Videos of the Week

It may be a short post this week owing to the fact that most of the videos I posted were in connection with the Massive Attack concert I am going to see tonight, and on YouTube the Massive Attack videos have embedding disabled. I will see what I can bring up though.



One of the creepiest videos ever made, "Come To Daddy" was the perfect collaboration between Aphex Twin and up and coming director Chris Cunningham. Based on this video, Madonna specifically requested Cunningham direct her video for "Frozen." Although that was a good video, Cunningham reportedly was not a fan of working with the Material Girl as she basically was very hands on in every aspect of the filming. This video is just stunningly filmed and extremely unsettling.



Every once in awhile I can sneak a Massive Attack video in. Here is a video for their song "Psyche." This is a second video for the song. While this is a pretty video, I think the first video featuring a girl teased by mischevious ghosts was a more fitting mood to the song. Alas, that video seems to have disappeared. Hmmm.



This is one of my favorite songs of the year. Very catchy and poppy, although the lyrics are very sad.



Hmmm. A second Massive Attack video. Maybe they came to their senses and are allowing embedding? 100th Window is by far my least favorite album of theirs, and to be honest, it is difficult to consider it a true Massive Attack album because it was only Robert Del Naja in the fold. The album is glacially paced even for Massive Attack, and most of the songs are lengthy and plodding. Still, it is amazingly produced, and there are some songs I really enjoy, especially this one featuring Sinead O'Connor on vocals.



Kurt and I have been fiddling around on Ableton working on our own music. He is by far well ahead of me in proficiency on the software. He has been doing a lot of remixes of songs. One he was working on was this song, and he only told me it was Lil Jon and never mentioned Diplo. Kurt basically took the vocals and was chopping them up, and hearing it out of context and over and over again was extremely annoying. Then when I pulled up this Diplo video and realized it was him AND Lil Jon, it made more sense. I still think the vocals are annoying, but in the context of a Diplo production they are not so bad. Love the fun, video-game inspired video.



I LOVED the movie TRON when I was growing up. Back then, the effects in the movie were quite ground breaking and stunning to look at. Unfortunately, the story was completely boring and looking at the movie now it is a bit of slog to get through. Which means it is perfect time for an upgrade. Next month, the TRON: Legacy movie comes out, and the trailers for the movie make it look so much better. I am very eagerly anticipating seeing it. Even better that one of my favorite bands, Daft Punk, composed the soundtrack. Here is a new trailer for the movie, featuring their new song "Derezzed."



Crystal Castles were able to snag Robert Smith of The Cure to sing vocals on this track off their new cd. I was skeptical at first, but it is one of those pairings that just works really, really well. The collaboration made a good song great.

Diamond Rings: Special Affections

Diamond Rings
Special Affections
Rating: Grrrr

Looking like the lovechild of Ziggy Stardust and La Roux, Diamond Rings (aka John O'Regan) seemingly looks like he would offer up a gay, glam smorgesbord.

And I will admit, that after seeing publicity photos and the first video he did for his first single "Show Me Your Stuff"



I was convinced this was another gimmicky one look, one sound wonder that would, in this Glee-obsessed culture, be a quick splash never to be heard from again.

However, as I learned with Owen Pallett, looks can be deceiving. Once you get past the "look" of Diamond Rings and get to the meat of his debut cd Special Affections, there is definitely more than meets the eye.  His songs almost feel like a synth pop Springsteen via The Strokes, with his tales of young love thwarted.  His deep baritone belies his young age and infuses the songs with a world-weary swagger.

His songs go back and forth between more somber, goth leaning synth pop and sunnier seeming guitar pop.  Although his palette is minimal, using basic laptop keyboards and beats and three chord guitar progressions, the simplest songs can morph into complex compositions.  He has a great way with hooks and melodies, and his sound definitely has room for growth and expansion.

The darker songs explore similar themes, the naivety of first love ("Play By Heart"),



obsessive love ("Give It Up"), or the difficulty of being in an unequal relationship ("It's Not My Party").

