»The Christmas/Holiday Tuneage Alternatives Edition
by Joshua Krage

Sure I love Christmas music. But walking into a big-box store and being assaulted with the latest Disney star’s canned version of “Joy to the World” over the PA is only two steps away from waterboarding in my book. If you’re like me, you want some alternatives– and that’s what I’ve compiled here for you. A few choice Christmas/holiday albums you won’t find at your local WarMalt but you may be able to track down via iTunes or the internets, and which will definitely make your indie-lovin’ seasons bright. Enjoy:

Maybe This Christmas (+Maybe This Christmas Too? / Tree) – released between 2002-2004 on the Nettwerk label, these are a mix of classics and original songs for the indie music fan’s palette. Some of my favorites are Dan Wilson’s “What a Year For a New Year,” Copeland’s serene rendering of “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” Rufus Wainwright capturing the holiday spirit with “Spotlight On Christmas,” and the spritely Barenaked Ladies/Sarah McLachlan duet on “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” in full swing with a bit of “We Three Kings” thrown in. Something different and interesting for everyone looking to avoid stale fare, though some now-major-names do appear.

Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Jingle All the Way – if you’re looking for excellent instrumental Christmas music but have worn out your copy of Vince Guaraldi’s ACharlie Brown Christmas album, here’s something staggeringly inventive and enjoyable. Fleck is a banjo master many times over, his band is one of the tightest jazz collectives known to man, and together they power through a tasteful set of holiday standards and lesser-known gems, like Joni Mitchell’s “River” and a Bach oratorio. The solo banjo Xmas-song medley is one truly jaw-dropping tour-de-force.

Over the Rhine, Snow Angels – already an undeservedly-obscure indie band, Linford Detweiler and Karen Bergquist’s Over the Rhine don’t need to cater to anyone’s expectations of their work, and this Christmas/holiday album is very representative of their unique and qualitative ethic. Full of enrapturing piano tones and well-constructed songs (check “Goodbye Charlie” for a spot-on Vince Guaraldi tribute), this is both a great Christmas album and a strong stand-alone album in its own right, for any time of year.

Selah, Rose of Bethlehem – needing a contemporary Christian Christmas album but not wanting Amy Grant’s re-warmed fruitcakes? This is a vocal trio of unchallenged quality, particularly female member Nicol Smith, whose voice goes from a reverent whisper to a majestic declaration in stunning fashion all over this album. Interesting new inventions of classics here also, alongside some truly glorious traditional songs.

Gary Hoey, Ho! Ho! Hoey! 1, 2, & 3 – If you’re a fan of the awesome guitar-shredder instrumentals on the Trans-Siberian Orchestra albums, this is the guy who had that idea first, and released three separate albums of face-melting Christmas guitar solos and serene meditations on holiday classics. Especially noteworthy: the low-end riff-damage from his take on “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” Heavy!

Merry Axemas, Volumes 1 & 2 – along the “shred the halls with riffs of fury” lines, there are these two entries from guitar virtuoso Steve Vai’s Favored Nations label. Highlights include Tomoyasu Hotei’s slowly-building version of “Happy Xmas/War is Over,” bass titan Stu Hamm’s “Sleigh Ride” on his four-string, Vai’s own serene cut of “Christmastime is Here,” and an absolutely perfect choir-infused rendering of “Amazing Grace” from Jeff Beck, which is among my all-time favorite tracks of all time.

Christmas Songs (Nettwerk) – a little-known assembling of different takes on holiday songs from the Nettwerk label featuring some of my favorites for the season. My picks here are Matthew Ryan’s raspy “Little Drummer Boy,” a tear-inducing song called “The Cat Carol” from Meryn Cadell, and the sweetest little version of “Ave Maria” you’ve ever heard, by the angelic Jennifer McLaren.

Future of Forestry, Advent EPs I & II – one of my all-around favorite bands since their inception, San Diegan Eric Owyoung’s Future of Forestry does everything with an epic scope of atmosphere and rhythm dynamics. These two EPs are different in form (first being huge, stratosphere-reaching electric-ambient guitar masterpieces and second chiming in on the acoustic angle) but Owyoung’s yearning tenor and inventive arrangements transform them from warmed-over holiday fare to thrilling centerpieces.

Johnny Mathis, Christmas with Johnny Mathis – sure it’s akin to more traditional/classic side of things, but I grew up with this album and still have not heard its equal for a classic-sounding LP from a pop vocalist. Johnny Mathis’ voice is pure butterscotch joy, you can just feel his warm smile singing “The Sounds of Christmas” or imparting the virtues of a “Marshmallow World” in the winter. Plus his recording of the “Hallelujah Chorus” is a great blend of chorus and his fine voice.

That’s about all I have off the top of my head. If you have things you think should be added, please do chime in. And if you find something here you like, I’m happy to have made anyone’s season brighter, by whatever measure I can.

Other obvious selections: A Very Special Christmas (vols 1-7), Trans-Siberian Orchestra (three albums), Mannheim Steamroller (lots of LPs), Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas, Now That’s What I Call Christmas!, the list goes on.

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 12.07.11
by Joshua Krage

Black Keys produced by Danger Mouse with more of a Brothers sound. ’Nuff said. But there’s more too:

Ole Ask
Anton Barbeau

The Black Keys, El Camino – it’s best-of-both-worlds time, people. The Black Keys’ last album, Brothers, was a soulful, self-produced slice of stripped-back rhythm & blues-infused rock & roll. Their previous effort (2008’s Attack and Release) was a mystic genre-bender that meandered through the swamp with Danger Mouse at the helm. This album they keep their Brothers ethic and focus but bring Danger Mouse back to distort the edges in glorious psychedelic fashion. All but one song stay under four minutes, and it’s all muscle– Patrick’s drums thunder and roll, Dan’s guitar sears and swells, the vox are raw and reverb’d… even Danger Mouse’s swirling organs and production flourishes feel more focused this time around, keeping each track thick and meaty rather than oversaturated and runny. Overall not quite as lean and it’ll take time to see if as many of these tunes have the staying power of some of Brothers’ big numbers, but at first listen it’s a welcome expansion and a solid set in its own right.

