Videos of the Week

Friday, Friday, Friday! Here are the latest videos that buttered my biscuit:



Private school lothario gets his demonic comeuppance in this clip for Nero's cover of the Jets' song "Crush On You."

Hold My Breath - Holy Ghost! from DFA Records on Vimeo.

New video from Holy Ghost! made up of still photos chronicalling their lives in NYC.



One of the more eclectic tracks on the latest album from tUnE-yArDs.



Second video from Bjork's upcoming album Biophilia.



Another weird, animated clip from Young Galaxy's latest album Shapeshifting.



Futuristic clip from Com Truise.

Shlohmo: Bad Vibes - Album Review

Shlohmo
Bad Vibes
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

The 'beat music" field is getting quite crowded these days with artists trying to emulate the fractured beats of the genre's most famous musician Flying Lotus. With so many people jockeying for position, it can be difficult to stand out amongst them all. Some try for even more dense productions, each one competing to be the most abstract. Others, like L.A. producer Shlohmo head into more ambient areas, using traditional instruments such as guitars, rather than exclusively electronics. His second album Bad Vibes is a stylistically diverse collection of tracks that flow from ambient washes of sound, through head bobbing beat-centric numbers, all the way through touches of shoegaze. Though Shlohmo doesn't completely come out from under the Flying Lotus shadow, there is enough originality and inventiveness here to mark Shlohmo as a talent to look out for.

There are several tracks initially that carry the stuttering, wobbly beats of classic Flying Lotus tracks. "Places" and first single "Just Us" are practically Flying Lotus by the numbers; off kilter beats and twinkling, jazzy synths punctuating deeply treated vocal samples.





If Bad Vibes was just more of the same, it would be less interesting and quite frankly disposable. When Shlohmo goes off the track, so to speak, is where he shines. The unexpected pops up in "It Was Whatever," with nature sounds blanketing clicking percussion amid harp-esque guitar, creating a quite lovely midtempo number.



Likewise, "Parties" allows its moments of melancholy to seep into your consciousness, the fluttering beats held together by haunting guitars.



And it all comes beautifully together with the minimal and gorgeously building track "Same Time" with its lovely use of clanking, industrial like percussion, mourning bassline, and effect heavy guitars that border on Slowdive territory.



Shlohmo's shoegaze influences come out on several key tracks. From the buzzed out and reverbed guitars of "I Can't See You I'm Dead,"



to the droned out menace of "Trapped In A Burning House,"



and the effect heavy guitars of "Sink," which are swapped over for fuzzy washes of analog synths.



Bad Vibes is a consistently surprising record, where multiple listens reward the listener by finding new, small details that catch your ear each time. The too reverential nods to Flying Lotus and other beat music artists kept me from truly finding this a brilliant album, however, his excursions down untrod paths definitely makes me interesting in seeing where he goes with his sound.

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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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.

Neon Indian: Era Extrana - Album Review

Neon Indian
Era Extrana
Rating: Grrrr

Hopefully this will be the last review where I type the word chillwave, as it is a very short-lived genre that a lot of slightly similar acts were lumped into, ostensibly because they didn't fit anywhere else. Most of the artists that were thrown into the chillwave bag (Toro Y Moi, Washed Out, Memory Tapes) have since moved on to different sounds, seemingly in an effort to distance themselves from what is perceived as a negative connotation with the genre. Initially, Neon Indian (led by Alan Palomo) was one of the leading bands of the chillwave movement. His first album Psychic Chasms was on many best of lists, but for me, I felt its neo-psychedelica overshadowed the songwriting and made for a disjointed listening experience. When Era Extrana came out, I was reluctant to give it a try, based on my aversion to the first album. Of course, curiosity got the best of me, and now I really can't seem to stop playing it. This album is much more structured than Psychic Chasms, which is likely to the detriment of fans of that record. Apparently this is a concept record about a breakup, which I assume is tied in with a futuristic theme. The music on the record echoes this theme of a breakup, with most of the sounds played on analog synths that feel like they were picked up in an electronics graveyard, each note fighting through decay. Another interesting side note, as I reviewed the new M83 record yesterday, this album actually sounds more like what the new M83 record should have been. The music, though slightly decayed sounding, is warm, funky and inviting; with none of the chilliness and roteness of the M83 record.

The album is basically broken down into 3 parts with short instrumental breaks in-between, taking the listener on a journey through a breakup as it is occurring. Lead single "Polish Girl" (fitted with a stylish video) is a gorgeous slab of funky synth pop, with bleeping 8 bit electronics flooding the mix, Palomo wondering of his ex "Do I still cross your mind. Your face still distorts the time."



"The Blindside Kiss" borrows from Jesus and Mary Chain's fuzzed out guitar bliss, creating a gritty, dream pop classic.

Neon Indian - Blindside Kiss by neonindianiilove

"Hex Girlfriend" makes heavy use of whooshing synths and warm analog buzzing, sounding like a poppier New Order.



Two great later tracks really show how Palomo is stretching his sound and also working harder on his songwriting. Where Psychic Chasms felt more like it was all about the bizarre keyboards and sounds, this album is definitely his attempts at making a great pop record, albeit a very odd pop record.

