Soft Landing: Soft Landing

    Brooklyn based band, Beirut, seems to have so many faces that it is hard to keep track of them all. Soft Landing is now sort of one of them, in addition to 1971 and Realpeople. Beirut is also closely tied with Alaska in Winter and A Hawk and a Hacksaw, two folk bands with Balkan influence as well and whose members perform with each other at times.
    Multi-instrumentalist, Zach Condon, is often the man behind the curtain. He started Beirut after traveling to Europe at the age of 17, became fascinated with Balkan musical culture, and began writing music on his own before enlisting the help of a number of musicians to record and join his band. But, in this case, Paul Collins, a member of Beirut is actually who started Soft Landing. In fact, Soft Landing was a project started while in school and was cut short when Collins joined Beirut to tour the world (with the hit success of its first album, Gulag Orkestar in 2006. Soft Landing was finally recorded and subsequently released by Ba Da Bing Records on October 12, 2010.
    Even so, I should say rightly so, you will hear a lot of folk influence in this LP, Soft Landing. The band's MySpace describes the group as being folk, easy listening and healing; but, I prefer world electronica folk as a more accurate characterization (but am only tagging this as world folk as the electronica takes a back role in terms of definition). For one, this is not really easy listening, elevator type music. It is quite different than anything you may have every heard before. One blog even called Soft Landing "pastoral jams". Seems fairly accurate to me.
    The album announces itself like a marching band arriving from around the corner, with drums and cymbals that mimic a drum line or Napoleonic era army band. There is this constant driving acoustic rhythm backed by the drum set, a myriad of electronic synthesizer sounds raining down melodies and interesting rhythmic material sometimes too, and Paul Collins trying to raise his voice through the somewhat cacophony--at least that is what it may seem like until you listen to it a few times. Do not get me wrong, there is a quiet moment here and there, especially the track "Pendelton Woolen", a very simple folk guitar song with bass. Then, "Papaya", the next track builds slowly until the driving alternating chords fall back into stride. A few different electronic sounds play key roles in the next track, "Awkward Flower", one especially obnoxious or ingenious (you decide) that stays on one pitch, repeating itself for a good bit (obnoxious), even becoming a pedal tone (ingenious). The LP ends with a dance remix type tune that is slightly out of character to the rest of the album, but it definitely shows the eclectic world nature Paul Collins and how far his influences stretch.
    So, just a preview description of the last few tracks, I think I will now actually let you decide, and upload "Awkward Flower" into the MixPod. It contains slightly more pastoral, along with the jam sections. Let me know what you think!

Scattered Trees: Sympathy

    I guess Scattered Trees is a very fitting name for this group, as all the members had but gone their separate ways in life, when the front man, Nathan Eisland's father died and he started writing a new album, Sympathy, yet to arrive April 5, 2011. For some reason, trees cannot really move. Maybe it is because their roots are stuck in deep, and that is how it is with the members of Scattered Trees, feeling that they could never replace any one of the group of six, so they all came back together for this project.
    Apparently Nathan Eisland moved to Chicago in 2003, and started writing one song a month, naming each song after each month. The resulting album was called Hollohills, completed in 2004 after returning to Minneapolis. I have not been able to find this online even to purchase, let alone listen. Then, again, Nathan moved to Chicago and started adding permanent members to Scattered Trees, who then became a part of their debut LP, Song for My Grandfather (2005). You can listen to this album in its entirety on their MySpace page, here (EDIT: no longer available on their MySpace). Heart of Glass EP came out in 2007 under the 4AM Record label, which can be listened to here if you sign up for a free 14-day trial (which I did not, so I have not listened). Scattered Trees also recorded a track, "Sparrow", for the Starbucks Off the Clock, Vol. 1 sampler.
    You might have noticed that Sympathy is not set to release until April 5, 2011, and wondering how I have a copy of it? Well, it seems as though it is fully available as a free download on Scattered Trees' Bandcamp website. Interestingly, however, if you attempt to go to their url (scatteredtrees.bandcamp.com), it comes up as saying there are no tracks there yet... But, if you add this to the end of the url, "/track/bury-the-floors" (minus the quotation marks), you can not only listen to that track, but download it for free by signing up for their mailing list! Also, each track can be retrieved this way by substituting its title (each word separated by hyphens) after: "/track/". If this is a glitch, and consequently illegally obtained, then I fear it is not my fault for point out what is clearly available on Bandcamp, which is controlled by the band. EDIT: Apparently, this was some sort of glitch, as each link to each successive tracks has been removed/fixed. You can no longer retrieve/listen to this album this way.
    Scattered Trees is sort of an emotive folk rock, as I have read, and so agree--though it is slightly folk. I suggest slightly, because not every song even hints at having folk elements. They are often merely acoustic guitar and not necessarily of a folk style, but more so typical of every solo artist that likes to pick up a guitar and create songs by themselves. The emotive aspect could be considered Emo, because the lyrics are very thoughtful and heartfelt, especially concerning the death of Eisland's father, revealing personal sorrow. The group as a whole has related in interviews that making this album has been much more of an emotional experience, in the sense of the depth of emotion the music requires and has created simultaneously.
    At their core, Scattered Trees is simply another indie rock band, making some waves in Chicago. I hear some really cool ingenuity in their soothing ballades and laid back gentle style, while a few songs delve more into the normal realm of rock and subsequently are not as potent. The "slower" songs are definitely where Scattered Trees shines. They've also been compared to the band Ours, which I've never heard (sadly I admit that without taking the time to check up on this fact), but I hear Barcelona somewhat in there, in the singers voice and the melodies.
    I've uploaded "Five Minutes" (yes its 5 minutes long too), the closing track, which reveals a good bit about the style of their music: the slight pulse, the slight ambiance, the mellow vocals, the building sound, the bit of rocking out and the fade at the end. I hope you enjoy this band many are raving about, but few people seem to actually know about.

Passion Pit: Manners

    Passion Pit is a relatively new group, formed in 2007 in Cambridge, MA. Michael Angelakos was the creative influence behind the band's formation, when he wrote and recorded a bunch of songs on his laptop for his girlfriend as a belated Valentine's Gift. Angelakos soloed for a bit, before being approached by Ian Hultquist about joining forces; which they did by recruiting further members. They spent seven months practicing together before their first show, and even then two members were replaced when Passion Pit joined Frenchkiss Records in 2008. The original songs written by Angelakos were later compiled on their Chunk of Change EP (2008).
    Manners was released on May 19, 2009 in the U.S. with Rolling Stone magazine describing their success as attributed to Angelakos: "what makes the record are his loose beats, shamelessly fruity melodies and breathless little-boy vocals, all pushing skyward." Passion Pit has also remixed a number of tracks since the release of Manners, including "1901" by Phoenix, "Fall Hard" by the Shout Out Louds, "Wait Up (Boots of Danger)" by the Tokyo Police Club and "Ghost Under Rocks" by Ra Ra Riot.
    I believe I heard Passion Pit first on "The Pulse of Music", WIRT, 89.7, the RIT radio station in Rochester, NY. The song I heard was "Sleepyhead", which John Mayer called "one of the best songs I've heard in a long time." I do, however, recall having seen Passion Pit remixes, just not knowing what that meant. Admittedly, until I discovered RAC, I thought that the subname on a remixed track meant a particular style, instead of the group that remixed it, though they are obviously linked as well.
    Passion Pit is eclectic, you will hear funky brass, saxophone additions, and soaring strings, but all their songs maintain the upbeat, high pitched vocal style--which strikes me descriptively as a crystallized sound. They are clearly not Owl City, and should be more closely associated with the grungy Electro Pop and chorus singsong-yness of MGMT, but they have the same constantly optimistic style. Angelakos's voice may be the only drawback to Passion Pit, as it can grow a little tedious to listen to, sightly abrasive, never relaxing. I believe it is his high pitched voice that has caused the group to be considered Wonky Pop, which is mainly reserved for an 80's (which I can hear in the beat at times) female vocal style. There is also just a lot of sound, wavy and metallic, because of the synth and clear dance electronica influence.
    Enjoy the first track "Make Light", on which I love the synth sound and more Indie beat (less 80's) than most of the rest of the album, in the MixPod!

