Admittedly, I did not latch on to UK trio Friendly Fires right away, accidentally lumping them in with the onslaught of guy-liner bands that were regurgitating their version of "music" around that time. I could not have been more incorrect. Their 2008 self-titled debut is bursting with indie dance nuggets with punk angles for days. It quickly became a worthy addition to the genre championed by like minded artists The Rapture, Franz Ferdinand, !!! and Klaxons. Their followup Pala is due for release on May 24 in the US on XL Recordings. However, you can get an early taste of the album here and grab a free download to boot.
The new track "Live Those Days Tonight" is slightly less punk and more of a nod to eighties R&B as the smooth vocals take on a new confidence not found in their earlier work. Yet the frantic drums reveal the true nature of the band as the disco bassline, techno breakdowns and house piano makes this engine chug along. Not sure if the abrupt ending is because of an attempt to keep album integrity or if it is just a bad choice in the studio. Still this party starter is a good sign for what comes next. Bonus: Friendly Fires will be headlining a gig at Lincoln Hall on May 31. Grab your tickets in advance here as this show will surely sell out.
Writing a review of something that is the subject of massive promotional hype is somewhat daunting and a bit of a challenge. Over the past year there was many of those bands (Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, Interpol, Radiohead) who dropped albums with a preset loftiness that could never be reached and an unattainable expectation to please everyone. Next in the sights is the fourth album from The Strokes, an oft delayed and long overdue effort from a band who gets discounted because of a holier-than-thou cool, indie boy band handsomeness and a upper class/prep school pedigree. The New York quintet is no stranger to high expectations as their debut Is This It? is often cited as one of the best albums of the past decade by journalists both from the UK and the States. Successive LP's Room On Fire and First Impressions Of Earth have sparkling moments, but suffered from comparison and The Strokes conspicuous, shrugging delivery. Being too cool to try is great for an unestablished band but is often met with equaling indifference once they reach mainstream success. Now on Angles, the guys have the perception of an outfit who needs to work at it for the first time in their tenure. Even more worrisome is the fact that from all their earnest effort they have made an album that does not achieve any more than what is found here.
Since they are trying to recapture the magic of Is This It?, it only make sense to bring back some of those proven sounds on Angles. "Machu Picchu" begins with a lazy guitar pluck and Julian Casablancas croon that apes the opener on their debut. The track then takes a surprising path into a muscular riff for the chorus where he asserts he is "just trying to find a mountain he can climb". With the first track, The Strokes have set their sights on the zenith and dig in for the long haul. "Under Cover Of Darkness" got an early free internet release and fanned the hype flames with its inarguable quality. (Read my initial review and download the song for free here.) This is the band at the height of their craft, seamlessly blending a seventies power chord strut, sock hop bass/beat combo and wail from Casablancas that reveals an emotional purpose in his delivery not seen since...well, ever. It is this track that actually reveals The Strokes as a band that could be as vital as they were a decade ago.
The Strokes decided to open up the floodgates and, for better or worse, unleash their latest bouts with nostalgia. Gratefully, the next few tracks are still strong enough to stand ably with Angles' openers. "Two Kinds of Happiness" is a early era Cars homage complete with a skinny-tied guitar and post-disco synth bedrock. The jittery strums continue on "Taken For A Fool" that employs a chorus of high stepping cadence and lyrics ripe for the sing-a-long. The high times finish at "Games" where the new-wave keys take center stage as the bass tiptoes next to another lyrical cry for something better. For the better part of this album, it seems that The Strokes might reach some of those plateaus they stumbled upon as petulant young men. "Call Me Back" is meant to be a diversion featuring plaintive voice and a lonely guitar but ends up a roadblock as Casablancas can't manage to muster any enthusiasm. The Billy Joel wannabe "Gratisfaction" is borderline offensive as guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. seems to be clutching for anything while lifting music from the 70's MOR-era of his musician father. The old-school pilfering occurs again on "Life Is Simple In The Moonlight" where this finishing touch on The Strokes return to greatness meanders under the dull performances of all the band members as if they were exhausted from trying so hard.
