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After a teaser of a four-song EP in 2007, Chicago rock band Absentstar is back with their debut full-length on Columbia Records, Sea Trials. This quintet has a Brit-pop feel, resembling a cross between the Killers, Keane, and a more melodic version of Blue October. Produced by Semisonic’s Dan Wilson, Absentstar delivers a 12-song set of blazing pop tunes with interesting arrangements and soaring choruses. Lead singer Derek Ingersoll tends to overdo it with that fake British vocal thing, but there’s no denying that this is a talented band with some solid songs. “Half Life” and “For God’s Sakes” are no-brainers as some of the best work here, and were also on the EP. But there is beauty in some of the newly released tracks, such as the haunting “Life Support,” which is driven by raunchy guitar riffs; and “All is Forgotten,” a really pretty piano anthem. Absentstar is not going to set the world on fire, but Sea Trials is certainly a promising debut. (Columbia) |
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Seth Timbs and his mates in Fluid Ounces better check their playbooks, because Washington D.C. trio Jukebox the Ghost lifted entire chapters of it for their debut Let Live and Let Ghosts. “Where Are All the Scientists Now?” in particular feels like Fluid Ounces’ In the New Old Fashioned Way album rolled into one song which, for the uninitiated, is a very, very good thing. Granted, the explosive piano work by singer Ben Thornewill is sure to draw more comparisons to Ben Folds than Timbs, but the sad truth is that Folds hasn’t made a record this effervescent in over a decade. Jukebox the Ghost takes the three-man approach of Ben Folds Five, replaces the bass with a guitar, and creates music that merges Queen’s bombastic spirit with the minimalist approach of the White Stripes. Prog rock for sissies, if you will. It’s quirky and undeniably fun, but a few more hooks would take this material a long way. Love the attitude and approach, though. (The Rebel Group 2008) |
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Give OMD credit for knowing the limits of their marketplace potential, and serving up a live record that is right in the wheelhouse of the very people (only people?) who would still consider buying an OMD album at this point in time. Live: Architecture & Morality & More, on paper, is a die-hard’s dream come true, a track-by-track performance of the band’s most highly regarded album, fleshed out with various hit singles from the rest of the band’s catalog. The execution, however, is another matter. The mostly down-tempo album doesn’t exactly leap out of the speakers, Paul Humphreys’ keyboard tracks lack the punch of their studio equivalents, and on the two songs where Humphreys sings lead (“Souvenir” and “(Forever) Live and Die),” his voice wavers all over the place. Such a tantalizing idea – how sweet would it be to see ABC do The Lexicon of Love, or the Human League do Dare, in a similar environment – but two more weeks of rehearsal would have done wonders. (Eagle Records) |
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Division Day sure is divided. They can’t decide if they want to be a punk rock band that occasionally branches out into electronic soundscapes, or an experimental electronic band that occasionally takes things up a notch with a tune you can actually dance to. Let’s hope they eventually settle on the former. When they kick up the speed, give their guitar player a real riff to play and let their singer yelp and scream for a bit, they stand out as something worth paying attention to. The energetic “Tigers” highlights the band’s ability to really sound unique when they aren’t afraid to plug their instruments in and let loose. Even better is “Ricky,” an amazing, sinister track with a great squealing guitar riff. Too bad the band seems to avoid doing anything like it for most of the album. It’s almost like Division Day don’t know their own strengths, shying away from explosive songs like “Ricky” and instead moping about in shoegaze purgatory. Of course there’s an audience for that (those My Bloody Valentine fans have to buy something) but it’s not nearly as fun. Oh, and their MySpace page has an awesome cover of Roxy Music’s “More Than This,” which is nowhere to be found on the album. Tease. (Eenie Meenie 2007) |
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After heading to Cuba to record its last album, Australia’s the Cat Empire returns to Melbourne for So Many Nights. It’s a sensible homecoming, given that the band has dedicated its fourth full-length to its country of origin, but thankfully, the familiar scenery hasn’t dulled the group’s wanderlust – these 15 tracks are fueled by the same dizzying blend of influences that fans have come to expect from Cat Empire albums, including traces of everything from rap to merengue. It’s like a mix CD soundtrack for the coolest party you’ll never throw, only all the songs are performed by the same band. They embrace eclecticism more fervently than pretty much any modern pop band you could think of, which is probably why their wild Australian success hasn’t carried over to American shores – it isn’t hard to imagine your average program director shitting a literal brick after listening to So Many Nights. Longtime fans might quibble with the disappearance of the Cuban overtones that popped up on last year’s Two Shoes, but only momentarily; after that, they’ll be too busy dancing to care. If you crave variety in your music – or are just looking for proof that Gloria Estefan was right, and yes, the rhythm is gonna get you – So Many Nights is one of the safer purchases you’ll come across all year. (Velour 2008) |
