I've taken a bit of a hiatus from writing on this puppy since the end of March. Whatever. I've been assessing my life and what I want to do with it, so some things fall to the side, you know? It's not like I get paid to do this. It's at my leisure.
I think that, last time around, I mentioned something about not writing about politics for a bit, taking a break if you will. I'm sticking with it. There's been some really good, and really varied, music coming out this year, so I wanted to talk about (and give examples of) some of the stuff I've been into lately.
First off, there's Robyn. Yes, that Robyn. She's come a long way, baby. Robyn first popped up (in the United States) 1997, just as the whole pop music craze hit the States. She had already had hits in Europe and did okay here, with "Show Me Love" and "Do You Know (What It Takes)" reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. But she faded from the spotlight in the States right after that, retreated to Europe and became, for all intents and purposes, a pretty big pop star. She had some good ol' fashioned pop hits between 1999 and 2004 but, in 2005, she broke away from the mainstream record labels and made her own label, Konichiwa Records. She had some rad collaborators lined up (including The Knife) and released the single "Be Mine!" and the album Robyn - and Europe went nuts, basically. She moved into the realm of electro-pop (well before anyone even knew who the fuck Lady Gaga was) and found it suited her, and she began taking some pretty decent risks that paid off. But, she hasn't put an album out since The Rakamonie EP in 2006 - until this year, when she released Body Talk Pt. 1, the first album of a series. It starts of pretty strong, and in a way most wouldn't expect a bonafide pop singer to start a record, with a repetitive, thumping club song called "Don't Fucking Tell Me What to Do." It could easily dip into the realm of obnoxious, but as she ticks off all of the things "killing" her, the tension builds; the music gets more intense and she starts repeating the things "killing" her until she busts out with "Don't fucking tell me what to do!" That goes into "Fembots," which, lyrically, is pretty funny, but also really catchy. But the real centerpiece here is the first single, "Dancing On My Own."
Now, I'm not a particularly huge fan of music like this. While I initially found Lady Gaga interesting, at least visually if not musically, her schtick has already gotten old. Robyn could do this shit with her eyes closed, and has been doing it longer than most of these dips looking to cash in on this sound (see: Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Rowland). It's fine, there are obviously trends in music that run like a wave through various artists. Everyone sees that someone like Lady Gaga has made a killing with this "new" style of music and then wants a piece of the action. But Lady Gaga ripped that sound from Europe, where pop music is a fucking way of life. Which is why most American singers use European producers to manufacture their hits. Here's why Robyn is exceptional: her voice is her selling point. She's not conventionally attractive - she's very tomboyish, almost androgynous; her teeth are nowhere near perfect; she's not afraid to have silly lyrics or silly dance moves because she's confident and she can sell them. Like I said, this music isn't normally my cup of tea, but Robyn sells it, and this is coming from someone who despised her in the 90s. If you like "Dancing On My Own," check out "Konichiwa Bitches," "With Every Heartbeat" and her cover of Prince's "Jack U Off." Awesome.
The Tallest Man On Earth has become one of my favorite singers, ever, period, end of story in just a few months. This year he put out a new album called The Wild Hunt. He performs (usually) with little more than his big voice, tiny body and a guitar, and that's all he needs. His first album is one of the best albums I've ever heard. Ever. And this new album is not far behind.
His real name is Kristian Matsson. He's Swedish (like Robyn - but they're incredibly different) and he also plays in a band called Montezumas. I haven't heard Montezumas yet, personally, but if he's a member, I can already guarantee they're good.
He has a voice that not everyone may love, but it's so unique and it so suits the style of music he makes, which is folky, bluesy to a point and poignant. Each song feels important, whether it's quirky ("King of Spain") or a little melancholy ("Kids On the Run"). We had the good fortune of seeing him live back in April on Mountain Stage and he was the only performer who received a standing ovation. The only one. The other performers were The Watson Twins, April Smith and the Great Picture Show, Clare and the Reasons and Jakob Dylan featuring Neko Case and Kelly Hogan. Seriously. The crowd went wild over this short little Swedish man with a huge voice and a huge personality.
My favorite song:
I chose the album version because I want you to really hear those lyrics and the way he sings the end of each line. Insane. So insane. But check out his live performances, too. He sounds the same live, which is also insane.
Next, The Black Keys. I'm admittedly a little late on this bandwagon. I've always liked them, but I've never been "in" to them. But Brothers is an amazing record. From beginning to end, there's not a bad song here. I've heard some people say it's iffy, and that you don't know what you're getting with each song. I think it's incredibly consistent. You know with the opener, "Everlasting Light," that you're getting yourself into a dirty little funktastic adventure. The lyrics are witty, but soulful, and the music is filthy. I had no idea two white boys could be this funky. "Next Girl" continues the fantastic beats with a pulsing drum beat and a woozy guitar riff. And then there's the first single, "Tighten Up."