Gold Panda: Lucky Shiner

    I was just introduced to Gold Panda today through an old blog post from IndieRockCafe.com, and I immediately felt after only listening to one song that Derwin Panda had struck gold. Derwin was born in Peckham, London, and lives in Chelmsford, Essex (eastern UK). OK, so what is so interesting about yet another electronica group from Britain? Gold Panda studied and lived in Japan for two years, studying at the School of Oriental and Asian Studies (SOAS), and this influence can clearly be heard through the use of Chinese, Japanese and Indian melodic material and instrumentation; which can be considered neofolk.        
    Other influences for Derwin include: working at record stores and compiling countless hours of samples and various genres of music; "B movies on his VHS", to quote his website; minimal techno and hip-hop (hip-hop being pretty much the historical basis for all electronic music).
    Exploring Gold Panda's genre a little more, it is clearly Electronica or IDM (Intelligent Dance Music), the latter being a term not so readily accepted by many British artists. Aphex Twin, for example, minimized IDM as "peculiar to the U.S.". Either way, IDM arose out of techno and emphasizes individual experimentation more than a set of genre specific characteristics. So, it is more expansive. The term, IDM, came from an electronic mailing list back in 1993, which was started in order to discuss music between mainly English artists who were included on the compilation album Artificial Intelligence (1992, Warp Records). Electronica has largely become the replacement term for IDM and is similar in meaning, because of its emphasis on multiple genres instead of any specific one.
    Glitch is a genre that was popular in the 1990s, and is basically what the word means, electronic glitches of any sort, except intentionally used as part of the music in this case. Some sites I saw considered Gold Panda to be lo-fi, and I think glitch would better describe their style.
    Proceeding, briefly, with experimental, downtempo and neofolk, I will suggest that the first two are fairly self-explanatory and I will not say anything about them; but, neofolk, I feel obligated to say that I do not necessarily agree with this label, partially because Gold Panda is so heavily electronica, but also because neofolk suggests more of a classical or even acoustic style.
    I will leave the reader with one last thought, without much being said about any individual track or the music itself--more so a framework to approach Lucky Shine within--, that the album cover is so fitting. The horizontal color stripes of different shades point themselves out like glitches, the fireworks and Japanese influenced art reveal the folk inclusion, the sublime blue hue suggests the downtempo, and the city scape and collection of visual thoughts as a whole produce the experimental-slash-industrial (or electronic) nature of the album--along with the journey the road bridge will take the listener on.
    There are three digital bonus tracks, if purchased on Gold Panda's Ghostly International record label's website here. I have uploaded the track, "Same Dream China" from their September 2010 full debut, Lucky Shiner to the MixPod. Normally, I hate uploading a track that you can find streaming on another site, but in this case it was the first I heard and thoroughly hope it will have the same impulsive pull on you. Enjoy!

Tribute to...The Mars Volta

    You might notice the different heading, and no album listed, and that is because I'm going to start a new thing; I'm calling it Tribute to... Why? Because some groups are so much my favorite, and have such an extensive history, that it seems ludicrous at such a juncture to choose one album to represent the rest. Consequently, this will be a tour through their entire discography, and history, in efforts of revealing to the reader how this band has evolved--of course with little tastes of listening along the way. So, before going ahead and listening to each track one after another, I'd suggest that for you to have the best listening experience possible, to listen to each track while that album/artist is being discussed (by clicking "Listen", making sure to open into a new tab/window), and subsequently listen through the track, in part or [better] whole, before proceeding into the next paragraph of text as well. We'll see how this goes, feel free to leave feedback in the comments.

    [Listen to "One Armed Scissor" from At the Drive-In's 2005 compliation album This Station is Non Operational]. The Mars Volta is the brainchild of mainly two rock musicians: Cedric Bixler-Zavala (hereafter referred to as CB-Z or just C.) and Omar Rodríguez-López (also hereafter referred to as OR-L or just O.). Both had been part of the post-hardcore/punk group At the Drive-In from 1993-2001, when the group broke up because of excessive drug use on part of the aforementioned pair and "complete mental and physical exhaustion" because of nonstop touring, the band's hype and recording. CB-Z and OR-L also had creative differences with the other members of ATDI, who wanted to become more alternative mainstream, while C. and O. wanted to pursue more progressive genres.

    [Listen to "El Professor Contra de Facto" from De Facto's debut 2001 album ¡Megaton Shotblast!] During the span of ATDI, C. and O. had also formed a side group, De Facto, an experimental dub reggae band that used to jam and play after ATDI shows. De Facto continued for a couple years after the break up of ATDI, but was forced to dissolve when one of its members, Jeremy Ward, died of a heroine overdose. De Facto did put together three albums in the course of 2001, and has recently, since 2008, been supposedly reunited in some manner.

    [Listen to "Concertina", the second track from Tremulant EP] The Mars Volta, then formed in El Paso, Texas in 2001, basing its name on a love of science fiction (Mars) and a sense of newness (the meaning of Volta). Its early years were indicative of chaotic live shows and narcotic use, and one release, a three track Tremulant EP in 2002. I've toyed with the idea of discussing who has been part of the group throughout The Mars Volta's history, because the band has seen its share of changes, but I think I will just mention this: CB-Z and OR-L have always been the main creative forces behind The Mars Volta. Typically, O. writes some music and then gives what he has written to C. with some direction as to the lyrics and stories involved and then waits for C. to complete his part of the process; so, all members are given parts accordingly with O.'s direction. Anyway, Tremulant EP as you will discover is inconsistent, the vocals beg for a more refined quality, but the style is more progressive and experimental, a direction C. and O. wanted to go with At the Drive-In.

"Mundo de Ciegos" from OR-L's 12th studio release, Xenophanes (2009)] The Mars Volta released their first full album, De-Loused in the Comatorium, in 2003, just a month before Jeremy Ward had overdosed, which convinced C. and O. to quit narcotics and subsequently spurned a wealth of creative output as a result of their lifestyle change. OR-L, for example, started creating solo (under the name of OR-L) and collaborative albums around 2002 and has become quite the producer, director, composer, actor and performer extraordinaire if you consider his cumulative output. I will not say much about O. as his own entity, as I have written previously about him. But, I will express how similar, obviously, the sound is to The Mars Volta. This was especially true when CB-Z was doing vocals for OR-L, instead of more recently when O. mostly uses his or the female vocals of Ximena Sariñana and Lisa Papineau, even though I still love the direction it took the style of OR-L's music; to be less like The Mars Volta and give it more its own identity.

