Vol. 5 Issue 43 July 2009
BRM and July are not the best of friends... Previous summers I had a "no shorts" rule for the dudes who work here, but this year a new 86 degrees and above rule got voted in (I got overruled), so now I have a summer ahead of looking at a bunch of pale skinny legs... At least I have some good new music to listen to, from Fiery Furnaces to Starlight Mints to Wye Oak. When I'm feeling really down staring at all those horrible shorts, I'll know that Chris Garneau can help me make it through the day.
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Current Releases
- Click to see:
- Barsuk
- Secretly Canadian
- Jagjaguwar
- Numero Group
Barsuk
www.barsuk.com/
Starlight Mints
"Change Remains"
The Starlight Mints (Barsuk) have always resided in their own retro-pop corner of the world. On Change Remains their sound has grown in futuristic leaps and bounds to include some sort of sounds of science (no relation to the Beastie Boys.) Their latest album creates an atmosphere akin to what folks thought the turn of the century was going to sound like... in 1952. The first song, "Coffins R' Us" comes off like the soundtrack to the hippest film strip Leonard Nimoy ever narrated. There's plenty more to offer too - "Paralyzed" combines the zapping keyboards and chugging drums of Let’s Dance era David Bowie with the tone-speaking of early Beck, and album standout "Black Champagne" bops along towards pop perfection. Some bands attempt to recreate a time passed, but the Starlight Mints go ahead and re-write history with this one, a true gem! Check out "Black Champagne".
Secretly Canadian
www.secretlycanadian.com
Throw Me The Statue
"Creaturesque"
I'm always checking for everything indie producer extradinaire Phil Ek does. And he "does" a lot. He recorded a bunch of awesome sounding Built To Spill jams I wet my pants over in highschool, he recorded a reverb-soaked Band of Horses record that sounded influence in equal measure by the Jesus And Mary Chain AND Devendra (which had me at hello, obvs), and impressively he even made The Shins sound like they could actually play their instruments before their lead singer went and fired half the band because of this fact. Well now, Mr. Ek has went and churned out another classic with Seattle's new indie-pop quartet, Throw Me The Statue. The resulting record, Creaturesque (Secretly Canadian) is everything anyone could want out of this thing called "indie": namely, a consistent bunch of classic guitar-based jangle pop with lots of quirky production flourishes (glockenspiels! Synthesizers! Hand claps!), and very, very catchy melodies. The Press Release for Creaturesque says the lyrics deal with the mess of modern life, suburban living, and sexuality. Hmmm. I've listened to this baby a TON and not sure I got any of these ideas out of it - which is probably for the better. Music this immaculately catchy should be shouted along too with a wide grin across one's face...not thought about. One of my faves for '09. Check out "Waving At The Shore".
Magnolia Electric Co.
"Josephine "
Jason Molina can call his bands whatever he wants, and a la Smog or Mt. Eerie, there is no disguising his easy and honest song-writing skills. Originally releasing albums under the moniker Songs: Ohia and now seeming to have settled on Magnolia Electric Co. as his musical epithet, Josephine (Secretly Canadian) is another amazing collection of music that’s not quite alt-country, not quite indie rock. File under: It distinctly sounds like sunset on the back porch of a dusty border town. Check out the track “Shenandoah” and try not to agree.
Jagjaguwar
www.jagjaguwar.com/
The Skygreen Leopards
"Gorgeous Johnny"
In a world where most bands are trying with all their might to write manic, quirky songs that sell IPods, it's so refreshing to hear the effortless simplicity of The Skygreen Leopards (Jagjaguwar). "Gorgeous Johnny" should be required listening on here and "Dixie Cups in the Dead Grass" could have appeared on one of the Kinks' first albums. All acoustic guitars, swirling, swelling organs and beautiful two-part harmony harken back to a time where music was written just to be heard. The whole affair is a lay-down in the afternoon grass, a summertime drive home with the sunroof open and the stars bright. Check out "Dixie Cups in the Dead Grass".
