Wye Oak - Strangers 7'' (Merge, 2011)

Wye Oak

Strangers 7''

Merge

2011

Rating: 8 tangled water hoses out of 10

Normally I'd be remiss in even bothering to write about a seven inch of cover songs, but I've been obsessing over Wye Oak lately and the two songs they chose to cover are a couple of my all-time favorites.  Over the span of a couple of years the band recorded covers for the Onion AV club, as they would have various groups into their studio for the purpose of tackling these lists of classic tracks they wanted reworked.  Side A gives you their 2010 rendition of the Kink's "Strangers", and the flip side is a 2011 take on Danzig's "Mother".  Jenn Wasner's deep vocals and the groups slow-tempo take on these tracks is quite fantastic.  Any fan of Wye Oak should certainly seek this out. 

The Roots - Undun (Def Jam, 2011)

The Roots

Undun

Def Jam

2011

Rating: 8 bumpy heads out of 10

I think 2002's "Phrenology" was the last time I really paid attention to the Roots.  And this was no fault of the band, I just sorta drifted away, stopped paying attention to the new releases (and the Roots have had a lot of new releases).  Maybe it's because I've been watching a lot of Jimmy Fallon lately (who has turned into a great, funny late night host, much to my surprise), where the Roots are the house band, but I decided to give their new record a listen.  Like so many things I choose to do, it was a smart call.  

Apparently the record is a "concept album" of sorts, telling the tale of the fictional, short life of someone named Redford Stevens - yes I read this in some other review since I barely pay attention to the lyrics.  I'll tell you what it's not - it's not songs talking over and over about how much money they got and how fly they hoes are.  How artists can record entire records saying the same thing over and over is beyond me, and probably proof of my old age.  But hip hop like this, where they are actually trying to talk about something, even if I don't always know what it is - I can really get behind that.  Moreover, since this is the Roots and they are a complete live band, the music is as sharp and stellar as ever.  Hell, the instrumental version of this album would probably be worth checking out by itself. 

Bleached - Carter 7'' (Art Fag, 2011)

Bleached

Carter 7''

Art Fag

2011

Rating: 7 expo catchers out of 10

Bleached sound like a classic girl group crossed with a scuzzy garage band, and I mean that as a compliment.  Catchy pop vocals without the overproduced sheen on top of, well, some pretty sloppy (but endearing) music...it's this sort of thing that always catches my ear.   I'd guess if you like Best Coast and that ilk you'd really dig this.  They've only released a couple of seven inches so far, I'm curious to see if they can keep up the hooks on a long player, and I'll certainly be paying attention. 

Deerhoof / David Bazan - DeerBazan 7'' (Polyvinyl, 2012)

Deerhoof / David Bazan

DeerBazan 7''

Polyvinyl

2012

Rating: 6.5 apple cats out of 10

So Polyvinyl has been doing this series of seven inches where different artists write lyrics and perform them over a Deerhoof instrumental, and then perform one of their own songs on the b-side.  I had somehow been oblivious to all of this until I happened upon this collaboration with David Bazan (aka Pedro the Lion).  Bazan adds lyrics to the Deerhoof track "No One Asked to Dance", a slightly proggy song...it sounds really weird hearing that deep Pedro the Lion voice singing over a slightly skronky song.  Not bad, just odd.  The b-side is apparently a re-working of one of his songs with Headphones, but I've not listened to Headphones much so I'll take their word for it.  Worth seeking out if you are already a fan of these performers. 

Bass Drum of Death - GB City (Fat Possum, 2011)

Bass Drum of Death

GB City

Fat Possum

2011

Rating: 7 trash spilling raccoons out of 10

Bass Drum of Death are part of the current wave of young kids making noisy garage pop, something that has gone on for decades but really seems to have grown exponentially in the last couple of years.  And grown not just in the number of bands of this description, but their acceptance into the mainstream.  It's simple music mostly, played passionately and with reckless abandon as only kids still in or just removed from their teens seem to be able to do.

It's at this point that I try to convince you BDoD are somehoe different from the rest of the pack...but they're not really, not in any quantifiable way.  Their songs might be a little catchier, that's about it.  Despite all that, I do enjoy these guys more than most of the pack, even if I'm not sure why.  They feel like honest rock-n-rollers, not interlopers getting in on the next trend.  This is just a gut feeling though, they might be interlopin' like motherfuckers.  Regardless, I like this record.  Especially the track "Get Found", which sounds a lot like the Stooge's "Search an Destroy" in all the right ways.  It's a damn catchy song, and one I hope doesn't find them in court opposite of Iggy Pop. 

