Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Kingdom of Rust is quite a daring album title for British rock collective Doves. Not because it stakes a claim to recreating something of the past, but because it stands the risk of irony (pun intended). Are they referring to themselves, who took 4+ years to release a new album? Perhaps not, but it nonetheless is exhibitionist in the sense that it draws attention to themselves.

Doves made their moody rock a wild success back in 2005, with the release of their Some Cities.  The album still stands as one of my favorites of all time, and it was exemplary of a band destined for some analog of greatness. But then life happened to the band, what with marriages and babies and the like, and so it is only now that we have Kingdom of Rust. Despite the time that has passed, the moodiness is still there. And the promise for greatness is still there. Like many of the great British bands that have preceded them, Doves have an ability to sanctify both the faster-paced and the more downtempo songs of theirs, giving a genuine dynamism that goes deeper than just the sheen of a granny smith. The ethereal “Birds Flew Backwards” is a true test in stopping time with its otherwordly reverberating echoes and heavy bass line. But high-charged songs like “The Greatest Denier” and “House of Mirrors” standout with aesthetic guitar riffs and powerful imperative vocals. The dual gentleness and coarseness of “Lifelines” and “Spellbound” will have you wondering why contrast as never sounded as good as this.

By no means is this album a celebration or a lament of the old or getting old. In that sense, the idea of a kingdom of rust is inappropriate. I suppose the concept of unearthing a once-splendid kingdom seems more appropo.

Get yourself a copy of Kingdom of Rust

Listen to “The Greatest Denier”

Listen to “Winter Hill“

I’m not really sure what to do with the 1990s. Are they just a bunch of perverted Scottish dudes that happen to have a very quirky sense of humor? Or are they rockpop savants that know how to craft an intriguing ditty? I’ll go with easy way out: they’re both.

The thing to remember with the 1990s is everything is an innuendo, or at least a strange juxtaposition of words that makes for a mad libs delight! The truth is that the 1990s are incredibly talented in making danceable rock tunes, and they’ve managed to maintain that energy from song to song, album to album. Their debut Cookies was amazingly underrated, and I’m sure their sophomore effort Kicks will fly under the radar as well. But please, I ask, don’t let that happen. You’ll miss Jack McKeown’s earnest request, “C’mon, do it like we practiced” on “Sparks”, and you won’t have the privilege of hearing the infectious guitar riff and the chant-like chorus of “Balthazar.” Worst of all, you would certainly miss the declarative “Everybody Please Relax” and the hoppy highlight “Tell Me When You’re Ready.” Who wouldn’t want to hear cryptic vocals like “Will you be my body / at the zoo” or “What’s that in your hair/ blowing bubbles like you just don’t care?”? I ask you, who?!

Get yourself a copy of Kicks.

Listen to “Everybody Please Relax”

Listen to “Tell Me When You’re Ready“

The throes of winter seem to be fading with a flurry of warm weather and rain. It’s fitting, I think, to reflect back on this past season and reminisce. With that, Fleet Foxes has us covered.

Listen to Fleet Foxes – “White Winter Hymnal“

Ian Anderson, leader of Jethro Tull, made the flute the most badass woodwind around. And this is why: a live version of Locomotive Breath.

Some discussion about Ian Anderson. He learned to play the electric guitar, but decided to pick up the flute and learn it one day. A few months later, he was rocking out on the flute as Jethro Tull. He’s also known for standing on one leg while playing the flute: a reporter once wrongly described him in an article as playing the flute on one leg (it was actually a harmonica). Inspired by it, he decided to do it anyway. And the rest is history!

Listen to Jethro Tull – “Locomotive Breath (live)”

Veteran folk-rock collective Gomez has always delicately walked the line between easily-digestible delicate folk songs to more bombastic rock numbers. And somehow they’ve always succeeded, without ever seeming the least bit to be pandering to a radio-friendly audience. In that sense, Gomez’s new album A New Tide is more of the same, but to stop there would be a disservice. Ian Ball and company have refined their style a bit more, inching closer and closer to what might be called their signature style.