Separating a band from its catalog is a tall order in an album review. Although all artists are considered by their body of work, each piece stands alone as its own statement. If Angles was anything but a Strokes album, it may get a lot more love for nailing down their reflections on a laid-back, good times retro sound (Recent band Free Energy is a good example of this.) Alas, they can't escape that they are The Strokes, the guys that revived that infectious, angular punk rock sound and gushed with an overabundance of what the kids call "swag". Now it seems they want their mojo back so bad, they end up looking uncool for their efforts. Just taking a look at the difference between this classic video and this recent undertaking should make things clear. Honestly, Angles is The Strokes best LP since their first one. Yet despite some truly great moments, it is merely of collection of good and bad songs with no common thread, only ambitious attempts and missed opportunities.
Listen to the tracks below and click on the arrows to download the tracks for free. Or, you can stream Angles in its entirety on the worlds ugliest widget here.
Right now anything related to Radiohead is going to gather some attention. However these tracks, although only dealing with one member, are well worth the look on their own merit. The electronic artists Four Tet and Burial have collaborated in the past, releasing a vinyl single for Four Tet's label Text Records. An obvious success, the two have decided to come together again, employing the vocals of Thom Yorke to boot. The two tracks "Ego" and "Mirror" hit the streets on vinyl last week and are, of course, already sold out. Fear not, as you can listen to both tracks below and grab them for free as well.
Both tracks tend more toward the ghostly dub-step of Burial than the sunny pastiche of Four Tet. "Ego" is a dance track submerged by twenty leagues with gasping beats that give way to the Thom Yorke's pointed croon and Four Tet's hazy accents. "Mirror" is the darker twin that throbs with a 2-step shuffle and aberrational voices that back Yorke's tortured moan. In other words: creepy, but in the best possible way. Grab both tracks below.
Cali-based band The Morning Benders had a breakthrough 2010 releasing an amazing album in Big Echo and capping it off with a worldwide tour. The cherry on top for frontman Chris Chu and his mates was going to be a concert in Tokyo where he would return to his birthplace to play live for the first time. The rest is history as the show was canceled in the wake of the worst earthquake in Japanese history. Last week, The Morning Benders have set up a donation link through their website where fans can receive an EP of unreleased material for their support. The 8-track hodgepodge includes remixes of Big Echo tracks by illustrious artists such as Star Slinger and Twin Sister and two clean tracks "Better In Blue" and "Little Riot". If you have given already or were looking for incentive, this is more than enough reason. Stream the entire album below then click here to donate and download. Bonus: Grab a couple of free tracks below for your ubiquitous kindness.
The new album from The Strokes, Angles, will be available to the general public on Tuesday. However, the whole thing can be heard now at the band's website. Although that is the primary reason for this post, something has to be said about the incredulous mismanagement of the band's web-based efforts. Back in early February, the marketing geniuses working for The Strokes label RCA offered up the song "Under Cover of Darkness" for free for a limited time. Those who dutifully went to the site were met with a clunky construct, requests for passwords and frustrating server crashes. Although offering a full LP stream is generous, one look at the misshapen, minuscule player is enough to make any band once again question the benefits of major label support. As for the music itself, my opinion is pretty mixed so far, with most of the album suffering by comparison to the brilliant "Darkness". A full review of Angles is forthcoming. If you are too lazy to click to the get to the stream, give it a listen to a few tracks below. Bonus: Watch the fancy schmancy video for "Under Cover ofDarkness" below.
Those crazy kids from Baltimore are making it hard to wait until April 12. As stated earlier in this blog, there was a time when we thought Ponytail was no more. Springing from the ashes like a phoenix, they announced that they were indeed still intact and that their new album would be out via We Are Free Records. In addition, they have thrown us a track for free download below.
