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The Besnard Lakes – Are the Roaring Night (In Real Time)

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on January 14, 2010

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besnardlakes-roaringnight The Besnard Lakes - Are the Roaring Night (In Real Time)

Haven’t done a real Real Time Review in a while. As The Besnard Lakes seem to have a rather anticipated album coming around the bend that I just gripped, this seemed like as good of opportunity as any. The Besnard Lakes are a lot of things. They are Brian Wilson meets Ennio Morricone meets The Delgados meets Serena Maneesh. They are a band that does not sound like The Arcade Fire. They are the dark horse as well as the roaring night. They either have a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor or they really think a lot of themselves. They also do not fuck around. Nor shall I. Let’s do this:

“Like The Ocean, Like The Innocent Pt. 1: The Ocean” - One immediate avenue straight into Kenny Bloggins’ heart is incorporation of The Conet Project into music. I actually plan on (and have been for some time) writing a feature piece on the incorporation of broadcast (especially eerie samples a la numbers stations) in music. Bessy Lakes is already on that within 30 seconds into the introductory track, so ten points for them right off the bat.

“Like The Ocean, Like The Innocent Pt. 1: The Innocent” – Begins with The Besnards Lakes trademark distant Brian Wilson-evocative vocal cries. Then the track starts to rip it. Explosive and epic, like a dream pop version of Bruce Springsteen sans sappy lyrics. I can get behind that. Soaring and gorgeous – this is get-it-done music. My day is going to be victorious from mashing play on this jam, and I feel like an asshole for not writing a song this good. The meeting of syrupy harmony and beautiful yet ominous guitar tones puts out a sort of beach at night in a post-apocalyptic time sort of vibe, if that makes sense. That, of course, is not to mention the the lyrical content discussing picking up signals on the shortwave, which reminds me of the Cold War in general in tandem with war themed cover art. Olga’s vocals dropping in the chorus is fucking impeccable.

“Chicago Train” – The Brian Wilson tonality always slams triumphant in the more sparse, atmospheric songs. However, the psych-slanted honey-tinged sweet pop melodies really evoke The Zombies more than anything on “Chicago Train.” This is always a great thing. More bands would be awesome if they took their cues from The Zombies than, I dunno, Led Zep. Just my belief. Song hits hard at the end. Much better than actually riding the Chicago trains, though I lived neared the Red Line during my time there, and it was always under construction. I digress.

“Albatross” - Oh, love the vocal lead from Olga and corrugated, flangey guitar. Reminiscent of, like, Velocity Girl, with a crowd-pleasing harmonic bliss out built in. When discussing shoegazing, the “Phil Spector sound wall” is often referenced, but they intrinsically sound different. The crescendo of “Albatross” is a true blue reinterpretation of this sound.

“Glass Printer” - The fluid bass, large fuzzy guitars, shoegaze-informed reverberated fast picking riffing, and cascading melody reminds me of The Brian Jonestown Massacre during their creative height. Dramatic and blissful. Love this.

“Land Of Living Skies Pt. 1: The Land” – Static-saturated ambient breather a la Godspeed. Always a good style.

“Land Of Living Skies Pt. 1: The Living Skies” - Western reverb on the guitars coupled with a general desolate mood and pervasive melancholia. Great oceanic mood until the chorus dropped. which felt a bit lackluster on this one since it seems they were borrowing sounds and melodies from previous songs (though this might be apropos to the album concept). Well, hey, you can’t hit it out of the park every time.

“And This Is What We Call Progress” – Driving percussion, thick tremolo, and an ever expanding moodiness give this a Bear In Heaven (and thus, Bark Psychosis) vibe.

“The Lonely Moan” - Dreamy and lush space pop on this number. Fans of Windy & Carl listen up.

“Light Up The Night” – Opening with a Flaming Lips-style orchestral movement. Pretty darn beautiful. The minor key melody is beautiful, but the guitar solo detracts from the building intensity, whereas it worked well on “The Innocent” (though that track and this final track do sound similar – seeing what you all did there with a “full circle” theme). Turns out not to be the best ending to the album, compared to the intensity established in the first half.

