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Pick Your Poison: Friday 3-18-11

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On 03/18/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

Pick Your Poison today is just a touch lighter than usual, the reason why of course being SXSW. With everyone out in Austin at the moment, from bands to promoters, things are looking a little sparse these days. No worries though, Monday sees the start of a new week and the end of SXSW, so we should be all good. Highlights today include songs from Craig Wedren (of Shudder to Think) collaborating with Conor Oberst and Janet Weiss (of Sleater-Kinney/Wild Flag/The Jicks), Maritime, Papercuts and Romi Mayes.

Craig Wedren – Are We (ft. Conor Oberst and Janet Weiss)

Dada Trash Collage – Layers of Ice

Erika Fatale – Femme Fatale
Erika Fatale – Whipped

Illvibe Collective – Authentic Raw (ft. Supastition and Reef the Lost Cauze)

Love – Skid

Maritime – Paraphernalia

Papercuts – Do You Really Wanna Know

Romi Mayes – Lucky Tonight

Smixx – Nothing I’d Rather Be

tfo – Change  

Vienna – Blood
Vienna – A Tourist

Yourself and the Air – Trampolines

Zachary Cale – Hello Oblivion  (zachary cale)

Pick Your Poison: Thursday 3-17-11

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On 03/17/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. I hope you get a Shamrock Shake in honor, and then maybe throw a little alcohol in it to “Irish” it up. It’s a lot of fun and pretty delicious, you should try it. Green beer and sheer drunkenness of the date aside, the NCAA tournament is underway officially today, and SXSW is just getting started too, so schedules are more than packed for a lot of people. Good luck juggling today. Here’s your daily edition of Pick Your Poison, complete with highlights from artists like Daddy Lion, Drawn From Bees, German Error Message, Little Scream, The Luyas and Old 97’s Rhet Miller.

Amanda Palmer – Map of Tasmania (Discoforgia Remix)

Daddy Lion – Falling to Pieces (Through With You)

The Domino State – You Are the Winter (Eat More Cake Remix)

Drawn From Bees – Long Tooth Setting Sun

German Error Message – We Arose

Little Scream – Cannons

The Luyas – Too Beautiful

NEeMA – Escape

Rhet Miller – Motorcycle Club

Through the Sparks – Chisel and Pick

SOUNDCLOUD

The Bullitts- Close Your Eyes (feat Jay Electronica and Lucy Liu)

Early To Bed – Weathervane (Schlock! Remix)

EVALINE – Beneath The Fire

Twilite – Perfect Ending

Album Review: The Dodos – No Color [Frenchkiss]

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On 03/17/2011

In album review, mp3, music


Falling in love with The Dodos back in 2008 was so easy. The duo of Meric Long and Logan Kroeber effortlessly blended together ramshackle acoustic guitar fingerpicking, African-style rhythms and indie pop into a hybrid so organic it seemed to outright defy nature. That first record was “Visiter” and all-out jams like “Red and Purple”, “Jodi” and “Fools” were often so intensely strummed that it always felt like the song would break down at any moment because the guitar simply fell apart. It was really exciting and intense to listen to that album, which is probably why their follow-up, 2009’s “Time to Die” was regarded as such a disappointment. There were a number of factors that conrtibuted to this letdown of a sophmore album. Those changes included adding a third member Keaton Snyder which changed the group dynamic, relying on the ultra-clean production work of uber-producer Phil Ek, and the decision to place more of a focus on traditional melody rather than the off-the-rails, freewheeling style they were used to. Slower, denser and cleaner were the end results, and many balked at that. As if they’ve learned their lesson, The Dodos have set about trying to right the ship on their third album “No Color”. Their trinity of band members has now returned to its original twosome state, “Visiter” producer John Askew is once again behind the boards, and siren Neko Case was kind enough to contribute her pipes to back up Long’s vocals on a majority of the tracks. On the surface, it seems that everything’s coming up Dodos.

The booming thump of the bass drum at the start of “Black Night” signals that things are once again in their right place, and the rustic fingerpicked acoustic guitar that joins it moments later pushes it over the top. The pace is brisk and only gets brisker as the song chugs along through the imaginary alleyways of verses and main arteries of choruses, and the structural integrity of the song is such that it breaks from the usual verse-chorus-verse tradition but not far enough to call the main hook anything less than catchy. It’s one great reminder of how amazing The Dodos can be when fully left to their own devices. “Black Night” blends straight into “Going Under” without a moment’s hesitation, as if the two tracks are joined at the hip. The six minute adventure starts as a slower, more well-adjusted track with Neko Case making her first background vocal appearance. Once it hits the exact middle of the song though, the dam breaks open and a rush of buzzing noise and pure energy comes surging forward to send things into the stratosphere. Such a burst of noise might be considered jarring were it not well earned and smartly arranged. “Good” starts as a gallop and then moves into a full out stride, continuing to capitalize on the momentum the record has already established. “Is it better to be on or be good?”, Long asks. In this case, the band is not merely on and good, but instead on and great. Neko Case does sprinkle a bit of extra magic on “Sleep”, a song that would have been better titled “No Sleep” because it’s essentially about insomnia. The track races past like your mind does when all you want is the peace and quiet so you can pass out. It seemingly comes from a number of different places too, embracing that freeform style The Dodos have espoused at their best while also adding to that spaced out and unfocused mental state described in the lyrics.

After racing through the first few tracks at a highly brisk pace, “Don’t Try to Hide It” begins the slower and more subtle second half of “No Color” with a bit of parental-like support from your “parents” of Meric Long and Neko Case. We’ve all got little things about ourselves that would be interpreted as weird by others, and this is a song about proudly displaying your most unique qualities. The beginning of “Hunting Season” features a touch of the ‘ol vibraphone, and it’s enough to wonder if it was taken from a Keaton Snyder session before he exited the band or if that’s just a coincidence. It’s also not the most exciting or catchiest Dodos song, though Long’s emotional vocal performance is one of the highlights. It’s just the opposite that helps make “Companions” a better song than it has any right to be – intricate guitar playing and a very small bit of violin. The melody itself is pretty bland and ineffective, but the way that fingerpicked guitar rolls along is quite impressive. closing track “Don’t Stop” has the exact same issues, technically impressive but lacking in most other aspects. It does build energy just a little, and the incorporation of electric guitar and some vocal harmonies make for a good summation of the entire record. As a microcosm of the whole album then, that final song is only a little more than halfway good.