"Future Sick" is what Prince would sound like if crossed with Kraftwerk.

Neon Indian - Album: Era Extraña by neonindianiilove

"Arcade Blues," aside from some abrasive vocal percussive effects, is probably the most radio friendly track on the album. I love the intense hook in the chorus.

Neon Indian - Album: Era Extraña by neonindianiilove

There are only a few hints of Palomo's chillwave past. The dreamy, lazy grooves of "Fallout" are pure chillwave bliss, as are the future pop-isms of "Halogen (I Could Be A Shadow)" with its lush analog bed of synths and breathy vocals.

Neon Indian - Album: Era Extraña by neonindianiilove

Era Extrana is a confident step forward for Neon Indian, moving away from chillwave and focusing on more pure songcraft rather than just interesting sounds. It's a dense record, bursting at the seams with really great ideas. While many fans of Psychic Chasms will bemoan the fact this record is not as distinctive and quirky, there is a lot to love here, and is well worth the investment.


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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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.

M83: Hurry Up. We're Dreaming

M83
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Rating: Meh

Anthony Gonzalez, the main member of M83, has been building up to this album for quite some time. Moving from their initial more ambient releases, Gonzalez has shown mastery of shoegaze on Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, epic space rock on the brooding, intense Before the Dawn Heals Us, and emotional 80s referencing college rock/electronic music on his masterpiece Saturdays=Youth. The question is, how do you follow up an album that seemed perfect in every way? Gonzalez has mentioned in interviews that he wanted to make something that would be his, and this era's, defining statement. Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, is the result of a very short period of writing and recording, finishing up with 22 tracks all loosely tied together as a dreamscape. First listens are overwhelming; the beautiful and intense production values practically beg for either a great pair of headphones or playing the album at full volume. Unfortunately, subsequent listens, instead of being a treasure trove of missed details and surprises, reveal the album to be rather repetitive and unengaging. I always get nervous when a band wants to take a huge leap with a follow up to a classic album, I suppose the high from the success makes all the adrenaline cause delusions of grandeur, which few can translate into something seminal. Not that Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is a fiasco or anything. Seriously, there is a brilliant classic album lurking within these 22 tracks, however, the bloat and excess kill any flow that the album gets. Towards the end of the record you are just begging for it to be over with.

The beginning of the album starts with so much promise. The first five tracks are classic M83, full of analog synth swells and catchy melodies. Opening track "Intro" with Zola Jesus on vocals sets the bar pretty high, creating an excellent over-the-top but not quite calling card.

M83 - Intro (Feat. Zola Jesus) by edin2sun

And lead single "Midnight City" is one of his most goofy, catchy pop songs. Full of odd details like the hiccuping vocal sample, swarming synths, and even time for a cheesy sax solo straight out of St. Elmo's Fire.



"Reunion" is a driving, guitar led track, with an extremely catchy chorus.

M-83 Reunion by ProjectX1

"Wait" is a gorgeous ballad full of lush string swells, and a faintly Pink Floyd melancholy vibe.

M83 - Wait by Reike

Even the ridiculously goofy "Raconte-Moi Une Histoire" with blurping synths, plunky guitars, and seriously cute child-story sample, gets by on its charm and quirkiness.

Moi Une Histoire by icouldbeafish

These opening tracks really gave a false sense of hope for the album, as it was track after track of pure pop bliss, however, there is a long stretch of instrumentals and pointless tracks that stop the flow in their tracks. While there appears to be some melodic themes weaving through the record, it is rather indiscriminate and doesn't add much to the experience. You can see Gonzalez reaching for something grandiose and "important," but too often the songs just are filled with pretty instrumentation but lack any heart or through message. "Soon My Friend" and "My Tears Are Becoming A Sea" are perfect examples of how it is all surface but nothing inside. Things pick up towards the back half of the album, with the brilliant 80s funk-pop of "OK Pal," and the dense and rushing "New Map."

M83 - New Map by Drugs and Mirrors

But then, once again, the album bogs down with too many ethereal "important" instrumentals that are supposed to convey a sense of gravity to the album, but merely brings things to a screeching halt. I am not sure if the album was sequenced better if the experience would improve. I just grew weary with all of the fanfares and competing swells of synths, strings, and organs. Somewhere within this massive amount of songs is a great one disc record. Gonzalez still knows how to write a great pop song, he just doesn't need to overwhelm them within this excessive, bloated record. Further creating issues is Gonzalez' decision to sing more on the album. He has an uncanny ear for choosing excellent collaborators, however, his thin, reedy voice just can't carry a record of this magnitude. Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is too much too soon. Gonzalez had just found his "sound" and should have stuck a little closer to the Saturdays=Youth template before trying something this ambitious. This record, instead of being an unqualified triumph, merely becomes an interesting curio.

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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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 has been one roller coaster of a week, and I am certainly glad it is almost over with. Here is the roundup of the latest videos that gay married me:



Airy chillwavers Sun Airway have released a new 7-inch and this is the video to accompany it. I really love their sound.



