Album Review: Warpaint - Warpaint

Warpaint
Warpaint
Rating: Woof Daddy

Warpaint's debut record The Fool was on many best of lists for 2010, and rightfully so, it's driving combination of icy, post-guitars, languid vocals, and the propulsion of a secret weapon, its formidable rhythm section, made for an intoxicating listen. It's been almost 4 years since that release, and after a lengthy tour schedule along with working on these tracks during sound checks, Warpaint have returned with their sophomore record. There is no seismic shift in sound on this record, the rhythm section is still potent and the driving force behind the tracks, vocals are hazy and dream like, and the guitars still drip like icicles, however, this go-around there is far more atmosphere present, lots of foreboding electronics and hints of drum programming.

Produced by Flood (Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins) and mixed by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead), Warpaint is more polished and slick, but the better production helps define their sound better rather than overcompensating. They leave the rhythm section front and center, while the dual guitars flicker in and out of the mix as punctuation. It's funny that a band with two guitarists puts out music with seemingly so little guitar. While there were more standout tracks on The Fool, here, the tracks here flow in an out of one another as a more collective statement.

Not to say there aren't some big tracks on Warpaint. First single "Love Is To Die" is a sexy, bass-driven charger, the bass line shimmering over the insistent beat, as the cool washes of guitar float in and around, with subtle, menacing electronics fighting to come to the forefront.



"Biggy" piles droning, creaky analog synths on top of the watery mix of bass and percussion, the guitars pointillistically echoing within. Each element perfectly placed in the mix, adding just the right amount of drama and heft.



And there are room for interesting surprises, like the clattering dance-punk middle track "Disco/Very" which could easily fit on an album from LCD Soundsystem or The Rapture, or the gorgeous, album closing piano ballad "Son."

But where Warpaint shines for me are on the moodier, more atmospheric tracks, which draw you in like a riptide. Tracks like "Hi" with its childlike vocals, skittering mix of programmed and organic drums, and swirling mix of guitars and synths, all the while that subterranean bass line pushes and pulls. "Teese" begins delicate and fragile with gently plucked guitars and dreamy vocals, rising tides of watery synths burbling below, the drums and bass line taking over the track at the midpoint, as the waves of synths crash into the haunting vocal interplay. And on "Feeling Right" the pulsating beat and bass line are the meat and bones, but the star is the icy shards of guitars that add a sense of drama to the song, and the shift at midpoint, where the vocals and synths fight along side and against each other, is pure aural genius.

Warpaint is a record that takes time to insinuate itself in your head. I will admit that on first listens I was underwhelmed, as the record doesn't have the same intense energy as its predecessor. While The Fool was an African rhino charging its way through the brush, Warpaint is the coiled snake in the grass, full of menace, ready to snap at any moment and strike. Although the approaches are different, they both have a force and will that cannot be denied.

Rating Scale:

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 piques 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.

Album Review: Foals - Holy Fire

Foals
Holy Fire
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Three albums in for British post-punk, art pop band Foals finds them in a curious place. From the spiky guitars and jerky rhythms of Antidotes to the more streamlined and atmospheric Total Life Forever, there has always been a push and pull between the bands more experimental tendencies and their more populist leanings. This tension created some lovely music and put them on the hot list for future success. In fitting with their move to a major label, new album Holy Fire enlists heavy hitter producers Flood and Alan Moulder (Depeche Mode, U2, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins) to add more polish and sheen to their sound. On first listen there is a more dynamic and spacious sound to the record, but no real change in their direction. In fact, Holy Fire sounds like a lusher, denser Total Life Forever, which is not a bad thing per se, it just means there is a slight lack of surprise here. TLF was a huge leap in progress from Antidotes that this new album held the same expectations for me. Holy Fire is nice lateral move, full of excellent tracks, but gets bogged down with bad pacing and too many tracks that lean towards more atmosphere rather than hooks and melodies. Despite these reservations I have with the record, Foals have definitely shown they are ready for their headlining spotlight.

There are so many arena ready tracks here, you can almost hear the crowd roars in between them. Seriously, if you are not out of your seat and dancing to single "My Number" you need to check into a hospital. Tight rhythms, soaring synths, and punchy guitars make this the standout track on the album and one of the most infectious tracks of the year.



And when Holy Fire sticks to this type of more driving motion, it soars like no other record this year. A steady rising stream of interlocking guitars, skittering drums, strings, and keyboards highlights the dramatic push of "Milk and Black Spiders," punchy "Providence" throws together tight, pounding drums, scraping guitars, and skronky synths,



while "Inhaler" begins as a throbbing slow burner, it erupts into an almost metal track.



