Various Artists - Dark Was the Night

I'm not going to actually review this. Instead I'll ask a question. Do you like any of the following artists: The Decemberists, Bon Iver, The National, Andrew Bird, Feist, Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, Spoon, Beirut, Iron & Wine, Cat Power? Well those guys account for less than half of this two disc compilation's outstanding contributors. Seriously, we're talking about the god damn indie All Star team. These aren't throwaway B-sides either; any of these tracks would hold its own on an album. Many of the tracks here are collaborations (Ever wonder what the Dirty Projectors would sound like with David Byrne? I sure as hell didn't, but for the record the answer is awesome) and covers (my favorite is Antony Hegarty and Bryce Dessner's version of Bob Dylan's "I Was Young When I Left Home"). Bonus: the compilation was put together to benefit the Red Hot Organization, an international HIV/AIDS awareness charity.

So you've got an opportunity to hear fresh songs some of today's finest independent artists and help AIDS victims in the process. Why haven't you picked this up yet?

The Dan Deacon Ensemble, Freeman Auditorium, 4/13/09

The Tulane campus got a rare treat last night as Baltimore experimental electronic guru Dan Deacon played a small show in Woldenberg Hall's Freeman Auditorium.

The music kicked off around 8 with local lo-fi grungy rock band The Lovey Doveys, who suffered sorely from the lack of monitors. The instruments had a decent sound, but the singer was painfully off key for the majority of the songs. What's worse, no one bothered to turn out the lights, so the whole thing felt awkward and out of place. I wouldn't mind hearing these guys again under better circumstances.

Following that was Baltimore experimental band Teeth Mountain. Featuring a lineup of cello, saxophone, 2 drum kits and synths/keyboards, the sound was difficult to predict and even more difficult to describe.

The pounding tribal beats and use of (often abrasive) noise effects draws the inevitable comparison to Animal Collective, specifically their early releases (Hailing from Baltimore and playing experimental music, I'm sure Dan Deacon and friends hear themselves compared to Animal Collective all too often. Deacon himself joked about it later in the show, announcing "We're Animal Collective!" before launching into his first song).

Following them was yet another Baltimore group, Future Islands. Their synth beats got the crowd dancing in a hurry, but most memorable was the lead singer. With a voice somewhere between Black Francis and Van Morrison, this guy could seriously belt it.

Finally the main event rolled around. I snapped a few shots of Deacon and crew setting up for their set.
The first photo is of Deacon's wonderful table of sounds. In traditional Deacon show manner, that board is literally in the crowd so he can rock out with the rest of us. That last photo was meant to show the 3 (!) drum kits Deacon's show featured.

After a delay to put together the light effects (i.e. taping strobe lights to amps and mic stands), the show began. Playing mainly songs off of Deacon's fantastic recently released Bromst LP, the ensemble rocked the small room unrelentingly for the duration of their set. Though I originally viewed it as overkill, I could absolutely appreciate the triple drum attack once the music got going. A large projection screen showed trippy images like this:

Midway through the show Deacon stopped the music to play a little game. Two people stood opposite eachother with hands clasped above their heads like so:Someone would go through their arms and wait at the end for the next person to form the next link of the chain with them. This continued up out the door of the auditorium, eventually spilling out onto the road outside. Unfortunately some people started leaving their spots and, as easily as it had started, the whole thing fell apart.

The show on the whole was fantastic. I'd encourage anyone to go see these guys. Just don't go if you don't plan on dancing. The few people who remained seated for the whole show didn't look like they were having much fun.

The Love Language - The Love Language

Though Raleigh's The Love Language tours as a seven piece, this album was purely the brainchild of front man Stuart McLamb. With great songwriting and lo-fi production spanning genres as diverse as cabaret and country rock (yes, you read that right), The Love Language's debut is one of the most interesting and fun albums I've heard this year.