Day-glo, trippy video from the dark synth pop outfit Nurses.

EMA - Marked (official video) from Souterrain Transmissions on Vimeo.

Intense song from EMA gets a very visually striking video.



Great song off the new Girls album, with a video that is just plain fun and gets you in a good mood.



There is just something about the drum track on this song that makes me like it. Can't tell you why.



New track from Scotland's The Twilight Sad. I was concerned that their sound was stagnating, however, from this first track from their upcoming album, they are definitely heading in a slighly different direction. I love the new wave/proto-industrial feel to this song.



Super creepy video from dark popsters Wise Blood.

CANT: Dreams Come True

CANT
Dreams Come True
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Chris Taylor, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and producer for Grizzly Bear, has not taken much time off from his duties with his main band while we wait for a follow up to 2009's brilliant Veckatimest. In between producing albums from Twin Shadow and The Morning Benders, Taylor has been slowly leaking tracks from his solo project CANT. More electronic and ambient than his work with Grizzly Bear, CANT's debut album Dreams Come True does draw from the Grizzly Bear well at times, with detailed production work and attention to texture and mood, but leans more towards his work with Twin Shadow, relying on a glossy sheen of synthesizers and industrial percussion. Of course, the album really sounds like neither of those bands. Dreams Come True is a haunting collection of tracks that steadily worms its way into your mind; the icy sheen over most of the tracks may be a hindrance to some, but the impeccable production makes up for any loss of warmth.

The best tracks for me are the more fully electronic tracks, which take on an edge of robotic funk. "Too Late Too Far" uses stutter-step percussion, wonky synth textures, and lots of interesting background textures, like an Asian flute, and bird calls.

Cant - Too Late Too Far by edin2sun

The darkly throbbing electronic shimmer of "Answer" is all lush synth atmospherics surrounding the twisted tale of a love triangle.

CANT - Answer by weallwantsome1

The industrial clang and clamor of title track "Dreams Come True" draws comparison to some of Nine Inch Nails' more art-damaged tracks.

CANT - Dreams Come True by Transdreamer Records

Several tracks point to an interest in the whole bedsit R&B movement from groups like How To Dress Well and The Weeknd. "Believe" is all swoony synths and hushed croons.

CANT - Dreams Come True by Transdreamer Records

"The Edge" sounds like a late 80s R&B come-on track; you may start sweating from the sexy funk.

CANT - Dreams Come True by Transdreamer Records

"Rises Silent" even seems to merge the electronic and R&B somewhat successfully.

CANT - Dreams Come True by Transdreamer Records

Even the tracks that sound Grizzly Bearish add interesting electronic textures which hint at a possible direction Grizzly Bear may go. "Bang" begins as a lonely, guitar based track, but adds buzzy percussion and atmospherics that add greatly to the track.

CANT - Dreams Come True by Transdreamer Records

In contrast, "She Found A Way Out," a stark acoustic lullaby, is less successful as it eventually morphs into an almost atonal electronic dirge that is a chore to listen through.

CANT - Dreams Come True by Transdreamer Records

Dreams Come True is an interesting debut from CANT and held my interest over the long haul, however, with that said, there mood of the album as a whole is very cold and clinical, to the point it becomes difficult to feel any emotional ties to the music. The album is easier to appreciate than to love, which is the only reason I don't give it a higher rating. I just needed a little more from the album in order to make it stick with me longer.

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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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.

DJ Shadow: The Less You Know, The Better

DJ Shadow
The Less You Know, The Better
Rating: Meh

When you leap out of the gate with an album that is as seminal as Entroducing..., it is going to be almost impossible to ever follow it up with something better or even as good. Expectations are going to be too high, and you are almost destined to fail. DJ Shadow almost came close with the follow up, The Private Press, which retained the feel of the debut without sounding like a facsimile. His third release, the polarising The Outsider, was just a throw everything to the wall and see what sticks mess, that despite such inconsistency, actually had some of Shadow's best work. It just took a lot of time and effort to filter it out. Five years have now passed, and we haven't heard much from Shadow other than a consistent touring presence. I was fortunate enough to catch his set on the Identity Festival, and it proved he still has the DJ chops and can marry it well with some stunning visuals. But it was telling that the material that got the best response from the crowd was the older stuff. It's very hard to classify DJ Shadow's latest album, The Less You Know, The Better, other than it plays like an overview of Shadow's entire career. As such, it has several very high points and then varying degrees of success for the rest. The ramshackle flow of the record is initially charming, like a set of DJ Shadow songs set on shuffle, but then gets wearying over multiple listens, as there is no thematic touchstone to get your bearings.

Ultimately, this record becomes an interesting curiosity in DJ Shadow's discography, as it is the first one that treads water more than setting out in new directions, and also, it doesn't really point a clear direction as to what he will do in the future. With that said, there are quite a few really great tracks on the album. I loved the addition of Tom Vek on the driving rock track "Warning Call," though sadly it is more because of Vek's delivery and not necessarily Shadow's production.



