Author: nicole.baumann

Wye Oak – Shriek

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WORating: ★★★½☆

In 2011 we welcomed Wye Oak’s stunning third full length release, Civilian, which was a record of huge growth and refinement for Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack. After such a great album, it’s often hard to imagine where a band will travel next, especially one so small as this duo. This forth time around, the two have gone electronic, ditching the guitars from before and replacing them with atmospheric and electronic sounds. It is an interesting choice, especially after the success of their last release and one that comes with its rewards and drawbacks.

They open slowly this time around with “Before,” and immediately the new style is audible; a synthetic soundscape fills your ears as this duo transport you to a space of tranquility and effortless sound. The percussion is distant, with a faded, subtle quality that offers a dreamy kind of mood to the tune. Of course you have Wasner’s indistinguishable vocals that confess the opening and closing line of the song: “This morning/ I woke up on the floor/ thinking I’d never dreamed before.” The mood of the album is elucidated in that brief lyric; the whole thing feels a bit like melancholic and unpinned nostalgia expressed via delicate sound.

I was quite impressed with the first half of the album; while the sound is not overwhelmingly complex or drastic, the songs they’ve crafted are a solid step into the electronic side of things. Title track, “Shriek,” picks the tempo up a little while maintaining that dream-upon-waking atmosphere. Lead single and my personal favorite track, “Glory,” will have you dancing along to the beat while the vocals craft a bit of drama to latch onto, propelling the song from just being a groovy number.

While there are still some pretty good tracks on Shriek that beg for repeated listening, the sweeping majesty that was introduced on the past album isn’t really matched here. I find myself missing the clean guitar and Wasner’s crisp and elegant vocals that Wye Oak did so well the last time around. After the mid point of the album there is certainly a drop off in the level of intrigue in the tracks and the minimalist sound becomes a bit bleak. That being said, I appreciate the last song, “Logic of Color, ” as the electronic elements take a backseat to the vocals and round out the album with a track reminiscent of those encountered earlier on the album.

Shriek takes Wye Oak down a different path than we’ve seen them go before, and it is enticing for the most part, but I wish a few of the tracks went a little further down this trail and out of the box.

Show Review: The National @ ACL Live (4/22)

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The National

After last year’s RainCL debacle, many fans of these gentlemen from Brooklyn were disappointed to miss out on their set, which was scheduled for a brief slot on Sunday. To counter this missed show, The National came back in full force, booking two sold out nights and a third added in the aftermath of popular demand. Riding high off of their sixth full-length album, which has steepened their rise of popularity initiated by High Violet to a new level. They brought along the ladies of LA’s Warpaint to open, and the crowd was amped up to hear their new favorites off of 2013’s Trouble Will Find Me. 

Click through for more on the show and plenty of pics from the honorable B.Gray…

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Woods – With Light & With Love

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woodsRating: ★★★★☆

Here’s the deal: Woods began as a band back in 2005, and ever since they’ve been cranking out albums left and right. With Light & With Love makes for their sixth full-length album of folksy indie rock that also kicks you in the face with rock and roll on occasion. There are a lot of things to appreciate about this group of four gentlemen from Brooklyn on this album which you’ll find soon after you press play.

Immediately, on the first track “Shepherd,” you think you know exactly what Woods‘ deal is all about. You have this ragtimey piano riff underneath it all, acoustic guitar strumming away, and what sounds like bluesy slide guitar intermittently. What is constant are Jeremy Earl’s soft and oddly half-falsetto vocals, that bathes everything in a bright light. Though the song talks of a “shepherd for your sorrows,” the sonic quality would have you believe otherwise; it’s as sunny as they come. The track briefly introduces you to their sound, making you feel at home with the group, even if you haven’t necessarily had vast knowledge of their previous catalogue.

“Moving to the Left,” offers a step back to their folksy roots—its gentle rhythm and slightly jangly percussion are smooth and comforting, while the lyrics on this song ask questions of existential proportion. Though the folk element is definitely here, Woods also brings in an undercurrent of electric guitar at the end of the song. They are always walking the fine line between genres, switching between folk and rock and pop and even blues at the trick of a hat while Earl’s vocals hypnotize and hold you steady. “Full Moon,” is another great example of this effect—the electric guitar riffs at the beginning seem to be coming to you from the Seventies, while there are also some synth sounds that bring you to 2014 again, with each other instrument seeming to evoke some other genre in between. You can pick out the influence and shaping elements from over the years here, which is somewhat of their deal: scattered throwbacks with modern elements to put a new spin on things.

