Tag: album review

The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar

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Rating: ★★★★☆

Coming off of an eventful SxSW, the Joy Formidable is trying to carry momentum into the year and the summer festival season by bringing their powerhouse live show to new audiences.  Their latest release, The Big Roar, is one helluvan album to tour behind.

It starts with an epic 7 minute long track that builds to crescendo and serves as a warning that the trio means business. “The Magnifying Glass” starts with some odd samples, feedback and random banging.  I love it, it sorts out into awesome understated verses and transitions to power choruses that I love about this band. Just to keep the averages proper, the next track is short and sweet; “The Magnifying Glass” is all of 2:19 long.

Track three is a personal favorite, “I Don’t Want To See You Like This”. Ritzy Brian has the job of providing the haunting back vocals during the loud moments that creates tenderness in noise.  The following track is likely the most recognizable and popular track; it is the first of four that appear on A Balloon Called Moaning. “Austere” starts with the falsetto cries of Ritzy and transitions for a level of disorder to power chord bliss.  One of their best live tunes, loved it all the way.

“A Heavy Abacus” is a “slow track”, evolving without being a jam song and a bit noisy at times with a clean finish.  I am a bit curious why the Abacus is watching her. “Whirring” is the next of the Balloon tracks and again, you should recognize it immediately if you know of this band. “Buoy” has a very cool climbing and descending chord structure that draws you in and bridges the first verses beautifully.  Again, a bit of a slower tempo to this new track, but not any weaker, light breaks, heavy drum track finish, *chirp*…

“Maruyama” serves as an intermission before another old-new song called “Cradle”.  “I can see he says what he means, We’ll deal him sticks and stones and apologies, I wish…it was through”. “My vicious tongue cradles just one”.  Love it.

“Llaw=Wall” is the departure track.  Rhydian Dafydd sings lead on this one, nary a guitar for the first half until the track erupts.  “Chapter 2” returns to a more punk progresson and Ritzy belting over bass lines and a strong drumming from Matt Thomas.

To close things out is the final track from the previous release and if you don’t love “The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Love”, I don’t even know you anymore.

The Big Roar is an interesting mix of the best tracks from “A Balloon Called Moaning” and new material that is more complex in some ways, a complete departure in others.  Being a best of old and new, it should to be limited to a 3.5 IMHO, but the recent sets at SxSW push it to the 4 star status.

Generationals – Actor Caster

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Rating: ★★★½☆

On their 2009 album, Con Law, the duo known as Generationals sort of left their mark by being all over the place, touching on various genres of modern indie pop.  For their second album, Actor Caster, the band sounds a lot more confident, clearly having spent loads of time developing their sound into a cohesive gem of an album, ready for mass consumption by anyone and everyone.

Kicking off the party with “Ten Twenty Ten” seems like as good an option as any for the band, as it definitely has this rootsy pop-rock guitar bubbling through it, ready to boil over with melodic pop momentum.  Here the band sounds really steady, and instead of hitting you over the head with hooks like on their last release, those moments slowly build beneath the songs on Actor Caster, making it more infectious the more you listen.  Similarly, “I Promise” uses this jangling sunny guitar line to reach up and grab you and carry you swinging arm in arm out the door. A slight piano track in the background adds to the jangling, giving more texture to the band’s sound, again making lasting impressions.

Of course, the band will definitely find themselves compared to other groups with some of the tracks present here, namely comparisons to The Drums.  But, unlike the latter, Generationals have something stronger in their summery swagger, such as “You Say It Too.”  It’s got that clever little surf-rock guitar hook here, and vocals upon vocals, some oohs to boot, but it’s got more substance than other like-minded groups.  In “Goose & Gander” you’ll find yourself sitting at your desk, or wherever  you are, tapping your feet.  You can try all you want to avoid it, but once a hook inserts itself in your subconscious, there’s nothing that will get you away from happily swaying moments from left to right.

