Phosphorescent – Muchacho (2013)

I have been captivated by this album for the last two weeks or so now. Ever since I heard Matthew Houck’s “Wolves” sometime in late 2007 or early 2008, I have been loosely following Phosphorescent, but the last album unfortunately didn't warrant a review, so I think up until now, Phosphorescent has gone undiscussed on QCM. 

On Easter Sunday 2010 at The Independent in San Francisco (where I'll be tonight to see Portugal. The Man), White Hinterland and Bon Iver opened (yes, opened) for Phosphorescent. Most of the people in the audience were there for Bon Iver, specifically, and by the end of Phosphorescent’s set, most people had cleared out due to Houck’s shushing of the increasingly noisy Bon Iver following turned bar scene in the back. The gabbing during Houck's set was in stark contrast to the pin-drop silence Bon Iver was afforded. I hate when people talk during concert sets in small venues, so I have always had a somewhat special appreciation for Houck’s tender songwriting and fragile vocals, despite his hit-or-miss albums.

To me, Muchacho is Phosphorescent's most well-rounded album. The lyrics and songwriting across the board just seem more thought-out and less forced, albeit occasionally borrowed. “The Quotidian Beasts” seems to follow the chord progression of Chris Isaak’s "Wicked Game" – I even found myself mouthing “And I, want to fall in love” during the chorus build-up – and the single "Song for Zula" (below) leads in with a paraphrased reference to the infamous Cash-Carter "Ring of Fire" opening lines in singing "some say love is a burning thing / that it makes a fiery ring." Both are great tracks, and with each, the song takes on new and interesting shapes independent of the nods. My favorite of the tracks is "Ride On / Right On." With its head-nodding charisma and simplicity, "Ride On / Right On" paints a picture of what I view as a wild/fun, but ultimately unfulfilling, life and times. The core of Phosphorescent's sound is the facts that very few vocalists sing love-loss more convincingly than Houck, which may be his single most compelling attribute and shines through on tracks like "Muchacho's Tune," "Terror in the Canyons," and "Down to Go" – decrepit & touching enough that you just want to reach through the speakers and give the guy a hug. Well done on this one.

VAST - Me and You (2009)

As the title alludes to, this is an album that caters to the sentimentalities of intimate relationships and other scenarios involving the various stages of love and attraction; however, the more appealing feature of Me and You, at least for me, is that the participation of a significant other is not required to trigger ones appreciation for the music and talent involved. I am quite fond of the music that VAST manufactures—the 2006 release Turquoise & Crimson, and 2007 installment, April, are both darkly textured and excellently composed—but I have objections to the rather consistent sappiness of the Jon Crosby's lyrics which tend to be fairly narrowly themed from album to album. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a song rooted in the deeply emotional turmoil that comprises intimate relationships, but a 12 song bombardment tests my favor. Thankfully, Crosby's crisp baritone vocals—the guy has a great voice that occasionally gets close to Jim Morrison's—along with the accompanying guitar work and orchestration can be enjoyed regardless of the mono-themed lyrics. Although I do not feel that Me and You is as excellent as April, I do believe that fans of VAST's previous work will enjoy this album.

A few favorites: The strummy "I Thought By Now," the darkly written "Hotel Song," and the waltzy "I'm Afraid Of You."

Magic & Fur - Christine (2009)

Magic & Fur need to come out with some more releases with a quickness, because the pair of tracks off of their Christine single are so good that they have the potential to be catastrophically overplayed. Both "Christine," a melodic, riff driven track that has a intriguingly whirly psychedelic video (below) and "Apple Falls," an elongated, danceable indie track with Bowie-esque vocals, are extremely catchy and well performed. There are hints of Interpolishness and other prominent indie acts, but these two tracks certainly stand alone in their own right as distinctively awesome songs. Additionally, the unreleased "Endgame," that can be found on the bands linked page, slows it down a bit, but is also quite good in a dark, mysterious way. If these three songs are an accurate indication of what can be expected from a full length release by Magic & Fur, then I eagerly anticipate the band's next release.

Greg Laswell - Three Flights From Alto Nido (2008)

Greg Laswell does an admirable job of making love songs sound a little less sappy. Three Flights From Alto Nido is a collection of endearing, sweet-sounding, piano & acoustic guitar-laced pop songs with lyrical premises ranging from new love, love lost, love and longing, and general love drama (amongst other love-like thematics). All the tracks are capsulated in sentimental (but not gushy), easy-to-enjoy, singer-songwriter pieces, and surprisingly, all the tracks are quite good. This is certainly not the "pump you up" album of the year, but it is definitely something to be enjoyed whilst in a mellow, reflective mood.

For a sentimental introduction, listen to: "Comes and Goes (In Waves)," "How The Day Sounds" & "I'd Be Lying."