Midwest Music and More Album Reviews: 2007

Monday, April 9, 2007

Blonde Redhead - 23

Grade: 82.0%
Official Score: 83.6%

What the Others Think:
Pitchfork Score:
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: 3 out of 5
Coke Machine Glow Score:

I remember my first time hearing Blonde Redhead's music. I was sitting in the grass at a nearby amphitheater, patiently awaiting the band's whose names were printed on the ticket I had purchased: Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters. It was the summer of 2000, and your's truly was only a month removed from high school. Not quite yet 18, not quite yet ready for college, and not quite ready to grow up. My music tastes were on the verge of shifting towards the tastes I have today, yet I was not quite ready to dismiss the past and empty my CD collection of the bands that regularly graced the small screen and the small town radio stations I listened to religiously each and every night.

So there I was, sitting on the lawn with some friends, waiting to get in contact with other friends when I couldn't help but notice the noise the opening band was making. I stood up to get a look. From the distance I could make out three people, two men and a woman, that's it. But the noise. It was this Sonic Youth fan's dream come true. I filed the name of the band, Blonde Redhead, in the back of my mind, enjoyed the remainder of the show, and the rest is history.

As shocking is it may seem on the surface, the pairing of Blonde Redhead on a bill with two of alternative rock's biggest icons is nothing out of the ordinary given the band's history for their penchant of conflict and balance. Nearly everything about the band relies on one or the other, from the bands makeup (two Italian men and a Japanese woman), to their connections as people (singer/multi instrumentalist Kazu Makino is married to singer/guitarist Amadeo Pace, drummer Simone Pace is Amadeo's twin brother), their album titles (1997's Fake Can Be Just As Good, 1998's In an Expression of the Inexpressible), song titles ("Futurism Vs. Passeism", "Hated Because Of Great Qualities", and "Loved Despite Of Great Faults"), and even the name of the band itself, which suggests either a conflict or balance in hair color.

23, the latest release from Blonde Redhead, is no exception, only this time the conflict and balance is more in the album's tone and style than anything else. The album opens with the magnificent title track, a beautiful swirl of Kazu's gorgeous singing and yelping, Amadeo's best Loveless style guitar playing, and Simone's percise drumming. The song is the perfect foreshadow for what the listener can expect from the rest of the album, which is the marriage of Misery Is a Butterfly's lush production to the balanced instrumentation found on Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons. This is how Misery, would have sounded if it were more raw, and how Melody might have sounded if it had better production. Which isn't to say that fans of yore should start picketing for an Unwound reunion (we should all be doing that regardless), even the old fans get some love with tracks like "Dr. Strangeluv" and "Spring and By Summer Fall", songs that, at their core, would not sound terribly out of place on La Mia Vita Violenta and Fake Can Be Just As Good respectively.

The album's strongest point is its second half. "Silently" is a bouncy pop song, reminiscent of the 80s new wave that Blonde Redhead's initial influences rebelled against. "Publisher" is the perfect culmination of Misery and Melody, and like most of the best Blonde Redhead songs, regardless of what album, have Amadeo and Kazu both taking lead vocals. "Top Ranking", perhaps this reviewer's favorite song on the album, is as striking for its foray into Japanese electro-pop as it is for hearing Kazu's voice with little or no effects. The album's closer, the spacey "My Impure Hair" returns brings the album full circle with its shoegaze sound, and is also noteworthy for its use of acoustic guitar.

It is hard to believe that it has been over twelve years since Blonde Redhead released their first album, and that six albums later they are still pushing the envelope and making artistic, creative, and thoughtful music. 23 might not be the best Blonde Redhead album of the bunch, but it is still an exquisite piece of work that, if nothing else, does and excellent job of representing the band both then and now.

Friday, April 6, 2007

Explosions in the Sky - The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place

Grade: 81.0%
Official Score: 82.6%

What The Others Think

Pitchfork Score: 7.7
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: 4 1/2 Out of 5
Coke Machine Glow Score: 83%/81%

Well, what is it then? That's certainly the million dollar question, isn't it? After several unsuccessful attempts to reach the band, yours truly had no choice but to narrow it down to the following possibilities. Please put a check next to those that best apply.

The Earth Is...

1). The third closest planet to the sun.

2). A place where a rock band from Austin, Texas can make incredibly moving and powerful albums without the use of vocals. Their latest album, titled The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place strangely enough, being a fine example of their ability to create complex imagery using only guitars, bass, and drums, though it is perhaps a little more restrained than their previous release Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever.

3). About to be eaten by Galactus. Lets just hope he chews first.

4). A place where words are not necessary to describe the most complicated of situations or emotions.

5). A giant rock floating around in a galaxy trapped inside of a marble like in the blockbuster smash Men In Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.

