Category: Reviews

Turn To Crime – Actions

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turntocrimeRating: ★★★★☆

Turn To Crime, or the project of Detroit’s Derek Stanton and company, has been garnering a growing amount of attention lately—and rightfully so. After their debut release last summer that introduced us to their gritty noise synth rock, they’ve countered with Actions, which, simply put, evades all chances of being pegged with one sweeping bulk genre title. Instead, they give us seven tracks that break our notion that an album should be all one genre.

When listening to this album for the first time, it may seem a bit disjointed; you move from track to track with the band, going with them down each song’s own path, but then you make what feels like an about face with the next tune. This phenomenon is present in the jump from opener, “This is What You Wanted” to the second and title track “Actions.” The first song begins eerily with synths coming in subtle waves of sound for the first minutes of the track before the band launches in with more active and looming synth beat and twangy guitar. Using the build of suspense and instrumentation, the minimalism of the song is gripping, hooking you in and making you wait for the drop and wondering if one will ever come. But the break doesn’t ever come, instead the track builds and builds and then ends abruptly, with “Actions” unapologetically starting anew. Suddenly you’re far from the tense opener and into the breezy second track, light guitar riffs scattering through the soundscape, the drum machine beats easily providing the casual rhythm, and the vocals warbling through fuzzily.

Both the tracks are great, but completely different tones and styles. However, on your third or fourth cycle through the songs, the link between them all becomes apparent in the drone-like synthesizers, which underscore the album in its entirety as a dark refrain. All the places that this record goes, the synth follows, casting its dark shadow over it in just the right ways. You get middle song “Light,” which proves to be the most outright post-punk track on the album, with the hodge-podge percussion and shredding guitar, but it’s not complete without those electronic sounds creep in at its end. “Without a Care,” builds its whole frame around the synth, but the song strikes me as bordering on americana, with songwriting at the center and the repeated chorus rounding out the tune.

Actions is not for the faint of heart or the seekers of easy entertainment; it’s a record that takes a bit of time for you to really dig into and enjoy, but with a little bit of love, you’ll find the rewards are worth the repeated listens. Indulge in something different than your usual run of the mill with Turn To Crime’s post-punk synth americana, genre-transcendent of all prior expectations.

 

Sam Cohen – Cool It

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ES010_SamCohenCoolItRating: ★★★☆☆

2015, as its seen us so far, appears to be the year of the solo-artist; that member of the band who wasn’t the front man, or woman, striking out on their own to craft exactly their vision under their name, or perhaps just to create music that’s a little different from other projects. Sam Cohen is no exception to this phenomenon: a past member of Apollo Sunshine and the man behind Yellowbirds, he has put those other projects aside for now to focus on Cool It, a laid back psychedelic rock record, which he recorded completely on his own, save for a few guest appearances by other members of Yellowbirds. The mellow tone of the solo debut dominates the sound, but there are moments of sharpness in the mix that snap you from the smoky depths of this trance and into clarity.

The overall sound on Cool It, as I mentioned earlier is a blend between soft rock and psychedelic music, which seemingly is synth driven, but is, in fact, produced from heavily distorted guitars. Opener “Let The Mountain Come To You,” is about the most rambunctious and energized track you’ll hear from Cohen here, though still fairly even and relaxed. On this opening number, the guitars are fuzzed out to the max, growling along while some lighter and winding sounds join the mix. Cohen’s vocals are echoey, wafting in even-tempered and effortlessly. All the buzzing guitars and glazed vocals contribute to a gentle sound on the album, and the whole thing feels coated in a bit of warm glow.

Lyrically, the album mirrors the style of music: a mix between hazy and lucid, stark imagery mixed with colloquial and casual remarks on the mundane, both of which converge in philosophical musings. There are tracks like “The Garden” that describe a day in the life of a musician: “Went to your house on Friday, drank a few beers, we played the gig on Sunday for the past six years.” But then there are tracks like the obviously Hemingway-inspired “A Farewell To Arms,” on which Cohen appears to assume the role of the protagonist from that 20th century novel, calling after Catherine. It’s clear that there are both erudite and colloquial approaches to the lyrics on the album, which beg to be the center of attention on the album.

Cool It is easy listening, the kind of record that you spin on your day off and begs you to do little else but simply fade into it. The problem, or perhaps some would hear this as a solution, is that sometimes it’s a little too easy; the music is pleasurable but not challenging, allowing you to zone out entirely and lose focus on the songs. Whether you see this as a positive or negative is up to you.