The exuberance of "Easy Peasy" is undeniable. Not unlike the music on their 2008 freakfest Ice Cream Spiritual, the track deliberately bubbles over from the effervescence of swirling synth and popcorn percussion that eventually gives way to the sweet guitar noodling. Finally the otherworldly chants take center stage and the race is on. The head bobbing and foot stomping cannot be helped. There is no standard, no coherence, no purpose here, just unadulterated joy filtered through the conduits of these willing musicians. Let hope for some fun summer concert information to be releases shortly. Bonus: Enjoy the quirky live video from an early performance of "Easy Peasy" below as well.
Just a couple of weeks ago, this blog was happy to report that the first taste of new TV on the Radio music was available for free download. The smoothed out track "Will Do" was originally featured on BBC Radio, but do to mass availability of low quality radio rips, an album quality version was made available for stream on Soundcloud. In a refusal to slow down the hype train, the guys have decided to release another track for the cost of one well-marketed email address via the widget below. The new track "Caffeinated Consciousness" should be plenty to quell your desire until April 12, when the band's fourth full length Nine Types of Light becomes available on Interscope Records.
If anyone was disappointed by the mellow nature of "Will Do", "Caffeinated Consciousness" should make those hard-to-please fans more forgiving. The stuttering, blues-referencing rocker is a bounty of riffs and attitude served up on a simple platter. The blissful bridge is infused to give the song a loud-quiet-loud effect, but noise rules across this effort. The only drawback is that the moment is too brief, making its furious statement then moving on to the next narrative. As previously announced, TV on the Radio will be headlining Pitchfork festival on Sunday, July 17. For the impatient, they will be making an early tour stop in Chicago at the Metro April 22. Grab your tickets here before they are gone. Sadly, the band will be without their longtime bassist Gerard Smith as he recovers from lung cancer. According to Pitchfork, the prognosis is promising for a full recovery. Keep fighting, good man.
Battles stormed the ramparts in 2007 with their prog-metal tour de force Mirrored with a sound that attracted discerning head-bangers along with the most astute indie aficionados. In the process of creating their latest LP Gloss Drop, singer/multi-instrumentalist Tyondai Braxton left the band during the record sessions. Battles continued on as a trio, employing infamous guest vocalists such as Eye from The Boredoms and electronic godfather Gary Numan. The finished product will be available for consumption on June 7 via Warp Records with a corresponding worldwide tour beginning in April.
The first taste of Gloss Drop is the track "Ice Cream" fronted by Kompakt recording artist Matias Aguayo. The opening chugs like The Little Engine That Could, huffing and puffing until a full head of steam is achieved. The elastic track cycles through eccentric keys, bouncing bass and the vocal gymnastics as the muscular drums seal it like a care package. The sound definitely favors prog over metal, but jams nonetheless without the boiler-plate power chord pleaser. It is quirky and funky and fun leaving any guess at the overall sound of Gloss Drop a myriad of possibilities. Listen, then download the track for free on the widget below. Their tour hits Chicago on April 30 at Lincoln Hall. Get your tickets here. Bonus: if you are not familiar with Battles, check out the video for their track "Atlas". You're welcome.
Wild Beasts are a quartet from Kendal, England whose music defies expectation and categorization. I first caught wind of this band in 2009 upon release of their milestone LP Two Dancers that features a tightly wound rhythm section, chiming guitars and ethereal keys that hoist the operatic falsetto of frontman Hayden Thorpe to the heavens above. The new LP Smother is being readied for a May 9 release on Domino Records. The first listen of the new album was the track "Albatross" over BBC Radio a few days ago. To quash the poor radio rips, the band has posted a quality stream of the track via Soundcloud and a free download through their Facebook page.
The new track has a heavy heart as Thorpe's voice beguiles with its range. This balladry sways along with heady percussion and fleeting piano, filling space without demanding much notice. "Albatross" feels like a connecting track between bigger album moments and ably wraps around the listener like a comfortable blanket. The starry-eyed fanbase will surely be pleased. Bonus: Listen to the new track as well as a remix EP of some tracks from the Two Dancers LP.