The King Khan Experience - The King Khan Experience EP (Scion, 2011)

The King Khan Experience

The King Khan Experience EP

Scion

2011

Rating: 6.5 sleepy time tea bags out of 10

Scion has been releasing a ton of great, free garage and punk music this past year, including this EP by King Khan under the guise of The King Khan Experience.  It very much falls in line with what you expect from the man, garage rock stompers with a little bit of a weird edge.  Like putting a flute solo in one of the songs ("Come Levitate With Me") or covering a Jay Reatard song in German ("Hammer Ich Vermisse Dich" aka "Hammer I Miss You").  "I Got Love" is the best of the bunch, along with the Reatard cover.  It feels sorta disjointed, like some sort of odds-n-sods compilation, but it's free and there is some good music to be heard here so no real complaints. 

Grab the free download here. 

The Fall - Ersatz G.B. (Cherry Red, 2011)

The Fall

Ersatz G.B.

Cherry Red

2011

Rating: Fall Falls out of The Fall

3,496 albums into their existence, how the hell do you even write a review of a Fall record?  It's a Fall record.  It sounds like the Fall.  It can't possibly sound like anything else at this point.  Mark E. Smith will be approaching his 100th birthday (probably not that far from it now, honestly), working on his millionth release, and it will still sound like pretty much everything else the Fall has released. 

So here's the review - it sounds like a Fall record.  A good Fall record, though they're all pretty good to great.  Very straight-forward and rockin', just like you want a Fall record to be.  Not sure they're winning over any new fans at this point, but us old folks will enjoy it.  I'f you've never listened to them before, go buy "Grotesque (After the Gramme)" or "Hex Enduction Hour" or...shit, pretty much everything from the late seventies to the early/mid-eighties is worth a listen.  But this is good.  It sounds like the Fall, after all. 

Mastodon - The Hunter (Reprise, 2011)

Mastodon

The Hunter

Reprise

2011

Rating: 5 octopus fingers out of 10

The production is a little too thin and tinny, a lot of the hard edge to the music is gone, half the record sounds like it was written by Tool (not a compliment), the overly melodic vocals are a bad fit...but fuck it, it's still a Mastodon record, it can't be all that bad right?  And in the grand scheme of things, it isn't...most bands would probably love to put this out.  But this is the band that brought us "Leviathan", and this simply isn't good enough.  Maybe that's unfair, but when you produce one of the best metal records of the last twenty years, you're going to be held to a higher standard after that.  I know when I'm wanting to hear Mastodon I'm definitely not reaching for this newest record anytime soon. 

Brown Sugar - Sings Of Birds And Racism (Feeble Minds / Feral Kid, 2011)

Brown Sugar

Sings Of Birds And Racism

Feeble Minds / Feral Kid

2011

Rating: 7 Circle K skanks out of 10

In my old age I don't get nearly as excited about hardcore as a did when I was a wild-ass teenager, but I really like what Brown Sugar is bringing to the table.  Despite being from New York, they're not going down that hockey jock route of hardcore but instead bringing a sloppier, more lackadaisical approach ala my favorite hardcore band of all time, the Circle Jerks.  No, they're not as good as the Circle Jerks, but in this modern age they do a decent enough job getting close.  Not a release that's going to save the world, but a nice reminder that there are still people out there making good hardcore music. 

Jay Reatard - You Get No Love 7'' (Shattered, 2011)

Jay Reatard

You Get No Love 7''

Shattered

2011

Rating: 6.5 memphis minnies out of 10

This Jay Reatard seven inch represents the last known recordings he made before his untimely death, put to tape just a couple of days before that sad date.   Musically, they might not be the strongest thing he has ever released, but it's a nice (and sad) reminder of this once great performer cut down in his prime.  Both tracks have a solo/bedroom feel to them, just him and his guitar, exorcising some demons.  This is an extremely limited record, so you're going to be paying a lot for it on ebay or if you're like me, you'll "find" it online. 

Bare Wires - Cheap Perfume 10'' (Southpaw, 2011)

Bare Wires

Cheap Perfume 10''

Southpaw

2011

Rating: 7 strange bottles of cologne out of 10

I wrote about Bare Wires this summer - the "Don't Ever Change" 7" - and this almost-a-full-length album shares that title track in common (but failed to include the amazing b-side "Ready To Go", one of the best songs of the entire year).  Sound-wise, it's still all very familiar, mostly because it calls beck to some of the best music of all time: Thin Lizzy, Big Star, Cheap Trick, T. Rex, etc.  Any music that is this simple and so packed with hooks is going to sound like a lot of other well-established bands no matter what - and nobody really cares because if a song is catchy, a song is catchy, even if it's the same song you've heard a thousand times by a thousand different bands.  You keep going back and listening again and again, singing along, not a care in the world.  Catchy music has that effect on me at least, and I'm certain I'm not alone.  Bare Wires are making some of the catchiest music of anyone writing songs these days. 

