I Need Another Social Network Like I Need A Hole In The Head

Citified
The Meeting After The Meeting

Lately, I have been really digging the album from Citified. Listening to “The Meeting After The Meeting” is like being in a shoegazer timewarp. Definitely channeling some good old Cure, Echo and the Bunnyman and The Church, this is one the best albums I’ve heard lately in this genre. Hey, the neu 80s are back with a vengeance so it’s no surprise that bands that sound like this are popping up left and right. Still, I think Citified does it really well – they get in a few more modern music knocks as well – I hear some Autumns in the mix, Mark Kozelek, maybe some Kingsbury Manx (interesting that the album was engineered by Jerry Kee). Swirling and nostalgically beautiful, this album is definitely a keeper.

Visit:
Citified Myspace
Eskimo Kiss website

by Palebear | Comments Off

OK am I the only one who is really, really, really tired of the band Hold Steady? I suspect I am, because I continue to hear this completely annoying band being played 24/7 on indie radio. I don’t normally come out and post negative stuff, but hey, I was in a funk the other day.

Here’s my thing: I’ve heard Randy Newman and I don’t care to hear him any more. I just can’t see what anyone sees in this band, they’re absolutely horrible with their trite, stupid catchphrases – and because I know I will attract the wrath of Hold Steady fans around the world, I guess I’ll turn off comments on this post. I think I almost hate them more than Joanna Newsom. Anyhow, sing it along with me: There’s always other bands (there’s always other bands) There’s always other bands (you can’t make me like them). Gahhh

p.s. i don’t even know what picture it is i grabbed and put a big X on… I don’t even know if this is the band members… I don’t even care.

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Death To Anders
Fictitious Business

I’ve been trying to figure out this CD from Death to Anders. From the opening track, I thought at first it was going to be standard indie pop /rock with vocals that reminded me of Sugarplastic, Silver Scooter or maybe Oranger. But then “Ghost Rock” comes smashing in with distortion and strange chords – kinda Sonic Youth meets Possum Dixon and Weezer. The sound is alternately quirky, anthemic and then slightly atonal. The style is all over the map – hoedown countryish to shoegazer ballads to noisy freakouts. There’s another indie band that I can’t remember that sounds very close to this Silverlake band. This is their second album, it’s quite good. Or at least interesting. But I have to admit it’s going to take a few listens…

Visit:
Death To Anders website
Death To Anders Myspace

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Helio Sequence
Keep Your Eyes Ahead

These guys know how to snack. Look at the photo below: doughnuts, cookies and milk perfectly and strategically placed. Does that ordered and harmonious tablesetting signify anything about their newest album Keep Your Eyes Ahead. Surely, and deliciously.

That’s not to say that The Helio Sequence’s music is wooden and fixed in any way. But I think that their songs have benefitted a bit from structure and order. The former album I heard, Love and Distance, had moments of brilliant pop and rock embedded in occasionally meandering electronic forays. The songs on this album just seem more concentrated and focused. If you think that I ripped that idea off from the official bio, you’re wrong – but it’s nice that we’re all on the same page there. Apparently, that is exactly the conclusion that Brandon Summers, who is one half of the duo that also includes Benjamin Weikel, came to after nearly losing his singing voice permanently. He opted to do some soul-searching, and I think the music benefits from it.

They sometimes kinda like fellow Subpop labelmates Rogue Wave, but Helio Sequence’s sound is a bit more ethereal and dreamy. Not cavernous reverb, but quite a bit. The synthesizer stuff is still there, but it’s very controlled. Instead of a distraction, it’s tasty flavoring – like the sprinkles on that doughnut. My favorite track on the album comes in past the halfway mark and is the title track. Bouncy, driving and melodic, “Keep Your Eyes Ahead” is sure to win over new fans with its power pop and slightly disco driven beat.

As a complete changeup, “Shed Your Love” is a lovely acoustic ballad, and is sure to get some face-time on teen angst OC type shows. Reminds me a bit of James for some reason. The plaintive country folk-singer song “Broken Afternoon” and the hoe-down of “No Regrets” is even more of a departure – dare I say it sounds like they’re taking a try at sounding like Dylan? Or maybe M. Ward? I know they’re no stranger to shades of country (the previous album had that”Harmonica Song”), but this is quite different – and I really like the new avenues they’re exploring..