Welp… Besnard Lakes dropped a doosy that a lot of folks can get in to, and I suppose I’m one of them. Are the Roaring Night is a better and more mature effort compared with 2007’s Are the Dark Horse. While the album can be hit or miss, particularly toward its tail end, the triumphant atmospheric pop permeating throughout totally outweighs any missteps. The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night gets the Kenny Bloggins seal of approval.

Album drops on March 9 courtesy of Jagjaguwar.

For fans of: Slowdive, Olivia Tremor Control, non-crappy Mercury Rev, Brian Wilson

Fagen-Becker Quality Rating steelydan2 The Besnard Lakes - Are the Roaring Night (In Real Time)

MP3 :::
Files removed per request. You can download “Albatross” here

The N.E.C. – Is

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on January 11, 2010

in Praise and Malaise

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NEC_Cover The N.E.C. - Is

The first awesome album of 2010 is about to drop from a group of guys you’re probably not familiar with. Hopefully that changes soon. Meet The N.E.C., an acronym for Natural Extension Concept. Their shit is enlightened. The group’s 10″ EP was listed in our Year End List 2009, wherein The N.E.C. was referred to as “the southern response to No Age.” That’s a good reference point, as is fellow Atlantans Deerhunter, though The N.E.C. maintains a more acute and strictly defined approach to space punk.

The N.E.C. has concocted a beautiful, cohesive album with Is, and the only disappointment is its brevity (mas roca, por favor)! Laced with pervasive, dub-like tape echo, atomic shoegaze tonality, loose song structures with gritty production, violent monolithic reverb, ambient explorations, snakey riffs, and an overall melodic sheen, The N.E.C.’s retro futuristic garage psych is distinct yet familiar.

“It’s Right,” within a minute and a half, lets you know where The N.E.C.’s loyalties lie, and they fight fervently on the side of Echoplex, complemented with triumphant percussion, total decibel damage, and guitars so crunchy that gallons of Korova milk couldn’t make that shit soggy. The epic “Dead of Night” explores various strata – everything from fuzzy dream pop to classic dust-swept garage rock to noise in under three minutes, ending with an explosion of skull-crushing… bells. You gotta hear it.

This band is awesome. This record is awesome. And the passive voice is always on point. Is is available at the group’s website. Go see about it. If Is is not RIAA-certified gold by the beginning of Q3 this year, I’m calling shenanigans on all you dorks.

For fans of: No Age, Spacemen 3, Nothing People

Fagen-Becker Quality Rating

MP3 :::
The N.E.C. – It’s Right
The N.E.C. – Dead of Night

Vampire Weekend – Contra (In Real Time)

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on January 4, 2010

in Praise and Malaise and Publicity Stunts

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vampire_weekend_contra Vampire Weekend - Contra (In Real Time)

Aw gee whiz you guys! Did U here teh Good News? Vampy WEAKndz are streaming new album at they MahSpace Can’t wait to revue in reel tyme zOMG! Eatin’ th’ puddin’!

“Horchata” – A troubling tale in which the Vamps are forcibly coerced from the Cape Cod IHOP for requesting a Horchata-based substitute in the acclaimed Rutti Tutti Fresh & Fruity dish (make that four plz!). A good story with a moral – play it cool in the ‘HOP before they toss you out in the street and get your Dockers dirty. The bridge goes into disgusting detail about Ezra Koenig’s afrobeat-influenced lactose intolerance. Song sucks, however.

“White Sky” – Heavy jug influence on this one. This song is about trolling the Collected Animals board for new ideas. It’s alright.

“Holiday” – The defining statement of Upper West Side Soweto Jared Leto, “Holiday” is a whimsical journey exploring the warm memories all children have – receiving your first Lacoste sweater for Christmas, the merriment and joy on dear Father’s yacht, Aegean Sea fishing trips, tee times with the playdates, learning to bake brandied fig truffles to bring to your prep school class, and private Lamellophone lessons - coupled with, of course, lyrics that you could double dutch on the jump rope to. Song probably sucks.

“California English” – This is the exposition to a three-part politically-charged suite. The band takes their first issue-based stance, extolling the virtues of English as the official language of the United States, with preference to interjections “like,” “awwwww-esome,” and “dude” as properly recognized usage. The sound is reminiscent of Kevin Costner & The Modern West meets total club banger. Song sucks.

