Best Coast / Wavves
Summer Is Forever
Mexican Summer
2011
Rating: 7 happy couples out of 10
Like most red-blooded Americans, you put a cartoon picture of a vomiting cat on the cover of your record and you've got my attention. It looks like the real-life couple of Nathan Williams (Wavves) and Bethany Cosentino (Best Coast) decided they would make record sex and put out a split EP, and here it is. It's a good release - all of the songs get a thumbs up, particularly the first track by each band - "King of the Beach" by Wavves and "Crazy for You" by Best Coast. Though both of those songs are not only featured on their latest albums they are also the title tracks, so I'm not sure why they got released again. Money is money, as the kids say. I think some kids say that at least.
Oh, and there's also a No Joy song at the end of the EP which I am completely indifferent about.
Iceage
New Brigade
Dais
2011
Rating: 6.5 cheese danishes out of 10
Let's hear it for hype, cause Iceage has been getting tons of it! Anytime a band gets a ton of hype, I have two reactions - one, I probably won't like it. Two, I've gotta hear it anyways just to be sure.
I've read in a few spots that this is "new punk", which I can only assume they mean in the same way that Refused were "new hardcore". It didn't make any sense then and it doesn't really make any sense now. I guess there are elements of punk here - the pace of the songs, their approach to writing and performing songs - but you're never going to confuse this for the Clash or the Ramones. The instrumentation is really discordant and all over the map and there are zero "hooks" to the music that I can hear...and this is a huge dis-qualifier to the "punk" moniker being attached, because most punk to me is just really aggressive/sloppy pop songs. I'd say these guys are a lot closer to Frog Eyes or the pre-industrial punk of Magazine.
Oh, by the way, this band is all a bunch of really young teenagers from Denmark. I'm not sure if that really matters, but there you go. They definitely get a thumbs up for being this musically advanced at that age, but they've still got a ways to go before they justify the hype for me.
Best Coast / Jeff the Brotherhood
Split 7"
Infinity Cat
2011
Rating: 7.5 out of 10 for Best Coast, 6.5 out of 10 for Jeff the Brotherhood
Another incredibly catchy pop song from Best Coast. They always make me want to sing along to their songs, even when I listen to them for the first time and don't know the lyrics and have to make shit up. Their fans will not be disappointed in their contribution here.
As for Jeff the Brotherhood - I'd never even head of them before checking out this platter. It's good though, very mid-nineties fuzzed out alterna-pop...I'd probably compare them to Pavement a little bit, though the vocals are set back in the mix a quite bit more than Stephen Malkmus ever was. Looks like they've released a ton of material (almost all of sold out), so I may have to let the internet find me some more of their music to see how this song measures up to the rest of their catalog.
Robert Pollard
Space City Kicks
Guided By Voices Inc.
2011
Rating: RobertPollard RobertPollards out of RobertPollard
Hey, Robert Pollard released a new record! I had literally been holding my breath since the last release, but luckily that was so recent there was no real danger of suffocation.
Shit, what's even the point of writing a review for Robert Pollard anymore? It's a good record if you like Robert Pollard, and probably disposable if you don't...like pretty much all his releases. It's not overly catchy like his early material, but still pretty damn enjoyable to this fan. And if somehow you've magically never heard this man, go but Guided by Voices "Alien Lanes" and thank me later. Pop perfection.
Kurt Vile
Smoke Ring for My Halo
Matador
2011
Rating: 6.5 Philly Fanatics out of 10
In the time it took me to write this first sentence, Kurt Vile released two records, three EPs, and a split 7 inch with a band that does not exist yet. Matador, accustomed to years and years of Robert Pollard releasing eighteen records a year, decided they needed another artist that could single-handedly double their output each season.
One thing is for sure, Vile really upped the production this time around. The songs still feel and sound lo-fi, but they clearly weren't recorded on shit equipment, and they might have even been mastered. Vile does his best indie-kid-loves-the-blues impression, reminding me a bit of Beck's first record "One Foot in the Grave", but wit ha slightly more high-pitched voice. This is excellent rainy day music, good for moping about the house in your slippers on a Sunday afternoon, avoiding house chores but looking for something to do.