As exciting as it is to have the core team of Meric Long and Logan Kroeber recording and performing once again as a duo, along with their old producer John Askew back in place, this original recipe for success doesn’t always fully succeed as we see on “No Color”. There are tons of great things about this new album, including some of the most exciting and energetic melodies that The Dodos have come up with in some time. The return to the reliance on those shaky acoustic guitars and offbeat percussion is a huge plus too, as are Long’s lyrics – more vague and less clunky than they’ve ever been before. Not every song is winner though, and the second half of the album is much less compelling than the first. It’s not an energy thing, though arguably that does factor in just a little bit. If all the songs were as briskly paced as those first few we’d be worn out before the last couple even started. Pacing is part of the problem, with all the excitement right out of the gate and none really saved for the finish line. “Visiter” spread out the moments of grandeur pretty evenly, though to be fair about half of that record’s fourteen tracks could be called individual highlights. Hooks are also an issue. Songs like “Black Night” and “Sleep” are strong but don’t have the full staying power of a “Jodi” or a “Paint the Rust”. Maybe it just takes some time for them to fully sink in. After all, “Time to Die” was and is still the worst Dodos record, but these days it seems less like the trainwreck everyone labeled it as two years ago. Perhaps a year from now “No Color” will have that same effect, only rising in esteem from its current position as a pretty strong “comeback” album for the band. Thanks in large part to some serious freeform and fun songs, The Dodos have proven they know how to correct past mistakes and challenge the listener once again.

The Dodos – Don’t Stop

Buy “No Color” from Amazon

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 3-16-11

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On 03/16/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

Oh hey, it’s Wednesday. I’m on little to no sleep, so let’s make this super quick. Pick Your Poison is another large edition bolstered by people filling my inbox mentioning they’ll be playing SXSW, which I’m totally not at. Anyways, my personal highlights in this batch come from Eksi Skso, The High Dials, Storms, Times New Viking and Yuna. Also, Son Lux covering fellow Asthmatic Kitty artist Liz Janes is pretty awesome. And hey, the one Soundcloud track today is from UNKLE and features Nick Cave, so that’s like a double bonus.

The Clutters – Under Suspicion

Controls – We Are Here

Eksi Ekso – Bellows to Brass Lens

Future Sound – The Thrills

The High Dials – Chinese Boxes

Jonah K – Odin’s Beard

The Knocks ft. Alex Winston – You Can’t Hurry Love (Supremes cover)

LexiconDon – Sex ‘N’ Turn

Mathew Sawyer & His Ghosts – Revenge of the Extra From Zulu

Rich Aucoin – Brian Wilson Is A.L.i.V.E.
Rich Aucoin – PUSH

Smokey Robotic – Grace Under Fire (ft. Roscoe Umali & Styliztik Jones)

Son Lux – Desert (Liz Janes cover)

Storms – Sweet Cup

Talia Coles – Never See You Again

Times New Viking – No Room to Live

Vienna Ditto – This Is Normal

Yuna – Decorate

SOUNDCLOUD

UNKLE – Money And Run (feat. Nick Cave)

Pick Your Poison: Tuesday 3-15-11

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On 03/15/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

Et tu Brute? Your history lesson for today dictates that the 15th of March is also known as the Ides of March. There’s a number of historical associations with the date, but really everyone knows it as “that day Julius Caesar got stabbed 23 times”. He was in the Roman Senate when it happened, and that’s probably also the origins of the phrase “stabbed in the back”, because his good friend Brutus was one of the guys doing the stabbing. Ah, what the power hungry will do to one another. Pick Your Poison is not quite the betrayal type, so here’s another massive set of mp3s to get you through the day. Highlights include songs from Birds and Batteries, Heaven, Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, Thulebasen and We Were the States. In the Soundcloud section you can also stream a new track from Atmosphere that’s pretty great.

Sorry No Ferrari – Ashar (Music For People Remix)

Birds and Batteries – Strange Kind of Mirror

Deletah – There Is No Plan B

Heaven – Mountains Move  (ZIP)

i wannabe – Standing Next Door

John Brodeur – Masterpiece

Jorma and Movie Bare – Either You or Me
Jorma and Movie Bare – Sick

The Knocks – Dancing With the DJ (Acoustic Campfire Version)

Krusht – Spirit of 76 (ft. Alleyes Manifest)

Matthew and the Arrogant Sea – At the Wheel Fighting Elvis

Ruben & Ra – Newer Shooz

Thulebasen – Gate 5

The Violet May – What You Say

We Were the States – Hot Waves

Wons Phreeley – Tonight

SOUNDCLOUD

Atmosphere – She’s Enough

Federico Aubele – No One

Rumble In Rhodos – Soft Insulated Days

Album Review: Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo [Matador]

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On 03/15/2011

In album review, mp3, music


My oh my has Kurt Vile come a long way in a short time. Upon leaving The War on Drugs, he embarked on a solo career that began officially in 2008 when his album “Constant Hitmaker” was released via the very tiny Gulcher Records. The following year, Woodsist gave that record a higher profile re-release, Mexican Summer put out his sophmore album “God Is Saying This to You” and Matador placed his third album “Childish Prodigy” on shelves. In other words, it was a flood of Kurt Vile music in 2009 when it’s often tough enough to keep track of just one record by an artist. The first two albums were extremely lo-fi bedroom folk recordings, like a Bob Dylan or a Tom Petty but with serious audio fidelity issues. That didn’t make them any less compelling though, and in fact the lack of quality was part of its charm. “Childish Prodigy” held that same aesthetic for about half the record, but the other half featured Vile’s touring band The Violators and therefore could be called a legitimate step forwards. The production got cleaner and the melodies more dense, but along with that some of the more unique qualities vanished. Still, there was inherent potential shining through the shakier moments, as if to say that if Vile focused just a little harder he might just rise to the level of indie superstar. Taking a little time off and also touring for the last year seems to have pushed him in the direction needed to get his act fully together, because his new record “Smoke Ring for My Halo” is filled with the dynamic and prolific moments that unveil an entirely new side that had only been hinted at up til now.

