A Record A Day: Peeping New Albums on the Daily

Record #178: Paul Burch's 'Still Your Man'

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:23:43 -0600

While I don’t personally consider myself a fan of latter-day country swing and rockabilly, I was raised on Hank, Orbison, Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash, so I recognize and appreciate when an artist counts those same folks amongst his or her influences. Still Your Man is the latest solo release from Lambchop member Paul Burch, and it contains some tight, tasteful, traditional playing. No real surprises, but I’m happy to recommend this one for fans of throwback alt-country, Americana and country rock.

“Actor Out of Work” from St. Vincent’s latest,...

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:48:47 -0600

“Actor Out of Work” from St. Vincent’s latest, Actor.

Record #177: St. Vincent's 'Actor'

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:47:32 -0600

I’m late to the party on this one. Actor is this year’s release from Annie Clark, known to most as St. Vincent. I’m most impressed by the diverse and remarkably moody tones all over this record. From delicate woodwinds to crunchy guitars to Clark’s beautifully pristine vocals, this record sounds amazing. The songs themselves are also varied and incredibly distinctive. Clark seems to have quite a way with meshing intricate vocals and guitar parts in her arrangements—not unlike Dirty Projectors. I find this record more idiosyncratic and forceful than most of the latter-day output from Joan as Police Woman or Cat Power, both of whom have been compared to St. Vincent lately. Solid, interesting record.

“R.I.P.” from Richard Swift’s latest, Atlantic...

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:56:36 -0600

“R.I.P.” from Richard Swift’s latest, Atlantic Ocean, released in April.

Record #176: Richard Swift's 'Atlantic Ocean'

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:54:38 -0600

Richard Swift’s latest, Atlantic Ocean, was released back in April. While I personally don’t find it quite as compelling as 2007’s brilliant Dressed Up for the Letdown, this one is loaded with mid-tempo, charismatic indie-pop gems with a somewhat different approach. There is unmistakable Motown and psychedelic influence on tracks like “Lady Luck” and “GOT…NO…TIME,” on which Swift expresses his more visceral and soulful side vocally. Atlantic Ocean is still full of lilting, brainy piano pop with shoals of blips and boops, and per usual, this has enough catchy tunes to tide you over until the gifted and prolific architect of pop albums releases his next—I imagine it won’t be too long.

Record #175: De Novo Dahl's 'Tigerlion'

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:00:00 -0600

De Novo Dahl are a local indie-pop band that have existed in countless formations and lineups for the better part of a decade. A couple of years ago, they were signed to a major (mostly metal-based) label, and the record that followed, Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound, was a sugar-coated slice of synth-pop. Since then, the lineup has changed greatly, and principal songwriter Joel J. Dahl has been seriously re-working his approach. Tigerlion is DND’s forthcoming record, and it consists of a decidedly darker, more thoughtful style of pop. It still contains the ear-catching vocal hooks Joel has always had a knack for, but this record is all about layers of diverse sound and an introspective style of modern baroque pop. There are hip-hop, indie-rock, electronica and power-pop elements all throughout this record, and I’m happy to say it contains some of the most mature and compelling songs I’ve heard from De Novo Dahl in a long time.

I’m not exactly certain when or in what capacity this record will be released, so I’m not going to leak a track, but I will whenever I can get the go-ahead. By the way, here’s a Top 40 list of the year’s better records that I put together recently. As commenters so often do, our readers were thoughtful enough to let me know what I left out.

“Snow Dogs” from Deerhunter’s highly...

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:09:24 -0600

“Snow Dogs” from Deerhunter’s highly experimental CD-R, Carve Your Initials Into the Walls of the Night. It was recorded in 2005 and released for free on their blog on Dec. 12.

Record #174: Deerhunter's 'Carve Your Initials Into the Walls of the Night'

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:05:16 -0600

Carve Your Initials Into the Walls of the Night is a heavily experimental CD-R recorded by two of the guys from Deerhunter in 2005 and released for free on their blog just a few days ago. It’s a collection of 10 tracks featuring mostly looped and manipulated vocals and tape machine-warped sounds of all sorts. Though there are few tracks on here that could be considered “songs” in any conventional stretch of the word, there are a lot of interesting and hypnotic foreign sonics. I enjoy some of Deerhunter’s other work, and because this was clearly just an attempt at trying something unfamiliar and heavily experimental, I wouldn’t judge it against the rest of their catalog. Sometimes, you’ve just gotta mess around with noises and see what works. Hell, it’s not like they’re making anyone pay for it.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-12-13)

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:12:40 -0600

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-12-13)

“Ambling Alp,” the single from Yeasayer’s...

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:07:51 -0600

“Ambling Alp,” the single from Yeasayer’s forthcoming record, Odd Blood.