6. The result of six of God's most productive days.

7). Best viewed from the surface of the moon.

8). Flat.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Doves - Lost Souls

Grade: 85.4%
Official Score: 90.1%

What The Others Think

Pitchfork Score: 6.8
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: N/A
Coke Machine Glow Score: N/A

House DJs tend to brag that their set will burn the house down, but in the event of such a tragedy actually happening, I suggest taking a cue from Doves. After a fire destroyed their house, which doubled as their studio and housed all of their equipment, the band took it a sign that a change was in order. The result is nothing short of a masterpiece, an album for a long drive home for someone with nothing (or plenty) to think about.

For three guys who spent more time in raves than in clubs, this album is heavily lacking in the dance department, but that is not a complaint. Instead of relying on old tricks or trying to create some dance-rock hybrid (which would have put them ahead of the game), Lost Souls is instead a Brit-pop album without the pop, a sprawling epic that's neither proggy, jammy, or post rock, yet somehow not entirely absent of certain qualities those genres rely on either. If I had to describe this album, I would have to say it is like a constant summer breeze. Or better yet, like rafting on a calm lake in the middle of the night, in the country, with a clear, widescreen, high-definition view of the universe above.

"Firesuite", a 4 1/2 minute (mostly) instrumental jam opens the album. The song relies heavy on its cymbal heavy jazz drumming and walking bass line. Hearing this song might make you think of Portishead if only they were a little more organic. This song is about as close as they come to their DJ roots. From here the band lightly pushes and tugs your raft in the direction they want to take you. "Here It Comes" is slightly upbeat and bouncy, while "Sea Song" floats on and on. The first 7 songs just drift along just perfectly, and all the while the listener is unsuspecting of what's to come at track 8, which is, of course, the rockin' "Catch the Sun", which still holds the title for Best Single Nobody Heard. Afterward, they bring it back down again for the gorgeous "The Man Who Told Everything" and the epic "Cedar Room". A couple of tracks later, the band tells the tale of the house fire that brought them to where they are today in the campfire acoustic finale "A House".

In England, that pretty much ends it. In the US though, we get three bonus tracks tacked on for no extra cost. Its awfully nice of them to do so, and after listening to the first bonus song, "Darker", you'll begin to wonder why they were left off the album in the first place. "Darker" is like "Here It Comes" in terms of pacing, but more akin to "Catch the Sun" in that it rocks much harder. The distorted bass line will have you hooked, I guarantee it. Unfortunately, "Valley" is a little too close to Brit-pop and definitely points to the direction they would eventually head towards on their next album, which isn't an awful thing, but its clear why this song was a b-side. The final track, "Zither", is an instrumental song that is nowhere near the high standard set by "Firesuite". It too could have been left off without much complaint.

Regardless of the two unnecessary tracks that conclude the album, Lost Souls is an essential purchase for anyone in need of a Spring or Summer album, or just in need of a good, no, great album.

LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver

Grade: 84.4%
Official Score: 87.2%

What The Other's Think

Pitchfork Score: 9.2
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: N/A
Coke Machine Glow Score: N/A

New York may be a city with plenty of twist but a severe lack of shout, as James Murphy describes on Sound of Silver'sfinal track, "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down", but there's more than enough of both on this album to go around.

Personally, I'm just happy Murphy finally got the ball rolling on this project of his in the first place. Sure, there were re-mixes and 12 inches in the hands of DJs for years, but to be quite honest, none of those tracks really thrill me. LCD's first proper release, 2005's self-titled album, was honestly the first time I ever found myself enjoying an LCD Soundsystem song. Its not that the earlier stuff is bad, but those songs, "Losing My Edge", "Beat Connection", any version of "Yeah", all lose something once they're taken out of the club and brought into the home. That same thing cannot be said for the two full lengths (I'm not counting the Nike thing in this...sorry). Both albums, but especially Sound of Silver, don't require your neighborhood DJ's approval for you to play while, say, taking a shower, or cooking your sweetheart dinner...in the nude. This is an album, of dance songs, yeah, but it is still first and foremost an album.

Much has been said about Murphy's influences, and they're here alright: Bowie, Eno, Tears For Fears and 80's new wave/pop, post-punk (just in general), 70s rock, just about everything this man has ever heard and liked probably found a way on this record. But honestly, the biggest point of reference I notice is his own unmistakable production. The first track "Get Innocuous" is reminiscent of the Rapture's "Killing", and "Us V Them" could be the next "House of Jealous Lovers". Even the album's closer, the slow, piano driven "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" is, at times, almost exactly like "Open Up Your Heart". But never once does it seem like he's ripping them off, and how could he? The DFA "co-produced" Echoes with the Rapture, but after the release of the latest Rapture album last fall and now Sound of Silver, it is obvious how big of a hand Murphy had in shaping the Rapture's sound on Echoes.

