Today's Music of the Day is Drive-By Truckers' Brighter Than Creation's Dark. This album came to me via the public library, mostly due to being unfamiliar with the group. There will be no background on the band today, though.
Brighter Than Creation's Dark isn't exactly my cup of tea, but it is a decent album. The themes here are fairly simple - the lyrics are as rustic as the singer's voice - but it's still a far cry from the banality of most top-40 radio. The electric guitar is prevalent here, but the album is still very much a country music album, in spite of the twang being less consistent that one might expect. The mood here varies from feisty and rowdy to subtle and unhappy. Generally, a man with a good-natured voice that sounds of canned beer and dust sings, though a woman with heartache in her voice has turns at the microphone as well.
While the album is perhaps less rambunctious overall than I would prefer, it's not a bad listen. The performance here is somewhat less invested than a personal, small-scale album like the Rural Alberta Advantage's Hometowns, so it's not quite a triumph, but it does have quite a bit going for it. It isn't hard to relate to, and the diversity of tempo and mood are welcome.
In Short: Perhaps not my first choice, but not terrible by any means, and a decent choice for anyone who likes their music a little closer to open skies and green fields.
In Other News:
Thank goodness the week is over. Next week should be horribly busy but fun.
I'm on drugs! They're prescribed. I don't like them, but it's just a short-term deal, and nothing serious. I'll be fine, honestly.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Food and Liquor
Today's Music of the Day is Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor. This album was likely borrowed from the public library, partially in an attempt to diversify my music library, partially because Lupe Fiasco has one of the better names in music today.
While I wouldn't consider myself a rap connoisseur, this album was pretty enjoyable. Fiasco has a sharp, snare-drum cadence to his verses - even the more laid-back songs are crisply punctuated. There's a definite energy to the album; even though the instrumental portion of the album is largely electronic, the potent voices give Food and Liquor some life. Fiasco also has some heavy, literate rhymes, but he's not without a sense of humor - the man sounds equally adept rapping about a man's early death as he does dropping lines about the Sega Genesis.
I'm also normally partial to more organic elements of sound - see my ongoing love of Beirut - but the electronic-dominated album is fairly dynamic. There aren't a ton of guest stars here - it is Fiasco's first album, after all - but those that do show up, such as the female vocalist on "He Say She Say", don't wear out their welcome.
Some tracks are stronger than others - this is the case on virtually any album (except for those that have no redeeming quality, perhaps). Having said that, Food and Liquor is a pretty solid album from top to bottom, save for maybe "Outro", an extended thank-you to everyone involved with the album. Standout tracks - in my opinion, anyway - include "The Cool", "The Instrumental", and both parts of "Kick, Push". This isn't really a dance-rap album, though - 50 Cent lovers beware - but it's not hard to listen to.
In Short: this is a fine album for a budding hip-hop enthusiast, or just someone who is sick of rap songs about money and treating women like crap.
In Other News:
This post was as much fun to write as anything in the last few weeks. Why was this so complicated?
I got some more We Were Promised Jetpacks this week. Despite the beyond stupid name, I'm enjoying the songs very much.
Why can't it be Wednesday night yet?
While I wouldn't consider myself a rap connoisseur, this album was pretty enjoyable. Fiasco has a sharp, snare-drum cadence to his verses - even the more laid-back songs are crisply punctuated. There's a definite energy to the album; even though the instrumental portion of the album is largely electronic, the potent voices give Food and Liquor some life. Fiasco also has some heavy, literate rhymes, but he's not without a sense of humor - the man sounds equally adept rapping about a man's early death as he does dropping lines about the Sega Genesis.
I'm also normally partial to more organic elements of sound - see my ongoing love of Beirut - but the electronic-dominated album is fairly dynamic. There aren't a ton of guest stars here - it is Fiasco's first album, after all - but those that do show up, such as the female vocalist on "He Say She Say", don't wear out their welcome.
Some tracks are stronger than others - this is the case on virtually any album (except for those that have no redeeming quality, perhaps). Having said that, Food and Liquor is a pretty solid album from top to bottom, save for maybe "Outro", an extended thank-you to everyone involved with the album. Standout tracks - in my opinion, anyway - include "The Cool", "The Instrumental", and both parts of "Kick, Push". This isn't really a dance-rap album, though - 50 Cent lovers beware - but it's not hard to listen to.