At first I thought these moodier pieces were the standout songs, really showcasing his expressive voice, but the poppier songs have really grown on me and are probably where his strengths lie.  They are just plain catchy, and stick in your head long after you have finished listening to them.   From the guitar heavy single "Wait And See,"



through the poppy keyboards of "You and Me," the driving Strokes meets Cars synths of "On Our Own,"



and the day-glo new wave of "Something Else,"



Diamond Rings just keeps the hooks coming.  Sure, the production values on Special Affections fairly scream that it was made in a bedroom.  But when music is this well put together and made with such, exuse the pun, affection, it doesn't really matter.  And I love how Diamond Rings has really taken to making his own videos and doing his own marketing of the music.  Each one of his low-budget videos is brimming with humor and fun.



Special Affections is too well done to be merely called a guilty pleasure.  It has good bones and shows that John O'Regan is a talent that should be watched closely.  Based on his debut I think it is inevitable he'll be picked up my a bigger label, and I for one, can't wait to see what he can do with a bigger budget and canvas.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Mini-Reviews

Another attempt to keep up with the constant stream of new releases on a daily basis has failed miserably. Once again, I must clear off space from my hard drive and take a quick stab at a bunch of new (and some a little bit old) releases that have been taunting me.

Brian Eno

Small Craft On A Milk Sea
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Art rock and ambient music pioneer and renowned producer Brian Eno releases his first new album of solo material in over 5 years on the latest release Small Craft On A Milk Sea. The pieces flow in one of two discernible styles: ambient pieces which recall his most well known 70s work, or densely programmed, almost tribal like electronic tracks. The album suffers from a lack of fluidity from one track to the next, and the ambient pieces really bring nothing much to the table. Where the album succeeds is largely from the more programmed tracks, which skitter and scrape and create an almost unbearable tension. If the album had been sequenced more in that vein, it would have been a greater success.

Glasser
Ring
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Working in an intimate style that recalls strong, quasi-mystical female artists such as Bat for Lashes, Fever Ray, Zola Jesus, and Florence and the Machine, Cameron Mesirow who performs under the moniker Glasser brings forth an excellent debut. While it is thin on originality, she owns the songs, which have delicate drum programming, odd, Asian-influenced percussion, swirling strings and keyboards, and her gorgeous, flexible voice, bringing forth a truly beautiful vision. Really looking forward to what she does in the future.

Killing Joke
Absolute Dissent
Rating: Meh

First album in 28 years from the original lineup of 80s punk and post-punk stalwarts Killing Joke is almost a relentlessly dour affair. The first half of the album is a murky slog with lengthy tracks pummelling the listener with a mostly monotone pallet of industrial strength drum beats, guttural vocals, and metal guitar. Finally towards the end of the cd, they relinquish their grip and let some texture and contrast seep into the murk with tracks like "The Raven King," "Honour The Fire," and the almost reggae-like "Ghost of Ladbroke Grove." Had Absolute Dissent strove for more balance, the impact of the songs would have been stronger. As it is, the grey pallor that haunts the album sinks it.

Owen Pallett
Heartland
Rating: Woof Daddy

I had no idea what to expect from Owen Pallett before I saw him open for The National a couple of weeks ago. Based on his name, I guess I thought he would be another acoustic, singer-songwriter that I would most likely sleep through. Imagine my surprise when a very slight, almost fey, Canadian gay man sauntered on stage with a violin and stood in front of keyboard and bevy of loop pedals and proceeded to create his songs step by step with only the loop pedals. It was an amazing experience. I immediately bought Heartland, and have been completely awestruck as to how he recreated his intricate and densely layered songs in a live setting. Heartland is ostensibly a concept record about an ultra-violent farmer named Lewis, who is overseen by a godlike narrator named Owen. According to Pallett, the songs are one-sided dialogues with Lewis speaking to his creator. You don't need to understand or even follow this premise to enjoy the record which is almost filled to bursting with creativity and originality. The songs are almost Disney-like in their melodic beauty, but tempered with a more adult, and cynical bent. It is a brilliant record, and I can't recommend it highly enough.



Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Bryan Ferry: Olympia

Bryan Ferry
Olympia
Rating: Meh

A new album from rock legend Bryan Ferry is always something to anticipate, especially when it is his first since 2002's Frantic to feature original material.  With Olympia, Ferry returns, not so much at the top of his game, but hitting a nice stride utilizing his seductive tenor and atmospheric productions to mostly good effect.  Where he trips up is letting the atmosphere get a little too heavy at times, forgetting that sometimes less is more.

Olympia starts off strongly with his best single in years, "You Can Dance."