Cloud Nothings
Cloud Nothings
Carpark
2011
Rating: 5.5 nasally voices out of 10
I was reading a few reviews of this Cloud Nothings record and I saw a few comparisons/references to power pop. For god's sake people, this isn't anything close to power pop...have you even heard 20/20 or The Nerves or Shoes? I mean, it's definitely poppy, but this is more lo-fi jangly punk pop than anything else. It reminds me a lot of Husker Du actually...a really really sloppy Husker Du. The songs are downright fuckin' frantic, like he was in a hurry to get the record recorded before his mom got home and discovered him fucking around with her four-track. It feels so hurried it actually makes me feel a little anxious...I'm not sure listening to this while driving in a car is advised.
This is not a great record, and not awful either...not sure I'll be listening to it very much, but you can hear some building blocks of potential great pop songs here, and I'll definitely check out the next offering to see how they've grown.
MonotonixNot YetDrag City2011Rating: 6 tiny pairs of sweaty shorts out of 10Last time I saw these Israeli nutbags the singer, Ami Shalev, was "singing" from inside of a trash can while crowd surfing. The actual music of Monotonix is kinda beside the point. Not that it's bad music - a sort of stompy garage sound that owes a lot to pre-punk Detroit - but it's nothing special. It doesn't get stuck in your head. You don't yearn to hear it. You do want to see the band live though, assuming they go back on the road as they are currently on a family "time out", aka somebody had a kid and the wife is probably tired of doing all the work herself. Listening to the record is no prerequisite to enjoying their live show either, as the music produced in that sweaty, beer soaked setting is an utter mess. A super fun, total and complete mess.
Lovers
Dark Light
Badman Recording Co.
2010
Rating: 9 paper sailor hats out of 10
This might have been my favorite record of 2010, or at least top 3, had I gotten around to listening to it in 2010. Instead, I've spent the first few months of 2011 obsessively soaking in these songs like a teenager seeing his first pair of boobs.
First and foremost, this entire record is one of the best collections of catchy, stuck-in-your-head-for-days songs that I've heard in ages. Considering that the music would best be described as dark electro-pop with female singers, a genre I usually avoid, it' all the more surprising that I took to this like I did. In recommending this record to my friends I've referred to them as "the new Berlin" on more than one occasion...it's unclear how this comparison was received. Confusion mostly, I think.
Second and not foremost, this band is from Portland, despite the fact that I had convinced myself they were from England. What does this have to do with anything? Nothing. But I really really thought they were from England.
Anyways, just buy this record if you like catchy music. It's goddamn fantastic.
The National
High Violet
4AD
2010
Rating: 6 morose Midwesterners out of 10
The National probably could have Just named this record "'Bloodbuzz Ohio' and a Bunch of Other Songs You'll Be Indifferent About", or maybe that is just me. Granted, it's a really fuckin' good song, probably their best since "Lit Up", but it's not enough to raise the whole album above "ho hum" status. It's a very National record though, sounding like a depressed former steel town, full of crumbling factories and faded dreams.
Mean JeansAre You Serious?Dirtnap2009Rating: 7.5 vomit buckets out of 10
I've been saying for years I need more poppy party punk in my life, and lo and behold along comes Mean Jeans. I mean sure, I could have listened to this when it first came out in May of 2009, but where is the fun in that? Instead, I wait until March 2011 and then kick myself for missing out on this for nearly two years. Obviously, kicking myself is the best part, as it's both awkward and painful.
Anyways, so these Portland kids like to write songs about partying, wearing mean jeans (which seem to be an actual item along with the band's name), doing drugs, and more partying. You could call them Ramones rip-offs, but...well, actually you'd be right. But the songs are so damn catchy and fun and simple and who gives a shit if the singer sounds like Joey and all the songs are short three chord pop punk. Music ain't always gotta be challenging and ground breaking...sometimes it just needs to be a good time.
