Stave Off the Apocalypse, Listen to This

Since being saddled with an utter crapload of Christmas and birthday Amazon gift cards, I have been able to keep up with new music in a way that hasn't happened in years. It actually has been the best time in a long time to be able to buy all the new stuff that's come out. 2012 may be the year of the Apocalypse, or it just might be the best year in music in close to a decade. Or it might be both. Might as well go out with a bang (pun very much intended). While we are biding our time until December 21st, try giving all this stuff a listen. I will start with some of the purchases that I was behind on from last year.

Take Care, Take Care, Take Care by Explosions in the Sky (released April, 26 2011)


The one thing that I will never be afraid of is Explosions in the Sky changing their sound to where they no longer sound like the same band. I always feel alienated when bands change their sound. Explosions uses keyboards and electronics a little more often, but not so much as to make you forget that you are listening for the chiming guitars and the somehow euphonious feedback. My favorite moment (because it just doesn't seem right calling them songs) occurs late in "Postcard from 1952" when the music escalates to its full force. My least favorite moment has to be once the keyboard starts repeating the prominent melody in "Be Comfortable, Creature." I don't hate it, it's just not the best Explosions in the Sky melody, especially a repeating melody that I would call the theme of the song. The album, as always, is great to put on while reading a book or writing-- so thanks once again for the writing music, you Texas-made post-rock gods.

Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay (released October 24, 2011)


At the risk of losing my indie rock street cred, I continue to love what Coldplay is doing. I just don't see how people can group them with other pop bands. They have become better and better at weaving the songs in and out of each other which doesn't necessarily create better songs, but does create better albums. Is it harder to singalong to than "Yellow" or "Clocks?" Sure it is, but in today's world where any teeny bopper (probably an old fashioned term, but I have no idea what the kiddies are calling themselves these days) can go on iTunes and download the one or two songs that they like off of each album, the album is becoming a diminished art form in my <sarcasm> humble and not so overbearing </sarcasm> opinion.

The album really gets moving fast after the introductory track with "Hurts Like Heaven." It is a great attention-grabber that gets me ready for "Paradise," which is definitely one of my favorite tracks on the record. The chorus gets me bouncing up and down on this one. The song has a tremendously full sound, combining the strings and piano for which Coldplay has become notorious with some really great keyboard and synth sounds mixed in. The lead guitar is great in the next track, "Charlie Brown." "Us Against the World" is the song I will rediscover in a few years and wonder why I didn't love it more when I heard it at first. I already like the song as it is now.  "Every Teardrop a Waterfall" has been out for so long that it hardly bears mentioning, but I do have to mention that my favorite lyric on this album is probably "I'd rather be a comma than a full stop." Punctuation lyrics get me every time.  Perhaps the biggest faux pas on the album is "Princess of China." Not every album has to have a song that features Rihanna, people. My complaints go beyond that though: the song is simply just too electronic for me. It builds to such discordance that it doesn't belong on this or any other Coldplay album, and Chris Martin's and Rihanna's voices don't mesh all that well. Luckily, when I select the album from the artist list on my mp3 player, this song magically doesn't play. I can't help that maybe they did this on purpose. (Or it could be because the artist listing is different for this song.) Coldplay redeems themselves in the next track however with "Up in Flames," which features a fairly stripped down piano and some trademark Chris Martin falsetto. It is my other favorite track on the album besides "Paradise." The final two tracks blend into each other so well, that it's just like one song with three movements to me. Overall, Coldplay is pushing their limits and growing as artists.

