Dirty on Purpose - Hallelujah Sirens

Dirty on Purpose
Hallelujah Sirens
North Street Records
Grade: A-

Soon after getting this debut album from Brooklyn’s Dirty on Purpose, I was in Chapel Hill for vaca and managed to catch the band with a short show. A litany of consequences led to this visual, which takes to long to explain, but what I took away from the show was two things: these guys are really good and the main lead singer Joseph Jurewicz soft vocals needed a little enlivening live. And these two main images are immediately played out on the opener “No Radio” and sets the tone for the following ten songs of soft space-rock that cross a wide range of influences. Jurewicz (also on guitar) is joined on Hallelujah Sirens by drummer/vocalist Doug Marvin, guitarist/vocalist, and DJ Boudreau on bass. By now, several months after the record’s release, you have probably run into one of Dirty on Purpose’s songs without knowing it. Foremost and most likely, is “Light Pollution” with its U2-like guitars (or for that matter Explosions-like guitars), harmonies and matching vocal play; the type of song that gets stuck in your cranium for days. Just hit repeat on “Light Pollution” to allow enough time for the song to settle in forever. But, it is not as if Dirty on Purpose only have one magic pony under their belt. Besides from “No Radio” and “Light Pollution,” “Your Summer Dress,” “Car No Driver,” and “Marfa Lights” fill you belly with glee. When you see Dirty on Purpose live forget about stage presence and just focus on the music.

Bury Your Dead - Beauty and the Breakdown

Bury Your Dead
Beauty and the Breakdown
Victory Records
Grade: A-

A good natured band wrapped in thumping terror that would terrorize the terrorists, and most any populous, Bury Your Dead unleash their heaviest and hardest record on their second full-length for Victory. In the world of heavy, tough-guy hardcore, Bury Your Dead have that certain something special that’s difficult to define but instantly recognizable when comparing movements to contemporaries.

On 2004’s excellent Cover Your Tracks, the Massachusetts’ five-piece named songs after Tom Cruise movies; a rather odd event though it didn’t distract from the brain-rattling attack. This time vocalist Mat Bruso, guitarists Slim and Eric Ellis, drummer Mark Castillo, and bassist Bubble, uses fairy tales for song titles such as “House of Straw,” “Mirror, Mirror…,” and “The Poison Apple.” Yet, Beauty and the Breakdown is not recommended for kids; unless their parents have tattoos on their necks and ubiquitous spider webs on elbows. Recorded in Florida at Audiohammer Studios with Jason Suecof, Bury Your Dead seem to have picked up on the heavier metal side of the game while in the peninsula of utmost metal affection. Whatever the reason for the shift to a more metal side of the core, the results are superb across the record’s eleven songs.

Beauty and the Breakdown begins on “House of Straw” with background shouting before merging into the hard throwdown riffs and beats that will follow through the rest of the record; which establishes Bury Your Dead as torchbearers to Hatebreed. One of the nice twists on “House of Straw” are the Snapcase-like guitars on the bridge, giving the song a stronger foundation. Bruso slams the line “take it back” into your throat as “A Glass Slipper” begins and soon verges into a non-ordinary sequence of segments illustrating the band’s talents. A compelling guitar riff/effect opens and rides the bottom of the terrific “The Poison Apple,” helping to add a slight melodic angle. The short “Twelfth Stroke of Midnight” is rather average tough guy by BYD standards, while “Trail of Crumbs” is also marginally forgettable. Looking for a way out and you come into contact with the machine gun guitars and super double-bass of “A Wishing Well” and “Let Down Your Hair.” The guitars, as both heavy chorus riff and more melodic chorus, lead the charge on “Mirror, Mirror…,” as the song devolves into a sort of odd electronic background breakdown before a final assault. Undertoned guitars begin “Second Star to the Right” while the chorus follows more old school hardcore shouting than a majority of the record’s tough guy presence. After the short instrumental noise on “The Enchanted Rose,” Beauty and the Breakdown ends on “House of Brick” and follows BYD’s m.o. but falls short of providing a final fireworks extravaganza.

Beauty and the Breakdown is certainly frontloaded with stand out tracks, but the rest of the record holds promise for your ears. More importantly, you can easily trace out a musical progression in Bury Your Dead; and a progression that you don’t regret. One fully expects Victory to use one of the songs on Beauty and the Breakdown for the annual moshing/hardcore Santa videos.

Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players - Off & On Broadway

Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
Off & On Broadway
Sarathan Records
Grade: A-

Since it is difficult to capture what the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players are all about simply on a CD, the Family and Sarathan offer the DVD Off & On Broadway that combines basically everything you want to know about the Family. This includes the history of the band, different musicians, writers and actors discussing the relevance of the band, assorted Family moments mostly in NYC, and of course a partially contrived live show that runs throughout the DVD. Before you run out for the DVD and for those unfamiliar with TFSP, the dad sings and plays keyboards/guitars, the young daughter Rachel plays drums and sings, while the mother Tina Pina clicks through slides from the 1950s-1970s. The songs are written around the slides to tell varying stories all with political and social commentary plugged right in. As the TFSP describe themselves on their website – “[we] are an indie-vaudeville conceptual art-rock pop band. We take vintage slide collections that have been found at estate sales, garage sales, thrift stores, etc., and turn the lives of anonymous strangers into pop-rock musical exposes based on the contents of these slide collections.” The songs that the Family play on the DVD include favorites “Mountain Trip to Japan, 1959,” “Look at Me,” “Wendy’s, Sambo’s, and Long John Silver’s,” “Don’t You Know What I Mean?,” “World’s Best Friend,” “Together As a System We Are Unbeatable,” and “Middle America.” Folks that discuss the band include are David Cross, Heather Mansfield, Nellie McKay, Regina Spektor, and Eugene Mirman. Unlike many DVDs, the bonus section on Off & On Broadway is actually quite delightful. The section includes videos for “Mt. Trip” and “Eggs,” oddly other songs from the show that aren’t in the main section including “What Will the Corporation Do?,” “Let’s Not Have the Same Weight in 1978,” “Why Did We Decide to Take this Decision to You?,” all from the 1977 OPNAD report, and the bit on “Super D.” The bonus section ends with the Family buying a bootleg of the DVD in NYC (before the show was filmed, ha ha). This is definitely a DVD worth the price!

