Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Robert Goulet passed away yesterday at the age of 73 as he waited for a lung transplant. Goulet’s prolific career and signature style will not be forgotten. Goulet was indeed the master of cool–Will Ferrell would agree.

My friend Jed passed this on to me today, and I just want to tell everyone I know about it because PASTE magazine is the best indie music magazine out there.

PASTE is letting you, the subscriber, choose your own price for a year’s subscription to their magazine. Only want to pay a dollar? So be it. I’m only a little upset that I’ve already got a subscription and can’t take advantage of this offer. Be sure to get yourself a subscription–you won’t regret it. Each issue comes packaged with a sampler CD (by the artists reviewed in the magazine–the songs don’t suck), and their album reviews section is comprehensive and abundant. Be sure to read the future articles also–there’s some really great writing with a complete absence of pretense (well almost complete absence).

SO GO GO GO! Here’s some tracks I’ve gotten from PASTE:

Brett Dennen - Darlin’ Do Not Fear

Utah Carol - Ruby

Now that we’ve laid down the basics for what makes an anthem, an anthem, I think it’s time we got down to some more specifics in our final segment. I hope you’re enjoyed this segment of anthems, and my pseudo-intellectual approach to dissecting its instant appeal. You might think this all a bunch of BS–that’s fine–but trust me on the sunscreen.

5) Case in Point: Art of Fighting - Eastbound

Yes, this song has been featured on this blog before, but it’s awesome enough to show up again. This is a perfect example of the slow-ballad-anthem. It works through gentle repetition of the chorus or certain verses. This track also happens to retain that quality of a dream-like opening that expands into a heartened chorus (a la My Morning Jacket’s “Gideon”). And the harmonies are incredible.

6) Case in Point: Tobias Froberg - What A Day

I was thinking about placing this song under the sing-along factor, but it is equally applicable for the head-bopping/finger-tapping factor. Resistance to any kind of physical gesturing with a song such as “What A Day” is futile–don’t fight it, embrace it!

7) Case in Point: Coldplay - Fix You

Much the same way that U2’s “Pride” was an anthem by virtue of its U2-ness, so to is Coldplay’s “Fix You” an anthem due to its Coldplay-icity. But what really makes “Fix You” stand out is the ability of lead singer Chris Martin’s incredibly infectious falsetto (falsetto factor is a subset of the sing-along factor) and the band’s harmonies to produce the collective-experience effect. This refers to the song being an experience, a journey to be shared by those listening to the song at the same point in time. This effect is perhaps the hardest to identify theoretically, but it is instantly recognizable in the moment.

This will be the first installation in a series of posts regarding great anthems. We’re not talking about national anthems here–we’re dealing with a flightier creature in the world of rock.

So let’s try to get down to what makes an anthem, an anthem:

1) Case in point: My Morning Jacket - Gideon

The anthem starts out with a dreamy, ethereal riff that is promising of exploding into a full-out power delight. In this case, the drums and the high buzzing guitars serve as the backbone of the song, only to be compounded with the breathy harmonious shouting of lead singer Jim James (around 2:20 into the song). Altogether, this is simply a magical song so sing-along and feel it.

2) Case in point: The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony

Chances are you’ve heard this ubiquitous track at some point in your life. This anthem also begins with a gentle stringed lullaby, but this song is more exemplary of the sing-along factor. That’s right. To be a great anthem, the track must be able to be sung by a multitude of listeners. And I’m not talking about a soft hum or whisper. No. The anthem must be sung at the top of your lungs (preferably) and it must be easy to harmonize with. That’s what keeps it fresh each time you sing along!

3) Case in point: Doves - Sky Starts Falling

It is essential that an anthem have a sense of urgency to it. There has to be something making you feel slightly uneasy, so that when the chorus breaks, that relief is so much more significant. In this track, the burgeoning UK band Doves uses a quick-paced drum beat and some overlapping guitars to create this slight dissonance that suddenly falls into harmonious chorus.

4) Case in point: U2 - Pride (In The Name of Love)

Another key factor that can make or break an anthem is the feeling of instant classicness. That is, the listener can automatically recognize that the song has the potential to be universally adored. In this case, it’s U2, so it’s an anthem. But it goes deeper than that. “Pride (In The Name of Love)” is a declaration of faith in humanity (a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. actually). I imagine Bono saying to his listeners: “Despite all the things that happen in this world, there are still things that make this world livable: faith and love.” If you can’t buy into that, then I give up.

Alex Brown Church’s one-man project Sea Wolf takes a page out of the indie-acts-with-wolf-in-their-name book, and this time, the result is actually quite enjoyable. Church’s debut long player Leaves in the River is an ambitious one, as his gentle voice manages to be simultaneously soothing and piercing. The arrangements are all rather sparse, and yet they all retain a degree of voluminousness. Like a rare gas, the tracks on Leaves in the River peak through narrow slits of sound and expand onward. I wouldn’t quite classify the album as folk, or freak-folk, or any shoot-off of folk. Rather, Church is able to establish his own singer-songwriter style, consisting of intelligent and sharp lyrics accompanied by rhythmic guitar and piano riffs.

Perhaps it is just the apparent simplicity of the album itself that makes Leaves in the River so irresistible. “The Cold, The Dark, & The Silence” is a wonderous Tobias Froberg-like tune, that seems to be the most upbeat of the tunes on the album. But Sea Wolf transitions easily to the softer, harmonious “Middle Distance Runner” or the melodic yet urgent “You’re a Wolf”. Altogether, this is a more-than-solid effort. Be sure to get yourself a copy of Leaves in the River.

