Review

This was an impulse buy for me.  I happened to be at a local music store the day Swoon was released.  I had heard a song or two by the Silversun Pickups via The Hype Machine, but nothing that really blew me away.  I ended up purchasing the album mostly due to a want of something new to listen to (and the lack of perceived quality from other new releases).  And man, let me just say I'm glad I did.

This is a solid album from front to back. My description in two words: "dark" and "looming".  This theme is embraced throughout, with string and orchestral additions really enhancing the mood on many tracks.  Very catchy hooks and tumbling choruses make this album a lot of fun to listen to again and again.  Even the androgynous lead vocals, which I thought I would hate in short order, have grown on me considerably.

Try them on for size and ponder if you yourself can (or want to) live without this rock.

Silversun Pickups - The Royal We

Visit 'em: Official | Myspace
Purchase: Amazon | iTunes

The latest from Okkervil River (a band deeply entrenched in my heart and brain) starts with some acoustic guitar and gently plucked banjo and simply refuses to quit bringing the poppy-folky rock.  I've been meaning to review this album for quite some time (it was released September 9th), but I'm just now getting around to it.  My love affair with Okkervil River is recent and passionate, as affairs are wont to be.  Will Sheff's voice is smooth and powerful, and then it cracks and breaks and he audibly sputters and spits and it's pure magic.

My only complaint with this record is that it's only 8 songs, but I'm completely willing to forgive this minor fact for such a collection of beautifully composed songs.

[mp3] Singer Songwriter

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(Fun fact: The Stand Ins was charmingly advertised by a series of YouTube videos featuring singers from other bands covering songs from the album.)

The '59 Sound is the new album from the Gaslight Anthem, and, while I'm not sure specifically about 1959, the record evokes some great old rock and roll sounds.

There are a few artists that just sound like America to me.  I'm not talking about in a sappy way, or a violent hillbilly way, but more like a Bruce Springsteen Born to Run way; loose and raw, optimistic despite troubles with love and life.  The Gaslight Anthem sounds like America.  (Of course I mean no disrespect to our friends across the pond; sounding like the UK is nothing to sneeze at.)

Great rock and roll is one thing, but pretty much a surefire way to my heart is a song that is essentially a tribute to Counting Crows.  As far as the song "High Lonesome" is concerned: Bravo, gentlemen.  Bravo indeed.  "Maria came from Nashville with a suitcase in her hand/ I always kinda sorta wished I looked like Elvis."  Just something about a cool band I recently discovered being a fan of my favorite band gives me a feeling of validation, I guess.  So thanks, fellas!

So check it out!  It's punk-Springsteen, and it rocks my face!

[mp3] High Lonesome
[mp3] Great Expectations

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Computer vs. Banjo is two guys you may have heard of (Beau Stapleton, the mandolineer of Blue Merle, and Johnny Mann from Gran Torino) who pit a computer and a banjo in a battle royale.  Well, sort of.  CvB's sound is best described as folk or alt-country with some electronic elements.  Kind of scary, I know, but it actually ends up being a pretty good mix.

Jubilee is a great start to the album that sort of epitomizes and defines it as a whole.  A quavering piano, crazy robot noises, well-placed drums, some sweet guitar sounds, and an awesome banjo make-up this very first track.  The second track, Guitar's Need a Sinner's Touch, has an...interesting start, but the rest of the track is pretty solid, with some sweet sounding banjo sending the track to its close.  Give Up On Ghosts was the first CvB song I heard, and was my initial draw to these guys.  This song just flat out rocks.  A foot-tappin' drum beat and hand-claps form incredibly well around an excellent guitar line.  The next track, Outerspace, features more of those crazy robot noises one might expect to hear in, well, outerspace.  It's an okay song, but it has yet to really do it for me.  Low features quite a few electronic sounds, but it's just so well put together that you can't help but like it.  A sweet intro sends us into San Joaquin, where banjo, guitar, and hand-claps form a dark and groovy melody.  I'm not a big fan of Magazine Queen; it's got way too much "electronic song" feel to it.  I think it's the one instance on the album where, if you listened to this song by itself, you'd think you would have just purchased a techno album.  Stone is a very interesting song that does grow on you; I like the cymbal work that closes the song, very cool.  2heavy2hold looks, by the title, like a song that should be f. Lil MuthaFuh.  In incredibly entertaining fashion, this is actually the wussiest track on the album, and instead f. mucho mandolin.  It's an okay song, I give it a "meh."  Concealed is a well constructed song; I like the beat and general feel it conveys.  Lost is a gem hidden near the end of the album.  It's just great, (and too hard to explain), so give it a listen yourself (below).  Finally, Signs of Passing Time is the end track that looks and sounds like an end track.  It takes a long time to appreciate too; I listened to the album many times before I thought it was more than just filler.