Silverstein - 18 Candles: The Early Years

Silverstein
18 Candles: The Early Years
Victory Records
Grade: A-

Like Victory’s reissue of early Junior Varsity, this reissue of Silverstein’s early material is fascinatingly good; so much better than recent material. 18 Candles: The Early Years consists of the Burlington, ON group’s first two EPs, 2000’s Summers Stellar Gaze and 2002’s When the Shadows Beam, along with a set of bonus live tracks. The reason why the songs off these two EPs are preferred over last year’s Discovering the Waterfront is simply that, here, Silverstein demonstrates their energy and indie punk prowess. From 2000 and 2002, this Silverstein has a parallel sound to early Get Up Kids with similar guitar movements, ranging vocal intensity, and a raw recording that only adds to the level of enjoyability. I’ll take this over any smoothly produced indie punk record anytime. When the Shadows Beam is slightly better recorded than Summers Stellar Gaze, and the band repeats the songs “Waiting Four Years” and “Wish I Could Forget You” which is rather annoying, but it still has that feel. Songs to pay attention to include “Waiting Four Years” (the first version), “Wish I Could Forget You” (again, the first version), “Friends in Fall River,” “Red Light Pledge,” and “Dawn of the Fall.” The live tracks include acoustic versions of “My Heroine” and “Call It Karma,” along with “Discovering the Waterfront,” “Defend You,” and “Bleeds No More” (with WiL from Aiden). These live tracks are for hardcore fans of Silverstein only. 18 Candles closes on a cool, ambient remix of “Smile in Your Sleep” by A Crude Mechanical (aka, Alan Szymkowiak). Regardless of your current stance toward Silverstein, 18 Candles: The Early Years will turn/keep it to the positive.

Guster - Ganging Up On the Sun

Guster
Ganging Up On the Sun
Reprise Records
Grade: A-

Guster may be one of the best bands that you sort of heard of. On their fifth album, their first coming 1994, the four-piece offer an exceedingly tight version of jangly indie rock glazed over with 60s and 70s warm sunshine pop. It is hard not to like this combination. And unlike thousands of bands that go for the warm, lived in feel of pop rock Guster actually have the skill and talent to pull it off, as most uniquely demonstrated on the piano-drenched “Manifest Destiny.” Thank God, because for a while you’d think this sound was dead with all the wannabes. Part of the appeal from the twelve songs on Ganging Up On the Sun is that each is slightly different from the next, keeping you interested throughout. There are rockers including “One Man Wrecking Machine,” “The New Underground,” and “The Beginning of the End;” there are softer numbers like the opener “Lightning Rod,” the lengthy “Ruby Falls,” and “Empire State;” as well as the feel-good sounds highlighted by “Satellite,” “Manifest Destiny,” the banjo picking on the grand “The Captain,” and the closer “Hang On.” Guster’s Ganging Up On the Sun is definitely one of the most pleasant surprises of the year.

Eluvium - When I Live by the Garden and Sea

Eluvium
When I Live by the Garden and the Sea
Temporary Residence Ltd.
Grade: A-

On his fourth release, Matthew Cooper (aka Eluvium) expands on his ambient soundscapes from Talk Amongst the Trees, and in the process offers one of the more beautiful instrumental records of the year. Though only four songs, the EP clocks in at twenty-two minutes – a length still able to satisfy your ambient needs. Progressing on electronics and piano, Cooper continues the ebb and flow moods on the opener “I Will Not Forget That I Have Forgotten” and “All the Sails,” as well as the slightly more aggressive and distorted “As I Drift Off,” ending the EP with the signature Eluvium sound on the title track. If you’ve enjoyed past Eluvium releases or instrumental ambient music in general, When I Live EP will fit nicely in your musical den.

Atone - Un An

Atone
Un An
Autres Directions in Music
Grade: A-

This lovely, ambient record comes from the busy hands of one Antoine Monzonis-Calvert, aka Atone. Following up Atone’s 2004 EP Un Jour (A Day), Un An (A Year) is a wind-swept cross-section of electronic minimalist moods. Though this can sound pretentious and esoteric quickly, the twelve-songs keep in close range of the ordinary listener particularly with the use of the accordion, drum beats, atmospherics, soft vocals, and piano. And, Atone uses this array of sounds and instruments to bring a beat to hovering soundscapes or a touch of xanax to stronger movements. If you are engendering a piece for mellowing out in your skytop city apartment after a long day then Atone’s Un An is perfect.

The Decemberists - The Crane Wife

The Decemberists
The Crane Wife
Capitol Records
Grade: A

With an air of great commotion surrounding the release, the Decemberists’ latest effort The Crane Wife is simply spectacular. Here, the Decemberists have offered one of the most brilliant literary theatrical indie rock records in the past decade. Think of the Decemberists’ past records as a warm up for The Crane Wife.

More than a few people were concerned about the effect of signing with Capitol would have on the music of the Decemberists. Would it turn the story-driven, picture-painting words of Colin Meloy and music of the band into something more commercially viable (at least in the eyes of record execs)? Would the band be exploited and then subsequently dropped for not going platinum? We don’t know the answer to the last question, but the former question is clearly answered on the Crane Wife. The ten songs are not designed to whet the appetites of the average, top-forty radio music fan; yet that doesn’t temper their appeal. (It’s also difficult to appease the radio programmers with thirteen-minute songs (e.g., “The Island:…”), even if radio’s influence is slipping.) Instead, the songs follow a clear evolution of the band’s past material without missing a beat.

Once again joining Meloy for the journey into uncharted lyrical and musical waters are Nate Query (bass, assorted instruments), Jenny Conlee (organ, piano, assorted), Chris Funk (guitar, assorted), and John Moen (drums). With Chris Walla (Death Cab) and Tucker Martine helping to record and produce the record in the band’s hometown of Portland, Meloy sought out to craft the folk story of the Crane Wife. The concept of the record begins with Meloy coming across the Japanese folk story of the Crane Wife in the children’s section of a bookstore a while back. As the story and concept churned in his thoughts for a few years, Meloy understood to bring it to life would require additional parts and stories. And thus, the Crane Wife is not exactly a concept album around the original folk story, but more like a record generated and motivated by the folk story.

Admittedly, you need to be in the mood to first encounter the Decemberists’ thick, intricate storytelling often set with nineteenth-century British undertones. It is difficult to just walk in impatiently, because you’ll quickly pull away missing the appeal. Yet, if you set your feet and give it an honest listen, you’ll catch the fire and soon become a devotee.

