WK20 - Darwin Deez (8.5)

Released - 5/23/11

Label - Lucky Number Music Ltd.

BLURB - Talk about coming out of nowhere. I had never heard of Darwin Deez before I saw one of my friends post a video of his on their Facebook wall about a month or so ago. To look at Darwin Deez is to look at a hipster doofus. He looks like someone that would be taking a long drag off of his cigarette while standing outside of American Apparel and listening to Animal Collective on his iPhone. But who are we to judge? Darwin Deez, actually, is quite the purveyor of simple and basic indie-pop rock songs, which immediately get jammed in your head. His album is incredibly fun and never tries to be something it's not. It's just good, clean fun.

Rating - 8.5 out of 10

FULL STORY - The album starts off with a bang in 'Constellations.' The track is an uptempo pop song that is upbeat enough to be considered a dance song. The song's instrumentation is fairly DIY as Deez employs both drum and clap tracks for the percussion. And Darwin Deez's guitar of choice...you guessed it - a cream Squier Stratocaster. Whether he's trying to be ironic or he actually likes that guitar I'll never know, but it's certainly a weird (and cool) choice. That was actually the first guitar I ever bought, so it does offer up some great nostalgia points for me.

'The City' is another great track that has a cool rhythm section and remains something of a bedroom production. I guess that's what really kind of gives Darwin Deez this instant unforeseen credibility. He's making these cool, unique pop songs by himself and with probably a $400 budget - but the tracks come out sparkling. With 'The City' there are key and tempo changes and there is a very conversational, yet emotional tone in the way the lyrics are delivered. It almost reminds me of a sped up and happier version of Death Cab for Cutie.

'Up in the Clouds' is probably my favorite track on the album. The hooks and melodies are far too addicting. Once again digital drums are present, along with just Deez's guitar and vocals. As the track builds, more riffs and background effects are filtered in as they build to a chorus that is sure to reel you in. The lyrics are simple enough that anyone can join in, and aren't too deep, which is actually a good thing - because then they wouldn't match the music and production if they were:

"We used to walk up in the sky, up where the air is rarified. We went hand in hand from cloud to cloud, but when I slipped we fell out. I'm sorry I let you down, down to the ground. But who cares now, we could be up in the clouds..."

'Radar Detector' is probably the most uptempo track on the record. It begs the question, how soon before we start hearing some incredible remixes for some of these songs? Almost all of Darwin Deez's album is moderate to uptempo songs with digital drums and simple hooks that could be turned into masterpieces to be played at your favorite late night bar in Brooklyn. 'Radar Detector' also features a unique dialogue of weird lyrics that never seem to get old and I find myself humming to myself all day at work:

"You and I buy star maps and drive my car around Los Angeles. You and I buy star maps and ding dong ditch televangelists. It's only been a week but I know you're mine to keep."

This sense of fun and spontaneity is what really drives this album. The music is extremely under produced and minimal. The lyrics aren't anything out of a Conor Oberst journal. The vocals won't remind you of Adele. But for whatever reason, this album is way too hard to put down. It's just fun, cool, uptempo and filled with energy. It's good music. Darwin Deez definitely kept it simple and didn't try to out think the room - which I can appreciate. Some songs can bleed into others at times, but for the most part this is a solid record that's here just in time for summer. You just gotta hit play and hang out - it will put you in a better mood.

Have a listen to 'Constellations.'

Tracks

1.) Constellations

2.) Deep Sea Divers

3.) The City

4.) Dna

5.) The Suicide Song

6.) Up in the Clouds

7.) Bed Space

8.) The Bomb Song

9.) Radar Detector

10.) Bad Day

WK19 - The Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts (3.5)

Released - 2/1/11

Label - Memphis Industries

BLURB - I've got to say, I was really looking forward to "Rolling Blackouts" from The Go! Team. Granted, I had only really heard one other song of theirs ('Milk Crisis'), but it was amazing enough that I figured their new full length would be just as spectacular. Uhh....guess again. The album is a whirlwind of chaos and noise, for the most part. It kind of reminds me of what Sleigh Bells would sound like if, instead of a two piece, they were a forty piece marching band. The album seems to be moving in every direction, but never really goes anywhere...if that makes any sense.

