TEEN DREAM by beach house

by Sean

Released: 2010

Tracklisting:

1. Zebra [LISTEN]

2. Silver Soul

3. Norway

4. Walk in the Park

5. Used to Be

6. Lover of Mine

7. Better Times

8. 10 Mile Stereo

9. Real Love

10. Take Care

   Are you ready for the next album to be crowned a top 10 album of the year before we even count down the new year? Like Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear in latter ‘08, the leak of Beach House’s Teen Dream is garnering incredible praise well before its intended release year has started, but after several listens it is hard to deny the possibility that this may very well be one of my favorite albums of “2010″ just as Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear ended up being premature favorites of 2009.

   Born and raised in (and/or near) Baltimore, I may be slightly biased heading into hearing the newest from an acclaimed Baltimore band, but to be honest I was not a huge fan of Beach House until listening to Teen Dream. I was impressed, but not incredibly so, after seeing them open for Grizzly Bear in Philadelphia. I enjoyed, but didn’t love, their first two records. And really, what could be so exciting about a duo featuring a guy and girl with most songs favoring heavy keyboard instrumentation? Apparently, a lot more than I expected, because I can not get enough of this album.

   The opener, “Zebra” opens with a single guitar followed by harmonized “Ahhh’s” and a continuous thumping bass. As Victoria Legrand’s vocals kick in, along with the full drum kit, to the chorus, you can tell that Beach House has not abandoned the ambience they have become known for, but have added a constant sense of melody that will keep you coming back to every song Teen Dream has to offer.

   The first single, “Norway”, proves just how powerful Beach House can be with just a few instruments and a single word, “Norway”, as the chorus. The next song, “Walk in the Park”, may be one of the catchiest (if you can call a Beach House song catchy) that I have heard from this band. The piano rhythm recalls that of Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks”, which Legrand lent backing vocals to. She sings, “In a matter of time/It would slip from my mind/In and out of my life”, each line followed by effect-laden tremolo guitar picking. Continuing the desolation theme of past albums, Legrand lets go of a past lover, or friend, in impressive fashion.

   You know an album is a great complete piece of work when you can listen straight through without leaving any songs behind, and I have now heard Teen Dream over 15 times without ever feeling the need to skip a single tune.  Beach House basically keep the same formula throughout the album as they have in their first two, but they have done so almost to perfection this time around. They haven’t tried to thoroughly expand their sound, but have simply honed in on the craft they have chosen. Being a huge fan of live music, and having seen Beach House (in an opening slot) before, I’m not sure I would recommend dropping a huge lump of cash if you’re looking for an exciting live show, but as far as records go, Teen Dream far surpassed my expectations of this band.

   It may be a little early to start predicting the best albums of 2010, but I am excited to see how people react to the next big thing to come out of Baltimore. It feels great to live in a city that can be seen as more than just a dramatic yet depressing setting for one of the best television shows of all time (The Wire), the murder capital of the world, or home to one of the most pathetic baseball teams of the new millennium. I have Animal Collective, Dan Deacon, and now, Beach House, to give me hope for a future of inspiring music to come out of my hometown.

ALLIGATOR by the national

by Sean

Released: 2005

Tracklisting:

1. Secret Meeting

2. Karen

3. Lit Up

4. Looking for Astronauts

5. Daughters of the SoHo Riots

6. Baby, We’ll Be Fine

7. Friend of Mine

8. Val Jester

9. All The Wine [LISTEN]

10. Abel

11. The Geese of Beverly Road

12. City Middle

13. Mr. November

   The National first started to get national recognition with the release of 2007’s Boxer.  I was introduced to them with Alligator, one of the best unknown records of 2005. It took awhile for me to get used to Matt Berninger’s scruffy baritone vocals along with melodies lacking quick-hitting hooks, but I can honestly say that after listening to these two releases The National is one of the best bands in America today.

   I knew that I wanted to write about the National but I needed to be in a certain frame of mind to do so . With a few shots of whiskey and a somewhat obstructed view of nighttime city streets, I think I am there. Alligator offers a variety of songs that can appeal to almost any mood possible. My preference is dark, cold, and buzzed, but don’t let that deter you from enjoying at any time. Berninger’s often quirky lyrics deal with lost friendships, lost love, and yearning to keep those relationships from spiralling into distant memories. He is apologetic, paranoid, and (maybe sarcastically) narcissistic. This may just make Alligator sound like another sad bastard record, but in actuality, it is not.

