Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band – Outer South
Much like I am with Peter Bjorn & John, I’m a TOTAL fangirl when it comes to Conor Oberst. Something about a guy writing smart, thoughtful, self-observant lyrics put to a wide variety of backing music (everything from electronic rock to the alt-country he’s been burning through recently) tugs at my heartstrings. In all honesty, however, this new album by Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, “Outer South,” had to grow on me before I fell completely in love. I am completely in love now, of course, but it took me some listen-throughs (do we like how I’m making up terminology? I certainly do!) Anyway. I have a recommendation for anyone with enough time to do this: download the documentary about the making of this album from CauseCast.org (free download, donation to your favorite cause highly, highly encouraged), and spend an hour watching it to get a full appreciation of the fantastic brotherhood forged in this album; it’s what has made me fall in love with the non-Oberst penned (and sung) tracks. My full breakdown after the cut. Continue reading »
Filed under Music, Reviews | Tags: Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Outer South | Comment (0)Not dead!
Hey, my beautiful readers, just checking in to say that, yes, the Oberst review is still on its way; I had to move back to San Antonio for the week, before I pack up and take off for New York City and a dream internship. I’m alive and well, and have been listening non-stop to Loxsly’s new album, “Tomorrow’s Fossils” (released everywhere as of yesterday!), as well as a mix of other stuff that’s making me all nostalgic-like. Also, I’m super sad that The Dodos are on that new beer ad, but hopefully this publicity will get them more exposure/fans. Such is capitalism! Be back soon, my dears.
Filed under Misc. | Tags: New York City, The Dodos, update | Comment (0)The Airborne Toxic Event – The Airborne Toxic Event
I had all but written the radio off, despite working for fabulous student station KVRX, listening to local staple KGSR off and on, and enjoying NPR affiliate KUT broadcasts. Then, our Austin station 101x played a song off of The Airborne Toxic Event’s self-titled debut, and I remembered that the radio can, in fact, help you discover bands that melt your heart and become your favorite (and, in fact, this used to be THE way to discover bands, and probably still is for many people. Damn me and my music snobbery.) Anyway, the first single off of this album, “Sometime Around Midnight,” captured me pretty immediately, so I decided to explore the album. Thank goodness I did, because it’s become a favorite.
If you take The National, and make the music accompanying the poetry more danceable, you’d pretty much have The Airborne Toxic Event. Frontman Mikel Jollett has a very affecting voice, and the storytelling-style of the songs is unsurprising: according to an article in Rolling Stone, Jollett was actually going to be a novelist before he started the band. Even the CD booklet (for those of you like me who, you know, are stuck in the past and buy CDs) reads like a short story; it called to mind the Bright Eyes booklet for “Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground.”
The album itself is pretty solid all the way through. It kicks off with “Wishing Well,” a song about wanting to get away. The music suits this mood; it rushes past, sort of hurried and not-quite-frantic, like the moment when you feel like you want to run, but you’re not sure if it would be appropriate or not, so the adrenaline pumps through you with no place to go and your heart beats faster and you could dash off at the drop of the hat – the song achieves that feeling of being on the precipice. A line from this song stands out to me every time: “But you were always a mess/You were always aloof/It’s awful I guess/But it’s the awful truth.” Crikey.
“Papillon” has an almost 80’s punk dance feel to it. There’s desperation in the lyrics of this one, emphasized when Jollett shrieks some of the lyrics. It’s not forced; it’s credible, which makes it more affecting. Then “Gasoline” is one of the few songs I would call flat-out fun; I think any song that kicks off the vocals with a count (“5! 6! 7! 8!”) kind of sets itself up to be fun. That doesn’t mean there isn’t still a sense of desire on this one, because there is. The quick and short guitar doodles and lyrical content (yearning for youth and lost opportunities) lend the song to be an anthem for college grads everywhere; this could be our summer song, people!
“Happiness is Overrated” will fool you if you don’t listen past the 37-second mark; the opening of the song is a kind of chugging guitar with Jollett’s vocals sarcastically singing about lost love (starting to see a trend here?) When the song gets to the chorus, it is ueber-catchy; “Sorry/I merely lost my head.” This is one of the slower tunes, but you could still dance to it. It kind of reminds me of stuff by stellastarr*, which is definitely a good thing (in my book.)
