A$AP Rocky
Long.Live.A$AP
RCA
2013
Rating: 7 laser blasts out of 10
Despite my typical taste in hip hop, I'm digging this A$AP Rocky record. God knows I'm not the audience he is shooting for, and the lyrics are pretty inline with the typical dumb pop rap that dominates the charts, but something about this stands out...the tone maybe, and definitely the music. I'd likely listen to an instrumental version of this, the music is so good. A$AP has a nice, pleasant voice and flow, something I don't say too often about today's popular rappers. I can't imagine my words are going to move any more units so I'm not going to waste them, but for anyone on the fence this record is worth a listen.
Low
The Invisible Way
Sub Pop
2013
Rating: 7.5 cup sleeves out of 10
Another new record by the musical institution known as Low. They've been a part of my life for so long that it's hard to imagine what it was like not being able to hear their delicate, wonderful music. Apparently "The Invisible Way" marks Low's 20th anniversary as a band, and they are one of a very small fraternity that I find just as riveting now as when I first heard them probably 18 years ago. They've done this by keeping things relatively the same and very simple - sparse instrumentation, quality songwriting, and some of my favorite vocals in all of music. I've read Jeff Tweedy of Wilco was their producer this time in the studio, but to these ears you can 't tell a difference - it still sounds like vintage Low. To be perfectly honest, so long as the record includes Alan and Mimi singing, they could probably put out an album that was 90% fart sounds and I'd be happy to listen. No fart sounds here though, just beauty.
Jacco Gardner
Cabinet of Curiosities
Trouble in Mind
2013
Rating: 8 red hots out of 10
I didn't know dick about Jacco Gardner when I came across this record, but pretty much anything Trouble in Mind puts out is worth taking a chance on. Turns out Jacco is a young kid from the Netherlands, and it sounds like he got teleported straight from 1968. And I don't mean that he sounds like a modern dude mimicking those classic psychedelic pop sounds - he truly sounds like an actual relic from that age.
So, dude sounds like a "throwback" if you will - but what sort of throwback exactly? There seems to be a whole lot of harpsichord here, so comparisons to the Zombies is going to be frequent, and deserved. Jacco's vocals may not be in the same category as Colin Blunstone, but that is meant as no slight - I'm someone who holds the Zombies in exceptionally high esteem. When people want to argue Beatles vs. Stones, I always get cross looks for choosing the Zombies; so when I say he's slightly inferior to that band, that's actually serious praise.
This is going to get a lot of spins from me for the rest of the year. Good pop music is timeless, and this is very, very good.
Chelsea Light Moving
Chelsea Light Moving
Matador
2013
Rating: 7.5 caramel creams out of 10
When you're in a band like Sonic Youth for nearly three decades and then start a new band, it's gonna be damn hard for even the best reviewers to put aside their preconceived notions and give it a fair shake...and I am far from one of the best reviewers. But that is exactly what Thurston Moore did, putting the Youth on hiatus after his split with Kim Gordon and starting Chelsea Light Moving. Yeah there are three other band members including dudes from Hush Arbors and Sunburned Hand of Man and a gal who plays some violin, but let's not fucking kid ourselves - we're listening to this to see Moore is up to post-Gordon.
Turns out, what he is up to is releasing a record that sounds pretty much exactly like Sonic Youth minus the parts where Kim Gordon sings. I'm sure some other more verbose folks will wax poetic on this release and draw some other random parallels, but let's not beat around the bush - it sounds like a bunch of songs that might have been outtakes from Sonic Youth's early-to-mid nineties period..."Dirty," "Jet Set...," those sort of records. And I ain't complaining. Hell, I like this better than I have any Sonic Youth releases in quite some time.
Sometimes change is good. In this case, pretty much staying the same is even better.
Floating Action
Fake Blood
Harvest
2012
Rating: 7 coffee filters out of 10
It's only fitting that Jim James of My Morning Jacket is pushing to get Floating Action heard more in the world, because before I even heard of James' fandom, Floating Action brought to mind a strong whiff of MMJ (the older stuff, before they started sucking), a smidge of Sparklehorse (his more straight-forward pop songs), and the obvious tie-ins to various canyon rock bands from the late sixties and early seventies (aka shit that Gram Parsons was either a part of or friends of). Floating Action, at least in it's recorded form, is just one man - Seth Kauffman - and it honestly sounds like a bedroom project with one man obsessing over it, but that's not a bad thing in my book. Years ago I might have said something like "this album might be hard to get your hands on, but it's worth the search" - but fuck that shit these days, the internet makes everything available to everyone. The sentiment holds true though - this is worth searching out if you like subtle pop music with just enough earthy vibe to keep it grounded.
Hot Lunch
Hot Lunch
Who Can You Trust?
2012
Rating: 7 bad neighborhoods out of 10
The type of hard rock that Hot Lunch plays never seems to go out of style. It may not be at the top of my personal list, but it's a timeless, heavy sound that has been going strong since the likes of Blue Cheer and MC5 came on the scene in the early seventies. You could probably also make parallels to a band like Fu Manchu, but perhaps that is the skateboard cover art talking more than anything else. The record slows down and gets weird in a couple of places, and by "weird" I mean elves and wizards Led Zeppelin type shit, and ain't nothing wrong with that from time to time. But mostly, it just rocks. And rockin' is always right.
Neil Halstead
Palindrome Hunches
Brushfire
2012
Rating: 7.5 chick tracts out of 10
From the mid-nineties to the mid-oughts, Neil Halstead released a number of classic records under the band name Mojave 3. I mean no slight to the rest of the Mojave 3 band members, but it's Halstead's voice and song-writing that really sold that material. So it's no surprise that his solo records are equally great, especially this newest offering "Palindrome Hunches." For the most part it's just the man, his vocals and a bit of guitar - most every review I've seen have made a Nick Drake cover, but I've been listening to Halstead for so long he is now a touchstone for other comparisons. Certainly the "soft rockingness" of both artists are quite similar, so I see where the comparisons come from, but for my money I'll honestly take Halstead over Drake. Pound for pound Halstead's output is just as engaging, and there's more of it.
