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HOT OFF THE PRESS – Eats Darkness by Apostle of Hustle
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at just-discovered music, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, M. Ward, and St. Vincent.
to be released May 19 on Arts & Crafts
Report Card: B-
Despite his role as their mostly anonymous lead guitarist, there remains little doubt that Andrew Whiteman is a key figure making Broken Social Scene as dynamic as they are. And there’s even less doubt that it’s an admirable move on his part to avoid the whole Broken Social Scene Presents nonsense that gave (perhaps questionable) legitimacy to releases by good-enough-to-do-it-on-his-own Kevin Drew and probably-had-no-chance-without-the-help Brendan Canning. But while flying under the Apostle of Hustle banner is a strong statement of creative independence, with that comes not only substantial reward, but also substantial risk. And with Eats Darkness, Apostle of Hustle’s third LP, which side of that coin gets more play becomes quite the relevant question.
Wed May 6 2009 · Posted in Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS – Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at just-discovered music, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, M. Ward, and St. Vincent.
to be released May 26 on Warp
Report Card: B+
Here’s a fact: saying anything about Grizzly Bear that falls short of utter and uncompromising praise isn’t a very popular move. That being acknowledged, let’s put aside all the acclaim and rampant fandom for a second and allow this piece of blasphemy to come into focus: no matter how good Veckatimest may be as a whole, it never, ever reaches the impossibly lofty expectations created by its early singles. And how about this: is it possible for an album to be a sweeping, marvelous success in so many ways, yet still, at the end of the day, feel like a disappointment? To that question, Veckatimest says yes.
Wed Apr 29 2009 · Posted in Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS – Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at just-discovered music, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as Animal Collective, Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, M. Ward, and St. Vincent.
to be released June 9 on Domino
Report Card: A freaking +
The pressure’s been building behind Dave Longstreth’s meandering Dirty Projectors project for the last few years, and 2007’s excellent if somewhat mystifying Black Flag covers/“reimaginations” album Rise Above brought listener intrigue to a new high—could it be that idiosyncratic oddball and Yale dropout Longstreth was growing nearer to accessibility? It seems so, and, really, the career trajectory here is not at all unlike that of fellow 2009 darlings Animal Collective, in that both started out hyper-obscure and intentionally abrasive, with an emphasis on willful experimentation and defiance of gratification, only to slowly but surely move towards a refined confidence in heightened normalcy. And that’s not to suggest that either outfit has shirked their uniqueness; they instead have learned to channel their innovation in a way that produces complete songs that human beings will actually enjoy, rather than just fragmentary attacks on musical reason. For Dirty Projectors, that turning point is embodied in the sparkling Bitte Orca.
Wed Apr 22 2009 · Posted in Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS – Actor by St. Vincent
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at just-discovered music, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as Animal Collective, Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, M. Ward, White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
to be released May 5 on 4AD
Report Card: A-
Annie Clark’s beginnings in the flocks of Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens hardly made her transformation to big stage rockstar thrashabout a foregone conclusion. And it’s a strange thing that in a year of ridiculously hyped releases—from Animal Collective to Grizzly Bear, and now Dirty Projectors—that the frequently-adored Clark would come out of comparative nowhere with the quite-good Actor, an album sufficiently superior to its precursor that positions St. Vincent as an unlikely force to be reckoned with. Yet this, as we well know, is a world capable of defying expectations.
Wed Apr 15 2009 · Posted in Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS – Living Thing by Peter Bjorn and John
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at just-discovered music, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as Animal Collective, Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, M. Ward, White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
released March 31 on Almost Gold
Report Card: C+
Peter Bjorn and John, blessed as they can be, have for a while appeared to be dodging accountability for the unexpected leap into international fame caused by “Young Folks,” and that song’s ubiquity (think radio, think television, think McDonald’s, think JC Penny), put the somewhat awkward north-Euros into a spotlight their personalities weren’t quite prepared for. That fact has been evident in their declining live show, as what was once a bouncy and playful romp through retro-rock and white guy dance moves has turned into a mostly joyless electronic sleepwalk, complete with a lack of connection to the audience befitting a band with audience to spare. To PB&J’s benefit, they haven’t fallen asleep at the experimental wheel, as their clever post-Writer’s Block misdirection Seaside Rock (a slight make-up for Peter Moren’s hideously bland solo album) wandered through instrumental and field recording reels, thus refusing to whet the appetite of a legion of pop-fanatics desperate for another tune to whistle into the ground.
