EP Phone Home

Happy Winter. Listen to these two EP's to tide you through the cold, gray season. One will make you move, thereby keeping you warm. The other will help set the mood for some winter-time chillaxing.

PS - As always, we appreciate and encourage comments!

Passion Pit - Chunk of Change EP

By Sean B.

Remember the Postal Service? Sure you do. Their moody, yet buoyant tunes were all the rage, and still haunt us to this day. But if you've been holding your breath for a new mail-made work of genius, you are probably dead. And if you're not dead (1) you should try this and (2) you've been turning purple for nothing, as you won't be getting a follow up Postal Service album. Fortunately for you, Passion Pit has arrived with an updated take on catchy electro pop.

It's an old story, really: your typical "home made album for your girlfriend because you're too cheap to buy a Valentine's Day gift, which soon finds its way through a series of interconnected tubes resulting in instant online indie fame." You know, that old chestnut.

Now signed to a legit record label, touring to support their EP, and being touted as a rising act of 2009, P.P.'s ascendency has come quite quickly. But don't get too attached to my P.S. v P.P. comparison. Singer/song writer Michael Angelakos sounds nothing like Ben Gibbard, vocally nor lyrically. Most of his songs revolve around amorous feelings (it was a V-Day gift, after all) and his high pitched, warbling voice is a total contrast to Gibbard's steady and measured delivery. This brand of electro pop is more rousing, even ecstatic at times, with its handclaps, tweaked vocals, and shimmery synths. The standout is clearly "Sleepyhead," which is so driving that it dares you not to dance, and the whole album follows a similar, if more subdued, vein. Another favorite is "Cuddle Fuddle" with a super awesome sample, which I won't give away other than to say this.

Chunk of Change is not perfect, but seeing as how this was a one man bedroom recording it signifys good things to follow. It is, however, so undeniably fun that you're guaranteed to get caught up in it. Just don't forget to breathe.

Bon Iver – Blood Bank Ep
By Jason C.

It was a long time coming, but Justin Vernon is finally getting the respect he deserves. "For Emma, Forever Ago" (the musical equivalent to Henry David Thoreau's, Walden) made the #2 spot on our year-end album list. The biggest problem with his cathartic debut's success is that it's momentum was largely based on it's backstory, which grew into mythical proportions and spread like ivy.

Earlier this month, Bon Iver answered this problem with the new EP, "Blood Bank." It is a difficult task to follow up an album like "For Emma...," but Vernon seems to have progressed naturally, without reflecting any of the pressures or expectations put upon him. The resulting songs are a wonderful new addition to the Bon Iver catalog. These four distinctly different tunes, which were all recorded at different places and times, show that Mr. Vernon is more than capable of creating haunting beauty outside of the almost-too-perfect creative setting of an isolated cabin in wintertime. In fact, they prove that the breathtaking quality in his debut was actually radiating from within him, and was hardly the product of his environment. "Blood Bank" may not share the same reverie as it's predecessor, but any true fan of Vernon's work will appreciate the simple elegance and soulful delivery.

I am emphatically looking forward to what he (and his now permanent band-mates) will do on their next full-length. To me, an EP is like a bag of baby carrots: not much of a meal, but a good way to tide you over 'til dinnertime.

Inbloguration

Lame, I know. Anywho, as mentioned several times over the past month, some new friends have joined WWR, which will hopefully allow us to provide more regular reviews. We've already premiered Sarah W., and next in line is Jason C. He has the unique position of being the only real musician amongst us, along with possessing extensive and diverse musical knowledge. Take it away, Mr. C.

P.S. - Welcome to the new millennium.

M83 - Saturdays = Youth
By Jason C.

For my inaugural review, I felt the need to highlight an album that was snubbed by my fellow WWR bloggers, leaving it out in the cold, when it should have been in the warm, cozy shelter of our Top 20 list. I speak of Saturdays = Youth, the latest from French artist Anthony Gonzalez, a.k.a. M83 (named after the spiral galaxy "Messier 83"). For his fifth and finest record, Gonzalez creates a spiritual, sonic landscape that lives up to all of his previous work.

What sets this one apart from his other releases is that it is a concept record. He pays homage to his favorite decade (the 80's) in a unique way: by focusing on John Hughes' films. While this undertaking could have lead to a contrived and derivative musical statement, it actually accomplishes its goal. The songs are simultaneously fresh yet familiar, walking the fine line of tribute and original expression honestly and effortlessly, all the while retaining M83's signature aesthetic stamp.

I, like Gonzalez, was not a teenager in the 80's; we were 90's teens who grew up watching 80's John Hughes comedies. In this aspect, there is an enormous audience of listeners who will hear this album for it's nostalgic charm. But S=Y's grandeur comes not from the execution of it's conceptualization, but from its beautifully written and produced songs. The album opens with the melancholy piano tones of "You, Appearing" which builds into a crescendo of cascading melodies escorting you directly into the 'hit song' of the album, "Kim & Jessie." It then continues with a pattern of well placed tunes, altering between spaced-out ambience, anthemic pop, and dance-y trance beats. The closing tracks act as a decompression chamber, each one drifting more and more into a pillowy cocoon, ending finally with the eternal sprawl of the instrumental "Midnight Souls Still Remain."