There are moments on this album that drag a bit if you're listening at home. Songs run too long, cadences become to repetitive, chords don't progress. Still, there are more than enough songs that absolutely kill. "Time to Get Away" is fairly restrained, but once it gets going you'll have a hard time sitting down. "North American Scum", the album's first single, may complain about the American party scene, but who knows, with the song's clunky guitars and Murphy's falsetto perhaps a revolution will be started. The album's highlight, "All My Friends", sounds like U2 when they were young and considered post-punk, and good (though Murphy has a tendency to sound like Bono throughout the whole album, not just this song). The song never once gets boring during its 7 1/2 minutes, the only long song on the album I didn't spend counting the seconds or wishing I could ditch the headphones and dance (for reviews, I listen to albums with headphones on to ensure I hear everything going on, for better or worse...). After that it's all head nodding, hip shaking goodness until the final track, where even though Murphy laments that his fair city is letting him down, you know he's never going to leave it (unless its for a lengthy tour, thanks for coming to Kansas/Missouri by the way). Which is kind of like this album, there will probably be a song or two that will let you down, but chances are if you let it grow on you, there will be no desire to let it get away.

Grizzly Bear - Yellow House

Grade: 84.5%
Official Score: 86.7%

What The Others Think

Pitchfork Score: 8.7
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: 4 Out of 5
Coke Machine Glow Score: 86%/83%

Those unfamiliar with the band yet know that Warp, the band's label, is renowned for its cutting edge electronic acts might have assumed that Warp pressed the wrong album, or that perhaps Grizzly Bear pulled a Doves on us. Both would be incorrect, though the latter does come a bit closer than the former. In actuality, Yellow House is just the natural progression from their first release, Horn of Plenty, and all the better for it.

Yellow House is probably my favorite album to fall asleep to, which I mean as a compliment. I can fall asleep to just about anything, but it takes something special to keep my brain working, twisting and turning. Yellow House does just that. The album's pacing is just right to nod off and drift along with, and its dynamics are vast enough to create vivid landscapes and colors without waking me. Also, the vocals, like on "Little Brother" or "Colorado", sound far enough away that they appear to be blowing over like a gentle spring breeze, yet close enough to envelope like a blanket.

The album's first track, "Easier", starts like a lullaby, with a simple finger picked acoustic guitar riff and Edward Droste's cooing. The music is folk music, I suppose, but folk like Animal Collective's Sung Tongs is folk. The next track, titled "Lullabye" no less, starts very similarly, only with simple strumming replacing the finger picking. The song later cascades and peaks, with its ascending guitar line seemingly lifting the song out of the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Meanwhile, "Knife" finds the band at their catchiest, with a chorus of reverb soaked and processed "ohhh-ah-ah-oooh's" that will make your head spin.

I should probably mention now that this album is a headphone masterpiece. Songs like "Central and Remote" hit a peak that's as rewarding as climbing one yourself, while "Little Brother" has enough twists and turns to keep the listener on their toes. "Plans", with it's repetitive chord progression and tape loops sounds like it would fit perfectly on Olivia Tremor Control's Black Foliage, another masterpiece in its own right.

Unfortunately, the album falls just short of being a modern masterpiece. "Reprise" and "Colorado", both as lovely as as they are (and I'm sure to receive some shit for saying this) do not even compare with the album's best, which is really more of a testament to the album's highlights than it is a criticism of a couple of good songs. Besides, there are a couple of snoozers towards the end of Sung Tongs too, yet it is still talked about after almost 3 years (including myself), so I find it doubtful that people are going to forget about this wonderful album because the last two songs don't quite live up to the other eight. Trust me, the more you listen to it, the more you'll find yourself obeying the lyrics sung in the album's highlight song, "On a Neck, On a Spit": "Each day I spend it with you now/All my time spend it with you now." Play this album around a campfire or just before bed, and play it loud enough so the melodies gently glide into your head.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

The Faint - Blank Wave Arcade

Grade: 82.2%
Official Score: 84.9%

What The Others Think

Pitchfork Score: 8.1
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: N/A
Coke Machine Glow Score: N/A

SEX!!!