Rating - 3.5 out of 10

FULL STORY - 'T.O.R.N.A.D.O.' is the most annoying song you will ever hear - this I'm sure of. Placing this song first on the album is perhaps the worst mistake The Go! Team could make. It's all over the place - a sensory overload. I made it threw about 45 seconds before I had to skip forward, hoping none of the songs that followed sounded anything like it. Immediately I was given a terrible impression of the record and couldn't help but feel some bias and pre-judgements filter in as I continued listening.

The second song, 'Secretary Song' was much more bearable, and something I would actually consider a decent song. It's bright and catchy, yet restrained and stays in it's lane. The Go! Team (and especially this track) remind me a little bit of CSS, a band that's grown on me over the years. Like CSS, I could see this track by The Go! Team making it's way into an iPod commercial. It's just cool and fun, and has a great feel to it.

Next up is 'Apollo Throwdown,' which reverts back to some unorganized chaos. Yes there is some melody and hooks here, but the use of so many instruments, synths, bass and group vocals inundates the track making it too heavy to listen to.

I'll admit, the first time I heard 'Bust-Out Brigade' I liked it. It plays like a danceable college fight song, complete with xylophone solos. If nothing else, it's very cool and unique the first couple times you listen to it. But after about the fifth listen, the nostalgia just wears off and it just settles in as this trombone-laden instrumental that goes nowhere and bores you to death.

'Voice Yr Choice' has this awesome (albeit brief) lead that sounds eerily Grateful Dead-esque. Surprisingly, this is one of my favorites of the album. For the most part, their overused horn section is subdued, allowing for other keyboard and vocal melodies to take the foreground. The song has a weird pop quality to it, while also coming off as energetic and diverse.

Random tangent - in my spare time I'm always making these hour long mixes for the gym. I press play, work out, and then once music is done...I'm done. But for the most part I always put obscure dance music on there that has a good beat and is different. I only say this because I think I'm going to put 'The Running Range' on my next one. That's not to say that I like the song, but if you listen to it, it just has this really cool beat that blends together a bunch of genres and has a great deal of momentum and movement. The track only has a few lines of lyrics, but the song is catchy enough to keep you interested for the three minutes and change that it runs.

"Rolling Blackouts" is probably one of the bigger disappoints this year, though. I was hoping for something like Sleigh Bells meets CSS, but got my high school band on Red Bull and Pop Rocks. The album is difficult on the ear drums and, and for the most part, lacks the hooks and melodies that would keep me interested. There's maybe a song or two on here that are worth checking out, but overall I wouldn't recommend going out and buying the album.

Have a listen to 'Secretary Song.'

Tracks

1.) T.O.R.N.A.D.O

2.) Secretary Song

3.) Apollo Throwdown

4.) Ready to Go Steady

5.) Bust-Out Brigade

6.) Buy Nothing Day

7.) Super Triangle

8.) Voice Yr Choice

9.) Yosemite Theme

10.) The Running Range

11.) Lazy Poltergeist

12.) Rolling Blackouts

13.) Back Like 8 Track

14.) Headache in My Heart

WK18 - Foster the People - Torches (9.5)

Released - 5/23/11

Label - Sony Music Entertainment

BLURB - "Torches" is the record everyone expected MGMT to come up with after "Oracular Spectacular." Though not as musically ambitious as MGMT, Foster the People have arrived on the music scene with an energy and enthusiasm that I haven't seen since, well, MGMT. They're young, they're excitable and they're welcome in my iTunes library. I'd like to say I've been following them for some time now and just waiting for them to break...but I haven't. Let the records show that two months ago Mike Walp sent me a message saying, 'Hey check out Foster the People, you'll dig them,' or something along those lines. Someone get Walp a beer.

