Review: Japandroids - Celebration Rock

June 5, 2012

Polyvinyl Record Co.

Rating:  8.2/10

The year's most exciting display of musical exhilaration may very well have been released earlier this summer from the Canadian duo, Japandroids.  The perfectly titled Celebration Rock is about a half hours' worth of youthful exuberance and buoyant energy.

Let's be honest--there is no earth shattering originality on display here.  And at first, it comes off as slightly more juvenile and bro-friendly than the stuff I usually enjoy.  However, there's no denying or resisting the melodic bombast that screams and soars through every last bit of this record when simply taken and enjoyed at face value.  Driven by unmistakably catchy bursts and shout-along "whoa-oh-oh" choruses, it doesn't take long before the mood of this album washes over you.

Recorded live with little to no overdubbing, the band effectively captures the atmosphere of the most kinetic concert experiences.  It starts and ends with fireworks, of both the literal and figurative variety.  Trust me when I tell you it's the best music you'll hear between colorful skyward explosions this week.

It feels like finally finding a Replacement for the Cheap Trick you used to pull on your old Boss.  It sounds like an old episode of the three Stooges Clashing with Who knows what in some old house in a Gaslight district.  It rocks like the appetite you try to destroy late at night in a futile effort to make yourself Hold Steady.  

So find some people who enjoy your company as much as you enjoy theirs, and celebrate this week.  Toast to something meaningful, and toast to something frivolous.  Splash some bottles together and let the foam soak your fists.  Throw this record on among a crowd of friends.  Trust me when I say it won't serve as background music for long.  Happy Fourth, everyone.

Official Site

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Review: First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar

January 24, 2012

Wichita Recordings

Rating:  6.5/10

Being revered as a female Fleet Foxes singing Joni Mitchell tunes, one could easily understand my immediate draw to the Swedish duo, First Aid Kit.  Well, the descriptions being bestowed upon the throwback folk impressions of sisters Johanna and Klara are completely fitting.  These songs are rustic and poetic, and they wouldn't sound out of place around a campfire at Woodstock.  As a person who does not typically shy away from modern day hippie music, I can genuinely enjoy this album in moderation.  Not taken in small doses, however, this flower child formula can begin to teeter on music exec board room banality.

All flaunting of innocence and incense aside, the music actually sounds pretty good in the right setting; sunny day drives through fields of wheat, for example.  The credentials are legitimate too, as the girls have worked with Jack White (but who hasn't, really?) and the album was produced by Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes.  It's also hard to ignore the obvious, albeit well merited, name-dropping of Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, etc.  I will say that Conor Oberst's appearance on the final track serves as a sweet signature on a simple and summery set of songs.  Check it out to add some airy and untroubled warmth to your day.

Official First Aid Kit

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Review: Wilco - The Whole Love

September 27, 2011
dBpm


Rating:  8.9/10

As a keeper of a meticulously sorted iTunes catalog, I attempt to rate each song on a scale of one to five stars.  Granted, this is a continuously evolving process that does have its merits when it comes to compiling playlists, making recommendations, etc.  In a collection of over 12,000 songs, however, roughly 300 or so have received the elusive five-star rating. 

These are the tunes that have blown my music-hungry mind at one point or another.   These are the songs that I will listen to throughout my entire life.  Not just reserved for obvious choices such as “God Only Knows,” “The Boxer,”and “A Day in the Life,” the five-star tag has also been placed on more recent and relatively obscure anthems like “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks,” “Passing Afternoon,” “Fake Plastic Trees,” etc.  Two of the most recent inductions into this personal hall of fame serve as the bookends on Wilco’s impressive new album, The Whole Love.

“Art of Almost” lures you in with its slightly off-kilter droning before blasting you into rock and roll oblivion with some of the best shredding to ever come screaming off a Wilco record.  I found myself drumming on the steering wheel so hard that I bruised the palms of my hands.  Well, almost.  That’s how you earn five stars.

