quickcrit - music reviews

When one of Free Energy's songs randomly comes up on shuffle I immediately smile, turn it up, and try to rate it higher than I already have. That is probably close to the definition of a "feel good hit". These songs stand out from the rest of the classic rock cribbing crowd in part because the band allows the songs room to breathe, preferring to strut rather than sprint. The solos are restrained and administered sparsely. "Dream City" kicks off with a T.Rex groove before down shifting to almost a ballad, even incorporating a little E Street saxophone at the end. I've loved the summer anthems "Hope Child" and "Free Energy" since when I first heard them last year, but the charging "Light Love" and the simple and catchy "Bang Pop" aren't far behind.

I'm not sure how this got overlooked on our QuickCrit lists. The Drum's Summertime! EP is fantastically catchy and a perfect remedy to the gray winter blues. It's just six songs of casually melancholy retro pop with plenty of hand claps. What's not to like? The two standouts, "Saddest Summer" and "Let's Go Surfing" (mp3) set the tone somewhere between between foggy groggy Girls and the poppier Surfer Blood. They have a couple other great songs floating around, so I imagine we can expect an album in 2010. I can't wait.

Looking ahead to 2010, Surfer Blood's album Astro Coast is set for a January 19th release date and if advance blog chatter is an indication of an albums potential success, consider Surfer Blood soon to be platinum artists. We all know, however, that hype can be misleading, so I prefer to turn to cold, hard evidence. Exhibit A: Their first single "Swim (To Reach The End)" is the kind of anthemic catchy pop rock that is worth looking forward to. Soaring vocals hover above power pop chords with intermingled riffs that are reminiscent of Vampire Weekend, although the bands shouldn't be directly compared. If "Swim" is representative of what the rest of the album will offer, save a slot on your "summer short list" because I have a feeling the album will be packed with summer jammy-jams. Just think, you could be the first kid on your block rocking these tunes at your late January barbecue. Ultimately, there is good stuff here and if the nine other tracks follow the "Swim" direction, I think that Astro Coast will be one to tap into come 2010.

I stumbled across this video this morning and can't get it out of my head. I don't know anything about these guys, except that the video features some sweet dance moves. So here you go.

Throw Me The Statue's Creaturesque delivers on the potential of last year's Moonbeams, with "Dizzy From the Fall" probably being the closest in tone, catchiness, and just general awesomeness to "Lolita" (mp3). Or the spirited "Waiting At The Shore". Or... well, suffice to say the rest of the album is just as good. Overall, its way more polished and consistent than the debut. It's clear that they have mastered summertime indie pop, balancing light and wistful lyrics with bouncy drums and cheap tinny keyboards. "Hi-fi Goon" (mp3) and "Ancestors" (mp3), two more of my favorites, both feature simple catchy riffs and singalong choruses. All the handclaps, hooks, and well-placed whoops add up to a very fun album.

Here's a fun summer video that, like Nelly and Tom Hanks, lifts a few choice lyrics from Little Anthony & the Imperials.

I have been looking for some new summer jammy-jams for barbecuing and roof deck lounging since my relentless over-playing of Portugal. The Man's The Satanic Satanist back in early June, and I think I may have found such goodness in the Fruit Bat's The Ruminant Band. Fruit Bats have been around in some for or another since the late '90s, but with the release of their first album in over four years, this is the first time I have paid any heed to their exceptional oft-acoustic indie folk rock. Eric D. Johnson's vocals and guitar work, plus the folky instrumentation from the talented backing musicians (Gibson, Sherman, Lewis, Wagster) weave together an album that falls in line with Fruit Bat's Seattle brethren and Sub Pop cohorts, such as The Shins (of which Johnson is a member), Band of Horses, and Fleet Foxes. There is also a taste of Led Zeppelin III folkiness, that is especially prevalent on the title track. The whole album is very good, but here is a vid for the very excellent "Ruminant Band."

I loved the Office's lo-fi glam on their last album, Putting On The Ritz. However, on Mecca, they have mostly ditched the glam in favor of upbeat indie rock. And as good as Ritz was, this one is better. For the most part, the album bounds along, bursting with hooks. Only occasionally does it slow down, like for the beautiful "Enter Me, Exit You" with its chirping xylophone and soothing vocals. slowing down. There are a couple great songs, like "Nobody Knows You", which rides a bright, shinny chorus and thumping drums straight into summer and the short "Dr. Drako", which wraps surf guitar and a chant-along chorus around rapid, tightly-wound vocals. Cryptically dark lyrics provide a bit of contrast, but are delivered with such enthusiasm that they rarely alter the buoyant mood. Oh, and you can download the album free from their label Quack! Media. Check it out!

