Ed Schrader's Music Beat - Jazzmind (Load, 2012)

Ed Schrader's Music Beat

Jazzmind

Load

2012

Rating: 8 gas chambers out of 10

I have long been a proponent of Ed Schrader's Music Beat live - they often tour and open for Future Islands, and when Future Islands aren't playing they tour on their own.  So I was both excited and apprehensive to finally hear an album by them - would I like it as much?  Would it change my live experience?  Do I worry too much about dumb pointless shit?

If you aren't familiar, ESMB is a two piece - Ed plays a single floor tom and sings, and Devlin plays bass while contributing the occasional backing vocal.  They have two tempos - fast and slow.  The fast songs are, considering the sparse instrumentation, pummeling numbers, barked at you by a man you would assume is psychotic if you didn't know better.  There is absolutely no one else close to similar to this band, so I'll compare the fast mode to PIL meets Karp.  Then there are the slow numbers, when Ed's voice sounds a little bit like he is channeling Ian Curtis, and the recordings were made inside of a cavernous abandoned cathedral.  These slow songs would almost be creepy if they weren't so damn enjoyable. 

The whole thing is eleven songs of blistering or morose glory, and barely over eleven songs long.  And listening to this debut album only has me more excited to see them play live again. 

Fossils - Meat Rush (Mastermind, 2010)

Fossils

Meat Rush

Mastermind

2010

Rating: 7 hauntingly beautiful recesses out of 10

From Denmark, I randomly saw this duo known as Fossils play a free gig here in town on tour with punkers Cola Freaks at least a year ago if not longer.  I bought their record and promptly forgot about it, only just now getting around to listening to it.  It's exactly as I remember them live - heavy, instrumental math-metal, most closely related to Big Business but not as fuzzy.  Like BB, this pair is just drums and bass, and each song pummels from start to finish.  You'd expect it to get old but I found myself enjoying it just as much during the final song of the record as I did with the first song.  This might be a tough find, so allow me to point you toward their bandcamp page where you can pick it up for only five foreign bucks. 

Allo Darlin' - Europe (Slumberland, 2012)

Allo Darlin'

Europe

Slumberland

2012

Rating: 8 blue skies out of 10

I would have given this sophomore Allo Darlin' release a high score based solely on the second song of the album, "Capricornia."  As it stands it's the runaway leader for my coveted "song of the year" category.  Luckily, this band is no one trick pony, and the rest of the record is damn near as good - "Northern Lights" is also stellar.  Catchy twee pop from start to finish - I described it to a friend as a more upbeat, less depressed Camera Obscura.  And by "friend" I probably wrote it somewhere, maybe here, on another release of theirs.  No matter, it's a fitting descriptor either way.  No sophomore jinx here at all. 

Fantastic live band too - had the privilege of seeing them play recently and Elizabeth Morris' voice is just as fantastic live as it is on record, maybe even more so.  In two records she's jumped very high on my list of favorite female vocalists.   

Shearwater - Animal Joy (Sub Pop, 2012)

Shearwater

Animal Joy

Sub Pop

2012

Rating: out of 10

Shearwater have made another album of really pretty folk rock.  I've thought and thought about what else needs to be said about this record, but I'm kinda at a loss. I mean I could get all blabbery about Will Sheff, Okkervil River, and former relationships, but I'm not sure how much anyone really gives a shit about all that nonsense after this many albums released.  If you've not listened to Shearwater by now, this is as good a place to start as anywhere.  And I'll take them over Okkervil River, for the record. 

The Wrong Words - I Will Change Your Mind 7'' (Trouble In Mind, 2012)

The Wrong Words

I Will Change Your Mind 7''

Trouble In Mind

2012

Rating: 7 pairs of driving gloves out of 10

The Wrong Words know pop songs.  If their full-length from last year didn't convince you, then this single should do the trick.  And if neither of those things work, you are a stupid stupidhead loser who hates all the good things in the world like puppies and pizza and laughing at fat people falling off of mechanical bulls.  The A-side "I will Change Your Mind" has actual hot guitar lixx (the x's mean it's extra awesome), and the B-side is a goddamn ear worm, stuck in my head from the first listen.  There are so very few power pop outfits these days, but at least the ones we do have, like the Wrong Words, are doing top work.  I was always told quality is better than quantity anyways. 

