Wednesday, November 25, 2009

"Family"- Le Loup


8.6


Behold: "Family". The first full band LP from DC band Le Loup (and for you monolinguals, le loup is French for the wolf). Just take a second to grasp the album cover.........wow right? The album cover goes along with MPP for causing headaches at first glance. But like most good albums, the album's cover says almost everything about it, without giving away the sheer mystery of dark, ghostly tracks like "Beach House" and "Go West" that meander (in a good way) in the dark for a couple minutes, and evolve into choral, Fleet Foxes-esque celestial harmonies.

"Family" is everything Grizzly Bear's "Veckatimest" could have been, if they wouldn't have been so drawn out and dark all the time (see "Chearleader"). Rather, "Family" explores the darkness of "Veckatimest", the experimental mentality of "MPP" with the pop tendencies and instrumental prowess of Fleet Foxes. Take one listen to "Family", and you'll understand. These comparisons, however, don't suggest that Le Loup are copying anyone, or aren't unique; rather, they take the best of so many worlds of 2009, and take them even further. These comparisons won't make you think Le Loup are any less creative in their own right, but they help understand their merit, and possibly their influences.

"Saddle Mountain" is one of the most grandiose openers in awhile. Lead singer, Christian Ervin has a sort of George Harrison-esque Indian tendency for tones. It's really refreshing. "Beach House" is as much of a James Bond outtake as it is a Fleet Foxes one. The bass line is grooving and the atmosphere is mysterious, but later in the song all the arrangements come in and make the song shimmer. "Grow" is a jivin' tune; 'nuff said. "Morning Song" is the first wow. This track is honestly incredible. The use of the banjo and the acoustic guitars make everything sound so primitive and Appalachian, but the vocals are warm and welcoming, with lyrics to match it. "Pulled through the window while the world woke up/you found us folded together in the ghost-lit dawn"; if that isn't a poetic intepretation of morning, then screw you, because that is a poetic intepretation of morning! The harmonies on this song are pristine in the ghost-lit dawn. As with the album's title, family and home are recurring themes which help develop a purpose to the album and connect the songs together. The songs are truly folded together.

The title track recalls the Indian drones of "Saddle Mountain", but in a less addictive way. Again, with the family references that tie they album together wonderfully; "I know my father/I know my mother/I know grandfather/I know grandmother". "Forgive Me" is a rushing anthem. I can almost hear U2-esque guitar lines being put in here and it sounding perfect. Another theme in this album, ghosts. Whether the ghost-lit dawn, or wondering why the ghost won't haunt you, this album's darkness is clearly self aware. The instrumentation on this album, like I mentioned, shows that the band is very strong. Grass-roots instruments like banjos ("Go East") and acoustic guitars combine with pianos and weird loops. Let "Sherpa" grow into the sing-along that is it, let "Go East" grow into the anthem, and your ears will be rewarded. It doesn't take a lot of thought or time to appreciate or even love this album. "Neahkahnie" is sort of a reprise of "Beach House" but with the same effect as "Morning Song".

"I am a man but I take it further/not just a surface but a complicated structure"; this wise line can be used to summarize the whole of "Family". This album takes dark atmoshperes, choral harmonies, grandiose drums, rootsy banjos, and sweet melodies further. And to boot, "Family" is definitely a complicated structure.

Key tracks: "Morning Song", "Beach House"

Listen if you like: Fleet Foxes, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear

Monday, November 16, 2009

"XX"- the xx


7.6

Much ado about nothing, a phrase that, to me, adequately describes how I feel about this album. I could tell you that this is another great debut from an upcoming band, but that's not the case. For me, I received it as "Really? Another band from England with white-boy soul and ghostly Indie tendencies?". Another phrase that adequately describes how I feel about this record.

Moving on, the first guitar licks from "Interlude" are sick, I'm not going to lie. The album's opener is a great track. It's as much ghostly as it is sly and groovin'. It's also worth noting that "Interlude" is instrumental, a sort of bold move that puts them in the instrumental club along with Sufjan Stevens and a select few other bands from this decade. On the downside, its an exciting to a mostly uneventful and anticlimactic (in respect to tempo) LP. "VCR" has a wonderful jangle, with more one-at-a-time guitar antics. "You used to have all the answers/and you/you still do", a lyric sung by the xx's raspy, soulful female singer. "Crystalised" lets the British Justin Timberlake wanna-be of their lead singer take over, while continuing the duet-structured lyrics with enough sexual tension to light a room on fire. This song also helps the album take off a little bit more, and along with fellow track "Islands", emulate the sound you miss when the second side comes around. Enter "Islands"; my favourite track on the album. It has the punchy groove they're going for with dance-rock, and of course the ghostly, haunting nature of their songs, with a little bit more punch, and an atmospheric keyboard (atmosphere being a first). "I am yours now/so now I don't ever have to leave/I've been found now/so now I'll never explore"; words of two satisfied young lovers who quote the fear of committment, as well as giving into desire. This song's ending is as climactic as it gets on "XX" unfortunately, something you don't see coming at first, but makes for more disappointment later.