5) Danceable Hip Hop Songs and Summer Jammy Jams
I always inexplicably get more into hip hop in the summer and love the remixes of these already awesome tracks: Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" and Kid Cudi's "Day 'N' Nite." Unbelievably great danceable hotness that makes me car-dance with myself whenever they come on (looks more embarrassing than it sounds). But my summer anthem is Jamie Foxx's (feat. T-Pain) - "Blame It," especially that infectious chorus I know by heart. Not only does this track provide the impure thoughts, but it actually makes me wanna put them into action.. with or without the Goose ("gotcha feelin' loose"), the 'Tron ("gotcha in the zone"), or the Henny ("gotcha feelin' dizzy"). It's all good, just "blame it on the ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-alcohol."


4) Rediscovering Rogue Wave
Ever the huge fan, I've recently fallen back in love with their sonic beauty- namely, Descended Like Vultures and Asleep At Heaven's Gate. Tender, gorgeous, lush, melodic, layered, can't even begin to describe their arrangements. I've been known to fall asleep to "Missed" and actually lounged on my couch all pensive and shit last weekend listening to "Eyes" on loop (I do this quite often to their records, in general). Enjoy this favs. sampler: older (1, 2, 3, 4), newer (1, 2, 3, 4).


3) Going To Shows I Actually Care About vs. Being A Show-whore
I've been too tired for shows for shows-sake and these days only hit up "must-sees" or else I'll get in a fight with myself and brood for days type-shows. Stellar nights that have made my half-year: Phoenix, Harlem Shakes record release party, Duncan Sheik, Blind Pilot, and the GUK reunion show. All uber-worth it and kept me in a good mood for at least two weeks afterwards.


2) [Indie] Rock In Advertisements...?
TV-watching feels like less of a waste with all the goodass music in commercials of late. I don't even hit the mute button anymore just in case I may hear The Dodos hawk Miller Chill, The Moody Blues add to the wondrous nature of this Visa ad, Matt and Kim invite me out 'til "Daylight," Mazzy Star makes me rethink my cellular service (effin love this song!), The Submarines sell their souls to Apple, and/or watch Her Space Holiday soundtrack this confusing one.



1) Meeting Musical Peoples
Surreality mixed with WTF, with a dash of "I must call everyone I know/someone who'd care!?" I've discussed Dan Auerbach with Matt Pinfield as he exited his cab, jumped into another and learned my driver had just dropped off Courtney Love as I sat in her warm seat (do I have an STD now?), got snubbed by Kimya Dawson, asked Michael Stipe the meaning of "Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite," discussed alternate endings to Once with Glan Hansard, stared at Ingrid Michaelson's incredible rack while jokingly trying to hook her up with Rhett Miller (within earshot), asked Hootie himself where the Blowfish were, laughed with Guster about their pot-smoking "star-fucker moment" with Willie Nelson, and unwittingly asked Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel if "the lasagna is vegetarian," only to realize 5 seconds later when he walked away that I'm an idiot who just asked Jeff Mangum from Neutral Milk Hotel if the lasagna was vegetarian. Yeah, that last one was very Baby "I, uhh, carried a watermelon" from Dirty Dancing.

Don't be shocked if you can't get They Live By Night's "Ctrl+Alt+Del My Heart" out of your head. As far as I am concerned it has unseated Peter, Bjorn and John's "Young Folks" as indie pop's reigning whistling ear worm. It's the standout track on their poptastic new self-titled album, which is jam packed with unrelenting bouncy, upbeat pop. Not surprisingly, it's catchy as hell. "Catching Up" kicks the album off at a runners pace with more whistles, strings and wistful love. It rarely lets down after that. "Meaningless Repair" finds the middle ground between the Spinners and the Beach Boys. There are a lot of opportunities for singing along, but the chorus on "Excuse My Troubling You" is one of my favorites. The moody and melancholy may want to go elsewhere for their summer jams.

The Booze Bombs are quote, Rockin' Off The Grid, on an album with the same suitable name. They are a 50's style rockabilly band from Germany, and they will knock your socks off at the sock hop, so to speak. "All Night Long" is full of energy and life, but at the same time is a little subversive and dark, makes me want to dance all the way down to the Workman's Emporium and buy a leather jacket. My favorite track is "Friday Night Blues", so far it gets my vote for best song of 2009, the vocals are sensational. When it comes on in my car, I feel like James Dean in a Honda Accord, super cool with a very economical style. The band can sometimes have an almost punkish feel, but for the most part, like on "Rock Me Baby" stay very traditional, which I like, not many bands do that now-a-days. Annie Leopardo* on the vocals was definitely born in the wrong decade, she wails with a deep sultry voice, then gets real high with sharp pitched yelps, very cool. People with GTOs must own this, and if you are hosting any 50's style dance parties soon, "Rockin off the Grid" is a definite cannot miss.

*Any chick named Annie Leopardo must sing in a rockabilly band, and chances are, that band will be REALLY good.