Kurt Vile has ditched the bedroom for a recording studio fully on “Smoke Ring for My Halo”, and as a result there’s a very crisp sheen over the entire album that really adds an unexpected beauty to it. While Vile has always been a superstar when it comes to finding wonderful little melodies that are compelling and adventurous, lush and gorgeous are words that don’t typically apply to them. The Violators are still backing him up, but their contributions are minimal compared to the guitar and vocals which takes precedence over everything else. The biggest adjustment though is with Vile’s vocals, because not much of his older material had the clarity with which to fully discern what he was singing about. It wasn’t so bad that every song was a mangled vocal mess, but when you’re pulling a D.I.Y job corners need to be cut somewhere. So what this new record reveals is that Vile is one hell of a lyricist. A standard love song like “Baby’s Arms”, which starts off the album, gets extra creative thanks to lines like, “shrink myself just like a Tom Thumb/and I hide in my baby’s hand/cause except for her there just ain’t nothing to latch onto”. For “Puppet to the Man”, expectations are defied as Vile says, “I get by now you probably think I’m a puppet to the man”, and it seems safe to assume that most everyone would deny that sort of accusation. Instead, he embraces it, concluding, “I’m shouting out loud because I know that I am” while also requesting help to get him unstuck from said puppetry. One of the most vivid and amazing songs on the entire record is “On Tour”, where the miseries and problems of touring are hinted at between gigs. “Watch out for this one, he’ll stab you in the back for fun”, Vile says, most likely talking about untrustworthy people in the music industry. But his passion for music also comes through in lines like, “I wanna sing at the top of my lungs/scream annoyingly/cause that’s just me being me/being free”. The stage is always the one place you can let your frustrations out without a care in the world, and if you like you can “beat on a drum so hard ’til it bleeds blood”. Darkness hovers all over “Runner Ups”, but Vile isn’t afraid to throw a little bit of black humor in for good measure. “If it ain’t workin’/take a whiz on the world/an entire nation drinking from a dirty cup”, he sings just before explaining that he may have lost his best friend but there are runner ups in waiting. And there’s something inherently brilliant about the way the words are arranged on closer “Ghost Town” that totally grabs you despite what appears to be pure simplicity. “When I’m out/I’m away in my mind/Christ Was born/I was there/You know me/I’m around/I’ve got friends/Hey wait, where was I?/Well, I am trying” doesn’t even make that much sense reading it, but hearing the words coming out of Vile’s mouth they become more like windows into his own personal daydream. The series of thoughts that we all have from time to time, where we drift between subjects effortlessly and without acknowledgement of the oddity of it all can be a powerful thing when harnessed properly. In this case, Kurt Vile makes it exactly that.

“Smoke Ring for My Halo” may thrive in new and unexpected ways thanks in large part to some great lyrics, but the tuneful and intimate melodies serve to enhance what’s already there. With the distortion and other effects almost entirely absent from this record, it leaves much more room for these arrangements to breathe comfortably and with increased virility. One guitar, whether it’s acoustic or electric, carefully picked or briskly strummed, matched with Vile’s voice is all that’s really needed, but the little extras give them an unexpected oomph in the right direction. The shakers and tambourines on “Baby’s Arms” aren’t designed to stand out, but it’s tough to think that the song would be better off without them. The way the guitar strings vibrate on “On Tour”, like they’re frayed or too loose and need a good tightening adds to the weariness of the words, while the soft plinks of the keyboard helps to break up the monotony of the same chords strummed over and over again. In the case of songs like “In My Time” and “Peeping Tomboy” though, the aggressive nature of the guitar work is more than enough to sustain interest in the song without having to really break out any extra elements for supplementary purposes. If the record does have a flaw though, it’s the lack of hooks and marketable singles. Vile’s not exactly known for his commercial prowess and earworms that stick in your head, but on occasion he has managed to pull a supremely memorable melody that you’ll find yourself humming as you go about your day. From “Freeway” to “Freak Train”, the rattle and hum of those tracks was a draw in the past, enough to make them highlights on records that fell anywhere from pretty good to just a little mediocre. Funny then that with the decrease in memorability comes an increase in respectability, the result of which is Kurt Vile’s strongest record to date. Weaker moments like “Jesus Fever” and “Society Is My Friend” are fewer and farther between than ever before, and are supported on all sides by bastions of strong songwriting and melodies that occasionally allow for streams of sunlight to filter through the darkness. It may not be perfect, but it’s definitely another huge step forwards for Vile in a very brief career already filled with them.

Kurt Vile – Jesus Fever
Kurt Vile – In My Time

Buy “Smoke Ring for My Halo” from Amazon

Pick Your Poison: Monday 3-14-11

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On 03/14/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

Hope your weekend was great. If you’re going to be heading to Austin for SXSW this week, have a great time and see tons of live shows. I won’t be going, but if you’d like to learn a little more about the hundreds of artists and bands that will be playing this week, Pick Your Poison is a great way to do that. No, not every artist listed here today and this week will be there, but a fair number of them will be. Anyways, my recommended songs for today come from Antonymes, Beast Make Bomb, The Gift, Let’s Wrestle, NewVillager, and Walking Sleep. The Lonely Forest is a band signed to the new label Trans, which is Chris Walla from Death Cab for Cutie’s label. Be sure to check them out too.

Adam Arcuragi and the Lupine Chorale Society – She Comes to Me

Antonymes – Endlessly

Beast Make Bomb – Coney Island

Death Letters – Your Heart Upside Down

De Staat – Sweatshop

The Gift – Made For You

Home Video – The Automatic Process (Infernal Devices Remix)

In-Flight Safety – Model Homes

Let’s Wrestle – Dear John

The Lonely Forest – Coyote

NewVillager – Lighthouse

The Non-Commissioned Officers – Fire Standing Still

Samuel Locke Ward – Bliss Blue Sky

The Sewing Circle – Buzz Light-Year

TalkFine – The Moment

Toby Goodshank – Virgo Song

Walking Sleep – She’s Been Lying

WhoMadeWho – Every Minute Alone (The Circle Remix)

SOUNDCLOUD

Baby Teardrops- MEwhere

The Boom Bang – Tobacula

Jeffrey Jerusalem – Smiling And Tender (DoublePlusGood Remix)

Show Review: Middle Brother + Dawes + Deer Tick [Metro; Chicago; 3-12-11]

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On 03/14/2011

In live music, mp3, music, photos, show review

Rare is the occasion when you can find a triple bill of bands touring together where all three deserve to headline every night. The trouble is, naturally, that only one band can truly headline. When two headliners share the stage for multiple dates together the decision on headliners is sometimes an evenly split rotation from night to night or occasionally a luck of the draw. When it’s three bands though, how does such a decision get made? In the case of Deer Tick, Dawes and Middle Brother, there are special circumstances that make the entire process easier. First and foremost, as members of both Deer Tick and Dawes are part of Middle Brother along with Delta Spirit’s Matt Vasquez, the supergroup takes precedence and closes out the evening because of the collection of talent. Secondly, Dawes have really made a name for themselves in the past few months by scoring a radio hit courtesy of their song “When My Time Comes”. Deer Tick, by contrast, have put out a couple albums and built a strong fan base but haven’t quite scored a genuine hit yet. They do have at least one high profile fan in the form of NBC Nightly News host Brian Williams though, who featured them on his inaugural edition of music-based interviews known as BriTunes. The thing about these three separate but equal bands playing together though is that they all really get along well with one another and are great friends. The dynamic of it, the way it’s all presented, matters less than simply going out, having fun and putting on a great show for people. Funny enough, that’s exactly what they did when their tour ran through Chicago on Saturday night, and you’d probably consider yourself foolish if you skipped even a minute of it.

