Figured I'd sneak one more in before the annual pilgrimage home for Lolla and since the dance tent there is routinely one of the best parts of the weekend, thought I'd throw one down for the electroheads and offer a medley of stuff from that side of the aisle. My daily fourteen hour shifts at the dick punching machine have been taking their toll lately, so I could use a dance party like no one's business, and these have helped gin one up, even if it's just from the confines of Sunshine palace.
First up is a track from French DJ Gesaffelstein who I'd gotten into the last few years based on a bunch of his remixes. I hadn't realized he'd released a full-length so recently stumbled upon his debut, Aleph, and it's a solid mix of slinky, heavy tracks. Similar to Cuba and its cigars or Russia and its shirtless, bear-riding emirs, some countries are indisuputably better at producing certain things, and for whatever reason French DJs are always the epitome of this genre. Gesaffelstein upholds the mantle of fellow countrymen Daft and Justice well, producing a effortlessly cool and invigorating batch of tracks that showcase his sound, which melds equal parts 80s video game bleeps and thudding beats.
Similar to Kavinsky and Crystal Castles, his stuff could form the soundtrack to almost any movie of that era and sometimes sounds like your Nintendo took over the DJ booth, but what sets him apart is how he funnels that signature French slinkiness to the beats, which he girds with steel they hit so hard. Tracks like "Obsession," "Duel," "Hate or Glory," and "Trans" are all bangers, and "Out of Line" and "Destinations" both crackle with vocalist Chloe Raunet's matter of fact spoken lyrics. Nothing tops "Pursuit" for me, though. The beat is a sledgehammer once it drops in behind the "moo cow" sounding chant, and he then ping pongs it back and forth over the next four minutes. This one's a high speed chase through the night as you fly from the law in a stolen car -- check it out here:
Next is the latest release from UK legends The Chemical Brothers, Born in the Echoes, their first in five years and a pretty solid return to form from the unevenness of that outing, Further. The Chems have always been able to get things going, almost single-handedly ushering in the age of the big beat nearly twenty years ago with their classic debut, Exit Planet Dust (for the second post in a row, I feel like a fucking dinosaur for statements like that), and those skills haven't rusted at all in the intervening span. This one gets off to a fast start as the first five songs blast away, and the album does a good job of hitting the notes of the duo's previous offerings. Tracks like the opening of "Sometimes I Feel So Deserted" and "Under Neon Lights" wouldn't sound out of place on their debut or Dig Your Own Hole, the Q-Tip driven "Go" calls to mind Push the Button, and "I'll See You There" would be right at home on Surrender. Several of the latter tracks evoke Further or We Are the Night, and not coincidentally that's where the album loses a little steam, but overall it's a solid effort that showcases how varied an attack these two wield. Top note goes to "EML Ritual," another one that wouldn't be out of place on that debut, and another that just builds to a freak out at the end on the heels of another killer beat. Check it out here:
Third spot is a trip to Jamaica courtesy of Diplo, who continues his Sherman's march across the landscape, demolishing everything in his path including your ability to stand still. His insane hot streak rolls on unabated, and he's already thrown out two albums this year that are sure to make the year end list -- one with the usually uninspiring Skrillex (the aptly named Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack U) and the other with his coterie of island Rastafarians as Major Lazer. Taken together, they highlight Diplo's knack for collaboration and his seemingly endless sources of inspiration, as both albums are chock full of guest stars and genres, cramming everything from hip hop, dancehall, moombahton, and crazy revenge of the robots style tracks together with appearances by Ellie Goulding, 2 Chainz, Pusha T, and even the Bieber for a rowdy good time. (Missy's verses on the remix version of "Take U There" are bananas and make you desperately miss the M I Double S Y E.)
