Typhoon "CPR - Claws Part 2"

I don't know much about this Portland based band Typhoon, but i like them.  Stumbled across them via my friend Michael's FB stream.  Enjoying listening to their record Hunger and Thirst this morning, particularly this track, "CPR - Claws Part 2" which incorporates what i like about bands like Matt Pond PA - but then kinda gets weird and changes things up.  It's beautiful and dreamy.  Some of the tracks have a darker edge to them also, reminiscient of a more expansive sounding Pedro the Lion. Recommended listening. Check them out at bandcamp.

New 1.25.11 _ Iron & Wine, Destroyer, much more!

Welcome.

Before I start this week I wanted to thank you all for coming, and bri for having me. I’m really hoping that this blog is helpful for people looking to keep up with current music but don’t have time to sort through everything. My aim is to be as objective as possible and my reviews will focus on originality, talent, and overall listening experience. Debate is welcome, and if you think I’m wrong or missed something comment or e-mail.

Thanks, enjoy!

New This Week: January 25th, 2011

**Amos Lee _ Mission Bell

Ultra-pleasant, artfully produced standard American folk-pop; see “Flower”, “Windows are Down.” Guests include Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, James Gadson, Sam Beam, and Calexico.

Buckshot _ Common Knowledgy of the E

Longtime Brownsville MC and member of the Boot Camp Clik gets help from skilled sampler 9th Wonder and a long list of guests on yet another solid, and certain to be under-appreciated album.

Cam'ron & The U.N. _ Gunz N' Butta

Harlem’s nastiest brings the cringe as only he can.

**Charles Bradley _ No Time For Dreaming

Brilliant debut album on Sharon Jones' Daptone Records oozes soul and is not to be missed.

**Cloud Nothings _ Cloud Nothings

Energetic, hooky, and cheerful indie-pop feels like Vampire Weekend minus the pretension and expensive production.

Chikita Violenta _ Tre3s

Slickly produced, cleverly arranged indie-guitar-rock built around whispered vox in the vein of the Silversun Pickups.

Cold War Kids _ Mine Is Yours

New-wave leather enthusiasts cut off-kilter electro/blues with segments of classic, catchy pop.

Corinne Bailey Rae _ The Love EP

Neo-soul’s resident beauty lays her timeless vocals on classics from Prince and Bob Marley on this short, sweet 5-song EP.

Deerhoof _ Deerhoof Vs Evil

Wildly progressive indie music from another galaxy, see “Super Duper Rescue Heads”, “Qui Dorm, Nomes Somia”. The opposite of easy listening but very cool.

Destroyer _ Kaputt

Reviewed.

The Ex _ Catch My Shoe

Noisy lo-fi post-punk that doesn’t seem quite ready for human ears.

Fujiya & Miyagi _ Ventriloquizzing

Gorillaz meet Belle and Sebastian. Interesting, but nerdy.

Gang of Four _ Content

UK punk vets bring the noise but nothing new to the table.

The Get Up Kids _ There Are Rules

The founders of emo bring back Bob Weston (producer of Four Minute Mile), and come up with a shockingly decent effort following the disappointment of On the Wire (2002), Guilt Show (2004) and a four year hiatus.

Hell Rell & J.R. Writer _ Gun Clap

Painfully simple rhymes about being tough/getting bitches over generic beats; do yourself a favor and never listen to this. Hell Rell makes Ma$e seem like a Rhodes Scholar.

Iron & Wine _ Kiss Each Other Clean

Reviewed.

Layzie Bone _ Thug Luv

Everyone’s favorite singing thug sings it like he never left 1995.

Monotonix _ Not Yet

Post-punk noise/grunge outfit offers an album for an extremely specific group of people, which definitely does not include me, and probably not you.

Nicole Atkins _ Mondo Amore

Much hyped NJ native returns with her first album of new material since her 2007 hit Neptune City.

Paul Wall _ Politics As Usual

Latest mix tape from the Southern MC/grill extraordinaire has very little to offer.

Pendulum _ Immersion

Hugely popular mod-rockers sound like Nickelback on meth with keyboards.

Sam Sneed _ Street Scholars

Death Row affiliated Pittsburgh rapper brings an entertaining flow over classic West Coast beats.

Say Hi _ Um, Uh Oh

Portland indie mainstays keep cranking out simple catchy electro-pop tunes.

Talib Kweli _ Gutter Rainbows [Digital Release Only]

Yet another solid, intelligent effort from one of the head backpackers in charge, not that anyone will notice.

**Wanda Jackson _ The Party Ain’t Over

The cheeky ‘Queen of Rockabilly’ roars into the mainstream, invigorated by the production and guitar magic of Jack White. Get this album immediately.

