Music

WOMEN: Mini Me

MEN: Gray Days

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Reviews

• 06/22/09

  Black Meteoric Star—Black Meteoric Star Gavin Russom has the look of a mad scientist and the tools of the trade as well—he makes all of his instruments himself, creating synthesizers from outdated technological detritus. This makes his music under his nom de rave all the more strange—the new music he is making would not sound out of place in a dance club 20 years ago, it just sounds weird now. The record is excellent and all but the purest experience would be to see him live. Just last week he turned the MOMA into a psychedelic rave. Now that's some real alchemy.
  
  Mos Def—The Ecstatic Even during his 90's underground hip hop heyday, Mos Def was one of the most polished acts in a genre where most artists were trying to be as grimy and possible. In the past few years, he has put his best talents aside and focused on playing small parts in Hollywood movies of questionable quality. So it comes as a surprise that his best album in years sounds like something he could have made in his basement during one long (and chemically altered) session. It seems that he has been absorbing the work of Doom, Dilla, and Madlib, resulting in off-the-cuff performance that is fun and unpredictable.
  
  Dirty Projectors—Bitte Orca Since the incredible album Rise Above, it has seemed like Dirty Projectors were poised to become the biggest indie band in the world. If that were the case, this album would be the one to put them over the top—it's the perfect pop distillation of their entire warped aesthetic with the hooks and melodies to stick in your mind for a long time. But the more we listen to this record we realize that a band as patently weird as Dirty Projectors may never be able to cross that threshold to become huge. We don't mind; as long as they keep putting out great records we're happy to keep them as our favorite little indie rock band.
  

• 06/03/09

  Au Revoir Simone—Still Night, Still Light The lovely ladies of ARS are back with their strongest record yet. The formula is still the same: sweet songs with 3 part harmonies, 3 keyboards, and a drum machine. What we like so much about this band is how they can get so much emotion out of very simple machines. Casios never sounded so good.
  
  The Tough Alliance—A New Chance So what if this album came out nearly two years ago. We never really gave it a fair chance then but it's been consistently next to our CD player for close to a year now. Yet another Swedish pop concoction, this band is probably the most contagious thing you could ever listen to. Take, for instance, the first song "Something Special." It sounds like Wham! doing a dancehall reggae song--the whole thing is crazy but it works. Highly recommended.
  
  Cold Cave—Cremations This Philadelphia group has been creeping up on our radar for a little while now. We keep trying to buy their records before finding out that they are absurdly rare and out-of-print. This CD brings together some of their early records to give you a picture of the band: dark synth-led new wave made on homemade-sounding synthesizers. Bonus info: if you can track down their previous record, "The Trees Grew Emotions and Died," check it out. The title track may be the best single of the millennium.
  

• 05/13/09

  Grizzly Bear—Veckatimest The highly anticipated new album from Grizzly Bear is finally here. Expanding on the sound of their previous album, Yellow House, the band has come through with some incredible songs, tight harmonies, and lovely musical arrangements. GB has long been a favorite of ours, so it is with joy and sadness that we listen to this wonderful new album. It's a joy because the music sounds so great and we feel like we've watched this band blossom into something truly special. But it's also a little sad because this album is so great that we have the feeling that our favorite little band won't be little for very long.
  
  The Vaseline—Enter the Vaselines Back in the early 90's, before the internet made everything so convenient, finding out about new bands would happen by word of mouth and rumors found in music magazines and from your friend's older brother. Kurt Cobain was an influential musician at the time and used his own celebrity to champion little heard bands such as Os Mutantes, Daniel Johnston, and the Raincoats. Nirvana turned a lot of people on to the Vaselines as well, covering their songs Son of a Gun, Molly's Lips, and Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam. Sub Pop Records has put together their entire recorded output in this 2-Disc set along with some demos and live tracks.
  
  The Field—Yesterday and Today We were surprised by The Field's debut release From Here We Go Sublime. It seemed like a single idea, well-executed and intriguing. Two years later we were still listening to the album and wondering if we'd ever get sick of it. That never happened, but now we have a whole new album to obsess over. The new record is a more mature work, incorporating more sounds, great dynamics, and a whole slew of brand new tricks. If you only buy one electronic record this whole year, make it this one.
  

• 04/28/09

  Camera Obscura—My Maudlin Career We're kind of addicted to this new album from the pop-loving Glaswegians (just wanted to use that word) Camera Obscura. The sound for this record is huge, seemingly drawing from the Wall-of-Sound 60s productions of Phil Spector (before he became a convicted murderer).  The band wears the sound well, bringing out perhaps their best set of songs yet. This record really is a pure joy.
  
  St. Vincent—Actor St. Vincent, the unbearably cute Annie Clark's pseudonym, records another winning collection with her new album Actor. She has a great voice, the kind of sweet but firm voice that's hard to get tired of. She also knows how to make adventurous music that takes chances and incorporates many different sounds, from steady bass drum beats to heavy guitars. We may have first noticed her for her voice, but it's her unusual musical sensibility that has made us huge fans.
  
  Bill Callahan—Sometimes I Wish I Were An Eagle The man who once recorded as (Smog) returns with another great set of songs to add to his already impressive catalog. Alone, the tracks each sound great, a combination of a Bill's sing-speak voice and his gentle fingerpicking and strumming. The real draw here is the string arrangements that not only improve each song but transform them into something totally different. It's sad music, sure, but also full of hope.
  

• 04/17/09

  Micachu & the Shapes—JewelleryWith homemade instruments and sounds borrowed from modern avant-garde composition, we're pretty sure you won't hear another pop album as unusual as this one all year. Micachu is a 21 year-old Brit who released a mixtape as an MC and DJ before releasing this debut album. It's remarkable that she is able to incorporate so many different sounds in a single song yet still produces cohesive and distinctive music that sounds completely original.
  
  Bat for Lashes—Two SunsThis second album from Bat for Lashes improves on the sound of the first record and probably bests it. It's an album of mysticism and mystery, with a electro-acoustic musical accompaniment suited to the proceedings. With "Daniel," Bat for Lashes has a transcendent single with equally great artwork: singer Natasha Khan's on the beach with a painting of Karate Kid's Daniel LaRusso on her back.
  
  Yeah Yeah Yeahs—It's BlitzThere a very few bands around these days where you anticipate their releases and would wait in line to buy their new album. YYYs just happen to be one of those bands because they have incredible pop chops, Karen O is one of the most charismatic lead singers to appear in years, and they rarely disappoint. It's Blitz smooths out some of their edges but in a way that makes them even more powerful in many ways. Buy this album.

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