And this is the mindset as the Crane Wife opens on “The Crane Wife 3,” the first of two other ‘Crane Wife’ bits. Beginning with Meloy and an acoustic guitar, the rest of the band joins about a minute in and launches into the chorus “And I Will Hang My Head Low.” “The Crane Wife 3” is a wise move to introduce you to the record and provides an accurate rendering of the forthcoming musical atmosphere. The aforementioned “The Island” follows and is comprised of three sections “Come and See,” “The Landlord’s Daughter,” and “You’ll Not Feel the Drowning.” “The Island” opens on a lengthy Pink Floyd-like moderate instrumental rock section before getting into the tale of abduction in “Come and See.” Though you’ve already heard some of Meloy’s lyrical enticements, “Come and See” is really the first site of his literary verboseness with lines like “Affix your barb and bayonet/The curlews carve their arabesques.” Those familiar with the Decemberists might foresee that a section called “The Landlord’s Daughter” might be about rape (or murder or unrequited love). The short “The Landlord’s Daughter” moves at quick tempo as an organ and acoustic guitars lead the way. The triumvirate of sections closes with the darker “You’ll Not Feel the Drowning,” clearly about murder with lines like “I will dress your eyelids/W’ dimes upon your eyes.” The Decemberists bring you back to the more traditional song structure with exceptional “Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then).” Laura Veirs joins Meloy on back-and-forth vocals about a dying Confederate soldier and his lady back home (think Cold Mountain without Inman coming home). “O Valencia!” serves as the Crane Wife’s most obvious single or emphasis track with uptempo rhythms and a slight catchiness. “The Perfect Crime #2” has the oddest music you’d probably ever expect to hear from the Decemberists. The riff is somewhere between bad 80s pop rock and slightly cool 80s U2, and Meloy accentuates this feeling with his inflection on the chorus. Probably the most musically average track on the record is “When the War Came,” where the only memorable part is the lyrical repetition of my hometown. This followed by the heavily downtrodden and sinister “Shankill Butchers,” a story about the Protestant group of killers in Belfast, Northern Ireland who targeted Catholics at night. Refixing the musical mood to the 80s pop rock is “Summersong” with soft ‘bop-bop bops’ in the background. One of the crown jewels on the Crane Wife comes from the other lengthy masterpiece, the eleven-minute “The Crane Wife 1 & 2.” Flattening the opener, “The Crane Wife 1 & 2” is blessed with parallels to the best in Belle & Sebastian without the British accent. The parallels come thanks to an acoustic guitar riff of quick tapping fingers, vocal cadence, and a simple, light beat. As the song grows more intense and begins to crescendo you get chills, and are thankful that the Decemberists exist. The cut-point literally comes halfway through (5:30) as they transition to part 2, which subsists on mellower moods for several minutes before a glorious ending of Meloy stretching the last word “Heart.” Easily “The Crane Wife 1 & 2” would make a terrific ending to the record, but the Decemberists push on to one more song, “Sons & Daughters,” and they may have chosen wisely. Allowing the music to flow seamlessly, you get trapped and attached most strongly to the first lines “When we arrive, sons and daughters/We’ll make our homes on the water/We’ll build our walls of aluminum/We’ll fill our mouths with cinnamon,” which serve as a several iteration, overlapping coda. Yet, possibly the true exclamation point to the “Sons & Daughters,” and the record in general, is Meloy leading a group singing “Hear all the bombs, they fade away” at the close.

In nearly all avenues, The Crane Wife triumphs over past Decemberists’ material and hopefully illustrates the evolution in the band’s future releases. If the Decemberists are ever received on a wide scale, future scholars will likely dissect Meloy’s lyrics and moods like current Dylanologists. In the meantime, get ahead of the curve and get one of the most richly conceived and critical records of the year in The Crane Wife.

U2 - 18 Singles

U2
18 Singles
Universal Island Records/Interscope
Grade: A

Two words aptly describe both this record and its release timing: stocking stuffer. And for those who are U2 fans but may only have a couple of records, this collection of 18 singles serves an excellent purpose in that role. For the more involved U2 fans, the record only includes two songs that have not been released on previous records: the Green Day collaboration “The Saints Are Coming” and “Window in the Skies.” The “Saints Are Coming” has been put out through the usual single avenues (e.g., iTunes), and as has been extensively reported, all proceeds of the song go to the Edge’s Music Rising charity to help New Orleans’ musicians. The other sixteen singles span U2’s career from “New Year’s Day” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday” off of War to “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” from How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. More or less a best-of, 18 Singles includes nearly every U2 song that has the power to get you going in the morning. Two surprising facts emerge from the liner notes and information. First, few of the singles were released as such in the U.S., while they were always released as single in the UK (with the exception of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” which was only released in continental Europe as a single). Second, U2 for all of their success only have a few #1 singles including “Beautiful Day” (UK), “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (US), “Vertigo” (UK), and “Desire” (UK). This is more than most, but fewer than expected. Indeed an excellent collection of songs, but you may already own all of the songs.

Teeth of the Hydra - Greenland

Teeth of the Hydra
Greenland
Tee Pee Records
Grade: A-

With their evocative name, Teeth of the Hydra would have you believe that they are undead skeleton warriors sent from the underworld (or Columbus, OH) to rock you out with their self-described “1970s black metal”. While their indebtedness to bands like the Melvins and Celtic Frost are obvious, it is also no detriment to the band’s label debut. Greenland is a loose concept album with songs about a man who “falls through a crevice on a fishing trip” (Sawing Through the Ice) and a man who is sentenced to work in a nuclear facility (The Garden of Rotting Teeth). But back-stories aside, what makes the album work is that it is visceral and unadulterated in its musical approach. The guitars are raw and unaffected, the bass growls and the drums pummel. Album highlights are “Nine Heads” which culminates in a series of syncopated start-stops punctuated with microphone feedback followed by “Eruptin’”, which has a truly wicked (in a Tony Iommi/Buzz Osborne kind of way) guitar line that morphs from foreboding Sabbath to waves of sonic destruction.

Mono & World’s End Girlfriend - Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain

Mono & World’s End Girlfriend
Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain
Temporary Residence Ltd.
Grade: A-/A

Unlike Mono’s oft movements to heavy sections blistering the past ten minutes of soft soundscapes, their collaboration with modern electronic composer World’s End Girlfriend on the five-track Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain goes for velvet moods of emotion without raising the noise level. Recorded at various studios in Japan, Mono began working with WEG around the time of their recording You Are There in Tokyo. The moods on the album range from gloomy, heavy weight upon your shoulders on “Part One” to a hint of Charlotte’s Web theme music on “Part Two” to the more triumphant crescendos on “Part Three” (the highlight of the record). After the oddly pop “Part Four,” Mono and WEG close the record using a stronger ‘rock’ band sound before fluttering at the very end. Compared to past material, Mono and WEG rely on more strings and even a further nod towards classical and neoclassical music. Count it as a blessing that Mono has provided two excellent calming and mellowing records in 2006.

