The Silence "Nine Suns, One Morning"
Japan’s The Silence is now three albums into a musical career where the only constant is a constantly changing sound. Nine Suns, One Morning (Drag City) is a jazzy, funky, rock record. Occasional hints of previous psych-folk sounds are here, along with a no wave-esque experimental saxophone-including freak out style that’s blossomed since their last record. It’s as if Morphine and Mr. Bungle formed some sort of supergroup while I was in college and made all of my (at the time) dreams come true. Make all of your dreams come true and check out “Ritual of the Sun (Worm Hole to the Universe).”
Major Stars "Motion Set"
You’re sitting there like everything is normal, like your face isn’t about to melt off. Well all that is about to change, as 18 blistering strings of guitar-ness set your eyes, ears, and nose on fire. Wait. This isn’t 5 alarm chili. We are only here to burn your ears. And blazing they will be with the majesty of Motion Set (Drag City), the new face-melter (remember, I warned ya) from Major Stars. Drone-y wry vocals from Kate Biggar, and ‘70s metal rhythm lay the foundation for the guit-army to attack. Hints of Black Sabbath, Mike Oldfield, and lots of other great guitar things that happened in the ‘70s mixed with a bit of a Pinkerton-era Weezer thing, add a million awesome guitar solos, throw in some jazz exploration, and there you go. Prepare yourself for the aforementioned Sabbath-ness of “For Today.”
Cory Hanson "The Unborn Capitalist From Limbo"
Cory Hanson, the frontman for psych-rock favorite Wand is here with his solo debut, The Unborn Capitalist From Limbo (Drag City). So what’s it sound like? Well, sure, it’s a little psychedelic feeling, but this is not exactly the rock sound his band Wand is known for. Here, Cory has opted for a lush, pastoral, celestial folk sound. String arrangements worthy of Nick Drake and a star-gazing vibe not unlike Joni Mitchell. This is a smoked-up good time, with Cory delivering his poetic vocals with just a hint of a British accent that suits the music better than a tailored shirt. Ok, I’m not sure how I feel about that analogy, but I am sure how I feel about this record. It’s great! Don’t believe me? Then check out standout track “Replica.”
Lambchop "FLOTUS"
If you’re sick of Lambchop releasing subtle masterpiece after subtle masterpiece, then FLOTUS (Merge) is probably gonna make you mad. (Frankly though, I think it’s weird that good music makes you mad.) If, however, you can’t get enough of their experimental beauty, then get ready to fall in love. Expanding on the electronic, auto-tuned direction they’ve been playing with of late, this time around all that is coupled with lush strings, delicate arrangements, and Kurt Wagner’s unmistakable voice (auto-tuned or not, there’s no mistaking him). The weirdest country band in the world keeps getting weirder, and we should consider ourselves lucky that they are doing so. Thanks Lambchop! You’ll be thanking them to when you check out the Krautrock meets Peanuts music sounds (trust me, it’s an awesome combo) of “NIV.”