Album Review: Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

Listening to Deerhunter's discography in chronological order is like watching the growth of a child with each album representing a milestone in maturing and development. The intuitive listener can enjoy a warm wave of nostalgia not unlike that photo album reminder of special moments that come rushing back from distant memories. The earlier Deerhunter albums are easy to identify on this faux timeline. Turn It Up Faggot is a bloody, raging birth that has no other directive than demanding to be heard. Cryptograms is that softer yet raw toddler that in it's best moments can amaze with each word it properly articulates and each confident step it takes toward getting someplace meaningful. Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. is a strong willed child beginning to form it's own ideas, thoughts and emotions and gains knowledge and poise with each small achievement and vote of encouragement. In 2010, occurring just like clockwork around two years after their previous album and following an EP release of unofficial studio exercises (as well as one from Bradford Cox's solo project Atlas Sound), Deerhunter offers the public Halcyon Digest. Will it be a restless, temperamental juvenile full of exploratory "experimentation"? A lovelorn, pubescent teenager unleashing aching, penciled poetry from a spiral notebook? Those may have been possible results if this now emboldened band had been impatient to "grow up" and attempted something that they were not "mature enough" to accomplish. As far as where it resides on this developmental thematic construct, that is to be debated. In brief, Halycon Digest is simply their most assured album to date and a testament to Deerhunter's dogged pursuit of exploration, details, clarity and perfection in their music.

This newly calculated approach on Halcyon Digest begins with the opening track. "Earthquake" sounds like anything but a Earth-shaking event; rather it is a removed observation of a planet-splitting event taking place in distant outer space. The track is intense and emotion-filled, building to a meaningful studio-modified crescendo while decidedly restrained, opting for beauty over dissonance. This commitment to loveliness is strung throughout the album connected by the best examples in the two early releases. From the mandolin plucks on "Revival" to the harpsichord plinks on "Helicopter", the painstaking attention to the instrumentation delivers these melodies in just the right manner that ties the whole album together. It is on "Helicopter" where Cox delivers his strongest vocal performance to date, a longing opining on drugs and their eventual diminishment. His voice is moving, hitting each tender note as the warmth rolls through, giving an emotive lift to the listener while each band member's pride is reflected in the song's performance.

Another noteworthy difference in Halcyon Digest is the interspersed quiet moments spread throughout the album. A song about loneliness, "Sailing" drifts along on sparse production featuring not much more than guitar and vocals over a subtle rhythm. However, the machine-like trickle of ambiance underneath is what makes the moment transcendent. Toward the end, when Cox bays for no one to hear, it is that sound of nothing that makes the track so powerful. "Basement Scene" is creepily inviting for a song about being stuck between the frivolity of youth and the perils of aging. Sounding like the darkest of Everly Brothers classics, the track creaks along on a hazy hum and a ticking clock via drumstick tap. Deerhunter influences are more obvious than ever on Halcyon as they reach into previously unexplored arenas. This is most notable on the Lockett Pundt-fronted tracks where the annals of alternative rock are on full display. One might have to check their Jesus and Mary Chain collection to make sure that "Fountain Stairs" is not a cover song. The lyrics even feature the word "Head". (If you don't know what I am talking about, don't worry. JAMC fans do.) "Desire Lines" has the insistent energy of a shoegazer classic that stretches out for over six minutes and finishes like the Pixies song "No. 13 Baby" where the interlocked riff and rhythm are so good that there is no other choice but to keep it going as long as possible. Finishing of the album is "He Would Have Laughed" with Cox back on vocals. The quirky beat and synth back and forth feel like a sunny Caribou track. It begins hopeful and resonant until the acoustic guitar and lyrics move to the front and the whole thing becomes oft-kilter up until the eerily abrupt ending.

Going back to the album as developmental signpost theory, Halcyon Digest seems to have skipped over its awkward teenage years, revealing a mature, full-fledged graduate with honors. Often when a band takes such a bold step forward into a more mature sound there is a eventual backlash and longing for more songs "like the old stuff". For me, there is no regret, only the joy of watching a band crawl, walk, run and hit the air soaring. Overall, there is barely a minor flaw to be found here, reminding me of a quote from Stephen Colbert I can paraphrase. Halcyon Digest: Great 2010 album or greatest 2010 album?

Download "Revival" for free here.  Purchase Halcyon Digest here.

