New Music from 2/22/2011 - Radiohead, Adele, and Darwin Deez

Radiohead The King of Limbs - Seminal alt rockers Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and company release their eight full-length album and first since 2007's In Rainbows.  Technically the album doesn't drop until March 29th but, similar to their last album, you can  download electronic copies of the album early from Radiohead's website for various prices depending on the format you desire. Unlike the last album where the band asked you to pay what you thought the album was worth, the prices are fixed this time around. 

"Bloom" opens the album with a very heavy acid jazz beat and feel with Yorke's strung-along vocals adding to the melancholy tone of the song.  "Morning Mr. Magpie" picks up the pace with a quick guitar bass riff providing the main melody of the song and a more standard vocal style for Yorke before synthesizers are added to create greater ambiance.  "Feral" opens with a quick Detroit drum & bass beat before layering on ethereal vocal samples plus synthesized sounds to create a moody electronica influenced track.  The first single off the album, "Lotus Flower," begins with a more traditional drum backing and keyboard work and features Yorke's best vocal work on the album to create a subdued sense of whimsy in a very catchy, if somewhat somber, song.  "Codex" is a slower, classic piano driven song that also showcases Yorke's high tenor singing style well.  The album closes with "Separator" which, despite a relatively quick paced beat, straddles the line between optimistic and morose and is a fitting track to close out this disc.

The King of Limbs is another great album from Radiohead.  Thematically, it's closer to the music presented to us in the Kid A and Amnesiac phases of their career than in their most recent album or in their earliest albums.  In fact, I think it's makes a nice bookend for those albums with its similar but more mature and complex overall sound.  Some might say it is a moodier album than those two (and it probably is), but I would also argue that it is a more developed sound they are offering up to us.  I do concede that it does have a more mellow, downtempo feel than those other albums.  While the band was never one to shy away from its gloomy side in the past, they seem to understand, embrace, and communicate it better on this album with heavily balanced layers on their well produced tracks.  The one real complaint I do have about the album is its brevity--it lasts only eight tracks and the lengthiest track is 5:20.  Still, it's the best thing I've heard so far in 2011 and it wouldn't surprise me if it's one of the best releases for the entire year.  A perfect album to envelope yourself in on a rainy day. 

Score:  10/10
Song(s) to Sample:  "Lotus Flower" [sample it below] and "Separator"

 Adele 21 - Two time Grammy winner for her debut album 19, the sultry voiced youngster Adele releases her sophomore album.  Adele will be touring both Europe and the U.S. this spring/summer in support of this album.  Adele really needs a new naming scheme for her albums which are named for the age she recorded the album at.  It was novel the first time around but now it just seems like bragging especially since she'll actually turn 23 this year.  Okay, okay--you're young and you have a really nice singing voice--we get it!  No need to rub our noses in it! 

The first single from the album, "Rolling in the Deep," also leads off the disc and is one of the more lively songs on the album with a quicker tempo and its effective use of lead and backup vocals to add energy to the song.  Next up is "Rumor Has It" which exhibits the country influences that, unlike her first album, manages to permeate many of the tracks on this album.  "Turning Tables" feels like a very personal song with Adele's voice meshing well with the predominantly piano backing to create an extremely intimate ditty.  To close out the album were two of my favorite tracks from this release.  The second to last is a cover of The Cure hit "Lovesong" which is a slowed down, adult contemporary version that manages to tug at the heartstrings.  "Someone Like You" majestically ends the disc with a simple piano melody that lets the emotion in Adele's singing voice create a very touching track.  If only there were more tracks like it scattered throughout the album.  

Overall, it's a more mature sounding album from Adele but one with fewer singles that will leave a lasting impact with listeners.  There's certainly nothing as instantly catchy as "Chasing Pavements" was on her last album.  Vocals on the album are still top-notch with Adele's raspy warbling being as distinctive and unique from other acts her age (save, maybe, Duffy) as ever.  It's just that there's not a lot of life in the album.  Instead of a journey over peaks and through valleys, it's more like the album is one long valley with not much change of scenery along the way.  Some of the tracks are very beautiful to listen to but I was hoping for more variety in the music presented to us.