It is becoming ever more clear that Gomez’s music is music that is made by friends. As the story goes, lead singer Ian Ball and drummer Olly Peacock have been friends since birth; they met their future bassist and guitarist at college, and their keyboardist lived near Olly. So, it shouldn’t take long to pick up on the fact that even though this is a tight and cohesive group, they come together to create music that is loose and comfortable. A New Tide is a combination of unbridled British music innovation and accessibility. The vocals of Ian Ball are always precise and piercing, creating an expansive layering to the lush instrumentation.

“Very Strange” and “Airstream Driving”are pulsing, jingly numbers that show Gomez’s penchant for great riffs and distorted powerpop.  “If I Ask You Nicely” bops with a double bass that accentuates  the electronic keyboard rhythms and the catchy claps and snaps.  The twangy anticipation of “Win Park Slope” is coated richly in layers and layers of strings that is as haunting as it is captivating in its pizzicato deliciousness.  “Mix” sounds as if The Postal Service began using real instruments, straight down to the vocals and the subtle angst.

There’s really nothing to wait for. Get A New Tide. Go!

Listen to “Win Park Slope”
Listen to “Airstream Driver“

Based on what I’ve seen, Tromso, Norway is a lovely and pleasant place. But if I were to hazard a guess as to what it looked like based on hometown act Royksopp’s music, I’d have to say it was an icy wonderland resembling the hideout of one Superman. Perhaps it’s time we look beyond the novelty of this insanely talented electronic duo being from Scandinavia and focus on the actual creativity and musical genius within the minds of Torbjorn Brundtland and Svein Berge.

But first things first. If you’re wondering how to pronounce Royksopp in their native Norsk (it’s actually just how it is spelled), then take care of that.

Now that that’s settled, it’s time to move on to talk about Royksopp’s new LP Junior. In what has become tradition for the duo, several female vocalists have been employed on Junior, including Robyn, Karen Dreijer (of The Knife), Lykke Li, and Anneli Drecker (which in itself is quite an accomplishment)!

Junior shows hints of the unabashed optimism and energy of The Understanding, while also recalling some of the more subtle and reserved nature of the tracks on their debut Melody AM.  No matter what the approach though, the focus for Royksopp is always in creating captivating rhythms that consist of multiple layers that need to be gradually pulled away with each listen. It’s not that familiarity makes Royksopp’s music more pleasing, just that it takes time to fully appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into this music. Though not instantaneously gratifying, subsequent listens reveal an endearing and affable quality to the music. “Royksopp Forever” is a slow-rolling track that bursts into an electronic symphony of arcing and tense strings. Lykke Li’s vocals on “Miss It So Much” seem out-of-place at first, but soon fits like a tight jigsaw with the incredibly catchy chorus of “Days turn to nights turn to weeks turn to paper into rocks into plastic / My material heart / How it keeps us apart”.

Karen Dreijer’s stylings on “Tricky Tricky” and “This Must Be It” are unmistakable, as her distinct expressive voice echoes over frantic beats. The downtempo “You Don’t Have a Clue” harkens back to Melody AM, trip-hoppy in its sentimental nighttime jumps and leaps. The syncopated backbeat on “It’s What I Want” carries promise, but redundant melodies make for a missed opportunity. But then again, Royksopp more than makes up for it with a splendid album.

And there’s more to come! Late 2009 will see another album from the Norwegian duo, an LP Senior that is supposed to be more downtempo and solemn in nature.

Check out Junior.

Listen to “Royksopp Forever”

Listen to “Miss It So Much“

I must apologize for not having posted in so long. But I won’t dwell. More consistent posting from here on out (at least for a while).

I wanted to share loads and loads of stuff with you today/tonight. I’ve been sent lots of different EPs from artists and bands trying to get the word out. I’ve been waiting to do a post like this and now I’m finally doing it. Wow, empowering. So the following is (in no particular order) some of the best stuff I’ve received.

1.  Alex Gladwell – Fantasia

Alex wins for best e-mail sent to me. It was straight-forward, adamant, and different.   His music is the same way.  Think Peter Bjorn & John’s knack for rhythms meets the vocals of Pinback. Perhaps I’m glorifying it a tad, but Fantasia certainly makes for an interesting listen. Urgent and accessible, songs like “Song” and “See Ya” are as cool as the mountain air (believe me–mountain air is cool). It seems as though Gladwell seems to verge into a sort of rock-hip-hop, which becomes clearer on songs like “Gospel” with its Always Sunny in Philadelphia falsetto breaking through from time to time. Overall, definitely worth a listen.

