Showing posts with label atoms for peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label atoms for peace. Show all posts
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buffaBLOG's Best of 2013 (so far): Part 3


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

 Album:  Waxahatchee - Cerulean Salt

 As I can only highlight one album, I’m picking Waxahatchee’s Cerulean Salt. I’ve already written extensively about The National, Vampire Weekend, and Deerhunter (all great albums) but so have a lot of other people. Katie Crutchfield’s adorable and nearly flawless album of folk-pop, however, has been written about far less, and for no justifiable reason. I’ve listened to this album countless times this year and never tire of it. It’s simple and catchy and affecting and lovely. Songs like “Misery Over Dispute” show off how brilliantly Crutchfield mixes vulnerability and strength and also her ability to craft a really emotional and unexpected melody. It’s truly no reflection of my opinion of the album that I chose not to write about it at length. I think some albums just don’t lend themselves very well to the level of (over) analysis in which I engage. Parsing the hell out of the earnest sentiments of this album would feel like dissecting a butterfly.


Song:  The National - "Pink Rabbits"

The National’s “Pink Rabbits” is the only song I’ve heard this year that has absolutely stopped me in my tracks. The main piano theme is the type of circular melody that the Dessner brothers have perfected: a repetitive tumble of notes that’s ultimately somewhat unsatisfying, as it seems to stop just short of actually resolving itself before it trips back into its opening bars again. Structurally, the song is deceptively complex with 7 distinct sections that seamlessly meld into one another. Lyrically, the song is as strong as anything Matt Berninger has written, where it’s impossible to pick a favorite line as every other one seems like a highlight.  “I’m so surprised you want to dance with me now, you always said I held you way too high off the ground” is Berninger at his witty, self-deprecating best, (alluding to both being an over-aggressive dancer and holding his partner in too high of esteem.) It’s a dark and pretty song that somehow manages to sound like what nostalgia feels like: overwhelming and longing and far away and close to heart and beautiful and not at all painless.



Brian Gorman

Album:  Crystal Fighters - Cave Rave

The soundtrack to perpetual sunshine, the tone throughout Cave Rave is of boisterous jubilance. Each track is packed with dense, tribal percussion and backed up by catchy, sing along choruses. There's a healthy dose of electronic influence but it never overtakes the organic, earthy feel of the songs. Star of Love had a few more standout singles, but Cave Rave flows like a great live set. This is a band that kills just as much on stage as they do in the studio, and you can hear the difference.



Song:  Everything Everything - "Duet"

2010's Man Alive was so fresh and unpredictable that Everything Everything's sophomore effort was facing impossible odds to be as good. Not only does Arc live up to it's predecessor, it manages to set itself apart and do its own thing, something sophomore albums are notorious for doing poorly. "Duet" opens with strings that wouldn't feel out of place on a Coldplay record, but quickly distinguishes itself with the unmistakable falsetto of Jonathan Higgs and the band's bizarre Queen-esque harmonized backup vocals ("black caldera ash and falling", "tarred and feathered genii"). The song culminates with a rousing climax that just rocks. 



Travis Kowalski 

Album:  Atoms for Peace - Amok
Song:  Atoms for Peace - "Ingenue"

Earlier this year ,the world eagerly welcomed the first album from supergroup Atoms for Peace, ambiguously titled Amok. Although lead vocalist Thom Yorke has admitted that this musical venture is simply a side project, the songs on their debut album have held enough pizazz to keep them on my most recent playlists. What really made this album stand out were the psychedelic rhythms, the addicting bass lines, and of course Yorke's impeccable vocals. This group didn’t try to live up to the sounds of the alternative groups they were a part of, but instead created something to kickoff 2013. It’s only fitting that my favorite song this year also happened to come from the same band. “Ingenue” is a song whose vitality seems to grow more and more upon listening. The woody snaps pair well with the dynamic electronics making for a well-rounded dance floor track, a strong workout track and an even better summer jam.



