Nilüfer Yanya - "Rid of Me (PJ Harvey Cover)"

Bold, incendiary cover of the PJ Harvey classic "Rid of Me." 

Fitzilt Far ft. PJ Harvey and Bat For Lashes - "Heart Cold"

Sadly, I can't give you any information on this artist, as there is nothing on the internet about them. I can only assume they sample PJ Harvey and Bat For Lashes on this thumping, jeep-rattling track. Indian-flavored sitars combine with rave-like synths over mountainous break beats.

PJ Harvey - "This Mess We're In (Demo)"

In anticipation of the reissue of her album Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea, PJ Harvey has released the demo of "This Mess We're In." The album version features vocals from Radiohead's Thom Yorke, but the demo is a gorgeous, stripped-down version that focuses on Harvey's emotive voice.

Album Review: Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time

Sky Ferreira
Night Time, My Time
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

21-year old Sky Ferreira is one of those up and coming pop stars that has so much bad luck following her that it is almost expected that her career will flame out in blaze of tabloid headlines. Following several singles and a left field electro pop hit with "Everything Is Embarrassing," Ferreira was seemingly in limbo, with many very public disputes with her record label, who wanted to mold her into the next Britney Spears, delays with the release of her album, and recently being arrested on drug charges with boyfriend Zachary Cole Smith of DIIV. With all this going on, I was completely expecting her debut Night Time, My Time to be an unholy mess of too many cooks in the kitchen. Was is most surprising well, aside from the fact it was released at all, is the fact that it is very cohesive and strong record, albeit one with some growing pains showing, but nothing that can't be remedied. What Night Time, My Time shows is that Ferreira is good at sculpting out her own personality and sound, leaning away from the overprocessed pop of singers like Katy Perry, Britney, Christina, et al, and heading more in the direction of alt-pop artists like Lorde. Charli XCX, and Lily Allen, more willing to take the piss out of the whole Top 40 game.

Working primarily with producer Ariel Rechtshaid (Solange, Haim, Charli XCX, Vampire Weekend, Usher), who knows how to brush up lesser known artists and stream-lining the successful ones, Ferreira finds her in good hands, giving the album focus and direction. What could have come across as a genre hopping mess, is a lazer sharp synthpop/fuzz guitar pop record that goes down relatively easy on the ears, with enough edge to keep it from seeming too polished. While there is nothing that matches the total charm and pop perfection that was "Everything Is Embarrassing," when Ferreira sticks to a lighter touch, the album is full of winners. "24 Hours" is a sparkly electro-pop track, that would easily have fit in the midst of the 80's alt-rock heyday with its fuzzy guitars, glittery keyboards, and Ferreira's skycraping vocals;



"Boys" is a delightful kiss-off to all the men who have disappointed her, taking cues from 50s girl groups, and pushing it through and more modern sensibility;



on "Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Ok)" the guitars and attitude get ramped up to 11;



while "Love In Stereo" is pure pop gorgeousness.



Along with these poppier numbers, Ferreira does indulge some more experimental leanings. With "Heavy Metal Heart" the pounding drums and squalling guitars are the perfect meat for Ferreira to sing her vocal teeth into;



the Clash leaning alt-reggae of "You're Not The One;"



and the title track, which is a somber, texturally rich ballad, the calls to mind late period Fiona Apple, and artists like PJ Harvey and Chelsea Wolfe.



For the most part Night Time, My Time is tonally consistent and never less than interesting, but certain tracks seem more like less fleshed out demos that end up fading into the background rather than asserting their own personality, whether it is the monotone guitar fuzz and vocals on "Kristine," lackluster 80s pop punk of "I Will," or the truly odd and droning "Omanko" which is 4:30 minutes of head-scratching weirdness.

But overall, it is a very good debut that thankfully does not sound even remotely overly thought out, or compiled by committee. While it has some missteps, they are more out of taking too much of a risk rather than being meek and timid. Night Time, My Time is a solid debut from Ferreira, and hopefully she can get her issues and troubles ironed out so that we hear a lot more from her in the future.