To sum up, don't judge Computer vs. Banjo by their strange name (or their strange cover with the hands and the owl).  They do some genre bending, but the result is not nearly as horrifying as one might naturally assume.  It's good, I'm a fan, and I'm keeping my eye on them in the future.

[mp3] Jubilee
[mp3] Lost

Buy some Computer vs. Banjo: Amazon | iTunes
Visit them online: Official | Myspace

When I purchased this little cd from my local Target, I'm pretty sure the lady at the checkout counter thought it was like olde-tyme-y (which is much older than old-time-y) peasant music or something.  Which briefly got me concerned that I was buying plague-inspired lute music or something.

Good news: It's not!

What it is is truly inspired folk pop with vocal harmonies straight out of Liverpool or possibly Minnesota.  The instrumentation is beautiful and sparse, with subdued guitars and percussion in arrangements meant to let the vocals shine.

Overall the album feels very consistent and like a cohesive whole.  It's an extremely solid album from front to back - a refreshing surprise in a day of one-song albums.  It was difficult to pick just a couple songs to post, because of the strength of the whole record.

So here a couple that were chosen for no particular reason, other than the fact that they are part of an excellent album.  Enjoy these tracks, and then buy the album!

[mp3] Sun It Rises
[mp3] Ragged Wood

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Agony and Irony is the latest from Alkaline Trio, a band that I seriously have such a crush on.  There's just something about how the mix of super-duper catchy (see "Mercy Me," and "Time to Waste", just to name a couple from their album Crimson) and super morbid tongue-in-cheek humor.  It's a world where feelings dismember and love causes car accidents.  I'm talking about albums with regular references to maggots and blood, with song titles like "Take Lots With Alcohol."

"Calling All Skeletons" starts the record off with a serious bang.  It's all raw vocals and handclaps, then driving power chords.  It's one of a couple songs that are sure to spend a lot of time in my ears and brain.  "Help Me," the next song and the album's first single, is another.  It's a great choice as a single; it rocks right along in true Trio fashion and has the added bonus of containing the line "It's giving me the creeps/ A farewell to arms and legs and heads and hearts."

I didn't realize it until I had finished listening to the whole record, but I guess I was hoping there would be an acoustic song on this album, a la "Radio," "Blue in the Face," or "Enjoy Your Day."  "Over and Out" is the closest thing to it, and it almost hits the spot.
But, alas, not quite.

The handclaps on "Calling All Skeletons" were completely unexpected, and "Do You Wanna Know?" features some sweet falsetto vocals in the chorus.  It's another element that I don't think I've heard from the Trio before.

"Do You Wanna Know?" is followed by "Live Young, Die Fast," a nice rocking anthem that leads right into the cynical "Love Love, Kiss Kiss."  The chorus ("Love love, kiss kiss/ Blah blah blah") is just one example of Matt Skiba's biting humor and profound gift for melody.

There are a few songs on the album that don't really do it for me, but it's mostly winners, including a few that are going to stay in steady rotation on my iPod.

[mp3] Calling All Skeletons
[mp3] Over and Out

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As Kraig and I were sitting in between bands at the What Laura Says/Dear and the Headlights show, the "set change music" came on and it happened to be a super-Coldplay mix.  This, of course, got us talking about the new album and Coldplay in general.  Kraig espoused the theory that everyone, whether they will admit it or not, likes Coldplay.  Even Chris Rock.  Not like that that proves anything (no offense Chris Rock), but I kept pondering his theory and what I can't get past is the simple fact that I can't think of anyone I know that actually hates Coldplay.  Very strange indeed...

It has been hard for me to pinpoint my feelings on this album.  On the first couple listens I thought it was excellent, a marked improvement from the utterly disappointing X&Y.  But after a few more listens, the album started to go stale on me.  Certain aspects that I really loved began to sound dull and faded.  After taking a couple days off from listening, I came back and everything sounded crisp and solid to me again.  Now, as I listen to this album yet again, I think I may have finally figured this record out:

Life in Technicolor is a very good start to the album; I don't think of Coldplay for instrumental songs, but they definitely pulled this one off.  A good transition takes us to Cemeteries of London, which features some good use of handclaps and a much darker tone than the colorful opener.  Kraig is probably angry about the "la-la-la's" in this one, but they aren't too bad.  Well, to be honest, they're not too good either.  We flow next into Lost!, a song built on organ, hand-claps, and bongos.  Lost! gets kind of spacey as it starts to wind down, with different deep and high-pitched "Oooh"s, and a lot of floaty organ and guitars.  Taking it down a notch is 42 and its piano and string-filled intro.  The slowdown doesn't last long though, the second-half of 42 comes back up-beat with a vengeance until the outro.