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

Album Review: Maximum Balloon - Maximum Balloon

Aging musicians releasing collaborative solo albums fronted by an all-star lineup of vocalists is a real marketable tool right now. Big name guitarists such as Slash and Carlos Santana are cashing in on pushing mediocre lifestyle music on their devoted fans who listen with the pretense, "Hey, I like (add dull MOR artist name here) and I like 70's classic rock/80's hair metal! This song must be good!" Millions of units sold and multiple Grammy wins later, mainstream opinion becomes the truth obscuring what the product really is: an glossy, over-constructed collection of songs with no common thread beyond the one money driven focal point whose name graces the album cover. With the album release from Dave Sitek's (of TV On The Radio's fame) Maximum Balloon on a major label, it brings notice to some strange parallels to the star-studded collaborative/big money product push. The overarching debate is this: Is Maximum Balloon a well-orchestrated, cohesive effort or merely a pedantic collection of tracks with a couple gems found amidst the rubble?

Maximum Balloon has some large shoes to fill with Sitek as a main creative force in musicianship and production behind TV On The Radio. The comparison if unfair is definitely inevitable. One thing is obvious from the kickoff: this is no TVOTR project. "Groove Me", featuring vocals from Theophilus London, is a sexy pop hit in the making featuring funky keys and Prince-like guitar jabs that juxtapose the industrial hum and roll under the London's assured voice. The nearest tracks to his Sitek's early efforts are by no surprise the tracks fronted by TVOTR frontmen Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone. Adebimpe's track "Absence of Light" has that slinky buzz meshing with Adebimpe's hefty voice that raises the hair on your neck while the beat punches you in the gut, making it the album's standout track. Malone's offering "Shakedown" is soulful and smooth, reaching beyond the doo-wop style carried by horns and chimes, sounding like a Curtis Mayfield jam brought back to life 500 years in the future. Oh, and that is a good thing.

The female vocal representation ably colors the wide open canvas on Maximum Balloon, often sounding like a different take or a remix, for better or worse, of their band of origin. The track "Communion" sung by Karen O has a Yeah Yeah Yeahs flavor via new wave that is sultry and swaying but misses the guitar crunch that fans expect. That similar retro pop is found on the Katrina Ford fronted "Young Love", a New Order groove that misses the subtlety of its inclination. The best female vocals on Maximum Balloon goes to Little Dragon, whose track "If You Return" blends the her effortless performance with jittery guitars and an ethereal synth that is a lovely homage to the best of 1980's pop. On that topic, I would be negligent if I did not mention the David Byrne track "Apartment Wrestling", that lifts the best nervous riffs from Remain In Light but retaining the contemporary flow, making me wonder what the Talking Heads would sound like formed circa 2005.

To answer the question posed earlier, Maximum Balloon leans more towards an album rather than a collection, with Sitek borrowing from his influences, then giving them a whitewash of futuristic industrial buzz that makes him a sought after producer. The diversions in sound are never so great to draw away from the whole album and the standouts rival anything in the TVOTR catalog. The result is Dave Sitek's outlook on the direction of pop music that touts a evenly distributed balance between memorable earworm melodies and au courant indie sensibility. It makes me look forward to the future of music while reminding of an amazing and varied past.

Purchase Maximum Balloon here.

Maximum Balloon - Groove Me


Maximum Balloon - Absence of Light


Maximum Balloon - If You Return


Maximum Balloon - Pink Bricks

Download Free No Age Track, Stream Entire New Album, Released on September 28

The noisy punk  duo No Age has all of the prerequisites for instant indie success. Pounding drums, fuzzy and squealing guitars and scream your heart out vocals translate to intensity that pounces from your listening source and crawls all over you. Their first two albums Weirdo Rippers and Nouns are two giant steps forward in their progression towards an album that balances noise and melody, while never forgetting the intensity that butters their bread. With the new album Everything In Between less than one week away, Sub Pop has posted the entire album for you listening pleasure via SoundCloud. After a thorough listening, Everything is a healthy leap rather than a step with each song showcasing a new color on their palate wheel. We always knew they could rock as hard as anyone, but it is the melodic left turns that keep your ear on point, intrigued by what comes next. Check it out now as it is unsure how long the stream will last.

