This is fine.
We interviewed Twin Tigers a little bit ago just because we were really excited about the Athens band. Now, their album, Gray Waves, is nearing its official street date of March 2nd. We’ve got another great track to throw your way here, which will hopefully have you just as excited for the release as we are. This tune hits hard, then settles down a bit before it unleashes more fury. Happy Thursday.
Download: Twin Tigers – Passive Idol [MP3]
Kieran Hebden has been at this game longer than most, so it’s no surprise that people expected big things from his latest effort under the Four Tet moniker. There Is Love In You has already garnered a lot of interest over the Internet, though one must look at it through their own looking glass in order to fully evaluate where this record falls.
For me, I’m not one to fall easily for Intelligent Dance Music, and it really has to be something to knock me off my feet in order me to appreciate it, let alone even contemplate trying to understand it. I remember Aphex Twin videos blowing me away, but that was based more upon twisted imagery in the videos. DJ Shadow blew me away, but at the time, I had a faint interest in hip-hop. But now, I’m not really into that sort of thing, especially since it lacks solid vocal involvement, which is one of the main reasons I listen to the stuff I do.
Now, as far as this album goes, I’m going to have to stand on the sidelines and watch the rest of the adoring fans as they chase Kieran Hebden around. Song after song just seems like really simple loops being placed atop each other at certain intervals. At times, like during the aptly titled “Sing,” you get some fearful moaning of sorts in the background, but nothing worthy of latching onto as a whole.
For me, there has to be some sort of sharp shift in the music, some sort of influential piece of movement within a song, and this, by and large doesn’t really seem to have that sort of craftsmanship to it. Given, the use of space and timing here does seem to accomplish the affects that Hebden is associated with in his work, but I can’t lie and tell you that any of it is all that interesting. After more than a dozen listens, this album only made me focus more on my immediate surroundings as opposed to this record, which I suppose is a lot to say for an album.
The duration of There Is Love In You allows for the listener to look within himself (herself, if you so choose) while the content of the loops and layering of sounds only makes things appear more cosmic, in a sense. You can feel yourself being absorbed into your surrounding, sinking within yourself, and that is entirely due to the non-invasive quality of the music on Four Tet‘s latest album. It’s perfect for what it is. It allows you to successfully pass the time while being absorbed in your own world. Perhaps my anxiety about the world’s plights have always served as a blockage to my understanding of IDM, and for that I apologize. Remember, this is just one man’s opinion of walking alone with this album, absorbed in himself for once, thanks to this album.
If you’ve been following closely along the careerpath of Low, you might have noticed that around 2005 the band turned it up a bit with The Great Destroyer, then forging further ahead with Drums & Guns. Why does the diveregence of a great minimalist band such as Low matter here? Well, this is Alan Sparhawks band, and the only difference between this and Low is the absence of his wife Mimi in exchange for drummer Eric Pollard. All this leads to one thing, 2, the second proper Retribution Gospel Choir album, is a further illustration that despite the solitude of old Low records, Alan seems to have always wanted to rock.
“Hide It Away” builds from the minute you press play on your stereo, with Pollard’s drums lying in the background, providing a steady, if not powerful, backbone for the song. Of course, Sparhawk’s vocals soar in the foreground, with just the faintest hint of waivering.
If you didn’t believe he had this need for rock building in him for a long time, just check the forty second long “68 Comeback,” which begins with a bit of an homage to Black Sabbath (Paranoid?). This jumps right into the arena rocking moment that is “Workin Hard.” The chugging guitars and stomping drum sound all feel as if this was destined to fill out a large arena, yet somehow Sparhawk makes it feel rather intimate; a specialty he places here and there in his entire catalogue.
Still, you can feel the presence of his past workings throughout the record. Take “Poor Man’s Daughter,” for instance; it’s a song that feels an awful lot like 90s College Radio Rock, yet there is a certain depth that all Low records have that is present here too. There are also little mini-suites like the previously mentioned “68 Comeback” that show the group using ambient moments to influence to overall atmosphere of the record.
Personally, “White Wolf” is definitely a favorite number on 2. It sort of begins with a J. Mascis type riff, which brings back the whole classic alternative rock appeal that is present here, and when the chorus kicks in you just can’t help but feel elated. It gets straight to the point, and just hits you all the way through. Then it ends. This remains one of the most pleasant things about this album; the brevity of the songs allows for ultimate enjoyment. A lof of current guitar albums get a bit too over-indulgent (I’m looking at you metalheads), choosing to hear themselve, and their “chops,” more than craft the perfect song. Here, there is no such thing (if you get rid of one song, but don’t because it’s good). It makes for a precise rock album, one that fulfills without wasting too much time.
