My Indie Music Blog

Rimar - Higher Ground (2011)

2011-06-13T05:34:00.000-07:00

This is lush chill-out music. It will give you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. It doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel, but it is enjoyable. The tracks are short, most of them in the 2-3 minute range. Park Talk is event shorter at 1:28, but it might be the most emotionally powerful, with a kind of spacey insinuating vibe. The rest of the tracks are playful and danceable, drawing inspiration from dubstep, chill-wave and even R&B.

Rimar's music sounds very effortless produced, you might say to yourself "I can do this too" when listening to some of these tracks. You can view this as a quality, makes it intimate, instead of inaccessible and alienating. A little amateurish and derivative to rival the likes of How To Dress Well or Tim Hacker, of which I wrote enthusiastically on this blog, but an album worth listening to.

You can download it for free from here.

YALL - Drink From Between Our Hair EP (2011)

2011-04-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

Guitar and drums, that's all you need. I'm really starting to get into instrumental music lately, I love the raw simplicity of it. The act I'm writing about now is YALL, based out of Austin/Denton, TX. Their EP is called Drink From Between Our Hair, and it's thrilling. Fast-paced and uncompromising, I guess YALL also attempts to sound angry, but I feel their sound to be more comforting than aggressive. You never feel abandoned while listening to this EP, even when you don't really get the melody, you get the noise, which is enough. Bang, bang, bang...the drums are relentless, this EP follows the progressive rock formula to the letter, with sounds on top of each other, fantasy ideas, and a disregard for the classic verse-chorus-based song structure.

Everything is abstract, like a lot of the music I write about on my blog. Off-course the name of the songs have now meaning than to make you wonder. It's all about two guys named Travis and Andy who enjoy and feel passionate about what their doing, and we feel it with them. Also, they have no problem in giving their music for free, and we salute them for that.

You can download the EP for free from here.

Radiohead - The King of Limbs (2011)

2011-03-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

It's dense and full of ideas, like any Radiohead record. The only problem is that there isn't anything new here. Kid A was so surprising and spectacular it divided their fans and made them the talk of the music industry. Instead, The King of Limbs is mostly great, but predictable. The best part is at the middle, with tracks 4, 5 and 6 acting as perfect examples of the post-Kid A Radiohead sound - eerie, insidious, a music of the primal feeling.

The record is short and to the point, the band has tremendous chemistry and plays very natural, as expected after all these years. This is intense and effortless music, Yorke's apocalyptic surrealism feels soft and delicate, and at times a little restrained. Like Kid A or Amnesiac, The King of Limbs is a record designed to trouble and fascinate, and it does just that. It's just that the standards set by Radiohead are so high, some of us are only content with stratospheric music from them.

Lotus Flower has a very cool video, who knew Thom Yorke is such a great dancer. Probably the best track from the record.

You can buy the album from here.

Non Dolet - Inner (2011)

2011-03-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

A rich album, with politics, nature, pianos, trains and real melancholic poetry. It manages to keep you interest for its entire duration, which is very important for any record. I really took my time with Non Dolet, I received this message from Alisa from Russia on March 2, 2011: „Hello. Your blog is interesting! I am a musician. Could you listen my music and publish at your blog, if you like?”. And I like.

I read on her page on Last.fm that Alisa studies at the music conservatory, specialising in sound directing. And come to think of it, this does sound like a soundtrack to something. Inner is eerie for most of its duration, creepy and even scary sometimes, but there is also a lot of warmth and sensibility. The record doesn't just play with the same ideas, there is a lot of diversity on it, with themes as varied as George's Bush speeches, or church organ solos. My favourite moments are those when a sort of screechy train sounding effect comes into action, accompanied lovely by a guitar like on Bushido. And then there are those piano solos, so simple apparently, but very effective.

You can download the album for free from here.

Nash Smith & Ganges - Nash Smith & Ganges EP (2011)

2011-03-12T11:25:00.000-08:00

Rating:9/10

I don't know what it reminds me of, or if it reminds me of anything. But I think I can safely say this is the EP/album I enjoyed the most from the ones sent directly to my e-mail by unassigned acts. It's serious, full of drama, with noises reminiscent of Sonic Youth maybe, only more spacey and dreamy. Nash Smith & Ganges EP starts off will a track called Hunters, moody, sentimental and laid-back. Only you can already tell from the instrumentation of the song, this act is not as straight-forward as it might appear. It gets really eerie afterwards, the sound striking a balance between psychedelic noise, hazy pop and synthpop. All the tracks sound like successful projects; this act is made out of 3 individuals, and you get the feeling they each took their turn in displaying their ideas and preferences. And they did a great job of it.

I had a short revelation just now, the second track Black Cadillac has a Joy Division spin to it. Seriously people, this is special music, at times sounding incredible, and you can download for free from here.

P.S. I'm listening to Kill the Lights as I write this. I really want to meet Melissa Smith. :)

Zak Smith - Haunted Feet (2011)

2011-03-09T11:55:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

This is very well written and executed. The first track doesn't really do it for me, but the rest of them are colourful, nostalgic, and have real soul. Zak Smith remainds me of an act I really love, the Hold Steady. It has the same approach to alternative music, the same motives, and sharp comments about love and lost. Haunted Feet tries to be anthemic and grand, and it succeeds, but it's also a lot of fun. It tells of heartbreaks, but in a lively and excited manner, rather than in desperation.

The Ones That Got Away Will Bury Me is my favourite track I guess, but I also like the last one, Faith But Waiting. It's not really fashionable, actually the opposite of it, but the bar-room rock atmospherics are very enjoyable; a simple formula but very effective. The female vocals are also strong and convincing on this track; lovely duet.

You can download the EP for free from here.

James Blake - James Blake (2011)

2011-03-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

Rating:10/10

I took my time with this record. It kinda troubled me, I had mixed feeling about it. James Blake it an avant-gardist, this is not typical music; many say it's dubstep, but there really is no form in it, instead something completely spontaneous, from the heart, emotions whispered out loud. The record is perplexing, there are no screams in it, but there is a quiet dynamism, suggesting someone is still in control. The productions are minimal; James Blake is unshakable, his music is totally naked, disarming. Even the moments of silence are perfectly weighted.

Not since Anthony and the Johnson did I encounter something so fragile and powerful at the same time. The soundscapes are austere, but also gentle and touching. To think the album was recorded by Blake in his bedroom...I guess it's easy to create a world of your own, to follow a unique path, when having so much talent and sensibility. James Blake's selftitled is record of 2011 so far.

To Care (Like You) has a confessional tone, it's like a dialogue with someone who seems far away emotionally. A track that like the rest of the album proves powerful statements are best whispered and suggested quietly, rather than screamed. Here's a remix of the song.

You can buy the album from here.

Professor Calculus - Chare (2010)

2011-03-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

Professor Calculus is an instrumental rock band from LA, with 2 bassists, a lot of energy, and twist and turns that will make your head spin. Their sound is very alert, kinda druggy, like a controlled and focused primal noise. The rawness is their point, keeping the production simple makes Chare sound uncompromising and honest. The drums are always present, their relentless banging makes the record sound cohesive, despite the apparent lack of theme. Carousel Dirge is my favourite track, a little different from the others, it starts slowly, building with each second, but eventually gets crazy and intense like the rest of the them. Noise Metal, the last track reminds me of an act called Wolf Eyes. Noise, noise, noise...but with a point.

Definitely an album worth listening to to. It's short, but with attitude and a lot of ideas. You can download it for free from here.

Lord Green - Last Demo Ever (2011)

2011-02-27T10:32:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

I decided to experiment a little with this act. The band is called Lord Green, their album is Last Demo Ever and I like it. What I did was to write whatever came to mind while listening to the record, take it as some kind of post-modern experiment. :)

Screams, drums, repetitions, insistence, aggression, indifference, heavy guitars, I don't give a fuck-ness, drama, theatrics, we are so cool and important, we got drums and you don't, I'm in a heavy band, punk is nothing without us, we like the F word, we don't need sex, high on sounds, again with those drums, it's really simple actually, If you don't like us I'll kill you, atmospherics, my/our world, God is shit, I am Spartacus rebelling, there you go – now fucking adore me, join us in screaming, I could do this forever, Lord Green is Black, feeling alone, global bullshit-ness, English is my first language – feels natural to swear in it, Mihai will post about Last Demo Ever on his blog – fucking prick, Higher Than God is overambitious, Flying is fractured and slow building, when will Mihai stop writing nonsense phrases, somebody stop him, he thinks he's cool, he's just a fucking prick, can't hold a guitar in his hand, we the Lord Green, you the nobody, better love it, or I'll cut you, ultimately it's just base feeling, concise and effective Hook, Line and Sinker, adios readers.

You can download the entire album for free from here.

Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing (1998)

2011-02-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

Rating:9/10

I bought the cassette 12 years ago, while in high-school. This was the coolest thing ever back then, drama, nostalgia, theatrics, and a bizarre genius character in the persona of Brian Molko. For all these reason I was a little nervous when deciding to give it a new listen now, in 2011, in a changed world, me being a changed person also. And it's a relief, it's still gorgeous. Without You I'm Nothing is Placebo's highest point, the closes they've come to being musical legends. Sophisticated, stylish, filled with 70s glam rock elements, angry at times, Without You I'm Nothing will endure forever. Brian is the star of course, a distraught poet, with a lot to scream and also whisper about. On tracks like Without You I'm Nothing or Every You and Every Me I really see him on the same level with David Bowie, truly stratospheric.

Nobody knew what emo was in the 90s, otherwise Placebo would have been certainly characterised as such. That would have been simplistic though, they were so much more than that. They could make any misunderstood and lonely teen identify with their music, they were real and surreal at the same time, our black and blue poets.

Here's Every You and Every Me, this single was featured on the Cruel Intentions soundtrack. I remember well the video which included clips from the movie Cruel Intentions. That Sarah Michelle Gellar was just gorgeous.

You can buy the album from here.

Resident Scout - My Greatest Sympathies (2010)

2011-02-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

The first few songs might give you the impression of a pretty straightforward act, heavily influenced by the grunge movement, with not a lot of its own to day. But listening to My Greatest Sympathies in its entirety you will be surprised by the consistency, the songs are great, they stand on repeated listening, and are almost flawless. Resident Scout is from Nashville, like the Kings of Leon, only better. :) No, I'm not one of those Kings of Leon haters, I think they're decent, and Sex of Fire is a thrilling song, I was just never totally convinced by any of their albums. Instead this virtually unknown act who is made out of just one individual, is better at creating them. Think of a mellow Kurt Cobain, with a touch of blues, and a laid-back and confident attitude, and you will get close to the sound of My Greatest Sympathies.

“I wanted to combine the playful little ditties from the indie rock bands of today with the energy that the grunge bands produced in the 90,” Hobey Kuhn says. And like I said, I see a lot of Nirvana in his style, and also The White Stripes and Foo Fighters. Anyway, great work Hobey, Mihai salutes you. You can download the entire album for free from here.

Freaks in the Wild - Wouldn't It Be Strange If... (2010)

2011-02-19T14:35:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

I like it because it's unsettled, with changes in tempo at every turn. The noise is very strong, yet subtle and complex. This is not a simple record to understand in my opinion, it often feels crowded, full of ideas delivered concurrently, but you can make sense of it. Freaks in the Wild is a very appropriate name for this act I think, their music in freaky indeed, mysterious, eerie, with an intensity hard to be matched. It might not be your coup of tea, but for me it's excellent; I just love the wildness. And I also love the unexpected quietness that sometimes arrives, it gives emotional weight to the record.

A lot of Wouldn't It Be Strange If... is instrumental, yet vocals are also present. The opening track in particular – Fangs, has a cool Radiohead feel to it, thanks to the vocals remembering a lot Thom York's. Just listen to record, you will not regret it. You can download it for free from here.

Destroyer - Kaputt (2011)

2011-02-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

Rating:9/10

I am day by day more convinced by the brilliancy of this record. It's really so simple, a soft-rock grandeur, nostalgic and inviting, functioning like a soundtrack to a night in out in a crowded and indifferent city. Kaputt is a puzzle, but a puzzle that when the record finally ends, feels resolved. I'm not sure if Destroyer uses any kind of structure here, at times you feel a direction, but at other times it just grabs for whatever it likes at a certain moment; definitely self-indulgent, expansive and very luxurious.

Synthetic keyboards are used a lot on Kaputt, also jazzy saxophones and backup singers that all suggest the smooth and elegant 80s. Playful and theatrical at the same time, the record is a winning experience, by far my favourite Destroyer project. I must shamefully admit that I used to find Daniel Bejar's voice a little annoying; too pronounced maybe. But this subtle and discreet vocal approach works perfectly for him. I am now a fan.

Poor In Love is a bittersweet track, as the title well suggests. It's representative for the record, witty and smart, it also feels searching, both within the lyrics and the music. Just gorgeous.

You can buy the album from here.

