As I like to do most Tuesdays, here’s a list of some significant music releases this week, available at your local independent music retailer or online if you prefer. If it suits your fancy, there’s new stuff out there from Ashtar Command, The Beets, Bjork with Dirty Projectors, The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble, A Classic Education, Coldplay, Comet Gain, Deer Tick, Gospel Music, Jedi Mind Tricks, John Prine, Justice, Mark Sultan, Mr. Gnome, Phantogram, Russian Circles, Spectrals, The Strange Boys, Surfer Blood, Tom Waits, Wet Illustrated and Woodsman. If you’re really itching to get your holidays started early, there are Christmas albums out this week from Stone Temple Pilots’ Scott Weiland and the Zooey Deschanel/M. Ward project She & Him. That out of the way, let’s talk about what’s directly in front of us: a fresh edition of Pick Your Poison. Today I’ll recommend tracks from Andy Steele, Loves It, The Migrant, Miracles of Modern Science, Night Shining, Robert Deeble, and Shirk Circus. In the Soundcloud section, you can hear a great track from Dolfish and a b-side/cover from Yuck off the deluxe reissue of their debut album. Oh, and happy birthday to me.
As we learned from a string of (primarily) West Coast bands in the last couple years, summer is no longer a time of year. It’s actually a feeling and has a distinct sound – something that can be created with relative ease if you know what you’re doing. The lackadaisical warmth glowing off of records by bands like Best Coast, Tennis, The Drums, Beach Fossils, The Morning Benders and Wavves could make even the most brutal of winters seem that much more bearable. It was like taking a mental vacation to the beach. Real Estate also fell into this category, though the boys are from New Jersey. The cover of their 2009 self-titled debut album had what appears to be some triangle-shaped thatch hut with bright blue skies behind it. Their first single was titled “Beach Comber”, and it was a delightful romp through the sand filled with people tanning and playing volleyball and frisbee and that one guy who carries around a metal detector searching for buried treasure. The rest of the album follows suit, even as the closing track “Snow Days” recounts “February down by the shore” where the “waters never freeze/despite the ice and snow”. They can’t stay away from the beach even in the middle of winter. 2011 has seen the beach-bound sound fall a little by the wayside, the result of overexposure more than anything, but that doesn’t mean a great record can’t push through such challenges. Real Estate’s sophmore album “Days” tries with grace and polish to reinvigorate our love for that partly cloudy sound, and it’s amusingly apt that they waited until the fall, where the swim trunks and surf boards are traded for jackets and heaters, to release it.
For those familiar with Real Estate’s debut album, you know it was a rather ramshackle lo-fi effort, recorded on the cheap and collecting a number of songs written in the band’s earlier days. In that sense there was an unpredictability and rawness to it, which was partly charming but also proved imperfect. “Days” seeks to correct that by upping the recording quality to a standard layer of sheen and pulling together 10 tracks that have all been written and recorded within a small time frame. The result is added beauty and a welcome cohesion that creates additional depth for a band that might otherwise have run out of ways to keep us interested. In a way all these songs are instrumentally cut from the same cloth and utilize the same instruments in the same way each time, but the melodies and tempos are just variable enough to avoid falling into a bland or whitewashed template and remain individually memorable. A big part of that comes via the serpentine guitar work of Matt Mondanile, whose work on tracks like the instrumental “Kinder Blumen” and the 7+ minute closer “All the Same” make for interesting detours from the band’s poppier side. And through all these rather laid back yet hypnotic melodies, the band never sounds like they’re trying to do too much or too little. Nothing feels over-long or extraneous, as if they’ve whittled each track down to only the barest of essentials. Such a balance is not easy to come by, and it’s a big part of what makes “Days” work so well.