The Melvins - [A] Senile Animal

The Melvins
[A] Senile Animal
Ipecac Records
Grade: A-

On their eighth full-length release for Ipecac, drummer Coady Williams and bassist Jared Warren of Big Business join Buzz and Dale. What a difference a second drummer makes! But seriously, Senile Animal is the most invigorated and focused this band has been since the classic albums Stoner Witch and Houdini, and the new personnel serve as an obvious catalyst. Songs such as “Blood Witch”, “The Talking Horse” and “A History of Bad Men” seem to coalesce the ‘three Melvins’ of the earlier Ipecac trilogy (Maggot, Bootlicker, & Crybaby) into one unstoppable war machine. The stereo dual drumming layered with Buzz’s endless repertoire of guitar noise and chords makes this album worth it alone. Senile Animal is the Melvins in top form.

The Album Leaf - Into the Blue Again

The Album Leaf
Into the Blue Again
Sub Pop Records
Grade: A-/A

Into the Blue Again is exactly what you need to decompress from that which is everyday life. Fifty-three minutes of glorious ambient soundscapes measured with bits of indie pop mouthing to satisfy the vocals-needed crowd. Satisfying relaxation is guaranteed on Into the Blue Again; and so is electronic droning on a positive wave.

As a significant part of San Diego’s music scene, Jimmy LaValle – the one man that makes up the Album Leaf – has been plugging away on creating these sound collections since 1999. After 2004’s In a Safe Place, his debut record on Sub Pop and third overall, was released and scores of touring with basically every chic band you’ve (n)ever heard of, LaValle took a chunk of time off to recenter. Years as the Album Leaf as well as efforts in Tristeza, the Locust, and the Black Heart Procession had taken its toll. With success of In a Safe Place along with extra cash from The O.C. and other shows using his songs, LaValle’s was able to lock himself at home for six months and craft the ten-track Into the Blue Again. Unlike In a Safe Place and its noteworthy aid from the members of Sigur Ros, LaValle handles nearly all of the instruments here with only a smattering of string and engineering help. Recorded in Seattle and Iceland (where In a Safe Place was put to tape), LaValle moves the Album Leaf back to the original intent and modern day commonplace dream of one person constructing gorgeous music in (somewhat) isolation.

Into the Blue Again opens on “The Light,” a pulsating, droning song that sets the mood, space, and basic structure for the next nine tracks. Beats, keys, and a terrific synth riff keeps pace to LaValle’s vocals on “Always For You,” providing one the most heavily endowed vocal track. Yet, you can also find lengthy doses of vocals on the repetitive indie “Writings on the Wall” and the slower, sweeping “Wherever I Go.” If “Shine” has an instrumental theme it is of transcendence or at least ascendancy from your current spot making for one of the highlights on the record. “Red-Eye” makes use of hip-hop beat as electronics and later strings are sprinkled across the seven-minute song – a song that might have made better use of varying crescendos. Providing a relative contrast to the languid “Red-Eye” is the instrumentally brighter “See In You” and the pleasantly dense “Into the Sea” where an aura of hope-restored lingers. LaValle rounds Into the Blue Again with “Wishful Thinking” and “Broken Arrow.” The piano-driven “Wishful Thinking” takes the coat of a Caroline track without the vocal pop, and offers uplifting strings midway through. LaValle brings back the droning ambience and kitschy-blipping electronics on “Broken Arrow” before warming up a wide closing.

Continuing with and passing above previous material, Into the Blue Again is an album destined for many best-of lists this year. This is recommended if you can hear or at least feel music. And for those of the indie instrumental persuasion, Into the Blue Again is something to snack on before the next Explosions in the Sky record sees the light of day.

Teddybears - Soft Machine

Teddybears
Soft Machine
Atlantic Records
Grade: A-

This record comes the way of ‘where the fuck did this come from?’ and ‘who the hell are Teddybears?’ After various twists and turns as a band, Teddybears are three guys from Stockholm, Sweden who are in essence a crack production team that align and craft scores of musical sounds into uber-catchy electronic songs. You’ve likely already heard a couple of these songs as they’ve been featured in commercials, particularly “Cobrastyle” featuring Mad Cobra. Yes, you know “Cobrastyle” with its big block beats and Mad Cobra’s dance-hall vocals throughout. But, Mad Cobra isn’t the only guest on Soft Machine as Teddybears utilize an array of guests for vocals – adding to their image as a production team. Other mind-blowing songs include the electronic-tipped “Different Sound” featuring Malte, the super pop of “Yours to Keep” with Neneh Cherry and Annie, the club-bouncing “Are You Feelin’ It” featuring Elephant Man, the appropriately named “Punkrocker” with wild-eyed Iggy Pop adding his quirky throated love, and Daddy Boastin’ on “Ahead of My Time.” The future is extremely bright for Teddybears.

The Number 12 Looks Like You - Put On Your Rosy Red Glasses

The Number 12 Looks Like You
Put On Your Rosy Red Glasses
Eyeball Records
Grade: A-

There is a little something for both hardcore and metal fans alike in this superlative re-release. Like what? Well for starters, The Number 12 Looks Like You exhibit a sense of genuine, albeit twisted, humor… technically impressive musicianship (you can’t be all mathy without it)… screaming angry-guy vocals + bellowing demon-guy vocals (sometimes simultaneously)… slightly gratuitous nonmusical interludes (including the four final songs comprised of intervals of silence divisible by the number twelve)… and even a nouveau-classical guitar piece (also possibly gratuitous). Originally released in 2003 and since out of print, The Number 12 Looks Like You (replete with new label) has seen fit to re-release this record and rightly so, as it is worth hearing for its relative mathcore merits. As far as gratuity is concerned, perhaps those nonmusical tracks need to be kept within the context of the whole in order for its parts to work, for Put On Your Rosy Red Glasses is something of an anachronism; it is a concept album in an age where concept albums are increasingly antiquated in the context of mp3 players and media PCs. Many people will probably delete those nonmusical tracks anyway, for example after importing the CD into iTunes. Are listeners really going to sit through the 12:12 of silence at the end of this album? Does one need a high variable bit rate for compressing silence? What I like about this band beyond their music is that it isn’t afraid to pose these kinds of difficult intellectual questions.