The hauntingly beautiful closer, “One Sunday Morning,” achieves instant classic status for completely different reasons.  Don’t be put off by its length, as this song simply surrounds you and drifts by in the fastest, most care-free twelve minutes you’ll ever experience.  The vocal performance is subdued yet astounding, and the sparkling and distant piano lines here are otherworldly.  The repeating eight note riff that is so aptly strummed, plucked, chimed and played will follow you around throughout the day.

But let’s not forget the wonderfulness that falls between these two numbers.  Here, you’ll find some outstanding vintage Wilco pop rock (“Dawned On Me,” “Born Alone,” “Whole Love”) mixed in with experimentally tinged bits of acoustic glory (“Sunloathe,” “Black Moon”).  Leaning closer towards the latter, one of my favorite interior tracks is the absolutely stunning “Rising Red Lung.” 

Found a fix for the fits,

Come listen to this.

It’s buried under the hiss,

And it glows.

If I could give four and half stars, it would be appropriate here.  Another standout, “Capitol City” takes the listener down a bouncy lane towards the fabulous pop music of the past.  Something tells me I’ll still love this one when I’m 64.

As a whole, this album shines unlike anything we’ve heard out of Wilco in quite some time.  It’s consistently brilliant and measures up track for track with anything they’ve done since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.  Undoubtedly, this is the best new music I’ve heard in 2011.

Wilcoworld.net

Wilco on Facebook

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"Seussian" Album Review - The Beatles - Revolver

I was recently challenged by a member of a message board that I frequent to write an album review in the style of one Dr. Seuss.  I don't anticipate making this a regular feature (or ever doing one again) as it took me about three lunch breaks to write.  Regardless, I accepted his challenge and present to you the following.

August 5, 1966
Parlophone

 Rating:  10/10

Best of all time? It’s surely sublime.  Let us pander a gander through gibberish and rhyme.

Make sense this shall not, but it’s worth a shot.  It’s at least worth a razzer, pitsnitch or tubsplot.

George opens the album with an amply paced beat, an impressive feat that he would not repeat.  The Taxman tactfully taxes your street.  The Taxman tactfully taxes your heat.  Checking his sheet, his job won’t be complete, until he taxes your seat and at long last, your feet. 

And Eleanor Rigby, aging and feeble, laying rest beneath steeple, pointing out cuptillions of sad lonely people.

Dreary strings subside to rhythmic swings that invite us to all to go floating up streams.  Triple x-labeled jugs, or mind-bending drugs, could have led to the presence of drawckab ratiugs.  If you ask me they all deserve a snug round of hugs.

The next in the show comes off as an ode, to musical things in abodes round the globe.  Fear not though, for just up the road are melodious tones known for getting girls off their toes.

Poetic balladry aside, let’s all take a ride, on a lemony vessel where even hornswaggles abide to reside.

Here’s the thing though, it’s not always neato, when the time finally comes to let Ringo sing-o.

The following entry is a tune for the century, about bleak conversational rudimentary imagery.  The concept here is poignant but elementary.

All of a sudden, the flowers are budding.  The great sun’s rays’ displays are erasing the flooding.

Good day to yours, good day to mine.  Good day to curtain-splitting morning sunshine.  This song should be designed into every alarm clock chime.

The happiness train picks up some steam as the plot zings to a green bird who swings things and sings in one of the catchiest numbers that I’ve ever seen.  Know what I mean?

I now want to tell you, nay, sell you and pay value to the next stretch of three that many give hell to.  For no one should mock or throw away in a box, or feed to a lox tales of generically named docs.

If this does cause forlorn, than perhaps I may warn you of a soulful little romp adorned fully with brass horns.

The fact is we all love Paul, after all.  He sounds good in the mall, he sounds good at the ball, he might even sound good in the famed Albert Hall; assuming no holes through which he could fall. The fact is we all love Paul, after all.

This masterpiece culminates with a spectacular show.  One of chaos, one of fury, one with which minds will blow.  And if you say “no, for this mine won’t be blown,” check back tomorrow ‘cause by then you’ll have known.

