Yeasayer's 'Odd Blodd' and the power of branching out

I’ll admit that I somehow missed Yeasayer back in 2007, when their brilliant first LP, All Hours Cymbals, was hitting the unassuming public. I’m not really sure how they managed to elude me, with the incredible mix of prog and alternative rock, Middle Eastern and African rhythms, and ricidulous cool songwriting and arranging sense. It certainly wasn’t a lack of press or even word of mouth. The Brooklyn-based three piece seemed to catch many eyes, mostly because they had a sound that was truly their own. Their track on the now infamous Dark Was the Night comp was an easily highlight of an already stellar mix of tunes. Guess that was my bad.

Well, now they’re back with their sophomore record, Odd Blood, Second records are hard for any artist and the amount of very disappointing second LPs is wide recorded throughout music-nerd history. I think the challenge is that a first record establishes the band and their sound, and usually contains material that the band had a good deal of time to work on under no pressure or any real expectations from their label or fans. After such a strong debut, it’s not impossible to imagine why an artist would feel the need to second guess the choices they would make on a follow up, because they must feel the anticipation from everyone.

That said, I think that Yeasayer are safe, and for two reasons. First, they’ve made a great record that contains songs that are easily as strong if not much stronger then those on All Hours Cymbals. The second reason is that they very wisely didn’t get cold feel about branching out and trying new things. And while some might fault them for that (Pitchfork, you know I’m talking to you) I think it shows a lot of guts and, in the end, made for a much stronger record. The band had stated in interviews that this was going to be a more pop-friendly kind of album, and the first single is definitely an example in that direction. The first came out last year and despite being released in December, it made many ‘best of 2009’ lists, which is a pretty nice accomplishment considering everything it was competing against. And it’s not doubt that said song, ‘Ambling Alp’ is a hell of a thing. It’s got easily one of the catchiest choruses I’ve heard from a band with this kind of sound, and it rocks without having any kind of in-your face kind of riffage that most guys might try. Plus, it’s got some a totally wicked bridge that has some of the best rock-falsetto in recent memory.

The rest of the record sees the band branching into some all-out dance stuff, and the results are crazy cool. It was always clear that Yeasayer were hip to rhythmically tricky music, but some of the tracks add a dance-club feel to what might have been just a spacey folk song on the last record. Case-in-point are two tracks in the middle, ‘Love Me Girl’ and ‘Rome’, the former which starts with a trace build up that might make Tiesto jealous and the latter which features a nasty bass-line and a weird keyboard solo in the middle that I can see turning into a extended jam live that might just get the hipsters in the crowd to dance.

Later on, they take it back into the 1970s with a track called ‘Mondgreen’ that combines a disco/house feel with a rock guitar solo and some Afro-beat horns that then ends with an outro that could have been ripped straight from Pink Floyd’s ‘Shine On Your Crazy Diamond’. Yeah, I know that sounds pretty complicated and the point is that it is. And Yeasayer isn’t afraid to go there because it’s obvious these guys have just listened to and gotten a pretty good handle on all kinds of music.

We live in time where bands aren’t just doing one genre any more. It’s no longer that interesting to just do rock, or just do dance, or just do pop music. To me (and I think many would agree), the most interesting acts out there right now have a huge diversity in their sound and the range of music they can play. Beyond that, the next step is for a band to do many different sounds while still maintaining what makes them them. After a few good listens to Odd Blood, you start to pick up the little things that serve as truly unique stamps, like the phase effects everywhere and the African rhythmic sensibility. The list of bands that can achieve these things is small, but I think we can now safely nominate a very deserving Yeasayer. Welcome to the club, guys.

I really have to give Peter Gabriel alot of credit.

Now this is a freakin trip right here.

I just acquired a copy of the new Peter Gabriel record Scratch My Back, which for anyone who didn't know is a set of all covers from artists as far ranging in era as Paul Simon and David Bowie to Bon Iver, Radiohead, and Arcade Fire. And coming soon will be a response record called I'll Scratch Yours where, you guessed it, those artists will be doing a Peter Gabriel cover. Yeah, this is not a joke. I thought it was at first. But it's not.

And I think I really like it.