The King Khan & BBQ Show
Invisible Girl
In The Red
2009
Rating: 6 Canadian turbans out of 10
As much as I love King Khan, BBQ, and the King Khan & BBQ Show, this is not their best effort. And I think I blame King Khan mostly - his barely contained insanity seems to completely overwhelm most of the songs outside of "I'll Be Loving You". Either that or there just aren't enough songs where BBQ is allowed to let his outstanding voice shine. Still, even a mediocre album by this duo is worth checking out. "Lonely Boy" is a nice butt-shakin' rocker and "Animal Party" is a goof but pretty fun; but I'm perfectly fine with never hearing "Tastebuds" again...I'm no prude but a song about taste buds on your penis is just...gross.
Morrissey Greatest Hits Polydor
2008
Rating: 5 pointless compilations out of 10 I am a man of mixed emotions here – giving anything Morrissey puts out a low score is close to blasphemy, but I simply cannot back this choice of top songs in any way, shape or form. Read this rating as an average of a perfect score of 10 for the music with a big fat zero for the decision to call this group of tracks “Greatest Hits”. To someone who has followed this man for, well, decades at this point, a quick look at the track list told me things were off – of the fifteen tracks, nine were from the last couple of records and two were new, leaving a whopping four songs to cover his previous sixteen years of stellar recordings. For me personally, I'd buy the record anyways for the two new tracks...but what of the casual fan, or the young kid just looking to get into Morrissey's music? This would be an awful choice (or as awful as any comp of the Morrissey's material could possibly be). I'm quite certain nearly every fan of this fine artist would come up with a different track list for a “Greatest Hits” record (me personally, any comp not including “Speedway” or “Sing Your Life” needs to be sent back to the presses), but I'm positive we would all agree that overloading it with new songs is not the way to go. For those seeking a much better “Greatest Hits” album (but still far from perfect in my book), check out the album titled “The Best Of” released in 2001. It's obviously missing songs off his newer albums, but it does a much better job of sampling his entire catalog up until that point.
Destroyer Trouble In Dreams Merge
2008
Rating: 8 eccentric Canadians out of 10 I was recently having a conversation with a friend about how Destroyer is pulling a reverse T-Rex...Marc Bolan started out all folky, some of the original “freak folk” stuff really, but slowly T-Rex morphed into a rock band over their last few records. Destroyer is going the opposite route – Dan Bejar really made his name off of earlier upbeat glam rock albums like “Thief” and “Streethawk: A Seduction”, but his last couple of offerings, this record included, have mined a more delicate territory. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just different, and it isn't universal of the entire record – stand-out track “The State” really gets amped up in the most perfect Destoyer-like way, a testament to the melding of glam and noise in all the right ways. I might not point to this record as a starting point for folks interested in seeing what the fuss is about behind Destroyer (see the earlier mentioned records), but it's still a very good listen and no doubt a release that will see a lot of air time on my stereo.
Blowback Morning Wood Self-Released
2008
Rating: 7 Swedish fish out of 10I know this isn't anything new to most people, but let it be said: Sweden and heavy metal go together like peanut butter and jelly. Strawberry OR grape jelly, your call. And I'm not just talking black metal with it's church burning, face paint and general goofiness...there has been a real push lately towards what I call “rehash metal”. By this I mean bands that adhere closely to the very first metal bands from the seventies, before it was even called heavy metal really. Two of the greatest bands of this style, Witchcraft and Graveyard (both Swedish of course), have already been getting some recognition Stateside. Now you can add a third member to this group...Blowback. If you like Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, heavy riffs, pounding drums, and straightforward, high quality metal like many of us grew up on, you'll be hard pressed to do much better than this band.
Black Mountain In The Future Jagjaguwar
2008
Rating: 7.5 small mountain towns out of 10 The phrase “stoner rock” has been getting used way too much over the last couple of years; god knows I've been guilty of throwing the phrase into a review every now and then. My first gut was to call Black Mountain's sophomore effort a good stoner rock album and leave it at that...after all, this is most certainly the first impression you get from the record. But it only takes a few more listens until you realize this record is so much more than a simple two-word descriptor could ever display. Sure, there is no shortage of heavy guitar power chords, but this band of Canucks manages to pair that at various times with synthesizers, harmonized pop-like vocals, power ballads...you name it, they drag bits and pieces of nearly every style of music into their oeuvre. Crap, they even manage to get a little prog-rock from time to time and it kills (as opposed to making my ears want to fold in on themselves like most prog-rock). Highly recommended.
