Buzz – The Listening

A brand new single is available from the indie rock quartet called The Listening (band site). Animals Part 1 (Criminals and Submarine Dwellings) was released 10-10-10, and consists of a single and a corresponding shortfilm six-and-a-half-minutes long.

An under-promoted act, The Listening acts like a combo of Pink Floyd and Radiohead, theologically and philosophically digging deep into some sick drum loops and strange moog-y sounds. They glisten with introspective lyrics and sparkle with shiny guitar licks.

If you’re a Listening fan, you already know all that. Let me say that the new single continues the dreamy psychedelic sound featured on the recent Transmission 1 EP. This song on its own pretty much their most depressing work yet. However, it is just a Part 1. Animals may yet turn out another adventure into the hopeful fare this band is known for. See for yourself:

Buzz: The Black Keys’ Brothers

The two-part blues rock combination known as The Black Keys released album number 6 this May, a gritty, filthy, White-Stripes-esque stumbling of a rock n’ roll record called “Brothers.” This is new-world Southern rock – if Johnny Cash was steady like a train, then The Black Keys are persistently jolty like a greyhound bus.

Watch out for singles like “Next Girl” and “Tighten Up,” as the boys from Akron, OH smash the “Southern” right out of Southern Rock. As front-man Dan Auerbach tells AP Magazine, “We make music for hipster strippers.”

Also, check out their Youtube page here.

All Delighted People (Sufjan Stevens)

Indie phenom Sufjan Stevens comes up empty with his newest philanthropically marketed EP “All Delighted People.” The record was elf-released on his very own Asthmatic Kitty Records today (Aug. 20th, 2010), and is available for a $5 download.

The title track is an 11 minute and thirty eight second epic that deals an orchestrally shaking and vocally shrill blow to the ears. Sufjan is very bold to go with a sound like that, and it works. But the tracks following it will likely hold little appeal for the general public.
Still, i got to hand it to him: apocalyptically driven  semi-classically-instrumented folk-rock is definitely one of the most out-of-style genres. In general, whatever is most strange and unpopular is more accepted by Sufjan’s fans. This may prove to be no exception, but that still doesn’t make this album any more bearable.

Don’t believe that the relatively un-proclaimed king of indiefolk has dropped one? Have a listen. The entire record is streaming here.

Pomplamoose (Quite tight, Not a might trite)

… Grapefruit?
The phenom Youtube duo dubbed “Pomplamoose” was still at large at press time tonight (3 AM Pacific). Trendy, classy, cute and creative, this band has everything going for it image-wise.
Contrary to my first impressions,  the term “pomplamoose” does not refer to a large and pompous caribou-like creature, but instead denotes a loose translation of the french word pamplemousse, which means grapefruit.

WYSIWYH
The band has released music mainly through a series of youtube fims, where classic cover songs and the occasional original are showcased. These videos are meticulously edited such that What You See Is What You Hear. Lip-sync-less and perfectly edited, both covers and originals shine spotlessly with golden tones from the duo’s relative Midas touch. They even make Lady Gaga sound good!

Moosen?
Those classy cats who make up the pomplamoose collaboration are actually two very prolific solo artists. Nataly Dawn and Jack Conte. Both have side projects featured on separate youtube channels, and Nataly is half of the indiepop duo known as “My Terrible Friend.” But enough talk… give Pomplamoose a listen!

Wish You Were Here/British

Have you heard The xx? This indie brit-rock phenom debuted with a self-titled album last year. As of yet, however, they seem not to have caught on in the States much. I was lucky enough to be introduced to them last weekend, and I just can’t get enough of their music. Here’s why:

The first thing you notice about The xx is their mellowed-out electronic groove. Even though the rhythms are played on a 6×4 electronic drumpad, “xx” (the album) doesn’t come across as club music at all. Think Mazzy Star with a touch of Radiohead; it’s slick like The Gorillaz and mellow like The Dandy Warhols.

The merits of this post-shoegaze gem are implorable – a stripped-down sound features two lead vocalists – a guy and a girl. Each singer takes turns, and they often arrange the vocals to loop and overlap in an outright brilliant fashion. What results is two tracks of stunningly expressed vulnerability, stitched together at the chorus and given a bassline.

The bass and guitars make additional melody, and give liberally what much of modern rock is missing – space! Lightly strumming and turning the rhythm guitar down allows the listener to breathe a little while they listen. It’s this space that allows you to really enter the song, to really begin to identify with the singers.

Lyrically, the album is simplistic and seemingly heartfelt. There are times when the band could stand to add more variety to their lyrics, but other than that, they do alright. I really like the love story lyrics of their single “VCR.” Neither rocket-science nor elegant prose, it sounds very beautiful nonetheless, “I think we’re superstars./ You say you think we are the best thing,/ but you…/ you just know.”

Though self-released, “xx” has met some enthusiastic critical acclaim (Chicago Tribune, Pitchfork.com). Many people around the world have found it enlightening and aesthetically pleasing. You should definitely check it out. It might make a perfect addition to your music collection.

