New Music from 8/31/2010 - Jenny and Johnny & Neon Indian

Jenny and Johnny I'm Having Fun Now - Jenny and Johnny is the first album between real-life girlfriend and boyfriend Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley fame) and Johnathan Rice; although Rice is a long time collaborator with Lewis having produced, toured with, and performed on some of Rilo Kiley's earlier album releases.  (Fun Fact: Jenny Lewis was a child actor with roles in movies like Pleasantville and the Fred Savage classic The Wizard as well as appearing in TV episodes of "Roseanne," "Growing Pains," and "Baywatch.")

The first thing noticed on this collaboration is there is a hopefulness in many of the songs that you wouldn't find in your typical Rilo Kiley album.  The first song, "Scissor Runner," has a very snappy pop sound and pleasing harmonies.  This light and jaunty sound continues on the second song, "My Pet Snakes," although it might be a more reluctant hopefulness ("I don't believe paradise is lost/ I say this with my fingers crossed").  "Big Wave" is destined to be on the soundtrack of some summer comedy film or heard on a TV commercial with its catchy and friendly chorus.  Thankfully, this is not a we're-in-love-so-here's-a-CD-of-sappy-love-songs disc as not all is sunshine and hope on this album.  "When Men Are Dreaming" and, to a lesser degree, "Animal" has the somnambulistic sound I more closely associate with Jenny Lewis' music. 

Overall, it's a very pleasant album with easy to digest tunes.  On a note that pleased me very much, a lot of the country music influenced songs that commonly bog down the Rilo Kiley albums are virtually non-existent on this album, "New York Cartoon" being the only song that would fit into that category.  Their sound on this album is more reminiscent of The Hush Sound with their vocal harmonies and lush pop sounds than Rilo Kiley's standard, more subdued fare.  It's not an album that I would listen to regularly but I found it as enjoyable as, and in some cases more enjoyable than, the majority of Jenny Lewis' and Johnathan Rice's individual offerings.

Score: 6.5/10
Song(s) to Sample:  "Scissor Runner" and "Big Wave"

Neon Indian Psychic Chasms Possessed - Neon Indian is the brainchild of Texan Alan Palamo (VEGA).  This debut LP (the band does have some EPs out) features nine previously unreleased tracks and a deluxe version of the album additionally includes nine remixed versions of songs found on this album. 

The song writing is the real standout from Neon Indian disc.  At its best, the part electronic part synth-pop songs are similar to something you'd find from OMD or New Order in their prime.  Lyrics of heartbreak or lost chances is offset by the soothing, infectious beats that New Wave artists made popular in the 80's and 90's.  The best example of this is the awesomely titled, "Should Have Taken Acid With You."  However, the good song writing is severely offset by the poor production of the album.  Vocals sound garbled, electronica beats often don't go well with the songs they are paired to, and some of the sound choices just seem awkward ("Psychic Chasms" and "If I Knew, I Would Tell" come to mind).  In fact, during "Terminally Chill" the song sounded so off to me that I had to check to make sure iTunes wasn't open and playing another song concurrently with the Neon Indian album. 

Overall, there is a ton to love about the writing and composition of the songs but the album is severely hurt by poor sound editing, sound mixing, and post-production work.  The techno beats and electronic sounds are especially bad, commonly alternating from a very House-y "beep" and "boop" noises to Detroit Drum & Bass beats without some type of bridge to help ground the sound for us.  It's as if you mixed a Fat Boy Slim and Derrick May album together but without finding any commonalities between their music.  Did someone think they could just match the catchy electronic hooks of Fat Boy Slim with the thumping beats of Derrick May Detroit sound without actually listening to see if they would work well together? (Hint: they do not.)  On a side note, the remixed versions of the songs sound A LOT better than the album version of the songs.  Thank goodness I was able to hear those versions otherwise all the cool stuff found in the song writing might have been buried under the horrible production choices made.  I can't recommend this album but there is talent to be found underneath a slew of poor post-production decisions. 

Score: 5/10 (The actual album probably only deserves a four out of 10 but I gave it a bonus point for the potential the artist showed on it.)
Song(s) to Sample: "Should Have Taken Acid With You"

New Music the Week of 8/24/2010 - Part II

Usher's Versus - Usher follows up his earlier 2010 release with a nine song EP that can be bought individually or as a double-disc with the previously released Raymond v. Raymond.  I've never listened to Raymond in its entirety but I am familiar with some of Usher's earlier albums (Confessions and Here I Stand come to mind) having dated a fan of Usher's a couple of years ago. 

