This is fine.
Sometimes you can’t go wrong with a quiet tune that reminds you of sitting creek-side with your favorite companion, and that’s just what Lewis & Clarke provide. The featured track comes on the brink of a new EP. Listen carefully, as the song is so quiet you might miss it if you don’t pay attention. For more tunes check out the group’s Blasts of Holy Birth; here is “Petrified Forest.”
Download: Lewis & Clarke – Petrified Forest [MP3]
Blank Dogs has steadily released lo-fi bedroom recordings for the past couple of years, garnering interest from fans and bloggers alike. As he prepares for the release of Under and Under, which is set to come out on In the Red, we get a hint of what the new album will sound like. This track is a little bit more straight forward, though still coated in fuzz and mystery, like the man himself.
Download: Blank Dogs – Tin Birds [MP3]
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Let it be said; this album is full of amazing songs. Sure, that’s a weird way to start off a review, but one would have to listen to this album to understand why it receives a less than stellar rating. Sun Gangs, the new album from London’s The Veils, is a vibrant affair, switching at every change of song. It drags influences from all across the globe; it does this without sounding overtly banal. Yet, something is amiss here.
On opening number “Sit Down by the Fire” singer Finn Andrews comes off like a cross between the hallowed voices of Win Butler and Will Scheff, though the music definitely lends itself to a more Arcade Fire styling as pounding piano work is maxed out with accompanying percussion and guitar strumming. You’re ready for an album full of such tunes, such great tunes, but then they put a bag over your head; you’ve awoken in a completely different place.
Title track “Sun Gangs” is a wonderful tune. It is the second track on the album, but it doesn’t have a lot of relation to the place where your journey began. Melancholy moments like this make one remember the sweetness of Spirtualized, and Spaceman’s ability to pull at your heartstrings with his voice alone; Andrews does the same, even with his lyrics. So maybe we’re in for a solemn album, and the opener was just a bit off. Wrong again.
All of a sudden we’re thrust into a space-rocker of sorts with “The Letter”, in a somewhat Muse meets Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sort of way. Sure, it sounds like quite an awkward affair, but it’s a striking song nonetheless, one worth listening to on repeat, at least a couple of times through. The next song is sort of a rocker, with definite leanings toward Muse. Then we’re back again to the mellower moments as the band goes into “It Hits Deep.” Once again, this song tugs at you emotionally, and that really has a lot to do with the spectacular voice of Andrews.
Still, this is the variety of songs that you are presented with in the first moments of this album, and you still have another half of the album to go, which follows the same pattern more or less. This is precisely the issue that many listeners will find when listening to the album from start to finish. The songs do not seem to connect to one another there is not a fluid movement from one place to the very next. The schizophrenic nature of the album detracts from the overall quality; this record needs some cohesiveness. Individually, there are some ridiculously good songs, but they don’t work together as a whole. Otherwise, The Veils constructed a solid effort of tunes worthy for any mix tape.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/07-the-house-she-lived-in.mp3]Download: The Veils – The House She Lived In [MP3]
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Art Brut burst onto the music scene a few years back wtih their stellar Bang Bang Rock N Roll. The band was energized, and Eddie Argos self-deprecating wit came out swinging. Now, three years down the road, Art Brut are preparing to take on the devil himiself for their third full length, Art Brut vs. Satan.
Round three has the band coming out with a barrage of tightly wound rock fury; the flare is back again, and you can feel the power in the chords. Interestingly, the driving force does not appear to be the music, however, as singer Eddie Argos is pushed way up front in the final mix. For some artists, this might not be a bad decision, but I don’t think Argos dead-pan delivery warrants such a focus, despite the cleverness of his lyrics. Often, the band brings a tour de force like Les Savy Fav pummeling our ears with a frenetic pace. Angular guitars cut through thin air with sharp turns of melodious guitar chugging around each corner. Still, the focus has been, and always will be, on Eddie Argos.
Opening the album, Eddie tries to rehash his evening of drinking in “Alcoholics Unanimous” by sending out a group text, as he is sure he was up “all night making mistakes.” Clearly he has no problem with calling himself out, as he continues to do so on “The Replacements” where he admits he hasn’t heard of The Replacements at this point in his life; this is a bit sad, or at least it seems like some egregious error. Even so, you’re left to question whether or not he trying to good you into buying into everything he has to say. Perhaps this is his point. Argos wants us to question the way we listen, or why we listen, or even who we listen to these days.
Altogether, the album comes together quite nicely; it’s as consistent as their debut album. One will always wonder what would come of the band if they ever had a full-fledged singer at the mic stand, but even now, without such a person, they band sound as brash and enjoyable as ever. This is an album that will hold your attention through to the end.
