LA vampires & zola jesus - self-titled (2010)

This brief, one-off album pairing LA Vampires and Zola Jesus is maybe, probably my favorite album of the year thus far (or at least, its the album that's gotten the most repeated listens in the last few months).  LA Vampires is the new solo project of the ex-singer of the unfortunately broken-up group Pocahaunted, Zola Jesus is a rising gothy songstress- and together, their individuals strengths complement each other to amazing effect.  Zola Jesus's dark and sparse style sounds great matched with the lo-fi dubbiness of LA Vampires, and the result is a cavernous, mesmerizing sound.  Although I am a fan of her solo work, I feel like sometimes Zola Jesus borders on being too outright poppy for my tastes- but here, the more sprawling nature of these songs allow her voice to be more of an accompaniment than the focus, more textural than being the central hook.  These songs are not particularly structured or driven, instead allowing plenty of space for the echoing basslines and melodic vocals to stretch, repeat, and slowly morph into different shapes.  It's not a very engaging album, but that's one of its strongest qualities- it has such a great atmosphere and vibe to it, it easily bears repeated listens without getting tiring.  LA Vampires & Zola Jesus is a great post-Pocahaunted debut for LA Vampires, and the best so far of Zola Jesus's many pairings.

Trentemøller - Harbour Boat Trips 01 - Copenhagen

(16) [Suicide] Ghost Rider by elpretentio2

(04) [I Got You On Tape] Somersault by elpretentio2

This here is one extremely solid rock comp. Released in the middle of last year, it's the first in the Harbour Boat Trips series of compilations by the electronic producer Trentmøller.

It does something that eludes many an artist/DJ when putting together a mix: accomplishing a perfect balance of variety, depth, and consistency. The sounds range from folksy indie rock, to electronic synth rock, to new wave, and even back to some ambient electronic tracks. The artists that contributed all have their own pretty distinct sound which amps up the overall quality tremendously (compared to your average mix) and make it interesting.

As some of you might know, my specialty is electronics. So it's no small feat for a record made up of mostly rock music to impress me. But the real distinction there between this and the average indie-hack production that bores me is that this is music made by what i consider to be real musicians with an actual, well-trained musical ear. All throughout this mix, they demonstrate how to produce strong melodies while also adding rhythm to their arrangements in such a way that gives what would otherwise could have been average songs some weight and drive, making each respective track that much more compelling. The difference is subtle but crucial, and this hits the mark.

Again, the real key here is how well balanced it is while serving up a nice dose of variety. It just 'fits'.

But i digress. Just give it a listen if you're so inclined... It's engaging and easy on the ears. (As it should be)

Tracklisting!

tracklist:

01. Grouper - Heavy Water/I’d Rather Be Sleeping
02. Gravenhurst - I Turn My Face To The Forest Floor
03. Emiliana Torrini - Lifesaver
04. I Got You On Tape - Somersault
05. Beach House - Gila
06. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Anenome
07. The Raveonettes - Aly, Walk With Me (Nic Endo Remix)
08. The Hypothetical Prophets - Back To The Burner
09. Suicide - Cheree
10. Muscleheads - Phosphorescence
11. David Garcet - Confidence (New Wave Mix)
12. Rennie Foster - Devil’s Water
13. Caribou - Melody Day (Remix)
14. The Raveonettes/Trentemoller - She’s Lost Control
15. A Place To Bury Strangers - I Know I’ll See You
16. Suicide - Ghost Rider
17. Khan - Fantomes
18. Trentemoller - Vamp (Live Edit)
19. Two Lone Swordsmen - Kamanda’s Response
20. Copenhagen Collective/Soft Cell - Copenhagen

six organs of admittance - luminous night (2009)

Six Organs of Admittance, AKA Ben Chasney, is back with his new album, something like... his nineteenth official solo release? Not counting split albums? On Luminous Night, Chasney continues to expand the variety of sounds he incorporates into his music, this time collaborating with musicians in his new base of operations, Seattle. His last album, the excellent Shelter From the Ash, saw him working with San Francisco musicians, including members of Comets on Fire (Noel Harmonson, with whom Chasney also collaborated with on the harsh noise album NVH/CHASNEY, in addition to their work in Comets on Fire together), The Fucking Champs (Tim Green), and Magick Markers (Elisa Ambrogio, his then-and-maybe-still-now girlfriend?). This time he worked with ex-Pearl Jam and Tori Amos drummer and current session musician Matt Chamberlain, violinist Eyvind Kang (Secret Chiefs 3, Laura Veirs, guest spots on Animal Collective and Sunn0))) records), flautist Hans Teuber (who has worked with Ani DiFranco, Kayo Dot, Sunn0))) and Secret Chiefs 3), Tor Dietrichson on tabla (Diga Rhythm Band), and pianist/electronics musician and album producer Randall Dunn (who has appeared on albums by Sunn0))), Mayhem, Wolves in the Throne Room, Earth, Grails, and many more). I don't usually pay so close attention to who the guest musicians are on an album, but I tend to in the case of Six Organs of Admittance- the reason being that Ben Chasney has been performing for so long, and released so much, under this moniker, that his recent albums have each represented a new incarnation and sound for the band. While Luminous Night isn't a major departure from his older work, it continues the trend of higher production values, more varied instrumentation, and more compact songwriting (side B of the album The Sun Awakens excepted) that has been true for his Drag City releases so far. Side A of Luminous Night is probably his most streamlined, "rock" oriented release yet, although that's not saying much, and Side B definitely takes things down a dronier path. But many songs feature Chasney's vocals, and most songs are around the five minute mark; for indie rock fans who are unfamiliar with Six Organs of Admittance, this album would be a pretty good place to start. Older Six Organs fans have probably made up their mind about the direction the band has been going in over the last few years- if you're a fan of the drone and raga, solo guitar-style Six Organs, this might not be for you (although you might like the track "The River Of Heaven"). But if you've dug the last couple of albums, you'll certainly like this one.

