The Tallest Man On Earth

Perhaps because it’s such an overcrowded genre, but there’s very rarely a folk singer-songwriter that’s able to break away from the pack and make an album that is truly worth seeking out. I believe that The Tallest Man On Earth‘s (who is in fact the average height Kristian Matsson) The Wild Hunt to be one of those albums. The Swedish artist made a lot of fans with his 2008 debut Shallow Grave and on this album continues to impress with his engaging and charming folk tunes.

The delicately finger-picked “Troubles Will Be Gone” was the song that immediately drew me in. His crackling vocals sound rustic and road-weary, a fine quality for a folk singer, and his lyrics are honest and poignant.  This song is stunningly pretty with a melody that stops you in your tracks.  “Burden of Tomorrow” shows Kristian is just as potent when replaces the finger-picks with some lively strumming.  The song has some truly lovely lyrics such as these poetic lines: “Rumour has it that I wasn’t born/ I just walked in one frosty morn/ Into the vision of some vacant mind … But I will fight this stranger that you should fear / So I won’t be a burden of tomorrow dear.”

MP3 Troubles Will Be Gone
MP3 Burdens of Tomorrow

The Wild Hunt is due out April 13th. Pre-order it here.

Track Reviews: The National, Hold Steady, LCD Soundsystem

MP3 The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio

Although the The National first met in Brooklyn, NY all five members grew up in Cincinnati, OH, which makes the first single on their highly anticipated new album, High Violet, a thematic return to their roots. The song focuses on the band’s complicated relationship with their hometown from the intense, intoxicating sensation that arises from being among your blood relatives (a “blood buzz”) to the feelings of disenchantment and anguish in lines like “I never thought about love, when I thought about home”. The wistful musings are backed by the band’s striking, dynamic sound that they have perfected over the last decade. Matt Berninger’s distinctive baritone is in excellent form while the captivating percussion propells the song forward. In the last minute, trumpet and piano join the spirited guitar riff culminating in an unbelieveably gorgeous climax. I already count this among the band’s best songs, and for this particular band, that’s saying a whole lot.

MP3 The Hold Steady – Hurricane J

The Hold Steady are set to release their fifth album, Heaven Is Whenever, this year, and lucky for us the band are still making positive jams and and reminiscing about those massive nights. This song has Craig Finn in familiar territory singing about the beautiful, messed up girl who’s caught up with the wrong crowd. The production here sounds a bit more clean and crisp then before, which amplifies the band’s melodic, anthemic qualities. As always, there’s some amazing lyrics (“You’re a beautiful girl / And you’re a pretty good waitress” was an instant fave) and an epic rock-and-roll chorus that will be awesome to sing live. Seriously though, it’s the frickin’ Hold Steady, what did you expect?

MP3 LCD Soundsystem – Drunk Girls

When I first listened to LCD Soundsystem‘s “Drunk Girls” my first thought was that while it’s certainly a fun party song, it was too brazen, too obvious, maybe even a bit obnoxious. As I’ve listened to it more though, the song has steadily grown on me. James Murphy’s Bowie / Eno / Lou Reed influence is stronger than ever on this track, musically the song is similar to “White Light / White Heat” and I can’t help but think of “Boys Keep Swinging” when I heard those chanting background vocals. The chorus packs a huge punch and the densely-packed outro is incredible. This is going to be a rager live. The song doesn’t have the same transcendent, cut-to-the-heart quality as my favorite LCD tracks (“All My Friends, “Something Great”) but as the successor to “North American Scum”, this song more than suffices.

Bonobo

Few comparisons come to mind when analyzing the musical intelligence of British Musician, Producer, and DJ Simon Green. The high-caliber samplist more widely known as Bonobo has tackled his 10-year mark with another full-length album that challenges the idea of change. Surely, one might expect more from a four-year hiatus, but in never straying from the qualities that suit him best, Black Sands might stand as Green’s most concise record to date. He has quietly studied our prolific ideas of escapism and transformed them into a blueprint of sorts, reassuring any second guessing producer and resonating even with new listeners exactly why he’s been able to make a career out of music.

