Infinite Shuffle

October 25, 2010

48 – The Drums

Filed under: Brooklyn, D — assman41 @ 2:29 am

On the surface, the sounds emanating from The Drums’ self-titled debut full-length album are all poppy and synthy. But if you listen closely, you can definitely hear a post-punk sensibility that borrows from such forebears as The Cure and Echo & The Bunnymen.

Additionally, there’s a little taste of early punk and ’50s-style surf-pop thrown in.

Released June 7, this 12-track album is perfect summertime fare. Most of the songs are fast and free and would go well while hanging out on the beach — especially the aptly titled “Let’s Go Surfing”, which briefly samples the old kids’ tune “Shimmy Shimmy Coco Pop” and includes a whistling intro that calls to mind Peter Bjorn & John’s “Young Folks”.

Not all the songs are this peppy. Toward the end, the band slows things down on “Down By the Water” and “It Will All End in Tears”. The former actually seems to channel the Beach Boys’ “Sloop John B”.

In regards to the band’s background, The Drums are a four-piece from Brooklyn. Founding member and vocalist Jonathan Pierce was formerly the leader of Elkland, which put out a strong debut album (Golden) in 2005 before disbanding a year later.

The Drums have received a lot of critical praise during the past year and have been touring with several “It” bands from England. They recently toured the United States but are currently overseas.

To hear more from The Drums, visit their MySpace page or check them out at RCRD LBL and download some tracks, including my personal favorite, “I Felt Stupid”.

October 17, 2010

47 – Best Coast

Filed under: B, Los Angeles — assman41 @ 12:01 am

The band Best Coast first entered my field of vision early in my recent vacation, while I was browsing an Urban Outfitters in suburban St. Louis. The store’s music section was very small, and there was only a couple of actual CDs on display, so it wasn’t too hard for the postcard-looking cover of their debut LP, Crazy For You, to catch my eye.

Considering UO has already earned my respect with its musical tastes, I figured this album was probably worth picking up. But I wasn’t going to buy sound unheard, and since there was no listening station to be found, I walked away but kept it in the back of my mind.

A few days later, before leaving my friend’s abode to experience Portland some more, my e-mail lit up with a Best Coast selection on NPR’s Song of the Day. Two points for Best Coast.

So, by the time I got to Jackpot Records later that day and saw the album in the listening station, I made sure to give it a whirl.

It’s very reminiscent of the girl groups of the ’50s and ’60s — except that it’s just one girl singing this time. And there’s hardly any production value whatsoever — rather than lo-fi, think no-fi.

That being said, it’s not too bad.

If Best Coast sounds familiar to groups such as The Vivian Girls or Dum Dum Girls, that’s because the drummer is Ali Koehler, who joined the group in July after leaving the aforementioned Vivian Girls.

The band was formed by songwriter and frontwoman Bethany Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. It went through a couple of drummers before landing on Koehler.

In addition to putting out the album in July, Best Coast has released three EPs and several singles since 2009.

To hear more of their stuff, check out their MySpace page. And keep tabs on their goings-on by following their blog.

October 10, 2010

46 – The Megaphonic Thrift

Filed under: M, Norway — assman41 @ 12:01 am

The Megaphonic Thrift, a four-piece from Norway, conjure up thoughts of Dinosaur Jr. and Built To Spill, falling somewhere in between twee-pop and the distorted, fuzz-rock of Sonic Youth. One contemporary that definitely comes to mind is the early work of fellow Scandinavians The Radio Dept.

The group has been together for a little while but didn’t release anything noteworthy until the past year. Last October, they dropped the six-track EP A Thousand Years of Destruction, followed in March by their first full-length, Decay Decoy.

I’ve listened to each about four or five times in the past couple weeks, and they’ve really grown on me. I first discovered the band on RCRD LBL’s Oya Festival playlist.

Other than that song, there are few standout tracks. Mostly, The Megaphonic Thrift is perfect background music — not necessarily chill-out music, what with all the distortion and guitars, but music to work to.

Between their MySpace and Facebook pages, you can hear nine different songs, including my favorite, “Dragons vs. Dust”.

October 3, 2010

45 – Jaill

Filed under: J, Milwaukee, Wisconsin — assman41 @ 12:01 am

I’ve been putting off doing a review of Jaill, mostly because I’ve had a hard time thinking of an apt description for their sound. That’s because they are influenced by multiple different scenes, spanning several decades of the rock spectrum.

