Today's Music That Jason Kind of Likes But Isn't Quite Sure About is The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, by (surprise!) the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. This album, which I think is their debut album, came to me via eMusic by way of the AV Club. Therefore, I have almost no background on the band itself, at least until I wander into Wikipedia again. So let's get down to business.
The Pains have a sound that falls somewhere between the Magnetic Fields and The Cure, with maybe a touch of early R.E.M. mixed in there somewhere. This might give you the impression that the record is something monumental, but that would be an overstatement; however, it's energetic and light, worth listening to if your music doesn't have to be overly pretentious all the time.
This album is full of fuzzy, bouncy rock music. Sometimes it's tender, sometimes it is boisterous, but it is never dull. I would be curious to see what kind of ballads The Pains would put together, if they could even do such a thing; the band seems to have a special metronome that can't be set particularly low. The drummer for the Pains must be some kind of animal.
In short, this is a frantic yet fun album, probably not the musical equivalent of James Joyce, but it's very listenable and won't kill brain cells. At least not any faster than the Pabst will.
In Other News:
Stupid hail.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
March of the Zapotec & Realpeople
Today's Music That Jason Has Opinions About is March of the Zapotec and Realpeople, by Beirut.
Please don't get me started on Beirut. As far as I'm concerned, Zach Condon gets a free pass to make whatever music he wants, based on The Gulag Orkestar, hell, probably just for "Postcards to Italy" and "Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)". Yes, he used the free pass a little with The Flying Club Cup, but if you showed up at my office and said you had tickets to a Beirut show, I'll be damned if I wouldn't figure out some way to go.
Anyhow, Zapotec is part Beirut, part Zach Condon Does Album Leaf or something like that. The first half of the album is traditional Beirut, all horns with a Mediterranean feel to it. While I don't know if it reaches the heights of Gulag Orkestar, this part of the album is not Beirut's least work, and probably falls in with the Lon Gisland EP in terms of sound and quality. It's very listenable; if it doesn't quite reach the stars, it certainly finds a place above the clouds.
The second half of Zapotec is a little more experimental. It has a largely electronic sound, though structurally, it still identifies with the rest of the album (and Beirut in general, as strange as that may seem based on the instrumentation). It relies on the vocals somewhat less to carry the songs, and the mood is a bit more restrained than I would have expected. Naturally, I wouldn't say this is the stronger half of the album, but it's certainly more interesting, if only as a curiosity. It isn't the direction I'd prefer to see Beirut take its sound (as though I have a choice), but it's a surprising change of pace, and not a mistake (if maybe a misstep, though only because the more organic and European sound is something I am fond of).
So, to summarize: A pretty good album, half strong, half interesting, not really a galvanized work, but a worthwhile one.
In Other News:
Man do I need sleep today.
My doctor's report was all positive! Let's drink to that. I should have asked about my shoulder, but it seems to be getting better (albeit not at the rate I would like).
The weather is pretty decent today, and you know what that means.
Please don't get me started on Beirut. As far as I'm concerned, Zach Condon gets a free pass to make whatever music he wants, based on The Gulag Orkestar, hell, probably just for "Postcards to Italy" and "Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)". Yes, he used the free pass a little with The Flying Club Cup, but if you showed up at my office and said you had tickets to a Beirut show, I'll be damned if I wouldn't figure out some way to go.
Anyhow, Zapotec is part Beirut, part Zach Condon Does Album Leaf or something like that. The first half of the album is traditional Beirut, all horns with a Mediterranean feel to it. While I don't know if it reaches the heights of Gulag Orkestar, this part of the album is not Beirut's least work, and probably falls in with the Lon Gisland EP in terms of sound and quality. It's very listenable; if it doesn't quite reach the stars, it certainly finds a place above the clouds.
