WK21 - LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening (9)

Released - 5/18/10
Label - DFA LLC



BLURB - Being that this is my first venture into the world of LCD Soundsystem, I was a little skeptical. I know the hipsters love LCD, but the hipsters also love The National. I knew I would be slightly pre-conditioned to like this album though, do to the fact at his core, James Murphy is more of a weird-synth, dance guy. Essentially, "This is Happening" is a great success. It's fun, it's danceable, it's filled with waves of synth loops and weird lyrics that ironically make for a great summer album. The only downfall would be some of the tangents the record veers of into, often focusing in on spoken word vocals that sound like something from a bad Adam Green / 3OH!3 collaboration. But in it's entirety, the album does live up to it's potential and is definitely something worth checking out.


Rating - 9 out of 10


FULL STORY - "This is Happening" opens up with 'Dance Yrslf Clean,' and a slow and varied collection of beats and percussion, maybe even some pots and pans. The first portion actually sounds like it was recorded on a four-track in Murphy's kitchen. The feel is very laid back and lo-fi as synth riffs fill the gaps between Murphy's simplistic and youthful lyrics:


"Talking like a jerk, except you are an actual jerk and living proof that sometimes friends are mean."


Clocking in around nine minutes long, the song does an admirable job at establishing a narcissistic, slow loner vibe in the beginning only to completely blow the roof off as the pace and energy blast off around the three minute mark. Heavy, heavy synth and bass lines explode out of the speakers from here on out as Murphy's energy and confidence come to the foreground transforming the track into an entirely new animal.


I guess you could say 'Drunk Girls' is the single as it's had a ton of buzz through all the blogs and viral sites. This is the obligatory track that had to be on the album. It's a bit too gimmicky for my taste. The entire song is a bouncy party track that just spits out throwaway quips and lyrics about both sexes and their lowered inhibitions. For example, Murphy gives us the gems, "Drunk girls like to file complaints," and "Drunk girls wait an hour to pee." Nonetheless, it's too catchy for people not to like it.


The third track, 'One Touch' comes off as very futuristic with it's spacey intro. As different hooks and lines of synthesizers float through the snare hits, Murphy sings (talks) in a lower register as he is echoed by a chorus of children. The song stays fairly static but in this case it's ok - the vibe that has been established is so cool that you won't care that it doesn't go anywhere. The feel is also fairly retro and sounds like something that Thomas Dolby or Devo would have constructed.


'I Can Change' keeps the whole 80's cocaine party atmosphere alive, but is done to a much slower pace. It almost feels like a creepy slow dance song if you listen closely enough. This track puts Murphy in a fairly vulnerable position as he opens himself up as he dives into his helpless habits with love, giving the song substance on an album otherwise filled with arrogance and selfishness.


"And love is a murderer, love is a murderer. But if she calls you tonight everything is alright. Yeah, we know - and love is a curse shoved in a hearse. Love is an open book to a verse of your bad poetry, and this is coming from me. But I can change...if it helps you fall in love."


'Pow Pow' brings back the arrogance and swagger that is synonymous with LCD Soundsystem. Murphy more or less reads lines of a monologue over a 70's disco beat. You'd think it would get tired or monotonous but it doesn't. The track is incredibly fun, yet equally weird - which is probably what draws you in and keeps you listening. That, and he keeps saying, "Pow, Pow, Pow, Pow." This is where some of the Adam Green references can be drawn - as Murphy just throws out weird lines that border absurd and brilliant.


"On this occasion, there are a couple of things that we know that we learned from fact magazine. One, the king wears a king hat and lives in a king house. Two, your time will come, but tonight is our night, so you should give us all of your drugs. Three, we have a black president and you do not, so shut up - because you don't know shit about where I'm from that you didn't get from your TV."


So as you can see, one of the main gripes with this album could be that it's a bit wordy and kind of out there. Personally, I think the way in which the music and lyrics are presented is done in such an entertaining way that it doesn't take to much away from the record as a whole. It's a fun collection of tracks that have dance beats, synths and keyboards that are flooded with waves of arrogant, err, cleverly confident lyrics that while absurd, remain fun and light-hearted. This should be one of the better summer albums of the year along with Delorean's "Subiza." I definitely recommend checking out "This is Happening," just know what you're stepping into though as the average song length is about seven minutes long.