Taken as a whole, Versus comes closer to the lesser Here I Stand album than the superior Confessions.  I'm not just referring to the style of hip-hop given to us but also the overall quality of the album.  "DJ Got Us Fallin in Love (feat. Pitbull)" was seemingly produced to go straight to the turntables of hipster clubs and swinging after parties with its catchy if uninspired techno-lite beat.  Taken alone, the chorus  for that song seems tailor made for letting loose in an after hours dance floor.  "Lingerie" is very catchy and shows off the impressive falsetto range of Mr. Usher.  I actually like the remixed version of Justin Bieber's "Somebody to Love (feat. Justin Bieber)" better than the original, although that might be entirely due to the fact that I generally find Bieber's singing very grating and Usher's voice virtually replaces all of Bieber's parts in this version.  Unfortunately, the rest of the album isn't as good.  "Hot Tottie (feat. Jay-Z)" is a surprisingly lifeless tune and the parts sung by Jay-Z could have been done by anyone.  "Get in My Car (feat. Bun B)" has a great rap in the middle by the guest vocalist but the parts of the song that bookend his work drain all the energy from the song.  Most of the other songs feel like B-Sides that didn't make it onto Raymond. 

Overall, it is an average to above-average R&B/hip-hop album but that could be a disappointment considering the impressive body of work Usher has given us over the years.  If this album were released by a new artist, people might be seriously buzzing about it.  As it is, it seems like a cheap add-on trying to buoy sales by bundling it with the popular Raymond album.  It's not a stinker but there's not that same sparkle that can be found in some of Usher's previous albums.

Score: 6/10
Song(s) to Sample: "DJ Got Us Fallin in Love (feat. Pitbull)" and "Lingerie"

Various Artists' Going the Distance Soundtrack is the soundtrack to a movie I hope I am never forced to see.  And please don't tell me Justin Long and Drew Barrymore are becoming the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan of the current generation because this movie and He's Just Not That Into You both looked incredibly lame.  In any case, the soundtrack follows the standard Rom-Com movie soundtrack formula of mixing familiar songs by our favorite old bands and new throwaway songs by up and coming modern artists. 

Although I have no interest in seeing the actual film, I had no qualms about listening to the accompanying soundtrack because Rom-Com movie soundtracks are generally very lite, easily palatable, and (on occasion) better than the actual movie.  To satisfy the "favorite old bands" requirement you get songs by bands like The Cure and The Pretenders while the "up and coming modern artists" requirement gets satisfied by artists like Cat Power, The Airborne Toxic, and perennial movie soundtrack favorites Eels.  The real gems are usually found in the eclectic songs that don't fit into either of the above categories.  Of these, the best are the Katie Herzig song "Hey Na-Na" which is one of those perfect summer pop tunes that get stuck in your head without being overly annoying and Passion Pit's "The Reeling (Groove Police Remix)" which has catchy vocals and a swift trance/house beat providing a toe-tapping rhythm.

Overall, it's not a bad Rom-Com soundtrack but there is nothing special about it either.  The two songs that I liked above are both available through other sources so don't feel like you need to buy this album to obtain those songs.  Of the songs that are exclusive to this album, one is a new The Airborne Toxic song and three are by a British band I had never heard of before, The Boxer Rebellion.  One of The Boxer Rebellion songs had some potential but none of the exclusive songs are good enough to make buying this album an imperative. 

Score: 6.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: Katie Herzig's "Hey Na-Na" and Passion Pit's "The Reeling (Groove Police Remix)"

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin's Let It Sway - SSLYBY transitions to the big time in their second album.  Not only is the album noticeably more polished (thank you Death Cab for Cutie guitarist and sometime producer Chris Walla) but it gets a mid-summer release date which usually means the record label expects something big out of them.  While some might say that takes away a lot of the charm that made first album a minor success, the addition of someone as talented Chris Walla usually is a positive influence unless he completely clashes with the band.

The new album is definitely cleaner than the first one and the band's sound is now very reminiscent of a Band of Horses and a Weezer amalgamation, with a lil' bit of Postal Service thrown in.  The lyrics and title of the lead off song, "Back in the Saddle," loudly announces the band's return with its catchy banjo playing and a chorus of what sounds like mountain men singing. Songs like "Sink/Let It Sway" and "Banned (By the Man)" make Mr. Walla's presence on the album instantly known.  If you liked the sound of their original album, it's still there in songs like "Everlyn"--that sound has just been clarified with more easily distinguished guitar riffs and unsoiled cymbal crashes.  The acoustic "Stuart Gets Lost Dans Le Metro" is an indie ballad that would make even Death Cab or Badly Drawn Boy envious. 

