Scripted Failures

I heard stirrings about Fleet Foxes over the last year, but until relatively recently, I hadn’t heard them. It wasn’t until their SNL performance in January that I even knew what they sounded like. I’ve come to realize that their self-titled album is easily one of the best albums of 2008.

The performance itself was flawless, with every vocal harmony intact. It was one of the most impressive performances on SNL in many years. I’ve since obtained a copy of their full-length (as well as the previous Sun, Giant EP) and it hasn’t left my iPod (I’m one of those people that doesn’t have one big enough for their entire library).

I can hear a lot of other bands in their music, including (obviously) The Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, and newer acts such as Maria Taylor, Band of Horses, and Iron and Wine. I find the best time to listen to Fleet Foxes is in the evening, when you’re winding down to go to bed. And while I’m not a morning person, I would imagine waking up to it would be pleasant as well. It’s certainly a relaxing record, yet it maintains the necessary energy to keep from boring the listener.

Standout tracks “White Winter Hymnal,” “He Doesn’t Know Why,” and “Blue Ridge Mountains”) are interspersed at even intervals, which makes it hard not to listen straight through.

Watch their performance of “Blue Ridge Mountains” on SNL

No one will likely argue that music is mood-dependent, to be sure. What can be amazing in one mood can seem so boring or uninteresting in another mood. It’s in this light that I write this review.

This morning, at work, as I trudged through a couple of software tests I needed to run, I plugged in my trusty iPod and tried to decide what I wanted to listen to. I eventually decided on the Cursive Mama, I’m Swollen bonus tracks, which I hadn’t listened to yet, but which came downloadable with the LP. It was fun to hear the demos of the original songs, and interesting to hear the songs that didn’t make it. But I found that I didn’t really care very much about it.

Next, I decided on The Fire Theft. I’d been hearing about this one for ages from fellow SF-blogger Justin, but I never managed to get around to giving it a full listen. I got about halfway through their self-titled album and found that I was getting bored.

It was then that I realized what I really needed. Comfort music. I’ve been feeling unusually down today (I blame it on Monday), and I tried to think of the last album that really made my smile. That was The Gaslight Anthem’s The ‘59 Sound (which I only recently discovered, as 2008 just had too much music to digest).

As I’m listening to it right now, it’s, unsurprisingly, making me feel a lot better. Like a warm blanket when you’re cold, The Gaslight Anthem delivers nostalgia, sadness, and hope, but you’re safely sheltered from the experiences by brilliant hooks, beautiful melodies, and (I mean this in the best possible way) predictably delectable arrangements.

Their hapless country charm shines humility on them, and that coupled with the 60’s-era spring vocal delay, it’s nigh-impossible not to feel the sincerity in Brian Fallon’s voice. Their hit single, “The ‘59 Sound,” is one of the saddest and yet most loving songs that’s hit me lately. I won’t bother to quote any of it out of context, because it works so much better as a piece.

The only negative thing I can say about this album is that thirteen tracks may have been a bit ambitious. It hurts to say, but by the end, I’m ready for it to be over. And the cardinal rule of music (and maybe of all arts/entertainment) is “Leave Them Wanting More.” Well, it may not be immediately, but when you’re feeling down (or even blissful), you’ll definitely find yourself crawling back into this record like a frightened puppy in a thunderstorm.

So today, Joy Electric posted the title track of their new album, “My Grandfather, the Cubist”, which comes out May 27th, on their myspace.  It’s sweet.  Here’s my review of the song:

Opening up with the atmospherics and percussive elements that have become a Joy Electric trademark, the song then blooms into a sweet chord progression with a beautiful, and instantly catchy lead line.  The minimalism promised on this record is instantly noticeable and it works incredibly well.  It’s like the elements that need to be there to have a full fufilling song are there, but any extraneous elements that might detract from the song aren’t.  Ronnie’s non-effected upfront vocals are also noticeable right off the bat.  I was very interested to see what these would sound like and they sound absolutely wonderful.  They sound very emotional and very fragile.  As a comparison point, think of the vocals on the verse of “Write Your Last Paragraph”, and you’ve got your sound.