What he also does -- primarily on the latter album, the third Lazer offering, Peace is the Mission, but also occasionally on Jack U -- is show his mastery of the downtempo track. Not known for slowing things down, as anyone who's gone and had their face blown off at his wild DJ sets can attest, Diplo shows the power of taking things down a notch and letting your heart rate slow below triple digits here. A far less rambunctious affair than normal, this one is nearly half top notch half steppers -- from the opening "Be Together" to the closing "All My Love," with the monster twin bill of "Lean On" and "Powerful" propping up the middle, this one's built on a foundation of these four tracks. And it works -- each of those tracks smolder under the four female vocalists and their lyrics of love, and they make the uptempo tracks in between hit all the harder for the juxtaposition. None moreso than "Too Original," which is three and a half minutes of mayhem and a gonzo encapsulation of everything that makes this guy so irresistible. Check it out here:
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We'll close with one more single, a track off the latest Boys Noize album, and one more plug, for the killer documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits. For the former, it's a trip to Germany for the high point off the uneven, Boys Noize Presents Strictly Raw, Vol. 1, which is unfortunately characteristic of DJ Alexsander Ridha's previous offerings. For every stellar turn (Oi Oi Oi or his Fabriclive DJ set) there's an erratic mixed bag (this, Power). It can be vexing because of how good he can be -- hopefully he's got another ace up his sleeve soon. In the interim, enjoy this track, "Cerebral," which rolls into town on a thudding buzz and keeps going on the staccato ride and Pilo's vocals. Check it out here:
For the latter, I happened to catch a showing of the aforementioned documentary last week, which captures the final concert of the great LCD Soundsystem, and I was surprised how enjoyable it was. Part behind the scenes conversations with frontman James Murphy in the days before/immediately after the show and part selections from that final night's setlist, it captures his quiet thoughts and reflections, as well as the raucous scene inside Madison Square Garden that night. LCD always maintained an arm's length distance from things, channeling a diffident cool or snarky judgment to their lyrics and performances, and it made them tough to embrace. When they dropped the NY attitude, though, and focused on getting the party started, they could be amazing (the climax of "All My Friends" remains one of the greatest payoffs in song) and they were in rare form here. It's a fantastic watch, chock full of guest stars Last Waltz style (Arcade Fire shows up and actually gives the film its title) and great songs, and it will get you moving on the couch. They play all the ones you want, as well as a few surprises, including this one from their 45:33 EP -- it proved they could do no wrong that night, with comedian Reggie Watts showing up and crushing his half of the duet. Check it out (before you immediately go watch the whole movie) here:
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Country Jamboree: The Importance of Being Earnest
Thought I'd take a moment while wifey's away prepping for her regional rap battle tonight to jump in with another couple recommendations. First one's for the Louisville foursome Houndmouth who recently put out their sophomore album, Little Neon Limelight. Similar to their debut, From the Hills Below the City, the album showcases the band's fantastic four-part harmonies and winning melodies, filtering them through the band's "little bit country, little bit indie band" recipe maker. And that's part of the problem -- it's what made me leave the debut off the annual "best of" list, having completely forgotten about it as an option, and it's what's kept me from writing about these guys until now -- the songs often feel too polished and artificial, more the result of engineering than emotion, and that keeps them from fully resonating and sticking with you.
It's a known problem for these holler back/retro/revivalist bands -- how do you hearken back to the sounds and sights of earlier times and bands without sounding derivative, unoriginal, or insincere? It's why for every winning success (The Decemberists' Her Majesty or The King is Dead, Fitz & the Tantrums' debut) there are plenty of others that are vacuous, terrible messes (The Decemberists' Hazards of Love, Fitz & the Tantrum's follow up album). What sets the winners from the losers is the ability to draw on those elements of yesteryear and connect them with the modern heart; to spark a feeling of nostalgia or loss for those things, rather than a bland, cerebral recitation of them. It's the difference between memory and missing; heartfelt and history lesson.
Similar to their debut, this album is filled with the requisite mentions of devils and preachers, stagecoaches and whiskey, gold and guns, as well as references to cocaine and "shove it up your ass" rebelliousness, but the effect often feels forced and insincere. The latter smacks of false bravado, like a popped collar Georgetowner getting tattoos and a motorcycle, while the former feels like borrowing someone else's wedding vows -- the words work, but it feels fake because there's no real emotion behind them.