   Alligator begins with a simultaneous strike of a snare and cymbal crash followed by the simple yet unmistakable riff of “Secret Meeting”. Berninger sings, “I think this place is full of spies/I think they’re on to me/Didn’t anybody tell you how to gracefully disappear in a room?… And now I’m sorry I’ve missed you/I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain”. The first track climaxes with Berninger singing, “It went the dull and wicked ordinary way” while his bandmates chant an indecipherable phrase over and over, which Berninger himself has said he would never reveal. Some have suggested “Just drop the dice and roll it” or “Never draw an ace and fold it”. Either of these would suggest a lyrical dichotomy that many could relate to. The carpe diem mindset, or lack thereof, oftentimes ends in a “dull and wicked ordinary way” no matter how the cards are played.

   (I have now switched from whiskey to gin. I’m right back to where I was two years ago in College Park, MD, when I fell in love with this band. This is good. Well…maybe not.)

   Alligator’s centerpiece and perhaps one of The National’s best songs is “All the Wine”. This song is a perfect example of how beautiful and melodic this band can sound with two interwoven electric guitars and a simple but unorthodox drumbeat. The aforementioned narcissistic lyrics are on full display in this song. It opens, “I’m put together beautifully/big wet bottle in my fist, big wet rose in my teeth/I’m a perfect piece of ass, like every Californian”, and continues with lines like, “I’m a birthday candle in a circle of black girls” and “I’m so sorry but the motorcade can go around me this time”. Berninger is not afraid to dive into sensitive subjects to get his points across, but after reading a few of his interviews it’s easy to see that these aren’t his actual views of himself or the band. However, even as he puts himself on top of the world he is still concerned about those he cares about, singing, “All safe and sound, I won’t let the psychos around…I’m in a state where nothing can touch us, my love”. Because, shit, what’s the fun in feeling power and perfection if it can’t be used to share with and help those we love?

   I’d like to shortly address some of the critics that call The National “soft” or “dull” by calling attention to the songs “Abel” and “Mr. November”. I’m not usually the type that gets off by hearing grown men scream in songs but I’ll be damned if Matt Berninger screaming “My mind’s not RIGHT!” in “Abel”, and “I won’t fuck us over/I’m Mr. November” doesn’t make me a little moist in the pants. This band can rock the fuck out with the best of them when they want, and if you’re one of these critics, at least give these two songs a listen.

   I could probably write a twenty page paper on this album, describing the brilliance of every song, but that would bore 99% of the readers, and I’m not sure I have enough patience (or liquor) to do that. If you’ve only heard a few songs or brushed off The National due to the (actually not so) “monotone” vocals of Matt Berninger, or some other lame excuse, I beg you to give Alligator at least a few more complete listens. I promise you will connect with much more then you initially expected, both musically and emotionally. This album, and this band, is the real deal.

LIFE IN SLOW MOTION by david gray

by Gordon

Released: 2005

Tracklisting:

1. Alibi

2. The One I Love

3. Lately

4. Nos da Cariad

5. Slow Motion

6. From Here You Can Almost See The Sea

7. Ain’t No Love [LISTEN]

8. Hospital Food

9. Now and Always

10. Disappearing World

   Life in Slow Motion is not David Gray’s most recent album (2009’s Draw the Line). It is, however, his best one to date, as well as one of the best albums put together I’ve ever heard. It was more than just the “next step” from his previous top-sellers White Ladder and A New Day at Midnight. It was at least  a couple.

   I hadn’t been a longtime David Gray fan when the album was released. About a year earlier I had a faint musical memory of a beautiful guitar-driven song I’d heard years before that was sung by a guy who sounded slightly like a sheep (in a good way). The song was “Babylon”, and upon further research into his discography, discovered enough other gems (like “Please Forgive Me” and “This Year’s Love”) to soak in all his tunes and become a fledgling fan. When I heard a new album was coming out, I was mildly excited to see if there’d be another gem or two on the table. When I actually heard the album, my admiration and respect for his sound and direction multiplied.