The lyrical cues on this record largely keep with Real Estate tradition, as on opening track “Easy” where there’s talk of “floating on an innertube in the sun” and running “around the fields”. The guitars jangle and light touches of xylophone bring an added sparkle next to the dayglow vocal harmonies. The shimmery “Green Aisles” speaks of “aimless drives” through the tree canopys and street lights of suburbia as part of a “careless lifestyle”. If you’ve ever done exactly that, not only will this song trigger said memories, but it comes across like a soundtrack to them as well. The immense relatability to the stories and images presented in these songs is part of the album’s charm, and even if you grew up in a big city surrounded by crime, there’s a certain idealized aspect in these songs that functions well as escapist fantasy too. If nothing else, there are moments such as “It’s Real” and “Out of Tune” that worm their way into your brain and stay with you, even as you become enamored with other tracks on the record. They’re not all highlights, but they’re all purposeful and enjoyable in their own way, and there’s not much more you could ask for.
With “Days”, Real Estate lives on to fight another day. That’s not meaning to suggest they’re fated to eventually wind up in the post-hype bin with hundreds of other artists, but their sound at the moment doesn’t lend itself to long-term sustainability. There’s only so much lazy day nostalgia you can take, and as with any good thing there are bound to be copycats to dilute the potency of what’s already being done. Real Estate is fortunate that off their debut they had something with which to improve upon. They made all the necessary upgrades, and have outdone themselves thanks in no small part to the sheer talent of each and every band member. Hopefully those same guys will be able to spark yet another wave of creative innovation for next time, because much like summer itself, the winds change and those once green aisles of trees turn brown and lose their leaves.
Oh noes! Amy Klein has left Titus Andronicus! Lots of people appear to be upset about this. I’m surprised it didn’t happen earlier. Not that she was unhappy or a bad fit with the rest of the band, but to me she always seemed destined for bigger and better things. When I heard about her couple of side projects, most notably Hilly Eye and Amy Klein and the Blue Star Band, I assumed they’d eventually steal her focus away from the boys in Titus. And so it has happened. Her leaving Titus does not spell the end for either her or the band, and I continue to expect great things from both. So allow me to wish a best of luck to Amy Klein, now formerly Amy Andronicus. I hope to be writing about her music in the near future. Here in the present, let’s talk today’s Pick Your Poison. I’ve got positive things to say about tracks from Chris Bathgate, Eric Sarmiento, FIDLAR, Parts & Labor, Silver Swans (covering Fleet Foxes and doing a good job), and V.C. In the Soundcloud section, there’s a new track from K-OS that’s worth your time if you enjoy hip hop.
Fall is the best time of year for several reasons. It could be the weather, still relatively warm with a slight chill in the air. It could be the leaves changing, a beautiful reminder that we need to prepare for the harsh winter ahead. There’s also plenty of seasonal foods to enjoy, from pumpkin-flavored treats to freshly picked apples, particularly of the honey crisp variety. But set all those lovely things aside for a moment because fall is also fantastic for its concerts. So many bands are out on tour, freed from the glut of summer music festivals which have massive bills and radius clauses keeping some out of town through much of August and September. And while going to a summer festival where 100+ artists are performing can be a great way to discover new music, going to see a smaller show with just a couple artists on the bill can give you a much more impactful and perhaps surprising experience. You’re paying to see a headliner, but showing up early reaps plenty of rewards in and of itself. Case in point, this past Friday in which I dropped by Lincoln Hall for a headlining show from Cymbals Eat Guitars. Their first two records “Why There Are Mountains” and “Lenses Alien” struck a chord with tastemakers, and the band has been on the rise ever since. On their current fall tour they’re being supported by the band Hooray for Earth, whose debut full length “True Loves” turned many a head this past summer, even as it wound up a little lost in the shuffle of other, bigger releases.
On what was a crisp October evening, the show had an uncharacteristically late start time of 10pm. It makes sense in that none of the 3 bands performing had enough material for a full 90 minute set, but there was no real reason why things couldn’t have kicked off at a more normal 9pm and ended at midnight instead of 1am. Does it make that much of a difference in the end? Not really – once you’re out for the night, there’s not much difference between midnight and 1am. Plus it gives people more of their earlier evening free to do things like drink more before the show and then try to start a mosh pit during Cymbals Eat Guitars. More on that in a minute, but right now I want to give a quick shout out to Chicago’s own Bailiff, who was the first band on the bill Friday night. This was a one-off show for them as they’re not part of the tour, but those that know Chicago’s local music scene were smart enough to arrive on time for their set. While I like what I’ve heard on record from Bailiff, I had never seen them live before, and due to some small travel delays I only had the chance to see the last 10 minutes of their 25 minute set. Those 10 minutes were enough to impress me though, and I can’t help but think that those guys are well on their way to becoming a band that earns worldwide attention. The “it” factor is clearly there, and I’m absolutely looking forward to hearing and seeing much more from them in the next couple years.