The song is sexy, and slinky, recounted the travails of a long night of clubbing.  The song teeters on the edge of being too full (really Bryan, do you need to have three bassists on the track when one would do?), but never falls off the fence.

Again, where he balances that line perfectly, it makes for some stunning music.  Whether it is the Euro-cool stylings of "Alphaville,"



or the almost harsh backbeats and rave synth grind of Groove Armada produced "Shameless"



Ferry shows he still knows how to pick a producer that accentuates his many talents.  Where he falters, is when he overshadows that bond, either with the pale and limp collaboration with Scissor Sisters, "Heartache By Numbers,"



or two completely horrendous and unnecessary covers.  The first is the overblown and overstuffed cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" which This Mortal Coil covered to perfection with Elizabeth Frazier of the Cocteau Twins.  Here, Ferry appears to create a mashup of "Slave to Love" and "Avalon," and just keeps adding too much to a song that needs delicate backing.



Or the second cover, of Traffic's "No Face, No Name, Number," which slides along glacially on autopilot, with barely a pulse or heart.



By the time he gets to a more upbeat track, "BF Bass (Ode to Olympia)," featuring Flea on bass, it is almost too late to save the album, with the track beginning promisingly, then getting mired with too many female diva backing vocalist histrionics.



Finally, he returns to a more minimal palette on the final two songs, which redeems Olympia from being a total washout.  The atmospheric and textured "Reason or Rhyme," brings Ferry back to the grandeur of his days with Roxy Music.



And "Tender Is The Night," ends Ferry's dusk til dawn party going journey in a meditative place:



I really wanted to love Olympia and I have been torn back and forth between liking it and feeling indifferent to it.  Ferry has a lock on this sort of sound: the world-weary crooner, making it through another evening of parties in fabulous places, a La Dolce Vita for the 2000s.  He surrounded himself with a top notch group of producers (Dave Stewart, Brian Eno) and an amazing group of musicians (Flea, Mani, Johnny Greenwood, Phil Manzera, Scissor Sisters) and yet he made them all sound like session players.  Although the album is exquisitely produced and sounds great, it felt very paint by numbers.  I have heard all this before, ever since Ferry's classic album Boys and Girls,  and was really looking for him to stretch a bit and try something different.  With Olympia we get standard issue Bryan Ferry, which, like most fashions, will get you through a long stretch, but doesn't really stand out in the crowd.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Videos of the Week

I'm a little bit late with this post.  Friday I worked from home and just got caught up with work and housework and somehow the day got away from me.  So, better late than never, here are last weeks videos that made me get all sweaty.

Haunting and mysterious video from the new Glasser album.  She is like a more mainstream Fever Ray or Bat For Lashes.  Her cd is not great, but definitely shows true promise.

Funny video about someone wanting to go to law school.  It really gives me flashbacks to when I was interviewing and the stupid things you think and say.  Television and movies are completely wrong as to what an attorney's life is from day to day.  Most of the time it is bone crushingly boring or soul suckingly stressful.  I don't regret going to law school, but I do wish I had a little better understanding of what the practice of law entails.

Phoenix performed at Madison Square Garden this week, and in their encore, Daft Punk made a surprise visit, performing for the first time in 3 years.  Their appearance comes at the 3:00 mark in the video.  The crowd goes completely nuts.

Best Coast's album hasn't stayed with me that much, but this song sure has.  Pure amazing pop song.

Saw this commercial on the other night and just thought it was funny.  It's about the gayest thing ever.  Seriously, a Balenciaga tree?

Flying Lotus - Kill Your Co-Workers from beeple on Vimeo.

Amazing computer animated video from Flying Lotus.  Funny and very disturbing.

Another brilliant video from Massive Attack.  

Fan made video for one of the most beautiful songs I have heard this year.

Darkstar: North

Darkstar
North
Rating: Grrrr

For the past couple of years, Darkstar (James Young and Aiden Whalley) were known more for being an up and coming dubstep production duo for the influential Hyperdub label than for being a "band" in the technical sense. They released several singles (including one of my top singles last year with "Aidy's Girl Is A Computer") and EPs and went into the studio to create a full length album. After giving no concrete reason, either from boredom or from not being happy with the finished product, they scrapped what they had recorded, regrouped, and now come forth as an actual band, adding James Buttery on vocals and have embraced a more low-key, synth-pop sound.