John Blaze - Album Three (2011)

2011-02-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

It's trippy and optimistic. Striking a balance between IDM and ambient, Album Three is an album that you should cherish. There is plenty of beauty here, the songs are dense, powerful and sophisticated. John Blaze might be a little deceiving as an artist name, „blaze” suggests heaviness and aggression, but instead Album Three is more like an innocent camp-fire companion. The track titles sometimes suggest the nature, at other times they are just silly and funny associations, like Alphabet Soup or New Pajames. I don't know their meaning or if they even have one, but when combined with the dub-step influence, they sound adorably cool.

There is variety on Album Three, 2012 for example is a more serious sci-fi influenced track. Pinecones uses the piano for a simplistic and spacey track, remembering the Beach Boys maybe. Just listen to the record, you will enjoy it. You can download it for free from here.

Happy Trendy - Old Friends (2011)

2011-02-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

Rating:7/10

The best moment for me is right at the beginning, with that whisper impression from the opening track Skinny Ghost. The rest doesn't entirely leave up to the expectations, but it is enjoyable. Old Friends is an easy going record, with smart ideas and a detached feeling, not something that requires intense focus, but rather a pleasant mood. Happy Trendy is a playful act, it keeps the same momentum for the entire duration of the record, even the tracks that maybe are meant to be sad and though provoking, end up more adorable than dramatic.

It definitely deserves a listen, especially since it is available as a free download. It's a lo-fi experience to be tasted like a sweet desert, with a touch of nostalgia, but only just a little. You can download the entire album for free from here.

Oldermost - Oldermost (2010)

2011-02-03T06:08:00.000-08:00

Rating:9/10

I have a soft spot for alt-country, in the style of Wilco or The Drive-By Truckers. That’s why I was pretty interested when I landed on the bandcamp page of a band called Oldermost. Their EP is called Oldermost, and is just 4 tracks long, apparently recorded in two basements in Kensington and Fishtown. And the EP is simply put a thin slice of authentic Americana. It will make you think of old-fashion romance, gallant cowboys, and a life on the road. It’s passionate, but not in an intense kind of way, but rather by suggestion. It was obviously very carefully crafted, with precision drumming, melodic and grounding bass, and warm and energetic guitars. And it’s very sweet and gentle, these 4 guys know perfectly well how to create a romantic and nostalgic atmosphere. I’ve been listening to the EP for a month now I think, and I still can’t get enough of it.

Here’s Lose Your Mind, the opening track. It makes me think of the U.S. South during the 70s, a changing world, but where the past is not forgotten. This is alt-country at its best.

You can stream the entire album, or buy it from here.

PS I have been authorised by the band to give 5 free downloads by request, please sent an e-mail to miv822004@yahoo.com if you want a free download.

Lettercamp - Raccoon Panda (2010)

2011-01-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

I’ve been listening to this record for a couple of weeks now, and it still sounds fresh and interesting. I love the voice; it’s electrifying and very sensual. The vocalist’s name is Liz, I exchanged a few e-mail with her. Lettercamp hail from Detroit, I wonder which side of the 8 mile they reside on. :) You don’t usually hear of many electro/pop acts from that city. Raccoon Panda is totally danceable, the songs are fast and full of energy; also, there is variety on the record, and Liz’s voice is the unifying touch, she makes everything sound sexy and fun.

In the second part of the record, the band takes a more melancholic approach, with songs about heartbreaks and sadness. Failure is a beautiful ballad; you can feel Liz in real emotional pain here. But this track is rather atypical for Raccoon Panda; in general the album is casual and optimistic. And I really enjoy it; it has a relaxing effect on me. You can download it for free from here.

Wire - Red Barked Tree (2011)

2011-01-24T13:35:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

This record is full of ideas, it knows when to rock, but it also knows when to remain quite and subtle. Surprisingly and remarkably, it’s not nostalgic at all. Wire is not stuck on the past, it just creates great records, adding something different each time, but also sticking to the familiar ingredients. Red Barked Tree is an erudite album; despite the apparently simplistic formula, there is much sophistication to be found. The tracks are clever and witty, filled with art-infused modernity, and always deceiving. Very often you don’t know where they are heading, will they just stay minimalistic, or explode into heavy rifts instead? Finding out is thrilling.

I don’t know how I will age, but Wire is doing that the fun way. The band is restless, hyperactive, with a sort of controlled passion trying to burst out. Red Barked Tree’s drama is unapologetic; this record is a successfully metamorphosed Pink Flag, older and not quite on the same level, but similarly intense, brash and boisterous.

I mentioned before the lack of nostalgia; this track might be the only small exception, it’s called Adapt, and it has a Britpop feel to it. The ballad is lovely and powerful, my favorite track from the record right now.

You can buy the album from here.

Broadcast - The Noise Made by People (2000)

2011-01-19T12:41:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

I was very saddened to hear about Trish Keenan’s demise a few days ago. That made listen to Broadcast again after a very long time, too long of a time. I almost completely forgot their sound, the mix of electric keyboards and sampled strings, on top of which Trick Keenan’s hypnotic vocals create an eerie and strangely clinical atmosphere. Broadcast’s music is perfect as a soundtrack to a science-fiction movie. In particular their debut, The Noise Made by People, is like a dream of a futurist life, robotic and mechanical, but also filled with nostalgia and sadness. The vocals are languorous; they drag out and are emotionally exhausting. The record is slow, but it is also compelling; the band takes out time to make its point, but in the end it creates something totally vibrant and alive.

It’s a dark and edgy record. The 60’s influence is obvious; most the songs are laid-back and mellow, and Trish pushes them to their finale with drama and style. The Noise Made by People is not a masterpiece; I can think of many records that I enjoy more. But is has style, and that’s why it will always remain somewhere in my head, and every few years I will listen to it to remember a retro-bizzaro world I never knew personally, but through music.

My favorite track is actually entirely instrumental, the last one – Dead the Long Year. It gives me the chills, makes me think of small and creepy aliens.

You can buy the album from here.

Kanye West - College Dropout (2004)

2011-01-14T12:09:00.000-08:00

Rating:9/10

With this album I am now familiar with Kanye’s entire discography. I recently enjoyed his latest album so much, that a decided to really listen his debut, College Dropout. And it’s really more of the same brilliancy for me; Kanye is a unique role model who delivers goods which can be both contemplative and ass-shaking. This is intelligent and clever hip-hop, from a rapper with tremendous crossover appeal, but always loyal to his musical origins. He could have just remained content with his impressive producer stature, but he wanted to offer more to the world, and the better for it. We need his sarcastic humor, confessional honesty and passionate earnest personality. Of course he’s self-indulgent, that is part of his musical integrity; he doesn’t just create albums, he makes swaggering and poignant works of art.

Kanye’s trademark sound is made out of high-pitched soul samples and gospel elements, but he doesn’t just sample, he refines and transforms. He loves drama, as we well know from his controversies, but he’s not just a poser, he feels it inside. Through the Wire was recorded while he was recovering from a car wreck that almost made him loose his life. His jaw was shut with wire, so he decided to make a song about it, instead of moaning and surrender to misery. Kanye West is a very brave human being, listen to any of his records and you will be convinced.

The last track Last Call is over 12 minutes long. Kanye’s verbal skills are tremendous here, he keeps the song entertaining and surprising for its entire duration. A long track, but it feels like ending in a glimpse.

You can buy the album from here.

Rachel - Add a Little bit of Tobacco (2010)

2011-01-09T11:35:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

"Hi, I'm representing Polish alternative band Rachael. Can you please attach a link to our new free EP on your site or maybe write a short review? I'll be really grateful for any help cause we don't actually give a shit about the money and we just want to spread our music all over the world for free. But even this is so hard these days..."

I was a little reticent at first. I don’t want to sound like a snob, but Poland? But then I decided to give this EP a shoot, and I’m glad I did. There are just 4 tracks on it, but it’s enough to realize these guys have real talent. Add a Little bit of Tobacco has a savageness-like quality about it; the tracks are creepy and intense. Somewhere between indie, alternative and garage, Rachel is an act that has real chemistry, crafting and mixing beautiful tracks.

The opening track Burn Slowly and See is my favorite; it slowly builds into its neo-psychedelic atmosphere, suggesting terror and fire. It takes its time, and is only the better for that. This is fiery music, music you can scream and bang your head to.

You can download the album for free from here.

Optimist Park - Mount St Helen (2010)

2011-01-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

The amateurish feel it has makes it sound spontaneous and emotionally raw, which is a good thing. At times, the voice and the instrumentation seem disconnected, you might imagine you are hearing a series of romantic incantations, rather than a shoegaze ambient record. All these are qualities, and make Mount St Helen sound surprisingly fresh even after repeated listening. I wanted to take my time with this record, and it only confirmed my initial impression. This is good quality stuff, from an act called Optimist Park, which is actually just a kid named Jeremy Mullins, with “a mic, a guitar, and music editing software; and a very patient wife.” Mount St Helen is about love, nostalgia, and the power of discrete and sophisticated music. Some things are meant to be whispered and only suggested, not screamed. They sound a lot more honest and convincing that way.

A wonderful album, and it is available as a free download, you can download or stream the album from here. Now, if anybody would just explain to me what Pensacola is; a musical style? Apparently Optimist Park is tagged as “pensacola”, along with experimental, pop, psychedelic, ambient, electronic, rock and shoegaze.

The Verve - A Northern Soul (1995)

2011-01-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

Rating:9/10

It’s epic, like everything The Verve does. There’s a chaotic energy at place, possibly related to the fact that when recording the album the band used drugs in excess. A Northern Soul evokes isolation and desperation, but in a playful manner; the band seems to have resigned itself to the sour taste of life, and takes a bittersweet approach to it, rather then a sad and angry one. Like on the their previous album A Storm in Heaven, you will find the same swirling guitar arpeggios, grand rock themes and sprawling structures, but everything is warmed and denser, and less shoegazer-styled.

This record is joyless; it tells the story of a tormented psychedelic soul. The lyrics repeat the same motifs, and I love this excess of emotions, fiery and confrontational, but also strangely laid-backed and in control. I feel Richard Ashcroft’s songs, I feel for him and with him. Even when the tracks are in danger of sounding redundant or aimless, he delivers with his naked passion. A Northern Soul is organic, pouring with emotions from every corner.

On You Own sounds a lot like a song Oasis would perform, it has a Britpop feel to it. It’s a beautiful ballad, and it will possibly make you nostalgic for the mid 90s.

You can buy the album from here.

Tamaryn - The Waves (2010)

2011-01-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

Rating:9/10

Tamaryn is a duo comprised of New Zealand-born Tamaryn and guitarist Rex John Shelverton. The group is tagged as shoegaze, although this term over-simplifies the sophisticated lush atmospherics the group genially produces. The Waves suggests a barren vastness, maybe arctic, totally overwhelming. Tamaryn’s vocals sound detached, but their strength is undeniable. The low rumbling bass and squalling guitar perfectly complement her soft girlish personality. This album was made for sleepy giants, it takes its time, standing at a still almost; but at the encores, it’s like watching an explosion in slow motion, that's how intense it feels.

It’s all a sweet melancholy. The obvious influences would be Cocteau Twins and MBV. The little less obvious one is Joy Division; just pay attention to the drum rhythms and repetitive bass lines, they’re very similar to the ones on Unknown Pleasures. Tamaryn is a great act, and most the times it accomplished what it wants to do, striking a perfect balance between the hypnotic down-tempo tunes and expansive atmospherics.

Choirs of Winter is my favorite track, very appropriate for the season. It gradually builds into a sonic storm, suggesting the wild cold nature. Gorgeous.

You can buy the album from here.

Waskerley Way - Energy Legs EP (2010)

2010-12-30T07:21:00.000-08:00

Rating:9/10

Energy Legs is a casually brilliant EP. The strange thing is that it sounds it was produced breezing in and out of the studio, totally effortless. Waskerley Way (an act of which I first heard from a tweet, thank you Twitter) probably got everything right from the first recording session. It’s shoegaze, the cheerful and relaxing kind, not the crazy psychedelic one. I don’t know if this has any meaning, but 2 out of the 5 title tracks refer to cats; it’s probably just playfulness. In general, this is a record to enjoy not over-think; Energy Legs is something you can listen to when getting tired of the seriousness of life. Now that I think of it, this might be an excellent making out EP.

I like all the tracks, but my favorite is the last one, which samples El Condor Pasa, a song written by Peruvian composer Daniel Alomia Robles in 1913 and then covered by Simon & Garfunkel (thank you Wikipedia). It ends this great EP on an emotional and sophisticated note.

You can stream or buy the EP from here. Also, I have been authorized to give 10 free downloads. If you want to download Energy Legs for free, just send me an e-mail at miv822004@yahoo.com, and I will send you a link and password so you can do that.

Weezer - Pinkerton (1996)

2010-12-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

Rating:10/10

I’m new to Weezer, and it was suggested to me that Pinkerton is the album to start with. And God, is this a depressing album; it displays a self-conscious frustration that has no parallel in today’s music scene, an emotional rawness that bleeds tears. The only record that maybe resembles Pinkerton is the Holy Bible, another angst-ridden attack on all our senses. This album is self-loathing, the statement of a conscious looser that knows his life has nothing, and will bring nothing good. The only thing to do is to dry your sorrows in music, be a geek rock, and proudly raise the flag of your misery.