A fairly sizable crowd had arrived at Lincoln Hall by the time Hooray for Earth took the stage, and most of them had never heard the band before. I know that because people kept asking me who the band was. That’s great news though, because it means they were intrigued by what they heard and saw. It’s the opening sets where everyone passively watches or talks the whole time that are bad signs. A couple drunk girls asked me if it was Yeasayer on stage. They clearly didn’t know their Yeasayer either, but at least they were in the ball park sonically. One of the great qualities about Hooray for Earth is how they’re able to marry psychedelic and pop sounds with electronica and dance elements, which at this show resulted in an unorthodox dance party. The guys in Hooray for Earth weren’t so much taken aback by the dancing, but they did seem just a touch surprised to see a number of people getting their groove on. It’s relatively challenging to get cross-armed indie kids to dance, so that was just one of the small victories Hooray for Earth could claim during their set. Another was some charming stage banter, highlighted by the mid-set pause in which frontman Noel Heroux called a friend to wish him a happy birthday. Really the music itself did all the talking that was needed though, and in their 45 minute set the band powered through much of their record. Naturally it was the title track off their new album “True Loves” that got the biggest crowd response, aided by the fact that it’s a highly addictive and fun single that has gotten some radio airplay by a few forward-thinking stations. Their live rendition of “Black Trees” was blisteringly cool as well, aided in no small part by the swirling, psychedelic video projections that washed over the band. Hooray for Earth likely made a bunch of new friends thanks to their reliable and enjoyable set. I think they can do even better though, and hopefully bring a little more on stage energy to their songs in the future. As they do more touring and write new material, that should all evolve naturally. Hooray for Earth remains a band to watch, and if we’re lucky, the next time they come through town they’ll be the ones headlining.
It’s been a tough couple years for Cymbals Eat Guitars. Relentless touring around their debut record “Why There Are Mountains” resulted in two of the band’s four members quitting and frontman Joseph D’Agostino blowing out his voice. Such tragedy also comes with a ray of sunshine though, and in this case the sheer exhaustion pretty much meant the band was leaving it all on the stage each and every night. Now with a revamped lineup and a vocal tune-up for D’Agostino, Cymbals Eat Guitars unleashed their sophmore effort “Lenses Alien” to more critical acclaim, effectively proving their debut was not a fluke and they could not only sustain but evolve as well. The small tragedy on Friday night was that more people didn’t make it out to the show. Lincoln Hall wasn’t sold out by any measure, but those that did come were largely die hard fans. The ones that weren’t die hard fans upon arriving hopefully left with a sharply increased appreciation for these guys. They started their set with the bouncy “Indiana”, which had at least a few people jumping up and down right away, though things wouldn’t really escalate until about the final 30 minutes of the show. It was somewhere right around “Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)” that things reached an apex they could not top. The track itself is 8.5 minutes long on record, and on stage the band drew it out and enhanced it even more than I ever thought possible. The tension built up over the course of the song was held for as long as possible before the quiet exploded into a wall of sound and D’Agostino’s visceral scream. It has been awhile since a live rendition of a song has given me goosebumps like that. To their credit they also bled “Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)” into “Keep Me Waiting” effortlessly, the whole thing seeking to provide the auditory definition of the word “epic”. The seamless combination of songs would happen a couple more times in the second half of the set, and the noisier and more experimental the band got, the more energized the crowd got. That is to say a bunch of guys near the front felt it would be a great idea to start a mosh pit. As they bounced into one another more and more, those of us not looking to potentially get hurt backed away and gave them some space. THankfully things never got overzealous or violent, and respect was maintained not only between sectors of the crowd but towards the band on stage as well.