Lions in the Street - Cat Got Your Tongue

Lions in the Street
Cat Got Your Tongue EP
Self-released
Grade: A-

For some reason or another it took me a long time to final get Lions in the Street’s EP into the stereo. The problem was, though, is once it got in there I couldn’t take it out, because it felt like you just came across an amazing lost 70s rock album – one that produces chills. Getting screwed by a major label may have been the exact prodding for these Canadians to write and self-recorded the brilliant five songs on Cat Got Your Tongue. In a double-extra fuck you to the music world, you can get this EP off LITS site for free. And when you hear the Stones-meets-Allmans “Mine Ain’t Yours” your pants just fly off your body, you know that you’ve heard the truth. “Already Gone” kicks off the scratchy recorded EP with fast riffs and bluesy attitude – where the partially sub quality recording matches the flavor of LITS nearly perfectly. The slow paced “Lady Blue” and “Feels Like a Long Time” bends the band’s softer side, while “You’re Gonna Lose” closes down the EP with dirty, distorted rock riffs. Cat Got Your Tongue brings you back to some magical days of yore where life consisted of sunshine, laughs, and relaxing on the beach.

The Grates - Gravity Won't Get You High

The Grates
Gravity Won’t Get You High
Dew Process/Cherrytree Records/Interscope
Grade: A-

Coming out over the summer, this sweet, hot fourteen-track full-length from the hip trio from down under will get your indie shoes dancing. Featuring simple, quirky indie pop punk, the Grates move all over the map, but always manage to offer catchy numbers that you wind up humming hours later…. After the yodeling intro, “Lies” offers the slightly more serious sounding Grates – not lyric-wise but serious as indie rockers. The complementary side of the Grates to this serious sounding rock comes from their terrific bouncy, catchy songs first exemplified from “19 20 20.” Others that go for the fun include “Trampoline,” the uber-catchy “Science Is Golden” (which it is), the light verse of “Nothing Sir,” and the raucous “Inside Outside.” Highlights that follow the “Lies” path include the excellent “Rock Boys,” the riot grrrl “Howl,” and the banjo-picking “Sukkafish.” Given the lateness of this review, you probably are wise on the Grates. If not, check them out in the immediate future.

Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity

Deerhoof
Friend Opportunity
Kill Rock Stars
Grade: A-

Deerhoof is one of those very rare musical entities that persists over time (ten full-lengths + three EPs = thirteen years of longevity), yet refuses to show any signs of its age. From all appearances, Deerhoof sounds like a band exhilarated with the unmapped prospects of its own future—like a band that is just starting out. It’s this sense of perpetual youth that gives the group its sense of daring, its willingness to be musically mutable, and its sense of sonic alchemy. Friend Opportunity comes as the follow-up to the band’s watershed The Runners Four, and as such will inevitably be scrutinized relative to its predecessor’s strengths. This may or may not account for the certain element of self-awareness in Friend Opportunity. The band seems to have sought to deliberately try for a different kind of record this time out and it works. With the departure last spring of guitarist Chris Cohen (to concentrate on his band, the Curtains), Friend Opportunity marks in some ways a return to their beginnings—think less Milk Man and more Holdypaws—and yet, is paradoxically, is still an evolutionary step forward, if not quite the statement of The Runners Four. Where the scope of that album was loose and sprawling, Friend Opportunity is only half the songs (it would be a great deal shorter if not for the twelve minute closer “Look Away”) and incredibly dense in structure all while retaining the band’s trademark playfulness. It’s what John Dieterich, Satomi Matsuzaki, and Greg Saunier manage to squeeze into these ten songs that provides the listener with the first real sense of their new album’s hidden depths. It will probably take multiple listens to find or discover all the subtleties in songs like “The Perfect Me”, or my personal favorite, “Believe ESP”, not because they’re buried under layers and layers of tracks, but because everything is masterfully blended in service of the song itself. Deerhoof have always had a knack for juggling that rare pop feat of pop feats—they lure you in with their catchy hooks, and then keep you guessing at how the music works behind those hooks. It wasn’t until the third or fourth listen that I realized that part of the ‘slight of hand’ behind “Believe ESP” is the timpani-like drum sounds on its chorus/bridge/B part (traditional labels are difficult to apply to Deerhoof’s song structures – do these songs even have choruses?). A good pop album works through its ability to connect to its audience through the subconscious—we don’t know how it’s working but we know that it works. Or to just put this all in another way, Deerhoof creates music for people who like music. They are a band’s band.

V/A - TRR100: Thankful

V/A
TRR100: Thankful
Temporary Residence Ltd.
Grade: A-

Following up on 2004’s Thank You compilation from TRL (their 50th release) is the ten-track Thankful comp. Like Thank You, and unlike most comps put out by labels these days, Thankful consists of all previously unreleased songs from most of the bands TRL has signed in the past two years. And simply for that, you should pick this up. The one downside of the constraints on the bands here is that you don’t get a new song from Explosions in the Sky; but you do have their new record coming. Highlights on Thankful include Eluvium’s “Carousel,” Caroline’s “Wonderlust,” the match of Cex and Nice Nice on “Jacksonville,” the better-than-expected “Ready? Aim. Fire!” from the up-and-down By the End of Tonight, and Mono’s excellent “Since I’ve Been Waiting For You.” I suppose we are all thankful that Temporary Residence exists…

The Prize Fighter Inferno - My Brother's Blood Machine

The Prize Fighter Inferno
My Brother’s Blood Machine
Equal Vision Records
Grade: A-

Do you have the energy to continue the Coheed and Cambria story? Can/did you figure it out to begin with? To add further confusion and bafflement, Claudio Sanchez has released My Brother’s Blood Machine, under the moniker the Prize Fighter Inferno, which is a prequel to the CC trilogy. These songs consist of Inferno (aka, Jesse, Coheed’s brother) telling the story of the Blood Machine on present-day Earth (where Inferno is, naturally, resurrected after dying). (More than likely I didn’t get this story entirely correct, as I’ve been told before I haven’t nailed previous stories). Anyway, for the casual listener of My Brother’s Blood Machine the music is what’s immediately attractive and the story is of secondary importance. The eleven songs (plus a ‘hidden’ song) all align with electronic indie pop and/or acoustic folksy CC. Or, as one might say, the songs are either like Postal Service or acoustic CC. Part of the comparison is unavoidably due to Sanchez’s unique vocals. Apparently, this electronic, acoustic mashing was the original plan of Sanchez and Co. to tell the story of CC. Far from the bombastic, epic guitar opuses of CC, Blood Machine is considerably more accessible for the ordinary listener. And among those that draw such listeners in are the blip electronic opener “The Going Price For Home” along with like-sounding and excellent “A Death in the Family,” the amazing “Who Watches the Watchmen?,” and “The Margretville Dance.” The stellar acoustic, folksy numbers include “Our Darling Daughter You Are, Little Cecillia Marie,” “Run, Gunner Recall, Run! The Town Wants You Dead!,” and the high-pitched vocals on “Easter.” As an extra reason and bonus for picking up Blood Machine, the packaging is phenomenal; the type that should get some recognition from the Grammy category on packaging – who decides that anyway? The highlight: a set of tarot cards as the linear notes. Awesome!