The sound is dark and messy; the beats are poignant and very brutal. The atmosphere goes beyond brooding, and is plain distraught. And if you relate like me, you will sing along each of these songs with a strange kind of bittersweet passion. The tracks sound broken, like all of us had our feelings broken. Pinkerton is a perfected record to accompany your sad and twisted days.

But enough with the poetry, let’s get back to the music. All the songs are great, but The Good Life stands out thanks to it upbeat celebratory feel, getting dangerously close to humorous. But not quite, it’s still about misery, but in a more disguised manner.

You can buy the album from here.

The Honey Pies - Think of England (2011)

2010-12-26T13:04:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

Think of Australia actually, The Honey Pies is made up of four guys from Adelaide, you can read their detailed biography here. I received an e-mail from Jon Marco, the rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the band I think, who invited me to listen to the album and write about the band. And I’m doing that just now. Their sound is derivative but very refreshing; Think of England contains shambolic punk anthems, lovely ballads, and as Jon says, is ‘old style’. I hear a touch of The Libertines and definitely The Beatles (especially on She Don’t Love You); also, The Honey Pies are huge fans of a band called The Beetles, shamefully I never heard of it.

The vocals will lift you up, and the melodies are sweet, simple and deadly effective. I particularly enjoy Jon’s screams; this band would have been world famous in the 60s. But it’s 2010, and they are only known on their local Adelaide scene. But maybe I can change that a little. Think of England is so heartfelt, easygoing and optimistic, that it deserves to be listened to by a lot of people. You can stream the entire album from here. Also, I have been authorized by the band to give 10 free downloads of the record. If you want to download Think of England for free, just send me an e-mail at miv822004@yahoo.com, and I will send you a link and password so you can do that.

Girl Talk - All Day (2010)

2010-12-25T04:56:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

All these 12 so called tracks are danceable, carefully crafted, and immensely fun. What Girl Talk does is to find samples and add new emotional spins to them. The production is sublime; All Day includes samples from artists as diverse as Wu Tang-Clan, Cyndi Lauper or John Lennon. You might actually feel nostalgic when listening to the album; I myself have a real sense of excitement when hearing the first hint of a song I know. When Snoop’s Drop It Like It’s Hot, or John Lennon’s Imagine starts and is mashed-up, the lack of originality becomes totally irrelevant. There is nothing new here, but the energy is so intense, Girl Talk easily gets away with it.

It is party time in Girl Talk’s world, the stage name of musician Gregg Michael Gillis; and while the record is fussed-over and swaggering (it took over 2 and half years to be crafted), it sounds effortless. And of course you need a sense of humor to appreciate All Day; don’t over think it, or be stuck on the apparent irreverence of sampling songs as classic as Radiohead’s Creep. This music was made for the dance floor.

There are 25(!!!) songs that are sampled on the second track Let It Out. Here they are, also with their exact time-line (thank you Last.fm):

0:00 Ramones - “Blitzkrieg Bop”
0:00 Missy Elliott - “Get Ur Freak On”
0:09 General Public - “Tenderness (Extended Mix)”
0:16 Jay-Z featuring Amil and Ja Rule - “Can I Get A…”
1:23 Citizen King - “Better Days (And the Bottom Drops Out)”
1:25 Juicy J featuring Project Pat - “Twerk”
1:30 Electric Light Orchestra - “Mr. Blue Sky”
2:44 Craig Mack - “Flava in Ya Ear”
2:48 Billy Preston - “Nothing from Nothing”
2:50 Stone Temple Pilots - “Plush”
2:53 Jay-Z - “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”
2:55 GZA - “Liquid Swords”
3:15 Beck - “Loser” (portion sampled samples “I Walk on Gilded Splinters” by Johnny Jenkins)
3:19 Jim Jones and Ron Browz featuring Juelz Santana - “Pop Champagne”
3:25 Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell - “Drop It Like It’s Hot”
3:50 Rihanna featuring Young Jeezy - “Hard”
3:58 Wale featuring Gucci Mane - “Pretty Girls”
4:10 Beck - “Loser”
4:20 Dennis Alcapone - “Teach The Children”
4:42 Jean Knight - “Mr. Big Stuff”
5:14 Sir Mix-a-Lot - “Posse on Broadway”
5:16 Black Rob - “Whoa!”
5:25 Fugazi - “Waiting Room”
5:34 Dr. Octagon - “Blue Flowers”
5:36 Rihanna - “Rude Boy”

The album is available as a free download, you can download it from here.

How to Dress Well - Love Remains (2010)

2010-12-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

Rating:9/10

This music will send chills through your body and soul. Songs are not actually sung, they are cried out from the inside instead. It is both nostalgic and evocative, How to Dress Well (the stage name of artist Tom Krell) might have made the most original record of 2010; it could change the way you listen to and regard music. The last time a similar album made such an impression on me was Antony and the Johnsons’ I Am a Bird Now. The voices are very different of course, but like in that album you can feel a primal rawness in Love Remains. Tom Krell sounds like almost drowning in his own emotions, but somehow he manages to stay at surface, and produces a magnificent body of work.

Love Remains is eerie and insular, it will make you think of sleepless nights and headaches; definitely not an easy record to understand. But if your feelings were ever hurt, if you ever felt like the world has turned its back at you, Love Remains is for you. This is therapy through music; sparkling and ethereal, reflective and thought provoking, How to Dress Well made a record that will endure.

Endless Rain is somewhat faster paced than the rest of the tracks. It is just 2:30 long, but it doesn’t need to more to display its genius beat and gorgeous ray of emotions.

You can buy the album from here.

Kohwi - Hidden Tress (2010)

2010-12-20T12:14:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

The album is fragile and gentle, and it has a tropical feel. It even touches classical music, especially on the last track Under Close. Hidden Tress is atmospheric, which means it is best savored as a whole. Frankly I can not put my finger on any obvious influences, Beach Boys maybe, but it’s a stretch. Panda Bear, the founding member of Animal Collective, had a gorgeous album back in 2007 named Person Pitch; I have similar feelings about Hidden Tress. There’s a cozy warmness in it, it is carefully crafted but without loosing any spontaneity.

At times, Kohwi appears to build tracks out of fragments, filling a puzzle. This guy is full of ideas; his songs are mysterious, but not creepy. The title of the album is not without meaning, but don’t expect something totally inaccessible either. It might help to regard Hidden Tress as the soundtrack to an nonexistent movie. Here’s my scenario: some kids windup up on a deserted island, and they survive and live happily ever after there. Kind of like a reverse Lord of the Flies. They get nostalgic sometimes about their homes, but ultimately they are happy to live in the tropical paradise. I know, I know, I get carried away, and if reading this Kohwi might have a lot to object to; but everything is subjective, and the music can have a personal meaning for any of us, regardless of the artist’s original intentions.

In conclusion, a great album, and it is available for free download. You can download or stream the album from here.

Jonsi - Go (2010)

2010-12-18T11:35:00.000-08:00

Rating:9/10

As good as any Sigur Ros record, maybe except Ágætis byrjun. Emotionally beautiful, the album elevates you to a higher level, a fantastical Icelandic world, playful and passionate, with flutes, horns and strings humming in the background. In terms of the style, the record most resembles Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, with its dramatic, celebratory and sugary feel, and less the earlier Sigur Ros records, where the dreamy sadness was more obvious.

We all know Jonsi’s voice, which is gorgeous and fragile, and the songs on Go match it. The language and the speed vary, but it’s all innocent, naïve and uplifting, and while lacking some of the stand up tracks from the Sigur Ros records, Go is maybe the best as a whole. The tracks are shorter and more concise, for mainstream listeners this might be the perfect introductions to Jonsi. Go is about a wild and expansive freedom, fairies flying over an arctic background, it suggests external coldness, but warm coming from the heart. Go is a record that will make you more hopeful and sensitive.

The first few seconds of Tornado with the solo piano part made me think of Coldplay’s The Scientist. And there is a slight resemblance, but ultimately Tornado is more expansive. As the title suggests, it’s both about the wild nature, and the wild inside of us.

You can buy the album from here.

Lil Wayne - I Am Not a Human Being (2010)

2010-12-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

I was surprised to read some of the negative reviews for this album, I think it’s excellent. Sure, Lil Wayne can do and has done better, but he is still funny as hell, and has a real talent in producing energetic and street-smart tracks, with maybe a little to obvious hooks, but totally delicious. I Am Not a Human Being is a record to be enjoyed and relished, hedonistic and humorous, a party time companion. At its best it displayed a real genius in this New Orleans native with husky addictive voice, one of the best rappers of his generation. Even the weaker moments on the record are saved by his charming frivolousness, meaning that if not spectacular at all times, I Am Not a Human Being is always funny.

The tracks are meant to be enjoyed instantly; it’s really easy to get into the atmosphere of the record. I recently wrote a very enthusiastic review for Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, that album was totally different, with heavy thoughts and deep emotions. Think of I Am Not a Human Being as a chill out session instead, a southern rap collection of quirky and trashy tracks.

My favorite track by far is the sleazy I’m Single; it also has a very sexy video. What a life these rappers live… :)

You can buy the album from here.

The Books - The Way Out (2010)

2010-12-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

There is something for everybody here; there are jokes, poetry, melodies, and a charming goofiness, witty and introspective. The Way Out is altogether a very original record that proves you can be both playful and serious as the same time, without losing your charm and spontaneity. The collage of sounds that is used suggests a nerdy experimentation of the most inner feelings, a courageous statement from two guys that break all musical conventions. Is this music? You might be asking yourself on certain moments while listening to the record. It is; a kind of cerebral, complex and sophisticated music, for us introspective guys that don’t go out to much.

“And you’re becoming the world and everyone in it”, I love this verse, and it synthesizes perfectly the listening experience. The Books are all over the place, they take you through a journey that saturates you with both joy and melancholy.

The Story of Hip-Hop is not about the musical style, but about a person named Hip-Hop…talking about originality. This track is hilarious, and yet not as simplistic as one might think. There’s deepness in it.

You can buy the album from here.

The Verve - A Storm in Heaven (1993)

2010-12-04T05:01:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

It’s fascinating, disorientating and very psychedelic. Unlike on their latter records, here the Verve disperse with traditional pop song structure, instead building tracks out of repetitive phrases, which create a spacey, druggy and bittersweet atmosphere. What the Verve did on this record was to seize the shoegazer aesthetic perfected 2 years earlier by My Bloody Valentine on the masterpiece Loveless, adding more life and energy into it. A Storm in Heaven is a psychedelic record, and is thus inspired by the works of the Doors, Can, Zeppelin or Echo and the Bunnymen. But a pulsating, reverberating body of noise adds sophistication and innovation and makes the record sound modern, despite the obvious influences.

A Storm in Heaven signaled a unique musical direction when launched in 1993, but it was not a direction that the Verve would continue to follow. And we can’t complain with such great and beautiful song based records like A Northern Soul and especially Urban Hymns. While not a classic, A Storm in Heaven was a passionate, melancholic and intimate journey, featuring a band with tremendous skill and talent, and a voice that would capture the world with gorgeous ballads.

Among the 10 songs listed, Slide Away stands out thanks to its moody, trippy and ethereal feel. It’s a vast track, and it feels like an attack on all our senses.

You can buy the album from here.

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

2010-12-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

Rating:10/10

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is an incredible, beautiful, emotional draining record. Kanye West is marked by a flawed honesty that can be felt in his music. Everything on the record is self-indulgent and bigger than life, this messy and ambition work will endure as a hip-hop classic. Kanye is a maniac, he’s just relentless, a thousand thoughts keep him in motion, and he has so much to say and is so passionate about his feelings that fatigue might be a problem for a simple-minded listener. But stay on the ride with him throughout the 68 minutes and you will be rewarded. Kanye’s personality is marked by both bravado and insecurities, and the signature sounds are present to showcase his musical and lyrical genius.

The album is confrontational, and the themes are varied, Kanye tasks about solitude, but also about hanging out and partying, he’s introspective, but also mischievous. To say the record is gutsy is an understatement, Kanye always wanted to challenge his fans, his previous work, the divisive and underrated 808s & Heartbreak was a further proof of this.

I’ve been listening to the album daily this past week or so, and the track that impressed me the most is the dark, twisted, and very emotional So Appalled. It features Jay-Z, Pusha T, Prynce Cy Hi, Swizz Beatz and The RZA - a stellar guest list for a stellar track.

You can buy the album from here.

Manic Street Preachers - Postcards from a Young Man (2010)

2010-11-28T13:55:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

It’s an impressive and courageous effort this late into their career. And it’s tremendously fun; all tracks seem to have the potential to be hit singles. In terms of the style, think more of the Manic Street Preachers’ Britpop period, and less of the Holy Bible. Sure, it sounds commercial, but so what? Postcards from a Young Man is so poignant and confident you would be crazy not to love it. There’s humanity and epic drama in every song here. The themes treated revolve around affirmation and empowering, rather than manic depression like in the Holy Bible, the album I wrote about very recently.

