Drunk On New Music

New Music Roundup - 7/24

Three pretty solid releases worth checking out this week.

The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten

If you look at the entries on this site as primarily consumer reviews, then the one for this album will be pretty short and simple: if you've ever liked The Gaslight Anthem before today, you should listen to this album. The Gaslight Anthem hasn't forgotten what about them their audience enjoys, and this album is a satisfying follow-up to their previous three.

Now, attempting to place this album within the context of the band's history is a little trickier for me. I simply like what this band is selling, and I have noticed that with such bands (most notably The New Pornographers, but there are several others), it usually takes me a while to really judge a new release. The fact that this album feels of a piece with the previous albums is both bad ("I guess this new thing isn't the most singularly great listening experience I've ever had") and good ("I like this band and what they do: why should they change?"). Further, I'm comparing these new songs to old Gaslight Anthem songs that I have listened to thousands of times, and there's always going to be a little incongruousness in that analysis.

So, what I'm essentially saying is that this album is just as likely to end up my favorite Gaslight Anthem as my least favorite. The sound, at first blush, seems to be a little more akin to the driving uptempo rockers on The '59 Sound than the more midtempo experiments on American Slang, but I don't think that similarity represents a regression. In the limited time I've had with the album, several of the hooks have already burrowed their way into my brain, so we're all good on the catchiness quotient. I would have maybe liked a little bit more experimentation, but I'm not going to complain too loudly about not turning over a new page when the existing one is so satisfying.

Selections
45

Handwritten

Howl
The Gaslight Anthem – Howl

Here Comes My Man
The Gaslight Anthem – Here Comes My Man

Passion Pit - Gossamer

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much this album holds together. I've always had a slight prejudice against electro-pop bands like Passion Pit, MGMT, or any number of similar acts: I usually like one or two of their singles but find their albums get same-y rather quick, which results in a ton of forgettable material. Passion Pit's previous album Manners was definitely like that: "Little Secrets" is maybe the best song to aggressively dance in an awkward-white-guy manner to ever, but there wasn't a whole of worth on the rest of the album.

So imagine my surprise when I didn't find much to skip at all on Passion Pit's newest album. Lead single "Take a Walk" sounds like the Passion Pit you'd expect: big, stompy, and insanely catchy. So it's got the one strong radio single, but there's a lot else on here that I similarly dig, and the album benefits from more diversity than I had expected: hell, "Constant Conversations" is basically a mid-90's R&B slow jam, and "Carried Away" evokes ABBA more than a little.

I suppose I should point out that a lot of this bouncy music is in service to some fairly introspective lyrics about the lead singer's mental breakdown, but honestly, I haven't really delved into the lyrics yet when the music's this good. If the lyrics prove to ultimately be moving, then good on the band for subversively sneaking in such downbeat thoughts in such upbeat sounds.

Selections
Take a Walk

Constant Conversations

Carried Away

Purity Ring - Shrines

I have to admit, I initially thought this was a release by The Promise Ring and wasn't that excited about hearing more emo. But Purity Ring is actually a pretty decent synth pop band. Unlike Passion Pit, who wants to make you dance, this is pure chill music, like an updated version of Cocteau Twins or something: I bet it would be pretty good background music to doing all sorts of different things. The lead singer is a girl with an otherworldly voice, and there's a lot of doppler effect-y sound effects galore: at the very least, this album will provide the score for a killer "protagonist is taking drugs and freaking out" scene in a movie. I like it, but in full disclosure, sometimes I listen to Enya.

Selections
Fineshrine

Lofticries

Belispeak

Fang Island - Major

Don't think, don't judge, just give in to the fun of guitars making guitar noises. I was predisposed to like a band with as awesome of a name as Fang Island, but I was really won over when his five-piece band described themselves as "the sound of everyone high-fiving." That right there is a pretty solid quote.

Fang Island has never met a guitar riff they don't like, and I fully endorse their philosophy. In some ways they remind me of Dinosaur Jr at their poppiest. Anyway, any fan of guitar-driven rock should check this out. (Higgins, as an aside, I think you specifically will enjoy this band).

Selections

Make Me

Fang Island – Make Me

Never Understand