Jennifer O'Connor - Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars

Jennifer O’Connor
Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars
Matador Records
Grade: A-

After struggling over the past few years as a singer-songwriter in NYC, Jennifer O’Connor finally gets her due on her debut for Matador. Starting out in Atlanta with the indie band Violet, O’Connor left the band and the city for the cold streets of NYC and the ups and downs that they present. Over the Mountain is actually O’Connor’s third full-length, following her 2000 Truth Love Work EP, her 2002 self-released self-titled full-length, and 2005’s The Color and The Light on Red Panda Records. While it is not a surprise that O’Connor got signed to Matador, it makes you smile given that so many in her previous position never reach such heights. Yah, yah, yah, right? But even more excellently, the twelve songs on Over the Mountain are light years better than anything she has done before. Chalk it up to learning the craft and hard work? Add some hard life moments. You might also add the superb exploits of her backing band on Over the Mountain – Jon Langmead on drums, James McNew (Yo La Tengo) on bass, Kendall Meade (Sparklehorse) on keys and vocals, and further help on vocals on from Britt Daniel (Spoon) and guitar help from producer Al Weatherhead. As you progress from opener “Century Estates” through the closer “I’ll Bring You Home,” O’Connor maps out her soft singer-songwriter side (“Today,” “Tonight We Ride,” and “I Was So Wrong”), the strong indie acoustic material (“Century Estates” and “Bullshit Maze”), along with straight-up indie-Americana specials like “Sister,” uber-rocker “Turn It Down,” and the amazing closer “I’ll Bring You Home” written for her sister who died of brain cancer. O’Connor has risen to the occasion on her biggest opportunity in her musical career, and we are all thankful.

Now It's Overhead - Dark Light Daybreak

Now It’s Overhead
Dark Light Daybreak
Saddle Creek Records
Grade: A-

Always under the radar Now It’s Overhead, led by Andy LeMaster, are back with the terrific Dark Light Daybreak continuing the lineage of previous records. One would think that after 2004’s Fall Back Open, Now It’s Overhead would become a household name amongst indie rockers. But, it never seems that LeMaster or the band get enough attention as they deserve. It could be that multi-instrumentalist and producer LeMaster has so many projects going on, particularly with Bright Eyes and his Athens, GA Chase Park Transduction studios, that it leaves less time to pump the band. Nevertheless, Dark Light Daybreak once again features dreamy layers of guitars, electronics, and melodic voices. At the front are LeMaster’s smooth ranging vocals which are accompanied by drummer Clay Leverett’s vocals and Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor’s siren-like vocal offerings. Unlike Fall Back Open, where several tracks dominated your attention, Dark Light Daybreak is more even across the ten songs. This creates the need to allow the record to unfold instead of just jumping song to song. Still, songs to check out include the excellent opener “Let the Sirens Rest,” the slow mover “Night Vision,” the bouncy “Type A,” the electronic “Meaning to Say,” and the honey-drenched closer “Nothing In Our Way.” Look for Andy LeMaster’s deft hand in the near future, particularly with his Saddle Creek cronies.

Across Five Aprils - Collapse

Across Five Aprils
Collapse
Indianola Records
Grade: A-

Chattanooga, TN’s Across Five Aprils are so fucking good that it’s amazing that they haven’t just blitzkrieg every other hardcore band out there and wrapped up all the imaginary music awards for hardcore and metal bands. The five-piece expertly mix thrashing screaming metalcore with harmonies pulsating with dark imagery – and thus aptly described as melodic metalcore; possibly the very definition of. One may comment that during shifts from screaming to the melodic, AFA may be lazily compared to My Chemical Romance, as on the super opener “Tallahassee is for Hookers,” but at the very least it hooks the uninitiated ear for a moment. The other hang up folks have with bands moving between screaming and melodic vocals is the unnatural and contrived feeling it portrays. How AFA pulls off not sounding like this is hidden, but a listener would have to be a grump to pull away with this sense. Take a spin on Collapse and enjoy one of the most underrated hardcore bands going. And as your head gets smashed in by songs like “With These Hands” and “Shot Down With Arrows” realize that AFA have a strong back catalog, particularly 2003’s A Tragedy in Progress.

Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

Explosions in the Sky
All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
Temporary Residence Ltd.
Grade: A

In the years since Explosions in the Sky released their previous record, The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place in 2003, the Austin four-piece have managed to hang on to the title as the best instrumental band on the planet. It could be that their seemingly air of mystery enhanced this enchantment – hardly a peep for a few years, particularly with respect to shows. Regardless of the reason(s) for Explosions absence, they are back with a vengeance on terrifically amazing All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone.

The above isn’t entirely true as Explosions aren’t like the crazy recluse Russian mathematician who solves all those famous problems and never comes of his snow enclosed hut. In 2004, the band provided the soundtrack for Friday Night Lights, the west Texas high school football movie, something on face value may be shocking. Yet, Explosions’ gorgeous soundscapes provide perfect film atmosphere – a notion not lost in that fans MUST own the FNL soundtrack. Plus the band, Christopher Hrasky, Michael James, Munaf Rayani, and Mark T. Smith, originated in Midland TX – more football country than average. The band along with TRL also re-released their debut record How Strange, Innocence in 2005. Still Explosions only made live appearances at the various Austin festivals over the past couple of years.

Explosions’ absence was by design as the band began to worry whether their compositions were coming too easily, too similar, to packaged, and too predictable. Many folks, where I would include myself, wouldn’t mind such new compositions to parallel past magical moments like “Your Hands In Mine.” But the band egged for a sound more challenging and more inspiring. It is not as if All of a Sudden is some shifting in movements and momentum from past spectacles. Instead, Explosions traded in The Earth’s crystal clear, pristine sound for a more ratcheted up, noisy version of its self. With the production help of John Congleton in Minnesota, Explosions replace the uber-clean soothing for a dirty intensity.

All of a Sudden opens on “The Birth and Death of the Day” with several extremely distorted bangs on chords before the rest of the group sweeps in. In classic Explosions’ form the distortion drops off two minutes in to allow a crescendo of cleaner guitars that help bring to a peak of joy. Naturally, the journey continues through mountains and valleys for nearly eight minutes, making “The Birth and Death of the Day” the standout track on the album – as if to suggest you could truly separate the overall experience of a continuous listen. The follower “Welcome, Ghost” is a rather straight forward romp until the slow down midway through. “It’s Natural to be Afraid” serves as the longest song on All of a Sudden – thirteen-and-a-half minutes. With such space, Explosions’ slowly etch out the delightful with high note guitars and cymbal washing coming in half-way to carry you home. With rising and falling guitars, piano twirls around the five-minute “What Do You Go Home To?”, Explosions pick up the pace again as guitars immediately lift you on “Catastrophe and the Cure” and the band pulls out all of its signature moves throughout. All of a Sudden ends on the rather short and quiet “So Long, Lonesome,” which propagates on a soothing piano.