"We've always been about infiltrating the mainstream. It was a conscious decision this time to want to hear ourselves on the radio. Our mantra at the start was, 'If you've got something to say, say it to as many people as possible' " - Nicky Wire’s philosophy can certainly be felt on Postcards from a Young Man. It’s street-smart and very polished; it’s very difficult to name a favorite song from it. Maybe the melancholic Some Kind of Nothingness or the dark and rousing Don’t be Evil. Currently I enjoy most Golden Platitudes, it’s maybe the only track where you can sense a real sadness, although the track is very alert, and in the end it sounds more searching and sentimental than depressing.

You can buy the album from here.

The Notwist - Neon Golden (2002)

2010-11-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

Rating:10/10

It’s a post-rock record, but with pop sensibility. It’s exquisite, different sounds and textures create a tender and dreamy atmosphere. Neon Golden is often compared with Kid A, and like the Radiohead album it is an art-rock classic. When I first listened to it 5 years ago I was in owe. The soft German accents, the glitch electronics, the fractured but strangely complementary beats, all made me regard Notwist as the most underrated band in the world. It’s just a notch under Kid A, and today it feels as good as it was when I first heard it. I never really got into Notwist’s other records, their last The Devil, You + Me was ok, but not spectacular.

The first 4 tracks are fast and incredible; knotty, intimate, and literate, masterpieces of pop experimentation. Then there is a change in rhythm, the melancholy grows, and the Notwist get more expansive in their bizarre, tense but soothing world. Finally with the last track Consequence, sounding calm and romantic, they complete their journey. Neon Golden is a classic album.

Trashing Days is a song I listen to when I feel moody and depressed. The Notwist speak to me personally on it, that’s how it feels. This song calms me.

You can buy the album from here.

Of Montreal - False Priest (2010)

2010-11-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

Rating:7/10

It’s weird rather than spectacular; the band is all over the place here. Of Montreal has created a world in which we can all loose ourselves - a naïve, theatrical and playful world. There are flaws and low moments on the album, but when the band gets it right, the quirky exuberance saves the day. False Priest is full of libido, and the production is complex so as to match Kevin Barnes falsetto-styled vocals. The best stuff comes towards the end in my opinion. You can almost feel an estrangement in tracks like Around the Way, there’s sadness on False Priest, but it’s almost completely hidden by the apparent cheerfulness of most of the tracks.

In conclusion this is a mixed bag, but it’s worth listening to. For the last few days I’ve been listening to the album daily to make a definite opinion, I still feel I’m not sure. I liked Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer more, too much of False Priest is unsettled, you don’t know where it’s heading, but the chase is definitely fun and whimsical.

Famine Affair is complex and messy like the rest of the tracks from the album, but it also has pop sensitivity. The encore from this track is the highest point of False Priest for me.

You can buy the album from here.

Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible (1994)

2010-11-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

Rating:10/10

The Holy Bible is cult, like The Portrait of Dorian Gray or The Godfather. It’s an unparalleled work of morbid indignation, fascinating and haunting. Released at a time when Blur’s Parklife and Oasis’ Definitely Maybe were battling out for Britpop supremacy in the UK, The Holy Bible came as an alien and strange record, depressing and paranoid. And time was kind to this record, it is usually considered Manic Street Preachers’ best, and it sounds today a lot more actual than Parklife, or Definitely Maybe for that matter. Lyrically it was Richey James’ testament; his tormented and grim nature is most obvious here, comparisons can be drawn with the likes of Ian Curtis or Kurt Cobain.

The Holy Bible is another proof that sometimes in music excess is good. It’s relentless; there is never a break from the deranged and angry sound the band genially produces here. It’s interesting to ask if the Manic Street Preachers really indented to create what resulted, or if it was rather a subconscious process. Maybe they don’t know either, but the record doesn’t lie, it’s huge, furious and gloomy. “I wanted to rub the human face in its own vomit and force it to look in the mirror”, this quote from novelist J.G. Ballard from the track Mausoleum summarizes perfectly the atmosphere on the record.

Here’s She’s Suffering, an alert and depressing song, with cryptic and claustrophobic lyrics: “Beauty finds refuge in herself/lovers wrapped inside each others lies/beauty is such a terrible thing/she is suffering yet more than death”.

You can buy the album from here.

Fennesz - Knoxville (2010)

2010-11-16T12:01:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

It’s a live record, and it does sound improvised, but the emotional depth that is covered more than makes up for it. The feelings evoked are not easy to identify, the music is hypnotic and gentle, like a whisper, bright but also restrained. Sometimes it feels like 10000 sounds are being put on top of enchanter, Knoxville is insanely varied, unpolished, but at the end of the day it feels like it had a lot more to say.

It’s a collaboration album between several artists, so it does feel crowded, but in terms of the sound that just makes it highly detailed and sophisticated, you can easily loose yourself listening to Knoxville. It’s so dense and overpowering you might think it a little aggressive, but that’s just in appearance. It’s nostalgic and cerebral, not relaxing but thought provoking, and something that will definitely leave a lasting impression on you.

On Antonia Fennesz uses the silence to his advantage, this is not a song in the typical sense, it is made up of just ambient fragments that make sense perfectly together. Why it is title Antonia, nobody knows, and that just ads up to the mystery. This song is not available on YouTube so here's Unüberwindbare Wände instead.

You can buy the album from here.

Superchunk - Majesty Shredding (2010)

2010-11-13T00:37:00.000-08:00

Rating:7/10

It’s a good record, but it sounds outdated. Somebody should tell these guys the 90s are over. There’s urgency and energy throughout Majesty Shredding, Superchunk are so earnest and good-natured that you are sure to like them. However, those of use who expect something new and innovative might be disappointed, this is just good old punk with touches of pop. Superchunk is obviously a band who will make the music it likes and feels comfortable with, regardless of the tendencies of the current music scene.

There are a few tracks on Majesty Shredding I really enjoy. Slow Drip sounds a lot like a song Green Day would do, it’s exuberant, passionate and concise finishing in less than 3 minutes. I hear a touch of the Strokes in My Gap Feels Weird, this track is fast paced and angst-ridden. But my favorite remains Fracture in Plaster, the most elaborate and complex from the record, nostalgic and yearning, with changes in rhythm and enigmatic lyrics: “when the past proves tough to resist/you'll keep a loose grip on my wrist, won't you?/and if the ghosts and the living can't coexist/you'll keep a loose grip on my wrist, won't you?/fractures in plaster/fractures in plaster/Queen Elizabeth, what would you ask her?”

Unfortunately Fracture in Plaster is not available on YouTube, so here's Slow Dip.

You can buy the album from here.

The Budos Band - The Budos Band III (2010)

2010-11-08T12:29:00.000-08:00

Rating:8/10

It’s all instrumental, and it sounds laid-back and carefree. Also, it’s funky as hell; there is hardly a moment to rest here, hooks and trumpets hit at every corner. The Budos Band are smooth and adventurous, think of The Budos Band III as the soundtrack of a James Bond movie taking place in the jungles of Africa; this is wild stuff. Maybe a little predictable, but this music will get beneath you skin, few bands today are brave enough to do without vocals, and when a band like The Budos Band succeeds in creating a work of such beauty and style, you can’t but cheer for them.

The record is street-smart and sophisticated at the same time. There are several influences that are combined here; psychedelic sounds, some Middle Eastern flavors, and even a touch of Latin vibe. It’s groovy, as our forefathers from the 70s would say.

Reppirt Yad is the last track from the record, and goes very heavy on the synthesizers. It’s spacey, a good track to listen to when heading to a club to party all night; you being filthy rich, dressed in an impeccable suit, and driving a fancy car…again with the James Bond fantasy. Unfortunately I can’t find this song on YouTube, so here’s a live version of Mark of the Unnamed instead, my second favorite song from the record.

You can buy the album from here.

Twin Shadow - Forget (2010)

2010-11-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

This is sexy retro music; it gives you a warm feeling inside. The energy Twin Shadow produces is earnest and convincing; the record is derivative, but when the romance is so beautiful, the lack of originality is not a problem. The songs are catchy, they have a lot of grace, and at their best they transport you into a past decade, with its silly clichés, and simple emotions. The 80s were not so bad after all, that’s what Forget makes you realize. I remember a different album I reviewed that had a similar theme, M83’s Saturdays = Youth.

The record is so smooth you might think it was recorded in a single session, it all feels effortless, refined, and I know I said it before, but I will say it again: sexy. The lyrics are intricate; Twin Shadow does a lot of storytelling, talking about innocent romances, but it does that in a detached manner. All the dramas are minor, everything will be OK in the end, that’s what I feel is the hidden message here.

Yellow Balloon, that’s a simple name for a simple and pretty track; yet totally genius. The encore gives me the chills every time I hear it.

You can buy the album from here.

Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky (2010)

2010-11-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

Rating:7/10

The record is very intense, a relentless tour de force, even though simpleminded. Swans draw inspiration from blues and gospel, but they give their music an apocalyptic touch, overwhelming at times, very dense and nihilistic. What they miss is nuance, My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky has basically one rhythm repeated systematically; if you listen to one song from it you get the main idea. But there is something attractive about an obsessive and stubborn repetition to me; it creates atmosphere, and even when the music is not remarkable, the dark universe that is created makes up for it.

It’s a killer; uncompromising, monolithic and distraught. At 45 minutes the record is not that long, but it seems to last for ages. That is because the music is huge and suffocating. I don’t really enjoy it in its entirety; I rather take small bits from it.

My favorite song is You Fucking People Make Me Sick. The song grows slowly, at 1:30 there is a tempo change, then at 1:50 the vocals come into place. There’s the childish voice at 2:50, and soon after that the eerie and twisted instrumentals that last until the end of the song. It’s a great composition, a little different from the other tracks.

You can buy the album from here.

Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz (2010)

2010-10-31T11:50:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

It’s too long and a little messy. The Age of Adz is bound to be divisive for fans of Illinois, but since I was never too much into the old Sufjan Stevens, I like this album a lot. At times Sufjan sounds like Thom Yorke, it’s really fascinating how he reinvented himself. The record is though-provoking and exhilarating, and even when the larger-than-life arrangements sound a little over the board, Sufjan’s charm saves the day. So by indulging himself in electronics, the artist found a new weapon to reveal his complex and delicate sentiments.

The quirky trademarks are still here, but they are no longer enough to satisfy Sufjan’s artistic adventuress, he is obviously going for something more radical. And the icing on the cake is the 25-minute long Impossible Soul, a story about failed love, very theatrical, seemingly never-ending at moments. But ultimately Sufjan gets out of it as a winner.

My favorite track is Now That I’m Older, delicate and dreamy, filled with nostalgia. Just listen to the heartbreaking lyrics: “It’s different now I think/I wasn’t older yet /I wasn’t wise I guess/Somewhere I lost whatever else I had/I wasn’t over you”.

You can buy the album from here.

Belle & Sebastian - Belle and Sebastian Write About Love (2010)

2010-10-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

It’s pretty, simple, and deadly effective. There is no artistic leap forward here, but rather a return to the basics, reminiscent of early Belle & Sebastian. It’s all very delicately produced, Bell and Sebastian Write About Love is a record so charming and good-natured, you can not go wrong with it if you have just a tiny bit of romanticism in you. It acts like a balsam for your wounded feelings, every melody is heartbreaking but in a humorous way, love is not tragic for Belle & Sebastian, it’s soothing, even when not shared.

There are a few songs in here that have classic written all over them, the opener I Didn’t See It Coming for example, or I Want The World To Stop. The style is pretty straightforward; there are miniature pop anthems and acoustic ballads, while the interchanging band performers do a great job in keeping the album varied and entertaining even after repeated listening. They’re playful and touching at every turn, and that’s all it takes for them to shine.

I Want The World To Stop is fast paced and very poignant. The melody is pretty obvious, but Bell & Sebastian has the talent to make the simplest of tunes sound fresh and sophisticated.

You can buy the album from here.

M.I.A. - MAYA (2010)

2010-10-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

Rating:7/10

MAYA starts off great but runs out of steam and ideas towards the end. It’s certainly not a masterpiece, and it’s easily the worst of her albums, but since the first 2 were classic that does not mean this one is anywhere near worthless. I love the chainsaw effects from Steppin Up; XXXO is also a great track, short and very efficient. M.I.A. still knows how to create terrific pop moments, with her sonic ingenuity and rebellious spirit. Only this time she’s less convincing, the sound is more metallic and industrial than thought provoking. Also, the political lyrics sound a little shallow and cliché like.

But she’s never dull; her music is urgent and dramatic and uncompromising in its harshness. M.I.A. is like a warrior that uses her artistic weapons to attack the establishment. And despite the fractured feel the album has, there are enough remarkable songs here to make the purchase (or download) of the record worthwhile. Come and join M.I.A’s revolution!

Here’s Steppin Up, my favorite track from the album, aggressive bordering insanity. This is M.I.A. at her best, brash and uncompromising, just like her Tamil ancestors.

You can buy the album from here.