Chevelle
Elvis Costello – huuuge box set
The Cure – live
Neil Diamond – best of
The Fall

Dia Frampton, Red – impossible for me to do an objective review of this, Dia (from Meg & Dia) Frampton’s first solo album, as I’m a Meg & Dia fan and she’s just adorable. Very different styles of music here than on Meg & Dia records, less emo-rock and more poppy (as expected), and if you became a fan from her appearances on NBC’s The Voice, you’ll enjoy the variety, and the high-power guest spots from Kid Cudi and Voice coach Blake Shelton.

Korn
Adam Lambert
Little Axe
Loka
The Maine
Paul McCartney
Merzbow
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Los Muppets
OST – Glee vol 7
OST – New Year’s Eve
Phish – live (surprise!)

The Roots – Undun – their How I Got Over album was on countless best-of lists last year, so expectations are high here, considering much of their “creative time” is competing with arranging for Fallon’s Late Night show. But either they had plenty ideas already in the bag before taking that gig, or they’re monster machines, because this album is chock FULL of high-concept shit. Guest spots from Big K.R.I.T., Bilal, Truck North, Greg Porn (yes that’s his name) and more add top-shelf variety, but it’s Black Thought’s lyrical wizardry and the band’s next-level interplay and mastery of groove that take center stage, transitioning from funk to gospel to laid-back soul and more with ease. The songs even tie together for a loosely-connected narrative concept album (the life of an inner-city construct named Redford Stephens), whose info can be further revealed with an accompanying app (!). Repeated listens will be needed, but in concept, this album is strikingly well-executed and the grooves can’t be denied.

Robin Thicke
T-Pain
VA – Now That’s What I Call Disney

Amy Winehouse, Lioness: Hidden Treasures – while basically a “leftovers” collection of unreleased material– some of which she was working on at the moment of her untimely demise and some of which were shelved product from previous sessions– the point of this collection is that it’s Amy Winehouse songs you haven’t heard, and she makes everything she sings her own. A few new compositions add original flavor here, but ace production from Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson makes every track an interesting journey, and Winehouse’s voice just lights up everything it tackles, from a questionable Tony Bennett duet to a heart-rending take on Carole King’s “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.” Not too strong as a standalone album, but in context, a bona fide treasure chest from a vocal talent that will be sorely missed.

Next week that We Bought a Zoo movie gets a soundtrack from Jonsí out of Sigur Ros (who are working on a 2012 LP)! Huzzah.

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 11.08.11
by Joshua Krage

Bit of a short list, but ENO! Dig:

Anonymous 4
As I Lay Dying
Atlas Sound
A Band of Bees
Jonathan Coulton
Disturbed – b-sides

Brian Eno, Panic of Looking EP – a six-song continuation of the poetry+ambient ethic Eno explored on his Drums Between the Bells album earlier this year. A bit more musically sparse– not a lot of rhythm but mostly just tonal soundscapes and minimalist bits of color and wording– a subdued but contemplative following paragraph to an intriguing concept.

Four Years Strong
Brooke Fraser – Flags deluxe ed.
Matthew Friedberger
Greg Ginn & the Royal We
Il DIvo
Etta James
Billy Joel – Piano Man deluxe reissue
Joker
Kaskade

David Lynch, Crazy Clown Time – if you’re familiar at all with David Lynch, you know not to expect conventional, and he doesn’t disappoint in this first official solo album. Exhilarating right out of the gate with a breakneck duo with Karen O, Lynch explores techno, gothic blues, experimental, and all shades of noir, arriving at a collage of soul-troubling soundtrack music with deeply imaginative lyrics and a studied flair for the dramatic. Some of these songs have so much character they’re just waiting for a new story to jump into…

Cass McCombs
Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood – live
Mac Miller
Me’Shell Ndegeocello
Joe Nichols
Noel Gallaghers’s High Flying Birds

Oneohtrix Point Never, Replica – really solid electronica from Daniel Lopatin (who also makes really solid electronica in Ford & Lopatin), with lots of the synth-ambience that made his last album Returnal so engaging, and some surprising left turns into almost danceable territory.

OST – The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn pt.1 – haven’t read the book, but I hear the first half is pretty mushy with a wedding and all, so the soundtrack to the first half of this film franchise’s final installation follows suit in beautiful, unobtrusive fashion. Not a lot of shadows here, mostly brilliant love songs with plenty of atmosphere and earnest, impassioned vocals from the likes of Aqualung, Bruno Mars, Christina Perri, Sam Beam (Iron & Wine), Angus & Julia Stone, and more. Big huge awesome Joy Formidable track here, and quite a bevy of excellent, unsigned talent (like Sleeping At Last, one of my longtime faves) on here as well. Props to Alexandra Patsavas and the team at Chop Shop Records; whatever your feelings towards the films themselves, it can’t be denied that these soundtracks have suited their source material perfectly and been amazing standalone collections as well.

Quilt, Quilt – definitely homespun, this tight-knit (zing!) collective of ’60s psych-enthusiasts revel in slow-build jams, opening the flood gates on lush harmonies all over the landscape of this debut album. Lots of reverb’d guitars and vocals drive these family-feeling grooves, with an almost elegiac feel at times, creating an amiable, inviting tapestry in which to wrap yourself.

Rascal Flatts
Caitlin Rose
Rush – live DVD
Secret Garden
Sigur Ros – Inni (live CD/DVD with new song)
George Strait
Strangeland
This Mortal Coil
VA – Now 40

Laura Veirs, Tumble Bee: Laura Veirs Sings Folk Songs for Children – what a brilliant idea. Instead of hunting high and low for obscure quality kiddie tunes to play for their young brood, Veirs and hubby Tucker Martine recorded this exquisite collection, performed by Veirs’ capable coo and instrumental savvy, and accompanied by top-drawer help like Basia Bulat, Colin Meloy (Decemberists), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), and banjo wizard Bela Fleck. Really precious and perfect for any parent lamenting the next round of Kidz Bop and looking for alternatives.