Even better is the delightful soul/pop song with Yukimi Nagano of Little Dragon (seriously does she even have a band anymore), "Scale It Back," which could easily be heard on Top 40 radio if it were marketed correctly.



The murky, drum heavy "Come On Riding (Through The Cosmos)" appears to sample Laurie Anderson and adds a very alt-rock vocal to the track which builds into a gorgeous bed of strings.



And first single, the stuttering 80s metal cutup "I Gotta Rokk," is mesmerizing in its aggro silliness.



Strangely, I found myself drawn more to his pop experiments on the album, and can only hope he might put out a pure pop record at some point. The gorgeous "Redeemed" is a particular highlight, featuring a breathy soul vocal over delicate guitars and sampled drums.



And there are, of course, several impeccably produced sample-based instrumentals that recall his work on Entroducing..., for example, the chilly, aquatic "Tedium," lonely, skeletal "Enemy Lines," and the pair "Back to Front (Circular Logic)" and "Circular Logic (Front to Back)."



But too often, the tracks sounds like sketches or rehashes of tracks from other albums. The same 1940's vocal sample is used in two tracks, "Sad and Lonely" and "(Not So) Sad and Lonely," but neither of the tracks really make much of a statement, other than recalling the much better "Six Days."



The chicken -scratch guitar funk of "Run For Your Life" and metal excursion "Border Crossing" also feel slightly dated, but nothing comes close to matching the full stop horror of "Give Me Back The Nights," with the world's most annoying beat-poetry screaming. It is truly the most wtf? moment in Shadow's career.

The Less You Know, The Better, is ultimately frustrating because it has no forward momentum and doesn't push any envelopes whatsoever. I kept waiting for an "A-ha!" moment that sadly never came. As he moves into this stage of his career, it appears DJ Shadow is struggling to figure out his next steps. The album is impeccably produced, as always, and there are some really killer tracks, but a merely good record from Shadow is always a bit of a disappointment.

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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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.

St. Vincent: Strange Mercy

St. Vincent
Strange Mercy
Rating: Woof Daddy

Diminutive, angelic looking singer Annie Clark, performing under the name St. Vincent, has released two albums of slightly subversive pop songs, Marry Me and Actor, which traffic in deceptively calm surfaces, with a dark undercurrent that is always surprising and thrilling. With the release of her third album Strange Mercy, Clark completely comes into her own. While her previous albums are quite wonderful, Marry Me could feel a little cloying at times, and Actor was almost too stuffed to the gills with embellishments that cluttered rather than enhanced the tracks. With Strange Mercy, Clark laser focuses the songs, highlighting her superb, innovative guitar playing, allowing only a few embellishments throughout, which actually add to the texture and or tone of the song to give it an extra kick. Clark still sticks to her trademark song writing style, singing tales of squeaky clean perfection always hiding dirt and grime in the background despite the characters' desperate attempts to keep up appearances. Clark has a way of slipping in subtle imagery that can change the tone of a song instantly. Lead track "Chloe In The Afternoon," slightly based on the Eric Rohmer film of the same name, takes the tale of a daily afternoon assignation between lovers and slowly moves it into S&M territory with mentions of horse hair whips and working out her hurt, the guitars getting more and more heated and ragged as the events unfold.



First single, and probably Clark's most directly "pop" song ever, "Cruel," musically sounds like something out of a Disney movie, but the lyrics describe how women are supposed to conform to a certain standard in society, and the narrator attempts to rebel against such standards, realizing that it would be so much easier to do what others except of her. This dichotomy is perfectly expressed in the video for the song.



The sad, haunting title track unfolds slowly, beginning at first like a lullaby to a child who misses her absent father, revealing later that the father in fact is in prison, and the song turns dark and ugly with scraping guitars and vengeful lyrics like "If I ever meet the dirty policeman who roughed you up, no, I don't know what."



Previously, where Clark kept the focus of her songs on a more general level, now she allows us more inside her own thoughts, making Strange Mercy her most personal album yet. "Champagne Year," which is supposed to be a celebratory year, finds Clark in a confused place in her life "it's not a perfect plan, but it's the one we've got, I make a living telling people what they wanna hear, but I tell ya, it's going to be a champagne year."



And with "The Cheerleader," Clark appears to acknowledge that she didn't always trust her songwriting instincts, realizing "I've played dumb, when I knew better, tried too hard, to be clever."



Clark further moves her music into a more meatier sound. She is not afraid on this album to get messy and ugly, letting her tracks lose some of the rigid fussiness of her other recordings. "Northern Lights" features acidic guitar riffs, that build into a furious rage.



"Surgeon" features a rave-up synth solo that is striking in its peculiarity.



"Dilettante" throws in lots of antagonistic guitar and organ skronks that keep the listener on edge in this art-rock damaged track.



"Hysterical Strength" lives up to its title, beginning tightly coiled then unleashing a furious coda of fuzzed out guitars.



And she also veers into social/economic commentary with the biting, cynical "Year of the Tiger;" Clark assuming the role of a Wall Street shark, living the high life in Italian shoes and expensive cars while shirking financial responsibility with lines like "Oh America, can I owe you one?"