“Taxi Cab” – Continuing with said theme, “Taxi Cab” concerns the band missing a celebrity-laden BBQ fundraising gala because they couldn’t effectively communicate with their cabbie (see the themes explored in “California English”). Settled for a more modest meal of foie gras with coriander-spiced rice pilaf at a charming Chelsea-area bistro (though Ezra eschews his pedigree, lamenting that he wants to be like “common people” and enjoy a heaping pile of IHOP’s Rutti Tutti Fresh and Fruity – see “Horchata”). A heart-wrenching, tragic song. Kinda sucks, though.

“Run” – The third and final installment of the political narrative, the band is forced to run to their next Vogue photo shoot since they ran behind schedule. Bummer. Reminiscent of Kris Kross’ “I Missed the Bus” meets, I think, Barenaked Ladies.

“Cousins” – This song is about wanting to have afrobeat-influenced forbidden fuckins with your cousins. Originally titled “Banging Proper (Polanski’s Lament).” High-larious, but ultimately shitty.

“Giving Up the Gun” – This song deals with the time honored practice of administering your first beege for initiation to the Skull & Bones society. A lovely, heartwarming reflection on innocence lost and coming to terms with your sexuality. I can get behind that. Still sucks, but in a different way.

“Diplomat’s Son” – Murtaugh is still the family man. Riggs is still the daredevil, but now he counts the odds before bucking them. This time, Riggs and Murtaugh are on the trail of South African diplomats who are using their immunity to engage in criminal activities. Along the way, there’s a six-story plummet from a window, a booby-trapped toilet, an underwater escape, and, most importantly, frisbee golf.

“I Think Ur a Contra” – A criticism of Columbia University’s English department. Originally titled “I Think Ur a Contra lol.” A decent battle cry, but ultimately sucks.

[Editor's Note: Didn't actually listen to Contra. Thanks to Jah Beezy for his additional insights on this review. It's also worth mentioning that TDT writer Michael Hansen has had a lobster dinner purchased for him, not once, but twice by Mr. Bill Cosby. Have him tell you the story.]

Fagen-Becker Quality Rating

Liars – Sisterworld

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on December 24, 2009

in Praise and Malaise

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liars-sisterworld-aa Liars - Sisterworld

A quick and barely coherent review, as I’m groggy from holiday travels and a bit buzzed from holiday libations. But seeing as Sisterworld leaked almost 24 hours ago, we had to get this review up a.s.a.p. Hopefully Web Sheriff won’t shut down down like he/she did last year at this time for the Merriweather leak. So, moving forward…

I’m not sure if Liars often find themselves in the same conversation as some of the most revered names in contemporary music. Probably not (though they don’t need the overhyping). Their trajectory runs quite parallel to, say, Radiohead and Wilco. Liars, like the aforementioned, began their journey as something accessible, and over the years, acutely turned into something more unique and significant. At the height of the dance punk craze, Liars’ released their boring debut They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top. It was loved and fans were engaged. Then, the band got very interesting and released They Were Wrong, So We Drowned. It was a Lou Reed moment – the album was strange and bore no resemblance to their previous jam hive. I loved Drowned personally, but it was generally disliked. Liars honed in their experimental sensibilities in a more focused and acclaimed work through Drum’s Not Dead, then followed up with their more straightforward eponymous record one year later. Many distinct movements, all without jumping the shark. Sound familiar?

Sisterworld finds Liars taking another turn. The noise bursts of their latter work is gone, and so is the rhythm of their early releases. Sparse, epic, eclectic, shape shifting, and somewhat optimistic, Sisterworld is accessible and bizarre. It’s even pretty at times (see the, like, almost tender vocals and Cocteau Twins-like synth swells on “Too Much Too Much”). “Here Comes All the People” boasts cinematic strings, and “Drip” is a slow burning, glacial lament to lull you before being slung against the wall on “Scarecrows on a Killer Slant.” The trademark chanting of Angus Andrew stamps “Proud Evolution” – the only mark that this is a Liars track, as this song acts as the group’s first real foray into remarkably majestic dream pop. “I Still Can See An Outside World” adopts the popular ’90s post rock quiet-loud dynamic, yet while looking to the future (for example, the guitars are tuned in a way in which the riffs sound backwards… take a listen below). Epic shoegaze punk finds its way on “The Overachievers.”"Goodnight Everything” begins with samples of, perhaps, androids being built on the assembly line over a snaky guitar line, which snowballs into a battle march. Raping and pillaging ensues.

