Another in a pretty much constant stream of Canadian talent, trio Plants and Animals brings an ambitious, folksy-ish, but malleable record with Parc Avenue. At times southern rocky, and at others classic rock & Fleetwood Mac-y, the album has one unexpected gem after another.
"They offer up explosive, Polyphonic Spree-sized choir choruses, 1970s AM radio guitars, cozy folk balladry, and rambling stoner boogie-often in the course of one song-- and switch between them with little warning. Many of their songs clock in at over five minutes long, but that's all the better for them to pick up steam, stylistically mutate, or expand."
You'd hardly expect this folksy, sometimes on the edge of latin, pop to be born of Iceland. But Emiliana Torrini makes her break after a writing a song or two for others and jumping on a few odd soundtracks with Me and Armini.
"A diva/chanteuse somewhere between the bad-girl anti-heroics of Lily Allen and the Sunday morning adulthood of Norah Jones, Emiliana Torrini sings with the inquisitiveness of fellow Icelander Björk. On Me and Armini, Torrini’s sixth album (third international), her songs are set into glittering poptronics by collaborator Dan Carey, with whom Torrini once co-wrote and co-produced songs for Kylie Minogue. The two aren’t afraid to aim for absolute hookiness."
For whatever reason, I don't often get too suckered in by the instrumental band. But the mixture of jazz, funk, soul, big band and porno makes Dallas' Shibboleth absolutely irresistible.
"If soundtracks for Spaghetti Westerns and '60s sex comedies were free from cinematic distractions, or the Stax recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee hadn't been torn down and replaced by a museum, their resulting music might compare to Experiment in Error, the second full-length recording from Dallas' Shibboleth. This instrumental trio features three of Dallas' hardest-working and most critically-acclaimed musicians: Rich Martin on keys, James Driscoll on bass, and Don Cento on guitar. Their new release features a full band sound augmented by drums, percussion, horns, and — on "The 1912 Horsey Rebellion" — vocals! Still no lyrics though — the aforementioned track (which is #1 on the disc) instead offers super-catchy "ooo"s."
For a band including a member of the Strokes, there are only rare moments that would actually make you consider the connection. A mish mash of quiet melodies and utter randomness (in the best of ways), Little Joy's self-titled debut is a trip between folksy reggae and goog 'ol' indie rockin'. Lots of gems in there though. I only wish we'd hear more from the fantastic female vox unfortunately named Binki.
"Little Joy's charmingly lazy songwriting makes no gesture at becoming anything beyond an excellent dinner-party soundtrack. But in these trying times for art and political life, such warm-hearted mood music will at least make your headaches go away."
For fans of Grizzly Bear, I'm pretty sure you'll also love Department of Eagles. Mostly because Grizzly Bear is the Department of Eagles. Sort of, anyway. Add a member, and subtract another, and give member Daniel Rossen along with Fred Nicolaus the bulk of the songwriting duties. It's got all the earthiness you'd expect in the record, but with a somewhat more light-hearted mood, which is somewhat unexpected considering the dedication of the album to Rossen's late father who passed in 2007. Ear Park is the nickname of a park in LA where he and his father visited.
"At its best points, of which there are a fair few, this album (and this band) produces a sound that is quite magical. Backing vocals and effects produce a sound close to that of an angel choir on opener ‘In Ear Park’, a moving tribute to Rossen’s deceased father. Lush shimmering choral sounds build to dramatic crescendos with a sense of wonder that reminded me, bizarrely, of the backing music found on some of the earlier Walt Disney cartoons (Sleeping Beauty, say) - see in particular ‘No One Does It’, ‘Phantom Other’ and ‘Waves of Rye’. Similarly, the gorgeous, full sounding “oohs” on ‘Floating on the Lehigh’ lend the song a soaring quality a bit like a singularly rich croon-y 1950s show tune. The 1960s can also be heard (in a kind of Motown-esque way) in the intro to ‘No One Does It’. Add into the mix some echoes of 10cc’s ‘I’m Not In Love’, to be heard in ‘In Ear Park’ and that overused reviewer’s description - eclectic - would seem to be justified."
Boston's Passion Pit is an absolutely fanastic electro-pop ride, full of ups and downs, falsettos and sing-alongs. Interesting story, too. Apparently Passion Pit began as a Valentine's Day gift for a girlfriend that morphed into a full-time project. I'd write more, but this Tune In Saturday is happening on Sunday night, so there you go. Enjoy!
"Boston’s Passion Pit is the brainchild of Michael Angelakos with live band consisting of ian hultquist(synths), ayad al adhamy(synths, samplers), jeff apruzzese(bass, synths), nate donmoyer (drums). Michael is a songwriter’s songwriter drawing from a variety of influences, from the classic pop of Randy Newman to the synth work of Giorgio Moroder.
The Chunk of Change EP was originally put together as a (belated) Valentine’s Day present to Angelakos’ girlfriend which then prompted him to give it out to friends and fellow students at Emerson College. Angelakos wrote and recorded the entire record by himself and it only hints at what is to come from this extremely talented perfectionist. The production of the recording - brief, sporadic, and explosive - worked towards the development of Angelakos’ signature euphoric and blissfully melancholic sound. Frenchkiss Records will reissue the ep this fall with the addition of two bonus tracks “Better Things” and “Sleepyhead” that are already catching the online world on fire. All of this is in preparation for Passion Pit’s debut full length coming out in early 2009."
Further proof that Texas may actually be the rock promise land prophesied by Lift to Experience, with one of my newest favorites, Dallas' Slider Pines. With a sound somewhat Americana, a little bit Deathcab and the Shins and at times reminiscent of early Foo Fighters, they've released their newest EP. I've got no idea what it's called, but it's damn good and free. So eat that.
From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
"Slider Pines sets the bar awfully high on the group’s masterful debut, Road Avenue Railroad. The Dallas trio, led by the garrulous, gritty vocalist/guitarist Joey Shanks, has a rootsy, engaging sound, bridging the gap between the straight-ahead Americana of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (glimpsed on The Memphis Hack) and the incisive indie navel-gazing of the Shins (evident on the album’s best song, The Missing Street Sign). This is the album you want blaring from your car’s stereo as you roar down the open highway into a world of unknown possibilities. One of the year’s finest local offerings."
Ahh, you've got to love those wonderful, wonderful Swedes. This time it's from a bit of an unlikely source with First Aid Kit, a folksy duo of sisters Klara and Johanna, the former 15 and the latter 17. It has all the maturity and worldliness you'd expect from much more weathered musicians, but retains the freshness and playful nature that really make it sing. And it's not difficult to win me over with an absolutely fantastic cover of the Fleet Foxes.
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