Meanderthals – Desire Lines (Smalltown Supersound; 5/12)

Based on the main components of Meanderthals (an electronic-based outfit; Two English dudes and a Norwegian guy) I’d say before even listening that it’s a recipe for disaster, but surprisingly it’s quite good. Using steel drums, tablas, growling basses- employing some different sounds than what I’m accustomed to hearing in electronic music (and while they may be made on synths) they sound organic. I can remember (vaguely) eating lots of ecstasy at the latter part of the nineties and listening to this Ibiza-chillout music early in the morning as it’s more or less “wearing off”- this is what that’s like (and probably what’s causing the warm feeling in my spine as I listen to it). Conventional wisdom would say this isn’t a great record, but nostalgia is winning out here. 7/10

Finding Fiction – Idaho By The Sea (self-released; 6/2)

“I know the bass player, man…” Whenever I hear people say that about a band I’m always like, “dude, go fuck yourself…” But I really do know the bass player in Finding Fiction, so- I’m one of those guys (tell me to go fuck myself next time you see me). Bassist Tim Farr, along with Mario Santana (vocals and guitar), Scott Eisenberg (drums/percussion) and Josh Coleman (guitar) craft a melodic brand of indie rock that’s short on irony and long on sincerity; which is a good thing- all too often the indie landscape is cluttered with bands that hide their weak chops behind a wall of insincere poseurism. Finding Fiction is refreshing in that they don’t have to hide behind that shit- wearing a huge heart on their sleeve and being proud of it; reveling in authenticity while displaying mastery of their respective instruments. Be that as it may, Idaho By The Sea is a by-the-numbers-indie-rock record; meaning that it’s merely a good album, but the elements are all there for FF to make us a great rock record in the future (based on the three exceptional tracks Time Of Day, Home and I’ll Buy). 7/10

Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue (Warp; 6/22)

This is probably the best electronic album to come out this year; actually- it’s probably the best to come out in the last few. Bibio is Stephen Wilkinson and you’re about to hear him everywhere (from Toyota commercials to LL Bean), going down the Moby route to riches. Drawing heavily on influences like Boards Of Canada (the most obvious), Paavoharju (for his oblique take on electro/trad-folk) and steel guitar aficionados (he’s a pretty accomplished player in that department), he’s made a really beautiful record- situated halfway between the psychedelic folk of Nick Drake, the stunted beats of Kruder & Dorfmeister and the dark sound of Portishead’s Adrian Utley & Geoff Barrow. Mixing folk with ambient electronica shouldn’t work; but on Bibio’s Ambivalence Avenue it does to great success. 9/10

Jonsi & Alex – Riceboy Sleeps (Parlophone; 7/20)

If you’re someone who likes ambient string-based music, then you’ll probably say this record’s near perfect. If you like hooky, short structured pop songs; you’ll probably hate this. I’m somewhere in the middle of those two statements, so in effect they sort of cancel each other out- I can sit for long-ass stretches of time just listening, or my ADD can get into hyperdrive where I don’t even finish songs (clicking >> over and over…). Since Jonsi is the mastermind behind Sigur Ros (and I think all of their albums are supremely awesome) I was pretty excited to hear what this side project was all about; it’s basically him, his boyfriend (visual artist Alex Somers) and the four lovely ladies from Amiina (who provide almost all the string work for Sigur Ros‘ recorded output). It’s as pretty a piece of music you’ll find all year (rivaling both Mountains‘ Choral and OAE’s self-titled debut)- that is if you can sit for 67 minutes just listening; this isn’t “car ride” music or biking to the store tunes, it’s “active” listening music- file under “headphone/eyes closed” music (for lack of a better term). 8/10

Imogen Heap – Ellipse (Megaphonic; 8/24)

Man, the chick from Frou Frou has really come a long way- even though she did her first solo album before that collaboration; that’s the one that introduced the world to Miss Heap, so for all intents and purposes we can say that’s where we first know her from. So let’s thank (or smirk, or roll our eyes at) Zach Braff for including Frou Frou on that Garden State Soundtrack. In fact, that’s pretty much where Imogen’s music plays best at- apparently she’s had tracks featured on The O.C. (I’ve never seen it, was it a good show?) so that’s firmly entrenched in my mind as I listen to her newest. Basically, I’m listening to the background music when the two main characters on Grey’s Anatomy finally kiss (unless they already did, then I guess it’s suitable for two lesser characters to make out to one of these tracks; maybe the single First Train Home, or the track Swoon, it doesn’t matter because these songs are all very similar…) Either way, Miss Heap’s pigeonholed her music into the whole “coffee-shop-and-sweaters-let’s-watch-One-Tree-Hill-together” set, which will probably sell her a ton of records. Good for you! 5/10

Datarock – Red (Young Aspiring Professionals; 9/1)

Norwegian electro-rock duo known for the awesome songs Fa-Fa-Fa and Princess from 2005’s Datarock Datarock- here on Red there’s less electro and more rock; the songs work more cohesively as a full album. That being said, Datarock is still doing it Datarock style- which is to say: tongue-in-cheek lyrics, synth-driven explorations, pounding drums (both live and machinated) and clean guitar riffs. If these guys had a TV show everyone would be all “Flight Of The who…?” because these guys write funnier songs (their overall, self-deprecating vibe plays much better over the funky, disco-punk thing) and are much better musicians (plus the fact they’re Scandanavian; catchy hooks are written somehow into their DNA coding). Comparisons aside; the whole nerds-with-guitars-and-Pro-Tools thing is pretty rad; even if your biggest shows are to SXSW crowds you’re still rock stars, albeit not in the traditional piles-of-coke-with-groupies-on-the-tour-bus way. If there was ever a sequel to the awesome 80s BMX movie Rad, please have Datarock do the soundtrack. 8/10

Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3 (Roc Nation; 9/8)

I’m going to do something that I usually don’t do as a review; a track-by-track “running” review of Jay’s Blueprint 3. So, as it goes-

Song 1; What We Talkin’ About (with Luke Steele): kinda cheesy, I mean; it’s the dude from Empire Of The Sun on backing vocals over a synthy track that doesn’t work as an album opener at all. 3/10.

Next; Thank You: awful; that vocal hook is terrible. The music itself is more representative of what Jay’s all about, but still- that weak attempt at a hook is so detracting: 5/10.

D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune): finally a Jay-Z track, dismissing the use of auto-tune (hopefully this will effectively sound the death knell of that terrible T-Pain et. al…) 7/10.

Run This Town (featuring Rihanna & Kanye West): one of the year’s best tracks, everything Rihanna touches turns to gold. And Kanye; at first I hated his verse, but it’s grown on me (and after his Taylor Swift debacle it’s more and more obvious the man is seriously crazy, as is his dis of his own fans on this track: “whatchu think I rap for? / to push a fuckin’ Rav-4?” I mean, really? About 90% of your fans push something similar to a Rav-4 and that’s how it is? You’re a sick fuck, Ye…) Jay kills; it’s a classic. Anyway; this is a great song, so here’s a 10/10.

Empire State Of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys): another nice track, the same can be said about the peerless Miss Keys as I said previously about Rihanna; now that’s a fucking vocal hook- you got me with this one (production from Al Shux is super tight as well, reminiscent of “that ole Jig rhythm“…) 9/10.

Real As It Gets (with Young Jeezy): meh. Filler material. Jeezy can’t flow like Jay, he slows the momentum with his southern version of DMX’s style- he’s just a weak rapper, why would you feature him, Jay? And the backing track isn’t anything special. 4/10.

On To The Next One (feat. Swizz Beatz): again; blase blah. Swizz sucks, always has- I just went through his production credits; he’s got nothing. Nothing, yet the man has tons of work. I must be out of my mind. Anyway; this whole track is just awful. Pure shit. 1/10

Off That (feat. Drake): three weak-ass tracks in a row; oh, how Jay has fallen. Drake blows. This record is strating to make me angry; it’s really just sub-par to mediocre guest after guest (with the exception of Rihanna & Alicia Keys every collaboration is a head-scratching WTF moment). Yo Jay, your boy Drake need to shut the fuck up. 3/10

A Star Is Born (feat. J. Cole): not a bad track; not a great track. J. Cole is alright; the track is so-so, what makes this song decent is Jay’s roll-call and shout outs to all the NY rappers over the years; he gives his props where props are due. Much respect. 7/10.

Venus vs. Mars (feat. Cassie): awful. Again, more shit piled on top of more shit doesn’t hide all the shit underneath. 2/10.

Already Home (feat. Kid Cudi): Kanye should stick to what Kanye’s best at: PRODUCING. This is a really tight track; unfortunately (again) an awful vocal hook by Cudi ruins what could’ve been a great song, and one thing this album needs is great songs because all I’m hearing is shit. Slightly above average, 6/10.

Hate (ft. Kanye West): I don’t know why I like the vocals in this song, they’re both playing back-and-forth, kinda jokey and corny but for some reason I’m digging it. Uh oh, this must be “pity”. I’m feeling sorry for Jay (after all, Reasonable Doubt & The Blueprint are two of the best hip-hop albums of all time) and who doesn’t both hate and pity Ye these days? Damn, they getting points from pity… 7/10

Reminder: this is only the third track from B3 that doesn’t feature help from anyone; it’s a somewhat decent* Timbaland-by-numbers leftover that probably got nixed from either the last Missy Elliot or Nelly Furtado record. I can see Jay calling Tim: “Yo, you got anything for my Blueprint 3 coming up?” Tim: “Oh-oh, uh, yeah I got a brand new track I been working on…” right after Missy was all, “Tim, this sounds like 2001 all over again, I ain’t gonna use you on my next record.” Because this song just reeks of estrogen. * – somewhat decent = just average: 5/10.

So Ambitious (ft. Pharrell): yeah, this doesn’t work for me either. Remember that Pharrell/Jay-Z collab from 2003, Frontin’? That was the best song that year. I guess lightning only strikes once, fellas… 3/10.

Young Forever (ft. Mr Hudson): this song appeals to me because 1) it’s basically a hip-hop version of Alphaville’s Forever Young; 2) Jay saying (reluctantly) good-bye to his youth; and 3) Kanye does a great job on the track, again; this is just another reason why he needs to stick to PRODUCING and just SHUT THE FUCK UP. 9/10.

