Do you trust your friends?
That was the question posed earlier this year by Stars, the Canadian based band allowed their friends and associates in bands like Dears, Junior Boys, Final Fantasy, to cover their breakthrough album Set Yourself on Fire from start to finish. The results were mixed, the reviews were mixed, leaving no doubt in my mind that the best possible answer to the question is: depends.
With that in mind, I shall continue with the latest installment of our Little Blurbs section, this time focusing on Grizzly Bear and their latest release, Friend EP. Coming soon, a blurb about the Japancakes' homage to the My Bloody Valentine epic, Loveless. You can also read the previous blurb, focusing on Celebration's latest album, The Modern Tribe, here.
Grizzly Bear - Friend EP
(Warp, 2007)
Grade: 71.2
"Alligator (Choir Version)" (mp3)
If you are like me in any way, you are probably a bit hesitant to give this lengthy EP a listen. For starters, Yellow House still holds up quite nicely, so a stopgap EP seems a bit unnecessary, even for a band that tours as much as Grizzly Bear. Second, the EP is lacking in any new material, instead consisting mostly of covers, either done by Grizzly Bear or their friends (hence the title), and re-interpretations of several existing songs.
I'll be honest, my expectations were not very high for this release, and perhaps that is why I came to like it almost immediately. Granted, the last thing us Grizzly Bear fans need are two more covers of "Knife", especially when the original is the undisputed champion, but as a whole this EP is rather enjoyable, especially the first half, where most of Grizzly Bear's tracks reside. The re-worked versions of Horn of Plenty tracks "Alligator" and "Shift" stand out the most on the initial listen, especially "Alligator", which once was a short, noisy drone that now sounds like another Yellow House gem. The song is nearly 4 minutes longer, but Grizzly Bear make the most of their time, filling out the spaces with their rich vocal harmonies and explosive builds, similar to the Yellow House epic "On a Neck, On a Spit". The cover of "He Hit Me", a live staple of the band, fits like a hand-me-down shirt. The doo-wop harmonies suggest "Knife" in the best possible way, as it is easy to imagine their love for this song as the inspiration for what has become their most famous one.
Friend does taper off when the covers kick in, though not for any lack of effort. Atlas Sound, the side project of Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox, brings the better of the two versions of "Knife" by staying both true and away from the original version at the same time, but the song, as interesting and unique as it is, lacks the passion and soul that makes the original such a compelling listen. Perhaps most surprising of all is Band of Horses' take on "Plans", as they give the song a 70's Country hoedown vibe (and sound a bit like they've been listening to the Eagles' "Seven Bridges Road while they're at it), but as fun as it may sound it still pales in comparison to the original.
Should they trust their friends?
Only to collaborate. The new "Alligator", which has assistance from Zach Condon and the Dirty Projectors, is incredible, and the hyped up jam that concludes Friend is perhaps the most exciting moment on this release. Otherwise, they are better off keeping faith in themselves.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Little Blurbs:
Grizzly Bear - Friend EP
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Little Blurbs:
Celebration - The Modern Tribe
Do you trust your friends?
That was the question posed earlier this year by Stars, the Canadian based band allowed their friends and associates in bands like Dears, Junior Boys, Final Fantasy, to cover their breakthrough album Set Yourself on Fire from start to finish. The results were mixed, the reviews were mixed, leaving no doubt in my mind that the best possible answer to the question is: depends.
With that in mind, I shall begin the latest installment of Little Blurbs, this time focusing on the Celebration, and their latest album, The Modern Tribe. Little Blurbs about Grizzly Bear and Japancakes are coming soon.
Celebration - The Modern Tribe
(4AD; 2007)
Grade: 68.0%
"Pressure" (mp3)
"Fly the Fly" (mp3)
As I've mentioned in another review, playing spot the influence is a favorite pastime among hipsters, music fans, and blossoming critics alike, but sometimes the game is just too easy, especially when said influences make guest appearances on your latest album. The Modern Tribe, the Baltimore based band's second album, was produced by TV on the Radio's David Sitek (who also produces his own band's fine material), and his fingerprints are all over the album, but even more than his production skills you'll also hear him and the rest of the TVotR gang playing guitars, singing lead and backup vocals, and doing whatever else they were apparently asked to do. The same also goes for Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeah's fame, who also plays guitar on the album. As one might expect, The Modern Tribe sounds very much like those two bands collaborated. It doesn't help that lead singer Katrina Ford spends most of Modern Tribe switching between Karen O's maturing coo ("In This Land"), and Tunde and Kip's rich harmonies ("Pressure").