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: 2:54 - 2:54

2:54
2:54
Rating: Meh

Irish sisters Colette and Hannah Thurlow make up 2:54, a band that skirts the line between Cure-like goth affectation, 4AD roster doom and gloom, and shoegaze shimmer. Produced by Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey) and mixed by Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails), their debut 2:54 clicks off all the right boxes for me: dark and sinister guitar leads, swooning washes of shoegaze texture, and deep, haunted vocals. On paper, this record should be knocking it out of the park for me, but for some reason there is something holding me back from outright embracing it. Album opener "Revolving" starts out promisingly, ringing guitars buffer Colette's hushed vocals before a sweep of guitars swallows the track whole:



This promise, however, becomes immediately compromised when you begin to see that each song follows the same pattern, with little to no variation. Guitars slowly build, getting more layer as the track progresses, before cresting in waves and waves of shimmering guitar chords; and tracks rarely depart from the same 4/4 beat, which begins to drag the tracks into one another to where they are indistinguishable from each other. "You're Early," "Easy Undercover," and "A Salute" are so similar unless I was looking at my iPod for the song title, I couldn't tell them apart. Finally with "Scarlet" the tedium was momentarily broken. Using a more textural approach with their guitars, the sisters created a song bursting with tension and beauty.



Then it is right back to the 4/4 monotony with "Sugar" which blessedly flows into another more distinct track "Circuitry," whose guitars soar and moan around a throbbing bass line.



"Watcher" borrows from the Cure's use of treated guitars and could be a long-lost B-side, however, it still settles back into a listless groove.



2:54 were at least smart to include their first ever single "Creeping" as the closer to the album, gussying it up a bit with some cleaner production. The song still shows why there was a buzz to the band in the first place, with the guitars buzzing and sawing around Colette's dusky vocals.



2:54 have drawn some comparisons with their tour mates The xx and Warpaint, using similar stark guitar lines of the former and the sweeping grandeur of the latter. For some reason, those two bands are able to create more diversity in their tracks, overcoming any limitation with their setup. 2:54 seem to still be in the stage where they have found a "sound" they like, but aren't quite sure how to transform it and make it their own. For me, 2:54 is three great singles mixed in with a lot of filler. Thankfully, the three singles are brilliant enough to make me want to return to them again, hoping that they mix things up a bit in the future.

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 - Lissy Trullie: Lissy Trullie

Lissy Trullie
Lissy Trullie
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Singer-songwriter/model Lissy Trullie (nee Elizabeth "Lizzy" McChesney) came to light in 2009 with her well-received EP Self-Taught Learner, and then took her time working on her full-length debut, Lissy Trullie. Initially working with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, Lissy ended up recording the album with the help of producers John Hill and Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio. Four years is an eternity in the music world, and what might have been a revelation back in 2009 can be a misfire in 2012. Lissy Trullie is a solid alt-rock record that hits all the right notes but somehow seems off, and well, dated at times. More troublesome is that from listening to the record you really don't hear who Lissy Trullie is; instead, you get a good approximation of who Lissie Trullie's influences are, and that is about it. Every so often, a track pops out and sounds a little different, and those glimpses, while fleeting, shed a little light on who exactly this woman is. But as it stands, Lissy Trullie is merely a competent mix of tracks that echo the work of bands like The Pretenders, PJ Harvey, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, and any post-punk/new wave act from the 80s, and works well in a nostalgic sense but stubbornly refuses at times to burst out of its carefully produced shell.

Initially, the album starts out promisingly with the rise and fall of "Rules We Obey" which begins softly with delicate guitar strums and whispered drum work, adding a mix of horns and sweeping synths at the end to ballast the strong vocal turn from Trullie.

Lissy Trullie - Lissy Trullie by Wichita Recordings

"It's Only You, Isn't It" carries a bit of swagger in its pop-punk/ska referencing bones, but doesn't transcend its Sinead O'Connor/PJ Harvey-esque sound.



Which is a game within the record of spot the influence. From the Pretenders-lite of "Caring,"

Lissy Trullie - Lissy Trullie by Wichita Recordings

the chugging Cure-isms of "I Know Where You Sleep,"

Lissy Trullie - Lissy Trullie by Wichita Recordings

or snarling guitar-driven Primitives sounding "X Red."

