Wednesday, March 22, 2006
gris gris - for the season
an exceptional record that blends a retro hard psyche sound with somthing that recalls the spokier side of sonic youth both melodically in thier feedback jams. There are the kooky sound collage thingys ("The Nonstop Tape") and free-jazz freak outs ("Ecks Em Eye") but when they settle in to rock they produce immediate, churning songs that really stick with you. besides the wierd stuff the album is also broken up by a number of more middle of the road psyche pop ("Cuerpos Haran Amor Extrano","Big Engine Nazi Kid Daydream","Medication #4","Skin Mass Cat","Mademoiselle of the Morning") that occasionally turn on the rock ("Down With Jesus"). Those songs bubble and flow along (and oftern into one another) biding time until the real meat of the record: dense rockers "Year zero" and "Pick up your raygun". A really great end to end album with a lot of balance.
Friday, March 03, 2006
caribou - the milk of human kindness
more than a little disappointing after "up in flames", but there are a few inspired moments that resemble the unbelievable density of that record, which was probaby my fave from '04. In comparison TMOHK just feels simple and empty. May have something to do with only having 7 tracks over 2 minutes. Not into the hip-hop trax("Lord Leopard", the Shadow Style "Pelican narrows"), or the repetitive guitar numbers("Bees","Hello HammerHeads","Barnowl") which aren't bad but just seem to mosey on to nowhere. Then there are the smattering of shorties("subotnick","Hands first","drumheller", that seem a little less polished than those same sort of tracks on up in flames, but are kinda cool. My fave tracks are the recklessdrums+drone recipe of "Yeti" and "Brahminy Kite". "Brahminy Kite" hits the Silver Apples so hard i thought it was a cover. still not convinced it isn't.
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Starts out hard but gets a little soft on the flipside. When they balance the tight with the tuneful they are hard to beat. really a pretty hot listen start to finish.
best on:
Like eating glass
Helicopter
Banquet
ok on:
Blue Light
This Modern Love
Pioneers
So Here We Are
Compliments
best on:
Like eating glass
Helicopter
Banquet
ok on:
Blue Light
This Modern Love
Pioneers
So Here We Are
Compliments