The Lumineers' debut (to pick another contemporary) resonated so strongly for that reason -- it was a big, bleeding heart that used similar imagery to the stuff here, but stands in stark contrast to this result. And it's why those other bands are so uneven -- do I really believe Colin Meloy gives a shit about his pirate ships, architects, and engine drivers or that Michael Fitzpatrick cares as deeply about 80s synth pop as he does soul music? No, I do not. But sometimes, they convince you -- when they drop the pop artifice and Mad Libs style songwriting formulas ("I need another word for 'pistol' and an old-timey conveyance: have we tried 'donkey caravan' yet?"), they can be great.
And so can these guys. The harmonies are truly exceptional -- tracks like the opening "Sedona," "Black Gold," and the stately gem "Honey Slider" show how well guitarist Matt Myers, bass man Zak Appleby, keyboardist Katie Toupin, and cans man Shane Cody's voices meld together. And the melodies are equally winning. (The slow-burning "Otis" and "Darlin'" shine, in addition to the above.) What prevents it from fully resonating is that unguarded heart. So hopefully the band takes their own words to heart, as they shout on the penultimate song -- "SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT! SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT! TIL YA BELIEVE! TIL YA BELIEVE!" Here's to hoping they do, because both their albums are full of songs you'll find yourself singing along to or pleasantly listening to in the background. If they can dial in that last element, as they do on the following song, "Gasoline," they might be truly great.
Check out that unqualified winner here -- naked emotion, hushed harmonies, and simple lyrics that feel like confessions. It resonates like a howl in the woods, despite the muted volume. Here's to more like this in the future:
The other one that I keep coming back to and finding myself unable to fully embrace is the amalgam that is The New Basement Tapes and the album, Lost on the River. Part of that is undoubtedly due to the process -- find a cache of unrecorded Dylan lyrics, assemble a group of musicians with rather different sounds (Elvis Costello, Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Marcus Mumford from Mumford and Sons, among others), and see what happens when you hit record. And what you get, by and large, is a really good set of songs that keeps the country/throwback vibe going.
The biggest critique here is the need for an editor -- at 20 songs long, there are a handful of tracks that probably didn't need to make the cut (for me, that means most of Costello's and Rhiannon Gidden's tracks, which seem arch and schmaltzy at times, in comparison to the others -- "Married to my Hack," the title track and "Hidee Ho" ones, "Six Months in Kansas City," etc) and their presence takes away from this being an outstanding album. James' and Mumford's songs are the unequivocal highlights -- the former's "Down on the Bottom" and "Nothing To It" and the latter's "Kansas City" and "When I Get My Hands On You" are all fantastic. Great vocals, great melodies, great songs that probably work better in their hands than in Dylan's. Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith's songs round out the affair nicely ("Liberty Street," "Florida Key" among them) and are worth a listen. Plenty to like here, just use the scissors when downloading.
Check out Mumford's "Kansas City" here -- vintage Mumford vocals, all bruised emotion and soaring heart, and a great melody to boot. Enjoy!
We'll break the country vibe and go out with a funky little pop song from electro producer Big Data to get the blood flowing again, the ultra catchy ear worm "Dangerous." There's nothing fancy going on -- just Joywave singer Daniel Armbruster's cooed lyrics and a simple four note bass line -- but those two elements are enough to get you moving, and that bass line will be stuck in your head for hours. Pop music at its best, check it out here:
It's a known problem for these holler back/retro/revivalist bands -- how do you hearken back to the sounds and sights of earlier times and bands without sounding derivative, unoriginal, or insincere? It's why for every winning success (The Decemberists' Her Majesty or The King is Dead, Fitz & the Tantrums' debut) there are plenty of others that are vacuous, terrible messes (The Decemberists' Hazards of Love, Fitz & the Tantrum's follow up album). What sets the winners from the losers is the ability to draw on those elements of yesteryear and connect them with the modern heart; to spark a feeling of nostalgia or loss for those things, rather than a bland, cerebral recitation of them. It's the difference between memory and missing; heartfelt and history lesson.