“Does This Mean You’re Moving On?” is one of my favorites. It’s a short, punchy, super-danceable track about discovering your ex is with someone new – something many of us have experienced, unhappily. The instruments drop out to emphasize just the right lyrics in this tune, giving them that little extra kick of pain, that feeling that makes you want to pump your fist in solidarity with the singing narrator. Awesome tune.
“This is Nowhere,” on the other hand, is my least favorite on the album. It’s not bad, by any means; I’m not a fan of the opening guitar riff, but when it ends at about 13 seconds in, I love where the guitar goes. I think if I was more familiar with the lyrics to this song, I would like it more; after 20+ listens through the album, though, I still haven’t memorized them all for this song, because they are hard to decipher at times. Since the lyrics are really at the forefront of this band’s music, I’m afraid the song muffles this one too much for its own good.
Then we hit the single, the tune that caught my attention on 101x and is even more glorious on the album because of its rich opening: “Sometime Around Midnight.” A deep chorus of strings kicks off the song, and no guitars or drums or anything else are heard for that first 35 seconds. The strings play the theme of the song, and then we break into plinky, twinkling guitar sounds layered and echoed over a quiet cymbal being struck in the background. Jollett sets the stage for the song, which is about running into someone you haven’t seen for a long time who you used to be with. The lyrics are heart wrenching and easy to relate to, and with each passing verse, the instrumental layers swell. The guitars are louder and louder, the drums kick in, Jollett sings a little louder and with more poison, and finally, after he screams, “Your friends say, What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” we have an instrumental interlude before we kick into the full-bodied finale. This song is SO great. It’s like its own little rock symphony or something.
Then the group lets you breathe a little on the next one: “Something New” is lighter and quicker, though the lyrics are no more optimistic. I could see this as the next single, since it’s good straightforward dance rock. “Missy” is really fun, about a girl finding a new life in Los Angeles; the opening guitar riff is jangly and bright, and when Jollett lets out a little “woo!” in the middle of the song, it seems appropriate. This is probably the happiest song on the entire record.
Finally, we finish off with “Innocence.” This is another one that takes its time to get where it’s going. We kick it off with bass, guitar and a beautiful violin, accented by deep kick drum and an occasional cymbal swell. This instrumental dance goes on for about a minute and thirty seconds; then it quiets down to just the guitar, and within 20 seconds builds back up into a proper dance rock opening. Still, we’ve had no vocals thus far, and they don’t kick in until 2:21. Brave move, ATE. Brave move. Jollett has tons of desperation in his voice on this song, but it’s great; this is going to be a really fun song to dance around to at a festival setting (like, I dunno, ACL this year??) This is (if my memory serves) one of the fastest songs on the album, and again, there are lyrics here that stick in your memory: “We’re not gods, we’re just hacks,” or “And I tear, I tear, so hard/And I tear, I tear, so hard/And I beg and scream, ‘I was wrong’/It’s over, she’s gone.” Intense. The breakdown at 5:10 is glorious, and then when it kicks in again at 5:27, I DARE you to sit still. It’s definitely an epic way to end an album.
So, for those of you who want the short and sweet of it: If you love The National, and if you love stellastarr*, and you wish these two bands would have some kind of supergroup baby or something, The Airborne Toxic Event has answered your dreams. A “best of 2009,” I truly believe.
Coming up: a review of Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band’s “Outer South,” and a(nother!) review of Green Day’s much-acclaimed “21st Century Breakdown.” The Oberst review will be much sooner, as I’ve already sat with it for over a week; since Green Day’s LP just hit stores today, I’ll need some time with it first. Please do hit me up in the comments or my guestbook if you have suggestions or addendums or anything else! Also, I’m catching local bands Loxsly, Oh No! Oh My! and Corto Maltese at the Mohawk tonight for Loxsly’s LP release party, “Tomorrow’s Fossils.” Expect a review of that soon, too.
Filed under Music, Reviews | Tags: review, The Airborne Toxic Event | Comments (2)Peter Bjorn & John – Living Thing
Took me long enough, eh? OK, so here is my (not so timely) review of Peter Bjorn & John’s “Living Thing.”
