Grizzly Bear, Vekatimist – Part II of MMC donations to the charity of my music library. OK, I get it. I get that this is an important album. If Animal Collective hadn’t ruined everyone’s year, Grizzly would have stolen top spot. The composition is there. The lyrics are good. The vocals are impeccable. But I can’t (try as I might) fall in love with this album. I’ve been racking my brain as to why this doesn’t work for me to no avail. I’ve put it on repeat for the last 48 hours and still no lightning rod moment of clarity has come. I think this is the beauty and curse of music. Even when you know that the technical brilliance is there, it’s simply a personal matter of taste. I would never discourage anyone from not getting this album (if you were hoping Fleet Foxes would muscle up and start eating meat, you will surely be happy with Vekatimist) but I can’t give a solid case for loving it. There will be many others to do this in the coming weeks, so I will leave my lukewarm regard at this. But wait. One last quick dig. You know, I think I prefer Menomena to this stuff. It’s weird and schizophrenic, but it was polarizing. I guess my intuition was right way back then.
Posts Tagged New Issue
New Issue: Grizzly Bear
Dec 13
New Issue: Royksopp
Dec 7
Royksopp, Junior – This is why long distance relationships work. Yet another golden recommendation from the MMC (much love to Mike B in particular) that has stayed with me for months. Sidenote – if you are inclined to pay attention to my ramblings, you will soon see a flurry of reviews from the 2009 bounty of albums sent with love from Minneapolis (or Philly, Berkeley, and anywhere else our association has expanded to).
For those of you who are joining in because of my Amoeba patronization proclamation, this is not one of the new ones. Rather, it is old enough to be a treasure for 2009. It’s up there with Karen O’s comeback as well used within my personal stables of good music for the year. Maybe more so than others. Why? Well,
- This is my year of the dance music revival. All I’ve been listening to as of late has been uptempo movers. I guess this is my way of handling a down economy.
- I told you about my love affair with Sweden and pop, right? Just checking. Oh wait, they’re from Iceland. Same difference. And Robyn’s track is killer.
- I needed it. I needed this. I needed something so deftly genre trouncing yet familiar that would move me in ways unexplainable and yet be easy enough to put on when I feel a Taebo workout is in order (you know you still have a tape sitting around. Don’t lie. Dude sold over a billion tapes. Check your old book bag.)
A lot of this preamble is to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this album. Much like Basement Jaxx, Royksopp seem to find an elusive happy medium between pure dance/electronic music and pop that finds a new way of expressing a point of view that you didn’t know you wanted but can’t let go. Their choice of vocalists are always spot on. Maybe I’m very aware of this since I spent the weekend testing out Tiesto’s latest creation. Now, there really isn’t much room for comparison but I did find that as a whole, I appreciated Junior‘s attention to detail over the bombastic nature of anthemic dance. You know, you don’t always have to be in a club or at the gym to want good synths. Moreover, you can squeeze someone genuine songwriting in over looped drums if you try hard enough. Now, not all songs live up to this muster, but what effort was used I appreciated. They sold this dream world and I bought it. Sometimes this dream world was a nasty one (Robots do hurt) and that sealed the album’s validity. Utterly listenable and undated.
And to top it off, they have a sense of humor.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs,It’s Blitz! - I KNOW! How many years ago did I get this album? Less than one, I promise you. As most music reports are readying their best of lists, I’m still working on getting out reviews from early releases from 2009. At least I’m not as bad as last year. Anywho, I am particularly satisfied by the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s re-emergence as the crowned leaders of rock. I really did underestimate Karen O. A superstar in all facets – boundless energy matched with striking lyrics and timely subtleties. Not only are their live performance unbeatable by most standards, they still manage to crank out excitement on an album. Gone is the Fever to Tell garage aesthetic – rough cuts, rapid fire rhythms and a whole bucket of angst (x “Maps”). Bring on danceable rock, but not in a fleeting Franz Ferdinand way (I still have love for “Take Me Out”, don’t worry). “Zero”, one of the best singles of 2009 ,is full on pop, but so much better. Karen O has a way of taking the most mundane melody (which “Zero” is NOT) and making it sublime with her fierce, raw phrasing. You rarely see this strength in a female singer which makes her stand out that much more. Sidenote – You know, it’s kind of nice being a woman sometimes. I don’t think this album could really work with any other way. If only there were more female lead singers I could mention…
The album does not let down after “Zero”. It covers a surprisingly large range of genre and texture within 10 songs. Fascinating, if not admirable. It proves that age and greater production skills do not always diminish energy from a proven artist.