So, in summation: 81 total points divided by 15 songs equals 5.4 overall. I’m basically seeing a trend with Jay-Z’s work this decade; every OTHER album is great, the ones in between are pretty much shit. Case in point: The Blueprint (almost perfect), followed by the crap-tastic Blueprint 2, then coming back with a game changer like The Black Album (again; near perfect record), then the “comeback” record Kingdom Come (I listened to it once and deleted it off my hard drive; it’s that bad- the fucking Coldplay guy is on it for fuck’s sake) followed by his “real” comeback album American Gangster (not a “soundtrack” album per se, more of a concept album based on the movie; it’s some real gangster shit yo). Now here’s the instantly forgettable (musically regrettable) Blueprint 3. Do yourself a favor; skip this, skip every other Jay-Z record. On a good note, conventional wisdom dictates that Jay’s next album is going to be awesome, though… 5.4

Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II (Ice H2O; 9/8)

Of the two most anticipated hip-hop releases this year (both released on the same day), guess which one is better? No brainer; obviously The Chef’s is gonna be the tighter of the two- whenever an album has Ghostface Killah on it, along with an absolute all-star production staff (that beef between Rae & the RZA has been squashed over the production of 8 Diagrams- more on this squabble later…) Tracks by Dilla, Pete Rock, Marley Marl, Erick Sermon, The Alchemist, Dr. Dre and Mathematics, guest verses a-plenty from Tony Starks, Inspectah Deck, Meth, RZA, GZA, Masta Killa, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, Beanie Sigel & Slick Rick. How could this album not be completely awesome? Four years in the making, label changes, beefs arise and beefs quashed, it’s the best hip-hop album of the year, a title previously held by both DOOM and Mos Def’s terrific records from earlier in ‘09. So many standout tracks- House of Flying Daggers, Cold Outside, Black Mozart, Gihad, Penitentiary, Surgical Gloves, 10 Bricks, the ODB-tribute Ason Jones and contender for track of the year New Wu (with Ghost & Meth, produced by Bobby Dig) which revisits the classic Wu style of yesteryear. Even if i give this record a ten, that only makes it twice as good as Jay-Z’s, when in actuality it’s 4 to 5 times better. 10/10

More on the rift between Rae & RZA- Chef thought the beats and production for the last few Wu records wasn’t up to par, so he took away the full production credits from Rizz for this record, basically giving tracks to whoever would do them. Apparently RZA has hundreds upon hundreds of tracks just “sitting around” and didn’t want to give up his best stuff, instead saving it for the next full Wu-Tang record (which is fair). You may have heard that Rae, Ghost & Meth are doing an album together- so what’s up with the future of the Wu? Stay Tuned…

So this is rather new, but NNN doesn’t preclude new music. Bowerbirds may be quickly rising as one of my favorite folky bands. I found them, as I often find new music, listening to Pitchfork’s Forkcast. I just have it on in the background while I work, but when something makes me stop and say “what the hell is this great shit,” I put down what I’m doing and check it out. I did this when I heard the track “Northern Light” off Upper Air, which is Bowerbirds second album. They made a name for themselves touring with The Mountain Goats, and I can see how they’d fit perfectly with John Darnielle. This is an incredibly sweet album, featuring the tender voices of Phil Moore and Beth Tacular. It’s quiet and a bit melancholy, much in the same way that Elvis Perkins’ Ash Wednesday was, but without all the wrenching pathos. In particular Silver Clouds, Northern Lights, and House of Diamonds hooked me.

Bower Birds

Carribou – Andorra (21 August 2007) – Polaris Prize Winner 2008

Daniel Victor Snaith

I first heard Carribou on PitchforkTV (a live version of “After Hours” below), and I found myself returning to the video over and over again. There was just something about the energy of Daniel Snaith and some other dude who’s name I can’t find drumming head to head (and not in some lame jam band way) that captivated me. Tracks on Andorra like After Hours and Melody Day feel like they’re reaching back into the 60’s, characterized by a lot of high-energy melodies coupled with whispery, almost ethereal lyrics. Having just re-read that sentence I think I would have passed if I hadn’t heard them, but check it out cause it really works:

Zoe Keating – One Cello x 16 (Self Released 2004), One Cello x 16: Natoma (Self Released 2005)

The thick, moody sound of the cello has always been something that I’ve loved, but oddly enough, not something I’ve sought out. It’s just not an instrument I think about that much. So when someone introduced me to Zoe Keating, it was one of those unexpected boons to my ears. One Cello x 16 and One Cello x 16: Natoma both feature Keating alone with her cello, and she uses a lot of sampling and repetition to give her music a rich and layered texture. She employs sounds I’d expect from a cello (long, drawn out melodious moans), but also unexpected sounds as well (choppy, discordant, almost screeching sounds), and she mixes them together into an emotional pattern that, to me, can evoke pretty big emotions. Whenever I have it on, I feel like I’m sinking, or being drawn into it like quicksand. It’s the kind of ambient music that feels like a narrative in the sense that you feel like you’re being immersed into a different world like you might in a story. Listening to Zoe Keating is a wonderful experience, and it reminded me a lot of Rachel’s, which I’m now revisiting because of her. Below I’ve linked to two of my favorites, so check her out.

Zoe Keating

Tiny Vipers – Tiny Vipers (EP 2007 re-release Luckyhorse Industries)

Tiny Vipers is Jesy Fortino and her guitar, and from the minute I heard her voice I totally fell in love with her. She has this haunting, scratchy voice that she seems to be pressing into an urgent appeal in every song. Listening to “They Might Follow You,” I always find myself leaning forward, straining to hear what she’s saying, shaking my head each time trying to figure out why the song ends with a clip of Arriana Huffington talking about Bill Clinton’s election in ‘92. Why Jesy, WHY? Couple these poetic voices with her lone guitar, the music swims from a kind of ghostly fairy tale (The Book, Shipwreck) to a kind of furious growl (Yesterday, The Ocean Song). I can’t stop listening to it.

Tiny Vipers

Rodrigo y Gabriela – 11:11 (ATO RECORDS / RED 2009)

I love love love Rodrigo y Gabriela. I was once heckled as a noodle-dancing world music loving hippie because of it, and I don’t even care one fucking bit. Just their story is awesome. They grew up playing in a thrash metal band in Mexico City, eventually moving to Europe where they perfected their music. They made ends meet by playing on streets and in restaurants playing what sounded like that bland, touristy crap that is supposed to be providing atmosphere. What it actually was, though, was them taking Metallica and Pantera sounds and slowing it way the fuck down. They realized that they had something there, and started blending traditional music with the metal they loved so. The result is nothing short of fucking magic. The guitar duo play a blend of flamenco and metal, and when I first heard them I totally stopped dead in my tracks and my brain short-circuited, the earth shook and my ears bled. I don’t think I understood the power two acoustic guitars could have until I heard Tamacun. I thought it couldn’t get better than that and then I saw them live. I thought that couldn’t get any better and then I heard 11:11. Again with the magic. Below are a few tracks…if you don’t like these they RyG is not your thing. And you’re retarded.

P.S. Gabriela is the hottest woman on the face of the earth as far as I’m concerned and if she told me to jump into an erupting volcano I probably would.

RodGab

Some of these albums aren’t worth the plastic they’re pressed on, but whatever…

maudlin Of The Well – Part The Second (self-released; 5/14)

This record was one of those accidental finds- all I can say is it’s been one of the year’s most challenging listens for a number of reasons. maudlin Of The Well is an avant-garde art-prog outfit that veers dangerously close to post-rock; Part The Second is not an album you can throw on and clean the house to- it demands you pay close attention (for there are subtle nuances hidden all over this record) which ultimately leads to the record’s downfall; it’s challenging in that its overt influences make it somewhat pretentious; while the playing displays unparalleled virtuosity, the blending of rock with jazz saxophones and classical string arrangements make it too unfocused, the noodly guitars border on masturbatory, the vocal effects are annoying at times; it’s not a study in what prog should be (or could be), and for that I need my classic 70s stuff (Yes, Jethro Tull, et al.); there’s a reason the genre died- no need to exhume the bodies and study them again. This album is free if you want it, here’s the link. 5/10

Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard – ‘Em Are I (Rough Trade; 5/19)

Jeff Lewis is best experienced live- that being said; his albums are exercises in patience in that he’s as much a visual performance artist as he’s a musician, the music itself leaves a lot to be desired. His comic books are component pieces to his music; the time I saw him open for The Mountain Goats, his folk-punk story-telling was endearing because it was set as a narrative to his gigantic flip book of drawings (The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane and others). Furthermore; his web/TV show is pretty awesome- he’s huge in the UK where most of the episodes are set, as is his record label. Anyway, for this album it’s more vintage Jeff Lewis (lyrically it’s self-deprecating in that whole “I’m a dirty poet that can’t get laid, Oh how I have to suffer for my art…” thing) which isn’t all that endearing on celluloid- again; plays great on the camera and the canvas, but here’s it’s trite as fuck. Musically, it’s more mature (read: better production, better musicians, etc.) so that saves it a wee bit, especially the eight-minute jam-out The Upside-down Cross, but for the most part, it’s just a so-so version of the Lower East Side’s punk-folk scene- which even the best of that is probably just below average… 5/10

Rome – Flowers From Exile (Trisol; 6/26)

Another record I completely stumbled on by accident, how often do you find yourself perusing “industrial folk” duos from Luxembourg? I didn’t even know that genre existed, let alone the bold, deep baritone of lead singer Jerome Reuter’s voice- which is at once both startling and comforting; he recalls Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Tom Waits and The National’s Matt Berninger. Add Patrick Damiani’s production (complemented by field recordings, foreign voices, ambient textures, dark and brooding industrial-type rhythms, Spanish guitars, etc.) and you have an interesting listen to say the least. The story line follows that of the Spanish Civil War; making the album dark and apocalyptic in its scope, revealing a narrative of a war-torn and displaced people, soldiers, isolation, desperation- acting as a modern-day protest record in itself. It’s as European an album I’ll find all year; it’s making me want to delve deeper into the Old Continent’s vast expanses of undiscovered music reserves to find something as new and rewarding as this. 8/10

Wu-Tang Clan – Wu-Tang Chamber Music (E1 Music; 6/30)