“The Feeling” kicks everything off, and I think it sets the mood appropriately – it lets you know that, unlike the full-bodied “Objects of My Affection” (my fave PB&J song thus far), this album is going to be a little more stripped. Therefore, I would absolutely categorize this album as a grower. That isn’t to say that I didn’t immediately have favorites, but it is to say that some of my current favorites are songs I initially was wary of.
Another oddity about “The Feeling” is that John is the primary vocalist. Really, apart from some accopmanying rhythmic “doo-doo”’s, he’s the only vocal element to this song. There is a lot of electronic stuff going on with this album, and it’s fun. The fact that it’s a little more stripped allows each layer to really be heard and enjoyed. I heard somewhere compare this to Kanye West’s minimalist “808’s and Heartbreaks,” and I would say that the comparison makes sense to me.
“It Don’t Move Me” was one of my favorite new songs the band played at SxSW, and on the album, it’s still fantastic. It’s a dance-y anthem to getting over someone, and the lyrics are biting. When the bass kicks up for the chorus, you just wanna jam. I will say that, live, the punch this packs is a little stronger than the album version, but you can still get the idea. This is a fantastic song, and if you decide to iTunes this and go for only a couple of songs, you MUST get this one, and you MUST follow it with. . .
. . .”Just the Past.” “It Don’t Move Me” flows perfectly into this song, which is an impressive feat, as “Just the Past” is a gentler love song. The drum in this song is at a comfortable gallup, and Peter’s vocals are so sweet here, it’s the stuff of melted hearts. My favorite lyric: “Even if I gave you a mountain/On a bad day/You don’t think you’re worth the top of it/And how can I change that?/When it’s in your fundament/You can’t take a compliment.” This song asks the age-old question, “Is it your parents? Or just your past?” Psychologists and philosophers, have at it. For the rest of us, this is just a simple sentiment from a lover who basically says, shove it – whatever it is, I’ll have you anyway.
“Nothing To Worry About” leaked ages ago, so I’m not sure that you need a review. I’ll give it to you this way: Children hip-hop chiming sing-along chorus. Putting swagger in your step. Standout lyric: “There must be something in you/Turning boys to men/And then back again.” You will put your hands in the air.
“I’m Losing My Mind” is a stoner anthem, if stoners need one. Stick with it through the opening (which sounds like cavemen chanting in, you guessed it, a cave.) The song itself is sticky, and the guitar solos in between the simplistic lyrics are sexy and heavy. Bjorn sings this one, and his deeper voice suits the style.
“Living Thing” sounds like it was plucked off of Paul Simon’s “Graceland.” The guitar part is chipper, and the chorus is definitely a sing-along (as well as a borrowed chorus from E. L. O.) This is one that will get the feet shuffling, for sure. This is another standout, with echoey vocals a la Peter and a smooshy bass line.
“I Want You!” is a very sweet, very simple love song sung by John. The twinkling guitar part at the opening sets it up well, and John’s innocent-sounding voice is perfect for the very straightforward lyrics (he can’t help it, he wants you!) This is kind of a “part two” to “Living Thing,” as it again has a bass line that is remeniscent of Paul Simon.
“Lay It Down” is another leaked winner. Recorded sound of a bottle opening? Check. An F-bomb in the chorus? Check. A dancable beat? Check. Cover your grandmother’s ears and turn this sucker UP. It’s a ballsy move for the kings of whistling, and it pays off – this song rocks.
“Stay This Way” is interesting; it starts out kind of dream-like, and VERY minimalist. There’s a violin-shriek-sound coupled with voices kind of humming, and then a bass kind of peeks in, and then Peter starts to sing on top of the bass and some snapping. My favorite part of this song is the lead-up to the chorus; there’s this rumbling drum sound that breaks into all of the little sounds that we’ve heard before all together. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this song at first, but it’s grown on me. I tend to love Moren’s lyrics; they are always so wonderfully introspective and observant.