As an added teaser, No Age offered up the first single a few weeks back as a free download. "Glitter" is that great example of melody and noise in sync, humming along with oscillating synth and guitar scrape over cheerleader beats and confessional vocals raising the whole glorious mess to indie's own pop perfection. The b-side "Inflorescence" is a squealing march featuring an jarring organ wedged in the middle. The song earnestly plugs along by keeping it simple. It is truly an similar sounding yet worthy companion to "Glitter". Listen to both tracks below then download "Glitter" by right-clicking here.

Stream Everything In Between here.

Pre-order Everything in Between here.

No Age - Glitter


No Age - Inflorescence

Download New DeerHunter Track, Listen To Entire Album

Bradford Cox has been a jarring force on the indie scene for the better half of the past decade. Alternating between his group Deerhunter and his solo work under the name Atlas Sound, Cox has made his mark with his take on psych-pop that leans heavy on the stormy feedback and kitchen-sink studio experiments. With each successive product, his voice and musical focus has transgressed from loose to laser-centered on finding that proper blend of noise and melody. For the past weeks, the machine has been drooling over the impending release of Halycon Digest, hitching a wagon to the album screaming "The Moon Or Bust". After giving it a full listen via NPR's First Listen, I think Deerhunter may have achieved that stratosphere-shattering moment that defines a band's career. An extended review on this surely to come soon...

The first thing that struck me about the offered track "Revival" is how coherent it was. Rather than opting for the drugged out waves of fuzz that attacked the listener, Cox now has the confidence to cradle us in a warm embrace. The production finds the balance between a delicate mandolin and a just enough electric hum to add tension to this short trip. Halycon Digest will be out September 28 on 4AD.

Give it a listen on NPR's website. Pre-order Halcyon Digest here.

Give "Revival" a listen below. Download it for free here.

Deerhunter - Revival

Free Protest Song Available From The Radio Dept., EP Single Out In November

Sweden's The Radio Dept. have been spinning their blend of delicate synth melodies and shoegazing Euro-indie since 2002, distributing a steady stream of singles, EP's and LP's at a rate of over one release a year. The band has gotten nudges of encouragement throughout their tenure from the inclusion on the soundtrack for the Sofia Coppola film Marie Antoinette to much critical adulation for this year's release Clinging To A Scheme. In characteristic Radio Dept. fashion, they follow up a full length with more releases of original music.

Made available for free via their website, "The New Improved Hypocrisy" has been a work in progress leading up to the national elections in their home country. Well known as a society who socialist policies has resulted in a worry-free, well-educated population coupled with heart stopping taxation, the polling indicates that a moderate government will be taking power in Sweden in the new term. The topic of the new track is rife with concerns over this impending change and it doesn't seem that The Radio Dept. are too happy about it. Interestingly, the song's theme finds a common parallel to America's present Teabagger movement/scourge. Still, the song is airy and lovely, blowing through on a cloud as a catchy reminder that not all revolutions are warranted. Read the given lyrics for better clarification and click here for an article on Sweden's upcoming elections. Then click here to download the new track for free.

Also, upcoming is a EP centered along Clinging to A Scheme single "Never Follow Suit" slated to be out November 9. Download the track for free here. Included below as well is a stream of the entire album. Purchase Clinging To A Scheme here.

The Radio Dept. - The New Improved Hypocrisy


The Radio Dept. - Clinging To A Scheme LP

Fujiya & Miyagi Release New Track, New Album Out In January

Non-Japanese, non-duo Fujiya & Miyagi have been making heads bob and hips sway on a mainstream scale since their 2006 breakthrough LP Transparent Things. An album full of perfect Kraut-influenced nuggets, they spawned massive commercial endorsements and more mashups and remixes than you can shake a glowstick at. The new track below "Sixteen Shades Of Black And Blue" is the most recent output since their 2008 followup Lightbulbs. The new album entitled Ventriloquizzing is slated to be released in early 2011 on Full Time Hobby. This first offering is skewed a bit darker than their earlier efforts, sporting Bowie-and-Iggy nightclub slither under requisite handclaps and poker-faced vocals. It is an intriguing turn for a band who could be easily written off as ankle-deep and all too commonplace. Further evidence of their darker turn can be found on their website where creepy ventriloquist dummies are...graphically enhanced. I will spare the details as a surprise. Enjoy the new track.

Purchase Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent Things here.