Similar to their debut, this album is filled with the requisite mentions of devils and preachers, stagecoaches and whiskey, gold and guns, as well as references to cocaine and "shove it up your ass" rebelliousness, but the effect often feels forced and insincere. The latter smacks of false bravado, like a popped collar Georgetowner getting tattoos and a motorcycle, while the former feels like borrowing someone else's wedding vows -- the words work, but it feels fake because there's no real emotion behind them.
The Lumineers' debut (to pick another contemporary) resonated so strongly for that reason -- it was a big, bleeding heart that used similar imagery to the stuff here, but stands in stark contrast to this result. And it's why those other bands are so uneven -- do I really believe Colin Meloy gives a shit about his pirate ships, architects, and engine drivers or that Michael Fitzpatrick cares as deeply about 80s synth pop as he does soul music? No, I do not. But sometimes, they convince you -- when they drop the pop artifice and Mad Libs style songwriting formulas ("I need another word for 'pistol' and an old-timey conveyance: have we tried 'donkey caravan' yet?"), they can be great.
And so can these guys. The harmonies are truly exceptional -- tracks like the opening "Sedona," "Black Gold," and the stately gem "Honey Slider" show how well guitarist Matt Myers, bass man Zak Appleby, keyboardist Katie Toupin, and cans man Shane Cody's voices meld together. And the melodies are equally winning. (The slow-burning "Otis" and "Darlin'" shine, in addition to the above.) What prevents it from fully resonating is that unguarded heart. So hopefully the band takes their own words to heart, as they shout on the penultimate song -- "SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT! SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT! TIL YA BELIEVE! TIL YA BELIEVE!" Here's to hoping they do, because both their albums are full of songs you'll find yourself singing along to or pleasantly listening to in the background. If they can dial in that last element, as they do on the following song, "Gasoline," they might be truly great.
Check out that unqualified winner here -- naked emotion, hushed harmonies, and simple lyrics that feel like confessions. It resonates like a howl in the woods, despite the muted volume. Here's to more like this in the future:
The other one that I keep coming back to and finding myself unable to fully embrace is the amalgam that is The New Basement Tapes and the album, Lost on the River. Part of that is undoubtedly due to the process -- find a cache of unrecorded Dylan lyrics, assemble a group of musicians with rather different sounds (Elvis Costello, Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Marcus Mumford from Mumford and Sons, among others), and see what happens when you hit record. And what you get, by and large, is a really good set of songs that keeps the country/throwback vibe going.
The biggest critique here is the need for an editor -- at 20 songs long, there are a handful of tracks that probably didn't need to make the cut (for me, that means most of Costello's and Rhiannon Gidden's tracks, which seem arch and schmaltzy at times, in comparison to the others -- "Married to my Hack," the title track and "Hidee Ho" ones, "Six Months in Kansas City," etc) and their presence takes away from this being an outstanding album. James' and Mumford's songs are the unequivocal highlights -- the former's "Down on the Bottom" and "Nothing To It" and the latter's "Kansas City" and "When I Get My Hands On You" are all fantastic. Great vocals, great melodies, great songs that probably work better in their hands than in Dylan's. Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith's songs round out the affair nicely ("Liberty Street," "Florida Key" among them) and are worth a listen. Plenty to like here, just use the scissors when downloading.
Check out Mumford's "Kansas City" here -- vintage Mumford vocals, all bruised emotion and soaring heart, and a great melody to boot. Enjoy!
We'll break the country vibe and go out with a funky little pop song from electro producer Big Data to get the blood flowing again, the ultra catchy ear worm "Dangerous." There's nothing fancy going on -- just Joywave singer Daniel Armbruster's cooed lyrics and a simple four note bass line -- but those two elements are enough to get you moving, and that bass line will be stuck in your head for hours. Pop music at its best, check it out here:
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