Tag Archives: 2011 In Music

CD Review, Music, The Strokes

CD Review: Angles [2011]

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Band: The Strokes
Release: 3/2011
Label: RCA

1. “Machu Picchu” –  B+
2. “Under Cover of Darkness” – A
3. “Two Kinds of Happiness” – A-
4. “You’re So Right” – C+
5. “Taken For A Fool” – B+
6. “Games” – C+
7. “Call Me Back” – C
8. “Gratisfaction” – B
9. “Metabolism” – C+
10. “Life Is Simple In The Moonlight” – A-

Comments: While this is no Is This It, I’m not sure anyone — band, fan, or critic — was expecting it to be something of that magnitude. Instead, it’s a pretty solid record that does a lot of soul searching in terms of sound, which is probably its primary downfall. We all heard “Under Cover of Darkness” first and from the way that sounded, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. It had a nice Phoenix vibe going on the verses and a pretty poppy chorus so overall I thought…nice, but not overly impressive. Upon a lot of listens, it grew on me and I actually throughly enjoy that tune. I can’t say that for too many more on here. The first and third tracks stand out — “Two Kinds” because it oddly sounds like “Two Tickets to Paradise,” though I’ve seen perhaps more apropos comparisons to The Cars. “You’re So Right” sounds Yorkian and quite average at that. “Games” and “Call Me Back” are draggy and have potential in some places…they really do…except…”Call Me Back” disappoints when it reports back to average Yorke. If this was Guts, do you HAVE IT? “Gratisfaction” is pretty borderline so we’d have to check with Mo to see. So yeah, the recording process was a horrible one for most of the dudes, though it’s pretty hard to tell that Julian sent mp3s of his voice and they were copy and pasted on the songs. Modern technology guys. This is it. Calm down on the Muse-y ambition on “Metabolism” guys, that shit is not where you wanna go! Aw too late. “Life” gives us hope. No pun intended, it’s a quality revival jam. Good thing Julian only got two seconds of average Yorkian at the end AGAIN ! damn that impersonation ! This isn’t KLYAM recommended, but check it probably. It’s on their website.

Grade: B (84)

CD Review, Music, Those Darlins

CD Review: Screws Get Loose [2011]

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Band: Those Darlins
Release: 3/2011
Label: Oh Wow Dang

1. “Screws Get Loose” – A-
2. “Be Your Bro” – A
3. “Let U Down” – A-
4. “Hives” – A-
5. “Mystic Mind” – B
6. “Tina Said” – B+
7. “$” – B
8. “Boy” – B+
9. “Fatty Needs A Fix” – B+
10. “Waste Away” – B
11. “Bumd” – B+

Comments: Those Darlins have the country/garage thing down to a tee and this record goes to show that. “Screws Get Loose” is a fantastic way to open things and the exquisitely true to life “Be Your Bro” is a fitting follow-up. “I just want to run and play in the dirt with you, you just want to stick it in!” How ’bout that! We get a taste of the songwriting/singing of drummer Linwood Regensburg on “Let U Down,” a dive into Costello-esque power-pop. It’s pretty obvious after the first few songs that this is an extremely exciting work of art for the Darlins. The rest of the album is a lil bit more country (some slower points) until “Fatty Needs A Fix,” a WINNING combination of Weird Al, Devo, and Taylor Swift. “Bumd” sounds like “Do The Fuck Yourself” by Nobunny. Fo’ real. Cool stuff. So yeah, this is a funstix record.

Grade: B+ (88)

CD Review, Music

CD Review: Share The Joy [2011]

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Band: Vivian Girls
Release: 4/2011
Label: Polyvinyl

1. “The Other Girls” – B-
2. “Heard You Say” – B
3. “Dance (If You Wanna) – B-
4. “Lake House” – B-
5. “Trying to Pretend” – B
6. “Sixteen Ways” – B
7. “Take It As It Comes” – B+
8. “Vanishing of Time” – B
9. “Death” – B
10. “Light In Your Eyes” – B

Comments: I’ll begin by saying I much prefer other Vivian Girls releases to this one. Most, if not all, of the songs on here lack in excitement or spark. Both Kickball Katy (La Sera) and Cassie Ramone (The Babies) released non-VG records this year, but I won’t be quick to say this one sounds rushed. At its heart, its typical Vivian Girls fare with a few more twists and turns. Songs like “Take It As It Comes” and “Death” start with talking intros — an old school maneuver. The former is real good (I note the lead guitar and background vocals as aspects I enjoy) while the other is good, but isn’t really distinguishable. The production on Share the Joy is the Vivian Girls best to date, but some of the stand alone vocals, song clutter, and repetitiveness of sound take away from what this could have been. I’m more of a Babies guy, anyway.