Now I have your attention, don't I? I know, its a crude way to get it, and, well, too easy, but it works, right. The Faint know this too, and put their knowledge of the adage "sex sells" to good use right away with the opening track "Sex Is Personal", and later again on "Worked Up So Sexual", (the best song about strippers ever put to tape) and "Casual Sex", where he uses a dolphin and a soldier to help explore whether casual sex (the act, not the song) is irrational or not. Why a dolphin and a soldier, you ask? I'm not sure, they're probably metaphors or some shit, but to be honest I was too busy dancing to even notice what the fuck he was even saying. Which, at the end of the day, is what this album tries to accomplish. The dancing, I mean. Because, you see, unlike their Saddle Creek peers, the Faint's only agenda is to make you get down, at least it was in 1999 when this album came out. Later records featured songs with actual meanings, and even a few political statements, but on this album, its all about the dancing, the sweat, the sex. Don't listen to this at home with breakables nearby, and be sure to play it loud so the neighbors can hear.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Grade: 84.5%
Official Score: 84.5%

What The Others Think

Pitchfork Score: 9.0
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: 4 1/2 Out of 5
Coke Machine Glow Score: 84%/80%

It occurred to me last weekend, while I was listening to this album as a primer to writing a proper review for this prestigious blog, that fans of indie music tend to play the game "spot the influence" much more than their popular music loving counterparts. I have a few possible reasons as to why.

The first is that popular music tends to be more reliant on producers than artists. This is true of all popular music, but it is especially prevalent in pop, rap, and R&B, where chances are Timbaland produced the last 5 songs you heard on top 40 radio, and therefore wrote the actual music you're hearing. Yeah, Justing Timberlake is singing, but it is unmistakably Tim's music.

My second theory is that popular music is too reliant on formulas, clichés, key signatures, chord progressions, etc. Basically, the song is all too familiar, even if it is the first time you've heard the song. If you've ever heard the Nickelback mp3 of two of their singles mashed up together and matching up perfectly beat for beat, note for note, you know what I mean. Listening to a hard rock station is essentially like listening to an album by one band. Tool sounds like Chevelle sounds like Nickelback sounds like Staind sounds a little like Godsmack. The only relief comes when they play a classic Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, or Nirvana song, but then you're horribly reminded how those bands essentially paved the way for this new shit in the first place. The same thing goes for Alternative rock. Fall Out Boy sounds like Taking Back Sunday sounds like Brand New sounds kinda like My Chemical Romance, and even when we get a classic Jimmy Eat World or Get Up Kids song, again we're reminded of how they're responsible for this shit in the first place.

In all honesty, I think the real reason lies in some compromise of the two theories, because what they both basically say is that every song on mainstream radio sounds exactly the same. As a result, fans of the indie genres tend to play spot the influence because we are often proud of the fact that our beloved bands are capable of trying new things, mixing different styles, or what have you. This is also why fans of the indie genre are quick to dismiss once beloved bands after they've jumped ship to the majors and start to blend in more with the popular, contemporary sound (see Modest Mouse - "Dashboard") and/or lose steam and release an album that is delegated to a mere footnote in a genre they helped revive (see The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth, though technically they were never really indie, were they? Okay then, how about The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan, is that better?) Of course, there are those few people that will play the game to disparage a certain band, for example, by saying that the new Arcade Fire sounds like Bright Eyes (an insult, to them) but that the new Wolf Eyes sounds like nothing you've ever heard (a compliment), but after a while it becomes easier to spot these people and, as a result, to take every comparison they make with a grain, or truckload, of salt.

So what does this have to do with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah? Playing spot the influence while listening to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's self titled album is like shooting fish in a barrel, taking candy from a baby, using an old cliché, etc. It is something you have to endure if you want to be a fan of the band, so feel free to check out now if you thought you might be stumbling upon something truly original.

Actually, the first track is pretty unique. Never before have I heard a song that sounded like a circus ringleader was pleading with his audience to "clap your hands!", at least not on a record or since I was, like, 5 years old. Once this track is finished, which doesn't take long, let the games begin.

"Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away" lifts a bass line from a Snow Patrol song and singer Alec Ounsworth does his best Jeff Mangum impression (the most common point of reference on this album). "Details of the War" sounds like the Velvet Underground might if Paul Banks Jeff Mangum traded off verses. The album's highlight, "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth", sounds like a long lost Modest Mouse track, and the following song "Is This Love" has a repetitive keyboard sample like the one in the Grandaddy classic "Crystal Lake". The instrumental "Blue Turning Grey" could have been an Elliot Smith interlude. "In This Home on Ice" sounds like My Bloody Valentine or Yo La Tengo at best, or is a complete rip off of the Smashing Pumpkins' "Real Love" from the ill-fated Machina II at worst. The album's last two tracks are straight outta the Talking Heads, especially the finale "Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood". Whew, that was a blogfull.

Despite not being anything close to original, the band is strangely unique and insanely catchy, which not only saves this album from becoming a total mess but makes it one worth many repeated listens. The band's strengths are Ounsworth's impassioned vocals, which help many of the songs escape parody, and the band's tight rhythm section, which will often make you want to dance. When the two are combined, as they are so well in the album's midsection, chances are you will forget all about who they sound like and focus how great the songs actually are.