Tracks
1.) Dance Yrself Clean
2.) Drunk Girls
3.) One Touch
4.) All I Want
5.) I Can Change
6.) You Wanted a Hit
7.) Pow Pow
8.) Somebody's Calling Me
9.) Home

WK20 - The National - High Violet (2)

Released - 5/10/10

Label - 4AD

BLURB - Don't really see what the fuss is about with "High Violet." I wasn't in early on The National and I haven't listened to them before this album - but at the very least wouldn't you say that gives me more of an objective opinion? Every review I've seen for this album glorifies The National is this sacred, holier-than-thou, group that simply can do no wrong. I think it's safe to say that I'm the only one on the other side. "High Violet" at it's best is boring and at it's worst makes me feel like I'm having blood drained from my body. The painfully slow pace and lack of creativity is painful to sit through, while the ominous deep vocals all but make me want to go back to Best Buy and return it. Why is this good?

Rating - 2 out of 10

FULL STORY - In much of what I've read, the indie community is raving about the lyrical content and maturity on "High Violet." The simple problem here though is that the music is virtually unlistenable. I'd almost prefer if The National released a novel - that way I could just read it. The music itself is constantly stagnant and never materializes into anything outside of a slow trickle of acoustic guitars and organs. Compounding the awfulness are the vocals...if you can call them that. It certainly isn't singing. The majority of the vocals appear as a faint spoken word dialect that is presented in the most depressing of manners.

The first four tracks, arguably all sound the same aside for the drumming patterns. I was extremely excited when I first put this on my iPod and was all set to catch the subway to work. I hit play on 'Terrible Love' and within a matter of thirty seconds I was already looking to skip ahead. I thought maybe this was the obligatory slow opening track what would become an amazing album. The entire song is a fog of distorted guitars and pianos that can't move slow enough. And as for the lyrical content - the whole song (for the most part) just repeats, "It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders." This is supposed to be high poetry I guess.

So I skip ahead to 'Sorrow' and I'm instantly depressed. It's slow, it has no energy, no emotion - it just kind of sits there doing nothing. I guess you could say it's kind of clever in the way that sorrow is personified through various analogies and metaphors - but I'm listening to an album, not taking part in a mandatory English class in eleventh grade.

"Sorrow found me when I was young. Sorrow waited, sorrow won. Sorrow put me on the pills, it's in my honey, it's in my milk."

So after I contemplate jumping in front of the G train that is approaching the Greenpoint Avenue stop I skip ahead. Keep in mind I've listened to two tracks already and haven't managed to get through either. "Anyones Ghost" is slightly more uptempo but equally depressing. The chords and song structure pull you down and refuse to let you do anything aside from gaze at your shoes. The lyrical content once again is fairly grim as Matt Berninger tells of his credo that he never wants to be anyone's ghost.

Skip ahead to 'Little Faith,' (see a theme developing here?) and we have another song that sounds the same as the previous three. It's at this point that I realize this album is not what I expected it to be. Maybe because I haven't been a long time devoted fan I'm not able to attach myself to the music, I don't know.

The only song I was actually able to get through on the album was 'Bloodbuzz Ohio.' Here the pianos, guitars and pounding snares actually all synch into a song that isn't half bad. There are moments where the song intensifies and you can actually feel some emotion. The song actually varies and, unlike the rest of "High Violet," is not static at all. The track also has vocals that are somewhat less robotic than the others. Maybe it's because the music actually rises to the occasion and matches the emotion that is found behind Berninger's pen.

Outside of 'Bloodbuzz Ohio' this album really doesn't do it for me. It's too boring. Too mundane. Too soft. Too slow. Too uninteresting. It's too much of everything that I can't stand about indie bands that climb to prominence for no particular reason. The National should have just released "High Violet" as a twelve chapter book and called it a day. I can't be the only one that thinks this...can I?

