Author: nicole.baumann

Hospitality – Trouble

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hospRating: ★★★★☆

When Hospitality first appeared on the music scene two years ago, I raved about their debut album, which was full of whimsical and fun sounding poppy numbers. Now they’re returning with a sophomore release that feels like a take in a whole new direction. Gone is the odd and strange photograph from the album artwork, and in its place is a darker black and white picture with black stripes over it, which is parallel to the newfound gravity that Amber Papini and company have brought musically to the table with Trouble.

“Nightingale” gives out a dose of heaviness that you would haven’t imagined coming across on their first release; powerful guitar rivals in dominance with the vocals, each pushing at each other in a pure rock style. What you get is this lovely juxtaposition of the lightness of Papini’s vocals with the heaviness of the guitar at instances, and in others you still can see the simple whimsy of the band you fell in love with. From this first track, Hospitality shows that they have been doing some growing, but haven’t lost who they were from the start. The next track, “Going Out,” continues this trend of maturity and gravity, but in a funkier rendition. With its smooth percussion and subtle dance beat, Papini really seems to be in her element here, and I imagine it would be an excellent song to witness in a live setting.

A few tracks in, you may be asking yourself, just where is that quaint little Brooklyn three piece that I remembered liking so much? Well they are still there, and so is the fun, it’s just been redirected in the form of darkness, which I believe works exceedingly well for this group. “Rockets and Jets,” a sultry, synth based number, will have you bobbing your head and perhaps even busting a move with the best of them. My personal favorite track comes a bit later on, with “Last Words,” a sprawling further trip into the synth dance trail, which is infectious and subtle; Papini’s vocals are mixed with some male vocals as well to give a new element of duality you haven’t yet met with this group. They merge this dark track with the aptly titled “Sunship,” that will have you yearning for that lovely feeling of cool spring breezes and warm sunshine.

As I mentioned with their last album, what Hospitality does remarkably well is the variation in song length and style. They seem to have locked down just exactly when to be brief and when to let a track linger on, which provides for a lack of dull moment on Trouble. What’s better than no dull moments is an album filled with standout tracks, which is what you’ll find here. Have a listen.

The Clouds Are Ghosts – Fractures

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fracturesRating: ★★★½☆

You’ve probably never heard of local band, The Clouds Are Ghosts. Though, while you were blissfully unaware, they formed back in 2008 and released a self-titled debut in 2009. After rearrangements in band members and some time to get new material together, this band is back to release a sophomore record, Fractures, the sound of which will have you wondering just what have you been doing that was so important as to miss out on this band.

The very first track of this record, “54,” is enough to pose that question, alone. An infectious number, it grows from humble beginnings to a full on cinematic explosion of an ending. This “electronic pop” band, as they’ve dubbed themselves, open with clear piano riffs and the crisp vocals of Jason Morris, covering the bouncy piano and the simmering percussion with a nice top coat of pop gloss. As the song progresses, the group moves faster and grows in their sound, adding elements and Morris’ vocals pushes things forward; the build is catching, forcing you to pay attention to the music. It ends with some screaming guitar added to the mix in a final rise of sound and intensity that should have you jamming along.

As far as genre goes, it’s a little hard to pin The Clouds Are Ghosts in one defining sound group, as the songs go various places on this record. You have songs like “Angelface,” a slow mover that still has all the elements of a power pop ballad; delicate guitar and piano compliment Morris’ voice being stretched to its limits. A great addition to this song is the clacking percussion, putting the final little touch that pushes the song from simple to elegant. On the other hand, you have songs like “Tinkle,” in which I’m reminded a bit of Death Cab For Cutie, with an electronic twist. The synth that begins to run through the album gives it a cohesive transfer from the simmering pop grower that it started with through to its turn to electro slow jams. This works, for the most part, but I am left with a little longing for more tracks like “54,” toward the end of the record to spice things up from the leaning-towards-repetitive pattern they form.

Though this doesn’t detract altogether too much from The Clouds Are Ghosts sophomore release, and it definitely shouldn’t prevent you from listening to this record. I believe you’ll find something to enjoy on Fractures, and a new band to add to your collection of Austin Gems.

Warpaint – s/t

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warpaintRating: ★★★☆☆

In 2010 these four ladies snaked their way into the limelight with their sound that somehow seemed to ooze just the right amount of softness and raw power. The result of this well-balanced combo was a killer debut album in The Fool, and left fans in high anticipation as to what would follow. Which leads us to the real question: can this sophomore effort carry over the dynamic that L.A’s Warpaint established without becoming tired?