So, who is this music for? It is an album for people who A) love catchy, simple pop songs; B) miss long summers and lost loves; C) have a soft spot for John Hughes films; or D) all of the above. I know I fall into the "D" category, which is why, for me, "Saturdays = Youth" is a stand-out record of 2008. For something so time-specific, it is also timeless. It creates a great escape, and just like his moniker, it's a galaxy all to itself.

Andrew Bird - Noble Beast

By Andrew C.

Andrew Bird's Noble Beast seems to be the first in a few albums where Bird seems to be looking back to his more eclectic Bowl of Fire days. There is still plenty of trademark whistling, loops, and violin, but Bird seems happy to dust off sounds from the past that are equal parts folk and juke jazz. "Effigy" and "Fitz and Dizzyspells" both hark back to Weather Systems with the glimmer of a seasoned producer and songwriter. Still, a song like "Not A Robot, But A Ghost" seems out of place on the album, perhaps the victim of overproduction or a lyrical idea that wouldn't go away.

While Bird's trademark sounds are well known, his lyrics are equally spellbinding and identifiable. The guy has a knack for invented words that might as well be real, blending narratives spliced with bizarre commentary on history and nomenclature, all with the self-awareness of a Charlie Kauffman screenplay. In the standout "Anonanimal", Bird's wordplay, self-effacing instructions, and proclivity for elastic tempos all mesh in a way that he's been building up to for years.

After reading about the production on Noble Beast (You are definitely going to want to click that last link, Ed.), Bird seems absolutely embarrassed about being pigeonholed with a "sound", and constantly seems to be challenging himself to organically grow out of his classical and jazz background, often with 14 hour work days and 200 shows per year. Noble Beast is an indication that he should feel vindicated in his hard work. The album feels new, even with all of his trademark tricks in tow—tricks that, at their best, don't ever predicate the predictable.

Starter Tracks: "Oh No", "Anonanimal", "Fitz and Dizzyspells",
Note: An album of instrumentals "Useless Creatures" will also be released in January.

Top 54 Songs of 2008

Ok, it took a while, so straight to the chase here peoples. The Top 54 Songs of 2008 as chosen by the writers at Weekly Record Review. It's split into one, two, three, four different downloadable links.

In no particular order....

1. The Hold Steady - Constructive Summer
2. Estelle ft. Kanye West - American Boy
3. The Black Ghosts - Something New
   
4. Santogold - I'm A Lady
5. Neon Neon - Raquel
6. MGMT - Time To Pretend
7. My Morning Jacket - Touch Me I'm Going To Scream (Part 2)
8. M83 - Kim & Jessie
9. Lykke Li - Breaking It Up
10. Bon Iver - Skinny Love
11. Noah and the Whale - 2 Atoms In A Molecule
12. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
13. Beck - Gamma Ray (Jay Reatard Pocket Remix)
14. Jamie Lidell - All I Wanna Do
15. Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
16. She & Him - Sentimental Heart
17. Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules Theme
18. Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines
19. Q-Tip - Gettin Up
20. Foals - Cassius
21. Goldfrapp - Eat Yourself
22. Atmosphere - Guarantees
23. Ra Ra Riot - Can You Tell
24. The Streets - Everything Is Borrowed
25. Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down - Beat (Health, Life & Fire)
26. Mates of State - My Only Offer
27. David Byrne and Brian Eno - Strange Overtones
28. Hot Chip - Ready For The Floor
29. The Black Keys - Same Old Thing
30. Bloc Party - Ion Square
31. Deerhunter - Nothing Ever Happened
32. The Dodos - Walking
33. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Being Bad Feels Pretty Good
34. The Roots ft. Mos Def and Styles P - Rising Down
35. Drive By Truckers - Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife
36. The Gaslight Anthem - Great Expectations
37. Kanye West - Heartless
38. Sigor Ros - Gobbledigook
39. Stephen Malkmus - Gardenia
40. Super Furry Animals - Let The Wolves Howl At The Moon
41. Wolf Parade - Language City
42. Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
43. Born Ruffians - Little Garcon
44. Crystal Castles - Crimewave
45. Cut Copy - Feel The Love
46. Friendly Fires - In The Hospital
47. Gnarls Barkley - Run (I'm A Natural Disaster)
48. The Helio Sequence - Hallelujah
49. High Places - Sandy Feat
50. Lil Wayne - A Milli
51. Los Campesinos! - Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats
52. Plants and Animals - New Kind Of Love
53. Why? - Simeon's Dilemma
54. TV on the Radio - Love Dog