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It’s about time someone got the old formula of fast, loud metal right. Sure, bands like Mastadon and the Sword are great, but all that stuff about whales and mythical beasts can get old after a while. Sometimes you just want to listen to songs about screwing, fighting, and drinking – and that’s when you should listen to American Speedway. Offering nonstop, balls-out thrash with some punk thrown in for good measure, this Philly band delivers the goods on their debut album, Ship of Fools. This is music to listen to while you downing a bottle of whiskey and punching a hippie in the face. Song about sex? Check. Songs about fast cars? Check. Songs about illicit drugs and alcohol? Double check, via the one-two punch of “Drinkin’ and Drivin’” and “Cocaine.” This is not a record you let your kids listen to if you’re trying to instill in them a sense of responsible drinking and a “Just Say No” drug policy. However, if you’re a drunken mess who sees hardcore drugs as a perfect cure to a hangover, then congratulations – you just found the soundtrack to your life. Ten songs, 30 minutes, no bullshit. Someone call Lemmy, we just found the opening act for Motorhead’s next tour. (LABEL: Prophase Music 2008) |
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As much as you might think you miss Elliott Smith, Peasant’s Damien DeRose misses him more, and made a record to prove it. On the Ground, DeRose’s second album under the Peasant name, so faithfully captures Smith’s acoustic melancholy – DeRose also does a mean impression of Smith’s butterfly tenor – that it borders on necrophilia. Thankfully, DeRose is nowhere near as depressed as Smith was, so while his songs may seem sad, they’re not bleak. Indeed, there is a dash of Shins-style whimsy sprinkled throughout the proceedings that keep the album from venturing into downer territory. The end result is an album that’s pretty, but slight. If it contained more songs like “Stop for Her,” which could easily pass for a bonus track from Smith’s Figure 8, we’d be talking about something truly special. (LABEL: Paper Garden 2008) |
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When married actors work together on a project, the end result is often unwatchable (“Shanghai Surprise,” “Eyes Wide Shut”). This might explain why Christian progressive and pop classicist Derek Webb and his wife Sandra McCracken released 13 albums between them before daring to record something together; they’re too smart to fall into that trap. However, one listen to their first joint venture, an EP simply titled Ampersand, will make one want to slap them silly for not working together sooner. Webb may have the higher profile, but McCracken is this EP’s star. Her song “When the Summer’s Gone” is the best song Sheryl Crow never wrote, “Watch Your Mouth” is as good as – or better than – the material on Webb’s superb 2007 album The Ringing Bell, and the two do a sublime cover of BobDylan’s “If Not for You.” The couple’s status as best kept secret is officially on notice. (LABEL: Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken 2008) |
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Just when you thought you’d finally gotten their songs out of your head, New Zealand’s “fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy-folk duo” Flight of the Conchords strikes back with a full-length album to hold fans over until the return of their eponymous hit HBO series. Though this is actually their third album to date – a live CD (Folk the World Tour) was released in 2002 and a six-song EP (The Distant Future) sneaked into stores last year – the self-titled disc is the duo’s first official studio album. Most of the songs that appear in the 15-track collection have been available in some format before, and though several (like the 80s rap-inspired “Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros”) actually lose some of their comedic bite without visuals to go along with the lyrics, others are just as effective without them. “The Prince of Parties” (a Bollywood meets the Beatles pop-rock tune) is the perfect example of a song that, while hilarious when viewed in the context of a drug-induced fantasy, is still something you wouldn’t mind listening to while driving around town. The same goes for many others, including the pop ballad “Leggy Blonde,” the synthesizer-heavy “Robots,” and a glam rock homage to David Bowie. It’s too bad, then, that there are still a few stinkers on the disc; especially when personal favorites like “I’m Not Crying,” “If You’re Into It” and “Frodo (Don’t Wear the Ring)” didn’t make the final cut. Still, the Conchords remain one of the freshest acts in the entertainment industry (whether it’s as comedians or musicians), and as long as they continue to crank out quality material, we’ll be around to spread the good word. (LABEL: SubPop 2008) |
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nelo (rhymes with “hello,” spelled all lowercase, says the one-sheet) is a young band from Athens, Georgia by way of Austin, Texas. And while these kids were in high school a decade ago, they managed to endear themselves to that Dave Matthews-meets-Sister Hazel brand of Southeastern jam rock, a sound they still bring to the table in 2008. But while many bands have tried to emulate that sound, it’s not always this easy to find one that does it well. nelo does that with decent songs and outstanding musicianship. Plus, lead singer Reid Umstattd can positively belt this stuff out. In all, nelo has put together a really nice debut that is tailor made for AAA radio. Most of it is jangly pop/rock, but some of the best tracks are the slower ones, such as “On Top of Love,” “Alright,” and “Please.” This band might blend in with a lot of other artists, but if they keep writing material this solid, they could wind up on tour for the next twenty years. (LABEL: Justice Records 2008) |