Young the Giant _ Young the Giant

One part As Tall As Lions, one part Academy Is, this talented and much-hyped guitar rock quintet has potential but is hampered by a lack of direction.

**recommended

Featured Reviews

Destroyer _ Kaputt (3.0/5.0)

Merge

Destroyer frontman Dan Bejar has repeatedly described his band's sound as European Blues, and Kaputt is a record that sounds immediately out of place amongst contemporaries like LCD Soundsystem and Yeasayer. My initial reaction to the omnipresent horns and slinky production was to label this an anachronistic disaster; something that might have been acceptable in 1981, but as dated and tacky as a disco-ball hanging above your car's dashboard. The geek-chic vocals and aforementioned horns will turn some listeners off right away, but for those who stick with it the reward is in the experience.

The album beings with "Chinatown" and the listener is immediately immersed in a world of washing synths and smooth saxophones. The awkward male vocals are boosted by female accompaniment and the track transitions seamlessly into the stripped down, Fleetwood Mac-styled "Blue Eyes." As the album progresses the hazy atmosphere and upbeat rhythms continue. Bejar delivers his lines with a detached confidence declaring, "Oh child you're never going to make/New York City just wants to see you naked and they will." Funky guitar lines add intensity until the album takes a step back with the simple "Poor in Love", the first track on the album that allows Bejar's shaky warble to take a central role. The title-track/lead single Kaputt follows, and finds the band at their best. The track is a study in contradiction; relaxed and up-beat, distant but immediate, and comprised of dated elements that mysteriously combine for a super-contemporary whole.

This music has a transitive property to it, atmospheric synths, static, and horns create and fill space in a way that whisks the listener away to a distant world and time. A ride on the BQE is suddenly transformed into the Boulevard Peripherique, circling Paris in foggy darkness. Is this music that will fit comfortably into your collection and blend into your shuffle? Not at all, and that's the best part about it.

Key Tracks: "Blue Eyes", "Suicide Demo For Kara Walker", "Poor in Love", "Kaputt"

Iron & Wine _ Kiss Each Other Clean (3.0/5.0)

Warner Bros

South Carolina Native Sam Beam has been pushing his music forward since his 2002 debut The Creek Drank the Cradle (Sub-Pop) took him out of the classroom and into the spotlight. Success found Beam relatively quickly after he began recording his music with fans and critics alike eating up his uniquely polished acoustic bedroom pop. Fans of Iron & Wine should be wary; this album is vastly different from the 2004 hit Our Endless Numbered Days, featuring a wholly new format while retaining key elements.

This about-face is evident from the first notes of "Walking Far From Home" as distant and distorted guitar chords build the outline of a classic Sam Beam composition. Bells, precise backing vocals, and a waltzing affected harpsichord are layered above, with stylish synth lines seamlessly weaving in and out of the mix. The following "Me and Lazarus" is an early low-point in an impressive album, hampered by a tacky, SNLish saxophone line. The album continues with the more traditional "Tree By The River", and the band seems to be at their best when they retain elements of the music that made them successful, adding and swapping sounds as opposed to starting with a whole new approach.

As the record progresses Beam toes the delicate line between his classic approach and desire to innovate, and when the two come together harmoniously the band creates the most powerful moments of their career. The dancing bass line, active rhythm, and electric guitars of standout track "Monkeys Uptown" work astoundingly well underneath Beam's hushed vocals. There is an element of darkness/danger here that is new for the band, crafted by alternating minor keys and accidentals with segments of perfect folk-pop.

Overall the combination of Beam's smoothly refined vocals with harsher elements of experimental and indie rock found here make for an extremely interesting listen. Kiss Each Other Clean is a quality work from a great band, but may leave some longing for the inimitable warmth and intimacy of Iron & Wine's earlier work.

Key Tracks: "Walking Far From Home, "Monkeys Uptown", Rabbit Will Run"

New This Week 1/18/11

Shipla Ray and Her Happy Hookers _ Teenage and Torture
(very cool blues inspired Americana craziness, Gogol Bordello’s insane cousin?)
The Decemberists _ The King Is Dead
(Portland indie vets return with their best album since 2002's Castaways and Cutouts)
Smith Westerns _ Dye It Blonde (reviewed)
White Lies _ Ritual (run of the mill new-wave)
Tennis _ Cape Dory
(solid but gimmicky female indie-pop)
Mad Lib _ Medicine Show #11 Low Budget Hi-fi
(yet another posthostumous release from the legendary beatmaster)
Braids _ Native Speaker (reviewed)
Social Distortion _ Hard times and nursery rhymes
(the punk legends return, good if you’re missing the 90s)
Young Prisms _ Friends For Now
(over-reverbed/underinspired – Wild Nothing part II?)
The Script – Science and Faith (mainstream mod-rock slop)
Gregg Allman – Low Country Blues
(by some miracle he's still truckin’ with solid blues)
Lady Lazarus – Mantic
(shockingly good lo-fi female piano tunes, recommended!)