Now that we’ve taken some looks and copycatted books, it’s easy to see how the world got so shook.  Only a schnook could possibly overlook the chances the Beatles took in creating these hooks.

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http://www.thebeatles.com/

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Review: Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones

June 6, 2011
Xtra Mile Recordings, Epitaph


 Rating:  8.0/10

I keep having dreams of pioneers, and pirate ships; and Bob Dylan.  These folk songs for the modern age are for punks, and folks and journeymen.  Not everyone can be Freddie Mercury, but everyone can raise a glass and sing. 

We are electric pulses in pathways of the sleeping soul of the country.  The path I chose isn’t straight and narrow.  It wanders ‘round like a drunken fellow.  Some days it’s hard for me to follow, but if you’ve got my back I’ll go on.  If you’ve got my back, I’ll go on.

On the worst days, when it feels like life weighs ten thousand tons, I sleep with my passport, one eye on the back door so I can always run.  But love is free, and life is cheap.  As long as I’ve got me a place to sleep, clothes on my back, and some food to eat, I can’t ask for anything more.

Teenage kicks and gramophones, we will hold them in our hearts.  They remind us of things that matter; home, and hearth and history.  And I still believe in the need for guitars, and drums, and desperate poetry.  I still believe that everyone can find a song for every time they've lost and every time they’ve won.

I always keep an open house, and I always do right by my friends.  And when I get to St. Peter’s gate, I’ll tell the people that I’m not the one who needs to make amends.  It doesn’t matter where you come from, it matters where you go.  No one gets remembered in this listless life for things they didn’t do.

And on the day I die, I’ll say ‘at least I fucking tried.’  After all, it was rock ‘n roll.

www.frank-turner.com

Frank Turner on Facebook

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Review: Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver

June 17, 2011
Jagjaguwar, 4AD


  Rating:  8.4/10

Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon has come a long way since the quaint little recording session in a cold and desolate cabin that birthed the wonderful For Emma, Forever Ago.  One of the best records of 2008, For Emma still sees heavy rotation almost exclusively during the winter months.  It just doesn’t feel right at other points throughout the year.  The fact that it lacks a certain versatility of mood shouldn’t detract listeners who have yet to experience its icy bliss though.

Earlier this summer, Vernon and friends burst back onto the scene the somewhat confusingly titled Bon Iver, Bon Iver.  The album art is stunning and reminds me of the inner lining of a sleeping bag that I used frequently as a kid.  If the various side projects that surfaced between Bon Iver releases were any indication, I knew that this one was going to be treading down the path towards the fairly common, often frightening, “new direction.”  I don’t believe that any fans of the first record were expecting a similarly stripped down and rickety sequel.  But I also don’t concede that any of them could have predicted something so gleaming, so smooth around the edges. 

Yes, the production on Bon Iver, Bon Iver is crisp, but it is not annoyingly slick.  Instrumentally vivid and (at times) lush, Vernon simply exposes us to what we already knew was there, the sounds of an artist realizing his vast capabilities.  Moments of pin-drop beauty intertwine seamlessly with countless examples of rhythmic and melodic prowess.  Rusty and creaky guitar strings have been replaced by crystalline tones.  Cinematic passages reminiscent of The National slide by amidst harmonies that are vintage Bon Iver.  The instantly recognizable falsetto still soars, but Vernon ventures into baritone territory here as well.  Varying payments of homage to some of the musical tacticians of the 80’s make their presence felt often. 

The songs themselves hold up extremely well and mold together to form a journey that seems to fly by regardless of time of year or temperament of self.  There might not be anything that measures up individually to the beauty of “Flume” or “Re: Stacks” (“Holocene” comes close), and I do find myself wondering what an “Mtv Unplugged” version of this album would sound like.  Nonetheless, what we have here is a cohesive sampling of the aural paintings taking up wall space in Vernon’s creative psyche.  My not-so-bold prediction:  Bon Iver, Bon Iver will end up scattered across every single best of ’11 list that cyberspace has to offer, including my own.