Wed Apr 8 2009 · Posted in Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS – Enemy Mine by Swan Lake
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at just-discovered music, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as Animal Collective, Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, M. Ward, White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
to be released March 24 on Jagjaguwar
Report Card: B+
There’s something inherently obnoxious about the whole “supergroup” moniker, and music history is dotted with thankfully aborted attempts to make something of the name’s lofty claim. Despite that, it’s surely intriguing when that star-crossed label becomes affixed to three guys who just a decade ago would have found it nearly impossible to develop a following in the first place, let alone such independent fan bases that when they get together to screw off in the studio it elicits all sorts of anticipatory glee-shouts. Yet in these internet times, musicians such as Spencer Krug, Carey Mercer, and Dan Bejar do have a niche in which to survivably produce some of the most intricate and conceptually demanding albums of the last few years, and even afford themselves the spare time to work on the Swan Lake project, a project best described as what happens when three mad scientists meet at a mad scientist convention and decide to be mad scientists together.
Wed Mar 4 2009 · Posted in Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS – Little Hells by Marissa Nadler
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly
first glance at just-discovered music, whether it be just-released,
just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar.
Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as
Animal Collective, Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, M. Ward, White Denim,
and Grizzly Bear.
to be released March 3 on Kemado
Report Card: B
Marissa Nadler’s built a nice little scaffolding of critical acclaim
from her last couple albums, and during this time she’s admirably
filled the gap between the likes of Josephine Foster and Joanna Newsom
on the ethereal side, and St. Vincent and Feist on the less-challenging
side. Her airy, controlled approach is on display once again with Little Hells, the excellently titled follow-up to 2007’s Songs III: Bird on the Water.
And if it seems like Nadler’s been coming out with albums at a
ferocious pace, you’d be right—this is her third in four years, and
never before has her career seemed so poised for a breakthrough into
that most fantastic of sub-major laudations: widespread blog-love.
Wed Feb 25 2009 · Posted in Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS – Here We Go Magic
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at just-discovered music, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as Animal Collective, Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, M. Ward, Deerhoof, Juana Molina, Crystal Stilts, White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
released February 24 on Western Vinyl
Report Card: B+
Waterlogged and almost exhausted, Here We Go Magic’s self-titled debut throws a few excellent songs out there in an effort to survive its cumbersome name and thin catalog. At turns eerie and buoyant, the album is wispily folky while incorporating electronic flourishes and tunefulness in a way that feels both comforting and excellent. But while often catchy and joyfully monotonous—several songs are constructed from one highly repetitious base with change made on top, especially in the way of main man Luke Temple’s falsetto-heavy singing—it’s hard to shake the feeling that this album was considered “finished” just a tiny bit too early.
Wed Feb 18 2009 · Posted in Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS – (a)spera by Mirah
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at just-discovered music, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as Animal Collective, Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, M. Ward, Deerhoof, Juana Molina, Crystal Stilts, White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
To be released March 10, 2009 on K Records
Report Card: B-
For all the time that’s passed—Mirah’s last record, the warmly received C’Mon Miracle, came out in 2004—it seemed reasonable to hope for the groundbreaking with this new release. And while (a)spera undoubtedly has its endearing moments, it unfortunately feels like a too-logical follow-up to the previous album, as if the last five years have changed nothing for music or for Mirah herself. Like before, she brings the kitchen sink, from horns to choirs to offbeat percussion, to buffer her simple tunes, and these tricks will surely please anyone not familiar with her work; to someone who is, though, the new adornment may feel a little uninspired, almost like Mirah herself looked at what she had and tried to come up with some sort of “unexpected” way to legitimize her spare vocal tracks.
Wed Feb 11 2009 · Posted in Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS – Keep It Hid by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys)
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly
first glance at just-discovered music, whether it be just-released,
just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar.
Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as
Animal Collective, Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, M. Ward, Deerhoof,
Juana Molina, Crystal Stilts, White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
to be released February 10th on Nonesuch
Report Card: A-
Skeptics are sure to abound in regards to Dan Auerbach’s solo debut.