This album is a grower, there is no escaping that. It took me several listens to really get into the whole thing, but now I can understand why it was all the rage upon its release in 2005. You may at first find yourself wondering why you didn't just put in Neutral Milk Hotel or Talking Heads in the first place, but once the songs get stuck in your head, you too will understand.

The Arcade Fire - Funeral

Grade: 97.5%
Official Score: 99.1%

What The Others Think

Pitchfork Score: 9.7
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: 5 (out of 5)
Coke Machine Glow Score: 90%/82%

It started simply enough with a trickling of piano, a rhythmic bass line, and rising vocals. I had my head nodding, yeah, but little did I know that about four minutes later I would be jumping for joy, singing woo-ooh with the choir and rejoicing the arrival of the Arcade Fire. The album may be called Funeral, but if this is their funeral then I would love to see them party. Never have I had so much fun singing (screaming) lyrics like "We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms/turning every good thing to rust", or "I went out into the night/I went out to pick a fight with anyone".

Listening to this album is like going to church. Win Butler is the preacher, his wife, Regine Chassagne, leads the choir, and the rest of us are the congregation. Only if you are like me, church was never this much fun, and never had this good of a band. Instead of "amen's" repeated in monotone in every refrain, they are replaced by a much more enthusiastic "we found the light!", the handclaps more sincere, and the congregation less like sheep and more like dogs, by which I mean we are led because we want to sing and dance along with them, not because we are told to.

Chances are, you have already read plenty about this band and this album even if you've never listened to it before, so I won't bore you by going too much further. You already know I love it, I gave the album a near perfect score. Instead I just want to mention a few things about the album, then you can go about your day.

1). The end of "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" reminds me a little of Interpol, the Interpol of Turn on the Bright Lights that is, and is the reason why I bought this album. Of course, they really sound nothing alike. They're similar enough in that they both take cues from the Cure, but that's about it.

2). When Regine's backup vocals take charge in the mix, as they do on "Neighborhood #2 (Laika) (and several others), you take notice. You have to. And the song(s) usually get better from there.

3). On the other hand, when Win screams his guts out in "Wake Up" you also have to take notice. It's the most powerful part on the album. Its like being hit in the face, but experiencing that moment of clarity immediately afterward (yes, that is a I Heart Huckabee's reference, and it sure beats the machete one I had originally planned).

4). "Haiti" is probably the most underrated song on the album. Not because its sung by Regine, or because its mostly in French, but because it is sandwiched between "Wake Up" and "Rebellion (Lies)", both of which are beasts that really involve the listener. "Haiti" is a little more subtle but not because it sacrifices quality. On any other album it would be a highlight, that's how good this album is.

5). Tension rules this album. Whether it is lyrically ("my love keeps growing/still the same/just like a cancer/and you won't give/me a straight answer") or musically (the strings "Neighborhood #4 (Power Out)", the organ during Win's outburst in "Wake Up"), each song has its fair share. Fortunately, there are plenty of releases. It is like having 10 orgasms in a little over 45 minutes.

Friday, March 30, 2007

Built to Spill - Ancient Melodies of the Future

Grade: 77.5%
Official Score: 78.0%

What Others Think

Pitchfork Score: 8.6
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: 3 out of 5
Coke Machine Glow Score: N/A

After Built to Spill boldly titled their third proper release Perfect From Now On, you sort of got the impression that they weren't just fucking around. Perfect was almost that, and the follow up, Keep It Like A Secret, only strengthened their claim. But after writing and recording not one but two pinnacle albums, a feat that most bands would sacrifice their lives to achieve, Built to Spill have come up short this time around and are perfect no more.

That is not to say that Ancient Melodies of the Future is a bad album, that would be an inaccurate overstatement. It is first and foremost a Built to Spill album, which can't be all bad just by name alone. Fans of the band should like this album just fine, and anyone who has seen them in concert can attest to the power that many of these songs have in a live setting, especially the stomping "In Your Mind."

My biggest complaint, the only complaint really, is that the band tried to find a balance between the lengthy, sprawling, Doug Marsch is a guitar God songs found on Perfect From Now On and the more concise, song oriented, and often times hummable nature of Keep It Like A Secret.

