Wolf Alice - "The Sofa"

Excellent new single from Wolf Alice's upcoming record The Clearing. It's a sweeping ballad with lush strings and vocalist Ellie Rowsell's soaring voice.

The Maccabees: Given To The Wild - Album Review

The Maccabees
Given To The Wild
Rating: Grrrr

Sometimes I will admit I choose not to listen to something based on what bands other people say they sound like. A friend has told me for years to check out The Maccabees, and that they sounded like a cross between Elbow, James, and Coldplay. Not that I have anything specifically against those bands; in fact, I own records from each, and have some favorite songs here and there. But they aren't necessarily bands that I return to time and again. With the beginning of the year being a difficult time getting new music across my desk, I decided to set aside my initial disinterest and give Given To The Wild a listen. While the album is not going to win any points for complete originality, indeed, it gets to be a little too much "spot the influence" at times, there is an earnestness here that is appealing, and the production work from DFA heavies Tim Goldsworthy and Bruno Ellingham is sparkling and clear. Amazingly, I had no clue they produced the album until after I heard it, and in fact, would be hard pressed to have guessed so. The album eschews their traditional post-punk disco flourishes and analog buzz for crystal clear shimmer. The production work helps the band remain focused, delivering a tight set of 13 tracks, which oddly takes a slightly more experimental
bent further into the back half of the record, which seems to set the stage for new directions for the band to take. And by experimental, I don't mean in a Kid A sense, but rather, a willingness to do different things with vocals, harmonies, and odd time signatures.

The album begins with the gorgeously building "Child," which climbs from intricate, intertwined guitars and mid-tempo beat, adding horns and atmospheric keyboards, until the song erupts into a swirling frenzy near the end.

The Maccabees - Child by MelomanoiseMusic

On many of the tracks, the band seems to recall the tight interplay of bands like Foals and Yeahsayer, working together seamlessly and with power; from the shimmering guitars and brilliant rhythm section of "Feel to Follow,"



the driving pulse and haunted vocals of "Unknow,"



and the echoing percussion, twinkling pianos, and rush of guitars and horns in "Ayla."



There is an increased willingness here for allowing songs to take their time, embracing the use of a more subtle sonic palette. "Glimmer" indulges a gorgeous falsetto over moaning guitars and atmospheric samples.

The Maccabees - Glimmer by deardeerdash

"Go" appears to borrow from the sonic adventurousness of Wild Beasts, with soaring keyboards and pulsating electronics.



Standout album track "Slowly One" is pure perfection. Haunting strings buoy the gentle percussive backing and gentle guitars. Orlando Week's vocals are quietly touching.

The Maccabees - Slowly One by deardeerdash

There really is not a weak track in this collection, each song sits strongly on its own while also carrying through with the whole. It took me one listen to be intrigued by the record, and with each subsequent listen I pick out more and more things that pull me deeper into its spell. Given To The Wild is the sound of a band getting supreme confidence in their sound and their vision. It is sure to wrap you up in its warmth and never let go.

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 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.

Cloud Nothings: Attack On Memory

Cloud Nothings
Attack On Memory
Rating: Woof Daddy

I will admit that the debut album from Cloud Nothings was unmemorable to me. I actually had to go back and listen to it again in order to try and remember what their sound was like. Cloud Nothings was 11 blasts of short pop-punk that held no personality or interest for me, and was quickly forgotten amid much stronger releases in 2011. Almost a year to the day, they return with their second full length, Attack On Memory, and whether it is owing to a new found maturity or the production work from the legendary Steve Albini, this album is tighter and full of memorable hooks, and is balls out one of the best sounding rock records of the year. Albini gives the tracks more room to breathe, which is a mere 8 tracks, feel more substantial and not as slap dash as their debut. Previously, Cloud Nothings' sound perched precariously on the edge of twee. Muscular, and more strident, these tracks are full of coiled menace, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

Lead track "No Future/No Past" doesn't even sound like the same band at first. From a mournful beginning of pianos and ringing guitars, Dylan Baldi's voice calm and regretful builds in intensity with the rest of the band, as the song erupts later into furious swell of raging guitars and screaming vocals. It is certainly one of the most striking album openers of the year.