The Walkmen - Lisbon (2010)

2010-10-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

It’s a heartbreak album, with a focus on atmosphere rather than hooks. Lisbon is as expected very emotional, Hamilton Leithauser sounds incredible earnest and sincere in his proclamations, bordering pantheism; he’s so needy you can’t help but to identify with him. The anxiety is masked by a playful style, smooth and theatrical. Other than that, The Walkmen don’t bring anything new to the table, it’s the same sentimental journey, self-indulgent, with songs that need to be listened to repeatedly to be appreciative. You will not find anything similar to the explosive The Rat on Lisbon; the music is bittersweet but not aggressive.

The Walkmen sound really confident on Lisbon, it’s their 6th album and the chemistry is close to perfect. So if you need a companion for your sorrow nights, you found the perfect record. The energy and exuberance will make you stand on your fit and face the complicated world. You don’t need a happy end, just a companion for your journey, this time in a little record called Lisbon.

Here’s Blue as Your Blood, a very sad track, yet also with tremendous power.

You can buy the album from here.

David Bowie - Low (1977)

2010-10-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

Rating:10/10

Low is my favorite David Bowie album, a masterpiece that influenced numerous acts, from Joy Division to Arcade Fire. The first half is intense and very provocative; Bowie’s vocals are stylish and carefully produced, almost clinical, robotic but also emotional and brooding. Bowie’s ability to surprise and enlighten was never more obvious, this is a record that can change the way you view music.

Imagine you drive a cool car on a Saturday evening in a big city; you pass by everybody, in a world of your own, with this record on your CD player. By the time the second instrumental half kicks in with A New Career in a New Town, you are content, relief and plain happy. Then things get a little more serious and grave, the sound is more obviously nocturnal and austere. It is strange how the apparently very different halves fit so well together, they feel like a logical progression of one another. Brian Eno must be mentioned here, for he is the other genius involved in the making of this album.

Always Crashing in The Same Car is epic and spectacular, a song as ambitious as is it quirky. Simply put, a perfect track.

You can buy the album from here.

Women - Public Strain (2010)

2010-10-17T06:06:00.000-07:00

Rating:9/10

Welcome to Women bizzaro world, where the songs are messy, the vocals are nasal and saturated, and a sonic murk envelops everything under an intense and hypnotic cloud. If you can get past the disorientating appearance, the alienation will leave place to bewilderment, and ultimately admiration. There is a fire under the blizzard, it’s difficult to get to it, but keep you ears open to the harsh details, and you will get there.

What these so called songs do is to gather the tension, and then release it. When the band lets it all out, the melodies sound evocative and cerebral, and Public Strain feels like a rewarding and winning experience. We are teased at every step, nothing is obvious or what it should be, the music is very complex, but also emotionally stripped-down. The rawness of the sentiments makes some of the tracks appear brittle, but listen to them in their entirety, and you will realize they are complete.

Here’s China Steps, a genius track, mostly instrumental, with sudden changes in tempo and insanely addictive.

You can buy the album from here.

Antony and the Johnsons - Swanlights (2010)

2010-10-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

It’s not better than either of the previous 2 albums, Hegarty sounds content this time, dangerously closely to playing it safe. But there’s that superb voice that saves even the tracks that seem weaker, and ultimately Swanlights is an elegant and effortless success. You know the lyrics, they tell stories of death and love, and Antony raises them into a magical real, sensual, intimate and hypnotic. This is sad and bittersweet music, and repeated listening will reveal Antony’s sophistication in dealing with grave and ghostly themes.

What this album misses are standout tracks, Antony produced plenty of them on the masterpiece that was I Am a Bird Now. This time you will have to be content with just the style, not without substance, but maybe without truly memorable songs. But that doesn't matter, let Antony and the Johnsons melt their music into your ears. You will instantly feel yearning for something precious and rare. This record is like a sweet, innocent and romantic poem.

You can buy the album from here.

Eminem - Recovery (2010)

2010-10-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

The consensus is that this is not Eminem’s best album, and it isn’t it, but it’s terrific nevertheless. There are some essential songs in here, in particular the 2 that made it to number 1, Not Afraid and the duet with Rihanna – Love The Way You Lie. Recovery is a casual album; it doesn’t really have a concept or a defining theme. It’s just Eminem rapping with his goofiness and sick imagination, sometimes profound, sometimes insane, but always fascinating.

Recovery is flawed, there are a few filler tracks, but that doesn’t really matter. Eminem is an artist, and this is another one of his works – silly, paranoid, intense, and rebellious. In a strange way Eminem is indie. I know this statement might sound stupid, but the fact that I feel challenged and involved in his music makes me give him the kind of respect I would normally give to Pavement or Sonic Youth. You can’t just look down artistically at someone because he sells millions of records, right? :) Feel free to correct me.

Here’s So Bad, a track produced by Dr. Dre.

You can buy the album from here.

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (2010)

2010-10-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Rating: 8/10

A surprisingly unpretentious and easy listen, especially if you are familiar with Deerhunter’s previous albums. There is a familiar and intimate feel all throughout Halcyon Digest, but there is also sonic variety, and ultimately the music is not as simple as you might think at first. Beyond the obvious sounds there are multilayered nuances, soothing but also reflective, enriched with an atmospheric lushness. Some might miss the drama and obsessive feel Microcastle had, but like all great acts Deerhunter evolves and changes, and Halcyon Digest is another fascinating additional to its body of work.

This is music that goes straight from the heart, dreamy, like a slow dance. Repeated listening will reveal that Deerhunter’s move to a more restrained and calm sound was a smart move, which refined the classic swirling atmospherics, with hazy and blissful tunings.

My favorite song is the one that opens the album, Earthquake. It’s spacey, cerebral and hypnotic. Think of the first few seconds after you wake up, when you still don’t know if you are really awake or you are still dreaming, and you try to adjust to your room’s surroundings. That’s how it feels for me.

You can buy the album from here.

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (1979)

2010-10-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

Rating:10/10

Joy Division makes anxiety and desperation seem cool. That’s one of the reasons the band’s reputation has grown after Ian Curtis’s suicide in 1980. Unknown Pleasures has a raw power that is gripping; these 10 songs are calculated monuments to passion, energy and despair. To me the record is simply one of the best ever made, it is wild bordering tribalism; the songs are sophisticated and lurk from behind the spacey and eerie atmosphere. The unique art-rock that Joy Division created on this album defined the post-punk movement, with its complexity and introverted feel.

It’s hard next to impossible to name a favorite song, they all make sense best together. Ian Curtis’s distraught nature is perhaps best exemplified by ‘She’s Lost Control’, which he wrote about a girl he knew who was epileptic and died. I also totally adore ‘Candidate’, a song about desire and cruel rejection. Just listen to the lyrics: "I tried to get to you/ You treat me like this." It really can’t get any bleaker.

You can buy the album from here.

No Age - Everything in Between (2010)

2010-10-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

Rating:10/10

It’s gorgeous. Compelling and nuanced, Everything in Between signals a growth for a band whose experimentation is this time replaced by more a straight forward sound, bruised and vulnerable but insanely addictive. It’s fiery, but not ferocious, bordering in style the beloved shoegaze, with its eerie subterranean noises. No Age makes music that is volatile and playful, deliberate but always seeming to strive for more. The array of twists and turns reveals No Age’s full understanding of sound dynamics. These 2 guys (guitarist Randy Randall and drummer Dean Allen) are totally genius in their freewheeling and passionate interpretations.

I’m going to take a risk and rate this album with a 10. Why? Because I listen to it currently at a rate of 2-3 times a day, and it makes the previous reviewed album seem boring in comparison. Time will tell how it will age, but right now it’s obvious for me: album of 2010, a masterpiece.

Here’s the 4th track, Depletion. This song makes me bang my head against the PC monitor; figuratively speaking of course. :)

You can buy the album from here.

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (2010)

2010-10-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

Am I the only one who would like to hear a lot more from Régine Chassagne. She has the 2 most remarkable moments (tracks “Half Light I” and “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”) in an album that is otherwise pretty direct and straightforward. The Suburbs is an ambition concept-driven project and it delivers the goods, but it’s no Funeral. In fact it’s a real change in style from the previous 2 efforts, featuring a new kind of depth, charming most of the times, but understandably not life affirming. This is good quality indie rock music, take it as it is and you should be satisfied.

There is affection and bitterness here, the music is serious and precisely performed, missing some of the wild side Arcade Fire brilliantly displayed in the past. Win Butler is full of drama as always; everybody knows he doesn’t have the best voice, but he more than compensates for it with his eccentric intensity. He resembles a true poet, with a real talent at displaying loss, grief and fondness. The Suburbs is a road trip through a romanticized youth. It’s an experience and a new step in the story of a band whose music will endure.

Here’s my favorite track, the synth-pop masterpiece Half Light I.

You can buy the album from here.

Menomena - Mines (2010)

2010-09-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

There are 11 tracks here; the first and the last one are the best, 2 gorgeous ballads displaying a dreamy kind of depth, very warm and gentle. In between Menomena goes wild and chaotic, but always remains in full control. Mines in cohesive, and with all the drifting between order and disarray, the band always gets back to the emotional foundation that defines its sound. This is not easy to understand or comfortable music, but repeated listening will reveal that these elaborate and ambition sound structures have real emotions sparkling to the surface.

Lively and rousing, the music is relentless. And although definitely experimental, there are a few indie-pop gems in here that will relate to you even if you like more conventional music. My favorite track and a real heathen treasure is INTIL. It begins with a piano part resembling a lost John Lennon track, then halfway trough the drums perfectly come into actions, all on top of the lush and warm lyrics. Enjoy!

You can buy the album from here.

David Bowie - Station to Station (1976)

2010-09-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

Rating:9/10

This was actually the highest charting album in US for Bowie, peaking at number 3. It was a transitional record, the last before the Berlin Trilogy, and you can already notice the influence of German electronic bands, especially Kraftwerk. One year later Bowie will use the same influences to produce a masterpiece – Low. Station to Station does not quite reach that lever, but it gets close. There are epic ballads here, disco influences, and that unmistakable brand of avant pop only Bowie can produce. By the way, he claims to barely remember making the album, because he was on drugs most of the time. And the music does sound druggy, but in a detached kind of way. It was a clinical new identity that he created for himself, a nocturnal and cerebral alter ego. The philosophical references from the lyrics are not by chance, Bowie’s cocaine-induced paranoia made him reflective and brooding.

There are 6 tracks here, all remarkable. My favorite remains the cover to the ’50s ballad Wild Is the Wind. But the smooth vibe from the funky Golden Years is also great, it feels refined and stylish. Bowie allegedly got drunk to perform the song for the American TV show Soul Train. But he’s a musically genius, so we forgive him anything.

Here’s the famous Soul Train recording.

You can buy the album from here.

Interpol - Interpol (2010)

2010-09-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

I think it’s better than Our Love to Admire. If I was to rate all their albums, I would give the first one a 10 (I did actually in a previous review), the second a 9, the third a 7, and this one (the forth) an 8. It’s still the same Interpol, refined, elegant, at times creepy and frightening, but this time a little more settled. There is none of that explosion of subdued emotions from Turn on the Bright Lights, but the album is solid, it flows nicely.

Interpol is a band that is self-conscious now, abstract and complex, but full aware of its message and possibilities. There are no more revelations, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing more to say. The band rose to celebrity and cult status in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, but the passing of time does not make their music less relevant. There will always be a place for the somber melancholy, the brooding sonic density these guy are so good at creating. Not to mention the always haunting Paul Banks vocals.

Here’s Always Malaise (The Man I Am), a depressing track, filled with drama; you can cut the tension with a knife during these 4 minutes.

You can buy the album from here.

Pavement - Terror Twilight (1999)

2010-09-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

Rating:9/10

It’s a Pavement record, so the quality is not an issue. The songs are dense and literate as always, but this time they seem more straight forward and easier to digest. It is their 5th and final album, and it doesn’t really bring a change in style. Recorded by Nigel Godrich and featuring Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead playing harmonica, Terror Twilight is a languid bittersweet statement from one of best, but sadly not commercially popular, bands from the 90s. It’s a rehash of their best work, still adventurous, but enveloped by an esoteric atmosphere; ironic, but also sentimental and nostalgic.

Pavement are ingenious creators, unique visionaries, witty, but maybe a little tired this time. It almost seems like they want to pass the torch to someone, only there is no act that can match them. Maybe Radiohead, you know the silly cliche with "The American Radiohead". I guess you can say that they share with Radiohead the obsessive search for something more - a Utopian and mesmerizing sound.

Here’s a gorgeous ballad – Major Leagues. It’s so detached and fragile, it is whispered, rather than sang.

You can buy the album from here.

Great blog about collecting vinyl records

2010-09-17T03:56:00.000-07:00

Robert is a vinyl records collector, and he made an awesome blog about his hobby. The blog is filled with biographies, reviews and articles concerning classic but also new contemporary music. You would be surprised to know how many new releases are available on vinyl.

You can check the blog here: http://collectingvinylrecords.blogspot.com/.

Sleigh Bells - Treats (2010)

2010-09-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

At first I though Treats is a little too clinically produced and performed. It’s a really short album at just 32 minutes, packed with a thousand hooks, and yet retaining an electrifying simplicity, quirky and bright. The Sleight Bells are fresh and unique in today’s indie music scene; their influences range from punk and metal to hip-hop and electro, and the music hits so hard and is so relentless, you will feel as if shock waves go through your ears. Which is kind of nice, yet I fully understand if some would reproach to Sleigh Bells a lack of nuance and sophistication.

