St. Vincent
Marry Me
2007 | Beggars Banquet
Annie Clark, under the moniker St. Vincent, has been getting built up to what I thought might be insurmountable heights over the internet the last couple of months, but Marry Me,
her first full length album, not only climbs the mountain, but gets to
the top and does a little dance. Beautiful is the first word that comes
to mind when trying to describe her music, followed up with whimsical
as she extracts elements of jazz, rock, folk and a little R&B.
There are timeless elements here that show her breadth of talent. Jazzy
pieces such as “What? Me Worry?” are reminiscent of classical Standards
female singers. And tracks like “Human Racing” have a folky- Joni
Mitchell quality to them.
At times though, I feel like I might
be listening to one of the new breeds of female singers by way of the
top 40’s chart when the songs take on a prominent poppier tone. “Paris
is Burning”, for example, shares some similar structures with Jem’s
“24”. “Now, Now”’s use of the child-like backing vocals was a bit too
on the cutesy side for me as well.
Overall, Clark succeeds in
creating a wonderfully accomplished album that is both soothing and
energizing. Her songwriting is charming, quirky, and well worth the
hype.
-Elana Rintala
Sympathy for the Record Industry is looking for a buyer to own and run the label. According to Long Beach-based owner Long Gone John, he's basically grown tired of running the label and is looking to transplant himself in Olympia, Washington. The label has released some pretty outstanding material over the years: the White Stripes, Hole, Sonic Boom, the Von Bondies, the Muffs, Rocket From the Crypt, Roky Erickson, Suicide, the New York Dolls...do I need to go on? He's asking around $650,000 for the whole shebang, and that includes EVERYTHING. Here are some details listed in a recent press release:
-questionable/nebulous rights to nearly 750 releases by over 550 bands
-current distribution deal with foremost U.S. independent distributor with strong international distribution as well
-existing stock modestly estimated at a wholesale value of 1.8 millon dollars
-all master tapes, acetates, stampers and mothers to continue production of titles
-massive personal archive of sympathy rarities (lots of amazing surprises)
-preliminary cover layouts/some original artwork/interesting and valuable artifacts galore
-established web site and vastly lucrative mail order business
Contact John at , serious inquiries only please.
Iron & Wine
Boy with a Coin EP
2007 | Sub Pop
If you're already a fan of Sam Beam's folky and intricate guitar pop then this EP should suit you just fine. "Boy with a Coin" is pulled from the new album, The Shepherd's Dog, and clearly marks its territory as the most optimistic song on this EP, usually a signal of what we can expect from a forthcoming full-length. The beat shuffles and the guitar is playful as tears of pedal steel guitar soar over the rhythm. It's a damn good song, too bad we had to pull it from our "download of the day" section a few weeks back.
The b-sides "Carried Home" and "Kingdom of the Animals" are nice little songs to have in your collection, especially the latter. "Kingdom" is more of a sing-along ballad with pretty layers of piano and pedal steel guitar uplifting Beam's hopeful and clean delivery. The song picks up and dives head-first into vaudville pop, like you just walked into a saloon. "Carried Home" is very depressing and "historic" sounding. A lonely, plucked guitar leads Sam Beam's saddening vocals depicting the reality and death of a soldier, the song even sounds like a death march from the Civil War.
Sam Beam once again taps into your soul with delicate folk music that feels just right, never over-the-top or obvious. This is a great introduction for what will probably be another amazing Iron & Wine album come September.
-Scott McDonald
Ryan Adams
Easy Tiger
2007 | Lost Highway Records
It seems like this year there is a return to mid-70’s rock in new
releases. I felt that way listening to Wilco’s “Sky Blue Sky”, and now
Ryan Adams is falling in with that crowd. With Adams it is usually hit
or miss for me, and as of late, more misses. Easy Tiger, his NINTH
release, finally scores another hit. From beginning to end I found
these slow tempo gems full of emotion, but not so overpowering or
artificial to cause me to cringe, which is the usual side effect.
Adams
jumps back and forth between that easy going rock to bluegrass tinged
ballads but overall I just want to call it country. Regardless, he is
more consistent on this album and makes the subtle changes of style
work together instead of jarringly separate themselves. The album opens
on a warm note with “Goodnight Rose”, an almost sing-a-long song
infused with the twang found throughout the album. This desire to
create upbeat tracks follows throughout on the quirky “Halloweenhead”,
“Two Hearts”, and “These Girls”. There are also those heart-aching
tracks on here to break up the cheeriness. “Off Broadway” and “I Taught
Myself How to Grow Old” are two such tracks that make you sigh a bit
with grief for the loneliness that pours out of both. Other notable
tracks on here include “Tears of Gold” which feels like a truer country
song backed by a lovely steel guitar, and “The Sun Also Sets” where
Adams seems to have been able to channel the ghost of Jeff Buckley with
his voice.
With a two year break between albums, Ryan Adams
has given himself the rest he needed to put out a really stellar album,
perhaps he should keep this in mind for his next. I’d recommend “Oh
God, Whatever, Etc.”, “Tears of Gold”, and “The Sun Also Sets”.
-Elana Rintala
Justice
†
2007 | Vice
For those of you thinking Justice were going to nail the "electronic/dance record of 2007" tag right on it's big phat head you may be right, but I have a few issues with it, which I'll save for later. In general this album delivers a strong arsenal of gut-punching disco samples, Earth, Wind, and Fire melodies and a futuristic mix of electro-house-glitch reminiscent of Daft Punk shoving you to the dance floor. There's a lot to like on this record.
The first three tracks are pretty normal, even average, including the overly-mixed, cutesy, cartoon single of "D.A.N.C.E.", which sounds equally impressive compared to most of the remixes you'll find on this website. When track four comes up on your screen you need to take note because this is when the album goes into overdrive. "Newjack" ushers in the aggressively, distorted disco-glaze that is Justice's signature sound and universal appeal. The songs get smarter and more visceral, cutting up beats and hammering synths like an expert sushi chef on methamphetamines. "Phantom" (Parts 1 & 2) are even more devasting on the hips and senses. They feel like they were meant to be the core of this CD, well-placed right at the center of the album and totally mesmerizing. "Stress" and "Waters of Nazareth" grow tighter and more distorted with samples of 70's funk and disco. The album is so exhausting at this point but somehow lifts you up and pumps you full of adrenaline until it's all over.
My only reservation with Justice's † is that it sometimes relies too heavily on the big over-the-top, smacking-you-in-the-face-with-a-similar-beat program. Most of the songs are outstanding, but only distance themselves by a few samples and keyboard-manipulated strings. Fellow French act Jackson & his Computer Band, remember Smash?, already made a record very similar to this by cutting up different colors and layers of beats/sounds/vocals--allowing them to fall into an interesting yet seductive patchwork of grooves. Justice owes Jackson some gratitude, but still prevails, and even salutes, by making a heavier and modern dance record. It's too muscular and irresistible not too want to pass along to everyone you know.
-Scott McDonald
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