Through a two minute “Intro” track, the band declares themselves once more as the psychedelic, musically swirling group that you remember them to be. There’s an exciting air in the Introduction, not only reminding you of the musical elements that first pulled you into Warpaint, but also the lack of the delicate vocals builds the anticipation for the rest of the album. After the two minutes of musical opening, these ladies kick in with “Keep It Healthy,” that revolves, for a hot second, around the mumbling guitar riff, but only until the group vocals chime in their almost militaristic chant. This track is interesting in its constancy—whereas tracks from previous releases seemed to meander a bit, with the vocals trading off between the ladies, this song has one direction and it stays there.

This direction is one you want the group to follow, and lead single “Love Is To Die” does just this, beginning with ethereal “oohs,” ambient noise and a bubbling bass line that seems to be a shade darker than anything you might find on their previous album. The psychedelic-light rock music has turned impossibly skin crawlingly more chilling, becoming the nightmare to the last records’ dreamy nature. On “Disco/Very,” the vocals have been textured with a buzzing effect and this sound imagery evokes voodoo vibe, as if the women of Warpaint are casting spells with their song. The lyrics reflect this sinister sound as well: “Don’t you battle/ We’ll kill you/ We’ll rip you up and tear you in two.”

My biggest complaint about this record is that the middle tracks, for the most part, blend together and lack the catching effect that the tracks at the beginning and end posses. There’s too many tracks that you could simply live without, though they may be a nice soundscape for your daily tasks.

In the case of this sophomore release, the album artwork is a perfect indication to what lays inside. The greenish yellow hues surround layered images that create a shadowed, vague singular image, reflective of the buzzy and eerily murky sound. If The Fool seemed dark and lurking, then Warpaint only retreats further into the shadows, which works for the group in some instances, and becomes a little monotonous in others.

You Blew It! – Keep Doing What You’re Doing

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ybiRating: ★★½☆☆

The Emo movement of the early nineties spurred a number of bands that you either loved or hated to jam to, like The Get Up Kids, or Sunny Day Real Estate. You Blew It! offers their own take on Emo, but does this revival band from Orlando, consisting of three“cat-loving, taco-eating dudes” give a nice new take on a past genre, or are they digging up a sound that should remain buried by a decade? The answer lies largely in if you enjoyed the waves of Emo sound the first time they came around, as Keep Doing What You’re Doing riffs off this.

If you weren’t already acquainted with this band from their debut release, Grow Up, Dude, don’t worry, as the instant you press play on opener “Match and Tinder,” you get a sense of what this band is all about. Shredding guitar is soon doubled up on itself with heavily cymbal-laden percussion joining the mix for a hot minute until Tanner Jones’ intentionally strained screaming vocals burst in, kicking the door down. It’s a lot for a first track, and may scare some off, but for those who stick around, this trio has some softer numbers, and some equally as jarring tunes remaining on the album.

One song that strikes a happy medium between these two alternatives is “Strong Island,” which is third up to bat. The hyper-active percussion and hard guitar riffs are still there, but Jones isn’t quite straining his voice so much, though it still retains its strength and guttural power. The affect that these softer vocals have on the sound is that the lyrics are suddenly accessible, and herein lies the other half of this bands revival of Emo—the deeply self reflective writing. The choral tag of this third track bleeds out: “I’m still finding pieces of me that I could live without.” Such emotional and sometimes self-deprecating lyrics are commonplace for You Blew It!

This thirty-four minute brief album serves as a nice little slice of violence. What I mean when I say that, is that the rough edges and thrashing guitar juxtapose with the emotional lyrics to provide a fresh, crisp taste on a genre that flourished not so long ago.

Moonface – Julia With Blue Jeans On

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MOONFACE-JULIARating: ★★★½☆

Spencer Krug, known for his other group efforts, Sunset Rubdown and Wolf Parade among the many, also does solo work on his own under the moniker, Moonface. For a few years now, Krug has used this project for home-recorded experimentation, somehow creating even more tunes that don’t fit into any of his other works. On Julia With Blue Jeans On, Krug is stripped and simple, consisting of piano and vocals, and he lets his songwriting do the talking in this facet of his musical talent.

Opening the album is dark and sinister, “Barbarian,” if you are no stranger to Krug’s brilliant writing, then you’ll find yourself right at home in this slightly self deprecating opener. The piano is even, at first, and juxtaposes nicely with Krug’s deepset yelp of a voice that offers you the deepest of confessions. Though cryptic, the vocalist sings about being not only a “barbarian, but sometimes a lamb upon your altar,” bringing together these two contradicting ideas in the same line of the song. This song starts the record with a swirling wind of darkness with breaks of meandering piano that keep it from getting too dark too quickly, though I doubt that would be an entirely bad thing for Moonface.

