This Week's Track Reviews
Parenthetical Girls - "Evelyn McHale"; I've always been a fan of songs based on historical figures or events. This tune is about a woman who leaped to her death from the Empire State Building and absolutely flattened a car below her (pic). She looks so serene in the photo and that plays well with this song's swirling guitars and overly pop feel. Despite the dark subject matter Parenthetical Girls manage to make this song sound hopeful and buoyant which is no small task when writing about someone's suicide.Grade: B+The Tallest Man On Earth - "King of Spain"; The rustic feeling that accompanies seemingly every Tallest man On Earth song is something that I normally have a lot of problems with, but I am really getting into this track anyway. The song is built on the rough voice of Kristian Matsson and his inspired folk-revival strumming. Obviously this type of music brings to mind about a million apt comparisons, but Matsson's lovely take on the sound truly sets him apart from the lot.Grade: B+Caribou - "Odessa"; There is no telling where Caribou's new album Swim is going to go, but based on this first taste of the record it's safe to say that Dan Snaith has not made the same record he did last time with Andorra. Instead Snaith has transformed his song into a beautifully orchestrated electro-pop bomb, that smacks of folks like Hot Chip and Erland Øye and yet retains a lot of the styles Snaith has used for Caribou and Manitoba. Hearing "Odessa" for the first time was a bit shocking, but before much time has passed you settle in and realize that this is one of the best electro-pop songs we've heard in quite some time.Grade: A-These New Puritans - "Orion"; For their 2nd full length album, These New Puritans have expanded their sound into the sort of epic scale that immediately brings cinematic images to mind. From the slamming of the taiko drums and the oohing and aahing of the New London Children's Choir you immediately are presented with something grandiose. The song never gives up that grand scale either slowly pounding along before a brief piano interlude slowly gives way to the same pounding sound. This is epic and huge and if These New Puritans can keep it up throughout their new record they will have created something that is almost impossible to ignore.Grade: BJoanna Newsom - "'81"; It has always been hard for me to craft immediate opinions on Joanna Newsom's work. For whatever reason it also takes a little while for me to truly fall for her gentle harp playing and truly unique voice. So relaying my thoughts on "'81" so soon after I first heard it is really difficult. Like her past work it is immediately pretty, with images of garden parties and the harp adding a dream like haze to the visualization of her song. On first listen I thought it was a bit boring, but as I have listened to it more it has slowly melted my heart and now I'm really starting to fall in love with this song and really can't wait to listen to all three discs that will make up her new record.Grade: APhoenix - "Fences (Delphic Remix)"; When the song you're remixing is as strong as "Fences" it's really difficult to fuck it up. Delphic do a great job of doing just enough to make this a little more dance worthy while keeping a lot of what we loved about the track in the first place intact. At more than 7-minutes long it may wear on a little bit longer than we would have liked, but when you're letting loose on the dance floor I doubt you'll notice how long it truly is.Grade: B-Phoenix - "Sady Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" (Bob Dylan Cover); This acoustic cover of Bob Dylan is unbelievable! It is completely different from the general pop sounds Phoenix have come to be known for, and though it shortens the 11-minute rambling tune to just under 5-minutes, it still is longer and slower than most anything we've heard from Phoenix thus far. It's really an amazing version of the song.Grade: B+Sunset - "Late Night Dawning"; Another gem unearthed by the good people over at Gorilla vs. Bear! If it weren't for those guys we wouldn't have heard of so many fantastic bands and Sunset is just the latest in a long line. This song is pitch perfect, beautiful pop music. The song is uplifting and lovely, led by the Crystal Fulbright's amazing voice and the perfect orchestrations to accompany it. Everything works as one here making for a song that will weigh on your mind long after it has come to an end.Grade: A-Little Girls (w/Andrew Wilson) - "10 Mile Stereo" (Beach House Cover); When we heard Little Girls had covered Beach House we thought they had taken one of Beach House's songs and gone and made it their own. Instead Little Girls surprised us by staying remarkably true to the original version. The replacement of Victoria Legrand's sparkling voice for Josh McIntyre's heavier vocals is just about the only noticeable change here. It's a great version no doubt, but maybe could have benefited by inserting a bit more of their own sound into the song.Grade: BLemonade - "Lifted"; The immediate joy of meeting something new and falling for them is such a wonderful universal feeling that musicians have been trying to capture it properly for ages. On "Lifted" Lemonade use their electro-pop sounds to create the perfect, dance-able translation of this feeling into song. This is that first minute where your eyes meet and you are absolutely unable to look away. This is the moments before that first awkward encounter where you struggle for the perfect words to say. This is all the lead up, built up with all the possibilities that are right there, to something that could be amazing.Grade: AHappy Ending - "It Barely Makes A Sound"; In the press release for this band we get comparisons to Stephen Merritt, Leonard Cohen, Coldplay, and Snow Patrol. Whoever wrote that crap should probably lose their job. This sounds more like it was a castoff from the soundtrack to the Broadway musical Rent. The lyrics in this song don't come near Cohen or Merritt territory, they sound like they were written using magnetic poetry! This makes me angry on behalf of Coldplay and Snow Patrol and I can't stand their music! Give me a break!Grade: D-Wakey! Wakey! - "Twenty-Two"; Not to brag or anything like that but we have been sitting on this track for a couple of weeks now, enjoying the shit out of the new Wakey! Wakey! album and totally unable to share any of it with all of you! We felt awful holding back but the music so impossibly catchy that there is no point in even trying to resist. This piano pop pulls you in right from the opening bars and does not let you go. Thankfully we get to share the first track off the Wakey! Wakey!'s first full length studio album now and we no longer have to feel guilty for not letting you guys in on the fun. And this isn't even my favorite song from the album!Grade: A-Love Is All - "Repetition"; As soon as you listen to the latest tune from Love Is All you will be transported back to their 2005 debut Nine Times That Same Song. The song has the same sort of immediately catchy sound that marked their entire debut. Not saying their last record wasn't catchy, but let's face it it wasn't nearly as good as their debut. Here's hoping the trend continues and we are set up with lovely Swedish twee tunes all year long!Grade: A-Track of the Week:Dinosaur Feathers - "Teenage Whore"; Be honest, you're getting tired of hearing about Dinosaur Feathers at this point. We've been talking about them seemingly non-stop for months now and their debut album is still more than a month away! It's torture but slowly songs have started to drip out. First was the premiere of "Vendela Vida" and now an even catchier, sunnier tune has hit The Hype Machine! "Teenage Whore" may be a dastardly title but the song sounds to elated and bright that it's really hard to marry the sound and the lyrics in this song. But who cares when the sounds are this good??? We sure don't!Grade: A+<script type="text/javascript"> sr_adspace_id = 4549407; sr_adspace_width = 728; sr_adspace_height = 90; sr_adspace_type = "graphic"; sr_ad_new_window = true; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ad.afy11.net/srad.js?azId=4549407"> </script>
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