The Wake

The opening mallet-matted drum roll of Scott Walker’s solo debut is an extremely telling introduction. It instantly becomes clear that this pop album is to be both a heroic and tragic epic. Similarly, glancing upon the portrait of Walker that covers his 1967 Scott is an equally epiphanic experience. Upon a glance or a listen, Scott Walker is clarified to be a deceptively upbeat dark horse of sixties pop. “Man behind the music” clichés however, do not apply to walker. Whereas fellow morbid rockers like David Bowie and Lou Reed create characters that parallel their music, the orchestrations on Scott are glistening, albeit mediated, representations of his true being. Walker and his music are thus two sides of the same tragic hero.

Like all good teen idol crazes, Walker curls his blonde hair. His mod-revival …

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Vampire Hands - Me and You Cherry Red

Lock up your children because Vampire Hands are coming to get you! While visions of gaunt, bony creatures shrouded in cloaks and pining for blood are probably filling your head, there is no need to panic. Seriously, stop the mad dash for the garlic and listen. Really listen, because Vampire Hands is one of the most promising bands on the Minneapolis music scene right now and are sweeping the nation with their infectious new release Me and You Cherry Red.

With a name like Vampire Hands, slow and heavy tunes reminiscent of death and despair flood the imagination, but the first track off of Cherry …

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Big Star - #1 Record

The debut LP of the Memphis Tennessee power-poppers Big Star could be one of the greatest records you’ve never heard. In fact, this beautiful album review could easily be filled with paragraph after paragraph of the numerous artists and rock and roll outfits that have been shaped and influenced by the record’s prose. Teenage Fanclub, Elliott Smith and the Replacements are just a few of the more recognizable followers of Big Star’s genius. Released in 1972, Big Star’s #1 Record has become a crafty cornerstone to the world of forgotten pop gems.

#1 Record boasts the combined song writing efforts of Alex Chilton and Chris Bell. Although these two songwriters straddle noticeably different …

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Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

Having a song as popular as Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” can be both a boon and a bane for a band. While lots of people might still be talking about “Crazy,” Danger Mouse and Cee-lo have moved on. Their new album The Odd Couple, with tracks like “Going On,” reflect their evolution. Like the song, which is definitely one of my favorites, almost every aspect of the album seems to point towards DJ Danger Mouse and Cee-lo moving on to the next thing. Both are contemplative and catchy and are sure to get your booty shaking.

For those of you who are not familiar with Gnarls Barkley’s first album St. Elsewhere, for …

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The Kinks - Something Else By the Kinks

Raymond Douglas Davies is a clever man. As the chief and nearly unchaperoned hit maker for the prolific UK outfit the Kinks, Davies has dabbled in some of the most catchy, interesting and clever rock and roll in the genre’s six decades. Continuing the trend of gentle guitar tones and lyrical satire found on previous Kinks work, Sir Raymond compiled the bulk of the Kinks’ 1967 masterpiece Something Else by the Kinks.

Opening with one of the album’s gems, the up-tempo rocker titled “David Watts,” Davies immediately reveals his sneaky brilliance. Obscured by a boogie-woogie piano and a creeping snare tempo lurks the satirized …

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Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

You have heard it a thousand times: jaded rock stars whining about drugs, alcohol, sex and the woes of life on the road. It is hard for the average person to connect to such an aesthetic; however, a refreshing change in subject matter can be found in For Emma, Forever Ago. The debut by Bon Iver is an album inspired by real life, hard work, and a harsh Wisconsin winter.

Bon Iver, misspelled French meaning “good winter,” is the pseudonym of Justin Vernon, former member of the disbanded rock-folk group DeYarmond Edison. After the break-up of the band, Vernon returned to his home in Wisconsin where he secluded …

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T-Rex - The Slider

Many bands manage to generate a single rock and roll gem before ricocheting into the depths of music history hell. Like the Kinks, The Velvet Underground and The Hollywood Argyles, T. Rex defied this explode-and-deflate pathway. In September 1971, T. Rex released an album often heralded as a pinnacle of rock achievement and sexiness titled Electric Warrior. Less than a year later in 1972, bandleader Marc Bolan and company recorded and released an equally stunning but far less appreciated nugget: The Slider.

T. Rex were at the vanguard of the formation and growing popularity of glam rock. With the release of Electric Warrior, the genre became Bolan’s signature muddy guitar tracks and echoing breathy vocals. Where …

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Do you ever find yourself longing for the old days, a time when music was dipped in a vat of sweat-soaked plaid button-ups, distorted anguish, and raw power? Perhaps your nostalgia runs deeper – back to a time when psychedelic guitar solos reigned supreme. If this be the case, you may find comfort in the reminiscent stylings of Retribution Gospel Choir’s self-titled debut.