Bottom line is, With Light & With Love is an accessible record of easy listening that packs a bit more of a punch with every listen. The lyrics are reaching, pulling at your conscious while the instrumentation lets your body sway easily. It is one of those deceptively friendly sounding albums that will have you constantly thinking and questioning while you jam, and I invite you to do just that.

Arcade Fire @ Austin360 Amphitheater 04/10/14

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Thursday night had a lot to live up to: big stage, bigger venue, and a band who seem to be bigger by the minute. What else was big? Ticket prices. With Standing GA/Floor tickets going for 70 dollars and seats for 50, I was hesitant to fork over the big dollars, but having seen this band twice before, both in a festival setting and on their own, I knew the incredible live show they were capable of. I talk, of course, of Arcade Fire, indie rock cornerstone band that has bled into the mainstream. While not a big fan of Reflektor, I lowered my expectations in anticipation of the heavy prevalence of these new tracks, but I did not expect the level of gimmicks that was in store for the night.

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EMA – The Future’s Void

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OLE-1054-EMA-The-Futures-VoidRating: ★★☆☆☆

Erika M. Anderson, the lady behind the moniker EMA, has been creating music in various ways for years, but broke out on her own in 2010. Two album releases later, EMA has become what the kids these days are calling a Buzz Band; this lady has been the talk of the indie music blog scene. Which leads me to a pertinent question: should we believe the hype? The short answer to that question should already be apparent to you via the star rating I gave The Future’s Void, but the long answer is much more interesting.

While I applaud the overall reach of this album, there are too many aspects that are impossible to listen past. Take “So Blonde,” or really any of the songs on this record for example. You start out alright, some simple acoustic guitar, and stadium rock drums; a departure from the opening track that is layered with synths, ambient noise, and drum machine. The second track is EMA’s take on a straight rock song, but sadly, its humble beginnings are a bit misleading. While you hope that the music will build into an explosive chorus, what you get is Anderson screaming “So blonde!” without a real change in the instrumentation. The lack of diversity within a single song is monotonous and fails to make me want to listen.

Maybe I just don’t get it, but this record never really pulled me in. The tracks blur together, and the vocals subtract from the overall direction of “lo-fi” or “electronic” that I feel the record is trying to go for. That is to say, the usage of vocal effects seem to be gimmicky, and not only that but grating to listen to. A perfect example of this comes on “Cthulu,” which begins with dramatic fuzzy synth slow beats, which makes the sound seem like it is building up to a climax. As it progresses, we get Anderson’s vocals added to the mix, but other than that the song stays where it started, not steadily building, but static in its sound. Then, all of the sudden, we are suddenly elevated, Anderson’s shriek bursts into the song and serves as a bit of a fright, but the small dose of hazy screeching doesn’t seem too bad, but kind of an electronic punk rock-move that would suit a bold front woman. However, later in the song, what was a brief moment of passionate screaming becomes repeated over and over, which not only diminishes the passion from earlier, and takes away from the awesome instrumental build that’s happening in the background, but also becomes so grating that I found it difficult not to immediately skip on to the next song. This is not a phenomenon that is uncommon on this album.

Perhaps I missed something vital that would give me the key to enjoying The Future’s Void. If you find it, please let me know, as I really wanted to like this record, but for now my feeling is that EMA fell short.

Mac Demarco – Salad Days

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Mac_DeMarco_Salad_DaysRating: ★★★★☆

Salad Days marks the artist known as Mac Demarco’s third full-length record, and while cult fans will argue for this gentleman’s inherent merit from the very start of his career on Rock and Roll Nightclub. Others, myself included, are somewhat newer to the Demarco train, with Two signifying a great deal of growth to his sound. Whether you’ve been a fan from the start or are just joining in, fans new and old both agree that Salad Days is a pleasure to listen to, showing a maturation to the Hill Billy meets jangly Rock & Roll style that Mac Demarco has come to signify.