After all, even many long-time Black Keys fans have had to admit that
their favorite rust-covered two-piece had backed their sound into a
corner the last couple albums—for those familiar with the band’s
catalog, Magic Potion feels like it hardly happened, while enlisting Danger Mouse to helm Attack & Release felt a little like a desperate attempt to shake things up, regardless
of the fact that that album saw the band achieve its widest notoriety
yet. But really, when it comes down to it, there’s only so much you
can do with one guitar and a drum kit, especially when you’ve
established, as the Keys have, such a steady and immediately
recognizable sound. With all this in mind, even an Akron native could
look upon hometown hero Dan Auerbach’s first album minus Patrick Carney
with a heaping helping of doubt, and at least a little concern that an
Auerbach flop would signal the dusk of Ohio blues legitimacy altogether.
Wed Feb 4 2009 · Posted in Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS – Blackout Beach’s Skin of Evil
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, M. Ward, Deerhoof, Juana Molina, Crystal Stilts, White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
Released on January 27 on Soft Abuse
Report Card: B+
In regards to sanity, Carey Mercer could go either way. The prophetic declarations of times past that mark much of his work have established his position as heir to the throne of Scott Walker and Current 93’s David Tibet—like those men, he breaks many of the unwritten rules about how to be a successful vocalist, while also lending a healthy push to the question of whether the guy in charge is a genius or merely a madman. And while Mercer seems a little reined in by the full band nature of his primary project, Frog Eyes, and even more tempered by Swan Lake (the super group à la eccentric of Mercer, Spencer Krug of Sunset Rubdown and Wolf Parade, and Dan Bejar of Destroyer and The New Pornographers), his Blackout Beach project gives him the opportunity to go, without checks and balances, absolutely apeshit.
Wed Jan 28 2009 · Posted in Daily, Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS – Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s
weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether
it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has
remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as
Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, M. Ward, Deerhoof, Juana Molina, Crystal
Stilts, White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
released on disc January 20 on Domino
Report Card: F (no, just kidding. It’s an A)
Over
the past couple weeks it’s become increasingly more difficult to
discuss with any semblance of sense the latest release from Animal
Collective. After all, an album this grossly anticipated doesn’t come
along very often, and with such praise upon its arrival (influential
music blog Stereogum had this as a headline: “Is Merriweather Post Pavilion the Best Album of 2009”—and they ran that headline with 360 days
remaining in the year. Secondly, manytime stick-in-the-mud Pitchfork
Media proclaimed the album a 9.6 on a 10 point scale). Taking all that
into account, plus the innate complexity of Animal Collective’s kitchen
sink musical approach, the album seemed destined to receive little more
than exaltations of brilliance and accusations of blasphemy against the
few who dared to naysay. And while not enough time has passed to truly
put the work into perspective—I’d suggest it has a ways to go before we
put it up against the likes of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea in
a bracket for greatest indie album of the last quarter-century—enough
time has passed for the initial sheen to wear off, thus leaving Merriweather Post Pavilion ready for the type of constructive criticism it seemed incapable of
receiving when most everyone was busy tripping over themselves to
proclaim the album far more important than peace in the middle east.
Wed Jan 21 2009 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#24) – M. Ward’s Hold Time
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, Deerhoof, Juana Molina, Crystal Stilts, White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
to be released February 17 on Merge
Report Card: A-
M. Ward has put himself through quite a bit these past few years, what with going from being an under-the-radar fave of way-back nostalgics (sparse as those fans may have been), to the increasingly broad appeal of the excellently dust-covered Post War, to touring with everyone’s mom’s favorite artist, Norah Jones (a move that perhaps undeservedly alienated some of his long-time appreciators), to his teaming up with concert-shy actress Zooey Deschanel for the well-liked but unspectacular She & Him project. And while that trajectory culminated in a back seat position behind Deschanel’s recognizable face for much of the past year, Hold Time sees Ward again taking the front of the stage, and one listen to the album demonstrates that while all the hullabaloo may have changed others’ impression of him, his approach remains comfortably much the same. And in terms of his career, that means Hold Time is a pretty solid listen.