   The opening track, “Alibi”, uncharacteristically starts with a slow and eery pace with a full minute of growing but understated orchestration. It is at this point that Gray’s vocals boom through with an almost sorrowful passion (“Where’d it all go wrong,” he sings) atop a piano and string backgrop. Halfway through the song, enter the percussion and bass as the chords take a brighter turn, turning the second half of the song into an almost optimistic anthem as Gray belts, “Tonight, I’m running wild“, with his own beautifully harmonized background vocals right behind. This was a great sign for the album.

   The second song, and perhaps most radio-friendly, “The One I Love”, is more characteristic David Gray…a guitar-driven, happy and heartfelt song sung to the object of his affections. It’s catchy, and worth listening to if only for the “yehee!” from Gray that follows each chorus. “Lately” sets the pace back a bit, with a laid-back, 7-beat electric guitar riff bearing the bulk of the tune’s weight, later being overpowered by piano as Gray soulfully sings “Lately, I’ve been weighed down.”

   A standout track for sure is “Slow Motion”, which again utilizes a piano-driven, melancholy melody where each verse caps off with a drawn-out last word given a melody all its own. The build-up (coming off of a line like “Life in slow motion, somehow it don’t feel real”) lends itself perfectly to the climactic chorus, similar in anthemic scale but with a slightly different syntax (“Ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da-da-daa, baa-da-da-da-wooah!”).

   Another personal favorite is “Ain’t No Love”, a somber but beautifully played and sung piano and string piece with a slightly less optimistic tune: “Maybe that it would do me good if I believed there were a God out in the starry firmament/As it is that’s just a lie and I’m here eating up the boredom on an island of cement.” Gray leaves a little room for a few thundering vocal powerhouses (“No it ain’t no love guiding me”) before easing back into a gentle close.

   ”Disappearing World” is a closing track that refuses to either be the kind to slowly and gently wave the listener goodbye, or the kind to send them off with a bang…it does both. I find the slow bit (which takes most of the track time) to be a great soundtrack to passing landscapes from the passenger seat view of a moving car, as Gray sings, “Don’t it just look so pretty, this disappearing world.” Then, out of nowhere, all instruments pick up full throttle and deliver a one-minute exuberant backbone to the song, then fall again into a peaceful end to the memorable album.

   The tracks not mentioned have a feel all their own, giving the album a varied enough sound so as no one could peg it as following a formula or particular direction. It’s an album that was more than I was even hoping for from the artist. I was able to see David Gray perform in Upper Darby, PA the year of the album’s release. It will be a show not soon forgotten.

In an unprecedented move, I present the first single from David Gray’s NEW album (because I probably won’t do a review on it for some time).

VIVA LA VIDA OR DEATH AND ALL HIS FRIENDS by coldplay

by Gordon

Released: 2008

Tracklisting:

1. Life in Technicolor

2. Cemeteries of London

3. Lost!

4. 42

5. Lovers in Japan / Reign of Love

6. Yes

7. Viva la Vida

8. Violet Hill

9. Strawberry Swing [LISTEN]

10. Death and All His Friends

   To anyone who considered Coldplay a one-trick pony, capable only of a certain kind of sound that we’ve seen them almost perfect over the course of their first three albums, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends is a wake-up call. Considering Coldplay is my favorite band, I of course have a bias, but here are some facts on the album’s release: It was the best-selling album of 2008. It won Best Rock Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards. It is the most paid-for downloaded album of all time. Now of course much of the reason for this success is simply that the band is so popular already, and the expectations so high, that naturally a lot of buzz circulates when they release something new, and people buy it. But I’d like to think that much of the reason for the success of the album is also because it’s an amazing album.

   The opening track, “Life in Techniclor”, is a two-and-a-half minute instrumental piece (aside from a few “Oh-oh-ohh”s). Starting in a synth-y dreamlike loop, the song grows in intensity using a set of pleasant chords one could expect from the band, although something sounds quite different in the sound and execution. A stringed Indian instrument called a santoor drives the major melody, accompanied at first by a pair of what sound like hand drums. The song, catchy from start to end, climaxes in a pounding display of instrumentation, and trickles out to bleed into the second track. It’s an early sign that you’re listening to a Coldplay on a slightly different path. (Note: Prospekt’s March, an eight-song EP released post-Viva la Vida, is worth purchasing if for no other reason than “Life in Technicolor ii”.)

