What Else Is There?

..:: Friends - I’m His Girl ::..

Who is this band? Mystical. Funky. Empowering. Provocative. Her inflection during the “I’m not just another chick” part. That fucking bell! Argh! Yup. Doin’ it for me. I may not know who Friends is, but I’m definitely keeping my eye out for future releases by them in case any should happen to reach the same levels of discoliciousness as this one.

..:: Phantogram - Don’t Move ::..

The best track on Phantogram’s newest EP has a little of everything that makes the band so enchanting. Syncopated drums, Sarah Barthel’s dreamy voice and plenty of swirling synths and guitar. But it’s the chopped up electronic horn and vocal sample that keeps bringing me back. The way it wraps itself around that beat before letting Sarah and her Korg weave in and out makes it pretty hard to “keep my body still.” Sorry Phantogram, if you’re going to keep writing songs like this, you’d better get used to my “shake, shake, shake.”

..:: Justice - On’n’on ::..

It appears Justice has succumbed to the dreaded sophomore slump and will not be saving music in 2011. Gone is the heavy hitting bass and glitched out beats of Cross. And child choir choruses? Not one in sight. Everything’s been replaced by larger-than-life-styled prog-rock guitars. “On’n’on“‘s stalking throb draws comparisons to “Kashmir,” but while the dark Led Zeppelin song evokes thoughts of impending doom, “On’n’on” elicits feelings of determined hope. Throw in some kazoo-sounding fuzz and a psychedelic flute solo and we’ve got ourselves a banger. Justice may not have saved music in 2011, but at least this track isn’t bad listening while continuing the search for our next savior.

..:: The War On Drugs - Come To The City ::..

File this one under: Road trip music. “Come To The City” is so full of wistful restlessness and discovery (with a touch of nostalgia) that I can’t help but think it was written in the passenger seat of a car while cruising past and small towns and farmhouses. The progressive folk rock jaunt is soaring, expansive, and singer Adam Granduciel sounds strangely similar to former bandmate Kurt Vile (but don’t worry, this is a good thing.) Definitely a song to keep around for the next time you feel like hopping in the car and driving as far as you can.

..:: Fountains Of Wayne - Cold Comfort Flowers ::..

Forget for a minute that Fountains Of Wayne is the band that subjected us to that “Stacy’s Mom” song every hour on the hour on every rock station in the summer of 2003. Those of us in the know still remember the days when FoW was at their best, writing power pop gems like “Radiation Vibe” and “Hey Julie”. While their new album Sky Full Of Holes comes up way short of their previous four releases, there’s still one moment lurking in the mediocrity that deserves a listen. “Cold Comfort Flowers” seems unassuming at first, but once Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger launch into the chorus and bathe us in waves of euphoric harmonization, aesthetic chills are practically guaranteed.

..:: DJ Shadow - I’ve Been Trying ::..

While the unwashed masses keep wishing DJ Shadow would re-make Entroducing… everyone’s favorite instrumental hip-hop artist has gone on record saying that it just isn’t going to happen. However, it does sound like a little bit of the past has resurfaced on The Less You Know, The Better. “I’ve Been Trying” is reminiscent of The Private Press’ lost-in-time sounding “Six Days” — A lonely guy with a guitar get’s retrofitted by Shadow’s downtempo/trip-hop styled snare, descending chimes and warbled bass. Of course, the most amazing thing is that everything is done so seamlessly, one might have trouble believing that there are no instruments involved here. It’s all just a bunch of samples stitched together.

..:: Feist - How Come You Never Go There ::..

Everyone knows that breakups are good for music. (Anyone remember Beck’s Sea Change? Yeah, exactly.) So while it might feel rather heartless to be glad about Leslie Feist’s recent entrance into the ranks of the single and heartbroken, we can at least rest easy knowing that the world is probably getting some good new tunes out of the deal. “How Come You Never Go There” finds Feist blues-folk’ing as hard as she can. And even though her voice is laden with sorrow as she tries to piece together why her last relationship went south, it still seems effortless and even boasts a bit of swagger. Recommended for when you’re feeling slightly somber, yet determined to power through to the other side.

..:: The Joy Formidable - Whirring ::..

Aggressive, yet dreamy. Assailing, yet transcendent. “Whirring” is nothing if not an intense ride. The first half of the song has Ritzy Bryan belting out curses to an unknown being — “You make me sleep so badly, invisible friend” — while the rest of the band chugs along beside her. However, the real treat is that the first half of the song is but a launchpad for the 4 minute path of destruction that follows. The Joy Formidable hitch themselves to The Smashing Pumpkins “Rocket” but instead of landing on Neptune they don’t stop until they’re firebombing alien planets in another galaxy with layers of guitars and a barrage of drums and bass.

..:: Twin Sister - Bad Street ::..

“Bad Street” is one of those songs. You know the kind I’m talking about. One of those songs that doesn’t really sound that special at first. Just another run of the mill indie rock / dance pop song. But then this second voice starts sliding in alongside Andrea Estella’s and your head starts to bob. Next, these perky pulsations ratchet up another level and you start having flashbacks to Tom Tom Club’s “Genius Of Love”. By the time 3:08 rolls around, your hips are moving in time with your head, funky disco synths and backing vocals are being piled one on top of another and you find that you’ve danced yourself clear across the room. Yup, “Bad Street” is one of those songs.

..:: St. Vincent - Neutered Fruit ::..

St. Vincent’s Annie Clark thrives on minimalism, contrast and a little bit of weird. Luckily, “Neutered Fruit” is ripe with all three. We’ve got a church choir backed by Annie at her most stalker-ish — “Did you ever really stare at me… like I stared at you?” — leading to a creepy and funk-filled breakdown featuring a reverb-laced guitar dancing with a buzzing bass. Sometimes less is more, and Annie’s ability to take us places with only a few simple elements is a gift that seems to just keep getting better.