The latest music from Animal Collective’s Avey Tare is probably the most straight forward music he has put out to date, though terms like “straight forward” have always been relative when applied to the music he makes. It’s still eons from anything considered “common” these days.

Dave Portner is now living in California and is about to put out Enter the Slasher House with former Dirty Projectors member Angel Deradoorian and ex-Ponytail drummer Jeremy Hyman, under the name Slasher Flicks. The music for the group’s album, due in April, was recorded live using little overdubs. There’s Scooby-Doo/Saturday evening cartoon vibes all over “Little Fang,” a song that fellow Paw Tracks artists Dent May or Ariel Pink could have easily recorded, but thrown off just enough with Portner singing like he’s experiencing a full on sugar high at a carnival or a disco. A song like this could also easily fit in with Lindsey Buckingham’s cast-off 1984 solo album Go Insane.

It’s interesting to hear Portner sing over rhythms that are not his own or fellow band mate’s Panda Bear. Hyman’s got a pretty straight forward kick going and instead of swaths of reverb and layers upon layers of sound, you can tell apart and count on one hand the number of tracks on this song.

If his 2010 solo album Down There was about hiding in the fog and being stuck in a rut, then this song is about going out, having a good time and taking off the masks, or putting them on. Cheers.


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Conor Oberst, barely in his mid-30s, has led many musical lives. We’ve had almost 20 years worth of material from the Nebraskan wonderkid who used to frenetically strum his guitar and sing his lines in the form of a panic attack. With Bright Eyes having possibly put out it’s last album in 2011 (Oberst says he can’t listen to material from that era anymore), we’re being treated to a solo album, recorded in Nashville with Jonathan Wilson, who did stuff for Dawes.

“Hundreds of Ways” sounds more like Paul Simon hunkering down to make some country music, though dominated by the wordplay of Conor Oberst. There’s the knobby basslines and horns as Oberst sings, “there are hundreds of ways to get through the day.” It’s an uplifting song, one that might turn off anyone who is used to the red-wine-and-cigarette-smoke depression of his early 00s material, but for Oberst it’s new territory.

The musicianship is top notch (Dawes will be backing him for a tour starting in the spring). I really liked People’s Key and even his Mystic Valley Band stuff, which this resembles. Here’s hoping this isn’t Oberst starting to drift off into Dylan’s New Morning phase.

Is the year slowing down? When I looked at what was coming out this month, I started to realize that the new release stream is lightening as the year winds to a close. Soon, we will be reading a seemingly endless string of year end reviews (none of which matter by the way but ours, ours is the only one you should read, we have a lot of opinions and you need to see that we are generally right, me especially, I am the most right here) and we will not see much new music until 2014. So, what is in store for this last major month for new music in 2013?

November 5

Black Flag - What The...: Old dudes who should have retired awhile ago would like to desecreate  anything you might have held sacred.

Bright Eyes - A Christmas Album: A limited charity release from a number of years ago, Bright Eyes is apparently opening your holiday season up early. Like really early. Fun fact, you know how you always gave your mom or dad Christmas albums because that was what they liked...well kids can do that with Bright Eyes now, because we are all old, painfully old (the writer is 6 months away from his 30th birthday, not sure he is doing well with this fact).

Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP 2: Oh dear lord, the first one of these came out when I was a freshman in high school. The cruel march of time marches on (he might need to talk through this, if you see the writer, tell him it will be ok).

Cut Copy - Free Your Mind: The Australian electronic group is back with one of the year's most danceable albums. Early singles have been a solid indication that the group has built upon their previous two albums, bringing them together into an excellent release. Check back on Wednesday for our review.


Dropkick Murphy's - Signed and Sealed in Blood (Box Set): If you need a gift for your friend with questionable taste in hats and/or beer, here ya go.

M.I.A. - Matangi: After a number of delays and label disputes, M.I.A. has returned with her fourth album. While her "rebel" status is starting to seem increasingly contrived, early buzz has been positive even if she seems to have cribbed the first single and video from things Azelia Banks did a year or two ago.




Sapphire Slows - Allegoria: Japanese artist, Sapphire Slows, is releasing her second album through LA's Not Not Fun label. The first single, "Animal Dreams," sounds similar to labelmates, Maria Minerva and LA Vampires. Textured electronic melodies haunted by vocals perfect for wandering around during the longer and longer nighttime.




November 12

Lady Gaga - Artpop: Seriously?

deadmau5 - We Are Friends Vol. 2: New music from that guy in the big helmet. Might appeal to you if you are currently rolling.

