Album Review: The Notwist - Close To The Glass

The Notwist
Close To The Glass
Rating: Grrrr

German indie alternative/electronic act The Notwist seemed to have an identity crisis in the early going, moving from heavy metal to dark indie rock until settling in with what seemed to be the best fit, quirky electronic leaning alt-rock. Their classic electro-pop record Neon Golden is one of those records that you keep recommending to skeptical friends who all become devout devotees upon listening. What should have been the launching point for a storied career became rather a muddle, as acts like The Postal Service drew a more mainstream crowd, their slick mix devoid of the quirks that made Neon Golden such a find. The following up to Neon Golden, The Devil, You + Me, had its charms, but seemed to try to incorporate more guitar heavy compositions that alienated the fans of Neon Golden. Their latest record Close To The Glass, I am happy to report, is a return to the more electronic focused side of the bad, with a few detours into more guitar-centric areas. While it does not hit the sublime heights of Neon Golden, it is still a sold record that should return the band to brighter lights.

There are some new approaches here which are evident from the play of first single and title track "Close To The Glass," which is very percussion focused, combining harsh electronic beats with delicate woodwinds and samples.



First track "Signals" is a haunting synth-heavy glitch-fest, which again is one of the album's best moments where the electronic and the organic collide in perfect form, the skittering beats and electronics intertwine with strings in delicate precision.



But of course, Close To The Glass works its charms best when it revisits the gorgeous electro-pop the band perfected on Neon Golden. Organic percussion propels "Run Run Run" while blooping keyboards and jazzy woodwinds interplay while frontman Markus Acher's aching voice floats above it all in a netherworld;



swirling keyboards and strings punctuate the melancholy ballad "Into Another Tune," which rises quietly into a more hurried number with the addition of subtle percussion and a more dense mix;



and the charming pop track "Casino" is where Acher's quirky vocals works very well with the pastoral guitar work.

There are only a couple of points where The Notwist add tracks that, while not necessarily bad, just don't fit the mood of the record and stick out like sore thumbs. Power pop track "Kong" is a charming little guitar number but in the midst of all the swirling electronics feels odd. And the less said the better about droning, MBV-esque guitar screed "Seven Hour Drive" which is so jarring as to be antagonistic.

But these are minor quibbles when the rest of the album is so well put together. And The Notwist save the best for last with the final two tracks. Instrumental number "Lineri" is by far the most beautiful piece they have ever recorded. Soft guitar lines intertwine with each other over muted programming and subtle atmospherics. The guitar work here is particularly stunning, sounding like tears falling down a lover's face.



And "They Follow Me," reframes the guitar work from "Lineri" to close out the record, with a track that takes the beauty of Neon Golden's closer "Consequence" as a springboard and fashions another eloquent closer.

Close To The Glass is a brilliant return to form after the lackluster album The Devil, You + Me, and puts the band back on track from the momentum of Neon Golden. By focusing on their electronic strengths, but not forgetting their indie-rock bona fides altogether, they have crafted an excellent set of electro-pop leaning tracks that beguile and entrance you from first play to last.

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: Ryan Hemsworth - Guilt Trips

Ryan Hemsworth
Guilt Trips
Rating: Grrrr

Mostly known for his forays into downtempo R&B and cloud-rap territory, Canadian DJ and producer Ryan Hemsworth releases his album Guilt Trips, which surprisingly hits on multiple styles and genres, yet feels cohesive and retains Hemsworth's personality and charm. In this age of being exposed to and able to listen to so many different types of music it is remarkable to me that anyone's records these days don't have a schizophrenic quality to them. But this plethora of music makes it so that many producers are always challenged and inspired by what they hear, and in more gifted hands are able to pull from and edit things down to their own ends. Guilt Trips borrows the best parts of chillwave, trap, Dirty South beats, future R&B, cloud rap, and many other styles and makes for a fascinating listen.

Guilt Trips is very much built and structured for headphones and late night listens and not the dance floor, aligning itself more with indie electronica, feeling like a drive through dark and cold streets, the neon and glitter of the city washing over you as you head to your final destination. Beginning with the soft thump of "Small + Lost," featuring the gorgeous vocals of Sinead Harnett over snippets of vocal samples, Guilt Trips eases itself gracefully onto its sumptuous path.



Throughout the record, Hemsworth expertly switches back and forth between vocal led tracks and instrumentals. From the Frou Frou sampling "One For Me," which pairs R&B singer Tinashe's breathy vocals over fresh R&B beats, sounding like one of Brandy's trademarked ballads;



indietronic collaboration with Baths "Still Cold" which pairs Will Wiesenfeld's left-field croon with sparkly Postal Service-esque keyboards, intoning strange lyrics like "it’s almost funny that you’re still so cold / what are you, Taylor Swift?;” while on closing track "Day/Night/Sleep System," Hemsworth pairs the guttural raps of Haleek Maul with the mumble raps of Kitty, looking back towards his cloud rap roots.



But the main focus on this record are Hemsworth's pristine and multi-layered productions. "Weird Life" starts out as cotton candy 80s pop music before erupting into a glossy trap inspired mix of bright synth washes and belltone melodies;



"Ryan Must Be Destroyed" builds from a lonely, inward looking track into a maximalist tour de force of skittering rhythms and meaty synths;



while "Happiness & Deams Forever" showcases Hemsworth's furious drum programming and sense of scale and drama, drawn into balance with the almost creepy vocal sample saying "please don't trust me."