Deer Tick have always been a force to be reckoned with live, and a venue like the Metro only enhances that intensity. They came flying out of the gate with their naturally playful energy that the crowd was more than happy to eat up. There was bouncing, there was swaying, there were saxophone solos, and there were covers. From the beginning, a number of people mentioned in just general crowd chatter that John McCauley’s vocals were placed too low in the mix because much of what he was saying seemed unintelligible. Considering that the Metro is one of the best-sounding concert venues in Chicago if not the world, they don’t really ever screw up mixing like that. In fact it was more McCauley’s voice with its rather nasal, Bob Dylan charm that made things a bit muddy. That’s no fault of his own, and such a thing should not have prevented most if not everyone from getting a little something out of Deer Tick’s set. They jumped all over their catalogue, from “Something to Brag About” to “Smith Hill” to “Choir of Angels” to “Ashamed” and the massive “Christ Jesus”. There were a handful of new songs too, leaving something to look forward to whenever they get around to putting out another record. The band also started what would become a theme throughout the night, which is the spirit of collaboration. Mid-set they brought out Delta Spirit’s Matt Vasquez to take the lead on a few songs, perhaps in part because the rest of his band was not on this tour. He sang a new song along with a pair of covers – Bruce Springsteen’s “Racing in the Streets” followed by Nirvana’s “Scentless Apprentice”. The transition from The Boss to Nirvana was jarring and weird, but hot damn does Vasquez do a great Kurt Cobain. Deer Tick is playing a set of Nirvana covers at SXSW this upcoming week under the name Deervana, and if Vasquez joins them (he likely will, among others), keep an eye out for some killer YouTube videos. On the whole, it was yet another excellent Deer Tick set in a long line of excellent Deer Tick sets, providing more proof that they’re one of the more engaging live acts around today.

Deer Tick – Piece By Piece and Frame By Frame

Buy Deer Tick’s “Black Dirt Sessions” from Amazon

After a brief break, Dawes came out to do their thing. It’s hard to believe that their debut album “North Hills” came out in 2009, but it’s taken this long for them to get really noticed. They’ve been paying their dues though, consistently touring and playing music festivals whether you’ve known it or not. After a couple quick songs from that first record, they played a new one about their hometown of Los Angeles. What’s moderately funny and also just a touch disappointing is that they’ve already written a couple songs about L.A. before and at some point it just becomes excessive. Still, despite the subject matter the song was good, as was their entire set. One of the best moments came courtesy of their new song “Fire Away”, as frontman Taylor Goldsmith tried something new and got the crowd to sing in divided-by-gender harmony. Not to boost some egos, but it sounded quite good. With just the one album and a couple new songs to play over the course of their hour-long set time, Dawes kept up with the collaborations by bringing their friend Jonny Corndawg out on stage to sing a few of his original country tunes. If you are unfamiliar with Jonny Corndawg, he can often be found wearing the traditional cowboy hat and boots, and he’s got a relatively large catalogue of songs that are both bizarre and heartfelt at the same time. You’d think the guy was a parody of country singers if he didn’t carry himself so earnestly. Yet there’s a sly, oddball sense of humor that permeates his lyrics and makes you sit up and notice what might otherwise be just a collection of country standards. Dawes loves the Corndawg, as does Deer Tick and one would assume Delta Spirit by proxy. They all share a lot of the same qualities, even if their approaches are a little different. After performing 5 of his songs with Dawes, a whole bunch of people rushed the stage, including Matt Vasquez and members of Deer Tick for a set-closing rendition of the Dawes hit “When My Time Comes”. Yeah, it was one massive sing-along where everyone on stage eventually turned their microphones out to the crowd to take over. The collective release of energy was something that had been building all night to that point, and when it finally happened there was such catharsis you knew it wouldn’t be topped.

Dawes – When My Time Comes

Buy Dawes’ “North Hills” from Amazon

Middle Brother began their set with “Blue Eyes” after yet another short break, and it was a smart choice over the beautiful but very slow opening track “Daydreaming” off their debut record. Most bands like to start their sets with the first track of their latest album, but in this case a bouncier and catchier song won out. Of course “Daydreaming” would pop up a few songs into the set anyways, mostly because Middle Brother played every song they’ve put out thus far. But McCauley did an exceptional job with hjs lead vocal on “Daydreaming”, making it one of the evening’s brightest spots. Highlights also included Taylor Goldsmith’s intense vocal performance on “Blood and Guts”, which was heartwrenching on record but even moreso live. The rollicking single “Me Me Me” has been getting a little bit of radio airplay in town, and probably went over best with the crowd during that particular set. The stage completely cleared out as Goldsmith took on “Wilderness” completely on his own, which was nice to have that short respite from the balances and imbalances that having such a collection of talent together at once. As for Matt Vasquez, he was great when sharply rocking out on guitar for most of the night, but also did a more than admirable job taking lead on “Theater” and “Someday”. If anybody was underused or underrepresented not just during Middle Brother’s set but all night it was Vasquez, but that also makes a bit of sense given that his main band Delta Spirit is significantly less alt-country/folk than Deer Tick and Dawes are. He’s an essential part of Middle Brother, no doubt about that, he’s just more of the quiet one that sits in the corner quietly blowing everyone away rather than sucking up the spotlight (not that McCauley or Goldsmith are begging for attention, they’re probably just more outgoing). Of course everyone came together at the very end of the night, including Jonny Corndawg and the guys from Deer Tick and Dawes to perform the song “Middle Brother” and then an encore that included their cover of The Replacements’ “Portland” and a supremely round-robin version of The Band’s “Down South in New Orleans”. That’s how the night ended, with about 15 people on stage and random band members grabbing the microphone and belting out verses in the most theatrical and spectacular ways possible. For a brief moment it felt like one massive gospel and blues show, with new surprises emerging at every turn.

The ability to not just pull one, but multiple rabbits out of a single hat is a big part of what makes a good show great, and by that count every band nailed it Saturday night. I had a great admiration for all three bands that were on the bill Saturday night, and even the one (Delta Spirit) that wasn’t, but I couldn’t honestly say that I loved any one of them. As a result of this show, every one of them has sharply risen in my esteem. The spirit of collaboration and friendship completely overflowed on stage, really bringing out the best in each act and helping to create great memories for everyone that was in the room. There wasn’t anything earth shattering or epic that happened, but sometimes it’s the little things, the personal connections and a love of good music that make for the best times.

Middle Brother – Me Me Me
Middle Brother – Middle Brother

Buy “Middle Brother” from Amazon

Click past the jump for more photos!

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Pick Your Poison: Friday 3-12-11

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On 03/11/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

This weekend is a little celebration better known as St. Patrick’s Day (Observed). Because the actual St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Thursday, many are taking the weekend before to drink their green beer and just get sloppy drunk. If that’s your idea of a good time, enjoy. Pick Your Poison today is exceptionally enjoyable. My personal choices include songs from Early Winters, Grieves, James Legs, Phil Cook (of Megafaun), Ponytail, The Wrens and Yuck. In the Soundcloud section there are also great songs from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and Generationals.

