MGMT LIVE

Aloha,

Last night, I saw MGMT (pronounced Management) at the 9:30 Club. Wow, what a show. Based on their album, I wasn't a huge fan, mostly being down for the singles Electric Feel and Time To Pretend, but Oracular Spectacular slowly started to grow on me. After last night, however, I am fully in support. The electro sound that seems to be the staple of their album was a part of the show, but elements that are only hinted at on wax (or plastic... or computer file) were on full display in their live set. Prog-rock jams, wailing guitars, and hippyish overtones in both lyrics and songs writing combined with their electro vibe and a dose of high energy to keep the whole club rocking. After their short set ended, they came back out for the inevitable encore, but ended up doing a 20 minute medley/jam session. I think these fellas have big things in store for them. I heard they are touring with Beck soon, so keep an eye out...

I've got a busy week, but I'll try to post up about an album or two.

Aloha

Back Fresh From Florida...

...and I must confess, I didn't really have time to do much listening (beach and ipod just don't mix for me) and when I did listen, it was some of my old summer time favorites like 311, Sublime, Less Than Jake. Sadly, I missed 311 again this year. Oh well.

P.S. Go see Batman... at the IMAX.

Lykke Li - Youth Novel

Wow, do I love this album. Hailing from Sweden, land of safe cars, assemble-able furniture, clever vodka ads, and H&M (who knew?) this perfect little jolt of near pop-bliss is so unassuming, charming and catchy that I can't imagine anyone not liking it. Bjorn Yittling of Peter, Bjorn & John produces, and one can't help but wonder how much of the creative inertia came from him rather than Ms. Li. Either way, they struck gold.

The production is an even mix between organic and electronic, with the focus on bass, drums and background melodies. Lykke Li's voice is almost childlike at times, and on 'Dance Dance Dance', the first song (not counting the slightly weird spoken intro, 'Melodies & Desires', analogizing love to music), it seems questionable if it's capable of carrying an entire album. But as the song builds to a crescendo and a bouncing horn and chorus join in, the intensity picks up and we learn that she knows exactly what to do: Let the song take over. Lykke Li doesn't engage in any vocal acrobatics, but she knows how to incorporate her voice into the music at all times, when to fall back or step up, be serious or playful.

It's hard to say what my favorite song on here is but I love the (almost only) line in Complaint Department: "If you want to complain, I'm not the complaint department." Check her out October 19 at the Black Cat.

Selected Song: Let It Fall

Black Keys - Attack & Release

I must say, I'm quite disappointed in the Black Keys latest release. This is the first album I've reviewed negatively. I was really looking forward to it but, unfortunatley, it lacks the energy, rawness and bluesyness of their previous releases. That's not to say its a terrible album... it's just lackluster.

For those who have never heard of them, the Black Keys are a two-piece band, who make pretty straight forward garage blues/rock. Their last album, Rubber Factory, was recorded.... wait for it... in an abandoned rubber factory. That description, along with their name, may spring the White Stripes to mind, but they're fairly different, lacking the eclectic/weirdness of Jack White.

Seeking a new creative direction (I'm assuming), they enlisted super producer Danger Mouse to helm the boards for Attack & Release. A few of the songs like 'Remember When (Side B)' and 'Same Old Thing' come close to their previous output, but most of it seems too thought through and that's not what the Black Keys do. They do heavily fuzzed power chords and badass riffs through the minor blues scale with a nonchalance that shows how naturally that style comes to them. I can understand wanting to evolve, but at the same time, if it ain't broke, don't bring in a trendy producer to meddle with your style.

Selected Song: Same Old Thing

Stephen Malkmus - Real Emotional Trash

In 1991, Pavement, a band headed by Stephen Malkmus, released Slanted and Enchanted, one of the the most important indie rock releases of all times.... or so I'm told. I never bothered to find out, as I generally prefer to live in the musical now. While there's certainly a good arguement for going back and visiting the precursor to what currently interests me, I (1) expect the the present has improved upon whatever ideas the forebearers had, and (2) don't have enough time to listen to everything.

But Malkmus's new release just might be the impetus for me to go back and see what all the fuss is about. At it's heart, Real Emotional Trash is a kick ass guitar record, but with enough charming quirks and clever lyrics to make it refreshing and original. Favorite lyric: "Who was it that said the world is my oyster? I feel like a nympho stuck in a cloister."