Soon you’ll find that Julia With Blue Jeans On is simultaneously delicate and violent work: one moment in a song you’ll think you have found a reserved Krug, and the next he is banging away at the piano in angst. Take title track for example—sixth in the lineup, it hits you a little more than halfway through the whole album. Soft piano and half falsetto’ed vocals lead you through the number, slowly breaking to a whispered repeat of “Julia as beautiful and simple as the sun.” Though the track doesn’t end here and Krug brings things back in with almost manic sounding pressure on the keys, twisting to a sinister note, with the vocals rising to meet the intensity of the piano. The result is beautiful and tragic—possibly my favorite moment of the album.

In the end, you must take Julia With Blue Jeans On with a bit of a grain of salt. By that I don’t mean to discredit Mr. Krug in the slightest, by this mean to say that this album is very much just a man and his piano. There is nothing wrong with this, on the contrary it is enjoyable and emotive, but it’s only at certain moments that it means a lot more—the culmination of songwriter and his instrument combine to create something special and magical.

Cut Copy – Free Your Mind

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fymRating: ★★★½☆

Whenever a band that has been around for longer than ten years puts out a new album, there is always the question of what they will do to keep things fresh but maintain the style that brought you to love them. However, this hasn’t seemed to really troubled Cut Copy’s Dan Whitford, as his synth dance based samplings keep on attracting more and more fans. This time around, the band has taken the hypnotic approach to their tunes, which compliments their sound quite nicely.

If you couldn’t tell from the brightly colored album artwork, or even the title of the record, the first taste of this fourth LP, “Intro,” should clue you in to where this band is going. Consisting of some highly altered, deep set and robotic vocals telling you briefly to do as the album’s title suggests, and “Free Your Mind,” serving as the beginning of the hypnosis. On the following title track, the Australian group opens up things for real with their driving dance beat and layered synthesizer patterns. As per Cut Copy’s style, the sound starts off with some base sounds: high-hat sounding percussion and Whitford’s nasal-toned voice, stand out immediately. Then, they build on themselves, adding piano, bongo-sounding percussion, other female vocals chiming in with some “oh, yea’s.” Overall, you get this jungle-esque groove that builds to a choral crescendo, which should have fans happy, as it’s a pretty typical sound for this group.

This cult-ish movement for the group doesn’t stop here, but continues through the album. Of course, if you buy into the hypnotics of the record, it feels great; each song keeps your body moving, but if you don’t completely fall under the spell first presented, it takes a little while for you to get into Free Your Mind; the heavy presence of not so subliminal messaging is a bit overwhelming at points, but there are still some great tracks on the record. Immediate standouts include “In Memory Capsule,” that shows off a slower side, albeit still dance-able, tune that asks “can you feel it/once in a lifetime?” raising the theme of going through the motions of emotions versus actually feeling something. Another hotspot on the record is “Meet Me in the House of Love,” in which driving waves of never-ceasing synth drones and a high intensity beat is asking you to shake it.

Really, this album makes me want to get up and dance in whatever state or location I’m in. It’s quite difficult to not bob your head to these synth dance pop tracks, so if that’s what they meant by ‘Free Your Mind,’ then by all means they’ve succeeded.

Stream The National’s Contribution to ‘Catching Fire’ Soundtrack

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nattyEveryone’s favorite kings of doom and gloom, The National, certainly aren’t new to creating tunes for other sources of media. From a Game of Thrones ending credit track, to songs for Video Game, Indie Flicks, and now Major Motion Picture Soundtracks, this band seems to always be at the ready to add a little gravitas to any situation. As per usual, this band is giving you poignance in their lyrics and a nuanced sound unlike any other band today, complete with some elegant string arrangements to wow you. Have a listen, and if for some reason you haven’t already, catch the latest wonderful full length release from the band, Trouble Will Find Me.

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Show Review: Cults @ Emo’s (11.4)

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Monday night gave you lots of choices as for live music in this city, but it didn’t seem like Emo’s was the popular choice for many, as even with the full venue partitioned in half the crowd wasn’t close to capacity. However this lack of audience wasn’t a problem once the bands for the night took the stage, each offering a different kind of tone and energy.

Read more and see pictures from Brian Gray…

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Poliça – Shulamith

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Polica_ShulamithRating: ★★★☆☆

It seems like in this day and age, making an album once every year is no big deal for an artist to do, so it’s no surprise that this 2012 buzz band is back for round two so soon. Lead by front woman, Channy Leaneagh, Poliça first made waves in the indie world with their synth based take on R&B. With the rise of synth pop and triphop groups with female, hyper-feminine vocalists, a-la Grimes and Purity Ring, it only seems natural that Poliça is making their rise quickly; the atmosphere is right for this group and Shulamith offers a grouping of songs that utilize the tools already in place from Give You The Ghost.

