Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam (Domino, 2007)

Animal Collective
Strawberry Jam
Domino
2007

Rating: 8 jars of jelly out of 10

I never quite understood all the buzz behind Animal Collective...sure, they were making some interesting sounds, but the songs weren't terribly listenable in my opinion. This new record “Strawberry Jam” is a beast of a different color though – it would appear they took their layered psychedelic folk and infused a heavy dose of pop hooks into the new songs. There are any number of reasons how this might have happened – the band maturing, a shift in my own tastes as to what a pop song is, or any other number of reasons. Either way, the bottom line is I find myself playing this album over and over, trying to sing along even if I don't always know what the hell they are saying but I do have the melody memorized. I wouldn't be surprised if the band's new found catchiness turns off some of their older fans, because it is a departure from their origins...but it will undoubtedly attract a new group of listeners as well, probably even more than they might possibly lose.

Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover (Jagjaguwar, 2007)

Sunset Rubdown
Random Spirit Lover
Jagjaguwar
2007

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

It's pretty obvious that Spencer Krug doesn't like idle time...watching TV, goofing off with friends, hanging out in coffee shop, whatever. It's just not possible, because if he ain't writing/playing/recording/touring with Wolf Parade, or helping out with Frog Eyes, he's making even more new awesome music with his solo gig Sunset Rubdown. This is his third release under this moniker in the past three years; and while Sunset Rubdown was meant as an outlet for his more “adventurous” songs, I honestly couldn't tell you what the difference is between a Sunset Rubdown track and a Wolf Parade one most of the time. If anything, the songs might be a little mellower on average, but not profoundly so. All of his music continues to mine a strange world where folk psych has been married to glam rock...lots of instruments and layers to the music, often a sea of chaotic noise with islands of pop brilliance. “Random Spirit Lover” might actually be my favorite of all of his solo works, and nearly as good as the Wolf Parade modern masterpiece “Apologies to the Queen Mary”, and that is no short praise in my book.

Thee More Shallows - Book of Bad Breaks (Anticon, 2007)

Thee More Shallows

Book of Bad Breaks

Anticon

2007

Rating:  7.5 sideways visors out of 10

 

Anticon, though primarily known as a hip hop label, are clearly not afraid to branch off into new territories - such as this album “Book of Bad Breaks” by Thee More Shallows.  A staple of the San Francisco rock scene for years, this third album may not be as great as their sophomore effort “More Deep Cuts” (one of the best records of the decade for my money), but it shows a willingness to explore new directions, and does so successfully.  Apparently head songwriter for the band Dee Shallows befriended fellow Anticon label mates Odd Nosdam and Why? over the past few years, working with them in various capacities  - contributions on each others records, collaborative remixes, you name it.  The influence of these partnerships are obvious on this album, combining the classic Grandaddy-esque sound of Thee More Shallows with all manner of electronic beats and clicks and pops and feedback and whatever else you think of when you think of production on most Anticon albums.  It really works much better than I would have ever though on paper, like deep frying a twinkie – it sounds like a bad idea until you taste the results. 

Why? - The Hollows EP (Anticon/Tomlab, 2007)

Why?
The Hollows EP
Anticon/Tomlab
2007

Rating: 8 question marks out of 10

Why? have always been an extremely hard band to pigeon hole – they release their albums on the well respected hip hop label Anticon, but their music is a strange hip hop/indie rock hybrid that sounds like nothing else in the world (ie sounds nothing like the "Judgment Night" soundtrack). The main man behind Why?, Yoni Wolf, has his spoon in many pots, from his other group cLOUDEAD to collaborations with Thee More Shallows, Xiu Xiu, Subtle, Themselves, and god knows who else. I don't even know when the dude finds time to sleep.

Why? has just released not one but two EPs around their new song “The Hollows” (some might say these are just singles with bonus tracks, but I'm not sure where you draw the line with this sort of thing so I'm calling them EPs) – one EP to be released in the U.S.A. On Anticon, and another to be released in England on Tomlab with an entirely different set of songs outside of the title track. Consider this a review of both EPs. If you heard the band's previous record “Elephant Eyelash”, the title track of both EPs is very much a continuation of that sound, overflowing with catchy, quirky lyrics delivered in Yoni's unique speak/sing/rap style. But the real prize for both releases is the second track on the US release, a Dntel remix of a previously unreleased track that is one of my favorite songs I've heard all year...one of those tracks that you keep playing over and over and putting on mixes for your friends until they get sick of you talking about it. The British release also contains a remix, this time by Boards of Canada, a fine track in and of itself but when compared against the other, it just can't measure up. After that, each record has a couple of covers – not Why? covering other artists as is usually the case in these situations, but rather other artists (Half Handed Cloud, Dump, Nick T, Xiu Xiu) playing Why? songs.