Bikini – American Mourning (WIN WIN Remix)

Daniel Knox – Ghostsong

Early Winters – Tough Love

The Echelon Effect – We Will Spin Forever

Family of the Year – Stupidland

Grieves – Lightspeed

James Legs – Drowning in Fire

The Owsley Brothers – Under the Shade of a Live Oak

Phil Cook & His Feat – Ballad of a Hungry Mother

Ponytail – Easy Peasy

Rimer London ft. Cata.Pirata – Love Dagger

Ryan Driver – Am I Still Too Late

The Shondes – Nothing Glows
The Shondes – Make It Beautiful

This Year’s Model – No Miracles

The Wrens – As I’ve Known

Yuck – Get Away

SOUNDCLOUD

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – Morning Thought

Dry the River – New Ceremony

Generationals – Ten-Twenty-Ten

Album Review: Beady Eye – Different Gear, Still Speeding [Dangerbird]

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On 03/10/2011

In album review, music


Oasis was a band borne out of an extreme passion for The Beatles. Noel and Liam Gallagher worshipped at the altar of the Fab Four, and their goal was to snuggle up next to them in the pantheon of the greatest bands of all time. That never wound up happening, though Oasis certainly did make an impact on music that will be felt for quite awhile. It’s just there was never an “Oasismania” or obsessive posters of Noel and Liam on the walls of teenage girls. Among the myriad of reasons that Oasis never fully succeeded at their mission of becoming one of the Greatest Bands of All Time were the ever-changing musical landscape and two brothers that just couldn’t seem to stand one another for extended periods of time. Both Noel and Liam’s influence in the band was felt though, and it was their combined strength that pushed them into the realm of becoming highly successful. The reasons why “Definitely Maybe” and “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” were landmark albums was because Noel took Liam’s 60s and 70s-heavy vibes and updated them with a few modern bits that worked quite well in the musical landscape at the time. As the years went by though, the fighting and constant threats of break-ups (and even legitimate break-ups for periods of time) stole more headlines than the band’s music did. Times and trends changed as well, leaving Oasis as something of a musical dinosaur, crafting ultimately very good records that not many people heard because it wasn’t the 90s and their sound was no longer novel. Still, their last two albums rest on the better half of their catalogue, though their ultimate breakup in 2009 seemed to leave little to nobody in mourning. Perhaps that’s because it was a long time coming, and the only surprise was that they stayed together for as long as they did.

Formed out of the ashes of Oasis is Beady Eye, and the only person missing from the new band is Noel Gallagher. Yes, Gem Archer, Andy Bell and Chris Sharrock, all Oasis vets, are calling Liam Gallagher their frontman and going under a different name. The move is smart, not only for the sake of getting a fresh start but also because while a lot of the qualities between the two bands are the same, there’s definitely differences that would be disingenuous to the Oasis name were they released under that guise. That’s not to say Beady Eye’s debut record “Different Gear, Still Speeding” is of a poorer quality than a lot of the crap Oasis shoved at us during their troubled “middle” period, or even some of their better days. The point is that there are some aspects to Beady Eye’s sound that would make Oasis seem like a completely different band were that name still being used. Specifically, without Noel to keep him in check, Liam seems set on completely indulging his 60s and 70s rock influences. The result is an album that definitely sounds like it comes from another era, though in this day and age with so many bands propped up by the sounds of their ancestors you can’t really call it dated. If you’re not going to innovate and try something new though, your first prerogative should be to craft songs that are vital and strong enough to be distinctive on their own.

“Nothing ever lasts forever,” Liam repeats multiple times on album opener “Four Letter Word”. Surely he’s not intending to reference either the end of Oasis or the general impermanence of music/musical styles, but it’s really easy to interpret it that way. What’s really interesting though is how the song itself comes off as very “in the moment” and vibrant. It’s a rather thrilling introduction to the band, a huge arena rocker with an even bigger swagger that almost dares you to try and ignore it. Such attitude is expected from a Gallagher, and if you were hoping that with a new band Liam would have himself a slice of humble pie you’d best adjust those expectations. The upbeat acoustic strums of “Millionaire” recalls folk pop of bands like Andy Bell’s early years as part of Ride or even The Charlatans UK. Liam’s obsession with all things Beatles and the similarity of his voice to John Lennon’s leads to “The Roller”, the first official single on the record and what feels like a blatant rip off of Lennon’s “Instant Karma”. It may not have the uplifting charm or the super catchiness of the track it’s trying to be, but there’s not a ton of wrong you can do with that bouncy piano melody.

“I’m gonna stand the test of time, like Beatles and Stones”, Gallagher says in the appropriately titled “Beatles and Stones”. Actually instead of sounding like either of those bands, the song sounds a lot like The Who’s “My Generation”. The irony in that is the song features the lyric “I hope I die before I get old,” which is just about the antithesis of standing the test of time. Whether or not Oasis or Beady Eye will legitimately go down as legendary will be determined in the decades to come of course, but it’s probably safe to say neither band will reach the pinnacles that the Beatles and Rolling Stones did. Still, as to the merits of the song itself, it’s got a whole lot of great qualities to it despite the obvious debts it owes and makes up for any shortcomings by being pretty fun. The same could be said of much of the first third of the record.

“It’s just a wind-up dream, so don’t wake me up,” is one of the main hooks in “Wind Up Dream”, and that’s funny because the track is so plain and ordinary that it comes across more as a nightmare. Even-handed and ordinary is a good way of describing it as it really doesn’t go anywhere, to the point where you’d like to be woken up as soon as possible. Courtesy of “Bring the Light”, a Jerry Lee Lews piano melody meets some bluesy Rolling Stones guitar in what sounds like a winning combination on paper. After a couple verses though and not even halfway through the song, things completely devolve into the constant repetition of the phrase “Baby come on” ad nauseum. You hear it said so many times that it sticks in your head just because of that reason and none other. The track feels more like a showcase for banging around on instruments than it is actual lyrics and hooks, which is probably a mistake. The sunny folk-pop of “For Anyone” is nice and pleasant, and has that heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics that has been done a million times over in the 60s and 70s. This time around it doesn’t distinguish itself from those versions, and the song might be better titled as “By Anyone”. And then there’s “Standing on the Edge of the Noise”, which naturally cranks the guitars up and does less standing and more jumping off the ledge into a big pool of formless noise. It probably went just a little too far.

The recovery begins almost immediately on “Wigwam”, a 6.5 minute song that swirls and soars and steps into the sunlight that in one of the first times on the album actually feels earned. It carries the memories of Oasis classics such as “D’You Know What I Mean?” and “Slide Away” inside of its notes, leaving you with the belief that Beady Eye might actually amount to something as good as what came before it. The spiky energy of “Three Ring Circus” and the earnestness of “The Beat Goes On” make for winning late album songs that once again don’t carry the torch of originality with them but do come off as playful and without a hint of parody. The lazy acoustic strumming of “The Morning Son” feels fitting for a 6-minute album closing ballad. What begins as a pretty sparse song actually expands out into something majestic and gorgeous the more it progresses, until in the final minute the swirls of noise build up to a peak and then drop off into the calm waters of the ocean below. The song title might be a play on words intended to be speaking of that bright orange ball of fire in the sky, but the way this thing closes out, it feels more like a sunset than a sunrise.

