Category: Reviews

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – Summer of Fear

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mbarsummeroffear-coverRating: ★★★☆☆

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson burst onto the scene a few years ago with the support of the New York hierarchy.  Now, as he releases his second album, Summer of Fear, which is his first for Saddle Creek, he goes and grabs Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio to aid in production duties.  Would having such a producer ultimately effect the aesthetics of our new favorite troubador?  How would Malone put his own touches on the record, or would he?

Upon first listen all the way through, you can immediately tell the difference between Summer of Fear and Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson.  Sure, there are ecclectic touches, no doubt influenced by the presence of Malone, but there is a certain sesnse of urgency lacking in these songs.  “Shake a Shot” opens the album without making that statement you expected, although you can still feel the passion in the lyrics.

“Always an Anchor” is the second song, and it happens to be one of the more powerful song on the record. You can hear the struggle of daily life in the guttural power behind MBAR‘s vocals, which is precisely what made his first effort so powerful.  This time around, it’s a bit more sparse than you would otherwise want, or rather, expect.  If you listen to it closely, you can almost hear the “Wolf Like Me” guitar chug in the background.

What does seem more pronounced on this album, or perhaps clearer due to the clarity of the voice is the clarity of the lyrical content.  We all know by now about MBAR‘s struggles, but it’s how he spins those around to churn out great tunes which is admirable.  Not only that, but he sings about the despair of humanity, but in doing so, he seems to sing it with such conviction and understanding that you can’t really be worried about it any longer.  It’s as if he has come to accept it more as fact, and the listener should too.

Listening to this album, you will find your songs that you like, and you’ll find flourishes of things un-MBAR, such as the various string elements, seen in songs like “Hard Row,”  that occasionally seem out of place mid-song.  Still, the more songs this guy churns out, you feel as if the better off we all are, as Summer of Fear, though hindered by various elements, demonstrates the songwriting capabilities of Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson; we should all be grateful for such an emerging voice.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/03-The-Sound-1.mp3]

Download: Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – The Sound [MP3]

Tim Williams – Careful Love

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twcl-coverRating: ★★★☆☆

Tim Williams has a slew of releases under his belt, and the acclaim he earned off the last album left many lying in wait to get their hands on Careful Love. It’s hard to classify the man and his tunes, but press releases lean towards the description of coffehouse pop meets classic singer/songwriter. This is a fairly solid description, but you can see flourishes of musicianship that push beyond those stereotypical boundaries.

When you listen to the first track, it seems at first as if the vocal inflection of Tim is leading you towards a stronger identity.  “I Hit the Wall” lies somewhere in the vein of Telekinesis or Spoon, catching you with a bobbing hook.  This all leads you into “Ozone Street,” which sounds an awful lot like a cleaner version of Tim Kasher’s early work with The Good Life.  By this point, one thing that is disappointing is the lack of realism that stems from the recording of the drums.  Sure, programmable drums are easy to do, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go get some solid work from somebody in a studio.

Still, if you can step aside from that factor, you’ll find some songs on here that definitely grab your ears, due mostly to the gentle voice of Tim Williams.  Sure, it sounds awfully clean and polished, but with the rest of the musical accompaniment, that works to great effect here. Songs like “Oceans”or “8 x 10” have infectious grooves and tonality that find a way to lodge them inside your head.  The latter track is probably one of the most exceptional on the album, but you’ll find me yearning for a stronger drum track to back this.  A crashing cymbal here or there could have made this song brilliant; instead, it’s just pretty damn good.

Listening to Tim Williams new album, you find something for almost every taste.  Slow moving songs with touches of piano and female backing vocals are abundant, as are the pop gems that most people associate with Tim’s work.  This is just another solid example of a man who is crafting his own path, and what a bright path that proves to be when listening to Careful Love.

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/ihitanotherwall.mp3]

Download: Tim Williams – I Hit Another Wall [MP3]

Lucero – 1372 Overton Park

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luceroRating: ★★★☆☆

This now their umteenth album, Memphis band, Lucero are up to their old tricks again.  On 1372 Overton Park they go the tried and true route of giving their local abode a little representation.  With this record, the band continue to push themselves beyond the country-punk roots that often get thrown at the band, forging ahead into just classic American rock.