Okay, admittedly I have no idea what on Earth Shugo Tokumaru is singing about, but I do know that every time he creates his grandiose gems I fall in love. Shugo has a new EP coming out, though you’ll probably need a translator to get your hands on it. But, you can check out this cool site to listen to more tracks. Here is “Rum Hee.”
Download: Shugo Tokumaru – Rum Hee [MP3]
News has slowly been drifiting about the newest Sonic Youth release, The Eternal. Matador Records even gave us a little bit of a teaser by throwing out some 7″s on Record Store Day featuring the band so as to whet your appetite. Now, to further your interest, we have the first complete single, with Kim manning the wheel here. If you ask me, this is a good start. Let’s hope it all sounds this good on June 9th, the album release date.
Download: Sonic Youth – Sacred Trickster [MP3]
Okay, so we’re not completely sure about all of this, but as of this point, it seems pretty legit. Last night, a few sites showed this site , which seems to indicate that a new album, titled Minotaur, will be released by the band at some point this summer. You can pre-order starting June 15th. But, we have no news on singles or who is going to release it, although the majority of Pixies releases came our way via 4AD. I’m not going to lie; I’m a wee bit excited here.
Download: Pixies – La La Love You [MP3]
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Something seems to exist in the Glaswegian waters these days, as more and more substantial music sets sail for America via Scotland. The newest album, My Maudlin Career, from Camera Obscura is just another example of a country that is pushing out superb tune after superb tune.
Long has the band been haunted by their kinship to Belle and Sebastian, but here we see them completing the step away from such association, much as they did on their last album, Let’s Get Out of This Country. They’ve stepped away from the modest pop stylings of their earlier days, immersing themselves instead in a history of 60s soul and R&B. This time around, the band has gradually drifted into the perfect dance halls from historic days long gone.
Tracyanne Campbell is the focal point of this entire album, as it should be. Her delivery, especially in songs such as “French Navy” is nearly perfect, spinning masterful webs of melody at every turn. She finally seems comfortable in the limelight, and that confidence shows through and through. But, she’s not the only vocal presence here, as there are some carefully placed “oohs” and “ahhs” visiting the landscape of this album (see The Sweetest Thing).
Musically, the album is quite close to its predecessor. It’s as if the music was crafted carefully in the Motown studios; all the arrangements are done with such precision that you’d be hard pressed to find a point in this record when anything seems off-kilter. One thing that might be lacking for some listeners, however, is that the music doesn’t have the pace, or some of the urgency, that went with the last album. Sure, songs like “Swans” and “My Maudlin Career” have a sligth pace, and a certain vibrance, but there is no “Lloyd, I’m Ready to be Heartbroken.” But, this serves the album sufficiently well, as the album comes across with a lot more balance than the previous effort. Its nostalgia is fitting, and the album is the most even output in the band’s history.
Through and through, the album comes across with moments of meandering melody and a whispering sense of longing, which, afterall, seems to be the lyrical focus of the album. The very mention of “maudlin” recalls a certain sense of emotional sentimentality, as if you’re looking back with a sense of longing. It’s no mistake that the lyrics match this focus; the music seems to further the intent as well. And of course, the ever present ideal of love, and loves past, present and future.
Listeners be sure to make it all the way until the end of the album, as “Honey in the Sun” is one of the most rewarding songs on the album. It’s the bookend that sums up the thematic elements of the lyrics, and adds further detail to the growth of this very talented group of musicians from Glasgow. Nicely done Camera Obscura.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/11-honey-in-the-sun.mp3]Download: Camera Obscura – Honey in the Sun [MP3]
That’s right ladies and gentlemen, Jarvis Cocker is back again. His second solo album is set to be released by Rough Trade on May 18th, which will more than likely be a solid album, just like his last solo album, which was like his Pulp albums, and like his performance on Harry Potter. Now, this new album has uber-producer Steve Albini running the show, so we should expect an edgier Jarvis; I’m game.
Download: Jarvis Cocker – Angela [MP3]
This Saturday, April 18th, is Record Store Day all across these United States. Sure, that seems like just another Saturday to most buyers, but the true record geek in all of us is already waiting in line. You see, on Record Store Day, you get to do two things: you get to support your favorite local indpendent record store and you get loads of limited edition stuff. Me, personally, I can’t wait. I’ve already crafted a list so as to move through my favorite record store with ease in pursuit of such rarities that one can only dream. The following is the list of the great things one can find at their local indpendent store, and we encourage you to do so, as this is the day the stores give back to us, and we give back to them.
