Audioholic Media

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 04.12.11
by Joshua Krage

This Saturday, April 16th, is Record Store Day. And this week brings the rewards for the record stores, with more top-shelf new releases than all weeks of 2011 combined. Seriously, Elbow and Foo Fighters would’ve been enough to make this week stand out, but this list is just ridiculous. Read on to start making your list…

Azam Ali
Atmosphere
Autechre
Mark Ballas
Bell X1
Between the Buried and Me
Nels Cline Trio

Brett Dennen, Loverboy – there are some really catchy jams on this album. BD is an all-around unique artist, as no one looks, writes, or sings quite like him. Vocally toeing the line between Tracy Chapman and Neil Young, Dennen pens smartly-worded paeans to life’s brighter moments, backing them up with Afro-pop rhythms with clean, crisp guitars and excellent melodies. It’s impossible not to smile listening to this guy.

Jonny Diaz
Bob Dylan – Live 1963

Elbow, Build a Rocket Boys! – there’s just no band that can top these Manchester lads for overall excellence. Every album up to this point has been a cavalcade of carefully-assembled masterstrokes, miniature chamber-pop symphonies for the tea-time crowd, and this album builds proudly on this legacy. From cerebral trance-like opener “The Birds,” to the restrained grandeur of “High Ideals,” on through to heartfelt closer “Dear Friends,” every note on this album is expertly placed, and Guy Garvey’s voice continues to stun, wafting in like morning fog before rocketing up to the stratosphere in the sweet spots. Sad that they’ll never crack the mainstream, but if they continue to produce such astonishing quality, the middle’s loss is big gains for those willing to do the research.

Foo Fighters, Wasting Light – not sure how Foos keep getting heavier, but I’m guessing Dave Grohl’s time in Them Crooked Vultures and the return of guitarist Pat Smear (gone since The Colour and the Shape, widely regarded as their best album) has something to do with it. This whole thing was recorded in Grohl’s L.A. garage and produced by Butch Vig, so there’s some extra sauce on top of it, and guest spots by Bob Mould and Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic don’t hurt at all. Even with three guitars in the mix there’s never any crowding, with Grohl, Smear, and Chris Shiflett unleashing and deftly juggling a Pandora’s box of muscular guitar riffage. There are some other surprises on this album, but you really just have to listen to it– it’s really good, and the deluxe version has a very interesting remix by DeadMau5.

Garage a Trois, Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil – holy crap, this is jazz? The group (originally consisting of powerhouse drummer Stanton Moore, strange sax-sound shaman Skerik, and eight-string guitarist Charlie Hunter) go into this album with quirky, ace keyboardist Marco Benevento sitting in for a departed Hunter and percussionist Mike Dillon adding flavor, and they ratchet the rock vibe up past 11. There’s some thick groove here and such a head-scratching array of sounds you won’t even notice the guitar’s missing.

Hauschka, Salon Des Amateurs – an intriguing idea from an intriguing artist, taking prepared piano and constructing miniature dance pieces. Some guest spots from members of Múm and Calexico and classical violinist Hilary Hahn add a variety of flavors, helping this album take the idea of classical music in a modern context through its stringent barriers.

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

Jessie J, Who You Are – she’s got the voice, she’s got the attitude, and she definitely has the credentials (you know Miley’s “Party in the USA”? Yeah she wrote that, among others) to blow up big on this side of the pond. British phenom and Justin Trousersnake collaborator Jessica Cornish finally sets sail on her own steam (and that SNL appearance didn’t hurt), dropping an album that’s just as much raw soul-searching as it is Top 40 club hits. She has the range of Pink or Beyonce, but more of an edge, and she knocks most of these tracks out of the park. The bulletproof title cut is seriously one of the best songs I’ve heard all year, and I would never have guessed an album with Dr. Luke involved could boast that honor. Great debut.

Alison Krauss and Union Station, Paper Airplane – the line “Every silver lining always seems to have a cloud that comes my way” from the gut-wrenching title track does well to sum up where these melancholy bluegrass folks find themselves on this album, the first they’ve done together in seven years. Pretty much everyone contributes to the songwriting, the playing is pitch-perfect throughout, and Krauss’ devastatingly emotive lilt comes across like an angel brought low. Pretty much golden.

Femi Kuti
kd lang

Low, C’mon – by now if you’re a fan of these slowcore stalwarts, you know to expect something downbeat, something downcast, something depressing. It is surprising, then, that they begin their ninth album with a few songs that are not only in major keys, but sound downright cheery. The sunshine quickly fades into familiar gloom and despair, but overall the mood on this album is a but up from their norm, the harmonies are on par with their best work, and on slow-building stunner “Nothing But the Heart” they really make a run at the crown for ambient feel.

Mana
OST – Scream 4

Panda Bear, Tomboy – second run at a solo LP from this Animal Collective member, growing his songs more organically this time around with a lot fewer samples. Just as mesmerizing, just as indie, and plenty head-scratching in the lyric department (of both the ones you can’t and can understand).

Pentagram
Ponytail
Rebelution
Red Fang

Paul Simon, So Beautiful or So What – wasn’t sure what to expect after his previous Brian Eno collab, but it certainly wasn’t something as interesting as this album. Supposedly his return to “traditional” songwriting (as opposed to his rhythmic cycles method), the only thing traditional here is the fact he’s singing words written deftly by his own hand; the production is a fascinating collage of treated samples, acoustic guitar textures, and spare percussion, and Simon’s guitar work is in top form. This will probably get a Grammy.

Laura Story
Thursday

The Trews, Hope & Ruin – consistent bunch of Canadians making stadium-sized rock and roll music that fits snugly right between Kings of Leon and Train on your modern rock dial, only better. Colin MacDonald’s voice just don’t quit, and they have melodies and catchy choruses to spare, with harmonies popping out all over the place.

TV on the Radio, Nine Types of Light – a much more relaxed TVOTR here, less uptight and even playful at times, likely due to this album’s recording being done at Dave Sitek’s L.A. studio instead of in New York. This LP is warm and expansive, rolling in and out like a West Coast party, on fire on the uptempo tracks and sun-soaked on the slower moments; album centerpiece “Will Do” is a serious contender, with singer Tunde Adebimpe taking a soulful turn. Only at the very end, on “Caffeinated Consciousness,” do TVOTR throw back to their inner-city way of writing, as if to say “all this was a nice detour and all, now back to work,” but here they prove they can still make high-quality indie tuneage even when not taking themselves so seriously.

Vivian Girls, Share the Joy – this should’ve been Vivian Girls’s second album instead of their third, but at least it’s here and it’s so much better than what they’ve done so far. Still full of big, noise-happy reverb, girl-group melodies sandwiched in New York hipster sneer, also added on this go-round are better production and longer songs, which serve the girls well.

OK, OK how many is that… one, two, OK 1,200 releases. Yeah, big week. Not sure you’ll see this many big names on a list anytime soon unless it’s a year-end best-of list– but we’ll see. Meanwhile, if you can’t find something to get you out your seat and start buying, you must not be listening to music. Go invest, and I’ll see you next week.

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