CSS - Donkey
Artist: CSS
Album: Donkey
Label: Sub Pop
This is my first post since I changed up the design of this blog. I wanted something simple and light and colorful and cool, and CSS is a perfect complement to this development. I can’t think of many current bands that have CSS’s edge: polished and hip but still amateurish and silly. I think they may come under a bit of heat from the burgeoning anti-hipster crowd (who are increasingly indistinguishable from the hipster crowd, aren’t they?), but I do enjoy their songs. This album definitely satisfies my taste for simple, upbeat pop songs, and it will be a good addition to both my internet-cruising mix and my dance-party-I’ll-never-have-because-I’m-out-of-shape-and-lazy mix. Even though there aren’t any blow-your-mind singles, I nonetheless feel a more consistent songwriting base on this album, and I’m pleased to hear strong, layered guitar riffs that often remind me of Sleater-Kinney. What a nice surprise. I wouldn’t listen to the lyrics too hard, though; hear the tone, catch a word here or there, and let the rest go. This is a pop album, and you should have toe-tapping fun with it and not too much more.
CSS – Give Up
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Catchy, layered guitars, handclaps, a steady snare, and a light vocoder: If I could write fun songs for myself, I think they would sound like this.
CSS – Beautiful Song
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Similar formula as above, with even more pronounced backing vocals by the band’s drummer and founding member Adriano Cintra.
For for information on CSS, check out the band’s site or their myspace. And of course, buy the album.
Filed under easy pop, new album, party, too cool | Comment (0)California Oranges - Imperial Hearts
Artist: California Oranges
Album: Imperial Hearts
Label: Darla
California Oranges has that smooth pop sensibility that would have made them a hit in the years of Marshall Crenshaw and The La’s. Unfortunately, their polished guitar melodies and light vocals may work against them in the current music scene, in which a certain roughness—a memorable voice, a strange instrument, a rough production, or an exaggerated tweeness—is often a selling point. During the first few listens, I found the album divided between these very strong powerpop songs, which I have included below, and softer tracks more in line with The Innocence Mission and (maybe even) Sixpence None the Richer. With each listen, though, the album grows on me and becomes more coherent. Definitely worth a listen if you remember those early-90s pop bands fondly or love bands like Nada Surf and The New Pornographers.
California Oranges – “Brand New Spine”
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(Warning: there is a strange interference buzz at 1:40. It came that way. Don’t be scared.)
Sharp percussion, simple and strong guitar chords, and upbeat vocals make this a really good summer song.
California Oranges – “Travel Writer”
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I’m trying to put my finger on something, but I can’t find the band or song. Something about this song (the chorus specifically) reminds me of 2005 while I was DJing in Athens. Help, anyone? It makes me happy, whatever is triggering my déjà vu.
Right now the album is only available through download, but there will be a limited CD pressing through the band’s label in mid August. Check out the band’s myspace page for more songs. Oh, and buy the album.
Filed under cute, easy pop, new album, summer | Comment (1)Devon Williams - Careerfree [or] Carefree
Artist: Devon Williams
Title: Carefree (or Careerfree, depending where you look)
Label: Ba Da Bing
It is uncomfortable to think about how drugging pop hits can be. Being in thrall of the latest hot singles is like being drunk. All I want to do is listen to that one song, or maybe a fabulous cover of that song, or maybe that other not-as-hot song, or its French version. Ugh, it is a downward spiral. Finally you reach that uncomfortable moment when you don’t want to be drunk anymore, and you have something important and more serious to do, and you have to stop and let it run out of your system. Which is why I can’t listen to the above linked songs anymore.
Instead, I want to talk about Devon Williams’s new album, which is a little more nourishing and even-tempered than my hit-single habit but still has that pop glow that will give you a nice buzz after a long day. This is Williams’s first solo album (he has previously been in bands like Osker, Lavender Diamond, Fingerscut Megamachine), and there is great potential in his song-crafting. At times he sounds like a down-tempo Apples in Stereo or a poppy Built to Spill. He reminds me of Marshall Crenshaw a little; he is able to weave several catchy moments into one song without beating you over the head with his hooks.
Devon Williams – “Elevator”
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Though I’m rarely a fan of what are often unnecessary string orchestrations in pop songs, I think it works here with the raw, reverberated vocals. I don’t really pay strict attention to the song’s structure because each section is engaging.
Devon Williams – “Stephanie City”
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This is one of those songs about nostalgic love that is both upbeat and sad. I’m glad that he has traded out the violins. This is great music for cooking alone at home. I think that is the best moment for this song.
If you feel the buzz, buy the album.
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Filed under easy pop, new album | Comment (0)