You Came to the Right Place!

A lot of stuff has been happening in the last few days, the most exciting things are my new job as a WSI and that I got two new CDs in the mail yesterday. One of them being the new New Pornographers album "Challengers".

I have to say that the New Pornographers, while still sounding like themselves, have pulled something of an arrangement 180. Not really a stylistic change up, because it's definitely instantly recognizable as the New Pornographers, but each song breathes as never before. As opposed to the ultra dense compositions on Electric Version, the songs rolls slowly on simple accents until it gets to epic speed with everyone doing their thing. The songwriting is the tightest it has ever been. I think that they've been around long enough to not write songs just to give everyone something to do, but write songs that everybody feels enough to just do their thing.

It's really hard to pick out highlights of the album as all of the tracks I feel will be addictive growers but as for right now, the Dan Bejar penned "Myriad Harbour" is probably still my favorite just because of the inventive nature that the story of bored friends meeting in Manhattan. It's so unbelievably catchy. I haven't made up my mind about other favorites just yet, but I am definitely digging the epic build and slightly slower pace of some of the tracks. It's like they know how to do a song, and they just hold back just enough to make each note that much more satisfying.

Failsafe is probably the most satisfying track for me on the record right now, it's this album's "The Jessica Numbers", only this track rides on reverb and handclaps. The thing I love about the New Pornographers is that they have 4 vocalists, although Dan Bejar doesn't really contribute to the songs he doesn't write, but anyway the vocal power of the band is so huge that they can literally trade off the lead vocal at will. Also with the addition of Katheryn Calder to the band, the female harmonies are beefed up beyond comprehension. I mean, when you already have Neko Case anything more seems superfluous but when they both "Ooh" together it has such power.

Speaking of power, the tracks on this album are often strongest when they are gentlest, like "Adventures in Solitude" that starts of reminiscent of A.C. Newman's solo work, before Neko comes in and makes it something of an epic alt. country song. The thing that I probably like about it most is that little cute melody and the line that I'm sure will stay with me, "We thought we lost you, welcome back." Which perhaps, describes the nature of the membership in the New Pornos, as everyone is so busy, when they come back it's something of an occasion. Which is what I could say when they release a new album, it is something of an occasion.

MP3 - Adventures in Solitude - The New Pornographers

MP3 - Failsafe - The New Pornographers

The New Pornographers Myspace

Buy "Challengers"

Vampire Weekend, Yacht, Dirty Projectors @ The Bug Jar

So I made a little expedition last night into the wilderness of Rochester to see Yacht and company. This trip stemmed out of when I was at the Bug Jar last time and I saw a little flier that said "Yacht" on it. Me, being the retainer of not completely useless but very minimally applicable musical knowledge, immediately said "Yacht! Oh man! He toured with LCD Soundsystem and made a sweet song that I put on my summer mix CD titled "Summer Song!" So I made plans to return the day of that show.

After a trip to the mall and taking a chance on Indian food that was actually really good, myself and my small entourage made our way the the hole in the wall bar that the bug jar is. The first band to play was Vampire Weekend. Vampire Weekend reminded me of a combo of the Police and early Talking Heads with their island-y rhythms and whimsical lyrics. They have that kind of lo-fi retro sound akin to the Walkmen or Cold War Kids but not as heavy and definitely more accessible. If Vampire Weekend could somehow transport you via their sound you would almost be on the beach but you would really end up at a colorful boat launch. One of the things that I noticed about their live performance was that it was really polished, even for a tiny place like Rochester. The sound levels were all at an acceptable level and there was a classy little reverb effect on the vocals. They alone were well worth the drive.

