The Cold War Kids definitely have a unique sound driven by some strong gut feelings that can only escape through their music, and when they do, it is a gorgeous thing. Composed of four guys, these California musicians create weighty songs that draw you in by their sheer gravitational pull. And I haven’t even mentioned the beautiful vocals lead by Nathan Willett which bounce between falsetto and crooning or maybe howling, clean and smooth, going down like sticky syrup. Deep concepts nagging the human psyche are belted in the simple lyrics of this album over droning bass and an occasional egg shaker. Loyalty to Loyalty is Cold War Kids’ second album following their debut Robbers And Cowards. This song is off of Loyalty to Loyalty, and really represents their feel in one shot, so if you like this, you’ll likely like it all. But this is not a band for the faint of heart, so be warned.
So to begin, The Streets aka Mike Skinner is from the good ol’ motherland, and belts his beautiful little raps for a living. At first, it’s obvious that he is no music school grad. His style on his slower songs could be best be described as the song your boyfriend wrote and sang for you in high school that you knew would never go platinum but still made you extremely happy and walk around with butterflies for the rest of the day. The Streets recent album Everything is Borrowed really goes back to his older sound like on A Grand Don’t Come For Free, so if you liked some of his older stuff, you’ll totally appreciate this. It really is a solid album, and by solid I mean that you can actually listen to the whole thing without wanting to press the skip button, a rarity in a lot of albums. Full of wisdom and hope, it really is a different man and message behind this album, but who couldn’t use more wisdom and hope?
Oh, something else fabulous about Mike Skinner was how he introduced this album to the world. He put a few songs on his myspace, and then put the rest of his songs off this album interspersed on other artists myspace pages. So it was this mad scavenger hunt to find all the songs. Pretty cool concept if you ask me. It makes every song seem even more like a jewel.
This is a slower little love diddy and beautiful at that:
I picked this album up at Pop Apocalypse not expecting too much. I had heard about their last album Hold On Now, Youngster… getting some mixed reviews and never followed up thoroughly, but decided to give them a second chance since Anna would. Let me first point out that this last album was released to the US in April of this year 2008, and they already have a completely new second album out just a few months later! Applause.
So this new album We are Beautiful, We are Doomed almost seems like a response to any criticism about their last, kind of like a do-over. And a good do-over it is. It’s hard to get bored with this album, because with every second something else pokes itself out as awesome, it almost becomes tough to keep up with the pace. Energetic, fun, carefree, and still Brit. An eccletic mix of musical elements (hand-claps, cheers, too-artsy breakdowns, shout lyrics, duos) and cool Welsh accents, you really don’t need much more. And did I mention that the lyrics are totally interesting. Here’s my current fave, and seriously, every song on this album is just as interesting.
Los Campesinos! – We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
And I can’t help myself, here is another one I’m repeating…
I never thought I’d be writing any review for Sigur Ros, but with their latest album Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly), I’ve discovered a much different Sigur Ros than I remembered. A few years ago I gave them their initial try, but after a few songs of slow monotony, I decided they were just not my bag, and that was that, at least so I thought. “Gobbledigook” came along and gave me a happy slap on the face. I swear that I did not believe it was them figuring someone got the artist wrong. The slow depressing sound of the past Sigor Ros shed away to reveal these happy people just wanting to run free. I think the album cover really says it all. While there are still some slower songs on Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, they moreso play a part in balancing the album while giving it some thoughtful contrast. This is really a beautiful and inspiring album, and I’m thankful for its existence.
You’d want to put them in the same category as Duffy and Amy Winehouse, but their music is almost too good for that category. It has that same retro jazzy feel, but it’s a more refined one. Smooth seductive vocals with sharp gasps punctuate the chorus provided by Shana Halligan, and Kirin Shahani produces and composes these delightful songs on their debut album The Mating Game. It give me the feel of “Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend” from Moulin Rouge, but paired with some of the 70’s spastic organs, it creates this trip (hop) to an era created when eras collide.
I initially heard about Mgmt through my boyfriend who read that they were Of Montreal’s current dig, so that should tell you a lot about Mgmt already. Psychedelic sounds that take the gems of the hippy era and give them a heavier sound. This album is full of classics that break any preconceived notions of this band. Many bands with this much hype often flare then fade, but these kids have too much sound and talent to be stopped. They are serious about their sound. My personal top off of Oracular Spectacular is “The Handshake” which has this super catchy choruses. You have to wade through the trippy mud of the verses, but when they start singing “We got the handshake under our tongue” and the whistling comes in, the rainbow sludge becomes very worth it.
The name Sunnybrook matches the sounds produced by the band so nicely. The music this boy from Denton, Texas produce is exactly what you would expect to hear while sitting on the bank of a sunny brook. His music is ambient while not going so far as to be unlistenable. The song “Big Waving Hands” posted recently on Gorilla vs. Bear bears a little further to a pop inclination creating this fusion of light noise and a subtle beat. In other words, it is beautiful.
It often just takes one song to draw you in, and for me that was The Avett Brothers’ “Die Die Die” off of their latest album Emotionalism released back in May 2007. Not the typical bluegrass band, the Avett Brothers take pieces of other styles and create their own sound kind of a mix of The Format and the Bowerbirds. This is easily a song made for the summer muxtape. Thoughtful layering characteristic of true musicians, the ability to make an interesting and enjoyable song from beginning to end, and a fulfilled spirit are just a few of the pieces that make the Avett Brothers stand out from the average bluegrass scene.
Ratatat has just hit a new note with their song “Mirando” off of their new album LP3. Ratatat has always had this distinct electric guitar feel, but they’ve really incorporated some quite interesting new textures with the creation of their LP3, and it is sounding good. “Mirando” has new sound best described as Ratatat taking the Mario Brothers on a spacey trip to Bollywood for the weekend and writing a sound about it. So never in the song do you forget that it’s a work of Ratatat with their classic sound infused into every note, but you can definitely tell they’ve been expanding their range. Even if you aren’t usually a fan of Ratatat or instrumental bands, I think this song will surprise you.
Easily the music of Lykke Li could be considered too slow for a lot of listeners (myself mainly). For the same reason I could never really get into the Bjork or Sigor Ros movements, it took me it took me a while to feel Lykke Li’s unique sound. However, something in her songs beckoned me to keep trying. After about the fifth listen, I finally got it. It’s the steady soft beat in the background that drives the song and the rhythmic movements of her voice that are the entrancing core. Softness can still have strength (that almost sounded like a Secret deodorant slogan), and Lykke Li is proof. It was worth ever unsuccessful listen to eventually find song love. Thanks again, Sweden!
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