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. The sheer pop-ness of the work is often cited as grating. Music bloggers come in different varieties, and many don’t appreciate being taken on a magical hypery tour any more than I do.

All of that said, Vampire Weekend is holding on as second most-blogged on the Hype Machine, second only to Hot Chip (established enough to have their own zealous followers, among other things). Before I heard this album, I would never have imagined finding African music that featured harpsichords in its production. Vampire Weekend is lyrically dense and often redundant, perhaps owing to the band’s Ivy League origins at Columbia University. They squeeze plenty of verbosity into their 34-minute allotment, which is unusually concise and a definite mark in favor of the band. Songs are short, sweet, and don’t mess around. If you’re looking for a quick, preppy fix for African new-wave you’ve found your scene. It’s definitely worth listening to, if only as ammunition to shout down your local hipster jerk. Songs of note: “M79″, “A-Punk”, and “Mansard Roof,” which was released as a single last fall.

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, Life and Fire),” Thao’s band sounds a lot like Tapes n’ Tapes. With a frenetic acoustic guitar rhythm, marching snare, and the lead singer’s playful half speed intonation, it manages to be quick, catchy and charming.

23-year-old Thao Nguyen sounds at once older and younger than she is. Her lyrics call upon youthful imagery like ice cream and bee stings to draw out pieces of lightly jaded wisdom – the kind of wisdom realized after some growing up.

We Brave Bee Stings and All could certainly be considered a “coming of age” album, but it always comes back to her voice and style. It is at once powerful and soft, lazily moving from verse to verse. In a way, any track from the album could easily fit into an iPod or AirMac advertisement, not because it consists solely of potent pop hooks, though there are many, but because Apple seems to obsess on garnishing their gear with tunes from extremely talented female-led indie acts – re: Feist, CSS.

To experience the personality of Thao, visit her MySpace page and check out a few of her videos. Consisting of her playing solo with an acoustic guitar, she plays a few of her songs from the album and one badass Aretha Franklin cover. Here you can see how natural and physical her confidence as a musician is. Check it out.

Thao with the Get Down, Stay Down comes to the Triple Rock on March 14th.
http://www.myspace.com/thaomusic

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 and hip-hop, but the two elements compliment each other and create a completely distinct flavor. While Treetops and Telephone Wires only features two hip-hop artists, some of the instrumental beats carry over into other songs, such as “Too Much” and “Pass You By.” If there is such a thing as acoustic hip-hop, “The Hum” does a fine job of demonstrating the combination.

The majority of Dalia’s singing is flowing and ethereal. Some of it is soothing and some is upbeat. The album as a whole is chill, making it easy to sit back and listen to. Dalia’s guitar work is beautifully done. It is pleasing and complex, sometimes singular and sometimes accompanied by additional guitars or percussion. Just as “Heart Strings” introduces the album with the ambient sounds of acoustic guitars, “Music Box,” true to its namesake, gains strength and then fades into silence, gradually signaling the end of the album. Overall, the album is a combination of instrumental acoustic tracks, feature tracks with a hip-hop twist, and solo performances. Dalia is an artist that is definitely all about the music: kick back, relax, and enjoy the sounds.

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 and high falsetto reminiscent of Pink Floyd. Are you sedated yet?

It isn’t until Amber Webber unleashes her entrancing voice on “Queens Will Play” that the listener becomes comfortably numb. It is the quintessential modern psychedelic rock tune, encompassing a dreamy, distant voice and its fusion with solid riffs and steady beats. The atmosphere created by the vocals provides a distraction from the lack of substance in the lyrics. Webber’s hypnotizing talent is a precise match to Jefferson Airplane’s Grace Slick, which is proven again on the final song “Night Walks,” leaving the puzzled wondering where the last hour went.

Although the Vancouver rockers are still signed to the independent label Jagjaguwar, vast mainstream media attention, including snatching a place on the Spiderman 3 soundtrack, could propel Black Mountain and neo-psych rock to wider demographic. Future is the platform to achieve this goal and revive acid rock; maybe there isn’t irony behind the title after all.

8/10

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 the raw power of live rock and roll, the album inspires listeners to kick out the jams, motherfucker.

While the album borrows from guitar blues, rock ‘n’roll, and R&B, it reinvents any established conventions of these genres. Like an early Rolling Stones garage anthem, Kick Out the Jams presents a glimpse of familiarity before it is cloaked and overpowered by a mixture of sweat and psychosis. Using crunching guitars and wailing vocals, the album essentially creates the kind of chaos, which, nearly a decade later, became popularly called punk.

When it was originally released, Kick Out the Jams received less than stellar reviews. Lester Bangs of Rolling Stone Magazine criticized the band for both their outrageous teenage behavior and their borrowed rock ‘n’ roll machismo. Lester – rest in peace man, but you missed the point… you can mock the album’s style and creativity, but it contains some truly special rock ‘n’ roll. While other bands transformed the genre into harder and faster styles, few have come close to the explosive chemistry of the MC5

Lastly: Album reviews cannot give you a full understanding of what Kick Out the Jams is, listening will.

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, the album is a retooling of the duo’s power-pop, filtered through bursts of elastic bass (thanks to AFI’s Hunter Burgan and post-Weezer Matt Sharp), alongside some quirky keyboard parts. The off-tempo relationship between the sister’s vocals and the rest of the band create a sound that is familiar, yet separate from the more straightforward indie pop of Death Cab. The way in which the album builds to finality, on tracks like Dark Come Soon and Call It Off, bears the greatest earmarks of Walla’s production. Overall the album is a marked improvement from their previous recordings. With every album Tegan and Sara has reworked and expanded their musical territory. Rilo Kiley should have left More Adventurous for these girls, The Con really is an outstanding pop record.
8.5/10

Coming from a middle-class suburb, walking around campus and seeing thick-rimmed glasses, scarves, vintage sweaters and leggings typically emblematic of pretentious indie rock kids makes me nostalgic for the Insane Clown Posse and Slipknot T-shirts clouding my high school memories.