   “Lost!” was one of the album’s singles, and while not one of my personal favorites, certainly a great rock ballad. Again utilizing interesting percussion, it’s an organ-heavy, clappy song with Buckland’s characteristically simple guitar riffs, booming from start to finish. The next track, “42″, is served in three parts, reminiscent of a late Beatles formula. The first part is a soft piano and string ballad with eery vocals from Martin. The second part picks up the pace significantly with a frenzied guitar solo and uncharacteristic drumming on Will Champion’s part. The third segment is an upbeat back-and-forth between a now chipper Martin on acoustic guitar belting, “You thought you might be a ghost!/You didn’t get to heaven but you made it close!”, and more rockin’ guitar riffs from Buckland.

   “Lovers in Japan” is one of my favorites, not just from the album but the band themselves. It is from start to finish an up-tempo wall of sound multi-layered with piano, guitar, bass, drums, vocals and a constant “background aura” for lack of a better word. The song shares its nearly seven-minute track time with “Reign of Love”, a tender, dreamlike piece comprised of simple piano chords, Martin’s vulnerable singing and the ever-so-slight U2-esque background of Johnny’s guitar-playing. The following song, “Yes”, is edgier and more serious sounding, and though one of the most atypical Coldplay songs upon first listen, still an instant Coldplay gem. Displaying a heavy use of strings and Inidan-style guitar playing akin to some of Harrison’s later Beatles contributions, it also features the deepest vocals to come from Chris Martin, ever.

   If you’ve been near a radio at all for the past summer, you’ve heard the title track and biggest single from the album, “Viva la Vida”. Full of history- and religion-inspired lyrics, it’s a catchy melody accompanied by a thumping timpani and a sea of strings played with a sense of urgency. The chorus booms with Martin’s vocals and later an anthemic “Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhh” from the other bandmates. “Strawberry Swing”, another personal favorite, opens with more late Harrison-esque jangly electric guitar from Buckland, which continues throughout the song along with Afro-pop-inspired thumping percussion. Martin has stated that he thinks the song is the best track on the album.

   “Death and All His Friends”, go figure, is another personal favorite. As the closing song to the album, I was doubly curious as to how it would be. Would it go something like ”Everything’s Not Lost”? “Amsterdam”? “Til Kingdom Come”? It begins with softly-sung vocals by Martin, the same tune of which is mimicked on the piano. After a verse, an inconspicuous solo from Buckland. After two more sung lines, the song picks up with a dance between now harder-hit piano chords and a more confident riff from Buckland. Cue the drums. Cue the background vocals. Cue a spontaneous climax, ushered in by searing notes from Buckland’s guitar and crashing cymbals from Champion. Cue the full-band anthemic singing (“No I don’t wanna battle from beginning to end/I don’t wanna cycle or recycle revenge/I don’t wanna follow death and all of his friends”). It’s a short-lived, but perfectly-timed climax, and a great close to the album (although the real close to the album is a hidden song harking back to the spacey opening, “Life in Technicolor”).

   Is it the band’s best album to date? It’s personally hard for me to say it beats A Rush of Blood to the Head, which I very well may never let take second place, but to those who say it is, I wouldn’t fight them. It certainly shows about as much ambition and departure from their previous sound as AROBTTH was to Parachutes. And yet it’s still unmistakably Coldplay, with the same key aspects of the formula that make it easy to love their sound, as well as a few new ones. Viva la Coldplay.

FUNERAL by arcade fire

by Gordon

Released: 2004

Tracklisting:

1. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) [LISTEN]

2. Neighborhood #2 (Laika)

3. Une Annee Sans Lumiere

4. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)

5. Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)

6. Crown of Love

7.  Wake Up

8. Haiti

9. Rebellion (Lies)

10. In the Backseat

   Arcade Fire…one of the most influential artists on my taste in music after what I would call a late introduction in 2007. I knew I had heard tidbits from the band here or there prior, but I brushed the listenings off as coming from a weird group of musicians that tried too hard to make weird music (not so). Upon suggestion from a friend, I soaked up the album multiple times during our long studio hours. It changed me forever, not just because I was being turned on to a great new artist, but because I was being turned on to something much bigger…a new sound, a new attitude behind the instruments and the industry itself (and fashion). And i dug it.