Most prominently, Jaill does a good job of channeling the ’60s pop sound — specifically the British Invasion vibe, even though they’re four guys from Milwaukee. Occasionally, they’re also reminiscent of the garage/surf rock of that era.

But they do all this through a modern frame of reference and include some of the lo-fi ethos of the early ’90s. The description they give in their own bio is pretty spot-on.

Up-tempo, guitar-driven twang-twee with punk attitude … disarmingly cheerful at surface level. But, dive into the lyrics and things get weird. Jaill hooks the ears with insistent, upbeat pop and twanged-up garage elements, which grow deliciously darker with further investigation.

I occasionally thought lead singer Vinnie Kircher’s vocals reminded me of the leader of the Cold War Kids, especially on the song “The Stroller”.

True to their early forebears, few of the songs on their second album, That’s How We Burn, crack the 3-minute barrier, which makes the 11-track disc go by quickly. It’s like a shot of pop-rock to get you through the day.

I’ve already listened to it about 10 times since first discovering the album at a couple of record stores while vacationing in Portland and Seattle.

The fact that the band is signed to Sub Pop Records should be reason enough to pick up the album.

Head over to their MySpace page to check out a few of their songs, including a trio from their debut album, There’s No Sky (Oh My My).

September 26, 2010

44 – Miniature Tigers

Filed under: M, Phoenix — assman41 @ 12:01 am

One of the first things I did during my first full day in Portland recently — after hitting up the foodcarts, of course — was making my way to a record store.

I spotted one pretty quickly while attempting to navigate the slightly confusing streets — Jackpot Records, which is located on NW Bursnside, about a block away from the world-famous Powell’s Books.

Upon entering the store, I headed directly to one of the listening stations, and the first album I played was Fortress by Miniature Tigers. I was immediately bobbing my head along to the tunes that were coming through the headphones.

My favorite was the second track, “Rock & Roll Mountain Troll”. It starts out slow, but then, at the 0:40 mark, it really picks up and gets going.

In reading reviews of the band, I noticed that there were several mentions of The Beatles and Beach Boys as far as influences — and even a couple of nods to Weezer. But the one group that stood out the most to me on this album was Of Montreal — so much so that I keep getting a hankerin’ for Outback Steakhouse every time I listen to this album.

The similarities to the Georgia lads can be heard on several tracks, including “Gold Skull”, “Egyptian Robe” — which sounds like two or three songs in one — “Japanese Woman” and “Tropical Birds”.

On the opening track, “Mansion of Misery”, they even reminded me of Arcade Fire — that is, if Arcade Fire was a four-piece from Phoenix.

Another strong song, “Bullfighter Jacket”, opens with a punk-tribal-scream thing that I’ve heard before — possibly in multiple songs — but I just can’t place it.

And on the closing track, “Coyote Enchantment”, I could not help but recall Sugar Hill Gang’s “Apache” when I heard the opening bars, which were sustained in the background throughout the entirety of the song.

Fortress, which came out in July, is actually Miniature Tigers’ second full-length album and was preceded in 2008 by Tell It To the Volcano.

I went back and listened to the debut and was immediately greeted by a track I’d heard often but forgot all about, “Cannibal Queen” before. Now I suddenly remember hearing about this band awhile back.

Other than the opener, I wasn’t overly blown away by this album. It wasn’t bad, by any means, it just wasn’t as strong as the follow-up.

A couple of songs I did note included the title track — which reminds me of the previously mentioned “Rock & Roll Mountain Troll” — and “Annie Oakley”, which kinda sounds like The Magic Numbers, without all the harmonies.

To hear more of Miniature Tigers, visit their MySpace page.

September 19, 2010

43 – Zola Jesus

Filed under: Los Angeles, Wisconsin, Z — assman41 @ 12:01 am

As I was driving out of Seattle a few weeks ago, bound for a brewpub in Tacoma, I had the radio in my rental car tuned to KEXP — which, other than “The End”, is really the only station Seattlites should ever listen to.

Anyways, as I was peering at the Space Needle in my rearview mirror, a song came on the radio that was so dark and haunting, I couldn’t help but become transfixed by it.

I had to wait a few more songs before the DJ came on and alerted me that the track was “I Can’t Stand” by Zola Jesus.