Sure, you hear Ben Nichols’ voice, and you can tell that the man has been smoking or drinking or screaming for years, or maybe all of the above.  It’s a voice with a story, which is precisely why so many fans have attached themselves to this band, not to mention Ben’s role in the Revival Tour (which I love to death).   And with a voice that carries such a story with it, you expect the vocals to reach deep and tell a story themself; this is precisely what they do.   Most people will probably see the lyrics across this album as a descendent of Springsteen, but those not familiar with the Boss will also see similarities with the more modern Hold Steady.

Even the songwriting recalls both the previously mentioned bands, though it probably leans towards the former more.  Take “The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo,” a song that features a full on horn section, creating a huge sound you might not usually associate with a bar band who owes a debt to punk.  The great thing about this album is that it’s not trying to being anything particular.  It relishes in the fact that the sum of all parts is precisely what the band is offering their audience.  Their is no pretentious assocation with a particular genre, nor any desire to do so.  It’s just a sprawling record of classic American rock n’ roll; it’s the kind you all know you can love.

Perhaps the best songs come at the slowest moments, when Nichols can pull at your heart strings, and yank that emotion out from your innards.  “Goodbye Again” probably says enough for those looking for a heartbreaker in its title alone, but even such a song probably won’t do as much for you as “Mom.”  Yes, it’s a song for dudes; you just have to deal with it on this occasion because this song is great.

Whether you find straightforward rock your thing or not, you can’t deny that Lucero has the makings of a group who can go far with their particular style of music.  Their fans follow them anywhere, and now that you have a chance to hear the work on 1372 Overton Park, perhaps you’ll be one of those diehard followers.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/11-Hey-Darling-Do-You-Gamble_-1.mp3]

Download: Lucero – Hey Darling Do You Gamble [MP3]

Thao With the Get Down Stay Downs – Know Better Learn Faster

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thao---know-better-learn-faRating: ★★★★☆

Prior to listening to Thao with the Get Down Stay Down’s new album, Know Better Learn Faster (Kill Rock Stars), I knew absolutely nothing of Thao Nguyen or her band.  Boy, am I glad that has been remedied!  Know Better Learn Faster has got to be one of the most pleasant listening experiences I have had in some time.

Those who have met me know that I am not drawn to dance parties or music played at dance parties, but I have to tell you, Nguyen has crafted a tight and whimsical long player that is essentially a dance party on a five inch piece of plastic (or a twelve inch slab of vinyl, depending on your tastes).  Starting with rowdy hand clapping and foot stomping of ‘The Clap’ you are transported to a sweaty living room filled with pulsating bodies.  The thirteen tracks on this album are sweet and sexy and just plain fun.

The influences on this album tend to shift from song to song, which would normally irritate me, but somehow on Know Better Learn Faster, it works.  The music goes from Minus the Bear to Andrew Bird to No Kill No Beep Beep era Q and Not U sometimes in the same song (see the title track).  Nguyen’s vocals are a little harder to pinpoint.  They are at time reminiscent of Nico, Rebecca Pearcy, or Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney, which are all really good things!

I have a hard time finding something  bad to say about Thao and the Get Down Stay Down.  Know Better Learn Faster is perfect for the changing seasons; it will continue to bring sunshine into these dreary Fall months.

The Flaming Lips – Embryonic

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EMBRYONIC TRAYRating: ★★★☆☆

I’ll be the first to admit that after listening to At War with the Mystics a few years back, I fully expected Embryonic, the new album from The Flaming Lips to be one of the worst albums I would come across this year.  Yea, I lost the faith, and like others, I was pleasantly suprised when I got my hands on the album.  A few spins in, and I dug it.

For the first few moments, you can tell that the shift of the group has gone towards a less pop-centric approach to writing.  Gone from the opening moments are the anthemic pop songs one would expect to hear coming from Wayne’s mouth as he walked across a crowd in a bubble.  Still, the one thing that makes me reluctant to go full on into this conglomerate of sounds, which is really what the first few tracks are, is that I heard this all before.  Sure, the Lips can pull it off, but it reminds me an awful lot like that Battles album from a few years back.