Ah yes, chillwave. That oft-referenced, uber-hip, bastard child of other established and celebrated genres has definitely made its mark. This musical reinterpretation of organic beauty as filtered by technology has produced a handful of noteworthy artists, albums and songs proving it much larger than a microgenre. Still, how will we know when chillwave is on the downturn and its fifteen minute fame clock begins to flash in red? Let's start with Exhibit A. One of the beneficiaries of the genre's crest is Chaz Bundick, aka Toro Y Moi. His first album Causers Of This is considered one of the foundation elements of chillwave, featuring instruments that are bent and phazed beyond recognition. It is more of a experience than a listen as the tracks carry only remnants of the sounds his instruments and voice originally made. Definitely challenging, always striking and at times undeniably beautiful, Toro Y Moi established that he could take his influences, push them through the meat grinder of studio tricks and make something entirely fresh. On his next effort, Underneath The Pine, it seems that Bundick abandons the chillwave construct with a hefty sense of bravery opting for less studio process and revealing a confidence that no longer needs the arctic blanket that swathed his earlier music.
The opener "Intro/Chi Chi" is pure shoegaze with no chaser that sets a misleading expectation right away. It is grand and sprawling which makes the next track "New Beat" a bit jarring with its non-filtered funk flavor. The loving groove is flush with influence: Prince, Chicago house, Hammond organ via Blue Note. It feels like the shackles of second guessing have been removed causing Bundick to throw his hands up to rejoice. Tracks such as "Go With You", "Got Blinded" and "How I Know", with their otherworldly bleeps, xylophone tickles and retro organ settings, channel the space-age bachelor pad sound that Henry Mancini and Burt Bachrach created and Stereolab modernized. "Divina" and "Before I'm Done" get drowsy and atmospheric as Toro Y Moi comes down with a case of Francophilia. By this time, any consideration for Toro Y Moi's past sound is forgotten as the music throughout Underneath The Pine is endearing, joyous and, above all, fully coherent.
Toro Y Moi gets back to the business of getting funky on "Still Sound" where the groove is so smooth, you expect to see backup singers stepping in sync for the music video. (Check out the actual video at the bottom of this post.) Although his vocals are thick with reverb, this is a throwback R&B jam to make you blow the dust off those Commodores LPs. Finally, Underneath The Pine gets around to showcasing some chillwave chops on "Good Hold". However, the slight pitch bends and breezy synth soundscapes are no more than a slight afterthought, proving that his bag of tricks is capacious, varied and accumulating in perpetuum. Finishing up is the languishing "Elise" that at least loosely carries the chillwave aesthetic. The song drifts along and fades away as if the simple groove could last forever. It becomes noticeable upon the finish of Underneath The Pine that this was a statement record for Chaz Bundick, proving that he much more than a purveyor of chillwave. As for the genre itself, it remains to be seen if we are in the midst of the final bows. Losing someone as talented as Toro Y Moi doesn't help.
2010 was a banner year for indie electronica. Kieran Hebden and Dan Snaith, or more widely recognized as Four Tet and Caribou respectively, released amazing albums in There Is Love In You and Swim that expanded on the precedent set by their previous efforts. As the two artists hold each other in such high regard, they decided to collaborate on a new vinyl split single. There is no release date yet, but the hard copy will be available through Four Tet's own Text Records.
Normally, I try to focus on full LP's on this blog, but the individual tracks are undeniably first-class that sharing them is a necessity. Four Tet's contribution "Pinnacles" start innocently, but quickly dives head first into a funked-up shuffle that drops the club beat right around the two minute mark. The pulse is assertive and unyielding, yet the left turns of piano clatters are what rounds out this masterpiece. Caribou's track "Ye Ye", working under the moniker Delphi, starts grimly like a Swim outtake as it traverses through some seedy late night exploits. Not unlike "Pinnacles", the dance thump falls into place and as the track fleshes out it's synth accents and drum fills, it takes on a whole new guise. Still, the overall theme stays a bit creepy as the slinky beats wind down and crash into the finish, saving momentum for another day. Enjoy the music folks!