As has been said on this site of the past several years, Explosions in the Sky are one of the best bands going in either vocals or without. And, thus, being devoid of all of their records is tantamount to the breaking the eleventh commandment – thou shalt have all of Explosions’ records. Though purposely less polished than The Earth or the Friday Night Lights soundtrack, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone both continues and opens new chapters for Explosions in the Sky. Be part of the awakening!

Prints - Self-Titled

Prints
s/t
Temporary Residence Ltd.
Grade: A-

I wonder if a law exists somewhere that limits the number of bands one individual can be in? And so it is the case for the uber-prolific Kenseth Thibideau and his new musical outlet Prints. Joined by Zac Nelson, Prints’ debut self-titled full-length offers eight songs of ethereal indie pop. This is akin to crossing Thibideau’s Howard Hello with Pinback – traditional song-structured indie rock brimming with pop and an abundance of non-word vocal harmonies. You immediately feel the love on opener “Easy Magic,” where smatterings of non-word harmonies float around until the guitars swoop and commence rocking. “Too Much Water” is in similar mood with pleasant rocking guitars leading the way and vocals accompanied by non-words battles “Easy Magic” for the divine right on the record; it also helps that “Too Much Water” includes whistling a la Andrew Bird or Peter Bjorn and John. Following the average “Pretty Tick” and “Meditation” comes the beat-driven, acoustic guitar hovering “Blue Jay.” “I Wanna Know” and “All We Knead” is standard fair and holds the floor for the terrific closer “End.” “End” feels like the opening two tracks but includes a dose of atmospheric electronics to bolster the mood. Essentially, if you want a more rock Howard Hello then Prints is perfect for you.

Caroline - Murmurs Mixes

Caroline
Murmurs Mixes
Temporary Residence Ltd.
Grade: A-

Caroline’s atmospheric, ambient electro-pop seductive songs are easy pickings to create a remix album; and such is the case on this iTunes exclusive Murmurs Mixes. As the title suggests the eleven tracks here are remixes of the songs of Caroline’s debut on TRL. Two of the tracks here – “Time Swells” and “Wonderlust” – were not on the album, though “Time Swells” appeared on Caroline’s single for the beloved “Where’s My Love.” Also, one of the remixes – Logreybeam’s version of “Sunrise” – appeared on the single for “Sunrise.” Even given the back history, there is enough strong material here to justify a download from iTunes. Among the notable includes Lullatone’s phenom remix of “Bicycle,” Wake’s remix of “Sunrise” officially title “Sunrise (Why Don’t You Feel Loved Mix),” DJ Poignant’s remix of “Everylittlething,” Eli Walks’ remix of “All I Need,” and the soft, sweet remix by Kai Kurosawa of “I’ll Leave My Heart Behind.”

Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight

Rilo Kiley
Under the Blacklight
Warner Bros.
Grade: A-

Following a several year span between albums, the previous being the fantastic More Adventurous, the smart LA indie rockers Rilo Kiley are back with their biggest release to date, Under the Blacklight. Considerably more consistent than previous efforts, Rilo Kiley have shed the cutesy indie rock for the powerful, in-full-force rock. Sit back and let it sink in.

Surely many wondered whether Rilo Kiley would ever get to releasing a new album given the number of side projects and new endeavors the four members have been engaged in over the past few years. Besides from the various guest spots and helpers by Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder, and Jason Boesel, particularly with the Saddle Creek crowd, Lewis and Sennett launched and relaunched solo endeavors. For Lewis, it was her countrified indie rock album Rabbit Fur Coat under the moniker Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins; and for Sennett, it was another offering by his The Elected with the fabulous Sun, Sun, Sun. Though not the musical direction of Rabbit Fur Coat, many claimed that Lewis was missing the magic provided by Sennett’s guitar, while many noted of the benefit for Lewis’ pipes for Sennett’s success. Regardless, the band are now back with a true rock album, and fans of Rilo Kiley and the various spin offs are satiated.

Produced by the band with assistance from Jason Lader and Mike Elizondo, a strict majority of the eleven songs on Under the Blacklight come from the pen of Lewis. Whatever the initial creation, clearly the songs were filled out and made realized by the whole collective. Of note, Lewis has stated in various pr work for the album that she consciously tried to avoid the cooing and cutesy voice that had distinguished her previous songs. That sound is not devoid, but it is minimized for a wider vocal range and spectrum. Under the Blacklight starts off on “Silver Lining” with bass drum and handclaps before Sennett’s guitar gives way to Lewis’ soft vocals. Armed with female backing vocals on the chorus, “Silver Lining” is a strong number though it doesn’t win you over as a pure stand alone. “Close Call” sounds like a 10,000 Maniacs’ number save for more pop and catchiness coupled with Lewis’ voice. The Lewis-Sennett written “The Moneymaker” is a simmering rocker charged with aggression and intensity, with a terrific quasi-chorus. As the first true stand alone of Under the Blacklight, “Breakin’ Up” immediately grabs your attention with the inclusion of electronics in the opening. This leads way to a standard minimal song structure that soon breaks through to the mind tattooing bridge ‘ooh, yeah, feels good to be free.’ The title track follows and provides a strong hold as a straight forward rocker before the listener is greeted with the Sennett-led “Dreamworld.” “Dreamworld” is reminiscent of much of Sennett’s work with the Elected except for the Americana angle and is massive improvement over his limited vocal offerings on More Adventurous. Lewis teamed up with Johnathan Rice for the Latin-themed “Dejalo” and is rather funky in an island-type manner. The lyrics to “15” are somewhat off-putting but the rocking going on is ear catching and will completely hook you. The super hot “Smoke Detector” follows and may cause a dance revolution with the phrase ‘I do the smoke detector’ or ‘[] does the smoke detector.’ In terms of purely fun songs, “Smoke Detector” is high fair. Under the Blacklight closes on the two sweeping numbers “The Angels Hung Around” and “Give a Little Love.” “The Angels Hung Around” features an acoustic, countrified angle and launches into an amazing chorus that simply makes you feel good. “Give a Little Love” begins like a recent electro Madonna song before settling in to a strong ending.

Without doubt Under the Blacklight is the deepest and most developed albums in Rilo Kiley’s history. Thankfully it is also entertaining, interesting, and catchy. These elements combine for an appealing sound on so many levels.