Basically, this song sounds like a more minimalistic version of the Joy Electric I fell in love with way back in 1997.  Based on this song, it seems like this album may be the a return to the “Melody” era of songwriting in terms of chord progressions and lead lines which isn’t a bad thing at all.  I enjoy every Joy Electric record, but “Melody” and “We are the Music Makers” are the two records that have had the most emotional impact on me.  That said, this song has me more excited for this new Joy Electric record than I have been for any of the recent ones, besides maybe “The Otherly Opus”, and it should be noted I get very excited for the release of every new Joy Electric record.  All that said, this maybe their “Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice”, which, like that Starflyer 59 record, fully renews my love of the band and makes me remember all the things that made me fall in love with them all those years ago.

I really don’t know what else to say.  It’s a wonderful song and everyone definitely needs to check it out.  If you didn’t notice, check out that bitchin’ cover art.  Best Joy Electric cover ever? Possibly!  May 27th is going to be a good day.

My first listen to this song was sitting on my girlfriend’s couch, both of us hearing the song for the first time.  I must admit on first listen my main thought was, “What the hell has happened to Death Cab”.  I was not impressed and frankly a bit let down.  My girlfriend expressed love for the song right off the bat.  I told her, “I’m not digging it, but given the fact that I hated ‘Plans’ on first listen, only to love it on repeated listens, I’m sure this will grow on me”.  Well kids, prophecy fufilled.

For the first four minutes or so, before the vocals come in, you might think you’re listening to a new Yo La Tengo track.  You might think of something like a less fuzzed out, more piano heavy “Pass the Hatchet, I think I’m Goodkind”, or other YLT slow burners that are escaping my memory right now.  This is due to the repetative bass groove, guitar noodles, and piano chords that come in and out.  I swear as I listen to it right now, I expect, at any second, for Georgia Hubley or Ira Kaplan to suddenly start their quiet singing, alone or together, about their married life or any other of the myriad topics they cover in their songs.  This is not a bad thing, or a bad sign, as I do love YLT.

Once the vocals come in, the YLT nuances fade a bit and things become a little more distinctly Death Cab, but a Death Cab you’ve never heard before.  That isn’t to say the YLT feel totally disappears but it does amp down a bit.  As Jim pointed out in the earlier post about this song, the lyrics are typical Ben Gibbard fare, which once again is not a bad thing, because he’s an accomplished lyricist, whom I respect greatly.

The song becomes distinctly Death Cab around the 6:45 mark, with a distinctly Death Cab breakdown.  How is it a distinctly Death Cab breakdown?  I can’t really explain it, but it just is.  I think it’s one of the highlights of the song.  It’s the part that wakes you up from the trance the rest of the song has put you in, because this is truly an entrancing song.

After the breakdown, though, things settle back into more YLT territory, but, don’t worry kids, I don’t think Death Cab is turning into a YLT tribute band or anything of that sort.  Anyone who’s followed Death Cab through their stellar career knows that each album is a new adventure in sound, and that Death Cab always follows their own muse.  I’ve read in interviews that “Narrow Stairs” is a reaction to the exceptionally layered production of “Plans”.  This entrancing 8 minute romp through YLT-esque territory is just one reaction to “Plans”.  I certainly don’t expect every song to be this way.  I feel heavily assured that there will be, as there always is, at least one, two, or maybe more immeadiate songs that stick in your head and grab at your heart from the first listen.