Lissy Trullie - Lissy Trullie by Wichita Recordings

What drives me crazy about the record is that there are plenty of moments where you get who she is, and want her to throw off the shackles of her influences and really shine as an artist. The drony, druggy "Madeline" is a stunning slow-burner featuring a beautiful vocal turn which is matched by the fuzzed out guitars and subtle electronics, which hold the song in a perfect frame of tension.

Lissy Trullie - Lissy Trullie by Wichita Recordings

"Glass Mountains" also dials things down, allowing a simple drum program shoulder a ringing guitar line, which then erupts at the chorus in a haze of guitar effects.

Lissy Trullie - Lissy Trullie by Wichita Recordings

"Spit You Out" is a swirling, anthemic rocker which shades the edges with horns and haunting organ.

Lissy Trullie - Lissy Trullie by Wichita Recordings

It's these moments that make me like this album more than I should; I just get frustrated when the songs take shortcuts and lean too heavily on nostalgia, without adding anything personal to the mix. Lissy Trullie hits all the right notes for me from a sound perspective but never truly comes alive in the end. It's a promising debut muddled by lack of focus and an indistinct personality.

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.

2011 Albums of the Year: 40-31

Continuing my countdown of my favorite albums of 2011, here are numbers 40-31:

40. Balam Acab - Wander/Wonder

Balam Acab's debut full length Wander/Wonder retains most of the witch house template exemplified by his EP See Birds (glacial BPMs, icy keyboards and textures, and a reliance on pitch-shifted vocal samples), however, Balam Acab is not as interested in creating a sense of dread as are most of his contemporaries. Instead, we see a studied variation of almost classical tones with Eno-esque ambient leanings. Most of the tracks are also steeped in a liquidy atmosphere, from the album cover art of an ocean fissure to the overall sound quality of the album, sounding like it were recorded deep in a diving bell. Wander/Wonder is an assured debut, and sets the bar high for his future releases.

39. Sully - Carrier

A dark trip through the underbelly of the UK garage scene, Sully's debut cd Carrier hits the highs right of the bat with such driving tracks like "It's Your Love," "2 Hearts," and the brilliant single "In Some Pattern." But just when you think you have the album figured out, it takes a sharp left turn into moodier territory. The back half featuring stark wanderings into grime territory, the synths getting harsher and bolder. Tracks like "Scram" and "I Know" seemingly made from despair. It is a strange album that never fails to get under your skin.

38. Tycho - Dive

Scott Hanson, aka Tycho, is an electronic producer whose obvious touchstones are Boards of Canada, Ulrich Schnauss, and shoegaze artists like Slowdive. His third album Dive is a downtempo gem, full of lush synths, clean beats, and hauntingly atmospheric guitars. Dive is akin to recent releases from M83, Active Child, Neon Indian, and Washed Out, taking the influences of Chillwave and morphing them into some fresh and new. While there is not a lot of dense complexity in these tracks, Hanson keeps the mix perfectly aligned, never stuffing the tracks with extraneous elements, nor making them too minimal. Each track is about the glistening synths and driving rhythm, with no room for dubstep aggression, or IDM moodiness. Dive is the aural equivalent to a blanket on a cool fall evening.

37. Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

It is virtual impossible to mention Austin, Texas quartet Explosions In The Sky without mentioning Mogwai. Both bands are in complete control of their quiet-loud-slow-fast dynamics, which make them both live show powerhouses. Since Young Team, however, Mogwai has broadened and expanded their sound, making it more pop accessible; shortening song lengths, adding some vocals, and sticking to more formal song structures. Explosions In The Sky have basically stuck with their same template over the years, honing and focusing their sound rather that trying to expand it. Unlike their second album, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever, later releases have been less balls to the wall. On that classic album, the songs veered from outright gorgeous to almost painful to listen to in their intensity. Here, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, is almost hushed, each track slowly building to a catharsis, heightening the emotion and tension through carefully timed ebbs and flows and false endings. It is a collection of tracks whose sheer beauty is nothing short of transcendant.

36. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

Let England Shake, is a major departure for PJ Harvey, at least lyrically. Instead of her biting and pointed observations of relationships and life of the interior mind, Let England Shake is a song cycle (or concept album, if you prefer) about how war, in the past, present and future, affects England and its people. It is a particularly difficult record to wrap one's heart and mind around, but once you let it in, it is a powerful listen. The lyrics are some of the most brutal and direct Harvey has ever written, frequently focusing on horrible images of war: "soldiers fall like lumps of meat," "flesh quivering in the heat," corpses lying in no-man's land are "unburied ghosts." While this description makes the record sound like a dour polemic, Harvey knows better than to make everything one note. She definitely brings some of her most interesting music to back up her ideas and lyrics; using non-standard instrumentation, off-kilter vocals, and odd time signatures.

35. Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now

After a rather misguided collaboration with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake on Red Carpet Massacre, Duran Duran has teamed up with producer Mark Ronson, who seems to have been a stern taskmaster with the band, forcing them to play to their strengths, the result being their best album since Rio. I was worried at first based on the advanced buzz of the album that the band was going to try and ape their previous sound, but instead of making a carbon copy, they have referenced Rio, but have created something fresh and new, and some of the best pop music of the year.

34. Radiohead - The King of Limbs

This is by far Radiohead's most divisive record. It is short (8 songs under 37 minutes), doesn't have a cohesive sound throughout, is their least "adventurous" album, and doesn't appear to have an overarching theme like most of their releases. Also, what really stands out, or in this case doesn't stand out, is that the album is not very immediate. I began listening to it in my car, and it just faded into the background most of the time. After hearing it a couple of times, I was completely unimpressed. It wasn't until I heard it on headphones that it began to grow on me. The album is a whisper, subtly insinuating itself into your body and soul. After the many listens I have given, has my opinion moved from being unimpressed to something more? Yes and no. I appreciate the album much more, but it is still a transitional record for me. Rumor is this album is the first part of two, which would make some sense, given its brevity and lack of cohesion. But because I don't have an additional part, I will have to judge it solely based on its own merit. As such, I don't love it like I love OK Computer or In Rainbows, but I can't ignore it. There are some lovely moments on The King of Limbs, and for me to listen to a record as much as I have listened to this, there is something more there. I have a feeling this record will make more sense later on; depending on what Radiohead does next, which could be anything.

33. Jamie Woon - Mirrorwriting

Jamie Woon occupies an interesting plot in the dubstep landscape; somewhere in the middle between the silence craving spaces of James Blake (who will be Woon's most obvious comparison) and the more pop leaning spectrum of artists like Katy B and Magnetic Man. Woon began his career as a soul singer, attending the BRIT School where he was a year behind Amy Winehouse, who he has opened for on tour. It was a meeting with UK dubstep/two step enigma Burial that changed Woon's path from traditional R&B, merging his velvety croon with more adventurous sonics. Burial produced his breakout track "Night Air," which made it into my top ten singles of last year, and lends his deft hand to two other tracks on Mirrorwriting. Even though he didn't produce the entire album, his influence seeps in and out of each track. Lots of ghostly samples, and haunting low end sounds push up against the more traditional elements. While not as experimental (and in my opinion lacking in soul) as James Blake's debut nor as willing to mine for pop stardom like Katy B, Woon's Mirrorwriting is a happy medium which, when playing to his strengths, is some of the finest music you will hear all year.

32. Other Lives - Tamer Animals

Channeling Ennio Morricone through a Radiohead filter, Oklahoma five-piece Other Lives creates futuristic dust bowl Americana, whose epic sweep is surprisingly intimate and emotional. Utilizing mostly traditional instrumentation, with the members shuffling between guitars, percussion, horns, and strings, Other Lives' sophomore album Tamer Animals is immediately familiar but also sounding not exactly of its time and place. Gone is the overly fussy production of their debut album, and in its stead, a more strategic focus. Not that Other Lives have gone minimal by any stretch of the imagination, the songs are stuffed with lush instrumentation and haunting harmonies.