The second half of Zapotec is a little more experimental. It has a largely electronic sound, though structurally, it still identifies with the rest of the album (and Beirut in general, as strange as that may seem based on the instrumentation). It relies on the vocals somewhat less to carry the songs, and the mood is a bit more restrained than I would have expected. Naturally, I wouldn't say this is the stronger half of the album, but it's certainly more interesting, if only as a curiosity. It isn't the direction I'd prefer to see Beirut take its sound (as though I have a choice), but it's a surprising change of pace, and not a mistake (if maybe a misstep, though only because the more organic and European sound is something I am fond of).
So, to summarize: A pretty good album, half strong, half interesting, not really a galvanized work, but a worthwhile one.
In Other News:
Man do I need sleep today.
My doctor's report was all positive! Let's drink to that. I should have asked about my shoulder, but it seems to be getting better (albeit not at the rate I would like).
The weather is pretty decent today, and you know what that means.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Woman King
Today's Music of the Day is Iron & Wine's Woman King EP. This is something I bought on vinyl and have been listening to, a little bit, over the past few weeks. It's just a six-song EP, and it goes by very quickly, but I would still be hard-pressed not to recommend it to anyone who can tolerate the sound of an acoustic guitar.
The formula for this album is simple, mostly acoustic guitar and some well-placed piano, with Sam Beam shouldering almost all of the vocal duties (I think there are some backup singers harmonizing with him in places). The overall sound is a little more boisterous in tempo (though not necessarily mood) than earlier Iron & Wine albums, and the guitars and piano are reasonably busy. This isn't a bad thing by any means, but it is a nudge towards something other than the Iron & Wine that gave us 'Sea and the Rhythm'. (It definitely serves as a first step, at least, towards the more complicated songs of The Shepherd's Dog.)
Personally, I really enjoy this album. The songs are still brooding and foreboding, and Beam's voice still sounds the way that a cold wind feels. The lyrics are pretty good, though they serve the music more than the other way around. I would be hard pressed to favor a song over the closer, the bouncy "Evening on the Ground (Lilith's Song)", but the title track is very good, and there really isn't a weak link to be found. The only real fault is that the album is an EP; maybe a full-length album wouldn't be able to carry the power in each song that Woman King does.
In Short: If you don't like Iron & Wine, that's fine. I guess. But if you do, and you don't have this album, you should do something about it.
In Other News:
Meh, I'll let you know.
(Also, some of the eMusic I got this month - Beirut, and The Pains of Being Earnest at Heart or something like that, are pretty good. Not sure about those Beirut tracks with the electronics, yet.)
The formula for this album is simple, mostly acoustic guitar and some well-placed piano, with Sam Beam shouldering almost all of the vocal duties (I think there are some backup singers harmonizing with him in places). The overall sound is a little more boisterous in tempo (though not necessarily mood) than earlier Iron & Wine albums, and the guitars and piano are reasonably busy. This isn't a bad thing by any means, but it is a nudge towards something other than the Iron & Wine that gave us 'Sea and the Rhythm'. (It definitely serves as a first step, at least, towards the more complicated songs of The Shepherd's Dog.)
Personally, I really enjoy this album. The songs are still brooding and foreboding, and Beam's voice still sounds the way that a cold wind feels. The lyrics are pretty good, though they serve the music more than the other way around. I would be hard pressed to favor a song over the closer, the bouncy "Evening on the Ground (Lilith's Song)", but the title track is very good, and there really isn't a weak link to be found. The only real fault is that the album is an EP; maybe a full-length album wouldn't be able to carry the power in each song that Woman King does.
In Short: If you don't like Iron & Wine, that's fine. I guess. But if you do, and you don't have this album, you should do something about it.
In Other News:
Meh, I'll let you know.
(Also, some of the eMusic I got this month - Beirut, and The Pains of Being Earnest at Heart or something like that, are pretty good. Not sure about those Beirut tracks with the electronics, yet.)
Friday, February 20, 2009
Pink Moon
Today's Music of the Day is Nick Drake's Pink Moon. This album came to me by way of the public library, finally. Sadly, the disc was a little scratched, and the jewel case is about 40% tape at this point, but I was able to listen to most of the tracks.