What makes this third album a hit is that is seems like everything has finally come together: the sound is polished, but is still far from prim. Take the title track and opening number for a testament to this sentiment. The record starts with the line “As I’m getting older, chip upon my shoulder,” sets us up for the combination of whimsy and gravity that Mac Demarco is bringing to the table this time around. You have the playful rhyming couplet that describes a coming of age and seriousness. Here there is a genuine juxtaposition of sound and sentiment that seem to take on the perils of life without taking things too seriously. The sound is light and airy, bouncy as it lyrically tackles not-so-light topics. There’s a tightness to the jangle of the guitar riffs that come across as a stripped down version of Weezer a-la “Island in the Sun.”

The most refined song in my opinion comes toward the end, fittingly on “Chamber of Reflection.” A tinny synth accompanies the musical elements that Demarco has already laid out for us, spicing things up and combining the jangly rock with an R&B spin to it. Falsetto vocals open up the song, and also build upon themselves with harmonies through the repetition of “alone again.” This track is a push for the overall sound that we’ve come to know, and it makes me hopeful for the future of this gentleman’s work: he doesn’t shy from growth and change, but incorporates it into his stride.

At the end of the record, you’ll definitely be ready to start it over again. What you have is not an hour-long album of epic proportion with cinematic lyrics and complicated string arrangements, but rather a simple combination of jangly guitar riffs, groovy bass lines, plain percussion and vocals that don’t try to be anything they aren’t. Such is what makes Salad Days enticing: the simplicity and ease are the centerpiece to which Mac Demarco has learned to build upon to create an enjoyable and tireless record. It’s easy to shy away from all the hype around this artist, but I invite you to see for yourself what all the talk is about.

New Track From The Antlers

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FamiliarsIf you haven’t already heard, The Antlers are back: they’ve shared with us a new single and music video, “Palace,” and have announced that their follow up to 2012’s phenomenal Undersea EP will be Familiars, scheduled to be released June 17th. The track features some of the majestically sweeping horns that we came to know and love on that previous release, of course accompanied by Peter Silberman’s indistinguishable vocals that seem to harken back to the emotional power that cut us to pieces on Hospice. It’s a stunning track that makes me anxious to hear what this band has in store for what will be their fifth full length release.

Listen to “Palace” and watch the mini-film it is set to, directed by Hana Tajima, Here 

RF Shannon – Hunting Songs

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rfshannonRating: ★★★★½

When it comes to the local music scene around these parts, it seems we are in abundance of prolific artists. Our scene may be whatever it is you think it is—synth pop heavy, indie rock centered—you name it, one thing you should be able to agree on, whatever your qualms may be with the local scene, that diversity is never something we seem to have too much of. With this diversity in mind, I invite you to talk a step a little bit back in time with RF Shannon, who seem to have found a way to take you back to the days of Rhythm and Blues through the lens of alternative rock.

Hunting Songs is RF Shannon’s debut release, and at five songs and almost thirty minutes in length, one might consider this a savory introduction to their ‘desert R&B’ style. The group kicks things off with “Egyptian White Musk,” and you can instantly grasp what exactly is indicated by this genre; ambient noise generates a feeling of desolation before the bluesy guitars kick in and the slow percussion lulls you into a delicate trance. Vocalist, Shane Renfro soon croons his way into the song, and straight into your heart. With his soft, haunting vocals at the core of the music, he harrows back to the days of yesteryear of singer/songwriter reign ala Jeff Buckley or the likes; you also get a little contemporary aspects of his mellow pipes that remind me of Zach Condon. Their sound is refined and yet not over-processed, a lovely balance of slow rock and raw emotion.

Though there isn’t a track you will need, or have any desire, to skip through on Hunting Songs, I daresay it would be impossible to neglect the overwhelming beauty of “Twin Flame,” the penultimate track. Here, RF Shannon is at their bluesy best—the guitar takes center stage, complimented by the slow rolling drums, punching forward deliberately. The choral arc of the song is hauntingly resonant and all of the elements of this group mix together for a shining moment of radiance: I can’t get enough of it.  If this wasn’t enough, the finale of the album challenges the slot of favorite track and the group gets back into their slow groove to round the album out.

That’s the thing about Hunting Songs: each seems to build upon the last, and yet strike into new territory. It’s short and utterly sweet, so please do yourself a favor and spend a bit of money on this album that will transport yourself elsewhere. Or go catch RF Shannon playing somewhere around town: you won’t regret it in the slightest.

