Showing posts with label aputzer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aputzer. Show all posts
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Album Review: MGMT - MGMT


Ever since Oracular Spectacular became a surprise touchstone for the modern age (and providing endless licensing opportunities for synth-driven pop acts), MGMT has crafted their career in a largely reactionary manner; every subsequent single and record has worked increasingly hard to distance itself from that breakthrough. Herein lies some controversy, since Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser have demeaned both Oracular and its defining hits, referring to them in a recent Pitchfork interview as "some stupid songs that we wrote in college." However, "Kids," "Electric Feel," and especially "Time To Pretend," while being extremely catchy earworms, also happened to be intelligently crafted tunes, and have proven to stand up to repeated listening and scrutiny.

Still, this was not how VanWyngarden and Goldwasser wanted to be perceived, so they began to retreat. Congratulations, their sophomore release, didn't spawn any hits, sold a fraction of the copies Oracular did, and was viewed as a breaking point by critics and longtime fans. Returning to that record though, one can find at least half the record brimming with hooks, the band almost overflowing with ideas. It's not that the record wasn't catchy, just relentlessly so, no one song settling into a groove, but still managing to make a strong impression. In other words, it wasn't the dive into the rabbit hole so many thought it would be. Instead, they saved that move for their latest, MGMT.

A self-titled release is usually presented as the one where an artist views themselves as having found a true definition of what they mean their name to convey (or for a debut album). So, here, presented for the first time is the "true" MGMT. So what does that mean, exactly? Well, for starters, gone are the ADD-like tendencies from Congratulations. In its place are long, ill-defined grooves that meander aimlessly, getting swallowed up by gurgling synths and other obscure sounds that cram into any available space, courtesy of the Flaming Lips and every-other-band-ever produced by Dave Fridmann. The sounds themselves are fantastic; MGMT is, at the least, an immaculately produced record. It’s just that there seems to be no discernible point to all the clutter, with noises stepping on one another for attention while not adding up to much.

Maybe the problem lies with the songs themselves. Unlike Congratulations, which brimmed with ideas, MGMT showcases the band at their most minimal in regard to song structure, opting to explore one idea and find variances in each song, rather than jumping around. Where the former was exciting in its unpredictability, MGMT becomes tedious as it grinds forward. Songs like "An Orphan Of Fortune" and "A Good Sadness," especially, are a couple of the more egregious offenders, just rolling ever onward without any moment that sticks out among all the ephemera. And "Astro-Mancy" might be their worst song yet, a Bizarro universe take on Oracular’s "Of Moons, Birds, & Monsters." It's an absolutely unforgiving song that sees the group indulging in all their worst instincts. Again, there's only so much weak songwriting that studio trickery can make up for. 

That isn't to say that MGMT is a total washout. The first half of the record in particular is quite strong. Singles "Alien Days" and "Your Life Is A Lie" both stand as the catchiest moments here, but neither ascends to the best moments on previous records (however, the "Your Life Is A Lie" video is the best of the year, so good it makes the song better). Discernible melodies are present among the murk, "Alien Days" especially, although, like much of the record, it seems to drag on past its endpoint. Elsewhere, "Mystery Disease" rides the best groove on the record to great effect, pounding drums giving way to haunting keyboards while VanWyngarden waxes poetic nonsense in the murk, and "Plenty Of Girls In The Sea," although it shamelessly steals its groove from Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel," provides a welcome late-album break from the madness with a goofy sea shanty (and includes the lyric "and plenty of those are not women," providing both levity and avoiding charges of sexism).

However, among all these songs, MGMT's defining song is the one they didn't write. "Introspection," originally by forgotten '60s folk singer Faine Jade, defines the band’s mission statement in its title alone, as well as showcasing their knowledge as record geeks. And with its Village Green-era Kinks bounce, it's just about the best thing here. It seems that all MGMT wants is to just be themselves. Still, with all the railing against what defined them in the first place, maybe they're trying to become something they aspire to be. MGMT doesn't shed any light on their identity, though; it propels them into even murkier waters. In the end, for better or worse, the album title is apt. MGMT ends up being just as confused as its namesake.

Grade: C+



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Tonight: Darwin Deez


Get your moustache properly groomed and hipster sweater nice and worn in, because NYC twee indie-pop trio Darwin Deez will be bringing the above accouterments along with some solidly hooky, almost lullaby-like pop tunes, to one of Buffalo’s newest hotspots, The Waiting Room, this evening.  They are back in town, touring in support of their latest record, Songs For Imaginative People, so expect plenty of new tunes to go along with older favorites such as “Lie Detector.”  There’s a plethora of openers for the show as well, including labelmate and fellow NYCers (although they’re actually from Brooklyn, have to make that distinction) Caged Animals, as well as local favorites Bryan Johnson & Family, and Lesionread.  Tickets are $13, with doors opening at 6PM. That’s a small price to pay for what is sure to be a long night with some quality music.