Kurt Vile

Yup, shorter lists to make room for CHRISTMAS. Because Halloween was ten minutes ago and Thanksgiving doesn’t exactly move units. Retail homies. Dig it while you can, I’ll be going on vacation from mid-December through around mid-February most likely.

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 11.01.11
by Joshua Krage

Have yourself a Halloween and beyond with this week’s stunners:

Aiden
Beach Boys, Smile Sessions box set – if you didn’t already own as much Beach Boys rarities material as your surf/sand-lovin’ ears could handle, here’s a quick cure for you. I believe there’s a two-disc version and a NINE-DISC version– in case two isn’t enough
Justin Bieber Xmas
Susan Boyle
Brite Futures – formerly known as “Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head”
Buraka Som Sistema
The Decemberists – Long Live the King EP

Florence + the Machine, Ceremonials – Florence Welch wears the crown for epic, indie-approved dominance in the realm of rock and pop. She has the voice; she has the passion; she has the arrangements, both instrumental and vocal (and choral!); she has the stylistic sensibility; and most amazingly, she has the production (via Paul Epworth) which perfectly marries pristine retro-new-wave colors with organic vocals and well-measured bombast. Each of these tracks– slow or fast, ferocious or contemplative– is a study in sturm and drang, building in its own ways and on its own themes, all centered around Welch’s impossibly-suited voice, an exquisite hybrid between Kate Bush’s crystalline coo and Freddie Mercury’s grandiose showmanship. Her debut was a stunner; this follow-up is an improvement beyond expectation across the board.

Gateway Worship

Girl In a Coma, Exits & All the Rest – I’m constantly amazed how kick-ass GIAC frontwoman Nina Diaz is on every release– such great guitar playing and a voice dominating with a style halfway between Betty Page and Joan Jett. These three ladies keep the sound stripped down but the rock piled up across this LP, bowing a bit into their Smiths-influenced territory in the middle but crossing the Tex-Mex desert all over and adding some ace melodic pop sensibility in some unexpected places.

Vince Guaraldi – Charlie Brown box
Insane Clown Posse – rarities
Carole King Xmas
Kings of Leon – DVD
Miranda Lambert
Matt Pond PA
M.E.D.
Megadeth
New Ivory
OCR – Elf (the musical)
Kele Okereke (Bloc Party frontman)
OST – A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas
OST – The Ides of March
OST – Real Steel (Danny Elfman)
OST – The Sing-Off Xmas
Panda Bear – four LP box set
Mike Patton – The Solitude of Prime Numbers
Pink Martini – A Retrospective & 1969
Placebo – DVD
Lou Reed / Metallica – …um, yeah I’m not touching this
Rolling Stones – Ed Sullivan Show DVD
Slipknot

The Soft Moon, Total Decay EP – only four songs, but this is dark, gorgeous stuff, keyboard drones and swarming synths bubbling over dark new wave beats and shadows everywhere. Very experimental, very iconoclastic, very Halloween-appropriate.

Steel Panther
Terror
Tyrese
U2 – Achtung Baby Deluxe Ed

The Bridge School Concerts: 25th Anniversary Edition, Various Artists – two discs of amazing acoustic performances from Neil Young’s annual premier charity event (for the school he and wife Pegi founded for their developmentally disabled son, Ben) held at Mountain View’s Shoreline Amphitheater for the past quarter-century. Highlights include Norah Jones cooling down Wilco’s “Jesus, Etc.,” Neil Young guesting on R.E.M.’s “Country Feedback,” Thom Yorke busting out a heart-rending solo rendition of Neil’s “After the Gold Rush”… the list goes on. This concert is always phenomenal, a real meeting of mutual-affected talent which shows appreciation for each other in intimate, meaninful ways. Plus, the school is actually the best school of its sort pretty much on Earth. So that’s a double-WIN.

Suzanne Vega
Wale

Time’s running out for quality new releases before the “Holiday$$$” set in, so get what you can, while you can.

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 10.25.11
by Joshua Krage

Who’s ballsy enough to put their album out against arguably the biggest modern rock band in the world? Read on to find out:

Ash – best of
Michael Buble Xmas

Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto – from a credible critical perspective, there’s no way to objectively review a new Coldplay album, simply because they’re massively popular (-10pts), they come off as being happy (-20pts), and they come off as OK with being popular and happy (-100pts). However, for anyone not paying attention, their previous Viva La Vida album was a work of progressive excellence, mostly due to producer Brian Eno’s brilliant guidance, and he’s here again helping Chris Martin & co’s ambient jones to express itself in vibrant exuberance. Basically, their last album was experimental (for Coldplay standards), and this LP announces they’re OK with where they are and will be reveling in it until further notice. Know that there are lots of synths and dance-y sounds on this album, and the fact they have a collab with Rihanna tells you they’re at least comfortable with mainstream success if not quite courting it. At first overall listen, this album hits me a bit how X&Y hit me after experiencing the quality of Rush of Blood to the Head– it feels like they’re phoning it in a bit but at least they’re phoning from somewhere sunny (check the impossibly uplifting outro of lead single “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall”; it’s rather invigorating).

Kelly Clarkson, Stronger – won’t say much about this (the mainstream, synth-drenched production injures me) but I love Kelly’s voice and her ethic, and this album is the closest to her “no BS” foundations since she found her voice with her second LP. Really digging the “Dark Side” song, and “Don’t Be a Girl About It” is a nice kiss-off to any cheese-chompers on the coattails.