Pupppy – Shit In The Apple Pie

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pupppycover_5Rating: ★★★½☆

Will Rutledge began what would become Pupppy back in 2013 as a solo project, but two years and the addition of three other band mates later, Rutledge has fully fleshed out his sound into Shit In The Apple Pie, the debut album for the band. This first release is nine songs of slacker pop whose witty lyrics and acoustic rock that are bound to delight you with their sincerity and potential for all out rock and roll.

The sound that you’ll find on this debut release is the kind that makes you want to sit down and do nothing but listen to the music. As I listen to this record, I’m immediately reminded vaguely of Modest Mouse, and Ben Kweller, but moving forward through the songs it’s so clear that Pupppy moves beyond these likenesses and into their own space of glazed down indie pop. While the first two songs are excellent tunes, on my first pass through, the first track that really grabbed my attention was the lovely, self-deprecating “Shithead.” This song is a wonderfully quiet track that gives you the whole picture from the beginning and never once apologizes for its gently churning pace, just like Rutledge’s lyrics are unabashedly honest, “If you want something else go and find it yourself/ you see I just can’t help myself.” While these lyrics are frank, the music matches this song perfectly, an unassuming yet intriguing combination of acoustic and guitar riffs, what sounds like a bit of banjo and simplistic percussion; you’ll want to linger on this song for a great deal of time, but continue on as this isn’t all that Pupppy has to offer you.

Immediately after this song, you get the mild violence that accompanies the quiet numbers on this debut release. “Outkast,” utilizes stop and go at its beginning, Rutledge’s vocals making the whole track sound a bit post-punk/emo, their nascent quality oozing with emotion. While this song is fast-paced and rock and roll at that, you still get imagery-laden lyrics that twist the narrative of nights out. Juxtaposed with songs like this are the quiet and stripped, like closer “Sundress,” that is tender and easy both in lyrics and sound, rounding out the album on a wistful note.

Not only does the band do slow and tempered well, but they also exceed in the realm of spiraling out of control via their slacker pop/rock. For a debut album, Shit in The Apple Pie is fairly impressive: all nine songs are audibly well-crafted, leaving you with thirty minutes of concise pop music. Look out for Pupppy.

 

Avid Dancer – 1st Bath

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unnamed (1)Rating: ★★★☆☆

Jacob Dillion Summers, or the man behind the moniker of Avid Dancer, has lived quite a variety of lives. From a strict childhood home in which he only listened to Christian music, to joining the Marines as a drummer, to currently living in Venice Beach—Summers’ life has been anything but linear or straightforward. Naturally, this is mirrored in his music: while sometimes he gives you dance tracks of sultry indie pop, at other times he is reserved, spinning tunes of delicate acoustic music. 1st Bath is Summers’ debut full-length release, and he’ll have you dancing for sure.

Opening track “All The Other Girls” is a mild beginning, but it gives you a solid foundation for the rest of the album. This song grooves along from its initial moments, a combination of crisp percussion, soft synth sound, clean electric guitar licks and Summers’ even toned distant vocals. You think that you’ve discovered all there is to hear from this number, but then at the end you get a surprising entrance of saxophone that adds a surprising yet enjoyable outro. Then, a few tracks later you get the soft side of Avid Dancer in the form of radio ready gentle pop song, “All Your Words Are Gone.” This is quite a departure from the two songs that came before it, evoking a wistful and fairly whimsical quality. Summers sings carefree lyrics like “Throw away all things not worth needing/ Open your eyes and start believing,” and there’s even a “da-da-da” break within the track.

By the time you get to “I Want To See You Dance,” you’re itching for another danceable tune from Avid Dancer, and this track does not fail to deliver just that. Here, we’re back to the sultry dance-able indie pop, which shows Summers at his best. This song evokes the feeling of standing on the edge of the party only to be pulled onto the dance floor by your friends or perhaps an alluring stranger and then having the time of your life in a sweaty blur of motion. The drums are hi-hat heavy, there’s a gritty guitar riff in there, some synth meanders in and out and the lyrics provide the role of that ensnarer; roping you in with his words.

For a debut record, 1st Bath shows great promise from Avid Dancer although its focus could be a little narrower. I find myself returning to some of the catchier dance beats, but some of the slower numbers haven’t quite captured my full attention. Regardless, there is enough substance here to merit a looking forward to what Jacob Dillion Summers has in store for us in the future.