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buffaBLOG Best of 2013 (so far): Part 5



Editor's note: If you missed any of this week's selections, you can check them out here.

 James Wild

 Album:  Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience

 Seven years after Timberlake released his masterpiece, FutureSex/Love Sounds, he has polished his already sterling composing ability. With the release of The 20/20 Experience earlier this year, he met the expectations of his fans and earned respect from the haters. Though highly publicized, the album lives up to the hype, proving to be a composition of songs that help to define Timberlake's catalog. The song "Mirrors," though extremely popular, is one of the most beautiful and meaningful songs I have ever heard.


Song:  Little Jinder - "Whatever 4ever"

Sweden's dreamy Little Jinder is the definition of a break-out artist. Her song "Whatever 4ever" is a beautifully written dream-pop summer anthem! Surprisingly, the beautiful lyrics match her high toned and whimsical voice, often delving deeper at choice opportunities to display her vocal range. This style stems from a long tradition of Swedish pop stars. Accompanying this song is a hilarious music video, and that's why it holds up as best song, so far.



Adam Putzer

Album:  Steve Gunn - Time Off

While upon first listen I wasn’t completely blown away, eventually Time Off wormed its way into my subconscious thanks to Steve Gunn’s low key voice, and the amazing interplay between Gunn and his bandmates. Time Off is the best band album of the year, one where you can see musicians create synergy between them, through familiarity and talent alike.  This allows the songs, which are all on the long side, to weave hypnotically through your brain until they’re lodged there for good.  Time Off is definitely a massive achievement, and, for all its solemn beauty, is the best musician’s record we’ve gotten all year.



Song:  Vampire Weekend - "Unbelievers"

On which Vampire Weekend begins to tackle Big Issues, with its images of atheistic dissenters being “tied to the tracks of the train,” but still manages to enliven the themes with music so robust and joyful that it makes the postulating go down a bit easier.  Probably the band’s greatest accomplishment yet, “Unbelievers” is that rare pop song, an earworm that is not only memorable for its melody, but also for its forward thinking topics.  In that regard, it harkens back to some of the singer songwriter styling’s of the 1970s.  But James Taylor never had a backing this full of life and exuberance.



Michael Santillo

Album:  Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

Although this album has had the benefit of being fresh in my mind, I do believe that this pick will hold up over time. Modern Vampires of the City is a tight record filled with indie-pop songs that initially mislead the listener before revealing their structural complexity amidst continuous idiosyncratic vocal hooks.



Song:  Foxygen - "San Francisco"

This psychedelic dream-pop song is a stellar summer jam, best served on a slow sunny drive to the beach. The chorus is forever repeating in my head, cemented there by the casual call of the lead vocal followed by the sugary, child-like female response.

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Album Review: Black Sabbath - 13


The work of Black Sabbath, in particular their first six albums, is inarguably the cornerstone of heavy metal. The satanic rumble of Tony Iommi’s guitar and Geezer Butler’s bass is the sonic blueprint for too many bands to name, and Ozzy Osbourne remains metal’s most iconic singer. So when word got out that the three of them were to reunite under the Sabbath banner, anticipation was understandably high. The product of this reunion, 13, has the unenviable task of living up to their legacy, or at least approximating it. Luckily, it's here where 13 succeeds.

The mission for this record was to apparently throw out much of their preview work and return to the jazz-blues roots of the first record. However, there are callbacks to many phases of their career, from “Zeitgeist's” aping of Paranoid's “Planet Caravan”to lifting the main riff from the Ian Gillan-fronted classic “Zero The Hero” for the standout “Live Forever.” The callbacks to their classic debut are also apparent on songs like “Loner,” which presents the listener with a variation on the “N.I.B” riff, and the blues harmonica echoes throughout “Damaged Soul” much as it did on “The Wizard” over forty years ago.

None of the new songs live up to those references (nor could they, realistically), but they are still quite good, in particular the opening one-two punch of “End Of The Beginning” and “God Is Dead?,” which, despite the latter’s rather cheesy nu-metal opening riff, recall the multi-part epics that opened some of Sabbath’s most beloved albums. “Zeitgeist” performs the role of the palette cleanser quite admirably, providing a welcome break from the album’s almost suffocating heaviness with its bongos and phased-out Ozzy vocals continuing the tradition of spacey Sabbath ballads (while avoiding the melodramatic elements of “Changes” or any solo Ozzy ballad for that matter). “Live Forever” and “Damaged Soul” provide a late album wakeup call and are the two overall heaviest tracks on 13. In particular, “Live Forever,” which possesses a hard-charging rhythm (reminiscent of “Hole In The Sky”) and headbanging riff that accompanies Ozzy’s pained refrain “I don’t wanna live forever, but I don’t wanna die,” is especially notable. However, 13 closes with its weakest track, “Dear Father,” dragging on for seven minutes without building any momentum.