You’ll still be able to find bits of pop experimentation on this record, so don’t go thinking it’s all same-old same-old.  “Tell Me Now” is probably one of the more distinctive songs on this entire collection, and it’s the vocals that seem to take hold of you here, as opposed to the overall hooks of guitars and melodies.  That’s probably one of the greatest things about listening to Generationals, they just have an arsenal of hooks and pop wonderment that will instantly win you over; there’s no fighting it folks, so you may as well just let yourself get absorbed in it all.  Whether you want a jangling guitar, or a piano-laden track or even a sing-a-long chorus, you’re going to find it here.

In the end, their ability to harness that exuberant energy into a more confined sound is going to be greatly beneficial. Actor Caster is just chock full of hit after hit, begging you to open up the windows and share these joyous listening moments with anyone, and everyone, who is willing to open their ears. At the end of the day, Generationals have constructed yet another record full of tracks that you can, and should, take anywhere, as they’ll be around for some time, destined to bring you every bit of sun your heart desires.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/09_Greenleaf.mp3]

Download: Generationals – Greenleaf [MP3]

Noah & the Whale – Last Night on Earth

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Rating: ★★½☆☆

It’s pretty easy to label Noah & the Whale as sort of a bipolar band; their first release was loaded with sunny twee pop, while their sophomore effort was trenched with deeper, folksier tunes. While this is forgivable, c’est la vie, it’s still nice to bring about an even-tempered album, and that’s exactly what Noah & the Whale attempt to bring about Last Night on Earth.

It opens on “Life is Life,” which shows exactly the progression of this group on its opening line, “You used to be somebody and now you’re someone else.” The drum machine percussion and the drawl of Charlie Fink seem a little hollow at first, when the song begins. However, as the groovy little tune continues, it opens up to more of a sprawl. The overlapping of Fink’s vocals with that of the rest of the gang vocals of the band creates a stylistic motif for this band. It’s not a bad start, it’s just a bit “middle of the road.”

The motif of those gang vocals continues all the way up to “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N,” which is the band’s best bit from this album, despite it’s tedious to type title. It’s a catchy narrative of characters that may find themselves in bad situations, but still manage to carry on. It’s a universal theme of life, and is easily identifiable with the listener, so it is not hard to find yourself spelling out the chorus with the rest of the band, agreeing with the sentiment. This song is a reminder of why you love a band like this; the empathetic and simple qualities that live in their music.

If I could tell you to listen to any three tracks from this album, it would be the previous described, “Wild Thing,” and then “Give it All Back.” On “Wild Thing,” there is a bit of transport back to the last album. The five-minute song begins with a bit of feedback and echoing synthesizer, and then slowly swells to its chorus. This slow-mover is the deepest that Noah & the Whale will delve; the sugary gang vocals are cut from this track, and replaced by a climactic and distant “ooh.” Following this is mellowness comes another pop tune with “Give it All Back,” which salvages the mood from before and entertains with another narrative.

For the most part, they achieve their goal. They put “Wild Thing” next to a simple song like “Give it All Back,” which emphasizes their need to move back to a balanced album. It’s not a bad work and there is sure to be a song or two that suits your fancy. However, this album is exactly that; a few exceptional songs coupled with a lot of mediocre ones.

The Strokes – Angles

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Rating: ★★½☆☆

You might remember the Strokes as the saviors of rock n’ roll who quietly disappeared into the night, only to form several side-projects, hinting that they might never return.  Well, they’ve returned now, and while there are definitely bright spots, Angles isn’t the album of triumphant return that we all pined for during their absence.

“Machu Picchu” is a reserved album opener, with half-hearted guitar lines opening up the entire affair.  Julian Casablancas’ voice still sounds familiar, enough to give the song some credence, although the continuing trickling guitar work just holds the song back.  But, “Under the Darkness,” the second track, is that gem of a Strokes song that we’ve been missing for quite some time.  It’s filled with those sharp guitar cuts and fantastic bass work, just a bit more polished than earlier works off Is This It.  Julian has a great performance here, getting gruff and angry during the chorus.  In fact, this might go up the charts as one of the better tunes they’ve recorded, in one man’s opinion. Then, they recover back into mediocrity.