Then comes “Evil,” which starts out as mere noise samples, then goes into traditional song structure, and then fades back into the samples once again. Unfortunately, it’s not really a classic song approach for the band, and you won’t get a chance to really hear them pull off in that direction again until “I Can Be a Frog,” but you really don’t get too far into the song itself, due to the fact that you’re spending most of your time trying to catch the noises that correlate to Wayne’s lyrics.  Even “Silver Trembling Hands” isn’t a straight-forward song, and it was the single.  Take out the vocals, and you have the rest of the album in your hands.  No lie.

So what makes up the majority of this album you might ask?  Well, if I were The Flaming Lips, and I were constructing this album, or explaining away its secret recipe, I would do it as such:  2 Parts Flaming Lips, 1 Parts M83, 1 Parts Battles, 1 Part Liars/Deerhunter, 2 Pandering to Noise Fans, 1 Part Throwaways.  You probably bake it in the studio for several years just to make it come out the way you want.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the lack of originality on this album, as far as where my ears hear the sounds coming from, is that very few people could execute an album precisely the way this group did.  Their fusion of sampling, pop, psychedelia, jazz, noise, etc comes off successfully, without really exhibiting  a lull in the album.  If anyone could construct such a concept in their mind, and then pull if off, it had to be the guys that put together Zaireeka.

Sure, there aren’t any classic gems, like most of us really wanted to get the band to toss our way, but there is no denying that beneath the sinister construction of this noise, something beautiful will come to fruition.  Will I be the one to see that beauty?  Maybe so.  As of now, I’m still trying to figure out who on Warner Brothers tried to explain Embryonic to the bosses on behalf of The Flaming Lips because I’m having trouble enough explaing it to myself, let alone anyone who reads this.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/03-silver-trembling-hands-1.mp3]

Download: Flaming Lips – Silver Trembling Hands [MP3]

Built to Spill – There is No Enemy

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built-to-spill-there-is-no-Rating: ★★★☆☆

You know who Built to Spill is and you all know if you love them or hate them.  In my short time here at Austin Town Hall there has been no band that has brought about such highly contested debates as Built to Spill.  It’s undeniable that we here at ATH are fans of this band, but none of us can say we are diehard fans of their catalog as a whole. Some of us swear by the lo-fi pop sensibility of There is Nothing Wrong With Love, while others lean more towards the meandering rhythms of Perfect from Now On or Keep It Like A Secret. Don’t even get me started on the oft-shunned (Ancient Melodies of the Future) or critically-acclaimed but forgotten (You in Reverse) albums. 

I must say from the get go that, in this reviewers eye (ears?), Built to Spill have earned a lifetime pass as far as new records are concerned.  Each release is technically proficcent and good, but different levels of “good”.  They can range from “absolutely fantastic” to “this could be much worse”.  A bad Built to Spill record is still exponentially better than other bands great records.

So where does Built to Spill’s new album, There is No Enemy, reside? Is it too poppy? Is it too jammy? Is it fantastic or could it be much worse? Strangely enough you could answer yes to all those questions.  The eleven tracks on There is No Enemy range for short bursts of Dinosaur Jr.-like speed (Pat and Aisle 13) to the more drawn out and introspective (Life’s A Dream and Things Fell Apart).  While There is No Enemy is a completely listenable album, it fails to bring anything new and exciting.  Say what you want about Built To Spill’s previous two albums, there were at least one or two tracks that showed the band’s progression, even if it sounded like reggae.  But with this new offering the songs often fall flat.  There is a moment at the three minute mark of Life’s a Dream where a new riff begins that’s punctuated by a brass section. At that moment I felt what I felt when I first heard Untrustable, Part Two or Carry the Zero, but that moment was fleeting.

This is the problem with giving bands lifetime passes.  On one hand they continue releasing competent albums, but often times they are just that, nothing more.

Built to Spill will be playing at Stubbs on Saturday, October 24 with Dinosaur Jr. and Lou Barlow & the Missingmen

Dead Man’s Bones – Dead Man’s Bones

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e33dac3ad5c61f79c033dbd7643e220fRating: ★★★★☆

It’s been quite the week for children’s choirs, huh? First Karen O and the Kids and now Dead Man’s Bones, children’s choirs are having the best week ever! But I digress.  Dead Man’s Bones is the brainchild of Oscar nominated actor Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields.  When I initially heard of this project I, of course, was skeptical. I mean you when hear about two actors who wrangle up a children’s choir and write an album based on zombies, vampires, and werewolves, your cynicism is warranted, these conditions are capable of inducing Scarlett Johansson amounts of worry.