Production-wise, 13 is sadly a bit flat-sounding, which seems to be par for the course for modern Rick Rubin records (Rubin also had a big hand in ruining Metallica’s comeback bid Death Magnetic). Still, that takes nothing away from the individual performers, specifically Iommi and Butler. Butler’s bass still manages to conjure up an unearthly growl, grooving more than any other metal bassist alive. Tony Iommi remains metal riffmaster supreme, his playing remaining as vibrant and remarkable as it was years ago. While he may never again discover the amazing tone he got on Master Of Reality and Volume 4, here he proves he can still find imaginative variations in areas well-tread for years. Ozzy remains Ozzy. If he doesn't quite embrace the darkness he did years ago, he can still bring it on a purely superficial level, his voice aging remarkably well in spite of whatever other ravages have overtaken him after years of substance abuse.

The main problem here, however, lies in drummer Brad Wilk. It’s not that he’s a bad player, in fact he’s solid and serviceable throughout, but he lacks the sloppy swing and dynamic that woefully underrated Bill Ward brought to the group. Ward's drumming was a key ingredient noticeable in its absence, as Wilk remains sadly one-note throughout in the meantime. His playing is heavy but leaden, never quite providing the spark these songs need, outside of his Ward imitation on “Live Forever.”

13 ends with the sounds of rain and chiming church bells, purposely bringing the record full circle to the opening of their debut. While the album never reaches the heights of that debut or its follow ups, it manages to slide seamlessly into second-tier Sabbath, pacing itself with the Dio-fronted albums, and outclassing Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die!, the final unfortunate Ozzy-era albums. At the very least, it also washes out the bad aftertaste of the post-Ozzy and Dio years. In the lead up to 13, Ozzy discussed wanting to end Sabbath the right way, and as far as that goes, Black Sabbath have accomplished that goal with this record.

Grade: B






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Album Review: Steve Gunn - Time Off


After spending the better part of the last year touring with Kurt Vile as a member of his backing band, Violators, guitarist/vocalist Steve Gunn has emerged with one of the better, more unique records to pop up in this already strong music year. His somewhat ironically titled Time Off (presumably made during the time after he had fulfilled his other commitments) is a low-key stunner, a rather diverse collection of tunes that covers substantial ground in a short span of time.

Like Kurt Vile, Gunn mostly sticks to a folksy musical style. However, he eschews Vile’s penchant for layered, dream-like psychedelia for a more straightforward approach, leading a trio through mostly acoustic-based material and occasionally employing stabs of electric guitar.  his works largely to Time Off’s benefit, however, giving the songs a plaintiveness they might have lacked otherwise.

This atmosphere also helps lend credence to the themes of Time Off, which, aside from the sly joke about when it was made, really deals with getaways, brief times when one can break free for a bit. “The water wheel’s constant turn, open views and days turn burn,” from album opener “Water Wheel,” succinctly provides Gunn’s mission statement . In fact, succinct is a key word to describe Time Off; the record is only six songs long. However, none of the songs are shorter than five minutes, and each makes an impact during their extended duration.

“Water Wheel” is a highlight, with a musical push and pull that visualizes the endless churn of water passing through the title object. Gunn and his backing band are absolutely tight here, as they are on the rest of the record, understanding and sympathetic to one another and to the song itself. Gunn’s voice is appropriately subdued, often mixed a bit further back than the instruments, but still a key ingredient.

Time Off is peppered with strong material, from the melancholia of “Lurker” and “Old Strange” to the droning, yet propulsive “Street Keeper” (the album’s best track). “New Decline” is the record’s most straightforward song, a blues workout given muscle by a swaying drumbeat and bass line, enlivened throughout by Gunn’s virtuosic slide guitar, which here lets rip one of the record's rare guitar solos. “Trailways Ramble,” the closing track, will probably be the most divisive: a nearly nine minute instrumental workout riding on an endless riff. While it artfully provides the image of a train endlessly rolling, it quickly becomes tedious, and the long running time doesn’t help.

Still, five out of six songs is a pretty great hit-to-miss ratio. Time Off proves itself to be an idiosyncratic record, unlike most indie folk or pop or anything released this year. In a year of similar records like Wakin On A Pretty Daze or Phosphorescent, Time Off distinguishes itself as a sparer, yet more resonant (and better sounding; Gunn and his compatriots are consummate musicians) record than either of those admittedly strong efforts. Steve Gunn definitely did something productive with his time off this year.

Grade: A



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Album Review: Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork


Queens Of The Stone Age have always been an amorphous group, to say the least. Guest stars depart as fast as they arrived, with only a few making any sort of discernible impact (where exactly was Julian Casablancas on “Sick, Sick, Sick”?). This is mostly due to the singular vision of ringleader Josh Homme, one of the most distinctive writers going, always keeping these collaborators in line with his vision. QOSTA’s latest release, and first in seven years (!), …Like Clockwork, adds even more prestigious names to the list: Elton John, Trent Reznor, Alex Turner, and the returning Dave Grohl and Mark Lanegan. Even ostracized original bassist Nick Olivieri was invited back. 