Fun video, too. "He smells like ranch dressing!" "Just, hold your breath or somethin'." The song is catchy, fast-paced, full of soul and makes you want to dance. The shift towards the end is surprising and I imagine seeing and hearing that live would make it even better.
I really could just go through and list every single song and why it's so awesome ("Howlin' for You" is so much fun, "The Only One" is one of the best beats I've heard in a while and their cover of "Never Gonna Give You Up" is so well done you almost forget they didn't write it), but just let it be said that you have to have this album. It's one of my "Summer" records, for sure.
The Gaslight Anthem, like The Black Keys, is a group that I've always liked, but I was never a steady listener. Never got the albums, but liked their songs. I decided to change that when I saw some reviews for American Slang. This album gets better every time I listen to it. I've had this and Brothers in a constant rotation in my car since I got them, and I'm not tired of them at all. Again, the songs here are catchy, and the Bruce Springsteen comparisons are certainly relevant, though their sound is a bit grittier than even old school Springsteen (less synthesizer, thank god), but they're so smartly written on top of that catchiness. "The Diamond Church Street Choir" and "The Queen of Lower Chelsea" are two of the best songs I've heard all year and "Boxer," is a sing-a-long song that you may not think you can sing-a-long to at first.
I feel like this is what punk music needs. Music like this is why I liked punk music to begin with, and why I liked bands like Against Me! when I was younger. The Gaslight Anthem is doing now what Against Me! should have kept doing. They're growing artistically and maintaining their integrity as a group without becoming obnoxious. I still love old Against Me!, but you can only hold that same routine for so long. The Gaslight Anthem keeps the same flavor each time, but they don't get boring.
Then there's April Smith and the Great Picture Show, who I mentioned earlier when I was talking about The Tallest Man On Earth. This sassy little broad from Brooklyn and her awesome band may not have gotten a standing ovation, but they were amazing nonetheless. I'd never heard of her before Mountain Stage, but she was an unexpected delight. Her voice is insane.
AND she's really funny, cute, quirky and just generally agreeable. All of the songs are catchy (if you watch Weeds you might recognize her song "Terrible Things" from some promos) and are clever, but not so clever they drift into stupidity. Get into April. She and her whole group are great performers and fun to watch live.
Lastly, MGMT's Congratulations. While I haven't had this on repeat as much as the first five albums I talked about, I still really love this. It took a bit for it to grow on me, and it's nowhere near as slick and catchy as Oracular Spectacular, but it has a certain mood about it. "It's Working" sounds like The Smiths married The Beach Boys, but the vocals set it squarely in MGMTland.
I really think this is about as close to Oracular Spectacular as this album gets. Which is suiting, since it's the opener. By the time you get halfway through the album, you start to realize that this isn't quite the same band we know from "Time to Pretend" and "Electric Feel." They're moody, atmospheric and more psychedelic. When you get to "I Found a Whistle" and then "Siberian Breaks," you're in uncharted MGMT territory. "Brian Eno" isn't quite as ethereal as some of the other tracks, but "Lady Dada's Nightmare" is surprising. It sounds like I'm middling on this album, but I'm really not. You just have to be in the right mode to listen to it. I recommend early or mid-evening, dark room, candles burning, some incense and whatever else you might need. It certainly helps it all make sense.
While these are the four records I've been into the most, I've also checked out the new Kelis album, Flesh Tone, which, while not my favorite album, is certainly different. It's total Europop, which is a new direction for Kelis, who's probably best known for her alternative R&B style (and being the ex-wife of Nas). But it suits her, which is surprising, and it flows really well and the beats aren't as droning as you'd expect...but I just can't fully endorse it yet. But it's growing on me. I also checked out Kele's debut album, The Boxer. Kele is the (former?) lead singer of Bloc Party and has one of the most unique voices I've ever heard and I really do love him and I really love Bloc Party, but this album leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe I just don't "get it," but it's all over the place. It starts out promising, and a couple of the songs are really good, but the rest leave a lot to be desired. I'm going to listen to it a couple more times to see if my feelings change, but as of right now, I wouldn't recommend to anyone unless you really like stuttered, beat-lacking songs with somewhat boring, sing-talk vocals. Lastly, the new Josh Ritter album came out a few weeks ago. It's called So Runs the World Away. I love Josh Ritter, and I like this album, but it honestly feels a little boring to me. "Folk Bloodbath" is a great song, a take-off on "Staggolee" and "Change of Time" is pretty fantastic, too, but the rest is sort of in the middle to me. Maybe it's because I listened to it while driving, and it's certainly not an album you want to drive to; it's atmospheric, moody and very thoughtful. So, maybe I should listen to it at home some more, because it's not bad, not by a long shot. Maybe just not what I expected.
I think that's it. I'm done rambling. I have to go do "real" writing now. Enjoy. Comment. Download these people. Here are some samples from Kelis, Kele and Josh Ritter, too, just in case you're curious but don't feel like searching for yourself.
Kelis, "4th of July (Fireworks)"
Kele - "Tenderoni"
Josh Ritter - "Change of Time"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