This album was a fine way to start a weary Friday. Nick Drake has a wonderful, pleasant voice, and the guitar moves around just enough behind him to complement his vocals rather than intrude at any point. It's a simple formula, but it works. The overall sound is intimate without being overly emotional, and the album is very easy to like. I wish there was more to say about it, but the whole work is wonderful in its simplicity. Sometimes less is more.
I couldn't give credit to everyone who owes a debt to Nick Drake (though he in turn owes a debt to a number of people, probably starting with Paul Simon), but Sam Beam and Jose Gonzalez are the ones in my music library that jump out at me. Drake's music is like a pleasant spring day with a little breeze - maybe not what is always desired, but hard to turn down. In short, don't expect this album to rock, but don't expect it to suck, either.
In Other News:
Damned if the italics control on Blogger wasn't a nuisance to me today, even more so than usual.
I hope this weekend goes well. Winter be damned. I may stay in tonight, just because I haven't actually been at home for an entire evening in three weeks. So if you need me, I'll be watching To Kill a Mockingbird.
This album was a fine way to start a weary Friday. Nick Drake has a wonderful, pleasant voice, and the guitar moves around just enough behind him to complement his vocals rather than intrude at any point. It's a simple formula, but it works. The overall sound is intimate without being overly emotional, and the album is very easy to like. I wish there was more to say about it, but the whole work is wonderful in its simplicity. Sometimes less is more.
I couldn't give credit to everyone who owes a debt to Nick Drake (though he in turn owes a debt to a number of people, probably starting with Paul Simon), but Sam Beam and Jose Gonzalez are the ones in my music library that jump out at me. Drake's music is like a pleasant spring day with a little breeze - maybe not what is always desired, but hard to turn down. In short, don't expect this album to rock, but don't expect it to suck, either.
In Other News:
Damned if the italics control on Blogger wasn't a nuisance to me today, even more so than usual.
I hope this weekend goes well. Winter be damned. I may stay in tonight, just because I haven't actually been at home for an entire evening in three weeks. So if you need me, I'll be watching To Kill a Mockingbird.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Destroyer's Rubies
[Warning: There is Language in today's post but it is quoted from a song and very much in context.]
Today's Music of the Day is Destroyer's Rubies, by one Daniel Bejar, also known as Destroyer. This is the same Daniel Bejar who contributes to the New Pornographers by way of singing and songwriting. He apparently will also tour with the band, drinking copious amounts of red wine and sometimes getting on stage to sing his part.
Ahem. Destroyer's Rubies is a pretty interesting album, albeit one that seems to have been conceived under the influence of some chemicals that I don't have access to. There is an occasional moment of clarity, usually driven by a guitar, but this album is mostly smooth and meandering. The piano often takes center stage, along with Bejar's punchy, half-spoken vocals. The lyrics are fairly interesting if somewhat unfocused and nonsensical; I will say that Bejar resorts to 'la la la' and its ilk more often than my taste would permit.
For the most part, I didn't care for this album all that much. It's not offensive, and rarely rambunctious, and therein lies the problem. There are moments where the songs build to a crescendo, and allow the guitar or the piano to cut loose, but these precious seconds are few and far between. This album could stand to have some more direction and less unoffensive droning. Still, "European Oils" and "Sick Priest Learns to Last Forever" have their moments.
So in short, this album has its strong points - lyrics, occasional instrumentation, somewhat goofy vocals - but it's far too mellow and gentle overall for my taste. I do prefer Bejar's contributions to the New Pornographers - some of which fall among the group's best songs - where he is writing for a different group of performers (and a different audience, likely). The more concise and structured pop songs he has written for the group are generally excellent, which makes the milquetoast effort here something of a letdown. But not completely terrible.
When I'm at war I insist on slaughter and getting it on with
the hangman's daughter.
She needs release.
She needs to feel at peace with her father, the fucking maniac...