   “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” opens the album with a piano-string combination that is both calming and urgent as Win Butler’s trembling voice begins to take over. Calculated guitar riffs and drum fills start to add to the anthem as the other instruments pick up in intensity. Butler’s emotion runs from reserved and innocent to loud and defiant (a characteristic trait) until the song ends in a frenzy of playing and “oohh-oohh-oohh-oohh-ooohhing” from the singer. Another powerhouse of a song is “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)”, whose blaring guitars and excited percussion keep a fast pace from start to finish.

   “Une Annee Sans Lumiere” turns it back to a more relaxed pace (though still not slow by any means). The song, sung half in French, never gets Butler worked up enough to raise his voice too much, though before ending it can’t help but leave a minute of pace-changing guitar rocking. In the same vein, “Crown of Love” begins as a lovely piano and string ballad with Butler backed by wife and fellow bandmate Régine Chassagne. Halfway through, however, Butler’s intensity grows until he transfers the energy over to the drums and strings as they lead the song to a close in a choppy, almost dance-like beat.

   “Wake Up”, most likely the favorite of many, is an epic five and a half minutes of passionate vocals from Butler and anthemic  “Oooohhhs” to an inspiring tune from the entire band. It ends with a whimsical piano ditty and more shared vocals. The second to last song, “Rebellion (Lies)” IS my favorite song of all time. I can’t pinpoint exactly what did it for me, but it was probably a number of formulas I’ve come to love, all rolled into one. To begin with, it constantly builds on itself, constantly ups the ante, starting first with a steady drumbeat and bass line. Next comes a holding back Butler, accompained by a hard-hitting piano key that doesn’t let up for the duration of the song. Then the chorus, bringing with it guitars, strings and background vocals, at first in a catchy, positive tune, then switching to a minor and darker mood. It closes with a minute and a half of more instrument pounding and an occasional vocal reminder from Butler. If a song can make you feel alive, here we have audible proof. Singing along to the line “Sleeping is giving in” after 2 in the morning always gives you another good hour of awakeness.

   There are only a few songs on Funeral that I don’t give much attention to. Maybe I will when I’ve exhausted the others, though I fear that day may never come. This album will forever be monumental in my growth as a music listener and appreciator. Arcade Fire has opened up my ears to sounds and musical styles (and emotions) that will never leave me. Had they released an album with only one or two life-changing songs on it, the effect may not have been so great. But they released Funeral.

HOPES AND FEARS by keane

by Gordon

Released: 2004

Tracklisting:

1. Somewhere Only We Know

2. This is the Last Time

3. Bend and Break

4. We Might As Well Be Strangers

5. Everybody’s Changing

6. Your Eyes Open

7. She Has No Time [LISTEN]

8. Can’t Stop Now

9. Sunshine

10. Untitled 1

11. Bedshaped

   I understand that I may be one of the few in my friend group who thinks Keane is a great band, but come on, if nothing else, we can all agree that Hopes and Fears is a GREAT album. After hearing “Somewhere Only We Know” on TV when the album was just released, I was personally joyous that there was a new piano-rocking band I could potentially get into (and by the sound of the song, the potential was high). I was attracted by the song’s catchy chord-banging, great melody, and the singer’s above average voice (the fact that they hailed from England didn’t hurt either).

   Upon buying the album, I was ecstatic to find that it had a lot more great songs to boast…at first a few, by a week’s time almost all. “Everybody’s Changing” was the other instant single, what with its über-catchy piano riff, synth backgrounds and upbeat percussion. Its crowd-relatable lyrics probably helped too (“Everybody’s changing and I don’t feel the same”). The formula played (and worked) throughout the bulk of the album. “This is the Last Time” and “Bend and Break” displayed more great piano engineering from Tim Rice-Oxley and a Freddie Mercury-type knack for hitting those high notes while still sounding manly on singer Tom Chaplin’s part.

