Albums of the week - hype train edition

Battles
Mirrored (Warp)









Mirrored isn't Battles' 1st release but it definitely has garnered a lot more attention than anything from their brief resume. The album itself is deeply impressive. They have paved new ground and done it with exceptional talent as the record proves song after song, each convincing of master musicianship. However, one complaint Mirrored has encountered is it's likability. Similar to TV on the Radio's Return to Cookie Mountain, there is plenty to ooh and ahh over, but the question is whether it is an easy record to return to again and again. For me, it is. It gets better with every listen. But I don't think Mirrored is for the masses, and given the amount of hype around this album, I wonder if some of it isn't a bit pretentious. Even so, this is one of the best albums so far this year and I give it my full endorsement. Oh snap!

www.bttls.com

Dan Deacon
Spiderman of the Rings (Carpark)









Do you hear that?! That's the hype train, loud and clear. Originality alone isn't an excuse for any grand prize. But Dan Deacon combines his singular sounds with catchy hooks and moments of electo-pop ecstasy to give us one of the best electronic albums so far this year. Having said that, we've had little in that department to celebrate. Deacon adds to the palette a sense of humor, which is sure to catalyze the hype train even more. Spiderman of the Rings flirts with greatness but never grasps enough overwhelming consistency to justify all the hype. Even so, there are a few real good tunes on here and it proves to be a rather fun record.

www.dandeacon.com

The Twilight Sad
Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters (Fat Cat)









That reoccurring sound you kept hearing a couple months back was all your friends click, click, clicking to tell everyone about this great new Scottish band. The Twilight Sad don't shade their nationality, but embrace it, as you hear probably the thickest Scottish vocals on indie radio and share sonic similarities to fellow countrymen, Mogwai and The Arab Strap. But these comparisons don't exhaust these lads whatsoever. The overall, heavy indie, quasi-emoish rock sound resembles The Appleseed Cast or Sunny Day Real Estate. The additional orchestration, along with that thick Scottish accent sometimes reminds of their neighbors, The Pogues. Maybe everyone overshot it a little with all the hype as Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters reflects their potential more than anything. But these guys do provide some sonic gems, awashed in heavy emotion.

myspace.com/thetwilightsad

LCD Soundsystem @ Webster Hall 5.15.07

So I'm a little late on blogging this...but for posterity purposes, I must get this down.

James Murphy presents....James Murphy. The ingenious, quasi-vain, mastermind behind LCD Soundsystem would have to try really hard to NOT put on a good show. Granted, it was the last show on the leg of the tour so some signs of exhaustion would seep in here and there. Everything still sounded solid at Webster, which has decent acoustics and is ideal for emcopassing the sounds of dance-beat-indie-rock of LCD. It was also the guitarist's last show so that added some treasure, if you will. There were a bunch of bobble-heads around me -frats boys behind and yuppie record label lads in front. None of whom probably knew LCD S. back when he was releasing his tracks soley via Vinyl...ah, those were the days -especially at Insound when he would release one and we'd get a butt-load of orders, drowning in an office of label-less vinyl. But James has stayed true to himself through all this Capitol Records and commercial stuff so his succes is just by fine with me. As he said in DIW, if you think he's made you look stupid for likeing him, well...he's not here to make you look smart.


The opener, Yacht, bless his heart, was horrible.

www.lcdsoundsystem.com

The lost funeral

Once my brother had skipped off to college, I had some music suddenly at my disposal. I still don't know why my brother left some of his music -as much of it was quite good stuff. One album in particular affected me: London 0 Hull 4. When I think about this album my mind immediately flashes a picture of the casette case. I thought it was so cool. I then always recall mowing the lawn while listening to The Housemartins. Yes, the Housemartins were a regular in my lawn-mowing rotation, and since have been one of the most influential bands in my ever-growing love for music. How this band went away, why weren't they bigger, and where are they now are questions that have lingered. Following their demise, lead singer Paul Heaton sarted the acclaimed UK band, The Beautiful South. Drummer, Hugh Whitaker, went on to play with The Gargoyles. And the bassist, Norman Cook, we all know as Fatboy Slim. Their lyrics, combining themes of Marxism and Christianity, were original for the time. They used claymation -a style that was in vogue during this period. They also heaped up some controversy with the title of their 2nd and only other album, "The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death", apparently a disaproving nod in the direction of the royal family. Did the royal family kill The Housemartins? Or was it Andy Rourke?? I'd love to see an 'E' True Hollywood Story take. Alas, the Housemartins vanished without a sound. But if I ever have mow a lawn again, you best be knowing I'll be breaking out my Walkman and blasting "Happy Hour" once again.

