Walkmen – Lisbon
In that elegantly disheveled mutter-wail thing of his, frontman Hamilton Leithauser starts new album Lisbon off by singing: “You’re with someone else tomorrow night/ Doesn’t matter to me/ ‘Cause as the sun dies into the hill/ You got all I need.” He’s sad and pathetic and needy and yet somehow still smooth, which is sort of the central animating paradox at the heart of the Walkmen. They make these wounded, anxious songs, but they make them so confidently, with such unearthly rich-guy assurance. The band’s specific style of indie rock is very rooted in a scrappy, scratchy New York tradition that dates back to the Velvet Underground or Bob Dylan, but their take on it is theirs and theirs alone. You know one of their songs right away when those winding, circular guitars and surging drums and gargling vocals kick in. They’re so performative in their sadness, but that stuff never rankles or comes off tantrumy, since the band is just so good at this stuff. There’s a song on Lisbon called “Woe Is Me”, and it’s not even remotely a joke. Great song, too. Read the full review
Black Angels – Phosphene Dream
Opener ‘Bad Vibrations’ is every bit the song its title suggests, a wobbling and ebbing intro of throbbing guitar barely making space for Alex Maas’s strained vocals, which throughout the record sound like they’re coming from somewhere down the hall, spreadeagled against a corner, deep inside some personal void. The sting, in this case, is very much in the tail, as eerily picked lonesome guitar segues into a brisk up-tempo motorik for the final quarter of the track. Granted, it’s neither rocket science nor re-inventing the wheel, but the best moments of Phosphene Dream categorically prove that The Black Angels are at their best when they just let things roll on by. Read the full review
Of Montreal – False Priest
False Priest is a generally enjoyable record. In all honesty when I started listening I hated it, hearing it as nothing more than a silly and pointless indulgence without any sort of consistency or narrative to keep me engaged. After a few listens though I realised that yes, it is silly (the opening two songs in particular) but it can also be unashamedly enjoyable for the listener too. It’s easy to try seek meaning from this record and at times it shows itself: there are a few references to Barnes’s childhood, letting us delve a little deeper into his mind while there are also songs that could be interpreted as continuations of “Touched Something’s Hollow” where Barnes explores what having an alter ego can do to his mind. For a record with a title like False Priest you might even expect Barnes to explore the nature of religion and its effects or even the effect it had on him more deeply (he grew up in a Catholic household). Instead at the end of the record he seems to take up the role of preacher, dismissing the idea of having faith in a God. For a free spirit like Barnes it seems odd to have him judging us for once. Read the full review
Blonde Redhead – Penny Sparkle
Despite its deliberate evolution on each previous album — a habit kept up since 1995 — Penny Sparkle marks Blonde Redhead’s most dramatic shift yet, a record that eschews organic instrumentation for synthesizers and drum machines on a near-total scale. Penny Sparkle is a dense, textural affair that Makino likely knew would be lost on a portion of the band’s post-punk die-hards, and perhaps the shift initially evaded her, too. Regardless, the band emerged from Scandinavia with a fantastic document of their modern electronic taste, a record that, while not their best work, serves as a rewarding continuation of the band’s trademark pop elegance, sensuality, and otherworldliness. Read the full review
When all that Beatles stuff came out a coupla weeks ago, mountains of hyperbole, most of it warranted, were tossed around. For example, many people remarked that the band’s creative evolution was the broadest in all of rock. From their conventional beginnings, through their psychedelic studio alchemy to the majesty of Abbey Road’s side 2 suite, it’s hard to dispute that The Beatles covered more ground in their seven or so years then any had before them or has since.
On the other hand, maybe that’s something of a rigged accolade. There was a lot of room for rock n’ roll to open up in the early sixties. Throughout the decade, many artists pushed boundaries and pioneered innovations. The Beatles, with their vast financial resources and army of “best-in-the-biz” studio mechanics, could easily streamline cutting edge-trends into their sound.