 However, outside of Grohl’s and Lanegan’s contributions, you’d once again be hard pressed to hear any of the other guests’ contributions, this is another Josh Homme record through and through. Not that that’s a bad thing in any way, …Like Clockwork continues QOTSA’s winning streak, which dates back to their self-titled debut. Even if it doesn’t reach the manic heights of the best tracks from Era Vulgaris, it is a much more consistent, streamlined record (and by far their shortest, coming in at a comparatively lean 46 minutes). 

 The first half of the record hits all the right notes, showcasing each of the styles QOTSA does so effectively, from Sabbath-influenced sludge (opener “Keep Your Eyes Peeled”) to smarter than average radio rock (“My God Is The Sun,” which contains a vintage Grohl drumming performance), in addition to manic slide guitar workouts (“I Sat By The Ocean”) and callbacks to the late, great Kyuss ( “If I Had A Tail”). Nothing too far off the beaten path, but still quite tasty and fulfilling. 

 It’s on the album’s back half where Homme starts to take more chances. The off-kilter “Kalopsia” careens from circus organ psychedelic ballad to stomping Zeppelin-esque pomp almost at random and with no warning. Somehow, they  make it all work. “Fairweather Friends” is the much-discussed Elton John track, but aside from some piano tinkling and a barely audible vocal contribution, he is almost fully subsumed into QOTSA’s sludge. “Smooth Sailing” is one of the most distinctive tracks here, a full-on funk stomper, complete with falsetto vocals, a harder hitting sequel to Era Vulgaris standout “Make It Wit Chu.” 

…Like Clockwork closes with its title track, a surprisingly sincere ballad and the biggest left turn on a record that straddles the line between giving the people what they want and continuing to push at the seams of what embodies QOTSA’s style. Even with its shortened run time, ..Like Clockwork proves to be as  ambitious as their previous records, albeit just a bit more reined in. While it may lack in sheer manic energy, it’s still purely Josh Homme's record, and proves that, even after six albums and a seven year layoff, he still has something substantial and rewarding to offer. 

  Grade: A- 


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Listener's Digest: Winter Bear - "Jump in the Fire"


Lo-fi seems to be all the rage nowadays, but Winter Bear’s “Jump In The Fire” stands out from the pack a bit thanks to its rollicking garage pop feel and “ba ba ba” earworms that soon get lodged in your subconscious.  Also, Dorby Dorbin’s lead vocal harkens back to The Shangri-La’s or any classic girl group.  One question though: where’s the bass? “Jump In The Fire” is the A-side to their upcoming single, which will be out in late June. Since the track is not yet public, at least to us, you can listen to the song here.




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Album Review: Majical Cloudz - Impersonator


“The cheesier songs all end with a smile, this one wont end with a smile, my love.” This line, from album standout “Bugs Don’t Buzz” but serves as a mission statement for Devon Welsh, who, along with multi-instrumentalist Matthew Otto, make up Montreal-based duo Majical Cloudz.  Much like The National’s Matt Berninger, Welsh trades in melancholy, using a similar low baritone to express himself.  However, where Berninger’s leanings are usually given life by his group’s immaculate musicianship and rich arrangements, Welsh prefers to keep things spare, which serves to highlight his personal lyrics.  This all combines to make the duo’s latest record, Impersonator, a highly uncomfortable but admirable listen.

The word to describe the production here is spartan.  All the arrangements are stripped down to their bare essence, with only occasional appearances by drums or percussion, mostly relying on keyboards and Welsh’s authoritative voice to carry the brunt of the music.  This lends a bit of sameness to the record as it progresses, but also makes the more fleshed out tunes, such as “Turns Turns Turns” stand out from the pack.  Overall, however, Impersonator is a largely somber affair.

Welsh’s lyrics throughout only reinforce this feeling.  He declares “I wanna be somebody’s darling” on the title track, and the emotion swells through in his delivery.  It may be a bit melodramatic, to be sure (he hasn’t mastered Matt Berninger’s skill for subtlety and quiet menace), but proves to be an effective, if blunt, way of conveying himself.  “This Is Magic” is one of the more egregious offenders, with its vocal melody constantly jumping for dramatic peak notes at the end of every phrase, but still works because of Welsh’s innate vocal skills. This works even when he’s dropping lines as overblown as “I see some monsters standing over my crib.” More impressive still, he manages to make “went down on me” into a catchy hook on “Childhood’s End,” a bit of an overwrought illustration of the title, but somehow still works.

Impersonator is a difficult album to parse.  Majical Cloudz are certainly skilled at what they do, but it is still so unseemly and uneasy at times as to be a bit of a turn off.  And, at least to these ears, lines like “I would love you, I would love to,” when combined with that delivery, come off pretty heavy-handed.  Still, to be able to capture Big Feelings in such a controlled, sterile environment is an achievement in itself.  Impersonator ends up being reminiscent of a museum piece, easy to admire from afar, but very difficult to get close to.

