Perhaps not as glistening as their most recent release Sun Gangs, Nux Vomica by the upstart band The Veils is worthy of mention. Though it’s perhaps less polished than Sun Gangs, the songs contained within possess more raw power, energy and even consistency than their newer offering.
Skipper of the group Finn Andrews possesses a voice that trembles, wails and screams with a feverish emotion that at times channels the likes of Nick Cave, The Cure’s Robert Smith, and even Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. Though it is more than his voice which carries the record, as his skilled accompaniment makes a bit more accessible what would amount to an otherwise be a fatiguing listening experience. Like Modest Mouse, The Veils have rotated members routinely, though it doesn’t show as this group, like MM, play so tightly together that from album to album they make it work effortlessly, surprisingly so since much of the songs are up tempo.
Nux Vomica is a fairly dark album. Songs like Jesus for The Jugular, Not Yet, Nux Vomica, A Birthday Present, and bonus track Night Thoughts of a Tired Surgeon exude a barely contained, simmering rage from Andrews, singing of frenzy and powerlessness. Though deflated by slower paced and introspective songs like Under the Folding Branches, this album is a jarring work that demands attention and further listening.
It’s hard to take Richard Swift seriously at face value. He looks kinda like Jack Black and has a similar cheekiness in his music. Also like Black, once you hear how adept he is as a musician you’re likely to be surprised. Unlike Black, Swift is a bit more mellow in sound, his voice sounding like an amalgam of Bob Dylan and Frankie Valli. His surround sound bears a combined similarity to what one would hear on a Wilco album and your local oldies station, all mixed under the purview of Gnarles Barkley’s Danger Mouse.
With The Atlantic Ocean, Swift continues his surprisingly catchy oeuvre after the subtle yet very quality Dressed Up For the Letdown. The Atlantic Ocean is a bit more up-tempo, comprised of a weird yet intriguing inclusion of electronica weaving in between an omnipresent piano, lonely horn section, crunchy guitar and banjo ensemble.
For me, the album starts out as any typical alt-rock album would but slowly morphs into a 70ish guitar driven contemplation, to finally an echoing Motown dirge. And Swift, with all his weirdness, pulls it off. Favorite tracks include the immaculate The Original Thought, R.I.P., Bat Coma Motown, The End of an Age, A Song for Milton Feher, and the ultra funky Lady Luck.
The Atlantic Ocean is one of those albums that sticks in your head long after the headset is removed. It may not win many awards, but Swift proves he has a lot of originality to offer. Those taking a chance on Swift will be amply rewarded.
M. Ward’s latest release, Hold Time, continues his trend of revisiting and perhaps reinventing the good-old-time sound of none other than the good-old-times. An ever-present countrified guitar, mixed with his usual lo-fi and low-key raspy voice, and a really well-conceived set of songs makes makes this his most thorough release evah.
A little more rock ‘n roll than his typical folkish sound, Ward keeps a good balance of electric vs. acoustic guitarmanship, with a subtle string section thrown in for good measure. Add an impossibly haunting duet with Lucinda Williams and a beautiful complement of background vocals from Zooey Deschanel, and you’re left with an album that, like the throwback nostalgia Ward encapsulates, will stand on it own for repeated listening.
Among the many, standout tracks include One Hundred Million Years, Blake’s View, Jailbird, Stars of Leo, and Oh Lonesome Me.
Jason Lytle will admit through his lyrics that this is not a triumphant return, but his reemergence back to the indie, alt-country, southwestern music scene is certainly redeeming. Rather than further eulogizing the dissolution of Grandaddy, Jason has reified his talent through his new solo album Yours Truly, The Commuter. Not only is it a lo-fi production continuing the Grandaddy vision of natural wonder surrounded with crunchy guitars and ethereal overtones, but it’s also a statement. Lytle, in his pursuit of serenity, is here for the long-haul, not as a rock star, but as an artist.
The overall theme of the album is somewhat a continuation of Grandaddy’s What Happened to the Fambly Cat, where Lytle is not subtle about never being able to return to his Shangri-La, geographical or otherwise. The Commuter, however, stresses the classic idea of having the destination matter less than the actual journey, and it is in this journey that Lytle realizes the heroism of the ability to keep pushing on rather than cling to fleeting paradise.
As the album progresses the landscape changes from the typical earthy Grandaddy sound of intertwined guitar, synth and subtle percussion to the takeoff of ethereal chords and extended, up-close confessionals. Plenty of standout tracks on this one; mine include Brand New Sun, Ghost of My Old Dog, Rollin’ Home Alone, Flying Thru Canyons and Here for Good. It’s an album that gathers an emotional momentum, but soon dissipates, for it’s typical of Lytle: all his intention is to make an honest sound, watch it fly around, and then be on his way.
Neko Case’s new album Middle Cyclone, is well titled. A force of nature, it’s a commanding collection of songs not only showcasing the beauty and strength of her voice, but it’s also an intelligently conceived expression of a bold though suppressed anger of the overlooked feminine psyche. More overtly, the album is a warning not to overlook the force of mother nature herself; in the closing thirty minutes Case deliberately bends our ears toward the night music of the marsh, the crying of crickets and frogs. But more than that, Case alludes to the theme of the feminine being taken for granted, and the resulting cyclone in wait.