Next one of the more interesting things on this album crops up: the tracks that seem to hold two songs under one title.  I wonder why they tried this; Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love really sound like two separate songs, as do Yes and its other half.  There's a decent amount of dead air smack dab in the middle of both songs, which makes the flow of the "single song" nonexistent.  I wonder if it was perhaps an attempt to play on the title and the "or" concept with these 2-for-1's.  Speaking of Yes, I'm a fan up until the 4 minute mark.  It's very well done up to that point (I really like the stringed instruments in there) then it switches to that second song, its monotonous counterpart, to dull its way to a finish.

I like Viva La Vida; it's good, poppy, catchy, makes sense as a first single.  And I really, really like Violet Hill, and was very surprised and excited for this album when I was able to download it way back when.  Violet Hill's strengths are its guitar play and, surprisingly, its very basic and simple drumming.  The piano-ending is beautiful too.  This song almost convinced me that Coldplay could rock all the time if they wanted to.  However, taken with the rest of the album, it's almost as if Violet Hill was made to say, "here's the rock, now we're going to try something else."

Bringing up the rear, Strawberry Swing has an interesting sound, but after you get past that it is unfortunately fairly boring.  The title reminds me of Strawberry Fields Forever, so maybe that's something.  I don't like the way Death and All His Friends ends the album either.  The intro doesn't do it for me, but it flows decently into the, "I don't wanna cycle recycle revenge / I don't wanna follow death and all of his friends" part, which I rather like.  Then another all-too-familiar pause, then you hear the start of Life in Technicolor again, but this time it's decided that words should be put to it.  Maybe those words should give me hope for future Coldplay albums: "and in the end we lie awake and dream of making our escape."  (Or perhaps not, since they only dream of making their escape and don't do any actual escaping.)

Some important things to note from this album: the drumming continues to be uninspired and lacking (when there is real drumming that is).  It almost makes me think that lead singer Chris Martin decided that, since their drumming was usually, well, lame, that they should make the switch to bongos and drum machines.  This is generally a bad way to go about things.  Amazingly, there are no "slow songs" on this record, something that is generally a Coldplay staple.  What will they put in the important scenes of movies now?!  Basically my conclusion is this: Viva La Vida is an okay album, but it is completely unable to hold my attention.  After one, sometimes one and a half listens through, I'm done, I can't listen to the album anymore.  And that is exactly what you do not want from any given album.

[mp3] Yes

[mp3] Violet Hill

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At times, I don’t even realize that I tend to live in a self-contained bio-dome of sorts when it comes to music.  I breathe the blogosphere day and night, hit up the local alternative rock station for tips on more mainstream artists and chat with friends to get my music fix.  I’m sure this is how most of you go about gathering music as well (well, you probably hit the independent record store too, but we don’t have one of those anymore.  Sadness.).
 
Every once in a while I like to step outside my little box to see what’s “really” going on.  I’ve found that my 15 year old sister-in-law’s iPod nano is quite possibly the best barometer to measure a band’s success.  If I can find it next to 50 Cent and Fergie than they’ve made it – simple as that.  Of course, if I find music that I like on her iPod I generally run home and promptly delete it from mine.  It just feels dirty after.
 
Now, what does all this have to do with Evil Urges?  Good question.  I’m bringin’ it back home now.
 
For the past six months it’s been damn near impossible to surf the blogosphere without hearing about Evil Urges.  It was everywhere – first the announcement that My Morning Jacket was recording, then the album name, the album art, the live cuts, the free single and finally the release.  It felt like such an extended and draining degree of hype compared to most of the uber-hyped artists of the past few years.  Sure, The Raconteurs were hyped with both albums but it was around a 3-month (or less) ordeal and the album was out.
 
Now that we can touch the physical product, I had one question before popping it open – did they make it?  Is “Highly Suspicious” the rock-jam of the summer?  To my relief, that damn Nano was all clear of MMJ.  So what does this mean?  Did the boys lose their reverb for nothing?  Nah.
 
The album starts off with the title track.  We’ve all heard it.  If you haven’t then you probably deserve a quick kick to the face – I mean, it was free and all…what’s your excuse?  The vocal track is falsetto – not what I’d call the norm for My Morning Jacket, but it works.  If you haven’t heard it yet then take a listen. The breakdown is worth it's weight in gold.
 