Tracks

1.) Terrible Love

2.) Sorrow

3.) Anyone's Ghost

4.) Little Faith

5.) Afraid of Everyone

6.) Bloodbuzz Ohio

7.) Lemonworld

8.) Runaway

9.) Conversation 16

10.) England

11.) Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

12.) Walk Off (Bonus Track)

WK19 - The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards (7)

Released - 5/11/10

Label - Third Man Records LLC

BLURB - Well it hasn't even been a full year since their debut release and The Dead Weather have already released their second album. "Sea of Cowards," unlike predecessor "Horehound," appears much more calculated and mature. There is an air of confidence on the second record that can easily make you forget how forced and awkward "Horehound" was. With a year of constant touring, writing and recording in the books, this supergroup has finally transformed from a collection of friends that all dabble in different music - to one collective band. "Sea of Cowards" is filled with big guitars, big organs...big everything. Certain parts of the record sound as if they were fuzzily recorded from an arena show in the early 70's. The energy and reverb are certainly there. The lone critiques of "Sea of Cowards" can be found in the lack of song structure and versatility - but The Dead Weather couldn't care less...they're here to create their own type of rock music that nobody else is willing to, and it shows.

Rating - 7 out of 10

FULL STORY - So I was admittedly a huge detractor from The Dead Weather's first album. It was all over the place, every song sounded the same, it was monotonous, Jack White was nowhere to be seen - it just wasn't good. With "Sea of Cowards" it is very easy to see the progress and maturity that has developed in just a short period of time.

The first single on the record is 'Blue Blood Blues' and I couldn't think of a more apt title. The track is flooded with heavy, fuzzy guitar riffs that scream classic rock. Much like the entire album, this a general lack of structure - but this actually does not negatively affect the songs. Whereas most bands would do the whole "verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus" thing, The Dead Weather manage to keep your attention by supplying endless non-traditional sections of riffs, hooks and breakdowns. The vocals are fronted by both White and Alison Mosshart coming in the form of arrogant lines of brashness that sound as if they were taken from the streets of 1978.

"Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when they see me sing at sunday service..."

The energy and distortion from 'Blue Blood Blues' fades and transitions nicely into the second track of the record, 'Hustle and Cuss.' This track is much more laid back and establishes a very nice groove, thanks in part to a very catchy, albeit clean, guitar riff, and swinging percussion. For whatever reason, this song reminds me of The Doors. Maybe its the short punches of keyboards that are periodically injected into the track, maybe its the repeated lines of lyrics...or maybe it's even the simplistic blues-rock form that has been all but abandoned by modern rock bands of today. Whatever it is, the song draws you in and keeps you interested with spikes of intensity and energy that surface amongst this almost groovy bed of blues guitar hooks.

'The Difference Between Us' is fairly intoxicating as an almost futuristic keyboard riff emerges as the main melody. Despite being relatively calm, the song arrives at certain chaos with a myriad of distortion and effects around the two minute mark, only to resolve into itself back on to the original keyboard riff. Much like the rest of the album, the vocals are powerful and intense and flow over various b-sections in the most unique of fashions. Mosshart handles the singing duties for this track in what I think is an intelligent move. The content and even the title alone ('The Difference Between Us') evokes more force and meaning with its' lines being delivered by a strong woman's perspective.

The keyboards are out in force again on 'Gasoline' and supplemented by huge power chords. During the bridge (if you can call it that), an army of screeching and bending guitar solos come to the forefront giving a very dark and ominous tone to the track. Mosshart, once again screaming the vocals, certainly adds to the dark vibe and at certain points in the song you may fear for your life. Be forewarned.

For those traditional White Stripes and modern rock fans this will likely fail and be classified as another weird album constructed by Jack White. Meanwhile for the rest of us, there is a certain appreciation to gain in the fact that White formed this supergroup, created a sub-par debut, and still remains highly invested in their musical output. The growth on "Sea of Cowards" is very tangible and serves as a reward of sorts for those that decided to stick around. If for no other reason, the amount of experimentation and creative structures should keep even the most average of music fans engaged. If you're looking for something loud and unique, and filled with punches around every corner - "Sea of Cowards" is probably for you.

