Palebear Archives

Category : Eclectic

Albumen
Lake Desolation

The year is still mighty young, but I’ll go out on a limb and say the new Albumen record is one of the best of its “type” that I’ve listened to this year. “Type” is going to be difficult to pin down accurately, however, for their new album Lake Desolation. The songs are all over the map and underneath it, ranging from fine folk ramblings to disturbing electronic offerings to straightforward rock. Sort of like Earlimart lost somewhere in The Appalachians but with more keyboards.

I’m not gonna lie and say this won’t be a challenging album for many who are used to more straightforward neu-folk like Iron and Wine. This is folk that is RIPPED completely open. Often bathed in deep-well reverb and loads of strange blips and beeps, the songs refuse to sit still and play nice. I think this is why I dug the album so much.

Casual alternative listeners may be content to say that the singing often sounds remarkably like Michael Stipe with less of the whine (and more of the hair). However, for indie folks more in-the-know, let’s go with an initial impression of Bill Callahan (Smog) and David Berman (Silver Jews) with just the barest, barest inkling of Calvin Johnston’s (Beat Happening) bassoon-like mutterings at times.

Many of the songs are dynamic, containing quieter porch folk and that leads to forceful overdriven choruses and endings. “Circle Down” is a good example of that double-sided nature. “Silent Sunrise” is one of my favorite tracks on the album, a midtempo rocker with really infectious chords and melodies.

Continue reading “Albumen - Lake Desolation” …

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Audible
Sunday Bell

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Beltline
Welcome Nostalgia

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Between The Pines
S/T EP

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Blanket Music
Love Translation

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Casey Dienel
Doctor Monroe

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Death To Anders
Fictitious Business

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Deerhoof
+81

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Doveman
Honey

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Eastern Blok
Folk Tales

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Ellery
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Eux Autres
Cold City

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Francine
Silver Plated 606

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Giant Drag
Hearts and Unicorns

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Graves
Easy Not Easy

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Helio Sequence
Keep Your Eyes Ahead

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Jim White
Static On The Radio

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Liam Singer
Father I See

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Loney, Dear
Loney, Noir

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Love as Laughter
Laughter's Fifth

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Michael Hearst
Songs For Ice Cream Trucks

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Mist and Mast
S/T

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Mosquitos
Reason to Live

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Norfolk & Western
The Gilded Age

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Oren Lavie
The Opposite Side Of The Sea

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Origami Ghosts
Solving My Own Puzzles

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Radars To The Sky
S/T EP

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Sea Wolf
Get to the River ...

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Stephen Malkmus
Phantasies

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The Album Leaf
Into The Blue Again

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The Cape May
Glass Mountain Roads

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The Dead Science
Drrrty Magneto

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The Decemberists
The Crane Wife

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The Love Letter Band
Fear Not My Brothers ...

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The Polyphonic Spree
Beginning Stages Of

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The Shins
Wincing The Night Away

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The Transport Assembly
Improbable Songs

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The Wowz
Happy Today

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Tony Penultimate
I Made You Love Me

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Viva Voce
Alive With Pleasure

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World Leader Pretend
Punches

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Yo La Tengo
Our Way To Fall

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