Strange Mercy finds Clark in perfect control of her musical direction. No longer are there the doubts or flights of fancy. These controlled tracks are blazing with originality and wit, and are further proof that Clark is at the top of her game, and also reaching the top echelon of the indie music scene with this, one of the best albums of the year.

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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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

Oldie but goodie from the late lamented Mclusky. Kick ass song.



I will admit I hated Neon Indian's first album, but the new one is such a massive improvement I am willing to give him a second chance. Love this song and the futuristic video that accompianies it.



One of the standout tracks off of Zonoscope gets an in-vogue post-apocalyptic video mashed with Planet of the Apes.



Love this beautiful R&B midtempo number from OFWGKTA associate Frank Ocean.

Frank Ocean - Thinking About You (music video) from High5Collective on Vimeo.

Another video from Frank Ocean with one of the strangest videos that really has nothing whatsoever to do with the song. Pretty song though.

SALEM - KING NIGHT from Theo Wenner on Vimeo.

Ominous video to a typically ominous track from witch house purveyors Salem.



Slightly, and by slightly I mean bat-shit-crazy, weird video from Animal Collective's Avey Tare.

The Rapture: In The Grace Of Your Love

The Rapture
In The Grace Of Your Love
Rating: Meh

The fact that a new Rapture album has come out at all is a miracle unto itself. In the five years since the release of Pieces of the People I Love, the band has gone through a period of major changes, with lead singer/co-founder Luke Jenner leaving the band to deal with his mother's death and birth of a son, then returning after a pep-talk from James Murphy, only to have bassist and current frontman Matty Safer leave the band for good. Of course, 6 years away from the music business is almost an eternity and The Rapture come back to a very different landscape. Dance-punk appears to be on its last leg, overtaken by chillwave, dubstep, and other genres. Are The Rapture as relevant as they once were when "House of Jealous Lovers" kickstarted the whole indie dance rock blowup? It has been almost 10 years since Echoes dropped, which was beloved by most but was only hit or miss with me. It seemed hastily cobbled together after "House of Jealous Lovers" exploded. Follow up Pieces of the People I Love was a far more consistent album for me, feeling less like a collection of singles and more like a well-defined statement. In the interim, The Rapture had released a couple of one off singles, including a brilliant collaboration with Timbaland ("No Sex for Ben") that I hoped was a preview of things to come. It appears that direction was only short-lived, after many listens, In The Grace of Your Love holds a place between the band's last two records, appearing scattershot at times, while still having several tracks that stand with their best work. Unfortunately, the record as a whole just doesn't have a lot of forward momentum, and the back end of the record almost comes to a complete stop. I was searching for more experimentation and advancement with their sound and just wasn't finding any.

There are some wonderful tracks on the album. First single "How Deep Is Your Love?" is 6:30 minutes of house music bliss, the rise and flow almost near perfection.



"Never Die Again" locks into a wicked groove early, mixing the funk bass and horns to great effect, and becomes a classic entry in the band's catalog.



"Come Back to Me" has a strange woozy, dub quality to it, with haunting use of accordion.



"Miss You" has a goofy, loping bassline that fits well under the forceful beat and keyboards.



There were a couple of tracks that had The Rapture stepping outside their comfort zone. Title track "In The Grace of Your Love" uses blooping keyboards, art-damaged guitars, and an impassioned vocal from Jenner that sounds like electro-gospel.



And by far my favorite track, "It Takes Time To Be A Man," is a midtempo stunner, with a ramshackle, loose performance from the band, bolster by the most charming piano melody of the year.



These tracks would have been an excellent building block for an incredible album had they continued to press forward. Instead, and far too often, the tracks are either rehashed former ideas ("Children"), brief undeveloped sketches ("Can You Find A Way?"), or unlistenable dreck (the bafflingly annoying "Roller Coaster"). Had they took more chances the album might have had a chance, however, when you have been out of the game so long, any momentum you had gained just fades away.

There are enough glimmers of hope found on In The Grace Of Your Love to not write The Rapture off yet. Hopefully, this album is a way to get them back on their feet and back into the game. Six years is just a long time to be away from making music, especially if what you have to show for it is a relatively uninspired work.

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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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.

The Drums: Portamento

The Drums
Portamento
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

It has been barely over a year since the self-titled debut from Brooklyn band The Drums dropped on an unsuspecting public. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, The Drums stood out from a crowded pack of 80s referencing bands, mixing equal parts surf rock, Factory Records post-punk, and 50s harmonies. It was an exhilarating debut because you had no idea what the band were going to do next. As a whole, there were a lot of hits and misses on the record, but that fearlessness to do whatever they wanted was part of the record's charm. After touring relentlessly and testing new material on the road, The Drums now release their sophomore album Portamento, and the most noticeable difference between the two records is the very clean, measured production on the album. The dreaded word "mature" also pops up, as the songs seem to hold a lot more weight than the tracks on their debut. It is not a gloomy record, but there does appear to be a distinct air of sadness surrounding these songs. Even the perky first single "Money," while being one of the catchiest songs in recent memory, lyrically is seemingly about a slightly abusive romance.



