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It begins with the solemn, yet hopeful "Sinister In A State of Hope." Svanängen's voice is strong in character, yet utterly fragile; sounding like you could shatter it with the slightest breeze. A breathy tenor, he sings earnestly, "All I want is a state of hope," and your heart breaks. The first single from the album, "I am John" is a much more upbeat affair, but no more uplifting lyrically. Svanängen mutters, "And I told you, I was never gonna let you down, never gonna let you down. But I will always let you down." The song climaxes with the smooth roar of a clarinet, drums, and tenor-goodness. It's a beautiful song, and a wonderful introduction to anyone who hasn't heard the artist yet.
"I am the Odd One" begins with the artist lamenting, "I am sorry, honestly I'm sorry, I ruined your day." The song continues with subtle whistles, the familiar clarinet, and a gentle guitar progression and is both inspiring and depressing when Svanängen sings "You got it wrong, you took a glance at me, said I'm the odd one" in the chorus. It's followed by the standout track on the album, and the incredibly remarkable "No One Can Win." The melody here is gorgeous and slowly builds into an all out heartbreaker. A line like "The sun never reaches here. The shadows have won, " is standard whiny indie rock fare, but when Emil sings it with every last bit of humanity within himself, it comes off as poetry of the utmost grandeur!
The album continues with short reflections like "I Will Call You Lover Again" and "The Meter Marks Okay," while also adding in another captivating song in "And I Won't Cause Anything at All." It possesses a steady electronic beat that complements Svanängen's voice perfectly, each at their most-subtle. The album seems to begin like a breath of fresh air. It ends here like a much-needed exhale. Softly, it is released, and it is gone. The experience of listening to "Loney, Noir" is just as refreshing.
The album bleeds with his frailty, and one can't help but think that that's part of it's appeal. While people could compare him to Bright Eyes in many ways, Conor Oberst seems almost fraudulent when compared to Loney, Dear. Perhaps it's just his more-accessible voice, but Svanängen has surprised me by crafting an album that is not only beautiful, complex, and gut-wrenching, but undeniably charming. 2007 continues to impress with so many stellar albums being consistently released. "Loney, Noir" is one of the best so far. I've still never been to Sweden, but I feel about as close to it as ever.
Recommended for fans of Bright Eyes, Sufjan Stevens, I'm From Barcelona, and anyone who needs a breath of fresh air in music form.
Key Tracks:
1. "Sinister In a State of Hope"
2. "I Am John"
3. "Saturday Waits"
4. "I Am the Odd One"
5. "No One Can Win"
Friday, March 09, 2007
Loney, Dear: "Loney, Noir"
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
3/6/2007: The Shins w/ Viva Vocé - Houston, TX
"Hey, y'all. We do not fuck around!"
These are the lyrics chosen by Kevin and Anita Robinson of Viva Vocé to start their performance. In doing so, the band that nobody was there to see started the evening on a light-hearted, if not humorous note. Of course, it's one thing to say "We do not fuck around." It's an entirely different thing to back it up with your music. But Viva Vocé wasn't messing around. With just two members they filled the venue with so much noise that you'd think you were listening to The Polyphonic Spree. While Kevin plays the guitar, harmonica, and drums (sometimes simultaneously), he's also harmonizing with Anita's sweeter-than-sugar vocals. But the sweetness of Anita ends there. When she's not mesmerizing you with her voice, she's scaring the hell out of you with what she's doing with the rest of her body. Flailing away on a guitar so heavily that Jimi Hendrix would wet his pants...in the grave! So imagine, if you will, the hairiest man in the world pounding away at the drums while his beautiful wife totally out-mans him on the guitar for six entire minutes! Viva Vocé keeps their word. And just to remind you, they end the show the same way they started it. "Hey, y'all. We do not fuck around!" No. You sure don't.
Thirty minutes later and my hind quarters were sore from sitting on the floor. I needed a reason to stand up and the guy tuning guitars on stage just wasn't doing it for me. But wait, I recognize something. The lights go off suddenly as I realize that what I'm hearing is nothing but the fluttering synth arpeggio of "Sleeping Lessons." The Shins take the stage in all their nerdy, awkward glory and rock the hell out of the song, adding in an extra verse just for the hell of it. James Mercer stretches his vocal range to the snapping point even though the song doesn't call for it, but it's appreciated. They continue on with the bouncy "Australia" and then straight onto "Pam Berry/Phantom Limb." Surprisingly, the majority of the fans in the crowd were true Shins fans, knowing more than just the highlights of "Wincing the Night Away." The guy behind me is yelling "Young Pilgrims!" at the top of his lungs in 5 minute intervals. They never play it.
Viva Vocé image by Alicia J. Rose.
The Shins image by Brian Tamborello.
My Brightest Diamond: "Tear It Down"
"Tear It Down" is a really good remix album. The reason for this is simple. The artists who have participated in this project respected Shara Worden's original work. These songs are far different from what Worden originally presented to us several months ago, but the overall feel and themes of the album are not torn apart by someone else's careless remixing. Take, for example, Lusine's remix of "Workhorse." In many ways, it is very similar to the original version of the song. It feels like the same song, and keeps much of the original instrumentation. What it adds are really subtle drums, vocal effects, and minimal instrumentation. It really is a fantastic reinvention of what was already an awesome song.
Much less subtle is the Stakka remix of "Disappear," which features both commanding percussion and gentle strings. When the music drops out and Shara is left singing "I don't think we're meant to stay here" a capella in her upper registry, it is a beauty that we never got to experience in the song's original version. "Dragonfly" features an almost Dntel-ish feel, but remains just as haunting as ever, as is the now more-terrifying "Magic Rabbit." Both songs are prime examples of what a remix should be.