Darkstar stood out from their dubstep compatriots by injecting warmth into a sound that can be overly minimal and harsh. "Aidy's Girl Is A Computer," which is featured on North, was a prime example. Over a skittering drum pattern, xylophone, computer treated vocals, and warm, analog synth patches, Darkstar created something organic out of something that could have been so cold.



"Aidy's" stands out like a sore thumb on the record, not because it is inferior or better than the other tracks on the album, but it is really not their sound anymore. It's still a wonderful track, but just seems like a pink elephant in the room. I either wish that had made an album that sounded more in that vein, or had left the track off altogether, because the album stands up all by itself.

Because North is a gorgeously produced, downtempo synth-pop album that could have been released 20 years ago and would not have sounded out of place. This is not a criticism, it is just a fact. There has been a lot of blog and internet talk about how North is disappointing because there are not 10 other Aidy's on here, but I think that sidesteps the point. If they were going to continue in that vein, what would have been the point of releasing a full album? They could have just released singles when they felt the need and built a steady career out of that trajectory. However, I think Darkstar want to work in the full length realm, and they know that they would have been severely limited in that capacity.

The change in their sound is very apparent from the first single "Gold," a cover of the old Human League B-side "(You Remind Me Of) Gold," building the track over a subtle drum program and buzzing synths, with an achingly distant, yet emotional vocal.



They subtly vary this formula over the other 9 tracks, creating a beautiful flow from beginning to end. From the delicate guitar work on "Deadness":



or the Asian-inspired percussion and Moog like synths on "Under One Roof"



The album is not all glacially paced. One of the highlights is the title track, with the drum programming seemingly taken from Portishead's "Machine Gun," and the music spiralling upwards almost overtaking the subtle voice of Buttery.



North is not all darkness though, "Dear Heartbeat," has a jaunty, waltz-like feel with a very warm vocal and piano melody.



And while I wish Buttery had a little more range with his vocals, there are gorgeous moments when he really brings forth some astonishing emotion amongst all the brittle electronics, like on the final track "When It's Gone."



Darkstar doesn't create anything completely innovative on North, but they have brought their own stamp and personality to a tried and true genre of music. I wish they could find a way to merge their former sound with the current synth-pop they are embracing. There is a definite need for a fresh take on it. But I will take an immpecibly produced genre piece over any of the bland stuff I have been hearing lately.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not good; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Try Reading The Constitution First

I really don't like being political or even commenting on politics.  Personally, I can't stand when elections roll around because it never truly becomes about the issues, it becomes who can out-attack the other candidate and I just end up tuning everything out.  And I am not limiting it to one party.  They all do it, and it is reprehensible.  I do vote, but it is usually only after having to do my own, almost investigative journalism to find out what each candidate truly stands for.

But what truly bugs me are these "candidates" who have no intelligence and common sense and basically feed off the ignorance of others.  I can't believe that Christine O'Donnell was chosen by voters to be the Republican candidate for Senator in Delaware.  Everytime she opens her mouth I am just shocked at the stupidity she vomits out.  Like this for example, where she actually asks where the U.S. Constitution mentions the separation between Church and State.



If only Julia Sugarbaker were a real person to step in and provide some reason.

Two Amazing New Videos

Back when I was in high school and finally got cable and MTV, I remember me and my friends would sit there for hours upon hours at a time just watching all the great videos that were played; even if they repeated some of those videos a hundred times a day.  Although there were a fair share of performance clips, the majority of videos were actually short films that at least attempted to convey some sort of artistic expression, even if said expression turned out, in hindsight, to be ridiculously cheesy. 

Now, almost 90% of videos are just some lame performance clip, with almost no thought or effort put into them.  Even Lady Gaga's videos are really just overly styled performance clips with the same tired dance moves used over and over again.  I do applaud her for trying to bring back more attention to the music video form, I just wish she would do something other than grabbing the latest hot designer and having them shove her into some ridiculous outfit.

Slowly though, I have seen that a lot of musicians and bands are trying to stretch the limits of the art form again.  In the past few months I have seen a lot of great videos, either using amazing cinematography or utilizing state of the art computer generated effects.   It shows that there are still brilliant artists out there working on smaller canvases.  Today alone, I have found two videos that are really quite striking.


Flying Lotus - Kill Your Co-Workers from beeple on Vimeo.