Bonobo’s ability to never let any one sound outshine another is ultimately what makes this and every album of his so listenable. Black Sands emphasizes on this complete lack of ambiguity between instruments while inadvertently heightening the listener’s sense for sequence. This engaging quality is a thing of real beauty and it will quickly allow you to understand why he as honed a sound that is almost fathering to the genre itself. Don’t get me wrong, Andreya Triana clearly takes this record to another level, but it is his skill for flight that really lifts you into another dimension. I can’t help but make a reference to Oscar Wilde’s belief that art sets the aesthetic principles by which people perceive life. Really, it’s that good.

Bonobo – All In Forms
Bonobo – Eyesdown Feat. Andreya Triana

Boom! Boom boom, cha! Redux

A little over a month ago I posted the Boom! Boom boom, cha! (“Be My Baby” Drum Intro) Mix and I’ve been overjoyed with the great response it’s been getting. As I said before, the Phil Spector-penned / Ronettes-performed “Be My Baby” intro is possibly the most iconic drum beat in pop music and has been used in a number of variations by artists time and time again. Using both your additions from the last post and some of my own research, I’ve compiled 18 more songs with the “boom, boom boom, cha!” beat (or some variation of it) of artists from Au Revoir Simone to Billy Joel for this mix. Again, if there’s any more “Be My Baby” drum beats out there, let me know in the comments. Enjoy!

Download “Boom! Boom boom, cha! Redux” (86MB)

MP3 The Ronettes – Be My Baby
MP3 Brendan Benson – The Pledge
MP3 Hefner – The Weight of the Stars
MP3 God Help The Girl – Perfection as a Hipster
MP3 Pure Ectasy – DWLDWD
MP3 The Ladybug Transistor – Windy
MP3 Jesus and Mary Chain – Sowing Seeds
MP3 Ballboy – Avant Garde Music
MP3 The Explorers Club – Forever
MP3 Billy Joel – Say Goodbye to Hollywood
MP3 Kenickie – Millionare Sweeper
MP3 She & Him – Sweet Darlin’
MP3 Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go
MP3 Noisettes – Never Forget You
MP3 The Boys – Brickfield Nights
MP3 Muse – Guiding Light
MP3 Au Revoir Simone – A violent and flammable world
MP3 Sally Seltmann – Harmony to My Heartbeat

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Download Part 1 of this mix “Boom! Boom boom, cha!”.
Download Part 3 of this mix “Boom! Boom boom, cha! (v3.0)”

Fang Island

Just when I was thinking there’s not many new bands this year that I’m really digging, Fang Island comes around and completely blows me away. The four-piece Brooklyn via Providence band has been riding on a wave of buzz (including BNM from Pitchfork) ever since releasing their self-titled sophomore LP. I agree wholeheartedly with Connor at I Guess I’m Floating‘s assessment that this album bridges the gap between past and present musical interests.  The energy and youthful abandon on display here is not far removed from the emo-punk party anthems I grew up with from Saves the Day, Get Up Kids, and early Jimmy Eat World. The fist-pumping guitar riffing and chaotic 8-bit keyboards are mixed with chanted vocals and math-inspired guitar wankery. It’s still party jams, but it’s intelligent party jams, and coming from a band who’s motto is “everyone high-fiving everyone” what else would you expect?

The obvious starting  point for Fang Island is their first single “Daisy”. It’s an incredibly dense, nosiefest of a song that beats even Los Campesinos! in it’s excess and musical unrestraint. Comparisons are really mute though, because in all honestly this doesn’t sound like anything I’ve really heard before, all I know for sure is that I really like it. Prepare for yourself for time-signature changes, outrageous guitar solos, and finely-tuned vocal harmonies. Putting aside the manic sound though, the band displays songwriting chops through and through on the album.  Even on instrumentals like “Welcome Wagon” (which was actually my introduction to the band) the band shows infectious, unrelenting melodies and as well as breathtaking musical dexterity.

