A Round of Sound

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what you’re saying.  It’s December…the 3rd Quarter of 2010 ended like two months ago and it’s only a month or so before the year end lists get going, but as much as I’ve been lacking on posts, I figured the least I could do is another quarterly recap. So, better late than never!

It was kind of a slow quarter musically (and really, things haven’t picked up much in quarter number four), but there were a few notable albums I came across in the July-August-September time frame, and I felt like they needed mentioning.  I still hope to get a review or two up that I was planning on before the end of the year, so keep a look out for those, but it’s also quite possible that my next post will be the beginning of my 2010 recap.

The Love Language – Libraries

The Love Language is the baby of Stuart McLamb, an incredibly talented songwriter, whose self-titled debut in 2009 was one of the under appreciated surprises of the year and immediately put the group on my radar.  Libraries trades in the lo-fi tendencies that made the group’s debut so raw and energetic, but really doesn’t sacrifice any of its charm.  It’s a more polished, and musically ambitious release that was also obviously given more studio time.  The Arcade Fire comparisons in the arrangements and vocals still remain (albeit only slightly), but to me McLamb has moved on to more of a polished pop sound, and has certainly cemented himself as an AC Newman type songwriter, overflowing with glorious melodies.

[“Heart to Tell” – Libraries]

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Menomena – Mines

What’s interesting about Menomena is how accessible their songs sound despite the fact that there is a great deal of experimentation going on. Granted Mines is their most straight forward release, but you could play it to any newbie and they would probably not dismiss it as anything out of the ordinary.  However there is much more going on underneath the surface and that’s something to be praised.  Mines is the follow up to the critically acclaimed Friend or Foe and while it does slightly fall below that one’s standards, it’s still a fine release that’s sure to please fans old and new.

[“Five Little Rooms” – Mines]

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Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

Here’s the big one. Easily the biggest release from the third quarter is also one of the best releases of the year from one of, if not, the greatest bands in the world.  This is one of the albums I’ve been planning to do a review on so I won’t go into too much detail here, but just know that it is an absolutely beautiful take on suburban living that really can be taken in many contexts.  The sense of paranoia and underlying tension on this album is just stunning, and it’s themes come across lyrically and musically to form an album of such intelligence and majesty, that’s it’s no wonder we’re talking about yet another masterpiece from this group.

[“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains” – The Suburbs]

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The Thermals – Personal Life

As I’ve said before, if all pop-punk was like The Thermals, then maybe it’d be a genre worth a damn.  Personal Life is the 5th album from the Portland trio and their follow up last year’s fine Now We Can See, which managed an honorable mention in my albums of 2009.  Now this is the least punk of their albums, this time focusing more on a rock sound, which makes it less immediate, but it still features some of the great hooks and “whoa whoa whoas” (see “I Don’t Believe You” and its great video) that one comes to expect from a Thermals release.  And as always, their lyrics are second to none, although much more introspective than their past releases (duh, see the album title).  It’s maybe not seen as much in the music this time, but the passion is still there which is something other pop-punkers could learn from.

[“I Don’t Believe You” – Personal Life]

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Junip – Fields

You may think you don’t know who Junip is, but you actually do. Junip is the longtime band from Jose Gonzalez (and if you do know him, it’s probably from this…and if you don’t you should go watch that video, like now.)  Despite having formed about 10 years ago, Fields is actually the first full-length album from this trio of Swedes.  It’s basically a more musically expansive version of Gonzalez’s intimate folksiness, full of synths, afro-beat percussion, creating a bit of groove not seen in his previous work.  However, the heart of Junip is still Gonzalez and I’m pretty confident in saying that if you like his solo stuff, it won’t be too hard for you to enjoy this album as well.

[“Rope & Summit” – Fields]

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The Walkmen – Lisbon

These New York rockers return with Lisbon, the follow up to 2008’s fantastic You & Me (my #10 album of ’08), with another set of sorrowful, energetic and well, Walkmen-esque tracks.  The immediately recognizable songs do everything the Walkmen are known for, from the passionate vocals to the crescendo building tunes complete with their climactic crashes of emotion.  The Walkmen have established themselves as one of the most consistent bands out there, releasing record after record that never fails to impress.  It may not have quite the amount of memorable tracks as it’s predecessor, but in no way does it fall short in doing what they do best.

[“Angela Surf City” – Lisbon]

This entry was posted on Friday, December 3rd, 2010 at 4:54 pm and is filed under All, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.