So what are we supposed to make out of Beady Eye and their debut album “Different Gear, Still Speeding”? Well, the comparisons to Oasis stick here and will probably always stick with these guys because that was their other band. The difference in their gear this time around is that they’re packing less guitars because Noel isn’t around anymore. But they’re still the utmost professional musicians that clearly still have a lot of creative juice left in them. Yeah, this record is a lot more influence-heavy than just about anything Oasis ever did, and it’s also not quite on par with the best parts of Oasis’ catalogue, but there’s a lot to like and maybe even love here. Prior to its release, Liam Gallagher was going around telling everyone that “Different Gear, Still Speeding” would blow minds in a similar way to how the legendary Oasis debut “Definitely Maybe” did nearly 17 years ago. As he is apt to do, and because he’s egotistical blowhard, that statement was a bit of an overreaction. Times are different, and these days you need to be making something wholly original to get the sort of raves that will keep people talking about you for years to come. This 60s and 70s-heavy stuff is nowhere near original, but it is largely done well. Because of that reason, and that reason alone, it is worth your time and money. Hopefully on the next record Beady Eye will amount to more than just a really smart and crafty cover band.

Buy “Different Gear, Still Speeding” from Amazon

Pick Your Poison: Thursday 3-10-11

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On 03/10/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

It’s Thursday, and Friday is just a day away. That weekend is so close you can almost taste it. Let’s get right into Pick Your Poison for today. Top choices, among others, come from Afrobeta, Electra, Jeniferever, Morning Claws and Tiger Bones. There’s also a new cut from Heidecker & Wood, the music project of Tim Heidecker and Davin Wood, both best known for “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” where the titular Tim stars and Davin is the show’s music composer. Also in the Soundcloud section you’ll find a new song from Oh Land, which is simply delightful.

Afrobeta – Nighttime

Anti-Social Music – Bitter Suite (Fear)

Beni – Yeah (Mickey Remix)

Dan Bern – Grandpa

The Del McCoury Band and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band – One More Fore I Die

Electra – I Feel Love (Donna Summer cover)

Headless Horseman – Wavlngth

Heidecker and Wood – Right Or Wrong

Jeniferever – Dover

Klaxons – Echoes (Steve Aoki Remix)

Lianna La Havas – Final Form (Everything Everything cover)

Metronomy – The Look (Ghostpoet Remix)

Moonlight Towers – Heat Lightning

Saint Motel – Puzzle Pieces

Satellite Stories – Helsinki Art Scene

Morning Claws – Slack Magic

Tiger Bones – Eyeliner

SOUNDCLOUD

CHOO CHOO – Bits+Pieces

Oh Land – Wolf & I

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 3-9-11

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On 03/09/2011

In mp3, music, photos

For all you Christians out there, welcome to Lent. It’s a time of sacrifice and reflection, all leading up to Easter when we break out the jelly beans and Peeps while putting images of bunnies and colored eggs everywhere. Pretty righteous, isn’t it? Anyways, more on that later. Let’s get right to Pick Your Poison for today. Packed to the gills with songs, many of them excellent. What I can vouch for are tracks from Alela Diane, Amor De Dias (which counts The Clientele’s Alasdair MacLean as a member), Boats, Grand Atlantic, Here We Go Magic, Leverage Models, and Memory Map. The Dogs are also a pretty cool up-and-coming band from Chicago you might want to look into as well. In the Soundcloud section, you’ll find great new songs from Oupa (the side project of Daniel Blumberg of Yuck) as well as Sondre Lerche.

Alela Diane – To Begin

Amor De Dias – Bunhill Fields

Anni Rossi – Land Majestic

Boats – TV Scientist

Dave Depper – Dear Boy

The Dogs – Dance More
Name Your Price for The Dogs’ album “Camping”

Grand Atlantic – Poison to the Vine

Here We Go Magic – Hands in the Sky

The Hit Back – Me and the Kid

Killed By 9V Batteries – Impulse Control

THE KNØCKØUT – Ruthless Efficiency)

Leverage Models – Tonight When I Burn

The Mannequin Brides – The Story of Abby

Memory Map – Sunburnt & Blown

radioseven – Explorers
radioseven – Don’t Think

Snow Patrol ft. Martha Wainright – Set Fire to the Third Bar (ConRank Drumstep Remix)

Stricken City – Some Say

SOUNDCLOUD

Belleruche – 3 Amp Fuse

Oupa – Forget

Sondre Lerche – Domino

Album Review: Wye Oak – Civilian [Merge]

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On 03/08/2011

In album review, mp3, music


Wye Oak is a band that has been teetering on the brink of indie stardom for a few years now. Their debut record “If Children” established the Baltimore duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack as both deep and dark thinkers, crafting sublime folk melodies with extreme splashes of loud electric guitar violence and shoegaze tropes. It all feels really organic and heavy too, refusing to succumb to anybody’s common labels of a cutesy male-female band that does a lot of love and relationship stuff. This isn’t Mates of State, nor is it the blues-inflected rock of The White Stripes. If Wye Oak has earned an extremely high number of comparisons to Beach House, it’s because of the aforementioned duo thing, and also Wasner’s voice has a deeper, smoky vibe that Victoria Legrand’s also espouses. The overall sounds are relatively similar as well, in that both Beach House and Wye Oak make subtle, dream-infused pop music, though Wye Oak most definitely goes darker and louder. The internet has been kind to Wye Oak for the most part, helping to generate a fair amount of hype for their two albums to date. Touring around a bit with The Decemberists also helped them out a bit, scoring them new fans and shoving new ideas into their heads. So after several months of writing and recording after putting out a pretty smart EP last year, Wye Oak returns for their third full length “Civilian”.

“Civilian” opens with crowd noise – lots of people having multiple conversations in a large room. It’s the sort of thing that happens at a concert venue between bands, where there’s a lot of voices but you can’t really make out what any single one of them is saying because it’s all just collected cacophony. But as the crowd dies down, the first notes of “Two Small Deaths” creep in – some held down keyboards and other electronic elements that rise together like a collective symphony of indistinct loudness; a parallel to the crowd noise that came just before it. The that shimmering quickly fades to unveil a carefully plucked deep electric guitar melody along with some nicely paced taps on the drum rim. It’s all pretty signature for Wye Oak, that is until the chorus strikes. Wasner’s vocals get doubled over into harmonies, some cymbals and other bits enter the melody, which surges forth with color and life in spite of the grim subject matter. Bits of descending keyboards flutter around the second verse and continue to hold the discreet and subdued charm of the track, which legitimately begins to feel like the auditory approximation of small streams of sunlight rising from the horizon at the start of a day. The song is just the start of something new for Wye Oak – music that bears all of their familiar marks, yet pushes beyond the traditional darkness of their arrangements towards something more vibrant and fascinating.