Oddly, what sold me on Fantasies was a song not even released on the album. "Waves", a bonus track, is pure poptastic awesomeness. When the giant falsetto hook of a chorus kicks in I can't help but making up new and obviously stylish dance moves on the spot. After that, the album just clicked. Similar to indie dance queen Annie, this album embraces new wave synthesizers and fun dance pop. While the guitars from her last few albums still provide propulsive riffs, they are significantly toned down and less crunchy. Although generally a fan of crunchy guitars, I find Fantasies' best songs irresistible. "Sick Muse" has another great chorus while "Satellite Mind" is spacy and cool. "Gimme Sympathy" poses the question "Who'd you rather be, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?" over a easygoing beat and seems like an ode to lying around and listening to music with friends. Good times.

Mmm, tastes like summertime. Pop perfection. This is the kind of album I will kill in less than two weeks. Its so catchy and I don't have alot of self control... in many different venues... hence I haven't been able to bring myself to listen to much else since I got Manners. I liked the Passion Pit EP, but this album is much much better. All the hooks are catchy. All of them. The first song, "Make Light", feels like a high pitched vocalist singing a New Order song. I don't see a problem with that. The next song, "Little Secrets", has a real nice male/female vocal component. Bonus, the "higher and higher" chorus pumps you up a little. Feels good, I'm always looking for new ways to get pumped since I've become immune to caffeine. Next up, "Moth's Wings". My favorite on the album (for now). Its epic, and I have a soft spot for epic. I could keep going like this about every song, suffice to say this album is a must for summer. It's perfect for driving around in perfect sunny 75 degree weather. Oh, is it still raining and cold in other places? Hmm, well I live in LA.

Faves: Little Secrets, Moth's Wings, The Reeling, Eyes as Candles

Lately, it's felt like summer in Portland and just in time I found my first summer jam, "I Wanna Kill" by Crocodiles. Because nothing says summer like murder. Thematically, it reminds me of the Ponys' awesome "Let's Kill Ourselves", but with more obvious ties to Echo and the Bunnymen . Play them back to back and you have your evening planned. The rest of the album is a collection of distortion laden indie and garage rock, some better than others. My only complaint is they like to let some of their songs drag on and fade out into just oscillating waves instead of keeping them tight. "Soft Skull (In My Room)" and the title cut are the other two great tracks.

Ok, so I admit I'm a big Animal Collective Fan. BUT, I've always found their albums hard to listen to all the way through. I'm a skipper of songs. One of the first things I heard about this album was that pitchfork gave it a 9.7 or something ridiculously pretentious like that. Normally, I'm one of those assholes who just loves to disagree with the common sentiment, especially if it comes from Pitchfork. BUT, the new Animal Collective album is nothing short of amazing. I've heard from around the way girls that their single "My Girls" is blowing up. I'm conflicted about this. Because by the way "My Girls", is one of the best songs I've ever heard. But a band like this - I want to keep them too close for comfort. I feel about them the same way I feel about Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia (my absolute favorite television program0. I'm happy it's getting popular because it means it will march on - BUT I also have the urge to hold it close. This is definitely the most listenable Animal Collective album. BUT, the combination on Strawberry Jam of "For Reverend Green" and "Fireworks" is def one of my fave one-two punches ever. Check those out as well. BUT, I have to give Aminal Collective a high five for this album. I mean, have you listened to "My Girls"?!?!?! Nothing short of amazing. Some other faves from this album include "Blusish", and "Brothersport". In the middle of "Brothersport" I feel like I'm about to lose my mind - in a good way. I really don't know what else to say about this album aside from Animal Collective is one of the most creatively innovative jam bands today. I'm conflicted about this album because I'm an elitist asshole and its so good I know it will recruit a multitude of new fans. And I want them to keep it real, keep it weird. But with this album they really do! And for what its worth, from a hard-core fan of theirs before this, I'm continuously impressed and would recommend this to anyone. Give it a try, you've kindof got to be trying to be an asshole not to like this album.

Best songs: My Girls, Bluish, Brothersport.

Happy summer, friends and strangers!

I've had the pleasure of reading everyone else's 5 Things, and damn, y'all took a lot of the good ones, but here's my list:

1. Sigur Ros "Gobbledigook." The song and the video make me so. unbelieeevably happy. And not (just) because of the nudity, awmercy. It's the energy of all those naked hippies and dudes with drumsticks. You can watch and listen here. If you're over 18, of course.


2. Usher "Love in This Club" performed by

When War Machine sent me this video he probably never guessed how it would affect me. Obviously, he has no idea how many Showbiz birthday parties I attended at the shy, impressionable age of 9, before Showbiz sold out to lame-ass Chuck E. Cheese's. Shiiit. All I know is, when I saw the Cheerleader get going, I laughed, I cried...and then I laughed again because "ball pit" suddenly sounded dirty.