But the record hits its mellow mid-section and has difficulty getting its mojo back. "Late Night," which is pretty track of haunted keyboards, strings, and muted guitars, just sticks in neutral the entire time without really revving up. "Out of the Woods" is a perfectly pleasant pop track which unfortunately sounds like a Fleetwood Mac B-Side, almost polished within an inch of its life. And while "Milk and Black Spiders" and "Providence" kick things back up, oddly the band choose to end the record with two meandering, atmospheric ballads that take the record out on a rather tepid note. "Stepson" is gorgeously rendered, but its inert motion drags things down considerably, and closer "Moon" is almost ambient to the point of nothingness.



Thankfully the record is fleshed out with some more energetic and catchy tracks that make these other experiments not as glaringly bad. The triad of soaring anthem "Bad Habit," lush "Everytime" that sounds like Wish-era Cure, and slow burning rocker "Late Night" provide and nice heart to the record. If only the other more atmospheric tracks had been spread throughout the record better would the experience have worked more. Holy Fire is still a good record, one that I enjoy, and will be excited to see performed live, but I will admit I was expecting something greater from them. While it seems like the band is trying to reach for arena-ready rock of U2, this album comes across more as that band's later, blander work (a.k.a All That You Can't Leave Behind) than their more assured records (War, The Joshua Tree). Think of Holy Fire as a mere pit stop to assess where they are going. I am hoping they take a more adventurous route next time.

Rating Scale:

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 piques 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 Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: Belong

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Belong
Rating: Meh

The self-titled debut by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart was one of my top albums of 2009. It was the perfect mix of late 80s early 90s alternative guitar bands like MBV, Lush, Ride, coupled with snarky Smithsian/Belle and Sebastian-esque lyrics, full of wry observations and black humor. Their sound was admittedly raw and unpolished, but this only added to their charm. When I heard news that the band enlisted the help of uber-producers Flood and Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, PJ Harvey) to work on the follow up, I was worried that it would alter their sound too much, however, I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and let the finished product speak for itself. So, here we have Belong.

It starts out promising with lead single and title track "Belong," which still has the same, twisted lyrical sense of humor, but the music is notably thicker, denser and more polished. It wasn't as striking a contrast as I initially imagined, but it was certainly different.



The song has more crunch, and the individual sounds are all crystal clear and mixed perfectly. And it is clearly evident that a lot of money and time was spent getting this sound down. In fact, probably too much time was spent on the production, as each song ends up bleeding into one another. Their debut was so rough around the edges and ramshackle, and gave the band a distinct sound. Each song separate from each other but coalescing into a marvelous whole. On Belong, what made the band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart so special is practically erased. Instead, we get a group of 10 extremely buffed and glossy alt-rock tunes, that have almost no character of their own. Furthermore, the vocals are so buried in the mix, you can barely understand any of the lyrics, which is one of the key reasons to enjoy the band.

Individually, there are several good to ok songs lurking within the album. I enjoyed the crunchy title track, and "Heart In Your Heartbreak," is propelled by a tight rhythm section, and a killer chorus:



"My Terrible Friend," is a terrific rush of whooshing Disintegration-era Cure synths, and bright acoustic guitars:



The remaining tracks all begin to blur into one another, lacking texture and differentiation. Moulder and Flood have buffed and shined the band out of any distinct personality. The songs start to follow a formula, directly opposite from their debut. Each song contains ethereal keyboards, sparkling guitars, and hushed vocals. The generic 80s-like synths and guitars of "The Body" sound like an outtake from Jesus and Mary Chain's Automatic:



It all begins to sound like something you would hear late into the second hour of 120 Minutes back in the day on MTV. "Even In Dreams," just meanders on a bland beat and crunched up guitars:



"Too Tough," sounds like it could fit squarely on any Lemonheads album:



Even when the band attempts to punch things up, the results are only slightly more successful. "Heaven's Gonna Happen Now," has a bouncy step and gorgeous guitars, but by the time of the chorus, and the expected crunch of guitars, it becomes predictable and bland:



"Girls of 1000 Dreams" falls into the same trap, luring you in with fuzzed out guitars and messier production, but it is just a little too late in the album to rescue what has become a slog; but it does somewhat hint at what the album should have sounded like:



As a general rule, I have no issue with a band wanting to change or improve their sound, however, it's difficult when the band messes up what drew interest to them in the first place. By relying on Flood and Alan Moulder to beef up their sound, they unfortunately went too far, becoming so generic that the songs lose any character. I listen to Belong and I "like" every song; they have good melodies and the sound is impeccable. The problem is the songs are not very memorable. Once the album is done playing I can hardly remember which songs are which. Belong is a slight misstep for this band. I hope on their next release they remember what makes them special to begin with and use that as a base in which to climb higher.

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 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.