BonIver.org
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Review: Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math

May 10, 2011
Favorite Gentlemen

 Rating:  5.9/10

The third full-length from Atlanta rockers Manchester Orchestra misses more often than it hits.  Believe me, I'm not listening for blaring originality when I put on an album from Andy Hull and the boys.  Usually, I know I'm going to get some mildly aggressive and melodic rock music.  In the case of "Simple Math," however, I find myself consistently comparing MO to the bands that clearly influenced their sound.  As much as I'd like to just sit back and casually enjoy these songs, I just can't stop myself from thinking, "wow, they are going for Built To Spill (or Nirvana, or Pink Floyd) here."

I'm not saying that a band wearing its influences on the proverbial sleeve is always a bad thing.  There are plenty of records out there that I love that are more or less homages to the history-makers of rock that came before.  It just rubs me the wrong way on this one.  Throwing in the phrase "comfortably numb"  and hitting us with a "brick in the wall" style children's chorus a few tracks later just doesn't sit well for me.

Enough complaining though, because there are some positives to be found in this otherwise mediocre batch of tunes.  "Pensacola" is a radio-friendly pop track that edges uncomfortably close to Blue October territory without ruining the song.  "Apprehension" is another solid offering that would have fit in nicely on one of the Orchestra's finer albums.  The paramount moment occurs with the raucous brilliance of "April Fool," which is a throwback to the heyday of alternative rock.  If I keep one thing in the regular rotation from this collection, it will be this headbanger.  Hull shouts at us, "I've got that rock and I roll!"  On this one, Andy, you sure do.  I just wish it appeared more often.

http://www.themanchesterorchestra.com/
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Review: The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

Rating:  7.6/10

When I heard The Decemberists play "Down by the Water" on one of the late night talk shows, I was a little torn.  I liked the song, but I distinctly remember being confused by the straightforward alt-country sound of it.  Wondering if we were going to get an album full of stripped down foot-stompers, my curiosity and subsequent anticipation for the release of The King Is Dead grew.

To be fair (or unfair, depending on how you look at it), I never even bothered listening to 2009's The Hazards of Love.  I had heard/read just too many negative reviews about grandiose, Broadway-style theatrics and overly colorful instrumentation that I just didn't take the time to give it a chance (and still haven't to this day).  So, unlike many articles I've read about the latest offering from The Decemberists, this one won't be clouded with night and day comparisons between the opposite ends of the spectrum from which the two albums were born.

Instead, I will discuss The King Is Dead on its own merits.  Besides, it's not like we've never heard stylistic changes from The Decemberists in the past (as subtle as they may have been in comparison).

First off, Peter Buck from R.E.M. plays on three tracks.  So as you can imagine, there are numerous moments in which the boys from Athens, Georgia come to mind.  While we're name-dropping the obvious influences on this record, how about Neil Young and early Wilco?  Getting the picture yet?  TKID showcases some really pretty melodies as well as some rustic tunes that rattle forward like a countryside train.  For the most part, it all fits into a nice little pleasant package.  The aforementioned "Down by the Water" features an instantly hummable melody with backing vocals from Gillian Welch.  Another highlight, "January Hymn" shows off Meloy's uncanny ability to create a simple and beautiful tune.  It's about the songs this time around, and each one has its own space to breathe. 

I don't foresee this album landing at the top of the rankings in the Decemberists' catalog (probably somewhere in the middle, in fact).  But I'm not looking to listen to a classic every time I plug in the iPod.  Sometimes I just want to hear something enjoyable; something that gets me drumming on the steering wheel.  The King Is Dead does the trick.  Highly recommended.

Review: Okkervil River - I Am Very Far

May 10, 2011
Jagjaguwar

  Rating:  7.8/10

The Austin based Okkervil River has done it again with the recently released I Am Very Far.  With a back catalog that includes indie treasures such as Black Sheep Boy and The Stage Names, this band consistently proves that they just don't release bad records.  Frontman Will Sheff has one of the best voices in rock 'n roll, ranking right up there with the ambling tenor of Jim James and the refined baritone of Matt Berninger.

