The indie prog quartet from Southern California release their debut full length studio album.
This album gets released this week in digital format available from most online music outlets although I haven't heard of the street date for the actual, physical disc.
Although this is their debut release I had already heard their track "Puzzle Pieces" on some sampler CD and was instantly intrigued by its kooky but catchy piano riff and Vampire Weekend-esque vocals and musical sensibilities so I was excited when I saw their debut disc was finally going to be released. Now let us find out if the rest of the disc is as captivating as their first single.
The good news for indie music fans is that Vampire Weekend comparisons hold for the entire disc (most noticeably in some of the arrangement choices they make) with some touches of Keane (especially in the band's use of vocal harmonies) and lead vocals that, when not strained, sound a bit like Simon LeBon with touches of Ezra Koenig mixed in.
Most of the standout tracks from the disc come near the beginning starting with the second track, "Benny Goodman" with a great run of tracks through the fifth cut, "1997."
"Benny Goodman" is a sweeping song that starts off with some requisite Goodman clarinet work but it quickly transitions into an acid homage to the Big Band great with distortion heavy guitars and catchy organ runs. "1997" is a sweet ballad that looks back fondly at that year with subdued vocals and a hook-laden keyboard refrain.
Overall, Voyeur ends up being an extremely strong debut with a handful of very well crafted ditties over the 11-track album. The first half of the disc is definitely the stronger of the two parts but the entire album is worth a listen. Let's hope the band can continue in this positive direction on their future releases.
Score: 7.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Benny Goodman," "Puzzle Pieces" and "1997"
The latest installment of the DJ Kicks series comes out featuring the German electronica duo Digitalism.
The DJ Kicks series has been a pretty solid one since Kruder & Dorfmeister were featured in 1998 and in the following years the series was taken to such great heights when they highlighted acts like Thievery Corporation, Stereo MCs and Hot Chip.
The newest incarnation has 22-tracks cobbled together by the German duo who create most of their music using their MacBook Pro laptop.
The genre of electronica music found on this disc can best be labeled as either House or Trance with some obvious Euro influences peppered throughout the album.
The duo lists another two-person European electronica act amongst their influences, Daft Punk, and while Digitalism hasn't learned the subtle touches that elevate Daft Punk's best tracks, the youthful energy and catchy basslines DP employed during their earliest recordings have a similar feel to the music found on this disc with slight new wave and/or punk touches employed to give some of the tracks a more modern touch.
The latest version of the DJ Kicks series is worth picking up. The songs with stronger House and Trance stylings are the more enjoyable and danceable tracks whereas the two seem to be venturing into unfamiliar and foreign territory when they try to mix in non-electronica styles of music to mixed results.
It's not as good as the best from the series but it would be listed on that second tier of albums, and maybe at the top of that second tier. Of the albums I've reviewed, this is easily one of the top-3 electronica albums released so far this year.
Score: 9/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Loreley," "Silenz" and "Travellers" [sic]
The latest rock supergroup composed of James Valentine (Maroon 5), Jason Boesel (Rilo Kiley/Conor Oberst), Alex Greenwald (Phantom Planet), Michael Runion, and Z Berg (The Like) releases their debut album.
The name of the band comes from taking the first initials of the members who originally would get together to perform karaoke during their off time. The digital version of this album comes out today with the physical disc being released next week.
The music presented on this album is surprisingly mild tempo adult contemporary rock with slight indie touches, mainly provided by Z Berg's unique vocal timber, and jam band guitar riffs, usually from the strings of Valentine's distortion-ready guitar.
There are two standout tracks on the album, the first being the opening track, "Get What You Want," which is a sweet song about the things you may desire may not being worth the trouble of obtaining them where Berg's vocals and the distortion-heavy guitar hook are the big draw.
The other is the first single from the band, "Heartbeat," which is currently available for free from the band's website. That track is a smartly constructed song that slowly builds to become a fun, summer pop song with an infectious beat and melody.
Unfortunately, the rest of the 10-track album ends up being somewhat lifeless and monotonous especially once you consider the talent behind the release. As much as I was looking forward to this disc, it doesn't deliver the goods with too many generic sounding pop songs.
Score: 6/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Get What You Want" and "Heartbeat"
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