However, despite the obvious leanings to their friends and contemporaries already established sounds, The Modern Tribe is actually pretty good. The band's reliance on organ and percussion sets them apart from sounding too much like the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, and hearing Tunde and Kip is always a pleasure. "Hands Off My Gold", for example, is one of the album's biggest offenders in the "sounds like TV on the Radio" department, but it also best fits the album's motif. With it's rhythmic percussion the song definitely sounds tribal, while touches of horns, organ, and Tunde's vocals, flesh out the sound, and clearly state what type of modern tribe Celebration are a part of: one that is greatly influenced by the artists around them. At worst, the album sounds like TV on the Radio b-sides sung by Karen O, but at times the album is a celebration of the unity between these bands, and a reminder that great minds think alike.
Should they trust their friends?
Certainly, especially the TV on the Radio gang. Those guys are going places.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Little Blurbs
Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
(Domino, 2007)
89.7%
"Chores" (mp3)
Animal Collective are back with yet another album to add to their increasingly prolific career, and while Nicole's review is more than enough to represent our blog (and gives the better score), we decided early on that if an album is released that more than one contributer feels the need to write about it, then so be it. If nothing else, the fact that both Nicole and I had to write something about this album should speak volumes about just how good this album is (and be on the lookout for a third review as well). The more time I spend with it, the more I think it just might be the best album released under the Animal Collective name, no small feat considering I've held Sung Tongs pretty dear to me for the past three or so years since its release.
The main reason why: Strawberry Jam is home to some of the Collective's most accessible songs. Sure, lyrics like "bulimic vegetarian wins weight contest" or "the other side of takeout is mildew on rice" might turn off the masses, but musically, Strawberry Jam is probably best described as, dare I say it, Animal Collective's pop album. Which is fine with me, its not like the Collective are not unfamiliar with pop song, as evidenced by such standout tracks like "Who Could Win a Rabbit" and "Grass" from Sung Tongs and Feels respectively.
But remember, this is not a pop album, just Animal Collective's pop album, which means, unless of course you are totally unfamiliar with Animal Collective, you should find some familiarity in this Strawberry's jams. In that regard, Strawberry Jam reminds me of when Kid A was released almost seven years ago. Many of Radiohead's fans complained that the album was not as good as their prior works, mainly because guitars were conspicuously absent throughout much of the album. While there's no arguing that many of those fans never came back, others did finally warm up to the album when they eventually realized that the songs were still good, it was only the instruments that were different.
The same can be said for Strawberry Jam. Say goodbye to the comfy and warm acoustic sounds of Sung Tongs, or the faucet drip minimalism that makes up most of Feels' second half. This time around the Collective rely heavily on synths, sequencers, and sample, while electric guitars are often relegated to the background. The album, like their predecessors, is also densely layered, but now the bass is more in the mix than ever before. The song "Chores", may be the best example; the song is a psychedelic headphone head trip with pounding drums, vocal chants, and swirling samples. And that's just the first half of the song, we haven't even got to the part where it transforms into a campfire disco party. Yes, I'm serious, but they pull it off flawlessly.
The exciting part about listening to Strawberry Jam, for me at least, is that I never once got the feeling like Animal Collective have outdone themselves. Whether or not I'm right remains to be seen, but there's no doubt that for now, in 2007, Animal Collective are certainly out pacing the competition.
Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
(Merge, 2007) 61.0%
"Blue Headlights" (mp3)
The Shout Out Louds' sophomore album picks up where the first left off. The pop Belle & Sebastian-esque pop sensibilities remain intact, and singer Adam Olenius sounds as much like Robert Smith as ever before. There are some fine songs on the album, notably "Blue Headlights," which sees multi-instrumentalist Bebban Stenborg taking over lead vocal, and the album's closing track "Hard Rain", which could be mistaken for a long lost Anniversary track if not for the Sweedish accents.