Six Organs of Admittance - Anesthesia
Six Organs of Admittance - Cover Your Wounds With the Sky

little teeth - child bearing man (2008)

"Child Bearing Man", the debut from San Francisco group Little Teeth, was one of the better indie rock releases I heard last year- a few years ago, it would have been called "freak folk", before that term died its well-deserved death. The sound, overall, could be described as upbeat indie, which normally I hate. But I give San Francisco bands some extra leeway, and besides, this album is pretty weird for what it is- and weird is always good in my book. In addition to being intriguingly strange, Little Teeth employ a wide range of instruments and sounds to craft their pop music, making for a sonically diverse album. At times the vocal melodies remind me of Polyphonic Spree or Animal Collective, but lead singer Dannie Murrie's voice is unhinged and raspy, and she alternates between singing and shrieking, adding some ugliness to the sweetness of the melodies. I can imagine that this quality would make this band a love-it-or-hate-it type band; for me, the aggressively weird vocal style is what saves this band from being a more run-of-the-mill indie group. But I could imagine that others might find the same style obnoxious, or perhaps forced. I had heard at the beginning of the year, from a friend of the band, that they had broken up- but I see on their myspace page that they have a pretty substantial tour lined up. I also see that, apart from Dannie Murrie, the current line-up is different from the line-up that recorded "Child Bearing Man", so it will be interesting to see how that effects the band- especially since each member has such a strong individual presence on this album.

Little Teeth - Between My Ears
Little Teeth - Japanese Candy

parts & labor - escapers 2: grind pop (2008)

vocal harmonies and blast beats. to me, those two things are like a glass of warm milk and some soft blankets. my worries float away, and I settle into a comfortable blankness. so this appropriately-titled album blew me away when I first heard it. its pretty unlike other Parts & Labor releases, or at least I think it is because I can't be bothered to double check. all of the songs on this are around a minute long, flurries of blast beats and feedback and yes, pop melodies. the allmusic guide review for this gets it all wrong. this is a brilliant idea.

Parts & Labor - This Is What You Wanted
Parts & Labor - Fire Away

davila 666 - s/t (2008)

first off, its pretty bad-ass that this band is from Puerto Rico. I don't think I've heard any other band from Puerto Rico. second, this is a totally killer record. it hits so many right buttons that its kinda shocking to me- this band is basically everything that underground rock is trying to be right now. its poppy lo-fi garage rock, sounding kinda like Black Lips singing songs in spanish, or like maybe Brian Jonestown Massacre, but authentic sounding and dark. but then, its also got hints of shoegaze, the Jesus & Mary Chain kind, reverbed drums & tambourines, that bands like Vivian Girls or Crystal Stilts kinda have going. plus they're from Puerto Rico, which is hella cutty. and they're on In The Red records, which is a pretty goddamn great record label right now. so your enjoyment of this record may depend on how you feel about the current trends. fortunately, i'm all for this garage revival scene (which I would guess is probably not gonna last much longer), so I think this record is great. the record itself is half split between upbeat rockers, and extra-reverbed ballads- frankly I like the band at both speeds. I dunno if this record got all that much attention when it came out, but I do know that a lot of people at KUSF loved it.

Davila 666 - Basura
Davila 666 - Tu

andrew w.k. - the japan covers (2008)

Andrew W.K. - Kiseki (GreeeeN Cover)

Andrew W.K. - Giroppon (Nezumi Senpai Cover)

Andrew W.K.
Manhattan, New York, USA
The Japan Covers (Universal Music Group)
http://www.andrewwk.com
RIYL: Meatloaf, J-Pop

I wouldn't thought of it, but in retrospect, this is pretty much the best idea ever. what's the only thing more upbeat and positive than Andrew W.K.? J-Pop! well, when it works, it works great. I've had Kiseki stuck in my head for weeks now. I can't escape it. it's too ridiculous, too happy, and amazingly over the top. it leads off the cd, but after that things get a little rougher. it's not that the other songs are bad, but the overwhemling positivity can get tiring. its the same feeling I get when i'm listening to death metal- eventually it gets too claustrophobic and I have to switch to something else for a while. but in small doses, this album is great, and showcases Andrew W.K.'s instrumental and production skill. I wonder if there are any famous guests on this- the people he brought in for the last Lee "Scratch" Perry album he produced were pretty funny.

Andrew W.K. - Kiseki (GreeeeN Cover)
Andrew W.K. - Giroppon (Nezumi Senpai Cover)