3. Jenny Lewis. Lately I've been loving Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - especially "You Are What You Love" - but seeing Rilo Kiley play in Providence in May is what truly sparked my killer crush. The hair. The voice. The charisma. The shiny gold tights and hot pants. Sigh, Jenny Lewis is my silver lining.

4. The Black Kids "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance." This song has been on my iPod since January but much like the sounds of Chromeo and Coconut Records this kind of funkiness just didn't seem appropriate until the temperature topped 70. (Which took, like, forever.) I loved hearing the guys on All Songs Considered grumble about this song's catchy, youthful, 'verby sound. And I different kind of loved it when those guys listed the ingredients of an infectious indie hit: yelling/chanting + nonsense sounds + numbers. "One, Two, Three, Four!"

It's kind of true, right? These are some of the ingredients that drew me to Justice and The Go! Team and even Animal Collective. The Black Kids' first album Partie Traumatic comes out on July 22 in honor of the day of my birth. But honestly, who cares about their other songs.

5. Where the hell is Matt? "14 months in the making, 42 countries, and a cast of thousands" says the guy who took his aerobic jig around the world and just...danced...sometimes alone, sometimes with a huge crowd of people, while a friend caught it on video. This video was spreading virally through Tumblr a few weeks ago, and I reblogged it, as did a million other people. Quite simply, it made my heart happy. Read today's NYT article, watch the video, welcome the new-agey music, and let yourself love the world for four minutes. It's summer. You deserve it.

Contributors were asked to list five things that rocked their socks in the last six months. Anything even remotely related to music was up for grabs, including bands that they have more than a crush on, web videos they've watched too many times, and the summer jammy jams that make them create a dance floor in their kitchen.

“Hello. Is this The Explorers Club? It is. Well, Brian Wilson called and was wondering if he could have his sound back. Thanks!” Click. The Explorers Club take the words “influence” and “similarities” to whole new heights with their album Freedom Wind—essentially a Beach Boys tribute album, albeit with original lyrics. There are a few tracks that barrow from other 1960s bands—The Beatles spring out at times—but ultimately, the harmonies, arrangements and lyrical themes that anchor this puppy are straight Wilson. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since The E Club have taken their “recreation” (See also: homage, regeneration, impersonation, etc.) seriously, and produced a very listenable, upbeat, summery record. Nevertheless, this could be hit or miss for serious Beach Boys fanatics, for some may see this as a degradation of sacred sound; however, for someone looking for some care-free, 60s style pop, there’s no reason why this album shouldn’t be enjoyed.

Rev up your Woodie to: “Forever,” “Don’t Forget The Sun” & “Last Kiss.”

Let the summer “jammy-jams” cometh. "Inside The Cinema," the second track off of Culture Reject, was the catchy nugget that made me an instant fan of Culture Reject—also the artist's name—and his quirky, creative sound. This album jams with layered horns, rhythmic handclaps, timely piano bits, unconventional & diverse percussion, casual whistling and beachy lounge transitions that suggest indie pop, Latin, jazz (Latin-Jazz? Jazzy-Latin?), and additional worldly influence. Although "Inside the Cinema" stands out with its particularly rhythmical, clappy draw, the rest of the album is also very enjoyable. If you put on these summery grooves I promise people will inquire about the artist within the first few songs. (That's my Rob Gordon guarantee of the month.)

Enjoy: "Inside the Cinema," "Overflow," "Oh Remain," and “Fireflies Are Fading”

This album will be in my top 10 albums of the year and probably quite high. I heard their song "Story Problem" in the movie Run Fat Boy Run and spent the next morning trying to track it down.. I love that song so much that I was worried about not liking the album. I would prepare myself for disappointment via internal dialogue in which I assured myself that the rest of the album surely could not rule as hard as that song. When I tracked the album down and listened to the guitar dealio that kicks off at 0:32 in the first song ("Wires and Wool") I bet I let out an audible sigh of relief.. you'd have to confirm this with my co-workers.

Other reviews throw out Radiohead and Modest Mouse comparisons.. I can see where they're coming from but I feel those are a little short sighted.. Yeah his voice sounds like Thom Yorke at times and and the guitar work in "Wires & Wool" is pretty Modest Mousy I feel it ends there.. I suppose I shouldn't really start a paragraph like this without being able to back it up with my own comparisons. I'm not going to that for two reasons..
1. ) I'm bad at it
2. ) In my opinion they have bits that sound reminiscent of a ton of little things that I like. It's one of those albums where I can say oh that part sounds just like so and so oh and the drums there are just like blah blah... but really once you get over like 5 comparisons it's not really helpful anymore..

They also get bonus points for a super ruling music video and being funny looking guys (something that oddly always boosts a band in my eyes)..

"Story Problem" and "Wires & Wool" = summer jammy jams...