it gets it, it deserves it.
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Fanfarlo - Reservoir
The comparisons to Arcade Fire are everywhere whenever Fanfarlo is mentioned and, honestly, it's entirely appropriate. They DO sound a lot like them. It's probably unfair to compare the two but it's going to happen based on this guys voice and the fact that the music obviously follows the same basic formula. But somehow that makes Fanfarlo automatically sound Less Than - which is not true. This is an enjoyable album from top to bottom, particularly if you enjoy the Arcade Fire.
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Doves - Kingdom of Rust
There are some bands that figured out their formula so perfectly on their first record that any major reinventions are completely unnecessary. Such is the case with Doves. Kingdom of Rust is a step forward along the same path they've been traveling. I'm glad there was no major reworking of their sound and it's just another Doves record, chalk full of great songs.
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Wavves - Wavves
I enjoy aspects of this noisy lo-fi rock very much. I think about three quarters of the way through the record it wears on me and I have to move on but, initially, it's a nice ride.. just doesn't sustain.
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JG Thirwell - The Music Of...
To pigeonhole this into "cartoon" music because it is the soundtrack to the Adult Swim show The Venture Bros would be a grotesque disservice to the music within. Basically this is the best aspects of every 50's, 60's, 70's spy music updated with the tiniest bit of electronic influence. If someone played you this under the guise of a spy flick you'd never seen you'd think it was the greatest film ever made.
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