Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

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So I’m staring at my TV the other day, and bam, another awesome Amazon Kindle commercial comes on.  I’ve got no crazy love for the Kindle, but I have to say that all their adverts are intriguing as they are simple. And what’s this distinctly retro vibe of a single guitar and a cowbell? Why yes of course it’s a track off of Stephen Wilkison’s (penname: Bibio) album Ambivalence Avenue from last year.

Bibio – “Lovers’ Carvings“

Bibio -  “Lover’s Carvings (Catz n Dogz Re-edit)”

Get a copy of Ambivalence Avenue.

It’s pretty crazy to think that The Weepies husband-and-wife duo of Deb Talan and Steven Tannen have already come out with their 4th LP Be My Thrill! What with a rather young child in tow, I would understand how a studio album and a 36-city tour would be arduous. I could wax more about the unexpected prolific nature of The Weepies, but I’d rather talk about other items. Like the fact that I don’t see The Weepies as just music artists. For some reason, there’s this very human, ‘unprofessional’ quality to their music. I get the sense that I am getting an unprecedented, unencumbered, unfiltered look into their lives as a married couple, as parents, as unqiue individuals on their own. I like the transparency, I relish it, I relate to it.

Take the song “Empty Your Hands”, at the end of which Deb Talan sweetly exclaims, ‘Our baby learned to run today / in circles on the grass / His joyful face it radiates / These moments go so fast / let them go.’ What a sweet insightful view on what it must be like to see your child growing up, and the only way to capture these fleeting moments are in your mind.  And The Weepies penchant for playing with words is as bright as ever on the whimsical, country-twinged “Hope Tomorrow”: ‘A windy fitful day in winter / charging toward the Ides of May / The climate now is cling to splinters’.

The Weepies have mastered the art of the delicate, achy ballad: From the waltzy “Please Speak Well of Me” to “They’re in Love, Where Am I?”, Talan and Tannen seem to express a certain confidence in their relationship — enough so to talk about past loves, their own love, and all that that entails.

The golden AM radio “I was Made for Sunny Days” is as bright and shiny and American as a Chevy Camaro, while album highlight “Hard to Please” is an edgier sound (for the Weepies, at least) that sees the duo expanding their horizons. I give credit to the Weepies for broadening their sound, with the B-52 bass heavy “Be My Thrill” that really propels the middle of the album forward. Tannen’s vocals are somewhat hidden on this record, but his solo work in “Be My Honeypie” and his harmonious stylings on “Hummingbird” are simply beautiful. If there’s one complaint, I’d like to see Tannen contribute more vocals.

Anyway, enough. Go get a copy of Be My Thrill.

HEY CHICAGOANS! The Weepies are coming to Space in Evanston, IL (just north of the city) on October 30th.

Listen to “I Was Made For Sunny Days”

Listen to “Hard to Please“

Things you may have noticed lately:

1. My RSS feed was hijacked for some reason. No worries, all is fine now. The RSS for CSVMAD can be accessed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/SandburgDreams. Or, you can just click on the link to the left in the sidebar.

2. Time has been a luxury these days, but I’m going to try to keep the posts coming as best I can. Your readership is always appreciated!!! Get ready for some great material coming your way.

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Peace and Booty Grease,

Benji

Never back Sufjan into a corner. Never try to stereotype him. Don’t even think about creating a new genre so you can describe him and his music.

Why?

Because he’ll disappoint you. He’ll tell you that he’s going to play catch with you, and he stands you up. He’ll blow your mind and he’ll frustrate you beyond comprehension (I suppose you would comprehend the frustration). Either way, the point is, never back Sufjan into a corner.

Case in point: his new album The Age of Adz. This is Sufjan’s first full-length release since 2005′s magnum opus (yeah, it’s looking like that will be the peak of his career) Come on fell the Illinoise, Sufjan has lived in relative obscurity. He has seemed to enjoy all the press, all the assumptions, all the glitz and glamor. He’s opted for small, unsung projects such as The BQE and rereleasing The Year of the Rabbit. Perhaps that was foreshadowing for what was to come, as The Age of Adz is a return to the esoteric electronic idiosyncratic drones of his youth. Perhaps you can tell that I’m not entirely satisfied with The Age of Adz, and sadly my days as an unabashed Sufjan fan have abruptly come to an end.

The highlights: The delicate but deceptive lullaby of “Futile Devices” has a melancholy tinge that is a perfect exercise in discretionary emotive folk.  The idiosyncratic mantra of “Vesuvius” is not only crazy catchy, but the introspective comparison between Sufjan and the destructive Mt. Vesuvius that laid waste to the great city of Pompeii are cryptic yet well-received. It combines 2 great things: (1) play on words (Vesuvius and Sufjan) and (2) random historical references. I get the sense that when he says “Sufjan, follow your heart”, The Age of Adz is exactly what he’s talking about. This is partially shot at both critics and lionizers alike. I know, I just blew your mind with that.

The lowlights: I’m all for experimentation and playing with sounds. But you know what? When the only adjective I can think of for a song is ‘grating’, that can’t possibly be a good thing. The listener of The Age of Adz is inundated with a hodgepodge of ridiculous juxtapositions of sounds, from the incoherent “Get Real Get Right” to the Frenchman-meets-twisted orchestra “All for Myself” to the impossibly long and insufferable “Impossible Soul” that clocks in at a measly 25 minutes.

I have to cleanse palate after this effort. I’m going to queue up The Avalanche, at least these are B-sides I can deal with.

That said, I’m going to hear Sufjan this week in concert, so here’s to hoping that his effusive stage presence changes things!

