A Record A Day: Peeping New Albums on the Daily

Record #155: The Brunettes' 'Paper Dolls'

Paper Dolls is the latest from New Zealand’s synth-heavy indie-pop duo The Brunettes. Though I have to say I personally prefer the front half of this one, it’s a pretty consistent, one-speed collection of lilting, feel-good pop numbers. The instrumentation is playful and nuanced, and the co-ed vocals are charming and sweet as ever. There are two or three tracks here that stand out for me personally, but if you’re not averse to twee-leaning acts like Tilly and the Wall, Camera Obscura and Mates of State, you’ll probably enjoy this one. Just don’t go into a sugar-induced coma. Oh, the sweetness!

Happy Thanksgiving, btw.

Record #154: Air's 'Love 2'

French indie-electronica/ambient-pop duo Air have been putting out dreamy, ethereal pop records for just over a decade, and if there’s one modifier that adequately describes their catalog, it’s “consistent.” Love 2 was released last month on Astralworks, and it consists of just the sort of smooth, jazzy, ’70s-influenced, primarily instrumental tunes that Air have become famous for. The arrangements here are split pretty evenly between live and electronic instrumentation, which includes everything from live and sampled drums to recorder, accordion, strings and miles of graceful synthesizers. On previous releases, Air often included an upbeat number dance-house-hyper type of number or two, but this whole record remains pretty even-keeled, down-tempo and glossy. They certainly aren’t challenging any conventions or breaking out with this release, but they remain the kings of sexy, purse-lipped French indie-pop…for now. I see Phoenix creeping up behind ’em.

Also thought I’d mention that, because I’m going out of town for Thanksgiving weekend, I’m not sure what kind of listening/posting I’ll be doing over the next three or four days. Maybe some, maybe none. Regardless, I’ll be back. Happy T’giving.

Record #153: Fool's Gold's s/t

Los Angeles-based world-pop ensemble Fool’s Gold—not to be confused with Fool’s Gold, Dan Fogelberg’s former backing band—released their eponymous, full-length debut just this year. The massive assembly of percussionists, singers and sundry instrumentalists—there are roughly a dozen of them—is led by a duo of native Israeli songwriters who are influenced by Afro-pop, Middle Eastern and Western music, and the blend is truly unique and astounding in its captivating intricacy. Though I don’t listen to loads of “world” music, I definitely note a lot of Tuareg guitar influence—hey, I actually know what that means! Despite the Hebrew lyrics, exotic percussion and non-Western arrangements, there is a lot of conventional but insanely catchy instrumentation going on here, most notably synthesizers and electric guitar. Regardless of your prior exposure to Middle Eastern and African music, Fool’s Gold are at once accessible and entrancingly exotic. Listen to this record. I insist.

Record #152: Animal Collective's 'Fall Be Kind' EP

I’ve always acknowledged their innovation and latter-day experimental-rock influence, but until recently I wasn’t an enormous Animal Collective fan. Sure, I liked Sung Tongs and Strawberry Jam just fine, but it wasn’t until the release of this year’s Merriweather Post Pavilion that I was truly impressed by AC’s strength as songwriters. The five-song EP Fall Be Kind is the latest release from the Baltimore-native genre-benders, and it was released digitally today—you can get a hard copy mid-December if you’re so inclined. Though Fall Be Kind features all the breathy, digitally manipulated atmosphere these guys have long been known for, it continues a trend Animal Collective began with this year’s prior release: It’s accessible and catchy, but still disjointed and affected enough to retain that elusive Pitchfork “legitimacy.” They even snuck in a Grateful Dead sample—the first licensed one in history. Even so, solid EP.