Many fans will argue that Secret was already a compromise from Perfect, in that the jammy, lengthy songs coexist perfectly with the more polished, concise songs. Honestly, I would be inclined to agree, but regardless of that fact I can see how there might still be room for more of a compromise, and I say that because the songs that stand out of Ancient Melodies of the Future find that balance fairly well. Those songs would be "Alarmed", the album's standout track. At over 5 minutes in length, it is the longest song on the album, and even though it feels like it ends too soon, all is forgiven because it hits on all of the bands high points. The dissonant keyboards, courtesy of Quasi's Sam Coomes, are also quite nice as they play perfectly well over Doug's masterful guitar work. Another song would be "Trimmed and Burning", which starts with a simple chord progression and minimal lead guitar, but about 1 1/2 minutes into the song it transforms into the Built to Spill we know and love, which is the Built to Spill that somehow found the balance between grunge and jam bands.

That is not to say that those are the only two good songs. On the contrary, "You Are" is a headphone rock masterpiece that would sound right at home on Perfect if it were only 2 minutes longer. "In Your Mind", while not as good on record as it is live, is still a force to be reckoned with thanks to a pounding rhythm that starts with Doug's acoustic guitar strumming, but is quickly overshadowed by Brett Nelson's bass and Scott Plouf's impeccable drumming. The album's closer, a song very dear to my heart (it was the first BTS song I ever heard...oh memories), is also one of the album's best because it is so remarkably different from the crunchy sound the band has perfected since, well, Perfect.

Perhaps I'm too demanding, or missing the point of this album. Perhaps I should give them more credit for not making a predictable follow up to the two that preceded it. Perhaps they restrained purposely so that fans would enjoy them more in the live setting when they inevitably get expanded by minutes (and minutes, almost twice the length in some cases), which seems like a reasonable thing for this band to do. If that is the case, I can completely respect that, it just comes at the price of me not thinking this album is perfect. But that is okay, because regardless of whether or not this album is perfect, I love this album (I really do), and there's nothing wrong with loving this album.

The Rapture - Echoes

Grade: 83.6%
Official Rating: 85.1%

What The Others Think

Pitchfork Rating: 9.0
Tiny Mix Tapes: N/A
Coke Machine Glow Score: 89%/67%

In October of 2003, the skies parted, and finally, FINALLY, the Goddamn Rapture CD was released. After a year of being shelved, postponed, teased ("House of Jealous Lovers" was in the hands of savvy DJs across the country, nay, the world, for at least a year before its official release). And its a good thing it came too, because the album is pretty damn good.

The first track, "Olio", may have confused faithful fans, as it originally saw the light waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 1999 on the band's first album, Mirror. But where this song, and the rest of Mirror for that matter, seemed a bit amateurish, this version is completely fleshed out and is a swift reminder of how and why they ended up working with the DFA guys in the first place (nevermind the fact that by the end of it the Rapture were trying to de-emphasize the role the DFA played on the album, that's another story altogether). Its lyrics are a bit, well, to be blunt, lame, but that's the story of most dance music in the first place. You don't need a creative writing degree to appreciate Echoes (and no, this is no slam at you my dear friend Nicole, whom I affectionately listed as Nicolio in my phone several years ago in reference to this song), you just need to like to dance.

Which brings me to "Open Up Your Heart", the album's third track. On another album by a different band, or as a b-side maybe, this song is just fine. On here, however, it interrupts the flow and frenzy that the first two songs work so hard to create. However, placed anywhere else on the album, this song would be even more distracting, and potentially ruin the album's pacing, so getting it out of the way here was not such a bad idea.

The next track, "I Need Your Love," is something out of (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 I'm floating in a constant...) discopunk heaven, and starts one of the best series of songs I've ever heard on any album. What I love about the Rapture is not so much that they are a great dance band, but that they are capable, in their own rudimentary way, of making you shake your ass to different styles of dance music. "I Need Your Love" owes as much to 70's disco as it does to Gang of Four, while "The Coming of Spring" is as hard as anything in the Gang of Four catalog, and combines it with a dash of Talking Heads, most noticeably in the rhythm section (courtesy of bassist Mattie Safer and drummer/human high hat Vito Roccoforte).

Next, of course, is "House of Jealous Lovers", which is probably why many of you came to hear about this album in the first place. There's not much I can say about this song that has not already been said, but I will say this. Luke Jenner could be singing gibberish - he practically does as it is - and the song would still be fucking brilliant. Put this song on in the club, the car, the shower, I don't fucking care. You will dance, period.

From here the album slides a little, but only a little. The title track "Echoes" does its part to keep the body parts flailing, and "Sister Savior" is another discopunk standout, but "Killing" and is a bore, and "Love Is All", as cute and fun as it is (with lyrics like "love is all my crippled soul will ever need" and "I dig love and just having you around"), would still require some work if it were to compete with Echoes' awesome midsection.

The main exception is the album's final track, "Infatuation." The song is slow and not at all dancable, yet it is truly a hidden gem buried beneath the hype and sweat the previous tracks have produced. The song sounds like a forgotten Bowie b-side, a good thing if you ask me, and is arguably the strongest track on the album. It is the perfect comedown track after a fun, flirtatious, night out with the Rapture.