   For me, “We Might As Well Be Strangers” also stood out. One of the rarer songs to be composed on primarily more minor chords and a slower pace, the melody is still a catchy one. After the second chorus rolls around, it climaxes into piano-pounding, voice-belting and drum-smashing until ending on a quiet final note. “Bedshaped”, the last track, is another gem. Beginning with eery, spacey synth background (which re-emerges later), it becomes a more electric keyboard-sounding anthem, switching back and forth between a quiet, reserved verse and a thunderous and powerful chorus. Rice-Oxley’s playing leads into an instrumental and funky bridge, the boom of which continues into a final word from Chaplin, and an end to the album.

   The tracks in-between all grow on you, too. They tend to be a bit more free in their experimentation with different sounds and background effects. I haven’t been disappointed by the band’s follow-up albums, but their debut release is through and through their biggest accomplishment, a CD that ran rampant on repeat in my car on long trips a few years ago. To naysayers of the band, or those who grew bored of the singles, give this album a thorough listen and see if you don’t change your mind.

ROCKIN’ THE SUBURBS by ben folds

by Gordon

Released: 2001

Tracklisting:

1. Annie Waits

2. Zak and Sara

3. Still Fighting It

4. Gone

5. Fred Jones Part 2

6. The Ascent of Stan

7. Losing Lisa

8. Carrying Cathy

9. Not the Same [LISTEN]

10. Rockin’ The Suburbs

11. Fired

12. The Luckiest

   This is an album that in some respects is old news, but of all of Folds’ releases, it is by its own merit the most deserving of a review. As a piano player and fan for most of my life, certain songs or artists who make great use of the instrument have always stood out to me. Some time in high school, I remembered an old music video I’d seen on MTV years earlier. It had a beautiful melody and piano riff to it. The song was “Brick” by Ben Folds Five, and upon realizing this, I went to the store and bought all three of their studio releases. I gradually came to really love their music and Folds’ carefree lyrical attitude. When I found out Folds had gone solo and had just released an album, I grabbed it right away…good thing too.

   The album as a whole is spectacular, almost every song instantly enjoyable. And seeing as Folds himself played almost every part himself (including drums and guitar), only makes it more commendable. The opening track, “Annie Waits”, introduces the album with a great thumping chord progression, then gradually layers itself with increasingly intensifying vocals, strings and claps in a symphonic finish. The pace barrels on as “Zak and Sara” immediately begins showing off Folds’ speedy finger talents in a four-chord, upbeat narrative of a boy named Zak and a girl named Sara.

   The next track, “Still Fighting It”, though at times aggressive, takes you back to the “Brick”-like formula, with a tenderly sung story of father and son and how growing up “sucks”. “Gone” then brings you right back to banging keys and crashing cymbals with the ultra-catchy unfolding of a breakup story (“I know that you went straight to someone else/while I work through all this shit here by myself”), a commonly told story stretching through most of Folds’ work. The next track, “Fred Jones Part 2″, settles you into an emotional piano ballad of a retired newspaper man where either the strings or lyrics cause a tug at the heart.

   A few other standout tracks: “Not The Same” is a personal favorite. A steady drumbeat and some great piano chords are the backdrop for the story of change in people. The track becomes increasingly powerful as more layers of Folds’ vocals pile on, mostly in the form of oohs and ahhs. “Rockin’ the Suburbs” and “Fired” are great upbeat tracks with Folds’ energy released through music and voice (they also both utilize great uses of “fuck”). The final track, The Luckiest, is both one of the most beautiful piano AND love songs I’ve ever heard. Through poignant hypotheticals (“What if I’d been born 50 years before you in a house on a street where you lived/Maybe I’d be outside as you passed on your bike/Would I know?”) and honest heart-driven lyrics (“I love you more than I have ever found a way to say to you”), it’s a lovely way to end Folds’ freshman debut as a solo artist.

   All in all, the album, ripe with all the same reasons you loved Ben Folds and fresh with new ones, is an emotional up-and-down thrill to hear. Sadly, I haven’t seen either of his two more recent albums live up to it (though they certainly don’t entirely miss the mark). But for the curious or those looking to rekindle their Folds affection, you need not look further than Rockin’ the Suburbs.

COME ON FEEL THE ILLINOISE by sufjan stevens

by Gordon

Released: 2005

Tracklisting:

1. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois

2. The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience but You’re Going to Have to Leave Now, or, I Have Fought the Big Knives and Will Continue to Fight Them Until They Are Off Our Lands!