Much has been made of lo-fi lately. With the hype surrounding acts like Times New Viking, No Age and Wavves (expect review soon), the style has become hard to ignore. Notice I said style. A product of recording techniques, lo-fi can't be considered a genre contained within itself. There's obviously a give and take involved with intentionally distorting songs. While obscuring the subtelties of voice and melody, there's no question it adds to the "rock-out" factor. Some will argue that the style is utilized primarily to conceal unremarkable melodies and pull half baked songs into a coherent whole. Certainly there are bands that are accurately described by this condemnation. Others, however, write songs that are thoughtful and interesting on their own and use lo-fi to add an extra element. The Love Language falls into the latter category.

As I mentioned before, this album spans a number of genres and influences. The opener, "Two Rabbits", complete with piano and soaring lyrics, has a definite lounge feel. Rockers "Lalita" and "Sparxxx" hearken back to Beatles-esque 60's pop with nods to lo-fi forebears such as Guided by Voices. The twangy guitar, lurching beat and anthemic chorus of "Stars" conjure up vintage Rolling Stones country rock tunes like "No Expectations" or "Sweet Virginia". McLamb's lovelorn lyrics are thoughtful and interesting throughout.

My favorite track on the album is sub 3 minute gem "Sparxxx". The use of energetic 60's guitar licks, tambourine, xylophone and a fun, catchy hook make it the perfect lighthearted spring pop song. In McLamb sums up the song, and perhaps his music philosophy, elegantly with this quip from a Daytrotter interview: "It’s just a whimsical summertime song about young couples drinking to forget their problems. Isn't that what all my songs are about though?"

Top 5 Albums of 2008!

Right, right, I realize we're over 3 months into 2009 and there's been so much great music that everybody's already forgotten all about 2008. However, I've never put together a top albums list and, to be honest, that's one of the main reasons I started this blog in the first place. So if you've already let all the great tunes we heard in '08 slip away, I'm hear to remind you. Favorite tracks are listed in bold following the review. No particular order.

TV on the Radio - Dear Science

First things first, I'll gladly admit that I was way behind the curve on TV on the Radio. Return to Cookie Mountain just never clicked with me, and didn't even pick this album up for months after it came out. That didn't, however, stop me from jumping all over this bandwagon once I heard it. The album spans several genres, and these guys can keep up with the pros in each. From pounding electronic beats ("Crying") to sparse acoustic ballads ("Family Tree"), breakneck-paced hip-hop ("Dancing Choose") to explosive slow builders ("Halfway Home"), what more could a guy ask for? Just one of their reputedly brilliant live shows. Thankfully I'll only have to wait until May. "Halfway Home","Crying", "Golden Age"


Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III


Go grab this album (if you don't own it, go buy it! Then continue reading). Put on the track "Playing with Fire". Toward the beginning of the song Wayne sings: "The bitch say I'm hot, and I say / 'No bitch, I'm blazing' / like what the fuck you expect? / I'm a motherfucking Cajun". You're probably asking what this proves, other than the fact that Lil Wayne writes silly lyrics and is a bit of a misogynist. Listen again. I just can't hear that tense, unstable beat and Wayne's strained, chaotic voice without thinking of a building (as the title suggests) up in flames. It's a shitstorm. People are running terrified. But Wayne? He's rapping. About bitches. "3 Peat", "A Milli", "Let the Beat Build"



Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours

This is an album that, quite simply, you can't fully enjoy without dancing. This shouldn't suggest that you need to be at a party (though if you are that's just perfect). On the contrary, sometimes it's most fun to just dance your ass off by yourself. Cut Copy truly sets a new standard in electronic pop with this record. Their construction of beats is fresh and flawless throughout. The vocals are epic and haunting. The cautious listener is lured in by warm melodies and friendly pop hooks. As the beats begin to layer and build he might sense that something is amiss but is too intrigued to step back. By the climax he realizes there's no escape. He lives in a new world now. "Out There on the Ice", "Lights and Music", "Nobody Lost, Nobody Found"


Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping

Up next is of Montreal's tragically under appreciated sexually confused schizophrenic glam rock masterpiece. If you've heard of Montreal's 2007 release, the universally lauded Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, you know that, on the latter half of said album, the protagonist begins a descent into pure madness. At some point, he ceases to be himself, instead becoming Georgie Fruit, a middle-aged transsexual funk singer. Skeletal Lamping is the result of this madness. The songs frequently jump from sterling pop bliss to lurching, ominous instrumentals faster than you can say "manic depression". While there are more funky hi-fi dance beats than you can shake a phallic symbol at, the album is perhaps at its most equisite during the stripped down, introspective moments. "Why am I so damaged? / Why am I so troubled, girl? / I don't know how long I can hold on / If it's gonna be like this forever," Kevin Barnes sings over nothing but piano on "Touched Something's Hollow" before launching into "An Eulardian Instance" a decidedly cheerful and sanguine song about the beginning of a relationship. Bottom line: don't let the unsettling jumps and sexually obsessed lyrics scare you. This is of Montreal's finest moment. "An Eulardian Instance", "Triphallus, to Punctuate!", "Beware Our Nubile Miscreants", "Id Engager"


The Zydepunks - Finisterre

If you aren't from New Orleans, odds are you've never heard of this band. They bills themselves as a "New Orleans Cajun Irish Breton Klezmer Slavic Zydeco" band, which of course neglects to mention the healthy dose of good old-fashioned punk thrown in. This clusterfuck of influences ultimately leads to a surprisingly coherent -- albeit unique -- and emninently enjoyable sound. The lineup centers around accordians and fiddle (imagine, a punk band with no electric guitar!) and the band is known to sing in English, Spanish, French, German and Hebrew. Though never explicitly mentioned, the ghost of Katrina hangs over the entire album. In the starkly gorgeous "Dear Molly", written while the band was evacuated for the storm, Juan Christian Kuffner sings "Don't tell me this is the end / We've been through worse and we'll be back again / We'll have a drink for eachother / In the Ninth Ward". The traditional Equadoran ballad "Por La Orilla Del Mar", featuring translated lyrics "I always leave my love / For the waves of the sea / I always leave my love / But I will never forget", fits so well in this context that it's hard to believe the song was written years before the storm. If you have any interest in bands like Gogol Bordello or Dropkick Murphys, if urge you to Google these guys ASAP. "Papirossen in Gan Eden", "Dear Molly", "Song for Mike", "La Vie Est Courte Et Cruelle"

The Thermals - Now We Can See

The most recent release from Portland's Thermals isn't due out for a few days, but thanks to WTUL I've been rocking out to it all week. In the wake of a split with Sub Pop and subsequent signing to Kill Rock Stars, the Thermals hit pop punk gold (well... maybe silver) with their fourth LP.

Recording as a two-piece with bassist Kathy Foster adding drums, the band puts together a pretty full sound. The album opens with the blistering "When I Died", a rocking, catchy, and instantly likable song about -- best I can tell -- wanting to become a fish. The album keeps up the high energy from there. All songs feature fuzzed out pounded power chords and Hutch Harris' intelligent if not notably profound lyrics. Great pop hooks abound and, with the exception of slow-building centerpiece "At the Bottom of the Sea", all songs hit hard from the start. The album closes on a high point, with the one-two punch of "How We Fade" and the brilliant "You Dissolve". The latter augments the band's standard guitar/drums/bass routine with mashed piano chords that knock the already incendiary chorus into a level reached nowhere else on the album. The song is Now We Can See's finest moment and I wouldn't be surprised to see it on several end of the year top songs lists (including my own).

The album is appropriately short at just 34 minutes. The band was wise to put some of the best songs toward the end, because by midway through you're starting to tire of the album's formula. I don't mean this in a purely negative way because, despite being predictable, the songs are almost all very enjoyable. You can call these guys one-trick ponies but you can't deny the fact that they're pretty damn good at that trick.

Overall the album is a very entertaining listen, and I'd recommend it to all fans of mildly punky pop or the band's Sub Pop (ex)brethren.

Test Run

I'm new to this blogging thing, so bear with me for the first few posts. I plan on using this to post the standard music stuff: album reviews, news and recollections of live shows as well as (curveball!) maybe some physics and math musings. I'll probably post my first album review later today.