If you like your music poignant and poetic, stay away from this band (unless you consider counting to 8 poetry worthy of Dante or Shakespeare). However, if you like music that makes your feet and your hips move, your music collection would not be complete without this album. Ignore the hype and dance all night.

Olivia Tremor Control - Black Foliage: Animation Music Vol. 1

Grade: 90.5%
Official Rating: 93.4%

What the Others Think

Pitchfork Score: 9.1
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: N/A
Coke Machine Glow Score: N/A

Ever wonder what might have happened if the Beatles kept making psychedelic rock records like Sgt. Peppers and Magical Mystery Tour instead of the often sloppy yet lovable self titled release, the straight up rock record that was Abbey Road, or the over-Spectorized mess that was Let It Be? If you haven't, its understandable, as many people thought and still consider Sgt. Peppers as the end-all-be-all of psychedelic pop in terms of song writing, production, and the recording technique, and with good reason. Considering the time in which Sgt. Peppers was released, it was nothing short of a revelation. It may not have changed the way bands wrote their songs, but it certainly made many of them think twice before they put them to tape.

Thankfully, the Olivia Tremor Control - whose alliance in the Athens, GA based Elephant Six Collective alone should be enough reason to suspect that this record would sound like any combination of Beatles, Barrett, or (Beach) Boys (or, as I often jokingly claim, the holy trinity of psych-pop) - were never satisfied with the precedents set before them. On their second album, Black Foliage: Music From an Unrealized Film Script, they not only match toe to toe with the best of psych-pop genre but, dare I say it, perfect it in their own right.

The original concept of the album, as described in the liner notes, was to "take a section of the guitar line from (the song) black foliage...and make a set of animated departures stemming from that bass guitar melody." Instead of actually making animations though (or at least ever releasing them) the band instead went to work on writing new material based on the original song, and the songs that stemmed from that song (sort of like the animations they had planned on). If I haven't lost you yet, basically the band wrote one song that influenced another, which influenced another, and so on. Not satisfied with just that, though, the band also takes elements and samples of songs and incorporate them into other songs. Hearing the same sample of noise, guitar, harpsichord, or voices of fans who had sent the tapes of them describing some random dream, in more than one song on the album is a normal occurrence, and the albums centerpiece, "The Bark and Below It", is essentially every sample, loop, or sound you might find place in various spots throughout the album.

The end result is nothing short of maniacal magic. To some it might be a little over the top, after all it is very rare on this album where a song, the actual song and not the samples and loops on top of it, stands alone. But for those who appreciate interesting production and a some creativity and a dose of ingenuity with their pop music, this album is essential. Songs like "Hideaway" and "California Demise" are pure pop bliss, while songs like "Sleepy Company" and "Black Foliage (Itself)" are a trip, the natural kind (though I could see how the other kind might be enhanced by these songs if they just so happened to be playing at the same time). My personal favorite song, "I Have Been Floated" is a wonderful, progressive-psych-pop masterpiece, on its own, but when complete with the masterful production it sounds rich and majestic. The song also features just about everyone in the Elephant 6 family, and fans of the collective will no doubt smile when they hear the singing saw or Jeff Mangum's very audible vocal cameo.

For fans of psych-pop, this album has everything. Dreamy lyrics, head spinning production, catchy choruses, fuzzy bass lines, and theramins (lots of them). For those who aren't so much a fan of the genre, this album stillhas everything. Make your collection complete with this modern masterpiece, or at least name drop it the next time a record store clerk tells you how essential Sgt. Peppers is.

Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

Grade: 63.5%
Official Rating: 67.8%

What the Others Think

Pitchfork Score: 7.8
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: 4 1/2 (out of 5)
Coke Machine Glow: 54%

First off, before I get on to the review properly, I need to retrace my steps a bit. This may put off some who were hoping to dive right in to a quick and breezy review of this album, but these things have to be said (or written as it were).

As you may have noticed, this album received a score, the first album I've given a score to. Well, I'll soon have another post explaining the score system. Those of you confused as to why I have two scores will soon receive an answer, and those of you wondering how I came to the scores will also know. I should have typed that post first, but I started this one already and I'm not the type of writer who can stop dead in my tracks once I get going.