“Shoegaze” is a genre from days gone by characterized by multiple dissonantly raucous rhythm guitars and the use of vocals as an instrument. In the British rock scene in the 1980’s, people noticed that many of these bands barely moved while performing onstage. It appeared to onlookers as if the musicians were string at their own shoes shoes.

While The xx doesn’t fit into the “shoebox,” they do display some slight remnants of it, as seen in this video:

Also, I created a mix of shoegaze artists, and later artists that seem as if they are influenced by the shoegaze movement.

I Can See My Shoes From Here (2010)

1. VCR – The xx
2. Ocean Colored Days – The Arctic Flow
3. No New Kinda Story – Starflyer 59
4. You Were the Last High – The Dandy Warhols
5. Thursday – Asobi Seksu
6. Sometimes – My Bloody Valentine
7. Breather – Chapterhouse
8. Just Like Honey – The Jesus and Mary Chain
9. Kisspeach – Astrobrite
10. Skies You Climb – Highspire
11. Allison – Slowdive
12. Pie in the Sky – Dear Ephesus

On Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=148B116876E5EF00

Gabriel Wilson’s Lovely is Death

This was 2006’s best record. Period.
Gabriel Wilson is the frontman for the indie rock group “The Listening,” which originated out of Longview, Washington. Their music, which is basically what would happen if the Beatles and Radiohead were to jam in a wine cellar, is fantastic.

But this is something else entirely.

I’m not so sure I could accurately describe to you the brilliant undertones that make Gabriel Wilson’s “Lovely Is Death” so unforgettably sharp. Wilson painfully showcases his unique ability to beautifully express brokenness with a sense of abandon in each song. He talks about the pain and remembers the good times in equal measures.

This is the record that talks about his divorce.

“Lovely is Death” stands out as one of the most moving pieces of art that I have ever experienced. The lyrics visceral, the music simply aching and the vocals calm with a hint of sorrow, this must-hear likely won’t offend, but might inspire or describe the inner workings of the listener.

You can hear two songs on Wilson’s Myspace page ( myspace.com/lovelyisdeath ), or look at ordering it on his self-operated record label, l-town ( ltownmusic.com ).

MC Chris Is Dead (In a Zombie Kinda Way)

Crush Much?
Have you ever met a girl, and you thought she was dope, so you want to buy her popcorn and a medium coke? If yes, then “MC Chris Is Dead,” the latest all-original LP from underground rap artist MC Chris is most definitely for you. Chris starts off “Fallyn,” a song about having an intense crush-at-first-sight experience, with the unimposing question above.
If you share his desire to purchase movie-watching snacks and confess your undying affections to total strangers, like light-hearted music, and are willing to skip through the songs with grotesquely graphic sexual and anatomical descriptions, then this album will rock you to the very socks you’re wearing… or something like that.
It’s Comedy
“I’m a rap superstar with a mic in my hand,” offers Chris later on in that “Fallyn” song. No, you aren’t. But you’re funny and you have a unique voice. And one of your on-record skits isn’t bad (the one with you as a zombie trying to get a record deal). Also, the part of your album where you paraphrase Beck and call yourself a loser? Catchy. A lot of people will relate.
There are problems, too, like you graphically describing sex using the imagery of a car crash. That seems a gutsy comparison, and you get a little sketch with those descriptions. It comes off kind of amusing, but crass and not altogether worthwhile. There are definitely still some positives to be discussed though.
But Seriously
Not surprisingly, once you pass up “On*,” the aforementioned graphic track, there’s still more potentially offensive material around most every turn. Sick. Puke…Tracks like “Pizza Butt,” while catchy, may not even be worth the listen.
When the artist chooses to refuse to let this distract, he creative rhymes take over, and these are often unpretentiously amazing. “Nrrrd Grrrl” is a track that demonstartes this beautifully. “I love your lipsmackers and your lack of perfume. I hope to have you home by curfew,” Chris asserts, as he serenades an out-of fashion beauty he’s taking on a date. Classy.
Thank Goodness!
Also a plus, this record falls squarely in the zombies-not-vampires genre. MC Chris clearly distinguishes himself from indie giants Death Cab for Cutie and all other Twilight soundtrackies with his assertion that he, in fact, is a zombie. Not in a creepy way, though. He’ll just “wait for the day’s end when the moon is high, then… rise like the tide with the lust for life…”
“Can I convey the basement without wasting my words? Fossilization’s what I’m facin’ unless defacement occurs. So I rise to the occasion, there’s no waitin’ for worms. And please no zombie player haters, man, what have we learned?” Chris pleads in the title track.In a world where every day brings us closer to another Twilight sequel, there is hope in the form of the un-dead references in the underground.
Reeses Pieces?
Writing raps about peanut butter candy and light-hearted crushes might land MC Chris in the category of nerdcore rap, but its also one of things that I find most appealing about his music. “MC Chris is Dead” features no guest rappers, few drug references and very little obsession with being the baddest. Chris only occasionally comes off as conceited, but most of the time he seems to level with the audience.
“I’m a ninja, I’m a hoodie ninja!” he exclaims before elborating on the ninja missions that he’s planning , one of which involves leaving a bag of crap on his gym teacher’s porch. It’s super immature and occasionally perverted (Chris admits to watching a girl undress from a nearby tree) but not big and bad, in-your-face, or egotistical… for the most part.
To Download or Not to Download?
To conclude, I feel like mentioning that MC Chris is a great talent and he has some superbly creative (if often juvenile) ideas. Most of the songs that are palatable are worth buying and tossing onto your party mix (You do, in fact, have a party mix. Check your iTunes). However, as an album, “MC Chris is Dead” suffers from an immaturity that makes some of the tracks not worth the listen.