And the reason is that I think it took alot of guts to do some of these arrangements. Instead of opting for using a rock band, Peter Gabriel does what he does best, which is be totally different. What this means is that he used nothing by an orchestra to back him up. And when you're covering some rock classics, that, as I said, takes a large amount of guts.

One of the best examples is the second track, a cover of Paul Simon's 'Boy In the Bubble' from his totally legendary Graceland album. Simon's classic version is upbeat and chock-full of the African rhythmic joy that made that album so incredible. But Gabriel's new reading is a slow affair that crescendos and grips the heart in a way that you would never see coming from a Graceland-era Paul Simon song. The meaning of the song seems transformed by the sad take, and that's pretty interesting in itself. The concept of a boy in a bubble goes from something you only bop your head along with to something that is about alienation and sadness. Damn.

Now, a pessimistic music lover would probably point out that the best part of this album is the orchestra themselves and not actually Gabriel. It's a valid point, but I really think that his vocals sound great here. Peter Gabriel was never known as a virtuoso rock singer, but the beauty here is that his voice is not what really shines here. It's actually the songs. And for a record of all covers to actually highlight the songs and not the singer is an achievement that could only really be reached by a musician with as much experience and sheer talent as Peter Gabriel.

The perfect example of this is 'Flume' by Bon Iver. Now, doing a Bon Iver cover is gutsy enough. The beauty of his music comes from the stripped-down intimacy that is almost impossible to replicate, especially when you've taken that style and translated it into a piece of music with an entire orchestra behind you. But as he does with every song on this album, Gabriel translates the meaning into something that is just as, if not more, epic then the original. And again, that's a hard tightrope to walk.

Similarly, his reading of Arcade Fire's 'My Body is a Cage' takes a pretty epic band's sound and puts it with the orchestra to make it epic on an totally different level.

I was only going to make this a short post, but the more I listened to it, the more I really had to give Mr. Art Rock some real props for this.

Even if you hate Peter Gabriel, I think it's worth checking out if you like any of these songs. And I'll say that I'm not sure I'm going to just walk around and listen to this on my Ipod, but it's not really that kind of thing. In fact, it's one of those things that I probably won't really return to for awhile. But I don't think it was made as something that was supposed to break sales records or win Grammys. Peter Gabriel has absolutly nothing to prove.
This isn't 'Sledgehammer', designed for having a good time to. It's certainly not party music or make out music or anything else. If nothing else, I think it's just a good exercise in arrangement. And that, like most of the rest of Peter Gabriel's incredible catalogue, is pretty freakin cool.

Wiley ft. Daniel Merriweather 'Cash In My Pocket'

This is probably my favorite song of the last few years.

Yeah, I said that shit. Years.

Delphic - Doubt on Later Live... With Jools Holland

The record's second track 'Doubt'

Stay tuned in the next week for The Features, Yeasayer, and more.

Delphic's 'Acolyte'

Here’s another pick from the stack of bands that I’m helping Chuff Media work on, and this one is special for a few reasons. Delphic are a trio from the UK whose first LP was released last month. They’ve gotten a huge amount of British press and their label (Polydor) has plastered Tube stations all over London with posters promoting the release. It’s not hard to imagine why they’ve gotten so much hype when you listen to the one-two punch of this record’s first two tracks because they collectively sum up a good majority of what’s been going on with alternative rock in general in the last year or so. What’s incredible about this record is that the band has a really well defined sound for a first LP, especially since they seem to blend the lines between alternative rock, electro-pop, and straight-up house/techno so well.

The aforementioned first two tracks combine a wide range of influences, and the less obvious ones save the sound from the danger of cliché. There’s an obvious comparison to the brooding electro-rock of Joy Division (or more recently Editors) or the big-hook/understated guitar juxtaposition sensibility of just about every indie rock band in the last decade. But when you listen past that, you start to see that these guys really listen to a ton of different music. The first track, ‘Clarion Call’, starts with a minimalist guitar intro that recalls Steve Reich’s ‘Electric Counterpoint’ and the next track continues with a panned vocal that would could off as annoying if done by any other electronic act, but somehow ends up being really sweet. The slick sound of the band is also very apparent and it’s a welcome treat to hear the careful work producer Ewan Pearson put into the grade-A mixing. Unlike many recent electro-rock albums, they don’t overdo it here with walls of sound or tons of reverby-fuzz (I’m looking at you, MGMT) Instead, the tight arrangements are allowed to speak for themselves and the songs are allowed to shine through, because the band knows they don’t have too much to compensate for.