Selected Song: Cold Son

Round 2

Much of the feedback I've received so far has been in regards to posting links to songs or some other way of sharing some of this music. However, this blog thing is a learn-as-I-go process, and I'm still looking into logistical and legal minutiae to see what's feasible. So until then, hang tight and enjoy some more reviews.

P.S. I'm on vacation next week, so there won't be any postings but this should afford me plenty of time to digest some new musics. Be sure to check back after that!

G. Love & Special Sauce - Superhero Brother

G. Love may not be the most technical guitar player, profound lyricist, or greatest singer, but those aren't things he's trying to do. He's about enjoying the small pleasures (basketball, lemonade) and cherishing the big things (peace, love & happiness) in life. And while some of his creative ideas may fall short, the passion and joy that he brings to his albums, and especially his live shows, are what really make him a great artist. Superhero Brother is G. Love's 8th LP, and for those not in the know his stylings are a mix of blues, rock, folk, hip hop, jazz and funk (bonus: he discovered Jack Johnson and they remain close friends and collaborators).

On the title track, G. raps over a funky blues guitar riff about how, if he were a superhero, he would solve all the worlds problems, if only the famous and powerful people would call on him. Then, for good measure, he finishes it off with a nice harmonica outro. Superhero Brother highlights G.'s ability to write songs with meaning, while naturally avoiding a preachy or condescending tone. Do yourself a favour and go see him when he comes to town; I'll be there.

Selected Song: Crumble

Girl Talk - Feed The Animals

The next time you throw a house party, put on Girl Talk's newest release, Feed the Animals. If it doesn't rock your party, it's time to find some new friends. For those who missed his similar 2006 album, Night Ripper, Gregg "Girl Talk" Gilles takes snippets of songs from across genres and cuts, chops and blends them together resulting in neck-snapping original songs that move so quick that by the time you've recognized one song (or several at once), it's changed to something else. Some of the mixes sound completely absurd on paper (Lil' Wayne's Lollipop over Chili Peppers Under the Bridge?!?) but GT has the skill to pull it off. He's like a pop music blender that makes a delicious party music smoothie.

Here are a few of the artists you'll hear: Beastie Boys, Phil Collins, Busta Rhymes, The Police, The Cure, Wilson Pickett, Mike Jones, The Game, Argent, Wu Tang, Paula Cole (The Dawson's Creek song!), Outkast, Jackson 5, Queen.... and this is just one song. Do yourself another favour and download his album. It's free!!! (with an option to pay whatever you want).

Selected Song: Still Here

Best of 2008 (First Half)

So this whole blog thing began when I sent out an email to some friends briefly reviewing what I thought were some of the best albums from the first half of '08. My friend Zach responded with "Blog it up, dude." So thanks go out to Zach for planting the seed of this blog in my mind, not to mention sharing music with me ever since middle school. If you're interested in hearing some of these songs, contact me and I'll see what I can do...

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings And All

Falls Church native Thao and her catchy (in name and sound) band have given us one of the finest albums this year. The banjo and guitar combine to give a folksy/bluesy sound, but Thao and the GDSD shouldn't be pigeonholed into those categories. The music and singing are often whimsical and upbeat, but lyrically, Thao evokes imagery ranging from youthful summer days spent outside to failed relationships. With the later, she creates a dichotomy between sound and message.

Listen To: Beat (Health, Life and Fire)

Jaymay - Autumn Fallin'

I had the pleasure of seeing the tremendously talented Jaymay recently as she toured in support of her debut album. She writes lyrics that let you into her world, which seemingly consists of New York, music and, most of all, her tender feelings. Forlorn and personal, she achieves a rarity in lyricism in that she manages to write such personal and specific lyrics, but in a way that broaches the gap to something that all people can relate to. The music is never dense, at most consisting of strings, piano and drums, acoustic guitar or a few random instruments, but usually less.

Listen To: Gray or Blue

Why? - Alopecia

This is probably not an easy album for most people to digest, but for those who can appreciate music on an intellectual level, this is an amazing album. The production is solid throughout, mixing elements of pop, hip hop (mostly in the drums), electro, indie rock and folk. Some of the songs approach the verge of epic. Frontman Yoni's (mostly) spoken lyrics, although weird, are vivid and full of abstract imagery. They're easy to imagine coming from a spoken word poetry session. But he really knows how to incorporate his voice into the songs.