The Beatles were a great band, and if anyone deserves the “best-of-all-time” title, it’s those lads, but isn’t their embodiment of the 60′s sound more a result of their ability to follow trends than build them?
Consider a band like Big Star. In three short years, Big Star went from upbeat power-pop to music that was despaired, esoteric and nigh unclassifiable. This did not go-with-the-proverbial flow of their contemporaries. Big Star cultivated their own sound and subsequently evolved via their own aspirations and frustrations. Sure, they proudly wore their influences on their sleeve (Velvet Underground, The Kinks and yes, The Beatles.) What separates their evolution from a band like The Beatles is that Big Star didn’t streamline. In fact, they seemed incapable of making their music palpable for mass audiences. Their third (and dare I say best) album didn’t see release for a half a decade after its creation because labels deemed it “un-listenable”.
So, speaking of Big Star, Rhino’s Keep An Eye on the Sky release of just about everything you could ever want or need by the band is an absolute must-own. I didn’t realize how in-need of a clean-up job their material was before listening to the glorious job the ever-reliable Rhino has done with Big Star’s material. You know how a sip of water can make you realize how thirsty you’ve been? That’s the sort of sensation one has listening to this set for the first time.
In honor of this fantastic release, we’ve compiled a list of what we consider to be highlights from the set.
1. “Oh My Soul” – The opening track of Radio City, Big Star’s second album, is one of their finest. Lively and jaunting, it features some of Alex Chilton’s most creative songwriting and guitar work. The remastered version’s added fidelity highlights the nuance of the song’s arrangement.
2. “Downs (demo)” - In it’s official incarnation on Third/Sisters Lovers, “Downs” is a particularly eccentric piece. It sounds both over and under-produced. The demo version, a simple and straight-forward solo-acoustic rendition, reveals a tight structure and fantastic melody. Both are on the box set. Compare and contrast!
3. “Hot Burrito #2 (live)” & “Slut (live)” – Big Star weren’t shy about covering their favorite songs. On these versions of songs by The Flying Burrito Brothers and Todd Rundgren respectively, Big Star meet the originals halfway by not corrupting their essences while making them their own.
4. “I Got Kinda Lost (demo)” – Contrary to the stripped-down “Downs” demo mentioned earlier, this version of “I Got Kinda Lost” features the whole band performing the song together. The raw and immaculate performance is invigorating, leading up to a highlight of the entire box-set. “How was that?” asks a member of the band at the song’s conclusion.
“It’ll do” replies what I can only assume is an engineer or producer, making the understatement of the 70′s.
5. “For You” - I hate to use the word sublime, but it really describes this song. Composed and sung by drummer Jody Stephens, it’s a simple tribute to the object of Stephens’ affection. “For You” features a haunting string arrangement that benefits greatly from Keep an Eye on the Sky’s remastering job. This track is reason enough alone to buy the set.
It’s been a gloomy summer in Vermont, where rain has become an almost daily occurrence. Fortunately, with our brutal winters, we’re all used to staving off seasonal malaise. Join us as we embrace the transcendent nature of music with our sunny songs for a rainy summer.
The Kinks - Love Me Til the Sun Shines
Dave Davies was not as prolific as his brother Ray, but he rarely disappointed. This lovely little love song is no exception.
Velvet Underground – Here Comes the Sun
Although this song dismisses the uplifting nature of the sun, its bright melody and upbeat rhythm make it the catchiest song about heart break out there.
Husker Du – Celebrated Summer
A nostalgic paean to summers past. Husker Du in top form, as they often were.
Pavement – Summer Babe (Winter Version)
“I saw your girlfriend and she was her eating fingers like they’re just another meal”. Yep. That captures the ideal summer experience.
The Beach Boys - Warmth of the Sun
Probably the most appropriate song on this list. Any collection of early Beach Boys songs would make for a great summer soundtrack.
Loving Spoonful - Summer in the City
I have a theory that every person who’s ever heard this song loves it. Infectious!
Fleet Foxes – Sun Giant/Sun it Rises
A serene counterpoint to the previous entry. Let it wash over you with thoughts of warmth and tranquility.