The beginning of this particular release is fairly jagged and disjointed, I'll admit.   It does its best to immediately grab you by the shirt collar with the uptempo stomp of "The Valley" before sauntering into a throw-away of sorts and a Springsteen imitation.  While these tracks are not bad by any means, things really get going for me at the album's mid-section.  The churning balladry of "Lay Of The Last Survivor" displays Sheff's traditional sense of melody and ability to deliver a charming vocal.  "White Shadow Waltz" is a definite highlight that ventures into the majestic sounds of touring companions, Arcade Fire.  It's a regal sounding tune, complete with plodding guitar lines, spastic percussion, and orchestral flourishes.  Another goosebump worthy moment occurs a few moments later on the quietly beautiful "Hanging From A Hit," which will go on to rival some of the most dramatic moments from past Okkervil River collections.  As the album's pinnacle slips a little further into the rear view, you will still be engaged and enthralled as you drift towards the floating finale. 

Where this album will rank amongst other offerings from this band is hard to predict.  The aforementioned Black Sheep Boy (and appendix) and The Stage Names are some of the most frequently revisited records in my entire collection.  While there may not be any individual songs that could go on to top "Singer, Songwriter" or "Lost Coastlines," I would proclaim that Far is more consistent from front to back than The Stand In's.  As any fan of OR will tell you, that's really high praise.  This band can do no wrong.

http://www.okkervilriver.com/
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Review: Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

January 25, 2011
Warner Bros/4AD

 Rating:  7.1/10

Let me just start by saying that I am a bit of an Iron & Wine homer and often refer to the Floridian folk act as my favorite artist currently making music.  Agree or disagree with my tastes, that is in the least an impressive mathematical feat for a band mixed into a library with over 10,000 songs.  In fact, the title of this very blog is a nod to a lyric from "Lovesong of the Buzzard" from 2007's masterpiece, The Shepherd's Dog ("...Lucy in the shade of the dogwood blooms).

For me, it's about more than just the music that Sam Beam so brilliantly creates.  It's about a certain edges-blurred aesthetic that reminds me of simple times and simple places.  Vivid images of wind-blown quilts, swaying willow trees, softly trickling waterways and warm light cast through open windows are common in Beam's work.  If what I'm describing sounds overly Americana or rootsy, I guess it could be deceived as such.  But I urge you to take a look at the literary sincerity with which these passages are delivered.

From the brilliant closer to 2004's Our Endless Numbered Days simply titled "Passing Afternoon:"

There are things that drift away like our endless, numbered days
Autumn blew the quilt right off the perfect bed she made
And she's chosen to believe in the hymns her mother sings
Sunday pulls its children from their piles of fallen leaves

It's not exactly "she'll be comin' 'round the mountain when she comes," now is it?

But, as my dozen or so readers are used to, I digress.  Shifting to I&W's most recent output, let's feast our ears on Kiss Each Other Clean.  I suppose one of this gem's most obvious qualities is just how very shimmery it appears on first listen.  The production is much crisper with less room for air and more room for video arcade noises.  Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of quality musical moments to behold here.  But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little taken back when I heard the record scratches in "Me & Lazarus" and the Galaga dive bombs in "Monkeys Uptown."

Another production item of note is that Beam's voice is so full and clean sounding compared to the older bedroom folk and tape hiss albums.  Not necessarily a bad thing, but it takes some getting used to for sure.  Why whisper all the time when you have a voice like that anyway?

At no point are the vocal stylings more beautiful than on the album's incredible stand-out track, "Godless Brother In Love."  This is one of the most hauntingly memorable melodies that Sam has ever created.  To be honest, the uptempo horn-laden jam sessions won't stick as long with this die-hard fan.  So, having a ballad of this caliber kind of saves the album from its own leanings towards unbridled mediocrity (at least by I&W standards). 