I have to tell you though, and I apologize for gushing, but this album, their self-titled debut on Anti-, is a joy to listen to.  The Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir does a terrific job supplying ample amounts of atmosphere for these well-crafted songs.  On the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack, the childrens choir was used to convey wild and youthful abandon, but with DMB (no, not that DMB) the choir comes off more creepy and ethereal.  This coupled with waltzes about vampires (Young & Tragic) and doo-wops about zombies (My Bodies a Zombie For You) makes for a truly original album.

On the initial listen, I kept thinking I would get bored, but even when my attention was waning on the current track, I was always looking forward to what Gosling, Shields and the Kids would showcase on the next track.  I don’t say that too often, especially in this age of a la carte listening, picking and choosing your favorite tracks and discarding the rest.  Dead Man’s Bones deserves a full listen, and then some.

Once again, if you have kids in your life they should love it!

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Dead_Mans_Bones_-_My_Bodys_A_Zombie_For_You.mp3]

Download: Dead Man’s Bones – My Body’s A Zombie For You [MP3]

Thomas Function – In the Valley of Sickness

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Thomas _F_Cover_StickerMockupRating: ★★★★☆

When I fell across the Alabama outfit Thomas Function last year at SXSW, I absolutely loved what they brought to the live performance.  Their vibrant energy and jangling guitars brought so much force that it was hard to ignore them.  So when Fat Possum sent me their new album, In the Valley of Sickness, I was eager to see if their live stage presence would carry over the recorded material.  Surprisingly, sort of, they do live up to my expectations, if not exceed them.

As soon as you hear the vocals, you’ll recognize them, at least if you’ve been hanging out in the Austin area for the last few years.  The voice sounds exactly like The Strange Boys, with a whole lot of Southern influence, but just a touch more clarity than the Austin kids. Sure, they sound a bit off-kilter, but the energy hiding behind the vocals is enough to push the music along.

As you go track by track through this album, you can tell that these boys are all about having a little it of fun, which is great to see, as this is the least arty record to come out this year.  “Day in the Shade” comes at you full force, and it almost seems as if these boys are going so fast that they are bound to run off the tracks at any moment.  Still, they hold back just enough to finish the song.  You also can’t deny the humor from this album, which shows once again, that Thomas Function is just out there enjoying their rock n’ roll lifestyle.  On “Picking Scabs” the call of “are you going to buy a record or not” seems to show that these boys know their place in the music world, and if you help support them, you’ll keep them out on the road to rock for years to come.

For me, I can’t really go on with this review without mentioning “Belly of the Beast.”  It’s like mellow power-pop with a twist from the Deep South.  Backing vocals are used to perfection, and touches of organ don’t ever seem to hurt a song with jangling guitars.  Similarly, “Two Pigs” is another such tune that shows the band’s abilities, even when they aren’t going full force in your face. Holding back seems to suit the group, if not only to show their diversity as songwriters.  These two songs fit perfectly into the album, and by filling out the sound, it shows Thomas Function knows no bounds.

For all those kids who loved the early Kings of Leon albums, or just enjoy a touch of Southern rock in their punk, you’ll want to find your way to a record store to get your hands on In the Valley of Sickness.  This group is far and above one of the more enjoyable listens for this year, and you’ll treasure all the foot-stomping moments Thomas Function gives you for the rest of your days.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/06-Belly-Of-The-Beast-1.mp3]

Download: Thomas Function – Belly Of The Beast [MP3]

The Clientele – Bonfires on the Heath

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clienteleRating: ★★★½☆

A short while ago, there was discussion that the UK group, The Clientele, would be calling it quits, and perhaps this is still true.  Regardless, I was taken aback, and a little saddened.  I’ve been listening to the group, and their pop soundscapes for some time, so I was happy to know that if they were calling it quits that I would least get one more album; that record being Bonfires on the Heath.

Not surprisingly, the group brought out the same old same old on their latest release, which isn’t entirely a bad thing in my book.  This is one group that’s never needed to change, no matter what they put out.  One should note, however, that their musical etchings are as detailed as the cover art to the current album, layer upon layer of sounds molded together to create one entity.

