What Else Is There?

..:: James Blake - Life Round Here ::..

One of the UK’s most buzzed about electro-r&b producers, James Blake, recently dropped his second full length album. Lead single “Retrograde” takes a simple hum and builds it until it cracks open and unleashes a flurry of strange beauty, but there is another track on Overgrown that’s equally as breathtaking. The ingredients to “Life Round Here” are simple - a single set of reverb-laced ascending notes, an r&b snare/kick backbeat, and James’ continued insistence that part time love is the only kind round here - but combined together, they form something greater than the sum of their parts. If you don’t mind feeling a bit moody and letting some rainy day spirit fill your consciousness, this song is a pretty good experience.

..:: The Knife - Raging Lung ::..

For their fourth album Shaking The Habitual Karin Andersson and Olof Dreijer set out to create an experience where listeners would not be able to tell if the sounds contained within were produced with a computer or real instruments, and on that note, I do believe they succeeded. Take my favorite song, “Raging Lung”, for example. Throughout, we’re bombarded by a plethora of noises; jangling chime-like noises, warbling bass-like noises, a few amber-tinged noises that may or may not be steel drums, and after awhile some sort of squawking noise takes a solo. The only thing that we can be sure of is that Karin is the one on the mic, as her occult-laden voice is unmistakable. Eventually she fades away and another set of noises (one of which has equal chances being some sort of strange bowed stringed instrument, broken machinery, or a dying animal) take over to jam things out. But regardless of how “Raging Lung”  really was composed, if you’re a fan of The Knife and their ever morphing brand of mysticism, this song is for you.

..:: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - These Paths ::..

You gotta love it when artists keep their ear to the ground instead of resting on their laurels after getting a few successful albums under their belt. Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been doing a good job of mixing things up with each release; their debut had them bounding out of the gate with high energy garage punk, album two was a bit folkier, number three brought the synths, and when it came time for number four things have gotten rather dark. It seems like just like the rest of us, Karen O and company have been diggin’ on some new stuff like Grimes and Purity Ring. This influence is most apparent on the end of “These Paths” where we get a bit of a jam with that dark/screwed vocal sample. Of course, that’s after riding through a few minutes of an eerie, rotating squeak (that moment when it suddenly does three full rotations) and Karen’s increasingly disturbing suggestions (that moment when she hops up into some hair-raising falsetto). Of all the musical paths listeners have to choose from these days, Yeah Yeah Yeahs continue to be a good choice.

..:: Man Or Astro-Man? - Communication Breakdown Part II ::..

Man Or Astro-Man? haven’t been heard from for quite awhile (12 years, to be exact) but fans of the sci-fi surf rock group don’t have to worry anymore. It turns out they were just in space this whole time! Defcon 5…4…3…2…1 is an album with plenty of references to not only space travel and exploration but also the inevitable risk of danger and disaster that comes with it. “Communication Breakdown Part II” is (apparently) the second instance where the Astro-Men are confronted with radio failure and this time it comes packaged with some sludgy guitars (and one of the band’s somewhat rare vocal appearances) that really amplify the dire urgency of their situation. Of course, if these space travelers are even half as good at piloting a ship as they are at playing music, I think in the end they’ll be just fine.

..:: Deerhunter - Back To The Middle ::..

Deerhunter is a band that enjoys challenging expectations. They started by putting out a few albums of sprawling, lo-fi, psych rock before evolving toward an album full of soaring, dream pop jams like “Desire Lines” and introspective noise ballads like “Helicopter”. But on their most recent disc, they’ve taken a step back from the shoegaze feel they had on Halcyon Digest and instead put together an album of shorter, more concise, garage rock tunes. “Back To The Middle” is my favorite of the bunch, and it earns its keep by alternating between a jangling guitar lick and some smooth keyboard work while Bradford Cox spits out a few verses about the cruel cycles attached to that frustrating experience we like to call love.

..:: Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside - Shivers ::..

It looks like Sallie Ford and her troupe of Portland misfits are back with another album and just like their debut, it includes plenty of Sallie’s unique vocal growl and The Sound Outside’s 50’s throwback sound. “Shivers” is where the band slows things down a bit and we find Sallie in a vulnerable place. At this point she knows the boy shivers are not good for her sanity, but she can’t help but ask for more. Meanwhile, a few guitars hang around to keep her company and lend some soulful twang in support. Anyway, Sallie, since you asked so nicely, the answer is yes, I will. Just drop me a line and we’ll meet up on your next tour.

..:: Devendra Banhart - Für Hildegard Von Bingen ::..

While he’s probably most known for his 2005 hit, “I Feel Just Like A Child”, another favorite Devendra cut of mine happens to be the multi-part, folkie psych rocker, “Seahorse”. And although I don’t require every song to be an 8 minute transcendent journey, if I could levy just one complaint about ”Für Hildegard Von Bingen”, it would be that it’s just too short. The song creeps along quietly with delicate guitars and atmospheric chimes while Devendra tells the story of 12th century writer/composer/philosopher Saint Hildegard of Bingen and how she probably would have been an excellent MTV VJ if she happened to be alive today (or maybe more like 20 years ago. I’m not so sure that MTV even has VJ’s these days). If only it didn’t fade out so quickly at the end. Oh well, I guess we can always just hit the play button a couple extra times to make up for it.

..:: Kurt Vile - Girl Called Alex ::..

