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Tall Firs Too Old To Die Young [Ecstatic Peace!/Mar 18] |
| Like a Wilco-ish Sonic Youth is Tall Firs (whom I just heard for the very first, very amazing time). Beginning in grandiose style with the haunting-but-nonchalant “So Messed Up”, Too Old To Die Young (the band’s second album, apparently) meanders and stumbles through muddy melodies and half-drunk confessionals that are equally intrinsic and calming and sad and accepting of themselves. Dave Mies’ fatalistic vocals seem at peace, (like some sort of reincarnated, non-nasally Neil Young, or something), and meld perfectly with the intricate guitar arrangements; softly brooding, as a moon does, setting in the sun’s sky.
RIYL: Wilco, We Barbarians, Colour Revolt, Sonic Youth, Loose Fur, Idaho |
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tall firs - too old to die young (2008)
By drunkie mcdramaqueen, May 2nd, 2008 | RSS feed |
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---------------- Music, 2008 albums
islands - arm’s way (2008)
By drunkie mcdramaqueen, April 28th, 2008 | RSS feed |
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Islands Arm’s Way [Anti-/May 20] |
| I have never really been able to get into The Unicorns. I tried several times back when RIYL: The Unicorns, Arcade Fire, Spoon, David Bowie, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, MGMT |
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french kicks - swimming (2008)
By drunkie mcdramaqueen, April 18th, 2008 | RSS feed |
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French Kicks Swimming [Vagrant/May 20] |
| I have no idea why I’ve (sadly) not listened to French Kicks for some five or six years (I remember loving their earlier albums), but after randomly grabbing and listening to their latest release, it’s a mistake I plan to remedy. Swimming actually reminds me a lot of early Walkmen tracks — what with its waves of reverb, mellow vocals and slowly unwinding song structures that gradually ascend to an unheralded and understated breakdown. The triple-punch of “New Man”, “Said So What” and “Atlanta” is particurlarly flattering, as Nick Stumpf’s airy, laid-back vocals lay atop a backdrop of trashy drums and jangly guitar lines that pefectly compliment his nonchalance — at times sounding like Grizzly Bear while other times reminiscent of Radiohead. Swimming is the type of album that definitely gets better after multiple listens, and I am pretty sure I’ll be giving it plenty.
RIYL: Grizzly Bear, Walkmen, Arcade Fire |
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local h - 12 angry months (2008)
By drunkie mcdramaqueen, April 14th, 2008 | RSS feed |
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Local H 12 Angry Months [Shout! Factory/May 13] |
| Four long years since the magnificent What Ever Happened to P.J. Soles?, Local H return with their sixth release — 12 Angry Months. A concept album about breakups, this record perfectly encapsulates the withered energy required to sustain a useless and fruitless relationship. Musically, the band moves forward where P.J. Soles left off — at times willing to bare some vulnerability (the unequivocally brilliant closing track, “Hand to Mouth”) while still maintaining the thunderous power of past releases (“24 Hour Break-Up Session”). As usual, Scott Lucas’s lyrics are witty and on point and smothered in a backdrop of pummeling, skullcrushing rhythmic passages. 12 Angry Months is the evolution of everything that P.J. Soles hinted at, and itself an outstanding continuation of the band’s familiar conceptualism (all from a two guys who still sound like four).
RIYL: Sweet Water, Les Savy Fav, Foo Fighters, Nirvana |
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the black angels - directions to see a ghost (2008)
By drunkie mcdramaqueen, April 11th, 2008 | RSS feed |
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The Black Angels Directions To See A Ghost [Light in the Attic/May 19] |
| The Black Angels’ second full-length harkens back to the 60s even moreso than their first (which I honestly didn’t think was possible), resulting in an undeniably amazing trip through a dreamed-up-decade of faux Vietnams and LSD and Woodstocks. Alex Maas’s androgynous, neo-Jefferson Airplane vocal stylings are drenched in retro-60s psychedelia and enamored with hallucinatory artifacts, as if his voice alone is creating a sort of time loop between then and now. Yet, as much flower-power decade nostalgia The Black Angels possess, they still manage to sound simultaneously modern, which gives them resonance and reason to look back on the past and recreate it on their terms.