In Other News:
Apparently, due to Bejar's punchy vocals, there is a whole site dedicated to transcribing his lyrics:
Destroyer Wiki
My shoulder still aches but it's at least 50% better than it was at this time yesterday. So perhaps there is hope! Or maybe I just need to complain about things here and they will fix themselves.
There is a new Beirut EP out today.
Today's Music of the Day is Destroyer's Rubies, by one Daniel Bejar, also known as Destroyer. This is the same Daniel Bejar who contributes to the New Pornographers by way of singing and songwriting. He apparently will also tour with the band, drinking copious amounts of red wine and sometimes getting on stage to sing his part.
Ahem. Destroyer's Rubies is a pretty interesting album, albeit one that seems to have been conceived under the influence of some chemicals that I don't have access to. There is an occasional moment of clarity, usually driven by a guitar, but this album is mostly smooth and meandering. The piano often takes center stage, along with Bejar's punchy, half-spoken vocals. The lyrics are fairly interesting if somewhat unfocused and nonsensical; I will say that Bejar resorts to 'la la la' and its ilk more often than my taste would permit.
For the most part, I didn't care for this album all that much. It's not offensive, and rarely rambunctious, and therein lies the problem. There are moments where the songs build to a crescendo, and allow the guitar or the piano to cut loose, but these precious seconds are few and far between. This album could stand to have some more direction and less unoffensive droning. Still, "European Oils" and "Sick Priest Learns to Last Forever" have their moments.
So in short, this album has its strong points - lyrics, occasional instrumentation, somewhat goofy vocals - but it's far too mellow and gentle overall for my taste. I do prefer Bejar's contributions to the New Pornographers - some of which fall among the group's best songs - where he is writing for a different group of performers (and a different audience, likely). The more concise and structured pop songs he has written for the group are generally excellent, which makes the milquetoast effort here something of a letdown. But not completely terrible.
When I'm at war I insist on slaughter and getting it on with
the hangman's daughter.
She needs release.
She needs to feel at peace with her father, the fucking maniac...
In Other News:
Apparently, due to Bejar's punchy vocals, there is a whole site dedicated to transcribing his lyrics:
Destroyer Wiki
My shoulder still aches but it's at least 50% better than it was at this time yesterday. So perhaps there is hope! Or maybe I just need to complain about things here and they will fix themselves.
There is a new Beirut EP out today.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Shapes
Today's Music of the Day is Shapes, by Polvo. I don't think there is any great back story to this album, just that it was for sale in the 'Used CD' section of a local store and I thought it worth $6 to check out the album.
Shapes is an eclectic, post-rock success that was well worth the few dollars I spent for it. There aren't really any tracks to sing along to - the vocals are used sparingly at best - but the tracks all stand alone. That isn't to say that the album doesn't work as a whole, because it does, but rather that the individual tracks each have their own sound. There's guitar all over the place, some horns, it's really tough to keep track.
Most of the tracks are pretty good! The lone exception, "El Rocio", isn't really bad, but it has sort of a melancholy sound without much progression, and goes on for twelve minutes, over twice as long as the next longest track. My personal favorites are tracks five and six, "Downtown Dedication" (easily the standout) and "Pulchritude", respectively. "Rock Post Rock" is also a strong track.
The album is worth a listen if you enjoy instrumental post-rock at all; Polvo's sound here seems to be much less predictable than most post-rock bands, but that's hardly a bad thing. Just don't expect anything poppy and singable here.
In Other News:
Somebody fix my shoulder.
Shapes is an eclectic, post-rock success that was well worth the few dollars I spent for it. There aren't really any tracks to sing along to - the vocals are used sparingly at best - but the tracks all stand alone. That isn't to say that the album doesn't work as a whole, because it does, but rather that the individual tracks each have their own sound. There's guitar all over the place, some horns, it's really tough to keep track.
Most of the tracks are pretty good! The lone exception, "El Rocio", isn't really bad, but it has sort of a melancholy sound without much progression, and goes on for twelve minutes, over twice as long as the next longest track. My personal favorites are tracks five and six, "Downtown Dedication" (easily the standout) and "Pulchritude", respectively. "Rock Post Rock" is also a strong track.