    [Listen "Drunkship of Lanterns" from De-Loused in the Comatorium] De-Loused in the Comatorium is very inventive, rhythmically, with mixed meters and poly-rhythmic figures; and melodically, with guitar riffs and melodic lines that are unique in comparison to any other group I've ever heard. The story behind this "rock opera", if you will, is, to quote: "about Cerpin Taxt, a man who tries to kill himself by overdosing on a mixture of morphine and rat poison. The attempt lands him in a week-long coma during which he experiences visions of humanity and his own psyche. Upon waking, he is dissatisfied with the real world and jumps to his death." Lovely subject matter, I know, but it is based literally or fictitiously, I do not know which, on the true story of Julio Venegas, a mutual friend, who had committed suicide only a few years prior. De-Loused in the Comatorium made several best of the year lists and was well cited by critics, selling over 500,000 copies. Despite being their best selling record, actually, The Mars Volta has never looked back since, continuing their tremendous creativity and unique compositional style.

    [Listen  "L'Via L'Viaquez"] The Mars Volta's next album, Frances the Mute (2005), is another "rock opera", and is based this time on a diary found in a repossessed car. The tale involves the unknown adopted author trying to find his birth parents, suffering from mental illness and grief from the death of a loved one. The music of Frances the Mute has a much heavier Latin influence, with Hispanic lyrics and a chill latino dance type section in one song. There is also extensive saxophone playing on the later parts of "Cassandra Gemini". Both the artwork for this and the previous album, along with singles, was done by Storm Thorgerson, famous for Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon album cover and numerous other artists covers--check the list out here. A live album, Scabdates, was released in 2005, and has been their only live recording to date.

    [Listen to "Vermicide" from Amputechture] Amputechture, put out only one year later in 2006, definitely saw The Mars Volta take another turn musically. Many of the tracks are very instrumental, guitar heavy even, without as much vocals and the Latin influence is diminished except for the use of bongos. For example, the opening track is a silky guitar duet intro, "Asilos Magdalena" is mainly acoustic and the last track, "El Ciervo Vulnerado" uses sitar and more ambient sounds. Also, the subject is not one continuous story, more so connected themes. All the tracks except "Vermicide" have some connection to various religions through their title. Another change, Californian surrealist painter, Jeff Jordan, did the artwork for Amputechture, and has continued to do The Mars Volta's album artwork since. Apparently, The Mars Volta was not satisfied with Thorgerson's rendering.

    [Listen "Agadez" from The Bedlam in Goliath] That Mars Volta's fourth full album was released in 2008, The Bedlam in Goliath. The album has a much harder feel, with the drums largely playing into that perception; but, not just that, the album just goes and goes one hard song to the next with little break or quiet track to interpose. The themes of songs on the album, unfortunately, comes from dabbling in the occult with a Ouija board, which became a popular after show release for the band members. Not surprisingly, or coincidentally--you decide--, supposedly the band experienced many unfortunate events during this time of production, such as the drummer quitting for financial reasons, CB-Z having to get surgery and physical therapy to relearn to walk, the recording engineer refused to continue working on the album, OR-L's home studio flooding, multiple power outages and recorded audio tracks would simply disappear and then reappear. Consequently, O. broke and buried "The Soothsayer", the Ouija board, which had become known as such because it had given them stories and names and cursed them. Again, the titles of songs mostly refer to things of a highly eclectic religious nature.

    [Listen to "Halo of Nembutals" from Octahedron] The Mars Volta's latest release, in 2010, is Octahedron, and in my opinion is a fantastic listening voyage from start to finish. The band explores a much softer side for most of the album, with songs that are akin to acoustic, but still have an electric life to them, as well as the electronic ambiance The Mars Volta has become known for. It also has the best "jump out at you" moment with the end of one song fading and the opening of the next surprising you with its pounding entrance, which also happens to be one of their best songs ever. Interestingly, that eruptive song, "Cotapaxi" is an actual volcano in Ecuador. Also, in keeping with the album's title, Octahedron, there are eight tracks, all of which deal with various unconnected themes--a new direction for CB-Z's lyrical output. Overall, the album is driven by its use of synthesizers, and connected by a seemingly continuous pitch that appears between songs or sections, growing in volume and octaves until something either covers it up or it just goes away for the moment--I can not really say which, because it is so subtle that you almost do not notice it at the onset of the album even unless your volume is up enough. OR-L has stated that this would be the last album he solely has creative input on, and he has been quoted as saying that some musical material is in C.'s hands for him to do what he wants with; that he is not  rushing or influencing the process this time around. I just hope it is as good as all these albums I have presented to you and that The Mars Volta continues to make quality music.
    I hope you enjoyed the journey, there are no tracks for the MixPod player this time around, because they were embedded in the post.

Barcelona: Absolutes

    I do not know how Barcelona decided on its name, being from Seattle, Washington. Maybe it just meant more to be named after the capital city of a ancient nation rich in culture and history than after a hot spot indie scene city like Seattle. Perhaps it was just following the musical trend of naming after cities or animals. Nevertheless, Brian Fennell, the leading member of the group, realized that after self producing and releasing an album Safety Songs in 2005, while enlisting friends to fill in the necessary musical elements, that forming the group Barcelona would greatly improve Fennell's scope and creative vision. Rightly so, Barcelona, with the album Absolutes took Fennell's Safety Songs to a new level of depth of construction, with stronger melodies and balance.

    Absolutes was originally released in 2007 independently with the self-created NBD Music label, but was later re-released remastered with four additional tracks in 2009 with Universal Motown. As of 2010, however, Barcelona is no longer with Universal for undisclosed reasons. Apparently, a new record is in the works, but there is no news yet available beyond word of announcement on their Myspace blog on Jan 29th.

    Barcelona's sound is highly influenced mostly by Coldplay and Sigur Rós (I would say, though the band cites only U2, Coldplay, Copeland, Lovedrug and Death Cab for Cutie), very atmospheric with strings and synth, piano and electric guitar chords; but not quite ambient genre-wise. The vocals are nicely balanced and everything supports them. There is also a driving feeling to certain songs with drum set that is a little too typical rock beat at times, but bearable because it does not overwhelm. Absolutes thirteen tracks also contains a solid mix of pulse driven and melancholy melodic songs.

    Typically this kind of more simplistic music would leave me wanting more, but Barcelona's Absolutes has grown on me steadily and now I do endorse it willingly. Enjoy the track "First Floor People" in the MixPod player, which starts softly and grows powerfully.

Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid

    I heard Elbow on the radio yesterday, on WITR, 89.7 FM "The Pulse of Music". They are a British alternative Britpop/Post-Britpop, Dream Pop band who got their start back in 1990 at the Corner Pin pub in the Ramsbottom borough of Manchester. Their first major, non-EP, release came in 2001 with Asleep in the Back, followed by Cast of a Thousand (2003), Leaders of the Free World (2005) and The Seldom Seen Kid (2008), to which I love the Rubik's Cube evoking artwork cover. They will also be releasing a new album in early 2011.
    Britpop is largely the British counterpart of American alternative rock, and mainly a reaction against the American grunge movement, with Britpop bands like Suede, Blur and Oasis. By the turn of the millennium, Britpop came to its end, so Elbow is considered to be Post-Britpop. The singer of Elbow, Guy Garvey, has a distinct voice, often compared to Peter Gabriel of Genesis. I find his voice similar to [the last band I wrote up] dredg and to some extent Rustic Overtones. I find, as a whole, Elbow's music to be very vocal heavy, but not to a fault, as Garvey places an emphasis on dynamics as "an essential part of classical music, but a lost art with guitar music". So, each album is more of a "journey" than simply a musical enterprise. There are as many softer songs as loud songs and the balance is appreciated as a welcome change to many bands whose sound is too similar one song to the next in my opinion. Garvey cites Genesis, Talk Talk and Radiohead as vital influences on the style of their group and Elbow has received critical praise from groups such as Radiohead, Coldplay, Blur, R.E.M. and U2.
    The first song, "Starlings" is a different kind of fanfare, because it is not always loud, but has blurbs of anthemic noise that counter its melancholic atmosphere. "The Bones of You", next, is probably their best song to date, reminding me the most of dredg (sound of Garvey's voice and slight progressive rock style), Radiohead (rhythmic sound at the beginning of "15 Step"), Muse (harmonized vocals like "Knights of Cydonia") and I love the deep electronic style bass that adds rigor and tension to the sound. The song ends with a quote from Gershwin's "Summertime" played lightly on a jazzy trumpet fading into the distance. The third song, "Mirrorball" fits its name perfectly, with angular repetitive broken guitar and piano chords and glassy string harmonies. The first in many vocal heavy softer songs, it is beautifully melodic and a good change of pace after the rockin' previous track.
    That is just a preview of the 11 track album, The Seldom Seen Kid, to wet your appetite, hopefully. I have also included track 4 "Grounds for Divorce" in the MixPod player for further salivation (thank you ).

dredg: Leitmotif

    Dredg (stylized as dredg) is a progressive alternative rock band from Los Gatos, CA. I was introduced to them back before Catch Without Arms (2005) came out, liked El Cielo (2002) and listened a good amount to that album. I did not know about Leitmotif at the time, however; and as I tried to keep up with their more recent releases, including The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion (2009), I discovered Leitmotif (1998). This is a band, like many, that has lost a little bit of their original flavor, and consequently, I enjoy their earlier work more than their recent. Kind of the reason I chose this album is that I find myself listening to it more than their others (not to diminish El Cielo though, which is a great album!) I think bands find it increasingly difficult to stay unique and original, and often find themselves drifting into more mainstream accessible styles. Maybe their vision changes, or they cave to pressure to reach a broader audience--who knows.
    Leitmotif is a concept album, as with all of their releases, about a man's journey around the world in search of a moral cure to a disease a spirit tells him he has. Apparently, to quote: "the character learns to put faith in the religion found in the spiritual awakening of humankind, rather than buy into the religion of commerce and greed". Sounds mystic. Anyway, leitmotif is a musical term that is used to identify a musical motif (theme or melody perhaps) that keeps returning along with a particular character or idea. The first track,  often called "Symbol Song" is actually listed as a Chinese character meaning "change". So the whole overarching concept of the album is that the character who keeps reoccurring in the story goes through a transcendent change in morality which allows him to evolve and not die. Sounds mystic.
    The music is definitely progressive, with syncopated types of rhythms and not exactly mixed meters (more alternating between duple and triple figures) but also encapsulates a hard rock style at times, namely the track "Penguins in the Desert". Furthermore, dredg often adds a distant sound in their recordings, almost lo-fi, to their presentation; especially their latest album, The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion, which is manipulated at times to appear almost dreamy. Stringed instruments are frequently used by dredge, more so in El Cielo. For more information about the album and particular songs, as well as the track listing, click the "quote" link above.
    Leitmotif was recorded in 10 days and has since been re-released on the Universal label on September 11, 2001 and again as an 11 year anniversary 500 copy limited vinyl edition in May of 2010. I've uploaded the "Symbol Song" into the MixPod player, enjoy!

fun. : Aim and Ignite

    Yes, they are called fun. (with a period after fun) and for good reason (they are from NYC? well, maybe). [But actually it's because] their music is pure unadulterated fun.ness! And if you quickly recognize their style, it may be because you knew and loved The Format, which is where Nate Ruess came from after an announced hiatus in 2008--their last release was Dog Problems in July of 2006. Well, they have not lost any of their charm, and I assume any following The Format had has quickly transfered to fun. upon release of Aim and Ignite in August of 2009 (I bet you keep thinking I'm ending my sentences after fun. don't you?). A deluxe album version followed this up, with two excellent RAC remixes, some bonus tracks including a new song, "Stitch Me Up", and some music videos. RAC, for those who do not know them, are Remix Artist Collective, and have remixed quite a few good bands, including handful of songs for Tokyo Police Club, Radiohead's "Nude" two ways (yes, like eggs) and Phoenix's "1901", to name a few. A live album, fun. Live At Fingerprints, was also released in April of 2010. They are on the Fueled by Ramen label.
    One things I love about fun. is that Ruess's vocals (along with a mystery female once in a while; EDIT: mystery vocalist no more: Emily Moore) are always clearly in front of the music, and easily discernible. fun. also has a flair for the dramatic, falling into the category of power pop for that reason, and employ a wide variety of instrumentations to add creative genius to their compositions. The first track, "Be Calm", for example, has an accordion, at least two violins, chimes, trumpet and synthesizers (along with the normal electric guitars and drums). You could almost consider some of fun.'s songs in the Broadway musical genre, an 80's power ballad without the horrible 80's beat (yes, Journey is my least favorite band ever! emphatically!) or reminiscent of Queen's rock operatics from "Bohemian Rhapsody". Perhaps the resulting album is even a little disjointed, with the eclectic use of classical instrumentation: piano, trombone, tenor sax, string quartet, horn (yeah! my instrument), electric organ, and bells and oboe; gospel chorus, punk, glee chorus and barber shop quartet alike style vocal interludes; and sudden changing tempos and loud and soft sections. But, why do I care if every song is just plain fun.?
    I hope that you found this post fun. too and equally as eclectic! And I leave you with "Be Calm" in the MixPod player; as "Walk the Dog" (a worthy choice) is a song you may have heard on the radio, like I did on WBER 90.5 "The Only Station that Matters"; and "All the Pretty Girls" (which I almost chose if not for the fact that it) is on my Facebook playlist and you can listen to it there (if you are privileged enough to by my friend lol). Enjoy!