Alan Sparhawk has always been able to craft great songs, and this time he shows that he can do so by turning up the amps, and cranking out the energy. If you love Low, as I do, then you’ll surely find that 2 and Retribution Gospel Choir are perfectly suited for you.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/06-White-Wolf-1.mp3]Download: Retribution Gospel Choir – White Wolf [MP3]
The story goes that George Lewis Jr. had been struggling with writer’s block until he began to wonder the streets of Berlin. It seems at this point he came to the decision to record some sublime electro-pop tunes that will soon be released by Grizzly Bear‘s Chris Taylor’s Terrible Records. He’s got some 7 inches coming your way in the Spring, and based on this track, you’re going to love Twin Shadow. It recalls a touch of TV on the Radio for me, but hey, that’s just me.
Download: Twin Shadow – Yellow Balloon [MP3]
A few weeks ago, word spread that Joanna Newsom would be releasing a new album, Have One on Me, on Drag City on February 23. Today’s big headline is that the album is a triple album (3 CDs/LPs), and you can now stream a song over at Drag City. Enjoy.
Just looking at the blood dripping down the leg of the cover of Romance is Boring, and you can tell that there is a dark shift in the writing of Los Campesinos!. Long have they been a band of rapturous joy and sheer energy, but as we grow older, ultimately our views begin to shift. This is a record of changing winds; it is a band looking in new directions.
On “A Heat Rash…” you can immediately tell that the band, while retaining some of their trademark sounds, has switched gears, albeit just slightly. Musically, there is still an overall feeling of joy amidst Gareth’s lyrics, but the fervent energy seems somewhat absent here. It seems that the urgency of the band has dissipated with the times.
Yes, you will find the traditional Los Campesinos! tracks filled with possibly too much noise for one listener; you’ll find those songs that encourage you to scream atop your lungs with the band, such as “This is a Flag. There is No Wind” or “Straight in at 101.” These songs bring energy to the group, reminding you of the band’s original sound, but overall, such rambunctious moments are few and far between here, which may be disheartening to long-time fans of the group.
Instead, you’ll stumble across slow movers like “Coda: A Burn Scar in the Shape of the Sooner State.” While Gareth’s vocals are coated in minor distortion, the group itself recalls a gloomier version of I’m From Barcelona. Multiple instruments come in and out with the song fading away into walls of feedback. This isn’t the only tune that demonstrates a more solemn side of the band. “In Media Res” messes with the song structure that the LC has often employed, using quiet moments back to back with louder constructive moments within the song. It’s not a slow number, but it definitely doesn’t have the pace of previous efforts.
When you hit across the record’s title track, “Romance is Boring,” for some reason, the album seems kind of muddled. It’s as if the group set out with one thing in mind, yet they were unable to deliver upon their ideas, or at least they weren’t comfortable straying too far away from their comfort zone. It’s filled with noise, a la the usual LC stuff, but experimenting with feedback and distortion gets a bit annoying at times. And if you ask me (which you didn’t) the gang vocals by album three are getting a little bit tiresome, as are Gareth’s lyrics. What once seemed clever, now seems a bit banal.
For some reason, it seems as if the group just came across a bunch of old alternative records, and they decided that loud frequencies would be rewarding for their live sound, which is quite possible, though it doesn’t translate to the album. “I Just Sighed. I Just Sighed So You Know,” the closing track, just seems like a bunch of children messing around in their garage. And wait until you hear the metal moments on “I Warned You Do Not Make an Enemy of Me.” Did they really put those guitars in there?
By the end of Romance is Boring, it seems that Los Campesinos! have finally warn their listeners down. They don’t seem nearly as cohesive as they once did, which encourages a lot of the noisier moments to come across in quite an amateur fashion. It’s loud and boisterous, but it’s too much so at times. It seems that the band has split their personalities on this, leaving them stuck in the middle somewhere. It makes for an uneven album, one that doesn’t do the group as much justice as you hoped it would. It’s not nearly as fun as the group CAN be, and not nearly as dark as they seem to want to be. Expect the next album to make a decision for us and them.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/The-Sea-Is-A-Good-Place-To-Think-Of-The-Future.mp3]Download: Los Campesinos! – The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future [MP3]
Let’s face it, if you don’t know who Jonathan Richman is, odds are you’ve been living under a rock. His influence is all over the place, from Art Brut to Jeremy Jay. After breaking up The Modern Lovers, Jonathan went solo, which is how we’ll find him this week as he hits Austin for four nights in a row. You should catch one of these shows for sure.