“Two Kinds of Happiness” is a cheesy little number, reminiscent of a band trying to break into the MTV culture of the 80s; it’s lacking creativity and sharpness, with Casablancas coming off as disinterested, more so than his usual stance. “You’re So Right” doesn’t do too much to change that, although the middling section is a lot more endearing than that buzzsaw guitar churn that serves as the backbone of the track.

Still, this album goes back and forth between being catchy and boring, which makes it a hard record to really get your head around. “Taken For a Fool” features Julian providing some charming vocals, and that bass line is something that they’ve always done well, so it’s no surprise it sounds so good here.  And the chorus of this track is probably one of the brightest moments present in all of Angles.  “Call Me Back” reminds me of the tracks off First Impressions of Earth that seemed more like a place for Julian to prove doubters wrong in regards to his voice, as it’s nothing more than an exercise for him, with the rest of the band just sort of standing in the background while he takes the lead.

Then comes a track like “Gratisfaction,” which definitely has a bit of swagger to it, something we all appreciated about the band, though it has a more modern pop twist. It will make you yearn for similar tracks, the kind that could have easily saved Angles, making it more than a sub-par effort. Toss that in with Angles’ closer, “Life is Simple in the Moonlight,” and you wonder if the band does indeed have more to offer us, as these are some of the better tracks on the collection.  The last track, especially, sounds like the band’s natural progression, something we might have been able to foresee after all this time.

You see, the problem with The Strokes is that a lot of us probably feel like have a lot invested in the band; we might even believe that it helped bring us back to rock n’ roll back in the early 2000s.  All of this makes it harder to digest Angles, as clearly there are some solid tracks, but overall, it just doesn’t live up to our expectations of what the band should sound like in our minds.  With that, many listeners will find themselves disenchanted, losing faith in the band that helped us believe all over again.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/01-Under-Cover-Of-Darkness.mp3]

The Dodos – No Color

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Rating: ★★★½☆

The Dodos are a long way from where they were musically in 2008. What started as a duo of percussive madness faded to a more reigned in, and slightly boring effort, on Time to Die. With such a distinct and limited amount of sound producible with only a few members in a band, it seems like the only direction that The Dodos could go with No Color is backwards.

This revert to their old style of barely controlled chaos starts from the beginning with “Black Night,” but it isn’t exactly as rough as songs like “Fools.” Logan Kroeber starts things off with his furious drumming as always, and you can feel that this sound will build up to something great when Meric Long steps in with his strong, yet tinted with a tiny shred of whine, vocals. This song starts the album out right; a step back from too much production, but not a setback in the quality of the song. They continue this walk down percussive and rhythmic lane for the first three songs, which takes up a large chunk of this simple nine-track album, which is definitely something that I wanted to see.

On “Sleep,” the presence of Neko Case is especially apparent; her simple role in background vocals alters the very nature of the song. She takes what would have been just an ordinary song from this group and adds the icing on the cake, if you will, making something already desirable and good into something grand. While I wouldn’t think that I would enjoy the song with a lot of instruments from this group, it works surprisingly well. Normally what seems most effective for The Dodos is simplicity, but on this pretty little number the layers of instruments, a bit more depth to the vocals with the addition of Neko, and the overall contrast in complexity makes this a sure standout track.

A little later comes “When Will You Go,” which feels more like a pop tune than that of their traditional tunes at first—the drums feel far away, while the guitar is precise and tight. There isn’t the general feeling of about to spin out of control, or that climactic ferocity, but it’s an interesting spin for the group. Yes, the drums and guitars kick up toward the end, but it’s still a good knock at a solid poppier sounding tune, if that’s where they were trying to go.

