The hottest international act has created another masterpiece with Welcome to Mali, a tantalizing array of  traditional-meets-rock tracks that will make you wonder how “the blind couple from Mali” actually made something so golden.  It’s always hard to judge international acts on the same scale as domestic ones–you have to wonder if music is really that unique. And you have to wonder if positive results are due to honesty or for an appearance of multi-culturalism. I’m not accusing anybody, but you know who you are.

Nevertheless, I digress.  It’s the mess of this political season–I have no reason but to listen to these two in a musical bungaloo of my own creation. They met in a school for the blind, two musical minds in search of drafting and crafting the perfect piece to the plexing puzzle.  Damon Albarn-the ‘near’ to their ‘far’-does no harm here, infusing urgent rock into the lush instrumentation and smooth undulation of “Ce N’est Pa Bon”.

The high-octane “Compagnon De La Vie”, the satiating ballad “Bozos”, and the arching anthemic “I WIll Follow” area all complete delights.  These songs are the comfort in your musical nights of uncertainty, your sonic rites of passage into the world of the world music genre.

So go and enjoy. Go on. Go. Buy a copy of Welcome to Mali.

Listen to “Compagnon De La Vie”

Listen to “Ce N’est Pa Bon”

**Props to my brother for showing me A & M a while back!

If you’re at all familiar with Grand Theft Auto IV (i.e. the commercial), you may have heard a bombastic bass line with the lyrics “I came a long way to see you / now I wish you were dead”.  Put aside the dark imagery, because this song was made for GTA IV and essentially sums up the plot line of the video game.  Niko, a Serbian, is convinced by his brother to come to America for unfathomable riches and women.  Niko soon finds out that it was all a lie and that he is a pawn in his brother’s schemes in America.   And so, Chicago natives Greenskeepers aptly sing “another lookout for the amber waves of grain / green lady moved away and changed her name”.  Really wonderful song, through and through.

Purchase Greenskeepers’ most recent album Polo Club.  See CSV’s review here.

Greenskeepers – “Vagabond” (5/5)

Chicago indie rockers The 1900s (not to be confused with Glasgow’s The 1990s) released the long player Cold and Kind, and I’ve been meaning to review them for a while. Playful pop, with hints of psych-rock and heavy doses of golden AM radio riffs, Cold and Kind is a thoroughly scrumptious delight. True, I have a soft spot for Chicago bands, but believe me when I tell you that this album is as deliciously sweet as it is earnest.

With Andrew Bird-like titles like “Acutiplantar Dude”, I was already hooked. But then “Georgia” came drifting through the speakers–a gorgeous string arrangement and a wonderful harmony that will have you “jumping for joy Georgia” along with ‘em! The trippier, Beck-meets-Allman Brothers (what!!?) “Two Ways” is a guitar-heavy ditty with wonderful lead vocals. Though I’m not ready to grant them credit for the whole 20th century, I will give them their due for Cold and Kind.

So go and grab yourself a copy of Cold and Kind!!

Listen to “Georgia” (4.9/5)

Listen to “When I Say Go” (4.7/5) **from www.the-1900s.com**

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)

Pony up, we’re going to Chicago. Well, at least we’re going to talk about The Ponys, who are from Chicago. Their third release Turn the Lights Out is due out on Matador Records on March 20.

Just so you know whether or not to buy this pretty damn good album when March 20th rolls around, I’ll tell you a little about it. The Ponys have this kind of lo-fi The Strokes feel to them, and the arrangements are certainly more rock-punk driven. The band does a pretty good job of never resorting to excessive loudness to make their point, and I thank the heavens for that. There are some intoxicating basslines (see “Double Vision”) and the vocals are definitely above average. Add some pretty heavy guitar and now we’re talking.

My personal favorite on the album is “Double Vision”, which is a sure bet to be the lead single. It’s catchy, it’s lazy, it’s rock. “1209 Seminary” is also a highlight, which features a infectious chorus. And “Shine” is just a real solid rocking track.