Score:  6/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Someone Like You" [sample it below] and "Lovesong"

Darwin Deez Darwin Deez - After reaching as high as number 3 on the UK indie charts, Darwin Deez's debut album finally gets released in the States.  Darwin Deez in an indie pop band from New York whose music has found greater acclaim oversees than it has on U.S. shores.  I've actually been awaiting this album for a while now since I first heard their single "Constellations" a year or two ago.  Let's see if the entire 10-song LP is as good as the single I like. 

The album begins on a good note with the aforementioned "Constellations" which is a jangly pop song with a really catchy guitar driven melody and airy vocals.  "The City" has funkier guitar work but a more traditional 1/4 beat structure whose mixture create an eclectic track.  "DNA" has a very jangly melody that doesn't really fit the somber lyrics (So i won't cry, I will just pretend/I'm still the one and that we are in love again) but the band manages to blend the two to create a highly enjoyable track.  "Radar Detector" is quick tempo track with a summer pop song feel that has a fun feel. 

Overall, Darwin Deez's self-titled album is a decent debut release.  The band is able to create a sound that is unique to the band without having each track sound stale or too similar.   For some reason the vocal work on the album reminds me of a more pitchy version of how Julian Casablancas sounded on the first The Strokes album.  The music leans way more towards pop than anything you'd find on a The Strokes album though.  Not every track is worth writing home about but there's enough good stuff on the album for me to recommend giving the album a spin.

Score:  7/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Constellations" [sample it below] and "DNA"

New Music from 2/15/2011 - Bright Eyes and PJ Harvey

Bright Eyes The People's Key - The Conner Oberst fronted lo-fi/folk rock band from Nebraska release their tenth studio album and first since 2007.  As usual, there are a number of collaborators from other indie acts like Cursive, Autolux, and The Faint contributing on this album.  This disc is a concise 10 tracks with a bonus song if purchased through iTunes.  Coincidentally this album gets released on Oberst's 31st birthday. 

The first thing to point out about this album is the heavy Country/Americana music slant that really hampered the band's last few albums is severely toned down and nearly gone on this release instead giving us a more guitar driven modern music style.  The album opens with the track "Firewall" which has a very strange, over two minutes long rambling monologue sample that mentions lizard people, Hitler, the garden of Eden, and more before the music actually starts. The actual song has slow tempo, blues-y guitar work and a very somber singing style.  The random monologue plus the dreary tone of the song make it a tough opening track to get into.  "Shell Games" follows and is a much more inviting song with a pleasing piano melody and gentler vocals before guitar and drums come-in to add a genial spark to the song.  "Haile Selassie" is a nice change of pace song in the middle of the disc with hard guitar work and a quicker vocal style.  "Ladder Song" is backed solely by a classical piano composition to beget a very haunting baroque sounding track. 

Overall, it's a good to hear the return to the lo-fi rock music that helped introduce the band to the world rather than country music skewings of their last few albums. The album does ramble at times being unable to find a cohesive center to create something more than the sum of the individual songs similar to how the rambling monologue that bogs down the opening of the album seems to go on-and-on without making much sense.  That's not to say there aren't nuggets of joy to be found on some of the tracks; it's more like there's no central theme to bring balance and elevate the album to another level like you'd find in an Arcade Fire album.  However, I'll take the music on this album over the tracks from last couple of Bright Eyes releases anytime. 

Score:  7.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Shell Games" [sample it below] and "Ladder Song"

PJ Harvey Let England Shake - British singer/songwriter Polly Jean Harvey releases her first album since 2007's White Chalk.  Harvey's releases often vary greatly from album to album with her 2007 release being very heavy in piano driven songs that tended to have a very introspective theme. According to Amazon, her new album was recorded in a 19th Century church on a cliff overlooking the British seashore which makes it sound like a setting from Bram Stoker's Dracula.  Let's see if the gothic sounding setting influences this album at all.