Fujiya & Miyagi - Sixteen Shades Of Black And Blue


Fujiya & Miyagi - Collarbone

New Superchunk Album Out Today, Download The First Track Here

For any music fan, there will be those bands who can quickly take you back to your formidable years. For me, the memories of going to a piercingly loud show and coming home all sweaty, bruised and wired from the evening's events will always come rushing back when I listen to Superchunk. This Chapel Hill quartet started in 1990 and subsequently changed my ideas about live music with healthy handfuls of joyful chords, smartass vocals and guitar interplay that turned a fan's body into a wide-eyed, grinning projectile. Their first five albums (not to mention their singles and b-side collections) are a testament that blazing speed and witty lyrics can make a heady brew of alt-rock. Their subsequent albums took a mellow turn, losing Superchunk's punch and causing many fans (including myself) to realize that the dream was over. As their musical stylings became more grounded and the band members interests were focused on other bands Portastatic and The Mountain Goats as well as their label Merge, the new millennium contained only blips concerning a new album from Superchunk.

20 years since their self-titled debut, Superchunk is back with their ninth full length Majesty Shredding released today on Merge. After a quick glossing via NPR's First Listen series, it sounds like the good times are back as well as my past. Their freebie release "Digging for Something" is everything that Superchunk was two decades ago including a flinty production that was not in the budget for their early albums. The foundations and springing hooks are all there matched with a squealing guitar solo, reminiscent lyrics and a trumpet coda. Check it out below and, if you have the free time, blow the dust off 1993's On The Mouth and marvel at how well it has held up.

Purchase Superchunk - Majesty Shredding here.

Superchunk - Digging For Something


Superchunk - Skip Steps 1 & 3 (From 1991's No Pocky For Kitty)

The Awesomeness Continues As Japandroids Release Another Single November 16

As previously reported, rock revivalists Japandroids have been releasing singles since February in an effort to appease their fans and fill the time until the duo can get back to some extended writing and recording. The new single "Heavenward Grand Prix" is set for a vinyl release on November 16 via Polyvinyl. Included is a b-side cover of PJ Harvey's "Shame".

With the past two singles "Art Czars" and "Younger Us" being fast and furious, "Heavenward Grand Prix" has a comparatively relaxed approach.The mid-tempo thump pushes the swollen guitar-drenched wall of sound; the waves wash over you rather than knock you down. The dual plaintive cries state "We don't have to be like they are...", but the delivery feels like it is already too late. With this kind of consistency, listening before buying is simply a formality. The vinyl versions are limited and sell out quickly, so jump on it.

Preorder the new Japandroids single here.

Japandroids - Heavenward Grand Prix

Album Review: The Thermals - Personal Life

In this era of music where many of today's grandparents were weened on The Ramones, The Damned and their late 70's brethren, the "punk" sound is no longer the echoing bullets from the revolution. Because of this history, we now have the "what was once unimaginable" hybrid called pop-punk. And let's be frank, most of that late 70's stuff would qualify as pop-punk today. If your band is pop-punk, it has two well traveled yet diverging roads to choose. You can take the lighthearted, innocuous road of snot-nosed good times that leads to oft repeated choruses and heavy play on commercials and CW shows. Lucrative, but only a shadow of what that stern monolith of what punk can represent. So, that leaves the less paved road of a deeper, more meaningful, even more "punk" pop-punk. The payoff is also huge, garnering the accolades of true punk fans, becoming a critical darling while ringing the cash register selling their tracks to car companies needing catchy, youth movement sloganeering.

Portland based trio The Thermals are seemingly at the cusp of this divide. Not on a major label, thus not subject to mainstream marketing, they have the confident sound and musical chops to make a big move for big cash. On their first three albums on on Sub Pop, they have honed their sound into a powerful force of speed demon thrills coupled with smart, distinctive vocals. Their high water mark hit in 2006 with The Body, The Blood, The Machine, an tellingly modern twist on biblical stories that centered lyrically on fear and religious obligation. It was such a success that their extended tour schedule didn't allow for their next album to be released for three years. A move to new label Kill Rock Stars and losing band members resulted in a less focused 2009 effort Now We Can See. Now with their fifth album Personal Life The Thermals possess a refined maturity with the new tracks while shedding more of their speedy punk signature from the early years. Punk rock doesn't always grow up gracefully, typically best implemented by the kids (I am looking at you, Green Day). The Thermals have a choice to make and the direction is yet to be seen on Personal Life.