In Short: this is a fine album for a budding hip-hop enthusiast, or just someone who is sick of rap songs about money and treating women like crap.
In Other News:
This post was as much fun to write as anything in the last few weeks. Why was this so complicated?
I got some more We Were Promised Jetpacks this week. Despite the beyond stupid name, I'm enjoying the songs very much.
Why can't it be Wednesday night yet?
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Plague Park
Today's Music of the Day is the Handsome Furs' Plague Park. This album was loaned to me, and is the first new (to me, anyway) album that I have listened to in CD format in some time.
The Handsome Furs consist of Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade fame) and Alexei Perry, playing guitar and keyboard, respectively. Boeckner contributes the vocals as well; the voice should be recognizable to anyone who has heard Apologies to the Queen Mary. The sound here, compared to Wolf Parade, is fairly minimal - outside of the guitar, keyboard, and vocals, a drum machine powers most of the tracks.
It's a fairly simple concept, in terms of musical interaction, but the album is solid. Standout tracks are the opener - "What We Had" and "Dead + Rural", but there really aren't weak links so much as tracks that are less dramatic. The album as a whole is relatively morose - not hard to listen to, just not as bouncy as an album by Wolf Parade or even, say, TV on the Radio.
In short: Maybe this isn't everyone's album, but it's a good if sober listen.
In Other News:
I feel like I'm not doing this album justice. It's a bit of a niche album but definitely worth listening to. I can see some people hating it, though.
Support Your Local Catgun is likely going to go on hiatus after post #250, which should occur sometime before the end of the month. There are too many other things vying for my time and attention at present, but hopefully the blog will not wither and die.
Go outside today.
The Handsome Furs consist of Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade fame) and Alexei Perry, playing guitar and keyboard, respectively. Boeckner contributes the vocals as well; the voice should be recognizable to anyone who has heard Apologies to the Queen Mary. The sound here, compared to Wolf Parade, is fairly minimal - outside of the guitar, keyboard, and vocals, a drum machine powers most of the tracks.
It's a fairly simple concept, in terms of musical interaction, but the album is solid. Standout tracks are the opener - "What We Had" and "Dead + Rural", but there really aren't weak links so much as tracks that are less dramatic. The album as a whole is relatively morose - not hard to listen to, just not as bouncy as an album by Wolf Parade or even, say, TV on the Radio.
In short: Maybe this isn't everyone's album, but it's a good if sober listen.
In Other News:
I feel like I'm not doing this album justice. It's a bit of a niche album but definitely worth listening to. I can see some people hating it, though.
Support Your Local Catgun is likely going to go on hiatus after post #250, which should occur sometime before the end of the month. There are too many other things vying for my time and attention at present, but hopefully the blog will not wither and die.
Go outside today.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Ghosts of the Great Highway
Today's Music that is Pretty Great is Sun Kil Moon's Ghosts of the Great Highway. This album is one that I got from eMusic some months ago, though it has escaped my blog until just now. It's the work of one Mark Kozelek, apologies for spelling, late of Red House Painters.
Ghosts has a dusty, rural American feel, and mostly features Kozelek's gentle voice and guitar. (I sometimes like to think that Kozelek's voice is Michael Stipe's after having been ironed and smoothed out. This may be wildly inaccurate, or at least dismissive of the inevitable Neil Young comparison.) Generally, the guitar is acoustic and bounding, but occasionally it is traded for a heavy, distorted electric. While the different guitars don't really come with a drastic change of mood or style, the changes in sound are a benefit to this album. Ghosts would stand well alone on its morose-folk merits, but the occasional grinding electric guitar gives it another dimension.
Kozelek is often mentioned as an underappreciated figure in music, and for good reason. Ghosts hardly seems exhaustive, and at the very least, compels me to seek some more Sun Kil Moon. Mostly, though, the title seems to be fitting - this album easily evokes images of dusky skies and open roads, semi trucks lagging up hills, weary gas-station attendants.
Ghosts isn't as fun or as easy to listen to as some of the brighter, poppier albums that I am fond of, but it's definitely worth the trouble. Give "Carry Me Ohio" and "Salvador Sanchez" a try - these are two completely different songs, but they are fairly representative of the album as a whole.
In Short: this is a wonderful album, just try not to let it cloud an otherwise sunny day.