Another pleasant surprise is that the record actually gets better as it goes and hardly ever runs out of steam. The previous mention of fellow-Brit-electronic rock act Editors was not an accident- their latest release started off with an unbelievably kick-ass first track, but couldn’t keep the record consistently interesting, resulting in a sound that became grating to listen to three tracks in. Delphic, on the other hand, already knows how to vary the ideas and spread them throughout this record. Placing the mostly-instrumental trace jam ‘Acolyte’ in the middle of the set is both a perfect summation of purpose and mold-breaker all in one. This is probably one of the best title tracks I’ve heard in awhile because of the intelligent build up and spectacular pay-off that makes me want to take some pills and cut loose all night.

Similarly is the first-single ‘Counterpoint’, which doesn’t even show up until almost the end of the record. Both tracks are well-crafted tunes that are also perfect to dance to. And what more does music really need to be?

Matt Rothstein with Surfer Blood's 'Astro Coast'

I think it’s safe to say that I saw Surfer Blood coming. Pitchfork’s Forkcast posted the song “Floating Vibes” last fall – and say what you want about hipster douchebags, but Pitchfork has become an incredible resource for new music with their Forkcast and daily track reviews – and I was suitably wowed. In a split second, I knew these guys were good because of their guitar tone. It’s got some fuzz, but still remains pretty crisp and has incredible force behind it. When the main riff comes in, I was pretty amazed. It makes sense that such a wonderful introduction is the first song on Surfer Blood’s debut album, Astro Coast.

Of course, there’s no way the rest of the album could live up to such a song unless these guys were once-in-a-generation rockers. Fortunately though, the rest of the album isn’t spent trying to jam the same formula onto different songs. The result is a very good album filled with guitar sounds and riffs I can get behind, a very impressive rhythm section, and the polyrhythms and distinct influences of Afropop that have been popping up all over the place recently. In fact, you may wonder why Vampire Weekend went so reverb-y at the beginning of “Take It Easy”. But you’d be mistaken! It’s still Surfer Blood, in fact, and to their credit, they integrate such obvious influences seamlessly into their surf-rock aesthetic.

An interesting wrinkle in this album is “Neighbor Riffs,” a short instrumental track right in the middle of the album which absolutely owns its title. Having only recently started playing Guitar Hero and being still unable to play the real guitar, I immediately envision nearly every good guitar part I hear nowadays being in some bizarre indie Guitar Hero game. But goddamn, this little ditty makes those fantasies COMPLETELY justified.

Of course, what would a surf party be without the late-night beach bonfire slowjam? Terrible name outside, “Slow Jabroni” is a great, evolving song that sold me right when the vocal part goes double time at about the 2:40 mark. That’s an underused, subtle way to improve a slow song a great deal, a lot like the unexpected awesomeness of banging on a Tempur-Pedic mattress. You don’t think it’ll make a difference, but lo and behold. (Observational comedy? In a music review on a blog? How absurd!)

I think that Surfer Blood has the potential to open a lot of eyes, if only to the possibility that indie rock is not exclusively the domain of poor musicians. They also pull off a pretty impressive feat in managing to be trendy and sound like they’re barely trying (read: cool).

8.5/10

Hot Chip featuring the Roots on Jimmy Fallon

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Sure, Pitchfork beat me to posting this by about six hours, but it's so damn good that I don't care. Plus, I beat them to the record review. So there!