My only complaint is that these tracks were thrown on split releases instead of put out as one long player, but the music is so damn enjoyable it is hard too get too upset over such a minor inconvenience.

Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond (Fat Possum, 2007)

Dinosaur Jr.
Beyond
Fat Possum
2007

Rating: 8.5 baby brontosaurus teeth out of 10

I’m sure like most music fans, you’ve sat around bored and daydreamed about “what if” one of your favorite bands got back together. For me, this mostly revolved around The Misfits, Archers of Loaf, Polvo, The Smiths, The Clash (before Joe Strummer died), and Dinosaur Jr. The sad truth is that when these reunions actually do happen, it rarely sounds as good as it did “back in the day”, and you’re left a little disappointed. Even worse is when a reunion is claimed but half of the original band fails to show and you get a bunch of random fillers playing the part of your childhood heroes. There are the odd exceptions like Wire and Mission of Burma who have had successful reunions, but I’d guess the batting average is pretty low. But you still keep hoping and hoping that former band mates put away the differences that tore them apart and rejoin forces like Voltron. A non-shitty Voltron that is, cause that was a pretty shitty cartoon and toy in actuality.

Well, Dinosaur Jr. are back, and I'm stoked. And we’re not talking the later era of Dino here – this is the real deal original line-up with Murph on drums and Lou Barlow (who has also recently reformed Sebadoh) on bass and additional vocals. The songs they’ve written for this album sound like they were pulled straight from a time capsule labeled “1990”, and I mean that in the best possible way – fans of the band’s glory days will not be in the least bit disappointed in the new material. Songs like “Crumble” and “Been There All The Time” I would already include in any greatest hits package for the band, and “Back To Your Heart”, sung by Lou, would probably find a place on there as well. I can’t imagine anyone who grew up on Bug and You’re Living All Over Me not professing this record as one of the best releases of 2007.

The National - Boxer Beggars (Banquet, 2007)

The National
Boxer
Beggars Banquet
2007


Rating: 8 walking weirdos out of 10

Maybe you've heard of The National...they blew up the scene a couple of years back in 2005 with their release “Alligator”, finishing on tons of best-of lists and fluttering up the ruffled dresses of music bloggers around the world. Personally speaking, I thought the album was weaker than the “Cherry Tree” EP they released a year earlier, but they were a good band who deserved a little hype, even if it wasn't over the best music they had produced (but still a damn good album in the grand scheme of things).

So now they have a new record out called “Boxer”, and the question everyone wants the answer to comes to mind – how does it measure up to their previous output? Bands so often fall off after they receive a little critical acclaim, thinking too much about what to do next, how the critics would react, would they be able to grow their sound without alienating their older fans...well, in this case, you'll find no slump. The National are as sharp as ever, producing their best work to date as far as I'm concerned. It sounds like their older albums, maybe a touch peppier if anything, and there isn't a weak song in the entire batch.

For those not familiar with the group, their sound is a tad difficult to describe – the best I've ever been able to come up with is Interpol with David Berman of the Silver Jews singing. Honestly, it feels a bit disingenuous to use Interpol as a touchstone since The National have actually been on the scene longer, but hey, it's a reference the kids will get so I'm not going to make a fuss over it. If it gets you in the stores buying their record, then it is a comparison worth making. And let it be known, in the event you are keeping score, I'd rather listen to The National any day of the week over Interpol.

Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity (Kill Rock Stars, 2007)

Deerhoof
Friend Opportunity
Kill Rock Stars
2007

Rating: 7.5 facebook requests out of 10

I’m looking at the Deerhoof discography, and I can’t believe that “Friend Opportunity” is their 9th album…this not only means that this San Francisco band has been producing quirky pop music for 10 years, but it also means that I’m getting really old (which I suppose is a subject best left for another time). The fantastic thing about the ‘Hoof is they feel just as strange and fresh on their 9th album as they did on their first – you never know what you are going to get, not just album to album, but song to song. The record has about anything you can think of, from straight-forward pop songs to Bjork-like musical numbers to repetitive kraut-rockish moments to songs that I have no idea how to describe, like the track “Kidz Are So Small” which is sung from the perspective of a dog talking to its owner. Truly, there is no one quite like Deerhoof, and they just seem to keep getting better and better with each passing album.