Web of Sunsets – Room of Monsters

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webofsunRating: ★★★★☆

This three piece from Minneapolis are fairly new to Web of Sunsets, but each member is not new to being in a band. The culmination of members from three different bands, this group originated in 2012 and began to create their take on ‘acid country,’ or what you might consider psychedelic soft folk rock. Room of Monsters, their debut full-length release, will have you swooning over dreamy soundscapes and delicate arrangements.

What’s special about the sound that is presented to you on Room of Monsters is the cohesive and smooth nature of all the nine songs on the record. There’s a general golden haze that coats the whole thing in a bath of twilight. Starting from “Wildflowers,” the opening track, you get the twang of the guitars coated in reverb and a ton of ambient noise generated by a synth and perhaps the soft twinkle of a keyboard. There’s a nice balance of acoustic folk sound that is mediated by electric guitar riffs echoing in the background. The vocals themselves, raspy to match the haze of the instrumentation, are also sugary on this first number; the feminine sweetness as well as their ghostly warbles simultaneously juxtapose and compliment the twang of the guitars. The result is an immediate hook to the music, enchanting you to keep listening.

This isn’t the only dynamic offered to you—on the contrary, each of the three members seem to trade the role of lead from song to song, sometimes grouping together for harmonies to grace the chorus of a song. Take the title track for example, “Room of Monsters, ”which comes to you in the middle of the album—we get Chris Rose’s vocals leading the way, but the ladies of the band join him for the group vocals. Though the sound is beautiful and delicate, there’s an interesting aspect of eerie that seems to haunt the album. It’s the odd sensation of being on the whole comfortable with a cool breeze, though it still gives you goosebumps; the haunting resonance of this group is sure not to leave you.

Oddly enough, despite the lack of percussion as well as variety on this album, I don’t find myself bored or sick of the sound when it comes to a close. The constantly rotating lead vocals and precision harmonies keep it from getting stale or uninteresting. Instead you have Room of Monsters, a stunning debut from this three piece that will have you lost in its elegant simplicity, akin to a radiant sunset.

The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream

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wodlp3.11298covertextRating: ★★★★☆

Slave Ambient, the 2011 sophomore record by The War on Drugs pushed the group to new heights, and was marvelously well received, turning out to be exactly what a sophomore album should, despite several changes in band members. Lost in the Dream looks to be a further push down the line of progress for Adam Granduciel and company, the result of which is a cinematic, sweeping rock narrative, that will do more than make you jam along.

The album begins with “Under the Pressure,” a grower of an opener that chips its way, shyly at first, into your heart. At close to a nine minute long song, it comes across as a small folky rock star version of an opera, with its Dylanesque lyrical wanderings, sharp guitar meandering and ultimate reprise of the piano as well as Granduciel’s repetition of the title of the song. With each repeat, it seems like Granduciel tacks on more and more lyrics to come back around to the beginning of the circle, and you’ll follow him, knowing that it will come back again with a slightly different, more intense finish. It’s a sweepingly beautiful track, with nuances and special twists and turns to stumble into.

But if you thought the first song was a treat, just wait until you reach “Red Eyes,” the exciting track that immediately follows it. An immediately infectious guitar riff, accompanied by gracefully swelling synth and steadily trucking percussion kicks things off, and while you have the same feeling of build up as the first number, but somehow the stakes are higher, already intensified by the quickened percussion. Then the number explodes with a whoop into its chorus, and we see the band cut loose in a wildness that is warmly welcome—there’s no loss of control, but the song feels like a folk song that picked up ground with some electric guitar and ran with it. It has become one of my favorite tracks from the album, as well as from the band’s whole discography; for another particular gem, see “Burning.”

It is apparent now that when this band sets out to make an album, they don’t do so haphazardly or short-winded. As with the prior release, Lost in the Dream is sprawling, with songs that seem to stretch on into the horizon and gradually fade away into an ethereal dissipation. Each track is crafted artfully—a careful balance of delicate and harsh elements over sets of long tracks. Usually this is a plus for the band, adding to their grand style and overall transcendental transportation, but this album carries on superfluously somewhat towards its final stretch, ultimately taking you out of that atmosphere if you’re not completely on board.

This is my only complaint thus far in my listening experience with Lost in the Dream, and it is still a fairly small one. The War on Drugs have created yet another album of epic proportion for you to devour and spin all week, all year, and perhaps till the next album from these gentlemen. If you’re new to the group, this is a great place to start, but it seems that every work from this band is just that.

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