In Other News:
On occasion I give thought to concluding this blog. Maybe it's just something that happens each month as other interests arise and my music library becomes somewhat overutilized.
Who is up for the Hobo Festival?
Ghosts has a dusty, rural American feel, and mostly features Kozelek's gentle voice and guitar. (I sometimes like to think that Kozelek's voice is Michael Stipe's after having been ironed and smoothed out. This may be wildly inaccurate, or at least dismissive of the inevitable Neil Young comparison.) Generally, the guitar is acoustic and bounding, but occasionally it is traded for a heavy, distorted electric. While the different guitars don't really come with a drastic change of mood or style, the changes in sound are a benefit to this album. Ghosts would stand well alone on its morose-folk merits, but the occasional grinding electric guitar gives it another dimension.
Kozelek is often mentioned as an underappreciated figure in music, and for good reason. Ghosts hardly seems exhaustive, and at the very least, compels me to seek some more Sun Kil Moon. Mostly, though, the title seems to be fitting - this album easily evokes images of dusky skies and open roads, semi trucks lagging up hills, weary gas-station attendants.
Ghosts isn't as fun or as easy to listen to as some of the brighter, poppier albums that I am fond of, but it's definitely worth the trouble. Give "Carry Me Ohio" and "Salvador Sanchez" a try - these are two completely different songs, but they are fairly representative of the album as a whole.
In Short: this is a wonderful album, just try not to let it cloud an otherwise sunny day.
In Other News:
On occasion I give thought to concluding this blog. Maybe it's just something that happens each month as other interests arise and my music library becomes somewhat overutilized.
Who is up for the Hobo Festival?
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Battle and Victory
Today's Music of the Day is Nancy Elizabeth's Battle and Victory. This album came to me by way of eMusic, after having heard the accordion-driven "Coriander" on Pandora in the recent past.
Pandora initially suggested "Coriander" based on my love of all things Beirut. This makes sense; the track is fairly earthy, features a singer's voice that brings gypsies to mind, and ends with a flourish of brass. The album that features "Coriander", though, is perhaps not what I was led to expect.
Battle and Victory represents a welcome departure from my semi-consistent indie-rock diet, though the connection to Beirut is reasonable. This album, though, only uses sporadic brass, relying on strings, harp, accordion, and Elizabeth's gray, lilting voice to drive its songs. The sound is very old-fashioned, folky almost to the point of evoking a nineteenth-century carnival or something similar. The songs are deliberate and melancholy, without much hope for a brighter day.
This sort of brooding restraint isn't always easy to listen to, but the songs are difficult not to respect. Each track is a small, grey cloud; alone, one might cover the sun momentarily, but combined, they can change the feeling of a particular day.
In short: if you like gloomy strings with a Mediterranean hint, Battle and Victory is a good place to start.
In Other News:
Well, maybe not today.
Pandora initially suggested "Coriander" based on my love of all things Beirut. This makes sense; the track is fairly earthy, features a singer's voice that brings gypsies to mind, and ends with a flourish of brass. The album that features "Coriander", though, is perhaps not what I was led to expect.
Battle and Victory represents a welcome departure from my semi-consistent indie-rock diet, though the connection to Beirut is reasonable. This album, though, only uses sporadic brass, relying on strings, harp, accordion, and Elizabeth's gray, lilting voice to drive its songs. The sound is very old-fashioned, folky almost to the point of evoking a nineteenth-century carnival or something similar. The songs are deliberate and melancholy, without much hope for a brighter day.
This sort of brooding restraint isn't always easy to listen to, but the songs are difficult not to respect. Each track is a small, grey cloud; alone, one might cover the sun momentarily, but combined, they can change the feeling of a particular day.
In short: if you like gloomy strings with a Mediterranean hint, Battle and Victory is a good place to start.
In Other News:
Well, maybe not today.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Birdseed Shirt
Today's Music of the Day is Birdseed Shirt, by Deleted Scenes. This music was acquired via eMusic due to my complete lack of association with the band. As I have almost no background on this album, let's just talk about the sound.
Birdseed Shirt is largely a benign indie record. It features standard instruments - perhaps a little more drumming than, say, a Phoenix record, but probably less than a Yeah Yeah Yeahs album - and a singer with a relatively thin tenor voice. Some bells and piano show up here, as well, and are generally incorporated well. Most of the songs are pretty safe; occasionally the band gets rambunctious - see "Mortal Sin" - but it's a pretty easygoing record, altogether.