As you may have guessed, the lads were from Hull, England. They often reffered to themselves as The "4th Best band in Hull."







The album title, London 0 Hull 4, is a reference to a football (soccer) game.

Album of the week

The Veils
Nux Vomica (Rough Trade)










Finn Andrews is a puppet master of the heart -his heart. He has total control over what kind of emotion he wants to put into each song, resulting in a wide variety of songs that don't ever stray too far from his signature musical craft. Nux Vomica seems to have something for the whole family: the rockabilly of "Advice For Young Mothers to Be"; the classic rock, zeppelin-ish "Jesus for the Jugular"; the heart-wrenching ballad , "Under the Folding Branches", and the modern, new wavy, catchy sounds of "Night Thoughts of a Tired Surgeon" -a bonus track on U.S. editions.

Whatever the influences, Andrews has his feet firmly planted on his own ground. And this time around -as opposed to The Runaway Found- his jangled rock has turned more independent and slightly darker(see "Pan", "Jesus for the Jugular", the title track). Everybody now: "ma-tur-i-ty" ...except for the fact that the lad is still quite young -23. He's still a prodigy. To blame it solely on maturity would be to diminish his talents. I'll settle with deliberation- along with a wider lens of life . An artist as brilliant as Andrews isn't going to make the same record twice.

Nux Vomica continues to show off his knack for producing rustic, catchy melodies(i.e. "Not Yet", "Calliope!", "Advice...", "Under...") as well as his ability to offer lyrics seemimgly from one well past his age. When it comes together, he becomes that puppet master, pulling the strings tight from his heart into his lungs, resulting in a croon: "You're nothing but a child!"("Pan"). Or on "Under the Folding Branches" when he withdraws and wraps the strings firmly around his heart: "I loved you once, didn't I?"

hear: Calliope!, Advice for Young Mothers to Be, Jesus for the Jugular, Under the Folding Branches, Night Thoughts of a Tired Surgeon








www.theveils.com
www.roughtraderecords.com

QUICK LICKS:
Dntel, Dumb Luck (Sub Pop)








Jimmy Tamborello has many projects, but in a sense Dntel is the home base for the "electronic half" of The Postal Service. After all, we wouldn't have "We Will Become Silhouettes" without Dntel and it's collaboration on it's first record. Thinking of perhaps spawning 5 new side projects, Jimmy taps a host of extras, including Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear, Mia Doi Todd, and Jenny Lewis to bend the 'angular' electronic stereotype and create soft, comforting electronic music that is Dumb Luck.

hear: I'd like to Know, The Distance, Rock my Boat, Breakfast in Bed
www.dntelmusic.com/index

Blonde Redhead, 23 (4AD)








What it lacks in experimentation and progressiveness, they make up in clever melodies and a stripped-down, arcane sincerity. The vocals, perfect for a lucid dream, are as luscious as ever. You can't miss with almost any track.

hear: pick one. My favorites are SW and Spring and by Summer Fall
www.blonde-redhead.com

Top 5 movies of 2007...so far

Well it is the half-way point of 2007 and I'm sure you are wondering what movies you need to see. I'll tell you the best 5 -this isn't a subjective list -these really are the best 5. I know.

1. Zodiac

Someone, somewhere said this is the 1st movie about serial killers that seems like it was directed by a serial killer. It's not that the direction is random...it's more that it's spot-on. It feels like a documentary and given it's a true story, that's a testament to its reality. Little is embellished. It's entirely engrossing and loaded with great acting, most notably Robert Downing. And although it's about a serial killer, there's something about this movie that appeals to a wide audience. Maybe it's the lack of blood and guts shots -or the fact that it's true- or that because it's still somewhat a mystery- that the appeal is greater. See the trailer here





2. Once

See the trailer here

3. Blades of Glory

Trailer

4. Breach


Trailer

5. Hot Fuzz

Trailer

Honorable mentions: Surf's Up, Disturbia, Ratatouille, Fracture

Erupt blogosphere, erupt...

Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien went to great lengths to bring us great news. This is what he said about the new album on Radiohead's blog, Dead Air Space:

"a word from the studio

Yes I know its been a while ..... but we've been working on this album for a while ...... BUT WE ARE NEARLY THERE .....

Ed"

In this spirit, perhaps 'street spirit' (oh I kill myself), here is the excellent video for Radiohead's "Just."

What does he say ?? ?? ??

Radiohead - Just
Uploaded by steveo_russianspy

Album of the week

The National
Boxer (Beggers Banquet)










"We expected something, something better than before. We expected something more." So begins the ripping track, "Start a War." This resonates what may be the attitude of many of The National faithful as they, understandably, compare the new Boxer to the extremely likable album they so loved but never made it out of the gates in the mainstream, Alligator. But such comparisons are ineffectual, because as vocalist Berringer has emphasized, his band is not out to make the same record twice. So it would be wise to toss Alligator aside when assessing which album is superior. Does it really matter? Boxer doesn't stray too far from the Alligator formula but it's an entirely different record. First, it starts off with possibly the album's strongest track, "Fake Empire" and consequently the first single, "Mistaken For Strangers" -instead of holding off till late in the record as they would do with their strongest tracks on past records. Boxer is also more intense and heavy in sound, requiring you to give it extra-curricular attention to truly appreciate it. And an element to be appreciated is the greater addition of orchestration: the heart-breaking violin parts on "Squalor Victoria" and the excellent "Slow Show," the poignant horns on "Guest Room," the piano emphasis in "Racing like a Pro," and most notably on the impressive "Ada," which is awashed in orchestration.

Despite the weight applied to the music, the lyrics by contrast are more light and positive than Boxer's predecessors. Berringer humors life and muses about acquaintances - perhaps a result of a successful 3 yr. relationship - - a contrast to of the self-indulging, antagonistic lyrics of Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers and Alligator. The feral that highlighted many of the tracks from those records is simmered down. "You Know I dreamt about you.. for 29 years before I saw you" is the chorus of the 2ND half of "Slow Show" which was pulled from "29 Years" from their debut album. However, his signature crooning, rustic voice still fulfills its comforting duties. The National have the aura of lads who weren't unaware of their potential for success outside music but opted for the more personal, artsy route. This is echoed in "Mistaken for Strangers": "showered and blue-blazered, fill yourself with quarters... You get mistaken for strangers by your own friends, when you pass them at night under the silvery, silvery citibank lights." And then on "Squalor Victoria": "Underline everything, I'm a professional in my beloved white shirt... Raise our heavenly glasses to the heavens! Squalor Victoria! Squalor Victoria!" In this sense they seem to have a singular understanding in the development of their music. Like understanding seems to have landed them much street-cred in the past couple months as the cult following has turned more mainstream anticipating the release of Boxer. Whether or not Boxer is as good as Alligator is debatable but it's equally as -if not more- impressive.

hear: Fake Empire, Mistaken for Strangers, Green Gloves, Slow Show, Start a War, Ada








www.americanmary.com
www.beggars.com





QUICK LICK: The Ponys, Turn the Lights Out (Matador)









Turn the Lights Out agrees with the other 80's-infused rock that has invaded our ear waves for the past few years -a contrast to The Pony's last effort, Celebration Castle, which successfully hinged on a grungier wave length. Some call them the next big thing. I simply call them talented, with a knack for producing infectious rock songs.

hear: Double Vision, Small Talk, Turn the Lights Out, Shine, Exile on My Street

www.theponys.com

Sufjan Fiddles from the roof...

The day of the musicNOW festival Sufjan Stevens decides he's silly and climbs aboard Cincinatti's Memorial Hall to cover The Innocence Mission's "The Lakes of Canada."