So, the common denominator here is that Liars have moved from the garage to outer space. Sisterworld is large and expansive, sounding close to some sort of vague concept record without coming off as pretentious or wanky. Liars drop another nickle in the awesome jar, and perhaps have earned a spot on the “most underrated” list over the past decade.

MP3 :::
Liars – I Still Can See An Outside World
Liars – Too Much, Too Much

Bear in Heaven – Beast Rest Forth Mouth

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on December 2, 2009

in Praise and Malaise

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bear-in-heaven-lovesick-teenagers Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth

I’ll try to keep this short, since Bear in Heaven’s recently released debut Beast Rest Forth Mouth will probably be all over the Intarwebz and college radio soon, and people with more sophisticated prose than I will be discussing this jam hive. But I’m a verbose bro, so we’ll see what happens. This is what you need to know, in easy-to-read bullet format:

- Bear in Heaven is not to be confused with Grizzly Bear, Panda Bear, Gorilla Vs. Bear, Bear Bryant, The Black Bear Jamboree in Pigeon Forge, TN (which is the tits, don’t be misled), Bearforce1 (look it up if U DON’T KNO), Smokey the Bear, et fuckin’ cetera. They’re totally different than the aforementioned. They just have “bear” in the name. “Bear” is the new “wolf.” Or “crystal.” Or “sufjan.” Crystal Bears are Wolf Like Sufjan. I challenge The Hood Internet to mash that up.

- Bear In Heaven isn’t exactly new. They’ve been doing the damn thing since 2003. Before that, group founder Jon Philpot (not to be confused with Pol Pot – see first bullet) was half of Presocratics, who were sick and insane. Peep Works and Days.

- Yes, they formed in Brooklyn, but I’m really not trying to hold that against them.

- “Dust Cloud” and “Deafening Love” are near perfect songs. “Wholehearted Mess” is kinda shitty, though.

- That last fact notwithstanding, the album as a whole is really good. Remember when M83 released the Dead Cities set and it totally ruled? Then M83 released the follow-up, Before the Dawn Heals Us, and it sucked major dick? Bear in Heaven is reminiscent of the former, but only reminiscent. They don’t actually sound like M83. They sound closer to some sort of Public Image Ltd./Siouxie Souix/Bark Psychosis meets Cocteau Twins/Curve/Boo Radleys creature.

- All the songs are constructed from ideas straight out of the Mogwai School of Thought: constantly evolving and tension-building jams that collapse and fade. Their approach is much closer to this than the nuanced, motorik drive of krautrock. However, that genre definition has been thrown around in a few recent reviews for Beast Rest Forth Mouth. Don’t listen to these people because they are idiots. Bear in Heaven is an excellent nod to post rock and dream pop, not krautrock.

- For reasons that remain intangible, there’s something about Philpot’s vocals that is viscerally similar to REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin, especially during the crescendo of “Bear in Peace” and the chorus of “Lovesick Teenagers.” I think that rules. REO Speedwagon plus shoegaze is a recipe for win.

- I can’t tell what’s synthetic and what’s live instrumentation, much like Manitoba’s Up in Flames. That’s a great style, too.

- This is why we don’t release our Best Of/Worst Of list until the actual end of the year. You never know when stuff like this will pop up.

For fans of: Cocteau Twins, Fever Ray, Slowdive, Bark Psychosis

Fagen-Becker Quality Rating

MP3 :::
Bear in Heaven – Dust Cloud
Bear in Heaven – Deafening Love

Animal Collective – Fall Be Kind (In Real Time)

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on November 18, 2009

in Praise and Malaise

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Animal_Collective_Fall_Be_Kind Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind (In Real Time)

Haven’t done a real time review in a while, and hey, Fall Be Kind just leaked. Let’s see what’s up. Here’s a live blogging of my thoughts, revisited only for editorial clarity or to fix grammatical errors…

Graze (5:22) - Dang, kinda sounds like a Disney film. Like, this fits in well in Aladdin specifically. A ballad sung by Jafar. Dreamy piano drops in at the 2-minute mark. Kinda John Tesh-y. The synth swells and whispy vocals a minute later is similar to Mercury Rev, but like, kinda bad Mercury Rev (via All is Dream). The song’s climax picks up where “Brothersport” left off… safari music. Reminds me of this big exhibit they had at King’s Island when I was a kid, where they’d blast fun Afrobeat while you ride the tram through the various habitats of savannah creatures. The hippos were my favorite. They liked to chill.

