New Music Roundup, 3/27/13

The Strokes - Comedown Machine

My book on the Strokes has remained remarkably consistent: I dig their vibe but have trouble listening to their albums the whole way through.  There are always really great individual moments on every Strokes release, but there are also inevitable slogs.  Comedown Machine actually seems a little better at avoiding this: the album is probably more balanced than anything since their debut.  Still, I think almost all my favorite moments occur in the first half.  Comedown Machine shows the band reaching back more to the New Wave 80's on some tracks.  It's a move that seems jarring upon first listen but eventually makes a certain kind of sense.  This album doesn't feel like a radical departure, a triumphant comeback, a tragic misfire or anything else used to describe albums released by well-established bands; this is just another solid addition to a fairly consistent career.

Selections
Tap Out

All the Time

One Way Trigger

Biffy Clyro - Opposites

This may be overly reductive, but this Scottish band is an intersection of Frightened Rabbit and the Foo Fighters, keeping the accent, the sad-sacked pessimism, and the desire for grandiosity of the former while adding the power-rock musical directness of the latter.  Like with the Foo Fighters, that musical directness can sometimes make the songs seem overly simple and same-y, but it also means everything is pretty much immediately accessible.  Were alternative radio still a thing, this band would probably be a very good bet to be a break-out hit (they've already gotten a moderate amount of airplay on certain stations).

Selections
Black Chandelier

Biblical

Sounds Like Balloons

CHVRCHES - Recover EP

It must be Scottish week on the roundup.  This is only an EP of three songs (plus two additional remixes), but after the release of the fantastic "The Mother We Share" several months ago, it's very encouraging to hear that the band has other strong material too.  I have no clue when the proper album will come out, but this band continues to impress, making atmospheric electro-pop that gets stuck in your head quite easily.

Selections (although really: with five tracks, just listen to the whole thing)
Recover

Now is Not the Time