Throwing on Victory Records’ The Autumn Offering’s new CD is like taking a step back to simpler times – like 9th grade. Fear Will Cast No Shadow, the Florida metalcore band’s third studio album, wait for it…doesn’t suck.

When working in one of the most culturally denigrated genres of music (behind pop country and ska), to create an album with some artistic merit is a pretty big accomplishment. In fact, being a metalcore band works to The Autumn Offering’s advantage. Instead of having to focus on lyrics (just throw in some blood and dying imagery), the quintet is left to focus on the music, which they do pretty well.

Their stand-in drummer Jon Lee (who has since been replaced by Nick Gelyon) is precise and impressive throughout the album. The guitar work is the definite high point, incorporating thrash licks, heavy breakdowns and Dragonforce-esque harmonic solos.

Fear Will Cast No Shadow’s downfall is vocals, provided by Matt McChesney. McChesney actually isn’t so bad, just really inconsistent with the way he sings. He switches rapidly from growling, to screaming, to whining, to butt-rock droning – all of which he does well. If he just settled on one style, the album would be much more cohesive.

If you’re a remote fan of metal, The Autumn Offering is a band that shouldn’t be quickly overlooked. They have a lot of things going for them, and if given a chance, they may just surprise you.

Overall: 6.5/10

To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie – The Patron

I recently created a sandwich. I call it the Spumonty Cristo because it is derived from a sandwich recipe called the Monte Cristo, served at Grandma’s restaurant on Washington. Music by The Patron has the same air of nonsensical compatibility as my sandwich. The Spumonty Cristo calls for two pieces of lightly toasted bread, sliced deli ham, two pieces of marble jack cheese, and a healthy portion of raspberry preserves spread on one side (better served warm). Despite how incompatible these ingredients might sound, I eat at least one Spumonty Cristo on a daily basis.

The Patron is the first full-length record from To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie. The album relies on the contradictory sounds of austere feedback beats and the faint, ethereal voice of singer, Jehna Wilhelm. The melodies within the instrumentation are sparse, never more than a three-note arpeggio from any of the synthesizers. The great part about this record is that never music never wanders further towards either extreme. The same parts of this record that are horrifying repellents are also the parts that draw the listener into Wilhelm’s melodies. For this reason The Patron is completely listenable all the way through despite its rough edges.

As the Spumonty Cristo is both sweet and salty, The Patron is simultaneously beautiful and terrifying. The only problem is that the formula never changes throughout all ten tracks; it’s like eating ten Spumonty Cristos in 56:06, which is something I don’t recommend.

Band of Horses – Cease to Begin

Band of Horses exploded onto innumerable rock radars last March with the release of their first album, Everything All The Time. It was an album too beautiful for words. Cease to Begin, released on October 9th, builds on the success of their drifting southern sound, and takes it in a couple of new directions.

As good as their first album was, one song stood out amongst the rest. Entitled, “The Funeral,” it put them on the map and, with its eerie “ooohs,” soaring guitars, and crashing drums and vocals, left many fans goose bump stricken. Though there’s no clear cut single on Cease to Begin, the new album in its entirety captures all the raw emotion of the first album, and takes it to new heights. Several slower, ballad types are reminiscent of older tracks (the hilariously titled “detlef schrempf” being a prime example). Each track is fairly pleasant; frontman Ben Bridwell’s soft croon lends a vulnerability. However, the full Band of Horses effect isn’t reached until the guitars get noisy and Bridwell’s gentle disposition changes to a fiery southern conviction. On tracks like opener, “Is There A Ghost,” and the piano driven, clap/stomp groove, “The General Specific,” Band of Horses make an extremely persuasive case for themselves. Surely a worth your time, this is a band that could grow to be a new favorite.

I give Cease to Begin an 8 out of 10 on Carl’s, I enjoy warm, country rock ballads as much as the next guy, scale of review.

What’s great about the local music scene is that there is a diversity of styles and bands prepared to satisfy whatever tastes you might have.

Pictures of Then is a five-dude alternative-indie rock band from right here in Minneapolis. And their debut album, Crushed By Lights, has the potential to put the group on the map on a national level, mostly because of its middle-of-the-road sound.

The 14 tracks don’t pave any new ground, which isn’t necessarily a bad or a good thing. Pictures of Then has the kind of familiar sound forged by bands like Smashing Pumpkins and Built to Spill in the early 90s.

Musically, Crushed By Lights is fine. It has a balance of older alt-rock with a more modern indie feel. Instrumentally and vocally the band works well.

The disappointing part of the album is, working in a genre typically lauded for its lyrical prowess, it doesn’t deliver lyrically. A lot of songs read like screamo sung by an indie rock singer.

There are definite high and low points on the album. The song “Instant Rocket To Glory” is one of the few catchy, up-beat songs on Crushed. It has an OK Go sort of feel to it, which is absent on the rest of the album. “Followed” is broken into a two-part soft waltz that plays like a bad Radiohead song with repetitive lyrics and melody.

On the whole, it would be no surprise if Pictures of Then became popular. They have the right formula for success, and they play in a genre that’s in right now. As a debut album, Crushed By Lights shows a lot of promise. Hopefully the band will mature and expand beyond the realm of familiarity.

Overall: 5.5/10