Numero Group
www.numerogroup.com/
Various
"Eccentric Soul: Smart's Palace"
Funk. Soul. Blues. I don't even know exactly what number Eccentric Soul release we're on at this point, but the Numero group has surely done too good a job at giving the world a taste of the best black music from the 60's and 70's around. Regardless of genre. Regardless how obscure. Regardless of how long the liner notes - we still bump these all the time. And hell, perhaps the only thing Mad Men's Don Draper, Hung's whatever-the-lead-characters-name-is-in-this-show have in common is that both of their brand's of modern ennui could find solace in the Numero Group catalogue. Smart's Palace offers up even more...um..."solace". This time the reissue label shines a much needed spotlight on jams that held court at Smart's club in Wichita, Kansas throught the 60's and early 70's. Think of it as a free DJ culling up hits that never were...what good friends these Numero fellas are. Their releases allow me to pretend I know anything about the blues. You too!? Check out "It's Your Love" by Theron & Darrell
- Click to see:
- Merge
- Thrill Jockey
- Fat Cat
- Absolutely Kosher
- Unsigned
Merge
www.mergerecords.com
Wye Oak
"The Knot"
Hot New Trend Alert: "Bands" made up of two individuals who make music that sound like at least 4 or, like, 40. Fellow Bank Robber band, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart's drummer, Kurt, has a sideproject called The Depreciation Guild which is just him and another dudeman and an old NES - they sound like an army. Buzz band of the moment, Japandroids, sound bigger than the whole E Street Band - it's just two cats who look like they made me a sandwich at Wawa's in college. The always awesome Merge Record's throw their two-person hat into the ring with the his and her's duo, Wye Oak. Odd name. Sure. But a name you all are going to be remembering - something bizarre happened to these two between their Merge debut last year, If Children, and their absolutely killer new follow-up. The Knot is meticulously layered, shimmering, and gorgeous shoegaze record, whose gothic tones and fuzzy grand scale would've fit right at home on the 4AD label in the 80's. It also features one of the most sweepingly beautiful ballads of the year: "Take It In" is all thoughtful tempos, dirty bluesy guitars, and a heartwrenching vocal melody equal parts The Pretenders, Helium, and Cat Power the begets into a pedal steel soaked paen. If you weren't checking for Wye Oak before, this one song enough should do it - thankfully, The Knot has plenty of other moments just as sweet and just as profound. Check out "Take It In".
Thrill Jockey
www.thrilljockey.com
The Fiery Furnaces
"I'm Going Away"
Thrill Jockey darlings and Oh so American rockers Matt and Eleanor Friedburger have rewritten the American songbook into a kind of attention deficit disorder soundtrack, providing a peculiar brand of songwriting for tons of peculiar, unfocused fans across America. They are The Fiery Furnaces, and we love them, and we love the way they trick us into thinking we’re listening to one song, when we’re really listening to another song (which is, in turn, overlaid with a totally different song, and on and on into eternity). Surprisingly, their new album, I’m Going Away, breaks all those rules, resulting in a somewhat radio friendly mix of songs for the modern day Great Depression. But do not worry die hards! The record itself takes the typical Chutes and Ladders approach we’ve come to expect from the Furnaces, intermingling dark, bluesy, down-trodden songs like “Staring At The Steeple” with chipper, optimistic ululations like “Even In The Rain.” Check out "I'm Going Away".
Fat Cat
www.fat-cat.co.uk/
Hauschka
"Snowflakes & Car Wrecks"
Volker Bertelmann has been releasing albums under the alias Hauschka(Fat Cat) for a few years now. His latest, Snowflakes & Car Wrecks is a simultaneously eerie and gorgeous collection of the kind of post-classical prepared piano pieces that he has come to be known for. Sparse at times, he allows his music to breathe and grow organically, yet there is always an underlying cinematic tension quivering just below the surface. Check out the tautness of "Hauberg" and its nine minutes of unnerving beauty.
Absolutely Kosher
www.absolutelykosher.com/
Chris Garneau
"El Radio"
Screw bouncing electronic sex-rock and all of its back-up dancers and/or sweaty partial nudity; Chris Garneau’s new record, El Radio, is the lazy, unemployed, inexplicably genius summer soundtrack we’ve been waiting for, and I’m not afraid to say it. Absolutely Kosher records invites you to the hipster carnival that is Chris’s unique, half Neil Young, half Colin Meloy, Bon Iver with a Brooklyn heartbeat, singer-songwriter style (complete with t-shirts, buttons, and other general artwork, all available on the website). Minimalism is the key to Chris’s subtle virtuoso: Basic piano in the background of the easy-going “Hometown Girls” is a glorious testament to the old adage, “less is more.” It’s not all happy-go-lucky; the album takes a couple of moments to effectively rip your heart right out, and you’ll love every minute of it. Check out “Hands On The Radio”.
Unsigned
www.myspace.com/birdofyouthmusic
Bird Of Youth
"Bird Of Youth"
Bird of Youth is a nice lady named Beth Wawerna who named her band / solo project thing after a wonderful Rock*A*Teens album (weird R*A*T resurgence going on right now folks, hard to explain but pretty cool anyways) . She's got one of those great female voices that never sounds affected or even like she has to try that hard... we like that. She also rocks the way-literary singer songwriter style, but does it with a confident strut, and even the most mellow of tunes a la "Sex, Blood and Fire" benefit from her arrangements (doesn't hurt that the record features members of The Wrens, Okkervil River, Nada Surf and more!) Standouts include the completely catchy "Stop Staring" and the rock/mellow/rock action of "When My Wings Hit The Shed". Total BRM exclusive here too, this record doesn't even have a home yet...Check out "Stop Staring".