After “Don’t Stop,” rounds out No Color with some intricate drums and then a final resounding beat, you feel pretty satisfied. There are certainly some weak places here and there, but for the most part, The Dodos have managed to entertain once again with their zestful rambunctiousness.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong

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Rating: ★★★★☆

After the release of their highly acclaimed first album, and then the release of an intriguing and excellent EP shortly following, the whole of the indie music scene has been anxiously awaiting The Pains of Being Pure at Heart to grace their ears with more fuzzy pop tunes. But now that the wait is over, and this buzzband from 2009 is back with their sophomore effort, will it live up to the first?

Belong, starts off immediately different from its predecessor on the title track. You can feel a thicker buzz in the guitar, a grungier sounding bass and a less bubbly, groovier feel to the track right off the bat. It may feel a bit disappointing to some at first, who wonder where their fluffy twee pop sound went. However, after repeated listens, or even toward the end of the four-minute song, it is easy to see and admire the growth of the sound. If this band produced a record that sounded exactly like the first, it would be mediocre and the spontaneity of said excellent poppy tunes would be banal. Even though it is not a completely drastic change, it is certainly a step towards a mellower album.

Oh, but not to worry, the bounce from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is certainly not gone: the very next song, “Heaven’s Gonna Happen Now” kicks away the hazy start and busts in with the sweet pop goodness you’ve come to know so well. Rolling drums are accompanied by the vocals of Kip Berman and Peggy Wang that are sure to melt your heart into a dreamy puddle; the same goes for “Heart in Your Heartbreak.” While these are both classic moves from this band, the real superstar track comes your way on “The Body.” High synthesizer spins from the beginning and it is probably one of the hardest songs to not move your feet to. Kip’s lyrics are as earnest and catchy as ever, urging you to “tell [him] again what the body’s for!” It’s a dance jam of pure exuberance, ready made for any party, be it in your head or with actual people.

Belong continues on, going to similar places as the first album, with songs like “My Terrible Friend,” that resembles “This Love is F*****g Right!” However, it hasn’t become monotonous in the way that I thought this album might. The group has matured in that they wandered a little in places, keeping things fresh, but not so far that it is unrecognizable to listeners. This effort, while just not quite as good as the first release, is everything that I was looking for: the flair of youthful energy and springtime freshness paired with the feeling of a step towards a new direction that often follows these sentiments.

Wye Oak – Civilian

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Rating: ★★★★½

It seems like Merge Records can do no wrong as of recent, with stellar releases this year from names like Destroyer, Telekinesis and Apex Manor. So it is not a big surprise that this record is remarkable, well produced and enticing. Wye Oak has indubitably grown a great deal since their last release, and continue to amaze with how fulfilling their sound is for just a two member band.

Civilian is typical in that it has its immediate standouts, but unique in that after repeated listens, those that didn’t stand out before begin to emerge from the background, becoming new favorites. The opening track, “Two Small Deaths,” is one that grabs your attention upon the first listen. A bit of indiscernible chatter opens the song, giving that feeling of the moment before a show is about to start. It puts a bit of anxious-excitement about what is going to come after the chatter falls away, and Wye Oak certainly do not disappoint. Some simple feedback eases you in, and then the elegant and buttery vocals of Jenn Wasner hit you over the head, commanding your attention.  The track ebbs and flows between the swell of folk sound from the beautiful vocals and the shoe gaze guitars.

While the start to this album is certainly calm in it’s nature, it is by no means a template for the rest of the songs. On numbers like “Plains,” there are drastic build-ups to the powerful, vocal and instrumental, crescendos. It is here, along with the rest of the album, where the rich and strong vocals of Wasner are comparable to that of Victoria Legrand from Beach House. It’s so easy to get lost in the delicate, yet hurricane force strength of the vocals, but it’s not a feeling of misdirection. Instead, it’s the wonderful feeling of having nowhere to be, and getting lost leads you to something that you never would have found otherwise.