The main complaint I’ve read, at least in the reviews on iTunes of this song, is the fact that it takes four minutes for the vocals to come in.  This makes me wonder how much indie rock these reviewers have actually listened to.  After all, elongated intros are nothing new in indie rock.  They might be a bit new in the world of Death Cab’s music, but certainly not in the wide field of indie rock.  On that premise, I call bullshit on those negative reviews.  On top of that, it’s not like the first four minutes before the lyrics come in is filled with pointless noise.  Sure it’s based on a repetative bass line, guitar noodles, and coming and going piano chords, but it’s a good bass line, good guitar noodles, and good coming and going piano chords. So fuck those negative reviews, cause those reviewers just need to open their minds and let the new Death Cab shine in.

Everything that Death Cab has said about this album has been to the tune of “this is going to be a divisive record among Death Cab fans”.  This first single, right off the bat, proves to me that this is going to be true.  If this track is any indication, I think I won’t have any problem getting on Death Cab’s new musical train.  Seriously, this track makes me excited just to hear all the new avenues that will be explored on this record.  From the snippets of comments about the lyrical topics, I think there will be some real heartbreakers on this record, “Your New Twin Size Bed” I’m looking at you.

So if you’re freaked out on first listen, or tempted to write Death Cab off as totally fucking up their good name, relax, take a few more listens, and see if this doesn’t grow on you.  I bet it will.

Death Cab for Cutie released (streaming from their MySpace) the first single from their forthcoming album, Narrow Stairs.  It’s an 8 and a half-minute jam called “I Will Possess Your Heart,” where the at least the first half is a bass-infused groove reminiscent of a more mid-tempo, jammier, “National Anthem.”  It’s pretty good.  The lyrics strike me as typical Gibbard fare.  I think it could’ve been shorter, but they warned us.  People are already preemptively calling this Album of the Year, which is a bit far to go after one single, but it definitely has promise.

Honestly, though, it’s not quite as much of a change as I was expecting, given the original promises/threats.  Take a listen:

I’ve been seeing the newest Fair to Midland album, “Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True,” at Best Buy for a long time, and while its artsy cover and long title always intrigued me, I never bothered to take a listen to it.  Not too long ago, I stumbled upon their earlier “Drawn and Quartered EP” for $1, and so I picked it up.  It contains older demos and a few live tracks from their independent releases.  The reason I’m writing all of this is because the first track on this EP is killer.  I can’t stop listening to it.  So I thought I’d share.

Fair to Midland, “Orphan Anthem ‘86″

I’ll admit, upon listening to this song, one of my first reactions was that they were a Christian band.  The following lines piqued my curiosity:

Instilled in us ethics, not by god, but by our choice
I can’t even imagine, but I can see it
and
Encompassed by standards, and we give ourselves all of the credit
Can’t put my finger on it, but I can see it

I did a quick Google Search and came upon an interview that the lead singer, Darroh Sudderth, did with Mp3.com.  Here’s what he had to say on the subject (I thought the interviewer was not-so-subtle in his questioning):

Chris Rolls:You said you were out on the road with…who did you say, Flyleaf?
Darroh Sudderth:Yes.
Chris: Not now, but before…the Christian hardcore band?
Darroh: Yes, sir.
Chris: Now, I have to ask: Do you have any particular religious affinities?
Darroh: It all depends on which one of us you ask. I wouldn’t say we’re a Christian band, but some of us are Christians in the band.
Chris: I see. I see. But it’s not something that you’re promoting as a band?
Darroh: No. No.
Chris: OK.
Darroh: It may be something that subconsciously comes through at some points, with one or more of the members. But…yeah.
Chris: But is it something that you work into your lyricism?
Darroh: Well, I grew up…me personally…I’m sure it works its way into a lot of the lyrical content because I grew up in the Bible Belt.  So it’s almost…  But I won’t say which ones of us are Christians and which ones aren’t and which are atheists. But it’s about a 50/50. We’re cut in half.
Chris: Well, that must make for some interesting conversation on the road, especially if you’re doing a rock tour.
Darroh: Oh, yeah.

The whole interview is worth reading, actually.  They sound like an interesting band.  I’ll have to give their latest endeavor a listen.