Hold Time leans in large part toward the rock side of Ward’s aesthetic, and he shows increasing willingness here to back up his immediately-identifiable voice with more of itself, as well as corral big name supporters to build up his tracks, not to mention his press releases—Zooey herself makes a not-so-unexpected appearance here (on the excellent “Never Had Nobody Like You”), as does the nearly universally praised Lucinda Williams and the Decemberists’ Rachel Blumberg. The collaborations, as well as what can be assumed to be Ward’s rediscovered sense of artistic liberty, have resulted in an energetic thirteen track adventure reestablishing Ward’s dynamic and singular musical vision—if there’s a complaint to make here, it’s that the album sounds too much like M. Ward. True, the breakthroughs are few, and while that may be a bit worrisome to those worn out on Ward’s gravelly and lo-fi-in-disguise approach, one only has to listen a couple times to the molasses slowness of the title track to realize that while Ward’s stayed true to his yesteryear vision, that doesn’t mean the man can’t come up with a bunch of well-produced throwbacks. Because when it comes to that, there are few, if any, who are better.
Listen to Hold Time in its entirety here at NPR.
Wed Jan 14 2009 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#23) - Amadou & Mariam and Team B
It’s
Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first
glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be
just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained
under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as
Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, Deerhoof, Juana Molina, Crystal Stilts,
White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
Amadou & Mariam – Welcome to Mali
released December 16 on Because UK
Report Card: A
This
isn’t the type of thing that’s going to get every smirking college
student buying into the hype, with its amalgam of funk grooves, big-ass
instrumentation, and a distinct lack of lyrics you can sensibly sing
along to, but that’s not to say that every smirking college student has
impeccable taste. After all, Amadou and Mariam have been around the
block with this music thing for about thirty years, and Welcome to Mali represents not an unaware headfirst dive into West African
experimentation but rather the embodiment of a lifetime of refinement.
Think The Rolling Stones if only The Rolling Stones were still making
music anyone wanted to hear.
Wed Dec 10 2008 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#22) – Dent May & Mia Vigar
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly
first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be
just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained
under the radar. Click here for
other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as
Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, Deerhoof, Juana Molina, Crystal Stilts,
White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
Dent May – The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele
to be released February 3rd on Paw Tracks
Report Card: A-
Okay, there’s definitely an element of the terrible here. I mean, look at that album cover. Just look at it. Seriously.
But once you get past that, and listen to the album a dozen times or
so, bigger issues start coming up: this Dent May, this
straight-from-Mississippi scoundrel, just how serious is he? How much
irony is there to his lounge-lizardly, microphone-hanging, bad suit
wearing persona? Is all his crooning like an inebriated and
discernibly less talented Jens Lekman, all his singing about a
formidable cast of losers ranging from college town hangers-on to the
unimpeachably woman-rejected to the despondently intoxicated, just part
of a master plan to make people smile when listening to music, rather
than wallow in the effluvious well of their own bourbonized misery?
Wed Dec 3 2008 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#21) – Midori Hirano & Skeletons
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, Deerhoof, Cold War Kids, of Montreal, Juana Molina, Crystal Stilts, Final Fantasy, Peter Bjorn & John, White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
Midori Hirano – Klo: Yuri
released October 14th on Noble Japan
Report Card: B
Midori Hirano feels like what happens when all the nerds in school get together and try to make pop music. It might not always be pretty, sometimes it’s just plain awkward, there are instances of pleasant surprise, but in the end, at least they’re giving it their best shot. And Klo: Yuri, Midori Hirano’s sophomore release, feels like the progressive culmination of all this, as its gathering of music theory books and computer savvy results in an academic and sometimes brutally modernist approach to post-classical music. And if you ignore the fact that Midori Hirano is a well-educated and worldly Berliner from Japan, picturing her as the leader of a band of clumsy Americans isn’t a huge stretch.
Wed Nov 26 2008 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#20) - Little Joy & Danielson
It’s
Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first
glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be
just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained
under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as
Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, Deerhoof, Cold War Kids, of Montreal,
Juana Molina, Crystal Stilts, Final Fantasy, Peter Bjorn & John,
White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
Little Joy – Little Joy
released November 4th on Rough Trade
Report Card: B
So here’s a list of things I thought when I first encountered Little Joy’s eponymous debut:
1. Finally! A band has actually followed in the vein created by The Strokes’ Is This It without sounding grossly derivative! It sure has taken long enough!
2. Or even maybe, this is the album The Strokes should have come
out with the last time around, rather than merely aping their own sound
and relying on dull, lifeless verse-chorus-verse and refusing to move
beyond the year 2001!
3. Wow, sometimes that female vocalist sounds a bit like Nico—I bet you
a million bucks Andy Warhol would have just loved this album!