As a whole, Our Ill Wills is not a bad album, the album does the indie-pop/indie-rock thing very well. It's biggest offense is that it winds up sounding so much like the Cure or Belle & Sebastian at times that I wonder why I shouldn't be listening to, well, you know where I'm going with this one. Perhaps with a broader scope of inspiration, or more lead vocals from Stenborg, this album might have struck me a little more. But alas, twas not meant to be.
The Go! Team - Proof of Youth
(Sub Pop, 2007)
65.7%
"Titanic Vandalism" (mp3)
The Go! Team's follow up to the surprise indie smash Thunder, Lightning, Strike appears to rely on the hope that lightning can indeed strike the same place twice. Unfortunately, Proof of Youth offers very little new to The Go! Team's sonic pallet, its almost like they followed the Hollywood formula of making a sequel (make the same movie, but with more). Thunder, Lightning Strike was not exactly original, bands had been making rock and hip-hop music over samples for decades before The Go! Team came along. The reason their debut worked so well was because the songs on Thunder sounded both a little bit old and new. Ninja's raps were recited like schoolyard chants and, of course, cheerleader cadences, and musically it often sounded as if Team captain Ian Parton was channeling his inner Kevin Shields.
The problem with Proof of Youth is that it is more or less the same album. The songs aren't bad, but instead of sounding fresh they come off as formulaic. However, there are a couple of notable exceptions. Both "Fake ID" and "I Never Need it Now So Much" evoke a masked twee pop sensibility while retaining an edge that feels natural to The Go! Team, preventing either song from sounding like copycats. In "Fake ID", it's a distorted punk guitar riff that masks the glockenspiels, making you wonder why Deerhoof and Camera Obscura never teamed up for an album, while the wall-of-percussion sound (which now seems like a Go! Team trademark) helps "I Never Need it Now So Much" fit in with the rest of the album's sampledelic pastiche. Both songs offer hope that Proof of Youth may only be a sophomore slump and not the beginnings of a band with nothing left to do but imitate themselves.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Little Blurbs
Liars - Liars
(Mute, 2007)
Score: 69.0%
Liars - "What Would They Know" (mp3)
Okay, I'll admit that I might not be the best person reviewing this album. I've never been a huge fan of the band, and because of that it was hard for me to have a positive outlook before listening and reviewing this album - I can admit that too. While Liars does have some pretty good songs on it, the album as a whole is too indebted to many other albums, particularly Psychocandy, to stand out among the rest of the catalog. While I can't argue that Liars don't do the Psychocandy sound justice, they honestly do, part of me wonders why I should bother listening to this album when I could just listen to Psychocandy.
Actually, I should also admit that only half the album really takes after the Jesus and Mary Chain classic, but the fact that I'm still only remembering this album as "the one that ripped off Jesus and Mary Chain" after several listens is not a good sign that I might come around in the future. However, it should be noted that my personal favorite track, "Sailing to Byzantium", sounds more like a slower Faint song with a falsetto than anything remotely close to shoegaze, and that another strong track, the fierce opening song "Plater Casts of Everything", is a straight forward rock song that would probably make Iggy Pop smile. But most of the songs, no matter their influence, sound like they are in need of a spark, a little bit of excitement of some kind. Aside from the few standout tracks, the album feels like its just coasting by.
Angels of Light - We Are Him
(Young God, 2007)
Score: 73.8%
Angels of Light - "Joseph's Song" (mp3)
The Angels of Light's most recent album was a difficult listen. Its not especially challenging or polarizing, though at times it can be uncompromising. No, it was a difficult listen because of how irritatingly inconsistent it was. And yet it still gets a pretty good score, hence the irritating part. I was irritated because I really wanted to, and at times did, love this album. But head Angel Michael Gira didn't write this record with me in mind, I'm sure. Regardless, I'll take the album as it is, with both its ups and downs, because the result is still worthwhile. Those who enjoyed the Angels' split with Akron/Family will probably appreciate the album's more alt/country leanings (guilty as charged!), though the best tracks tend to cross pollinate, notably "Sometimes I Dream I'm Hurting You", which throws in a little Velvet Underground, and the album's opening track, "Black River Song," which sounds like Battles if they were fronted by Mark E. Smith. This album looks to be a grower in the coming months.