Retribution Gospel Choir, a three man band out of Duluth, Minnesota, features front man Alan Sparhawk, drummer Eric Pollard and bassist Matthew Livingstone. Sparhawk and Livingstone are originally members of Low, a band dubbed one of the pioneers of slowcore. Low, founded in the mid 90’s, was making minimalist music during an era fascinated with grunge. In the new millennium, the boys are upping the noise level with Retribution Gospel Choir, and seem …

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Nick Lowe - Pure Pop for Now People

Do you love Elvis Costello like we do? Hidden in the shadow of Costello’s success is a musician that tastes, smells and even sounds like him. Nick Lowe is that musician, and his album Pure Pop For Now People is a benchmark in modern pop.

After honing his talents in a slew of different English pub bands, Lowe released Pure Pop For Now People in 1978 as his first solo album. Combining the eclectic sounds he helped produce on earlier Costello albums, Lowe creates a crunchy machine of poppy singles that have become landmarks of jangling guitars, dissonant vocals and loose drums.

While albums usually sound …

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Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

In my pursuit of the new Xiu Xiu album, I stumbled upon another gem released in the same week.
Vampire Weekend’s official full-length debut has taken the spotlight in a big way over the past two weeks. Their eponymous album represents a textbook example of Internet hype controlling a band’s fortunes.

Vampire Weekend mixes a poppy, new-wave sound with West African influences, and features heavy
keyboards and rhythmic instrumentation. Pitchfork Media, the (outgoing?) Official Soviet Opinion of the
“indie” community, has praised the work highly with an 8.8 rating. However, hype for hype’s sake is a
double-edged sword, and the band has fallen from the graces of more than a few blogs after its initial two weeks. …

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Thao with the Get Down, Stay Down
We Brave Bee Stings and All

While separation of vocalist and band usually indicates a level of pomposity, Thao with the Get Down, Stay Down is one of the few legitimate exceptions. Thao’s name is detached from the slick and surgical backing band Get Down, Stay Down because she is the commanding sound of the group. Her voice and guitar define the bouncing indie-pop elements of this Virginia-based group, melodies that shine on We Brave Bee Stings and All, their first release with Kill Rock Stars.

Immediately, in the first track “Beat (Health, …

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Dalia - Treetops and Telephone Wires

From the first track on Treetops and Telephone Wires, Dalia’s acoustic sounds draw listeners in for a soft and powerful musical treat. Dalia is the indie solo project of Minneapolis artist Jeni Kozicky, who released Treetops and Telephone Wires in December. Each track features something unique. Although the majority of the songs are solo tracks, Dalia does not limit herself to being another solo-acoustic artist.

“Alley Distribution” features Sean Anon, adding a catchy rhythm and hip-hop flair to the otherwise acoustic song. Later in the album, “The Hum” features New MC, combining New MC’s hip-hop sounds and Dalia’s smooth singing and acoustic guitar. One might question the combination of acoustic …

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Black Mountain - In The Future

Do you ever dream of traveling back in time and experiencing a different era? Pressing play on Black Mountain’s ironically titled sophomore album, In The Future, is comparable to strapping into the front seat of the DeLorean and being whisked away into the mind-blowing 1960’s.

The opening track “Stormy High” features powerful guitar riffs imitating those of legendary Black Sabbath. Hard rock fans will be pleased to be offered an alternative from the trend of upbeat mainstream melodies and delivered to the classic sound of raw guitar and forceful drumming. The hard sound is replaced through the middle of the album as the percussion becomes lighter, matching the softer guitar …

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MC5 - Kick Out The Jams

With blood, adrenaline and testosterone spewing from its every orifice, MC5’s Kick Out the Jams is quite possibly the most appropriately titled album in the history of appropriate album titles. The band’s call to “Kick out the jams, Mother Fuckers,” jumps past the cliché “take no prisoners” to floor you with 40 minutes of unremitting rock.

Kick Out The Jams was recorded at Detroit’s Grande Ballroom in late 1968. The album was recorded before a live audience, so MC5’s sound could feed off the crowd’s energy and break the confines of studio. The result is a work comprised of the energies of both the crowd and the band. Combined with …

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Tegan and Sara - The Con

To tell you the truth I’m not sure which one is Tegan, or for that matter who Sara is. Yes, I have seen some captioned picture of them being all cute and stuff, but I still can’t identify their voices as unique entities. However, when the twins join together in their pseudo-harmonies, I become mystified as to why it sounds so good. On their fourth full-length album, The Con, the sisters’ Quin early output of Lilith Fair rock and 80s wannabe riffs is a distant memory. Their sound has been expanded and refined with some outstanding production and the best writing of their career.

Produced by Death Cab for Cutie’s Christopher Walla, …

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