Repeated listening is a must, many of these 11 tracks are obsessively performed, with conviction and insistence, and eventually you will get hooked too. What holds them together is Alexis Krauss’s unaffected, girly voice, adding layers of sweetness to Derek E. Miller’s compositions. And if I haven’t said it already, this is fun music, happy and sexy - a companion for a summertime hanging out moment with friends.

My favorite track is Rachel, but I must admit it is not the most representative from the album. It has a twisted and dark feel; short at a little over 2 minutes, but very efficient.

You can buy the album from here.

U2 - Achtung Baby (1991)

2010-09-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

Rating: 9/10

It’s time for an oldie. This is the album that is currently daily on my playlist; the moody, slowed-down grandeur suits my state of mine these says. What I like about Achtung Baby is that it’s unpretentious, personal, atmospheric, and very sincere. Like never before or ever since Bono is emotionally naked. Among the monstrous guitar noises, the Irishman’s voice is passionate, vibrant and swaggering. I might even say sexy, if I wasn’t a guy. :) But seriously, this is special music.

It was a total remake for the band that made The Joshua Tree, a refusal to safely settle down musically. Instead of bluesy American, Achtung Baby draws inspiration from postmodern European music; you might feel a touch of Bowie here. No more politics, no more anthems, this time U2 are introspective and reflective.

Achtung Baby is a bittersweet adventure, not in the terms of its quality, but of its mood and message. This is music for people that were hurt but still find a way to the light. Here’s the live favorite, One.

You can buy the album from here.

Tame Impala - Innerspeaker (2010)

2010-09-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

“Kind of emotive and childlike and f***** up all at the same time” – this is how the lead singer Kevin Parker synthesizes Tame Impala’s sound. Innerspeaker is in every sense a big album, with an intuitive feel for psychedelia and real joy streaming from every note. It’s subtle, yet not shy, dazzling and daring, like an attack on all our senses; an unpredictable psychedelic jam suite.

The shock for me was the resemblance with late-period Beatles; yes, you read it right, the Beatles. Parker’s vocals are dreamy, distracted and a little paranoid, much the same as everybody’s idol John Lennon. Obviously Tame Impala don’t have the pure genius the Beatles had, but they’ve mastered their sound. You can not miss the sense of control, and the real easiness the band has when dealing with grand motifs.

Innerspeaker is cleanly executed, and may seem a little redundant because of the repetitive sounds and themes. That’s because this is not a song based album, you will not remember a specific track from it; but rather a warm ambience lasting 53 minutes.

You can buy the album from here.

Pitchfork Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s

2010-09-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

The guys from Pitchfork are back with yet another one of their famous lists, this time the Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s. I previously posted on my blog the top 100 albums of 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s lists, you can check them out by using the search option from the top right corner.

This list has some really memorable songs on it, I'm a little surprised by the number 1 choice, but I also love Pavement and I dig Gold Soundz. I'm posting here just the top 50, for the entire list you will have to check the Pitchfork website.

50. Oasis - "Live Forever" [Creation; 1994]
49. Yo La Tengo - "Autumn Sweater" [Matador; 1997]
48. Foo Fighters - "Everlong" [Roswell; 1997]
47. PJ Harvey - "Rid of Me" [Island; 1993]
46. Stardust - "Music Sounds Better With You" [Roulé; 1998]
45. Geto Boys - "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" [Rap-A-Lot/Priority; 1991]
44. Massive Attack - "Unfinished Sympathy" [Wild Bunch; 1991]
43. The Chemical Brothers [ft. Noel Gallagher] - "Setting Sun" [Astralwerks; 1996]
42. Nine Inch Nails - "Closer" [Nothing; 1994]
41. The Pharcyde - "Passin' Me By" [Delicious Vinyl; 1992]
40. The Orb - "Little Fluffy Clouds" [Big Life; 1990]
39. Beastie Boys - "Sabotage" [Grand Royal/Capitol; 1994]
38. A Tribe Called Quest - "Check the Rhime" [Jive; 1991]
37. Sinéad O'Connor - "Nothing Compares 2 U" [Chrysalis; 1990]
36. Guided by Voices - "Game of Pricks" [Matador; 1995]
35. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" [Elektra; 1992]
34. New Order - "Regret" [Qwest; 1993]
33. Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott - "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" [Elektra; 1997]
32. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "I See a Darkness" [Palace Records; 1999]
31. Underworld - "Born Slippy .NUXX" [Junior Boy's Own; 1996]
30. The Flaming Lips - "Race for the Prize" [Warner Bros.; 1999]
29. The Verve - "Bitter Sweet Symphony" [Hut; 1997]
28. Nas - "It Ain't Hard to Tell" [Columbia; 1994]
27. Elliott Smith - "Needle in the Hay" [Kill Rock Stars; 1995]
26. Blur - "Girls & Boys" [Food; 1994]
25. Mobb Deep - "Shook Ones Part II" [Loud; 1995]
24. Built to Spill - "Car" [Atlas; 1994]
23. Spiritualized - "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space (Elvis Version)" [Dedicated/Arista; 1997]
22. The Breeders - "Cannonball" [4AD/Elektra; 1993]
21. The Smashing Pumpkins - "1979" [Virgin; 1996]
20. DJ Shadow - "Midnight in a Perfect World" [Mo Wax/FFRR; 1996]
19. Mazzy Star - "Fade Into You" [Capitol; 1994]
18. Daft Punk - "Da Funk" [Virgin; 1996]
17. Belle and Sebastian - "The State I Am In" [Electric Honey; 1996]
16. OutKast - "Spottieottedopalicious" [LaFace; 1998]
15. Depeche Mode - "Enjoy the Silence" [Mute/Sire; 1990]
14. The Notorious B.I.G. - "Juicy" [Bad Boy; 1994]
13. Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit" [DGC; 1991]
12. Aphex Twin - "Windowlicker" [Warp/Sire; 1999]
11. Björk - "Hyperballad" [One Little Indian; 1995]
10. Weezer - "Say It Ain't So" [DGC; 1994]
09. Beck - "Loser" [Bong Load/DGC; 1993]
08. Aaliyah - "Are You That Somebody?" [Atlantic; 1998]
07. Neutral Milk Hotel - "Holland, 1945" [Merge; 1998]
06. My Bloody Valentine - "Only Shallow" [Creation; 1991]
05. Wu-Tang Clan - "Protect Ya Neck" [Loud; 1993]
04. Radiohead - "Paranoid Android" [Capitol; 1997]
03. Dr. Dre [ft. Snoop Doggy Dogg] - "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" [Death Row; 1992]
02. Pulp - "Common People" [Island; 1995]
01. Pavement - "Gold Soundz" [Matador; 1994]

Wolf Parade - Expo 86 (2010)

2010-09-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Rating:9/10

Yes, yes, yes! I didn't get this at first, but now I'm hooked. I regard Apologies to the Queen Mary as one of the masterpieces of the 2000s. But then At Mount Zoomer was a disappointment, predictable and lacking the genius sparks from their debut. With Expo 86, Wolf Parade get back to their monstrous rifts and fuzzy synthesizers, all on top of Spencer Krug's haunting vocals. This guy has a voice that can raise the death; it can make you cry, scream and sing along all at once.

Expo 86 is relentless, it shows an act at the top of its game with tremendous chemistry. These 4 Canadians are complementary to each other artistically, they make a dark yet warm music, complex and sharp, with the kind of songs that will make you return again and again.

Some people say Wolf Parade's sound is odd and twisted. And it is, but you also get a familiar feeling when listening to their songs. Their music is intimate, brooding and stylish, Wolf Parade are the perfect companion for a rainy day when you feel meditative. And despite the apparent pessimist, I myself feel like a winner after listening to Expo 86.

You can buy the album from here.

Autolux - Transit Transit (2010)

2010-08-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

Rating:7/10

Transit Transit is a little too derivative for my liking, but it’s definitely intriguing. The songs are all very meticulously constructed, balancing post-rock drone and electronics in a detached and distractive manner. Autolux are a focused act, their ideas are not exactly original, but they are strong are memorable. Repeated listening will reveal Transit Transit as a complex and stylish record, despite the doubts you might have at first.

The obvious influence is Sonic Youth, but I also see Radiohead (think Hail to the Thief or Amnesiac) and a very thin shade of My Bloody Valentine. And this is the only problem I have with Autolux, too much replication of classic acts in their songs, which makes the album fragmental and mismatched like a best-of compilation. And I hate best-of compilations.

Here’s Census, a track so Sonic Youth like, you will either totally love or totally hate it for that reason.

You can buy the album from here.

I'm helping a child with World Vision

2010-08-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited about this. I will help someone to have a better life, with the help of this website: http://www.worldvision.org/. How it works is that you select the profile of a child who needs a sponsorship, and then you will be able to communicate with that child, see how he's doing and track his progress.

I contacted the website and I got a fast and professional response. My problem was that I was not able to register being an international user. I found out that I can be registered manually by support, but that there is also a Romanian website, and I'm pretty sure other countries have localized websites too (here is the Italian one: http://www.worldvision.it/).

It feels good doing a good deed. I'm not filthy rich, but 35$/month I can afford to give. Maybe if I make some money with this blog I will give more. :) A wild thought now - maybe I can help someone with music studies, or buying a guitar. And that someone will be the leader of a classic act 20 years from now. :)

Delorean - Subiza (2010)

2010-08-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

It’s a summertime album, simple and straightforward, yet dense with ideas. The feel-good atmosphere Delorean creates makes Subiza easy to understand and like. Don’t come to this album expecting life affirming statements, just enjoy the dance tunes and join the summer celebration.

The 9 songs are sequenced perfectly, each track sounding like a logical continuation of the preceding one. Carefree and exuberant, Subiza is distinctive, although similarities to Beach House, Hot Chip, and LCD Soundsystem might come to mind. The only flaws I can think of are the simplistic lyrics, and the sugary party atmosphere that at times borders trivial. But again, this is not supposed to be emotional or heavy, take Subiza for what it is and you will love it.

I heard the term ”balearic beat” used to describe Delorean’s style. It’s also called “the sound of Ibiza”, which is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, not a desert. But the song Infinite Desert suggests to me the Ibiza spirit best, although in all honesty I have never been there. Someday… :)

You can buy the album from here.

Lady Gaga and Ace of Base

2010-08-18T03:57:00.000-07:00

Do you see it too? :)

I know, it has nothing to do with indie, but it's good quality pop. Both.

The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever (2010)

2010-08-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

Rating:9/10

I totally love this. Heaven is Whenever sounds like the soundtrack of a life dedicated to beauty, friendship and heartbreak, ironic and dramatic at the same time. The tracks are anthemic and lush, full of heroic sincerity, filled with that southern rock spirit the Hold Steady are so good at displaying. I’ve been listening to the album 2 times a day for the last 3 days, and I get the feeling it will leave a lasting impression on me. It’s almost on the same level with the masterpiece that was Boys and Girls in America.

All 10 tracks are very polished and carefully constructed. Reading the critics reviews I’ve seen a consensus that the album is transitional, Pitchfork gave it a mediocre review for that reason, and the perceived lack of strength and cohesion. For me the Hold Steady sound strong, poignant, and are firing on all cylinders. And of course there are the beautiful lyrics, romantic, nostalgic, and at times playful and humorous.

My favorite song from the album is Soft in the Center, a straight-forward tune, yet geniously performed and produced. The lyrics are very emotional also. Enjoy.

P.S Thanks again to Olga from Lucid Media who sky-rocketed the number of visitors on my website with her plug. :)

You can buy the album from here.

Julian Lynch - Mare (2010)

2010-08-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

Mare is an atmospheric album, kicked-back and relaxing, with eclectic and exotic instrumentation, and very much at ease with itself. Unlike other bedroom pop acts or artists, Julian Lynch makes music that doesn’t come across as sad or tuned-out, instead it’s optimistic, colorful and very engaging. It’s very refreshing to hear such organic and absorbing ambient pop.

The album does sound humble at times, but the modesty is a quality, it gives it a raw and authentic feel. Influences range from drone, noise and African percussion, to more traditional pop and rock sounds. This is music that sounds best when played outdoors, in the nature, alongside the wind breeze and the chirping of the birds.

On Travelers, like on most of the tracks from Mare, Lynch uses simple instrumentations and minimalistic vocals to create a druggy and relaxing tune, a sort of melancholic summer anthem. I see myself sleeping in the shadow of a tree in a peaceful forest when I listen to this song. :)

You can buy the album from here.

Serena Maneesh - S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor (2010)

2010-08-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Rating:9/10

Part of S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor was recorded in a cave outside of Oslo, Norway. Frontman Emil Nokolaisen explained that he loves the underworld, with its seclusion and creative freedom. And the album that resulted is wild, intense and fuzzy, the obvious inspiration being My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. Like on that album, the songs appear to fall apart, but they are held together by the bands vision and assurance.

