I want to throw out a quick recommendation for an album that’s been tearing up my ipod since it’s recent release, and that’s Up From Below by LA’s Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. Edward Sharpe is the alter ego of frontman Alex Ebert and his Magnetic Zeros are the rest of the 11 or 12 musicians comprising a band that could easily be mistaken as a 60’s hippy group touring around in their converted school bus (they actually do that). I first heard of the group when All Songs Considered discovered them at SXSW back in March, but I kind of forgot about them until a recent (rare) opportunity I had to listen to satellite radio and heard one of their songs which reminded me to check them out. Up From Below, the debut album from the group, was recently released and I got a hold of it off of eMusic and have enjoyed it a great deal. As you can imagine from their KCRW performance (seriously, go watch this now), their live show is supposedly incredible making their studio recordings a bit of a let down. So the album may not do them justice but since I haven’t seen them live, it sounds just fine to me. It’s certainly a throwback to the psych-folk rock of the 60’s and along with The Phenomenal Handclap Band, I’m enjoying this little retro feel the summer of ’09 has going for it to this point.
I’m often asked how I come across all the new music that I love listening to oh so much. And while I don’t really find it too difficult, you just have to be willing to do some searching, a recent example is maybe the best answer I can give. About a month ago, Paste Magazine released their Best Music of 2009 (So Far) which featured the favorite albums and songs from 7 of the magazine’s staff members. Well, on one of those lists a single commenter made this small observation:
“I’m surprised no one has chosen ‘Paper Cities’ by Other Lives for one of the Best Songs of the Year. It’s absolutely beautiful”
I was intrigued. So after doing some research and checking eMusic for it’s availability…bada bing, bada boom, new music discovered. The internet is an amazing tool. An obscure comment by some guy on an albums of the year post led me to discover a release that I somehow missed out on. It’s as simple as that.
Other Lives is a 5-piece band from Stillwater, Oklahoma but was formerly known as Kunek and released an instrumental album under that name back in 2004. As Other Lives, they released their self-titled debut album a few months ago on TBD Records to little fanfare. There seems to be some Radiohead comparisons which I find pretty lazy. So the lead singer every now and then sounds a bit Thom Yorke-ish, thats about it. Piano and strings play a large role in the music and fit nicely with the melancholy tone of most of the tunes and lyrics. I would tend to compare the group more to Elvis Perkins (Ash Wednesday version more so than Dearland) off the top of my head and they have toured with Perkins earlier this year (as well as The Decemberists) so that comparison seems apt. You can stop by their myspace page to pick up the two songs below as free downloads. “Black Tables” was (apparently) featured on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy last season and “Paper Cities” lives up to the above commenter’s suggestion of it being one of the most beautiful songs of the year.
A little something I like to do every year is dole out some awards for the music up to the halfway point of the year. Nothing too detailed, just a little summary. As usual for all my lists, the only albums I’m including are albums that I own and are currently in my itunes library. And of course all this can change as I listen to albums more, but this is what I’m feeling so far for 2009. Enjoy!
Animal Collective
Best, let’s say, 7 Albums (in order of release date):
Antony & the Johnsons – The Crying Light
It’s a beautiful and affecting listen, which was to be expected from Antony Hegarty. It was the first great release of the year and has stuck around to now. I already mentioned in my 1st quarter of ’09 wrap-up…nothing more to add to that really.
Once again, check my 1Q of ’09 post that mentions this release as well. People are starting to pick up on its brilliance but it will surely gain even more of a following once Frenchkiss reissiues it this August.
The only album of these 7 that I haven’t mentioned on the blog yet. The first 6 songs are hard to top. Longstreth tones down the weird just a bit, and it gets album of the year hype…go figure.
One of my most listened to albums so far this year. It doesn’t deserve any album of the year or even top 10 talk, but I think it deserves more attention than it’s getting.
They left behind their melodic pop hooks that made Peregrine so good, and went back to their post-rock instrumental days with bland results. Best description I’ve heard was that it’s like Explosions in the Sky tried to make an Appleseed Cast album…not what I was hoping for.
I just haven’t put enough time into this one to get a reading on it. Some of it has some early Built to Spill indie feel to it, which deserves my attention.