Flying Lotus is a brilliant young electronic artist whose complex music simply cries out for amazing accompanying visual images.  We saw him at Coachella, and his backing videos were startling.  He has teamed up here with the director Beeple, for a whimsical, yet disturbing video featuring a robot parade wherein the parade watchers are disposed of in increasingly hilarious ways.



And the second video is from legends Massive Attack, who are no stranger to using cutting edge and brilliant directors (Michel Gondry, Chris Cunningham, etc) for their videos.  This video for single "Atlas Air" brings back an animated character from one of their earlier videos to comment on so-called "rendition flights."  It's an amazingly dark and dense work, which perfectly compliments one of Massive Attack's best songs.

Videos of the Week

Here are the latest videos that are making me do a double-take:



A fan made video of a new song from Sufjan Stevens. I really love the lyrics to this song.

"And I would say I love you
But saying it out loud is hard
So I won't say it at all
And I won't stay very long

But you are life I needed all along
I think of you as my brother
Although that sounds dumb

And words are futile devices"



Live performance from Antony & The Johnsons. Swanlights is not my favorite album of theirs, but there are such moments of beauty on it, I can't outright dismiss it.



I dare you to watch this video and not smile.



You cannot pigeonhole James Blake. Earlier this year, he released a lovely IDM cd that seemed to indicate a brilliant new electronic producer on our hands, and then he releases another EP that is all piano based songs. including this cover of a Feist song. I have no idea what he will do next, but I eagerly anticipate it.



Another video from Antony & The Johnsons. This is for my favorite song of the new album. Haunting and beautiful.



I have been really getting into the witch-house genre, which is a really stupid name for a type of music. It basically marries frenetic hip-hop beats with goth/shoegaze textures. Improbably it works. Salem are one of the stars of the genre, and this track sounds like Elizabeth Fraser went to bed with My Bloody Valentine and DJ Screw.



Robyn performing on Swedish television.



The extremely dark Banksy created opening to The Simpsons. Apparently, it was even darker at one point.

Non Sequiturs

Met up for lunch with a former PoGo colleague who is now working at the same lawfirm as me.  Was a really nice day and we were able to eat outside on the patio at Vickery's.  While I was not happy to hear she was laid off at PoGo back when they merged with Bryan Cave, it did give me some peace knowing that really anyone in this market is liable to fall from the cuts.  And it was equally if not more heartening to see that she, like me, also landed on her feet.

At lot of people I know were understandbly confused why so many were enraptured by the rescue of the 34 Chilean miners. It really had no effect on us here in the States, or for most of the world for that matter, but I think, considering the horrible things generally we have had to put up with lately (all the horrendous political ads), and specifically all the awful things we as gay people have had to endure in the last few months (DADT, gay marriage opponents, gay teen suicides, etc, etc.), it was nice to see a story with a positive, healthy outcome.

This cracks me up.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Head

"And I forgive you even
As you choke me that way
With the pill or demon and the shrouding ?
Under conversation
In tremendous weight of
A crowd of ages outside
Dressed for murder

I'm not fucking around
I'm not, I'm not, I'm not fucking around"

Sufjan Stevens
"I Want To Be Well"

"The spirit was gone from her body
Forever and had always been inside that shell
Had always been intertwined
And now were disintwined
It's hard to understand"

Antony & The Johnsons
"The Spirit Was Gone"

"It's hard to remember
What we did last November
It's hard to forget
What we haven't done yet

It's easy to let go
Of everything you know
And say goodbye
To all those guys"

Salem
"Redlights"

"Have you ever seen
Two lions wearing meat?
Eagles too quick to creep
One ends up in another's teeth
It wouldn't be this way
If they were eating leaves
Oh how I always pray
I was one of your sheep

I'm a lion babe
Feeding off the sheep their graves
Off the leaf's and blades
I wouldn't have it any other way
I'm a lion babe
See me livin in the shade
I have everyone afraid
Roamin' free so no one's safe"

Gonjasufi
"Sheep"

Appealing Things

Cooler weather
Getting my urge to return to the gym after a month off
The Magicians
Cut The Rope
Gonjasufi
James Blake
Figuring out Ableton Live
Darkstar
Bassnectar adding a second show
Getting a maybe instead of a no

Annoying Things

People in general
People who can't drive a car and talk on a cellphone at the same time
Too many concerts, not enough time or money
Being ridiculously sore after working out for the first time in a month

Mini Reviews

Deerhunter
Halcyon Digest
Rating: Woof Daddy

Taking their music farther away from their wall of noise sound and more to a 50s-60s style, Deerhunter returns with the follow up to Microcastles, Halycon Digest.  Full of strong pop hooks, the album shows more mature and focused song writing from Branford Cox.  Fans of their earlier, more confrontational music and live shows might cry foul at a more subded Deerhunter, however, Cox's music has always been strongest in a quieter mode (as further evidenced by his solo project Atlas Sound).  Whether this loses older fans and gains new ones, it doesn't seem to matter to them.  They continue to make the music they like and make no apologies for it.