After a brief intermission Yacht took the stage manned only with his lap-top and his wild inclinations. For starting off with such a huge handicap of not having a band and singing along to tracks Yacht really kicked ass. I mean, his manic dancing alone was enough to keep the attention of the crowd, that guy does some intense cardio. The crowd ate it up too, even when he was answering questions everyone seemed really pleased, except for one fat drunk bitch who told him to "Play another fucking song already!" The rest of the crowd booed her, but Yacht even turned that around and said "There's love in this room for you". Although I wasn't so sure. Yacht's crowd interactions were really fun, except for when he would talk to this one guy way up front. Not for any other reason than this kid was tripping balls, I don't know what was up with him but he was really fucked up. If it had been one standard deviation less messed up it would have been funny but it just wasn't. Anyway, Yacht is an amazing producer and I would love to see him with a live band someday.

The Dirty Projectors came on shortly after that but their sound was so ridiculously loud that I peaced out after a few songs. I mean I've never been overwhelmed and sonically subdued by female vocal harmonies before. I liked their songs on their myspace but when they were making my ears bleed live I wasn't so enamored. But all in all 2 out of 3 for $10 isn't bad at all.

MP3 - The Kids Don't Stand a Chance - Vampire Weekend

MP3 - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend

Crash with the Cribs

When it come to raucous rowdy bar music, the British have got us beat both in enthusiasm and catchiness. The embodiment of this claim lies with the Wakefield trio, the Cribs, whose stripped down raw rock anthems seem to start off as a rant to the bar tender and grows into an all out sing along riot. Their new album "Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever" was produced by Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos, and you can hear that classy gent's influence on the band especially when lead singer Ryan Jarman tames his vocals with a little swoon or adds in a super catchy "Oh Oh oh OH!" The sound of The Cribs is like three instruments being released into the wild of a Strokes concert. I imagine the recording process was less like singing into a can and more like video taping a lion while trying to tranquillize and cage it. It's dangerous, and you may regret it, but if it works you'll never stop playing it for your friends.

MP3 - Men's Needs - The Cribs

MP3 - I'm a Realist - The Cribs

Video for "Men's Needs":

Under Your Wheels, The Hope of Spring

The craving for the new New Pornographers album "Challengers" got the best of me and I bought it online. I've been listening to Twin Cinema for a couple days to quell the anticipation, but it only made it stronger. I listened to the two tracks that are being used to promote the album "Myriad Harbour" and "My Rights Versus Yours", and they satisfied me for a while and then I saw them perform on the Letterman show a couple nights ago and now I have to say I have fully succumbed to the New Pornos Fever. If you haven't heard the promotion tracks yet I suggest you do, but remember they're contagious.

MP3 - My Rights Versus Yours - The New Pornographers

MP3 - Myriad Harbour - The New Pornographers

My Rights Versus Yours on Letterman:

You said it was LOVE for the FIRST TIME!

The Sounds are a new wave punk band from Sweden fronted by one of the most compelling female singers I've seen in a while. Maja Ivarsson is like a raunchier Blondie that was somehow co-opted into singing pop-rock songs. Her sing/shout voice makes each song makes each song more anthematic somehow. The rest of the band does an excellent job in packaging perfect pop-rock with a kick, particularly keyboardist Jesper Anderberg. His keyboard lines will transport you back to 1983 while the rest of the band assaults you in the present, creating a contagiously wild environment. One you hear "24 Hours", no matter how hard and cynical you are you'll believe that you can love again, at least for the duration of the song. Their latest album "Dying to Say this to You" is full of catchy crunchy punchy party anthems. I dare you to listen and not dance.

MP3 - 24 Hours - The Sounds

MP3 - Don't Want to Hurt You - The Sounds

Tony The Beat (Push It) Video:

Holler, Wild Rose!

Holler, Wild Rose! Is a band that hails from Bunker Hill, New Jersey, they employ an enticing brand of indie rock that utilizes both sun blind shoegaze rock and psychedelic pop in the same vein as Andrew Bird. Their album "Our Little Hymnal" is an enticing collection of intimate trips, be they of the body or the mind.

MP3 - Mary Lawn Hair - Holler, Wild Rose!

MP3 - Sun Vines - Holler, Wild Rose!