This album is fairly enjoyable, if too safe for its own good. If anything, Deleted Scenes could stand to be more irate or wounded - the lively moments here are the best part of the album. Some of the songs are fairly good - "City That Never Wakes Up" has a nice progression, and "Get Your [Stuff] Together for the Holidays" more so - but mostly, the album isn't engaging enough to be memorable. While I don't personally outright detest this album - it would probably be the best Shins album - I can't strongly recommend it, either.
In Other News:
Yes, the blog posts have been brief as of late. Perhaps I'll get excited about something in the near future.
I've been listening to the Handsome Furs this week. Good stuff - this might be what pushes me back into the 500+ word post territory that I poked around in for a while.
Please let the next two days be merciful.
Birdseed Shirt is largely a benign indie record. It features standard instruments - perhaps a little more drumming than, say, a Phoenix record, but probably less than a Yeah Yeah Yeahs album - and a singer with a relatively thin tenor voice. Some bells and piano show up here, as well, and are generally incorporated well. Most of the songs are pretty safe; occasionally the band gets rambunctious - see "Mortal Sin" - but it's a pretty easygoing record, altogether.
This album is fairly enjoyable, if too safe for its own good. If anything, Deleted Scenes could stand to be more irate or wounded - the lively moments here are the best part of the album. Some of the songs are fairly good - "City That Never Wakes Up" has a nice progression, and "Get Your [Stuff] Together for the Holidays" more so - but mostly, the album isn't engaging enough to be memorable. While I don't personally outright detest this album - it would probably be the best Shins album - I can't strongly recommend it, either.
In Other News:
Yes, the blog posts have been brief as of late. Perhaps I'll get excited about something in the near future.
I've been listening to the Handsome Furs this week. Good stuff - this might be what pushes me back into the 500+ word post territory that I poked around in for a while.
Please let the next two days be merciful.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Hospice
Today's Music of the Day is Hospice, by The Antlers. This came to me by way of eMusic, at the recommendation of a friend. No back story today, just discussion about music.
Hospice is a fairly enjoyable and uplifting record, despite falling somewhere between indie rock and moody film soundtrack. There are vocals, but not much to sing along to; they tend to be muted, almost whispered, appearing only to break up the cloudy piano temporarily. Some strings and horns have a presence, albeit in limited supporting roles.
This is a quiet album, one that doesn't force listening, but requires some attention. Hospice is very much in the vein of DM Stith's Heavy Ghost, and this is a good thing. It's not much of a party record, but in terms of atmosphere, it's has a definite presence. While the tracks that make use of the speakers more tend to stand out (in particular, the gorgeous crescendo of "Wake"), the whole album is pretty solid. I wouldn't mind seeing Antlers engage the listener a little more in the future, but there's definitely not much to complain about here.
In Short: give this a shot, you'll have to pay attention, but it's probably going to be worth it.
In Other News:
I had planned to be on the road and having dinner elsewhere tonight, and haven't purchased rations in a few days, so the evening meal may be an interesting affair. By 'interesting', I mostly mean 'peanut butter-based'.
Hospice is a fairly enjoyable and uplifting record, despite falling somewhere between indie rock and moody film soundtrack. There are vocals, but not much to sing along to; they tend to be muted, almost whispered, appearing only to break up the cloudy piano temporarily. Some strings and horns have a presence, albeit in limited supporting roles.
This is a quiet album, one that doesn't force listening, but requires some attention. Hospice is very much in the vein of DM Stith's Heavy Ghost, and this is a good thing. It's not much of a party record, but in terms of atmosphere, it's has a definite presence. While the tracks that make use of the speakers more tend to stand out (in particular, the gorgeous crescendo of "Wake"), the whole album is pretty solid. I wouldn't mind seeing Antlers engage the listener a little more in the future, but there's definitely not much to complain about here.
In Short: give this a shot, you'll have to pay attention, but it's probably going to be worth it.
In Other News:
I had planned to be on the road and having dinner elsewhere tonight, and haven't purchased rations in a few days, so the evening meal may be an interesting affair. By 'interesting', I mostly mean 'peanut butter-based'.
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