The guitar takes up the most space in nearly every song. The simplistic production set-up gets too predictable, and frankly, too old. "Fantasy" starts a long dynasty of empty, boring songs that lasts for the rest of the album (save "Basic Space"). Like I said, the biggest problem is that I am constantly waiting for this album to take off; they've got so much potential with their sound and a lot of creativity. I can't imagine what seeing them live would be like, they're trying to be a soul/dance oriented band but their songs hardly ever make you want to move more than tapping your foot. I want the band's two singers to belt it, there's so many opportunities for it, and they just let their songs stay in the shadows and linger. For the vocals, the female comes off as whiny, moaning and kind of a drag near the end of the album, which doesn't make this album any easier to listen to. As far as merit, I will give them that they're pretty much the only band that sounds like this right now, but unfortunately being unique is not always good when you're not that great. Hopefully we can expect more from them on their sophomore record. If that happens, I'm very interested to see where it goes.

I guess this album could be pretty cool to make out to; or at least interesting.

Key tracks: "Islands"

Saturday, November 7, 2009

The Beatles' Remastered Catalogue

7.5

Their first record begins where any 60's pop band would. A mixture of old standards, love ballads, and love pop songs. This is a dull album save "I Saw Her Standing There", the title track, and the select few that have gone on to be classics. Although full of covers, it does begin to show the Lennon-McCartney dynamic and how it developed over the years. This album is more respectable because of what it started, rather than how it sounds.







7.4

Another year, another album for the Beatles, another 2 singles meshed with 12 others on a LP for 30 minutes. This is perhaps evidence that every group, even *gasp* the Beatles, had a sophomore slump. This shows that the pressure on a group has always been high after a well received record. Let me reiterate a point, and my outlook for these reviews: I am not going to look at every Beatles album as a classic. This is a flaw that most reviews of their records have. When this came out, no one thought that the Beatles would be the biggest thing in the world, so I'm reviewing it based on sound, the songs, with a small thought of influence and the fact that it's the Beatles. This album suffers from "single-itis" worse than the record before. Standouts are the blissfully in love "All my Loving", and little George singing "Roll Over Beethoven". How cute, the Beatles make their first mess up; however, this album shows a lot of progress in the strength of their writing, and choice of covers.


8.0

Here we go! Their first great record. From the first track, it doesn't seem like much has changed, but when listening deeper, it's clear that the Beatles had definitely searched deeper for their songs and it shows. The Beatles become self aware on "A Hard Day's Night". George's 12 string guitar jangles all across the world, and inspires all musicians who heard it to go and buy a Rickenbacker (see the Byrds). Even the regular songs on this album are easy to listen to. The album covers shows the Beatles playful, creative, and artistic, which is exactly what happened on this one. "And I Love Her" is gorgeous.



7.0

The album cover shows four grimaced, faux-bad ass Brits. By 1964, the Beatles were superstars and they knew it. This is the point in their career where they could release absolute garbage (see Let It Be) and it'd still go number 1 for a week or two. "Beatles For Sale", however, is not garbage. This was their second LP in one year, and that's an accomplishment in itself. They've still got some covers, but their songwriting is being developed more and more, and more and more great songs are coming out on the records. Unfortunately, there are still too many sub par songs typical of a 60's group that don't deserve very much merit. Listen to "Eight Days A Week" and call it a day.




8.2

The album title says it all. Enthusiastic, progressive; Help! has more happy songs than somber, lame ones. The listener deserves this. All songwriters are showing incredible progress, and there are more great songs on this record than any of the other ones. The first side is almost perfect. This album has several "classics" that we've come to know and love from these guys. "Help!" is also perhaps the first album with a strong core. It builds on what "A Hard Day's Night" had, and expands it in a more "Rubber Soul" kind of way. And this album helps them get from the poppy, early 60's vibe, to the next record. "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", "Ticket to Ride".



9.5

Expanding on what "Help!" started, "Rubber Soul" takes the folk-rock genre that the group explored even further. Also, this LP started the elements of psychedelia that would come to fruition on "Sgt. Pepper" and so on. The psychedelic font and long, messed up hair on the cover says it all; the 60's were changing, and so were the Beatles. This album is their first incredible album. The sitar in "Norwegian Wood", the more thoughtful love songs like "You Won't See Me", the lulling, francophile "Michelle", this album is the first one where the great songs out weigh the mediocre ones. This album also bred competition with The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson heard "Rubber Soul" and was inspired to write "Pet Sounds"; the Beatles heard "Pet Sounds" and were inspired to write "Revolver". The folk-rock meets jangly pop take their sound to the most mature level yet. Harrison shines on the 12 string "If I Needed Someone", and Ringo is given a token lead vocal on "What Goes On" (see Sufjan Stevens). "Rubber Soul" was a key stepping stone to all future records for the Beatles, and brought folk-rock to the mainstream (see Bob Dylan, the Byrds, the Hollies).