The album flows into and out of this song, which appears to be the magnet at the center of this beautiful, yet flawed record. When listening to the record, I find myself waiting for this song to play, and after I find myself wanting to go back to it. It's frustrating, because this is not a bad record at all, it just doesn't sound like The Drums I fell in love with last year. Where I want the go for broke spontaneity of the debut, I get a very measured, thoughtful album that always seems on the edge of going where I want it, but doesn't head off anywhere unexpected. Aside from the highlight of "Money," there were several tracks that always grabbed my attention. The poppy and bouncy "I Need A Doctor" which sounds like a long-lost Haircut 100 outtake,

10-the drums-i need a doctor by PeaceBlind

"What You Were" which wraps saxophone around chiming guitars and washes of keyboards,

The drums - What You Were by Zombielazer

and the dark, brooding "If He Likes It Let Him Do It."

09-the drums-if he likes it let him do it by PeaceBlind

The album is rife with lovers leaving one another, striking or hitting on another, or generally in the throes of some relationship drama, which in the right circumstances can make for powerful music, but for some reason the seriousness of these topics just seems incongruous to The Drums' general aesthetic. Though I did enjoy the dreamy, haunting "In The Cold," with its spiky guitar and haunting drones,

11-the drums-in the cold by PeaceBlind

and the sharp, new wave inspired rush of "I Don't Know How To Love You."

The Drums - Portamento by PeaceBlind

But for long stretches of the album, many of the tracks blur into one another, keeping almost a monochromatic hue. The first three tracks especially leave almost no impression on me whatsoever, except for the interesting cut-up vocal effect on "Book of Revelations."

The Drums - Portamento by PeaceBlind

"Days" never really gets over its rather torpid beat and muted vocal take from Jonathan Pierce, and "What You Were" recalls the beats and mood of the debut but fails to add anything new to the mix. While "Searching For Heaven," which adds The Drums' take on Vangelis and Wendy Carlos' Moog synth excursions, is an interesting departure, however, the vocals are so distractingly atonal it detracts from what could have been a focal point of the record.

The Drums - Portamento by PeaceBlind

Portamento is the sound of a band caught in the middle between retaining their distinctive sound and wanting to stretch that sound and coming up with really neither of the two. The hesitancy over the course of 12 tracks gets wearying, as you just want something as raucous as "Let's Go Surfing," as driving as "Me And The Moon," or as experimentally referential as 'Down By The Water." Instead of finding those diamonds in the rough, you get an almost overly meticulous cycle of tracks that becomes not so much a step back for The Drums, but mainly a holding pattern. There are enough memorable songs on Portamento to make it worth recommending, however, those stellar tracks just serve to show what this record could have been.

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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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.

The Field: Looping State Of Mind

The Field
Looping State of Mind
Rating: Woof Daddy

An age old question in music is, if you are an artist that has released a seminal album in your genre, what do you do for a follow up? You can play it safe and deliver more of the same in order to capitalize on the good will of said album (Daft Punk comes to mind), or you can slightly tweak your sound and take in a slightly different direction (Boards of Canada, for instance), or you can basically do a 180 and push your sound in directions not previously thought of (i.e., Radiohead and U2). There are all sorts of pitfalls with regards to any of those directions and while some work wonderfully, others tend to be well off the mark. With regards to The Field, Swedish producer Axel Willner, his debut album From Here We Go Sublime was an instant classic of minimal trance techno. His uncanny ability to take simple loops and build them into such gorgeous works of art was nothing short of breathtaking. Listening to the album now, I still get the same rush I did when I first heard it. The follow up, Yesterday and Today, seemed hesitant and stagnant. While it was still beautiful and excellently produced, it just seemed like more of the same, and was a slight disappointment. With his latest album Looping State of Mind, Willner doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel, but he definitely takes more risks than on Yesterday and Today, adding subtle touches that surprise and charm.

Opening track "Is This Power" is almost textbook The Field, looped synth lines paired with hissy drum programming, building upon layer after layer, but the addition of a subtle guitar and bass line is new and appealing. The most shocking element is when the track basically falls out toward the end and around the 6:30 mark becomes almost funky.



Which is continued through the second track "It's Up There," adding more funky bass and keyboards to the icy, trance mix.



Throwing a complete curveball, Willner ends the album with two of the most non-Field tracks he has ever recorded. "Then It's White" is pure, unadulterated gorgeousness; taking almost Eno-esque ambient piano and merging it with glitchy percussion, and quiet synth strings.



And "Sweet Slow Baby" reaches into experimental territory, with stuttering percussion, droning keyboard loops, and heavily treated vocal samples.



Of course, the middle section of the album is packed with more tracks The Field is known for, long, sweeping, exquisitely produced techno. "Burned Out" builds slowly and dreamily, echoes of distorted vocals blurring in and out of the mix of synths and drone guitar.



With the centerpiece of the album being the twenty minutes of pure blissed out trance of "Arpeggiated Love" and "Looping State of Mind," neither of which are in any hurry to get to the final destination, slowly growing in intensity and depth, with the former reaching an M83 height of drama, and the latter building off a quirky drum pattern while subtlety adding element upon element, until the last three minutes become a haze of orgiastic bliss.