Basically a mix-tape made by the RZA, even though only five of the Clan are featured (RZA, U-God, Ghostface, Raekwon and Inspectah Deck) it’s still a Wu release and for that I’m grateful. It’s the Wu, motherfucker; it doesn’t have to be good, it just has to be available. That’s all. But you can’t put Tony Starks, the Chef and Bobby Digital in a room together and it not be good, again- it’s Wu, mother fucker. Plus, New York legends Masta Ace, AZ, Cormega, Sean Price, Havoc of Mobb Deep, Kool G Rap and Brand Nubian’s Sadat X all show up for guest appearances and Brooklyn-based funk/soul band The Revelations provide live instrumentation for eight of the 17 tracks; it’s an interesting combination. Working with various producers (Andrew Kelley, Bob Perry, Noah Rubin, Tre Williams of The Revelations and Fizzy Womack of M.O.P) give this album a cohesive feel; after RZA’s production on 8 Diagrams created beef between him, Ghost and Rae for not having that “classic Wu sound” this can be seen as a return to that darker, sinister sound. Tracks like Harbor Masters, Evil Deeds and Ill Figures are all cut from the classic mold of Shaolin street knowldge; if you like hip-hop you’ll like this. If you like the Wu, you’ll love this. 9/10

Cass McCombs – Catacombs (Domino; 7/7)

Thanks to Jason Dill for introducing me to Cass McCombs. If you’re unfamiliar with Dill, he’s the pro skater that was pals with Jack Osbourne on the first season of The Osbournes, the dude who had a bottle of Jack Daniels among his possessions. Anyway, Dill skated to a McCombs‘ song (What Isn’t Nature) for his video part in DVS’ Skate More (2005) and Jerry Hsu followed suit a year later, skating to a different McCombs‘ song (Sacred Heart) for his Bag Of Suck part. So there’s your skate-video-music-cross-referencing-nerd-shit that I do. So onto the review of this Cass record now; I’d like to add that with each subsequent release, Mr. McCombs becomes a little more refined, his songwriting gets a little better- he’s moved away from the ethereal sounding, churning dream pop and towards a more “American” sound (which is to say a countrified brand of folk-rock that isn’t too much of either). I prefer McCombs‘ albums A and PREfection to this record, as well as his last (2007’s Dropping The Writ). It’s still a decent album. One thing McCombs does that I really like is this idea of “conceptual continuity”, carrying related themes and threads of consciousness from record to record. 7/10

Clark – Totems Flare (Warp; 7/13)

Just a quick peek at Clark’s labelmates on Warp Records and you have an idea what they are before clicking play: !!!, Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada, Flying Lotus, Prefuse 73 and Squarepusher would all lead you to assume it’s electronic (correct) and dancy (somewhat) which would immediately raise an eyebrow- I like most of those artists (someonly for their visual collaborations; I’m looking at you Aphex Twin) but for the most part, I eschew any association with danceble electro music. Clark’s Totems Flare (minus the four songs that have vocals) is a decent album that doesn’t sway too far into hardcore techno or the other way into sleep-inducing downtempo trip-hopping; the other seven tracks are enjoyable as background music- never encroaching fully into your consciousness but hovering just below the line of noticeability. And for that, it’s a below average record. 6/10

The Duke & The King – Nothing Gold Can Stay (Ramseur Records; 8/4)

“Is that Cat Stevens?” says my girlfriend from the other room. Dear The Duke & The King: immediate musical fail. Now before you freak out and say, “YOU DON’T LIKE CAT STEVENS!?!?” I’ll interject with; I like the Cat Stevens, I don’t like post-millennial ripoffs, the man is still alive for Allah’s sake. You know, I don’t like this neo-country folk stuff all that much, there’s no dividing line that separates it from all the other lousy drivel- there’s just no hook. At least Sam Beam and Justin Vernon (Iron & Wine and Bon Iver, respectively) have that hook, I can’t put my finger on it in so many words, but whatever it is they do have, The Duke & The King don’t have it. This makes me glad I didn’t experience 70s AM radio firsthand, I don’t think I can get through this whole record without at least one suicidal thought. When you see me next, say thank you for listening to all this crappy music so you don’t have to. I’m taking a bullet for you… 3/10

Destroyer – Bay Of Pigs EP (Merge; 8/18)

If this record was made by anyone else I wouldn’t have given it the time of day. But since Dan Bejar has released three of the best records of the last ten years (2000’s Thief, 2001’s Streethawk: A Seduction & 2006’s Destroyer’s Rubies) he gets special handling. Why? Because it’s a damn disco record, an “ambient” disco record at that, clocking in at a bit over thirteen-and-a-half minutes. Halfway between casual dining music and 16-bit video game music (sorta like playing Sega Genesis at that hip Belgian place in the Mission) it doesn’t suck (completely) but it’s not gonna score high marks outside of the fact that it’s really a stretch for Destroyer, and going outside of your comfort zone is a big risk. But as far as the music goes, I’m not the type to hang out at Italian discos wearing guyliner and $700 shirts, so I’m gonna pass on Destroyer’s Bay Of Pigs- at least the first track anyway. Track 2, Ravers, is a vocals-synth-and-organ tune that’s not as out of place as the EP’s title track, yet it’s not as interesting. It works out to be a confusing piece of music, all 21-plus minutes of it. 3/10

BLK JKS – After Robots (Secretly Canadian; 9/8)

I’m going to contradict myself now; I said earlier that prog should rest in peace- I meant to say “only if it’s done poorly” as in the over-indulgent, self-aggrandizing form of the genre. Here comes South Africa’s BLK JKS (obviously pronounced black jacks) who can make rock music that’s both proggy and arty, sans wallowing in pretense. An exercise in energetic guitars, spastic drumming, deep-bottom basses, emotive and soulful vocals relating poignant lyrics from a part of the world that’s been sorely under-represented in popular music. They put out the best EP of the year so far (back in March, titled Mystery) and one of the best live shows I’ve seen this year; file them under Best New Act of 2009. The re-working of Lakeside (the stand-out track from the EP) on here isn’t as urgent and raw as it originally appeared, it fits with the overall mood of this record. If it remained as it did on the short-player it would’ve stuck out like a sore thumb; instead producer Brandon Curtis (of Secret Machines) made it a slower, more refined, vocals-up-front-mix. The album has a “dark cloud” sort of moodiness to it, all the while hinting at some type of silver lining; exploring dub rhythms, churning synths, interwoven guitar lines, out-of-this world drumming- BLK JKS‘ After Robots is a welcome addition to any music fan’s library. 8/10

Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs (Matador; 9/8)

This is YLT’s 309th release and their 373rd year together. Not really, but it feels like it, am I right or am I right? More like 25 years strong (17 with current line-up) and 46th release (18th full-length offering) would have you believe that the gang ain’t going anywhere anytime soon- and with their latest, Popular Songs, they’re right back at it. With other bands, the term “paint-by-numbers” would come as a dismissal that they were mailing it in, but paint-by-numbers Yo La Tengo is a good thing because they’re better than your average band; I wouldn’t want them to put an album of garage punk classic out now, would I? Oh wait, they did that… Anyway, that’s exactly what’s so endearing about YLT; the fact that all three members have an equal say; all three have shared songwriting credits since 97’s I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One- and here on Popular Songs it’s an obvious group effort. Classic YLT would prescribe that the band can’t be hemmed into one specific genre; so there’s the fuzz-tone jams, something for the shoegazer in us all (By Two’s, I’m On My Way), their noisy brand of pop (incorporating strings in If It’s True and Here To Fall), a heavier reliance on the Hammond B-3 sound and long experimental-type songs (The Fireside, And The Glitter Is Gone). In summation, a YLT album is a very, very good thing. 9/10

The Antlers – Hospice (self-released; 3/3)

Slow-burning anthems of melancholic regret weaved in and around a loose narrative of nurse falling in love with patient; the story line goes like this- lead Antler Peter Silberman moves to the big city, spends two whole years sequestered from society writing this album, losing touch with family and friends along the way only to emerge with this stellar offering of dolorous melodies and heartrending storytelling. Think Radiohead-meets-Bon Iver with an Arcade Fire fascination and you can begin to draw a line connecting The Antlers’ influences to one another. If you like pop songs structured around ambient textures and falsetto-styled vocalizations with anthemic aspirations, Hospice may be your favorite album of the year. 9/10

Jarvis Cocker – Further Complications (Rough Trade US; 5/19)

So the guy from Pulp is releasing another solo album. I say this with disdain because it seems whenever Morrissey’s prowess is being discussed there’s always some little Jarvis sycophant that sticks his nose (and unwanted opinions) into the conversation. Look, Morrissey’s a snarky, sad recluse who is ill at ease among his fellow humans and was the frontman for the greatest band of the last 30 years, while Jarvis Cocker is a gregarious, model-dating ladies man that could steal your girlfriend off your arm with his wit and charm and you’d thank him for doing so and gladly pay his cab fare. And that’s kind of why I’ve always disliked the man; he’s everything Mozza isn’t and he’s introduced into those conversations too often, so this is me knocking him down a peg. Similarly revered by Brits, Cocker is a glammy, sometimes scuzzy rocker; and Further Complications is a rock album in the tradition of lecherous middle-age man seeking early-20s model; think Bryan Ferry (that’s a more accurate comparison and I usually interject that to deflect from anyone challenging Moz’s superiority; likewise Cocker is at his best on this record when he’s veering into Roxy territory). It’s a look at the mind of a recent divorcee that’s trying to reconnect with hip young ladies (Angela), meeting a woman at a museum (Leftovers) and casting off pretension (I Never Said I Was Deep)- an exploration into a mid-life crisis that’s both endearing and pathetic. 6/10

Terry Urban – Southerngold (Gold Coin; 6/1)

Thank god for the mixtape culture that’s pushing both hip-hop and mash-ups to the next level. This mixtape by Terry Urban and Gold Coin Clothing almost didn’t happen- he sent the mixes to Santigold who was like “this is awesome, put this out” but her label, Downtown Records, was all “hell no!” Ironically, they’re the label that signed Danger Mouse after he gained fame from his Grey Album thing (Jay-Z’s Black Album mashed into The Beatles‘ White Album). Basically, Southerngold is all the top southern rappers over the backing tracks of Santigold’s debut album; and everyone’s here: Ying Yang Twins, Andre 3000 (OutKast), Bun B (UGK), Slim Thug, Mike Jones, T-Pain, Lil’ Wayne, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy and Young Jeezy. It ain’t gonna win any awards and isn’t groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination, but it sure is fun. Download it for free here. 7/10