9.8

Enter psychedelia, stage right. Just look at the fab four's faces on the cover. They look suspicious, ambitious, busy, and apathetic all at once. However, this record is in no way apathetic. "Revolver" isn't just a psychedelic record; this record tests the boundaries of typical pop formats, experimental instrumentation, and stereophonic arrangements. The sound is a little muted, and very wintery. There is a certain empty space that is in each of these songs, at times filled with horns and strings, vocals, or just backwards guitar ("I'm Only Sleeping"). Continuing the sitar contributions, this album has the biggest touch by Harrison, and shows some of his greatest songs. One could even call this record baroque. By 1966, the Beatles were looking and sounding like adults, and the songs reflect that. "She Said She Said" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" are incredible tracks from Lennon, while Harrison shines on "I Want to Tell You", and the funky "Taxman". "Revolver" is the first record that leaves the listener saying "wow" after listening.



10.0

A true classic, you can't argue that. What this record did to inspire other musicians is unmeasurable. While I can't argue that it's an incredible record, I can argue that it's not the best of all time (see Rolling Stones' list of 500 greatest [?] albums). It was now intensely clear that the Beatles were doing a lot of drugs, and they were making some of the most incredible songs of all time. The recording was at times meticulous, but it definitely payed off. The instrumentation and arranging was artistically pioneered. A record of monolithic achievements, and small faults ("Good Morning"); John Lennon's contributions are the weakest, and "Sgt. Pepper" was clearly a sign of McCartney's genius coming to fruition. This record is the first time that McCartneys out shine, out do, and really tarnish Lennon's contributions (save "A Day in the Life). "Within You Without You", Harrion's sole contribution, is a pristine, climactic, Indian jam. Wow, wow, wow. Does anyone else wish that the intro to "Lovely Rita" should go on forever? I do...


8.0



Take one look at the silly (stupid) costumes the Beatles are wearing on this cover. Take one look at that...interesting...cover and say to yourself this is a great album. Doesn't really fit does it? One would not associate mastery with random animal outfits and psychedelic eclecticism, and unfortunately, this album lacks the mastery and cohesiveness that "Sgt. Pepper" had. We are now in a different world for albums, we are no in the post-Sgt. Pepper era.

Most of the songs on "MMT" are singles or outtakes from "Sgt. Pepper" anyways. This album also has a darker, more distant face to it; George Harrison's dark violins drown in a sea of organs on "Blue Jay Way", a stand out on this LP. On a lighter note, the would-be classics "I am the Walrus", "Penny Lane" and "Hello, Goodbye" bring this album a lighter edge, and brings listeners those pop songs that they've come to expect, something they'll miss after the "White Album" hits. Perhaps this record is their last summer in innocense before growing up. Perhaps it's their last hoorah of fun, whimsical, no worries songs. Nonetheless, "MMT" is a return to their barely par, mediocre albums before "Rubber Soul".



9.5

What do you get when you take the biggest band in the world, bored with success, on a plane to India for an unset amount of time? An eclectic, unpredictable double album. This album showed the growing rift in each of the Beatles' opinions on how things should be. Everyone was writing; not only writing, but writing more and sometimes better than ever before. Each of them had a set idea of what they wanted "The Beatles" to be, and that was slightly different to each of them. But what's great about the "White Album" is that despite the differences, they all put forth their songs. Their writing was better, and there were more recording avenues than ever before that allowed them to pursue their ideas. Again, most of the crappy songs are by Lennon, whose good contributions are becoming more and more rare. McCartney has grown up, and is showing his individual strength in writing and instrumentation. Harrison has also grown up, and his contributions are perhaps the greatest. Highlights are the luring "Dear Prudence", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Martha My Dear", "Mother Nature's Son", and "Long, Long, Long". Most of their songs are joined by orchestration, which compliments their pop formats greatly.


10.0

This is it. This is what the Beatles were made to create. "Abbey Road" is the ultimate stepping stone for them. If "Sgt. Pepper" was their best album in terms of innovation, concept, and instrumentation; then "Abbey Road" is their best album in terms of songwriting, technique, musical merit, and guts. This is it.