“Do you remember when 21 years was old?” sings Thomas Mars on “Countdown”, one of the many great tracks from the fourth (and best) album from French pop-rockers Phoenix. It’s in this simple lyric that he maybe provides the best example of the sense of nostalgia that seems to carry Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix from just a fun danceable indie rock album, to a career defining work of art. You have to love a French band who writes and records all their music in English (thanks guys!), but what’s more impressive is that this is band who has not only mastered an American genre such as the NYC garage-band revival made popular by The Strokes, but also taken it to a level that similar American bands (like…The Strokes) have stalled to get to. Joining “Countdown” as album standouts is the best 1-2 punch of the year in “Lisztomania” and “1901” which open the album with two of the best tracks released in 2009 and are a great introduction to the rest of the tightly-constructed tunes that make up the disc. And while Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix may not be as in-your-face nostalgic as say, M83’s Saturday’s=Youth or The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s self titled release from earlier this year, it’s still hard to listen to the album and not get some sense of sentimentality for times gone by. It’s in the ambient electronics heard throughout, it’s in the lyrics, but nostalgic or not, Phoenix have created a great album that should appeal to all fans from those of indie-dance to NYC garage-rock, and really just anyone who wants to listen to catchy pop-rock by a band who has subtly put itself in rarefied air.
It’s safe to say that I’m not the only one who loves all things “phenomenal”. I also have a strong place in my heart for handclaps in music, as well as (some) bands. So it stands to reason that I would love a band called The Phenomenal Handclap Band. And while, I’m not ready to make that kind of lasting commitment, I am pretty smitten over this NYC supergroup set to release their eponymous debut album next week. I got a hold of the advance release digital version and it’s certainly living up to the expectations garnered by the band ever since the group made their first appearance last summer and became one of the talks of this past year’s SXSW. The Phenomenal Handclap Band is a fusion of soooo many genres but what stands out the most is easily the discofunk throwback sounds of the music. It’s a psychedelic listening experience and I can’t imagine how fun their live show would be. I’m not even going to try to go into further details with reviewing the disc as this genre(s) is nothing I’m familiar with at all. Their breakout track “15 to 20” is already making its rounds as a summer classic (although there are better tracks), one of the many reasons it’s hard not to classify the album as the quintessential summer jam record.
[“You’ll Disappear” – The Phenomenal Handclap Band]
As far as I’m concerned, 2006’s Yellow House was a decent album, with a few songs, most notably “Knife” and “On a Neck, on a Spit”, that blew the listener away and at least put Grizzly Bear on the map. But, for me, it was a bit overrated as the album was devoid of many memorable moments and was, well, boring. A beautiful album yes, and it was certainly evident that there was something there that hinted at Grizzly Bear’s talent and potential, but as a whole, I put the album on the back burner and never really felt a need to come back to it. Enter In Ear Park, the 2008 release from Grizzly Bear’s sister band Department of Eagles. Led by Daniel Rossen and featuring 2 other Grizzly Bear members, I surprisingly felt a much greater connection with this release and considered it one of the best albums of the year, just barely missing out on my top 10. There were elements on this release that I felt could benefit Grizzly Bear, but who knew if that would ever happen, so in essence, I became a fan of Department of Eagles more so than of Grizzly Bear.
I didn’t pay any attention to Grizzly Bear news, including their Friend EP release in 2007, but knew they had a new full-length album in the works for 2009 and was sure I would at least give it a listen. My first sense of excitement surrounding the new release was hearing “Deep Blue Sea” on the Dark Was the Night compilation (also featured on the Friend EP as a Dan Rossen home recording) and noticing hints of what I hoped Grizzly Bear could become and despite the fact that “Deep Blue Sea” would not be featured on the new album, the hype for Veckatimest continued to grow. The album leaked in early 2009 to horrible quality, but continued to generate buzz. So here we are, three years after Yellow House and with a fantastic side project release in between, Veckatimest finally has its day, and alas, the foundation laid by Yellow House has been built upon to create an epic release, easily Grizzly Bear’s masterpiece, that is sure to go down as one of the year’s best and the album that takes Grizzly Bear to a new level.
I saw this reported all over the internet today, but The Yellow Stereo was where I first caught wind of Fanfarlo making their fantastic debut album Reservoir plus four bonus tracks available for only a buck on their website until July 4th (it’s also a much better quality than you’ll get on itunes, where it’s also pretty cheap at $6)! Fanfarlo is a London based band that I first heard on the All Songs Considered podcast a few weeks back featuring lesser known bands that listeners suggested for the show. I consider the band kind of a mix between Beirut, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and maybe even a little Arcade Fire. The Beirut comparisons jump out at me right away in “The Walls Are Coming Down” which at first could be mistaken for Beirut’s “Elephant Gun”. But find out for yourself for only $1 by skipping over to their site…you won’t be disappointed.
[“The Walls Are Coming Down” – Reservoir] – Download the album here for just $1 until July 4th!
Lots of new albums I’ve come across in the last few weeks, so I figured I’d just lump them all together here in a post mainly because I don’t really have time to do a review for each of them. I will, however, save the Grizzly Bear and Phoenix releases for full reviews…maybe.