Just in...Omar Rodriguez-Lopez: Cizaña De Los Amores

    We have ourselves yet another ORL release, and this the second release of October, the first being an album called Tychozorente! Well, maybe with a little less enthusiasm this time...for both releases. Recently, I've been fairly disappointed in OMR's creative impulses, for a few reasons. One, everything lately has been in Spanish. Well I didn't mind that so much for Ciencia de los Inutiles, which is a gorgeous acoustic album released back in February, it has just started getting a little old not being able to discern any of the lyrics. Second, the last few releases were just not the same enjoyable vein as those of Solar Gambling, Xenophanes and Cryptomnesia. Sepulcros De Miel, which I've blogged previously about here, was purely experimental free-rock; Tychozorente was very experimental electronic music; and Cizaña De Los Amores, though it does show more promise as a poor replica of the better former albums is, well for lack of better description, droopy (By the way, all the links, if you haven't noticed yet, are to omardigital where you can listen to each album, respectively, in its entirety for free).
   So, what is Cizaña De Los Amores like? I call it droopy, will explain that now and then try and leave it. Upon listening a few times through I just find each track lacking some sort of spark, it is hard to pinpoint, and the vocals by Ximena Sariñana Rivera--which were so great in Solar Gambling, Xenophanes and Ciencia de los Inutiles--have grown slightly monotonous; they lack the energy that the music wants desperately to emit. I guess the simple explanation of this is that the voice is always low and in her chest voice, while in my opinion needs to be high and screaming to an extent; consequently, it comes out flat by not adding to the electricity of the music. Lisa Papineau also does vocals on the first and seventh track "Nada De Amor", but it is hard to distinguish the difference between both singers if you didn't know better and my complaint remains the same.
    The first track, "Soledad Y Silencio" is, actually, Halloweenish; meaning, it sounds sort of like this creepy background music to a haunted house, with an eerie quality to it produced by the dreamy pulsating synthesizer chords and octave motives in the lo-fi piano. It does in one aspect remind me of, with merely a faint glimmer, of the last track from The Mars Volta 2006 album Amputechture, "El Ciervo Vulnerado" at about 7:55 into the song--at least it kept invoking that comparative image in my mind. There are definitely some nice moments in the next track "No Hay Más Respuestas", about half way through it has that brilliant ORL progressive style going from one lick to the next. I like the intro to the third track "Victamas Del Cielo" and even the down-tempo-ness of it, but in relation to the whole album being slightly so, it loses its impact. It even, if I may suggest, has a slight reggae beat, especially with the rock organ which receives a lengthy solo (I have noticed a trend towards ORL groups becoming more jam-bandish). The ending is sweet too.
    The fourth track, "Corazón" is the droopiest. It has this just under pitch kind of feeling, with a guitar riff throughout that is too repetitive and other moments with guitar chords or melodies that are falling (or failing if you will) pitched sequences. This song continues into the next "De Piedra", where it improves little, except when it eventually fades out. "Infiel Hasta La Muerte" just lacks energy. It has these what would have been cool angular chords, reminiscent of The Mars Volta 2003 album De-Loused in the Crematorium, but they are fragile. The ending portion of the track picks up a bit and if most of the album was this way, I'd have been more satisfied.
    Track seven, "Nada de Amor" imitates the track "Poincaré" from Solar Gambling, with the same piano, but not as clear and fresh sounding. It is hazy and back to the etherealness of track one, while building to the end. The final track, "Carne De Perro" has a clear latino influence, bongo drums and shakers included; and is a big guitar solo that lacks organization and finesse, trying to be somewhat of an 80s face melter I suppose.
    I've uploaded the track, "No Hay Más Respuestas", as I feel it's the best representation of the quality of work ORL can produce and has done so in the past. And don't get me wrong, I do think the whole album is worth a listen and then some, so please do explore!

Freelance Whales: Weathervanes

    Well it is high time I posted about the Freelance Whales, a group I find myself constantly returning to listen to. I guess you could call them electro-pop, folktronic, or multi-instrumental, because they use a variety of uncommon sound creators, though uncommon is hardly true anymore in the indie scene; like banjo, glockenspiel, xylophone, waterphone, harmonium and synthesizers. They employ solely acoustic guitars, their melodies are light and youthful with an ambient etherealness underlying, while a few of the tracks are specifically fillers of harmonium or synthesizer chords and some banjo. They have been compared to Sufjan Stevens, Death Cab for Cutie--with obviously a lot more bells and whistles--, Arcade Fire, Ben Gibbard (other solo work beyond DCfC) and as Nick and Norah-core (referring to the film Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist). I also think the lead singer sounds like the group fun. (yes it is written as fun.), especially the song "Kilojoules".
    One review, on NPR.org, calls Weathervanes "incredibly infectious, jubilant music", and I wholeheartedly agree with that. In fact, I'd argue that the venues the Freelance Whales are found playing at have led to that type of sound. The Brooklyn group that came together out of an ad on Craigslist often plays on street corners and in subway stations in New York City, which has made them quite a "buzz band" apparently (yes I'm adding to it), receiving a lot of blog notice and anticipation leading up to this their first release in April of 2010.
    The story behind the album is sort of dreamlike, apparently about a boy who has romantic fantasies involving a ghost girl who haunts his family's home. The story is also somehow linked to one of the members, Judah Dadone, and how he almost drowned in the Sea of Galilea and growing up living in Jerusalem. The girl, supposedly is of the typical Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype. To explain from a film standpoint and quote, Manic Pixie Dream Girl is: "that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." Some female characters that have been described as fitting that role are: Kirsten Dunst (for whom the term was coined by film critic Nathan Rabin for her role in Elizabethtown), Katherine Hepburn (perhaps the earliest example in Bringing Up Baby), Zooey Deschanel (in many roles) and Natalie Portman (in Garden State). 
    For your listening pleasure, I have uploaded "Broken Horse" to the MixPod player. If that is not enough, though, the entire album put out on Frenchkiss/Mom + Pop Records can actually be heard here: http://www.freelancewhales.com/weathervanes/index.php.

The Flaming Lips: Embryonic

    It is almost the one year anniversary of Oklahoma alternative neo-psychedelic space rock experimental band The Flaming Lips's release of Embryonic (October 13, 2009). That's a lot of genre to swallow, so let me explain a bit. Their sound is very "lush" as some have put it while grungy (hence alternative, think Radiohead OK Computer), while at the same time brash with metallic or bell sounding electronics (hence the space rock) and trippy (hence the neo-psychedelic). I always thought, without really knowing The Flaming Lips, that they were a UK band, because in my own experience, the British groups tend to be more melodic and unique, while American rock is sort of one note; but, the Lips (short name people often refer to them by) have broken through that mold and in doing so put out a pretty interesting album.
    The sound of Embryonic also differs greatly from their other critically acclaimed releases Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002) and At War with the Mystics (2006). I guess their older stuff has been called more polished, which I agree with to a degree. Embryonic is perhaps merely a great collection of ideas akin to a movie soundtrack, not so much complete songs. What I mean is that it seems that as soon as a song gets really cooking, it is over and never really completes its thought. Or, as with many other bands any album contains a few shorter tracks that are meant to fill, a short jam or chordal idea; this is somewhat how many of the tracks could be described. But their older albums seem more popish or neo-60s-70s and do not push the envelop of experimentation as much, so I like Embryonic the most.
    Embryonic is a double album, 18 tracks split between two discs. Some notable featured artists on the album are MGMT on the track "Worm Mountain" and Karen O, lead singer for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on a few tracks. The Lips have been known to try different things with their releases. One album, Zaireeka (1997) was a true listening experience that few could afford. The music was split between 4 discs, which were meant to be played simultaneously on 4 different stereo systems to create the whole. Discs could even be left out to create a completely different version of the song. Obviously, this idea did not please critics or bring the Lips any real success, and they were almost dropped by their record label. But, their next release, Soft Bulletin (1999) brought them much more into the forefront of the music industry at the time.
    Highlights of Embryonic for me are: "I Can Be a Frog", which has a really cool music video to go along with it. Also, I love "The Impulse" and its electronically mixed vocals. I love the overall anticipation and tension of the slower songs, "Gemeni Syringes", "Sagittarius Silver Announcement" and "Evil" for example are eerie in the sense of leaving the listener expecting something to happen. They draw you into the dreamlike world of The Flaming Lips with their beauty only to bite you with the contrast of the harder songs like "Worm Mountain", "See the Leaves", "Watching the Planets", just to name a few.
    Enjoy the song "The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine" in the MixPod player!