Holler Wild Rose Myspace

Our Little Hymnal Video:

Rilo Kiley Return

It took me a long time and several music obsessions before I finally grasped the concept of Rilo Kiley. I think it was mostly my alternative country phase that brought around my appreciation for Jenny Lewis' sultry vocals. That brought me about to her solo album with the Watson twins, that I have been listening to off and on when I need a strong injection of savvy soul. The fact that she contributed vocals on the new DNTEL album was certainly a plus as well.

It seems that after the success of the Postal Service all the artists involved have been finding little ways to work that formula into their own songs. Jimmy Tamborello did a rhythmic album with his James Figurine album, Ben Gibbard looked to combine beats and melodies occasionally on the last offering from Death Cab, and now Jenny Lewis and company are adding in cooing synths and strings into their heartfelt indie funk on their new album "Under the Black Light". Some might view this as sacrilege, but seeing as I know very little about their back catalog besides the fact that indie nerds everywhere drool over Jenny Lewis, these songs that infuse some country heart with some 70's aerobic dance floor inclinations are quite catchy. There's still some gentle soft slower paced songs here, but I really love it when a band puts together some songs that really make people sit up and pay attention for better or for worse.

Now, For your ogling pleasure I present Ms. Lewis in concert.
I'm not a total sell out I swear.

MP3 - The Moneymaker - Rilo Kiley

MP3 - Breakin' Up - Rilo Kiley

Rilo Kiley Myspace

Music Video for "The Moneymaker"

A Shoreline Tour of the Coast

There's something primal and encompassing about losing yourself in the bright hours right before night time. When the light hits hard to the side and everyone scurries to make it to their homes before the darkness falls. A Shoreline Dream resides in that time. Their ethereal soundscapes evoke all of the of The Cure's ambient brooding but the soaring shoegaze guitar and vocals inject some much need optimism and create a delicate balance of light and dark. Their new EP, entitled "Coastal" is a collection of primal soaring tracks and one noodling experimental track. If you can get past the noise collage track you'll find yourself getting lost in the reverb on the way home, but somehow you'll still wake up in your own bed. Pure Magic.

MP3 - New York - A Shoreline Dream

MP3 - Aftershocking - A Shoreline Dream

A Shoreline Dream Myspace

The Menzingers would like to Avoid Abuses of Information Technology

The Menzingers are a punk band from Scranton Pennsylvania. I know what you're thinking, Punk Band? On AZLTRON? This doesn't make any sense. If I want to know about My Chemical Romance or Blink 182 I'll turn on my modern rock radio, not go to AZLTRON. Well, you see the thing is the Menzingers' debut album "A Lesson in the Abuse of Information Technology", is an honest to goodness real punk album, they aren't aiming to destroy the market place with merchandise or make massive numbers of girls faint at the site of their many tattoos and piercings. Their music exemplifies a back to basics punk aesthetic that is so rare today. Although just because they are getting back to basics doesn't mean that they haven't learned from other bands, for every raw scratchy slightly yelling vocal there is a complimenting melodic guitar line. The attitude may come across as old school punk, but there's definitely a brain behind the brawn. The social commentary and and undaunted determinism to say what they want to say, reminds me a lot of Desaparecidos. If these guys were suddenly to become modern rock radio stars I wouldn't complain.

MP3 - Alpha Kappa Fall Off a Balcony - The Menzingers

MP3 - Clap Hands Two Guns - The Menzingers

The Menzingers Myspace

Multipass wants to get Together

Multipass is the stage name of an electro project hailing from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The sound of the electro is vintage and haunting like Peter Murphy fronting an early incarnation of Depeche Mode. The industrial loops and dramatic piano are sure to entice fans of Nine Inch Nails and Fischerspooner.