Grade: B- (83)

CD Review, Music

CD Review: La Sera [2011]

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Band: La Sera
Release: 2/2011
Label: Hardly Art

1. “Beating Heart” – B
2. “Never Come Around” – B+
3. “You’re Going to Cry” – B+
4. “Sleeptalking ” – B+
5. “I Promise You” – B-
6. “Left This World” – C
7. “Hold” – B-
8. “Under the Trees” – B-
9. “Devil Hearts Grow Gold” – A-
10. “Dove Into Love” – C
11. “Been Here Before” – B+
12. “Lift Off” – B

Comments: Here we have it, a brief exhibit in well done girly harmonies, light noise, and a tidbit of dream. Kickball Katy (La Sera) knows her music and stuff like that. Of course, this album is chock full o’ hooks and all that stuff that we music listeners enjoy, but there is that thing that haunts a lot of today’s music — uniformity. Unintentional, probably. Just comes off that way. We hear some neat psych-pop numbers, but also some commercial (literally sound like background TV advertisement/nu-Christmas music…”Left This World” I’m pointing at you) cutesy jingles. Don’t let the jingles get to you, though. Katy’s preciousness so-to-speak is both the high and low point of this record. She doesn’t have that rock ‘n roll spirit possessed by her contemporaries, Best Coast (probably closer to Katy’s sound than…) and the Dum Dum Girls. It’s just not really her thang. This is more of an easy listening thing, like 8th grade final slow dance music (why hello there, “Dove Into Love”). Some of my favorite numbers, in case you are wondering: “Sleeptalking” and “Devil Hearts Grow Gold.”

Grade: B- (83)

CD Review, Music, Radiohead

CD Review: The King of Limbs [2011]

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Band: Radiohead
Release: 2/2011
Label: Self-Released

1. “Bloom – B+
2. “Morning Mr. Magpie” – B
3. “Little By Little” – A
4. “Feral” – C
5. “Lotus Flower” – B
6. “Codex” – B
7. “Give Up The Ghost” – B+
8. “Separator” – A

Comments: A quick examination of message boards and the like will reveal that this album isn’t universally agreed upon as excellent or anything like that. Three years ago, I was quite convinced that In Rainbows was fantastic (and that everyone thought similar), but upon reading plenty of diverse views, a lot of people suggested it was one of the band’s worst efforts. So here we are. From the start, I was struck with a Kid A vibe, something industrial and electronic. The drum beat sounds like machinery running. The bass line is pretty much kind of dub — I’ve seen it ‘post-dubstep’ thrown around, but what? — but that doesn’t really matter. It’s an ethereal song, perhaps best appreciated for what it is, rather than what it isn’t. It improves with listens, as you’ll gain new perspectives on exactly what is going on. Maybe the first time you missed the left panned vocals that precede each line of the last verse. “Morning” continues the tradition of very structured drum and bass and galactic environment. There’s nothing that makes the song a real standout, but it acts a pretty solid follow-up to “Bloom,” instrumentally at least. The rock ‘n’ roll side of Radiohead, which as of late has been accompanied by, at the minimum, a tiny bit of electronica, comes on strong in “Little By Little.” This tune matches up along side the standard fare of In Rainbows…just catchy, bullshit-lacking pieces of work. It’s always humorous how people interpret songs. On Song Meanings, a few people say it’s about corporate evil and greed (this is what we’d expect from Radiohead) while another equates “the one that broke the seal” to a dude who has had a lot to drink and needs to take a piss every ten minutes. As far instrumental, throw-away tracks, “Feral” isn’t too bad. It’s bad in terms of necessity/placement, but in the context of this LP, it somewhat works. We’ll settle for average. “Lotus Flower” and “Codex” are good, but are pretty in-differentiable if I had to say so myself. “Separator” is classic Radiohead, just a beautifully written song. The best on here, for sure. So at the end of this review, I must say a great ending followed an effective (but not the most captivating) mix of seven tunes. Good Radiohead, just not the best.

Grade: B (86)

CD Review, Kurt Vile, Music

CD Review: Smoke Ring For My Halo [2011]

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Band: Kurt Vile
Release: 3/2011
Label: Matador

1. “Baby’s Arms” – A-
2. “Jesus Fever” – A-
3. “Puppet to the Man” – B
4. “On Tour” – B-
5. “Society Is My Friend” – B
6. “Runner Ups” – C+
7. “In My Time” – B+
8. “Peeping Tomboy” – B-
9. “Smoke Ring For My Halo” – B-
10. “Ghost Town” – B

Comments: Vile’s live show (with the Violators) has always been one of noise and layer. On record, however, the childish prodigy has excelled at displaying a softer side that, while layered in realms of noise, is more delicately catchy and intriguing than the in-person experience. Following the KISS [Keep it simple, stupid…not the band] principle that I’ve always been fond of as a fan of music, Vile can really do a lot with a little. Unfortunately, this record is a continuation of a trend I’ve noticed in Vile’s music over the years: lack of differentiation. I don’t really blame him, but just about every song flows and sounds quite similar to the previous/next one. “In My Time,” which was first released as the title track of his 2010 EP of the same name, belongs in the category of Vile’s stronger set of songs. It features a prominent electric guitar and more memorable melody. In the end, this album don’t impress-uh-me much (to quote Shania Twain), but there definitely are some good listens to be enjoyed in the sea of repetition.