I was wrong.  Yes, that’s right, I was wrong, and have been for three years.  Contrary to my early opinions and outspoken rants to my friends, The Flaming Lips’ “At War with the Mystics” does not suck.  I came to this realization today while giving it another try.  Now, while I have thought it was a terrible record for the past three years, I did enjoy right off the bat songs like “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song”, which is so incredibly joyous, “Vein of Stars”, which is one of the most haunting songs The Flaming Lips have recorded, and “Goin’ On”, which makes me feel more hopeful about the world’s future and my own personal future.  But other than that I basically hated the rest of the album, sans a few classic sounding Flaming Lips instrumental passages.  So this is my retraction and explanation of my sudden conversion.

Granted, some of you are probably saying right now, “Jesus Justin, this record isn’t as good as “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots”, which wasn’t as good as “The Soft Bulletin”, but was still good, and this record is literal light years away from being as good as “The Soft Bulletin”, which is in my opinion their best album.  I concede this willingly, but I will argue that, despite all that, it is a good record.  Just because a band’s new record isn’t as good as their past records doesn’t automatically bar it from being a good record.  Now that we’ve gotten out of that way, let me explain my sudden conversion.

I went into this album, as many of you probably did, hoping for some fusion of the dense orchestral beauty of “The Soft Bulletin” with the spacey synthetic-ness and ethereal instrumental tendencies of “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots”.  Therein lay my problem, and possibly your problem.  Coming into a record with such huge expectations like that is never a good thing.  Granted with bands like The Flaming Lips, whose past output has been so amazing, it’s hard not to have those expectations.  My sudden conversion came today when I dropped those expectations and listened to the album for what it is.  If “The Soft Bulletin” was The Flaming Lips doing orchestral pop, and “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” was The Flaming Lips doing synth-laden pop, then “At War with the Mystics” is The Flaming Lips doing some odd mixture of funk, rock, prog, spacey pop, and hippy protest songs all filtered through The Flaming Lips incredibly psychedelic lens.

Don’t believe me on that description?  Just look at the lyrics.  Most of them are direct reactions and protests to the then current and, unfortunately, still current darkness of the Bush regime and the world in general.  Look at the long song titles, especially the one with multiple parts separated by slashes.  That just screams hot prog action.  The songs with the aforementioned long titles scream hot prog action too, with their multiple sections, and twists and turns.  As for the funk, if you’ve listened to the record you know there’s some damn funky songs on there.

What I find most endearing about the album is the positivity.  Sure it’s hippy protest music, but it’s so incredibly positive.  It takes the world view of “Sure things are really fucked up, but there’s enough of us malcontents to turn this situation around if we really band together.”  Maybe I’m just a damn dirty hippy, but I can get behind that.  Of
course there’s also those beautiful Flaming Lips instrumental passages that I can never get enough of.

So listen to the record with all this in mind and see if you like it a bit better.  After all how can you resist Wayne singing, “We got the power now! Motherfuckers it’s where it belongs!,” on “The W.A.N.D (The Will Always Negates Defeat)”.  Just thinking about that puts a big goofy grin on my face.  Granted, there is still a semi-clunker or two on the record like “It Overtakes Me/The Stars Are So Big…I Am So Small…Do I Stand a Chance”, that I’m still on the fence about, but even semi-clunkers like that have their moments of grandeur.  Just listen to the second half of that song, which is the “The Stars Are So Big…” half, which begins with a classic Flaming Lips spacey instrumental and continues on with some gentle singing by Wayne.

I admit I haven’t gotten to the point where I’m totally ga ga about the album yet, but I have come to the conclusion that it is a good record.  So drop your preconceptions, listen to the record with the description I gave above in mind, and see what happens.  Leave comments and let me know if it changes your opinion.  I’m curious.

