Travel and illness prevented me from writing the past two weeks but today this blog is back and as mediocre as ever. We have a lot to cover.
The Shout Out Louds - Optica
This is the fourth album by the Swedish indie pop band who knows how to write themselves a strong hook. It seems like I've been saying this quite often in the past year or so, but this is another album of electronic pop with some pretty noticeable 80's synth-y influences. In general, I would say that the thing that separates The Shout Out Louds from other 80's-phile bands is that they have a bigness to their choruses, making them not just singalongably enjoyable but also anthemic. The album is a little front-loaded (although album closer "Destroy" is not to be missed), but this album is worth a listen.
Selections
Illusions
Atlas Genius - When It Was Now
Two things need to be addressed with this album. The first is simply a question of whether the album is enjoyable to listen to, and it unquestionably is: Atlas Genius has multiple catchy electropop songs that manage to worm their way into your head. This band should be (and has been) all over whatever passes for alternative music radio these days.
The second question, however, is about what this album says about the direction the band is heading. When It Was Now is technically Atlas Genius's debut full-length album, but all the album bright spots were previously released on an EP over seven months ago, and "Trojans," by far their best song, has been around since all the way back in May of 2011. While not the biggest deal, it fits a pattern of similar buzz bands (AWOLNATION and Electric Guest come to mind) releasing full-length albums with their previously released hits and a lot of padded filler, and it doesn't exactly engender confidence in the band's ability to write catchy songs in the future. I suspect this lack of exciting new material is why this album has largely been ignored upon its release.
So my final verdict is if you've never listened to Atlas Genius before, this is definitely the place to start (and you should start: this band has definite promise), but if you've already heard the Through the Glass EP, you likely won't be blown away by any of the new material here.
Selections
Trojans
Symptoms
Back Seat
Electric
Beach Fossils - Clash the Truth
I'm not sure what to call this. I could just say it's indie, but what kind of a descriptor is that? Maybe a less sunny Best Coast? A more energetic Real Estate?
Beach Fossils started off as a bedroom project of its lead singer Dustin Payseur, but it's grown into a full-fledged band (this album is the first with a full-time drummer), and the result is a band that still can play lo-fi indie jangle pop but with more of a drive and rhythm, meaning they're laid back without being boring. The songs have a bit of a habit of running together, but start to finish the album is solid.
Selections
Careless
Shallow
Birthday
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away
First off, this album is probably for Nick Cave fans only: if you've never gotten into his work before, there are better entry points (entry points I may yet discuss at some point in my underrated albums feature).
Now, for Nick Cave fans, this is a pretty good album. Gone are the swampy blues of the bands previous album Dig Lazarus Dig, and in its place is something far more brooding and contemplative. This is Nick in atmospheric mode, and though I think the album could maybe have used a moment of catharsis that never does quite come, Nick does atmospheric exceedingly well. Not an easy album to listen to, Push the Sky Away requires some effort on the part of the listener (an effort that truthfully, I often don't feel up to), but if you get past that, there aren't too many albums like it.
Selections
We Know Who U R
Water's Edge
Push the Sky Away
Popstrangers - Antipodes
I first heard about Popstrangers when the When You Motor Away blog, a blog run by several NDNation posters, compared the New Zealand band to the Pixies, a comparison that is always going to pique my interest. While I understand the comparison, the key influence that kept popping into my head was actually Sonic Youth, based on the discordant guitars that appear all over the place in this album.
Just as with many of my favorite art rock bands, Popstrangers never lets their experimentation completely blot out their pop sensibilities, and when this combination works, as it does on album standout "Heaven," it works very well (incidentally, I think the lead singer of Popstrangers sounds uncannily similar to Phoenix's lead singer on "Heaven;" I like to pretend the track is the lead single for Phoenix's next album).
Selections
Heaven
Witches Hand
What Else Could They Do? (alright, this song sounds a lot like the Pixies)
Mount Moriah - Miracle Temple
Mount Moriah consists of a duo, lead singer Heather McEntire, who reminds me more than a little bit of Stevie Nicks, and guitarist Jenks Miller, who provides McEntire with easygoing backing in a Southern folk and country vein. At times the band sounds a lot like Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac, which I personally have no problem with. There's a pretty, mellow vibe to a lot of the tracks, and while that may mean it's a little too laid-back to listen to in one sitting, I cannot deny its effectiveness in spurts.
Selections
Rosemary
Bright Light
Swannanoa
Kavinsky - OutRun
Did you listen to The Shout Out Louds' new album and say, "Not nearly 80's enough"? Do you like all the attention the 80's has been getting these days in music, but wish they would go ahead and focus more on the electronic cheesiness the decade managed to produce? Are you currently attempting to create a montage out of archival Miami Vice footage but are unsure of what piece of music to score it to? Do you like concept albums about haunted Ferraris from 1985?
If so, Kavinsky's OutRun may just be the album for you.
Selections
Prelude
Protovision
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