Archive for February, 2007
I’ve been listening to The Octopus Project’s One Ten Hundred Thousand Million (Peak-a-Book Records; 2005) all day. I originally got the CD about six months ago, but haven’t really picked it up until today. It’s been a great album to walk to, and I think there are several reasons why I like it so much. [...]
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Ratatat – Classics
Ratatat’s new album, Classics [XL; 2006] is a widely varied texture of genres. Sometimes hip hop, sometimes prog-rock, the album is largely atmospheric, consisting of repetitive hooks which beg for some sort of visual companion. In some ways the album is very “soundtrack-esque”, but I mean this in a very good way. While not the [...]
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Joanna Newsom – Milk-Eyed Mender
Joanna Newsom, a classically trained harpist, blends Appalachian folk with a more contemporary, as some would say “freak folk”, sound. Milk-Eyed Mender (2004, Drag City) is a multi-layered album, featuring powerfully articulate lyrics surrounded by simple, elegant arrangements. What really strikes me is the power of her voice. Originally Joanna planned on being a composer, [...]
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Regina Spektor – Soviet Kitsch
I first heard about Regina Spektor from a friend, and from her description assumed Regina would be a fairly traditional, non-descript folkish singer-songwriter. While my friend’s description was fairly accurate, it didn’t prepare me for Regina’s innovative compositions. Her songs are characterized by a simple, often rubato texture. It’s hard to pick songs to highlight [...]
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When I first picked up the advance copy of Return to Cookie Mountain, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The sound is incredibly unique, and represents the beginning of a departure from TV On the Radio’s first albums Young Liars (2003), New Health Rock (2004), and Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (2004). The album [...]
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Sleater Kinney – Call the Doctor
I’ve just acquired Sleater-Kinney’s album Call the Doctor, released in 1996 on the label Chainsaw. My first exposure to the ban was through their album One Beat (2002, Kill Rock Stars) and The Woods (2005, Sub Pop). It’s always nice to hear the progression of a particular band, which I think is really evident in [...]
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Islands – Return to the Sea
The debut album by the Islands, Return to the Sea, has turned out to be a really impressive collection of songs. Started by Nick Diamonds and J’aime Tambeur, both members of the now defunct band The Unicorns, attempt to blend a wide variety of musical styles together, including hip hop, calypso, folk, and rock. The [...]
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Full Service – Recess
Bonesaw, Hoagman, Smellman and Twink are the persona’s behind Autstin’s Reggae/Rock/Metal group Full Service, who just released their new album, Recess (self-released, 2006). The album features an ecletic mix of vocal harmonies, reggae rhythms and distorted guitars. Even before listening to the album, Full Service’s self-proclaimed “duded-out” persona comes across. They might be the [...]
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Detholz! – Cast Out Devils
Detholz!, a Chicago-based band with devo-esque quips, recently released the album Cast Out Devils (self-released, 2006). The band, pronounced “death holes”, features an ecletic mix of alternative rock riffs and new wave synthesizers, often vamped over lyrics filled with criticism pointed at religion and American culture. Detholz! originally came together while its members attended [...]
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Robotic Jazz
Of course the robot kind of gets rid of the feeling behind Coltrane’s solo, but it’s cool to hear the solo without the rhythm section. It allows you to really appreciate how crazy the key changes in this song are (the tri-tonal system is ridiculous).
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