It’s been interesting to watch the bands that were cooked in the crucible of the recent lo-fi explosions. Records from acts like the Dum Dum Girls, whose raw, punkish power seemed to tear at the fabric covers of my speakers now have a much cleaner, more refined sound, opting for delicate songwriting over fuzzy production. [...]
David Byrne & St. Vincent – Love…
17 September 2012 by Leave a Comment
Few teamups have had me as intrigued as that of Annie Clark (a.k.a. St. Vincent) and David Byrne‘s. If Byrne’s past partnerships (Brian Eno, Arcade Fire, Selena, etc.) are of any indication, the ex-Talking Head is a sucker for throwing his well-established sound into the thralls of various music cultures and seeing what happens. Clark, [...]
Crystal Stilts – Radiant Door
28 May 2012 by Leave a Comment
Here’s that mid-century vibe everyone’s been crazed with since Eames chairs came back into style and the first seasons of Mad Men proved nostalgia was profitable. Ben-Day dots, Pantone colors, and minimal geometry abound, and the deceptively simple graphic pops from whatever distance you witness it, constantly shrinking and expanding while standing perfectly still. I’ve [...]
Veronica Falls – Veronica Falls
13 February 2012 by Leave a Comment
I’m thinking of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That shack that ol’ Leatherface called home — a house in the middle of a homestead riddled with bones and deteriorating corpses and bodies stuffed in iceboxes. I admit that I haven’t actually seen the film (horror movies are one of my chronic weaknesses), but the sentiment is [...]
Sleigh Bells – Treats
15 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
I have a serious love/hate relationship with this record. It’s full on manic-depressive. Flat out unhealthy. In the time it takes Sleigh Bells to finish one track, usually around three minutes, a self-contained soap opera occurs in my headspace: “Oh, wow. That kickdrum just shook my brain in its fucking skull.” “What the fuck is [...]
Moon Duo – Mazes
13 June 2011 by Leave a Comment
If you’ve ever traveled through the center of San Francisco, you know how disorienting it can be. Surrounded on three sides by water, and riddled with nonsensical street plans, it’s easy to find yourself completely lost in a matter of minutes. Cresting over the steep hills in a car can make for a safari-like experience, [...]
White Fence – Is Growing Faith
2 May 2011 by Leave a Comment
It may be hard to see the perspective logic of the album art above. There aren’t any clues; no names, no titles, no context. The figures don’t even have faces. The record is White Fence’s latest effort Is Growing Faith, not that you would have known it from the cover. But really, the concept is [...]
Dirty Beaches – Badlands
18 April 2011 by Leave a Comment
It’s sorta funny: no matter how many times I listen to Dirty Beaches’ Badlands (and it only came out a few weeks ago) I can’t manage to decipher anything about it. Maybe it’s the hypnotic rhythms or the cavernous reverb or the absolute lack of low end frequencies. Maybe it’s the near-perfect Chris Issak impression [...]
Radiohead – The King of Limbs
26 February 2011 by Leave a Comment
Here’s a fun exercise for you: take any Radiohead album, play the first 30 seconds of the first track, and glance at the cover art. That feeling you get encapsulates the feel of the entire album instantly. A few examples below: The Bends leads with “Planet Telex” – a swirling void of reverb and pulsing [...]
Brian Eno — Before and After...
Low - Long Division
Big Star — #1 Record
Packaging: Good/Bad/Horrifying
Autolux - Future Perfect