31. The Antlers - Burst Apart

The Antlers' debut album Hospice was one of the most intimate, haunting records of 2009, a desperate song cycle about the journey through the illness of a child. The songs were simultaneously hushed and widescreen, the lyrics oblique and impressionistic, frequently blunt and always heartbreaking. It was a difficult album to listen to, but one that was impossible to ignore or forget. Hospice was such a fully formed, almost perfectly paced record, it was difficult to imagine where The Antlers could take their sound. Now a full-fledged trio, their sound still remains shockingly intimate, more due to Peter Silberman's evocative falsetto, however the music is far more urgent and less ambient. Unlike Hospice, here The Antlers aren't afraid for more volume and cacophony. The first song on the album is just a preview of where the band intends to go, featuring a strident beat and twilight guitars and twinkling synths seeking the clouds. "I Don't Want Love," is a shockingly direct song about a masochistic relationship, that sets the tone for this brutally frank record.

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.

Videos of the Week

Once again the weekend is mercifully upon us and we are supposed to have incredibly unseasonable warm temps for at least another week. So, to get things started out right, here is the roundup of the videos this week that made my spring sprung:



The shock surprise of the week was the announcement that Radiohead was releasing their new album this week via download. Another surprise was them moving up the download date from tomorrow to today. Of course, I left home before finding out and won't get to download until later. To whet my appetite, they've released the first single and video for "Lotus Flower." Sounds very minimal and beat heavy. I like it so far. Not so sure about Thom Yorke's dancing though.



My friend and Coachella buddy Dan introduced me to this band, and their album Eyelid Movies keeps getting better with each listen. This is the second single/video from the album, and I hate to say I never noticed how hot Josh Carter is. I might have to get on the rail at their show at Coachella.



If you have ever been around enough hipsters, you will understand how true this video almost is.



Tremendously silly first video from Cut Copy's new album.



Bouncing and buoyant song from Daedelus; with a really cute, sweet animated video.



I think Adele has one of the best voices in music today; unfortunately, I think she needs to stretch the boundaries of the songs and music she sings. This remix from Jamie Smith of The xx shows how, in the hands of the right musicians/producers, she could really stand out.



This is another remix from Jamie Smith, taking a stark and almost impenetrable track from Gil Scott-Heron and making something wonderful out of it.



Kele, the lead singer of Bloc Party, released a solo album this year of really cool electronica. The album is a definite grower. This is one of my favorite songs.



Really well done commercial that takes a long time getting to what it is about, but makes you immediately want to watch it again to see how you could have missed it.



PJ Harvey commissioned Seamus Murphy to direct videos for a majority of tracks for her brilliant new album Let England Shake. This is one for the title track.



Arcade Fire won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Here is the amazing video directed by Spike Jonze for the title track.



Flood and Alan Moulder produced the new album from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and you can definitely tell they have given their sound some extra muscle.



Duran Duran is playing Coachella this year in support of their phenomenal new album. This is probably my favorite song by them. If they do not play it I am going slap a bitch.



I was lucky enough to see Baths at this show. He has some boundless energy.



This Kraut-rock inspired track is one of my favorites off Mogwai's latest album, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will.

PJ Harvey: Let England Shake

PJ Harvey
Let England Shake
Rating: Woof Daddy

I just realized that I have been following PJ Harvey since the year I graduated college. 20 years is an awful long time for any artist to still be making music, and even more so for it to still be relevant. Harvey has thankfully remained ever searching in her music, changing her sound ever so slightly; from the angular blues/punk of her debut Dry, through the electro-noir of To Bring You My Love, the haunting tales of Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, and the slightly bizarre interior musings of White Chalk.

Now we get her 8th album of solo material (not counting two releases with Jon Parish), Let England Shake, which is a major departure for her, at least lyrically. Instead of her biting and pointed observations of relationships and life of the interior mind, Let England Shake is a song cycle (or concept album, if you prefer) about war, past, present and future affects England and its people. It is a particularly difficult record to wrap one's heart and mind around, but once you let it in, it is a powerful listen. The lyrics are some of the most brutal and direct Harvey has ever written, frequently focusing on horrible images of war: "soldiers fall like lumps of meat," "flesh quivering in the heat," corpses lying in no-man's land are "unburied ghosts."

While the above description makes the record sound like a dour polemic, Harvey knows better than to make everything one note. She definitely brings some of her most interesting music to back up her ideas and lyrics; using non-standard instrumentation, off-kilter vocals, and odd time signatures.

