Music

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• 07/08/09

  Major Lazer--Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do Diplo, an idiosyncratic and genre-hopping DJ, has teamed up with British producer Switch to create Major Lazer, a dancehall reggae project. The album employs the considerable talent of the current crop of Jamaican vocalists with the production duo's club-friendly, bass-heavy reggae beats. We're particularly into "Mary Jane," which brings New Orleans brass music to Kingston. The group obviously knows their Jamaican music history and anyone who would call some of their tricks gimmicky has not listened to new reggae in a long time.
  
  Dinosaur Jr.--Farm The newest album from the reunited Dinosaur Jr. is not going to surprise anyone, except perhaps by how good it is. The band chooses to stick to its tried and true formula--strong melodies and stronger guitar licks. But the band sounds so tight and excited to be playing together that the record stands up to other records recorded during their late 80's peak. If anything, J. Mascis's always strained voice sounds even better with age.
  
  Omar-S--Fabric 45 We have just recently found out about Detroit producer Omar-S and his younger protege Kyle Hall but it has been something of a revelation. Detroit has always been a place where forward thinking music could maintain its soul, from the cosmopolitan R&B of Motown to the off-kilter hip hop of Dilla. Omar continues this tradition with electronic music that manages to merge the funkiness of early disco, the robotic keyboards of Kraftwerk, and the soulfulness of the Motor City. Omar's mix for the classic Fabric series is entirely composed of his own tracks and provides a snapshot of a young artist at the peak of his powers.
  

• 07/21/09

  Oneida--Rated O We think that it's plain wrong that Oneida has successfully released a triple album (many have attempted it, few have succeeded) and barely anyone has noticed. It's a testament to the band's consistency that they can do something so well without surprising anyone. Still, they have added enough new tricks to their repertoire (including seamlessly integrating many electronic elements) that you should take notice, if you haven't already. And see them live while you're at it--they're still one of the best live bands around.
  
  Maxwell--BLACKsummers'night We love contemporary R&B (we still haven't felt a backlash against Jeremih's "Birthday Sex") but sometimes it can be lacking in soul. This is why we have been waiting so patiently for Maxwell to release a new album. It turns out he's weirder than ever but we can't get enough of it. It's a perfectly crafted bit of neo-soul, not unlike Erykah Badu's album from last year.
  
  Pajo--Scream With Me We've always known that behind all the punk aggression, the Misfits were a band who wrote great pop songs. David Pajo takes these songs, strips them of everything but the words and melody, and softly sings them with a fingerpicked guitar accompaniment. The result is both beautiful and off-putting. When the Misfits sang their songs, we could barely understand the words. Now that we know what they were singing, it makes the catchiness of their music seem even more subversive.
  

• 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.
  

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