Just in...Sufjan Stevens: The Age of Adz

    Well, Sufjan keeps evolving, and combining genres better than anyone else. The Age of Adz, the latest release is no exception. This album is actually not slated to release in the U.S. until Oct. 12th, but a digital download was offered today to those who pre-ordered the album on the Asthmatic Kitty website. The album artwork is a nod to schizophrenic artist Royal Robertson, and the "Adz" is a reference to his apocalyptic paintings, which heavily inspired the thematic content of the album as well. The booklet insert includes some of Robertson's work. We've already talked a bit about who Sufjan is, since this is the first artist I have double posted about, so we're going to skip straight to the album itself. And if you want to hear every minute of the 1:14:47 album, check it out on NPR here: http://entertainment.ie/music/news/Sufjan-Stevens-Streams-New-Album-Online/51278.htm (EDIT: no longer available).
    Alright, to start, some of the skeptics of Sufjan's electronica Enjoy Your Rabbit (2001) may be fearful because of rumors that The Age of Adz is another foray into computer electronic inspired sounds. I say, bring an open ear to this album, and then for some songs bring your old ears and you'll be just fine.
    The first song, "Futile Devices", for example, is gorgeous--perhaps one of Sufjan's most beautifully written compositions to date. It is gentle and ethereal (literally with vaporesque vocals brought on by slight reverb effect), folk inspired and the violin pizzicati are the perfect touch.
    The next song, "Too Much", has been available for streaming on Sufjan's website (along with "I Walked") for a couple weeks now. It starts with a bang, let's say, and may require the greatest amount of grace, as the glob of electronic sounds is odd and begs to be skipped. But, the song progresses nicely; even still with electronic beat sounds dominating over lush string writing, trombones and wind flourishes at points, plus the chorus we have come to be accustomed to since the All Delighted People (EP). By the climax, it is hard to determine whether Sufjan has overdone the electronic, I guess I'll leave that up to your discernment.
    The title track, "Age of Adz", is more of "Too Much" but tries to sound more heroic, or diabolical, and is definitely, imo, influenced slightly by hip hop with the break beats style. I guess you could call it--similarly to baroque pop--hip hop pop. Enjoy the sleigh bells too!
    "I Walked" is another echo machine track. I would say it even tries to be trip hop with its underlying dirge-like and dusty beat over the harmonized "ahs".
    Back to a gentler rhythm, "Now That I'm Older" is another ethereal, ambient vocalise. Sufjan truly pushes the reverb effect on this and records his voice multiple times for this track to sing melody and harmony also.
    "Get Real Get Right" is reminiscent of the Chariots of Fire soundtrack, with the driving electronic beat, but has beautiful wind flourishes and brass bandy punches. The final trombone chords are brilliant!
    "Bad Communication" is a meld of ambiance, electronic fast repeated notes akin to a bad electronic piano version of flutes, and brass chords that expand. I don't know if it is meant to create an unsteady feeling, a trippy delirium, perhaps to further signify "Bad Communication".
    By this point in the album, with the track "Vesuvius" I think I'm starting to think that the electronic sounds are just too aggressive or unedited, idk. One interesting aspect of this song is the Renaissance pop with the recorder (remember those beige clarinet like instruments you used to play in general music as an elementary school child?) choir, tambourine and something that reminds me of a bad sounding oboe or shaum.
    "All for Myself" is like a skipping track, with noticeable breaks left in, which actually creates a cool repetitive anxious but forward motion. It also sounds like Sufjan shook giant pieces of sheet rock metal and recorded it, or just somewhat grand but odd electronically generated gestures.
    Typical upbeat Sufjan ingeniousness is "I Want to be Well". The wind flourishes are refreshing and a drum set is used, which has been mostly delegated to the sidelines this album. The middle section is very interesting, with chattering noises and a growing chorus, building to a false and then true climax. Sufjan also uses the F word in this song, saying "I'm not F***in around," which is repeated a lot as the text of the chorus.
    The final song, "Impossible Soul", starts with a Radiohead chord similar to "House of Cards" from In Rainbows (2007). What can I say about this 25:35 minute track? It is a true overture and exposé into just about every style of more modern Sufjan music. A few notable instances: an electronic solo that reminds me of the experimental progressive rocker Omar Rodriquez-Lopez (from The Mars Volta); Sufjan uses voice modification software at one point, like many rappers or Daft Punk; and about 17 minutes in sounds like one of the TV network's football anthems (can't remember which). If there was one flaw to this album, this track typifies it: eclecticism. But, then again, that may not be a bad thing, as it will appeal to many different people in one way or another. I just hope they stay long enough to learn to enjoy all aspects of Sufjan's latest opus. For now, enjoy the track "Get Real Get Right" in the MixPod player!

The Welcome Wagon: Welcome to the Welcome Wagon

    I looked into a lot of Asthmatic Kitty produced bands this past week, and I was not disappointed, surprised to find DM Stith, David Stith is an individual I know personally and have played board games with actually, putting out LPs under Sufjan's brain child label. But, I was very interested in The Welcome Wagon, namely because Sufjan sings, plays banjo for, produced and arranged the hymn tunes that Presbyterian pastor Vito Aiuto and his wife Monique chose for their premier LP in 2008. Vito was a self proclaimed agnostic before converting to Christianity at the age of 20, went to theological seminary and now preaches at Resurrection Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, NY.
    Their music is simple and straight forward, but definitely not void of Sufjan influence, with trombones, melodic lines that are pleasant and catchy. There is also points of flourish and compositional genius, like at the beginning and end of songs in typical Sufjan style. The Welcome Wagon at the core is a gospel folk indie group; but, the underlying element that sets The Welcome Wagon apart from any contemporary gospel artists (not solely referring to the CCM genre) is that its members are made up of a community of friends that often enjoys meals together and then sits in the living room and plays their music together. They do so for the fun of fellowship, but also with, to quote Asthmatic Kitty's bio of The Welcome Wagon: "the simple desire to know their Maker--and to know each other--more intimately".
    The hymn tunes chosen are probably not well known, perhaps in some liturgical traditions they are more than others. But, The Welcome Wagon hails from the Midwest, which also differs liturgically in the sense of being slower and more laid back from the Northeast where they have now settled. I think this is beautifully reflected in their music. Not knowing the tunes themselves, they may not even be the original melodies, as Vito was not a musician when his desire to play hymns erupted with creativity as he has often made up his own melodies. The Welcome Wagon's follow up to Welcome to the Welcome Wagon is the EP Purity of the Heart is to Will One Thing (2009), five songs that were basically outtakes from their debut; and the proceeds of which on iTunes go to Freeset, a fair-trade organization working with women in Kolkata, India. I've uploaded track 5 of 12, because it best displays the Aiuto's folk simplicity, Sufjan's additional doctoring and the sometimes sing-a-long style choruses.

