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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Big 10: CD Reviews
Wednesday 30 April @ 11:59:51 |
 Celeste Tabora runs down all the hot new releases.
Aerogramme - Speep and Release
Sondre Lerche - Faces Down
The Datsuns - The Datsuns
Cave In - Antenna
Yoshimi & Yuka - Flower With No Color
Placebo - Sleeping With Ghosts
Owl & the Pussycat - Owl & the Pussycat
Turin Brakes - Ethersong
The Essex Green - The Long Goodbye
Portastatic - The Summer of the Shark
Aerogramme
Sleep and Release
Matador
This is Aerogramme’s second release and with it they pummel the pre-conceived notion that you can’t successfully be thick and meaty, soft and spacey, as well as melodic and hard-hitting if you’re not Sunny Day Real Estate. Aerogramme take both the soft and hard sides of SDRE to11. This record is difficult to squeeze into any one sub-genre. It’s hard to deny its inventiveness, and it’s very enjoyable.
Sondre Lerche
Faces Down
Astralwerks
If Frank Sinatra were to be reincarnated, I would hope his soul would end up in Norwegian Sondre Lerche. Given the rules of reincarnation we could rule out Lerche based on his age alone (a mere 20 years). But then too we would say, of course this couldn’t happen! Sondre is all too original—he is a new soul. He sings his songs like someone who is new to human life: hopeful, beautiful, naïve, and positive. And yet he does have some of the suave sophistication of Sinatra and that ilk. This disc is a wonderfully romantic, beautifully crafted must-have.
The Datsuns
The Datsuns
V2
New Zealanders The Datsuns create rock in the same vein that Thin Lizzy, Guns N’ Roses, or Bad Company started off oppressing audiences with. Their Who-like performances caused a media frenzy in the UK, and soon a bidding war. But why? This cock-rock music is hardly inventive and bands like Vue and Lovelight Shine do it much better that these blokes. (Hey! Don’t fall for the bonus DVD edition either.)
Cave In
Antenna
RCA
Are they really calling Cave In “alternative-metal?” Anyone else remember when this band was hardcore? We saw this coming, didn’t we? Anyone who has followed these boys from their three Hydra Head Records releases to this, their major label debut, saw the spacey softer side to these metal heads peeking out further and further with every release. What true music fan really gives a sh*t about cred? This is a great rock disc. It’s digestable, unlike some hardcore—and respectable, unlike nu-metal. No complaint here, I’m awaiting the next time I get to see them live!
Yoshimi & Yuka
Flower With No Color
Merge
This disc is perfect for trimming your bonsai trees. Yuka from Cibo Matto & Yoshimi from The Boredoms recorded this album as the two were driving up Mt. Ikoma in Japan. You can hear the rattle of the truck driving through the rocky mountain roads. The result is a relaxing, engaging listen that is ancient and futuristic all at once. I heart this disc.
Placebo
Sleeping With Ghosts
Astralwerks
A highly respected friend of mine openly admits to having an adverse reaction to Placebo in the past, but now is a firm believer and advocate due to this, their 4th studio album. Though I see why this would have been the record to bring about her change of heart (Placebo hold back their grunge-glam/polished-punk tendencies this time around), I couldn’t get used to vocalist Brian Molio’s voice enough to want this for myself. If you have a higher tolerance for that girlish, prepubescent whine, you may want to try this out.
Owl & the Pussycat
Owl & the Pussycat
Kill Rock Stars
This record reminds me of Spring afternoons. Soothing, laid-back and oozing of innocence. It’s the essence of indie pop. Comprised of Lois Maffeo and Greg Moore (of the Moore Brothers), this record sounds exactly like what you’d expect from a collaboration between these two musical minds. If you’re unfamiliar with their other work, just think of Lake Calhoun on a warm Spring afternoon as you’re strolling alongside it—content that you’re alone.
Turin Brakes
Ethersong
Astralwerks
Brit duo and lifelong friends Olly Knights & Gale Paridjanian make up Turin Brakes. They’ve been compared to Coldplay and Travis by the lazy ear, but I think if you gave it a good listen, you’d agree with me that they’re more folk-driven than either of those bands, even in their more acoustic moments. Nonetheless, fans of the Britpop persuasion (including the aforementioned groups and adding Radiohead to the list), will most likely adore this effort.
The Essex Green
The Long Goodbye
Merge
What do you call it when something is not awful, but it’s not spectacular either? Average. Ah, yes, average. Sure it’s pretty, but it doesn’t move me. Is this what they call twee pop? A perpetual state of Kindergarten tunes? If only Sasha Bell’s vocals were as easy on the ears as she is on the eyes. Instead, she sounds like a mid-70s Children’s Show host doing musical numbers. It is far more bearable when TEG have the males go at the vocals but it’s still pretty hokey.
Portastatic
The Summer of the Shark
Merge
Mac Mccaughan of Portastatic does triple duty managing the Merge label and maintaining his role in Superchunk. He’s been making sweet lo-fi and delicious indie pop once again after a five-year Portastatic hiatus. Not all of the songs here are swing-set lovely: some tracks are sure to excite your pogo-ing tendencies. You like alternative music? American alternative music? Well here it is, everything that’s good about it, all on one disc.
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