Hot Chip’s ‘One Life Stand’- Not your parent’s Electro-Pop

As most of the few readers who keep up with this blog know, I’m living in London for this semester through a study-abroad program. As part of my time here, I’m interning at a music promotion company called Chuff Media, which does PR for both local UK bands and US acts who need some help overseas. On my first day, my new boss Warren handed me a stack of promo and pre-release CDs so I could get a sense of the kind of acts the company represents. While most of the names were either rock or electronic acts I was completely unfamiliar with, I was particualry excited when I saw Hot Chip’s new record in the pile. Hot Chip are a five-man British band known for their up-beat synth-heavy indie pop, and while only marginally known back home in the US, they’re a much bigger deal here in the UK. I’ve seen billboards and posters announcing the coming release of this new record, entitled ‘One Life Stand’, all around London in anticipation of the Feb 1 release date on EMI. After three records which contained heavy beats and less-then-strong lyrics, I think I can here that this new one might just break Hot Chip big.

Starting with a low synth intro that gives way to a solo tom-tom build up, it’s pretty clear from the start that these guys put in some work on this one. When vocalist Alexis Taylor comes in with the first line, it’s also obvious that this is the kind of pop that you won’t mind getting stuck in your head. When the beat drops and the rest of the band fires full-throttle, it’s an early-disco/house party with a shining pop refrain and arena-guitar solo over the top, which is exactly what the description would imply: its freakin awesome.

What’s interesting about this new one is that the band utilizes more organic-sounding instruments this time around, shown in the acoustic-piano and kit intro of the record’s second track ‘Hand me Down Your Love’, which sounds like it could have easily been penned by a reserved Jack White just as much as chief-Chips Joe Goddard and Alexis Taylor. For the middle third of the album, the band checks the disco at the door for tracks like ‘Brother’s’, where an understated key line replaces the big beats and bigger synths Hot Chip are so known for. Using ‘Brothers’ as a buffer, the band then gets into some straight-up piano-ballad territory with the Elton John-ish ‘Slush’ and the chill-out track ‘Alley Cat’s’, the latter of which forgoes the synths and dance-tracks for some muted guitar and Bon-Iver chorus harmonies. These two songs are the best examples of the grown up sound and focused songwriting that the band has grown into. Even on club-ready grooves like ‘I Feel Better’, it doesn’t even matter that they use dance clichés like auto-tune and annoyingly fake strings, because the songs are really that good.

If nothing else, Hot Chip shows us that good songwriting is just good songwriting regardless of the sound of the band. These guys were always comfortable in the club, but now they prove that they’re just as comfortable at your local singer/songwriter open mic. Nice job gents. Keep it up.

Chris Osborn with Alvin Band's "Mantis Preying/Lady Portrait EP"

So turns out that on the blogosphere, when it rains it definitely pours. Friend-of-the-show Chris Osborn has easily the most diverse taste in music (and movies, too. try him...) of anyone I know, and here's what has to be the most interesting new tip yet- Alvin Band. Enjoy.

Alvin Band Mantis Preying/Lady Portrait EP (Intelligent Noise; 2009)

An odd discovery of mine, Alvin Band, the experimental project of Southern California-based Rick Alvin Schaier, jumped out at me from a record store shelf on one of my last days in Portland last month. It was its bizarro album cover that grabbed me—an image of the back of, ostenstibly, Schaier’s head, with cut out eyes, nose and mouth, set against a Persian rug, that sets the tone for the music within.

Mantis Preying is dubbed as a “vocal composition” by the twenty-one-year-old Schaier, who uses the template of Björk’s Medulla, a highly processed a cappella record, and applies it to the sonic explorations of Animal Collective and their disciples. Mantis hits the ground running with opening single, “Temple Pressure”, a downright joyous event of a song, bursting at the seams with blissed-out harmonies and thumping beats (provided solely through slapping his body and beat-boxing). From there, the conceptual aspect of the album comes through, and Schaier’s record becomes a full-on stream of consciousness, a musical trip through his mad, mad, mad mind. It is just fantastically odd.

Unfortunately, Animal Collective’s influence is unshakeable from the album, as Schaier’s voice matches, down to intonation and melodic phrasing that ofPanda Bear. But this is not to diminish Mantis—Schaier’s album stands up on its own as one of the most complex records put to tape in some time. The vocal gymnastics he achieves, not to mention making an a cappella album sound so fucking full, are too impressive to ignore, or bury under his influences. He has, in many ways, expanded the AC sound by ramping up the Beach Boys-inflected melodies and harmonies, and applying the beat-heavy elements of their current Merriweather Post Pavillion era to the more frantic, unpredictable style of their earlier work.