Wed Nov 19 2008 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#19) – DJ/rupture & Peter and the Wolf
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s
weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether
it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has
remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as
Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, Deerhoof, Cold War Kids, of Montreal,
Juana Molina, Crystal Stilts, Final Fantasy, Peter Bjorn & John,
White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
DJ/Rupture – Uproot
released October 7 on Agriculture
Report Card: B+
Pasting together swatches of 23 diverse, seemingly random, and
very-much-someone-else’s songs could make it seem like DJ/rupture,
known to his mother as Jace Clayton, is a plain thief or merely yet
another mashupologist who captures the familiar and repackages it in
smile-worthy fashion. But despite the fact that he’s utilizing the
source material of others, a technique prone to aping and
obnoxiousness, there’s a simple kindness to Uproot, as if Clayton’s
working to amplify the gorgeousness of the originals in a tributary
tapestry, rather than simply trying to make a buck off of stolen beats
and the electronic excitement that is the fade-out and fade-in.
Wed Nov 12 2008 · Posted in Music Videos
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#18) - Deerhunter
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s
weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether
it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has
remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as
TV on the Radio, Deerhoof, Cold War Kids, of Montreal, Juana Molina,
Crystal Stilts, Final Fantasy, Peter Bjorn & John, White Denim, and
Grizzly Bear.
Deerhunter – Microcastle & Weird Era Cont.
officially released October 28th on Kranky
Report Cards: A & B+
It’s easy to understand renowned freak-out Bradford Cox’s recent freak
out regarding Deerhunter’s unenviable history with internet leaks.
After all, Microcastle was perhaps exhibit 1A of the potential
terribleness of leaks and their ability to diminish the significance of
an actual release date: while Microcastle finally hit the
shelves of your favorite indie record store just last week, the
intrepid web scourer probably stumbled upon the album more than five
months ago. Yeah, that’s a long time, and the result was that a
healthy dose of the excitement surrounding what would have been a
highly-anticipated third release was diluted by the spread out nature
with which listeners encountered the work. Of course, you could make a
counter-argument that the seemingly interminable delay for the album’s
actual release date (why did it take so long, after all?) lent
enough separation for those who listened to and enjoyed the album
months ago to now be reintroduced to it, with greater perspective and,
really, a much more refined ear for just how excellent the album ended
up being.
Wed Nov 5 2008 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#17) – Alexis Taylor & Max Richter
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly
first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be
just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained
under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as
TV on the Radio, Deerhoof, Cold War Kids, of Montreal, Juana Molina,
Crystal Stilts, Final Fantasy, Peter Bjorn & John, White Denim, and
Grizzly Bear.
Alexis Taylor – Rubbed Out
released on October 21 on Treader
Report Card: B-
Ohmygodhotchiphotchiphotchip. If that’s your immediate reaction upon
hearing that Hot Chip frontman and oft-dynamo Alexis Taylor is
releasing an under-the-radar solo album, then you’re going to have to
prepare yourself for a somewhat muted response to Rubbed Out.
Because while this little disc sure enough features the familiar vocals
of one of music’s best pairs of nerd-glasses, there’s also a reason
it’s not a widely publicized side project a la Department of Eagles or
Megapuss, and the fact it’s barely making a dent in the musical
landscape of Hot Chip’s widespread and adoring international fanbase is
not without rationale. And that rationale is as follows: of Rubbed
Out’s fifteen tracks, maybe five or six are fully realized enough to
draw in a listener, while the rest feel like the unfinished recordings
of a regularly-brilliant musician far too busy with his other projects
to give sufficient time to this one.
Wed Oct 29 2008 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#16) – Women & Pit Er Pat
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly
first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be
just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained
under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as
TV on the Radio, Deerhoof, Cold War Kids, of Montreal, Juana Molina,
Crystal Stilts, Final Fantasy, Peter Bjorn & John, White Denim, and
Grizzly Bear.
Women – Women
released October 7 on Jagjaguwar
Report Card: B+
Immediately bursting with ramshackling madman ambition, the inventive
promise of Women’s first two tracks—the excellent though frustratingly
brief “Cameras” and the boisterous “Lawncare”—announced Women as a
major new-band-of-attention. And despite the near impossibility of
effectively Googling the group, the delightful ugliness of their sound,
what with people “singing” the same words over top each other, and in a
slightly misaligned fashion (such as on late-album lynchpin “Shaking
Hands”) makes them almost immediately endearing, and worth the digging
it takes to find out these hooligans are from Alberta, Canada, of all
places.