One of Wye Oak’s vices has always been and continues to be the stasis created by a singular guitar riff or melody. They always choose interesting chords or progressions, but there’s very little deviation once they settle into a certain groove. When it falls flat, as it has on numerous occasions, it becomes easy to get bored and want to move on to something else. “Civilian” holds to the same pattern, but with a few more sidetracks to keep you guessing. “The Altar” works pretty well thanks to that mentality. A flurry of a guitar solo competing with some smooth bass lines and swirls of electronic noise all meet in the middle of the track just after Wasner’s vocals soar while getting buried in a pile of static. Speaking of which, the noise ratchets up significantly on “Holy Holy”, with the electric guitars working up into a fuzz-filled 70’s garage fury and Wasner pushing herself to compete behind the microphone. It makes for one of the most thrilling and legitimately fun rock songs on the entire record. “Dog Eyes” definitely tries something different by attempting to balance what feels like two different personalities across a single track. The song moves from a delicately plucked and relatively quiet verse into a very loud power chorded instrumental section before working the quiet-loud dichotomy one more time, with the final minute completely laying waste to everything that came before it. There’s something inherently impressive about it, but the transitions within the song are a bit jarring and there’s very little structure to the track on the whole, which is a problem. Better laid out is the title track, settling into a nice guitar and organ piece while getting progressively louder into a pretty fierce guitar solo at the coda.

The second half of the album can pretty much be classified as more of the same things established in the first half, though it tends to blend together into more of an amorphous blob with fewer standout moments. The lush way that “Plains” teems with possibility and only flashes mere seconds of loud guitars makes it individually compelling, and “We Were Wealth” has Jenn Wasner proving that she’s a scary talented vocalist with a power and range the band has only begun to fully explore. Outside of the general sound of the record though, the lyrical side of Wye Oak has always been one of their strongest suits. Of course it’s also been the main source of their dark and depressing side. “Hopeless light darkens my door/so I cannot cry”, Wasner opines on opening track “Two Small Deaths”, a song that is about what the title describes. The title track is perhaps the most interesting piece lyrically, starting out immediately with “I am nothing without pretend/I know my thoughts/Can’t live with them” and then going slightly creepy by saying “I still keep my baby teeth/on the bedside table with my jewelry”. Actually that second part may be a little endearing if you think about it. But it’s not all darkness and odd teeth fetishes. “Holy Holy” tries to put a positive spin on things with “all human joy is precious/and I for one should know this”, but really what she’s saying is that she wasn’t careful and lost the joy in her life. Perhaps my favorite lyrics of the entire record come on “Dog Eyes”, with the pure poetry of “a deep hole, a secret, in order to feed it/a season of growing into everyone knowing”. It’s lines like that which make Wye Oak a very special and cool band, even if there’s a focus on the morbid side of things.

The best thing that can be said about “Civilian” as a whole is that it’s an improvement. The duo has progressed forwards and are making strides in the absolute right direction. It’s interesting because unlike so many bands that catch on at their debut albums and spend the rest of the time trying to regenerate that same sort of praise and hype, Wye Oak are only building more momentum with each new release. They’ve yet to reach the point where one of their records shoves them outright into the spotlight, but they keep getting closer and closer. Unfortunately “Civilian” is probably not going to be the one that does it for them, even though it is their best to date. There are a couple of so-so songs that don’t have the same magic or mojo as the others, and it’s enough to keep the buzz at bay for just a little longer. What’s most exciting about this new album though is how the arrangements stick out in a more riveting way than ever before, breaking free of the ever-present darkness to expose small cracks of light. While noisy, fuzzed out shoegaze-inspired guitars are part of their signature, throwing any normal grooves or folk-inspired melodies off-kilter in the most unique way possible, trying to flesh out and organically generate some of those moments instead of jumping in head first might make Wye Oak a better band. Of course who am I to be giving them tips on what to do next – given their track record of building up with each new release, it’s highly likely they’re going to get exactly where they need to go without anyone else’s help.

Wye Oak – Civilian

Buy “Civilian” from Amazon

Pick Your Poison: Tuesday 3-8-11

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On 03/08/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras. These things are going on today. If you’re Polish (or just like tasty pastries), pick yourself up a paczki and enjoy it while it lasts. I already had one last week, but will naturally indulge again because they’re so good. Also because I’m Polish, but that’s neither here nor there. If you’re in New Orleans, I hope you’re having a lot of fun (but not TOO much fun if you know what I mean). Indulge in all those wonderful things you’ll be potentially sacrificing in the coming 40 days, if you do that sort of thing. Best of luck to you all, and I’ll try to be more solemn on tomorrow’s Ash Wednesday. Anyways, Pick Your Poison has some…interesting tracks in it today to be sure. Fill up on them now, this version’s a little FATTER than normal because of the date. I will recommend tracks from Adam and Darcie, Parenthetical Girls, powerdove, Rich Bennett, and The Sound of Growing Up. Everything in the Soundcloud section is worth your time today, with new music from The Chemical Brothers, Crystal Stilts and Wild Beasts. All three of those are awesome.

Adam and Darcie – 2 Cities

Amtrac – Take Your Throne

The Angry Years – Dress Yourself As Someone Dead

Arrange – Turnpike

Bullmeister – Baby

Chromeo – Fancy Footwork (Haydn Hoffman Remix)

Eureka Birds – That Mountain Is A Volcano
Eureka Birds – There Was Light

Hourglass Sea – Tubbs & Crockett

Parenthetical Girls – The Pornographer

powerdove – Resting Place

Rebirth Brass Band – Do It Again

Rich Bennett – Wild Ride

The Sound of Growing Up – Drifting

W-H-I-T-E – Fountain (Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe Remix)

SOUNDCLOUD

The Chemical Brothers – Container Park

Crystal Stilts – Through The Floor

Wild Beasts – Albatross

Album Review: R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now [Warner Bros.]