Strange Negotiations by David Bazan (released May 24, 2011)


David Bazan continues to spread his skepticism and frustration with religion, and I continue to eat up the music anyway. The guy just knows how to write good songs. This album is not as tight musically or lyrically as Curse Your Branches, but Bazan can only do so many concept albums, so I am willing to give him a break so he can write a simple collection of songs, not that overarching themes are absent by any means.  "Level With Yourself" carries a relatively positive message about being honest with yourself and those around you and examining the consequences for your actions. The song to me is a testament to the separation between morality, spirituality, and religion. "Virginia" is immensely sad but beautiful, and it is probably the track that shows the most progress in the artistry of David Bazan. I also don't know what happened, but anytime David Bazan performs live his voice is untamed, raw, and fresh. He has always performed this way live. The first time I saw him (performing as Pedro the Lion, of course) was in 2001 or 2002, and I was surprised by how powerful his voice was. I just never got that from the records. Since breaking out of the Pedro the Lion moniker, he has gained the courage to "let it rip" on his albums; this new found rawness is best heard in the song "Eating Paper." My favorite songs on albums always change over time, with changes in life and my tastes, but "today was a beautiful day to stay the same" or so it says in my current favorite song on the record, "Don't Change." The song is brutally honest about how so often we wake up in the mornings ready to make changes in our lives but realize by the end of the day that we are okay with who we are at the core. It is also the most surprising set of lyrics on the album. To me, David Bazan has never seemed comfortable in his own skin, but this song opposes my preconceptions and possible misconceptions about the man. Maybe he has found some comfort with who he is. "Won't Let Go" is a fitting ending, with its downtrodden tone. I am not sure to whom the song is addressed, but I can't help to think that it might be Bazan's wife. The album isn't for everyone, but I'd suggest anyone give it a try.

C'mon by Low (released April 11, 2011)


There is a scene in the movie High Fidelity where Jack Black's character refers to the Belle and Sebastian song ("Seymour Stein") that is playing in the record shop as "sad bastard music." Belle and Sebastian are getting a bad rap. They selected a super-mellow song and then the whole band, a band that has bouncy, upbeat songs like "Sleep the Clock Around," gets a reputation for playing "sad bastard music." The guys at Championship Vinyl got it wrong, which brings me to my point, Low plays the best sad bastard music ever. I am not insulting them. This is a good thing, this sad bastard music. I own one other Low album, The Great Destroyer, and while I like the album and appreciate is sad bastard-ness, this album trumps the other one because of its sad bastard beauty. When I caught wind that Low had released a new album my first thought was, "Low is alright, but I probably don't need to own the album. I guess I will listen to some samples to see what I think though." While listening to samples, several tracks caught my ear and the price was right, so I bought it.

From the first strike of the xylophone on the first track, "Try to Sleep," they gain my attention. They must know my weakness for xylophone in indie rock. Listen for the awesome banjo in "Witches," which is definitely one of my favorites. "Done" is sparse and beautiful, with great layers of voices, guitar, banjo, piano, and really great steel guitar work. "Especially You" is also lyrically and vocally beautiful. I love that neither of the vocalists have extraordinary voices, but paired together, they are amazing. "Nightingale" is a great track from the second half of the album. Usually when I think of a last song of an album, I think of something mellow or something that is long and repeats a lot or fizzles out into a serene nothingness, but the doesn't happen in the case of "Something's Turning Over." It is probably the most musically upbeat track on the album. It is also one of the shortest and doesn't repeat a lot or fade out, but somehow it just works, and is another of my favorites from this album. Next time Low releases an album, I guess I will pay more attention. I can't believe that I missed out on this one for eight months. Check out this video. Yes, that's John Stamos.




Mirror Traffic by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks (released August 22, 2011)


This album had been on my list since the release date, but I had procrastinated and then it was close to birthday and Christmas, so just decided to wait that much longer. I actually heard "Tigers," the first track on the album, on the local college radio station about a month after the record came out and got even more excited about the day when the album would finally be mine. Of course, buying it was inevitable. It's Stephen Malkmus, hallowed be thy indie rock name. It was honestly disappointed that "Tigers" turned out to be the best track on the album, though. I do like the album as a whole, but I guess I was expecting a song to trump "Tigers." Sometimes Malkmus gets a little too jam band for me (which is why Wowee Zowee is now and will always be my least favorite Pavement album), but he resists the urge this time and puts out a really solid record. He, as usual, resists the urge to clean up the guitars too much in the mastering. The album is decidedly a studio record, but it retains some of its rawness in an age when everything comes out of the studio squeaky clean. And yes, this squeaky cleanness is a bad thing-- the end of music, the end of rock and roll, as we know it. Maybe it's time to embrace the impending Apocalypse after all.