Other flashes of sparkling grace fly by on "Walking Far From Home" and "Glad Man Singing."  Thus, the score for this review creeps up into the seven range.  The generic phrase that suits this record the best for me is "solid and enjoyable from front to back."  Does that help?  Don't expect Shepherd or Endless (or even parts of Around the Well, for that matter), but the songcraft here is respectable and will merit many return visits from me over the years.  Hopefully it will be just another petal in the flower garden of Beam's long and fruitful career.

ironandwine.com
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Review: The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

January 14, 2011

Capitol

Rating:  7.8/10

When I heard The Decemberists play "Down by the Water" on one of the late night talk shows, I was a little torn.  I liked the song, but I distinctly remember being confused by the straightforward alt-country sound of it.  Wondering if we were going to get an album full of stripped down foot-stompers, my curiosity and subsequent anticipation for the release of The King Is Dead grew.

To be fair (or unfair, depending on how you look at it), I never even bothered listening to 2009's The Hazards of Love.  I had heard/read just too many negative reviews about grandiose, Broadway-style theatrics and overly colorful instrumentation that I just didn't take the time to give it a chance (and still haven't to this day).  So, unlike many articles I've read about the latest offering from The Decemberists, this one won't be clouded with night and day comparisons between the opposite ends of the spectrum from which the two albums were born.

Instead, I will discuss The King Is Dead on its own merits.  Besides, it's not like we've never heard stylistic changes from The Decemberists in the past (as subtle as they may have been in comparison).

First off, Peter Buck from R.E.M. plays on three tracks.  So as you can imagine, there are numerous moments in which the boys from Athens, Georgia come to mind.  While we're name-dropping the obvious influences on this record, how about Neil Young and early Wilco?  Getting the picture yet?  TKID showcases some really pretty melodies as well as some rustic tunes that rattle forward like a countryside train.  For the most part, it all fits into a nice little pleasant package.  The aforementioned "Down by the Water" features an instantly hummable melody with backing vocals from Gillian Welch.  Another highlight, "January Hymn" shows off Meloy's uncanny ability to create a simple and beautiful tune.  It's about the songs this time around, and each one has its own space to breathe. 

I don't foresee this album landing at the top of the rankings in the Decemberists' catalog (probably somewhere in the middle, in fact).  But I'm not looking to listen to a classic every time I plug in the iPod.  Sometimes I just want to hear something enjoyable; something that gets me drumming on the steering wheel.  The King Is Dead does the trick.  Highly recommended.

http://www.decemberists.com/

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Review: Jenny and Johnny - I'm Having Fun Now

August 31,2010

Warner Bros.

Rating:  6.8/10

Jenny Lewis, known mostly as the charismatic eye/ear candy songstress from Rilo Kiley, lends her versatile talents to a project simply titled "Jenny and Johnny."  The other half of this pop rock duo is Jenny's former touring buddy and current love interest, Jonathan Rice.

Rice supported Lewis on her 2009 Acid Tongue tour.  Bus rides, hotel downtime, and backstage jam sessions seemed to have supplied an ample slate for the creation of this rather enjoyable album.  Handily crafted pop tunes with Byrds-esque harmonies and surf's up style guitar melodies drive across a consistently pleasant plane that lasts just long enough to cover my morning commute (if I hit play after a fill-up at QT). 

For my tastes, I'd prefer a little more Jenny and a little less Johnny.  Their voices blend well though, and there is a tangible chemistry that comes across in the music.  Airy and accessible, there's not a lot here to break down any walls into unchartered musical playgrounds.  Taken for what it is though, no shame should be felt while singing along to the infectious "Big Wave" or the unshakeable "Just Like Zeus."

Fans of past works take caution.  There are no twins singing back-up here, and the partnership with the dude from Salute Your Shorts has been placed on indefinite haitus.  This Jenny is more Stevie, less Loretta.  Past moments of smokey solitude disappear as if someone cranked the windows down on a classic Mustang bound for the PCH.  As much as I would like to have seen Johnny in the backseat again, he's apparently called shotgun.  But hey, Jenny's happy and having fun now.  Who are we to judge?

http://www.jennyandjohnnymusic.com/
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