On the title track, “Civilian,” the song builds upon itself, layering the crispness of folk and the grit of the guitar. It grows and grows, and then hell breaks loose; all tension that has been built is suddenly released in a cathartic swell of squalling feedback. Elements of brilliance such as this are found all over Civilian, both in the attention grabbers and the slow burners. The prevalence of control and detail that Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner bring to their sound allows for them to push their boundaries, all while staying calculated. Sound like this merits multiple listens, and careful listens at that, or else you might miss a savory indie rock treat in this album.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/05-Civilian-1.mp3]

Download: Wye Oak – Civilian [MP3]

La Sera – s/t

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Rating: ★★★☆☆

Known for her bass playing in pop punk super star band Vivian Girls, Katy Goodman has been looking for side projects since spring of last year. She tried her ways under the moniker of All Saints Day, and even released a seven inch. However, it apparently didn’t stick, and Ms. Goodman moved onto her latest project. Enter: La Sera.

 Like Vivian Girls, La Sera has those cutting guitars and the presence of Goodman’s wispy vocals. However, while her voice takes a backseat on her full time band, it is the main element of distinction to this album. On “Beating Heart,” the opening song, her voice is layered upon itself to create echoed sugared oohs in the background. The clear guitar contrasts with this vocal quality, and builds up to the breaking point of the song. This is when the clarity of the guitar shifts muddier, wrapping up the bubbly lo-fi track before its close. Next is “Never Come Around,” one of the singles from the album. Some tambourine spices things up right off the bat, mixing effortlessly with sunny vocals and thus the airy yet viscous song—the norm for this album.

I think what makes this album decent is that Goodman knows her limitations; most of the songs barely reach two minutes, which sharpens the difference in between them, so that the listener doesn’t get caught up in the thick and sticky jangly songs that this album is chalked full of. In this way, the album is able to have those crests and troughs, all while staying close to that happy medium. It doesn’t become too complex for its own good and frankly none of the songs are what I would call bad or boring.

While its shortness is what makes La Sera, it also seems to be what breaks it. When reaching the end of this quick burst of energy album, it’s fairly easy to forget the latter part. The simplicity of the whole thing turns on itself, and suddenly it’s over, and you haven’t really been taken anywhere: like running on a treadmill. Slight fluctuations were present, the songs varied, but there was never that pop punk power punch that knocked your socks off and left you satisfied.

All in all, it’s still a pretty good way to spend thirty minutes of your life. Goodman hypnotizes you with her serene pop/lo-fi tunes, as any good jangly guitar album should.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/LS_DevilsHeartsGrowGold.mp3]

Download: La Sera – Devil’s Hearts Grow Gold [MP3]

Papercuts – Fading Parade

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Rating: ★★★★½

Jason Quever always seems busy, whether producing other people’s work, or writing his own tunes.  Regardless, it seems that everything he touches somehow finds its ways to my ears, eventually leading to massive amounts of pleasure.  On Fading Parade, his fourth record as Papercuts, that’s precisely what you’re going to get, endless spends of moving music that will never tire.

Something about the guitar line opening “Do You Really Want to Know” hinted at perhaps a more light-hearted Quever to open up this album, but as soon as those densely coated vocals entered the scene, I knew deep down that this was already going to be an exceptional listening experience.  The climbing guitar in the background, those precision drumming moments, all lead you towards blissful listening.  “Do What You Will” brings in the same sentiment, especially as Jason’s voice soars during the chorus, though that breathy quality he has for the duration of the song really gets to me.  Going two for two isn’t a bad way to begin Fading Parade.

It’s when you hit the third track, “I’ll See You Later I Guess” that the newest Papercuts release really began to sink in, emotionally seeking.  This tracks a slow-burner, similar to the work of a band like The New Year, yet as always, the production coats it in that heavy bit of fog, giving it a quality that seems to speak to you from the beyond.  Yet this isn’t the only track you’ll find on here that’s going to really move you, if you’re into a headphones listening experience.  “The Messenger” is perhaps one of the best songs Quever has written to date.  Slowly the song creeps forward, suddenly offering up a bit of unsteady vocals, before returning to the quiet mood.  Beware, these songs are begging you to listen again and again.

