Discovery
Who: Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot and Rotsam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend
Album: LP, 2009
Sounds Like: Electronic funk R&B, from space
Verdict: When 'Osaka Loop Line' first came on the radio, I thought it would be some random techno song from someone like The Avalanches, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear Miles' voice sounding out from the speakers. His airy vocals provide the perfect balance to the uber-poppy, in-your-face beats that pretty much make up the rest of the album too. Another thing I like about this band is how often they'll switch up the rhythm, tone, pitch, whatever, all in the same song. The lyrics can be a bit childish and innocent (come on, give me angst, Wes Miles, I want to hear your angsty side!!!), but all in all a good side project for both. Listen for vocals from the singers of Vampire Weekend and the Dirty Projectors as an extra treat!
The Almighty Defenders
Who: The Black Lips and King Khan (minus his Shrines)Album: The Almighty Defenders, 2009
Sounds Like: So far, a doo wop-hippie-gospel fusion
Verdict: Holy crap, the Black Lips and King Khan made a gospel album?!?!?! Well, that's what the papers are saying, but granted this is a little premature. These boys aren't that well known yet (and the album hasn't come out :P ), so that elusive torrent remains just out of reach. However, I have heard 'Cone of Light,' and I like its style, a kind of throwback to the 50s. Very tame for King Khan, and very unstoner-ish (I never claimed to be a wordsmith) for the Black Lips. So all in all, I like the happy medium brought about by these two groups. Back to the gospel bit, I believe the album was heavily influenced by the events that led to its creation. This year during the Black Lip's tour of India, two of the band members publicly kissed, and another dropped his pants; i.e. BIG no-no in India. So as rumors were spread that they were going to be arrested and tried and sent to jail for a long, long time, they cancelled the tour and fled to Germany, where trusty King Khan lives. An 8-day binge drinking session spawned The Almighty Defenders, and damn do I like it. All's well that ends well!
Volcano Choir
Who: Bon Iver and Collections of Colonies of Bees
Album: Unmap, 2009
Sounds Like: Bon Iver on happy pills
Verdict: Again, I just don't have the skill anymore at finding these elusive torrents. I've heard a few songs off the album ("Island, IS" comes to mind), and all I can say is what a difference a band makes! When Justin Vernon is Bon Iver, he's pensive, poignant, his beautiful voice and music are subdued and quiet, almost melancholy. Teaming up with Colonies, a predominantly Mogwai-esque instrumental band, you get a whole new canvas to play with. A tambourine?! Bon Iver doesn't have a tambourine, at least not a happy one. But Colonies does, and added in with all the other instruments it makes Vernon's voice seem more spirited, like the livelier music just barely coaxes him into a state of excitement. And even though there are many different types of instruments in use here, they don't overbear the listener. Each piece interacts collectively to form a single, fluid sound that's really pleasing to the ear. An interesting side note is that Volcano Choir was started before Bon Iver became the greatest thing since sliced bread (why is sliced bread so great again?).
Monsters of Folk
Who: Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and plain old M. Ward
Album: Monsters of Folk (Come ON supergroups! All these self-titled albums, you can be more creative!), 2009
Sounds Like: A mishmash of ten kinds of folk (no, I will not name them all)
Verdict: The first album after 5 years of existence finally arrives! Coming into this I was a little subjective, being a big Conor Oberst fan and a big not-so-fan of M. Ward (I'm sorry, he totally blew at 2009's SXSW). But the best thing about bringing these guys together is that they each bring a different element, a different style and taste to the table, so you get an album is as once their own individually as well as the offspring of their musical lovemaking (like my literary devices???). You have a lot of traditional-ish folk in here, like "Say Please," that could be played anywhere from the Coachella Music Festival to the rundown dive bar in my podunk hometown. You can hate folk, but you have to admit its versatility. Something that did surprise me was the element of folk-funk I picked up on, particularly on "Dear God..." I swear, that would have been my summer song of the 70s, if I had been alive then. All-in-all a solid effort, though not the epic powerhouse I was expecting from such renowned folk artists. It's that M. Ward that's dragging them down...
Other Songs of Note
Taken By Tree's "My Boys": "My Girls" was my favorite song from the new Animal Collective album, partly due to its catchy electronica hook. Here, Victoria Bergsman (she of PB&J "Young Folks" fame) kidnaps the song, locks it a room, and doesn't give it its drug fix for a month. OH yeah, and she switches it around just so people don't think she's a lesbo. With a mellowed out, almost tropical sound, I think it works for her. Her voice would have been completely drowned out if she kept the Animal Collective vibe going there.
The Antler's "Kettering": In the Antler's sweeping epic about a man who must watch his lover dies of cancer, "Kettering" documents their meeting and falling in love. Or at least I think it does. The lyric are minimal, but effective and haunting. The music too is a catharsis of sort, and when Peter Silberman goes on about "they told me that there was no saving you," you find yourself sad that he must lose his love.
That's all for now, I have a 32-mile bike race bright and early tomorrow morning! Goodnight, world! Mwah!
No comments:
Post a Comment