For me, the only disappointing thing about CEG’s set was an apparent lack of applause/cheering by the crowd once they finished their set. Perhaps my perception was off and the crowd was smaller than I thought, but I just assumed it would be a louder response for an encore than what was given. Almost as if they resigned to do an encore because they were headlining and less because it was demanded of them, the band came back out after a very brief moment backstage to play one more song. It was a nice cap on the evening, though it probably wasn’t necessary. They played for an hour, hit all the songs I had wanted them to and slayed them all, and while I was cheering for the band when it was all over, I was also satisfied to the point where I didn’t need any more. If the crowd isn’t going to give you the sort of response that warrants an encore, my opinion is don’t do one. Again, maybe I just had a disconnection between crowd size and the loudness of said crowd and everyone was begging for an encore. It’s also very possible my hearing was a bit off after such a loud and punshing set. Ultimately my stance is this: for the talented bands involved, this show should have been close to sold out – especially for a Friday night. That it wasn’t is the biggest disappointment of them all. Bands like Cymbals Eat Guitars and Hooray for Earth are the type worth listening to and investing in because they push creative boundaries within their respective genres. If you can’t be bothered to go and see them, they can’t be bothered to make more music. Please take that into account the next time either of them rolls through Chicago or whatever city you live in.
My weekend is here, and I’m looking forward to some serious fun. I hope you’ve got some great plans ahead of you. No real time to waste, let’s get right into this slightly extended version of Pick Your Poison for this grand Friday. I can recommend tracks from Ashtar Command, Devereaux, The Grenadines, Kramies, Preston Lovinggood, The Sanctuaries and UltraKorps.
To my fellow Chicagoans, I want to make a quick mention that if your Friday is not yet booked, there’s some great live music you can go out and see. Then again, pretty much any night of the week there’s great live music to go and see. But this Friday the bands Cymbals Eat Guitars and Hooray for Earth will be performing at Lincoln Hall. It’s a 21+ show, and tickets are $12 in advance ($15 at the door). I’ll be there and will have a show review for you by Monday, but early warning this should be a great show. Tickets are available here. Okay, let’s get on with today’s Pick Your Poison. I can say nice things about tracks from Adrienne Drake, Anna Rose (and her Arcade Fire cover), The Beets, St. Even (with Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak), The Trophy Fire and Yojimbo Billions. Hip hop fans may want to have a listen to the new Wale track ft. Kid Cudi, up for streaming in the Soundcloud section.
Allow me to take a moment to address a topic that has been widely discussed by most music sites around the globe: the validity (or invalidity) of Lana Del Rey. People are so quick to criticize. Yes, Lana Del Rey is a fake name, and she already attempted to become a music star under her original name Lizzie Grant. Yes, she’s adopted a sharply different look in becoming Lana Del Rey, one that seems to have involved possible cosmetic surgery (her lips? more?) and a pinup-style wardrobe. In essence, there’s not much about her that’s genuine, and apparently that gets people upset. It goes without saying she’s also using her sexuality to also generate press, what with her good looks and subservient-like nature recalling a time in which women were both ruled over and ogled over by men. My stance is that all that doesn’t matter in the least. When you’re sitting in your car and a song like “Video Games” or “Blue Jeans” comes on the stereo, does it stick with you beyond those few minutes? Can you deny that the minimal pieces of music we’ve heard from Lana Del Rey have all been strong when you completely remove the context behind them? The look is a way to draw our attention, but the music is what keeps it. I dislike the way it’s being sold and packaged, but cannot say it’s a bad thing in the least. If you want to weigh in on Lana Del Rey, feel free to leave a comment. As to today’s Pick Your Poison, Bombay Bicycle Club does an interesting take on Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” in the Soundcloud section. Also there you can stream Thievery Corporation’s remix of an AM & Shawn Lee track. In terms of mp3s, I”ll give gold stars to tracks from Friends By Fire, Hospitality, Raymond Raposa (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Vesper), Steel Phantoms, and Water Babys.