Grade: B-



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Album Review: Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City


Vampire Weekend have always been a polarizing act among music fans in general, and indie enthusiasts in particular. Criticism has been leveled at their supposed misappropriation of afro-pop and world music, as well as their background as well-heeled Ivy League graduates who parlay their upper class status into arcane references to various status symbols, from horchatas to Oxford commas. However, what cannot be denied is that they have always tempered these pretensions with true craftsmanship, creating memorable songs out of seemingly random influences. What always seemed be lacking amongst all this, however, was a sense of maturity; Vampire Weekend always had more fun skewering and paying tribute to their origins than concerning themselves with such petty nuances like emotion. With Modern Vampires Of The City, they look to rectify that (as if it needed fixing in the first place).

Death and religion hover around almost every song here. Take a quick glimpse at the song titles: “Unbelievers,” “Diane Young” (a play on dying young, which the band rightly thought too obvious a title), “Worship You,” “Ya Hey” (sounds like Yahweh). “Wisdom’s a gift but you’d trade it for youth,” singer Ezra Koenig observes on standout “Step,” and his vocal delivery sells his sincerity perfectly. Where earlier he might have traded in on signature yelps and up ticks in octaves, Koenig remains restrained throughout, adding pathos where sarcasm might have been present before. Keyboardist/producer Rostam Batmanglij creates a soundscape to match the more sober themes; gone is the everything and the kitchen sink approach he favored on Contra, here replaced with a more nuanced approach that adds texture where necessary, but never overwhelms the songs themselves as they sometimes did on that previous record. 

If all this sounds like Vampire Weekend have just dropped their version of the dreaded “band embracing maturity” record, rest assured that this is not the case at all.; they still haven’t forgotten the qualities that made them so popular in the first place. “Diane Young” teeters on a frantic processed beat and out of control Auto-Tune vocals, falling in line with previous ravers like “A-Punk” and “Cousins,” and is the only instance here where Koenig and Co. indulge their every whim. Elsewhere, their restraint is remarkable. “Step” plays as a variation on their signature forays into reggae, but plays its hand close to the vest, never resorting to histrionics, instead allowing its spare groove to pulse and breathe where earlier they might have gone a few steps too far. And “Unbelievers” just might be Vampire Weekend’s greatest song yet, a live favorite that’s been kicking around for years, here finally reaching its full potential as a true anthem, with rollicking piano and steadily rolling drums propelling the song while Koenig drops vocal hook after vocal hook.

Modern Vampires Of The City also drops some nice surprises, in particular “Hannah Hunt,” which plays as Vampire Weekend’s attempt at a power ballad. That may sound a bit demeaning, but it works like gangbusters, and Koenig lets his voice loose as the song builds to its powerful climax. “Worship You,” with its martial drumming and heavily strummed acoustic guitar, almost comes off like a Celtic folk chant (or at least a play on Mumford and Sons, perhaps) in its verses, but soon opens up into a slightly psychedelic chorus, then tops it off with a fuzzed out guitar solo.

Modern Vampires Of The City represents a turning point for Vampire Weekend.  Where they had shown slight growth and refinement between their self-titled record and Contra, here the doors have been blown off the hinges. Sure, they are still wont to drop references to burning Saabs and Communist readers, but they go down easier when there are real stakes involved. So, now Vampire Weekend are 3-for-3, and have taken the Great Leap Forward. The only question that remains is where can they go next? And how soon can we hear it?

Grade: A-



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Album Review: Mikal Cronin - MCII


After spending the better part of a year as a member of indie stalwart Ty Seagall’s touring group, one man band Mikal Cronin follows up 2011’s hazily psychedelic self-titled debut.  Although MCII sees him cleaning up his sound significantly, that doesn’t mean that Cronin has forgotten the power aspect of the “power pop” equation.  Just in time for summer, MCII is a bright, focused, full bore rock record that highlights Cronin’s unique ways with melodies and instrumentation.

Because Cronin has taken on the role of auteur, playing all the instruments himself (aside from the strings, whose parts he still composed himself) and overseeing the production down to the most minute detail, MCII is a remarkably consistent listen.  Every song here has a strong hook and small, but noticeable, touches that distinguish it from stereotypical “power pop” records.  In addition, most likely thanks to Seagall’s influence, Cronin hasn’t forgot to add significant amounts of fuzz to both the guitars and drums, providing a welcome garage rock edge to everything here.  Elsewhere, strings, bouncy piano, slide guitar, and more appear, only enhancing the summery feel.