3. Come On! Feel the Illinoise!

4. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.

5. Jacksonville

6. A Short Reprise for Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, but for Very Good Reasons

7. Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!

8. One Last ‘Whoo-Hoo!’ for the Pullman

9. Chicago

10. Casimir Pulaski Day [LISTEN]

11. To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament

12. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts

13. Prairie Fire That Wanders About

14. A Conjunction of Drones Simulating the Way in Which Sufjan Stevens Has an Existential Crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze

15. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!

16. They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!

17. Let’s Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don’t Think They Heard It All the Way Out in Bushnell

18. In This Temple as in the Hearts of Man for Whom He Saved the Earth

19. The Seer’s Tower

20. The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders

21. Riffs and Variations on a Single Note for Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, and the King of Swing, to Name a Few

22. Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt from My Sandals as I Run

   If you haven’t discovered Sufjan Stevens, you have the pleasure of knowing the experience lies ahead of you. If you have, you already know what it’s like. Whereas some newly-discovered artists creep into your life and take over your itunes for a month or two, maybe even a season, Sufjan tends to take over for an entire year, maybe two for some. My experience probably mirrors that of half the rest of his fans: I was in college. I heard the song “Chicago”. The rest was and still is a magical journey (that I’ve had the luxury of sharing with other friends who’ve been  journeying too).

   Come on Feel the Illinoise, the second of Stevens’ Fifty States Project (whereby the songwriter plans to release a themed album for every U.S. state), was the best reviewed album of 2005 according to Metacritic. A few things stand out about the album, perhaps the most obvious being that it boasts both a lengthy tracklist, and that most of those tracks boast lengthy titles, a subtle yet revealing indicator that you’ve discovered something “else”.

   “Chicago” may be many’s favorite, perhaps favorite of all of Stevens’ songs, and though perhaps cliché, still justifiably so. Restrained at times, Stevens’ voice (arguably the best instrument he owns) is the primary focus, accompanied with strings or keyboard bits. Otherwise the track, as is many times the case, teems with all the sounds of nearly every family of musical instruments, even a chorus of background singers.

   Upon my first listen, the first track, “Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois”, told me any doubts I had about this new (now no longer) musician could be erased. It displays some of the prettiest piano chords (in a style all its own), atop Stevens’ characteristic innocent singing. If the first track is a bit sad and serious-sounding (indeed many will continue to be), track three, “Come On! Feel the Illinoise!” brings back happier melodies (one of the benefits of longer songs is multiple melodies) again full of layered instrumentation.

   “Decatur” (short title) strips down to mostly just a banjo-strumming Stevens, singing along with his brother, Marzuki. Melancholy tunes like this, neither too peppy nor too lyrically serious, are some of what Sufjan does best. Though the same effect can be seen in “Casimir Pulaski Day” (a personal favorite), it is achieved instead through a mix of more personal, emotional lyrics countered with light chords and instrument arrangements.

   One could give all twenty-two songs equal mention, but there’s something so personal about these songs, about all of Stevens’ discography, personal in a listener kind of way, that doing so might only muddle what he’s trying to do, or doing without trying. Admittedly, a  number of Stevens’ songs, on this album and not, don’t always do it for me. But they remain beautiful pieces of an entire collection nonetheless, maybe because of how special Stevens himself, and what he does with his music, seem to be. That is why, while I cannot say he is my favorite musician, he remains my favorite artist.

I AND LOVE AND YOU by the avett brothers

by Gordon

Released: 2009

Tracklisting:

1. I And Love And You

2. January Wedding

3. Head Full Of Doubt / Road Full Of Promise

4. And It Spread

5. The Perfect Space

6. Ten Thousand Words

7. Kick Drum Heart

8. Laundry Room [LISTEN]

9. Ill With Want

10. Tin Man

11. Slight Figure Of Speech

12. It Goes On And On

13. Incomplete And Insecure

   Rolling Stone magazine dubbed The Avett Brothers “the Artist to Watch of 2009″. Unfortunately I didn’t get the memo until late in the year, and since then I’ve been trying to catch up. As with most bands that you fall in love with, it first started with falling in love with one of their songs (the song was from Emotionalism, their previous studio album…review to follow). This, at least, signified that the band could “wow” me, but how many more times would it happen? By the time I got to listening to the new I and Love and You, it had happened enough to solidify their place as a favorite.

