Haiku Reviews - 9/25/09

Lately, I've been wanting to write more reviews, but due to the fact that there hasn't been anything lately that I've been desperately wanting to review, I couldn't reason to myself that I should write a full out review. Also, I've been looking for ways to work more haikus into my blogging.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, Paste Magazine started running Haiku reviews of albums on their Twitter feed and I was inspired! So starting today, for the albums that I have feelings towards but I do not necessarily want to write a lengthy and mentally arduous review for, I will start a new feature called Haiku Reviews. Hope you like it.


Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2

Best Wu Tang Album
Since Wu's Thirty Six Chambers.
Oops...not Wu Tang? Hot.

Verdict: A-


Brand New - Daisy

Artistic noise is
still just noise when you face facts.
Brand New feels tired.

Verdict: D


Islands - Vapours

Islands change again.
This time it's for the better.
Synth, horns, guitar, oh my!

Verdict: B+

Anti- Sampler Fall 2009 for Free!

While you're likely not familiar with it unless you're a big music person, Anti- is one of the most diverse and high quality music labels out there today. They're loaded with talent, and right now they want to share it with you - for free! They've just released their Fall 2009 sampler and it's positively stocked with awesome tracks, including new ones from The Swell Season (for those Once fans out there), Dead Man's Bones (the new band featuring Ryan Gosling), a stellar new track from Islands, and the first release from Kyp Malone's new solo work Rain Machine (he of TV on the Radio fame). Plus, there are great tracks by other luminaries like Frank Turner and a bluesy track from someone named Joe Henry that totally rocks.

Highly recommended from yours truly, and thanks to Largehearted Boy for posting this on Twitter. You can't beat free, unless it's a free album that is loaded with incredible music.

1. The Swell Season - In These Arms
2. Os Mutantes - Teclar
3. Neko Case - Magpie to the Morning
4. Alec Ounsworth - Holy, Holy, Holy Moses (song for New Orleans)
5. Islands - Vapours
6. Dead Man's Bones - My Body is a Zombie For You
7. Rain Machine - Smiling Black Faces
8. Joe Henry - The Man I Keep Hid
9. Booker T. - Hey Ya
10. Frank Turner - Poetry of the Deed
11. Jason Lytle - Rollin' Home Alone
12. Solillaquists of Sound - Look

Favorite albums of 2008 (so far)

For our next big list, Sheri and I are churning out a mixtape version of our favorite songs of all time, with a 20 song tracklisting encompassing our musical tastes for all time. However, because that is such an arduous affair and neither of us really had time to work on it, we're taking a break from our list comparison event. Instead, this week I'll do another list I'd been intending to get to: my mid-year favorite albums of 2008.

Once again, these are favorite albums of the year, not necessarily best...whatever exactly that would entail anyways. I also only included seven albums, as these are the only albums that have been released so far that I think can legitimately make my end of year list.

Also, check out my muxtape of my favorites along with assorted other tracks I enjoy here, all for your listening pleasure.

1. Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground - Self Titled

Favorite track: Birds (On a Day Like Today)

Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground is the brainchild of soon-to-be indie rock god Kirk Huffman (former bassist of my favorite band Gatsby's American Dream) and Kyle O'Quin (keyboardist from Gatsby's self titled album), and for a child of the 90's, this album gives me a little piece of what it was like to live in the 60's.

It's psychedelic rock at its finest, at times jammy, dreamy, and grandiose as all get out, it was my most anticipated album of the year coming in and blew me away even after I got my hands on it. Lyrically bizarre but told through gloriously sweet vocals brought to you by Huffman, the true star of the album is the dense soundscapes the band creates with a massive amount of instruments. To say they are original doesn't cut it, they make music like no one else does today.

To seal the deal, I saw them at Sasquatch and they played half the album in stellar fashion, both perfecting and reinventing the sound brought on the album within the same performance.

This band should be in every music aficionados regular musical rotation, and I can't wait for more of the world to bask in their glory. Blow minds baby, indeed.

2. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

Favorite track: Tesselate

This is an album I've already raved about within my blog here, but I'd like to emphasize once again how superb this debut is. I was a fan of their A Lesson in Crime EP and I saw them at Bumbershoot last year, but I felt as if they had a chaotic energy that would be better suited if focused in a more structured sound.

With Elephant Shell, they did that to a stunning degree, channeling all of the talent that poured out of them into eleven tracks of sheer rock gold. My most listened to album this year so far.

3. Vampire Weekend - Self Titled

Favorite track: M79

I'm unsure as to whether or not anyone who reads blogs has heard of this band. They've received absolutely no hype whatsoever.

Oh wait, nevermind...they are the most hyped band so far this year by far. I get confused sometimes.

However for once, the hype is worth it as this band's debut is a breath of fresh air. It recalls one of my favorite albums that my mom had me listen to quite often when I was younger (Paul Simon's Graceland) but at the same time, it is its own animal altogether.

It's brilliantly orchestrated and wonderfully simple, and frankly if we had one new artist (alternately forward thinking and respective of the past) like this band ever year the world of music would be a very better place right now.

See what I said about this album before here.

4. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Favorite track: You Can Do Better than Me

I know, I know, as recently as this blog post, I said that this was my favorite album of the year. But that was over a month ago. I mean come on, how can you expect me to maintain my opinion for that long?