1/25 – Cactus Cafe – 8:30 PM
1/26 – Cactus Cafe – 8:30 PM
1/27 – Continental Club – 8 PM – $10
1/28 – Continental Club – 12 AM – $10
[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Jonathan-Richman-Our-Dog-Is-Getting-Older-Now.mp3]Download: Jonathan Richman – Our Dog Is Getting Older Now [MP3]
It’s been awhile since we heard anything from the other half of our favorites Georgie James, but finally, Laura Burhenn is back. She’s got a new group called The Mynabirds who will be releasing their debut album, What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood, on April 27th on Saddle Creek Records. We’ve got a sample track for you to get to know the band. If you ask me, it sort of sounds like Rilo Kiley if they were out to have a ball.
Download: The Mynabirds- Numbers Dont Lie [MP3]
News began to circulate Friday that Parenthetical Girls will be releasing a five part series of 12″ starting on February 23rd. Seems like a fairly large undertaking, which will eventually all fit together like a proper album, but regardless, the first song off the series is ridiculously good. I had it on repeat for a better part of this weekend, so we wanted to bring it your way. If you like it, it comes on the first installment of the series, On Death & Endearment. Buen provecho.
Download: Parenthetical Girls – Evelyn Mchale [MP3]
Rating: 
I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t quite gotten on the Beach House bandwagon. In the past, their dreamy bedroom pop has just seemed far too dull for me to ever fully absorb; I’ll admit that’s a fault of my own and not the music. Yet listening to Teen Dream, something else unfolds. There isn’t some grand gesture that comes out of nowhere; it’s just that the logical progression of the group has finally caught up with my own personal tastes.
From the opening moments that the guitar comes into play on “Zebra” I found myself captivated immediately. Gentle “ahhhs” in the background create a perfect introduction to the song, allowing for the vocals to carry the song the rest of the way. Sure, it’s not the most moving song in the world, but it holds the listener with an emotional appeal, one that is only heightened by the percussion that comes in near the end of the song.
When you come upon “Norway,” it’s obvious why this would come out as the single for the record. Electronic maneuvers bring life to the album, although it’s odd that those little flourishes seem somewhat out of tune (anyone else?). The “ay ay aay” of the chorus is playful in the manner that it strings out the mono-syllabic moments into perfect resonant melodies. This song is backed up by “Walk in the Park,” which seems a lot like a Papercuts track. Programmed percussion atop those echo-y vocals builds the perfect cascading pop moment, which shows that the band, though often stuck in one place, can evoke quite a bit of emotion.
“Better Times” wears the influence, seemingly, of Chairlift, using electronic structures to build the backbone of the song wile waiting for the rest of the song’s sound to come together. Vocals definitely carry this song, and you can tell that the focus on achieving the perfect tonality definitely aids the tune as a whole. It’s at this point where you start to see the past and the present finally start gel, bringing the best moments out of the duo, especially when the quickened vocal delivery starts in with about two minutes remaining.
Coming into the last song, it honestly is hard to find a throwaway track. All the songs on the album work cohesively, and finally the music seems to have shown some movement overall. “Take Care” captures all the little moments from the album, throwing them together in Teen Dream‘s final chapter. Yet, there are some moments here that illustrate the one detractor I still have in listening to Beach House. Near the three minute mark the percussion could easily pick up, or let loose, yet the band restrains itself. In doing so, they lose the propensity for sending the listeners off on an ultimate high note of euphoric musical waves, instead leaving them to rest precisely where the album began.
In conclusion, Teen Dream is a really good record, one that all Beach House fans will surely fall in love with after purchase. For those like myself, who largely ignored the band(though I’ve seen them three times), this might be the record that forces you to go back and look a little closer at the group’s catalog. Personally, I still find that they don’t take enough musical risks, choosing to hold back when I’d like to see them let go a little bit, but that’s just my preference. For the rest of you, you’ll find that this record is more than just one to go to sleep with at night; it’s an album to be played at all times, which is really all you can ask for from Beach House. Move over folks, I’m ready to jump on the wagon now.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Beach-House-Norway.mp3]Download: Beach House – Norway [MP3]