Also, did you check out the cover art? I mean, this is why CDs still exist, right?!
New Issue: Lady Gaga
May 27
Lady Gaga, The Fame – Yeah. You are seeing this correctly. Even I have to give it up for Yonkers. Gaga is taking over the world little by little. And you know what? I don’t actually mind. I mean, she’s not artist-of-the-decade material. But I cherish her showmanship. Plus I can’t wear unitards and admire anyone who chooses to solely wear them.
Is it bad that I thought she was Swedish for the longest? I’ve been known to enjoy Swedish pop and well, who else would spawn a Lady Gaga? And the lyrics ( “Let’s have some fun/This beat is sick/I wanna take a ride on your disco stick”)? Did I mention she only wears unitards? If that doesn’t scream Norse, what does? Even if she is American (and from New Jersey), she definitely has her own aesthetic as an electro/dance siren. Now, this aesthetic gets a bit tired for an entire album. But for those first 5 or 6 songs, it’s entirely listenable. And if you happen to be at the gym or say running 26.2 miles for the fun of it, sometimes you can use a helpful 14 song dose of club reality.
Go ahead, give “Womanizer” a run for its money. But feel free to skip “Just Dance” as we’ve all heard quite enough.
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – Has it been two months already? Well, there is no excuse. Especially since I’ve had at least 5 posts sitting in my queue with at least 5 more albums to review. What can I say? Life has been..life. But I still do care. And I’m still listening to music (and seeing shows – thank you Bimbo’s). And now summer is upon me with my myriad periods of vacating. Thus, I better put SOMETHING on this blog or all may be lost. So here, a remnant from the not so distant past. Complete with the header sentence and I had pretyped.
You should get an award for just typing the name of the band and the album. Remember the Cure? Yeah, we ALL do. And yet TPOBPAH try to slip one on us here in the first decade of the new millenium. Admittedly, some of us were fooled, especially since so many artists are gently stealing from the late ’80s/early 90s and repurposing as “the future” (Kanye, please, the robotic singing, skinny jeans, and flat top hair style is not genius. You can find most of these elements in a good Cosby Show episode. I recommend the seasons with Lisa Bonet). But their sound is consise enough to find little room for mistake for futuristic progression. Rather, it delves into a bit of mimcry that is tough for me to digest.Enjoyable? Mostly. Pushing any new boundaries? Hardly. I guess that’s why it’s so painful to be this pure.
New Issue: Dr. Dog
Mar 11
Dr. Dog, Fate – Screw the ’60s. The ’70s are back. I know, I just got off of my Animal Collective raving and now I want to put it all behind me for an MD of canines? Hold up a second. This whole animal band name project is starting to gain some momentum. But inevitably I will have to run into a band that is just a dog (bad pun very much intended). Alas, that day has not come and Dr. Dog is opening up a new decade of retro references. Sure, you’ve probably heard ” The Old Days” and couldn’t stop humming along. But maybe a one hit wonder? Nope. All goodness, if a little too sweet at times. I’m still amazed that so many young artists are able to tap into the sounds and recording styles of later eras without sounding trite or shallow. Dr. Dog, much like Fleet Foxes, are able to tap into the layered vocals and melodies of their ’70s influences, yet remain novel in songwriting. Some songs are a little too Paul McCartney a la Wings for me – piano driven classic rock all wrapped up in a big smile – but all in all, I like taking a break from the break-neck pace of the new millennium to sample a throwback ’70s attitude. Please do too!
New Issue: N.A.S.A
Feb 28
N.A.S.A, The Spirit of Apollo – How the hype can turn on you so quickly… Pitchfork almost made this band a national name before the album release and then slag them with a disastrous review of the full length. How fickle indie rock bloggers have become. Me, I just stuck with it, kept my mind open and gave the album a spin. And (not so) surprisingly, I disagree with the indie music critical royalty. Not only did I find this album enjoyable, I would easily recommend it as a classic. Of sorts. If you are looking for a collaboration heavy record that is somewhat conscious, somewhat mainstream, and very listenable/party ready, get this album. I first listened to Apollo while running and almost ran an extra 3 miles to make it through the entire album. Very engaging, fun, and big. While others found the collaborations to be heavy handed, I just found it compelling. A killer Tom Waits vocal performance on “Spacious Thoughts” is my personal favorite among the juxtaposed hip hop to rock to indie pop pairings. The concept (North America, South America) is a little hokey and the intro and outro could easily have been excluded. But the main content was extremely enjoyable. Just because it is accessibly does not make it awful, people. Name dropping collaborations are somewhat shameless but can also yield quality. I found The Spirit of Apollo a delightful hip hop treat. So Don’t Believe The (Pitchfork) Hype!