Pelican – Ephemeral [EP] (Southern Lord; 6/9)

I said “uh oh” when I saw that Pelican had made the leap from Hydra Head Records over to Southern Lord. From being on Isis‘ label and going to Sunn O)))’s label; please, no collaborations! Okay, good- they left you alone, the hooded douches from Sunn O))) aren’t on this EP (thank Satan!) Anyway; Pelican does what Pelican does- which is blaze neatly meandering instrumental post-metal trails into the ether of the stratosphere, built on top of jet-like riffage, walloping basses and punchy drums. A cover of Earth’s Geometry Of Murder (with the infamous Dylan Carlson) rounds out the three-song, 21-minute affair with brutal ardor. Pelican is set to release another full-length in late October titled What We All Come To Need and it has that dreaded Sunn O))) collaboration that I’m fearing. Oh well, there’s always this EP… 8/10

Future Of The Left – Travels With Myself And Another (4AD; 6/23)

I couldn’t stand Mclusky, so I was glad to seem them go the way of the dodo bird. So Future Of The Left, with two members of that Cardiff-based three piece have given us Travels With Myself And Another; it’ alternates between screamo shouting and cabaret call-and-response over Queens Of The Stone Age styled-wank. Great, it’s the British equivalent of “cock rock”. Except it’s all edgy and political. Oooh. I still do not like. Sharing a common thread with another band from that part of the world that I don’t “get” would be Northern Ireland’s Therapy?, FOTL is so ridiculously Anglocentric that I feel like I need to sit with a Brit slang dictionary with the Beeb on the telly so I can get their whole vibe down. But then the actual music underneath the Welsh-inflected is quite lousy, so I shant be giving this any further listens. 4/10

Discovery – LP (XL Recordings; 7/7)

This wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to b… no- wait, there’s the auto-tuned vocals. Okay, well at least your indie cred can remain intact for a… no- let’s discard that as well. Wes Miles, frontman of Ra Ra Riot (not a fan, but apparently the rest of the music world has been eating the peanuts out of their poopy for about a minute) and Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) basically made you a synth-pop album, inviting Dirty Projectors‘ Angel Deeradorian and fellow Vampire Ezra Koenig along for the glitz-fest. Oh joy. They add nothing spectacular. What I’m about to say is going to be awfully sexist (probably) so if you’re easily offended, stop reading now. Still here? Okay, this kind of music is only remotely okay to make if you have a female singer because if you’re a man and you’re making this soft-ass treacle pop shit you’re basically a gigantic pussy. 3/10

]]> http://www.themusicologists.com/featured-articles/another-six-minutes/feed 0 http://www.themusicologists.com/featured-articles/six-minutes http://www.themusicologists.com/featured-articles/six-minutes#comments Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:28:50 +0000 Jimmy Mac http://www.themusicologists.com/?p=1615 One whole month since the last post from yours truly- maybe you’ve been wondering where I went, what I’ve been doing, calling me a slacker, etc. August was pretty much a hip-hop month for me, basically I dusted off some old data discs and mined my external hard drive for all the stuff I haven’t been listening to; prompted by me wanting to see exactly how many dope beats I had in there (and being a completist, what I needed), coupled with the re-burgeoning affinity for hip-hop that I haven’t experienced since early on in high school when Yo! MTV Raps was on five days a week and I used to run home to watch that shit everyday. Then it went to just Friday nights, then MTV stopped playing videos, and sadly, my interest waned as well. Anyway; my love for the genre has roared back and lest anyone think I was just slacking by listening to all the classics as well as albums I missed; I’ve been writing a retrospective on hip-hop as an artform, so stay tuned for that in the coming months. Here’s some record reviews in the mean time:

Throw Me The Statue – Purpleface EP (Secretly Canadian; 2/17)

I can’t figure out why this band’s 2007 debut Moonbeams was critically lauded as a lo-fi bedroom indie pop masterpiece, because it ain’t all that. Let’s jump forward to this EP, released all the way back in February (which is actually like 1998 in internet years)- it’s basically the same stuff, but somewhat more downcast in tone and affectation, maybe we can drop the “lo-fi” tag since the label is totally behind these guys. Again, it ain’t all that grand to be even writing about- tired Casio-esque beats give way to real drums, some synth washes here and there; the whole “I’m super sad since you left” vibe- a reworking of a previously released tune Written In Heart Signs, Faintly is a big miss; I’d say the original has an immediacy and sparseness to it that’s completely destroyed with piano and faux-break beat here. Good thing this was only an EP, 5 or 6 more tracks like this and I’d be giving the “skip” button a hell of a workout. 3/10

Kylesa – Static Tensions (Prosthetic; 3/17)

Answer: The Allman Brothers. Grateful Dead. The Doobie Brothers. Kylesa. Question: Can you name any bands that have TWO drummers? One of these bands seem out of place. Oh, yeah- it’s Kylesa; with their sludgy brand of metal, hostile vocal deliveries and overt aggressive musical tendencies that would scare any hippie out of a hacky-sack circle and into their Subaru Forester. They share a common thread with the Allmans in that they’re Georgia-natives; likewise there’s a commonality with the Dead in that they have some psychedelic-tinged nuances in their music, and, uh- they may have shared a doobie or two in their day, as “sludge” metal entails a certain stoner-rock affiliation. Add the fact that three vocalists share duties and you’re hit with the alternating shout/scream/growl/sing attack, there’s even a female voice in there somewhere. Standout tracks like Nature’s Predators and Said And Done showcase Kylesa’s best attributes (riffage and dual drumming, respectively) but the rest of the album serves as filler material; fellow Georgians Mastodon have set the bar so high that no one’s going to be able to come close to that this year (in terms of: METAL!) but Kylesa can always find work as one of Mastodon’s support bands in the coming years. 5/10

Au Revoir Simone – Still Night, Still Light (Our Secret Record Company; 5/19)

Self-described as “dreamy electronic lo-fi keyboard pop”, I gotta say they nailed themselves on their one-sheet; it’s a simple take on music with its “three keyboards and a drum machine” approach, all the while intertwining gorgeous vocal harmonies atop the mix. It’s funny that I can get down with some heavy-ass shit like Mastodon one minute and the next I’m fawning over these three ladies’ gentle and warm electro-pop goodness. Anyway; the songs here are crafted to sound like demos but in actuality they’re the finished product- and it works to overwhelming success. Either these three are some of the most muscially savvy individuals in Williamsburg or they’re really charmingly sweet and endearingly naive (both angles shine through their lyricism; whether it’s intended or constructed is the debate). I’m not going to overanalyze it because I friggin’ like it; so I’m giving Au Revoir Simone’s Still Night, Still Light the benefit of the doubt. 7/10

The Field – Yesterday & Today (ANTI-; 5/19)

Swedish. Minimal techno. Ambient house. Basically; it’s what’s playing when you’re eating at that oh-so-hip Peruvian-Asian fusion restaurant that consumes about 1/8th of your monthly paycheck and you only ate there just to say you ate there. If I want background music, play some Brian Eno or that Buddha Bar shit- this seems too “intelligent” for me. It pairs nicely with the Riesling or so I hear, but this music has no soul; faceless, futuristic- boring, repetitive, knob-twiddling, synthetic garbage for the “comedown” set. The album’s title track features drummer John Stanier of Battles (and Helmet) but you basically have to get through seven-plus minutes of techno dance bullshit before his three minutes of what I’m sum up as a kind of pointless appearance here. If you’re gonna take some ecstasy this weekend, then this record’s for you. If you’re part of a functioning society that doesn’t suck on pacifiers and wear candy necklaces out in public, avoid this whack shit at all costs. 1/10

Jay Dilla – Jay Stay Paid (Nature Sounds; 6/2)

Beats produced by Dilla, arranged and mixed by Pete Rock; basically a formula that works. Dilla’s passing in 2006 from a rare blood disorder saddened the hip-hop community, yet his legacy will go on for years because of the staggering amount of work he left unfinished; his little brother Illa J made an album from unused beats as well as all the records he was contributing to upon his passing (The Shining)- and his stuff is still showing up on releases from Q-Tip, Common and Mos Def. On J$P, the community gives love back in the form of guest vocals from Raekwon, Havoc, MF Doom, The Roots’ Black Thought, underground star Blu (Johnson&Jonson), Frank Nitty and Lil’ Fame. Not as good as his magnum opus Donuts, but then again what else in the instrumental hip-hop genre is? Since Dilla’s set the standard in the game, I can’t take anything away from his records except pure and utter enjoyment, Jay Stay Paid included. God bless you, James Dewitt Yancey… 9/10

DJ Quik & Kurupt – BlaQKout (Mad Science; 6/9)

This should’ve been called WhaQKout because it’s fucking whack as shit. Coming a scant fifteen years after The G-Funk Era was both relevant and listenable (not to mention commercially viable) comes this lovely pile of shit from the West Coast “gangsters” Quik and Kurupt. I mean really, this is awful- let me count the ways: all the backing tracks sound like Luther Vandross‘ band from 1988, Kurupt’s flow is godawful- he lags behind the beat, missing more cues than a one-armed billiard player. Listen, I grew up on the east coast; we don’t have the same love for the G-Funk era as some of you westsiders. I like my beats with that boom-bap and recognizable breaks lifted from old soul records, samples from Blue Note-era jazz records, basically any shit that Premier, RZA, Marley Marl or Scott La Rock was working with. This DJ Quik shit is basically R&B tracks with some fool tryna rhyme over it. I’m gonna re-open that whole east coast vs. west coast beef right now. Guess which side I’m on? 3/10

Gallows – Grey Britain (Warner Bros; 5/2)

I read an interview recently where both of the subjects were in agreement that most new punk was boring, except when its infused with with another genre; Gallows‘ Grey Britain is interesting in that its brand of balls-to-the-wall melodic hardcore punk is informed by elements of keyboard-based prog- I’m thinking of last year’s The Chemistry Of Common Life by Fucked Up. It’s the Anglo-centric version of that record’s proggier workouts- six-and-seven minute blasts (The Vulture Acts I & II, Crucifucks) of punk energy that meander with pummelling drums and jagged riffs that are able to sustain themselves over synth-driven anthemic shout-alongs. Punk isn’t dead, it’s suffered at the hands of its own formulaic structure (usually a 10-song, 26-minute paint-by-numbers affair) for so long- UK’s Gallows push its evolution ahead in a more engaging direction. 8/10

