Music

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• 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-Jewellery With 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 Suns This 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 Blitz There 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.

• 03/31/09

  Royksopp—JuniorThe Norwegian duo Royksopp has just released their third record and we have been listening to it pretty much constantly since then. During the first two tracks, you think to yourself this is pretty great 80s-style dance music but aren't exactly blown away. It's only after you hear "Vision One" and its interpolation of the synthesizer in Stevie Wonder's "Too High" that you realize how funky this album is. And then you remember that these guys are Norwegian. It must be some small miracle.
  
  Phoenix—Wolfgang Amadeus PhoenixIt's kind of inexplicable that Phoenix is not more well-known at this point. They consistently release great pop-rock albums. They're handsome Frenchmen. What's not to like? Somehow, unfortunately, the radio airwaves in America have bypassed this band. The best thing to do to rectify this situation is to buy this album. The fate of the country's pop music taste depends on it.
  
  Nite Jewel—Good EveningIf you have dreams of being a disco queen, what better place to make these dreams come true than in your bedroom? To the outside world, Nite Jewel is a college student. But with her cheap recording equipment and synthesizers, she is Debbie Deb, Arthur Russell, and a French chanteuse all rolled into one hell of a downer disco album. Her latest album is a ghostly deconstruction of dance-pop that manages to stick with you long after its over. 
  

• 03/17/09

  Condo Fucks—Fuckbook This Yo La Tengo side project is something of a joke. Their press materials claim they're a band from Connecticut with an extensive back catalog but all of that information is (not so secretly) false. Their album consists of garage rock, lo-fi cover versions of classic songs from various bands including the Small Faces and the Kinks and the title itself is a play on YLT's own cover album, Fakebook. The album certainly isn't essential but it makes for a really satisfying listen, bringing out the punk rock lurking within 60s rock n roll bands.
  
  Mi Ami—Watersports We've been struggling with whether or not to recommend this album because, to be honest, it took us a few listens to really get it.  Mi Ami rise from the ashes of DC punk band Black Eyes and last year they issued an incredible debut 12" single, "African Rhythms." While their allegiance to the DC sound is still evident, in the years since Black Eyes disbanded they have absorbed lots of dub reggae and disco, making for potent songs that aren't afraid to stretch out and just stick to a nice groove. The vocals are confrontational, high-pitched, and, admittedly, not for everyone. For those willing to stick it out, however, you'll find that the album is rewarding and haunting.
  
  Gui Boratto—Take My Breath Away Gui Boratto has always stood out from the rest of Cologne's Kompakt label. First of all, he's Brazilian. Second, his sound has always been hard to describe as "minimal," Kompakt's sonic signature.  His latest album sets him even further apart as he gets away from straight dancefloor material and creates lush techno-pop jams that will satisfy both hardcore techno enthusiasts and others who enjoy a good melody and some cool-sounding synths. The song "Les Enfants" sounds like the lost theme from an 80s sci-fi movie that we really want to see.
  

• 03/04/09

  Mountains—Choral It may be ambient but it's not background music. Mountains takes the sound sculpture techniques of Fennesz and brings guitar to the fore. The dark folk textures, treated by laptops and god-knows-what-else make for a warm, yet melancholic listen. Underneath the occasional white noise, lovely melodies form and then vanish. Few albums so ephemeral manage to stick in your mind for so long.
  
  Phosphorescent—To Willie We've been enjoying this faithful and atmospheric tribute to Willie Nelson from Phosphorescent (Matthew Houck). When executed well, this type of album is kind of like an even more personalized best-of mixtape. Instead of compiling his favorite Willie Nelson tracks, Houck does one better and just remakes the songs himself. Of course, these versions don't come close to matching the originals, primarily because Willie's voice is missing. Yet the album doesn't suffer from this comparison and has a warm juke joint cover band sound that has the charm of a well-worn thrift store t-shirt.
  
  These Are Powers—All Aboard Future The off-kilter electronic percussion and distorted guitar-meets-gameboy sounds might remind you of the experimental laptop group of your choice, but These Are Powers more often recall a ferocious rock band. The drumbeats are never the steady 4/4 you might expect but this isn't really a bad that ever does what you quite expect it to. The female vocals just drip with venom and the band has perfected a tension and release song structure that makes for compulsive yet uneasy listening. Amongst the countless bands that emerge from Brooklyn each week, These Are Powers stick out with a sound unlike anyone else right now. 
  

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