Kurt Vile was last seen when he dropped one of the best albums of 2011, Smoke Ring For My Halo, (which just so happened to include my 6th favorite song of the year, “Puppet To The Man”) but the guy must have been hard at work for the last two years because his latest release, Wakin On A Pretty Daze, is yet another step forward. The album is awash with liquid guitars and Kurt’s signature slacker vocals and while a case could be made for almost any song on here to be the favorite (including the almost title track ”Wakin On A Pretty Day”) “Girl Called Alex” just edges out the rest of the pack to be my stand out. Layers of soft guitars float in patterns while Kurt softly describes one of his idyllic relationship fantasies. There even comes a moment where he realizes words just wont cut it and his guitar inserts itself halfway through a thought.to do the talking for him. Then finally near the end, things slowly melt into a sleepy outro, as if Kurt knew we’d need a little help getting back down to earth.

..:: Phosphorescent - The Quotidian Beasts ::..

Matthew Houck is the man behind the Americana act Phosphorescent and his latest offering Muchacho contains some really moving stuff. The first single “Song For Zula” is filled with longing strings and practically overflows with beauty, but the seven minute “The Quotidian Beasts” is probably even better. Things kick off with Houck’s wary apprehension of an approaching (metaphorical?) creature while sad guitars and a forlorn piano slowly gain steam. But eventually the song crescendos into one big, living, breathing, gorgeous mess and as Matthew’s oohs finally start floating over the din, we realize it may be hard to find a way out of the chaos. Of course, by this point, who would want to?

..:: The Black Angels - You’re Mine ::..

The Black Angels have been crafting Jefferson Airplane styled psych rock for four albums now and their most recent offering is titled Indigo Meadow. While the LP has a few numbers that lean towards the hazy, atmospheric, freak out side of things (the style long time fans tend to prefer), my favorite cut here is a bit more straightforward in nature and similar to previous single, “Telephone”. ”You’re Mine” finds Alex Maas putting his possessive tendencies on full display while the rest of the band peppers the background with buzzing bass, moaning guitars, and an overall sense of sinister intent.

..:: Thee Oh Sees - I Come From The Mountain ::..

Time and time again, Thee Oh Sees prove that they really are the hardest working band in San Francisco. They’ve been averaging almost two albums per year for the last 3 years and they are showing no signs of slowing down. Their latest LP, Floating Coffin, is filled with the same high energy garage/psych rock that makes their live shows so remarkable. The opening cut “I Come From The Mountain” doesn’t take long to reach a frenzied forward momentum that lays a framework for John Dwyer’s frantic riffs and fiendish vocals while Brigid Dawson drops sets of chilling background oohs. They even manage to squeeze in a riff near the end that sounds a bit like the intro to “Lonely Boy”. Now if only Thee Oh Sees prolific work output and consistent quality didn’t make so many of my other favorite bands look bad.

..:: Wavves - Beat Me Up ::..

Wavves stoner king Nathan Williams is no stranger to being on the receiving end of internet scorn, and although it may not always be entirely deserving, his self awareness and willingness to embrace this loathing is probably one of his biggest strengths. The best song on his newest album Afraid Of Heights may be a straightforward story about a girl who repays Nathan’s affections with emotional (or even physical) abuse. But I think it works just as well to imagine “Beat Me Up” as a surf-guitar based taunt addressed to all his haters out in the world. You could beat him up. See if he cares. Even if you do, he’ll just go right back to playing guitar.

..:: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Let The Day Begin ::..

BRMC has been churning out a steady stream of bluesy / stoner-rock throughout the 2000’s and they don’t seem to be showing signs of slowing down anytime soon. They just released their seventh album Specter At The Feast and one of the best cuts, “Let The Day Begin”, is actually a cover from 1989 by The Call. BRMC manages to pay the original great homage while still putting their own spin on things and making it much less… well… 80’s sounding. The track comes barreling out of the gates with a driving set of drums while Robert Levon Been raises his glass to as many people as he can before Peter Hayes digs in and lets his guitar go screaming into the night.

..:: How To Destroy Angels - Welcome Oblivion ::..

For some reason I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for bands comprised of couples. Arcade Fire, Mates Of State, Peaking Lights, and hell, even The White Stripes (even though they were divorced and claimed to be brother and sister for a majority of their run) are a few groups I’ve been into that are centered around a pair of lovebirds. Well now it looks like there’s a new band that I can add to that list. Trent Reznor, the mastermind behind Nine Inch Nails, has recruited his wife Mariqueen Maandig for vocal duty on his latest project, How To Destroy Angels. The title track “Welcome Oblivion” doesn’t have a driving industrial beat but instead relies on backdropping Mariqueen’s anxious voice with ominous bass and creaking synths to create Reznor’s trademark feeling of impending doom. It’s one of those songs that may not pop out at you while listening on laptop speakers, but plug in your soundsystem or over the ear headphones and you’ll be blown away by the sheer sonic force that comes pumping out.

..:: Bonobo - Cirrus ::..

The North Borders is the fifth LP by Bonobo who just so happens to be my favorite downtempo artist of the 2000’s. The British producer has a knack for crafting competitions that sound both electronic and organic at the same time. “Cirrus” begins with a simple set of bells that rattle and scatter around before the song winds up and blooms into a full, lush arrangement of warm tones and fuzzy bass. And while I don’t hype music videos anymore (as I feel they can steal thunder from songs that don’t have one) the animations put together for the song by Cyriak are just so perfect that it would be criminal to let them go without mention.

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