Deerhunter – Rainwater Cassette Exchange (Kranky; 5/18)

I got a chance to hear three of these tracks at Noise Pop earlier this year; before I went deaf for two days. Yeah, Deerhunter’s live show is akin to My Bloody Valentine’s- you better bring some ear plugs because you’re gonna get some guitars. Anyway, the band treated those shows as pre-tour exercises (meaning: they gave 110% but also used the opportunity to “try out” new tracks Disappearing Ink, Famous Last Words and Rainwater). I remember them being louder for some reason… Anytime Deerhunter can throw out a quick 5-song EP in between albums/tours, even if it sucks, I’ll happily lap it up. This does not suck in the least; yeah, it’s too short- but it’s an EP so it whets the appetite ever so slightly, I’m excited for what they have next. A band that’s big on conceptual continuity; you could lay their releases end-to-end chronologically, hit play and listen to them as a series of ideas, where slight shifts in perception create little ripples in the psyche. Some of these ideas from their earlier stuff are still being felt now- that’s why their albums are musically dynamic yet still true to their vision. I can’t wait for what’s next. 9/10

Passion Pit – Manners (Frenchkiss; 5/18)

Electro-pop must die. I say this because of 1) this record and 2) records like this. C’mon, people- this music has had its day, can we just leave it alone? What have we learned from the countless imitators of Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, Soft Cell and The Human League? Absolutely nothing. We know that Ladytron is still making music, but they should’ve maybe stopped after Witching Hour. A similar sentiment is extended towards Le Tigre. So now we have in our hands this record from Passion Pit- it’s bloody awful. Now don’t get me entirely anti- towards the whole scene (I quite like Hot Chip and MGMT) but for fuck’s sake, do we really need this? It’s basically emo-ass lyrics over Postal Service-on-cocaine music, which… now that I think of it, this record is probably a direct result of that album’s influence on an entire generation of kids who severely need their asses kicked. 2/10

Sunn O))) – Monoliths & Dimensions (Southern Lord; 5/26)

Does anyone else not get this shit? Guitar drone gives way to stretching rope, buzzing bees and a ram’s horn, all the while some Hungarian dude is doing his best Vigo The Carpathian impression, talking some shit about middle Earth and underground civilizations, and that’s just the first track, Aghartha- a 17-minute snooze fest that’s actually laughable at times. It doesn’t even begin to get remotely interesting until about five minutes into the next track; Big Church (Megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért), and yeah, that’s the whole name- apparently the longest word in the Hungarian language. I tried to translate it with “Google Translate” and got this: “because they once again seem to have behaved as if with a rendelkeznétek properties that you may not be deprived of the holy mivoltotoktól”. At least there’s a choir and some strings to save this song from its own developmentally challenged riffs. Dude, drone doom metal is gay. The whole “wearing black robes behind dry ice smoke while playing so distorted and slow” isn’t art, it’s playing right into a stereotype of tired cliches- the occult, darkness, suffering, grief, death, etc. I guess I’m too stuck in my “myopic conservatism” to understand Sunn O)))’s vision- oh well… On a bright note, there are a few moments on this album that are actually sublime; the 16-minute closer Alice employs some horns and strings, but sitting through 35 minutes to get to this track is criminal. 4/10

The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin (Nonesuch; 6/9)

When this band is playing the whole ’round-the-campfire vibe, it works to amazing results. When they veer even slightly from this, the result is not so good. Since most of this record is a hushed affair, it scores big points for its melodramatic, whispered vocals and bare-bones folky instrumentation – think Bon Iver or Iron & Wine’s older stuff. When they play the faux-Tom Waits uptempo vaudeville act (The Horizon Is A Beltway & Home I’ll Never Be- the latter is actually a Waits‘ cover of a Jack Kerouac poem) the effect is somewhat confounding- I’d offer this: go with what you know. Kudos to the other ten songs on here- odes to Ohio, Charles Darwin, ghosts, caged songbirds; a pretty slice of Americana delivered to these ears via pump organs, harmonicas, acoustic guitars, upright basses, banjos and mandolins. This album was originally released September, 2008- it’s been remastered and given a national release by Warner imprint Nonesuch Records. 7/10

Major Lazer – Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do (Downtown; 6/16)

This falls somewhere between dancehall and dubstep; a more apt approximation may well be what you’d hear while adrift in the metaphorical Bermuda Triangle outlined by Jamaican roots music to the south, deep and wobbly London basslines to the east and New York club bangers to the west- that’s a lot of ground to cover, but Philly-based Diplo and UK’s Switch are known for their worldly slant and danceclub savoir faire (Diplo brought Brazillian favela funk to the states, clearing the way for M.I.A.’s eventual world domination and Switch has produced tracks for her records as well as Santigold and Tricky). The guest toasters on this record reads like a “who’s who” in the current Kingston riddim scene: Vybz Cartel, Ward 21, Busy Signal, Mr. Vegas, T.O.K. and Turbulence, and it all went down at the world famous Tuff Gong Studios. If you’re a fan of reggae but have grown tired of its parity, give this record a try- it bridges the gap from rocksteady and roots to computer riddims and dancehall to dubstep and beyond; it’s as much an introductory lesson as well as an homage to the last 40 years of Jamaican-influenced music. 7/10

White Denim – Fits (Full Time Hobby; 6/22)

Probably my favorite album of the last three weeks; imagine a world where time machines exist- let’s put Grand Funk Railroad in a jam session with Pavement and see what happens. White Denim’s Fits, perhaps? GFR was a riff-heavy power trio and the Pave was the lo-fi, thinking man’s take on said “dude” rock. So to mash them two together would be the closest approximation to what White Denim appears to be going for; and to great success. Crammed full of riffs (the first five tracks); the musical ideas stretch into some dub explorations (Sex Prayer), down home-style country boogies (Paint Yourself), a funky Boz Scagg-meets-Jeff Buckley falsetto number (I’d Have It Just The Way We Were), acoustic-tinged dream pop (Regina Holding Hands and Syncn)- just when I thought “indie rock” was getting boring, here comes something that’s forward-thinking by looking back. When this Austin trio blows through town I’ll be sure to check them out. 10/10

Oneida – Rated O (Jagjaguwar; 7/7)

This is a massive, sprawling triple album from Brooklyn’s Oneida, as well as my introduction to their churning and bombastic take on experimental rock music. Repetitive and mechanical like krautrock, yet organic and free-form like jazz, it’s a study in getting the most sound out of one or two chord vamps- relying heavily on effects processors, analog synths and percussion. It can test your patience but ultimately it’s a rewarding listen, not for the faint of heart. I like challenging music, so for me it’s not an issue of getting into this record, it’s an issue of what I’m getting out of it, or rather what I’m taking away with the experience of Rated O. By cutting the record into its three parts I can describe each section as (disc 1; comprising of tracks 1-5) scary, dark and droning electronic songs, more on the exploratory bent; (disc 2; tracks 6-12) these next seven songs are exactly that; songs, ranging between three-and-a-half minutes to just under seven. Primarily these are the “rock” songs, with discernible structures, more or less built around the guitar and (disc 3; tracks 13, 14 and 15) are the thirteen-minute psychedelic-tinged sitar jam, simply titled O; a short instrumental piece End Of Time that acts as a passage to the ender, a near 21-minute workout called Folk Wisdom that encapsulates the entirety of Oneida’s expansive sound; a post-avant garde world that winks one eye at the Velvet’s Sister Ray while the other is fixed upon Can’s style of free improv. A genre-defying release like this with its moments of dancehall (Brownout In Lagos), Neu!-style motorik elements (10:30 At The Oasis), straight-ahead rocking (It Was A Wall) and sitar raga (O), and what you have is the year’s most riveting records, both diverse and engrossing. 8/10

The Alchemist – Chemical Warfare (ALC/E1 Music; 7/7)

First thing I gotta say is that the seventh track on this record, That’ll Work (with Juvenile & Three 6 Mafia) is fucking dope as shit; likewise the previous tracks: Therapy (with Talib Kweli, Blu, Evidence & Kid Cudi), Grand Concourse Benches (with KRS-One), the title track (with Eminem), Lose Your Life (with Pusha T, Jadakiss & Snoop Dogg) and ALC Theme (with Kool G Rap) are all tight- exercises in excellent beats/production by The Alchemist himself and expert verses all spit with precision and flow. Then comes track 8, Smile, an R&B jam that goes sour- playing Twista’s superfast flow against Maxwell’s smooth croon. I hate this shit; why can’t a hip-hop album just be hip-hop anymore? If I want R&B, I’ll put on some Otis Redding or Curtis Mayfield; the new jack shit is wack. Then the album does a complete 180, backsliding into oblivion- awful raps by Mobb Deep’s Prodigy, Lil’ Fame, Fabolous and Tha Dogg Pound ruin what was a pretty tight outing. A seven-song EP would’ve got this record a ten, instead it only scores half that. 5/10

Magnolia Electric Co. – Josephine (Secretly Canadian; 7/21)

I’ve been trying to throw together my “Best Of The 2000s” list and Jason Molina’s 2003 offering Magnolia Electric Co. (Molina’s last album under the Songs:Ohia moniker, and arguably his finest record to date; always capturing his mood perfectly on each record) figures somewhere in there. Then there’s his awesome 1999 record Axxess & Ace (bright and lively) that would figure high in my “Best Of The 1990s” list, and I could also mention honorably 2000’s The Lioness (ragged and melancholic like Neil Young’s Ditch Trilogy albums), then there’s the “working man’s folk” of Didn’t It Rain, I can go on and on with this- so when Molina puts something out I’m usually near the front of the line. So here’s Josephine now. I can say that it’s a good album, not great- nothing all that spectacular sticks out, even upon repeated listens. I feel like I was listening to this record with too much intent (if that’s possible, being a “reviewer” and all), trying to find the truly awesome passages- but alas; it’s more like truly awkward passages. Take for instance the most out-of-place saxophone on the album’s opening track (O! Grace) that’s used for no other purpose than to say, “Hey, we got a sax solo on here!” The horns inexplicably reappear on the sixth track (Song For Willie) that sound ridiculously corny. I understand Molina’s loss (bass player Evan Farrell died in an apartment fire during the early stages of recording) but to make an album that’s basically two long goodbyes (one to “Josephine” and one to Farrell) doesn’t really play on any of Molina’s strengths- he’s at his best when his music is unpredictable (here it’s overwhelmingly rote) and his lyrics have a hint of angry passion to them (again; here he’s just self-pitying, which leaves me to wonder- did Molina die or did his friend?) 6/10

Heartless Bastards – The Mountain
I first came across Heartless Bastards on woxy.com, and loved them the instant I heard “Blue Day.” After immediately downloading “All this Time” I found myself time and again grabbed by hook after hook, loving every second of the ride (particularly Blue Day, Valley of Debris, Came a Long Way). They are one of those bands that seem to channel all the best synthesis of rock and blues, taking lessons that hearken back to the likes of Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin, and while they don’t break any new ground (the Village Voice called their melodies “arctypal”), they have perfected the sound.
The Mountain definitely has its own hooks, to be sure, but it feels like a deeper album. Where All This Time seemed introspective and somewhat melancholy, The Mountain feels more philosophical and hopeful, sometimes even playful (“I could be so happy, if I just quit being sad/I could be so funny, if I just quit being a drag/I could be so sweet, if I just quit being sour”). Regardless of mood, there is just nothing more soothing than Erika Wennerstrom’s weathered voice, sounding like the rock diva who has been where you’ve been, someone you’d sit down and have a beer with and tell your troubles to.