Featured Reviews
Smith Westerns _ Dye It Blonde (2.5/5.0)
The major label debut from this extremely young Chicago outfit released as the initial release for startup label HoZac records is a solid album, reliant on the heavily reverbed wailing vocals of Cullen Omori and fuzzed out guitar melodies of Max Kakacek. The opener “Weekend” is a remarkable piece of pop, but the momentum doesn’t last as the chugging “Still New” and “All Die Young” feel leisurely and seem to be lacking purpose.
The second half of the album picks up nicely with “Fallen In Love” and “End of the Night” but the inconsistencies continue with the mediocre “Smile” and Dance Away.” The Smith Westerns are at their best when they let their guitars do the talking, with classic peaks of fuzzed out extasticism reminiscent of the Kinks. While this album is not a start-to-finish success this debut leaves the reviewer looking forward to hearing what comes next. For fans of Deer Tick, the Kinks, Violent Femmes.
Key Tracks: Weekend, Fallen in Love, End of the Night, Dye the World

Braids _ Native Speaker (3.5/5)
This is a record that caught my ears from the first note and never let go. Haunting electronics flutter and shimmer while the high pitched and quirky vocals of Raphaelle Standell-Preston provide a much needed edge in this crowded genre of Animal Collective-inspired poptronica. The Montreal quartet has described a group creative process where songs were built around an initial sound, effect, or idea, and the results are breathtaking. Sparse keyboards and guitars combine and stab and multiply while managing to avoid clutter, and the vocals are simultaneously soothing and confrontational. The tracks manage to remain upbeat without being cheesey, pleasantly balancing some of the best elements of pop and experimental electronic music.
My only complaint about this record is that it is only seven songs (and two remixes), one of which is a Plath Heart remix that easily qualifies as the album’s worst track. With only seven songs ranging from four to eight minutes, this is far from a traditional pop record making its accessibility all the more remarkable. So give these Canadians a spin, or at least a preview on itunes or amazon.com, it will be worth the five minutes.
For fans of Glasser, Memory Tapes, Animal Collective, the Knife

Key Tracks: Lemonade, Plath Heart, Lammicken, Glass Deers (Teen Daze remix)

thanks for reading, see you next week!

do you remember when?

hey, so i've kind of been re-thinking things for this blog over the last week or so. I started it in 2007 - i originally wanted it to be about being a punk rock dad, and kind of a creative journal. it ended up being much more of the latter. more recently as technology has changed, it's often felt like an unnecessary duplication of things i was doing in other places. i started releasing new songs via bandcamp, and the stories about the songs went there. i started a tumblr blog where i occasionally post songs i like and whatnot. and of course there's twitter. it's crazy. it's everything all the time.

okay, this all feels like an unnecessary explanation. here's what we're planning on doing here. Dan Bills, who some of you may know as our synth/keyboard player in beat radio, is coming on as a contributor. he listens to a ton of music, has excelllent taste, and is going to be posting regularly about new stuff he's listening to. you'll like him - he's super honest. he's not afraid to be critical of things. i think i shy away from that sometimes - i'm sort of a people pleaser. i think it has something to do with my childhood and my Dad being rude to waitresses and stuff but that's probably a much longer story than i should get into here. Sometimes people write about Beat Radio and say how super nice i am but then i get worried that they're just giving us a good review because i'm so nice or whatever. like maybe i should be a little cruel. like Lou Reed that time when he made Susan Boyle cry by not letting her sing his song "Perfect Day."

Well, anyway, whatever, that won't happen. And i think our songs are good anyway, so it's fine.

But, Dan Bills, yeah, he has impeccable taste and i look forward to his contributions.

As far as what i'm doing here, it will be more like essays, long rambling things about music, kids, the music business, movies, books, whatever. i feel like music blogging used to be awesome, and now there too much people just trying to be the hot blog on the elbo.ws charts by posting the same song that everyone posts and not really having all that much to say.

i like real writing, not just posts about bands unveiling vlogs or exclusive co-premiers and all that. i feel like the PR machine that sends every blogger hundreds of emails a week sort of took the fun out of it. anyway, things used to be exciting, people used to have something to say.

i'm hoping it will be like that. it's probably change as we go along. i've learned not to make promises about blogging. if anyone out there wants to contribute, please hit me up at brian@beatradio.org. would love to get some great guest posts going. Here's a Minor Threat song, feels like the right way to kick things off.