Much of The Thermals' characteristics are apparent here. The power chords are still upfront, the bass and drums lay an assured path and the vocals are thoughtfully constructed, delivered and accompanied by the ooohs and whoas. So, what is different on Personal Life? In their earliest albums, The Thermals managed to capture pure, unrestrained energy in their music, whether is was religious topics on The Body, The Blood, The Machine or the unbridled speed on their 2004 LP Fuckin' A. In 2010, the songs are all well founded, yet carry the weight of maturity, for better or worse. Starting with the mid tempo grind of "I'm Gonna Change Your Life", The Thermals earnestly deliver their closest attempt at a confessional love song. This common thread continues on aptly titled tracks "Never Listen To Me", "Not Like Any Other Feeling", "Alone, A Fool" and the bookend finale "You Changed My Life". These songs deal with wholly adult issues, namely falling in love and the insecurity that is bares, but often does so with a deliberate restraint. This is a fledgling direction for The Thermals and it generally works. Yet, I cannot help feel that the passion is muffling on some tracks, making them less memorable and emotive.

There is some of that explosive energy to be found on Personal Life. Early release single "I Don't Believe You" and "Your Love Is So Strong" are the high tempo tracks and are where the band seems most in their element. Other impressive songs are "Only For You" and "A Reflection" where the intensity is palpable and comes through with that undeniable combination of crunching guitars and gritted teeth. When the pop and punk blend, it still is a force reckoning force. Personal Life carries a mature theme and is not too grown up to be an enjoyable record that never strays too far from the middle of the road. Without knowingly The Thermals long term goals for their music, hopefully that can translate to being the soundtrack for selling the latest hand-held device or moderately priced automobile. If not, there are some retired godfathers of punk that might want to cash in.

Purchase The Thermals - Personal Life here.

The Thermals - I Don't Believe You


The Thermals-Never Listen To Me


The Thermals - Alone, A Fool

Belle and Sebastian Give Away New Track, New Album Out October 12

Scottish outfit Belle and Sebastian has been an inspiration to many beginning with their humble beginnings in 1995 as a university project to their genre-defining twee sound coupled with wry, pain-tinged lyrics to recently becoming a polished live band writing songs with a comparatively cheery outlook. It has been four years since an LP of new releases has been on the radar. After logging in tremendous writing and studio time, the date is set for their eighth LP. Belle and Sebastian Write about Love has an American release date October 12 on Matador. The first single "Write About Love" is available to the first 20,000 subscribers via the embedded widget.

"Write About Love" is following the more recent Belle and Sebastian trend of positivity in their singles. Featuring the guest vocals of the lovely actress, Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan, the new track has a persnickety lyrical thread tackling modern travails and pursuing life's simple joys over a 60's organ bridge, accompanying strings and an upfront production that will translate well to the stage. It is promising and unsurprising which should easily please Belle and Sebastian's legions of established fans. It definitely made me happy. Listen below and drop your email below for a free mp3.

More information on the new album can be found here on the Matador website.

Listen to Entire Solo Album By Steve Mason

Steve Mason is the former frontman for the touchstone artistry of Edinburgh's The Beta Band. Responsible for some of the best music of the 90's and directly influencing that era's mainstream Brit Pop surge, The Beta Band with Mason's ghostly vocals with always hold a special spot in my memories. Although he has also has side projects King Biscuit Time and Black Affair, Mason released his first solo LP Boys Outside in June on Domino Records.

After giving it a couple of listens, I am reminded of how I have such trouble enjoying the solo career of an artist after their band (that I loved) breaks up for good. The list is huge: Frank Black, Bob Mould, Morrissey, etc. In the given cases, there is always that missing element that can never be recaptured. Boys Outside definitely carries a Beta Band quality beyond his vocals, utilizing an understated style wrapped in a mysterious electronic/acoustic blended drape. It is good background listening that makes you sit up and pay attention not unlike that scene in High Fidelity. However, the content of many of Mason's lyrics are too upfront to be Beta Band quality, choosing topics that are well-worn and creaky, defining the innocuous, we-were-once-cool easy listening of Adult Alternative radio. Maturity, in this case, is not a strong suit. Still, this album contains value with song highlights "Stress Position", "The Letter", single "Am I Just A Man" and the title track.

Purchase Steve Mason - Boys Outside here. Also, click on the link to download the track "All Come Down" for free.

Steve Mason - Boys Outside