Wooden Shjips - Back to Land: Spaced out psych from the San Francisco group, a few whose members were behind last year's heavily underrated Moon Duo record. The title track is fantastic and will satisfy fans of groups like The Fresh & Onlys.




November 18

Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe: Dev Hynes has gone through a number of metamorphosis over the course of his career. Once Lightspeed Champion, the artist has reinvented himself as a pop music wunderkind, producing awesome tracks for Solange Knowles and Skye Ferreira. The first single, "Chamakay," may have been one of the year's best songs period. Hopefully this album lives up to its lofty promise.




November 26

Thee Oh Sees - Singles Collection, Volume 3: Just in time for Thanksgiving, Thee Oh Sees release another collection of music. At this point, I fully trust everything this groups does so I am just going to say it will be awesome and will totally scare your relatives. Play it while the pie is served.

Favorite Album of 2011


Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes: When considering the top album of the year, it's important to ask yourself a few necessary questions. Have I listened to it more than 100 times? Is every song awesome? Does it provoke an emotional response? I would buy it on vinyl? And finally, did it exceed your expectations and change your thoughts about music? Well, there were certainly more than a couple of albums that answered yes to all those, but only one album that really changed the way I thought about music. Lykke Li's beautifully dark Wounded Rhymes.


Wounded Rhymes excels where others failed because of it's unrelentingly theme. A strong of foundation of bleakness and despair built upon black and white album art, emotional music videos of nervous breakdowns, and most importantly, music that explores the sadder parts of life while still remaining danceable and uplifting. The type of the music that silences the world around you and echos through your soul.  Of all the all albums to come out in 2011, Wounded Rhymes is the most profound, coherent piece of work. Whether it's the doom-wop 50's number 'Unrequented Love' or the industrial & apocalyptic drone of "Silent My Song" everything about this album is impressive on levels few albums can reach.

Lykke Li - Love Out Of Lust by LykkeLi

Honorable Mentions


Feist - Metals: In the same why Lykke Li's album changed the way I thought about her, Metals showed me another side to Leslie Fiest I didn't know exsited. A brilliant piece of work that's also a bit on the darker side but with enough Broadway flash to consistanly excite you.


TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light: A sonic explosion of colors and shapes that folds and rotates into something you can't completely comprehend(like this description) in just one listen. It's futuristic art rock with hints of punk and R&B. Completely unique and inspiring in every way.


Favorite Song of 2011


"Montana" by Youth Lagoon(The Year of Hiberation): In my opinion, nothing's better than a lo-li bedroom project that reaches for the moon. This past fall, I got that with Youth Lagoon's uplifting piano rock ballad "Montana". Over the course of 4 minutes and 41 seconds, the echoy voice and pretty piano line continuously climb to higher levels slowing adding layers by layer of whistle-like synth, crashing tambourines, hand claps and a pounding kick drum that culminates into something so motivating exhilarating it makes me want to run out and change the world. Bonus points for a great music video.

Honorable Mentions


"Repatriated" by Handsome Furs(Sound Kapital): I'm a huge fan of any and all Wolf Parade side projects. So it comes as no surprise that when Dan Boeckner & his wife Alexei Perry returned with another minimal electronic indie rock album, titled Sound Kapital, I would automatically love it. "Repatriated" is probably my favorite song from said album.


"Intro" by M83(Hurry Up, We're Dreaming): If Anthony Gonzalez had Zola Jesus guest sing on every track of the epic Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, I think my speakers might melt. There is a lot to like M83's newest masterpiece, but the first song on the first disc, aptly titled "Intro" is by far my favorite.

Favorite Concert of 2011


Bright Eyes at Artpark (7/27/11): Conor Oberst is a polarizing musician. He's cocky, he wears skinny jeans, he writes songs about his 'feelings', etc. Most people who dislike his band Bright Eyes write them off as some sort of feminine indie folk group. But for those of us who know, Conor Oberst is a powerful front man, innovative song writer, and poetic genius the likes of which don't come around all that often. Well Bright Eyes was in full form that sunny evening this past summer, playing my favorite songs from uber political I'm Wide Awake It's Morning to the cocaine overdose electronic tunes of Digital Ash in the Digital Urn. As the night progressed and Conor loosened up, the songs tended to grow in length. By the time of the encore, each song had grown into a full on improvised jam complete with freak-out LED light rimmed glasses and psychedelic guitar solos. By far my favorite concert, and possibly summer night, this year.



Honorable Mention


NXNE: Although I only spent one night up in Toronto for the northern equivalent to South by Southwest, It was by far one of the best concert experiences of the summer. From the quick walk to see Cults on the main stage to discovering new bands and new bars all around our town, our neighbors to the north sure know how to throw a festival.