Tuesday, July 13, 2010

New Music Roundup, Part 2

"This first line is either going to say 'I hate LeBron' or 'I love LeBron'" is what I put in as a placeholder before last Thursday.  (Context:  I am a Cleveland native and lifelong Cavs fan.)

Then the one-hour special was announced, and I changed it to:  "This first line is either going to say 'I hate LeBron' or 'What an ass.  But at least LeBron made the right move.'"

As the reality of the farce approaches (I am writing this at 3PM on Thursday; I will not change it regardless of his decision tonight), I am struck by one thought:  I really don't care anymore.  This whole thing is an ego-massaging exercise by someone who has been coddled all his life.  If he signs with the Cavs, he saves some face, but he has irrevocably changed the perception of him as a human being and an athlete.  Does he not understand what a "team" is?  This is as self-centered and vacuous as it gets.

It's 3:20 and I have music to listen to.  As you read this, the moment has undoubtedly passed.  I hope I had the intestinal fortitude to not watch it play out.  But I will not re-write this either way.


On to the music:
  • American Music Club - The Golden Age (2008).  I've heard only great things about Mark Eitzel and American Music Club; 1991's Everclear (featuring the epic "Rise") did nothing to dispel this notion.  Their ninth full-length album (and second since reuniting in 2004) features original members Eitzel and guitarist Vudi plus a brand new rhythm section.  The music is sparse; think a stripped-down Hybrasil.  But it's really good low- to mid-tempo pop, well executed, intelligent, and earnest.
    CD Placement rating:  Portable CD Case.

  • Built to Spill - There is No Enemy (2009).  Based on this and 2006's You in Reverse, BTS has settled into a comfortable groove of sonically heavier, solidly built albums.  They're sludgy and dirgey, but worth wading through.  However, would I go back to these two albums or something like Ancient Melodies of the Future, which had three great songs and seven fair to good ones?  I'm really not sure.  The fact that I can't recall the last two albums until I play them is probably not good either.  My guess is the next album will be bought based on a good review.
    CD Placement rating: 
    This is a tough one.  CD Rack album gets into the Portable CD Case so I can make a better determination of where it fits into the cosmos.

  • Doves - Kingdom of Rust (2009).  This sounds a lot like 2002's The Last Broadcast.  Don't get me wrong; I like that album.  I don't need two of the same, however.
    CD Placement rating: 
    Sell-back Pile 1.  Hopefully Andrew and Eric Lax will speak to me after this.

  • King's X - XV (2008).  As the title suggests, this is their 15th album, which seems insane; I don't own anything past 1991 from them.  Having seen them live with Scott and Dale, I was open to giving these guys a shot; reviews were good, so I did.  XV:  it's heavy, it's consistent, and it's good.  No real surprises here, but no duds either.  Great album by a very underrated band.
    CD Placement rating:  Portable CD Case.

  • Scanners - Submarine (2010).  It's taken this band four years, but they've finally come up with a follow-up to 2006's promising debut Violence is Golden.  This is surprisingly much more restrained than their debut, sounding much more like a mix of Silversun Pickups, Love of Diagrams, and Architecture in Helsinki.  And at times, even a little ABBA.  Don't get excited, as this album does not quite measure up to any of those references.  I'd like to see them go for it a bit more; honestly, it's a bit more boring than I had expected.  It's still very decent alternative pop and very listenable. 
    CD Placement rating: 
    CD Rack. 
 - Snilch

Thursday, July 08, 2010

New Music Roundup, Part 1

We're skipping the preamble today.
  • Against Me! - White Crosses (2010)  The promise of 2007's New Wave is fulfilled in this album.  The "new punks" have slightly refined and smoother the rougher edges of their abrasive sound, but not at the expense of their energy or lyrical vitrol.  "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" is a great single, and the rest of the album is solid to great.  This is a band in their prime, making great music; that's tough to find those these days.  Check them out if you haven't gotten too old to deal with pop punk. 
    CD Placement rating: 
    Car CD Changer.

  • Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat the Devil's Tattoo (2010).  BRMC had a brilliant first two albums; their 5th album (a lot like their fourth, Baby 81) has moments of brilliance (like "Conscience Killer," "Shadow's Keeper") which break the mold, but mostly sounds exactly like the first two albums.  (My guess is uber-fans Moira and Kevin will disagree with me here.)  I'm more likely to return to the highlights as opposed to the album.  But it stays in my collection for the time being (i.e., prior to the next culling).
    CD Placement rating: 
    CD Rack.

  • The Cribs - Ignore the Ignorant (2009).  I declared these brothers "to be approaching alternative rock at its logical extension" after 2007's brilliant Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever.  And that was before they added Johnny Marr of The Smiths!  On paper:  a recipe for something sublime, perhaps even transcendent.  In reality:  a step back.  It's a more pop-friendly approach, but lacks the bite and edge of their previous recordings.  It's really pretty bland overall, actually.  Maybe going back to a simpler approach might help.  Hopefully they realize Maar is Dave Navarro to their Red Hot Chili Peppers:  an excellent guitarist, but adding him to the mix does not make the band better.
    CD Placement rating: 
    CD Rack.  Sad, really.

  • Charlotte Gainsbourg -- IRM (2009).  After 2006's startling 5:55, Gainsbourg returns with help from Beck for her follow-up.  I'm not a Beck fan, but his collaboration with Gainsbourg is solid and the production is excellent.  This is a great album, as striking as 5:55 in many ways, although it lacks a true single.  Let's compare her to Cat PowerYou Are Free was a classic, but her follow-up (or follow-ups, for that matter) don't hold a candle to the original.  Gainsbourg has followed one great album with another.  Very impressive quiet, whispered pop.
    CD Placement rating: 
    Car CD Changer.

  • Jesu - Opiate Sun (2009).  Paul H. convinced me to pick up 2006's Conqueror, and I'm pretty sure he recommended this as well.  This picks up where Conqueror left off.  Just great stuff, especially considering it's a genre ("heavy dirge") I'm really not into.  For fun, here are words allmusic uses to describe Jesu:  "Bleak," "Angst-Ridden," "Sad," "Suffocating," "Volatile," "Brooding," "Cerebral," "Visceral," "Wintry," "Gloomy," "Intense," "Somber," "Fierce," "Reflective," and "Unsettling."  How awesome is that!  (Is it bad that this music makes me smile?  What happened to all the small animals that used to live around here?)
    CD Placement rating: 
    Car CD Changer.
     
  • Kill Hannah - Wake Up the Sleepers (2009).  One of my ongoing guilty pleasures, these guys are a cross between New Order and VHS or Beta; I'd describe them as "glam pop with splashes of dance and goth."  I wouldn't describe this album as brilliant, but it's musically solid, with some albeit lyrically cliche moments.  (Aside:  I still can't believe that's a guy singing.)  However, as with all Kill Hannah, I keep coming back for the brilliant moments they always tease me with.  Oddly, it's their "ballad" on this album ("Why I Have My Grandma's Sad Eyes") that's my favorite -- and this is stylistically, lyrically, and musically off target with everything else they've done.  Speaking as someone who is extremely suspicious of the whole "ballad" phenomenon that appeared in the mid- to late-80's, this is a first.  Not only that, but it's a synth ballad, which is like finding out your scurvy has a case of polio.  But I cannot deny it.  "New York City Speed"  and "Tokyo (Dance in the Dust)" (more typically my speed) would be hits in some other era.
    CD Placement rating: 
    Portable CD Case.
- Snilch