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• Music 04/30/07

  Feist—The Reminder
  Canadian songstress Leslie Feist has that rare voice that conveys strength but sounds fragile enough to leave you concerned it might fracture at any moment. She uses this instrument to great effect on her latest album, which took only a week to record entirely in a rented house near Paris. The album varies from rocking indie pop to sparse and haunting loner folk, each style fitting like a glove and sounding lovely—it's absolutely perfect music for this time of year.
  
  Bill Callahan—Woke on a Whaleheart
  Bill Callahan first came to prominence under the name Smog as a part of the 4-track home recording movement in '80s indie rock. Nowadays he prefers to go by his given name, but his music is still characterized by intimate songs given an honest country-folk interpretation. His vision of American roots music is spooky and sweet, aided by wonderful arrangements from Royal Trux's Neil Michael Hagerty. The album is such a pleasant affair that it's easy to overlook the fact that very few artists are capable of delivering an album this strong 20 years into their career.
  
  Dungen—Tio Bitar
  Swedish psychedelic rock revivalists Dungen took the world by storm two years ago with an album meticulously recorded to sound like a relic from 1968. What seems like a gimmick at first—hyperactive booming drums, fuzzed out guitars, and jazzy flute-led passages—is supported by enough great songwriting and artistry throughout the record to transcend the conceit. It's more of the same with the new album, only this time there's 20% more mellow grooves and 10% less fuzz. Even without the novelty of the vintage sound this is a great band, and any new album they release is a welcome break from whatever current digital sounds have been dominating your iPod.
  

• Music 04/10/07

  The Field—From Here We Go Sublime
  Sweden's The Field creates ethereal, dense dance music that envelops you like a warm blanket. Axel Willner, the ambient techno producer who is behind the Field, has been making waves for the past few years with well-received singles and appearances on label compilations, but the debut full-length album he's produced is something of a revelation. Opening with a four-on-the-floor techno song, the record comes down from this rush to create soundscapes that are as "sublime" as the album title would lead you to believe. It's rare to hear club music that is so perfectly suited for home listening.
  
  Grinderman—Grinderman
  Nick Cave is taking time away from his normal output of murder balladry to focus on violent and unhinged music in the vein of his early band The Birthday Party and "Funhouse"-era Stooges. Picking up the guitar to perform with his new band, Grinderman, the focus is on raw emotion and very loud feedback. The standout track is still the first single released, "No Pussy Blues," which is surprisingly not as offensive as it sounds.
  
  Blonde Redhead—23
  The latest from Blonde Redhead is yet again another reinvention and another resounding success. This self-produced effort tries on many different textures aside from the guitar pop the band is known for, most prominently the dreamy feeling of My Bloody Valentine as well as electronic flourishes and rhythms. All of the experimentation seems perfectly suited to their sound and never self-indulgent, leaving an album with few flaws and a consistent level of brilliance.

• Music 030507

  Arcade Fire—Neon Bible
  At this point it's fair to say that the Arcade Fire are not minimalists. Their debut album was chockful of melodrama, hooks, crescendos, codas, and anything else necessary to make every song into The Best Song Ever. The result was a great record, and this one picks up right where Funeral left off. What we love about the Arcade Fire is that, for an indie band, they tend to measure themselves against the canon of rock music rather than any scene. It makes each of their records seem more important and timeless than almost every other "next big thing." We particularly like the E Street Band feel of the song "Keep the Car Running."
  
  Soft Circle—Full Bloom
  Hisham Bharoocha (primarily known for formerly playing drums in Black Dice and singing in Lightning Bolt) is a prime example of how New York scenesters have gone from punk-rockers to hippies in a few short years. Kids no longer go straight edge, they meditate. The organic food market has replaced the record store as the coolest place to be seen. Hisham, likewise, has gone from playing in hardcore punk bands to embracing a more tribal sound that builds on repetitive, polyrhythmic drum patterns and the chanting of his own voice. In a live setting, he does all this by himself but Full Bloom benefits from his own studio overdubbing and makes the album much more complex and rich. If you'd rather go to an ashram than on a drug bender, this album is for you.
  
  Julien Jacob—Cotonou
  Originally from Benin in West Africa but raised in France, Julien Jacob creates sublime acoustic music. Relying mainly on his own acoustic guitar, his voice, and various percussion instruments, Julien creates his own brand of pop music that incorporates the crooning of chansonniers like Serge Gainsbourg with the folk music of Africa and the Middle East. It is a potent blend of styles, and listening to this album gives the sense that we may well be hearing a lot more from this artist in years to come.

• Music 022007

  Panda Bear—Person Pitch
  Animal Collective drummer and singer Panda Bear (aka Noah Lennox) padded his resume when he released his solo album Young Prayer in 2004, a pastoral acoustic meditation on love and death. Person Pitch, his latest effort, may very well surpass even his best efforts with Animal Collective. This time around, the album is built around samples and electronic beats that range from pop to ethno-electric drumming to reggae matched with beautiful Beach Boys-influenced singing and harmonizing. What seems like an odd mixture on paper comes off perfectly in practice, making this record already seem like a contender for album of the year.
  
  The Papercuts—Can't Go Back
  It's a few years into the neo-folk revival in underground rock, and there have been a few classic albums created, some that we liked and forgot about two days later, and a couple that reminded us that folk is a four letter word. Knowing that Can't Go Back was a so-called folk-rock album, we approached the Papercuts new record with trepidation and limited expectations but were blind-sided by how different they are from their peers. The singing and songwriting, for starters, are both stellar with a crack band that gives the roots rock songs just enough twang to make them folksy but without too much self-conscious folksiness. This could well be the album that John Lennon would have made if he moved to the country and recorded on his front porch with some locals.
  
  Field Music—Tones of Town
  For a self-recorded debut album, Field Music sounds impressively self-assured. The British band's sound is instantly reminiscent of the Futureheads and other post-punk bands of recent vintage who are more song-based than their early '80s precursors. What sets Field Music apart is their obvious affection for the baroque pop music of the late '60s, especially cult favorites The Left Banke. The piano work is stellar throughout the album, a reminder of how powerful piano playing can sound on a rock record when it's not simply there to add color around distorted guitars.

• Music 020507

  Deerhunter—Cryptograms
  One thing that's not surprising about Atlanta's Deerhunter is that they are able to craft beautifully melodic songs out of ambient noise. After all, they are on Kranky Records, and that's what we have come to expect from the records released on their prestigious imprint. What comes as a complete surprise is that the members of Deerhunter are also capable of becoming the best psychedelic pop band we've heard in ages, with the dreamy, detached confidence of the Velvet Underground and Spacemen 3.
  
  Of Montreal—Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
  Of Montreal has done much to separate themselves from other acts that emerged from Athens, Georgia's Elephant 6 Collective. While they are firmly rooted in the '60s songcraft that has dominated this cabal of like-minded bands, they have distinguished themselves by embracing new sounds. 2007's installment continues this trend with their latest effort an enticing mixture of druggy, new wave with enough touches of modern indie pop to guarantee that Of Montreal will be everyone's favorite band this year.
  
  The Shins—Wincing the Night Away
  The Shins seemingly went from a great pop band that everyone thought was their best-kept secret to becoming the face of Indie Rock overnight. A little movie about everyone's favorite Mid-Atlantic state propelled them into enough quasi-fame to ensure that many people would be paying attention to their next album. Well, here it is, and it kicks off so strong that any previous notions that this was a one-trick-pony are quickly dashed. Instead you listen in awe as this band once again proves their ability to write incredible pop-rock songs that sound instantly like songs you've known your whole life.

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