A debut of a new indie Irish rock band. I got here from a preview of the single, "The John Wayne". A great track and great video which is an earlier contender as jam of the spring (year...?).
The rest of the album, however, doesn't fare as well. Well intentioned, mostly well-written songs are way too derivative of other indie folk rock that has weighed our boredom bags till our backs have broken this past two years.
Track one sounds like Mumford & Sons, Track two like The Joy Formidable. Track three like Florence fronting either of these bands. You'll more like Frightened Rabbit, Bon Iver, the National, etc. At the end of the day, we probably just got to a band too early to make their own mark. Most of the tracks are mellow simple three-chorders which they try to overplay with multi-layered vocals and in one case, some weird vocoder voice effect. Other than that, instrumentation is basic.
Althought I will give it up for the lyrics: "Whenever I am with my friends, I can be as sick as them." - (Them). Still, my advice: hire a drunk percussionist to get you out of your comfort zone.
That's not to say that my favorite track, the previously mentioned western star, is much more original than anything else on the record. You'll hear the same style among those mentioned above. It's just clearly the pop radio tune that mastered first in this collection and then tried to style an album around that. (2 of 5 stars)
A Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter with lady parts brings a collection of tracks that is Liz Phair with more cute than cool. She has that minimalism that keeps her largely a solitary figure on this record. But instead of Liz's rode-hard-put-away-wet sense of whatever, Katie has a more wallflower nervous excitement. Even if she keeps it close to the vest.
On other tracks like "Blue Pt. II" or "Brother Bryan" would be completely lackadaisical- because their just either a descending chord progression or a slow bass riff. But Katie manages to see this simplicity and add a dumb little quirk of a secondary vocal track or a doo-wop backbeat.
She has enough acoustic weepy dirges to play next to Corey Flood at the Say Anything... party. See "Hollow Bedroom" and "Tangled Envisioning" and the excellent "You're Damaged". But she also has a sunny Yeah Yeah Yeah rocker in "Coast to Coast" and my favorite, "Misery Over Dispute"- which proves that Katie has spent enough time in front a White Stripes record.
You can tell her instinct right now is to play alone and quiet. But she amps it up to maybe Veruca Salt levels on half the record. She never crosses the Sleater-Kinney line, which is where I would like to see her go. I hear a restrained ferocity under here somewhere. (3 of 5 stars)
Bringing a ten-year hiatus to an end, Bowie comes back with an album that is immediately jarring because of it's cover. A flat panel obscures the image of one of Bowie's most famous past albums, "Heroes" in an effort, I assume, to discredit the past in some way. By specifically addressing "Heroes", he is saying: "Don't compare this to 'Heroes.'" I probably will anyway, but fuck it.
The opening title track is good enough as some kind of Bowie's version of religious allegory, but it pales in comparison to track two. "Dirty Boys" is a slow, horned soaked march that would not be out of place on Tom Waits' last album. Skipping over the next track about celebrity culture (which I don't relate to at all) comes another Waits-inspired fat backbeat rhythm in the track "Love Is Lost".
And with 14 tracks, it's probably going to be like that. You'll find yourself skipping over the nice, but safe and unnecessary tracks like "Valentine's Day" in favor of the adventurous "If You Can See Me". Having said that, the final three tracks prove to be stand-outs of the collection. "(You Will) Set the World On Fire" is a Jack-White-like guitar riffer about achieving your dreams. And "Heat" as the closer is a perfectly dark frightening David Lynch soundtrack piece.
Bowie picked up where he left off ten years ago, which was middle of the road stylish pop-rock- and expanded on it. The forgetful elements of The Next Day are what feel to be just continuation of Reality. But the jazzier, more adventurous efforts are what will keep the audience excited about a quiet legend. (4 of 5 stars)
Imagine, if you will, an alternate universe where Jim Morrisson lived, somehow retained his coolness, and found himself able to maintain his mind while experimenting with newer-age designer drugs. Instead of hallucinogens, he does cocaine and ecstasy. Experimental Rock from Montreal, this Suuns album is a thing of beauty.
I don't mean to suggest that Suuns are really channeling the Doors specifically. Vocalist Ben Shemie may actually sound closer to a mellowed out Thom Yorke. But the songs here have a mystery where you expect them to explode. And maybe they do and maybe they don't. And there's a vibe. The album is very bass heavy and the guitar does little more than provide some texture and maybe to bring the melody to a greater forefront sometimes. But really, this is a all a low-end ride through a dark room where you don't care who's attached to the hand that's found itself attached to you.
The album starts with frenetic distortion of "Powers Of Ten" and the of "2020". "Minor Work" may be the track with the least happening, but still maintains a constant bass groove. "Mirror Mirror" takes that vibe and ramps it up piece by piece and becomes the most Pink Floydy thing on the record. A couple of tracks in the middle, "Bambi" and "Holocene City", seem to be adding a little too much extra repetition. And that may kill a star off this Suuns effort, but isn't too detrimental. Especially in light of the album's excellent finale, "The Music Won't Save You"
At the end of the day, it's actually pretty inexplicable why I like this record. I generally like my music more succinct, with a simpler plot. Images Du Futur is all abstract mood. But a great mood to be in. (3.5 of 5 stars)
Listening to the fourth album from this Swedish band seems fitting for two reasons. 1.) I just saw an amazing show by fellow Swedes, The Hives. And 2.) I can't access Atoms For Peace without buying, so...
Given their touring history with The Strokes et. al. I was expecting a rockier vibe. What I got has quality, but instead of an "indie rock" tag, they should be getting one for New Wave Revival. All of the classics are touched upon. You'll hear inspirations of Depeche Mode and The Cure, although I would lean SOL on the brighter side of those otherwise dark bands. Simple Minds, Blondie too. And then there's a random flute rummaging throughout many songs. A Men At Work influence?
The album kicks off with pretty-enough pop tracks. "Sugar" and "Illusions" will both be darlings of the indie-pop crowd, and if they're lucky, get chosen for a Windows commercial. But overall, the new wave thing is not really my jam and while the music is tight, the songs don't grab me as anything too emotionally or thoughtfully taxing.
Given all of this, I wouldn't think it's much of a surprise to hear that my favorite track of the bunch is the most low key. "Hermelia" is a dark mood piece with a rare lead vocal by Bebban Stenborg. She brings a seductiveness that just isn't there with main guy Adam. Frankly, he sounds quite a bit like the guy from Thompson Twins.
A good enough effort. And don't let my review slow you down. If you're into keyboard driven new wave, you may want to run to the nearest retailer. (2.5 of 5 stars)
A debut of a new indie Irish rock band. I got here from a preview of the single, "The John Wayne". A great track and great video which is an earlier contender as jam of the spring (year...?).