Listen to “The Cold, The Dark, & The Silence” (4.75/5)

Listen to “You’re a Wolf” (4.8/5)

That’s right, folks. My good ol’ Powerbook G4’s hard drive bit the dust yesterday. I would have lost all my data if I hadn’t recently backed up my drive yesterday morning! What a relief, I tell you. Nevertheless, I am coping with the aftermath and annoyance that comes with such an occurence, and I beg of you to bear with me.

So today, I leave you with the much talked-about Radiohead album In Rainbows. I’ve got to be honest-I’ve never really been a Radiohead fan. I’ve always tried to like them, listened intently as if I would pick up something I hadn’t heard before. But it’s just not there, despite the fact that I am quite fond of Coldplay (considered Radiohead-lite). Nevertheless, here are some tracks to contemplate from the album.

You really should go and buy In Rainbows if you’re curious.

Listen to “Stupid Car” (courtesy of musicslut)
Listen to “All I Need” (courtesy of Eclectic Hermit)

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might already be aware of my fondness for Chicago (yay!) collective Office, who most recently was signed to Scratchie/New Line Records.  I thoroughly enjoyed their now extinct Q & A album, which was quite well-executed and well-produced.  But upon listening to Office’s official debut, A Night At the Ritz, it’s not that I don’t like what I hear (I love it!).  It’s just that I’ve heard nearly all these songs before!  It seems that Office took the route that most bands would take, and ended up putting several “old” tracks that had already been on Q & A.  Now this is understandable, but I was just jonesing for some new content.

But about the album:  imagine Coldplay with higher seratonin levels.  Imagine all the boringness and staticness that you connote with the word “office”, and you’ll get the complete opposite.  Under the unassuming name, Office blends excellently crafted pop melodies with some neat vocals and a whole lot of fun.  “Big Bang Jump!” is reminiscent of “Crocodile Rock” in its instructive dance content, while “Wound Up” and “Dominos” have a more carefree, laid-back feel.  The new tracks like “Suburban Perfume” and “Paralyzed Prince” don’t really have the pizazz of some of the older tracks, but “Plus Minus Fairytale” and “The Ritz” both have the edginess of that Office has been delivering for quite some time now.

So go and get a copy of A Night At The Ritz.

Listen to “Big Bang Jump!” (4.8/5)

Listen to “Dominoes” (4.8/5)

Hailing from Brighton, England, Fin Greenall (aka Fink) writes delicate electro-folk tunes for a post-Postal Service world. His music is generally more subdued, and sounds more electronic in the sense that there are good deal of downtempo beats and rhythms here. But both the instruments and the vocals seem more fitting for some soundtrack on a classic Americana desert plain, with two gunslingers caught in a moment with their weapons drawn. Hold that moment, and observe the various tensions in Fink’s sophomore release Distance and Time. In some ways, the album seems distant and foreign, and then at other times intimate and person. His acoustic sparse, singer-songwriter style has the profound effect of both grabbing you closer (”Under the Same Stars”) while also making you feel eerily isolated (”Blueberry Pancakes”).

I don’t exactly know what to make of this album. It is very much one of those albums that you must want to enjoy, in order to enjoy it. It’s not a matter of forcing, but even the most melodic of the songs (”Trouble’s What You’re In”) has a rather dreary message tagged along with it. I don’t find Fink’s music to be depressing or morose, but it certainly tries it’s hardest to be so. I’d much rather he used his creative efforts to put forth something perhaps a little more playful like on his Pretty Little Thing debut.

Go and get a copy of Distance and Time.

Listen to “Trouble’s What You’re In” (4.7/5)

Listen to “Get Your Share” (4.6/5)

Zach Condon, the virtual one-man show behind the moniker Beirut, has managed to put together another other-worldly, Balkan musical experience with The Flying Club Cup. And I still have a hard time hearing what the hell he’s talking about as his powerful voice lifts itself above the blaring horns and floats delicately with the soft pianos. I know that Beirut doesn’t suit everybody’s tastes–he’s kind of a polarizing, hit-or-miss artist and I find myself often going back and forth about his music.

But I will tell you that The Flying Club Cup is certainly a more consistent effort than Beirut’s debut; it’s more symphonic and voluminous. Listening to “Guyamas Sonora”, the rambunctious vocals carry to a magnificent crescendo that sounds like horses galloping over a barren desert. Or take a listen to “In The Mausoleum”, which actually starts out somewhat-Sufjan-like, but then quickly takes another turn into a string-laden, ballroom-waltz. Beirut has certainly taken on the hefty task of trying to make music that isn’t readily accessible or appealing to people, and yet for the most part, he is succeeding in making it work. Indeed, an esteemed club.

Go and buy The Flying Club Cup.

Listen to “Guyamas Sonora” (4.85/5)

Listen to “Nantes” (4.6/5)
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350-018 is not that hard if you have done 642-372. Still, doing 642-382 helps too.

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Fresh out of the UK comes the trippy, feel-good outfit The Holloways. Their debut album So This is Great Britain? is a collection of laid-back, rhythmic rock tracks, accompanied with some pretty nifty vocals. Lyrically, The Holloways aren’t really anything special but the music itself is simply delightful. “Great Britain” is a great crowd-pleasing chant with a mean guitar solo, while “Generator” is a cheery reggae and ska-influenced ditty. They remind me a good deal of The Basics from Australia or even if The Strokes were on higher seratonin levels. So go and check out So This is Great Britain?. You just might enjoy it.

Listen to “Fit For A Footnight” (4.6/5)

Listen to “Generator” (4.8/5)