Guilt Trips is a very brisk listen but one that rewards multiple listens. At first, it breezed by pleasantly without really making a lasting impression with me. Over the course of several different listens it began to take shape, making its presence known. While Ryan is still trying to find his ultimate voice, Guilt Trips makes the case that he might be doing fine with what he is doing right now.

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: Alison Moyet - the minutes

Alison Moyet
the minutes
Rating: Grrrr

I am always dubious when a longtime artist returns with an album that borrows liberally from current trends in electronic music, as if it is last stab at relevance and market share. Of course, it is easy to forget that Alison Moyet began her career as half of the electronic duo Yaz, and has always dabbled with electronic music on her solo albums. the minutes, her first record since 2007's The Turn, is her first electronic-centric release since her Yaz days, and remarkably neither sounds like a cash grab nor some blind stab at what is current. Collaborating with Guy Sigsworth, formerly of Frou Frou and producer for Bjork, Madonna, and Britney Spears, Alison Moyet finds herself with one of her best, if not the best, records of her career; her voice still powerful and rich, with Sigsworth's productions aiding her delivery rather than just being something bright and shiny in the background.

You know things are different off the bat with the strings and muffled electronics of "Horizon Flame," Moyet's voice supple and deep, weaving in and out of the dense mix of keyboards.



Throughout the record there are nods to dubstep, from the push and pull of juggernaut "Changeling,"



the stuttering, squeltchy electronic landscape of "Apple Kisses,"



and the fierce, album highlight "All Signs of Life" that runs the gamut through dubstep and drum and bass.

Thankfully, Sigsworth and Moyet aren't slaves to one genre of music, making the minutes a stylistically varied experience, one that reveals its depths over time. There are epic tracks like the barnstorming "When I Was Your Girl" which features one of Moyet's most emotionally honest vocals,



"Love Reign Supreme" which travels in the same spritely electro-pop territory as The Postal Service,



and the stately electro-ballad "Filigree," Moyet's voice as regal as it has ever been.



the minutes was a huge surprise for me, as most of Moyet's solo records have been nice yet never really doing much other than providing bland musical backing for her powerful voice. Sigsworth seems to understand that power and works with it instead of not trying to come up against it. Providing more meat to the backing tracks actually makes her voice even more powerful. Welcome back Alison, we hope you and Sigsworth continue this fruitful partnership.

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.

New: The Postal Service - "Tattered Line Of String"

Unreleased track that will appear on the reissued version of The Postal Service's record Give Up.

Death Cab For Cutie: Codes And Keys

Death Cab For Cutie
Codes And Keys
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Ever since Death Cab For Cutie became popular, as well as Ben Gibbard's side project with Dntel, The Postal Service, the band has been a bit on auto-pilot. Transatlanticism was the last truly great Death Cab record, moving to almost monotony on 2008's Narrow Stairs. The three year wait, in addition to Gibbard's marriage to Zoey Deschanel, seems to have mellowed out the songwriter, and, dare I say it, have made him happy? While there will always be an undercurrent of melancholy on a Death Cab record, this album is decidedly in a major key. Gibbard's also allows his work with Postal Service to be a greater influence; Codes and Keys being a far more electronic record. It is this pull between the acoustic and electronic that provides the needed tension Death Cab has always relied on, but it also hurts the record in the long run as, especially toward the end of the album, Gibbard's ideas seem to run out.

The first half of the record is classic Death Cab For Cutie (literate lyrics and memorable melodies) married with a sonic adventurousness. Lots of buried electronic effects and programmed percussion. "Home Is A Fire," almost apes Kid-A era Radiohead.



The title track starts off with barroom piano and drums and takes off with gorgeous strings, erupting into one of the most joyous choruses Gibbard has ever written.



"Doors Unlocked And Open" takes Gibbard's new optimism to another level. Singing lyrics like: "Somewhere down, down/Down in the ocean of sound, sound/We'll live in slow-motion/And be free." The track is one of the few on the album that is almost keyboard free, relying on a driving, metronomic beat, tight bassline, and crystalline guitars.



"You Are A Tourist" uses soaring guitars and washes of atmospheric feedback to compliment the beautiful lyrics:

"When there's a burning in your heart
An endless yearning in your heart
Build it bigger than the sun
Let it grow, let it grow
When there's a burning in your heart
Don't be alarmed"



Which unfolds beautifully into "Unobstructed Views," a haunting ode to love and atheism.



After all these highs, it is incredibly disappointing that the album loses its focus and meanders almost all the way to the end. Retreating from the subtle experimentation at the beginning of the album, the remaining songs get lost in uninspired backings. "Monday Morning" plods along on a turgid beat and forgettable melody. "Portable Television" vamps to another barroom piano roll, but doesn't add much to the track. "Underneath The Sycamore Tree" recycles ideas from other tracks to lesser effect. "St. Peter's Cathedral" breaks the pattern thankfully, and puts the experimentation back to good use; taking ambient washes of keyboards and building them up with spiralling string synths and guitars.



"Stay Young, Go Dancing," however, is slight ballad that ends the album on an underwhelming note.



Codes and Keys is not the brilliant masterpiece that Death Cab For Cutie has lurking within them somewhere. I suppose we will have to continue waiting for them to take their sound up a couple of notches. But there are plenty of charms on the record to make it recommendable.

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.