Naturally, one of the first things I did when I returned home from my vacation was look up this mysterious artist. Turns out it’s just one woman — Nika Roza Danilova — a Wisconsin-bred lass who relocated to Los Angeles and put her opera training to good use by channeling the darkest of old-school goth music.

She reminded me of a few artists from the ’80s. At first, I thought she sounded like the Cocteau Twins on crack — or, more correctly, depressants — but, perhaps a more apt comparison would be Siouxsie and the Banshees.

A contemporary counterpart would be The XX, but a lot darker and more gothic. Ironically enough, she will be opening for the “female chromosomes” on a tour of the U.S. this fall.

Zola Jesus put out a lot of music the past couple years, including a couple singles, three EPs, a split LP with Burial Hex and a trio of full-length albums. The last of which, Stridulum II, builds on a similarly named EP and includes several strong tracks, including the aforementioned “I Can’t Stand”, the opener, “Night”, and “Sea Talk”.

For more songs and info, check out her MySpace page and official website. There are also a few tracks available for free download at RCRD LBL.

September 12, 2010

42 – Light For Fire

Filed under: L, Portland — assman41 @ 12:01 am

I recently returned from a vacation that included stops in St. Louis, Portland and Seattle. Any indie fan worth his or her salt knows that those last two cities have some of the biggest music scenes going right now. And I made sure to absorb a little of that mojo during my stay.

It was actually my second trip to the Pacific Northwest. During my first jaunt, I discovered one of my all-time favorite albums — Elf Power’s Back To the Web. I picked up several new CDs on this trip, but toward the end of my stay in Portland, I realized I’d never seen any live music in the PacNW.

I decided to rectify that, and chose the Doug Fir Lounge as the venue for my Rose City baptism.

The night I was there, the headlining act was Pete International Airport, a side project of one of the members of Portland’s very own Dandy Warhols.

The group sounded solid on MySpace, but I have no idea how it sounds live, because I was too tired to stick around for the final act. But that was OK, because I’d already seen a band worthy of the price of admission.

When I walked down the stairs to the faux mountain lodge-looking joint, I was immediately greeted by a band that sounded like it could’ve easily been the main draw.

That group was Light For Fire, an indie act based out of Portland. On stage, they’re a five-piece, but at their heart, they comprise two main members — vocalist J. Nicholas Allard and Jeremy Sherrer on drums — and three other backing members.

Allard and Sherrer were previously in more of an indie-rock/pop group, The Village Green, which took its name from a Kinks album.

Their current incarnation is very much an indie-rock/folk venture. Vocally, nearly every song on their self-titled debut conjures up memories of Conor Oberst. Some that stand out in this regard are “Where I Was Born”, “NY (By the Hand)” and “Something Wicked This Way Comes”.

But there are a few tracks that take a lot of influence from Spoon — such as “The Letters” and “Green Life”.

I was gonna list a song of each variety, but WordPress is being a bitch, so you’ll have to head to their MySpace page, where you can hear six different songs, including an unreleased track, plus a demo.

Judging from their blog, the band is still in its infancy. It’s unsigned and self-produced the album, of which I apparently received a very early copy.

The group supposedly will be touring soon, so you should check it out. Even if you sleep through the headliner, at least you know the opening act will be solid.

September 5, 2010

41 – Hey Marseilles

Filed under: H, Seattle — assman41 @ 12:01 am

Upon my first listen of Hey Marseilles’ debut album, To Travels & Trunks, my initial thought was that it sounded like an Irish band covering The Decemberists.

As it turns out, the band is from Seattle. So, basically, they’re a Seattle band with a French-sounding name pretending to be an Irish band pretending to be a Portland band pretending to be a group of turn-of-the-century sea-faring knaves.

OK, so maybe that’s not the most accurate interpretation. But, to me, they do seem to have two very distinct influences — The Decemberists and Irish music.

The band started slowly in 2006 when Nick Ward and Matt Bishop played together as students at the University of Washington. Eventually, they grew to seven members and released their aforementioned debut album in 2008.

While a huge hit in the Northwest, it’s taken awhile for Hey Marseilles to gain a wider audience. But eventually, the band earned enough praise to have the album re-released this year.

The disc starts and ends with instrumental tracks. So, the first real song, is the title track, which starts out immediately sounding like some Irish dirge before quickly transitioning into the indie folk that persists throughout the entire album.