MP3 Daisy
MP3 Welcome Wagon

You can stream the album here or buy the album at Sargent House Records.

Restrospectus No. 1: Kid A

Note: This is the first in a new series called Retrospectus. The idea behind the series is to go back through the past decade and write about music I thought was important. These posts will be longer and the structure will vary. Sometimes it might be an account of why an album mattered to me personally, or a spotlight on an album I think people overlooked, or using an album as a jump-off to talk about a larger trend. I say “I” and “me,” but don’t be surprised if you see Taylor and Cheryse contributing to this series in the future. Hope you enjoy.

The end of the 00s (I say “double-oughts”), was kind of a big deal for me, musically speaking. It was right around 2000 that I first started to take music seriously, which means it was right around 2000 that I became ridiculously obsessed with music. So pouring over all the “Best of the Decade” lists the past few months has been especially fun for me. I’ve rediscovered albums I forgot about, listened to things I never made it to the first time around and wondered why some of my favorites were nowhere to be found. Basically what we all do every year, but on a much bigger and more personal scale. So it’s fitting that the album that topped many lists (or came close) is also the one that was the genesis of my listening habits for the decade to come.

The first time I heard Kid A, I really did not like it. Not more than five seconds into “Everything in It’s Right Place,” I had already made up my mind that the album was needlessly dissonant and obtuse. This is sort of ironic, considering that, like most aggressive, pubescent teenage boys, I was subsisting on a steady diet of things like Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine and other heavy rock not generally known for its tunefulness. I honestly can’t say I remember why I eventually bought it; I think it might have had something to do with the art of the limited edition. But what I do remember is that my whole musical world was flipped on its head after hearing it.

The Wave Pictures

The Wave Pictures are not a new band in any sense of the word, they’ve been making music together for over a decade now, but I was first exposed to them last week when I was playing around with last.fm (I’m a new member! Friend me!). The London-based lo-fi pop band seems to be right on the edge of hitting the US though, so this is a great time to jump on board. They’re playing a bunch of shows at SXSW this week (including fellow blogger Brooklyn Vegan’s showcase) and have a dates scheduled in the US and Canada in for their North American debut on April 27th.

The band makes primarily acoustic-based intimate folk pop music with a huge emphasis on lyrics, which range from witty, humorous musings to deeply personal confessions. “I Love You Like A Madman” begins with Dave Tattersal singing that “If I made it through Christmas without smoking… I’d buy you bras instead of pickled eggs, cholocate instead of chutney” and continues to provide one memorable line after another. The song also features a jovial instrument arrangement with bouncy guitar work and a barrage of horns (even including a saxophone solo). “Strawberry Cables” is the band at it’s most raw and intimate featuring minimal instrumentation and the some lovely vocal harmonies allowing the addicting melody and strong strong-writing to shine. Purchase Instant Coffee Baby / If You Leave It Alone on Moshi Moshi Records.

MP3 The Wave Pictures – I Love You Like A Madman
MP3 The Wave Pictures – Strawberry Cables

Here’s a fantastic cover the band performed of Sam Cooke’s masterpiece, “A Change Is Gonna Come”.

MP3 The Wave Pictures – A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke cover)

Childish Gambino

I don’t know why I’m just now finding out about this, but I’m glad I did. You know Don Glover? He currently plays Troy on “Community,” arguably the best new comedy of the season, and wrote for “30 Rock” prior to that, where he was featured on the amazing “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah.” He also does stand-up, which you can watch this Friday on Comedy Central, and a bunch of other things, like Derrick Comedy, that are all pretty much great. And that includes the music he makes under the name Childish Gambino.