RIYL: The Warlocks, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, 13th Floor Elevators, Black Mountain |
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tokyo police club - elephant shell (2008)
By drunkie mcdramaqueen, April 10th, 2008 | RSS feed |
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Tokyo Police Club Elephant Shell [Saddle Creek/Apr 22] |
| I (and many others and probably you) have been waiting for this debut since the band’s 2006 A Lesson In Crime EP. Measuring in at 28 fucking minutes long (yes this is a full-length, btw), Elephant Shell has unfortunately shed most of that raw, energetic charm that gave those early EPs such flavor and excitement. Which sucks. The record is still pretty good, just not in the way most of us had hoped (which most likely wasn’t the made-for-The-O.C.-and-Hollister soundtracks that this album sounds like). But an indie prick I am not, and whether or not these songs eventually end up being played for teenagers while they shop will not stop me from enjoying the album. That said, I expected more and am left looking somewhat like this :/
RIYL: Ra Ra Riot, The Strokes, Pretty Girls Make Graves |
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why? - alopecia (2008)
By drunkie mcdramaqueen, April 9th, 2008 | RSS feed |
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Why? Alopecia [Anticon/Mar 11] |
| Add Why? to the list of bands I for some reason have avoided until recently. Considering their relation to Anticon/cLOUDDEAD/Doseone, I really have no excuse not to have checked this out the second Yoni Wolf half-sung-half-spoke his first word. Regrets aside, though, Why?’s music isn’t easy to categorize, as Wolf’s vocals are all over the map — ranging from Anticon-styled freestyle hip-hop to the strangely deep, lethargic baritone of Butthole Surfers (yes, seriously) or even Stephen Merritt — yet all the while retaining a consistent vibe that allows the record to flow flawlessly. The surrounding music is as typically atmospheric as usually found on Anticon acts, but it sounds completely different here when fronted by Wolf’s humorous lyrics and strangely hypnotic vocals. A strange album indeed, but strange in a good way… like watching a dog eat a flower.
RIYL: Doseone, Now It’s Overhead, Butthole Surfers(!?), cLOUDDEAD, Sole |
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the notwist - the devil, you + me (2008)
By drunkie mcdramaqueen, April 7th, 2008 | RSS feed |
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The Notwist The Devil, You + Me [City Slang/May???] |
| It has been 6 years since The Notwist released their stunning masterpiece “Neon Golden”, so…needless to say I was ttly stoked to give this record a listen when it leaked last month. To my chagrin, though, the band’s focus seems to have moved much closer toward the sleepy, dream-inducing lap-pop that has previously acted only as meandering segues between brilliance. Though the tracks to be found here are nothing too stylistically different than some of the softer moments from “Neon Golden”, an entire record of it is somewhat tedious and — dare I say, boring. With the exception of the album’s opener, there are hardly any energetic moments here — certainly nothing in the same spectrum of amazingness as “Pilot”, and that is unfortunate :(
RIYL: Styrofoam, Lali Puna, Ms. John Soda, Dntel |
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witch hats - cellulite soul (2008)
By drunkie mcdramaqueen, April 4th, 2008 | RSS feed |
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Witch Hats Cellulite Soul [In-Fidelity/Mar 1] |
| I have been anxiously awaiting a Witch Hats full-length ever since hearing their 2006 EP Wound of a Little Horse, and O.M.G. does this record deliver in every possible way. Kris Buscombe’s guttural vocals perfectly match the band’s grungy, Nirvana-influenced palate. The explosive breakdowns of the EP aren’t quite as dramatic here, but the energy is everywhere. The fevered, frantic tone of each song blends into the next, creating a sort of catastrophic sounding cacophony of melodic noise. Cellulite Soul is easily one of the best releases to date this year.
RIYL: Nirvana, The Pixies, Die! Die! Die!, Pidgeon, The Distillers, Liars |
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the kills - midnight boom (2008)
By drunkie mcdramaqueen, April 3rd, 2008 | RSS feed |
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The Kills Midnight Boom [Domino/Mar 10] |
| Though I have admittedly not listened to The Kills with any regularity since their 2003 debut, I also lack an explanation as to why (I loved that album). Having downloaded their latest LP a couple of months ago, I randomly put it on again last week and something clicked — namely that this album is brilliant. Probably better than Keep On Your Mean Side, even. The band’s raw songs are as catchy as ever, and the production is perfectly abrasive. VV’s vocals are spot on, with a heavy reliance on melodic PJ Harvey-styled causticity. And the mellow moments (“Black Balloon” and the stunning closer “Goodnight Bad Morning”) add a delicate, complimentary flavor to the edgy mood that surrounds.
RIYL: The White Stripes, PJ Harvey, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Raveonettes, Mary Timony |
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