What Would I Want? Sky (6:46) - Heavy, trippy, multi-layered percussion and driving rhythm with an almost trip-hop/psych-hop flavor. I like having Avey Tare back in the foreground on throat duty, though the aforementioned visceral Disney tones prevents him from unleashing his vocal chords via “People” or “Grass.” Chorus melody is a little corny, though, and kinda sounds like Metric. The vibe, though, is unlike anything they’ve done before. Wish the shiny production was taken down a notch. It doesn’t suit them. Good track for the most part, though.

Bleeding (3:28) – Space rock backdrop and Noah/Dave vocal interplay that doesn’t really head anywhere after…. what, about three minutes. But if “Bleeding” was a minute and a half long jam… this would’ve been a cut. Almost reminiscent of “Banshee Beat,” but sans some of the mysticism.

On a Highway (4:36) - The creepy voice and drones sound promising. Turns into a relaxed song about smokin’ hash, road trippin’, and not wazzin’ your trousers. Kinda forgot about it playing because I was reading this article on insane, abandoned Cold War projects. Ended up being boring all in all. The song, not the article.

I Think I Can (7:10) - A sort of trance beat anchors this song, with huge percussion dropping in and Panda-led vocal harmonies. Just like Merriweather Post Pavilion. Actually, almost exactly like MPP.

Final thoughts: Looking forward to all the flaming that will occur in the comment sections, but whatever. Maybe it’s because I was listening to George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass and Wire’s Pink Flag this morning, two albums so perfect that it’s hard for anyone to follow it up. But maybe Animal Collective just doesn’t have it anymore. No more insane vocal yelps from Avey or destroyed song structures. Just cartoon pop with some cool sounds every now and again. I know they’re all husbands and dads now, but maybe the drugs were doing good things to their collective headspace circa 2004 (and AC was smart enough to hide their stash on tour, LOL KING KHAN!). I mean, I dunno… it is what it is. Animal Collective are a group with ample talent and an adventurous spirit, and I’m sure they will have a sort of “return to form,” even without repeating the successful forumlae found on Sung Tongs. In the interim though, I’ll probably just go back to listening to the new Tune Yards record and continue about my day. I’d like to see more “What Would I Want? Sky,” por favor. Less Sebastian from The Little Mermaid. Plz?

Fall Be Kind is out on Domino on December 15. JUST IN TYMEZ 4 CHRIMMMASSS!

MP3 :::
Animal Collective – What Would I Want? Sky [excerpt only - don't wanna get Web Sheriffed]

Tune-Yards – Bird-Brains

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on November 17, 2009

in Praise and Malaise

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614HfnEQFVL Tune-Yards - Bird-Brains

There’s a method to the madness, I tell ya. The blog ran a contest a couple of weeks ago, asking our readers what they’d like to see more of. A sort of suggestion box or comment card. A common theme was “shorter reviews.” Alright then, I’ll try to keep the brevity rocking hard on this one.

In a nutshell, Tune Yards (which is officially denoted as tUnE-yArDs, but since typing toggle case is kind of an ass pain, I’ll stay with MLA style) is one of the most schizophrenic and beautiful records to grace these ears this year. Bird-Brains is completely demented and angular, kinda like Xiu Xiu, but without treading the blurry line between “artistic vision” and “just fuckin’ around” that Mr. Stewart always straddled firmly. Perhaps a better description might be To Live And Shave in LA meets expressive female vocals and a folk-centric headspace. Bird-Brains, on the surface, is mostly constructed from spanish guitar, drum machines, found sounds, broken samples, and a sort of totally fucked, anything-goes “playfulness with artistic purpose” that almost evokes the ethos (though not necessarily the sound) of Captain Beefheart and Sun City Girls. And with this pallette, Tune-Yards explores the vast strata of freak folk, druggy pop, and musique concrete. As a taste, “Lions” almost resembles a sea chanty, “Sunlight” is a sort of brooding acid pop, “News” is a sunny kitchen sink sing-along with panged lyrics and general vibe of “just dropped off a song to the studio on the way to the store,” “Fiya” is a perfect stab at early psych folk, “Jamaican” builds a barely danceable beat around a recording of what I believe to be a child’s cough and a drill, and “Real Live Flesh” is sorta dubby. And that’s less than half the album represented. Oh yeah, almost forgot… there’s yodeling to be found on “Hatari.” Wowzers. So to that end, I love this record. Anything that’s challenging for me to describe always gets two thumps up and repeated listens on the ghetto blaster. I have no idea what’s happening half the time, and that keeps the intrigue level strong.