Take a listen to The Age of Adz for yourself.

Listen to “Futile Devices”

Listen to “Vesuvius“

Consider yourself saxrolled.

I mean, it’s just amazing to me. Fake playing the sax and gyrating. Awesome, Moldova, awesome.

Listen to Sunstoke Project & Olia Tira – “Run Away“

You feel that? Yeah, there’s a funky groove in the air and we got to let it percolate.

Tennishero – “Midnight Love”

Smooth as silk synths combined with a captivating riff, Tennishero knows how to do it right.

New Order – “Jetstream (Jacques Lu Cont 2nd Mix)”

Pretty pedestrian mix until you get to about the 1:40 mark, at which the track blossoms into an ethereal, bass-bumping kick ass mix.

2 pairs of British siblings got together some 8 years ago to form what is now an acclaimed indie rock band. Their eponymous debut was received to much fanfare, and for good reason. This was followed by their sophomore release, Those the Brokes, which built on the unique 70s-pop-meets-modern-day-sensibilities sound that they have perfected over the last decade. Which brings me to their latest release The Runaway (out Aug. 3 in the US).

The Magic Numbers have slowed it down a bit for this album, gaining in sentimentality what they lost in cheerful nostalgia. I’m not sure that’s a good thing. See for yourself, with two songs off The Runaway, “Why Did you Call?” and “Sound of Something”.

Listen to “Why Did You Call?”

Listen to “Sound of Something“

The much anticipated 5th LP High Violet from The National dropped back in May, and apparently to great fanfare. It opened at #3 (!) on the US Billboard 200, and garnered an eye-popping 8.7/10 from Pitchfork. Indeed, it seems that the moody rockers have appeared to hit it just right with its listeners, though this writer is not as enthusiastic. The bottom line is this: I was always fine with The National going the way of the downtrodden and dramatic artist, as long as they stuck with intriguing melodies and harmonies that almost belied the lyrics. With High Violet, that element has suredly been lost to some degree.

Briefly, some highlights (and lowlights):

“Terrible Love” – I can this being a single, and it’s true to The National sound. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I could grow into loving it.

“Sorrow” – Queue up the rainy day. Let it fly.

“Anyone’s Ghost” – Meh. The redundant chorus and the lackadaisical instrumentation don’t do it for me.

“Little Faith” – It’s been growing on me. The hovering strings and Berninger’s drawn-out drawl is fantastic.

“Lemonworld” – ‘Gave my heart to the army. Only sentimental thing I could think of.’ Gotta love it.

“Conversation 16″ – Emotive and resilient, but I wasn’t afraid of anyone eating anyone’s brains.

“England” – Urgent, melodic, awesome, epic. This is exactly the sound I was hoping for on High Violet. Lo, behold the mighty horns! Finally, I hear the strings! This song itself makes up for everything on this album.

“Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” – The slow-rolling ballad perfectly balances the booming drums and the delicate ivory/ebony keys.

Creepy?

Another edition of bits and pieces, where you’ll find random tracks I’ve been listening to lately and that I think you should hear.

Let’s get started!

Royksopp – “So Easy (Live)”

This is the song that hooked me into Royksopp. Aside from being forever grateful to the track, I’ve always had a healthy obsession with any and all versions of the funked out Norwegian tune.

Felix Da Housecat – “Sinnerman 2010”

This is another take on the stupendous “Sinnerman” remix of Nina Simone’s classic that FDH put out a couple years back. Add some breakbeats and enjoy.

Royksopp & Steve Reich – “Electric Counterpoint: III. Fast (Röyksopp True To Original Edit)”

A not-so-unlikely combo here, as Royksopp chilly vibes mesh well with Reich’s incessant minimalist tendencies.

__________. That’s the space everyone gets for telling me that the following album came out almost a year ago. Now that it’s out of your system, hear me out for a couple of paragraphs.

I’ve had a long time love affair with Zero 7. Aside from the intriguing hooks and genre-breaking endeavors, the wide array of guest singers that have appeared on their albums have been the most captivating of all. Yeah Ghost came out last October, and to mixed reviews. Lead instrumental track “Count Me Out” starts out inconspicuous (or is it mysterious) enough, giving way to the frantic “Mr McGee” that seems more suited for top 40 R&B treatment than an electronic downtempo album. “Swing” brings the listener back to a familiar place, with Binki Shapiro deftly adding her nonchalant vocals over steel drums and hand claps. The lead single “Everything Up (Zizou)”pays homage to famous French soccer star Zinedine Zidane (don’t worry, this song doesn’t headbutt you), and features Henry Binns (half of the Zero 7 duo) singing himself over soft ‘la-la’s” and a guitar that seems to run in place. Nevertheless, it’s Martha Tilston’s appearance on “Pop Art Blue” that highlights the album; the sultry, soft clarity of her voice is as warm as the bouncing bass and sprawling guitar.

The funky synths under the silky stylings of Eska Mtungwazi are only outdone by the comical choruses of ‘simply outrageous’, but the creepy-not-mysterious “Ghost Symbol” and the nonsensical “Sleeper” don’t do much to keep the album on track. Nevertheless, the short-lived and apt-named “Solastalgia” (for the reference, click here) is a 2 minutes of pure instrumental gold that will have you thinking Fleet Foxes was invited to play on the track. Rounding out the album is the oh-so-soulful Mtungwazi singing over the wondrously delicate keyboard on “The Road”.

Get a copy of Yeah Ghost.

Listen to “Pop Art Blue”

Listen to “The Road“