“Blue Period Picasso” has become, hands-down, the best grower song for me. It starts just with Peter’s voice layered over itself, singing this wonderful metaphor that is expanded through the whole song. It’s AWESOME. When the electronic synth breaks in after that first taste of the chorus, if it doesn’t make your shoulders sway, I don’t know what to do for you. The part where the lyrics go, “Though you just kindly stole my heart,” is musically lovely. Again, this is sort of where all the little parts that you’ve tasted throughout the song come together in this glorious harmony. Try this one out, it’s just plain fun.
“4 Out of 5″ is another grower. Bjorn sings this, and it’s slow again. It kind of chugs along and is a little repetitive, but I love this line: “You win/You win/Just a little, but you win.” It made me think about winning and what that really means, and I always love a song that makes me think. Still, if you’re not engaged with it, this one might also put you to sleep.
“Last Night” is OK; it’s my least favorite John song. It’s very 80’s; feels like it could come at the end credits for a Miami Vice flick. Again, the slowness here could work for the song, or against it, depending on whether or not you are on board.
Overall, this album is totally solid. I can find positive qualities in every song. And, I particularly love that this trio took the risks they took with this album. I love a group that is in it for the music, and PB&J definitely make you feel like they are. Bravo, guys! Jaettebra:D (Swedish for super-awesome.)
Filed under Music, Reviews | Tags: Living Thing, Peter Bjorn & John, Peter Bjorn and John, review | Comment (0)The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love
I’m back from the dead (kind of), and finally going to give my impressions of this and two other albums, Peter Bjorn & John’s minimalist and cool Living Thing, and The Airborne Toxic Event’s self-titled, wordy dance rock album. We’ll kick it off with The Decemberists‘ prog-rock masterpiece, The Hazards of Love.
In our modern, digital world of “the-new-unit-of-music-is-the-track,” here comes Colin Meloy and co. defiantly shouting from the rooftops (or maybe just your speakers) that, indeed, album experiences are still not only possible, but (in this case) worth it. Yes, there are a couple tracks that can be listened to alone, but overall, this is an album that plays like an engrossing novel reads – you don’t really want to skip the chapters, you want the whole story.
It definitely took me a few listens before I had crafted what I think is the accurate version of Meloy’s story for myself, and it might be wise to sit with the lyrics and have a “read along,” if you really want to know what’s going on. I’m not going to use this review to speculate what all the ins and outs of the story are – that’s part of the joy of this album. It outlines what’s going on, but leaves enough space for you to fill it in with (gasp!) your own imaginings. In a world where so much of entertainment media spells everything out for the consumer, it’s refreshing to have a little bit of choice in the matter.
Musically speaking, this album is heavy. The prelude is a wispy opening that might make you wonder whether or not you’ve been gypped – I wasn’t even sure if the CD was playing the first time I spun it through. Then, we are introduced to the first musical theme in “The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won’t Wrestle The Thistles Undone).” The harmonies here are beautiful, and the acoustic guitar’s picking theme is light. However, when these are combined with the lilting piano and the heavy bass, there’s something ominous that you can’t quite put your finger on until we break into “A Bower Scene” with a shout.
In this song, we’re introduced to this thick electric guitar breakdown – it’s explosive and attention-getting, particularly because the rhythm slows down so much for it. Then we break into “Won’t Want For Love (Margaret In The Taiga).” (By the way, I dictionary.com’d “Taiga,” and it’s apparently “the coniferous evergreen forests of subarctic lands, covering vast areas of northern North America and Eurasia.” Completely different from my initial interpretation when I thought Meloy was singing “tiger.”) Now, I will admit here, Margaret (voiced by Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond) is absolutely, hands-down my least favorite character. I think it has to do with the fact that when I saw The Decemberists perform with Stark at South by Southwest, she had this pasted-on ear-to-ear grin during the entire performance, and this coupled with her character’s sweetness was a little too sickening for me. Whatever the reason, she is definitely a kind of ‘pure’ character.
Then we come to “The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All),” which is the first super standout track on the album for me. It’s this full-bodied love song that makes you feel like you could burst on the crest of the chorus, punctuated by high-pitched chimes. This is the kind of love song that makes you glad that you feel the kind of love it embodies, makes you glad that you’ve had it in the past, or makes you want it with all your body. Great song.