Looping State of Mind began as more of the same to me, but ended by really subverting my expectations. By adding just slight new touches to his trademark sound, Willner opens the door to allow for a lot of whimsicality to his tracks. With every listen there is something new I discover, and yet all of the tracks are bound by his distinctive sound. Looping State of Mind is a definite grower that latches on to you and won't let go. By far, one of the best techno albums of the year.

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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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

Short work week is almost over with and onward with another lovely weekend. Here are the videos this week that got me up and attem:

Hooray For Earth "Black Trees" (Feat. Zambri) Live @ RAD Studio from stereogum on Vimeo.

Live performance video of Hooray For Earth, doing the closing track from their latest album. I am thrilled to see them in Atlanta soon, opening for Cymbals Eat Guitars.

Get More: Diamond Rings, Music, More Music Videos

I love this catchy little track from Diamond Rings. And he always puts out fun videos for his singles. I can't wait to see him live tomorrow night opening for Twin Shadow.



Video from synth-poppers Miracle Fortress. Love how they shot the video to look like old home movies.

Youth Lagoon - Montana from Tyler T Williams on Vimeo.

Youth Lagoon, the bedroom-rock project of musician Trevor Powers, makes music that sounds far older than his 22 years. "Montana" is a epically building track that gets one of the best shot narrative videos I have seen in awhile. It fits the mood of the song so very well. I am really looking forward to his debut album.



While I think the debut album from SBTRKT has stronger parts than the whole, "Pharoahs" is a killer track, which now has a killer video.



Second video ever from Explosions From The Sky, and like the above video from Youth Lagoon, this is another sad, cathartic narrative, this one involving a furry red alien's search for acceptance.

Non-Sequiturs

Even in a frilly apron, Mike Rowe is still smoking hot.

George Carlin really was a witty and wise man. Such amazing humor from such common sense.

This quote always gets to me every time I read it. It is so true, but the hardest part is changing your path to get out of that cycle.

I love this photograph and the contrast, tension, and ultimate harmony between old/new, modern/classic, and nature/man made.

My favorite new t-shirt.

Kurt and I joined a huge group of friends to see Erasure at Center Stage last Saturday. I am not a huge frothing at the mouth fan of them, but I do enjoy most of their singles. The concert was a sell out and full of gay men and their fag hags. Opening act Frankmuzik was completely, bafflingly bad. I actually kind of felt bad for them. Thankfully they only "performed" for about 30 minutes. Erasure took the stage and put on a great show. The beginning focused more on their new material and started out very slow, but 1/4 way into the show it hit its stride and it was one hit after another. Andy Bell is looking a little rough around the edges, but still has amazing energy and lovely rapport with the crowd. Vince Clarke looks like he hasn't aged, and is about as big as a garden gnome. Overall, it was a great show that almost pushed the two hour mark. Was well worth going.

I am so thrilled Grace Jones' album Hurricane is finally getting a domestic release here in the US. It is such a fabulous album; shame it has taken 3 years to get here.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Brain

"From cradle to grave
I am woman, I am son!
I can give birth to sheep, I can give birth to son!
And I can be cool, soft as the breeze,
I'll be a hurricane, ripping up trees!

I am woman, I am son!
I am woman, I am son!"

Grace Jones
"Hurricane"

"Nothing's gonna get any better
If you don't have a little hope,
If you don't have a little love,
in your soul

Nothing's gonna get any better
If you're drowning in your fear,
if you've got nothing but sorrow,
in your soul

And you'll have to forgive me brother,
and you'll have to forgive me sister
and I'll have to forgive you,
if we're ever gonna move on."

Girls
"Forgiveness"

"No one you know
Sits on the floor
I think I'll go with my first answer

It's too bright a day
To be amazed
And I am not taking anyone's thunder

And what do you know
About all the thoughts
Playing around in my head?

I guess you don't know
Where my roses grow
Or even the way back home

I got close mic'ed"

Tom Vek
"Close Mic'ed"

"Those days when I would sit around with you
oh there's nothing like it
and even when my heart was black and blue
oh there's nothing like it
and everything before and after you
oh doesn't matter

So do you remember the old times
those were the only times, the only times

I don't know how it ended
I don't know where you ran to
I'll always be right here
I don't know how it ended
I don't know where you ran to
I'll always be right here"

The Drums
"How It Ended"

Appealing Things

Furry stomachs
Grace Jones: Hurricane
Erasure live
Chip Hill's pool parties
The Drums: "Money"
Having my shoulders, chest and arms getting too big to fit in my 38" suit
Original Doritos

Annoying Things

Frankmuzik live
Toasted bread on sandwiches
Having my shoulders, chest and arms getting too big to fit in my 38" suit
Summer ending