It’s new album release day, and as I try to do every Tuesday, here’s your list of notable records you might want to pick up. These aren’t so much recommendations as they are listed for informational purposes as I can’t attest to how good or bad all of these are because I haven’t heard them all. This week sees new albums from Body Language, Brown Bird, Brown Shoe, Carter Tanton, Class Actress, Forest Fire, Gauntlet Hair, I Break Horses, Jane’s Addiction, Kimya Dawson, M83, Moholy-Nagy, The Mommyheads, My Brightest Diamond, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Penguin Prison, Psychic Ills, Real Estate, Richard Swift, Rob Crow, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Tennis System, The Trophy Fire and Turf War. Speaking directly of Pick Your Poison today, I’ll toss a handful of actual recommendations your way as you try to navigate these choppy download waters. Honorable mentions today go to tracks from 33Hz, Boston Spaceships, Grand Atlantic, Mirador, The Morning Clouds and These United States. In the Soundcloud section, stream a new one from Benjamin Francis Leftwich and check out Lotus Plaza’s (aka Lockett Pundt of Deerhunter) cover of Cut Copy’s “Where I’m Going”. It’s pretty dope.
Not that many of you need it, but I want to take a moment, as I do every few months, to just give a quick reminder as to what the daily Pick Your Poison posts are all about. My inbox gets jam-packed from day to day with artists and record labels and PR people all begging me to write about their music. I only have so much time and space to write about that stuff, even if I listen to everything that gets sent to me. Rather than simply letting all this music rot away in my inbox, I try and put as much of it as possible into these daily Pick Your Poison posts. You guys get free music and are free to discover all sorts of up-and-coming artists, completely at your own discretion. Take as much or as little of these songs as you like, so long as you remain aware that not everything may be to your liking. You might wind up with the occasional clunker, which is why the word “poison” is in the title of the post. You’re responsible for your own fate, good or bad. I can only give recommendations. Today’s edition is a pretty good one, and I can affix a thumbs up to tracks from ARMS, Femme Fatality, Goldmund, Kimya Dawson, Swimclub and Work Drugs. I’m also pretty madly in love with School of Seven Bells’ remix of Surfer Blood’s “Miranda. In the Soundcloud section, be sure to check out the streams of tracks by Bleached and Young Magic.
As you start to plan out your weekend, let me give you a quick suggestion in terms of something you might want to check out. Specifically, the band Said the Whale is coming through Chicago for a date at the Double Door’s Dirtroom this Saturday night. These guys (and girl) are a hot up-and-coming indie pop band out of Vancouver that I’ve featured previously on Pick Your Poison. They started to draw attention after some strong shows at SXSW last spring, and are readying an EP called “New Brighton” for release next month. If you want to be in on the ground floor with Said the Whale, go see them on Saturday. Tickets are a mere $5 and can be purchased here. Be advised that the show is 21+. Just a little something for the locals to check out if you’re not yet booked tomorrow night. And have a listen to a couple mp3s to help make your decision easier: Said the Whale – B.C. Orienteering Said the Whale – Camilo (The Magician)
Speaking directly of today’s Pick Your Poison, this nice more extended version today has some killer tracks from Alert New London, Brown Shoe, Leverage Models, Mates of State, McCarthy Trenching, and Tall Ships. Eddie Mars’ remix of a track by Rewards (aka Aaron Pfenning of Chairlift) featuring Solange Knowles is noteworthy as well. And speaking of remixes, in the Soundcloud section you can stream Cut Copy’s remix of Death Cab for Cutie’s “Doors Unlocked and Open”. It’s a great version of the song to start your weekend.
It’s Thursday, let’s get right into today’s Pick Your Poison. Tracks I’ll give gold stars to today come from Al Tuck, The Green, Lightyear, Rob Crow (of Pinback), Savaging Spires, and The Whiskey Saints. Also, in response to How to Dress Well covering Elite Gymnastics last week, Elite Gymnastics has bounced back by reworking HTDW’s “Suicide Dream 2”. That’s absolutely worth your time. And while I definitely know it’s not for everyone, there’s a new song from The Fray in the Soundcloud section if you like some hot Adult Contempo action.