In "The Glorious Land," she uses a sampled fox hunt horn call to add a subtle motif on her commentary that the lower classes are typically those whose blood is spilled so that the upper classes can retain their privileges:



"Written On The Forehead" samples Niney's reggae classic "Blood And Fire" which adds to the incisive lyrics about England's current immersion in the wars in the Middle East:



"Let England Shake" uses jaunty guitars and xylophones to counterpoint the acidic lyrics about England's current state:



Even though Let England Shake is a challenging, serious record, it is far from being one note musically. There are some lovely passages throughout; some of the most beautiful music Harvey has written.

"All and Everyone," with its subtle percussion, soft organs, and simple acoustic guitars, perfectly balances the haunting lyrics about how wars post infect the wars of present and future:

"Death was in the ancient fortress,
shelled by a million bullets
from gunners, waiting in the copses
with hearts that threatened to pop their boxes,
as we advanced into the sun
death was all and everyone."



"Hanging in the Wire" is another standout track, is sung almost as a lullaby, even though the song is a tragic tale of a man dying in the trenches:



Let England Shake is not a record that will immediately grab you; and I don't think it is intended to do so. I will even admit that after my first listen I really didn't think I would like it. Music this challenging and powerful takes time to sink in and do its work. In our must have satisfaction now culture I am not sure if that work against the record. I, for one, am very glad I gave it a chance to get inside my heart and mind, as it is now definitely in the running for album 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 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.

Non-Sequiturs

Yesterday was my 41st birthday; not exactly a monumental number. I still don't really think of myself of being in my 40s. Aside from some creaks and pops in my joints, I am in pretty good shape thankfully. Didn't do anything major for my birthday, but Kurt did cook me a wonderful steak dinner and bought a sinfully good Hershey chocolate pie. I about threw up from eating so much.

Has been a nice birthday week. Got to see one of my favorite electronic acts, Baths, at the Masquerade on Monday.

Aside from some horrible sound problems that were the venue's problem not his, he put on a really fun show. He has some amazing energy and is a really sweetheart. Got to meet him briefly while his opening band Braids played. Braids played a short set, but it was nice enough. I am not a huge fan of their debut album, but I actually enjoyed them more live.

I could understand why Michael Jackson did odd things; having that much money and worldwide fame, being able to get almost anything you wanted, I'm sure it was easy to slip into a mindset that you were somewhat above it all. But Lindsey Lohan? She is at best a B grade actress; how on earth does she keep doing all these common-senseless things? Like showing up to a court date dressed like this:

What a complete and utter idiot. Please go away and leave us all alone.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Brain

"Night and day
I dream of making love to you now, baby
Love making on screen
Impossible dream
And I have seen the sun rise over the river
The freeway reminded of
This mess we're in"

PJ Harvey with Thom Yorke
"This Mess We're In"

"Throw your fucking sets up
Know how we start, come catch up
Ain't nobody fucking with this I bet yah
And my age you should name on the check up
Bang, while you wait, it all goes down
Swipe through the city, that I call my town
And if you fucking up, damn right you a clown
Ain't bangin high, don't make no sound
Episodes of the violence bang
Shots go hard, make your brain cells ring
Floating with the stars in the city of the caine"

Rye Rye
"Bang"

"She come in alone
A firestorm
Waitin' on a spark
Leaving me alone she feels it after dark
Keep it down boys
The fire inside
Figure it out sort it out
Your foot in the mouth"

Gayngs
"The Gaudy Side of Town"

Appealing Things

Rye Rye's mixtape
Snow in Atlanta that doesn't slick or ice up the roads
Meeting Will Wiesenfeld of Baths
A wonderful birthday meal made by Kurt
Hershey chocolate pie
Baths' Pop Songs/False B-Sides for only $5
J-Lo on American Idol; I'm sorry but she looks fantastic

Annoying Things

The fact that it was freezing at The Masquerade Monday night; brrrrrr
Druggie stoner kids who bring those stupid day-glow balls to concerts and twirl them around making a nuisance of themselves
Fabio being kicked off Top Chef Allstars