Despite the upbeat nature of most of the music, Cronin takes a more desperate tack lyrically throughout MCII, detailing a guy who’s growing up, looking for direction, taking on more responsibility; MCII is essentially a treatise on maturity.  Opening the record with a tune titled “Weight” helps solidify that theme, offsetting the sprightly bounce of the tune itself.  This paradoxical style continues on “Shout It Out”, Cronin declaring “time is running low, and I’m getting closer to the door,” as  jangly guitars and harmonies cascade around his sweet lead vocals, culminating in a chorus declaration of “shit goes on and on and on.”

“Am I Wrong” and “See It My Way” continue the high quality, the former sounding like an outtake from The Rolling Stones’ Between The Buttons, thanks to some off-kilter piano playing and fuzzy guitar soloing, while the latter is a glammed up acoustic strut that explodes into a Weezer-esque chorus of wailing guitars and earnest vocals.   “Change” is one of the standouts on the album’s latter-half, a hard charging punk tune that still retains Cronin’s tunefulness, these qualities carrying over to follow up track “I’m Done Running From You.”  But the album’s most affecting highlight comes in its most low-key moment, the acoustic plaintiveness of “Don’t Let Me Go,” whose title again reinforces the insecurity and doubt present in Cronin’s work.

The balancing of light and dark is key to the success of MCII.  However, there doesn’t need to be any greater understanding of the song’s themes to make the record enjoyable; it’s surface elements are immediately appealing, which makes repeated listens rewarding as the record reveals its darker layers over time.  MCII is a great achievement in a young career that only continues to grow in promise. And it’s a hell of a fun listen, to boot.

Grade: A-



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Album Review: Phoenix - Bankrupt!


“Headline from this day on.”  Those words, the first heard on Phoenix’s latest release, Bankrupt!, succinctly summarize the meteoric rise that the French group experienced thanks to the runaway success of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the group’s last record, which was as solid a collection of guitar pop songs as any released in the last decade. Thanks in particular to the immaculate and ubiquitous hits “Lisztomania” and “1901,” Phoenix because one of the biggest bands on the planet after years of toiling in obscurity. And now, after a long four year layoff, they have finally released their follow up, with all the attendant hype that accompanies a major release.  Bankrupt! shows Phoenix embracing the challenge, creating a monster of a record, both in sheer magnitude and disjointedness.
    
The first thing that stands out on Bankrupt! is the production: this record sounds huge.  Eschewing the intricately rhythmic guitar work that propelled Wolfgang, Bankrupt! is awash in Day-Glo synthesizers and drum machines, the 80s influence always present in the band’s work pushed more to the forefront than ever before.  It’s as stadium-ready as any record by Duran Duran or Bon Jovi, playing to the back row and beyond.   Conversely, Bankrupt! acts as Phoenix’s comment on celebrity record; in contrast to the gleaming production, singer Thomas Mars depicts a world of distrust and uneasiness, a product of the celebrity thrust upon him and his bandmates.  Lyrics such as “I’d rather be alone” and “almost the real thing” are pretty much par for the course throughout, mission statements and astute observations from the eye of the fame tornado.

However, when it comes to the songs themselves, Bankrupt! is a decidedly mixed affair.  The opening trio of “Entertainment,” “The Real Thing,” and “SOS In Bel Air”  are a microcosm of the chaos here; “Entertainment” rides its “Turning Japanese” derived synth riff into the ground as it careens from part to part, stuffing the song to the point of overload, while “The Real Thing” uses a similar Far East synth, but instead manages to create a cool groove, thanks in no small part to some seriously reverbed syndrums.  Both songs lack the fire of the best songs on Wolfgang,though, “SOS In Bel Air” being the only one that comes closest to capturing the energy and spirit of that record, and it’s easily the standout song here.  “Drakkar Noir” is also notable, not only for its reference to the ultimate 80s cologne, but also for its nonsense chorus of “jingle jangle jungle,” which helps make it one of the most outright fun tracks here.
    
Elsewhere, Phoenix try their hand at refining the style they had already perfected on Wolfgang, with lackluster results.  The title track tries for some “Love Like A Sunset” grandiosity, only to replace that song’s slow burn intensity with endless synth tinkering that becomes tiresome quickly, and at nearly seven minutes length is a bit of a slog to get through.  “Don’t” and “Oblique City” are formulaic collections of recycled ideas, not making much of an impression, although “Don’t” is graced with some cool Hawaiian style slide guitar throughout.
    
The one new wrinkle here, and one that Phoenix proves adept at, is their newfound appreciation for the power ballad.  Both “Chloroform” and “Bourgeois” are among the best Bankrupt! has to offer, with “Bourgeois” a highlight in particular, an absolutely towering song that builds expertly to its shoutalong chorus, possibly the most anthemic Phoenix has written to date.
    