The eponymous "Let England Shake" smartly leads off the disc with an infectious little ditty from what sounds like a xylophone and then layers on drums, vocals, and guitars to make a catchy, vaporous song.  "The Last Living Rose" continues the eclectic pop wave put in motion by the premier track with a jangly melody and off kilter horn work.  "The Glorious Land" was where the album starts to take a less enjoyable turn.  The tempo of the song seems ill-matched with the message of the song and the bugle cavalry charge melody they incorporate at the beginning of the song and during two of the bridges completely takes you out of the song.  "On Battleship Hill" is another track that has a very clever narrative and the accompanying music isn't as off-putting as some of the later tracks until the song loses all instrumentation save an acoustic guitar when Harvey's singing goes all female falsetto. 

Let England Shake would probably be best categorized as jangle/dream pop album with a heavy ethereal feel.  The overall theme of the album is an anti-war message and that theme is readily apparent in listening to the lyrics of a couple of songs.  It's actually a very well written, composed, and sung album but I had trouble getting into the somber music.  The problem is that more effort seemed to be put into creating the messages of the songs than in composing catchy hooks and pleasing melodies.  Thankfully Harvey is smart enough to not bang you over the head with her message, instead usually writing a creative story and character to say her piece or act as a proxy towards her anti-war sentiments.  It's an interesting and eclectic album but one I found hard to immerse myself in.

Score:  6.5/10
Song(s) to Sample:   "Let England Shake" and "The Last Living Rose" [sample it below]

New Music from 2/8/2011 - Cut Copy, Nicole Atkins, and ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

Cut Copy Zonoscope - The four person synth/electropop band from Down Under release their third full-length album.  I saw them live about five years ago when they were the opening act for what I believe was a Franz Ferdinand show.  On this album they have a pretty cool photo montage cover with the Empire State building being buffeted by a deluge of water but now, more importantly,  let's see if this album manages to sink or swim.  (Silly rhetorical question: If an Australian band drops an album internationally in February, would that be considered a summer or winter release?)

"Need You Now" begins the party with a downtempo trance beat that slowly builds to a cheery crescendo as the six minute song closes.  "Take Me Over" is the first single off the album and it's easy to see why with its airy music and breezy vocals creating a fun summer pop song.  "Where I'm Going" is structured like a more traditional pop song with a slower tempo and a more customary singing style.  "Pharaohs and Pyramids" really showcases the band's songwriting skills using house music synthesized beeps and bloops and turning them into a really catchy melody.  The album closes with the very distinct and clever "Sun God" which is a fifteen minute track that will take you on a journey that's part New Order, part Paul Oakenfold, and part Pink Floyd. 

Zonoscope is a more synth heavy album from Cut Copy.  Less of the songs are guitar driven on this album than on their previous two, instead going for a stronger electropop feel.  However, the overall tone of the album is more complete and complex than their previous releases, with crafty songwriting and catchy arrangements in the individual songs, a well thought out track layout, and top-notch production work.  There are a couple of throwaway songs with the vocal work being the most inconsistent aspect of the disc but the album succeeds as a whole on many different levels and is best digested in one happy sitting. 

Score: 9/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Take Me Over" [sample it below] and "Sun God"

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Tao of the Dead - The hard jamming progrock quartet from Texas release their second album since they left the Interscope Records label and seventh full-length album overall.  Producer Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Beach House) works with the band for the first time on this album.   This disc gets a normal and deluxe version releases although I haven't been able to determine the difference between the two from my research online. 