What does it sound like, you ask? Well, it sounds like Stephen Malkmus. The lyrics are ironic and entertaining as well as sometimes topical. This being an election year politics gets thrown into the mix and under the bus; see the song "Senator" for proof ("All the senator wants is a blow job"). One of my other favorite songs is "Brain Gallup," which proclaims "There's not much left inside my tank today," the anthem of any father of a newborn, right? "Long Hard Book" is a great mellow track and reminds me a lot of Pavement. The record is a little bit uncustomary in that all of the tracks are relatively short, which is out of the norm for Malkmus's solo work since his debut record, but very reminiscent of Pavement. Malkmus stated in interviews during Pavement's somewhat recent tour that they were not going to be recording new music, but I can't help but think that playing those old songs somehow rubbed off on this record. Is this perhaps as much of a Pavement album as it is a Malkmus solo album? There are certainly some indicators that point to yes. SM saves one of the best tracks for last: "Gorgeous Georgie" is probably the best track on the record besides "Tigers."The song combines the old indie feel of Pavement with the more free-form Malkmus records with songs that go on for ages. For the record, Mr. Malkmus, 5 minutes is a good length for a song for you. Anything else just loses me. This is a must have for any fan of Pavement or Malkmus, and if you aren't a fan of either, then what's wrong with you in the first place?

Long Live the King EP by The Decemberists (released November 1, 2011)


For me, anything The Decemberists have touched lately has simply turned to gold. This EP was described as having the same sound as the full-length released earlier last year, The King is Dead, but more acoustic. I would say that is a fairly accurate description, just don't get it in your head that the album is entirely acoustic. There is plenty of percussion, electric steel guitar, and electric guitar to go around. In fact, it is probably the steel guitar that makes "Foregone" my favorite song on the EP. The song is by far the most LP-worthy track on the record. Some of the songs actually sound a little more like what they were doing around the time of Picaresque, namely "I 4 U & U 4 Me" (and please never title another song like this ever again, dear Decemberists). I also note how they are a little bit braver on this little EP, Colin Meloy's voice in "Sonnet" sounds more like it used to than it has in recent albums, a little less restricted with lots of slow and rattling vibrato. Long live the new kings of Americana/ Folk Rock.

The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy by Nada Surf (released January 24, 2012)


I await every release from these guys with bated breath. I was disappointed with the cover album they released last year. The songs just weren't very good, which brings me to my desperate plea: Dear Nada Surf/Matthew Caws, please no more cover albums. You are far above anything you would ever decide to cover. The songs you cover pale in comparison to your amazing song-writing ability.

As you might have guessed, I love the new record. I was expecting something a little darker with some slower songs. That is the general pattern of Nada Surf records: we get something that we sit and wonder why it isn't burning up the rock charts, then we get an artistic album that shows a softer side. Since Lucky was an album that should have easily gone platinum, I expected the next Proximity Effect or The Weight Is a Gift, instead, I got another album that should be flying off the shelves and polluting the air waves (but, of course, it won't). Don't get me wrong, as with all their albums, this one shows their continued evolution as artists. "Jules and Jim" is a great musical step forward and one of my favorites from the album. Plus it has a great xylophone line and is just a great pop rock song. I do also love the song that they are touting around right now, "Waiting for Something." It's catchy, it rocks, why isn't it charting? With the propensity Nada Surf songs have of ending up on episodes of How I Met Your Mother, I also have to plead for the creators of the show to use "The Moon Is Calling." I think that we will have a moment in the show this season where this song would work great (if I am right about plot predictions that is). As with any good Nada Surf album, songs tend to get stuck in my head on repeat, and "Let the Fight Do the Fighting" is just another track that has been added to my mental playlist. It is the plead for peace and love on the album. I always appreciate Nada Surf's pacifism in personal and political relationships, since I am a natural-born pacifist myself and gravitate toward these ideals.