 

John Andrews & The Yawns – Bit By The Fang

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john andrewsRating: ★★★½☆

You may know John Andrews from his work as a part of both Woods and Quilt, which he contributed not only his talents in recording, but also in touring with these two acts. Somehow, amongst the hectic schedule of being part of two bands, he has also found time to write and record an album of his own. Bit By The Fang is John Andrews and his imaginary backing band’s debut solo album, and it’s packed with lo-fi Americana.

John Andrews and the Yawns have a sound that is difficult to describe. At moments, the music seems to lean towards  bluesy rock, and the next you’re made to believe Bit By The Fang is a work dominated by jangly guitar. This mixing of genre, perhaps even in just one song, works well for Andrews, and you can hear this happening from the very start of the record with opener, “Don’t Spook The Horses.” Leading off with that grittily distorted cutting electric guitar, the song blazes in to your headphones and instantly hooks you. Joining that guitar is ragtime piano and Andrews’ feather-light vocals that waft and warble in to the mix. He spins a tale in those echoed vocals, a carnival-esque whirlwind of sound that serves as a wonderful introduction to his solo work.

The strongest parts of this album come like bookends at the beginning and the end. As I just discussed, the first track is a great start, and Andrews continues this strong start with “Peace of Mind,” which sways more to the blues side of sound. Its slow-moving rhythm and prominently groovy bass part serves as the core of the song, while that bouncy piano is still there to lighten the track. “Angel,” a brief little piano ditty, echoes that of early 20th century simplistic rag music, but its nevertheless an interesting tune after you’ve grown accustomed to the complex layers that Andrews has thrown your way so far.

While the middle of this album listens a little flat, the end picks back up again for the last few tracks. “Quitting The Circus” is a song that is at once eerie and rock’ and roll: the vocals seem extra twisted and somehow slightly sinister while the guitar hits hard and loud, almost drowning out the piano. Last track, “No Gun,” is a music box lullaby that has Andrews posing philosophical questions atop pensive piano, slow and easy.

Bit By The Fang is yet another solid release from Woodsist Records, and John Andrews has managed to put his name on my map as a solo artist. I’ll be looking forward to what the future holds for this talented musician, be it as part of another band or on his own.

 

Toro Y Moi – What For?

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toroRating: ★★★☆☆

Over the past five years, we’ve seen many stages of Toro Y Moi as expressed through Chaz Bundick’s prolific musical career. He’s had ups and downs through this journey of soulful indie and synth pop. What For? makes for his fourth LP under this moniker, and its one filled with a mix of tracks to delight in their pop grooves.

Opening track, “What You Want,” is a good expression of what the album as a whole holds for you in that the song blends a few genres while holding onto that distinctively groovy Toro Y Moi sound. Its got licks of cutting high and low electric guitar, streaming synths that fill in the gaps. You also get Bundick playing around a bit vocally, with some exclamatory yips and yalps. While I like this song as an opening track, as it eases you into the music, I am far more interested in the second track “Buffalo,” which sounds like a mix of a 70’s disco track mixed with the indie pop of today. Lyrically, this song plays around even more than the first one, running with the disco-vibe, and Bundick spits out couplets super quickly: “And you see the buffalo/just another one in the road.” The track also utilizes start and stop to create some drama, and just that easily you’re hooked.

The singles that we’ve already been graced with hearing make up the majority of the standout tracks on the album. Take “Empty Nesters,” as an example of pretty straightforward indie pop track, but a good one nonetheless. Later on there’s the positively groovy “Spell It Out,” which has got to be one of my favorites, if not my favorite track from this album because it grips you and holds you for its duration. The guitars on here are funky and psychedelic, swirling around the song with ease, almost giving you a bit of an Ariel Pink feel to it. Building on itself, the song really goes for that disco-pysch rock feel to it, blossoming into something you can surely get your feet dancing to.

The problem with What For? is that the good tracks really shine above the rest of the album. You’ll find yourself skipping airy tracks to get to those meaty grooves on which Bundick shines. When the album is good, it’s really good, but when you’re not in those solid tracks you can easily lose focus on the music at hand. In the future, the challenge for Toro Y Moi is to create a more cohesive work, but for now I’m okay with skipping some tracks now and then.

 

 

American Wrestlers – s/t

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amwrestlersRating: ★★★½☆

When I heard the first single from American Wrestlers, the lo-fi project of Gary McClure, something about the tune gave me the strong conviction that I wouldn’t want to miss this debut album. Now, here we are, able to savor the 8 tracks of American Wrestlers that are equal parts lo-fi and American rock and roll, but all parts a bit different than what you would expect from either of those genres.