MP3 - Entrvue - Multipass

MP3 - Together - Multipass

Multipass Myspace

Extraordinary Ghosts

People Noise is the product of Zeke Buck and Matt Johnsony. Zeke, formerly of VHS or Beta, and Matt formerly of Boom Bip. They both left their respective bands feeling limited inside the structure of what the bands were doing. They wanted to be more free with their music, to make music that is distinctly human rather than man machine drenched in synthesizers and mechanical rhythms. As much as I love electronic things, I have to admit that sometimes enough is enough and I have to listen to something else, like folk, pop, or even *gasp* acoustic ballads! So I can only imagine what it was like to work on extremely technical mechanical riffs for 10 years.

People Noise's debut album "Ordinary Ghosts" definitely delivers upon its promise to be more human. While Zeke Buck offers up spectacular guitar riffs as always he also proves he has some startlingly good vocal chops as well. I was surprised to learn that he was a well known opera singer in his youth, until he hit puberty. It was said that he trained with a blind blues musician to regain his confidence in his vocal ability, and regain it he did. His piercing vocals cut through the walls of guitar sound with an envelope of soothing reverb. For Zeke to strike off on his own without his fellow VHS or Beta band mates, this release sounds very fully formed and at times it has the feel of some of VHS or Beta's more atmospheric tunes minus the dance beats, which I don't mind at all. The rock beats allow Zeke's guitar to roar to life in a way that they never could in a 4 by 4 stomp. Also the lack of pressure to make dance music also allows for some sensitive ballads that never would have been possible with VHS or Beta. "Turn Around" features some beautiful cascading synth and modestly triumphant guitar melodies that makes it a mellow favorite of mine. Another favorite of mine is the urgent "Harrison Bergeron" that makes use of soaring guitar lines and the seemingly endless amount of effects pedals that Zeke Buck employs.

Long story short, if you're looking for some pyrotechnic guitar work with a heart and soul, give People Noise a shot, you won't be disappointed.

MP3 - Turn Around - People Noise

MP3 - Harrison Bergeron - People Noise

People Noise Myspace

Pretty Things Live:

Murder Mystery Solved!!

Murder Mystery are a band from New York City that are instantly catchy. Think 3 parts Strokes, 2 parts Magnetic Fields, 1 part Brian Wilson harmonies, 5 parts blues bar room shuffle and all parts fun. Their debut LP "Are You Ready For The Heartache, Cause here it comes" is a 33 minute collection of stripped down contagious pop-rock.

The project started when Jeremy Coleman (Vocals, Guitar) played a few songs that he had to his friend Adam Fels (Bass, Guitar) and before long Jeremy's tap dancing sister Laura joined them on drums and Kevin Jaszek on guitar fleshed out the band's roster. Since then they've played with many notable acts like, The Wrens, The Fields, The Grassroots, Sondre Lerch, and Apostle of Hustle (of Broken Social Scene). If you give Murder Mystery a chance you will be wooed and wowed by their friendly charm and narcotic level of catchiness.

MP3 - Love Astronaut - Murder Mystery

MP3 - Tell Me I'm Your Man - Murder Mystery

Murder Mystery Myspace (Say that three times fast!)

Mt. St. Helens Wants Out!

Mt. St. Helens is a group from Chicago that has been making music together since 1997. Their music is an intriguing mix of post hardcore, shoe gaze, and progressive post-punk. Their latest release entitled "Of Others" is being released on August 31st. I have to say that Mt. St. Helens isn't the kind of band that I would seek out, but they are accessible enough for me to enjoy them. Unlike other post hardcore or hardcore groups, they are able to assemble the sounds and techniques of their past projects into a cohesive flowing whole. There is no pretension about them, they do what they do and it is intricate and complex as well as immediate. The album as a whole in enveloped in dark brooding sounds with a decidedly punk aesthetic; if I had to compare them to another group I'd say their attention to detail and melody puts them in the same category as Cursive and the Cure. The eclectic inspiration, non stop guitar wizardry and flat out structural inventiveness found in "Of Others" carves a special place in my heart for them.