Twin Shadow
Forget
Rating: Woof Daddy

Mining the 1980s new wave for its pure pop hooks and melodies, Twin Shadow is no mere nostalgia trip.  Evoking a pained childhood, the songs flow into each other like a font of memories looked back on from the comfort of age and experience.  Working with a limited range of instruments, primarily analog synths, tinny drum machines, and rudimentary guitars, Twin Shadow, along with producer Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear, forges a wonderful debut that constantly unearths hidden treasures upon each listen. 

Sufjan Stevens
The Age of Adz
Rating: Grrrr

I will admit that I have not really been a fan of Sufjan's prior to this album.  There was something missing to me with his very traditional alternative guitar rock.  Where The National to me transcend those limitations, Sufjan just seemed to mire in the them.  Now, he has taken a page from the Radiohead playbook and has embraced technology, making a record steeped in glitchy electronic textures.  The album is no Kid A in terms of breadth, depth, and focus, but it shows a willingness to go beyond his comfort zone to make something very immediate and gripping.

Gonjasufi
A Sufi And A Killer
Rating: Grrrr

For the better part of the year, my music friend in crime Matthew has been relentlessly touting this album to me and I have been very reluctant to give in.  Matthew and I share similar, yet disturbingly divergent tastes in music.  We usually have very heated arguments about why we think artists are good or bad.  Generally, he likes extremely obscure and "difficult" music; albums that are not easy to dive into without riot gear.  Finally, after the 80th time of him trying to persuade me, I gave in and got A Sufi And A Killer and I had to mea culpa to him that it is actually pretty wonderful.  Gonjasufi is a peer of Flying Lotus, and I guess one could see the similarities with the two; both make very cutting edge, dense electronic music.  Gonjasufi actually sings/raps behind his compositions in a raspy, bluesy voice that can swing from an unearthly falsetto to a dirty death rasp, all in the space of two seconds.  His music is very difficult to jump into, but the artistry and the sheer talent makes him a force to be reckoned with, and makes him an artist to definitely follow and watch.

James Blake
CMYK
Rating: Grrrr

21 year-old London electronic producer has only produced a couple of EPs but he is already someone to look out for. Building off carefully integrated samples from late 90's and early 00's R&B, Blake creates gorgeously nuanced music that never becomes a game of spot the influence (even though you can sometimes easily tell which samples he uses: Kelis and Aaliyah in the title track) but expertly fuses genres such as dubstep and house, and sometimes the LA beat infused sounds of Flying Lotus and Nosaj Thing, into a distinct sound of his own.  He recently showed his breadth with his second EP Klaiverwerke, which is mainly low-key piano based pieces.  I am eagerly anticipating his first full length.



Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not good; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Salem: King Night

Salem
King Night
Rating: Grrrr

John Holland, John Donoghue and Heather Marlatt, the trio that make up Michigan/Chicago's Salem, have been building hype over the past couple of years with their tales of prostitution and drug abuse, spooky artwork, and countless EPs, singles, and remixes.  They have been clumsily lumped in with a few other acts in a niche-electronic genre, sometimes called witch house, drag, or haunted house, which basically takes the elements of 4AD label goth and merges it with the hip-hop beats of the dirty South.  On paper it sounds like a car crash, but somehow the disparate elements seem to work together.

It helps that Salem have three distinct personalities in the band, and each brings something different to the table, which allows their debut album King Night to flow seamlessly, yet provides enough variation that the listener is not bored.  Defacto leader John Holland has the more distinctive sound to his pieces.  His are the more formal, hip-hop based tracks, his voice heavily treated, his mollasses slow delivery struggling to keep up with the jackhammer 808 beats. 





