The Radio Dept.- David EP. November 23, 2009 (Labrador Records)

Sweden's reclusive kings of electro-shoegaze (it's an esoteric kingdom) the Radio Dept. released the an EP of new material called David-EP in anticipation of Clinging to a Scheme which will be out on the 21st of this month. It listens like a lot of their more recent works, polished and relaxing, but has a bit more feel to it.
"David" kicks off the EP in true Radio Dept. form, with subtle and smooth synthetic strings and melody that you can enjoy, but doesn't stay with you for the entire month, followed by "Messy Enough" another typical Radio Dept. track, but now with an infectious beat. As with any indie EP, there is the required remix. The Rice Twins do a beat heavy, minimalist cover of "David," that isn't half bad, but hey, it's a remix. "The Idle Urban Contemporaries" finishes off the the under 15 minute EP. An instrumental track, "Contemporaries" could make for a great radio bed.
I enjoyed this contribution to the Radio Dept. catalogue, more-so than I have with their previous works. I'm not sure if it has to do with the content, it's all pretty standard for this band, or if it's the length. While their songs are great, interesting and layered, their whole alums have a tendency to get exhausting or boring. Maybe they need to stick to the EP format. Or maybe they could just not record anything for a while and finally tour in the states.

Another week where I don't want to do a full review.

So instead I'm going to do a list!



5 Albums I'll never get sick of.

Desaparecidos- Read Music Speak Spanish
I've loved this album since I was a freshman in highschool, so it's a pretty safe bet for the list. Even in spite of my Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes hatred I still can dig it. The guitars fuzz and the lyrics helped me see things the way I do now. My kind of album.


Saul Williams- Saul Williams
Ever hear something and it demands you? That's this album for me. It's thoughtful and driven, and it makes me furious at myself for being the man. Also, Hives cover =Awesome.



Gang of Four- Entertainment!
Awesome funk punk album. It's so unfortunate that all those little "punk kids" are jamming on the Ramones and Sex Pistols when Gang of Four did it better than they could have ever dreamed of (with a little Talking Heads swagger).


Minus the Bear- Menos El Oso
Silly, silly math rock. Some of the wildest, precise jams. Worth of a listen if you're in the frame of mind.


My Morning Jacket- Z
The most recent addition to the list, still amazing. For so long I shied away from this band (Because a "morning jacket" is a bathrobe), but it finally got to me. Great driving/biking music.

Harvey Danger- Little by Little. Release Date- September 13, 2005 (Phonographic)

K-K-K-Kick it! Back to 2005.
Harvey Danger are unfortunately best known for a clever, but now dated song called "Flagpole Sitta." The fact of the matter is that while most people only know this band for one song, they have a distinct catalogue, the best of which is their last album, Little by Little.
Most of their previous works had been polished guitar rock tracks, but Little by Little displays Jeff Lin's emotional piano work. "Wine, Women and Song" and "War Buddies" play with the contrast between a serious tone and playful lyrics and vice versa. "Cream and Bastards Rise" seems to be the only track that sounds like Harvey Danger of the past, which fades into "Moral Centralia," a great example of their more recent piano pop sound. "Little Round Mirrors" is audibly Neil Diamond inspired (in a good way), and with "Happiness Writes White" Sean Nelson is able to show off his witty lyrics and astonishing vocals. Starting out the back half of the album "Incommunicado" and "Cool James" give a breath of much needed silliness. "What You Live By" reshapes an old cliche and forms it to be more thoughtful than it was before. The album finishes on "Demising Returns," which has a bit of unfinished feel to it, much like the end of Harvey Danger that came last year.
I've never been much of a lyrics listener, but Sean Nelson's voice demands your attention, and his words always deliver. Too many people have never heard this album, and I hope more do, so that they can fall in love with it the way I did.

Break in the action...

Because I can't stop laughing.

http://www.hipsterkitty.com/memes

Joanna Newsom- Have One On Me. Release Date- February 23rd, 2010 (Drag City)

Truth be told- In the past Joanna Newsom has scared the living crap out of me, and going by her voice I would have said she's a Succubus. Although I never would have denied that her music is beautiful, I definitely wouldn't have classified it as "enjoyable." Her new album Have One on Me lends itself to a more approachable Newsom, and while still slightly haunting, it will not give me nightmares.

I would give a track by track breakdown to the album, but with the album being 18 tracks long, spanning three CDs, I'm afraid doing so would make this review unreadable. Instead I'll venture through the songs I feel like define the album. "Easy"and "Esme" display the vocal change Newsom has made from past works, less eerie and more folksy. One thing that I've always appreciated about Newsom is her harp work, which can be heard on "81" and "Jackrabbits.""Good intentions Paving Company" and "No Provenance" feature a more orchestrated sound.

Long story short, the album is exhausting.
If you happen to believe in full album listens, as I do, this is a difficult album to break down. Like previously stated 18 songs long landscaped over 2 hours, with some tracks breaking 10 minutes. Ladies and Gentlemen, this a folk album. Maybe Yes can pull off that sort of things, but this a different monster. The worst part of it for me is my favorite song on the entire release is "On a Good Day," the only song that remains under 4 minutes. Maybe I'm predisposed to dislike folk music, I just have no idea how someone can make it through, and truly appreciate the whole album without zoning out or thinking Star Wars.

While the album is more tolerable than Newsom's previous works, it's much longer than any of them as well. Maybe if you're into 2 hour folk odysseys, you might enjoy it, but for me, I'd rather take a two hour nap and cut out the middleman.

Owen Pallett- Heartland, Release Date: January 12th 2010 (Domino)

Owen Pallett, formally known as Final Fantasy and better known as the only good thing about Arcade Fire released Heartland in the beginning of 2010. This is a stunning departure from his last release He Poos Clouds. While both records feature Palletts beautiful and defined string arrangements, unlike Clouds, Heartland does not scare the god-fearing piss out of me.

Heartland opens with “Midnight Detectives”, a track with confident curiosity that makes for a fun listen and thusly sets the tone for the rest of the album. “Keep the Dog Quiet” and “Mount Alpine” fade into one another, but even in their tenseness, they never become haunting, instead exciting. “Red Sun No. 5” is a welcome break in the action, setting a sense of peace with Pallett’s smooth and charming voice keeping the listener company. My favorite song on the album is easily “Lewis Takes Action,” an awkward pop strain that would make Brian Wilson proud. “The Great Elsewhere” is a new kind of song for Pallett, where he has subtly embraces an electronic sound. Despite what might be expected it works so well. “Oh, Heartland of Yours” is yet another spectacular example of how Pallett can utilize pop song structure to work for his orchestrations. “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt” is likely the most single-worthy song on the album and also a new venture for Pallett: danceability. Around “Flare Gun” “E is for Estranged” the album begins to sadly wear thin, but the builds of “Tryst of the Mephistopheles” provide the last excitement of the album. “What Do You Think Will Happen Now?” ends out the album like a much needed cigarette.

Damn. This guy is good.

Typically artists of Pallett’s caliber make stranger album albums with time, but I’m happy to see him get it out of his system on He Poos Clouds. Heartland is an elegant and majestic album, like riding a unicorn through Disneyland.

No exaggeration.

I promise I don't actually hate music.

Really, I couldn't live without it. I'm just given slack by loved ones for being so particular (morse so than your average snob).

I'll be using this blog to write about albums that have come out recently, as well as some pieces of work I think have gone under the radar for too long.

<3/Sam