I’d like to issue a minor correction to my previous “In Rainbows” review.  After buying the physical copy at FYE, and listening to it again, I can honestly say that it ranks up there with their last few albums.  “Not that great” was a bit of an understatement.  I was disappointed because my expectations were too high.

I still don’t think it’s “Ok Computer,” but it’s definitely “Hail to the Thief.”

I’ll just rest easy knowing that I wrote that short-sighted review on an indie blog that no one will ever read, and not after we become huge.

Also, for people that haven’t heard somehow, Radiohead released some live studio footage on New Year’s Eve.  It contained the entirely of “In Rainbows” performed live in the studio.  As you would expect, they changed up the songs quite a bit from what I’ve heard.  Justin and I are planning on watching it tonight.  I’m highly looking forward to it.

There’s no reason for me to go into a huge history of this band, because they’ve been all over the blogosphere lately, and if I remember correctly Pitchfork was all about their current EP “Wizard of Ahhhs”.  In typical idiotic me fashion, for some reason, despite all the press, I wrote the band off and didn’t bother to give them a listen.  It took, and this is sort of sad I guess, a Rolling Stone article about The Black Kids being one of the ten bands to watch in 2008 to get me to give them a chance.  I can’t help it, they said they sounded like The Cure without the black lipstick plus a bit of teen spirit.  With a Cure comparison I had to check them out.  So I did.

“Hit the Heartbrakes,” is the lead-off track of their aforementioned EP and it’s a killer one.  The opening riff that breaks into some sort of mutant fusion of Arcade Fire and 80s brit pop hooked me immediately. The production and mix is a bit messy but it works perfectly for what they’re doing here.  This song has an undeniable groove.  The synths are 80s gold, and the male vocalist sounds like Winn Butler channeling Robert Smith, while the female vocalist sounds like a long lost Motown girl group singer.  The verses are huge, and the chorus is huge too.  Hell the whole song is huge!  Just listen to the “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” style synth string riff before the mid-song breakdown!  This is another song I’d love to shake my ass to at a party.  The rest of their EP hasn’t hit me quite yet, but it’s still quite boss, and I’m sure I’ll be addicted to it soon.

Hear the song here at The Black Kid’s Myspace!

Okay, so now I’m truly going to destroy all my indie cred, but I can’t help it.  “Famous Last Words” is one of the most emotionally draining songs I’ve ever heard.  I know this record has been out for over a year, but who cares.  Sure, My Chemical Romance is way too over theatrical, but sometimes it works, and on this track it works like a charm.  The intro is sorta quiet, except for Gerard Way’s sneering vocals and those big guitar hits, before that nasty guitar riff comes in.  The verses are all brash and in your face with some nice guitar riffage, nothing too complex but perfect for the song.  The pre-chorus sweetens things up a little bit, and then comes the fucking huge chorus.  It’s huge I tell you.  “I am not afraid to keep on living. I am not afraid to walk this world alone.  Honey if you stay you’ll be forgiven.  Nothing you can say can stop me going home,” it goes.  Then after another round of verse, pre-chorus, and chorus, we get a huge Queen-ish build-up replete with big arena rock guitar solos, before it quiets down again.  Now all this is great in and of itself, but the real treat comes at the end of the song.  When the gut wrenching chords come in, things start building, the synths start to kick in full force, the lyrics build to their climax, and Gerard Way shoots up an octave to sing “I sleep all days, cause I see you lying next to me, with words I thought I’d never speak awake and unafraid”, that’s when the orgasm begins.  It reaches its totally satisfying conclusion when the vocal layers pile on the already huge musical canvas playing the aforementioned lyrics against the chorus lyrics.  The song fades out with these dueling layers in the forefront making you want to hit previous on your mp3 player to do it alllll over again.  I swear my heart breaks everytime i hear this song.  I don’t know why I resonate emotionally so much with this song, but I just do.  I think it’s the romanticism of those last lines.  Eventhough the kid has cancer he feels all right because the one he loves is lying beside him.  A hopeless romantic I admittedly am.