Pogues – Sunny Side of the Street
This song evokes the Church Street experience, where half the street is usually shaded. Perhaps it would be more optimistic to say half basks in the sun.
Katrina & The Waves – Walking on Sunshine
Philip J Fry’s favorite song, as evidenced by his numerous renditions. Need I say more?
George Gershwin – Summertime (Sam Cooke version)
An American standard, this song has been covered countless times. This is one of many great versions of this wonderfully languid classic.
Jimmy Cliff – Hello Sunshine
Reggae and summer go together like peanut butter and fluf.
The Beatles – Rain
This song may call attention to what this list is meant to help us forget, but it’s a perfect endcap to this set, embracing the cleansing beauty of the rain, reminding us that it always precedes sunshine.
This week we put our heads together to come up with a short list of artists that successfully switched gears for the mellower, and managed to pull it off, not an easy thing for an artist to do, but the following artists did so, to critical and artist success.
1. Beck – Sea Change
Prior to the release of Sea Change, Beck had been like a shark in his artistic development, never standing still. One of his sidesteps was Mutations, an acoustic-laced, upbeat affair that surprised fans expecting another Odelay. That was followed by Midnite Vultures, a delectably over-the-top party album that sounded as much like Prince as it did Beck. Despite his chameleon-like musical identity, it was something of a shock when he released Sea Change in 2002. Acoustic-centric like Mutations, Sea Change had a more lush production, sedate rhythms and the most earnest, personal lyrics of the man’s career. Mellow, melancholy and unprecedented, the album was embraced by fans and critics alike, all of whom were happy to follow Beck wherever his whim brought them.
2. Velvet Underground – Velvet Underground
The third Velvet Underground album reveals a band in flux. They were on a new label. John Cale, a significant creative force who fanned the flames of Lou Reed’s avant tendencies, left the band and was subsequently replaced by Doug Yule, whose reedy vocal delivery would define some of the group’s most memorable songs. Their prior album, White Light/White Heat, had been a raucous affair, bathed in distortion and dissonance. Velvet Underground couldn’t have been more different. Opening with the sublime “Candy Says”, the album is imbibed with a dark intimacy that is haunting yet strangely uplifting. Even the more upbeat numbers like “What Goes On” and “Beginning To See The Light” feed into the album’s overall atmosphere, lilting asides that give the album dimension. Like every Velvet Underground record, it is an indispensable classic.
3. Big Star – Third/Sisters Lovers
The first two Big Star albums are bright, power-pop classics. Despite the occasional (and obligatory) number about unrequited love or ennui, the albums trot al0ng as they espouse the virtues of girls, driving fast cars and being young. Unfortunately, the group never enjoyed the kind of success they deserved, and by the time they were ready to record their third album, they’d lost half their members and all their optimism. While there’s no official version of the final Big Star record, whichever version you listen to, the overall effect is the same. The songs are tortured ordeals, evoking regret, sadness and nihilism. It’s as beautiful and tragic as music can be. One can’t help but selfishly be grateful for whatever poor Alex Chilton was going through. He may have been put through hell, but lord, what an album.
4. Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-out
Loved by droning noiseniks and dedicated Pop aficionados alike, Yo La Tengo, before the release of And Then Nothing, had seemingly taken their sound everywhere it could go. From full out long play feedback jams (Spec Bebop), slow burning kraut-drones (Five corned drone), gazey-noise rock (From a Motel 6), silly covers (Speeding Motorcycle), and everywhere in between. Yet is was still a surprise to most fans when upon listening to And Nothing, they realized that somehow Yo La Tengo had just reinvented themselves, this time for the mellower.
Track after track on And Nothing they took the raw skills they displayed on their previous outings, peeled, polished, and inverted them to reveal a set of meticulously composed and aranged odes to the night, failed love, and to the spaces inbetween notes. The fuzz pedals remain off for most the album, drums are brushed and keys chime softly, vocals barely reach above a whisper and once again, Yo La Tengo show the world that anything we can do, they can do better.
