NOOOOO AAAAAAAH!!!!!

Well, big things are happening here at WWR. But we're not quite ready to unveil, so in the meantime, enjoy...

Noah and the Whale - Peaceful The World Lays Me Down

So, if I were to tell you I'm reviewing an album where they sing about a baby being exposed to the elements and wolves eating it, you'd probably expect that I were delving into the hardcore offerings of Satan's Colostomy Bag. Well, you'd be wrong. Instead, I'm talking about the folksy foursome Noah and the Whale, hailing from London, England. And while that may sound morbid, it's presented in a more holistic, cosmic manner. See for yourself:

Oh, when the baby's born, lets turn it to the snow
so that ice will surely grow over weak and brittle bones

Lets leave it to the wolves so their teeth turn it to food

its flesh keeps them alive, always death helps life survive

Oh, the world can be kind in it's own way...

It's an awkward thought for most people to have, but it does kinda make sense.

Turning to something more pleasant, the best and leadoff song, 'Two Atoms In A Molecule', starts of with a frolicking, finger-picked riff and steady back beat. The catchy delivery and witty lyrics of front man Charlie Fink (cool name, huh?) are reminiscent of Paul Simon, at least on this song.

Most of the album continues thus, with a quicker pace and intelligent, emotionally relatable lyrics. The primary sonic element throughout is acoustic guitar, but depth is added to songs with strings, horns, accordions, and keys. One of the other standouts is 'Five Years Time.' Watch the video and see if you can figure out what TV commercial you. recognize it from.

A Rededication To Blogging

Hey folks. So we're back and as noted in the title, we are rededicated to bringing you the latest in already reviewed albums. Also, readers are encouraged to post comments, thoughts, rants, ideas, suggestions, etc in the comments section. Lastly, look out B-more, but Los Campesinos! are coming your way on January 15.

TV on the Radio - Dear Science
by Andrew C.

TVotR had 2 years to toy with my expectations about their follow-up to 2006’s Return To Cookie Mountain, a challenging and powerful rookie LP effort. Whatever I had prepared to hear on Dear Science, took about four tracks to evaporate out of my overloaded synapses.

The dense shoegaze is still in denizens, as is the genre-mashing rhythm section, but the finished product is polished ear candy. “Halfway Home” leads off the album, recalling “Wolf Like Me” only with more zenith drum power and post-punk doo-wop. The album really doesn’t come up for air until “Stork and Owl” disarms at track four with the sinister beauty of femme fatale. And then the bounce of “Golden Age”, the shimmer of “Family Tree”, the wah-wah horn funk of “Red Dress”. And on, and on and on.

One of the things that make this album more accessible than previous efforts are the vocal stylings of Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe, both of whom belt out strong and versatile lyrics on every track. TVotR has proven that they lacerate your ears with sonic density—Dear Science seems to be their statement that they can soothe them just as equally with the same formula. There won’t be a better album all year.

Starter Tracks: “Golden Age”, “Halfway Home”, “Family Tree”, “Dancing Choose”, “Lovers Day”

Best Played With: Right after you get home from happy hour.

Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster...
by Sean B.

Warning! Listening to this album while typing will result! in! extra exclamation points! everywhere!

After an eight second warm up, Los Campesinos! debut album “Hold On Now, Youngster…” leaps out of the gate with a power pop ferocity that rarely lets up of the course of the next forty three minutes. L.C! package plenty of the musical elements that I have a soft spot for, starting with the one-two punch of a rough around the edges sound smoothed out by catchy hooks. They bring another great combo in the forms of singers Aleksandra and Gareth Campesinos! (All seven members coincidentally share the same sur name!) And finally, most important and awesome of all, they are (sort of like me) Welsh!

Fans of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Architecture in Helsinki should buy right into Los Campesinos! Like those two, L.C! share an unpolished but poppy sound and an affinity for quirky instruments (Do you really get chicks in a band if you play the glockenspiel!?), but they also pack a little more punch. Lyrically, the two singer/shouters shift between clever, thoughtful and meaningless lines, and they’re probably not always aware of when those shifts take place.

The album has a youthful energy, stemming from the fast pace and the somewhat shouty vocals, but it’s not pure sugar and there’s definitely a streak of artfulness that runs throughout! While they don’t tread any new ground, they move expertly over well traveled territory!

Peter Bjorn & John – Seaside Rock
by Sean B.