The next track, “Cannonballs”, reminded me a little bit of The Avett Brothers’ “I And Love And You” — but just a little.

That was followed by the album’s catchiest song, “Rio”, which was my initial conduit into the band, via NPR’s Song of the Day. NPR’s Stephen Thompson described the song as “a worldly chamber-pop gem marked by a full-to-bursting, jauntily percussive sound in which seven people politely clamor to be heard.”

After the mostly instrumental “Cities” comes another string of solid songs, including “Someone To Love”, “Hold the Morning” and “You Will Do For Now”. Also in that mix is my other favorite from the album, “Calabasas”, which reminded me of something Great Lake Swimmers might’ve done.

Hey Marseilles – Calabasas

With any luck, Hey Marseilles will continue to develop a wider audience. In the meantime, check out their official website and MySpace page.

Interesting sidenote … I first heard about Hey Marseilles shortly before leaving on a vacation to Portland and Seattle last month. I didn’t see them out there, but I did discover several other new bands that I’ll be reviewing in the coming weeks. So, stay tuned.

August 29, 2010

40 – Coconut Records

Filed under: C, Los Angeles — assman41 @ 12:01 am

My interest in Jason Schwartzman, the musician, seems to have taken the same circuitous route as my interest in Jason Schwartzman, the actor.

Like everyone else, I first discovered Schwartzman via his debut film, Rushmore. While the movie is top-notch, he was mildly annoying. And the status of my fandom only grew more perilous after watching him in Slackers, another solid film in which he plays a pest.

So, by the time I’d heard he was a drummer in some band and eventually had struck out on his own as an artist, I wrote him off as just another egotistical fame-whore.

But as he gained some indie film cred — and after other actors, such as Zooey Deschanel, Jared Leto and Scarlett Johansson, released some non-shitty albums — I figured I should cut him some slack.

Also, after hearing a couple solid songs he’d put out under the moniker Coconut Records, I decided it might be time to give his music a chance.

And it was something of a revelation, not least because I didn’t realize how many of his songs I’d already heard before and enjoyed.

I recently listened to both of his albums — Nighttiming (2007) and Davy (2009) — four times apiece, and each time they grew on me more and more.

He mostly goes the indie-pop route but gets a little more rocking and dancy on a few tunes, including the title track from his debut album. He even dabbles in alt-country on “Mama”, from the first album.

That first album includes what has to be his best and most popular tune, “West Coast”, which is accompanied by an equally awesome video.

Another good one, “Drummer”, from the latest disc, is autobiographical, and touches on his time as the drummer for Phantom Planet.

Speaking of autobiographical, besides the well-known relations to Francis Ford Coppola, Nicolas Cage, Sofia Coppola and Talia Shire, his brother, Robert, happens to be the lead singer of the band Rooney. Who knew?

August 22, 2010

39 – School of Seven Bells

Filed under: NYC, S — assman41 @ 12:01 am

On the way to work one recent afternoon, I heard a song during David Dye’s “World Cafe” program that got me very intrigued. I kept trying to pick out one or two lines so I could memorize them and do a search online once I got in the office.

Thankfully, Mr. Dye came to my rescue and let me know the song was “Windstorm”, the first single off School of Seven Bells’ second album, Disconnect From Desire.

SVIIB (that’s their preferred acronym) will always hold a special place in my mind because their song, “Iamundernodisguise”, was one of the first tracks I downloaded upon purchasing my new laptop a couple of years ago.

Listening to their debut album, Alpinisms, the best description of their sound that I could come up with was, “it’s as if Imogen Heap and Thom Yorke had a baby.” Every song is loaded with ethereal, dreamy pop that takes the listener to a higher plane of existence.

While the band itself sounds like it might be a party of one, it’s actually a trio — made up of Benjamin Curtis, formerly of Secret Machines, and identical twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza. While the Deheza gals let their voices soar, Curtis sticks to lead guitar and manipulating various electronic devices.

Although the vocals can often be hard to make out, they’re the most important part of the song. According to their Wikipedia page, the group comes up with the lyrics first, and everything else is secondary.

On SVIIB’s latest album, which came out July 13, the vocals are still prominent, but the band turns up the electronica on just about every track.

If you’re interested in seeing them live, the group will be touring throughout September and October all over the U.S.

School of Seven Bells – Half Asleep

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