MP3 - Seething is Believing - Mt. St. Helens

MP3 - City Of - Mt. St. Helens

Mt. St. Helens Myspace

I'd Rather Kill Myself than be Defined

I had a pretty intense last couple days. I visited old friends, shopped, photographed, drove, and took care of things on my own. This all happened because I've been working 3 jobs all summer long and I finally had some free time so I took full advantage. Meaning not only did we hang out, we ate dinner at a nice restaurant where I had a nice Camelot Cabernet Souvignon accented with Blackberry and Plum. Anyway, since I went to visit, that meant that I was listening to a lot of music both to and from the greater Rochester area. In the twilight hours of the morning on my drive back I couldn't listen to anything with hard dance beats, I needed the soothing coax of something softer and smoother.

I found that The Minor Canon's "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" is a perfect early morning nostalgia driving CD. I found myself reliving all the good times of my trip as I made my way closer to home. It is a lush sprawling album of earnest confessions with gentle hooks enticing you to stay awake, if even for a minute longer. It is also equipped with an ever present seemingly sparkling organ and a brass section that adds a fervent fanfare to the heartfelt style of each song. Each song has the intimacy of a fledging artist trying out new material at a coffee shop, while at the same time is fleshed out enough to be a thoroughly satisfying listening experience. Paul Larson and company have created a sleeper album that I will compare to ice cream, because in the quiet hours of the day or maybe in the wee hours of the night you'll find yourself craving some Minor Canon. I know I do.

MP3 - Long Since - The Minor Canon

MP3 - Quickdraw - The Minor Canon

The Minor Canon Live :

Addy Will Know SNMNMNM

As strange as their name might be, SNMNMNM is a surprisingly accessible eclectic pop-rock group utilizing guitars, accordians and even a tuba. "Addy Will Know" is a taste of their Beach Boys flavored harmonies and cute lyrics. Perfect for driving around in late summer catching up with your summer crushes and watching the sun going down. Try it out, let me know how it works.

MP3 - Addy Will Know - SNMNMNM

The Somnambulants Take It On

The Somnambulants are a boy/girl electro act that takes it's cues more from indie pop than it does hardcore electronica. Joseph White is the lead singer, bassist, programmer and Channing Sargent plays the keyboards and contributes backing vocals. The lo-fi urgency of their music is reminiscent of a more palatable Xiu Xiu. Think "Crank Heart" except cuter and more accessible.

MP3 - Beat Down - The Somnabulants

MP3 - Take It On - The Somnabulants

Take It On Video:

Go, Go Motion!

I am a sucker for electro/post-punk music when it's done well. Others may get tired of the trend and the new bands churning out every couple months, but as long as they remain as quality as White Rose Movement, Editors, and the Cinematics I say bring 'em on. One such band that I have been anxious to write about and have been listening to all day is Go! Motion. They may sound like they're from Manchester England but the jittery post-punk quartet are from Omaha Nebraska. So if a band is quality post-punk and is from the same home town as one of my favorite bands (The Faint) it seems like fate has decreed "Thou shalt like this band", and you know what? I do.

As for the actual sound of the band, you can hear clear influences from Bloc Party, The Smiths, The Cure, U2, and even a little Bauhaus. All chopped, minced and brought to a boil in songs that are urgent and contemporary as well as carrying an echo of the past. The beats are frantic, the guitars chime and churn and explode into contagious choruses. "Different in Time" utilizes enigmatic synths to build up a mountain of sound before shifting gears and jumping off, without a parachute. "Somewhere Nowhere" is a song reminiscent of U2's epic ballads mixed with the current dance-punk revival that creates a song that I would dance to at a wedding. Although I doubt anyone exists who would be hip enough to play this at their wedding. Perhaps the biggest standout would be the Cure-esque "Charm is Harmless" where Albert does his best to channel a snotty Robert Smith vocal to compliment the melodic plucks and swirling keyboards. Go! Motion doesn't revolutionize the post-punk genre, but they do have a solid album that hits the sweet spot for a devoted post-punker like myself.