“Evil Urges” gives way to “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1”, a track that feels like it belongs on Yoshimi from the Flaming Lips.  We’ve got a bass heavy mix with floating synthesizers that make you feel like hoppin’ on a cloud.  Definitely a keeper.
 
We next get to hear the closest thing we’ll get to a My Morning Jacket “single”.  “Highly Suspicious” is catchy enough - the hook comes again and again (and again) but I just can’t quite imagine this getting play in the top 40.  Maybe it’s the falsetto Michael Jackson esque vocals mixed with the totally radical bass line.  Maybe it’s chorus of state-trooper sounding dudes doing backup vocals.  When they collide – genius, sheer genius.  But top 40?  Nah.  Too weird.  They just don’t make songs that kick as much ass as this anymore.  It’s a shame, really.
 
“I’m Amazed” harkens back to the MMJ of the past, minus the reverb we all know and love.  Fantastic solos (and mini solos) should make this a live show favorite.
 
The middle portion of the album slows things down by a notch or two while also bringing back a more “classic” My Morning Jacket sound.  The faithful MMJ fan boys should be happy with “Thank You Too!”, “Sec. Walking”, “Librarian” and “Look at You”.  “Two Halves” comes in the middle of these songs to keep our attention with a nice little 2 ½ minute rocker.  Other than that, we have some pretty standard slow-pace MMJ.
 
“Aluminum Park” & “Remnants” comes just in time to help flesh out the last leg of the album.  We get a nice rockin’ and rollin’ set of songs to help keep bring us back from the relaxation provided by the middle section.
 
“Smokin’ From Shootin’” slows it down again in preparation for the big finale.  Although the drumming is quite simple throughout this one I absolutely love what he does in the chorus.  It’s so simple but it emphasizes the hook splendidly.  Oh, and the bridge might just blow your mind – an excellent blend of percussion, keys tied with the mini solo before the vocals kick back in to finish things off with thunderous BOOM.
 
The after-effects of the thunderous BOOM from “Smokin’ From Shootin’” eventually give way to “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2”, a song you’ll need to listen to in headphones to truly appreciate.  Don’t let the guitar scare you at 4:54, that’s when things really get interesting.  Incredible build up throughout the song, spot-on chorus backing vocals and trippy as hell musicianship.  Do you have a better way to close out an album?  I didn’t think so.
 
Oh yeah Good Intentions will totally scare the hell out of you.  It gets me every time.

Highlights:  Evil Urges, Highly Suspicious, I’m Amazed, Two Halves, Librarian, Aluminum Park, Smokin’ From Shootin’, Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2

[mp3] Highly Suspicous

[mp3] Smokin' From Shootin'

Buy the album:  Amazon | iTunes
Buy some MMJ:  Amazon | iTunes
Visit them online:  Official | Myspace

There's something about the combination of Mason's stripped down, acoustic-driven music, soulful lyrics and vocal delivery that has attracted me to his music since my first listen. He hooked me hard enough with Sorry Signs on Cash Machines that I ended up buying up his entire back catalog in about a weeks time back when I really had no business buying more than a CD or two a month.

Each album saw Mason grow and experiment a bit more without ever losing touch of what he truly is - a singer songwriter with a knack for telling stories anyone can relate with. Boneclouds felt like the attempt to bring Mason to the masses, but for one reason or another it fell short. To this day it's probably my favorite album in Mason's catalog but it seems it wasn't poppy, slick or accessible enough to bring him to the "next level".

Personally, I'm happy that Mason didn't quite make it. I wish Mason the best and all, but I'm not sure I could stand to have Mason worshiped like, say, Jack Johnson. I like Jack but it can get on my nerves when 15 year old cheerleaders are listening to JJ one second, then to Gwen Stefani the next. There's something quite wrong with that transition in my mind.

Now, to the review...

In the Ever is Mason's latest release and his first on Brushfire Records. With this album, his second that hasn't been self-released, we see Mason take a step back from what we heard on Boneclouds. Gone is the lush, full band sound that has slowly been building with each previous release. Instead we find Mason stripping it down to the basics for one of his rawest-sounding releases yet.

I'll admit, at first listen I was very disappointed with the album. I fell in love with Boneclouds because of the exquisite songwriting and that full band sound I'd been waiting for. I was expecting much of the same, especially after hearing Fighter Girl.

After a few listens I let go of my prior expectations and let myself listen to what the album was rather than what I wanted it to be. Once I took these steps I was quite pleased with what I heard. I found an album that is quite possibly Mason's most personal and features his strongest lyrical content to date.