Listen to “Song”

2.  days were like lakes – Light Gets In

This was the e-mail I received: “I think you might like this song. Maybe.” While the italicized ‘might’ was probably unnecessary, the sender was right. I did like their song “True”.  Think classic Chicago (the band!) with their penchant for great breezy guitar riffs (see Chicago’s “Beginnings”) mixed with The Sea and Cake’s ability to write fresh and summery songs. Check ‘em out!

Listen to “True”

3. Kid, You’ll Move Mountains – Loomings

Best band name goes to these fellas out of Geneva, IL.  K,YMM (got to have the comma in there) has real talent, showcasing their ability–track after track–to create captivating soundscapes.  The songs on Loomings seem to call out a ‘looming’, ominous cloud overhead, and yet at the same time K,YMM seem to ignore it and make music that is optimistic and promising.  “West” is as beautiful and achingly sweet a rock song could be, while the band masterfully pairs both discipline and emotion into the wonderful “Inside Voices”. K,YMM will certainly live up to its pithy mantra–indeed, mountains they will move.

Listen to “Inside Voices”

More to come tomorrow!

Montreal producer Tor has made an interesting mixtape of his available for free on his website.  Titled Illinoize, the mixtape explores what happens when a skilled mixmaster takes Sufjan Stevens puts him in a studio with Andre 3000, Gift of Gab, Grand Puba, Aesop Rock, and  others. Taking such tracks as “Star of Wonder” with its ethereal keys and laying Aesop Rock’s powerful vocals makes for good listening.  The backbeat added to the funky riff at the beginning of “They Are Night Zombies!!…” melds perfectly with Brother Ali’s urgent raps. One of the most interesting tracks is when Tor takes the signature horns from “The Tallest Man”, adds a rather basic backbeat, and creates the effect of an R & B track with the stylings of Grand Puba.

Download your free copy of Illinoize here.

Listen to “The Tallest Man / I Like It (f. Grand Puba)”

Listen to “Night Zombies / Talkin’ My Shit (f. Brother Ali)“

I don’t really know what it is, but I have a soft spot for The Damnwells. This Brooklyn, NY collective has consistently been churning out what I term a ‘workman’s rock’.  The band is really the genius of one Alex Dezen, who decided early last year to change up the supporting cast.  Fortunately, the music hasn’t changed.  And if that isn’t good enough for you, how about the fact that Dezen is currently working on getting his MFA at University of Iowa’s ‘Iowa Writers’ Workshop’ and that he actually teaches a class on ‘rhetoric’?  Damn!(well)

And here’s the coolest part about Dezen: he actually is offering his album for absolutely nothing in return! You heard me: free! If you don’t believe me, click here. That means that you’re going to get this album, queue it up, and begin listening.  You’re going to hear the now classic Dezen vocals on “Bastard of Midnight”, as its emotive verses explode into the vast ether of the chorus.  Maybe your ears will also catch the folky strains of “Dandelions” with its steady homologous guitar and keyboards.  As you soak up the rhythms of “55 Pictures” and the golden echoes of “Everything”, you start to realize what Dezen is getting at.  There’s clearly some serious personal discovery hidden within this record, the sound of man moving into a new stage of life with a little chip on his shoulder and some hubris to boot.

‘Somewhere between nothing and something is everything / Somewhere between darkness and wonder is every dream / Somewhere between braking and broke there’s a song to sing’.  Need I say more?

Get a copy of One Last Century for FREE!

Listen to “Bastards of Midnight”

Listen to “Everything“

“No one’s gonna come / Tell you how it’s done”.  Norwegian sensation Sondre Lerche has made his name known, but for me it goes back to his stunning debut.  “No One’s Gonna Come” is the definite highlight on this track.  If only he could go back to the style of his first quirky venture, I’d be much happier with Lerche’s work!

Grab a copy of Faces Down and all his other good stuff.

Listen to “No One’s Gonna Come”

Postsecret: word on the street is that Lerche will be having an album coming out this year. According to him, it will be the most wonderful “Sondre Lerche experience yet”.