It’s Frightening is the sophomore release from the Brooklyn sextet and was produced by Spoon’s Britt Daniel so it is of course very Spoon-like. These guys drew Spoon comparisons ever since their debut, Fort Nightly, but bringing Daniel on only enhances those comparisons and considing Spoon is one of my favorites, I’m totally okay with it. It’s a very percussion and piano driven album with some great tunes and some throwaways.
Another Brooklyn based band, this one a electronic indie pop female trio with a name referencing a line from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. Still Night, Still Light is their follow up to 2007’s The Bird of Music. I haven’t given it too many listens so far, but I’m pretty sure it’s a grower. It’s not as twee as you would expect from an all female electro-pop group, and that’s a very good thing.
[“Another Likely Story” – Still Night, Still Light]
Jeremy Enigk – OK Bear
Maybe only Jeff Mangum can say he has the indie rock super god status of Jeremy Enigk, but whereas Mangum has drifted into reclusiveness to create more of a cult following, Enigk is still out there releasing solo albums since his Sunny Day Real Estate days. However, I can’t help but think Enigk’s legacy would have prospered even more if he had followed Mangum’s path because Enigk has basically become a less edgy modern adult rock artist and OK Bear only helps solidify that. There are rumors of a SDRE reunion…let’s hope that happens sooner rather than later.
[“Life’s Too Short” – OK Bear]
The Love Language – The Love Language
I was introduced to this group by Paste Magazine‘s May music sampler and was impressed enough to do some research and I liked what I heard so I decided to get the album. Now, the song on the sampler isn’t on this album, but the 9 songs that are make The Love Language’s eponymous debut full-length a very nice addition to my 2009 album collection. There are hints of Arcade Fire in the songs, but of course not nearly as epic.
I first heard of these guys on NPR’s SXSW preview show when they were mentioning bands with funny names. They came up a couple more times but the music was never really mentioned, but when I started to hear Los Campesinos! comparisons, I jumped on this album right away. The Glasgow, Scottland sextet certainly has the energy of Los Campesinos! but some of the songs are a little more hardcore sounding than what I prefer. But the songs that don’t feature the screaming are indeed the indie pop tunes I would expect from the group.
This was my first Akron/Family experience that I came across by going to their website. And well, that pretty much sold me on the album. Akron/Family is a experimental indie rock group with folk influences and Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free is their fourth album. I’m not that impressed with the rest of the album, but there are some keepers, especially “River” which is one of my favorite songs of the year so far.
[“River” – Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free]
Great Lake Swimmers – Lost Channels
For some reason, I held off on getting this 4th album from Great Lake Swimmers, but once I got Lost Channels, I was very pleased. It’s just basic indie folk rock songs that serve as a very easy listen…nothing more, nothing less.
I’ve been criticized (I won’t name names) for having music tastes that are often devoid of any feel good, singing with the windows rolled down, rockin’, happy tunes, but rather focuses on being different from the norm and usually less rockin’ or poppy than what most would consider instantly gratifying tunes…aka “weird”. This is, of course, a criticism I vehimately deny. I will admit, however, that when it comes to picking my best albums, they are usually albums that do not fit into the mainstream or pop music crowd. This isn’t to say that I don’t like some bands like that, it’s just that I do not consider those albums to be the best albums of whatever year. This is one reason why I always differentiate my year end list by calling it the best albums of the year, rather than my favorite…because those are two different things, however, I will say, oftentimes they are one and the same.
You can think of it in terms of movies. For example, a couple years ago a movie like Transformers was an insanely entertaining and very fun movie to watch and was probably one of my favorite movie going experiences of the year. However, that movie has no business even being uttered in the same sentence as The Academy Awards (unless it’s for a technical category), and this is something that can be said for most Summer blockbusters (Transformers 2 this Summer!!!) and thus I rarely consider to be the best movies of the year however enjoyable they may be. Music is the same way. There are many catchy, fun to listen to albums, but ultimately they lack substance and really are just cheap thrills…and that is something I don’t find much artistic value in. However, every now and then an album comes along that merges both sides of this spectrum. Manners is one of those albums.
Back what seems like ages ago, I made mention of the brilliant album Hospice by The Antlers as one of, if not my favorite albums of the year so far. What I didn’t mention is that Hospice was self-released by The Antlers which may have something to do with what little press it has been getting outside of the blog world. Well, news has surfaced that Frenchkiss Records has picked up Hospice and plans to remaster the album before re-releasing it in August. I expect a similar reaction to the release that surrounded Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago when it was re-released on Jagjaguwar last year (without the whole controversy of releasing an album in two different years that screwed around with soooooo many “Best of” lists). So, a nice little week for Frenchkiss, which as I recently noted has an album being released tomorrow that could also be one of the year’s best. Anyway, this is very cool news for The Antlers, and very well deserved. So here’s another track from Hospice as well as the two that I featured back in my original post.
Posted by Hawkins 
A Round of Sound 