On paper, it sounds goofy. Comedian raps over Grizzly Bear? But in Glover’s case, it totally works. Despite his day job, Childish Gambino sounds like serious business. His verses are filled with witty one-liners you would expect from someone of his comedy pedigree, just not in the context you would expect. Glover’s two recent mixtapes are filled with quips like “Get new kicks everyday like an ottoman” and “I move real quick like Nestle” over things like Animal Collective and Neon Indian. Childish Gambino has a new album, Culdesac, coming out soon, featuring Yes Giantess and “other cool special guests” If the I Am Just a Rapper mixtapes are any indication, I’m expecting Glover to come out guns blazing.

I’ve included two tracks from the first volume of I Am Just a Rapper, including my personal favorite of Gambino over Sleigh Bells’ “Crown on the Ground,” but you should really just head over to his website and download both volumes right now. While you’re there, check out his mc DJ remix album and the freestyle he did for Force Feed Radio. It’s far too flithy and awesome to re-post here.

MP3 Childish Gambino – New Prince
MP3 Childish Gambino – Look at Me

Video: The National – Terrible Love (Live on Fallon)

I’m a day late on this but, oh well. The National debuted their first single, “Terrible Love” from High Violet a couple nights ago on Jimmy Fallon. Quite simply, both the song and performance are freakin’ awesome. There’s a vulnerability in Matt Berninger’s vocals that is downright spine-tingling and the lyrics are characteristically excellent. I especially love the lines “it takes a lot to settle down” and “it takes an ocean not to break”. The crescendo and climax are breathtaking. This song will be getting many, many plays from me this year. Until the band releases the real thing, here’s the live MP3 (pretty decent quality).

MP3 The National – Terrible Love (Live)

High Violet comes out May 11. Pre-order it here.

Go

As Sigur Rós fans will know, for the last few years Jónsi has been pushing his music further and further into pop territory. With Með suð i eyrum, Sigur Rós moved further from the guitar-oriented post-rock sound and made strings and trumpets the primary instrumentation. The closing song, “All Alright” was even sung in English. Jónsi’s first solo outing, simply titled Go, is a culmination of all of his pop sensibilities, showcasing the artist at his most exuberant, childlike, and accessible. It’s hard to believe after hearing these dense, glorious compositions that this album was originally intended to be acoustic. You have to give credit to Jónsi’s collaboraters, composer Nico Muhly’s phenomenal arrangements, producer Peter Katis’ huge, layered sound, and drummer Samuli’s powerful percussion.

The first two tracks released for Go set an immensely high standard for the album, “Boy Lilikoi” and “Go Do” are both overflowing with beauty. Amazingly, Jónsi manages to ride that high for the entire album. From my count, there’s not one weak song on here. The music with it’s flourishing piccolos, strings, guitars, and piano is awe-inspiring and transportive to the highest degree, often approaching the sublime, ethereal quality of Sigur Rós. The percussion, provided by Mum’s Samuli, also plays a huge part in driving the sound, especially in the frentic-paced “Animal Arithmetic” and tribal beats of “Around Us”. Jónsi’s vocals are always magnificent, and even more-so on this album, often layered and tweaked creating a beautiful effect such as on “Sinking Friendships” which near replicates the opening to “Hoppipola” with only his voice.

The lyrics, which save two songs are sung in English, are very simple and uplifting, which if you’ve read some of his Icelandic translations, won’t come as a surprise. Playful, childlike lines like “just say no more, use your eyes, the world goes and flutters by” and encouragements like “We should always know that we can do everything, Go do!” may sound naive in it’s approach to life, but that’s kind of the point and I think it accurately reflects the way this music makes you feel. Nowhere is this felt more than on “Tornado”, a song which is so breathtakingly gorgeous it hurts. The soaring climax will likely go down as one of Jónsi’s most triumphant moments, solo or otherwise.

MP3 Jónsi – Go Do
MP3 Jónsi – Tornado

Go is a spectacular album. It comes out April 6. Pre-order it here.