Foxygen - We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magi

From the same California city that brought us Linkin Park and Hoobastank come a new band that sounds, thankfully, nothing like them. In a week with a new release list that was full of unknowns, Foxygen get the blog prize simply because of a neat name (that's how bands got found in the old days). However, they're also on Jagjaguwar, so I get to be supportive of local ties. And they're produced by a guy in the Shins, so I get to be indie.

Foxygen is a self-proclaimed neo-psychedelic band, but that's a simple blanket covering for a band that sounds like they were recorded in one room with lots of echo. They're not so sloppy as to be called "garage" and they employ some interesting instrumentation including organs and mellotrons.

But for anyone turned off by a "psychedelic" label, don't be afraid. Foxygen is mostly succinct and poppy at heart. A favorite, "No Destruction" could be "Hurricane"-era Dylan. ("There's no need to be an asshole, you're not in Brooklyn anymore")

Other songs, like "Shuggie" also start off quite modern sounding and they simply add four bars at a different chord and or/time signature to throw off what would otherwise be straightforward. Like Portugal. The Man, perhaps. The title track will rock out your bong party better than anything Steppenwolf ever laid to wax.

The album title might assume that they're overreaching, and even if the last track sounds like a pointless collection of droning noises for the sake of filling time, you'll forgive them for the fun you had up to then. (4 of 5 stars)

Yo La Tengo - Fade

Ancient alternative band Yo La Tengo release their 13th album, which will be the first of their albums that I will hear. And it may be the last. There's nothing so bad about the band or even this album, it's a little more on the indie side than the rock side that I usually tread.

The main thing, I think, to point out about the sound is the matte finish of it all. Some of the tracks have a harmonium underlying that drones the songs chord. Nothing really ever strays from that at all. The vocals are monotoned and even. There's nary a guitar solo. Of course, my first exception to that rule is the first track- which plods on with solo accompaniment like a sleepy Dinosaur Jr. for all of six minutes.

But most of the songs come off like "Two Trains" or "Stupid Things". Mellow, tons of reverb, tons of vocal echo, minimal percussion. This might be an effect of the fact that YLT are using a new producer for the first time ever.

But I did not altogether dislike the record. On the contrary, "Well You Better" is a low-key pop number that would not be uncomfortable in a Strokes set. My favorite though, would be the balladiest. A song that reminds me of a sweet Elbow number, "I'll Be Around". It's sweet and simple, but sometimes the best love songs are.

In the end, the Tengo doesn't fade into anything to be able to fade out of anything. They're welcome just to sit in the shade. (2.5 of 5 stars)

Wooden Wand - Blood Oaths of the New Blues

This indie folk record begins with a sparse echo-ey instrumental strum drone for about five minutes before any vocal kicks in. James Jackson Toth is the man behind the monker. And unlike the currrent trend in folkiness on your pop radio stations, he keeps it low-key and moody. The tempo never picks up faster than your grandpa's waltz, the percussion is limited to bongo accompaniment or tamborine, and there's no group of Crosbies, Stills or Nashes to harmonize with.

Having said that, Toth can spin a yarn.That first track is married to the next, an excellent melody and the happiest tune on the record. "Days This Long" asks the eternal question, "Who's gonna keep me from freaking out?"

The themes throughout are what you'd expect for this kind of minimalist atmosphere. Death, loss, loneliness. "Sometimes nowhere is the only place to go" It's not at all as trite as I'm making it sound. The mood presented is real and quite interesting. A fan of the slow-Wilco should love it. "Southern Colorado Song" has a faint echo of voice ringing in the background like a ghost in the mountains.

My only complaint is that with songs so stylized that carry such a similar mood, I would cut their length down. Many of these are six+ minutes. The point gets lost, or at least bleed together with the next. (3 of 5 stars)