Bankrupt! ultimately comes off as less a victory lap, and more a consolidation of past strengths, while also trying to build on them.  However, Phoenix seem to have confused improvement with overcompensation.  Bankrupt! is practically bursting at the seams with ideas, but when inserted into their established formula only serves to bloat the songs.  It’s still a worthwhile listen, with at least a few songs to add to the pantheon.  Ultimately, to borrow a couple of 80s icons, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is Die Hard, an original, concise idea that surprisingly hit paydirt;  Bankrupt! is Die Harder, doing everything bigger and louder, but not at all better.  Still, that made a ton of money as well.

Grade: B




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Album Review: Iron & Wine - Ghost On Ghost


After becoming massively popular with his brand of idiosyncratic indie folk, Sam Beam and his outfit Iron & Wine have been stretching out musically in recent years, culminating in their jazz-inflected, labored 2011 album Kiss Each Other Clean.  Those jazz influences carry over to Beam and Co.’s latest release, Ghost On Ghost, but this time tempers the self-seriousness with a dash of SoCal AM soft rock, along with a myriad of other styles Beam indulges himself in, seemingly throwing things against the wall to see what sticks.  And while this makes for a decidedly hit and miss affair, Ghost On Ghost is at least a lighter, more immediate record than its predecessor.
    
“Caught In The Briars” starts the record with a couple of false starts, an electronic drum loop leading into a horn driven section reminiscent of Van Morrison style Celtic soul, before finally settling in as a pleasantly driving, summery folk tune, replete with images of naked boys rolling around with girls in the grass.  The feel carries over on first single “Grace For Saints And Ramblers,” the most immediately memorable song here, a joyous slice of AM gold, complete with Fender Rhodes piano, with more lyrics detailing an idyllic summer day, a theme that runs throughout Ghost On Ghost.  The rest of the record’s strongest songs work within this framework, tunes like “The Desert Babbler” and “New Mexico’s No Breeze” demonstrating how much Beam has really mastered evoking the classic sounds of 70s soft rock.
    
It’s when Beam reaches too far, particularly in his jazzier efforts, that Ghost On Ghost falters.  “Joy” is rather joyless despite its title, a dirge that throws a wrench in the record’s pretty strong opening momentum.  “Lovers’ Revolution,” while an admirably sincere attempt to really incorporate jazz and meld it with Beam’s signatures, comes off as overblown and awkward, especially in the instrumental breakdown, where an all out free form freakout commences before awkwardly landing back into the tune proper.  And Beam’s voice, while always a pretty and pure tenor, isn’t up to the task of demonstrating the grit required of any jazz vocalist worth his or her salt.
    
Ghost On Ghost closes with “Baby Center Stage,” a welcome exercise in Eagles-esque country rock, complete with aching pedal steel guitar and mournful piano.  It’s a perfectly pleasant tune, and Ghost On Ghost is a perfectly pleasant record.  That may sound like damning with faint praise, but when Beam’s ambition outweighs his ability, Ghost On Ghost falters, and the simpler, upbeat tunes stand out even more.  A strangely schizophrenic record, but appropriate and welcome listening as spring starts to settle in, the light, summery feel of half the record providing a perfect soundtrack for a nice afternoon drive with the windows down. 

Grade: B-





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Album Review: The Postal Service - Give Up (10th Anniversary Edition)


When Dntel’s Jimmy Tamborello began e-mailing Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard loops and samples, with Gibbard adding lyrics and morphing everything into tangible songs, they never could have guessed what their little lark would spawn.  Adopting the moniker of The Postal Service, Gibbard and Tamborello would inadvertently create one of the true benchmark albums of the new millennium.  Cementing it’s status, the duo’s sole record, Give Up, has been given the deluxe treatment on its tenth anniversary, complete with a second disc of various b-sides and covers for the Postal Service aficionado.
    
Give Up was a trendsetter in many respects, both musically and commercially.  Certainly the deluge of electronic acts breaking through on the radio and the charts today, such as Owl City, are indebted to The Postal Service’s brand of earnest electro-pop.  Give Up was also one of the first records that could be considered a “laptop” album, with Tamborello’s samples and synth lines created almost entirely with computers, along with the manner in which he and Gibbard collaborated.  
    
However, Give Up’s biggest contribution to popular culture lies in its ubiquity; the album’s biggest single, “Such Great Heights,” has appeared in everything from movies (Garden State) to television ads (those whiteboard UPS commercials), and marks the beginning of music licensing as a legitimate way to garner hits, rather than relying on ever harder to gain radio exposure and fading music television markets.  What was once considered a sellout move has become almost a necessity for young bands to gain exposure, and acts such as Spoon and Phoenix would not be nearly as popular without the canny use of their material in all kinds of mass media.
    
Outside of all that, the question remains, though: how does the music stand up now?  Well, after ten years and countless imitators who have refined The Postal Service’s formula, Give Up sounds dated, at least from a production standpoint, the omnipresent bleeps and drum machines having been done better in later iterations. As a result, Give Up becomes a bit tiring as it goes along, with songs like “Brand New Colony” and “Clark Gable” barely registering as the album lumbers through its latter half.  
   
