Then again I may be in the minority—most people seem to love when Malkmus embraces his overtly wacky stoner side (which he does plenty on the wigged-out, keyboard-driven skronk of cuts like the album opener, “Pencil Rot”), whereas I tend to prefer the man’s more refined and pastoral moments (to put this in Pavement terms: I’ve always been more of a “Range Life” than “Hit The Plane Down” type of guy). This album was almost completely recorded by SM sans band, and it’s easy to picture the creative process of this album being driven by Malkmus plunking away at vintage keyboards with a roach or two in tow. Don’t get me wrong—the man’s still an undeniable talent, and Face the Truth boasts at least three new classics (“Freeze the Saints,” “Mama” and “Post-Paint Boy”) to add to his cannon, but too much of the rest of Truth feels like an exercise in self-indulgent silliness.
Rating: 4 out of 10

The Orange Peels
Circling The Sun
(Parasol Records)

The Orange Peels may hail from northern California but I’ve decided to spot this tasty album at least partial local music status as it was recorded here in Minneapolis at the Terrarium with producer extraordinaire Bryan Hannah and local mainstay Peter Anderson drumming on many of the tracks. Coming a long four years on the heels of the piquant jangle pop precision of So Far, initial reports that lead guitarist Larry Winther was moving on had me worried that Circling the Sun would be a letdown, as his sharp tremulous surf-guitar influenced solos were key to So Far’s beguiling appeal. Fortunately, Orange Peel’s leader, Allen Clapp, was able to sign up an A-list replacement (Oed Ronne of the Ocean Blue) for Circling, and the Peels haven’t missed a beat during the long layoff. Moving away from the slightly punchier sound of So Far, the band leans heavily on Hannah for wide-lens production, embracing the chance to let loose in a real studio after home recording their previous endeavors. The result means lots of orchestral flourishes and synths galore, which actually syncs up with Clapp’s lighter-than-air voice probably better than their earlier sound. Fluffy power-pop with genuine soul, the Orange Peels already have me chomping at the bit to see what they cook up for 2009.
Rating: 7 out of 10

Hal
Hal
(Rough Trade)

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Hal are some seriously flattering gentleman who spend their days penning love notes to Brian Wilson and Mike Love when they’re not busy copping the Beach Boy’s mid-period style on their own records. Youngsters from Kilkenny, Ireland, the trio of David Allen (lead vocals/guitar), his brother Paul (bass/vocals) and keyboardist Stephen O’Brien must have grown up in that previously unknown to me patch of Ireland where the sun always shines and beach bunnies abound. OK, enough joking. These guys are artful enough in the execution of their classic West Coast pop moves (lead single “Play the Hits” makes me wish I had the cash to make a down payment on a convertible and cruise Lake Calhoun right now) that I’ll leave the bitching about their lack of originality to those with more sour dispositions. The arrangements here are dizzyingly lush (brass and strings galore, streaming layers of falsetto harmonies) and the band is just as adept at somber balladry as surfs-up shimmy. You will either be incredibly annoyed by—or deeply enamored of—Hal’s expert approximations of pop’s bygone era.
Rating: 7 out of 10

The Mountain Goats
The Sunset Tree
(4AD)

John Darnielle has spent the last decade as arguably the most dynamic and compelling lyricist in the indie-rock game. Recording under his nom de plume the Mountain Goats, Darnielle started his musical journey power strumming and bleating his way atop hissy boombox recordings and has slowly evolved from there into making actual “professional” sounding recordings (much to the chagrin of some of his lo-fi loving fanbase). The Sunset Tree is Darnielle’s third record since he made the big leap to the 4AD record label and finally started making albums in real studios and with a bit more polish on the arranging side of things, although still favoring a decidedly austere aesthetic—most of the songs here employ just three instruments (piano, bass, acoustic guitar). As any Mt. Goats fan could tell you, however, it’s Darnielle’s words that matter most. After a series of records that dealt with eccentric but believable characters (juvenile delinquents intent on forming a death metal band, a former high school football star turned dope dealer after a knee injury) Darnielle finally turned his perceptive short story writing eye back on himself with 2003’s We Shall All Be Healed, a harrowing look back at his early 20s (a period primarily spent living in flop houses and taking speed). As bleakly personal as Healed was, Darnielle appears to have upped the ante with his newest project, The Sunset Tree. Inspired by the recent death of his abusive stepfather, The Sunset Tree is an uncomfortably direct first-person song cycle in which Darnielle pulls every dirty skeleton out of the closet. The album comes inscribed with the following message: “Dedicated to any young men and women anywhere who live with people who abuse them, with the following good news: you are going to make it out of there alive, you will live to tell your story, never lose hope.” Listening to Darnielle revisit his broken home and childhood pain, in songs where lines like, “My stepfather yells at my mother launches a glass across the room straight at her head and I dash upstairs to take cover,” are commonplace, is far from easy—but wholly compelling. By the end of Sunset Tree’s song cycle (as in life) Darnielle makes it out OK, finding salvation in friends, music, the ability to forgive. The Sunset Tree is a truly inspiring and important album that demands to be heard.
Rating: 9 out of 10 ||