Just in...Mice Parade: What it Means to be Left-Handed

    Mice Parade is a group that hails from NYC, led by percussionist Adam Pierce. Hardly coincidence, Adam Pierce is an anagram for Mice Parade. Other members are from various groups: Doug Scharin (HiM or His Imperial Majesty), Dylan Cristy (The Dylan Group), Rob Laakso, Caroline Lufkin--who I assume is the female vocals--, Dan Lippel and Josh McKay (Macha). Mice Parade is on the Fat Cat Records label, and has a fairly extensive discography dating back to their first release in 1998. Pierce also used to have his own record label, Bubble Core Records, which has produced albums for HiM.
     Mice Parade is a trifecta of interesting styles: indie post-rock, shoegaze and flamenco. Their album released today, What it Means to be Left-Handed, has, however, expanded their sound to also include tidbits of plain old indie rock and electronica too. What defines Mice Parade, though, is their driving complex at times rhythms, soft even wispy vocal tones and brilliant use of hemiola and mixed meters. The influence of flamenco is evident there and the use of folk, world instruments (i.e. ukulele, hammered dulcimer, mallet percussion, etc.), or simply mixing their guitar sound to resemble such is fresh and well implemented. The other groups certain members are a part of--HiM, The Dylan Group, Macha, as well as the experimental post-rock group múm from Iceland that has close ties to Mice Parade are all similar in their use of experimental instrumentation and combining of various styles.
    Other albums I also enjoy are Bem-Vinda Vontade (2005) and self-titled Mice Parade (2007), but I have not really listened to the earlier releases. It is interesting that their earlier compositions seem more eclectic than they are now, but unlike many groups that lose their identity and grow stale, I think Mice Parade has improved its focus and created an even better sound as a result. I'm tired of writing out entire track listings, and I don't think anyone cares that much anyway, unless I discuss specific songs, so I'm not going to anymore. Instead, go to this site and hear the entire 13 track album on the Fat Cat Records release page:
http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release.php?id=329. I believe their whole discography can be previewed there as well, full tracks even--worth checking out. (EDIT: they have since updated their website, check here instead, and listen to clips of, not full songs--sorry!)
    I've also uploaded the seventh track, "Old Hat" to the MixPod player. It thoroughly displays the talent and ingenious use of hemiola, almost poly-rhythm, with the post-rock influenced looming electronic chords in the background, and the underlying acoustic foundation. The drum set laying down the duple and the guitars in triple, plus the piano in fours sometimes is really quite brilliant and this group deserves a lot of props for their ingenuity. When I first heard Mice Parade almost a year ago, I knew they were special, but I didn't know they could possibly become one of my favorite groups. We'll see.

Just in...Röyksopp: Senior

    You have probably heard Röyksopp before. You just don't know it. But, remember that Geico ad on TV with the caveman riding on the moving sidewalk in an airport and he starts walking backwards because he sees a picture of a Geico poster on the wall? Well, the music in the background is Röyksopp. Check it out here if you need to jog your memory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H02iwWCrXew.
    Röyksopp is actually a duo, Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland, Norwegian house group formed in 1998. The name Röyksopp is a stylized version of the Norwegian word for the puffball mushroom, or in the band's own words it could elude to a nuclear mushroom cloud as well. They came out of the Tromsø Techno Scene and the Bergen Wave. A little explanation: Tromsø is the "techno capital of Norway" and has been the origin city for many electronic bands in Norway; Bergen Wave is a term used by the Norwegian Press to describe Norwegian bands that made it big, event internationally, during the 90's and 2000's, two other examples being the Kings of Convenience and Sondre Lerche (coincidentally). Röyksopp originally was on a small Norwegian label in Bergen, Tellé, but are now on the Wall of Sound, a British label known for producing electronic music, and Astralwerks in the U.S. out of NYC.
    Röyksopp's music genre most closely fits into the term downtempo, a style of electronica that evokes elevator music, but with a dance beat, no soprano saxophone and less ambient at times. But, this group also includes synthpop and trip hop. Listening to Senior, just released today, (which can be heard in its entirety completely endorsed by the band here: http://hypem.com/artist/royksopp EDIT: does not exist anymore?) is much slower and of possibly back ground music capacity than their previous albums, especially Junior (2009), which I like quite a bit.
    The track listing is: (1) ...And the Forest Began to Sing (2) Tricky Two (3) The Alcoholic (4) Senior Living (5) The Drug (6) Forsaken Cowboy (7) The Fear (8) Coming Home (9) A Long, Long Way (hidden track) Final Day. From the titles, you can see that this album involves themes of senior citizenship, or at least it could be perceived as such. Some are unrelated, however, like "Tricky Two", which is a remix of sorts of "Tricky Tricky" from Junior (I recognized the similarity immediately). The title "Forsaken Cowboy" makes me think of Cowboy Bebop, but the music is quite different than anything the anime show's soundtrack offered. In all, as advertised, Senior is a much slower pace than Junior and, let's say, won't be played on my iTunes as much. I've uploaded "The Fear", which has more trip hop quality and I chose it over "Tricky Two", perhaps the best track on the album, because you need to listen to "Tricky Tricky" first.

Sondre Lerche: Heartbeat Radio

    OK, Sondre Lerche deserves a huge tip in the jar. Like Sufjan Stevens, he is a multi talented, super original songwriter that definitely improves the sometimes sorry state of the pop/rock world. What I mean is, there is no one quite like Sondre Lerche, nor could anyone create what he does with as much prowess. The combination of Sondre's plain acoustic guitar to the full on rock, excellent vocals and instrumental additions is truly unique. The resulting genre, I think, could fit into the niche of anyone that likes the crooning Frank Sinatra style songwriting, the delicate but jazzy/folksy Norah Jones or the funky sweet Steely Dan.
    Sondre Lerche may be best known for the complete soundtrack music for the 2007 film Dan in Real Life. But, he has a number of quality albums and EPs out extending back to 2001: Faces Down (2001), Two Way Monologue (2004), Duper Sessions (2006), Phantom Punch (2007), and more recently while on tour he had available an exclusive record Polaroid Pool Party (2008) for the west coast tour and Polaroid Pumpkin Party (2008) for his east coast tour. Sondre was discovered at a young age in Bergen, Norway, while playing underage at a bar his sister worked at. A producer at that time introduced him to more styles of music, in addition to the Brazillian (i.e. Bassa Nova) he was learning at the time in his guitar lessons, 80's pop and groups he listened to as a child: A-ha, the Beach Boys and Prefab Sprout.
    The track listing for Heartbeat Radio (2009) is: (1) Good Luck (2) Heartbeat Radio (3) I Cannot Let You Go (4) Like Lazenby (5) If Only (6) Pioneer (7) Easy to Persuade (8) Words & Music (9) I Guess It's Gonna Rain Today (10) Almighty Moon (11) Don't Look Now (12) Goodnight
I've uploaded "Words & Music", which is most like the style Sondre has produced throughout his album career; with the rhythmic driving, the lo-fi piano and quality chord progressions. The rest of the album, I'd say is much more 80's pop and reminds me of Steely Dan a lot sometimes. But, go find out for yourself!

Bend Sinister: Stories of Brothers, Tales of Lovers

    Bend Sinister is a Vancouver based band, whose name was taken from a Alexander Nabokov novel of the same name. They formed in 2001 in the small town of Kelowna before moving to Vancouver, where they have since then even played at the recent Olympics held in British Columbia. They are on the Distort Entertainment label, better known for its hardcore and punk genre, based out of Toronto. Bend Sinister is actually part of their sister division, called Distort Light, because they are not hardcore and barely punk. Their style is more of progressive rock, but not in the 15 minute solos and just plain technical music sense; rather a mix of power pop ballade (minus the horrible 80s beat), some Jazz, Steely Dan, Queen, the energy of Muse and the playfulness of The Format or fun..
    Bend Sinister has released a few different albums: their full debut Through the Broken City (2005); a self-titled Bend Sinister EP (2007); the album I'm blogging about today Stories of Brothers, Tales of Lovers (2008); and they just released a 5-6 track EP this year called Spring Romance. Their self-titled EP perhaps contains their best song, "Time Breaks Down", which incidentally was why Distort Entertainment picked them up. Then, their latest release, Spring Romance, I have not heard much of and have heard good things of, but the one song they have on the Myspace in my opinion is not as unique and of high quality as their former work. So, I'm concerned that they have lowered their standards or something.
    The first half of Stories of Brothers, Tales of Lovers is comprised of "stories of brothers", while the latter the "tales of lovers". Here's a brief look at what you can expect along with the 14 track listing: (1) The News (2) Brothers of Humankind (3) The Same Things (4) Jimmy Brown* (5) CT (6) Careless (7) Because Because (8) Give Into the Night (9) Dr. Lee (10) Juliana (11) Once Again* (12) Give Into the Night (reprise) (13) Demise (14) City Lights
* uploaded to the MixPod player
    One thing Bend Sinister promises, is that they are not shy and go full out, stylistically, with unafraid vocals and ear popping electric guitar solos at the apex of a great tune. Many of these songs, in fact, slowly crescendo to their acme, before returning to the quieter more acoustic nature. They are driving rhythmically and very memorable melodically, much like Steely Dan's music. Furthermore, the rock organ is fantastic throughout, especially on "Once Again" which is so obviously reminiscent of Muse, and there is a lot of lo-fi piano too without being obnoxiously out of tune. I've uploaded two tracks to the MixPod player, because I love this band that much, and to give a tune from the "stories" and "tales".