The singles, however, remain testaments to the songcraft that Gibbard employed to make these songs perhaps his most beloved, even above his notable songs with Death Cab For Cutie. “Such Great Heights,” “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight,” and “We Will Become Silhouettes” all stand tall as perhaps Gibbard’s greatest songs, with Tamborello’s melancholy soundscapes providing the perfect atmosphere for Gibbard’s signature brand of sad naiveté and whimsy.  While those particular qualities can become tiring at times in the context of Death Cab’s music, they work like gangbusters on Give Up.  And album tracks such as “Nothing Better” just fall short of that level of quality, but remain worthwhile listens.
    
The bonus disc consists of an assortment of b-sides, remixes, and covers by many notable artists, including Matthew Dear and The Shins.  Everything here has been available previously, and nothing is essential beyond Iron and Wine’s lovely take on “Such Great Heights,” so for people looking for unreleased material and rarities there is bound to be some disappointment.
    
Give Up is a hard record to assess; its overall contribution to pop culture tends to obscure the merits of the album proper, leading opinions to rate it higher than it probably deserves.  It’s not a perfect record by any means, although its three singles are as close to perfect pop as can be.  So, in the end, Give Up is, and always will be, a solid record, but far from a great one. Paradoxically, it is, however, an essential album, and probably the best thing Ben Gibbard has ever done.
    
Album Grade: B+
Bonus Disc Grade: C




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Listener's Digest: Queens of the Stone Age - "My God Is The Sun"


Here’s the first taste of Queens of the Stone Age’s latest release, …Like Clockwork, the group’s first in six years.  It’s immediately recognizable, boasting the searing guitar interplay and pounding drums (Dave Grohl played on most of the tracks, although it is unclear if he is drumming on this particular track) that, combined with singer Josh Homme’s unique voice, makes for an appropriately epic comeback single.  …Like Clockwork is out on 6/4.



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Album Review: Hiss Golden Messenger - Haw


In recent years, an odd hybrid of folk, country, and Americana has taken hold of the collective consciousness of music listeners everywhere.  Bands like Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers, and Deer Tick have all had major success, to varying degrees, managing to score chart hits and multi-platinum records.  Hiss Golden Messenger ostensibly fits into this mold, combining many of the same influences, but throughout their latest record, Haw, prove to have a broader musical and emotional palette to work from, resulting in a much deeper, more satisfying work than any of the aforementioned bands have made thus far.
“Red Rose Nantahala” opens Haw with a hard charging honky-tonk groove, while vocalist MC Taylor pleads, “Oh Lord, make me happy,” adding an undercurrent of desperation to its otherwise pleasant sound.  Taylor is a major ingredient in Haw’s success; his voice is quite remarkable, reminiscent of Deer Tick’s John McCauley, minus the forced affectation, sounding plaintive, natural, and malleable to fit any mood or style he surrounds himself with.  This quality is necessary, as Haw soon deviates from traditional country and folk, adding elements from all over the musical spectrum.
“Sufferer (Love My Conqueror),” the follow up track, actually begins Haw in earnest, an introduction of what’s to come.  A slow burn country ballad, it’s burnished by elements of psychedelia, with wah-wah guitars and a swooning string section adding to the off-kilter mood. Touches like this also grace “I’ve Got A Name For The Newborn Child,” which sounds like it was written on Taylor’s back porch in a rocking chair, an easy groove given more weight with an offbeat rhythm section in the chorus, keeping the listener from getting completely comfortable.     
Elsewhere, “Sweet As John Hurt” name-drops the legendary Mississippi bluesman while playing as the most straightforward country here, replete with pedal steel guitar fills and a laid back yet assertive beat, and “Cheerwine Easter” offsets its folksy guitar and banjo picking with free jazz saxophone along the lines of Coltrane.  Odd bedfellows to be sure, but it all manages to work seamlessly.  Peppered along the way are short instrumentals like “Hat Of Rain” that are pretty yet inessential, but still manage to add character and illuminate the innate feeling of melancholy that runs throughout Haw.
The key word to describe Haw is subtle.  Unlike Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers, who hit the listener over the head with a barrage of shout-along choruses, Hiss Golden Messenger create a soundscape that’s inviting yet slightly dark, revealing its rougher edges over repeated listens.  No, Haw is not anthemic.  It is, however, an utterly solid beauty of an album.



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Listener's Digest: Cold Cave - "God Made The World"


Everyone loves 80s new wave nowadays, don’t they?  Well, here’s another modern take on that sound. Cold Cave's “God Made The World” offers a new twist on Joy Division’s oft-emulated style, with frontman Wesley Eisold putting forth his best Ian Curtis croon over arena-reverbed drum machines, while synths and guitars grind away to create a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere.  The end result is anthemic, with a ready made stadium chant chorus, “God made the world, but I made the sound.” God Made The World” will be released as a 7” single, however no release date has been announced yet.



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