Stereolab - Chemical Chords
Artist: Stereolab
Album: Chemical Chords
Label: 4AD
The best description of Stereolab that I ever heard came out of a Rock Hound music guide I owned in middle school. “Stereolab somehow makes songs that work, out of sounds that don’t” (very loose quotation, as I have lost that guide for many years). And this is how I have often approached them. I wonder, though, if my idea of them should shift. In recent albums the orchestration is tidier, the instruments are more organic (horns abound in Margerine Eclipse, strings draping in each corner of this album), track lengths are shorter, and the lyrics are fuller. In some ways this is good: song structures more in line with pop music (which I’m a sucker for), a fuller range of sounds that makes these songs really engaging to the ear, and soft lyrics that shift with each moment. For these reasons, I really enjoy this album. Another part of me misses the long, droning, otherworldly, beeping, repetitive, and often overwhelming songs from their classic albums. I realize there will never be another Transient Random Noise Bursts with Announcements, and that makes me sad.
So how can I decide if this album is a hit? The Stereolab litmus: It must have been in 2000 when I first went to their show in a small club in Tempe, Arizona. I was in the front row, and they performed songs that I would play on-repeat for years to come (“John Cage Bubblegum” will always make me think of that night). It is the tempo I remember most, and what makes me most excited about Stereolab. Somehow the tempo shifts when they play. A steady, droning songs picks up, and the song doesn’t fall apart, and my heart beats faster. Then the song picks up, and the song doesn’t fall apart, and my heart beats faster. Then the song picks up, and the song doesn’t fall apart, and my heart beats faster. And suddenly the song is spinning around, and I don’t care that it is now fifteen minutes long (I was not on anything, by the way, so just chill). Can I imagine this fervor on their new album? Yes. The songs are shorter and steadier—it’s true—but my heart still beats faster, and for this reason, I think this album works. I have been waiting for this album for a while, and I am satisfied. Yay.
Stereolab – Valley Hi!
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This song has that special ability to engage different emotional aspects at the same time. Consider the first few moments. The solid, deep beat behind makes a very cool beginning and provides encouraging strength and bounce. The prominent high guitar picking is sad and sweet. The softer keys in the background are constant and steady and follow the calming quality of Laeticia Sadier’s voice. Though song is short and quickly swerves from this moment into something different, the song as a whole maintains this ability to suspend many tones.
Stereolab – Nous Vous Demandons Pardon
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One reason I love Stereolab is their way of building songs. Play this song and count out sixteen steady beats, and then start over. Each time your start over a new element is added until the song is in full motion. It is like they give you an overture of the sounds before beginning.
For more information, check out the band’s site or their myspace. And buy this album.
Technorati Tags: Stereolab, Chemical Chords
Filed under electronic, jangly, new album | Comment (0)Richard Swift - Ground Trouble Jaw
Artist: Richard Swift
Album: Ground Trouble Jaw
Label: Secretly Canadian
At first I thought these songs were comic; the falsetto singing, lo-fi production (including some real nutso synth sounds), and pastiche of older pop sounds all reminded me of novelty music, something along the lines of Billy Q. Effinger. After hanging with these songs for a while, though, I can say that the correct word isn’t really comic, but playful. Swift is at play, and it’s awesome. He has a crazy history of releases under a barrage of other names and side projects, and I think this album is trying, as best as it can, to incorporate his diverging impulses into an album that is unpredictable and yet coherent in its open play.
Richard Swift – “Would You?”
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This sounds like it should be on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack or behind an episode of The Wonder Years. The song is packed with sound: a pulsing piano beat, lightly glancing drums, soft backing vocals, Swift’s high voice, synth harp tones, and in the back humming and strumming and all sorts of pops, cracks, and slaps. Quite nice, and perfect for a romantic dinner with a goofy date.
Richard Swift – “The Bully”
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Uncut describes this song as “a schizophrenic face-off between his street-tough Onasis character and this new, falsetto Valli boy persona,” which I think is pretty convincing: the tough, shit-talking greaser quickly morphs into the falsetto-voiced Swift we hear in “Would You?” Silly perhaps, and definitely simple, this song nonetheless makes me smile and is slowly climbing my computer’s top-25-most-played list.