This statement might sound snobby, but whatever, it’s gotta be said. A lot of people are going to say they like the Tune-Yards album because it’s picking up a little buzz and it’s considered, ya know, arty. And these people will be goddamn liars. This album is as difficult as a Throbbing Gristle record. It just happens to have hooks and deceivingly positive vibes.

So don’t go into this listening experience expecting Dirty Projectors or Grizzly Barrrrr or whatever the fuck. Tune Yards are next level. You’ve been warned.

Anyway, Kenny Bloggins thinks 4AD should give all its St. Vincent budget to Tune-Yards to keep writing, recording, and touring. This shit is gospel. And it’s available this week, so go see about it.

For fans of: Tickley Feather, Xiu Xiu, Holy Modal Rounders with beats

MP3 :::
Tune-Yards – Sunlight
Tune-Yards – News

Dragon Turtle – Almanac

Published

Michael Hansen

on November 13, 2009

in Praise and Malaise

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dragon_turtle_almanac_wb Dragon Turtle - Almanac

Dragon Turtle, the duo of Brian Lightbody and Tom Asselin (of Lewis & Clarke), is the newest project to arise from the enigmatic La Société Expéditionnaire. Their debut full-length Almanac, is an expansive 45-minute trek that explores an alternating fear and awe of the natural world, and everything in between. They didn’t pack lightly either, hoarding a curious mix of folk, kraut rock, post rock, and small touches of world music.

The maiden voyage of “Causality” pushes off with warm cider acoustic picking, muffled distant bongos and various textural percussion. Mountain-enveloping swarms of foggy synths drift in and idle as quiet wails in the background provoke riffs to thaw out slowly from the mix. Other tracks like “Moon Fallout” follow suit with cloud-bursting strings and downtrodden vox that somberly consent to the ebb and flow, setting up thematic contrast for the desolate episodes that explode like glorious outbursts of cabin fever. So even when ambient side paths like the 11-minute “Hourglass” seem static, and probably run on for longer than they need to, they still manage to artfully contribute tension to the tracklist. This is definitely an album that makes more sense when listened to in one sitting.

At times, the mingling of antiquated instrumentation evokes the hermetic splendor of the Microphones opus The Glow Part 2, while the anxious kraut pace of “Island of Broken Glass” marries fireside calypso, dislocated melodies, and charred guitar work into something that could easily be mistaken for the collage work of Faust. This is exampled especially on the claustrophobic vignette “Apophis”, sporting bizarre french speak-singing, banjo twiddling, and choppy samurai licks.

What we have here is very much a studio-crafted album, with many exhaustive hours spent in the band’s personal hideout One Forest, experimenting and harnessing the perfect textures for their cause. At times, the obsession with pure sound can borrow a limb from their focus on composition. A few cuts like the oddly naked pensive noodling of “Hometime” feels like an afterthought, or a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit but was jammed in anyway. Almanac is not perfectly conceived, nor is it always spectacular, but it is consistently immersive the entire way through, culminating in some of the most intense moments of frantic beauty to come out of my speakers all year. The unique sound space that these two have carved out is worthy of your attention alone. Highly conceptual with little pretension, and passionately constructed, these ten tracks turn over enough gems along the way that I am already salivating for their next release. Not an album to miss out on.

Almanac is available now through the folks at La Société Expéditionnaire.