Rating - 9.5 out of 10

FULL STORY - In all honesty I think the music scene has been lacking in 2011 so far. Yeah we've had James Blake, Cut Copy and Yuck (maybe throw Bibio in there), but that's really been about it. I looked back to what was released early last year, and even before March was over we had already had a ton of great releases (most of which ended up being on my Top 15 Records of 2010 list). These included Freelance Whales, Surfer Blood, Toro y Moi, Local Natives and The Morning Benders - and don't forget Neon Indian's debut came out at the very end of 2009. If I had to take a guess now, there's only three albums (James Blake, Cut Copy and Yuck) that are likely to be on the 2011 version of that Top 15 list - and it's pretty much June already! So, suffice it to say, Foster the People are starting to break at the right time - and the music scene is eating them up. We've been waiting.

Like the band itself, Foster the People's music is easy to explain...yet complicated. If you're in a hurry, Foster the People is like a reincarnation of MGMT from 2008. They're an indie rock band that blends together interesting elements of pop and dance (to some extent) in their music. If you've got some time, their music does go a bit deeper and features some incredibly unique interpretations that, surprisingly, never cease to be entertaining.

'Helena Beat' leads off the album with a bang. The song could very well be one of the best ones I'll hear all year. Machine-esque synth and grinding leads blend together in an unexpected manner that will have you hitting the repeat button over and over again. Against the industrial sounding synthesizers is an incredible dance beat the provides the song with energy and momentum. Vocally, the song is filled with catchy hooks and melodies that cleverly bounce off of the track's instrumentation. At least for me, this is a track I don't see myself getting sick of for a very long time.

The second track on the album, 'Pumped Up Kicks' initially sounds like it's going to be some boring, uninspired work. The song starts with an admittedly catchy riff, but it, along with the vocals are muted and very down tempo. As the chorus approaches the instrumentation and vocals pick up and turn in to something you would expect to hear from MGMT. There is a certain swagger and coolness to the song that can't be understated. After hearing the chorus morph back into a new verse, you get a real sense of how well Foster the People can evoke moods and themes by varying the tone of the song. By differing the production levels and instrumentation, there is a level of interest that is evoked in the listeners - strangely turning this quirky little song into something of an anthemic hit.

'Call What You Want' should be in the next iPad commercial. It's perfect. The track begins innocently enough with just a kick drum and sound effects before a progression of tumbling piano chords emerge. From there, the song transforms into this creatively catchy masterpiece that finds a way to fuse an acoustic piano with rock, pop and dance. I don't think the piano can be understated, and has a great tone to it. At least for me, I feel that the acoustic piano progressions somehow validate and give the song credibility. It would have been all too easy for Foster the People to just plug in some synthesizers and call it a day, but the piano adds a strong sense of character and personality to the song. Also, for some strange reason, the vocals on this track eerily remind me of New Radicals.

Foster the People drum up the obligatory downtempo ballad that's still catchy with 'I Would Do Anything.' The production of the song can definitely evoke some emotion and I can certainly see this song being placed in a film. You know, maybe there's a scene where two close friends just kissed for the first time and the guy is driving away on a deserted highway by himself with a half smile on his face? Music supervisors - listen to this song and read the lyrics and tell me that's not a home run idea:

"Never want to stand up for myself, never want to get in the way - I said it. I don't know what the plan is, but you can share with me, because I'll be listening here to everything you say, I won't turn away. And I will listen, open up my heart and I must say that I love you so. Oh la love, I've fallen in love and it's better this time than ever before."

Enough romantic song placements. Foster the People also drum up something of a hit in 'Houdini.' That song has an incredibly big beat that is driven home with bulky piano riffs. The track remains somewhat moderately paced but never gets too slow. The bridge after the chorus features some crafty synth work that will reel you in if you weren't exactly captivated by the song's initial movement (I wasn't). Towards the end of the track the song climaxes with a great outro that pulls out all of the energy and excitement that you knew was lurking somewhere behind the curtain.

The remainder of the album remains much in the same vein. You never what's lurking behind the next corner, but you're invariably rewarded as you continue listening. There is so much creativity, enthusiasm and curiosity on this album - it's really hard to put down. It really is a breath of fresh air and a record you can simply just push play on - there aren't any songs worth skipping over. The only flaw may be that, while creating this unique and fun interpretation of pop/rock, Foster the People do tend to rely on the same techniques and song constructions throughout the album. The more you listen to this record, a few of the songs do tend to blend in with one another - but never in a way that is overly detrimental. It's just something I've noticed. That being said, "Torches" is definitely an album to go out and pick up (especially if you're into MGMT, Passion Pit, etc.), and should be one of the most played albums of this summer.