   The album opens with the title track, a song that quickly became my most played song of Fall ‘09. It’s a beautiful piano and string ballad with a great melody made more great by spot-on harmonizing by both brothers (and there’s also something really amazing about the words “i and love and you” together). “Laundry Room” is another mostly soft gem, the first three and a half minutes of which again showcase great harmonies and lyrics (Scott pleads, “teach me how to use the love that people say you make”). The last minute and a half showcase the other side to the band as they bang away on their banjo and guitar in a country-style folk rockout.

   The “double treatment” shown to some songs is also evident in “The Perfect Space”, another track that is one part slow ballad, one part fast and fun rock piece. Other songs like “Ten Thousand Words” stick to the safe, acoustic formula, where organ or strings sometimes compliment, and the solos come in the form of intense guitar- or banjo-picking. Then a catchy piano-driven song like “Kick Drum Heart” will come around with upbeat percussion and harder, sometimes even screaming vocals.

   It’s hard to argue that any of the album’s thirteen songs are bad, although a handful certainly seem stronger than the rest. And you’re bound to find at least one song that alone makes it worth paying full price for the real thing at a store. Looking at the Avetts’ progression from album to album, it’s easy to see that they’re consistently growing, yet consistently maintaining their sound, and far from going in any wrong directions. I can only wait for the next, but in the meantime, they’ve given me a large discography to wrap my head around first.

LEAVES IN THE RIVER by sea wolf

by Gordon

Released: 2007

Tracklisting:

1. Leaves In the River

2. Winter Windows

3. Black Dirt [LISTEN]

4. The Rose Captain

5. Middle Distance Runner

6. You’re A Wolf

7. Song For The Dead

8. Black Leaf Falls

9. The Cold, The Dark And The Silence

10. Neutral Ground

   It was late Winter. I was leaving the architecture building at the University of MD on a cold, dark night. It was late and I was very tired. I got in my car for the routine five-minute drive back home. I turned on the radio, picked up some Indie local channel. Thank God. This song was half-through. I was hearing this great rhythm on acoustic guitar…good chords. And a young, confident male voice. Then this catchy electric guitar lick…and strings! The strings got more ferocius towards the end as the singer is now singing “You’re a wolf, boy, get out of this town.” The song was “You’re A Wolf”, and it’s rare that I hear such great new songs…especially on the radio.

   What followed was a determination to find out who was responsible for the song and whether by some chance it wasn’t the only decent thing they’d recorded and released. Turns out the band was Sea Wolf (I was sensing a theme), and although a band, was really just a moniker used by Alex Brown Church, the creative force behind the sound. I quickly downloaded the album, and was joyous over an album that start to finish proved to be a more than enjoyable listen.

   The album starts with the dreamlike, beautifully simple “Leaves in the River”, growing from acoustic guitar to light percussion, to simple piano, keyboard and electric guitar fills, a pleasant background to a vivid boy-and-girl narrative recount. The next song to leave an impression for me was “Black Dirt”, again starting with simple acoustic chords and promising vocals (“Black dirt will stain your feet and when you walk you’ll leave black dirt in the street.”). That’s when strings, percussion and electric guitar come crashing in for the remainder of the song, building up towards the end with a fervor and attitude reminiscent of the great Arcade Fire.

   “The Rose Captain” and “Middle Distance Runner” act as pleasantly-paced, melodically impressive in-betweens until you get to the arguable star of the show, “You’re A Wolf”. A later standout is second-to-last track “The Cold, The Dark & The Silence”, a faster-paced, guitar-heavy piece, intensifying further with commanding vocals and strings. The last track, “Neutral Ground”, comes at you in the same vein as that of the opening track…a light, melancholy goodbye to match that of its hello.

   Many of the songs from Leaves in the River seem to stick to the same formula…a certain pace, guitar rhythm, vocal style or string accompaniment…but never does one song sound similar to another. The formula works. And after the ten songs are over, you want more of it. With the recent release of a second album, and a hopeful, anxious listen to the first track through, it’s safe to say there’s more to look forward to.