Truth be told, I still say it's Death Cab's best album yet. Its a very well put together album that reaches new heights for the band while taking them in directions they had yet to go before, while still providing the same thing we'd expect from a Death Cab album. However, it is a very tough year and the three above this album could not be denied.

5. Jamie Lidell - Jim

Favorite track: Wait for Me

This album I'd say is the most unexpected of any on my list. I'd never had any experience with Jamie Lidell, his type of music isn't really my thing, and really, there wasn't a lot of hype behind this album.

But this is the most joyous of any album I've heard so far this year. Lidell brings back the fun and impassioned singing that I love Motown for and layers it upon incredibly catchy piano and drum based beats. This album is designed to get your toes tapping and to get you singing while you drive.

This is the feel good hit of the summer, except it is just me that is treating it like that. Not only that, but it gets better with every spin.

See my original write up about this album here.

6. Styrofoam - A Thousand Words

Favorite track: Bright Red Helmet

I just picked up this album recently after hearing "Bright Red Helmet" on UAA's college radio station KRUA (88.1 = best station in Anchorage), and before then I hadn't even realized this high quality electronic outfit was releasing a new album. I'd been a big fan of their previous album, but I must admit, this one may be even better.

This album has less well known guest stars than 2004's Nothing's Lost (come on, that album featured Ben Gibbard and Andrew Kenny), but makes up for it with songs that are more well put together and instantly catchy. While Styrofoam never reaches the same high they did with Nothing's Lost's standout track "Make It Mine," the new album is more consistently engrossing and the overall performance of vocalists are superior.

For fans of the Postal Service and glitchy electronic indie pop, this one is highly recommended.

7. Islands - Arm's Way

Favorite track: In the Rushes

I went on and on about this album in this post, but I just want to say once again that this band really took a big step in my eyes with this album. Islands were another band that I thought were too chaotic to ever really become a favorite of mine, but they tightened up their sound and really released an exceptional album.

Plus, there is a partial cover of one of my favorite tracks off the Rushmore soundtrack on the album, which earns them major kudos.

There you have it. My favorites to date, and listed below I have albums that need more spins but could get on there, honorable mentions, and releases I'm very interested in that I haven't had a chance to explore yet.

Need more spins: M83 – Saturdays = Youth, Coldplay – Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends

Honorable mentions: My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges, The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely, Flight of the Conchords – Flight of the Conchords, The Mars Volta – Bedlam in Goliath

Haven't listened to yet: The Hold Steady – Stay Positive, Portishead – Third, Ghostland Observatory – Robotique Majestique, No Age – Nouns, Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin – Pershing, Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer, Fleet Foxes – Self Titled

Capitalist Pig Tuesdays

This is going to be one of my last posts before my vacation, and I'm sure I will get on a computer while down there and write a blog or two up, but I wanted to make sure posted my recommendations for the week.

Or to be specific, one big recommendation, as that is all I have for you today.

Album of the Week: Islands - Arm's Way

This week has one major release in my eyes, and that is the second album from Islands, a band that rose from the ashes of former indie greats the Unicorns. So far, a lot of people have chimed in on the web about this album as it leaked long ago and it is a fairly high profile release after their critically adored Return to the Sea brought them into the limelight, but one review I wanted to note is Pitchfork's review.

For those that have talked to me about music, you may have heard I am not a fan of Pitchfork. I think they get off on being naysayers, and I think they are the type of people who mourn what music has become as opposed to bask in the goodness that it still provides. Not only that, but they seem to be the type to review something based on the inverse of their popularity quite often (meaning if it is well known, it's crap, and if it's a self recorded EP that is 15 minutes of terrible vocals and lo-fi production, it's genius! *ahem* Black Kids).

Back to the point, as I went on a bit of a tangent about Pitchfork. Their review gave the album a 6.2 out of 10, which is not a bad review from them to be honest. It's fair to middling, but not a pan. What bothers me is that Pitchfork uses the word "conventional" within their review as if it is some sort of crime to be that. I liked Return to the Sea, but contrary to Pitchfork's thought process, I believe what they did with Arm's Way is bring pop sensibilities and structure to a band that had displayed limited interest in pursuing that before.

And it works.

It works incredibly well. This album isn't overly polished, it still maintains the unique Islands feel. The song structures are more focused which allows the band to pin their efforts towards making the best album they can, as opposed to pontificating about how they can turn the nice sounding noise they made into music. Every facet of the band improved album to album, and there is still plenty of space for the band to experiment and get their fill of the "these walls can't hold us nature!" of the first album.

No track shows this more than "In the Rushes," which is clearly the standout track for a number of reasons. The opening section of the song is pure build up, as the guitar/bass provides a rhythm to work with and the strings plus lead vocals steadily build . From there, a powerful section with Nick Thorburn's vocals taking the lead kick off, and then we transition into a repeat of the beginning. That's when things get a bit unpredictable, as the band provides an absolutely fantastic homage/somewhat cover of the Who's live track "A Quick One While He's Away." It's the way covers should always be - respectful, but inventive.

And that last sentence perfectly defines this album. This album is respectful of the fans that came with them from the previous effort, but this time the band has reinvented them as a more conventional (but in a good way) guitar driven rock band. Still not exactly normal, but every bit as interesting as the first time around. This is on my short list for favorite albums thus far this year, and I can't imagine it won't be there at the end of the year as well.

Stream the album here and judge for yourself. It's worth a shot, I promise.