Be forewarned, the first half of the record starts with the “tiniest sparks” and the “tenderest sound”, a lovely beginning to the showcase, as it were. Once the listener reaches “I’m an Animal”, however, the cyclone becomes manifest, a darkening crescendo of turbulence. With all songs are fairly short and predictably impressive, the absolute masterpiece for me is the longer “Prison Girls”; it’s a funeral dirge for those women eternally unimpressed, who’ve “traded more for cigarettes than I’ve managed to express”.
Middle Cyclone is an hugely solid album with incredible accompaniment. The sound is awash with the drums, upright bass, piano, and guitars from eternal alt-country ambassadors Howe Gelb, Calexico, and M. Ward. Case’s own band is impeccable as well, not only highlighting her voice but surrounding it with a fullness that nearly suffocating. As usual, the lyrics are as haunting as in any prior Neko Case release, too. Standing equal with Fox Confessor, Middle Cyclone is yet another jewel in Case’s crown.
Well, not so new, but MUSE definitely has my vote for the best band in the world that nobody’s heard of (nobody in the USA, that is) . They might just be the best band in the world. But that’s up for discussion. What ho, might they have a new release come September?
Sometimes there appears a voice heard on the periphery, and once you hear it you can only hear it again and again; it’s like eating at the Bellagio Buffet, with all the style and variety there is no option but to consume more until explosion is imminent.
Such is the case with Jolie Holland. As with other alt-country sirens such as Neko Case, Holland is deliciously, completely captivating, particularly on her new album The Living and the Dead. Her voice is so full and nuanced that without careful attention to her lyrics one can and probably will hang on her every note like a shipwrecked Greek sailor.
More so than on previous releases, Holland raises the tempo on this album, making it more accessible for newbies. And though I am scrambling to recollect the milieu of her past releases, I can say that The Living and the Dead is more oriented toward rock ‘n roll than it typically would be a clever mash of blues, folk and country. Another reason why I favor L&D is the inclusion of some first rate guitarists such as M. Ward and Marc Ribot lending their talents.
As if Holland didn’t already emulate the alt-country / southwestern genre at its most unique, this particular album cements her emergence. Mexico City, Corrido por Buddy, and Palmyra are immaculate, with Fox in its Hole and Your Big Hands as the other standout songs. Though quality, the remaining songs just don’t reach the heights as the others, and thus the album as a whole is slightly incomplete for me; were a different closing song chosen rather than the more frolicky Enjoy Yourself, L&D would have been less anti-climactic and thus perfect.
Nevertheless, Jolie Holland is absurdly captivating.
I suppose it makes perfect sense. The Killers are a band from the motherland, Las Vegas; like my sojourns there, when I listen to their music I’m hypnotized, drugged if you will, on the gonzo vibes pulsating from the lights, the food, the street vendors dexterously flicking their “business” cards, the broken dreams.
Such a veritable, palpable foetor is preeminent from their new album Day & Age. Like a much needed reprieve from the heat of the southwestern sun, their songs illuminate the highs and lows of the gonzo lifestyle.
It’s an excellent album. Compared to previous releases, the voice of lead singer Brandon Flowers is more mellow and measured. That, however, certainly doesn’t detract from the lyrical ominousness of the band’s most solid album to date.
Ominous it is. As balanced as his singing is, Flowers tells of “the wilder side of gold and glitz”, cops stealing dreams and killing prayers, and the feeble attempts to pray for self control during the night of a thousand thrills.
All the songs are soaked in anachronistic synth and melancholy, all worthy from start to end. Indeed, there are more standouts on this album than previously offered. Aside from the more popular singles Human and Losing Touch, pay close attention to This is Your Life and most especially Neon Tiger; it’s an epic crescendo of an effervescent fear of uncertainty. Overall, Day & Age is not an album to be missed.
Like Lambchop, Elbow is a band that can slip unawares before you knew they were even in the room. Their latest release, TheSeldom Seen Kid, is so skillfully subtle, it may be to their detriment. It’s a clever release that’s as ethereal musically as it is lyrically. Hence, I would declare it a near masterpiece, for whatever that’s worth.
Though a highly meticulous and methodical output, don’t think that words like ethereal or quietly confessional make the band’s sound out to be less than what rock and roll should encompass. Indeed, dare I say the band employs a certain amount of cheek, specifically in songs like An Audience with the Pope or The Fix, that their quiet nature can take a turn for the devilishly devious.
Other songs like Some Riot, Mirrorball, Tower Crane Driver, Weather to Fly, and Starlings reach and ultimately place Elbow’s sound well within the atmosphere, with the characteristic British melancholy rightly exemplified in other bands like The Good, The Bad & The Queen. Deceptively good stuff.
For those wanting to rock a little more, enjoy their single Gounds for Divorce:
Perhaps not as glistening as their most recent release Sun Gangs, Nux Vomica by the upstart band The Veils is worthy of mention. Though it’s perhaps less polished than Sun Gangs, the songs contained within possess more raw power, energy and even consistency than their newer offering.