Mos Def – The Ecstatic
I had given up on Mos Def. I thought Black on Both Sides was a fluke, and that I’d be consigned to get pissed every time I saw him in some shitty buddy movie, ranting and raving about how he coulda be a great rapper.
Then Jimmy told me to check out The Ecstatic, and with skepticism I spent 16 of my valuable emusic credits getting it, swearing I’d never speak his name again if it sucked. Un-fucking believably good. That’s all I have to say. I knew it was all going to be ok when I heard “Supermagic” and it just kept getting better.
His voice glides over the tracks, effortlessly weaving between, under, over and around incredible beats and samples.

Bad news and good dope
powder, potion, pills, smoke
baby how you trying to go
Duro o dulce
fast or slow
yay
no
it’s ok you can have it your way
naw, it aint all good but baby I’m cool
feeling great feeling good how are you
10% condition, 90% response
Survival mathematics the number man’s song

I swear the motherfucker just makes the shit sound easy, and like he was born to do it. I don’t pretend to be a hip hop aficionado, but Mos Def in his best form, as he is here, just inspires the shit out of me.

Band of Skulls- Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
Band of Skulls was another great woxy.com find (seriously a great station to listen to) on Future Sounds. I know one isn’t supposed to describe a band by likening it to another band, but I can’t really help it in this case. There are times they sound a lot like White Stripes (Death By Diamonds and Pearls), sometimes not unlike Radiohead (Fires), and I could probably come up with a few other comparisons. Sorry…I know that’s a shitty thing to do, but there you have it.
The thing is, they’re really really great even if they don’t have a totally new sound. I have them in regular rotation, and they are totally a blast to listen to. They are a solid band, and even though I’ve listened to them dozens of times now, I still want more. So much so, in fact, that I’m going to see them this Sunday at Du Nord, and I have a feeling that they’re going to be a blast to see live. Anyway, definitely worth checking out.

Not Necessarily New
Vandermark 5
I first heard The Vandermark 5 in the days of yore when I still shopped at Amoeba on Haight. I was picking through the bargain bin, feeling like a homeless dude looking for the holy grail of an untouched hamburger, when this suite of melancholy saxophones stopped me in my tracks (for future reference “Outside Ticket (for John Gilmore)”. Not wanting to seem like I was displaying the range of catatonic behaviors of some dude with schizophrenia, I continued to flip through the CD’s, eyes closed and lost in that blissful brain frenzy that can only come from Jazz. If I’m remembering correctly, I kinda floated over to the information counter and asked what it was. Looking like I just told him to eat a dick, he pointed at the cover of “Elements of Style, Exercises in Surprise” and told me I should buy it, which I promptly did.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am one of those dorks who spent like a decade with “A Love Supreme” on repeat 24/7. Having said that, The Vandermark 5 brings in such a wide range of music so successfully, careening from the chaos of the jazz improvised solo to the slippery goodness of funk, it feels totally accessible. Led by Ken Vandermark, one of those uber music geniuses who wins all kinds of awards (seriously…sounds like quite the amazing dude) and gets involved with all kinds of cool projects, the quintet makes some amazing music that makes my brain happy every time I put it on.

The Felice Brothers – Yonder Is The Clock (Team Love; 4/7)

I take a lot of shit for the fact that I don’t really like Bob Dylan. You mean you plugged your guitar in at a folk festival? Wow, man- that’s edgy! You took so many amphetamines that you were able to crank out an album every nine months through the sixties? No wonder people think you’re prolific; you didn’t sleep for about eight years straight. Don’t even get me started on his “lyricism”. The list of complaints go on and on; I get all emotional and pissy when confronted with my earnest dislike of Dylan and his over-rated abilities. My biggest beef with Bobby Zimmerman is all this awful “American folk-rock” he spawned, and The Felice Brothers are another end result of this generation’s fascination with his flaccid brand of protest songs and over-arcing romanticized poetry. Enough, already. I didn’t like you the first time, what makes you think I’d like this? I get it, good ole Bobby D. must’ve rolled through upstate New York 25 years ago and fathered these triplets, right? You guys wrote a song about Ty Fucking Cobb on here, too. What, was Hitler unavailable? 2/10

Art Brut – Art Brut vs. Satan (Downtown; 4/21)

Lucky for these guys they hit it big in ‘05, right when the whole post-punk revival was smack in the middle of a renaissance- but Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand did it better, Liars and The Rapture had moved on to “new” genres, Interpol and Editors were doing the “atmospheric” thing, I can go on ad nauseum. The thing is, especially with Art Brut; if your lead singer can’t sing (in the case of Eddie Argos) then music critics will say your band is “increasingly self-aware” because he’s basically talking the lyrics. Sometimes he shouts, but basically no lead vocal melodies here. The only thing Argos is aware of is how much his singing voice sucks. If thinking out loud about how much your life is fucked can be considered “increasingly self-aware”, every homeless person is Friedrich Nietzsche. It doesn’t hurt (nor help) that this record is produced by Charles Thompson- it actually sounds really crisp, that’s because their brand of choppy guitars mixed way up front over minimal bass lines and danceable drums has become so formulaic, thanks to the blueprint laid out by Gang Of Four and Wire. Too bad this record wasn’t released four or five years ago, then it would’ve been a) timely and b) exactly like everything else they’ve done. 5/10

Alasdair Roberts – Spoils (Drag City; 5/5)

Beautiful Scottish folk songs set against the backdrop of bare bones instrumentation; Roberts’ tunefulness is balanced by stark and appropriately placed (as well as alternately picked/strummed) ancient-sounding acoustic guitars, violins, harmoniums, harpsichords, hurdy-gurdies and dulcimers. Employing adjectives in his lyrics like threadbare and downtrodden, which accurately describe both his music and himself; he also mines the darkest caves for themes ranging from grief and joy, peace and war, inspiration and boredom, all the while joining classical music to a progressive brand of folk-rock. Add all that to his keen historical analysis of the Bible’s implications towards a present day mindset through an imagined conversation with the Irish saint Columba and you come up with a darling little record. 8/10

Manic Street Preachers – Journal For Plague Lovers (Columbia; 5/18)

Yes, this band is still around- and they still suffer from what I call the “Pond Effect”; they sell massive amounts of records to gushing critical acclaim across the pond but have barely managed to scratch the surface in both areas over here. Another band whose CDs I bought in the early-to-mid-90s during the post-Smiths/next-big-Brit-pop-band fiasco I’ve tried to distance myself from by saying it never happened (but sadly; yes, I owned albums from Oasis, Suede, Blur, Catherine Wheel, Soup Dragons- basically any UK band that was on 120 Minutes circa 1993). Anyway, getting back to my earlier point- this band is still around, still making music, still using missing/dead member Richey Edwards‘ lyrics and riffs (he’s been missing for 14 years now, his status was changed to “presumed dead” during the recording of this record- although he’s been spotted shopping for mangoes in Goa markets and snorkeling in the Canary Islands… with Elvis, Tupac and Michael Jackson no doubt). I haven’t mentioned the music yet; it’s good as in “Steve Albini-produced, loud and muscular riffs from glammy guitars, lyrics either penned by a dead man or inspired by, song after song of radio friendly tunes (that’ll never be on any radio, at least on this side of the pond)”. 7/10

Method Man & Redman – Blackout! 2 (DefJam; 5/19)

Clifford Smith and Reggie Noble are back with the sequel to Blackout! ten years after their initial collaboration- and the result has some of the nicest flow/lyrical interplay and beats from Havoc, Pete Rock, Erick Sermon and DJ Scratch; it as consistent as its predecessor. It doesn’t hurt that Keith Murray, Bun B, Raekwon and Ghostface all stop by for verses- this album could’ve come out any time during the last ten years and slayed any and all pretend MCs; Meth and Red still got it, in fact- they write the rules and everybody’s just trying to catch up. It’s nostalgic without sounding dated, none of that cheesy caricature shit from their wack-ass How High movie; instead focusing their charismatic personalities on the rhymes- and it shines through with the superbly produced music. 8/10

Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca (Domino; 6/9)

Accessible? You bet- Dave Longstreth’s music is usually a workout; it can be both hard to listen to and lyrically obtuse (but not even a little bit on Bitte Orca). This is more of a group effort and Dirty Projectors‘ sound is rounded out by the lovely voices of Angel Deradoorian and Amber Coffman; as if their David Byrne-collaboration Knotty Pine (for the Dark Was The Night compilation) wasn’t a precursor to how awesome their music was about to sound; when this album leaked the internets basically shit themselves in anticipation; by the time the album hit the shelves the reviews were pouring in with accolades (even from lame duck publications like Entertainment Weekly and Spin; I’m surprised you both took the time to notice a band that isn’t Coldplay or U2). Crafted with care, it’s artier components aren’t that much of a stretch (try listening to Slaves’ Graves & Ballads or the New Attitude EP if you want to be challenged), conceptually it follows the design laid out by Longstreth in previous releases- brown finches, sleepwalking through life, post-9/11 paranoia, war, etc. There’s music for stupid people and then there’s music for thinkers. Guess which one this is. 9/10

Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer (Jagjaguwar; 6/23)

Roll the 12-sided die against the troll now, and save your hit points for the wizard on level 9- he has illusion magic. Seriously; this album makes it cool to say you were once into Dungeons & Dragons (even if it was only for a few weeks while you were a Boy Scout in 1988). Sunset Rubdown’s third full-length is a progressive rock concept album with all the imagery of medieval mythologies, twisting melodies, soaring guitars, midi-influenced instrumentation- and for all the shit I’ve given Spencer Krug about his voice; here it works to amazing and eccentric avail. Anyone who has spent more than three minutes talking to me about music can walk away while holding me in contempt for my mentioning how awesome early-70s prog rock is; well, this is akin to that. I have to say I’m really loving this record; all the geekery I once partook in has been neatly packaged into a 49-minute aural landscape of sorcerers, meteors, ancient Greek muses, ghosts and dragons. 10/10

Dinosaur Jr. – Farm (Jagjaguwar; 6/23)

Okay, I’m ready to drop my hatred for J Mascis- I’ve been holding on to a grudge against him for so long now I forget why I hated him in the first place. Oh, that’s right- for kicking the immensely talented Lou Barlow out of DJr, which, in retrospect- no booting of Lou, then no awesomeness that is Sebadoh, I guess. I still refuse to listen to any non-Barlow Dinosaur records, and that’s just how it is with me. Plus, I’m not really missing anything- all those records are basically Mascis solo records, I mean, he even booted Murph out before recording 1994’s Without A Sound (with that awful Feel The Pain song, but hey- Spike Jonze’s golfing-through-midtown-Manhattan video was rad, right?) and starting a love affair with the mid-90’s fratboy set that fortunately for everyone involved died shortly after as DJr went on a ten-year hiatus. So I’d be remiss if I don’t mention previous offering Beyond (first album with the original lineup since 1988’s Bug); Farm is a rocking continuation of that record; if you’re not bowing at the feet of Mascis‘ guitar prowess right this minute, light a candle and hit your fucking knees at the altar, bitch. His walls of guitar noise, feedbacked distortion that’s been processed perfectly, Lou’s basslines thudding and plodding on top of Murph’s metronomic drumming, it’s the best pure “rock” record I’ve heard this year. What can I say about an almost nine minute song (I Don’t Wanna Go There) that’s isn’t the least bit boring, including an extended scorching solo? Of course, Lou gets his obligatory album closer- so there’s something for everyone. 9/10

So, in reverence to the “classics”, I’m going to review some of the following records in context to their influences (or what I perceive their influences to be). I hope this starts some epic arguments, after all- if we heard everything the same, music would be boring…

P.O.S. – Never Better (Rhymesayers; 2/3)

I’m pretty sure I can call 2009 “The Year I Fell In Love With Hip-Hop Again”; in response to my lack of any rap coverage over the last few years I made a conscious decision to recommit myself to an art form I used to hold so dear and I haven’t been disappointed so far, thanks to the good folks over at Rhymesayers Entertainment. Enter Minneapolis-based P.O.S.- not your average rap artist; he produces eight of the 15 tracks on Never Better, he samples Fugazi (on Savion Glover), mentions the prog-metal band Isis on Purexed: “they kick that gingivitis / them rappers got the ‘itis / catch me bumpin’ Isis in a crisis…” and generally has a “fuck you” attitude towards the major label rappers. What do you expect, he grew up obsessed with punk rock- so he can reference hardcore bands like Lifetime, sample Christian screamo bands (Underoath) and get fellow Minnesotan and Hold Steady singer Craig Finn to guest star (except all these things happen on previous records, Ipecac Neat & Audition). 8/10

Dananananakroyd – Hey Everyone! (Best Before, 4/6)

Dude, this is screamo-pop. And that means I should probably hate it but I don’t. I can hear influences as far ranging as Refused, Blood Brothers, Black Eyes, Les Savy Fav, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Mae Shi and Los Campesinos! in here- but what would you expect from a band that’s name is a portmanteau of Dan Akroyd and the Batman theme (da-na-na-na-na-ak-royd!)? I mean, really- I for one, am sick to death with music reviews as an academic thing; this band pushes your head right into the crapper, fucking takes a huge shit on you then rips the fucking toilet seat off of its hinges, beats your face with it, scoops the dooky out of the commode, lights that shit on fire and throws it at your mother. I could’ve done this review in two words: FUCK YEAAAAAAAAAAH! 9/10

Wildbirds & Peacedrums – The Snake (The Leaf Label; 4/13)

These Swedes rely heavily on larger-than-life vocals from Mariam Wallentin and drum circle beats from her husband Andreas Werliin. Now Bjork would be too obvious (because of Sweden’s proximity to Iceland) and I’m hearing something else in there as well; but it’s really hard to describe in the context of direct influences. This is pretty unclassifiable as far as a genre is concerned; they won the award for the Best Swedish Jazz Act of ‘08- but it’s not quite “jazz” as much as it’s a freak-out, albeit a controlled one. There’s really no “instruments” besides drums, vocals and occasional ambient synth washes or a few notes here and there; oh, and drums. Did I say drums? Every song is a workout, there’s an amazing amount of range in Wallentin’s voice (sometimes it’s bare, other times she’s multi-tracked over herself, I’m hearing Siouxsie, PJ Harvey, and Kate Bush) and the timbre of the drums go from warm to bright and open to resonant. Wildbirds & Peacedrums‘ The Snake is one of the “dark horse” records of the year- coming from out of nowhere. I’m glad people are making music like this. 10/10

Super Furry Animals – Dark Days/Light Years (Rough Trade; 4/21)

I had a passing fancy with SFA a few years ago and couldn’t quite put my finger on their brand of fun, quirky Welsh pop. Then I revisited some krautrock lately (as I was trying to ready a piece on progressive rock that’s stalled a bit, maybe I’ll finish it soon?) and it hit me- they’re like a poppy version of Can; that four-on-the-floor motorik beat is present in a lot of their songs, as is the aural psychedelic landscape dotted with bliss-kissed synths and that funky experimentation. But singer Gruff Rhys has a much lovelier (yet less expressive) voice than either Damo or Malcolm. There’s even some singing in German (on the track Inaugural Trams, courtesy of Franz Ferdinand’s Nick McCarthy). I’m really digging this record; I’m sure it’s going to grow on me as the year matures, and I’m currently immersing myself deeply into their back catalog. 8/10

Moderat – Moderat (BPitch; 4/28)

I fucking hate techno. I can’t think of anything more boring and repetitive than this shit- this is the crap that’s playing when you walk into a store that you 1) immediately get dirty looks from the shitty Eurotrash wannabes working there 2) because they know you can’t afford anything anyway and 3) get in a huge fight with your girlfriend over how much she spent there that 4) eventually causes your break-up which is 5) good because she was an idiot that shops at a store with an unpronounceable name with awful people working there named Jens or Britta that like this terrible music. I’m also offended that this album took three fucking people to make- I thought the Germans were known for efficiency. Did they all get paid to click the same mouse? It’s like “Here’s beat #11, here’s bass line #3 and let’s drag and drop “ambient synth #43″ on top, thanks ProTools! Because it’s all made on their laptops- ever wonder what those guys are doing when they’re playing live? You just paid 20 bucks to watch a guy check his e-mail, dumbass! This album cover saves this record from getting a zero, because that bitch punching herself in the face is an actual artist’s rendering of the first person to buy this record. 1/10

Thee Oh Sees – Help (In The Red; 4/28)

The first time I ever heard The Velvet Underground I was probably fifteen; I don’t remember exactly, it didn’t seem that important at the time. It was probably another five years before I “got it” and understood the massive significance of their influence, I had to listen to them backwards (my term for getting into a band through their influences, e.g.- kids who like Interpol could follow them back to Joy Division, likewise; young folks who dig The National or The Hold Steady could easily then understand Springsteen). So what’s all this have to do with Thee Oh Sees‘ newest album? Let’s just say a fifteen year old discovering this record today could easily bridge the gap back to the Velvets or any other psychedelic/noise/garage band of note, in fact- I’d say just skip this record and put on anything by King Khan, BBQ, maybe the Black Lips‘ Let It Bloom, no- actually, skip all them too and just listen to Sister Ray over and over. I think that’s what the MC5 and The Stooges did, and look at the bands they’ve gone on to influence, trickling all the way down to The Oh Sees, et. al. 4/10

Patrick Watson – Wooden Arms (Secret City; 4/28)

I can think of one reason not to move to Canada: Patrick Watson. That’s the name of the singer/songwriter and his band. Pretentious much? His last album, 2007’s Close To Paradise, won a Polaris Prize (the Canuck equivalent of a Grammy, so yeah- pretty pointless). But who’d he beat out? Not only did he win over Leslie Feist’s The Reminder but Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible. Now, I haven’t listened to Close To Paradise, but there’s no way in hell that it’s a better record than both The Reminder and Neon Bible. But this record, Wooden Arms- is crap. I can’t think of a sleepier record, and not “sleepy” in a good way, like when I used to fall asleep to Efterklang’s Tripper, I mean “sleepy” in bad way, like doze-off-on-a-four-lane-highway-and-into-oncoming-traffic-sleepy. When it’s not a snooze-fest, boring you to death; it’s annoying- using things you find around the studio for percussion instruments isn’t groundbreaking, interesting or even edgy. It’s just lame. And tired. I’m tired now. 2/10

John Vanderslice – Romanian Names (Dead Oceans; 5/19)

In terms of melody, Vanderslice is par excellence and his lyrics are emotive and poignant without being overwrought or corny. That being said, he’s the most likely to break out to a bigger audience; I’m somewhat shocked he hasn’t already- he could should be bigger than that twit Bono and what’s their names? But as the mainstream public is usually slow to react to brilliance he’ll probably find his music being misappropraited into an episode of one of those awful CW shows like Gossip Girls or the new 90210. I can’t see JV letting that happen, he’s still “ours” for the time being. On Romanian Names, Vanderslice is at it again- a short and effective album; perfect three-to-four minute pop songs built around catchy-ass hooks that feature imaginative production values captured to two-inch tape in his all-analog studio. He’s a bit of a throwback and I think that’s why he’s so endearing, oh- and his songs, man. 8/10