[three stars]

Indie Love (by way of Valeri Lopez)

Before you get into this article, I think that you, the reader, should know that I am one of Valeri Lopez’s biggest fans. I met her at a church one night, when she told me to check out her MySpace and modified a little jingle so I would remember how to spell her name. Upon looking her up, I discovered a musical flavor that I have since become quite fond of. I call it “indie love” music.

True, Valeri has strong vocals and sweet songwriting, but she also has some killer banjo skills to match. You can often find her playing and singing at the downtown Beanery in Corvallis, but she has also been known to play venues in Portland and her native Los Angeles as well. On top of all that, her music was recently featured in an indie film, entitled All Ages Night.

Valeri’s songs are love-centered and honest sounding. They go into things like the terrifying moments of truth when you make a commitment to someone (“Stay”) and the heartbreak of losing love for various reasons (“Song for Johnny Cash”). The most diverse track is “Skylight Blue,” a bluesy track that shows some real maturity developing in the music.

There are some elements of Johnny Cash that shine through in her music, including his clear and simplistic rendering of emotions and happenings. She also has a sound a bit like Colbie Cailat, with a voice that simply glows, even during the sad songs. If you feel inclined to hear her for yourself, you’ll find that she has some material on her MySpace, and some surprisingly high-quality recordings on Youtube.

I’m giving Valeri five stars, because although she is just developing as an artist, she already has that spark that makes you want to add her to your playlist, then put her on repeat. There’s just something about the songs crafted by Valeri Lopez that sets the mind at ease while she sings it up about hope and heartbreak.

wolfgang amadeus phoenix

Musically speaking, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, from Phoenix is the most surprising album of 2009. Basically, it’s just ridiculously strange! Phoenix, a French indie act from Versailles is certainly making a splash with smash tracks like “1901” and “Lizstomania,” because these songs have no equivalent on the modern charts. Near as I can tell, there’s no one else who is currently doing songs the way that Phoenix does them, and to me that’s exciting.

The album is aptly named after both eighteenth century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Liszt (referenced in track one), a composer and pianist of the nineteenth century. Lizst, who was wild and unconventional as a pianist had crowd-maddening performances. Thus the term Lisztomania was coined long before the advent of Beatlemania in the 1960’s. Apparently, women would go crazy at Lizst’s performances in a similar manner. Phoenix is drawing on both styles for this album – the brilliant and steady Mozart and the carefree and ridiculous Liszt. And they pull it off well.

What makes this quasi-concept album so special? Its two things: mixing and vocals. Lead singer Thomas Mars fits the words of each song into the music in such an obscure fashion that you will have a hard time trying to understand what he’s saying. In some ways, Mars’ voice functions as more of an additional instrument, jiving all crazy-like with the prominently eccentric drums and the funky synth. This, however, also presents one of the album’s few flaws – on some tracks it is confusing to have a vocalist going off like that while the music is taking different terms. It is occasionally hard to stomach the dissonance.

This Phoenix album is mixed by Phillipe Zdar, who produced all manners of strange combinations. The drums lead for much of the album, though mid-track they will trade their role of predominance with the synth/keyboards. The sound is an unheard of blend that makes you want to snap your fingers while you work, play or study. It’s most definitely worth the buy.

[four stars]

hatless atlas – a solid act, a calid muse

“how you gonna escape from your own two shoes”

the minimalist folk group “hatless atlas” has made a very small splash in the portland indie scene. no waves made yet, but the melodic riplings that eminate from the voices and fret boards of luke bogue and derek sweet have perked a few ears.

check out their myspace here.

there’s no album out, but the hatless fellows have some songs up online. among the tracks currently posted are “a stranger,” “a ruler” and “a widow.” stranger is the best tune by far, talking about leaving and expressing a hope for finding a home in the eventual. ruler also has some lyrical tact, as it references the complacent depravedness of man…

“the sinking of regret that by their life or in their death, the people in this town may never change.”

lastly, widow brings out a lyrical genius that lurks through the first two tracks. well-conceived melts into brilliant with this six-and-a-half-minute interview with the man on the moon.

you can also see luke bogue singing other original songs in extremely low quality videos here, here, and here.

very good, and not very well known. for creativity and a spectacular mellow sound, i’m giving hatless atlas four out of five stars.