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Low Fire
The Second Shortcoming

Rather nice, little buzzy indie pop album from Denmark’s Low Fire. It’s out on Workaholics on Holiday which I believe is an arm of BSBTA, who’s releases we’ve occasionally reviewed. The songs span a whole bunch of genres, from twee to c86 to pop punk. The band is the alias of Niklas Steffensen, but I believe he employs a bunch of buddies in the recordings.

I don’t have the time to go through all the tracks – but I just want to say that “Ringing In Yr Ears” could’ve been a Death Cab B-side track. Easily. A whole lot of songs (in Guided By Voices fashion) mean that there’s a lot of listening to do here. That might turn off some, especially if you don’t “get” lo-fi. But for those with the patience, there are some nice rough gems here and there in the mix. Good stuff…

Visit:
Low Fire website

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Eastern Blok
Folk Tales

Wow. This is going to go right up there with “world music that I really think I should be interested in but it’s just over my head.” I have neither the musical knowledge to talk about the band, nor the will at this point in time – suffice to say that Beirut’s Gulag Orkester was enough to put my poor Americanindie-centric brain through the wringer. Eastern Blok is right up there. Apparently, they’ve made a name for themselves, appearing on NPR and having their music in an Angelina Jolie film (Wanted). How about just have a listen for yourself:

Listen:
Balkan Healer
Songs From The Black Sea

Visit:
Eastern Blok website

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Mist and Mast
S/T

If I was getting paid to review music, I would characterize this album as “excellent, and only kinda crazy.” Just kidding. Well, only half kidding. Since it IS true I’m not being paid. But it isn’t true the music is crazy. It’s just that Jason Lakis, formerly of The Red Thread (who I know nothing about) has a knack for turning what might be ordinary delicious indiefolk into songs that are just a little bit off-kilter sounding.

I actually think it’s the strange and frequent chord changes that give the music that sound. I kind of like it – it certainly kept me awake slogging through the piles of CDs on the desk. The songs absolutely refuse to sit still. Without the added strangeness it might be like Jon Brion or Matthew Sweet or – just pick a popster. At times it sort of reminds me of Nyles Lannon. I suspect with further (I mean more than ONE) listens this album will get even better. Definitely on my “bands to watch” radar…

Visit:
Mist and Mast website

by Palebear | 1 Comment

The Bruises
Connected

It’s simplistic to just say that San Francisco’s The Bruises remind me of the Donnas and of Sleater-Kinney. But, it’s Xmas Eve and I’m just trying to reduce the CD “stack” for the new year. So there you go – I guess it’s better than nothing hey?

Really, there are some pretty decent grrl-punk pop songs in here that I hope to get into next year. But time is short – so rock on, Aja and Jen. I’ll catch up to you later.

Visit:
The Bruises website

by Palebear | Comments Off

Whoah. Just looking at their promo pics, dese guys know how to live it up. I thought MGMT might be some ska-metal band from their abbreviation, but thankfully they’re not. Oh, the name. It’s pronounced “Management”. I think.

The music – very, very trippy. Like David Bowie singing Mercury Rev plus Polyphonic Spree. I actually have no idea what to make of them because I was so expecting a metal band to blast at me when I put the CD in. Wacky, full orchestral production, electronica meets modern glam prog-rock. At times they even channel disco. They’re opening for Of Montreal which I guess makes a bit of sense, although MGMT are no E-6ers. That should be an interesting billing.

Visit:
MGMT Myspace
Cantora Records website

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Amateur Radio Operator
Sirens Of Titan

I don’t know if it was intended or not, but the first thing that I noticed about Amateur Radio Operator was their album name – Sirens of Titan. Hello title-of-a-Kurt Vonnegut book. Needless to say, I sort of sat on this album for several months – even though I really dig it. This seems to happen frequently. The more I like an album, the longer it takes to get it reviewed. I guess that goes against common sense, but hey – you get what you get.

Anyhow, I really like the deep, vast alt-country soundscapes created by the band. It’s VERY Band of Horses (yeah, that Band of Horses). But at times I like ARO even more because of they lean even more toward the sparse and moody, with cello and quieter moments giving the songs greater swim and less swing. The vocals definitely land them in the My Morning Jacket territory but the music can be more Norfolk and Western at times. Unlike others, I think I actually like the speedbumps here – it fits wonderfully with the overall mood. But of course they’re capable of rocking out as well.

According to the bio, they’re big fans of “entropic music” – the decay that hides alongside bigger made-for-radio choruses. I like that. Broken Household Appliance National Forest – here we come.

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