2008, Evil Cherise
It is often said that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. But sometimes it goes the other way, and you don’t know what you’ve been missing until you finally get it. Some bands strike a chord with fans because they fill a void that the fan hadn’t even realized was there. Whether it be in the form of Fleet Foxes’ ethereal harmonies, Cut Copy’s intense synth-pop, or the Adam-Duritz-on-spin-cycle vocals of Frightened Rabbit, sometimes a band will just feel immediately, intimately familiar. The same sensation can be felt when hearing San Francisco band The New Up—the scratching of an itch you didn’t even know you had.
On their new five song EP, Broken Machine—the first in a series of three EPs by the band set for release over the next year—The New Up bring their moody dance-rock to a boil and keep it there. From the first moments of lead track “Ginger Tea”, the EP oozes smoky atmosphere, as if Metric and My Bloody Valentine had collaborated on the soundtrack to a David Lynch film.
Continue reading ‘The New Up - Broken Machine’
For a second, Hella drummer Zach Hill’s album Astrological Straits almost sounds like Pink Floyd.
Continue reading ‘Zach Hill - Astrological Straits’
Don’t be too quick to judge Fear Falls Burning (or their album Frenzy of the Absolute).
Continue reading ‘Fear Falls Burning - Frenzy of the Absolute’
2008, Columbia Records
The trumpets heralding the release of Black Kids’ debut began blowing a year ago, when the Jacksonville band made their demo EP, Wizard Of Ahhhs, available for free download.
The EP was a rollicking good time - the perfect soundtrack to every out-of-hand house party or ill-advised hookup you’re looking forward to regretting - and they instantly became one of indie rock’s greatest Internet success stories, but it remained to be seen whether Black Kids could maintain their danceable intensity for more than four songs at a time. How well the band’s scrappy energy would be conveyed in a professional recording was also unknown, so it is under no shortage of pressure that Partie Traumatic arrives, the rare case of a debut album trying to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump.
Continue reading ‘Black Kids - Partie Traumatic’
2008, Exit Stencil
Cleveland’s The Dreadful Yawns are back.
Take Shape, The Dreadful Yawns’ second album, has been described as more psychedelic than their first release; this might be a worry if the Dreadful Yawns hadn’t awed us last time.
They’ve always have a retro sound, and it’s sometimes more prevalent this time ’round, but it’s largely a relaxing affair. The album’s first track, “Like Song,” starts out as a stripped and countrified Jim O’Rourke rhyme and ends with full-on Loose Fur loveliness–the kind of thing that the Yawns do best. The next song, “The Queen and the Jokester” is a Kinks-style stomp.
Continue reading ‘The Dreadful Yawns - Take Shape’
2008, Thrill Jockey
Terrible Two by Thank You grabs the listener–but not gently: by the shirt collar.
At five songs and a cumulative 35 minutes, Terrible Two is a mishmash of noise, intense drumming, strange interludes, and howling vocals. It’s a prickly kind of record that is at times almost religious (title track) but rarely harmonious (any given track).
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2008, Red Ink
Apparently left restless by the extended vacation taken by his regular band, Strokes rhythm guitarist Albert Hammond decided to go solo. His debut, last year’s Yours To Keep, was a refreshing and superb collection of breezy, perfect pop, free of all the self-consciousness that had plagued the Strokes’ last two albums.
Hammond has never seemed bothered that the spotlight is usually fixed on bandmate Julian Casablancas, and his decision to become a solo artist has never felt like an attention-grab. The songs on Yours To Keep were casual and unpretentious, as if written by accident: the Strokes re-imagined as West Coast beach bums instead of East Coast bohemians. Little more than a year has passed since that record was released, but Hammond is already back with ¿Cómo Te Llama?, an album that attempts to perform the balancing act of increasing the depth of emotion without losing the laid-back vibe.
Continue reading ‘Albert Hammond Jr. - ¿Cómo Te Llama?’
2008, Singleton Records
For a band whose live performances are marked by their theatricality and infectious intensity, The Silent Comedy’s recordings can be surprisingly intimate affairs. Their debut full-length, Sunset Stables, emphasized narrative and restraint over whiskey-drinking and foot-stomping, and now, on their self-titled EP, they pick up where that record left off.
From the opening moments of maudlin country ballad “Daisy”, The Silent Comedy draws you into a rich world of broken bottles and shattered hearts. The song nimbly swells, retreats, and swells again, a ribcage barely containing the heart within. J. John’s vocals intertwine in a tender duet with I. Forbes’ gorgeous violin, and when he begs, “Break me, Daisy”, it’s hard to believe that she hasn’t done so already.
Continue reading ‘The Silent Comedy – The Silent Comedy’
2008, Self-Released
In the first 60 seconds of The Going and the Gone, listeners might think they’ve put on Built to Spill, or maybe the Wallflowers, or maybe early Wilco.
Continue reading ‘The Rationales - The Going and the Gone’
2008, Exit Stencil Records
HotChaCha is a group from Cleveland that according to MySpace is comprised of women who are “each 18, married, wear red shoes, are blonde and slim.”
Continue reading ‘HotChaCha - Rifle, I Knew You When You Were Just A Pistol’
2008, Thrill Jockey
Super Roots 9, Boredoms’ latest, is a 40+ minute single track live release of breathtakingness.
Continue reading ‘Boredoms - Super Roots 9′
2008, Exit Stencil Records
Spanish Prisoners‘ first album, Songs to Forget, starts and ends sparsely, but definitely not forgettably.
Continue reading ‘Spanish Prisoners - Songs to Forget’