Tracks such as the aforementioned “The Messenger” offer a slight alteration in the overall sound of your everyday Papercuts recording.  Take for instance, “Winter Daze,” which gently tip-toes along with down-trodden piano.  Sure, that effortlessly warm pop element you’ve found is definitely a staple in Quever’s repertoire, but there’s new territory being explored, structurally especially.  In the past Jason’s possibly rushed forth with the unfolding of melodies in his tracks, but instead he barely lets the melody escape on this number, which makes it all the more powerful.  It’s the same sort of technique you find on album closer “Charades,” another track that gradually relinquishes its hold on melody and ecstasy.

Long have I been a fan of Jason Quever, and the more work he produces, the more I’m amazed at his gifts as a songwriter. Fading Parade shows him in complete control of every aspect he’s worked on since his debut, Mockingbird.  It’s not like he’s really put out a single bad record, but something about the latest bit from Papercuts shows him creating art above and beyond what I would expect.  This is not a dialed-in record; this is a record of great craftsmanship, and one you should all go enjoy now.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Papercuts_-_Do_What_You_Will.mp3]

Download: The Papercuts – Do What You Will [MP3]

Cult of Youth – s/t

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Rating: ★★★½☆

The minute we heard “New West,” the first single from the self-titled album from Cult of Youth, I’ll admit that I was more than intrigued.  It’s got a bit of a old barroom punk rock ethos, yet the more I listened to the track, the more I discovered about the band and their sound.  Sneaky strings lurked in the background, and that dirty bass line never ceased to grab me.  Dirty alcoholic punk mixed with strings you say? Yes, I do, and oh so much more.

Kicking off the record is “New West,” the aforementioned track that really piqued my interest.  Sean Ragon’s desperate growling vocals evokes a bit of spirit I long thought had disappeared. Despite the song’s desire to have this layer of grit, there’s still an uncanny beauty from the guitar parts matched with the related string instruments.  It’s quite a special track.  From here, the band really sort of keeps pace with this sort of shantie-like track, as if the band’s leading you to sea with their brash blend of folk and punk ethos.

Track four, “Casting Thorns” is when the band begins to alter the sound, creating a space for the string arrangements to really shine in the forefront.  Ragon doesn’t have the same raspy vocals, seeming more calm here as he strums the guitar.  But, there’s still a level of darkness that underlies the track, giving a bit of an angrier tint to the traditionally folk sounds apparent here. It’s this sort of change that leaves the band sort of stuck in the middle of their own sound, which has both positive and negative attributes.  “Through the Fear” even introduces a bit of horns, making the band sound increasingly dynamic.  It’s good to see that the band evolves beyond the sound that I originally noted them for upon my introduction to the group.

The latter half of the album does tire a bit, though there are some exceptional tracks hiding here. “Lorelei” has a great strummed guitar driving the song along, and Ragon’s baritone sounds incredibly haunting here, but in a manner that makes you appreciate a good spirit watching over you.  It’s the most unassuming track of this collection, and perhaps that’s why it’s so successful, or that it precedes the one misstep the band makes, that being the seven-minute sleeper, “The Lamb.”  Okay, so there are some musical elements here that are to most people’s liking, but the song could have been wrapped up much quicker, as it seemed to carry on perhaps beyond its welcome point.

All in all, Cult of Youth has done a great job with this self-titled effort, offering new fans a hint at what they’re all about, but leaving plenty of room for growth and directional jaunts in the future.  You have to appreciate a band that’s not dying to get tied down in one place, and with the diversity of this record, who knows where they’ll go, but I’m sure it will be good.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Cult-Of-Youth-New-West.mp3]

Download: Cult Of Youth – New West [MP3]

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