John Donoghue leans more to experimental, audio assaults, keeping any type of vocals buried deep in the mix, almost as an additional instrumental touch.





While Heather Marlatt provides an almost ghostly Liz Frazer via MBV aesthetic to her goth-shoegaze tracks:





And when they all come together, as on the tracks "Sick" and "Killers" the effect is immediate and bracing.





Although they have dissimilar sounds, the closest comparison I can make to Salem would be Crystal Castles, who came out the gate with such a signature sound that I assumed it would be almost impossible to show much progression.  Thankfully, Crystal Castles has enough flexibility and talent with their sound to make something similar yet different on the follow-up.  I'm hoping that Salem follows that path, and doesn't succumb to being just a footnote in the hyper-changing electronic music field.  As it stands, King Night is a fascinating and involving debut, and it has lifted me from my end of the year music doldrums.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not good; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Antony and the Johnsons: Swanlights

Antony & The Johnsons
Swanlights
Rating: Grrrr

Antony's second album I Am A Bird Now, was an instant classic.  Each song flowed effortlessly into one another, not a note out of place, no song overstaying or understaying its welcome, a beautiful song cycle about internal transformations.  The follow up, The Crying Light, continued his streak of brilliant albums, broadening his palette to sing largely about man's connection with nature.   And now Antony has blessed us with the follow-up, Swanlights.  It took me many listens to get a handle on it, and even now, I still can't say it matches the first two albums in terms of their arguable perfection, but there is still such amazing beauty in the 11 songs that it cannot be dismissed as "minor" or as even a "misstep."   I think Antony is trying to branch out his sound and themes without straying too far from what makes him so special in the first place. 

On the surface, Swanlights appears to be a more upbeat Antony, one that could even be in love.  Of course, the song titles give many overt hints to that: "I Am In Love," and "Thank You For Your Love."  But, this being Antony, there is always a darkside, even to these specific proclamations.  "Thank You For Your Love," with its Motown meets Stax sound, ends with Antony crying "Thank You!" over and over in what could be an orgiastic fury or perhaps even out of desperation. 



"I Am In Love," with its jaunty gait and hypnotic organs and strings, has Antony being overwhelmed with the feelings of love, intimating that "It's too much, it's too much!."



But there are continuations of previous themes, particularly with his preoccupation with man's relationship with nature and also with death.  The gorgeous "The Great White Ocean" flows quietly with minimal strings and lightly plucked acoustic guitar, singing to his family about hoping to remain a family even on the other side:

"Swim with me my brother when I dive I don't ever want to say good bye
If you do go first or if it's me
Oh my darling brother swim with me"



Which all leads to the centerpiece, the exquisitely experimental title track, "Swanlights."  In an approximation of Radiohead's "Like Spinning Plates," the song unfolds with reverse piano, strings, and vocals, righting itself and progressing into a forceful meditation on the mysteries of nature and life itself.



After such a striking song, I thought the album might derail a bit, but it is followed with one of Antony's best songs, the quiet and meditative "The Spirit Was Gone," which is almost heartbreakingly sad and tender.  It is definitely my favorite track on the album.



Even the duet with Bjork, "Fletta," which sort of sticks out like a sore thumb on the record, moreso that Antony takes a back seat to Bjork's lead (and the odd choice to sing the song in Icelandic) than any substandard quality in the material, eventually unfolds and shows its loveliness over time.



And like the gorgeous "Everglade" on The Crying Light, Swanlights ends with another relevatory track, "Christina's Farm."  Echoing the lines from the first track, and encompassing all his favorite themes of nature, mankind, and death

"I awoke to find a whiteness inside
Everything did shine, slyly, from each body
Halos from within, diamonds the year in
As we crossed to where the Virgin Mary
Moves over the fields
Here and there, she kneels
Sighing sweet relief upon the prairie

Everything was new
Every sock and shoe
My face and your face tenderly renewed"

it closes the album with a hint of haunted resignation.



Swanlights is a difficult album to embrace at the offset.  Musically and thematically it can appear to be all over the map, but I liked the fact that it was constantly keeping me on my toes.  I don't think it matches the overall tone and brilliance of his first two albums, however, I applaud him trying to subtly change his focus without alienating his fans.  I do recommend that first time listeners to Antony & The Johnsons start with I Am A Bird and lead chronologically to Swanlights, otherwise it might be a little confusing.


Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not good; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Videos of the Week

This seemed like the longest week ever.  Thank heaven it is almost the weekend.  Here are the videos this weekend that made me holla!



Fun and funky video from Mumdance.  Makes me laugh; but also creeps me out a little. 



Glasser's first cd is really growing on me.  She is like a more accessible Fever Ray, Bat for Lashes, or Zola Jesus.  Trippy video.



Sweet little song, with an accompanying video which condenses the Star Wars triology into 2 minutes using only construction paper.



Really tight new song from Bryan Ferry.  His list of collaborators on the new cd is impressive: his former Roxy Music bandmates, Nile Rogers, Mani, Johnny Greenwood, Scissor Sisters, and Flea.



Was really impressed by his live show; he builds everything with loop pedals.  The cd can border on the twee, but it is still pretty wonderful.



Noise pop from No Age.  Never really cared for them much until this cd.



Although I was not overly impressed by their live show, The National is still a really good band.  This was a video for one of the singles off High Violet.  I still have a man crush on Matt Berninger.



Strange video from How To Dress Well.  The album is really good, but also frustrates me because it could have been brilliant.  It has more to do with some of his production choices than his songwriting.

The National/Owen Pallett

Last night finished up our final concert, at least for this week.  I drug Kurt to see The National with Owen Pallett opening.  Kurt is a good sport because I know he doesn't like them very much, but he attended anyway and didn't complain at all.

The evening started off right on time with Owen Pallett.  He is a slender, spritely gay man from Toronto.  He apparently used to record under the moniker Final Fantasy, but went back to his original name for copyright reasons from the video game of the same name.  He is a classically trained musician who primarily plays the violin.  I had not heard any of his music under either name and really didn't know what to expect, though I knew he was critically lauded.  He wandered out onto the stage, looked out of the crowd at the sparse crowd (Atlantan's are notoriously bad to the opening acts; majority of the time coming in late), and asked if he was early or if the crowd was late.  It was done jokingly, and it did not put any damper on his performance.  He basically plays some notes on the violin or keyboard, then loops them into the track.  It is definitely awe inspiring seeing how he creates his music; knowing that one false step can completely derail a song.

His music is very singer-songwriter like, but with more complexity in the arrangements.  I told Kurt he reminded me a little bit of Patrick Wolf, but without the over-the-top theatricality.  Here is a clip I found online from the show last night.



I will be looking for his work as soon as I get home from work.  I am really mad that he played Coachella this year and I didn't check him out.

The National came on afterwards and played a long, professional set.  There were no huge surprises, and the band is not the most energetic, owing to the fact their music is not as raucous as it once was.  Most of the songs are stately ruminations on middle class life.  I will say that after seeing them, I don't think I need to see them again, which is not a criticism of their performance or the music itself, merely that I don't think I would gain anything else from an additional show.

I will say that they began the performance with a very slow song, which is a huge pet peeve of mine.  I don't have a problem with quiet, slow music, I just don't want to begin with a song that doesn't get your blood pumping for more.



The show did pick up considerably after the first song, and I was surprised how many of my favorite songs were performed: "Mistaken For Strangers," "Fake Empire," "Squalor Victoria," and my favorite "Conversation 16," which lead singer Matt Berninger describes as being "about marriage and cannibalism."



They even found time to play some older material, "All The Wine," "Abel," "Mr. November," and "The Geese of Beverly Road."  I always abhor bands who refuse to play older material in favor of new.  I think with every show there should be a nice mix.

At one point in the show, Matt Berninger finally got animated and left the stage and sang a song well out into the seats.  I was close enough to at least get a picture, unclear as it may be.

The show ended with a brilliant rendition of "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks."  Instead of performing the song full on, the band played acoustically and Matt sang without the use of a microphone.  It was pretty amazing way to end the show and really brought the audience closer to the band.  I think those sort of things would greatly increase the quality of their live shows, and hope they do things like that in the future.



I don't want my comments to make it seem like I didn't enjoy the show, because I enjoyed it a lot.  They were just criticisms that I think need to be addressed by the band in order to make them a more formidable live act.  I really love their music, and just wanted more moments of connection with them like the final song.

Finally tonight I don't have a show to attend, so I am really looking forward to a relaxing evening.  Need to get my energy up for the next onslaught of Massive Attack, Jonsi, Robyn, La Roux, Combichrist, and Dresden Dolls.