Here’s a rare case when one of the tracks featured in today’s Pick Your Poison just so happens to coincide with some fresh music news. Unfortunately this time it’s marred with tragedy. Dan Treacy of the band Television Personalities contributes some vocals, as you’ll see below, to a new track from Acid House Kings. The song itself is great, but news broke earlier today that Treacy has been in a coma the last two days after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain. It is not known at this time what sort of injury he might have sustained to wind up with the blood clot in the first place. So it is sad he’s in a really bad spot right now health-wise, and I’d like to wish him the best and what will hopefully be a full recovery. Television Personalities are a great post-punk band from England that have been around since the late 70s, and they’ve released over a dozen records in their time together, a handful of which might be deemed incredibly great. Check them out if you’re not familiar. Also if you’re not familiar, there’s a host of great songs in today’s Pick Your Poison. Outside of the great Acid House Kings cut, I can also recommend songs from Br’er, Flosstradamus (ft. Kid Sister), Nomadic Firs and Real Estate (stream their new album at NPR). Chad Valley’s remix of Trophy Wife is pretty good too, and in the Soundcloud section stream something new from Big Deal because they kind of are as their name describes.
Tuesday is new album release day, and I’ve taken to letting you know that some artists you may like and be familiar with (either via Pick Your Poison or otherwise) will be putting out fresh material today. Here’s a list of artists for you, absent of any recommendations I might officially make towards any of these releases: Andrew Bird (releasing a soundtrack), Ben Lee, Big Deal, Bjork, Caged Animals, Casiokids (hear a track from them in the Soundcloud section), Crooked Fingers, Electric Six, Extra Arms, Field, Future Islands, Gross Magic, High Places, Icebird, James Blake (with a new EP), John Wesley Harding, Jovontaes, Library Voices, Marketa Irglova (of The Swell Season), Modeselektor, Rachael Yamagata, Radiohead (with their remix record), The Rifles, Ryan Adams, Spectrals, Still Corners, Sun Hotel, T.W. Walsh, Trash Talk, Xeno & Oaklander, and Yuck (with a deluxe reissue of their debut album). Speaking purely from a Pick Your Poison perspective, here’s what I will suggest you give a listen/download to among the choices below: A Classic Education, Bear Lake, Children of Pop, Gospel Music, The Loom, She & Him (with a holiday song!) and The Supreme Dicks. Be sure to check out the Casiokids cut in the Soundcloud section too.
Happy Columbus Day, my fellow Americans. Today is the day we “celebrate” Christopher Columbus and his journey to the West Indies, which ultimately resulted in his stumbling upon America. Given that the explorer had a penchant for slavery, disease and general whoremongering, I find it somewhat amusing that we have a holiday in his honor. I’d prefer to honor the film director Chris Columbus on a day like today, for making classic films like “Home Alone” and “Mrs. Doubtfire”. Maybe that’s just me. So let’s tackle a Monday edition of Pick Your Poison. Tracks I can recommend today come from Bad Vibrations, The Hours, Mutiny Mutiny, Silver Wren, Terry Malts, and We Can’t Enjoy Ourselves. And hey, in the Soundcloud section, Miracle Fortress’ remix of Snow Patrol is probably better than the non-remixed version of Snow Patrol.
How many movies is Ryan Gosling going to be in this year? Between “Crazy, Stupid, Love”, “Drive” and now “The Ides of March”, the guy has a lot to promote these days. Good thing he’s a good actor and tends not to choose crap projects. Which also reminds me – George Clooney, also in “The Ides of March”, has another movie coming out soon called “The Descendants”. That’ll make two for him this year. But perhaps nobody is having a bigger, more crowded year than Jessica Chastain. She went into 2011 basically unknown, but is emerging as one of the hot new stars to watch. Her grand total will be 7 movies by the time 2011 is up. That’s less from being a workaholic and more from having movies already made but unreleased now finally all getting unleashed at once. Best of luck to her in handling all that. Oh, why am I talking movies? It’s Friday, there’s new stuff out, and I’m out of topics to discuss otherwise. Let’s get into Pick Your Poison for today. I’ll send some love in the direction of artists like And So I Watch You From Afar, Big Tree, Breathe Owl Breathe, Dreamers of the Ghetto, Leema Mountain, Misfits, The Mommyheads and Tennis System. In the Soundcloud section, you can stream some excellent new tracks from Guillemots and Iceage. Enjoy your weekend!