Everyone’s favorite Swedes quietly return to follow up on their super popular Writer’s Block LP. This time they deliver a gem of a (mostly) instrumental album. “Inland Empire” kicks things off with a funkily serious and seriously funky high-hat ride that would have Isaac Hayes in tears. Ominous drums, acoustic guitars and horns all gradually kick in until tension rises so high that you’re sweating, hands clenched to your steering wheel (and you’re not even driving!). But that’s okay, because the song drops you off to be swept away by the pleasant steel drums of “Say Something (Mukiya)” Now you’re kicked back on a Caribbean beach, pina colada in hand and a smile on your face. “Where will the next song take me?” you must be asking. That ride is yours to take, my friends.

The album really loses itself when it switches to the three spoken word pieces, in Swedish one can only assume. Rhythm and melody take a back seat to what sound like crusty old fisherman telling fish tales. But overall, PB&J takes the listener on a thoroughly enjoyable journey.

MGMT in NYC

Hi there, WRRheads. I know it's been a while, but I promise we will get things back up to speed. For now, here's a concert reviewish from a recent MGMT in Brooklyn on Halloween night. Big thanks to Jess who got us tickets to the biggest in the Big Apple that night.

The show took place at the Williamsburg Theatre in Brooklyn, the mecca of hipsterdom. The pretension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. My least favorite of these coolest of cool kids was glow stick man who wouldn't stop pogoing right in front of me. But onto the show...

We caught the tail end of the final opener, Amazing Baby. I liked what I heard, especiall the closer Pump Your Brakes, which is available as part of a free ep download. The exact details of the show are a little hazy, thanks to the RBV's, but I'm fairly certain that MGMT opened with Weekend Wars. The show didn't deviate too much from the last time I saw them. The big difference was the encores. Last time they came out to play the 13 minute freaky/prog jam Metanoia (free d/l) which transitioned into Kids. This time they played both of those songs earlier and played some seemingly very old electro songs for the closer, which I was not feeling. For me, the highlight was The Youth, with its chorus of:

The youth is starting to change
Are you starting to change
Are you together, together, together, together....

As change was in the air, I felt it to be a very poignant moment. Overall, it was a solid show and the crowd was fully into it. We had to leave a bit early, as to not end up trapped in Brooklyn, but I've heard rumors that at the very end they jammed out to the Ghostbusters song. I, for one, was really hoping they would play Thriller.

Panda Blog

Gee Whiz, who would have thought that having a blog would take such effort? Fortuitously, I have dedicated scribe Andrew C. to push WRR onward. I'm on a road trip next week, but after that we'll try to have a bonanza of blogging. Enjoy...

Oh yeah, please feel free to leave any thoughts, suggestions, criticisms, death threats, etc in the comment section.

Panda Bear - Person Pitch

By Andrew C.

It’s not in my nature to be brief… just ask Editor Sean. Panda Bear, a member of the freak-out lunatics Animal Collective, has put together an album of such unique and bizarre beauty that I don’t want to spend another minute of your time setting expectations of what you’ll hear.

Maybe it’s a cheap cop-out — and I’m scared to classify something so densely populated. Hogwash. You’ll immediately hear some genres in Person Pitch, and figuring out how Paul Lennox arrived at such sounds is half the fun. On the first few notes of the album, “Comfy In Nautica” [I recommend clicking this link! Ed.] samples a choir, trains, and some jungle beasts’ growl, yet nothing seems Dr. Dimento or hokey about it. Hearing something so meticulously crafted often makes for a tedious listen, but Person Pitch has the rare ability to please your ears and challenge your ideas about what music can be in the era of studio software. Panda Bear’s weapons of choice are his turntable and voice, and when they’re utilized together, it makes for joyful noises that are hauntingly gorgeous. Panda Bear’s recent induction into fatherhood seems to have had a large impact on his songwriting, showcasing an effort to be stronger for his family (“Take Pills) and his ne’er to do friends (“Bros”).

Oy. So much for brevity. Seriously though, I don’t want to create high expectations, or tell you what to listen for, but I can tell you that Person Pitch is like no other album I’ve ever heard.

Starter Tracks: “Bros”, “Take Pills”, “Comfy In Nautica”, “Search For Delicious”
Best Listened With: headphones, darkness

PS- Listen for the DC Metro on “Take Pills”. Subway stalwarts won’t have a doubt in their brain.