The album opens with “There’s No One Crying Over Me Either,” which is a synth/piano driven jam that doesn’t seem to really fit into the two aforementioned genres. Mechanized drumbeats bounce in at a steadily low-key beat, which establishes a mellow tone to the album so far. Piano, acoustic guitar, vocals join this mix early on, all of which fall under this super gritty production that casts a layer of intrigue upon the track as it slowly chugs along. McClure twists and spits his lyrics atop this slow-boiling instrumentation, his mild yet utterly emotive vocals providing the perfect counterpart to the music. Slowly this song builds up and then simmers down, transitioning into the blazing outright rock and roll “Holy,” which is definitely one of the highlights of the album. As soon as you hear the flaming electric guitar riff that cuts through the mix, you’re already falling in love with the track. This number is purely lo-fi goodness, with the electric guitar distorted and slightly fuzzy, but then you get a little bit of piano that bounces back from the first track and your mind goes to Americana, or folk music. Just wait for the little break down at the end of this song.

And of course later on you get the superstar pair of this album starting with “I Can Do No Wrong,” which takes the style that’s been established thus far and sets it into a catchy track with pop hooks throughout. This song particularly utilizes the lo-fi production: it sounds kind of like you’re hearing the music from a thin layer of water, but somehow this tones down those blazing guitars from ever being too heavy. Trust me, you’ll want to play this one over and over, but before you do, let American Wrestlers take you to the next jam, “The Rest of You,” which cuts out the hooky pop and switches over to buzzy-as-all-get-out rock. But as you’ll notice on this release, nothing is too simple on this album, and you get little nuances on this song—the chorus-like backing vocals, the layers of acoustic and electric guitars, those barely audible drums—that push it beyond your average fuzzy rock jam.

American Wrestlers is a rather good debut album, but one that requires a bit of time to really sink in. Repeated listening has gleaned me insights to my favorite tracks, but in reality at only 8 tracks in length its hard not to spread the love evenly over the whole album. Perhaps with a bit more time the whole debut will sink in even deeper, but for now good is enough.

 

Sufjan Stevens – Carrie & Lowell

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sufjanRating: ★★★★½

For years now Sufjan Stevens has been a household name, a staple when it comes to indie rock with both art and folk influences. While he has carved out his own space in terms of genre, defining himself with distinction, his sound has manifested itself in varying directions under the umbrella of his sound. Carrie & Lowell is a deeply personal retreat back into the quietest reaches of Sufjan Stevens‘ musical spectrum, one that enchants and charms with its elegant lyrics and gentle sound.

Nothing that Sufjan Stevens ever does musically is simple. After more than a decade of releases from this man it’s fairly easy to make this statement, but when you listen to this album, the effortlessness of the music is what is striking and powerfully emotional. Upon first listen, it’s sort of difficult to truly grasp just what you’ve got your hands on, as Stevens’ style is exceedingly graceful and smooth. Yes, it sounds lush and gorgeous, his whisper of a voice uttering euphonious lyrics atop often just one other musical element, be it the plucking of a guitar or a bouncing piano part; the sound is akin to that you would hear in a gentle lullaby. While the sound is soothing, it’s also deeply haunting, but this is the quality that you perhaps don’t truly and totally latch onto on your first go round.

But on your second or third pass through the album, or maybe even once you’ve reached the final track on Carrie & Lowell, you begin to feel exactly what Sufjan wants you to through his arrangements of indie folk. Tracks like “Should Have Known Better,” and “All of Me Wants All of You” are sing-songy, the lyrics are subtle but brilliant, giving you one liners that come across like poetry “I should have known better/ nothing can be changed/ the past is still the past/ the bridge to nowhere.” And then there are the deeply dark tracks like “Fourth Of July,” and “No Shade In The Shadow of The Cross.” The former of this pair is a gut-wrenching track in which Stevens traverses through memories of his fallen mother, uttering what sounds to be pet names amidst the other images of her last days. The latter is emotionally distressful and you can hear the desperation behind the lyrics: “I’ll drive that stake through the center of my heart,” or “fuck me, I’m falling apart.” Here he is, emotionally and musically raw, spilling his soul to you like he would the pages of his journal, but these things are brilliant and apt, reaching out to you through your headphones or from the speakers of your car or stereo.

There’s not a song on this album that you’ll ever want to skip: they all fit together like melancholy powerful puzzle pieces of Stevens’ life and childhood that he has retrospectively assembled to reveal he’s missing some vital pieces. Carrie & Lowell, as melancholy as it is, is a mighty work of art, one that I’ll be revisiting again and again.