Have a listen to 'Helena Beat.'

Tracks

1.) Helena Beat

2.) Pumped Up Kicks

3.) Call It What You Want

4.) Don't Step (Color on the Walls)

5.) Waste

6.) I Would Do Anything for You

7.) Houdini

8.) Life On the Nickel

9.) Miss You

10.) Warrant

11.) Broken Jaw

WK17 - Adventure - Lesser Known (7)

Released - 3/21/11

Label - Carpark Records

BLURB - This album has slowly crept into my rotation over the last month or so. Adventure is a three piece group that blends electronic music, pop and indie into this surprisingly cool mix of hipster dance music. While the group is young (and it shows), there is certainly the potential for Adventure to become something dynamic. The lyrics are sparse, but the musical ingenuity and ideas are not, as Adventure's "Lesser Known" spends much of it's time weaving between 80's pop and 00's electronica.

Rating - 7 out of 10

Full Story - I'll try to filter out the bias for this album, but there are some things that should go on the record. I heard about Adventure through a friend of mine, Dave Fell, who is -- yes -- a member of Adventure. And yes, his name is Dave Fell. Before Dave's musical career started taking off, he was more known for his glove at first base. I played baseball with Dave all the way from little league through varsity baseball in high school and he was always the guy with the jokes, but also the guy that would hit the go-ahead home run. So when I got wind of Adventure, and heard they were opening for Toro y Moi in Brooklyn -- there's no way I could miss that. Adventure played a great set in front of crowd that largely had no idea who they were. It was evident how well they performed when I had to wait for a crowd (ok, maybe 5 or 6 people) to pass, to catch up with him. I ended up picking up their album and it keeps finding it's way into my playlist.

On to the actual music though. The album begins with 'Open Door,' a synth-ridden opener that quickly established the feel and tone for the album. The track basically features one riff, as background instrumentation is continuously being filtered in and out. The song gets a bit monotonous, but the backing beat is solid enough to make you forget about the repetition.

The strongest track on the album has got to be 'Feels Like Heaven.' Like 'Open Door,' much of the track is repetitious, but the vocal hook and underlying melodies provide a strong foundation. The song has a bright eighties feel to it, and could double as a new-age synth-pop hit. The vocals are of a somewhat higher pitch and remind me of something off of a Passion Pit or MGMT record. The beat of the track is also filled with incredible momentum, while the song itself remains somewhat down tempo. The lyrics are also somewhat intriguing as they go back and forth between the lines "this feels like heaven" and "this is my heaven," adding a sincere tone to the song.

'Smoke and Mirrors' comes off as a bit cheesy. Sorry Dave. The song has a weird tropical feel that I can't get into. I don't know if it's because I hear bongos and synthesizers at the same time or what, but I just don't feel it. The vocals on 'Smoke and Mirrors' are also a little sub-par here and definitely detract from the song.

'Lights Out' is the song I want to hear right before the apocalypse hits. It's loud, energetic and danceable. It's such a great party song and has an incredible amount of energy and excitement. The synths are somewhat darker and have a more industrial tone to them, but when they are coupled with some of the brighter synths and leads the result is unbelievable. Once again there is a great beat providing the foundation and carries the track throughout the chaotic instrumentation.

For the most part, "Lesser Known" is a collection of these great ideas and fragments that are transformed into songs. While that can yield great results like 'Feels Like Heaven' and 'Lights Out,' it can also create repetition and monotony. Many of the songs on the album feel like just a single theme, hook or lead that is extended long enough to create a song. Don't get me wrong though, some of these pieces are amazing, but it would be nice to see a little more diversity in the songs themselves. I think with another year or two, though, Adventure is going to mature into a great electronic indie-dance band. But for now, "Lesser Known" is nothing more than a great start.

Take a listen to 'Feels Like Heaven.'

Tracks

1.) Open Door

2.) Feels Like Heaven

3.) Smoke and Mirrors

4.) Fool's Paradise

5.) Rio

6.) Lights Out

7.) Relax the Mind

8.) Electric Eel

9.) Meadows