War of Ages - Pride of the Wicked

War of Ages
Pride of the Wicked
Facedown Records
Grade: A-

Why can’t musically brilliant metalcore bands these days just be content sounding evil? Why do they need to all be hardcore Christians with lyrics that when read makes you want to vomit? The song content of Pride of the Wicked all revolves around themes of Jesus Christ dying so man can be saved, how that’s the greatest thing in the world (like for real!), and that the members of War of Ages are ready to battle with demons in the eternal battle for man’s soul. Ignoring all that crap, War of Ages are one of the most talented musicians in the underground heavy music scene. The ten songs here are intricately composed with shifting tempos and some of the best guitar work I’ve heard in awhile. The guitars are a near perfect combination of machine guns, metal solos, and metal harmonics – typically all nested within single song structures. I’m going to try to put the lyrics out of mind and simply concentrate on the playing.

Blood Brothers - Young Machetes

Blood Brothers
Young Machetes
V2
Grade: A-

The Blood Brothers have had a recent string of bad luck. First, many in the indie intelligentsia poo-pooed the fifteen-song Young Machetes for some reason…more on that in a second. Then, Blood Brothers’ label V2 shut it North American doors and put Blood Brothers out in the snow – though it should take about five seconds for a new deal to be struck somewhere. Back to the album. Following the band members’ various side projects over the past couple of years, Jordan Blilie, Mark Gajadhar, Morgan Henderson, Cody Votolato, and Johnny Whitney, unleash one of the band’s most wide flinging, balls-out, interesting records of their existence. Possibly the guys’ work in other outfits brought new energy and innovativeness to their crazed, noisy hardcore punk, but whatever the reason Young Machetes is smoking. Opening the album yelling “fire, fire, fire” on “Set Fire to the Face on Fire,” Blood Brothers rocks through such stunners as the synth-driven and multiple vocal “Laser Life,” the strange billion sectioned “Camouflage, Camouflage,” the thumping throwback “Spit Shine Your Black Clouds,” the hard angular “Johnny Ripper,” the odd pop of “Street Wars/Exotic Foxholes,” and the wild closer “Giant Swan.” The only possible knock on Young Machetes is that fifteen songs at fifty-one minutes might be too much Blood Brothers at once for anyone.

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

The Shins
Wincing the Night Away
Sub Pop Records
Grade: A-

The expectations for the Shins’ third record, Wincing the Night Away, were ginormous. People far and wide were fixating and betting on the outcome like drunken tourists who’ve been up for two days trying to win back their life fortunes in Vegas. Add to that, everyone you know now has at least heard of the Shins – you may have to mention the scene in Garden State for them to pick up on it – and so you had a group of disinterested folks waiting to diss on the band if Wincing sucked. Thankfully, and with a bit of work, the eleven songs here serve as a treat and have the ability to both keep and win some fans.

The Albuquerque-born four-piece first jolted the indie music consciousness with their 2001 Sub Pop debut Oh! Inverted World. Fun, yeh-yeh, Oh Inverted introduced you to the 60s harmonies indie pop that the Shins excel in. Relatively quickly, with a move to Portland, came the terrifically designed 2003 Chutes Too Narrow. A strong album in its own right, Chutes gained massive popularity due to Garden State coming out in 2004. For some, though, Oh Inverted still rocked the house (and continues to). Touring and building an even larger fan base was the Shins’ life for 2003 to 2005. Taking time off to work on this record, anxiety and awkwardness ensued for the band, particularly for lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer. As relayed in a Rolling Stone bit, Mercer was initially under some external pressure from crack-dealers who lived next to him – ouch! But, holding down the fort in Portland, Mercer worked in his home studio to craft these eleven winners. Mercer, along with bassist Marty Crandall, guitarist Dave Hernandez, and drummer Jesse Sandoval, recorded in several locations in Oregon with producer Joe Chiccarelli. With the time, money, and expertise, the Shins drenched this record with a shroud of lushness, and helps invigorate and expand on their perfect indie pop love.

Wincing the Night Away begins with haunting and strangeness on “Sleeping Lessons.” Floating, stoned keyboards and Mercer’s vocals lead the way slowly to the full on indie rock that creeps in halfway through and then slams the table. The Shins it is! If you, like me, are an uber-fan of the Shins’ warm 60s indie pop goosebump producers, there’s enough here for your fix. How about the fantastic follower “Australia”? Or, the brilliantly catchy “Phantom Limb,” which indeed rolls on like “New Slang” and lyric-wise is reportedly about two lesbian high schoolers? And on this last note, I realize now that content wise, the Shins could be singing about beating baby seals over the head, but as long as they did with the pop sheen, I would love it. It’s probably a bad thing not to search for meaning, but you simply get entranced here. Other songs to catch the classic Shins’ sound are “Turn On Me,” the simply scored “Girl Sailor,” and the more toned-down closer “A Comet Appears” that includes a Simon and Garfunkel vocal cadence. However, the Shins also include a series of songs that buck the “Shins’ sound” and help establish new, impressive directions. This includes the slight hip-hop drum beat driven “Sealegs,” where Mercer extends his vocal range and psych keys are added near the end; some call it a Morrissey-like expansion, but I don’t hear it unless you stretch the parallel. The follower “Red Rabbits,” with the assistant of Chris Funk from the Decemberists, slinks lightly past and includes a whimsical Charlotte’s Web-patterned vocal bridge. “Black Wave” and “Split Needles” also are deviations for the Shins, where the first is more haunting and the latter includes a variety of synthesizers and samples to enliven the sound.

We already know that people love Wincing the Night Away given that it came out in late January and it was number 2 on the Billboard charts in its first week. Yes, people like it. And with a correct dose of 60s indie pop and sound twists, you should too.

Tiga - Sexor

Tiga
Sexor
Turbo Recordings/Last Gang Records
Grade: B+

It’s hard not to love hot, sweaty indie-electro dance magic as demonstrated on Tiga’s fourteen-track Sexor. Within five seconds of the first greeting from “(Far From) Home,” you figure either Tiga is a new, young electro savant or he’s put considerable time into crafting such gorgeous songs. While young, Tiga (aka Tiga James Sontag) has been working the scene from setting up shows, opening a store, starting his Turbo Recordings, and remixing everyone and their mother for over decade in Montreal. With production help from the boys in Soulwax, Tiga’s debut Sexor is sugary beats to get your ass moving. Among those shifting to the top include the simple and superb “(Far From) Home” and its later remix, “3 Weeks,” the wack “Louder Than a Bomb,” the lengthy but well-fixed “Good As Gold,” and Tiga’s remix version of the Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House.” If you’re looking for music to fill out your latest drug binge, Sexor should be your next score.