The disc starts with the purely acoustic "Let Us Experiment" which begins with a heavy ambient feel before guitars and drums start rolling in to shock the song to life.  That segues to "Pure Radio Cosplay" that has hard rocking and feedback heavy guitar riffs over subtle drum work.  The most enjoyable track on the album is "The Wasteland" which opens with a slow acoustic guitar riff and then builds to  a more standard hard rock feel as the song progresses with an extremely catchy hook.  "Weight of the Sun (or the Post-Modern Prometheus)" is another standout song that somehow manages to credibly blend a pop feel that opens the song with some not-messing-around hard rock guitar and vocal work during the chorus.

Tao of the Dead is a well made and complexly layered album although the psych/hard/prog rock music still will not appeal to more mainstream listeners.  I was pleasantly surprised how well put together and the elaborateness of the sound on the disc given the fact that the band is now independently produced.  I was never a huge fan of the band before but I found myself enjoying the journey this album took me on.  Trail of Dead probably will win over only a few new fans with this album but their existing fans should be very happy because this release shows more growth in the band's music while not shunning their hard rocking style. 

Score:  7/10
Song(s) to Sample: "The Wasteland" and "Weight of the Sun (or the Post-Modern Prometheus)" [sample it below]

Nicole Atkins Mondo Amore - American singer/songwriter Nicole Atkins releases her second full-length solo album.  Some people might be familiar with her work in the band Nicole Atkins & the Sea although I suspect more people will be unwittingly familiar with her because two of her songs from her last full-length album, 2007's Neptune City, were used on TV commercials here in the States a few years back (one was an American Express commercial and the other was for Gap Old Navy).

The disc opens with "Vultures" which has seductive guitar and violin work, a simple beat, and raucous vocals to create an interesting if not great blues-y opening for the album.  The  generally pleasing although a bit too standard during the bridge and chorus "Cry Cry Cry" follows and lightens the mood of the album despite the somewhat ominous title.  "You Come to Me" has toe-tapping beat and sounds like an alt blues/rock song from the late 70's or early 80's (think a faster tempo Siouxie & The Banshees-esque song) while "My Baby Don't Lie" has a more classic blues feel.  "You Were the Devil" has a sexier feel that sounded like a song from the 70's with its haunting violin work laying the groundwork for the subdued but salient lead guitar moments. 

Overall, Mondo Amore is a mixed bag of songs.  The album is at its best during the slower, blues inspired tracks where Atkins sexily husky singing voice can add a level of moodiness and tension ("Vultures" and "You Were the Devil") or on the tracks inspired by music from past decades ("You Come to Me").  It was actually some of the uptempo songs that felt more generic to me with less of Atkins' personality able to shine through the tepidness of the arrangements ("Cry Cry Cry").  There's a couple of really gratifying songs on the disc but it's not an album that will get played regularly on my iPod.

Score:  6.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "You Come to Me" and "You Were the Devil" [sample it below]

New Music from 2/1/2011 - The Go! Team, MEN, and The ACB's

The Go! Team Rolling Blackouts  - The six-person high energy indie/noise rockers from the UK release their third album and first since 2007's Proof of Youth which reached all the way to #1 on the UK Indie charts.  This album features a handful of guest vocalists from other indie acts, the most famous being Deerhoof's Satomi Matsuzaki on "Secretary Song."   Their generally fast tempo music features real and synthesized instruments with lots of samples mixed in and an almost urban (sometimes called "double dutch") chanting style on the vocals.

The album opens with the fast pace "T.O.R.N.A.D.O" which, if that is an acronym for something, I couldn't tell what it could be for.  In any case, it is a real attention grabber to open the album with a heavy beat, loud horn (or, more likely, synthesized horn) work, and the previously mentioned double dutch vocal style to provide a relentless and restless energy.  Next up is "Secretary Song" which has a less invasive beat that reminds me of an up tempo j-pop song.  "Apollo Throwdown," which I'm guessing has something to do with the space race, has a more celestial sound which, obviously, would fit in considering the subject matter of the song.  There's also two purely instrumental songs "Bust-Out Brigade" and "Super Triangle" which provide nice interludes to the high energy album although I thought they should have been spaced farther apart from one another. 