As a whole the album is just a great pop rock album that will be in full rotation on my stereo for many years to come.

Provincial by John K. Samson (released January 24, 2012)


I go to the Weakerthans' site fairly often, biding my time to hear news of a new album. I am usually disappointed. Imagine my surprise when I checked their website to see that John K. Samson, the guitarist and lead singer, had just released his first solo full-length. After listening to about five songs on Spotify, I knew I had to have it. Although the album came out in January, I just don't see how another album can top this one lyrically this year. "Heart of the Continent" is a great song in itself,  but just check out these lyrics:

Inky bruises are punched into the sky by bolts of light 
and then leak across the body of tonight, 
while rain and thunder drop and roll, then stop short of a storm,
leave the air stuck with this waiting to be born. 
As I stand before an unresponsive automatic door,
just another door that won't open for me anymore, 
the EXIT red gets brighter, then blinks off, 
and presses me into the crumpled dark.

Samson's lyrics have always been great, but he has outdone himself; the songs are beautifully ironic, simple, insightful, and relatable.

"Cruise Night" should be a driving anthem, at least in Canada anyway. It is a song about driving around in his brother's borrowed car. By far my favorite song on the album is "When I Write My Master's Thesis," perhaps because, well, I wrote a Master's thesis. Anybody who has spent some time in academia will get a kick out of the song. Samson proclaims, "No more grading first-year papers. No more citing sources," that is, if he can only finish that pesky Master's thesis. A beautiful song with an almost country feel to it is "Letter in Icelandic From the Ninette San." The (what can only be described as) fiddle in the song makes me feel nostalgic and warm as if sitting by a fire. It is just a magical folk song. Now, I can't even tell you why, but another of my favorite songs is "www.Ipetitions.Com/Petition/Rivertonrifle/." Yes, that is a URL and also the song title. Seriously, click the link. It takes you to a petition started by (who else) John K. Samson himself. It also gives him even more Canadian street cred, like he needed it. "The Last And" is a song in which Samson sets forth a metaphor using punctuation: "I'm just your little ampersand," meaning that I am just an afterthought to you. The string parts in this song are also wonderful. I especially enjoy the pizzicato at the end. I also have to mention the song "Stop Error," a song that references lots of things that a computer geek like me can relate to: Call of Duty 4, broken lines of code, HTML tags, cooling fans, hard drives, screens of death (my favorite).

Just a great album overall, a must have for fans of the Weakerthans and a great introduction to John K. Samson if you aren't already a fan. The album just solidifies the fact that some day I must meet this John K. Samson and have a conversation with the guy. I have long been considering moving to Canada anyway. Winnipeg, here I come.

A Gentle Reminder by The Jealous Sound (released January 31, 2012)



This is perhaps one of the most hyped albums in a long time, meaning that I have been following the Jealous Sound closely and hyping the crap out of this album as the song previews came out. I am very happy to report that it doesn't disappoint. Once again, this album came out in January, so it might be a little too soon to say, but I would say that this is and will be by the end the overall best album of the year. I have waited forever for this record, but I guess nine years isn't all that long. Nine years! That's how long it has been since they have released a full-length album. Oh the torment! The torture! A lot of "stuff" happened with their very disappointing EP that was supposed to come out in 2005 and ended up coming out in 2008, turning out to be an over-glorified maxi-single anyway. I don't even like to consider or acknowledge said "EP." I was a little skeptical when the band got back together to tour with Sunny Day Real Estate, and they reported that they were writing and planning on recording new material, but lo and behold the opus that is A Gentle Reminder. The album reminds me more of The Jealous Sound debut EP, which was my favorite work of theirs up to this point. It also has the wonderful aroma of Knapsack. I thought that part of Blair Shehan was gone. The album is an all-out rocker, and I can't seem to go more than a day without listening to it. Alternative and college radio should be playing this album ad nauseam.