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Since leaving A&M in the mid-‘90s, David Wilcox has jumped from KOCH to Vanguard to What Are Records? – but he’s still managed to release an album about every two years, which is as much a testament to his prolificacy as it is to his devoted fanbase. Problem is, Wilcox has been pacing the same patch of dirt since at least 2000’s What You Whispered; where his albums were once artful examples of how far a talented songwriter could push the boundaries of folk both musically and lyrically, they’ve slowly devolved into regularly timed collections of the sort of frustratingly shallow and/or didactic observations you can hear on any weeknight in coffee shops around the country. Early classics like 1991’s Home Again found him using his capo to wrestle with demons and explore universal truths, but all he ever seems to do anymore is mug for and/or preach to his choir. Airstream is pleasantly free of the slick-surfaced sheen that plagued 2003’s Into the Mystery and 2005’s Vista, but that’s chiefly because of the fact that it was recorded solo in Wilcox’s – wait for it – Airstream trailer. The songs are sometimes funny, sometimes sentimental, and always pretty, but Wilcox has done all this before, and better. Dialing back the production is a step in the right direction, but he still sounds like he needs to recharge his batteries and start digging a little deeper for his material. Fans will enjoy Airstream, no doubt, but they’ll be hard-pressed to put a finger on anything it adds to what came before it. (LABEL: What Are Records? 2008) |
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The Birmingham collective’s fourth album finds it working, for the first time all century, with a set lineup beyond singer/songwriters Brad Armstrong and Buzz Russell – but don’t go thinking that means The Strangest Colored Lights represents a buttoned-down shift away from the shambolic, retro-post-folk sprawl that 13ghosts fans have come to expect and love. These 13 tracks, recorded in a basement over the course of a year, cover the same dreamy, spaced-out territory the duo has called home since 2001’s We Are the Sun, but their newly settled personnel help give The Strangest Colored Lights a more consistent sonic palette. 13ghosts’ sound is so expansive – and their relationship with melody so casual – that anyone looking for a quick, casual listen need not apply; this album’s darkest truths are buried deep within its knotted whorls. The press kit compares Strangest Colored’s sound to Sparklehorse and Pink Floyd, and for once, the publicists aren’t grasping at straws; this is an album positively begging for mood-altering substances and a laser light show. Pull down the shades, unplug the phone, and pack a lunch – you may not be done with this one for awhile. (LABEL: Skybucket 2008) |
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Someone should tell Eric Elbogen that maturity is highly overrated. Elbogen is the one-man creative force behind Say Hi, which was previously went by the much better name of Say Hi to Your Mom. Sure, that name may be immature and juvenile, but it’s also totally awesome; changing it is like the Butthole Surfers changing their name to the Surfers. What’s the point? Needless name changes aside, Say Hi’s latest release, The Wishes and the Glitch, is a solid collection of low-fi synth-rock numbers that should appeal to fans of the band no matter what name they’re currently using. While Elbogen may have changed the band’s name in an effort to grow up, his songwriting has not changed, so fans of his vampire and robot-themed tracks on previous albums should be happy that he’s kept his kooky sense of humor intact with tracks like “Northwestern Girls” and “Magic Beans and Truth Machines.” Say Hi might be a little too mellow for synth-pop fans, but indie-rocker hipsters looking to expand their musical collection into the electronic arena should find this to be a good one to try out. (LABEL: Euphobia Records 2008) |
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Listening to an EP is usually a lot like dating a Mormon – no matter how much fun the thing is, just when you’re getting warmed up, it’s all over before you get to the payoff. But Rotten in Denmark, the solo debut from Davey La, former lead singer of the Ambershades (you’ve never heard of them, which is probably the main reason why Davey’s solo and some of his ex-bandmates are schlepping the globe with James Blunt), is more like a trial-size bag of Skittles – there’s a whole rainbow of bright pop flavors in here, but the portion size is small enough to keep you from gorging yourself on the sweetness (and, more importantly, to keep Davey La from tossing in a few clunkers to harsh your buzz). There’s nothing rotten (or appreciably Danish) about it, but fans of driving, guitar-based, hook-filled pop music will be too busy eating this up with a spoon to care. Davey’s got a perfectly elastic voice, a way with a hook, and his tongue planted firmly in his cheek; there’s no way in hell he’ll manage to keep up this kind of glorious momentum over a full-length LP, but no matter – we’ll always have Denmark. (LABEL: Nylo 2008) |
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In which the formerly electronic trio mentored by the Stone Roses’ Ian Brown and UNKLE’s James Lavelle moves ever-deeper into traditional pop/rock territory. South’s fourth album might catch longtime fans slightly off-guard, what with the presence of actual guitars; for everyone else, however, You Are Here will pass in one ear, out the other, and find nary a resting place in between. It’s easy to see why these guys have become favorites of TV music supervisors for shows such as “Six Feet Under” and “The O.C.” – their songs make for perfect, non-intrusive background music. Aside from the album’s nifty third track, “Better Things,” You Are Here’s 13 songs make a thoroughly unconvincing case for the band. There are no obvious soft spots, but that’s only because the album never really works up enough of a sweat to draw you in – it’s just track after track of bland, middling indie pop. Maybe they should put the guitars back in storage. (LABEL: bluhammock/Young American 2008) |
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