Robert Davi sings Sinatra
Deer Tick
Dntel – Life is Full of Possibilities 10 year remaster
Drake
Dub Trio

Vince Gill, Guitar Slinger – never knew this high-voiced country pop guy could play until Brad Paisley featured him alongside a who’s-who of country pickers on one of his tracks from his “guitar” album. Sadly, while there are some decent short- to mid-length solos, this is still more of an album of country songs, not country pickin’. He does acquit himself nicely throughout on his six string; you can tell there’s a firebrand axeman lurking under the soft, adult-contemporary country exterior.

Orrin Hatch Xmas
Honey Honey
Jedi Mind Tricks

Justice, Audio, Video, Disco – long-awaited sophomore from stylish heirs to the Daft Punk France-dance duo crown, with plenty of big beats and LOOOTTS of synths (because they’re so hot right now x1000). Easily danceable and rather creative compositionally across the board with some virtuosity in the corners (check the keyboard-flurry whiz of instru-mental “Canon” and the classical psych-guitar majesty on “Brainvision”) and some club-filler call-outs as expected. This LP may not have any ubiquitous “do the D.A.N.C.E.” moments, but it has the same quality of MGMT’s Congratulations album in that Justice is aware enough to know they can take some chances and play with our expectations a bit, and they don’t have anything to prove to anyone but themselves. With the requisite booty-thump numbers present, the rest of the album is a gloriously psychedelic prog-dance freakout, and more often than not, it works.

Toby Keith

Lullatone, Soundtracks for Everyday Adventures – have you seen the Lullatone app for iPhone/iPad? It’s fun, and I’m pretty sure this latest album by the mellow electronic band here could have been made using nothing but the instruments available on it, especially the vibraphone. This is a precious little LP, music that exists just for what the title says, with songs like “An Older Couple Holding Hands,” “Little Things Swimming Under a Microscope,” and “Checking Things Off a To-Do List Early in the Morning.” It’s an indie movie waiting to happen.

Raleigh Moncrief, Watered Lawn – exciting hybrid of experimental electro/pop from Sacramento producer and known Dirty Projectors and Zach Hill associate. Inventive production all over this thing, from his vocal processing and mixing to the myriad collages of strange electronic layering employed in varying forms. Very much a fascinating listen

She & Him, A Very She & Him Christmas – just what you’d expect this album to be: warm and tender versions of holiday classics like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Silver Bells,” and the obvious choice “Baby It’s Cold Outside” (Elf whaaaa?). A nod to classic Christmas albums of old; not many chances taken here, mostly just sticking to what makes this duo great: M Ward’s perfectly jazz-inflected guitar reverb and Zooey D’s intimately kitschy coo, slightly off-pitch at times but always inviting like a warm fire on a cold winter night.

Surfer Blood, Tarot Classics EP – less hazy and more focused four-song follow-up to much-buzzed-about debut, this second helping from the sun & surf-infused Florida foursome sounds a lot like a band who’s ready to go in a new direction, and the EP splits this feeling up nicely. The first two songs are like a grown-up track session from their debut; the last two songs open up the roof and explore some spacy textures and a surprising experimental turn from a band that could’ve easily delivered more of the same. Decent taster of what’s to come.

Tom Waits, Bad As Me – if you’re a music artist trying or claiming to have any ounce of badass-ness, you need to send a letter to Tom Waits thanking him for not releasing as much music as he probably could and putting your pathetic “badass” cred to pitiful shame. That being said, this is the first album after a seven-year absence, and it is amazingly accessible, as compared to his usual anti-establishment ethic; most songs are <4 minutes, I can discern pretty much every astute lyric, and the instrumentation is traditional, well-honed roots, with shades of classic R&B, jazz, soul, country blues, rockabilly, and more. All at the direction/insistence of wife/collaborator Kathleen Brennan (thank you!), this ends up being something Tom Waits really hasn’t done before: a coherent set of short, focused cuts with genuine commercial appeal. Yes I said it. Add to this appearances throughout from ace players like harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite, saxman Clint Maedgen, and axmen Marc Ribot, David Hidalgo, and Keith Richards (!), all wisely remaining sideman to Waits’ grizzled troubadour howl. When he sings And all roads won’t lead you home, my girl / All roads lead to the end of the world on wistful lament “Pay Me,” you know there’s no use disagreeing– it’s all truth, hard as it comes, and many have been waiting for this truth in this form for quite awhile.

Brian Wilson, In the Key of Disney – kind of a mixed bag here, with Wilson’s now-vintage tenor and alternative arrangements working for some and not so much for others. But hearing Disney classics like “Can You Feel the Love,” “Kiss the Girl,” and “When You Wish Upon a Star” in his sun-worn croon and expert instrumentation is a cut above most other takes I’ve heard of Disney fare.

Yo-Yo Ma

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 10.18.11
by Joshua Krage

Big week for synth-pop and amazing vocalists, in the best way. Other stuff too:

Mandy Barnett
Andrea Bocelli – best of
T-Bone Burnett – Benefit Album
Celtic Tenors

Class Actress – Rapprocher – first of all, anyone who’s in the best-idea-ever group, Girl Crisis, automatically gets an extra gold star. Beyond that, Class Actress focal point Elizabeth Harper is all kinds of amazing in her own right. This outfit’s debut EP was strong, and they’ve built on all the right strengths, with synth/beat maestro Mark Richardson honing and sculpting many-a perfect blend of retro-wave synth-pop to house Harper’s succinctly stylish compositions. And that voice is fully the appropriate hybrid of ’80s gloss and postmodern chic. Overall, this album is a contender– a formidable synth-pop gem sung with sultry muscle and grace.

Adam Cohen
Cradle of Filth
Kimya Dawson
Emery

Emil & Friends – Lo & Behold – an upbeat, multi-faceted debut full-length from eclectic bard Emil Hewitt. A multi-talented instrumentalist, Hewitt fills this album with charming, indie-approved vocals over a staggering variety of textures and styles, with shades of folk, electro, R&B, dance, and ambient mastery combining for some truly unique sonic experiences and some killer guitar work in the fringes.