Death Grips - The Money Store (Epic, 2012)

Death Grips

The Money Store

Epic

2012

Rating: 5 football cleats out of 10

Not sure if it was a conscious decision, but apparently Death Grips decided that this generation needed their own version of Roni Size.  I was not supriprised at all to learn that Hella drummer and all-around weirdo Zach Hill is one of the players behind this.  To this day he remains one of the most amazing live performers I've ever seen...it's just too bad I don't enjoy his recorded material more. Like much of Zach's work, this is just interesting enough to catch my ear, but not enjoyable enough to make me come back for more. It does make me want to revisit my Dalek albums though, a band of similar ilk who I prefer.  Probably an awesome live band though, as that is the case with anything Zach Hill related. 

Jeff The Brotherhood - Live at Third Man (Third Man, 2011)

Jeff The Brotherhood

Live at Third Man

Third Man

2011

Rating: 9 cheap jacuzzis out of 10

My love of Jeff the Brotherhood is probably getting to the point where I can't really objectively review anything they release, because everything they touch is gold as near as I can tell.  This record is exactly as the title says - the band performing live at Jack White's Third Man Records.  The date on the record itself is 10-01-2010, so I'll assume that is when they recorded it, then it got released last year.  I mean, you're probably only going to buy a live record of a band you already love right?  So let's work under the assumption that you're already a fan.  So then the most important question is the same as it is for any live album - how is the recording?  In this case, stellar.  A+.  I honestly don't think you could ask for it to sound better.  Hell, for my money it sounds better than most studio albums.  I want to make love to this record.  Uh, I think I went to far. 

Spiritualized - Sweet Heart, Sweet Light (Fat Possum, 2012)

Spiritualized

Sweet Heart, Sweet Light

Fat Possum

2012

Rating: 8 presidential hockey sticks out of 10

Why does it feel like forever since Spiritualized put out a record, even though "Songs in A & E" came out in 2008?  Is it some statement on the timelessness of their albums, or maybe I'm just full of shit?  Likely both.  What I do know is it's four years later, and they've released another orchestral noise pop gem in "Sweet Heart, Sweet Light."  At this point I'm guessing most folks interested in Spiritualized already know what they are getting into - huge, cinematic movements backed by string sections and choruses and...listen, they're "big" goddamn songs.  This album is honestly more of the same, but who is going to argue with that?  It's an complete joy from the first listen, and certainly one of the best records so far this first half of 2012. 

The Mary Onettes - Love Forever EP (Labrador, 2012)

The Mary Onettes

Love Forever EP

Labrador

2012

Rating: 7 fever dreams out of 10

The Mary Onettes are from Sweden.  Not surprisingly, they play some really nice pop music.  I always wonder if it's the legacy of Abba that has led to so many good Swedish pop bands, or it is something about Sweden itself that produced Abba and all of the subsequent pop bands?  

This particular band is more from the Radio. Dept brand of dark, Factory Records-inspired pop, as opposed to the shimmery upbeat output of someone like Acid House Kings.  The vocals may not match the Cure, but musically there are more than a few moments that could easily be confused with that band (we'll leave the vocal comparisons to the Cure to fellow Swedes the Shout Out Louds).  It's a very enjoyable 15 minutes of music, certainly output befitting the reputation of their label.  I'd always sorta put off listening to this band because of their silly fake girl group name...now I'm greatly looking forward to their upcoming full-length. 

Beach House - Lazuli 7'' (Sub Pop, 2012)

Beach House

Lazuli 7''

Sub Pop

2012

Rating: 6.5 even lines out of 10

Released for Record Store Day 2012, this new Beach House single is limited to 2400 copies.  2400?  Can you still use the world "limited"?  Anyways, the A side is "Lazuli" and can also be found on the upcoming record.  Nice song, feels like most of the rest of the breezy, shimmery slightly depressed pop the band has been making for a while.  The B side, "Equal Mind," appears to be exclusive to this release.  It's actually the better of the two tracks, though I couldn't explain why.  Would make a nice addition to a rainy day mixtape. 