"Come Together" demonstrates how Paul McCartney sounds when his bass skills grow a pair. That grooving Rickenbacker glides through Lennon's song like a salmon swimming upstream. Harrion's "Something" is not only his best songwriting effort, but one of the best Beatles' song in general. In fact, it's so good that some people even believed that Lennon and McCartney had written it instead. McCartney's contributions on this album are sometimes insufferable, unfortunately. Starr and Harrison come together on "Octopus' Garden"'s jangle, child-like, under the sea extravaganza. On the almost 8 minute "I Want You", the Beatles are at their most impressive, jaw-dropping musical level yet. McCartney's basslines are walking and dynamic, the organ is evil and crunchy, Ringo's fills crash and roar, and the lead guitar is Clapton-cum-Hendrix, if you asked me.

On side 2, Harrison again knocks all the songs out of the water with "Here Comes the Sun". This song only confirms the fact that he is the best beatle musician. The rest of the side, is an entire contiuous suite; an spectacular, immaculate one I might add. They even use major 7th chords on "Because" and "Sun King", whose dreamy, spacy group vocals make you want to float down a stream or float off into a large orange summer sky. The greatest of these 1-2 minute clips in the suite, "Polythene Pam/She Came in Through the Bathroom Window". McCartney shows his name dropping story telling, and Harrison his climactic, decisive guitar. The Beatles had been waiting 10 years to write these songs, and they never even played them live. "The End" is just as much "All You Need is Love" as it is "Here, There and Everywhere". And you've gotta love "Her Majesty" tagged on to the end of it, ending the Beatles' last great album. "Let it Be" is not worth mentioning and will not be appended to this review.
Farewell, and remember that I reviewed these albums as albums themselves. It is not up to me to tell you that they're classic or not; as time has already proven that. Rather, to show how each album compares to something today, and to each other.
-GT


Friday, November 6, 2009

"Embryonic"- the Flaming Lips



6.8


Odds are if you an original or longtime fan of the Lips then you miss their old experimental, jam-rock, acid influenced, psychedelic, jams that epitomized their first few records. Odds are if you joined the Lips train from the Soft Bulletin or At War with the Mystics, you don't miss that phase at all, let alone even knowing it existed.

With that, "Embyonic", is a return to their early, experimental phase. Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of emotional investment in that era. Instead of looking at the Lips' career as a sort of "now and then" approach, I see it as an accomplishment to have survived long enough to evolve their style. The Flaming Lips, along with Sonic Youth (who also released a record this year), are quite possibly the only surviving experimental bands from the 80's. There is no doubt that this is a reason to respect the band, but I am still nonetheless generally unimpressed with the tracks on their latest, 18 track record.

In all honesty, there is nothing that you can't assume from the album that you can't assume from the first wah-wah belch of "Convinced of the Hex". The problem with this record is not the tracks themselves; rather, that continuity on the tracks. There are 3 types of songs on this record; the experimental jam (a loud drum beat, a fuzzy bass-line, weird guitar, and lyrics that start every line with "she"); next, the slow, abyss-like 6 minute jams; and finally, the weird instrumentals (like "Interstellar Overdrive" but less....good). Suffice to say "Embryonic" is an odd record that is predictable and too repetitive of style. "Aquarius Sabotage" stands out as one of the best tracks of the album, and one of the best instrumentals of the decade. A list that is filled with Lips' tracks. The weirdness of this record is just as much of a good thing as it is a bad thing. It's a good thing in the David Bowie, Syd Barrett era Floyd respect, but a bad thing in the Sonic Youth respect.

Next, the fact that this album has 18 tracks was an interesting choice. This type of double album fits along with the "White Album" pros and cons. It's a good thing because there are quite a bit of songs to choose from, but it's a bad thing because it seems like there was not a lot of censorship as far as what should be on the album or not; rather, just putting everything on there that they had. Which brings up the next problem, the songs are not cohesive. Besides the fact that most of them are freakin weird, there is no flow to the album.

It's sad to me that songs like "Silver Trembling Hands" and "Convinced of the Hex" are stuck on the same album as "Powerless" and "Gemini Syrignes". This is just not fair. "Silver Trembling Hands" is in the epic, best of the decade territory, but its greatness is out-weighed by all the other sub par songs. Maybe "Embryonic" would have been better off as an EP of 5 or 6 songs; maybe the album's weirdness will grow on me; maybe the fact that this album isn't incredible is what they were trying to do and speaks to their early attitude of recording music; maybe after making 11 records over 20 years, they really don't care that much anymore. Either way, "Embryonic" is way below what I would expect from a band who has pushed out truly incredible work. Perhaps if this were their first or second record, I would feel differently, but unfortunately I will never know.

Key tracks: "Silver Trembling Hands", "Aquarius Sabotage"

Listen if you like: Sonic Youth, Pink Floyd.