Everlast
Family Force 5
FFH Xmas
A Great Big Pile of Leaves

Sara Groves – Invisible Empires – for my money, I’m not aware of a more emotive vocalist than Sara Groves. Her voice just encapsulates fragile hope, inspiring in vulnerability and comforting in unabashed brokenness. Lots of great songwriting here too, as always.

Lalah Hathaway
Chris Isaak
Jane’s Addiction
Joe
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis
Shelby Lynne

M83 – Hurry Up We’re Dreaming – what I like most about the toweringly dynamic, synth-driven ambient soundscapes of Anthony Gonzalez is that there’s nothing else on the market that sounds quite like it. His work up to this point has been mostly instrumental, so the biggest change here is the fact that not only are there lots of vocals, but most of them are his, handled in a strong, shout-heavy tenor. His last album was all fifth gear epicness, and here he slows it down again between the sprinters (as on his debut), spreading out a tasty variety of moods over two discs of atmospheric grandeur. You may find more tuneful music out there, but you won’t find any that tops M83 for enormous feel. This is epic splendor done right.

My Brightest Diamond – All Things Will Unwind – vocalist Shara Worden has always struck me, in tone and in style, as the female equivalent to Antony from Antony & the Johnsons. Such a majestic and elastic voice, employed with quiet confidence and stretched into peerless power when needed. This fourth LP is a triumphant culmination in Worden’s singular style, pairing her operatic prowess with the pitch-perfect flourishes of the yMusic chamber ensemble, a match so organic it’s like they’ve been together all along. The MBD classic standards-era pop ethic is perfectly ensconced in its natural instrumentation, and Worden’s turns from serene soprano to spunky chanteuse are fittingly adorned with bits of clarinets, violins, and the like, all combining for a peerless presentation.

Nate Dogg
OST – Courageous

Penguin Prison – Penguin Prison – solo debut of multi-pedigreed singer/instrumentalist Chris Glover, who has covered a very diverse roster of projects up to this point but here settles for an interesting collage of ’80s-infused indie synth-dance. Lots of flair, starting the LP off with a disco pastiche but keeping it shadow styley like a late-night club throughout. Highly retro in execution, but with one foot firmly planted in modern sensibility. Not a bad proper debut and rather danceable.

Puscifer
Real Estate
The Smiths – 8-disc box set

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Tape Club – sadly not a proper album, but a b-sides/rarities collection from the spunky alt/indie rockers. Somewhat hit-and-miss in terms of consistency (par for a rarities collection) with lots of acoustic demo-type stuff, but an interesting window into one of my favorite fringe bands.

Sting – 25yr best of
Patrick Stump
Supreme Dicks

That’s it for this week. Next week: Coldplay, Brian Wilson sings Disney, Drake, Justice, Kelly Clarkson, and Orrin Hatch sings X-Mas songs. For reals.

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 10.11.11
by Joshua Krage

Ryan Adams – Ashes and Fire
Lauren Alaina
Scott H Biram
Andrew Bird – Norman OST

Bjork – Biophilia – listening to this album, I’m reminded of the world of Frank Herbert’s Dune, where society evolved to the point of rebelling against machines and progressing past them, incorporating technology into a new era of naturalism of sorts. This album in entirety is the equivalent of a naturopathic shaman with a bionic arm, ebbing and flowing woozily in ultra-organic fashion, only revealing its advanced technological underpinnings three tracks in (check the four-minute mark of “Crystalline” for a brain-asploding electro-breakbeat outro. Wow). But for all the serene minimalism and naturalism of the music, the real treasure in this work is the overall scope and iPad app development– the album is meant to be a “unique multimedia exploration of the universe and its physical forces – particularly those where music, nature, and technology meet” [cited site]. In this, it definitely succeeds, with each song itself having its own connected iPad app, developed in conjunction with myriad scientists, artists, instrument makers, writers, and other creatives in order to not only explore these relationships, but to create gateways for the listener to dive in and interact with different elements of them. Some apps are interactive sequences; one is a platform to create and record new sequences; some are new instruments or music construction and manipulation devices, and so on. Thus, while the music is relatively enjoyable as well– if somewhat reserved on the beat front (definitely a change from her Timbaland collab)– overall it’s a project difficult to appreciate in scope, but absolutely ingenious in execution.

James Blake – Enough Thunder EP – this Brit’s take on dubstep is pretty downtempo to begin with, so this EP is uniformly mellow, with Blake’s Jeff Buckley falsetto wafted on the breeze by extremely minimalist beats and ambience. Very pretty, late-night postclub fare.

Casiokids, Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammen – second full-length of gloriously danceable and midi-compatible keyboard blippage from Norwegian quartet, full of life and repurposed ’80s bliss.
Charred Walls
Damned
Leonard Cohen – box set
Crooked Fingers
Dean & Britta
Electric Six
Evanescence
Piers Faccini
Fishbone
Five Finger Death Punch
Ben Folds – best of
Future Islands

Peter Gabriel – New Blood – hand-selected set of his own songs performed with new, rather grand orchestral arrangements. Usually this kind of move is a re-tread; here it’s glorious and imaginative. Check his minimal, ambient re-work of “Don’t Give Up,” with Norway’s Ane Brun replacing Kate Bush’s serene pillar with her own brand of fragile resolve. Decent job here.

Graffiti6 – Free EP – incomparably soulful UK transplants who’ve been lighting up American clubs and TV screens with their self-described “psychedelic Northern soul” which draws Verve comparisons with deliberation. Frontman Jamie Scott’s ascendent tenor is electrifying, and their songs definitely bring the passion. Most of these tracks are “stripped” acoustic affairs but luckily they don’t skimp on the amazing harmony vox, elevating these performances to intoxicating levels.

John W Harding

Mayer Hawthorne – How Do You Do – unlikely retro-soul hero delivers second album with vintage feel, even more finely-honed voice and a full-on guest singing spot from Snoop Dogg. Srsly. Attention to production detail here is strong as ever, definitely maintaining the old-school Motown-era vibe.