Grade: B (84)

Dum Dum Girls, EP Review, Music

EP Review: He Gets Me High [2011]

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Band: Dum Dum Girls
Release: 3/2011
Label: Sub Pop

1. “Wrong Feels Right” – B+
2. “He Gets Me High” –A
3. “Take Care Of My Baby” – A-
4. “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” – A

Comments: This one begins where I Will Be left off. Like its longer predecessor, He Gets Me High personifies the tag noise/pop that has been applied abundantly to Dum Dum Girls music. The first two tunes are of the variety of rock ‘n’ roll that we’ve gotten a taste of before from the Girls while “Take Care of My Baby” is a blissful rockabilly number — light instrumentation, beautiful vocals, a little tambourine. The production on The Smiths cover “There Is A Light” is absolutely stellar. The studio sound captured on here is something that probably couldn’t really be replicated as well live, but it is what it is and that’s really brilliant.

Grade: A- (91)

CD Review, Music

CD Review: The People’s Key [2011]

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Band: Bright Eyes
Release: 2/2011
Label: Saddle Creek

1. “Firewall” – B
2. “Shell Games” – B+
3. “Jejune Stars” – B-
4. “Approximated Sunlight” – C+
5. “Haile Selassie” – B+
6. “A Machine Spiritual” – B
7. “Triple Spiral” – A
8. “A Beginner’s Mind” – B+
9. “Ladder Song” – B+
10. “One For You, One For Me” – A-

Comments: Connor Oberst is a pretty intriguing dude. Not sure exactly what’s behind this record lyrically, but it’s something deep. That alone is pretty riveting. The songs, though, range from pretty all right to pretty nice. For me, the folk tunes aren’t as awesome as songs like “Triple Spiral,” which is a post-punk rock ‘n roller along the lines of “Take it Easy”/the sound of I’m Wide Awake (to get broad on you guys). Oberst and crew did for sure do a job at nailing a specific theme for this. It’s better as a complete work than a ‘the songs are the best’ kind of thing.

Grade: B (86)

CD Review, Music

CD Review: Zonoscope [2011]

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Band: Cut Copy
Release: 2/2011
Label: Modular

1. “Need You Now” – B+
2. “Take Me Over” – B+
3. “Where I’m Going” – B
4. “Pharaohs & Pyramids” – B-
5. “Blink And You’ll Miss A Revolution” – B-
6. “Strange Nostalgia For The Future” – B-
7. “This Is All We’ve Got” – B-
8. “Alisa” – B+
9. “Hanging Onto Every Heartbeat” – A-
10. “Corner of the Sky” – A-
11. “Sun God” – B

Comments: Though not my favorite type of music by any stretch, the electronica/rock and roll mixture can be a real entertainer if done right. Cut Copy is a groovy group — fitting bass lines/overall dance-y feel, etc, etc. They often do it right. Historically speaking, that tune of theirs “Going Nowhere” was and still is somewhere in my favorites of all epochs list. I think I fell sucker to it during my Postal Service/Figurine stage of life around ’05 or ’06. It’s greatness. “Hearts on Fire” was a jam, too. Initial feeling of this record is that it’s likable, but not overly so. Not sure they could’ve done anything differently to make it standout…the nature of the dude’s voice is a lil’ limiting. Perhaps not go the Merriweather Post Pavilion direction and stick to captivating pop? At any rate, props should be given where props are due and Cut Copy deserves some on a few songs like “Take Me Over,” “Alisa,” and “Hanging.” “Hanging” is the standout of the group — relying on fairly subtle electronic arrangements and favoring more typical rock ‘n roller elements. “Corner” is quite the dance song.

Grade: B (84)

CD Review, Music

CD Review: The Mind Spiders [2011]

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Band: The Mind Spiders
Release: 1/2011
Label: Dirtnap Records

1. “Go!” – A-
2. “Don’t Let Her Go” – A
3. “Mind Spiders Theme” – B
4. “Read Your Mind” – B-
5. “Going Away Tonight” – A
6. “No Romance” – A-
7. “No. 3” – A-
8. “One Step Ahead” – A
9. “Slippin’ and Slidin” – A-
10. “Your Soul” – B-
11. “Neurotic Gold” – A-
12. “Close the Door” – B-

Comments: From the start, I could tell ya know, this is going to be a very enjoyable record. Heard The Marked Men for the first time or so a few months ago and they stuck out. This is the new band of guitarist/singer Mark Ryan. First song on Mind Spiders “Go!” sounds real revivalist, real nice to me, though Dusted said it was the “least pop-oriented rocker.” I have to respectably disagree. “Don’t Let Her Go” has a Jay Reatard vibe, especially in the vocals and the non-intrusive hella catchy synthahsizer. I got the same feeling for “Going Away Tonight.” These songs are the best.  Ryan and crew probably influenced Reatard a ton, so I don’t mean to make it sound like they are taking anything from him…not at all. The instrumentation/recording is very precise and nice. “One Step Ahead” is pretty much pure hooky rock and roll. The guitar work should be noted. The bass line and the overall eccentricity of “Neurotic Gold” makes it a tune to remember. Some of the slower, less immediate tunes are still solid tracks, but the Mind Spiders are at their best at their heaviest.

Grade: B+ (88)