Brit pop-punkers Art Brut have a sound based on a tuneful yet flippant approach to music and the burning cheekiness of frontman Eddie Argos. Bursting on the scene in 2005 with their LP Bang Bang Rock and Roll and the kickoff missive "Formed a Band", the band has established their legacy by breaking in the door of the mainstream music party with a middle finger raised and tongue in cheek. Their fourth album promises more of the same with the title Brilliant! Tragic!. The Black Francis produced album becomes available on May 23 via Cooking Vinyl. A new track is available now with the entry of your email address in the widget below.
The new track "Unprofessional Wrestling" start with a somber singular bass that dupes the listener as the slapdash guitar is carelessly thrown over frantic drums. The glorious mess nudges, then shoves you in the back as Argos urges you into the fray. His lyrics are hilariously obvious phrases comparing coital positions and incidental blemishes with figure four leg locks and full nelsons. This is what has been so attractive about Art Brut through the years. The cheery, speedy hooks and silly words seem so accidental, but are all part of the clever schemes planted in each song. According to Pitchfork, "Unprofessional Wrestling" is a non-album track, which is a good sign for the upcoming new tunes yet to be discovered on Beautiful! Tragic!.
Last Tuesday, the enigmatic Gold Panda dropped a digital EP for "Marriage" including four exclusive remixes. The original track can be found among the amazing songs on his 2010 debut album Lucky Shiner. (Check out my LP review complete with a full album stream and links to free downloads here.) For you committed vinyl enthusiasts, a 12" release of the single is being prepped for Record Store Day on April 16. Look to the versions by Baths and Star Slinger for the most worthy reflections on the track. In addition, Gold Panda will be playing in Chicago on March 29 at Schubas Tavern. Buy your tickets in advance here.
Bonus x 3: Listen to the entire Marriage EP below. After that check out Gold Panda's latest remix posted a few days ago of a track from Japanese recording artist Yamaan. Finally, enjoy the expressive images and global setting of the video for "Marriage" below.
The humble gents from NYC TV On The Radio have been splintered into solo projects since their 2008 LP Dear Science,. Dave Sitek spent last year pushing his collaborative Maximum Balloon (read my album review here), Kyp Malone fronted Rain Machine and Tunde Adebimpe is an accomplished actor. As the sum is greater than TVOTR's parts, we are happy to have them back together and readying their latest album. Nine Types of Light is their first LP on major label Interscope and will hit the streets April 12. However, the first track from the album got some radio play, some nefarious ripping took place and now is it available here for your listening pleasure.
The track "Will Do" is a departure from the intensity that gave the band its following. The synthesized bells ring in a loving croon that inspires more of a hip sway rather than a head bang. There is still that stark interpretation of the future in the music, but the goal here is subtlety. The build starts to conjure the passion that sets another promising expectation for the new effort. The lyrics calls this a "lovesick lullaby". I could not describe it any better than that.
Bonus: TV on the Radio will be one of the headliners at the Pitchfork Festival this summer. They will be on the top of the bill for an amazing Sunday, July 17 lineup that includes Deerhunter, Cut Copy, Destroyer, Yuck and OFWGKTA. Tickets go on sale today at noon, so grab them here.
In Tall Buildings is the nom de musique for Chicago's Erik Hall, a multi-instrumentalist who released his self-titled debut LP in April 2010 on local label/cocktail bar Whistler Records. The music is lush and moving invoking the best of indie-folk and alt-country. Album highlights are the insistent guitar pluck of opener "Walking Man", the loving jangle and eerie clarinet on "The Way To A Monster's Lair", the Neil Young-tinged beauty of "Suitor" and the aching charmer "Alarm Will Sound". In Tall Buildings will be the headlining artist at the Metro this Saturday for their new local artist showcase Sustainable Sound. Openers include Cloudbirds and Alegbro with a second "Cabaret Stage" featuring Bone and Bell and Sad Brad Smith. It should be a varied, well-rounded and cost-effective evening. The tickets are only $6 in advance, so pick them up early here.
