Boardwalk Empire - OST: Volume 1
I recently got hooked on Boardwalk Empire. So much so that I burned through Season 1 and the existing episodes of Season 2 in no time flat. One of my favorite aspects of the show is the musical selections. They actually don't use any contemporary re-recordings in the show itself, it's all authentic recordings from the time. The soundtrack, however, is a compilation of faithful recreations from that time. Everything from the slapsticky Stephen DeRosa to the instrumental Vince Giordano tracks to the absolutely perfect Kathy Brier are unstoppable. Absolutely love it.. lets hope this a jumping off point to collecting 1920s musical goods.
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Big Black Delta - LP1
I'm a sucker for weird and distorted vocals. You put a vocoder on a song, I'm probably going to enjoy it 10x more than I would without it. With that in mind, it's hard not to enjoy this record because the vocal styles are all over the place. There's crazy electro-speak, ambient vocalizations, plenty of oohs and ahhs, smooth crooning, gospel style revelations and even squelching proclamations... all on top of incredibly thick electronic instrumentation. If you liked Mellowdrone, it makes sense for this to be the next evolutionary step.
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CANT - Dreams Come True
It's a pretty gracious compliment to listen to this record and not be immediately reminded of Grizzly Bear. It would have been so easy for Chris Taylor to take some of his rejected or half-formed ideas and just toss them together but this record definitely has its own identity. There's almost an R&B vibe to the whole thing; thick sounds, sweet vocals with an urgency around them that's hard to pin down. It's dance-y but in that way that reeks of sex. Every time I listen to this I like it more and more.
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Thee Oh Sees - Castlemania
I am told this is Thee Oh Sees most accessible album; a good sign for me given that I've not really listened to much of them before. I have a good feeling that the higher production values and instrumentation on this one is a bit of a divergence from their prior works so it may not sit well with the longtime fans but, assuming one can move beyond that, there's a nice energy throughout and a definite weirdness. Not my favorite thing I heard all year but glad I heard it.
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Glossary - Long Live All Of Us
Many many many years ago I worked at a record label with Glossary bassist Bingham Barnes. I remember him giving me the bands first album, Southern By The Grace of Location, and I absolutely did not get it. After repeated attempts to like my friends music I, ultimately, gave up and considered Glossary one of those bands that just wasn't for me. Fast forward approximately ten years and the band released The Better Angels of Our Nature; an album that absolutely caught my ear. How could this be the same band? They followed up with Feral Fire that was equally, if not better, than the previous. And now they're releasing Long Live All Of Us and I couldn't consider myself a more legit Glossary fan. Granted, my ear has become more open to a range of styles than when I was 20 years old and Glossary has embraced more of their rock underpinnings but it's a glorious way to meet in the middle.
Not to be long winded but I almost feel a pride when listening to these guys. They've stuck together for so long and continuously get better and better with every release. This is some Dr. Dog calibre rock - just a dash of Americana, some strong roots in the South and an undeniable genuine vocal quality. Love it and hope it does incredibly well for the band.
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Birdcloud - Birdcloud
If you told me six months ago that one of my favorite releases of 2011 would be an acoustic female duo singing ridiculously offensive and lewd songs I'd probably have doubted you seriously. That being said, I understand any skepticism one might have when looking at this undertaking from the outside but once you give it a spin, you'll understand. It's infectious. It's fun. It's offensive but in the most perfect tongue-in-cheek way. It also happens to have one of the greatest song titles I've encountered in years, see if you can spot it.
Get this record.
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Attack the Block - Soundtrack
Did you see Attack the Block? Good lord that's how a slightly low budget sci-fi movie should be done. The soundtrack was composed by Steven Price, Felix Buxton, and Simon Ratcliffe - two thirds of which are commonly known as Basement Jaxx. Much like any score, the music is better appreciated after seeing the accompanying film. There's a lot of rising action, orchestral strikes, ominous vibes, etc but it won't really remind you of anything until you've seen those perfect beasts from the film. First and foremost, see the movie. Secondly, check out this proper musical reminder of what you saw.
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Mister Heavenly - Out of Love
Honus Honus of Man Man, Nick Thorburns of Islands and Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse comprise the force behind Mister Heavenly. It is, to say the least, a damn fine rock record. All of the musicians involve understand the appreciation of a good hook and pop song structure but they keep the energy level high and meld their individual styles quite well. Hopefully this isn't a one-off side project as I'd be particularly keen to hear more.
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daas - CLE
Matthew Putis is the man behind Makeup and Vanity Set, a musical project that puts out high energy, dark electronic music. He also happens to be behind the daas undertaking - albeit it much more ambient, dischordant and broken. There are certainly similar vibes between the two but the CLE album is farther out.. less cohesive songs and more tiny atmospheric journeys.
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Nick Diamonds - I Am An Attic
Being Nick Diamonds can't be easy as anything you put out is likely compared to The Unicorns. Fortunately, that doesn't seem to be a problematic hurdle for Mr. Thorburn as he is quite capable of pumping out ominous sounding pop songs and willing to give them away for free (as this album is). The frantic energy may have subsided a bit but it's still plenty goofy and fun to listen to. His voice has an immediately genuine quality to it and this is another entry in his, hopefully, long discography of quality works.
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Jonny Corndawg - Down on the Bikini Line
Being a lifetime resident of Tennessee I've often raged against the notion of country music. I heard it my entire life growing up and was never a fan. It isn't until now, post-youth rage, that I have been able to come around to the style and appreciate it for all its style and storytelling. Jonny Corndawg probably gets mistaken for mocking the genre more than he does paying homage to it but I think its a nice stepping stone into full acceptance of the genre. The songs feature plenty of fiddle, slide guitar, twangy accents and lyrics about lazer hair removal. I dare anyone, fan of country music or not, to listen to Night Rider and not enjoy it.