A few tracks that really hit home come early with Something About Your Love and I Love You and Buddha Too. Mason has written some beautiful love songs over the past few years and Something About Your Love goes right up there with songs like Ballad for My One True Love and Be Here Now. I Love You and Buddha Too explores religious tolerance in a light hearted way that just may be the best way to get the point across.

We also have the patented sing-alongs that Mason writes best with Fighter Girl and Soldier Boy. I saw Mason live before I ever really heard his recorded material so these are still the songs that scream "MASON!!" to me. Soldier Boy is the only spot we hear an electric guitar on the album and Fighter Girl has the "yeah, yeah yeahs" that will stick in your head all night long.

Only one track feels "weak" to me and it comes at track 5. Your New Man is a funny story but I'm not sure that it reaches the level of the rest of the album. It feels more like something Mason wrote and threw away back when he was releasing his self-titled album but decided to throw in here for one reason or another. It feels a little out of place compared to the rest of the album.

If I'm describing In the Ever with one word I suppose I'd have to pick "personal". The album is quiet, extremely acoustic-driven and way more lo-fi than anything we've heard from Mason in a good while. If you're expecting a sequel to Boneclouds then you should look elsewhere. However, if you're looking for an album that you can sit down and truly explore then look no further. I'd recommend picking this up if you're into the singer-songwriter scene or if you have any of Mason's previous work. The only caveat - be sure to give it more than one listen through, you'll find this is a grower.

[mp3] Fighter Girl
[mp3] Soldier Boy

Buy the album: Amazon | iTunes

Visit Mason online: Official | Myspace
Buy his music: Amazon | iTunes

I may not admit this often, but I grew up on country music. Garth Brooks rang through my pa's car stereo through my early life and I sang along with "Rodeo" so much that the damn song is still emblazoned in my skull. I could probably sing it right now. In fact, I know I could sing it right now.

What does Garth Brooks have to do with anything? Well, I suppose those early years of listening to twang combined with my later years listening to grunge pretty well explains my positive disposition towards the alternative-country genre. After all, alternative country at it's best should be taking the positive aspects of country music and combining it with the drive of rock 'n roll. Basically, you need to take the drawl out of the country vocals and dirty up your distortion pedals a bit more. Oh, and no songs about dogs or trucks - those are a no-go. If you look at it this way, no band does it better than the Old 97's.

Blame it on Gravity is the sixth proper album from the Old 97's, the first since 2004's Drag It Up. We find the boys returning to their roots and turning it up to 11 for most of the album. This is quite welcome after Drag It Up, an album which I can describe no better than as a "downer".

The album kicks off in a rockin' enough style with The Fool and Dance With Me. Both of these tracks move and groove, you'll likely find yourself shakin' your hips when Dance With Me comes on if they aren't already gyrating. After that 1-2 punch we see the boys turn it down a bit with No Baby I and My Two Feet. No Baby I delivers the album's namesake in the chorus with the lovely line:

"You've got these tears/that fall like pearls/blame it on gravity/blame it on bein' a girl".

The rest of the album alternates pretty well with "rockers" and slow songs. We see the boys combining the country, rock and surf elements on Early Morning for what is quite possibly the best mix of the genres theyi've ever pulled off. The song itself is a microcosm of the album and genius segway from the first to the second half. The One finishes out the proper album. Rather than finishing on a somber, acoustic number as most bands do, the boys chose to give us one last up-tempo rocker to remember them by.

The aspect that has surprised me the most about this album is the songs sung by Murray. I have generally found myself skipping most "Murray songs" on other Old 97's records - not because they aren't "good" songs, but more because of my love for Rhett's voice. I never have found a reason to listen through most of Murray's songs when I know I can hear Rhett's voice on the next track. This is far from the case on Blame it on Gravity though. This Beautiful Thing and Color of a Lonely Heart is Blue are not only some of the best "Murray songs" on any Old 97's album, they are two of the best tracks on this album - far and away better than nearly any song by Rhett.

We've finally found what the Old 97's are all about on this album. Alive and Wired captured them at their best - live - but for one reason or another none of their albums have been able to capture that ferocity in a studio setting. You can feel the raw energy throughout but the songs still feel as polished and lush as anything from Fight Songs. The songwriting is sensational and each track is a true keeper. No fillers here, folks.

There's no more need for a mix tape if you're trying to describe what alt-country is to a newcomer. Blame it On Gravity not only defines the Old 97's, it very well describes the entire genre. It's that good.

[mp3] Early Morning
[mp3] Dance With Me

Buy the album: Amazon | iTunes

Visit the Old 97's online: Official | Myspace
Buy their music: Amazon | iTunes