Crooked Fingers - Breaks in the Armor (Merge, 2011)

Crooked Fingers

Breaks in the Armor

Merge

2011

Rating: 7.5 horse hearses out of 10

Eric Bachmann, the main force behind Crooked Fingers, reunited his old band the Archers of Loaf (aka my favorite band of all time) and played a few shows...I got to see them three times, and it was some of the best shows I had ever seen them play.  What does this have to do with the new Crooked Fingers record?  I'm not entirely sure, but I think the recent reappearance of AoL had me hoping that the Crooked Fingers sound might shift, at least slightly, back towards Bachmann's early sound.  Which is a silly thing to hope for honestly, as I love everything Crooked Fingers have released nearly as much as the Archers, and this newest record continues his outstanding tradition of well-written, unique folk songs.  His voice does seem less "Neil Diamond" these days and much closer to his Archers voice, and the use of a sampler in the track "Went to the City" reminds me of one of my all time favorite AoL songs "Form and File", but that's about all the parallels you could draw to his former act.  

Man this review is a rambling mess.  I often have that problem with music and bands I really love and have listened to for, well, over a decade now.  Just know this - if you've liked Bachmann's previous work as Crooked Fingers, you definitely won't be disappointed here - it's one of his stronger albums under that moniker.  If you've never heard him before, grab the first one, the self-titled one, but this would be a fine choice as well.  

In whatever form he's willing to give himself to us, I'm a happy listener. 

Future Islands - On The Water (Thrill Jockey, 2011)

Future Islands

On The Water

Thrill Jockey

2011

Rating: 7.5 New Balance sneakers out of 10

It didn't seem to take too long for Future Islands to go from a relatively obscure local band to filling up pretty big clubs every night.  Turns out you can still build a buzz and a larger fan base with constant touring and releasing one good record after another.  

Last year's "In Evening Air" was indisputably my favorite album on the year, so it only seems natural that any follow-up by the band would have to be a letdown.  And, technically, this album fits that description, but that isn't to say it isn't still a damn good record.  There may be no single song as powerful as "Tin Man" here, but "Before The Bridge" and "Give Us The Wind" and "Balance" are all scorchers, and there ain't a bad track in the set.  Perhaps it comes from some of the band members growing up on the coast, but I get a heavy "sea side" vibe from this record.  And I'm not talking summertime fun-in-the-sun beach antics...more like off-season, when it's cold and dreary and you have the pier and everything else to yourself.  Not sure that makes sense, but that's the vibe I'm getting.  And it's a great vibe to get sometimes.  

As a side note, this record makes a great companion when driving through the sparsely populated stretch of I-95 between Rocky Mount and Richmond on a brisk fall day. 

Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation (Fat Possum, 2011)

Youth Lagoon

The Year of Hibernation

Fat Possum

2011

Rating: 5.5 summer loves out of 10

I've had folks trying to sell me on Youth Lagoon and his debut album "The Year of Hibernation" for a few months now, so I finally broke down and gave it a listen.  Verdict - it ain't doing much for me.  Far from being bad or awful, it's just...boring.  Lo-fi bedroom pop, it sounds like what you might get if Grandaddy's Jason Lytle had a kid who was really into Sparklehorse and recording songs where he sets up a tape deck at one end of a long hall, and performs them at the other end.  After a couple of listens the only song that stood out to me was "Montana", and that is most like due to it being the loudest/most upbeat song on the release.  I'm certain this is going to get a lot of year-end love, and that's fine, though misplaced in my estimation. 

Small Black - Moon Killer (Jagjaguwar, 2011)

Small Black

Moon Killer

Jagjaguwar

2011

Rating: 7 moon rainbows out of 10

I'm pretty sure Small Black is the result of some kids wanting to start a Primal Scream cover band (early nineties material only), but then they got really into all the 4AD bands from the late eighties, specifically the Cocteau Twins, and decided to release a free record of these sounds where and got Heems from Das Racist to guest on it in a couple of spots.  It's surprisingly good, even if it does wear it's influences boldly.  I can't get over how much the new "hot" music sounds like that era though, with the tinny recordings and swirling guitars and vaguely dance-pop-but-still-rock songs that everyone and their brother was releasing between 1988 and 1991.  All I pretty much wanted to listen to then was Slayer and DRI and Bolt Thrower, but I can dig it.

Grab the free album here - you could definitely do worse, and the price is right.