Listen To: A Sky For Shoeing Horses Under

Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold

Nothing ground breaking for Atmosphere, but they make the list just on the strength of the album title. The production is diverse but, for the most part, strong. From the opener 'Like The Rest of Us' that's barely more than a piano, light snare beat and some background noises to the synth heaviness of 'Shoulda Know' and 'Can't Break,' beatmaker Ant provides some great sounds. Slug (worst rapper name ever?) touches on his typical themes of fame, drug use, and relationships with the same intellectualism and introspection that he has displayed on their previous releases.

Listen To: Puppets

The Magnetic Fields - Distortion

Add "...and Reverb" to this album title and it would tell you most of what you need to know... but not everything. It's hard to put this under anything other than the broad genre of 'indie rock,' a term that, unfortunately, seems to be more and more of a pejorative these days. The album has a totally cohesive sound, consisting of layered, dreamy distortion and the only major changes come in the forms of switches in tempo and singers. Distortion has received a lot of comparisions to The Jesus & Mary Chain's Psychocandy. Maybe not one of the years best, but its consistency and fun factor make it an honorable mention.

Listen to: Too Drunk To Dream

Neon Neon - Stainless Style

Made up of the lead singer from indie stalwarts Super Furry Animals and electro producer Boom Bip, these diverse forces combine to produce some of the best 80's revivalist music around. The wordless intro sounds like it was taken from the soundtrack of Tron. However, when the albums swings from dreamy pop/rock to a more modern electro-clash hip hop sound, it strays. This isn't an album you can throw on and play straight through, but when these guys find their stride the result is fun music.

Listen To: Raquel

The Roots - Rising Down

If The Roots have a new album out, you can bet they will make this list. With their 8 to 10th album (depending on how you count), the Legendary have been making albums for 15 years. Rising Down continues on the social themes of violence, inequity and politics that they explored on their previous release. While it does not make for the same music to chill to as some of their earlier releases, it's a breath of fresh air from most radio rap. But personally, I was hoping for a more dramatic change that would give us something more akin to 1999's 'Things Fall Apart.' The best explanation I've heard from the band on the negative themes explored is "We've been touring a lot and CNN is usually on in the hotel, so all the bad shit in the news found its way into our music." The lone standout from these types of songs is the closer to Rising Down....

Listen To: Rising Up (ft. DC native Wale and Chrisette Michelle)

Cut Copy - In Ghost Colors

On a casual listen, the electro pop of Cut Copy may sound like techno music, but a deeper listen reveals well crafted songs containing more than the basic elements of the dance genre. Although, like techno, the songs flow into each other, there is clearly a more traditional song writing process behind them. 'In Ghost Colors' gives a nod to 80's bands in the same vein as the Cure without overtly stealing their sound. The music is clearly at the forefront of most songs here, and the lyrics taking a back seat. My sole complaint is that Cut Copy seem to take it all a bit too serious, when the music completely lends itself to having fun.

Listen To: Out There On The Ice

Vampire Weekend - Self Titled

Hands down, one of the best albums so far. They've been compared to Paul Simon during his Graceland phase, Peter Gabriel (whom they name drop on one song) and even the latter day Talking heads, as they incorporate elements of African rhythm. It's never overdone though, and it makes for the perfect album to throw on during a summer day spent outside. They were the subject of minor interweb controversy, as some critics found their sound disingenuous and overpraised for a group of Columbia University students, but who gives a shit? The music speaks for itself, and it is undeniably good.

Listen To: Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

Estelle – Shine

I'm not sure if the single 'American Boy' featuring Kanye has blown up yet, but it definitely has the potential to be ubiquitous this summer. It took a long time to just get past this song, but once I did, there was a whole album of songs just as good, if less dancy. Also featuring John Legend and Cee-lo (the singing half of Gnarls Barkley), Estelle really a great album here, combining elements of hip hop, r&b, pop and a few other spices. I'm sure she will face comparisons to Lauryn Hill, but she certainly stands out on her own here.

Listen To: Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)


Well thats all for now folkers, but hopefully I'll have lots more coming. The biggest challenge is finding the time to listen to all the wonderful (and crappy) music out there. But hey, better me than you, right? Happy long weekend!