For more general info on Richard Swift, check our his official site or his myspace. Oh, and check out the label site for info on how to download the EP for free.
Technorati Tags: Richard Swift, Billy Q. Effinger, pastiche, falsetto, Dirty Dancing, The Wonder Years
Filed under cute, jangly, new album | Comment (0)Ratatat - LP3
Artist: Ratatat
Album: LP3
Label: XL Recordings
So far the reception has been positive but unenthusiastic. Pitchfork’s review (written by Nate Patrin) nails the album pretty well both as fodder for TV advertisers looking for something cool and non-distracting to put behind 2009’s forthcoming spots and also as another step in vague global fusion becoming the latest trend in mainstream electro-pop (following in M.I.A.’s path). I agree with both of these observations, though I also see this album as more subtle than Ratatat’s previous work (I’m glad to not hear another “Seventeen Years”) and wish that songs other than “Mirando”—the most palatable to the Timbaland, Pharell, Santogold, M.I.A. taste—would gather some attention. Don’t get me wrong: I love the above artists and the above song, but to me the best parts of this album are not the vaguely international dance pieces but the quieter songs that sound like a twee Air.
Ratatat – “Shempi”
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Though this song doesn’t have that immediate, first-forty-five-seconds hook that will get it radio play, it is a catchy electronic song with excellently-layered sounds.
Ratatat – “Black Heroes”
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More layered sounds falling into one another (including a very pleasant string arrangement). This one won’t be on a Williamsburg shuffle playlist, but I think it (and the album as a whole) is perfect for a long walk and a close listen.
For more info, check out the band’s site (they’re on tour!), listen to their tracks on their myspace, and buy the album.
Filed under electronic, global fusion, jangly | Comments (3)Thee Oh Sees - The Master’s Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In
Artist: Thee Oh Sees
Album: The Master’s Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In
Label: Tomlab
This music seeks the perfect space: something large and cavernous and dark and warm. It is dark psychedelia that I can only describe as playful Satanism. Think of Os Mutantes playing for Aleister Crowley at the Abbey of Thelema. Or PJ Harvey’s To Bring You My Love sung with a smile. It is hard to pick only a couple tracks to highlight because they are all dark and vibrant and good. The two songs below may not be the poppiest songs on the album (there are definitely more gems to discover), but they have that cavernous resonance that characterizes the entire album.
Thee Oh Sees – “Maria Stacks”
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The high, tin-can vocals, chugging guitars, and slowly throbbing drums complement one another perfectly on this track. It is great after-work music: rough enough to let off some steam but soft enough to play in the background without upsetting your neighbors (too much).
Thee Oh Sees – “The Coconut”
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Though not as tight or poppy as the other tracks, this song caught me with those first jangly seconds. I can’t even tell what instrument is making that deep bell sound. I like this track despite the quiet interlude around 1:30.
This album has many more moments worth being hear, so go visit the band’s myspace page, see what’s up on their label site, and buy the album.
Filed under jangly, new album, retro-novelty | Comment (0)Thomas Function - Celebration!
Artist: Thomas Function
Album: Celebration!
Label: Alive Records
This album won’t work in winter. It is too warm, too hot and sticky and fun. It is a summer record, and I have been playing the hell out of it lately. The songs are busy—it’s true—but once your ears warm up to their sound, the whole mix is very enjoyable. Nothing is too overpowering: there are equal moments for the guitars, the bass, the drums, organ/piano, and vocals. The melodies are quite good, too, so it is also satisfying on a cursory listen.
Thomas Function – “Can’t Say No”
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Rough and upbeat, this is my favorite track on the album. The chorus is addictive: “When you’re screaming my name, I can’t say no!” And of course, I’m always a sucker for a dynamic bass line.
Thomas Function – “Snake in the Grass”
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This is one of the more driven songs on the album (other tracks I would consider more jangly or bobbing, if that makes sense). Again, most of the sounds are well balanced, though Joshua Macero’s soft yelping dominates at times.
The full album is worth a listen, so check out their label site and buy the album. There are also a couple pretty good reviews of the band (here, here) worth checking out if you want more info.
Filed under jangly, summer | Comment (0)