“Chain My Name,” kicks the album off with fast paced, body roll-inducing beats and Leaneagh’s auto-tuned vocals spouting off lyrics quickly, trying to keep up with the music. A funky bass line compliments the tinkering upper levels of synthesizer sound, and the percussion constantly pattering beneath it all. What is interesting about Poliça and a little different from other than the other groups that I mentioned previously is that the lead vocals aren’t exceptionally strong in their nature—Leaneagh’s altered vocals almost blend in with the other electronic elements; an extra layer of synth to add to the mix. It’s a fun number that should have you dancing around whatever space you find yourself listening in.

Next up on the highlight reel of this record is “Vegas,” which plays into the R&B vibe that this band has played into. Slower and more seductive, but never sleazy as the title would suggest, this track is purely enticing to listen to. Leaneagh’s voice takes on some power in this track, though still not overt in its nature. Later on, Justin Vernon joins the group to add some much needed variety half way through the album. Such song, “Tiff” is a another slower number, but Vernon’s higher pitched backing vocals give a twist on the song that sets it apart from the other numbers; the element that seems to be lacking from some other tunes.

Despite its redundancy in sound to their debut album, and to itself in places, Shulamith is an album that offers a nice change up in your listening catalogue. Perhaps a bit too long—on a song to song basis as well as the whole album—there is definitely room for improvement. Obviously some tracks have gleaned my attention more than others, but if you’re looking for some new jams to groove out to, check it out.

 

Arcade Fire – Reflektor

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130909-arcade-fire-rekletor-album-cover_0Rating: ★★★☆☆

“Thought you were praying to the resurrector, turns out it was just a Reflektor,” Win Butler repeats into the mic— a line from single, “Reflektor,” ironically talking of falling short of adored pop culture icons. Whether you love them or hate them, it seems these days it is impossible to ignore Grammy winning, Indie Rock icons Arcade Fire, as their success from 2010’s The Suburbs threw them into the rough of the public eye. If that wasn’t enough, the publicity campaign for Reflektor, their fourth full-length studio record has been splayed across all forms of media for the world to latch onto. There was an obvious sense that this band was after something big: and at 85 minutes long, Reflektor is definitely large, but has this group bitten off more than they can chew?

The answer to that question is complicated, and while others may turn to the band’s obvious influences and sonic similarities for the solution, I think the answer lies within the music itself. There are some interesting tracks on Reflektor, more so on the latter half of the album than the first. Second track “We Exist,” stands out immediately in its driving synth line that promotes the ‘dance’ aspect of their sound that the band has been allegedly aiming at. The song builds to a graceful crescendo complete with beautiful string work in the background and Butler’s voice stretched to its peak in emotion, bleeding through the effects on it. Later on you have “It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus)” that brings out the clear cut snarling guitar back and “Porno,” which is a slower number laden in synth whose chorus and twists and turns in the lyrics beg your attention.

These are some of the moments on this record when the overproduction hasn’t squeezed the life out the sound and where you can still recognize the band, but those instances aren’t there a great deal of the time. If you were to receive this record with no expectations, from a band under the moniker The Reflektors, it would be easier to enjoy. As a fan, it’s really difficult to get behind the overall lack of lyrics, emotion behind the vocals, when the past three LPs, as different as each are from one another, were chalk full of those aspects—that was what drew me in. All in all the record feels a bit hollow: Butler’s voice is distant and flat in instances when you want emotion, (“Afterlife”), the lyrics are a little simple and repetitive, (“Flashbulb Eyes”), and the songs drag on, (“Awful Sound”). Reflektor is not an awful record, but it certainly doesn’t live up the hype, nor the glory that this band has made for themselves.

Trust me, I have long had a guiltless adoration for this band, and it brings me much pain to write a review so critical of simple people who sing and talk and play music about a reflective age in which everyone is terrified to create for fear of ridicule. I muse that was what Butler was aiming at when he wrote those lyrics I quoted—when we glorify artists, we forget that they are just people with lives of their own and they don’t exist to make music for us. That being said, I am left to wonder why would you invite, then, more of the general public and the media to consume your material when you have already gained worldwide acclaim? Why did Arcade Fire buy into the very thing—publicity they have long claimed to despise—when they could have just let the music speak for them? Perhaps a lack in the actual substance of Reflektor is the reason.

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