Overall, it's an entertaining and fun album from The Go! Team.  Most impressively, they are able to echo past genres without venturing beyond their own sound on many of the tracks to showcase the songwriting growth of the band.  In addition to "Apollo Throwdown" mentioned above, "Ready to Go Steady" has an underlying 50's doo-wop style but it's still instantly recognizable as The Go! Team song.  No modern rock band loves to play with the consonance and dissonance in their harmonies, blend styles that normally do not pair well, and use a singing style not found elsewhere in modern music like The Go! Team to create really high energy music.  This album is no exception. 

Score:  8.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "T.O.R.N.A.D.O"  [sample it below] and "Apollo Throwdown"

MEN Talk About Body - MEN is the new project by J.D. Samson of the feminist electropunk band Le Tigre.  As you might expect with Samson doing a lot of the writing, the songs generally have a socially conscious slant.  This band's sound has more of an electropop/dancepop feel than you would find on a Le Tigre album with house-influenced beats and heavy synth work although guitars and other, more traditional rock instruments are still present on most of the 13 track album. 

The album opens with "Life's Half Price" which has a quick tempo and light electric guitar work although with the repeated chorus of "Life's half price/ for suckers in love" it definitely has a deeper meaning that the up tempo tune would have you initially believe. "Off Our Backs" is a catchy synth/electro pop song with a get-stuck-in-your-head fast singing style.  That is followed by the best named track on the album, "Credit Card Babie$," although I found the song slightly boring as it progressed with its monotonous tune and monotone vocals wearing thin by the end of the track.  "Who Am I to Feel So Free" and "If You Want Something" have a more funk/world-influenced sound.

Talk About Body is an album I enjoyed considering that I am an average Le Tigre fan at best. Many of the songs have a very up tempo beat like you would usually find on a Le Tigre song but the album skews towards a heavier dancepop feel.  Although the music is more universally accessible, the vocal work on this album is nowhere near near as good as what you would find on the more recent Le Tigre albums with less range being exhibited.  Still, it's an album that is able to give its social messages while still managing to create, for the most part, fun music. 

Score:  7/10
Song(s) to Sample:  "Life's Half Price" and "Off Our Backs" [sample it below]

The ACB's Stona Rosa - The soft rocking jangle pop quartet from Kansas City, MO release their second album.  Truth be told, I'm a little confused as to the actual release date of this album.  You can currently purchase both digital and disc copies of the album from the band's website (as well as stream the entire album) so I'm going to say the release date has already passed but I could only find the band's first album listed on places like Amazon and iTunes so I'm not 100% sure about that statement.  To really confuse things, AOL is listing this week as the album's drop date.  In any case, let's see if the music presented to us is worth all this release date confusion.

The album opens with the melodic and guitar driven "Italian Girls" which has a gentle pop sound buoyed by very distinctive, alternative-influenced vocals that are constant over the entire album.  Next up is "Street Fighter II" which is a song with a simple but catchy melody and a hilarious narrative about spending the night with his girl and then sneaking out of bed after she has fallen asleep to play videogames.  "Be Professional" features acoustic guitar work in a very toned down song with minimal instrumentation.  "Boy Like Me" opens with vocals sung in a higher tenor to create a more fun atmosphere and then adds a light, jaunty melody to create pleasing summer pop song.  "My Face" employs a faster tempo and a nice hook for a song that will get caught in your head.

Overall, it's a band that showcases a lot of potential on the album with some inventive songwriting and enchanting alternative-style vocal work.  There's no questioning that there are a number a very good tracks scattered about the album.  However, almost all of the songs on the album could use some polish and better production work to really make the music pop.  The band gives us some good jangle/power pop music on the album but it could really benefit from a more lush and fuller sound that could have been achieved during post production.  A band to keep an eye on in the future because if they can create songs that are this pleasing with average production work, one can only imagine how good they could be in the future working with the right team of producers.

Score:  7.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Boy Like Me" [sample it below] and "My Face"