For Fans Of: The Microphones/Mt. Eerie, some Faust, Six Organs of Admittance

MP3 :::
Dragon Turtle – Island of Broken Glass
Dragon Turtle – Moon Fallout

The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on November 4, 2009

in Praise and Malaise

. Comments

The%20Big%20Pink%20-%20A%20Brief%20History%20of%20Love The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love

The Big Pink currently enjoy an astounding wave of Intarwebz hype, but I certainly won’t let that affect my opinion of the their debut A Brief History of Love. However, the record itself just happens to suck, all things considered. No, the hype didn’t ruin the listening experience. It just epically blows, hype or not.

Yes, The Big Pink is a true and accurate nod to shoegazing, and yes, I love shoegaze and second-wave shoegaze. However, it’s bad shoegazing, dude. It’s The Jesus and Mary Chain AFTER Darklands. Ya know, when they made rad videos for “Sidewalking” and shit, with, like, their name on a big marquee behind them while the Reid brothers are fuckin’ rawwwkin’ (one of the few unintentional hilarious decisions of the Creation camp). Gross…

There are some worthwhile moments on this album, such as “Velvet,” wherein the band combines their natural pop-centric attitude with truly thick distortion swells and harmonies, coming off more like The Catherine Wheel or The Boo Radleys than, ya know, an even shittier version of Pop Will Eat Itself or somethin’. Maybe The Big Pink could rename themselves Pop Will Shit Itself. That would be poignant. But even if the whole album was packed with songs like “Velvet,” no amount of quality songwriting on A Brief History of Love can make up for “Dominoes.” That song gave me gastric pains. As Jeffrey said while we were listening to the record in the office, “it’s like Jesus Jones goes on a date with Kevin Shields, and JJ tells everyone they slept together, and Kevin is totally embarrassed.” Gotta do better next time, 4AD.

So yeah, this record is doo doo. I’m totally bummed. Gonna listen to the new No Age EP instead for a pick-me-up. Laters.

For fans of: Jesus Jones, Shitty-period Jesus and Mary Chain, The Jesus (circa Big Lebowski)

Fagen-Becker Quality Rating

MP3 :::
The Big Pink – Velvet

White Rainbow – New Clouds

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on October 22, 2009

in MP3 and Praise and Malaise

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krank137 White Rainbow - New Clouds

Effects pedals tweaker Adam Forkner, a.k.a. White Rainbow, has a lot going on for a relatively new artist. Besides touring Europe and supporting Deerhunter, dude also fist bumps Pauly Shore (see the Possibly Relevant links below). But what’s probably most relevant is that his new body of work for Kranky, New Clouds, is a funky, technicolor, rainbows-and-gumdrops psychedelic score for modern dance. Four songs, 60ish minutes long, and genre ambiguous, New Clouds is a beautiful and driving aural jaunt that, at the sake of sounding like a cheesedick, you just sorta get lost in. This is good vibes head music for folks who’s got, what Bad Brains called, that P.M.A. This album got my day started this morning.

I’ve tossed around the label “ambient music for people who don’t like ambient music” more than once, but it’s undeniably a good label for White Rainbow. There are no lyrics or verse/chorus actions (as you would expect from music often reviewed on this blog), but there’s lots of melody, lots of lush instrumentation, lots of texture, intricate rhythm, vague vocal chants, and a tension-and-release dynamic that makes New Clouds almost pop-oriented at times. If you haven’t peeped ol’ Rainbow yet, think of him as a shoegazey version of Growing that spent more time in the woods meditating, collecting cool threads, and partaking in the good peyote. And like Growing, who spent time frightening the Hot Chip fans on a supporting string of dates, White Rainbow also opens for a group infinitely inferior to him (Yacht… bleh) on a southeastern Asia vision quest. But hey, I can jive with whatever spreads his krautrock forest gospel.

New Clouds is a beautiful record, and surprisingly upbeat. Use it to get your day started. Or use it as the centerpiece in bong-rippin’ activities. New Clouds goes both ways. And it just dropped this week on Kranky. Go see about it.

For fans of: Belong, Growing, Cloudland Canyon

POSSIBLY RELEVANT :::
Most Psychedelic Times with White Rainbow, Pauly Shore, and the Hurdy Gurdy Bro
[Photos + Video] Deerhunter, Dan Deacon, and No Age with White Rainbow and More – 8.4.09 – Southgate House, Newport

MP3 :::
White Rainbow – All the Boogies in the World (excerpt)