Tracks

1.) Blue Blood Blues

2.) Hustle and Cuss

3.) The Difference Between Us

4.) I'm Mad

5.) Die By the Drop

6.) I Can't Hear You

7.) Gasoline

8.) No Horse

9.) Looking At the Invisible Man

10.) Jawbreaker

11.) Old Mary

WK18 - Delorean - Subiza (9)

Released - 3/30/10

Label - True Panther Sounds

BLURB - It's about time. This was an amazing find and exactly the new band I was looking for. I had heard some buzz about Delorean after a couple of shows in NYC and decided to pop into Sound Fix to pick up the new album...I've been listening to it ever since. In my opinion, Delorean is what I always wanted Passion Pit to sound like. They simply are an indie dance-rock band that knows how to bring it. Passion Pit tends to work themselves in and out of great music and lack the consistency that 'Subiza' shows. Delorean finds a way to make every track on the album relevant - something that is incredible difficult to do. 'Subiza' is great in that, at any given point, any given song on the album could be my favorite. It's fresh, it's original and it's fun.

Rating - 9 out of 10

FULL STORY - Wikipedia states the Delorean hails from Spain, and with names like Guillermo, Igor, Unai and Ekhi I'd have to agree. With Spain, comes a fresher take on the whole glo-fi scene that's been going on in the states. Imagine Memory Tapes or Washed Out if they really polished their album and didn't add so much hazy reverb. Or imagine a Passion Pit album that had more than a handful of good songs on it.

'Stay Close' opens up the album and is filled with samples and a pulsing dance beat. The pace of the song is somewhat feverish but is balanced out nicely with smooth vocals that unknowingly slow the track down. Synth chords puncture the melodies and clap tracks and snare hits are constantly trading places. At it's core 'Stay Close' is a dance song, but above everything else it's just a great song that effortlessly reels you into listening to the rest of the album.

'Real Love' brings the tempo down just a little bit but still remains upbeat. Weird samples and effects act as a sort of gimmick to draw your ears in closer, but at no point does it become monotonous or overdone. When the song gets going the piano chords standout like a flower in the desert. The ambience and underlying synths are still there, but at the forefront of the song are pounding chords from an actual piano...who would have thought...an electronic band using real instruments.

The third track, 'Endless Sunset,' is another well done track that fuses aspects of house, electronica and indie together. The energy is contagious as the song pushes forward with a bright two-chord progression that is filled with tons of momentum. The song slows down for a bit and then transforms into a entirely new progression as the bridge takes over, providing a nice, new flavor to the song.

'Grow' finds a way to incorporate both rhythm and lead guitar. The arrangement also brings in different feeling and vibe to Delorean. The album so far was basically layers upon layers of synthesizers and keyboards and dance beats. During the verses of 'Grow' all that is featured are drums and guitars (and a few effects) allowing the listener to relax and take a break from the explosion of sounds that was going on. That being said, the choruses and bridge revert back to the waves of ambient synths, but because of the simple instrumentation on the verses, the synths and ambience that reappear are now holding that much more weight and excitement. Like dangling a donut in front of a fat guy. When he finally gets it, it tastes that much better because he was waiting for it.

'Simple Graces' is a much more funky atmosphere that features a new slew of effects and samples. However, the pace is much slower and more laid back, once again showing the versatility and creativity Delorean has with their music.

My favorite track on the album is 'Come Wander' as it features more pianos but in a downright rave environment. Everything about the track is fun and exciting and impossible to listen to while standing still. With electronic music is often very easy to 'over-do' it. I mean, there's so many buttons and cool sounds out there that it's difficult to actually sit down and say - you know what...we shouldn't put all of this in because it will get too hectic. Delorean knows when to flip the switch and gets the most out of their ideas by keeping things simple yet don't spurn their own creativity. 'Come Wander' is a great example of this because it isn't flooded with extraneous effects, yet it is still electronica enough to create this great dancehall vibe.

I've had 'Subiza' for about two weeks now and haven't been able to put it down. If you're a fan of Passion Pit, Memory Tapes or even French Horn Rebellion, you'll love this album.

Tracks

1.) Stay Close

2.) Real Love

3.) Endless Sunset

4.) Grow

5.) Simple Graces

6.) Infinite Desert

7.) Come Wander

8.) Warmer Places

9.) It's All Ours