Joe Henry
Jesu
Joey & Rory Xmas
Joe Jonas
Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers
Kids Bop Xmas
Ben Lee
Mannheim Steamroller – Xmas
Martina McBride
Murs
Nous Non Plus
Parlor Mob (free song on iTunes this week)
Penguin Prison – cool name, right?
Puscifer
Radiohead – King of Limbs remixes, also a free song on iTunes this week
The Ready Set
The Rifles
Rich Robinson
Rise to Remain
Shatner
Skeletonwitch
Britney Spears – remixes vol 2
Still Corners
Patrick Stump (FallOut Boy frontman’s solo “soul” album)
Teenage Fanclub
Third Day
Yann Tiersen
VA – Lost Highway 10th Anniversary
VA – ZZ Top tribute
Nat / Alex Wolff

Rachael Yamagata – Chesapeake – long-awaited third album from heady, heart-breaking songstress and piano balladeer, striking out in some lush sonic territory with big bonus strings and reuniting with producer John Alagia (her debut LP’s producer). They really outdo themselves with the flourishes here, such a gorgeously-arranged album.

That’ll last you, right? Break out those gift cards, Xmas is right around your corner/aisle.

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 10.04.11
by Joshua Krage

DJ Shadow – The Less You Know
Erasure

Feist – Metals – Feist recordings are to other music what a homegrown, hand-prepared organic meal is to fast food– everything is richer, more vivid, prepared with exceptional skill and attention to detail. Leslie Feist has taken her sweet time with these tracks (four years) and whether or not she was preparing all of the songs the whole time, the payoff is worth it with a lovingly-arranged set of variety and passion. Expectations are understandably high (2007’s The Reminder was an all-around tour de force), and it’s too early to say whether this album matches her last, but the uncluttered, organic production and her amazingly cathartic voice are definitely back in full form. This work is gonna need time to be appreciated fully, but at first listen I’m enjoying this as much as I have her previous works, and that is immense.

Indigo Girls
Jack’s Mannequin
Lights – Siberia
Scott McCreery (AmIdol winner)

Modeselektor – Monkeytown – basically acerbic beat geniuses, enough to not only to win fandom from Thom Yorke but to also get him on a couple tracks here, alongside the likes of Antipop Consortium, Busdriver and more

Mute Math – Odd Soul – third album from frenetic Louisiana firebrands, still not quite equaling their debut overall but bringing incredible beatsmanship from drummer Darren King and some incendiary vocals from frontman/key-pounder Paul Meany. And their live show is still all fifth-gear mescaline, not to be equaled.

We Were Promised Jetpacks – In the Pit of the Stomach – strong second set from Scottish indie janglers, full of brogue and bounce, out on FatCat Records.
Scott Weiland, Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Hope that’s enough to fill your ears this week. Back with more in 168 hours or so.

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 09.27.11
by Joshua Krage

Huuuge week again! And next week’s got awesomeness as well. Hope you’re good at choosing, because unless you’re a secret millionaire you won’t be able to afford every amazing album on this list…

Acoustic Alchemy
Allstar Weekend
Anathema
Anvil
Sebastian Bach
The Bangles
Barenaked Ladies, Hits From Yesterday & the Day Before – yes, it’s a best-of but the cut above here is that I just really like the cover. And of course their best hits are brilliant, like They Might Be Giants going for pop stardom. Love these guys.
Lewis Black, The Prophet – big score for old-school Lewis Black fans, it’s an archived stand-up performance from 1990, back in the days of the first Bush and all the great comedy that came with Dan Quayle in the public eye.
Blink-182

Bonnie Prince Billy, The Mindeater EP – definitely more like his early freak-folk stuff; if you’re a big Palace fan, you’ll love this four-song collab with the Phantom Family Halo group.

Joe Bonamassa / Beth Hart, Don’t Explain – 10 smokin’ soul/blues covers, great pairing of JB and Beth Hart’s firebrand voices with Bonamassa’s incendiary guitar and backing band.

Boom Bip, Zig Zaj – a welcome return to solo work for the innovative producer, recently off his Gruff Rhys collab Neon Neon and full of synth-y, epic ’80s-inspired textures and soundscapes. Kind of downbeat and safe throughout, with more electronic layers than hip-hop beats, but guest spots from Cate Le Bon and Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) lend some extra flavor.

Carolina Liar
Chickenfoot
J Cole
Harry Connick Jr. – Xmas book companion
Andrae Crouch
Jason Derülo

Dominant Legs, Invitation – big, elastic debut LP full of love and life from newly-expanded San Francisco outfit. Other appropriate adjectives: playful, exuberant, bouncy.

Dum Dum Girls, Only In Dreams – this band’s debut work was all reverb’d-out hazy shoegaze-punk, so this second set is a shocking leap forward everywhere. Bandleader Dee Dee’s vocals are actually discernible (and quite strong), she has a full band not just playing with her but also on backing vox and harmonies, and the production has actual edges and corners instead of vague, hazy layers. Rather heartbreaking lyrics all through this LP also, Dee Dee coming to grips with the loss of her mother among other serious fare woven into these electrified, ’60s shoewop-gazy pop nuggets– a perfect juxtaposition of sad moments expressed in frenzied guitar attack.

Frenzal Rhomb

Daryl Hall, Laughing Down Crying – really good solo album with a sad-but-epic backstory. C’mon, does this guy write anything but solid gold radio-ready melodies and hooks? If you’re a fan, you’ll like.

Will Hoge, Number Seven – after the devastating emotional cleanse of last LP The Wreckage, it’s good to hear Hoge return his focus outward, tackling all sorts of fare on this aptly-titled seventh album. Like a distillation of the ethic born of classic rock-era rock songwriters like Springsteen, Petty, and Seger, Will Hoge starts off with solid, working man’s songs, sung in a scruffy low tenor that screams t-shirt & blue jeans, then brings in his road-tested band to hang tasteful bits of piano, slide guitar, and more in the perfect places. Song topics range all over, from being down & out, to immigration, to young love, to old love, and old rockers, creating a sort of traveling narrative that doesn’t so much string everything together as make a solid variety-pack of unmistakenly American rock & roll.

