Saturday, August 31, 2013

Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action

The latest from the Scotlanders is not going to surprise anyone. If you're at all familiar with the band, then this collection of songs will deliver what you'd expect. Upbeat danceable rock tunes with a monotoned vocal and some sing-along choruses.
 
It's hard to say anything else about it. A quick blast of thirty minute fun. One of the notable things I found was in the lyrics. Alex gets a little wordy in order to follow the syncopation in a way that I haven't heard since Gary Cherone. "Outside fresh avaricide, but inside our love, you'll be alright"  And other times, it's downright silly: "While I'm away you can let the mouse go down on you." Or the other song where he relates his fleeting relationships with losing his car keys. Or being king of the trees and animals. I could go on...
 
But the album is mostly about breakups, my favorite rock topic. My favorite is the rockiest. "Love Illumination" is almost a garage tune with the slick '70s riff. But also valuable is the mellowest. "The Universe Expanded", the promise of a separating couple to meet again when the universe retracts. The album closer is the perfect capper to this mood. "Goodbye Lovers & Friends" toys with the idea that this is not the end, but then finally assures us that it is indeed.
 
An album title that mostly does not lie. (3.5 of 5 stars)
 

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Julia Holter - Loud City Song

A universally acclaimed record, I feel enough like giving it a shot as nothing else jumped out at me this week. And while I won't be giving it such praise, hopefully I'll be descriptive enough for you to judge whether or not you'll agree.

The album kicks off with a minimalist "World". It's clear that Julia is a much more competent multi-instrumentalist than she is a vocalist. She whispers and faintly sighs and remains a general bore until track two. "Maxim's I"  does not include any greater vocal prowess or melodic sensibility, but the underlying instrumentation feels like a breezy carnival in a winter wonderland.

The whole of the album has an experimental air, like Laurie Anderson traded her sterile electronica and mixed her style with a more Enya-like ethereal drone. The live player accompaniment is a definite bonus to the tuneless song style Julia projects. Don't get me wrong, this is not the stuff of Tom Waits and hot jazz. But "In The Green Wild" for example, plays against a strong jazz bass background that adds a romance where Julia does not herself.

In summary, Julia does indeed build some splendid aural landscapes. But I prefer my music to be less musical score and more "song". (2.5 of 5 stars)


Saturday, August 17, 2013

White Lies - Big TV

British synth pop isn't necessarily my jam, but there are exceptions to every rule. I was able to take a song or two in my life's journey from The Bravery, which is very much like White Lies. No such exceptions are going to be included here.
 
The closest to a jam is "There Goes Our Love Again", a clear single with a soaring sing-along chorus. It will completely obvious when the band breaks down live and lets the crowd clap along and chant how far they did or did not go. "Be Your Man" is also an upbeat track with potential, but suffers from a formulaic approach to British synth pop. And true, I wouldn't trap a garage rock band with that complaint. But fuck it, if I'm expanding my musical view, I want a reason to.
 
Other tracks have that Duran Duran-ishness about them. "First Time Caller" is a silly metaphor about working up the courage to speak. "...but a long time listener. I've been waiting a while to talk to you." And this song isn't the only lyrical eye rolls on the record. The big ballad, "Change" does the paired off word play that you see a lot. "I'm going to miss the way I missed you - But I'm okay if you're okay" It may have been clever once, but not so much now.
 
My only problem with Big TV is that it's just too bland. The bedrock of a synth drone, playing chords to lead the guitarist to. The drummer's sixteenth-note high-hat-hits. The earnest vocal verses and the soaring vocal choruses. I didn't hear anything that gave me a reason to replace Depeche Mode in my time. (2 of 5 stars)
 


Saturday, August 10, 2013

Pond - Hobo Rocket


The fifth record by an Australian psychedelic rock band, this is my first experience with them. I had to listen to this record a couple of times because I wan't sure about everything. I mean, the band definitely rocks. Huge sixties fuzzed-out riffs.

But when the psychedelic verses take over, it gets a little odd. Like, what are we doing here? The vocals are unitelligible and overechoed. Track one is a great example. "Whatever Happened to the Million Head Collide" fades in and tries to paint a pretty picture, but when the band kicks in - it's bad-LSD-trip time.

When you do get more than a little vocal, like on "Xanman", it comes off sounding like The James Gang, which is fine. Neither the vocal nor the lack of melody will be missed when the groove is being grooved.
 
"O Dharma" is the only real full-on boner on the record. A slow, acoustic mess which is barely played together. A layered Fleet Foxes type of vocal interlude doesn't add enough interest. Just too sloppy to achieve that kind of sound. And while not as boring, "Aloneaflameaflower" is basically Pond's version of "Black Sabbath". A pretty straight cover.
 
The title track is the weirdest of the bunch. A hip-shaker with lots of feedback, it also includes an old Australian man talk-singing about a hobo on a rocket. Kind of like Lou Reed's Metallica album. But the ace in the Pondhole is the clip below. "Giant Tortoise" is huge and bass-y. The riff-rock hook takes over the dream pop verse. It's the best definition of what Pond does best. (3 of 5 stars)



Saturday, August 3, 2013

Alela Diane - About Farewell

 

An indie folk artist from Portland via California, Alela has been around a while with the likes of Devendra Banhart and Wild Divine.

Alela keeps it mellow throughout. The songs revolve around the title and are about the relationships that reach their expiration date. Alela's deliberate acoustic strumming and fingerpicking is generally unaccompanied by rhythm tracks. The production is enhanced with the most common of instrumentation that you'd find on indie folk. Some piano, some mandolin, etc.The focus is on the songwriting.

So the storytelling style is going to remind the listener of Joni Mitchell or even Bon Iver. There's situational observations throughout. The weather, the sunshine, etc. Alela's voice though is closer to Natalie Merchant's though. Mellow and controlled, she avoids excessive vocal trilling or many melodic dynamics.

The deepest of these cuts is "The Way We Fall", as seen in the accompanying amazingly shot video. The video is solo acoustic. The album version of this track includes some percussion and horns. I cannot decide which is better.

Enjoyable on a sleepy autumn afternoon. But if I were to put any of this on your mixtape, we're probably breaking up. (3 of 5 stars)