Go and buy Turn the Lights Out.
Matador has provided two songs from the album:
Listen to “Double Vision” (4.6/5)
Listen to “Poser Psychotic” (3.5/5)

Not really. I’m talking about another Chicago band called The Changes. If you haven’t heard of them yet, you’re not alone. Although they’re relatively popular within the confines of the Windy City, the word hasn’t spread too fast to the rest of the country. But don’t let that sway you. The Changes’ debut Today is Tonight is a trippy-indie-pop-album that sounds a lot like the lo-fi product of The Strokes from their fantastic debut Is This It?

Today is Tonight, however, doesn’t have all the weightiness about it that The Strokes had. This is an album that isn’t lacking in substance, but then again, it isn’t a model in breathtaking songwriting either. Nevertheless, it would be a shame to talk down this album. Today is Tonight is about an aesthetic and the band has carefully manicured the album to preserve it. The songs are quite different from one another but they have a certain coherence to them that enhances the total package. Where many bands simply forget the album concept and think only in terms of singles, The Changes seem to have put consistently great tracks on Today is Tonight.

Take for example, the song “When I Wake”, which features a ‘The Ark-esque’ guitar riff and an Elton John-a-la-Crocodile-Rock playfulness to it, is simply 3:15 of bliss. “Modern Love” begins immediately with a rather catchy beat and an even more infectious verse that leads into a very U2-like chorus. My favorite, “Sisters”, has a piano-based riff that delivers more electro-pop ecstasy than anything I’ve heard. During the bridge, the ‘Listen to your heart beat’ part is divine.

I should stop writing. Go and buy the album.
Listen to “Sisters” (4.91 / 5)
Listen to “When I Wake” (4 / 5)

In continuation of CSV’s posts about Chicago bands, I’d like to present you Baby Teeth. The harmonizing trio will often times bring you back to a 75 degree evening along Lake Michigan despite the chilly below-zero weather that this magnificent city is facing right now. There most recent album, wittingly named The Baby Teeth Album, is a collection of frenetic bluesy soul-pop songs that hit more times than they miss.

The album is a model work of versatility–it’s a genre spanning one that ranges from frequent harmonies and catchy organs. Take a listen to “Celebrity Wedding” and you’ll hear a pumpin’ bassline with a catchy “Do-do-do-do” that will be sweetly chirping in your head as the chorus breaks into an organ-induced chant. Or listen to “Butter X” which is more of a ballad type arrangement that explodes from “Oo-wa-oo” into a rocked out bridge.

The Baby Teeth Album seems dated in some ways–it isn’t quite the typical sound you hear nowadays but rather an improvement on its funk-rock predecessors. Either way, you’re bound to have fun with this album.

Go and get yourself a copy of The Baby Teeth Album. Also, be sure to look out for The Simp which comes at you March 17.

Listen to “Celebrity Wedding” (4.5 / 5)
Listen to “Mighty Time” (4 / 5)

The next few posts are going to be dedicated to Chicago-based artists and bands. Being that I’m from Chicago, and I’m going to school near the city, I thought I should let you faithful readers (and those who get here from elbo.ws) know a little bit about the best indie music scene in the country (sorry Seattle, it’s true).

So for today, I’m going to talk about an up-and-coming electro-pop-rock Chicago band that goes by the name Greenskeepers. Aside from incredibly pleasing artwork for their albums and such, there is actually substance to this band. Every time I listen to the music from their latest release Polo Club, I keep on trying to box it in to a genre or a sound. I’ll be honest–I haven’t figured it out quite yet. It’s a little bit like Depeche Mode, but more interesting. It’s a little bit like lounge music, but more varying and certainly better lyrics. Greenskeepers take rather dark subjects and just turn the light on. It almost reminds of the way Nick Drake used to write such beautiful music for darker songs.

What I find the most intriguing about Greenskeepers is that their music takes everything good about trippy electronic grooves and melds them with some above average lyrics. Granted, there are a few instrumentals on Polo Club, like the infectious “Martini Lunches” or “Coconuts”. Both surround in a wall of sound that envelopes you, caresses you, and then rocks with you all night long. Some might call it “mood music”, but I think it’s nothing of the sort. Take a listen to “15 Minutes” and you’ll realize your head’s bopping to the catchy bass while you can help but chime in with the words, ‘Last Night, Last Saturday Night’.

I suggest you have a look at their album, Polo Club.
Not convinced?
Have a listen to “15 Minutes“
Have a listen to “Bloodclots“