New Issue: Animal Collective
Feb 28
Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion – Ah ha! I am finally attempting to master animal themed bands. Well, really I was a fan of Panda Bear and he happens to like other mammals, so why not give his crew a try? I was really thinking I couldn’t bear the hippiness and jam bandness of Animal Collective. But how wrong I could be. I LOVE this album! How did this happen? Who am I? Where did all of these musical taste changes come from? I’m slightly terrified that Merriweather makes so much sense to me. But that thought is fleeting as I listen to this album more and more. The perfect blend of experimentation, vocal layering, and pop sensibility to provide an accurate allusion to the ’60s. Yet it speaks so clearly of the future. Maybe this is where Americans can embrace electronic music. You can dive into the lyrics or let the sounds swirl in your head and still get a great sense of pleasure from this album. And each song has a clear ending (how rationale 
. Alas, I will have to give in to these animal cravings more often if this is the outcome.
New Issue: Atmosphere
Feb 26
Atmosphere, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold – Last one of the forgotten 2008 picks. I promise. Plus I have a few from ’09 that are already classics. Nevertheless, Atmosphere’s latest release is a pleasant reminder of why I like Minneapolis and how crazy the cold will make you.
Atmosphere has steadily released a litany of emo hip-hop that has found a distinctive following not only from Minneapolis underground fans but also hip hop snobs around the world that are tired of “money, girls and bling” rhymes. Myself included. Instead, we tend to gravitate towards the “my life is falling apart and I can’t pick up the pieces” effect of Slug and Ant’s timeless melancholy. When they hurt, I hurt. Somewhat. Usually they add a hint of aggression or (God help them) happiness to temper the overall negativity which makes a whole album of vice, addiction and loss tolerable when not in a deep depression. However, Lemons has less of this levity and suffers from it. Sonically, it is a beautiful work. The production is thoughtful, cohesive. Lyrically, the skill is still there – maybe a bit redundant after 6 albums but I still get sucked in. What I have a hard time with is the lack of… you know…fun. It doesn’t have to be bubbly (even Portishead put in a ukelele song) and you don’t have to sell out to a collaboration . But there has to be SOME hope involved. There needs to be scale to the heaviness presented to really appreciate its weight. Still, I give them thumbs up for another easy on the ears story rap album full of thought provoking rhymes. Maybe an ice cream cone from Sebastian Joe’s or a banana split from Town Talk will cheer you up, Slug.
New Issue: Portishead
Feb 25
Portishead, Third – Slowly coming to grips with my mismanagement of an entire year’s worth of music. This may be the worst example of dragged feet so far. So, I can pretty much quote anything off of Dummy and have been waiting patiently these 11 years for the return of Beth Gibbons’ haunting croons. And yet I STILL slept on this until early 2009. Please, someone put me out of my misery and shame. I think there is only one more of these “where was Addie been hiding in 2008″ albums left…
After reviewing the general critical consensus (positive of course) surrounding this album, I’m shocked that not a touch of this album made a dent in Grammy recognition. True, the Grammy’s very rarely reflect critical praise – much of the ceremony is heading closer to a People’s Choice Award than to the Mercury Prize – but they did concede mentions and awards to smaller projects. Well, smaller than the monstrocity that was The Carter III. Not to say that I don’t value Lil Wayne. But it is a bit tiring to have one artist so overexposed in one year. Digression aside, I thought there was room to add a dark, expressive and utterly complete album to the list of phenomenal recordings in 2008. In almost every aspect, Third delivers compitent, insightful and mind blowing songs that do not seem to lose their luster. Once more, the album sucks you into this dark, anxiety ridden landscape that is almost unbearable but too hard to turn from. I’ve listened to this album at work. Not exactly an uplifting anthemic piece of work. But I love getting lost in the heaviness and drowning out any thoughts of reality with the rhythms. Furthermore, I will never get over Beth’s voice. No one expresses longing and pent up frustration quite like her quiver and crackle. It always sounds like she will break at any moment. And she milks it for all it’s worth. She has perfected pentinance and I, for one, am glad to hear it.
This would have been an easy choice for my Top Drop of 2008 had I paid attention. A true warning shot that overlooked music is a horrible thing to waste.
Get Me Bodied by Beyoncé