Hoots & Hellmouth – The Holy Open Secret (MAD Dragon; 6/2)

On the track You And All Of Us, H&H deliver a hearty ole foot stompin’ and hollerin’ right there in the studio; I can envision their live show because this basically sounds like a live album, all amped up with hoedown shout-alongs and hootenany rave-ups. This is old timey music; and a big “much respect” because they’re Philly boys- it’s nice to see a little scene like this going on in my old hometown. It also helps that Sean Hoots, Rob Berliner and Andrew Gray produced this with Bill Moriarty (who did both Dr. Dog’s and Man Man’s last records). It ain’t all uptempo songs, however; it’s nicely balanced out with some balladry and melancholia. The most inviting aspect of H&H’s sound is the three-part harmonies worked to absolute perfection; vocals weave in and out of each other, under, around to create excellent songsmanship. And more props to their record label (MAD Dragon), owned and operated by the students and faculty at Drexel University; it’s actually the only student-run record label in the USA with a national distribution deal (with Warner subsidiary Rykodisc). That’s pretty rad- to think I wasted college on pursuing an education degree, I shoulda started a record label. I’m wasting my life… 7/10

Sonic Youth – The Eternal (Matador; 6/9)

I can’t claim undying allegiance to Da Yoof, not since 1992’s Dirty (in fact, I had to give the seven albums in between then and now a listen to see what I’ve missed out on) so at the very least I can say I’m somewhat caught up on the trajectory of their sound; which if you’re a diehard fan you’d probably agree that it goes from somewhat mainstream to nigh unlistenable from record to record- they can bend their sound to either end of the spectrum. But for the last 28 years no other band smells as much like New York as SY, it’s like riding the D train from Coney Island up to Fordham and back again- kind of scuzzy, a little scary, way-too-hip for someone who grew up in Philly; that’s Sonic Youth in a nutshell. But the songs are all there- Kim Gordon has moved over to guitar as Mark Ibold (ex-Pavement) takes over on bass, so now there’s more diversity on the low end of things, and more interplay between the awesome axe-wielders Ranaldo and Moore. Of course, since it’s their most diverse offering it’s also caused the most division among hardcore fans- “it’s not experimental enough” because it’s not like NYC Ghosts & Flowers; “it’s not as polished as Dirty” because uber-producer Butch Vig wasn’t twiddling the knobs, etc. I don’t care about SY’s hardcore fans- I can appreciate them as a band that’s dedicated to maintaining a healthy relationship with itself while making music that’s at times haunting and dissonant but still extremely listenable. In short, it’s a damn fine album- I’ve listened to it more than any other album this year (because I burned it to CD so I could listen in the car). 9/10

The Lonely Island – Incredibad (Universal Republic; 2/10)

You know, I really didn’t want to review this record- I’ve been listening it for four months now and didn’t want to denigrate its awesomeness with a review. But there are too many great songs here to deny that it’s one of the best albums of the year- from the SNL Digital Short skit-based jams everyone already knows (the insanely viral Lazy Sunday with Chris Parnell, Dick In A Box with a metro-beared Justin Timberlake, a dirty-ass Natalie Portman on Natalie’s Rap) to the new ones (song of the year nomination goes to the T-Pain assisted I’m On A Boat; the hilarious ode to premature ejaculation Jizz In My Pants; lampooning corporate leadership skills on Like A Boss) and all the guest stars here: Julian Casablancas of The Strokes (Boombox), Norah Jones (Dreamgirl), an uncredited Joanna Newsom on the reggae-spoofing Ras Trent, hyphy Bay Area legend E-40 clowning Carlos Santana’s foray into the sparkling wine biz with Santana DVX, it’s the funniest album since… since… (don’t say Flight of The Conchords, those dudes are only mildly funny at best). The only weak spot is the Jack Black (Sax Man) song, someone must’ve forgot to tell these guys he’s several years past his prime. Still, it’s one of the best this year, or the year 3022- the year of Space Olympics. 10/10

UGK – UGK 4 Life (Jive; 3/31)

Four years ago an album by Houston-based rapper Mike Jones hit the streets- it was all I could listen to for about two months that year, imagine me rolling in a silver Suzuki Forenza bumpin’ that jam all day long. Seriously, I even made Back Then my ringtone. Then, as quickly as it came into my life, it was gone. UGK’s Bun B spit a verse on one of those songs, I remember thinking “is this the dude who rapped on Jay-Z’s Big Pimpin back in the day?” Yeah, that’s Underground Kingz- the duo of Bun B and Pimp C. Some of this album was finished after Pimp died in December of ‘07, so it’s as if he’s rapping from the grave on some of these tracks. Nevertheless, it lacks the infectiousness of some recent hip-hop favorites (Clipse’s Hell Hath No Fury is one I can think of). Some of the tracks are bangers, re-calling their 2007 International Player’s Ball (I Choose You); you couldn’t swing a cat without hitting that song two years ago. But, some of the songs are straight clunkers (all that new jack R&B shit is just whack- singers Raheem DeVaughn and Akon kill the momentum with their shmoove shit); but songs featuring West Coast legends Snoop Dogg, E-40 and Too Short are all tight. When it’s hip-hop, it’s a hell of a record, when there’s all those corny R&B hooks, it’s just hurtin’. Pimp C, rest in peace. 7/10

Suckers – Suckers EP (IAMSOUND; 4/14)

First off, four songs at sixteen minutes is too short, and I’d only say that because this is good enough that I want more, at least 40 minutes of it. Second, Suckers make a unique brand of pop-meets-spiritual music in that they share a musical sensibility that’s equal parts Yeasayer and MGMT- so it’s both a gospel-esque sing-along (or shout-along) as well as rhythmic enough to get your head nodding, even danceable at times. Suckers are your urban hippies with synths- when music comes away from the campfire and into a studio full of electronics and midi sounds; the result is sublime- It Gets Your Body Movin’ is one of the best songs I’ve come across this year. 9/10

Magnolia Electric Co. – It’s Made Me Cry (Secretly Canadian; 4/18)

Jason Molina has a voice that could stop traffic- or melt your heart; depending on what your tastes are, I’d say he’s a somewhat acquired one that puts an arrow in my chest upon every listen. Bordering somewhere around a high nasal register and adenoidal warble, his lofty vocalizations are a cross between Neil Young’s falsetto and Colin Meloy’s whine. This four song EP was released specially for Record Store Day, and while it’s classic in its Molina-ness; three of the four songs feature piano rather than guitar, and it’s only six-and-a-half minutes long. It’s basically a stop-gap between 2006’s Fading Trails and next month’s Josephine. “Stop-gap” sounds kind of shitty; in actuality it’s a benefit record for the late Evan Farrell’s Memorial Fund, Magnolia’s bass player that died in an Oakland apartment fire in December, 2007. Only 1,000 were pressed, so if you have a copy, consider yourself lucky because I haven’t been able to find one anywhere… 8/10

Cryptacize – Mythomania (Asthmatic Kitty; 4/21)

Mythomania is the outdated terminology for “pathological lying”; but there’s an earnestness in Nedelle Torisi’s voice and something ancient in there as well. Ex-Deerhoof guitarist Chris Cohen’s subtle studio wizardry (as well as singing lead on two tracks) is a perfect complement to their kitschy psychedelia. I’m drawing comparisons to a stripped-down Stereolab here; it reveals the wonder of a world we forgot (or never experienced)- the late 1950’s post-Sputnik sparseness of their sound is pleasureable in that it sounds simultaneously like something I’ve heard before and like nothing I’ve ever heard. It’s a musical conundrum that falls midway between a joke and high art; the riddle is how does this record sound so complex when it’s really so simple? I think that’s its instant appeal, however- it begs repeated listens, showing this listener more and more upon the next play and the next. 8/10

Diamond Watch Wrists – Ice Capped At Both Ends (Warp; 4/28)

Hella drummer Zach Hill and the ever-prolific Prefuse 73 (aka Guillermo Scott Herren, whose latest record was just reviewed in the post here) unite for a genre-bending offering of the WTF variety, equal parts prog-rock mess and incoherent folk-via-hip-hop; exactly what you’d expect if you’ve ever delved into Hill’s take on spazz-core kit skills (he’s the best in the game; if you say Don Caballero’s Damon Che, you’re not only wrong but an idiot- everyone knows he’s a total megalomaniacal dick and he edits his own Wikipedia page entries). Uh, anyway- Prefuse’s glitchy take on music combined with Zach’s crazy rad drumming is one of the year’s most head-scratching collaborations, and it works to some avail. That’s the good part; the bad is that some of the almost 38 minute album drags along at times, periodically being rescued by Hill’s beats (which P73 occasionally gives the “screwed & chopped” treatment to, slowing it down like it was sipping that Purple Drank). Battles’ Tyondai Braxton shows up on a track, but that’s about it for the highlights. 6/10

The Wooden Birds – Magnolia (Barsuk; 5/12)

Heartfelt, emotionally overwrought folk-rock; I usually love this shit (Iron & Wine and Bon Iver are immediately called to mind) but this is the main dude from The American Analog Set- and while I like their older stuff (they influenced one of my favorites, fellow Austinites Explosions in The Sky and got them their first record deal) they’ve veered towards a safer route as of late. This record follows that same “plays-it-safe” route as well; its songs are all four-minutes-or-less, adhering to that rootsy Americana formula AmAnSet frontman Andrew Kenny’s been delving more into, and away from the seven-plus minute sadcore jams his real band used to play. Do we really need another album like this? 4/10

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Glassnote; 5/26)

God, I wanted to hate this so bad. I knew what it was (electro-synth pop/rock), knew who made it (the French) and have read so much hype on this band before the album was even out that I was rolling my eyes every time I saw their damn name. Phoenix Phoenix Phoenix Phoenix Phoenix Phoenix every-fucking-where. You know something, It’s not half bad. Songs like 1901, Lisztomania andthe album’s closer Armistice are a few of this year’s better tracks, and they’re all on one record. It’s like that damned MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular- initially I hated its freaking guts, but it kept polluting my mindscape until one day I let my guard down and BAM! I got it. And I get this- it’s supposed to be fun, dancy keyboards-and-guitars pop for the iPod generation. That’s exactly what it is. Can’t fight that… 8/10