The sonic construction is complex, with streams of guitars, thundering drums, swirling voices and keyboards, all creating a tense wall of sound, spacey and atmospheric, and at times suffocating. It’s a mess, but a beautiful mess, and if you like My Bloody Valentine, you will definitely like Serena-Maneesh. The album is not quite on the level of Loveless, but it gets really, really close.

Gloriously dark and very dramatic, S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor is a change from the self-titled debut. That album was warmer and more relaxed in its execution. This time Serena-Maneesh went for an epic, and as far as I’m concerned they have succeeded.

You can buy the album from here.

Sigur Rós - () (2002)

2010-08-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

Rating:9/10

It might not have the incredible peeks of Ágætis Byrjun, but it’s hard to imagine a more satisfying follow-up. () gets under your skin with unsettling and evocative emotions, the 8 songs are so intimate you get the feeling they were especially written for you. Sigur Ros are the perfect companion for your solitude; this is cerebral, druggy and hypnotic music, impossible to define or categorize.

The lyrics are in Hopelandic, a made-up language consisting of gibberish words. We don’t know what they mean, but the meaning is not important. Part of the charm lies in the cryptic beauty they create; the band’s self-indulgence is for the listener’s benefit.

What Sigur Ros does is to create an alternative universe, with its own language and atmosphere, a purer and more honest world, filled with love. () works best as a whole, this is not a song-based album, the tracks are complementary to each other, that is why they have no name. Here’s the first, with an incredible video, imagining children living in a post-apocalyptic world.

You can buy the album from here.

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles(2010)

2010-08-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

Crystal Castles are bleak and sinister, and have a very distinctive visceral screech, but they also have melody; that is way the tracks sound so cohesive and polished, in between the dense and wild constructions. Playful and unsettling, Crystal Castles (2010) is deep and thought provoking, more so than the debut album. The band has a tendency to be clinical and precise, but the coldness suits them well, giving Crystal Castles a cool, rather than distant feel.

Recorded all around the world, in places like Detroit, Iceland, Canada and London, the album does have a cosmopolitan feel, but at its hearts it’s pop music; refined, eerie, and so deliberate and poignant it can hypnotize you

Sigur Ros and Stina Nordenstam are sampled on one song each, but Not in Love, the cover of s song by new wave band Platinum Blonde really stands out, it has a very fast pace and Ethan Kath's robotic vocals are exhilarating as hell.

You can buy the album from here.

Arcade Fire - Funeral(2004)

2010-07-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

Rating:10/10

The new album The Suburbs is soon upon us, so I thought I’d get reacquainted with Arcade Fire’s existing discography. Reacquainted is not the word here, Arcade Fire is so familiar to me I would recognize and place most of their songs anytime anywhere. They stroke a cord in me, the masterpiece that was Funeral especially, but also the glorious and somewhat underrated Neon Bible.

Best album of 2004 or 2005, depending on what continental you live on, Funeral is extraordinary in every sense. It was made by a band at the top of its game, even though it was a debut album. Full of love, aching with elegiac intensity, Funeral is so honest and sincere, that it gives credit to the idea you can still embrace honest emotions in popular music without sounding outdated or simplistic. The music that Arcade Fire makes redeems, the band uses melodic and primal vocals to subdue the cynicism, compromise and lack of color modern life is made of. A visionary and winning statement, a perfect masterpiece, and simply put, one of the best albums made in the history of music.

I just looked back at what I wrote, I was on fire. :) And I meant every world of it. If you don’t believe me, here’s In the Backseat.

You can buy the album from here.

Black Keys - Brothers(2010)

2010-07-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

Rating:7/10

Brothers is a song based album, and there are plenty of songs here that are worth listening to. Unfortunately, at almost 1 hour the album is too long and not without filler. Although Black Keys are known primary as a blues band, you can tell they try to produce a variety of tempos and melodies. Yet they don’t break any new ground, and are content to render a modern reproduction of the soul and power of blues music.

If you like traditional rock, Brothers is a sure thing. The songwriting is smooth and refined, the hooks are exactly were you would expect them, and when in need of a good cry you can hardly find a better companion. For me personally it doesn’t sound spectacular, I’m not totally convinced by passionate and freewheeling spirit Black Keys displays. I enjoy it, but in small doses.

The strength of the band lies in the ballads, and my favorite is Too Afraid To Love You, a simple, yet fiery and heartbreaking song, a lost classic of the 60s.

You can buy the album from here.

Sigur Rós - Takk...(2005)

2010-07-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

Not their best, but it’s a Sigur Ros record, so by default it’s a mesmerizing experience. This time the songs are sang in Icelandic rather than the fabricated Hopelandish. As always, you get the strange feeling these guys are in a different world, singing with passion the beauty they see, and wanting to share it all with the listener. Takk is carefully constructed, very emotional, and while a little more towards the mainstream than the previous albums, still full of the Icelandic mystique we all love.

At 65 minute there are bound to be some less than remarkable moments, and there are. But the intoxicating, meditative rock, relentlessly charged and then recharged makes excess part of its point. Takk is a journey, a marathon of Icelandic love. I recently wrote about Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust on my blog, I gave it a 9 mark because I fell it’s more complete and expands Sigur Ros’s palette. I give Takk only an 8 because there is too much here focused on just mood. But the mood is so intense and delicate that Sigur Ros easily gets away with it.

Here's the gorgeous 10 minutes long Milano.

You can buy the album from here.

Method Man - Tical(1994)

2010-07-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

Rating:9/10

Perhaps the most straight forward Wu-Tang related project, Tical is just a good ol'-fashioned hip-hop album, really heavy, and really dark. Method Man is incredibly witty and wordy, and his spontaneity is astonishing, making the aggressive and sleazy Tical sound so natural as if produced on the streets.

Highlights include "Bring The Pain", "Method Man," as well as the Raekwon collaboration "Meth vs. Chef." A little unusual for a Wu-Tang album, more than half of the tracks are not collaborations, making the album mainly a two-man show, Meth doing the raping, and RZA taking care of the beats.

It’s all a lyrical warfare; the rhymes are scary and creep out at the listener. I feel the album still holds out today, I love the rawness, the theatrical and street-smart stories. It’s hostile and yet totally welcoming it you appreciate good quality hip-hop.

You can buy the album from here.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

2010-07-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

I’m not going to write about music today, instead I’m going to write about cinema, a stunning piece of cinema. Set in Communist Romania in the final years of Nicolae Ceausescu’s rule, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romanian: 4 luni, 3 săptămâni şi 2 zile) tells the story of two friends who try to arrange an illegal abortion. The film won the Palme d’Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, and received enthusiastic response from critics. Simply put, this film is a classic that will stand the test of time. I still watch it today with almost the same interest as I did 3 years ago.

Abortion is a controversial subject that will always raise interest, but what I love most about this film is the atmosphere. It’s a very accurate representation of the social failure that Communism was: filthy roads, crowded and dusty buses, rude public servants and irritable people everywhere. It was all a general and suffocating Grey, Romania was a country without color and personality. What these 2 girls go through comes as no surprise; it’s typical rather than exceptional.

I’m not going to spoil it for the ones that did not see the film yet, so I won’t say anything else about what happens and how it all ends. But I am going to say it’s haunting, horrifying, pitiless, and it has an unparalleled commitment to reality. The film is not a metaphor, it is how it was, and Cristian Mungiu (the writer and director) made an aesthetic achievement with little money and cast at his disposal. If the human drama does not shake you, then you have a problem.

You can buy the DVD from here.

Titus Andronicus - The Monitor(2010)

2010-07-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

Rating:7/10

The Monitor is so angst ridden and confrontational, it’s dangerously getting close to being tiresome. Rivers of sorrow float endlessly amid self-indulgent statements, and at over an hour you might feel exhausted. However, it’s all done with intelligence and passion, and it is hard to deny the uniqueness and intensity that Titus Andronicus knows so well to generate.

It’s personal if anything, the vocals remind me a lot of Conor Oberst – the same tense, anxious and lively desperation. The perpetual rebellion displayed might strike you as exciting or wearying, for me it’s both. A little variety and irony might do these guys some good, but for now we are stuck with the electrifying, fascinating and spectacular The Monitor. I hope in the future Titus Andronicus will make an album with the same passion, but more balanced.

My favorite song from the album is No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future, the opening solo especially is so tense it will give you the chills.

You can buy the album from here.

Wild Nothing - Gemini(2010)

2010-07-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

This album is all about the 1980s, especially the dreamy and sulky side of that decade. Wild Nothing’s sound might remind you of Radio Dept. or the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, only the type of indie pop displayed here is more comprehensive and classic. I personally see a resemblance with M83’s Saturdays = Youth, an album I wrote about on my blog a while ago.

Wild Nothing is a cool name, but the recording band is must out of just one individual, Virginia native Jack Tatum. And this guy sounds like a true romantic, the melodies acting like a framework for his subtle sentiments. Not all tracks connect instantly, but repeated spins will reveal that Gemini is a special indie pop record, one of the most remarkable of this year.

The charming and effective simplicity Jack Tatum can produce can be perfectly felt in Bored Games. More than on any other track on the record, you can really feel the enveloping Nu Gaze guitar trademark here.

You can buy the album from here.

The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers(1971)

2010-07-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

Rating:10/10

Exile on Main St. just had a remastered version released in May with 10 new tracks and 2 alternate versions. That album is widely considered as Rolling Stones’ best, however I personally find myself more drawn towards Sticky Fingers these days. I must mention that it took a very long time for me to get into the Stones, they were not the idols The Beatles were for me while growing up. However, in time I started to appreciate them more and more, especially their slow and bluesy side, with some country touches (one of my favorite RS songs ever is the obscure The Worst, a straight out country song).

Released back in 1971 Sticky Fingers was their ninth studio album, and the first to feature a full-length appearance from Mick Taylor. The album has a sleazy and druggy feel; most of the songs explicitly mention drug use. All the songs are great, from the classic opener Brown Sugar (a lyrical mess of thoughts about slavery, interracial sex and lost virginity), to the beautiful sentimental Wild Horses (recently covered by Susan Boyle) or the angry misogynistic Bitch. Like I said, I like RS most when they do slow, laid-back, classic blues. And this album has a lot of that, the highest point for me being the ravishing I Got The Blues. Moonlight Mile, the sad, yearning ballad, is a perfect end for one of the best albums ever made.

Sticky Fingers is a story about frustration and weariness, but the music redeems all sorrow, and listening to the album puts me in a strangely optimist mood. All good music does that I guess.

You can buy the album from here.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand - TV Series

2010-07-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

The last 2 nights I finished watching the first season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand. I fell in love with the series. As the title suggest, the series focus on the historical figure of Spartacus, the gladiator who from 73 to 71 BC led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. So basically we have a real historical event – the uprising, and the possible details of Spartacus' obscure early life leading to the records of history. It’s the same formula that was used for the Rome series.

The first season has 13 episodes and starts in Thrace, where the main character is a fighter in the Roman auxiliary. By the 13th episode Spartacus becomes a famous gladiator and he finally lights the spark that starts the rebellion.

The show is very graphic, with violence, strong sexual content and coarse language. The executive producers wanted to make it as realistic as possible to resemble the society of that time, and it is brutal. I totally recommend the series, especially if you are a history buff.

You can buy Spartacus: Blood and Sand - The Complete First Season DVD from here.

Girls - Album(2009)

2010-07-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

The San Francisco-based duo of Christopher Owens and Chet White take the musical past as the starting point for a bracing, fresh, and charming record. Sometimes heart-rending, at other times goofy or space-out, Album is not very polished, but it is a winner thanks to its warmth and rock’n’roll spirit. Because essentially this is a rock’n’roll record, grabbing inspiration from Phil Spector, Beatles, Beach Boys, JAMC or Spiritualized. Girls take everything that was good about the past, add layers of woozy production, and when hitting the mark they are essential.

The first time when I listened to the album I felt like giving it a 10 mark. Repeated listening tempered my excitement. Album is great, but Girls need to also come up with something of their own, nut just reenacting the past, it order to truly become stratospheric. For the time being we are content to enjoy gorgeous and effectively naïve tracks like Summertime.

You can buy the album from here.

Ride - Nowhere(1990)

2010-07-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

Rating:9/10

This album was not the instant love MBV’s Loveless was for me, in fact for a long time I did not know what all the fuss was about. Yet I kept listening to it over the years and gradually it revealed to me as a seminal, landmark, revolutionary album, still not on equal terms with Loveless, but just a nudge lower.

Nowhere is dense, tight, hypnotic and really wild. But the wildness is controlled and subdued into dreamy passionate songs. And all the songs are quality, from the upbeat “Kaleidoscope”, to the endlessly escalating Polar Bear, and the wistful Vapour Trail. But my favorite is Paralysed, a calm and peaceful, yet rousing moment, that synthesizes perfectly Ride’s sound: massive trembling distortions, with a surprisingly simple melodic approach – a winning combination.

The keen sense of songcraft and dynamics set Ride apart from other shoegazing acts, and while their rise was meteoric, they will remain in music history thanks to the great album Nowhere was.

You can buy the album from here.

Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do(2010)

2010-07-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

The Big To-Do is somewhat more rocking than their previous releases. Their alt-country style is very evocative and full of muscle, and while there are great songs here, the album works best a unified conceptual work. Drive-By Truckers were always cinematic in a mysterious way, and this album is no exception.