“Frantic” and “unpredictable” are apt adjectives for Mantis Preying, but for Schaier, it’s probably a badge of honor. Unfortunately, it does not always work. The accompanying six-song EP, Lady Portrait, answers the question of how Alvin Band sounds with actual instruments, and the result is completely underwhelming. There is simply too much going on to keep track. When limiting himself to the sounds of his own body, when given constraints, Schaier pulls incredible feats; when given all the options in the world, the sound is cluttered, indulgent and, quite frankly, annoying.

Granted, this EP is comprised of early recordings, and it is evident that lessons have been learned. Songs like the aforementioned “Temple Pressure” and “Cyberspace 2008” are real-live songs, with choruses, verses and catchy melodies. And though Mantis Preying, the album, works best as a cohesive whole, Schaier just barely keeps it together.

It’s an impressive balancing act to watch unfold. And a hell of a lot of fun to listen to.

Mantis Preying LP: A-

Lady Portrait EP: C-

http://alvinband.com

Beach House's 'Teen Dream' from Matt Rothstein

Hey everyone. So good news! We have our first review from someone who isn't me- good friend and one of the chief inspirations for this blog, Matt Rothstein. He's weighing in on the fantastic new album from Beach House- if you haven't yet gotten the chance to listen to this ridiculously well constructed record, go out now and see what you've been missing.


Having already read a couple of reviews for Teen Dream after a long time spent digesting the album, I have a strong feeling that a lot of people are missing the mark when they try to pinpoint what separates the album from Beach House’s earlier work. It seems like people are trying to say that they saw this coming without apologizing for not hyping the band before.

Victoria Legrand’s lead vocals are still sultry and evocative, but she’s more daring with her voice, using more range in each song, which combines with more urgency from the percussion section (which is real this time, for the most part, as opposed to the clicking drum machines of before) to give a huge dramatic boost to what had already been dreamy and beautiful music.

In fact, opening track “Zebra” is a nice little microcosm of the progress Beach House has made. It starts with a simple guitar figure and Legrand’s voice, like the old days. But the guitar moves faster, taking the music from dream-pop to just pop that easily. We hear some of the old drum clicks in a bit, but something is building. There are background vocal harmonies, sighing like the anonymous complementary parts in old girl-pop groups like the Supremes and the Ronettes. Then, the epiphany – a cymbal roll and live percussion! The music immediately has more momentum and more emotional immediacy.

For me, this is a key jump that a lot of bands make to accessibility and stardom – a jump you’ll see Beach House make in short order (hey, they already played Fallon!). A steady rhythm section catapulted TV On The Radio to a classic album for Return to Cookie Mountain, and a quicker and more reliable pace did wonders for Grizzly Bear’s accessibility.

Grizzly Bear’s mention here isn’t an accident either. The dreamy female backing vocals on “Two Weeks” was courtesy of Legrand, who resumed said role for the band on their late night appearances. With the two bands being buddies and all, you don’t need to look far for Grizzly Bear’s influence. Where there was haze and dreaminess on previous Beach House albums, now there is unfiltered beauty, melancholy and probably still some dreaminess.

Though the album is almost miraculously consistent, if there is a highlight, it comes smack dab in the middle with “Used to Be”. It was previously released as a single, but with a different arrangement, it was nothing special. Here, more on any other song except perhaps the (also amazing) “10 Mile Stereo”, Beach House actually has a big sound. Victoria Legrand’s multi-tracked harmonies pack the strongest emotional punch on the album when she asks, “Are you not the same as you used to be?” Were one to ask the same question of her and her band, the answer would happily be, “No, we’re way better.” I would even venture to say that with Teen Dream, Beach House is as close to perfect as they may ever be.
10/10

Amen. Beach House is going to be playing with Grizzly Bear here in London (where I'm currently living) and I will definitely be reporting on that no-doubt incredible upcoming event.

Stayed tuned in the coming weeks for new tips on Surfer Blood, Yeasayer, Delphic and more....