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The Big Sleep - You Today, Me Tomorrow
I am a rather enthusiastic fan of the body of work emerging from this band. It's only two albums but I've listened to both more times than I care to count. So I was pleased as punch when I checked their site for news of a new album and discovered that their original EP is now available for free download. The 2002 release has the same shoegaze-y building guitars, big releases and great energy that I love about everything else they've done. Now if their new album would just hurry up and come out already.
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Makeup and Vanity Set - Never Let Go
Driving electronic music with an incredibly dark tone - though not horror / murder level of dark, more like intense sci-fi mystery. The cover art pretty much perfectly sets the tone for the music within - nighttime, a shady character, some magical aura, etc etc. If you consider yourself a fan of the likes of Com Truise, Xander Harris or Kavinsky then this is perfectly up your alley.
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Beirut - The Rip Tide
Something about The Rip Tide feels more contemporary, more up-to-date, than the prior records. The same instrumentation is present throughout (though occasionally some new surprises pop up) but it seems less forelorn, less evoking of some time gone by. It's tough to tell if this is good or bad at the moment but it's fairly safe to say that if you enjoyed the previous Beirut albums that this will fit squarely into the same pleasure center for your ears.
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Silver Seas - Starry Gazey Pie
While discussing some of my favorite local acts at a party one night I mentioned that The Silver Seas "High Society" is probably the high watermark in terms of phenomenal albums of note emerging from the Nashville area. I was quickly informed that, unbeknownst to me, there was a prior album equally as enjoyable. Admittedly, it is the same 70's inspired pop with a nice downtrodden swing to it all that I love so much about High Society. Long story short, big thanks to that dude at the party for opening my eyes up to another great album from a great band.
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Fonda - Better Days EP
My best review of this would be that it evokes the sunnier style pop that was always bubbling below the surface of mainstream "alternative" back in the mid-to-late 90's. Surprisingly enough, the band actually formed back in those days and seems like they haven't lost their touch. In the brutally honest category I find the EP to be incredibly enjoyable to listen to but entirely forgettable afterwards. That is to say, I like it when I hear it but I never think to put it on.
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TV Girl - Benny and The Jetts
I love the weird production on these guys work - the looping, the sampling, the sweet crooning vocals and the reverb-y nature of it all. This is a nice extension to their original EP and, hopefully, they just continue releasing little four song sets; it seems to work for them. I may be over-reaching on this but I kinda feel like the third track is a direct response to some legal woes the band had with Warner. It's not often you can write a song about being sued by a major label.
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Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra
It can't be easy to be a band these days that gets "discovered" immediately upon releasing your first song. I'm sure the publicity is great but the pressure and expectations of a full-length are likely maddening. Fortunately, UMO stepped up to the plate and delivered despite any perceived pressures. The album is right in line with the prior releases - lo-fi-ish production, falsetto vocals and a fun upbeat nature throughout. I've always thought it had an odd dark vibe underlying it all but that's probably just my own slant on things.
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Percy Thrillington - Thrillington
Originally I considered this a hidden Paul McCartney gem. Which, technically, I guess it is but, in reality, it's more of a hidden Paul McCartney Commissed gem. Richard Hewson is more responsible for the arrangement and construction of the music than McCartneys direct involvement (though he did pen the original tunes, obviously). All and all, it's a great procurement however you can get it because the songs are just that good.. just don't go bragging that you know of some unknown album that McCartney himself wrote under the radar.
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Jim Guthrie - Now, More Than Ever
Released in 2003 this album completely zipped past my radar. Then Guthrie released Human Highway 2008 and the Sword and Sorcery LP in 2011 and it became obvious that it was time to investigate more of his prior works. I've seen this album reviewed as an overlooked indie pop gem of the early 00's and I must agree.. not one to miss.
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Southern - 11 Years
Nashville based post-rock, instrumental group that caught my ear. They tend to rely more on the quiet side of the quiet-loud dynamic usually found in the genre but it's still engaging and pleasing to the ear. Maybe it's not even post-rock if it never explodes into giant guitars, I'm not sure but I know I like it. It's perfect for headphone listening when at work or when having a bit of quiet time.
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I Come To Shanghai - Eternal Life Vol 1
Two things. 1) I did not think there was any way in the world this would be as good as it is. Robert Ashleys podcast, A Life Well Wasted, is so good that I assumed he couldn't possibly also be a good musician. I was very wrong. 2) When it comes time to make year end Best Of lists - this will absolutely make the cut. The only bummer is that it clocks in at 21 minutes - far too short.
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Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards
I do not count myself among the masses of Jack White disciples. I was never a huge White Stripes fan and Brendan Benson is my favorite Raconteur. However, not being a super fan doesn't mean I can't be a regular fan. Dead Weather is nasty production, the perfect amount of aggression and lots of interesting Sounds beyond the guitar tone. It occasionally skirts into rap-like vocal territory but I forgive it for such. On the whole, I surprised myself by enjoying this.
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Liam Finn - Fomo
Occasionally you encounter an album that you know will grow with time. Fomo seems to fall into that category. It is immediately memorable, catchy, etc but each additional listen increases the enjoyment levels from start to finish. It's probably very difficult to step out from your fathers shadow when you're in the same business but I can't imagine anyone saying that this isn't an incredibly strong piece of work on its own merits. I am a total sucker for his voice - particularly the way he so effectively layers them. Highly recommended.
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Colourmusic - My ____ is Pink
I really have no clue what to make of this. It's aggressive, it's dark, it's part rock, part electronic, it's anthemic and equally experimental. It blends all these things well but it's it's still a fairly crazy listening experience. It doesn't seem to be catchy in the traditional way but it's certainly got some engaging, fist-pumping moments.
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