album reviews

Jens Lekman produces enough witticisms and oddball humor in his new EP An Argument with Myself to convince someone that he’s actually a sarcastic English-lit major moonlighting as a Swedish indie-pop musician. Indeed, while listening to his songs, I felt distracted – in a good way – by his lyrics from the actual music, which is a shame because I thought the music was quite interesting itself. Archaic string samples and percussion beats with a more international flare are heavily dispersed throughout Lekman’s guitar-based pop. Definitely interesting, but sometimes a bit out of place – this time, not in a good way. Read More »

A musical artist makes a very bold statement when he (or she) names his musical act after himself. He not only chooses to be the seen as the sole creative force behind the music, but also ties the personal identity of his person with the nature of the music. It is because of this dynamic that the most powerful tool of the singer-songwriter is the ability to cultivate intimacy, and the easiest way to access the creative and artistic inklings of another human is through the human voice.

It is apparent from “Freeclouds’” first track that Carter Tanton can sing. The former songwriter, guitarist, and lead singer of the now defunct act Tulsa has a voice which is effortlessly expansive yet manages to remain tender and softly intimate. Listening to Tanton sing on “Murderous Joy:” “I need just a little time, to sing you a line, you won’t soon forget,” you can’t help but wonder how Tanton manages to make his skinny, reedy voice sound so big. Read More »

As the leaves start changing colors, I begin feeling nostalgic for summer adventures and being carefree. Luckily, the upbeat rock sounds of GROUPLOVE’s debut full-length album lift my spirits and evoke memories of running care-freely under the summer sun. Never Trust a Happy Song, released on September 13, 2011 by Atlantic Records, is comprised of 12 fast-tempo songs that illustrate the satisfactions of being young and lighthearted. Read More »

To start off this column, Don’t Miss This, I’m going to go with a classic of the 2000s, by a band that continues to dominate its music scene, Death Cab for Cutie. The band released Plans in 2005, and what made the album different from everything the band released previously was the attention to detail; this is not an album that can be fully heard through your laptop speakers. Seriously, listen to “Different Names for the Same Thing” with headphones if you haven’t before. Read More »

Feist is not Zooey Deschanel. Sure, her song “Mushaboom” might have been featured in the latter’s film 500 Days of Summer and her hit “1234” was in an infectious commercial for Apple’s iPod nano, but the Canadian singer’s latest album proves that she is more than a simple folk-pop artist with a penchant for catchy and upbeat tunes.

The monumental success of 2007’s The Reminder is a tough act to follow. It took Feist four years to pump out Metals, which was released by Cherrytree/Interscope Records to eagerly awaiting fans. Unlike some artists who change their sound to suit mass audiences, Feist seems to have returned to her folksy roots. Although she has been an on-and-off member of Broken Social Scene since 2002, Metals is not a product of her time with that band nor does it seem to follow the trajectory of her past two albums, The Reminder and Let It Die (2004). Read More »

Fifty seconds into the second track of After Nights Without Sleep, Seattle pop quintet Curtains For You‘s newest release, lead singer Matt Gervais belts the song’s title: “What good am I to you now?”, and the band follows up with a vibrant guitar interlude that makes you bounce in your chair. All of this captures the what makes After Nights Without Sleep so good: catchy music with a smart edge.

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On his website, Little Shalimar, aka Torbitt Schwartz, describes himself as “a Lebanese, Jewish, WASP, Kentucky Colonel that grew up writing graffiti in Flatbush, Brooklyn and going to art rock shows in Louisville, KY.” Add to that his time in the dance funk band Chin Chin and his experience as a DJ, and this extensive array of influences may begin to explain the fusion of genres present in Little Shalimar’s debut EP, The New Pneumonia Blues.

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Dom’s website does a far more adequate job than I could ever dream of doing summing up the band in one sentence: “Dom filters a DIY aesthetic through the upbeat, sunny rhythms of pop music.” With Family of Love the five-piece succeeds in bringing back the buoyancy of their previous EP, Sun Bronzed Greek Gods.

Their second effort has a much more polished feel, but in all honesty, it is more of the same. It fails to experiment or adventure beyond their established milieu of guitar and synth-based pop tunes. Read More »