Record #173: Yeasayer's 'Odd Blood'

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:05:35 -0600

Odd Blood is the forthcoming release from Brooklyn-based experimental, world-influenced indie act Yeasayer. It won’t be out until February, but it has already been heavily leaked. As Yeasayer themselves put it, “Presents are always spoiled for those who open them before they are supposed to.” Fair enough.

I was a pretty big fan of 2007’s All Hour Cymbals, and I’m excited to finally have another release from these guys. While the songs still feature Eastern-inspired elements, the vocal melodies are more confident and acrobatic than those on Cymbals, and the balance of instrumentation is much more electronic. There are pitch-shifted and warped vocals, with epic, synthesized percussion and a never-ending arsenal of alien sounds. I certainly wouldn’t consider the lyrics as impressive or distinctive as any of the record’s other elements, but that’s forgivable. This is a mostly interesting sophomore effort—it loses me a bit on the more long-winded, electro-jam tracks—but it proves that Yeasayer are capable of immense growth and not just content to revisit the same elements/approach that made their 2007 release so popular.

“Black and Blue” from Miike Snow’s eponymous...

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:10:39 -0600

“Black and Blue” from Miike Snow’s eponymous debut, released in June.

Record #172: Miike Snow's s/t

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:51:21 -0600

Miike Snow is a collaboration between American songwriter Andrew Wyatt and the Swedish production duo responsible for Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” and their debut record consists of nothing but incredibly atypical, impossibly contagious, candy-coated electropop. Released earlier this year, Mike Snow combines live drumming, pianos and occasional guitars (hear “Song for No One”) with layered vocal takes and a cornucopia of pulsating synthesizers. This trio takes all of the oft-abused conventions of modern pop and turns them into something mostly refreshing, memorable and smart. Miike Snow is ear candy in its purest sense. If you consider yourself a fan of modern pop, I can think of no reason why you shouldn’t listen to this at least once.

“L’Hotel Particulier” from Serge...

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:46:11 -0600

“L’Hotel Particulier” from Serge Gainsbourg’s 1971 concept album, Histoire de Melody Nelson.

Record #171: Serge Gainsbourg's 'Histoire de Melody Nelson'

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:36:01 -0600

Released in 1971, Histoire de Melody Nelson is perhaps the most celebrated record from the master of sensual French pop, Serge Gainsbourg. While I don’t speak French, several reviews, the album’s cover and, hell, the lecherous sonic tone of the whole record tell me this is a concept album about the middle-aged Gainsbourg’s fictionalized seduction of a hapless, nubile teenager. This record oozes with sexuality—graceful string arrangements, warm guitar tones and knowing vocals. There are funk and psychedelic-rock elements here, just as there are jazz conventions and pop melodies (though said melodies are mostly carried out by strings). This record is beautiful and dark; it’s exotic and inviting, and it’s no wonder Gainsbourg is considered a criminally underappreciated legend. This is a must-listen.

“Fools” from The Dodos’ 2008 release, Visiter.

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:17:35 -0600

“Fools” from The Dodos’ 2008 release, Visiter.

Record #170: The Dodos' 'Visiter'

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:11:55 -0600

Visiter is the 2008 release from indie-folk duo The Dodos. While Visiter’s innovative song construction and vocal approach are similar to experimental indie-rock acts like Animal Collective, Yeasayer or Caribou, the instrumentation on this record is much more organic and minimalist. There are a lot of acoustic and toy instruments as well as jangly but stripped-down percussion parts. The Dodos, however, don’t delve much into the low end, and these songs are mostly built around acoustic guitar, slide, banjo and the like. I find some of the lyrical content substantially less impressive than the playing and the vocal melodies, but I can manage—especially considering how unpredictably these songs are laid out. Lots of churning percussion and ear-catching pop melodies. Good listen.

“Belong” from Washed Out’s High Times,...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:25:37 -0600

“Belong” from Washed Out’s High Times, released in October.

Record #169: Washed Out's 'High Times'

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:50:12 -0600

It looks as though I’m on a “glo-fi” kick as of late—it’s a subgenre I only recently discovered. Washed Out, much like Neon Indian, build songs on dancy, lo-fi synth tracks, looped samples and atmospheric nonsense that bring to mind modern indie-electronic acts like Black Moth Super Rainbow just as much as innovators like Depeche Mode and ironic throwbacks like Ray Parker Jr. High Times was released in October, and it rides the hazy, ethereal, 2009 wave of electro-pop. I’d say that Neon Indian present a less exhausting listen if you’re looking for something to peep in this new-fangled genre, but there are still some unique sounds going on here—warped, fuzzed-out, bent into oblivion and compressed beyond comprehension, but blissfully foggy and unique nonetheless. Wondering if this trend will stick around and, if so, will it pan out or just grow fatiguing…should be interesting to see. Regardless, I think I’ll listen to something with a bit more live instrumentation tomorrow.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-12-6)

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:34:38 -0600

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-12-6)