The other thing I feel like I need to explain is where I stand as a Modest Mouse fan. This might not seem important, especially if you are a fairly new fan of the band, but I think it is important. With other publications, online or printed, you have the luxury of being able to search through years of reviews and articles, order back issues, read the 2 year old issues of Filter that are lying beside your toilet, whatever. The point is, if you don't know the tone the publication usually takes with a certain band, you can easily find out. But with this blog, since this is a fairly new blog and I'm the only one posting on it, if I don't take the time to properly explain myself then you, the reader, will have no idea what my stance is on a band like Modest Mouse. Ultimately, you might stumble across this review and think to yourself, "this guy probably hated Good News For People Who Love Bad News, of course he'll score this one low too." Or, "he's such a fucking snob, he probably only listens to This is a Long Drive For Someone With Nothing to Think About, and despises the poseurs who do not give the album the courtesy it deserves when they shorten it to Long Drive. Both statements would be completely inaccurate, which is exactly why I feel like I have to give a little background information before I go on.

The first thing you should know is that I like all of the Modest Mouse albums. I was a fan before Good Newswas released in April of '04, not that it really matters in the long run. I honestly think that Modest Mouse is one of the best bands of the past decade or so. However, it should be worth noting that I do not feel that any of their albums are classics. All of them have their own separate flaws, and most of them suffer from the same flaw that has dogged the band as much as the Built to Spill comparisons have, in that all of their albums contain fair amounts of filler and/or often drag along several songs too long. The only real exception to that rule is Good News, but it comes awfully close. The interlude track "Milo" is pointless, and "Black Cadillacs" isn't terribly impressive. Fortunately that album has solid tracks like "Blame it on the Tetons" and the best closing track on any of their albums, "The Good Times are Killing Me", for which Isaac Brock should be thanking the Flaming Lips and David Bowie, the former for their help in giving the song some extra punch, and latter for being such a good sport about the whole ripping off "Starman" thing.

But to be flawed is to be human, and like a good friend or family member, you overlook the flaws and learn to love the good inside of them. Fortunately, Modest Mouse do have more than enough to like about them. Songs like "Trailer Trash", "Bukowski", and "Stars Are Projectors" are not simply highlights on spotty albums, they are some of the best songs ever written. A bold statement, I know, but one that I stand by.

So what about the new album? Well, I'm glad you asked.

The new album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, for better or worse, picks up where Good News left off. I really wanted to write a review without comparing the two albums, but it is almost impossible to do so. We Were Dead sounds like the natural progression sonically, lyrically, and hell, even the album titles make a complete sentence if you put them together (Good news for people who love bad news, we were dead before the ship even sank. It almost sounds like a headline in the Onion). If you were to take Good News, tone down the Tom Waits, and increase the Talking Heads, that would be a good start as to how to describe this album. That is not to say that this is a dance album, though at times it strives for that direction. Other times it sounds like Modest Mouse: quirky, dark, kinda rockin'. The album flows fairly well, but definitely seems unfocused. Of the albums four best songs, two are danceably derivative of Talking Heads ("Fly Trapped in a Jar", "Education"), an Apocalyptic ho-down ("Parting of the Sensory), and the 8 1/2 minute "Spitting Venom", which sounds like several different era's of Modest Mouse rolled into one.

It is hard not to commend a band for its versatility, especially when it yields good results, but for every great song on We Were Dead there is one that treads water, and a couple that fall flat altogether. "Little Motel" and "Missed the Boat" sound a little too much like Bright Eyes, and while I think that Modest Mouse's sensitive, slower side can easily go toe-to-toe with the best of Bright Eyes' work (and easily triumph over Conner Oberst's worst) these two songs just don't cut it. The former is not a terrible song, its just not a terribly memorable one either. "Missed the Boat" certainly lives up to its name, and not even a cameo by the Shins' James Mercer can save it. In fact, Mr. Mercer must be a curse, as "Florida", another song he appears on, doesn't get any good until after he's gone, and Isaac growls and fights to save the song from drowning.

To be completely honest, and I'm probably alone in this sentiment, but I feel like the dance-rock direction many of the songs take worked pretty well. As I mentioned earlier, two of the best songs, while undeniably Talking Heads influenced, really fucking rock. "Dashboard" still sounds a little too glossy, but so did "Float On" at first. The only thing really holding "Dashboard" back now are the lyrics. The first few seconds of "Steam Engenius" makes you think the song is going to be incredibly cheesy, but only momentarily as it quickly finds a funky groove and rides it until the end.

But in the end, this is an album for fans of Good News, and those hoping for the lo-fi, poor man's cross between Built to Spill and the Pixies sound of old will not find much solace here. Even still, being a fan of Good News might not mean much if you cannot get past the few snoozers and unfocused nature of this album. It is entirely possible that this album will end up in used bins all across the country because there aren't enough dance tracks to appease the fans of "Dashboard", and not enough quirky, slow burners likely to appease fans of "Fire It Up". But as I mentioned earlier, looking past the flaws is a must for Modest Mouse fans. You may have to swim a bit deeper to find this ship's treasures, but I assure you that they are there.