In the past, most of Cloud Nothings' tracks barely passed the 2:00 minute mark, which is blown out of the water here with the almost 9 minute "Wasted Days." For such a long track, it is surprising that it is not a moody number, full of odd twists and turns. Instead, it is a driving force of nature that only briefly stops at the mid-point for a atmospheric bridge before launching again into a hurricane of guitars.



There really is no shortage of killer hooks to go around on this record, which recalls many of the great alternative guitars albums of the late 80s from Pixies, Sonic Youth, and Dinosaur Jr. From the tightly wound guitars and sneering vocals of "Our Plans,"



the brisk pop-punk of "Stay Useless,"



to the angular fury of "Separation,"



there is a focus and purpose that was lacking previously. There is relatively little to criticize about Attack On Memory except that there doesn't seem to be a lyrical connectivity to these tracks, and it feels more like a compilation of great singles and not a true thematic concept. It is a minor detraction from an otherwise great record. Perhaps more "tweeish" bands should have their records roughed up and spit out at the hands of Mr. Albini, he seems to have the pulse, at least with Cloud Nothings, to take raw clay and make it into something brilliant.

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 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.

Atlas Sound: Parallax - Album Review

Atlas Sound
Parallax
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

I hate this time of year, mainly because there is a dearth of new releases at the beginning of the year, and I am usually scrounging around looking for something to review. So, I am going back and reviewing some albums that either came out too late to really include in the end of the year posts, or albums that initially left me lukewarm, but have grown on me. Case in point, the current album from Deerhunter's Bradford Cox's side project Atlas Sound, Parallax. It has been in my playlist for a long time, and I have always enjoyed it, but it never really stayed with me afterwards. Atlas Sound used to be Bradford's more ambient/electronic, experimental outlet outside his work with Deerhunter. Over the past few years though, as Deerhunter's sound and aesthetic have changed from being abrasive and off putting to being practically refined and genteel, Atlas Sound's sound has adapted as well. Parallax is a collection of mostly guitar based pop songs, drawing from pop and rock from many different eras, from the 50s onward. As a result of this new glossy sound and production, the project looses some of its distinctiveness, however, it shows what a strong and focused songwriter Bradford has become.

The shock comes from gorgeous tracks like "Mona Lisa" which is likely the most shimmering pop tune he has ever created. His voice, reverbed and distant, a nice contrast to the jaunty beat and pianos.



"My Angel Is Broken" is a lonely, guitar driven travelogue. You can smell the miles of dirt and grime.



"Terra Incognita" is held close the vest, his voice a near whisper, over gentle, interlocking acoustic guitars.



"Lightworks" takes a stuttering, modern beat, then overlays 50s reverb heavy guitars over it, for a nice contrast.



Although there is a more refined sensibility at play here, there is still a streak of experimentation going on, which keeps the album fresh and new. "Te Amo" features lots of interplay between keyboard melodies and background atmospherics, and has a particularly striking vocal turn from Cox.



"Praying Man" has a dusty, echoing quality, that is the perfect update to 50s pop songs.



"Doldrum" hearkens back to earlier Atlas Sound, a lovely ambient track full of treated pianos and lonely vocals. Title track "Parallax" again takes the reverb guitar and places it over dense electronics.



There is still a disconnect for me with the album as a whole. A lot of the tracks drift in and out of each other, sounding more like a compilation of tracks rather than a cohesive work. Despite this, Parallax works rather well, and is always haunting the outside reaches of my mind. It will be interesting to see where Cox takes this sound next. Based on this and his current work with Deerhunter, it appears to be on a collision course.

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 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.