Overall, it's a very solid album. There are a few throw away songs like "In Pairs" and "All Hail Dracula!" that bring down the overall quality of the album but it's still worth a listen if you are a fan of indie music.  On a side note, the digital album includes three bonus tracks including a B-Side that definitely should have made the album, "Cardinal Rules."  "Cardinal Rules" is one of those great summer rock anthems that is ideal for jumping up-and-down to at a large outdoor stadium.

Score: 7.5/10
Song(s) to Sample:  "Sink/Let It Sway" and "Stuart Gets Lost Dans Le Metro"

New Music the Week of 8/24/2010

Ra Ra Riot's The Orchard -  This New York band's sophomore release follows it critically praised first album The Rhumb Line. Their music, falling somewhere between Alt Pop and Chamber Pop, is reminiscent of bands like The Shins, New Pornographers and Snow Patrol.  I saw the band live last year when they were touring with Death Cab for Cutie and they put on a decent if unspectacular show.

Their new album starts with the very gentle and somber sound of violin strings as the intro to the albums first song, "The Orchard."  Fans of the first album will instantly recognize the feel and tone of the band from that first song.  After the good but melancholy opening song, you start to get a new feel for Ra Ra Riot with the more uptempo "Boy."  This new feeling continues on the catchy rant "Too Dramatic," which, along with the first song, is one of my favorites from this album because of its catchy pop hooks.

Overall, I would say its a very good album and the type I would play as background music when working or reading.  The album is catchy enough where it never loses your attention but there aren't any mind-blowing songs on it either.

Score: 8/10
Song(s) to Sample:  "The Orchard" and "Boy" are two great, polar examples of what to expect from this album. 

The Eels' Tomorrow Morning -  I should point out that I've been a huge fan of the Mark Everett band since I was in college in the 90's.  Beautiful Freak and Electro-Shock Blues were two of the CDs that got regular play on my trek to-and-fro campus (yes kids, there was a time before iPods where we had to carry around actual CD players if we wanted to listen to music while on the go).  Even if you're not familiar with the Eels' more famous songs like "Novocaine for the Soul" or "Your Lucky Day in Hell," you might be unknowingly familiar with the band due to their extensive work in film soundtracks like American Beauty, Knocked Up, Hot Fuzz, and the first three Shrek movies, among others.  This is the final album of a planned "concept album trilogy" that began with Hombre Lobo. 

I'm glad to report that this is the best of the three albums that compose their concept album trilogy.   Although the album starts on a very mellow note, by the time you get to the heart of the album you get into some vintage Mark Everett song writing.  "Spectacular Girl" is your prototypical Eels song that, sadly, I hadn't heard on an Eels album in a while.  "After the Earthquake" is a heartbreaking song light on lyrics but heavy on moody piano playing that reminds me of some of their best work from albums released over a decade ago.  "Looking Up" has a very catchy blues-y feel to it that may seem out of place but works really well with the band's style and fits well in the album as a whole. 

Overall, it saddens me to report that while this is their best album in years, it still ranks below their all-time best.  That's not to say this is a bad album by any means and long-time fans like myself are sure to get a lot of enjoyment out of it.  One thing I do appreciate about the new albums is that there is a ton more depth to their slow songs (as evidenced by "That's Not Her Way"). 

Score: 7/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Spectacular Girl"

 Young Man's Boy - I knew nothing of this musician prior to listening to the album but according to Spinner Magazine, Young Man is a "master YouTube cover artist."  (Whatever you do, don't try a Google search for "Young Man" and "Boy" because, unless you're a member of NAMBLA, you're not going to like the results...)  Being a ginormous fan of cover songs, I thought I'd give the album a try. 

Much to my chagrin, this album had absolutely no cover songs.  WTF is up with that?!?  If you are a "master YouTube cover artist" throw a friggin' cover song or two on your album!  The music has a very alt-folksy Rock vibe to it with very Jack Johnson inspired bongo drumming at times and subdued bass and guitar playing. "Just a Growin'" has the catchiest melody and was my favorite song from the album.

Overall, this album was a huge disappointment.  Besides having no cover songs, the entire album sounded under-produced with overly simplistic melodies.  The vocal levels I thought were especially bad, with his voice sounding tinny and distant throughout the entire album.  I went in hoping for a something like Rasputina's excellent Lost & Found album but instead what I got sounded like a very, very, very early Simon & Garfunkel album but without the musical sensibilities of Paul Simon.  For example, a song called "Playtime" should be upbeat and full of energy.  Instead, the intro to that song nearly put me to sleep.

Score: 2/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Just a Growin'"


More still to come this week.  I'm hoping to listen to the new Usher album.  Sorry, no plans on listening to the new Katy Perry.