The lyrics are typical country, these guys sing and act like true Southern gentlemen. They belong to a cool, strange and old-fashion word; an imperfect world, but one in which the good stuff more then make up for the drama.

For those that are familiar with their previous releases, the range covered on the album will not be surprising. There are the big guitar rock tracks, and there are the nostalgic hard-breaking ballads. It’s the same old story, but a story that deserves to be heard again and again.

Talking about ballads, here’s the gorgeous You Got Another, intermingled with short interviews from band members.

You can buy the album from here.

Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma(2010)

2010-06-27T06:18:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

Cosmogramma is filled with sounds, beats and instruments, and it might sound a bit of a mess at first, but if you’re patient and open-minded, it will reveal as a catchy and fascinating sonic extravaganza. It flirts a lot with jazz, but it will be to simplistic to call this a jazz record, there is also techno, dubstep, chiptune, P-funk, IDM and even hip-hop here. Flying Lotus makes music that is dense and totally unpredictable, cosmic and futuristic like the soundtrack of an alien made movie.

...And the World Laughs with You, the duet with Thom Yorke, sounds like a lost track from Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief. Like Radiohead, Flying Lotus employs heavily electronic music advances from the last decade, and takes an intellectual and cerebral approach to music making.

Talking about the similarity with Radiohead, here’s the bizarre but warm and inviting Mmmhmm. It has an Amnesiac feel, don’t you think so?

You can buy the album from here.

Italian World Cup Exit - Cheer Up!

2010-06-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, I grew up with the World Cup, it has always been a part of my life, and this year is no exception. I am not the soccer fan I was when I was little, but the World Cup is unique - the greatest sporting event in the world.

My first World Cup w as in 1990 in Italy. I was 8 then, and Romania was again a participant after 20 years. We qualified from the group stage, which was great, but then we lost to Ireland in a dramatic shot-out. There was so much drama and passion during the competition, something I never experienced before. I remember my favorite team for that tournament was Germany, I was very glad when they won in the final with Argentina, though now in retrospect I feel is was a little unfair, the penalty awarded to Germany was very dubious.

I won’t go through all the World Cups since 1990; I will just talk a little about what happened today. A very sad day for all Italians, but that’s life, you win some, you loose some. I don’t know if this happened before: defending champion eliminated from the group rounds. I didn’t see the game against Slovakia, but from what I understand the Italians fought hard, so there was no lack of commitment. But that’s now enough sometimes, you also organization, mental strength, and luck.

But cheer up my Italians friends; we have the Euro in 2012, then Brazil in 2014, you will get back there and make memorable matches again. As for me, you already won me; you gave me a magical summer in 1990; or as the song goes, “magical nights”.

PS My favorite for this year is United States, great match again Algeria, that London Donovan is something else.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today(2010)

2010-06-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

Rating:9/10

Ariel Pink is a genius and singular talent, and Before Today is a messy, addictive and fascinating album, maybe the best of 2010. It never settles, and we don’t really want it to, it’s playful and eccentric and always surprising, with never a dull moment in it. The quirky pop songs have a healthy dose of self-conscious irony in them, remembering the listener this is art music, not a cheesy nostalgia trip back into the 80s.

Talking about influences, I myself see a similarity to Talking Heads, the same alert and witty tunes, but Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti are so varied and complex that they can easily sound funny, sad and thought provocative in the same track. Take Little Wig for example, it starts with a scream, and then it continues with Davie Bowie-style vocals, fragmental guitar rifts and Led Zeppelin resembling choruses. Then we have Can’t Hear My Eyes, almost sounding like a lost Madonna track. Of course it’s a mess, but it’s such a beautiful mess.

You can buy the album from here.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - The Century Of Self(2009)

2010-06-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

I said in one of my previous posts that Source Tags & Codes is by far the best album that ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead ever made, and the rest of their work does not measure up. I never listened to their latest album The Century Of Self at that time, but I did now, and I must say I am impressed. There are flashes of brilliance all throughout this ambitious and stubborn album. The bands baroque prog-rock sounds surprisingly fresh, and while it’s repetitive at times, its rawness and uncompromising nature is very convincing. These guys are the real deal, and The Century Of Self is a victorious and compelling album.

Everything is theatrical here; the album is a symphony, a celebration of passion and intensity. And it has a nostalgic and romantic feel, not suggestive, but confrontational. Give the album a chance, and you might get to love it. And no, it’s not Source Tags & Codes, but at moments it gets close.

Here’s Pictures Of An Only Child, a sad song that gets explosive at the encore.

You can buy the album from here.

Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP(2009)

2010-06-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

Fall Be Kind EP includes my favorite Animal Collective song, the bewildering, personal, and evocative What Would I Want? Sky. The song synthesizes all that is great about Animal Collective, it’s as complex and emotional as anything the band ever made. The opening track Graze, which has also become a fan favorite, samples my pan flute countryman Gheorghe Zamfir. The sample is a nice touch; it gives the track a pastoral and earthy feel.

The EP as a whole is surprisingly cohesive. Of course it’s weird, Animal Collective are the definitional of weirdness, but it’s also peaceful and relaxing. The thematic direction is dark, with especially the last track I Think I Can sounding really twisted and mysterious. All in all Fall Be Kind EP is another fascinating work which will further elevate Animal Collective’s status as one of most mystifying and challenging of our times.

Here’s Graze which samples Ardeleana (Zamfir Avec Zamfir) by Gheorghe Zamfir.

You can buy the album from here.

How to wake up from a dream, and what's being reviewed next

2010-06-17T03:44:00.000-07:00

I had a really cool experince a couple of nights ago. The thing is that I dream a lot, too much, it's exhausting. Maybe it's this heat too, but I wake up tired in the morning. I'm not having nightmares, just long movie-like dreams; altenative endings of things that happened to me in the past, something based on a movie I saw recently, meeting famouve people I will never meet in real life. So how to wake up from such a dream? You know you are dreaming and you want to wake up, but there is nothing you can do. There is for me now, and it's very simple. I find a bed in the dream, I lie on it, and then I close and re-open my eyes. And I'm in my real bed at home. Then I usually open my laptop, stay up an hour or so, and then get back to sleep again. Hmm...it doesn't sound healthy. Maybe I need some sleeping pills.

I'm in my lunch break at work right now, I can't get online from home because I'm changing the Internet provider, and the new connection is not up yet. The following days I will write my short reviews for the following:

Ride – Nowhere(1990)
Drive-By Trucker – The Big To-Do(2010)
Animal Collective – Fall Be Kind EP(2009)
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti – Before Today(2010)
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest(2009)
The Black Keys – Brothers(2010)

Got to end this now, my boss is giving me anoyed looks.

Peace

The New Pornographers - Together(2010)

2010-06-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

Rating:9/10

There is great joy in simply produced and performed pop music, this is the main point you will get from the brilliant Together. Like the title suggests, it is truly a group effort, more so than the previous New Pornographers records. What we have here is a near perfect succession of catchy pop songs, enriched with occasional heartbreaking ballads, all wearing that special New Pornographers trademark sound we all know and love – a touch of innocence, with liveliness and effortless loveliness.

And the record is just explosive, with hooks and arrangements at every turn, without a single song that warrants a skip. The Vancouver collective is at the top of its game, and Together might be their best record. And that’s because it never settles, the exuberant melodies and offbeat twists take you on an electrifying yet very comfortable 44 minutes journey.

Here’s Up In The Dark, an urgent and lively song, and unlike the title suggests - really bright.

You can buy the album from here.

The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night(2010)

2010-06-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

It’s good to see a band making such ambitiously grand music. The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night is a trip into darkness, but a pure and noisy darkness, reminiscent of shoegaze legends like My Bloody Valentine, and especially Ride. It’s a record that feels constantly building, but also of the moment, full of spectacle and beauty.

It’s cinematic, and at its core, a true rock album. The Besnard Lakes are not warm this time, they are more confident to reveal their stripped down swaggering and theatrical side. The record is not perfect, but what makes it a clear success are the songwriting and productions skills displayed, the lushness of the glittering soundscapes, all full of an uncompromising power.

While shoegaze is a definitive influence, the record has something of the psychedelic ’60s rock, tempered with a touch of Canadian indie. Land of Living Skies Pt. 2: The Living Skies reminds me a little of Broken Social Scene, a slower paced and more conventional version of them maybe. Enjoy this live version.

You can buy the album from here.

Panda Bear - Person Pitch(2007)

2010-06-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Rating:10/10

This is by far my favorite Animal Collective project. It was album of 2007 for me and also for Pitchforkmedia. The obvious influence would be Beach Boys, but Person Pitch is spacey and abstract, the Beach Boys style warmth is only a starting point for something totally original and mesmerizing.

It’s rich and strange, Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) uses a lot of vocal harmonies, and his attention to details is genius. There’s a celebratory feel all throughout Person Pitch, the music is optimistic and you can easily immerse into it. If you like experimental music that does not lack melody and structure, you’ll adore the album. There is no strict label for it; just let your imagination go wild and the gorgeousness will not escape you.

Here’s "Comfy in Nautica", which contains a sample of the song "Tetsuo" performed by the Japanese folk collective Geino Yamashirogumi. So ethereal and dreamy…enjoy it.

You can buy the album from here.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Source Tags & Codes(2002)

2010-06-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

Rating:10/10

This album brings out a lot of memories. I was obsessed with it for about a year. The band lost me since then, they’re subsequent material did not click for me anymore. Maybe I was expecting too much after the phenomenal Source Tags & Codes.

The album starts on a high not with It Was There That I Saw You, a launching point for the blissful and explosive journey the listener is taken to. Every note, every verse, seems ready to implode, but the brilliancy of the band is how well it manages to sustain the songs from collapsing, making a wild but coherent work.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead achieved legendary status with this record, it’s perfect really: intense, with songs performed skillfully and passionately, and a dense array of sounds in the background. This music will haunt you long after you stop listening to it. It’s almost romantic.

You can buy the album from here.

LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening(2010)

2010-06-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

Rating:7/10

It’s a mixed bag for me. 3 songs I totally love, another 3 are OK, and another 3 I don’t really like. The joule here is the David Bowie influenced All I Want, tune of 2010 for me so far. At their best LCD Soundsystem sound inspired, pristine, and polished, while the overflows of ideas are stylishly and impeccably produced. The low moments give the impression of a patchy, repetitive and derivative act.

I think Sound of Silver was better and more consistent. At 65 minutes This is Happening is a marathon listen, and when it doesn’t sound heavy and tired the flashes of brilliancy make worth the wait. This is ambition, grand scale music, and while far from perfect, it has enough special moments to make the album an exhilarating journey.

Like I said All I Want is my favorite track, and yes, it does sound like Bowie’s Heroes. It’s probably the best song James Murphy ever wrote.

You can buy the album from here.

MGMT - Congratulations(2010)

2010-06-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

Rating:8/10

Very different from Oracular Spectacular, the record is eccentric, weird, esoteric, and it has a more honest feel. The really good stuff is at the middle, with the gorgeous ballad I Found a Whistle, followed by the 12 minutes epic Siberian Breaks. Congratulations is about the freedom of the bizarre, no track from the album was made with the intention to be a hit. It’s energetic in a retro sort of way, but also meditative at times.

It’s not instantly accessible like Oracular Spectacular, but with Congratulations MGMT show they are maturing into a darker, more unified and sophisticated group. The sonic adventure is not flawless, but the best moment more the make up for the few sleeps.

The spacey and nostalgic feel the record has might put off the ones that liked MGMT’s exuberance and cheerfulness. The rest of us will just sink in and enjoy this lush and carefree celebration of sound.

You can buy the album from here.

Me and John Lennon

2010-06-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I finally have a steady stream of visitors, so I thought I would introduce myself. I don’t want this blog to be just an album reviews one, I want to make it a little more personal. Indie music in the main theme of course, but I will also talk about me from time to time.

I’m Mihai from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The city is the historical capital of the province of Transylvania. I’m 27, and I work here as a QA Engineer, doing mainly black-box testing. Basically my job is to find flaws in software applications; it’s not my job to fix them, I’m just the finder. I like my job, it’s hardly stressful, and at times it’s really rewarding. But I don’t want to focus my life on it, I have my own dreams and passions, and this blog is part of them. I’m here for the long run, and the plan is that in a few years I get enough traffic so I can sustain myself financially from my blog. Everybody’s thinks I’m a little naive, but I think it’s doable. :)

What then? What if I have financially security so I don’t have to work, what will I then do with my days? Here are a few ideas: learn French, finish War and Peace, learn to ride a bicycle (yes, I think it’s kind of sad I never did when I was a child), travel a lot to see my favorite acts live. There are a few I would give anything to see live: Radiohead, Radio Dept., David Bowie, Oasis, Verve, R.E.M, Sonic Youth are the ones that come to mind right not, but there are many more.

But until then, I’m just a little corporate slave, working from 10:30 AM to 7:30 PM, and still living with my parents. It’s a stretch, but here’s a song that might apply to me.

Peace, and all the best.