MP3 - Somwhere Nowhere - GO! Motion

MP3 - Different in Time - GO! Motion

Buy Kill the Love

Kill the Love Live:

Vivek Covers the White Stripes

Everybody's favorite Canadian synth popper has released a fuzzed out clanky version of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army". It has the feel of a polished hip hop group humming in a coal mine. Or a morning march at boot camp with a 20 pound keyboard on your back. Except it's way more fun.

MP3 - Seven Nation Army - Vivek Shraya

Vivek Myspace

Every Girl Everywhere is trying to Look so Good

Everybody's favorite electro rappers from San Francisco, All Teeth and Knuckles, or A.T.A.K. for short have released their first video for the track "Look So Good" off of their debut "Club Hits to Hit the Club With". The album has become a staple in the rotation of the music I've been listening to over the summer. If I had days off I'm sure I would spend them driving around with my windows down blaring "Look So Good", "Fuck Your Jacket" and "The Real San Francisco" in residential areas. On the 7th of August you too can live the dream. For real, buy the album.

MP3 - Look So Good - All Teeth and Knuckles

Fred Sargolini is Ottomatic

Fred Sargolini is a producer/composer/multi instrumentalist who is something of a prodigy. At an early age he was DJing, playing piano and guitar as well as fusing his Atari with space circuitry with switches from radio shack.

He's made beats and music for several acts, as well as share the stage with the likes of Sting, St. Germain, Run-DMC, Burning Spear, A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, and Meat Beat Manifesto. As well as producing and co-writing Diet Kong's debut album.

His track "Ottomatic" explodes with the bombast of gangster rap with the precision of and consistency of Krautrock Kings, Kraftwerk. Kind of like a Broken Spindles if Joel Peterson of the Faint decided to look at hip hop production for his next album. Another track "El Gato Attacks" is a song that is at once aggressive and smooth. The sampled beat is sharp and edgy while the keyboards are smooth and ethereal. They combine to make something of an epic sound. I have a sneaking suspicion that we haven't heard the last of FS BEATZ (His Stage Name), and that maybe we've heard him before without realizing it.

MP3 - Ottomatic - FS BEATZ

MP3 - El Gato Attacks - FS BEATZ

Fred Sargolini Press

Razzamatazz the Dead

The London based band and brainchild of Stephen Coates, "The Real Tuesday Weld" are set to release a new album entitled "The London Book of the Dead". It's a smooth jazzy electro jam session that has the crossover appeal of the Postal Service featuring Miles Davis. Melodies are sparkling, vocals are whispered, and the beat is charming. I'd say the overall sound of the disc is like a slow dance in front of a window of a loft apartment on a rainy Thursday afternoon. Something completely ordinary turned into something spectacular and unforgettable.

MP3 - Last Words - The Real Tuesday Weld



The Real Tuesday Weld Myspace

It's Not Delivery, It's Chromeo

With everyone from Justice to Kavinski aping the electro-funk idealized 80's sound it's time for it's true masters to descend and retake the throne. That's right, Chromeo are back, with all their trademark vocoder and funky smoothness. Dave 1 and P-Thugg have crafted an album that, dare I say exceeds their debut. Everything from the saxophone riffs to the transcendent keyboard work "Fancy Footwork" is a lesson in getting down, the ultra funky way.

Right off the bat Chromeo explode with the pompousness of a rap group telling stories of girls co-opted into bed because of their infatuations with older men (i.e. Dave 1). If you listen through the non stop involuntary dance provoking beats you'll notice that a lot of effort has been put into making the tracks on this album actual songs, not just a collection of mind blowing beats. It's true that you can hear all their influences as they come about, from Michael Jackson, to Herbie Hancock, to Rick James, to Prince it doesn't make them any less great. If there was a battle for funkiest breakdown, "Call Me Up" would dominate. The Prince-tastic "Outta Sight" will have you turning purple out on the dance floor. Heck, Chromeo even pull off a full on power ballad in "Mama's Boy". This goes to show that right now, there is nobody funkier than Chromeo.

MP3 - Call Me Up - Chromeo

MP3 - Outta Sight - Chromeo

Tenderoni

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