Just in...Sufjan Stevens: All Delighted People (EP)

    Sufjan Stevens has quickly become one of my favorite musicians because his song writing is ingenious and so unique to anyone else. His original intent was to release an album based on every state in the USA, but he only got as far as Michigan, with Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State (2003), and Illinois, with Come on Feel the Illinoise! (2005). Sufjan is on the Asthmatic Kitty record label, founded by himself and Lowell Brams, his stepfather.
    There is no other artist that integrates classical, folk, electronica, baroque pop, and other styles so elegantly and effectively as Sufjan. His latest release and, strangely for me, barely anticipated at that--because I didn't even know of it until today when someone posted an article about it on Facebook--is the 60 min. All Delightful People (EP). It consists of eight tracks of sometimes sprawling The BQE-esque music, but all with lyrics and a greater range of instrumentational dimension. There is a lot of acoustic string guitar [or banjo], with electronic beats at times, full chorus vocals or at least reverb to enhance the depth of Sufjan's voice, and some jam band moments that are almost funk if not reminiscent of 70's rock.
    The track listing is: (1) All Delighted People (original) (2) Enchanting Ghost (3) Heirloom (4) From the Mouth of Gabriel (5) The Owl and the Tanager (6) All Delighted People (classical rock version) (7) Arnika (8) Djohariah
    Despite the album's title, All Delighted People, there are slow and dreary songs, which are some of Sufjan's best and most beautiful inventions in my opinion, like "The Seer's Tower" from Come on Feel the Illinoise!. "The Owl and the Tanager", for example, is very minimal with lo-fi piano and reverb vocals, which he has either recorded over himself or has a woman's voice covering harmony above his melodic lines. I just love the mix of styles, like on the classic rock version of "All Delighted People" which goes back and forth between banjo simplicity and full on big bandish trombone rockin' 70's rock. "Djohariah" is apparently the jam for single mothers, plus Sufjan has a sister name Djohariah. I'll let you enjoy the rest yourself! I've uploaded "From the Mouth of Gabriel" because it incorporates all the different styles you might hear on the album fairly well, minus the 70's funk jam band; you'll just have to check out the whole album yourself.

Top #: House/Electronica

Top #: Just a new thing I am starting. I will as follows post my favorite artists/albums/songs in a particular genre, updating them from time to time to show changes as I find new artists and songs that I like better. I start with House/Electronica because this is a genre I have been listening to and exploring a lot lately.

Top 5 Albums:
1) Massive Attack - Heligoland
2) The Chemical Brothers - Further
3) Daft Punk - Human After All
4) Daft Punk - Discovery
5) The Crystal Method - Divided By Night

Top 15 House/Electronica Songs:
1) Daft Punk - Discovery - "Aerodynamic"
2) Massive Attack - Heligoland - "Psyche"
3) The Chemical Brothers - Further - "Another World"
4) The Crystal Method - Divided By Night - "Come Back Clean"
5) Rob D - Furious Angels - "Clubbed to Death"
6) Massive Attack - Heligoland - "Flat of the Blade"
7) Kleerup - Kleerup - "Until We Bleed"
8) The Crystal Method - Divided By Night - "Double Down Under"
9) Digitalism - Idealism - "The Pulse"
10) Pendulum - In Silico - "Visions"
11) Digitalism - Idealism - "Pogo"
13) Daft Punk - Discovery - "Digital Love"
14) The Chemical Brothers - Further - "Swoon"
15) The Chemical Brothers - Further - "Dissolve"

update 12/13/2010

Top 9 Albums:

1) Justice - Cross

2) Röyksopp - Junior

3) The Chemical Brothers - Further

4) Daft Punk - Human After All

5) Massive Attack - Heligoland

6) Daft Punk - Discovery

7) The Crystal Method - Divided By Night

8) Télépopmusik - Angel Milk

9) Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner

Just in...The Chemical Brothers: Futher

    One of the most renowned house music collaborations, The Chemical Brothers, hail from Manchester, UK. No surprise, most of the popular house music originated in the UK, acts like: Fat Boy Slim, The Prodigy, Propellerheads, UNKLE, Massive Attack. Similarly, the many of those house music groups were also genre defining. The Chemical Brothers, made up of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, are no exception, and were at the forefront of the Big Beat in the 1990s. Big Beat hardly contains their entire musical style, however, which reaches into Trip Hop and Progressive House (which I figure covers all the rest because I fail to grasp all the subtle, to me, intricacies of different Electronica varieties).
    The album, Further, was released in June 14 of 2010, so this is a little behind for a Just in... post, but I only just a few days ago realized its existence looking through the 90.5 WBER ("The only station that matters") playlists, even though I've been hearing one of the tracks "Swoon" being played on that station. Each track seems to flow very nicely into the next, without definite conclusion. There are also two iTunes exclusive tracks, the last two. Interestingly enough, though the last 5 releases have charted #1 in the UK, this album is not allowed to be put on the UK charts, because every form of release offers a chance to win a free iPad; apparently the UK charts does not allow prizes to be offered as incentive for purchasing albums. You'd think that with The Chemical Brother's prior history, it would not matter, so we can safely say this album would also have reached #1.
    Further is very instrumental, in the non-vocal sense, not in its political social or whatever else impact on the world; that has yet to be seen. Yet, if there exists any life changing messages intertwined through fabric of this music it will be hard to find. In fact, this is the first album The Chemical Brothers do not feature any vocal collaborations, leaving the job for Tom Rowlands where singing does pop up infrequently. Stephanie Dosen does also sing add her ethereal pipes to the first track I believe and "Another World", a singer known for her collaboration with Massive Attack on Heligoland (2010) and perhaps previous songs of The Chemical Brothers, I'm not sure but don't believe so.
    The complete, with bonus tracks, listing is: (1) Snow (2) Escape Velocity (3) Another World (4) Dissolve (5) Horse Power (6) Swoon (7) K+D+B (8) Wonders of the Deep (9) Don't Think (10) Pourquoi
    The first 8 tracks are apparently accompanied by a corresponding film by Adam Smith and Marcus Lyal. And some portions of the music videos for this album include underwater portions, done by English actress and model Romola Garai (notable for her roles in several BBC versions classic literature), who also starred in each of the films. I have uploaded the track "Another World" for your enjoyment and education into the MixPod player.