Music

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• 07/09/07

  Interpol—Our Love to Admire
  Once again, NYC's Interpol triumphantly returns with another batch of taut, anthemic post-punk that puts most rock bands to shame. The lead off single "The Heinrich Maneuver" is one of their finest songs yet, with some U2-inspired guitar lines that perfectly suit the grandiosity of the song. Interpol's style have not gone through any major stylistic changes since their last record, choosing instead to subtly refine their already effective and driving music, keeping it as fresh and exciting as it was when they first emerged six years ago.
  
  Simian Mobile Disco—Attack Decay Sustain Release
  It wasn't so long ago that dance music was dominated by faceless producers who put out music solely for club consumption. That age, for better or worse, appears to be passing as an endless stream of highly anticipated full-length releases are coming down the pike from legitimate groups that work within the dance idiom. SMD, formerly known as the electronic rock group Simian, are equally inspired by the acid house of late '80s Britain as well as the over-the-top arena electronic music of Daft Punk. With catchy vocal tracks and out there disco rhythms, this seems to be one of those albums that works equally well on the dance-floor as it does on your iPod.
  
  Spoon—Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
  There's something reassuring about the fact that Spoon is still out there making great records. Ever since Britt Daniel and Co. emerged from the fertile Austin music scene they seemed destined to transcend indie rock fame to become an immensely popular band. Since then, on the heels of the success of Kill the Moonlight and Gimme Fiction, it's not so surprising that they've achieved success but that they haven't become absolutely huge. Their nonsensically titled new album might remedy the situation with great pop songs about loss and heartbreak that don't sound nearly as depressing as the subject matter.
  

• 06/26/07

  Electrelane—No Shouts, No Calls
  When Electrelane first emerged from Brighton, England, they were one of many Stereolab-influenced groups, indistinguishingly tooling around with Farfisa organs and locked grooves. But with each new album they've managed to transcend and transform, leading to their latest incarnation as a jangly pop band, singing tunelessly in the vein of post-punk girl groups like the Raincoats and the Slits. Though the vocals might be pitchy, the melodies and guitar lines are precise and the drums recall Joy Division at their most anthemic. Taken as a whole, No Shouts, No Calls is a remarkably consistent effort that is rewarding with each listen and catchy as all get-out.
  
  Marissa Nadler—Songs III: Bird on the Water
  Rhode Island singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler has created an achingly beautiful album backed by Philadelphia psych-folk heroes, Espers. Possessing a full and expressive voice, Nadler sings gothic-tinged folk songs of love and loss that have the unique ability to sound completely new and timeless at the same time. Backed by sparse finger-picked guitar and atmospheric strings, synthesizers, and electric guitars, the album creates the kind of melancholic mood that is beatific enough to remind you that melancholy can sometimes be wonderful.
  
  The White Stripes—Icky Thump
  When the White Stripes first emerged we were skeptical of their gimmicky stripped down blues rock and restrictive fashion choices. But they've stuck to their guns and we take our hats off to them. Icky Thump, their latest album and its first single, showcases Jack White's cocksure, Led Zep-influenced strut and some of his best guitar work yet. They're one of the only mainstream rock bands that matters anymore, and they consistently create a racket like no one else.

• 06/12/07

  Justice—Cross
  You could do worse than a generation of French kids raised on Daft Punk. Justice, the duo of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, have been the cornerstone of Ed Banger Records for a few years now, releasing a slew of well-received singles on the label. By mixing hard rock and four-on-the-floor dance music, they have created a more playful spin on the Daft Punk sound that is infectious and always fun. But if you want to know how great this album is, all you have to do is watch the video for the first single "D.A.N.C.E."
  
  The Clientele—God Save the Clientele
  Talk about simple pleasures. Take a charming British pop band, give them simple and catchy songs that get lodged in your brain for weeks, drench the album in reverb and string arrangements so it sounds like it was recorded in the '60s, listen, and repeat. The Clientele are a Hampshire, England-based quartet who know that three minutes is more than enough for a great pop song, and they rarely give you more than that. Instead, with each album they prove that they have an almost endless supply of great melodies and a knack for songwriting that is rare in rock today.
  