As I listen to “I Wonder Who We Are,” the opening track, I can’t help but notice that they share some odd similarities to my faves, Belle and Sebastian. Jangling guitars, and a knack for making mono-syllabic lyrics fit so well into the song structure, but what I think is still holding the band back this time is Alisdair Maclean’s vocals.  For some reason they just don’t always seem to fit the music; there’s no correlation at times.

Still, this is the perfect fall piece of music.  As each night brings a variance in weather, so too, does this album.  It’s as if you’re walking with the group through each of their songs.  The title track slowly meanders, as one would on a simple walk through the neighborhood on one of those cool windy nights.  You see, it’s hard to tie down the precise sound of this album, or any of its songs, as you’re clearly affected by the mood they successfully create.

If you had to pick out a standout track here, for me, it would be “Jennifer and Julia.”  It is the one song that I think epitomizes the years of work this group has put into their songwriting.  Subtle horn backing and Maclean’s vocals all seem to fall perfectly into alignment on this album.  This song is what makes you fall in love with this band, and it’s great to see that despite the years, and possible break-up, that they still have the knack for writing something as sublime as this.

Sure, there are tracks one can dismiss, like “Sketch,” which is a track that seems like simple album filler, but when you come to something like “Never Saw Them Before” you can clearly see what people enjoyed about this band from the get go.  If you’re looking for one of those records that changes as often as you do, but clearly keeps you grounded, then you’ll want to check out Bonfires on the Heath, a culmination of pristine, moody pop, years in the making by The Clientele.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/05-Jennifer-And-Julia.mp3]

Download: The Clientele – Jennifer And Julia [MP3]

The Raveonettes – In and Out of Control

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The_Raveonettes_In_and_Out_of_Control_ViceRating: ★★★★☆

Listening to the history of The Raveonettes, I can easily see why I have remained indifferent with their career, that is up until this point in time.  They’re a band that seems to revel in their discoveries of various genres, perhaps so much so that one cannot listen to their albums without feeling nostalgic for the traditional influences.  In the past, they’ve come across as a band of mere mimicry, bordering on unoriginality and banality.  That all changed when I popped on In and Out of Control.

Once “Bang” hits your ears, it’s clear that the band brought something else to the table this time around.  Bouncing rhythms run throughout the song, and the sunshine of California seem to reverberate from the vocals.  It’s clearly a fun song; a tune to let your hair down.

So, instead of treading the same ground, they go off into a more fuzzy pop gem with “Gone Forever.”  It clearly sounds like a Pains of Being Pure at Heart song, minus the echo and atmospherics.  Okay, so maybe the echo is there in the vocals, but they are so distinguishable, you can easily attach yourself to the content, should you choose to do so. And such a sweet chorus.  They stay in the same spectrum with “Last Dance,” which is possibly one of the catchiest songs you’ll hear this year.  It won’t blow you away, but you won’t mind listening to it time and time again, garnering a number worthy of year end lists.

For once, the fact that the group doesn’t seem to stay in one place actually works.  It doesn’t veer off too far from where they began, which allows you to see the lines drawn in the songwriting that connect the album together as a whole.  But, the differentiation is wholly refreshing from The Raveonettes. Even the quick “I Buried You Today” is just another mark of a band that clearly is willing to define this record on their terms.

Out of nowhere, this band seems to have escaped the monotony of their past.  At times, what they seem to do here is quite invigorating, as the band finally has the courage to step beyond the shadows of their influences.  This is new ground for them, and it makes for a remarkable listen.  All the songs have a bounce, yet they all seem stylistically different; the fact that the band isn’t trapped for once seems to have freed them to progress in a direction I never expected.  It’s hard with this approach to expect the Joan Jett chorus on “Breaking Into Cars,” just know you’ll love it.

So you can’t be sure where the material from In and Out of Control came from, but one thing can be assured for all listeners.  You’ll find this as a record which allows you to sink into, if the mood so allows, and not get bogged down by nostalgic dreams of the golden days of music…though those influences are still walking around in the background. Now’s the time ladies and gentleman to get on board with The Raveonettes.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/The-Raveonettes-Last-Dance.mp3]

Download: The Raveonettes – Last Dance [MP3]

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