The album is worth a listen if you enjoy instrumental post-rock at all; Polvo's sound here seems to be much less predictable than most post-rock bands, but that's hardly a bad thing. Just don't expect anything poppy and singable here.
In Other News:
Somebody fix my shoulder.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The Tigers Have Spoken
Today's Music of the Day is The Tigers Have Spoken, by the lovely Neko Case. This is a live album, recorded in 2004, perhaps? It's recorded with The Sadies, who are definitely worth checking out, and Kelly Hogan, who is probably the world's most talented backing vocalist.
The Tigers Have Spoken is definitely a Neko Case album, whether you would call her music 'country' or 'alt-country' or 'country noir' or 'cross country' or 'Lucky Charms'. It's country, I suppose, but not really being much of a country listener myself, I wouldn't know what to compare it to, exactly.
This album is something of a pot luck, as it contains mostly Neko songs, and a couple covers. Some of the Neko songs are new on this album, and a couple also appear on Blacklisted. There's also a surprise, but I would hate to spoil it for anyone who might have even a little interest in listening to this album.
This is a pretty great album! It's a little twangy, which I owe to the presence of the covers of the old-timey country songs, but Neko certainly does them justice. I am partial to Neko's original songs, though; the title track and "Hex" are probably my favorites, though "Train From Kansas City" and "Blacklisted" are strong as well. Even the tracks with a stronger country feel to them ("Loretta", "This Little Light") are eminently listenable, largely due to Neko's voice. (This much, I could go on and on about.)
So, in short: this is a pretty great album, and particularly interesting to any Neko fan who can see the transition here between Blacklisted and 2006's excellent Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. Also, I would be remiss not to mention the marvelous album art, which is almost worth buying the CD for alone (oh, to have this album on vinyl - I would probably just hang it up somwhere). This is just the cover art. Maybe I just like tigers more than most people.
Please, Neko, don't sue me for linking to this album cover.
In Other News:
I'm still not sure what this weekend holds. Hopefully less snow than is forecasted, though.
I am happy that this Saturday is Valentine's Day. Not so much for the day itself, as I think it's a Hallmark holiday and kind of despicable (I suppose it's easy to be single and bitter, though), but because it means Easter candy will be available soon. Creme Eggs!
The Tigers Have Spoken is definitely a Neko Case album, whether you would call her music 'country' or 'alt-country' or 'country noir' or 'cross country' or 'Lucky Charms'. It's country, I suppose, but not really being much of a country listener myself, I wouldn't know what to compare it to, exactly.
This album is something of a pot luck, as it contains mostly Neko songs, and a couple covers. Some of the Neko songs are new on this album, and a couple also appear on Blacklisted. There's also a surprise, but I would hate to spoil it for anyone who might have even a little interest in listening to this album.
This is a pretty great album! It's a little twangy, which I owe to the presence of the covers of the old-timey country songs, but Neko certainly does them justice. I am partial to Neko's original songs, though; the title track and "Hex" are probably my favorites, though "Train From Kansas City" and "Blacklisted" are strong as well. Even the tracks with a stronger country feel to them ("Loretta", "This Little Light") are eminently listenable, largely due to Neko's voice. (This much, I could go on and on about.)
So, in short: this is a pretty great album, and particularly interesting to any Neko fan who can see the transition here between Blacklisted and 2006's excellent Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. Also, I would be remiss not to mention the marvelous album art, which is almost worth buying the CD for alone (oh, to have this album on vinyl - I would probably just hang it up somwhere). This is just the cover art. Maybe I just like tigers more than most people.
Please, Neko, don't sue me for linking to this album cover.
In Other News:
I'm still not sure what this weekend holds. Hopefully less snow than is forecasted, though.
I am happy that this Saturday is Valentine's Day. Not so much for the day itself, as I think it's a Hallmark holiday and kind of despicable (I suppose it's easy to be single and bitter, though), but because it means Easter candy will be available soon. Creme Eggs!
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