Gross Ghost - Brer Rabbit (Grip Tapes, 2012)

Gross Ghost

Brer Rabbit

Grip Tapes

2012

Rating: 7 reprocessed actions out of 10

After having seen Gross Ghost play live so many times and only now listening to their new record "Brer Rabbit," I'm trying to reconcile the two different faces of the band.  Live, while I wouldn't call them a snarling beast, they do have some growl and snap to them.  They have an almost pop-punk sound ala local heroes Superchunk, playing songs you wouldn't be surprised to hear in a skate video.  But this recording is an entirely different beast - still enjoyable, just in a different way.  It's much more of a jangly indie-pop affair, many of the songs downright mellow, subdued, or dare I say it dreamy.  The only track that really seems to capture their live energy is the best song, "Devious," which has always been one of my favorites at their live shows. 

With this first full-length now released, I can only imagine there will be folks going to see Gross Ghost live for the first time, wondering why all the songs from the album are so amped up.  Hopefully they enjoy both sides of the band like I do, because they've put out one of my favorite local records of the year so far, and are always fun to see live.   

Dex Romweber Duo - Is That You In The Blue? (Bloodshot, 2011)

Dex Romweber Duo

Is That You In The Blue?

Bloodshot

2011

Rating: 6.5 tangible ponchos out of 10

Local legend Dex Romweber has released a lot of music in a lot of different incarnations, and this time around it's as a part of the Dex Romweber Duo with his sister Sara and a few helpers in the studio.  It sounds like...a Dex Romweber album.  Seriously, the dude has been doing his rockabilly-surf-garage-twang thing for over two decades, and if it ain't broke don't fuck with it.  The album is a mix of original jams and covers, and sounds great from start to finish.  Of course, any Dex album is a footnote compared to his live performances, and luckily since I live in the same area as him I get to enjoy both.  I'd suggest you move here as well, and get awesome.  Or just check out the record...whatever. 

Nobunny - First Blood (Goner, 2010)

Nobunny

First Blood

Goner

2010

Rating: 7.5 investigative leads out of 10

Nobunny has come a long way from when I literally saw him play in a friend's basement a few years ago, but the music is still just a joyfully stupid.  Songs like "(Do the) Fuck Yourself," "Blow Dumb," and "I Was On (the Bozo Show)" tell you all you need to know.  Musically, his previous releases were more a pastiche of the garage pop underworld, this time around really obvious influences like T. Rex, Velvet Underground and Mott & the Hoople shine through on a number of tracks.  It's a damn catchy record, inviting singing along after only a couple of listens.  Muy bueno.

Hospitality - Hospitality (Merge, 2012)

Hospitality

Hospitality

Merge

2012

Rating: 6.5 empty attics out of 10

Hospitality, from New York, twee pop, comparisons to Belle & Sebastian and Camera Obscura, yadda yadda yadda.  Sometimes these things write themselves.  Though I will say there is a slight jazzy/Sea & Cake vibe to Hospitality that sets them apart from their comparisons just slightly, but not by much.  I'm not sure there is enough exciting music going on here to get too wound up over this release, but at the same times it seems impossible that you wouldn't at least find this an enjoyable listen.  Sometimes a pleasant pop record is all you need, and this is plenty pleasant. 

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Mariee Sioux - Bonnie And Mariee 7'' (Spiritual Pajamas, 2012)

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Mariee Sioux

Bonnie And Mariee 7''

Spiritual Pajamas

2012

Rating: 5.5 close out sales out of 10

Hey, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy released a new record!  Shocking I know.  A double 7'' this time out, and a collaboration with a young folk singer named Mariee Sioux, who I've never heard of before.  They got an all-star group of musicians to round out the session band, including Farmer Dave of my beloved Beachwood Sparks plus members of A Perfect Circle, Bright Eyes, The Entrance Band).  All that said...it sounds like pretty typical BPB work, only he's got a female singer helping him on vocals.  Current fans will surely enjoy, but there is nothing essential about this.  

(Insert snarkiness here on how stupid the name of the label is, which surely must have been created by one of those "random band name" generators that are all over the internet.)