 

Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit

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CBRating: ★★★★☆

Courtney Barnett is one of the most buzzed about artists of this year and with reason. Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit is her first proper album and she’s already taking the indiesphere by storm with her no-fucks, laid back yet creatively catchy buzzy rock songs.

The first half of this album is fast paced and opens up quickly with “Elevator Operator,” which has Barnett spitting out her tongue-twisting tale spinning lyrics about people she encounters. Her storytelling is lucid and smooth, talking about the colorful characters that she comes across and the imagery sticks out impressively. Meanwhile, the music is complementary to this style but doesn’t ever overpower the lyrics on this first number, but serves as a slight accompaniment to the story. “Pedestrian at Best,” reverses this effect somewhat; while the lyrics are still filled with quick quips and assonance, the garage fuzz is equal in the mix, and Barnett’s vocals weave in and out of the loud rock. This is one of those songs you have to get up off your ass and jam along as the track spirals slowly out of control.

This album consists primarily of songs like these first two: descriptive, unapologetically raw and rambling, but wholly honest and easy to enjoy. I personally like “Aqua Profunda,” which is all at once rock and sugary pop; the guitar licks are all rock, but those drums are smooth and crisp. Later on, Barnett cools her jets for a bit on the last two songs to get a little sentimental, even putting down the electric guitar and trading it for acoustic on the very last track of the album. “Kim’s Caravan” the second to last track is an emotive and powerful track, starting gently and growing slowly to its final crescendo of gritty and twangy guitars and shimmering percussion. These two songs back to back bring you down from the high that was the rest of the album, but a part of me wishes this mood would have been dispersed a little more evenly throughout the earlier tunes.

So yes, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit is a pretty fun and groovy first record, but Courtney is the first to say “put me on a pedestal and I’ll only disappoint you.” These tunes are casual and laid back, which works for the most part, but leaves us with one level to connect with Barnett. I connect, I dig it, but then I want a little more than the one dimensionality. Perhaps a sophomore effort will see her reaching a little further at least in variety, for now, this is just fine.

Wand – Golem

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wand_golem_coverart-14949Rating: ★★★☆☆

It wasn’t too long ago that the LA boys of Wand put out their debut album, Ganglion Reef. In fact, it was only August of last year that they first jumped on to the garage rock scene and started wowing audiences with their own take on the buzziest genre of the indiesphere. Now they’ve returned quickly with this sophomore release, moving to a more straightforward and all out rock approach than their first album, which adds to the overall energy of the music and creates for a loud and fun second effort.

Immediately on opening track “The Unexplored Map,” you can already hear the sonic differences that the band has made in the short time period of their first and second releases. There’s a newfound heaviness to those garage guitars, which put them more on the metal/grunge side of things versus the laid-back noise of those lighter sounding riffs found for the most part on Ganglion Reef. Of course there were signs of this band’s deeply rooted darkness on that first album; the dark approach isn’t out of nowhere. This first track lets you hear the change in pacing as well from Wand—the song sounds deeply grounded and involves a lot of stop and go percussion that points you again to the hardcore side of garage rock. Next up is “Self Hypnosis In Three Days,” a similarly loud and rambunctious number, but one that hedges on the psychedelic genre of rock. The vocals of Cory Hanson are all psychedelic, reverb drenched and wafting in and out of the ever-changing style of this song. One moment you have distorted guitars going hard, and then a little later the band cuts out to just vocals and some gentle strumming, giving you a reprieve of the hard trip before they launch right back in.

The sound gets changed up a little bit on “Reaper Invert,” which comes third up on the album and continue this into “Melted Rope.” The first of these two songs is on the edge the whole time, constantly threatening to switch from eerie to murderous at any second, but it doesn’t ever fully launch into the super hardcore sound that we’ve already encountered on the album, but lingers in the ominous zone. Don’t get me wrong, this song still brings the rock, but it’s more psychedelic than grunge. “Melted Rope” has this same psychedelic twist, but on a slower and calmer level. There are acoustic guitars on this tune, and the vocals take center stage, providing a softness that is unheard on the rest of the album.

But what Ganglion Reef had a little more of that Golem doesn’t is variety; yes, this album is more spirited and rocking this second time around, but in this transfer it sometimes feels like Wand has slightly lost a little bit of nuance in their music. This, however, may just be a matter of taste: if you’re inclined to like your garage rock on the more hardcore side, then Golem will surely win your heart.

 

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