Jam of the Day: LIV - "Wings of Love"

LIV, a supergroup with Lykke Li, producer Jeff Bhasker, Miike Snow members Andrew Wyatt and Pontus Winnberg, and Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John, has released their first single, the shimmering guitar-led track "Wings of Love."

Mini-Reviews

Holy Ghost!
Holy Ghost!
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Holy Ghost! have been around awhile, releasing amazing dance punk singles like "Hold On" and putting out amazing remixes for artists like LCD Soundsystem, Phoenix, and MGMT. Their debut album was always on its way but long delayed. In the crowded dance/electronic music field, it is not unheard of for artists to only put out singles, however, Holy Ghost! have always seemed more of the album artist variety. So, finally, the finished product is here. I knew it would either blow me away or leave me wanting. Holy Ghost! is not the second coming nor is it the disaster it could have been; its just a little north of disappointing. "Hold On" is included here in its original form, and there are songs that are of that quality: the bouncy "Wait And See," the sunny tribute to the late Jerry Fuchs "Jam For Jerry," and the dance floor ready "It's Not Over." But too many times, the beats get lazy and the songs journey into genericland. I am always the first to admit I am more of an album person, but when a band puts out an album that contains the singles they've released over the past three years and only a handful of new songs, it seems like a cheat. Perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, Holy Ghost! should just stick to releasing singles, because, to be honest, they are what is pushing my ranking up from Meh.

Craft Spells
Idle Labor
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Craft Spells' debut album Idle Labor travels in the same territory as 80s revivalists/chillwave acts such as Twin Shadow, Memory Tapes, and Toro Y Moi. The songs all feature delightfully tinny drum machines, echoing/chiming guitars, and soaring synths, borrowing from forbearers such as New Order, The Smiths, and Echo and the Bunnymen. I don't think it is just coincidence that the album cover blatantly recalls Power, Corruption, and Lies. When they hit their heights, as on lead song "For The Ages," with its gorgeous interlocking guitars and synths, and on "Scandinavian Crush," and its sing-song melody, you get the sense that the sky is the limit for this band. And for the first half of the album, the band is well on their game, unfortunately, by the back half, the melodies that were so fresh at the beginning get recycled and the ideas begin to run out. Idle Labor could have been a masterful EP, setting the stage for a proper debut that could have been classic. There is enough here though that shows this is a band to watch out for. Give them a little more time to mature, and some more money to get in a proper studio, and we'll be hearing a lot more of this up and coming band.

Kyle Bobby Dunnn
Ways of Meaning
Rating: Grrrr

Drone albums are notoriously difficult for me to review, mainly because there is such a variety of styles within the genre, it is hard to judge one against another. It really all comes down to whether I have an emotional connection to the music. Kyle Bobby Dunn's latest album Ways of Meaning, builds its tracks over guitar and organ, creating a lovely sense of space and time. The tracks are subtle; drawing you in slowly, hypnotizing you with their lucid power. Once enveloped in the album, your mind clears and it becomes a meditative experience. Each time I listen to the record, I find myself amazed at how quickly it passes, lost in my own sense of reverie. Dunn has stated that his tracks are born from personal moments, but that he wants "the minutiae of experience to pass through the grooves of the vinyl to the listener to act as a salve for our collective emptiness." I for one, am grateful for his art, which allows the mind to clear out the obtrusive noisiness of existence and find peace and clarity.

Kyle Bobby Dunn - Ways of Meaning (album preview) by experimedia

Peter Bjorn and John
Gimme Some
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Writer's Block put Peter Bjorn and John on the map with the ubiquitous single "Young Folks," that was as impossible to dislike as it was impossible to escape from. Quite like a teenager rebelling against their parents' wishes, PB&J's follow up, Living Thing, did everything it could to be the anti-Writer's Block. Gone were the hooks and fun songs, and instead, what was left was a long slog through discordant material that was difficult to enjoy. Although it is not quite the home run Writer's Block was, Gimme Some is definitely a step in the right direction. Instead of fighting what made them great in the first place, they are embracing the hooks and strong songwriting that is their bread and butter. From the pop rush of "Second Chance," chiming "May Be Macabre," and Kraut-rock inspired "I Know You Don't Love Me," the album has way more hits than missteps, and is hopefully a sign that the next album will be a full on pop masterpiece.



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.

Peter Bjorn and John: "Second Chance"

No one is as surprised at me how much I like the new PB&J album, Gimme Some. Bouncing back from the debacle that was Living Thing, they have returned with some killer hooks. I will definitely be reviewing the album soon. As a teaser, here is first single and video, "Second Chance," which proves the adage that everything sounds better with more cowbell.

Lykke Li: Wounded Rhymes

Lykke Li
Wounded Rhymes
Rating: Woof Daddy

Swedish indie pop princess Lykke Li's first album Youth Novels was a favorite of mine from 2008. Produced by Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John, the album highlighted Li's odd voice, setting it up against non-traditional instrumentation and song structures, yet sometimes the songs seemed to veer too close to twee territory. With Wounded Rhymes, Li, once again working with Björn, doesn't exactly reinvent herself as much as she beefs up. Her voice is stronger and meatier (though it can still be an acquired taste), and the songs, drawing from 60s girl groups, garage rock, and the wall of sound perfected by Phil Spector, are cavernous and heavy, every note dripping with decay and dirt. Drums are deep and pounding, guitars rich with reverb, and her voice settles so well into the mix, sometimes triple and quadruple tracked.

The songwriting on Wounded Rhymes is more complex and varied than it's predecessor. Li shows that she still can project fragility while also showing strength within herself. Whether she sings of a deep abiding love in "I Follow Rivers:"

"Be the ocean, where I unravel
Be my only, be the water where I'm wading
You're my river running high, run deep and run wild

I, I follow, I follow you, deep sea baby"



or how she needs to rely on a relationship to make her stronger in "Love Out of Lust"

"We will live longer than I will
We will be better than I was
We can cross rivers with our will
we can do better than I can"



she is always self aware and knows what she wants and needs. It culminates in the amazing first single "Get Some," taking girl power to the next level, with her chants of "I'm your prostitute, you're gonna get some," and a video featuring her as a jungle priestess:



There is a good mix of styles and tempos on Wounded Rhymes, giving the record a great flow. From the aforementioned pulsating beats of "Get Some" and "I Follow Rivers," there is the opening organ-driven track "Youth Knows No Pain,"



the echo ladened "Jerome:"



and heavy garage rock of "Rich Kid Blues:"



But where she is excels is the vulnerable ballads on the album. Her voice gut-wrenchingly sad on "Love Out Of Lust," forlorn and ghostly on "I Know Places," and gorgeously melancholy on the girl group homage "Sadness Is A Blessing," with her desperate pleas:

"I ranted, I pleaded, I beg him not to go
For sorrow, the only lover I've ever known
Every night I rant, I plead, I beg him not to go
Will sorrow be the only lover I can call my own?"

With Wounded Rhymes, Lykke Li studiously avoids any hints of a sophomore slump. Instead of just giving us Youth Novels 2.0, she expands on and tightens her sound, showing us a range that was only hinted at before. This more confident Lykke Li is a force to be reckoned with and it definitely makes her an artist to watch closely.

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.