  James Blackshaw—The Cloud of Unknowing
  The extraordinarily gifted 12-string guitarist James Blackshaw has been causing a lot of buzz in the folk music underground as people are beginning to catch on to this 24-year-old with almost limitless talent for fingerpicked guitar music. This record, his latest, is one of the best sounding records we've heard in a long time, with beauty and joy simply pouring out of the speakers. JB proves that he is more than another boring virtuoso with lovely compositions and interesting accompanying instrumentation—we can actually say with a straight face, "Wow, that glockenspiel sounds amazing!"
  

• 05/29/07

  Dan Deacon—Spiderman of the Rings
  IModern composers with MFAs in electro-acoustic composition are rarely this fun. Crafting danceable and beautiful music out of cheap electronics, Baltimore's Dan Deacon has made an important record that doesn't take itself too seriously. The Woody Woodpecker samples, the comically altered vocals, and the childish abandon of the record are almost enough to disguise how intricately crafted each track really is. It might be a little reductive to simply say that Dan Deacon is the electro version of Animal Collective, but if it gets people to buy this record then who really cares?
  
  Gang Gang Dance—Retina Riddim
  And now for something different, Gang Gang Dance, Brooklyn's very own spazzy ethno-dub group, has released a 33-minute experimental DVD created by band member Brian DeGraw, featuring new music culled from live dates and rehearsal tapes. The visual imagery is mainly pastoral scenes and shots of the band playing, cut and pasted within an inch of its life just like the soundtrack itself. For the DVD impaired, there is an additional disc with unreleased jams from the Gang, a boon to all of us who have been thirsting for more releases since their great album in '05, God's Money. For the uninitiated, seeing the music and image synced up best translates the appeal of this oft misunderstood band and will undoubtedly convince you to see their incredible live show next time they're in your town.
  
  Optimo—Walkabout
  We know very little about Optimo aside from the fact that they're from Glasgow and they routinely release some of our favorite mixtapes. Kill the DJ 2 was great, but we were really blown away by some of the mixes on their website, particularly the No Wave and Tropicalia music history lessons. This latest leans heavy on the dance side of things, but it's spiced with just enough noise and rock to keep it interesting. This is the soundtrack for the discerning listener's sweaty, debaucherous, drug-fueled all-night party.
  

• 05/15/07

  Battles—Mirrored
  Indie rock supergroup and recent Warp signees, Battles, have delivered one of the most surprisingly good releases of the year. Comprised of four talented musicians, among them former members of Helmet and Don Caballero, Battles plays the kind of math rock that hasn't been cool since 1998. Where the album succeeds is in how they've changed this genre just enough to be interesting in the context of current music. You get a feel for African pop guitar here, a little bit of over-the-top stadium rock drums there, and enough weird noises and squiggles courtesy of resident knob twiddler Tyondai Braxton to make this not only a good album but to put it on the cutting-edge of what modern rock records should sound like.
  
  Sandro Perri—Plays Polmo Polpo
  Somehow Sandro Perri has totally been slipping under the radar. Maybe its because he records for a Canadian label or because he doesn't live in Brooklyn, but its unusual for a musician this talented and this prolific to go unnoticed. He's the man behind the offbeat favorite from last year, Glissandro 70, as well as Polmo Polpo, the pseudonym under which he has released three of the finest North American electronic music albums of the past ten years. Despite his experimental pedigree, Sandro Perri is also a man with a guitar, and on this album he expertly covers songs from his own catalog, recasting them as organic and twangy where they once shimmered like stainless steel.
  
  Elliot Smith—New Moon
  Recorded at the same time as his modern classics, Elliott Smith and Either/Or, New Moon is a welcome addition to the Elliott Smith catalog. If you're as weary of posthumous releases as we are, you are more than justified. Previously unreleased tracks from artists as diverse as Nirvana and Tupac have never failed to disappoint. But here we have an entirely different beast—an album of outtakes and deleted songs every bit as strong as the tracks that made the cut. Obviously Elliott Smith fans should buy this without even reading our review but for those who've never heard this artist, you can start here and not hate yourself in two years when you own everything he ever recorded.
  

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