The Knux, Eraser – second run from former Nawlinz MCs brings the live band in place of turntables and rockets off in a pop-crossover direction, before really figuring out if it can work or not. Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but it’s an interesting turn for a duo that seemed on the verge of what so many other hip-hop teams have done before, and it’ll at least be interesting to see where they go from here.

L.A. Guns
Rachel Lampa
Bill Laswell
Machinehead
Dan Mangan
Mastodon
Maylene & the Sons of Disaster
Seth McFarlane, Music Is Better Than Words – at first glance, it’s a straight-up big band record from the entertainment mastermind and voice of Family Guy’s Peter Griffin (among others). There may or may not be multiple levels of ironic appreciation or parody at work here, but McFarlane’s gift for sonic mimicry is in top form as a standards-era crooner over this fully-arranged album of lesser-known classics.
The Mekons
Tim Minchin – live
Misfits
Mocean Worker
Nappy Roots
Nirvana – Nevermind super deluxe 20th anniv deluxe ed with sprinkles & stuff
Ohbijou
OST – Footloose (remake)
Pink Floyd – full catalog remasters (!). Ace celebratory performances feaetured on Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon from the likes of Foo Fighters (w/ Roger Waters!), MGMT, Dierks Bentley, The Shins, and Pearl Jam. Shiny.
Plaid
Tyler Ramsey (Band of Horses guitarist)
Leann Rimes
Josh Rouse
John Scofield
Derek Sherinian

Spank Rock, Everything Is Boring and Everyone is a F—-ing Liar – big drama in the six years between notwithstanding, Spank Rock main man Naeem Juwan brings the power back for LP2, with strong and wiggy production & guest spots from Pharrell, Sam Spiegel (N.A.S.A.), Boys Noize, Santigold and more.

Matthew Sweet

Switchfoot, Vice Verses – no band has consistently brought huge, sticky chorus hooks as plentifully as these five San Diegans. Their now-trademark huge guitar power-pop sound returns in full force on this eighth proper studio album, and amazingly frontman Jon Foreman yet again constructs a whole roster of brand new heavy hooks to lodge right in your noggin. But above all this, the thing that most amazes me about this band is Foreman’s lyrical gift, threading themes about being soberly real and searching for life’s deeper meanings and delivering them in music which always manages to suit the content hand-to-glove. This band has been in amazing form since The Beautiful Letdown broke them open wide and hasn’t lost the gift yet, and this set of songs digs deeper into our confusing, seemingly loveless world and pulls out some solid reasons to hold on to hope through the quiet laments and the fist-in-the-air choruses.

Twin Sister, In Heaven – what an interesting band– a Long Island, NY five-piece full of danceable synth textures and dreamy pop structures but beholden to no clear-cut style. They’ve toured with tUnE-yArDs so that says something about their eclecticism, but their fluidity between genres is a marvel, switching easily from guitar jangle to dance floor fillers to folk breakdowns and giving vocalists Andrea Estella and Eric Cardona a wide variety of sonic structures over which to lay down their impassioned croons.

VA – Now Xmas vol 4
VA – Putumayo Presents: Acoustic Cafe
VA – Wow Xmas 2011
VA – Wow Hits 2012

VHS or Beta, Diamonds or Death – fourth album from synth-rockers, continuing their trend of blatantly and brilliantly displaying their influences in full view rather than trying to tack on something “different” or even really “original,” but it’s rather danceable.

Warm Ghost, Narrows – I’m absolutely loving downtempo dream-synth stuff these days, so this album from the Brooklyn duo comes along at the perfect time to join Washed Out, I Break Horses and many other ambient beat wizards on my playlist. Awash in keyboard layers like soothing breezes, this LP slowly rolls out like the sky before sunrise and gently raises the light in majestic fashion track after track.

Wilco, The Whole Love – having covered almost every genre available to the point of self-parody up to now, Wilco could have gone anywhere with this album– and they kinda do in some really satisfying ways. From the gritty guitar tones and electronic textures of opener “Art of Almost” to the strange, almost precious ambience of “Sunloathe” to “Black Moon”s spacious strings and steel guitar swells, Jeff Tweedy lets loose with easy confidence atop pitch-perfect playing and killer interplay between his band’s unearthly-versatile players. No experimental left-turns here, mostly a journeyman’s album of strong songs by a band who’s been twice and more through the fire and can take the simplest lyric or run and turn it into a beautiful beast.

Johnny Winter
Youth Lagoon
Dan Zanes
Zechs Marquise

Surprisingly big week, no? If you didn’t find something tasty in this list, check those ears. Or eyes, depending on whether you read or listened.

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 09.13.11
by Joshua Krage

Holy sensory overload! Too much music– only got to cover about 2/3 of what I wanted, but even that 2/3 is amazing. Here’s the skinny:

Basia – hits live
Big Harp
Blind Pilot
Blink-182 – early days

Blitzen Trapper, American Goldwing – it’s rare to hear indie going classic rock but that’s just about the speed of what’s happening here with the genre-hopping Portlanders settling into a roots-rich brand of Americana and ’70s down-home rock textures for their third release on Sub Pop.

A.A. Bondy, Believers – third proper release for former Verbeña frontman, whose once rasped-out grunge vocals sail a bit more subdued seas for this mellow’d-out project.

Bush, The Sea of Memories – yes, it’s a new Bush album. For better or worse, that’s really all you need to know.

CANT, Dreams Come True – side-project from Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, in conjunction with up-and-comer George Lewis Jr. (AKA Twin Shadow, worth hearing if you haven’t yet). Very electronic and synth-driven but quite atmospheric above all the dance textures.