The two tracks that were available before the album came out, "Change You" and "Your Eyes Were Shining," come early on the album and don't disappoint. "Your Eyes Were Shining" is still one of my favorite tracks on the album, despite that I had listened to it dozens of times before the album came out. Sandwiched in between the two tracks is "Promise of the West," a great and dynamic track. The Jealous Sound can build to climax better than just about anyone and then cool it down quickly just to facilitate the next climax. This is the song where I first got the hint that Blair has learned to use the ever-userful musical "oooohhh." He uses it again later in the album. "Here Comes the Ride" is the midway point of the album where the band calms it down a little so that we can be ready for the second half of the album. It features some great work on the keys, using some really great organ tones to achieve a fuller sound. Don't get me wrong, the song still blasts the guitars, we just get a little slow-down in tempo that divides the album beautifully.

I find that often, bands really ignore the second half of their albums, loading up the front of albums with songs intended as singles or at least giving themselves a pool of songs to choose from for singles. This album, however, stays strong throughout. My absolute favorite track, "Perfect Timing," comes up in the eight spot. The song expresses the desire to not fight in some kind of personal relationship and the alternative of simply loving instead. Here we get some more musical "oh's" and "woh's." I do feel that these syllables are sometimes overused in spots where bands just can't figure out the lyrics, but they are used well in this song. The song has a great message:

I don't want to start a war with you,
I just want to love some more,
I don't want to know who's right or who's to blame,
I don't want to hear your voice and feel ashamed,
I don't need this any more,
I don't want to start a war.

Once again, I know that my inner pacifist is showing, but I always appreciate songs that have a great message and remind me how to live life as well getting me to sing along. The last track, "Waiting For Your Arrival" is another great track that shows some definite musical maturity. There is almost a 50s rock and roll feel to the song, though the song itself certainly is updated and modern. The song, like so many Jealous Sound songs escalates to a epic bridge: "At the end of the world, or at least the end of mine . . ." This song more than any of the final songs on the albums reviewed here just feels like a last song. It gives me the most closure. If you live in a city where these guys are touring, GO AND SUPPORT THEM so they can keep making records like this one.


Go Fly a Kite by Ben Kweller (released February 7, 2012)



Welcome back to the world of rock, Ben Kweller. Please stay away from the world of country from now on, okay? I am still a bit up in the air about Go Fly a Kite (heh, aren't I clever?). Honestly, Ben Kweller albums have always taken a little while to grow on me. Sha Sha didn't become one of my absolute favorites until the past few years. Undeniably, the album is a vast improvement from his last effort, and I am still processing the album, waiting for it to grow on me while enjoying it to the extent possible right now. The problem I have with the album is that the album is a bit front-loaded. My favorite song is the first one, "Mean to Me." I probably need to expand what I consider to be good Ben Kweller; it's just that his debut album was so powerful from start to finish that I have expectations when it comes to his music. "Mean to Me" is probably the track that sounds most like the debut record. As I sit here and listen to the album, it grows on me even now. "Jealous Girl" is a super-catchy track that really reflects how Kweller has matured as a musician. It is the best chance at a hit for Kweller from this album. Overall across the musicverse, the album is receiving great reviews and already charting well, making it into Amazon's top 100 downloaded MP3 Albums and cracking the Billboard at #124 (one place ahead of Justin Bieber, thank God).

The song that reeks most of the country hangover from the previous album is "Full Circle," but I have to say that it is one of my favorite tracks on the album. There is enough Kweller there that the country influence fits. There has always been an undertone of country (especially old country) in his music. I mean, the guy is from Dallas. Kweller has found his voice again. The songs fit. They aren't forced, and he isn't trying to be something that he is not. "Time Will Save the Day" is definitely the best track late in the album. It reminds me of the first and second albums a lot, too. The guitar parts in the chorus in the chorus are a lot of fun. Regardless of how I feel right now, it is good to have the old Ben Kweller back. I hope the album continues to have success.