In actuality, most of the album follows this same idea. Much care and respect is given to the original music, and the experience is greater because of it. Even some of "Bring Me the Workhorse's" less appealing songs ("We Were Sparkling" or "The Good and the Bad Guy") have new life breathed into them here. With the exception of the two remixes of "Freak Out," both of which are club remixes, there's not a song on "Tear It Down" that would be incredibly difficult for any fan of My Brightest Diamond to find enjoyment in. Anyone who found "Bring Me the Workhorse" great, but short on lasting appeal should definitely look into purchasing this terrific reinvention of Shara Worden's 2006 masterpiece. If you're just not sure, however, I highly recommend you going over to Astmatic Kitty's website and streaming the album before you purchase it. (http://asthmatickitty.com/music.php?releaseID=70)
Recommended for fans of My Brightest Diamond and anyone who wants to hear what a remix album should sound like!
Key Tracks:
1. "Workhorse (Lusine)"
2. "Disappear (Stakka)"
3. "Dragonfly (Murcof)"
4. "Magic Rabbit (Alfred Brown)"
5. "We Were Sparkling (Haruki)"
Monday, March 05, 2007
!!!: "Myth Takes"
Not instantaneously though. The album starts off subtly with the title track, "Myth Takes," which really serves as an introduction to the album if anything. It's spaghetti western guitars and dance punk doo-wop ("Sha-sha-sha-sha-sha doobie") trick you into believing that the album is going to be a low-key affair, but as it fades out you're soon treated to the pounding drums and all-around intensity of "All My Heroes are Weirdos." Go ahead and shut yourself in your bedroom. Freak out. No one's watching, and you know you want to.
"Must Be the Moon" utilizes a funky bass line and a steady rhythm to create what is arguably the strongest song on the album in overall danceability, while "A New Name" shows off the guitar and has an almost old-school disco feel to it. Both of the songs are incredible and clearly demonstrate the group's vast talents. "Heart of Hearts," the album's first single is a fairly strong track that should be incredible live, but is really plagued by !!!'s biggest flaw; poor lyricism. Of course, when you're playing music that is meant to be danced to, lyrics are always going to take a back seat. Anyone expecting to be moved by deep lyrics should probably look elsewhere.
The album slows down a little bit on "Sweet Life" but eventually explodes into 100% U2-ish anthem grandeur before the track comes to a close. The band is at their most experimental here, shying away from the thumps and grooves and substituting knob tweaks and static. It's a cool song, to be sure. Not as cool, however, as "Yadnus," my personal favorite on the album. The song's strong bass line and groove is complemented perfectly by flutters of string orchestration and cackling "Ah ah ah ah ah ahs" to form an awesome, almost eerie sound. Here, lead singer, Nic Offer, sings, "I'll take anyone. New York to London. They say brave men run to the sound fun," and you can't help but sing along by the time the verse rolls around the second time. It is by far the standout track on "Myth Takes."
The cleverly named "Bend Over Beethoven" and "Break In Case of Anything" keep the energy moving, the latter of which features some stellar brass-instrumentation. At one point near the middle of the song, the instruments hit some triple-forte staccato attacks that are impossible to not enjoy! "Infinifold" closes the album off on a mellow tone. Unlike the rest of the album, it is really the only song with lyrics that aren't repetitive or lighthearted. The serious tone is definitely welcomed on the album, but "Infinifold" just catches you off guard by it's utter lack of energy. It's only endearing moments are towards the end, as the music swells and the "la la las" are slowly swept away into the silence that caps off the album.
Overall, "Myth Takes" is a pretty rowdy affair by anyone's standards. !!! definitely knows how to blend genres and make it fun. The album can be incredibly fun, and it's pretty easy to get lost in the madness sometimes. Of course, listeners expecting some sort of deep experience are going to be disappointed. The lyrics on "Myth Takes" are unquestionably shallow (and often a bit silly), even by !!!'s standards. All of that is a side note, however, to what is otherwise a fairly strong album, and one that should definitely be checked out.
Recommended for fans of !!!, anyone hosting a dance party, or anyone who just wants to make an idiot out of themselves while alone in their bedroom (or on a dance floor, who knows?).
Key Tracks:
1. "All of My Heroes are Weirdos"
2. "Must Be the Moon"
3. "Sweet Life"
4. "Yadnus"
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Go News Go! - The Weekly News Recap
Form of...Week of February 26th!
- Bjork sets release date for new album, "Volta."
- Stars make a new album without doing sh!t.
- White Stripes announce new album, 2 people care.
- Ryan Adams has a new album, authorities prepare for tidal wave of undeserved hype.
- Some Shins photos to wet your appetite.
- The Pipettes sign to American label, stay hot.
- Umm, Neko Case is hot.
- Ben Gibbard goes solo, breaks hearts.
That's all. Enjoy your weekend.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Album of the Month: February
In any given year, there are always months that have their share of great music and other months that are dull and boring. February is typically one of the latter. While January sets the tone for the year, February is usually categorized by a drought of decent music in anticipation of notable springtime releases. Surprisingly, February wasn't all that bad. We got a few decent albums this month, and even though choosing the winner was easy, picking a runner-up was extremely difficult. That being said, however, I'm really excited for the month of March, which has several big releases. Most of these will hit stores next week, so keep an eye out.
Field Music: "Tones of Town"