Man, I'm lazy. Spare time and motivation have been in short supply the last couple months, and I never got around to writing a lot of the things I meant to write-- especially in the music review department. So now, now that I've got more time on my hands, instead of writing a proper review for each of the albums, I'm going to take the lazy way out and do this Oed Und Leer-style: little tiny reviews compiled into one big article! As an added bonus, each review is accompanied by a song from the album [NOTE: Internet Explorer users might have to click the player twice to make it play, but are advised to install an internet browser that doesn't suck so much]. Let's get started.
Sparrow House Falls EP
Jared Van Fleet (keyboards and guitar for Voxtrot) has embarked on a promising project; to release four season-themed EP's within a year, starting with-- interestingly enough-- Falls. Overall, it's a strong EP, with six songs and not a dud among them. I would venture to guess that Van Fleet's writing is influenced pretty heavily by Iron & Wine's Sam Beam-- his vocals take on a similar hushed quality, his songs have the same sort of dusty, intimate feel (the track "When I Am Gone" is particularly reminiscent of Sam Beam's "Each Coming Night"). If nothing else, Van Fleet proves that Sparrow House is a project well worth keeping an eye on.
Feist The Reminder
Leslie Feist's Let It Die in 2004, an album of half-covers, half-originals, was met with favorable critical response and did to her solo career what her first album, Monarch, could not. The Reminder is the next logical step of that success, distributed by Interscope (though still at home at Arts & Crafts in Canada) and garnering more attention than ever. Fiest brings her unique approach to an impressive variety of styles without sacrificing cohesion, and succeeds in being consistently catchy and listenable.
Of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer
I do not like this album. On a superficial level, the packaging is annoying in a way I find difficult to describe-- it's four flaps opening awkwardly to a CD that ultimately contains mediocre pop. Kevin Barnes and company take the 70's psychedelic pop revival-- a movement I already dislike-- to the point of annoyance. I know it's harsh, but the only way I can describe this album is "obnoxious and self-indulgent"-- it isn't unbearable, it's just... not very good. I guess it's just really not my scene.
Arcade Fire Neon Bible
This album, on the other hand, is quite good. Follow-up to 2004's critical hit and Grammy-nominated Funeral, the world had high expectations for Neon Bible-- expectations that were, more or less, satisfied. Granted, it's no Funeral, but, to be fair, Funeral is a damn hard act to follow. Opening with the noticeably dark "Black Mirror", then going immediately into the upbeat 80's-tinged "Keep the Car Running", the start of the album is a good indication of the moodswings it continues to go through. In the end, Neon Bible is as good a follow-up as one could reasonably hope for.
The Finches Human Like a House
The Finches, made up of Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs and Aaron Morgan, are makers of simple, bare-bones folk. Human Like a House, the acoustic duo's debut full-length and follow-up to last year's Six Songs EP, proves to be an enjoyable beginning, personal and naked like a diary. Instrumentation is sparse, often simply Riggs accompanied by a guitar or two, but one or two songs do branch out to a full band, and do so quite successfully. It's hardly a perfect album; some songs, such as "Lay" or "If We Knew...", aren't nearly as interesting as the songs that surround them, but they're small imperfections in what is, on the whole, a solid little folk album.
The Hold Steady Live at Fingerprints
When you think of The Hold Steady, "acoustic" is hardly the first word to come to mind. Nevertheless, the rock-the-fuck-out bar band from Brooklyn has released a five song EP, recorded during an acoustic performance at Fingerprints Record Store in Long Beach. Happily, the songs, taken from all three of the band's albums, work pretty well in acoustic format, with the possible exception of "Chips Ahoy". The EP also includes a song previously only seen on the Australian release of Almost Killed Me, which is a happy surprise for those among us who don't live there (why the band chose Australia, I have no idea). Overall, an unexpected but enjoyable EP.
Beirut Lon Gisland
I'm probably later with this than with anything else, since this EP was actually released in December, but it's so good I didn't want to skip it. Zach Condon continues his fascination with Balkan gypsy brass with this EP-- sort of a thematic continuation of his full length Gulag Orkestar. The EP features three new songs, a remake from Gulag Orkestar, and a trumpet reprise of the opening track. "Elephant Gun" (the opening track) is certainly capable of standing on its own, starting out with a strumming ukulele before being joined by an accordian, then joyfully-- almost drunkenly-- exploding into a horn refrain. Overall, the EP has a less mournful feel to it than its predecessor, and is a welcome addition to the Beirut library.
Walker Kong Deliver Us From People
I think its funny that when Walker Kong first started out back in 1998 (then known as Walker Kong and the Dangermakers), the only actual musician among them was songwriter Jeremy Ackerman. Now, nine years later, this Minneapolis band has released their third-- well, technically fourth-- full length album, and it's one of my favorites of the new year. It's nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary, just good old fashioned, back-to-basics pop/rock. It's what Walker Kong does best, and they continue to do it well.
Oh, and the new Shins and Ted Leo albums are both awesome. But you already knew that.