“The Queen’s Approach” is just a short, rusty taste of the flavor this particular character will add upon her real arrival on the album, followed by my least favorite tune on the album – “Isn’t It A Lovely Night?” This is a waltz about babies – it just drips with sweetness, and it’s a little too much for my palette. Also, Stark’s vocals followed by Meloy’s are a little weird here, for some reason – I think the contrast is a little jarring. Meloy just has such a specific accent to his singing, and Stark’s ueber-soft voice doesn’t really blend well here. Still, because I love the story of the album, I tend not to skip the song, and just because I say it’s my “least favorite,” doesn’t make it bad. It is a very different style from the rest of the songs, with some country twang added in near the end (steel guitar and accordion make this happen.)
Then, we break into another standout song that hits us in two parts: “The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid.” This is a call/response song between William and The Queen, and each character has an AWESOME song to sing. William’s builds into this drum-driving wash that, despite the corny-ness of this metaphor, really does seem to rush over you like a wave (of sound, of emotion.) Then, we have this POWERHOUSE character, The Queen. Holy smokes, is this gal great. Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond gives her SO much life, belting out angry lyrics that do jealousy and fury justice. The electric guitar accompanying her make the tune fiery and sexy – just delicious. It’s the perfect balance of innocent desire and mature manipulation – a fantastic song you’ll want to play loud and stomp around to.
Here, there is “An Interlude,” short and sweet, before we jump into evil plotting and sad endings. “The Rake Song” is one that can stand alone – a drum-heavy rock tune about cruelty and heartlessness. Perhaps this will be the only time you ever feel compelled to dance around to a tune about infanticide. . .but you’ll want to dance, I tell you!
Then we have “The Abduction of Margaret,” which returns to the thick guitar theme from “A Bower Scene.” There is a sense of rushing urgency in this song that fits the story perfectly. Then we rock out again with “The Queen’s Rebuke/The Crossing.” Worden’s vocals soar here, and you can sense that, yes, this is a character who pwns the crap out of nature, and will be PISSED if you get in her way. The electric guitar trudges along here, full of sludge and weight. It’s sticky and heavy and awesome, and breaks into a frantic rock song at the end.
We follow this with another beautiful song, “Annan Water.” My brother described this song perfectly – it’s a song where the singer is making a deal to die, which makes it heartbreaking and brave and emotionally arresting. The music has this rushing accordion rhythm in it that is coupled with acoustic guitar, and it really makes you sense the cold, rushing water beneath William; the windy night air, the fear that this man must swallow to save his true love. Beautiful.
“Margaret in Captivity” is dastardly, and again returns to a theme we had in “Won’t Want For Love.” Margaret has desperation in her voice, and there’s a detached evil in The Rake’s voice. Then, “The Hazards Of Love 3 (Revenge!)” decides to break in and shake things up with – ghost children!!!! The creepy harpsichord accompanying the echo-laden kids’ voices sets the tone, and when the violin breaks in, your skin will crawl. There’s also a strange beep noise, which I can now say with confidence comes from a plastic toy robot (I saw Meloy “play” this at SxSW by bopping it on the head.) There’s also a crashing sound in the background – not positive what creates this, but it feels like a falling tree.
Then, we return to “The Wanting Comes In Waves” with a reprise. It’s a short, desperate burst that ends with the character William shouting “I want this night!” before the instruments (and waves) seem to crash around him and envelop him with Margaret.
Finally, we end on an incredibly sweet but incredibly sad song, “The Hazards Of Love 4 (The Drowned).” It’s very stripped down, particularly when compared with the rest of the songs. The opening is just Meloy and an acoustic guitar. It’s reminiscent of other Decemberists work, like “I Was Meant For The Stage.” It builds in layers, and here Stark’s vocals seem to blend with Meloy’s in a just-right finish to an epic piece of work.
This album is completely worth the attention you will need to give it in order to get the most out of it. The music of The Decemberists is oft-lambasted for being a bit “wordy,” but if you can get past that, the pictures that the words in this paint span the spectrum – from vile and disgusting to sweet and beautiful, from powerful and frightening to incredibly heartbreaking. And, honestly, I was able to understand the story without understanding every word. If you want a good story, or if you want some great, heavy rock music, check this out.
Filed under Music, Reviews | Tags: The Decemberists, The Hazards of Love | Comment (0)