Michael Torsell

Album:  Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

Vampire Weekend achieved the rare feat of getting better with each release, avoiding a sophomore slump with Contra and with this year's stellar Modern Vampires of the City. A remarkably consistent pop record underscoring the group's artistic growth, many of the tracks were contenders for my favorite track thus far. However, it is their coming together on one LP that makes this such an easy pick for my favorite album.



Song:  Wild Nothing - "A Dancing Shell"

I am perhaps a little biased here because I simply really like Wild Nothing beyond any sort of critical reasoning. Nocturne was my favorite of 2012 and while the EP released this year was more of a sketch of future directions, those sketches coalesce nicely in "A Dancing Shell." A shift in sound to something more expansive, Wild Nothing effectively moves forward.

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Album Review: Atoms for Peace - Amok


Any project that sports Thom Yorke’s name is definitely going to be something of a creative journey that requires an undeniably large amount of will power to overcome the seductive charm his music possesses. The Radiohead front man’s latest venture brings together drummer Joey Waronker, fellow Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea working the bass. This unique blend of musicians from different scopes have rightfully named themselves Atoms for Peace after the 1953 Nobel Prize nominated speech given by Dwight Eisenhower.

In the band’s first collection of songs entitled Amok, there is a unique fusion of electronic synths, highly addicting bass lines, and psychedelic rhythms all while maintaining the powerful undertone of cryptic lyrics Yorke fans have come to know. Surprisingly, the album came to fruition from only three days of hardcore jam sessions and months of polishing by Godrich and Yorke. Their artistic endeavor shows threads of revelatory grooves that keep the album sounding slightly unconventional and fresh.

Immediately upon listening to this supergroup’s album, it is clear that there is a much more complex set of instrumentals at play when compared to Yorke’s most recent solo effort The Eraser. This is a welcome feature that blends well with his lustrous, powerful vocals. The track “Default” is a high-end sound design that is a complete example of how Atoms for Peace combines woody snaps and dynamic electronics into their experimental pop project. It is one of the album’s many instances where it exhibits a strong possibility to reach dance floor demographics that even Yorke’s Radiohead hasn’t necessarily been able to reach due to the much more electronic sound Amok is going for.

Other songs that contribute to the distinction of a uniquely Atoms for Peace sound are “Ingenue,” “Dropped,” and the title trac. These tracks captivate Yorke and Godrich’s successful synthesizing that manifest in a pleasing fluidity between tracks. They all progress along in a harmonious fashion, which is mainly because of the top-notch production and seamless integration of electronica synths. It is often easy to forget this band is a product of alternate group’s until Yorke’s distinct vocals light up the songs in the same way he ignites the Radiohead albums. The sound Amok goes for is distant than that of the diverse member’s other bands, but it doesn’t stray too far as a result of Thom Yorke’s vocals.

Atoms for Peace’s debut album Amok isn’t attempting to tower into the same landscape as the group’s various native bands. Instead it stems into its own category of artistry, even if it did come around from a three day drunken stint. This highly anticipated release was well worth the wait and a probable psychedelic experience is inevitable given the nature of Yorke’s progression into mind numbing electronics.

Grade:  A-



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Top Ten February Album Releases


As you've been hibernating the past few weeks, staying cozy inside while windchill levels approached sub-zero, the music world has kept warm too, grilling up an entire month's worth of awesome new releases. Check out what February has in store for your ears!
10. Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse
When Scottish indie rock outfit Frightened Rabbit released their track and subsequent video for "State Hospital" last year I was pretty blown away. The song has the stamina and intensity of a stadium rock anthem, but wields weighty lyricism that cuts to images of suffering and hope. Overall, their EP release last year wasn't great, but just good enough to stir up a longing for their fourth studio full-length which is out today.
9. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away 
The legendary Nick Cave has stayed prolific as ever in the past few years with his Grinderman efforts and reissues with his band, and will be releasing his fifteenth studio record with The Bad Seeds on 2/18 via the band’s own label, Bad Seed Ltd. The debut single off the new record is called “Jubilee Street”. Check it out below:
8. Pissed Jeans - Honeys
Pissed Jeans are back with more of their corrosive, ear-punishing punk on their third full-length, Honeys. As Sub Pop points out: “Honeys stews on the kind of mundane, niggling things that keep you up late at night. It’s an ode to the misery and shackles of being a responsible adult, and the shame of one’s own narcissism.” That description, along with the buzzing guitar riffs of album cut “Cathouse” already have me sold. 


7. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II 
Unknown Mortal Orchestra had a pretty fast climb to prominence as their debut self-titled LP found itself at the center of a critical love fest two years ago. Reaping instant acclaim, the Portland-via-New Zealand transplants toured their asses off, and the relentlessness of that experience has been the slow-burning fuel for their latest record, II, which is out today via Jagjaguwar. With frontman Ruban Nielson’s unique lyricism and seamless guitar-playing to boot, it is interesting to see where this next record will take us, as it is almost always the case that a sophomore LP will up the ante on production value. Listen to “So Good At Being In Trouble” below:


6. Autre Ne Veut - Anxiety 
Known by friends as Arthur Ashin, this Brooklynite is fresh on the scene with his latest album Anxiety due out 2/26 via Mexican Summer. The newest single off the record is “Play By Play” and highlight’s Ashin’s dynamic renewal of 80s pop and R&B that raises eyebrows with its spellbinding percussion and Prince-like vocals. Listen below:

5. Doldrums - Lesser Evil
Canadian beat-smith Doldrums aka Airick Woodhead will release his debut record Lesser Evil on 2/25 via Arbutus. The Toronto DIY-er has released a few small EPs in the past and relies heavily on brief loops of samples and tortuous percussion. Woodhead’s high pitched hum is unmistakable, as his vocal tracks are often cut and warped to match the psychadelic vibe of his music. Listen to "Egypt" below:


4. Beach Fossils - Clash The Truth
Back with their follow-up to 2010’s underrated surf-rock self-titled effort, Beach Fossils will release Clash The Truth on 2/19 via Captured Tracks. While the band has expanded with various members coming and going, it all started with mastermind Dustin Payseur, who recorded everything on the first record by himself, playing every instrument. As the musician received continued acclaim in the indie community, Captured Tracks took notice and brought Payseur on to record a sophomore LP. Payseur brought on some core band members for recording in a proper studio, including a feature from Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino on their track “In Vertigo”. Listen to their latest track "Generational Synthetic" below:
3. My Bloody Valentine -mbv
Remember My Blood Valentine? I don’t. Because I was two years old when their last studio record was released back in 1991. it’s been a long time coming, but in the last 22 years, after many rumors of a new material, lead singer Kevin Shields going crazy, and countless throw-outs, My Blood Valentine has finally released their follow-up to Loveless with mbv, which was released on February 2, subsequently crashing the online server that was facilitating the release. So far the album has gotten favorable reviews with The Guardian giving it a perfect 5/5 rating. Listen to the opening track below and stream the rest via YouTube.

2. Iceage - You're Nothing
Strait-up, Iceage is putting out some awesome music right now. Still riding off the coattails of 2011’s 24-minute hell-raiser, New Brigade, they’ve just released the video for the new single “Ecstacy” about a week ago. Picking up where they left off, the Danish teens let out a surge of dark energy on the track with chunky guitar riffs coating hair-raising shouts of “Pressure!” While it seems the trend has been for many current indie-punk bands to shift toward more refined, poppier territory, Iceage have committed themselves to louder and gnarlier thread of punk, one that requires cheap beer and trashed speakers. You’re Nothing is out 2/19 via Matador.

1. Atoms for Peace - Amok - 2/25
Perhaps the most anticipated album of 2013, Atoms For Peace’s Amok, is something like four years in the making. The supergroup was first concieved when Thom Yorke called Flea (bassist for Red Hot Chili Peppers), Joey Waronker (drummer for R.E.M.), Mauro Refosco, and Nigel Godrich (Radiohead producer) together to play the entirety of Yorke’s solo record The Eraser in LA in 2009. Playing at Coachella in 2010 they were simply known as “??????” Since, they've slowly come into form, officially giving the band its name, releasing their first official single “Default” last year, and another “Judge, Jury, and Executioner” last month while detailing the release of their debut album. The tracks sound quite reminiscent of Yorke’s solo record Eraser, but there is definitely a stronger reliance on drum and vocal loops giving way to nuanced and textured sound that we’ve really yet to fully experience from Yorke. Amok is out 2/26 in the US. Listen to "Judge, Jury, and Executioner" below:

Tom Dennis

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New Atoms For Peace Single


A sleek and stellar new single from Atoms For Peace's more than "much anticipated" upcoming album, Amok (Feb 19), has come spinning onto the web. Ghostly, paranoid, and rhythmically adventurous, "Judge Jury and Executioner" carries all the haunted characteristics of a classic Thom Yorke song. The track also contains contributions from Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, Flea, and longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.





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Listener's Digest : October 26th - November 2nd


Well friends, it appears that the cold weather is quickly descending and everything released this week seems to be a response to that. All 5 songs are  downtempo, introspective, spooky, or some mix of all three. Needless to say, I have begun preparations to deal with the 6 month dark night of the soul we call Winter. I have  bought enough canned food to sustain myself until April, wrapped my naked body in aluminum foil and turned my heat up to 82 degrees. Until Spring, I will sit in this well insulated room and absorb new music, as well as various canned vegetables. I am completely certain that I will emerge sane and rested by April and perhaps more capable of creative jokes.

Earl Sweatshirt - "Chum:" Reappearing earlier this year, the much discussed missing member of the Odd Future camp released a new song on Thursday. "Chum" is lyrically introspective and features  basic  snare and piano loop. Earl appears to have moved beyond the violent adolescent posturing of his early work, which pretty much had him sent away in the first place. An interesting, albeit low key, track.


 Broadcast - "The Equestrian Vortex:"  While Broadcast works on a new album, which will posthumously feature Trish Keenan's vocals (recorded just before she suddenly died last year), they will be releasing the soundtrack  for Warp's pastiche of Italian horror movies, Berberian Sound Studio. "The Equestrian Vortex is the title track to the movie's film within a film. On it, Broadcast recreates 70's style movie music to tense effect through crashing minor key heavy pianos and percussion.

Atoms for Peace - "What the Eyeballs Did:" Earlier this Fall, Mac posted the haunting "Default," the new single from Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich's supergroup side project. "What the Eyeballs Did," is the b-side to that single and has a similar haunting groove to "Default." However, this song is structurally tighter and quicker paced, suggesting that the tension building in "Default"  bled over onto the b-side. A great song, just don't mind the excited DJ talking over it at the end.


Crystal Castles - "Affection:" Crystal Castles have come a long way from their abrasive chip tunes. On "Affection," Alice Glass's icy vocals  float over the melancholy/gothy synth and drums. This is the third song released off the long teased upcoming full length, set to be released later this month.


 Prince Rama - "Welcome to the Now Age:" Another track from Prince Rama's upcoming exploration of persona, Top 10 Hits of the End of the World. This time, the band "channels" Hyparxia (a fictitious popular band from the apocalypse) to create a downtempo sex anthem for any upcoming party you have in a space station.


What, were you not invited to the last space station party? It was great! Still not sure how I got back. Oh wait, now I remember.


Michael Torsell





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Thom Yorke and Flea's "Atoms for Peace" project nears completion


In the spring of 2009, Thom Yorke took his very underrated solo album, the dark and electronic The Eraser, on tour.  Joining him on the road for his backing band was Atoms for Peace, a side project of Yorke's featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player Flea and long time Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.  Named after one of The Eraser's tracks,  Atoms for Peace breathed new life into the tension filled bleeps and bloops, turning the drones into aggressive and even funky(did I mention Flea was in the band) numbers.  I was lucky enough to catch the band in an absolutely packed Aragon Ballroom in Chicago that April, and my mind proceeded to be blown, song after song.  Well it turns out, the much discussed album that the super group of sorts was working on is nearly finished and should be released sometime next year.  Speaking of next year, Thom Yorke will be hitting the road with his other band, Radiohead for those not keeping track.  No dates have been set yet, but I would have to imagine a Toronto date could be a possibility.  Buffalo, maybe not.

Atoms For Peace - Thom Yorke by Diego Clare

mac mcguire
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