Tyvek
On Triple Beams
In The Red
2012
Rating: 7.5 new pairs of shoes out of 10
Detroit's Tyvek is the closest thing we have these days to A-Frames cold, calculated repetitive punk. They've been releasing records at nearly a Ty Segall-like rate, and I've been eating it up. Their music is dark and moody and has a sneer to it that you don't hear much these days. You can of course make the usual touchstones of Gang of Four and Wire that you can with all of Tyvek's music, but this time around the band...sounds pretty much exactly as they did on their previous records. Which makes me happy, because it's a bitchin' sound.
Redd Kross
Researching the Blues
Merge
2012
Rating: 7.5 model homes out of 10
They might have gotten older and might not have released any music since 1997, but Redd Kross has reappeared with a record as catchy as anything they've ever put out. I'm a little slow on the intake with this record released last August, but so many records so little time, yadda yadda. While this might not have made my list of very best records of 2012, it would have been close; and the track "Stay Away from Downtown" would have definitely made my list of best songs of the year - it's been stuck in my head from the first listen. Like always it's song after song of peppy power pop punch, Redd Kross being the masters of this brand of songsmithery. All young bands should immediately take notice.
Lace Curtains
The Garden of Joy and the Well of Loneliness
Female Fantasy
2012
Rating: 7.5 committed fouls out of 10
I really loved that band Harlem that released a couple of records a year or two ago, but then they sorta fell off the map. I have no idea if they broke up or it's a hiatus situation, but in the interim there are at least a couple of quality off shoots - Grape St. and this here band, Lace Curtains. This album sounds just as catchy as Harlem, minus the garage punk ferocity. I'd say it feels like the drunken cousin of of the prep pop fad that hit a couple years back with Real Estate and those groups. This would have been a strong contender for my year-end list if I'd gotten to it in time. I've only listened a couple of times but it is very good, and will hopefully help scratch the itch left behind by Harlem's disappearance.
Low
Plays Nice Places
Sup Pop
2012
Rating: 7 frozen doves out of 10
Low has a new record coming out soon, but in the meantime they released a free live EP that you can grab from this link here. Just enter your email address or whatnot. Ben Gibbard helps on one of the songs and luckily doesn't screw it up (I have no beef against Gibbard like some do, but he's no Low). It's worth the effort to download for the live versions of "sunflowers" and "Witches" alone. "Pissing" is great too. Goddamn, what a good band... nearly 20 years later and I still get chills listening to them sometimes.
Jason Lytle & Sea of Bees
Split 7''
Crossbill
2012
Rating: 6.5 wrong shoes out of 10
Jason Lytle covers a Sea of Bees song on the A-side, and Sea of Bees covers a Jason Lytle song on the flip. We've seen this recipe before. I don't know one single goddamn thing about Sea of Bees, but the cover Lytle does of their (or is it just her?) track is very reminiscent of Sparklehorse - this got my attention. I wasn't quite as excited hearing Sea of Bees perform the Lytle song, but it's not bad. The vocals remind me of someone - maybe a little Mazzy Star, but something else I can't wrap my head around. Wouldn't mind hearing more from this Bees outfit, cause there ain't enough here to really make your mind up. I already know I love Lytle so recommending at least his half of the vinyl is a no brainer.
The Evens
The Odds
Dischord
2012
Rating: 6 nervous shakes out of 10
For a long-time Ian MacKaye fan like myself, the biggest obstacle with the Evens has been getting over the fact that he isn't playing Fugazi-style rock anymore. This band is just a duo, Ian accompanied by his wife Amy Farina, and the aggro anthems are gone, replaced by what would loosely be called folk music I guess. They spend time harmonizing and at no point does anything rock my balls off, so...yeah. I like this pretty well if I'm in the mood for it, but the problem is I start listening and then I hear Ian's voice and I just want to put a Fugazi record on. You can choose to take that as a slight to the Evens, but I think of it as a testament to the staying power of one of the best bands of the last quarter century.
I think this might be one of the worst reviews I've ever written, and that's saying something. Fuck it, let's go listen to some Fugazi.
The Men
Think 7''
Karmic Swamp
2011
Rating: 7.5 possum tracks out of 10
Yeah, this seven inch by the Men is a couple of years old but I just got around to listening to it. Get off my case about it, I've been busy. Side A, "Think," is one of their typical blistering noise punk tracks, good but not grand. The joy is in Side B, a cover of Devo's "Gates of Steel" - the greatest Devo song of all time. Don't argue with me, it's a fact. They very much own the song, recording a lo-fi punk banger that sounds as if Robert Pollard had a hand in producing it. Best of all - the band is offering it up for free here. Got it right from their website, no guilt necessary. In fact they have a lot of their older out-of-print releases on mediafire free to us fans. You gotta love a band looking out for us little people.
Starflyer 59
IAMACEO
South Co.
2013
Rating: 7 skinny ties out of 10
Maybe the only thing noteworthy or different about this newest Starflyer 59 release is that the band left their long-time label Tooth & Nail and funded it themselves via Kickstarter. Otherwise, it very much fits their mold of downer pop songs with a shoegaze sheen that they've been more or less performing for nearly two decades. None of the songs really stood out to me after just a couple of listens, but their albums often require repeated listens for the subtle nuances and hooks to catch you just right. I don't always give bands that much rope, but Starflyer 59 have paid off for me so many times they're always worth a little extra effort.