Kristin Chenoweth
Comeback Kid

Das Racist, Relax – long-awaited debut from blog-buzz fave hip hop group bordering on the edge of comedy rap but coming correct with the beats, synths and 8-Bit noize. Their track “Combination Pizza Hut & Taco Bell” is either the most ridiculous thing ever on tape or the most ingenious, I can’t decide.

Mickey Dolenz – EP
Mike Doughty
Dr. John
Dream Theater

The Drums, Portamento – second LP from jangly, uptempo indie kids who sound like what early ’60s pop would be if hyped up on Ritalin.
Girls

The Hawk In Paris, His + Hers – slightly epic collaboration between longtime friends Matt Bronleewe, Jeremy Bose and Jars of Clay frontman Dan Haseltine, emphasizing their shared love for big synth sounds of the new wave era but filtered through their more-focused songcrafting sensibilities. Really great melodies all over this seven-song EP, with synths never overpowering and pitch-appropriate drum sounds evoking a neon glow in an unironic way.

JJ Grey + Mofro

Grouplove, Never Trust a Happy Song – big buzz all around this band, from their unique spotlight-sharing dynamic, to their uncommonly strong songs, to pedigreed drummer (and Yes’ Trevor Rabin progeny) Ryan Rabin’s well-learned media savvy, to their epic backstory. Saw these guys’ infectious energy at Outside Lands Festival last month; their optimism holds up well on record and the melodies and harmonies are bright and upfront in the mix in the best way.

Katy B
The Kooks

Ladytron, Gravity the Seducer – you never need to look further than Ladytron for heavy, seductive synth-noir, so the LP title is quite fitting. These songs are sparse and spacious but lush in synthambience and Mira Aroyo & Helen Marnie’s shared siren vocals.

Lydia Loveless
Madina Lake

Laura Marling, A Creature I Don’t Know – startling steps forward in arrangement and vocal nuance on this third LP from the UK songwriting prodigy whose last effort garnered a Mercury Music Prize nomination, and rightly so. Best listened to when you have the time to pay attention to the extra details, from strings to stop-time dynamics, there are new levels to her sound all over this thing.

Mates of State, Mountaintops – probably my favorite of the indie husband/wife keyboard/drum duos out there, mostly because of their bright, upbeat songwriting and melodies. This album adds some new wiggy synth magic and some rare quieter moments in-between the huge drumbeat flurries and organ freakouts, and Jason and Kori’s voices are still in top fist-pump-chorus form.

Me First & the Gimme Gimmes, Sing in Japanese – for any of you punk fans who actually understand Japanese, the epic power-punk cover band tackles some top hits from the Land of the Rising Sun. Cross-cultural ambassadorship WIN.

Memoryhouse, The Years EP – don’t know how I’ve had this for the better part of almost two years, but I’ve been loving the sleepy, sense-filling ambient waves of aural bliss the tracks on this EP gently lift from the speakers.

Mogwai

Neon Indian, Era Extraña – not my favorite artist of the chillwave movement, mostly due to the subdued and reverb’d-out vox on every track making Alan Palomo’s voice indiscernible on most moments, but the sounds here are gloriously synth-soaked and innovative. Huge walls of keyboard noize adorn every corner, and the general new-wave feel doesn’t pervade so much as genially hang in the backdrop behind the more modern sounds.

OST – Grey’s Anatomy vol. 4 – even more eclectic set with a wide range of performers, mostly up-and-comers with some big names like the National and Peter Bjorn & John sharing marquee space with the likes of folk-rocker Lissie, Chop Shop Records faves Scars on 45, and UK dark horses The Boxer Rebellion.

Ginny Owens
Chuck Ragan
Reckless Kelly
Saves the Day

St. Vincent, Strange Mercy – my favorite thing about Annie Clark’s work up to this point is the juxtapositioning of her gossamer voice with sawblade-edged violent imagery, both from her lyrics and her jaw-dropping guitar tones. This ethic becomes a fully-grown monster on this new album, adding new chapters to her serenely deranged narrative and finding well-placed synth textures to add to her pitch-perfect guitar chops. Never has a line like Best find a surgeon / Come cut me open (from “Surgeon”) sounded so soothing and inviting, and that’s just one example in a sea of slightly disturbing but strangely fascinating wordplay present here. The real grabber– macabre lyric content notwithstanding– is the maturation of her sound. From the first barbed-wire-covered guitar tones of intro cut “Chloe In the Afternoon,” to the vintage synth-funk freakout on the back-end of “Surgeon,” to the massively insistent guitar breaks of “Northern Lights,” Clark has taken a sculptor’s discipline to her sound and her compositions, taking the art of her music to a new, previously irreconcilable level of dichotomy which is both mesmerizing and infinitely puzzling in the best possible way. Each of these tracks is a monument to a creativity birthed of an irascible sound but bathed in the discipline of high-art sensibility, reigning in what could have easily dissolved into art-skronk pretense and shaping it into incredible masterpieces of expression.

Toro Y Moi, Freaking Out EP- the freakouts here are mostly of the synth-funk variety you’ve come to know from Chaz Bundick here, and his expanded live band has definitely upped his sound’s overall punch. This guy has gone from novelty bedroom dance-pop to full-on dance floor-filling electro-funk, a genre which I’m so happy is gaining ground. If he’s not touring with Thundercat yet, he needs to be.

Umphrey’s McGee
We Came As Romans

Wild Flag, Wild Flag – pretty sure this is the first all-woman indie supergroup, with Mary Timony from Helium joining Carrie & Janet out of Sleater-Kinney and The Minders’ Rebecca Cole. If you’re familiar with any of the aggressive, muscled-out indie guitar awesomeness of any of these bands, you know to expect something wild (appropriate), and these songs hold up to their forebearers’ ouvres. Yes I said ouvres, and they hold up with teeth. I’m most impressed with the rawness of the guitars overall, but the energy is so intense, it’s infectious. These girls will be awesome to see live.

Right? RIGHT? So much good stuff, you owe it to yourself to set aside some fundage for musics this week. Let me know what works.

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.