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On 03/07/2011

In album review, music


The story of R.E.M. has reached an impasse. Fifteen albums in, and nobody can agree on the worth and vitality of this band anymore. Everyone looks back fondly at “The I.R.S. Years” and the first half of the Warner Bros. years, where the band was prolific and innovative and equally young and vibrant. Yeah, they made mistakes too, particularly in the early 90s with a couple records known as “Out of Time” and “Monster”. One thing that most R.E.M. fans can agree with though is that 1996’s “New Adventures in Hi-Fi” was their last great record before entering into about a 10 year period you could call the dark ages. By that point, the band had been around for over 16 years and things were bound to give out sooner or later. It’s telling that they only released three albums of new material in the ’97-’07 period and most of the rest of that time was not spent on the road touring. The guys had clearly gotten bored with making music and spending time with one another, so they got involved in other projects for awhile and also ran into some health problems. Despite these setbacks, they never officially broke up, though Bill Berry did quit the band right at the start of that tumultuous period in 1997. Anyways, after the slow motion daydream that was 2004’s “Around the Sun”, R.E.M. came surging back in 2008 with the motivated and revitalized “Accelerate”. Plenty hailed it as the band’s first great record in over 10 years, with some even reaching as far back as ’92’s “Automatic for the People” as a reference point. But was it REALLY that good? Is it possible that at the first sign of a spark, people overreacted and thought they saw a wildfire instead? This is where the rift occurs – from those that truly believe R.E.M. has course corrected and returned to the path of righteousness and others that feel this 30+ year old band will never, ever come close to their peak form again. Though they’d never outright say it, listening to their new album “Collapse Into Now”, the unofficial statement from the band seems to be, “does it even matter”?

For those that thought “Accelerate” was a late-period fluke of energy from an otherwise lifeless corpse of a band, R.E.M. immediately slaps you in the face with the charging single “Discoverer” to start “Collapse Into Now”. Where Michael Stipe gets the nerve to think that shouting out the song’s title over and over again makes for a grand chorus is a little lost of me, but at the very least it’s easy to sing along to and remember. Peter Buck’s guitar work is delightful as well, and if you don’t over-analyze it the track turns out to be rather solid. “All the Best” appears to both directly and indirectly challenge critics that think the band has nothing left to offer. “It’s just like me to overstay my welcome,” Stipe sings just before launching into the chorus with a mission statement to “show the kids how to do it fine”. The man speaks the truth, for as these guys are slowly becoming the middle-aged godfathers of rock, they are proving they can still write a bunch of solid songs that are better than a lot of what’s out there today. Unlike the last record, “Collapse Into Now” is not packed to the brim with high energy rock tracks. The band takes more of a cue from their early 90s classic records by weaving in some more acoustic numbers and gentle touches of mandolins and other instruments they’ve briefly used before. “Uberlin” is a lovely acoustic cut with an “Automatic for the People” vibe shimmering off of it complete with those essential Mike Mills backing vocals. The mixture of horns, mandolin and accordion on “Oh My Heart” makes for one of the most beautiful R.E.M. songs in a long while, and Stipe’s pleading vocal is also one of his best. Similarly, the crunchy, muscular guitar work on “Mine Smell Like Honey” combined with the fun energy and catchy chorus make for an excellent single that may even best some of the great moments on “Accelerate”. For no apparent reason Peaches makes a guest appearance on “Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter”, a bouncy and shredding track that bears a similar silliness to “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” both in the lyrics and in the way Stipe sort of sing-speaks his vocals. It could get annoying if R.E.M. did songs like this on a regular basis, but since they don’t it’s a welcome bit on this record. The punk rock vibe of “That Someone Is You” holds a lot of weight for a late album cut, but it wouldn’t have to if the lyrics were better. The line, “pull me up and out of cartoon quicksand” isn’t terrible, but slapping together phrases like “And with the fury lock of Sharon Stone “Casino”/”Scarface” Al Pacino/’74 Torino/I need someone else to make the first move” makes little sense other than to try and pull off a clever rhyme.

What’s not clever is the seriously painful chorus of “It Happened Today”. A mid-tempo acoustic track with lovely flourishes of mandolin, there’s a lot to like about the song, but when Stipe dispassionately sings the lines “It happened today/Hooray, hooray/It happened/Hip, hip hooray” it rings about as untrue as “Shiny Happy People” did 20 years ago. Eddie Vedder also makes a guest appearance in the last half of the song, pushing some really gorgeous backing vocals and harmonies that virtually erase the bad taste the chorus leaves in your mouth. A similar thing takes place on “Every Day Is Yours to Win”, where the instrumental complete with twinkling xylophones and Mills harmonies are very nice but just about everything else isn’t. Sounding lovely can only sustain you for so long, and when there’s not a whole lot in the way of forward momentum or variation on your melody combined with lyrics that unlike the title are NOT winning, you’ve got problems. And if you want to talk about the worst offender and least essential track on the entire album, “Walk It Back” should very much be walked back to the shallow grave it rose from. It’s like the piano ballad slow version of “Discoverer”, where the chorus is yet again just the song title over and over again. The verses though are special themselves, with gloriously average phrases such as, “What would you have had me say/instead of what I said?” and “Where would I go, how could I follow that/except to do what I did”. The song is about regrets and wishing you could have avoided what turned out to be a bad situation, but clearly by allowing this song on the album the band did not take their own advice. The song that may get the most complaints from people, but perhaps also equal amounts of praise from others, is album closer “Blue”. Hazy and distorted electric guitar mixed with slow acoustic strumming forms the instrumental base for the track, but it’s more wallpaper for a Michael Stipe spoken word poetry reading with blushes of guest star Patti Smith’s singing. Yeah it’s weird and if you’re not in the mood it’ll gladly rub you the wrong way, but it’s also the only song on the record that takes any real chances. It very well could have found a home on “New Adventures in Hi-Fi” back in the day where it would have blended in nicely rather than stick out like a sore thumb here. The good news is that it is the last song on the album, so if you don’t want to listen to it ever again, just hit the stop button early.

The album’s title “Collapse Into Now” is part of that spoken word bit that Stipe does on “Blue”, but the phrase itself is a strong microcosm of what this record sounds like on the whole. Listening to “classic” R.E.M. from the 80s and early 90s, you understand how the band was one of the unofficial founders of the alternative rock genre. They helped to develop the sound that so many other bands still copy even today. With the healthy mixture of the harder rocking, faster songs and more subdued ballads, “Collapse Into Now” sounds like the band knows exactly what’s worked for them in the past and worked hard to try and recreate it. The thing about reviving your older material is that it continues to sound dated, even though you’ve made it in the present. Yeah, at any given moment on this new record you’ll think about how that one song feels like a “Life’s Rich Pageant” era song or another might very well have been on “Murmur” or even “Monster”. It’s nice to know that R.E.M. can still crank out songs like that, and good ones at that, but where’s the originality? Where’s the innovation? “Fables of the Reconstruction” was such a vital album in 1985 precisely because it was something different and exciting. “Collapse Into Now” pretty much only looks backwards, preying on your nostalgia for a band that recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. Maybe that’s what brought them out of their downward spiral though – the relief of the pressure that exploring new sounds and territory brings with the thought that you really can go home again. R.E.M. no longer needs to be this vital, alternative rock-creating force, but instead just a band that likes making music together. If it’s enough for them, hopefully it can also be enough for us.

Buy “Collapse Into Now” from Amazon

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