Tom Vek: Leisure Seizure

Tom Vek
Leisure Seizure
Rating: Grrrr

London based multi-instrumentalist Thomas Timothy Vernon-Kell, who records under the name Tom Vek, was lumped into the whole dance-punk movement back in the mid 2000s with other artists like The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem but never seemed really a part of that group. His 2006 debut album We Have Sound was a modest success, leading to performances on The O.C. and tracks on the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack, and all signs pointed towards him on the verge of a successful career. Then nothing for 6 years. In the interim, Vek built his own studio and laboriously worked on the follow up to his debut. The release of Leisure Seizure shows Vek in an interesting place genre-wise. Dance punk is no longer in vogue, though many of the artists from that genre have evolved their sounds enough to keep things fresh, but dance music, and especially quirky dance music, is now back in the spotlight. Will Leisure Seizure be an out-and-out hit? Doubtful, as it is probably way too quirky, and well, British, for most mass consumption, however, there are so many amazing singles and songs on here, that it wouldn't surprise me if it becomes a left-field hit.

First single "A Chore" deftly combines Vek's Mark Smith (of the Fall) vocal tics with dense, clattering percussion, whooshing synths, and scattered guitar.



"Aroused" sounds like a bizarre coupling between Oingo Boingo and Liars.



Leisure Seizure unfortunately is pretty front loaded, however, through the first 6 tracks Vek shows off an amazing range of production skills, from the buzzy, tense "We Do Nothing,"



to the sardonic and angular "Hold Your Hand,"

Tom Vek - Hold Your Hand by modularpeople

and the dramatic, aching "Seizemic."

Tom Vek - Seizemic by modularpeople

The slide begins on tracks like "A.P.O.L.O.G.Y.," "You Need To Work Your Heart Out," and "Too Bad" which sound more like sketches rather than fully formed songs, and also is the point where Vek's limited voice starts to strain and become less quirky and more annoying. Vek does show he is capable of changing his sound slightly to get out of these ruts. I enjoyed the glitchy electro of "Someone Loves You,"

Tom Vek - Someone Loves You by modularpeople

the droning synth workout "On A Plate,"

Tom Vek - On A Plate by modularpeople

and especially the motorik pulse of "Close Mic'ed" which brings the album's driving pace down to a manageable level.

Tom Vek, Close Mic'ed by dance yrself clean

Leisure Seizure shows Vek finding his way to his own distinct sound, understanding the limitations of his voice and taking chances with it, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. There are enough stellar tracks on the album that keep you coming back for more. I just hope Vek doesn't wait another 6 years to show us what he is capable of next.

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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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.

Active Child: You Are All I See

Active Child
You Are All I See
Rating: Grrrr

Active Child (Pat Grossi's one man project) follows up the Curtis Lane EP with his full length debut, You Are All I See, which streamlines the angelic dream pop of the former into a gorgeous collection of tracks that hover on the edge of precious, but always retain an edge of distant melancholy that keeps the project from becoming cloying. Grossi, harpist and former choir boy, doesn't really fall neatly into a genre at all, the songs here draw equally from chillwave, shoegaze, dream pop, fractured R&B, and gauzy electronica, all of which are bound to each other by Grossi's gorgeous falsetto (sounding like a distant cousin to Antony Hegarty) and trills of heavenly harp. This is likely music for heaven's waiting room, evident from the opening title track, making it seem like St. Peter is opening the gates personally for you. The harps float effortlessly over a background of twinkling synths and delayed guitar, with Grossi's multi-tracked vocals performing as heavenly choir.



First single, "Hanging On," , takes the template laid forth in "You Are All I See" and ratchets it up several notches, adding skittering beats, Grossi providing baritone as counterpoint, the haunting interplay back and forth between the different vocals is intoxicating.



The album soars when Grossi does the unexpected. Collaborating with How To Dress Well's Tom Krell on "Playing House" adds a different layer to the mix. Krell's equally distinctive falsetto shouldn't work, however, it's slightly rough, auto-tuned addition rubs against Grossi's voice in a creative way.



The delicate, plaintive "High Priestess" uses an achingly operatic vocal turn from Grossi, adding gravitas and deeper meaning to the lyrics searching for a meaning in life.



"Shield and Sword" gets darker and more Fever Ray meets electro, crisp electronic percussion bounded by dark, throbbing electronics, the light emerging from the dim from Grossi's voice and harp fills.



The journey ending with this year's most hauntingly beautiful song "Johnny Belinda," a slow building track of dark strings, slowly merging in harp punctuation and Grossi's other-worldly falsetto, his heart torn out, unable to obtain the object of his affections:

"Wish that I could give it all
Wish that I was strong enough
Wish that I could change enough
To be yours."



The remaining tracks, while not achieving the heights of these standouts, have their own charms, from the M83 referencing instrumental "Ivy," hymn-like "Way Too Fast," and gorgeous ballad "See Thru Eyes."



You Are All I See is a good entry to Active Child's sound. The Curtis Lane EP, to me, felt a little too overstuffed and busy. Over an album's length of tracks, Grossi is able to be as leisurely as he likes, and the resulting freedom works perfectly with his aesthetic. His sound is very distinctive and sets him apart from most of the crop of electronic albums coming out lately. This distinctiveness is refreshing, and makes You Are All I See one of this year's standout albums.

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 releases 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 polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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.