Wed Oct 22 2008 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#15) – Crystal Stilts & Times New Viking
It’s
Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first
glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be
just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained
under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as TV on the Radio, Deerhoof, Cold War Kids, of Montreal, Juana Molina, Final Fantasy, Peter Bjorn & John, White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
Crystal Stilts – Alight of Night
Wed Oct 15 2008 · Posted in
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#14) - Deerhoof & Megapuss
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#14) - Deerhoof & Megapuss
by Nick Courtright
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as TV on the Radio, Cold War Kids, of Montreal, Juana Molina, Final Fantasy, Peter Bjorn & John, White Denim, and Grizzly Bear.
Deerhoof – Offend Maggie
released October 7 on Kill Rock Stars
Report Card: B
Despite their oft-indiscernible lyrics, the obscurity of their songs, and a distinct lack of sex appeal, Deerhoof has successfully built an adoring fan base eager for even the slightest scrap of new material. The fact that they’ve done it all with an uncompromising dedication to pushing the envelope sonically—an approach which has led them to one of the most unique and immediately recognizable (and delightful) sounds in contemporary music—makes them almost impossibly endearing. These realities make it all the more mystifying and disappointing that Offend Maggie lacks the spikes in extreme glee that their last couple albums have provided so willingly, as its overall uniformity results not in a fantastical dynamism but in a blandness the band’s fans have never experienced.
Wed Oct 8 2008 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#13) – Juana Molina & Final Fantasy
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#13) – Juana Molina & Final Fantasy
by Nick Courtright
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as TV on the Radio, Cold War Kids, of Montreal, Peter Bjorn & John, Vivian Girls, White Denim, The Walkmen, Fight Bite, and Grizzly Bear.
Juana Molina – Un Día
to be released October 7 on Domino
Report Card: A-
It’s been well over a year since Panda Bear released Person Pitch, an astounding and groundbreaking album that was practically impossible to dislike, not to mention qualified enough to land near the top of the best of 2007 lists for almost every major (intellectual) music publication. With its relentless looping of vocals, instrumentation, and sonic textures, as well as its propensity for the long song, Person Pitch reshaped what was expected of an avant-pop album in the twenty-first century, and intimated that a sea of imitators would eventually rise in its wake. That said, while it would be ridiculous to cite Juana Molina’s oft-excellent Un Día as a sad-sack imitation or mere trifle, the influence of Panda Bear (and those other looping aficionados, El Guincho and Andrew Bird) is pretty apparent, and acts as a testament to the continued viability of the technique as a way to make engaging and addictive “thinking person’s” music.
Wed Oct 1 2008 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#12) - TV on the Radio & Cold War Kids
by Nick Courtright
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as of Montreal, Peter Bjorn & John, Vivian Girls, Bodies of Water, White Denim, Conor Oberst, The Walkmen, The Bug, Fight Bite, and Grizzly Bear.
TV on the Radio – Dear Science,
released September 23 on DGC/Interscope
Report Card: A
There has always been the foul stench of drama around TV on the Radio. Maybe it has something to do with their obnoxiously broad appeal, or their innately overblown sound, or maybe it has something to do with band’s position as one of the very, very few notable bands of racial diversity in indie rock, a reality that has seemed to make the frustratingly pasty music media a little comfortable and self-congratulatory in their praise. All this put together has bred a certain stink about the band, as if they weren’t actually that good at all, and their bombast and the resulting acclaim was merely a token reward from the affirmative-action minded who have been wounded by indie rock’s apparent elitism. Unfortunately, though, for the conspiracy theorists who want to diminish the band, TV on the Radio—separated from all this sorry gunk—can be pretty fucking good.
Wed Sep 24 2008 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#11) - Peter Bjorn and John & Grouper
by Nick Courtright
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as of Montreal, Vivian Girls, Bodies of Water, White Denim, Conor Oberst, The Walkmen, The Bug, Fight Bite, and Grizzly Bear.
Peter Bjorn & John – Seaside Rock
to be released on September 23 by Almost Gold Recordings
Report Card: B
Nothing like flaunting the international fame and acclaim you got with a dyed-in-the-wool pop album by making its follow-up an instrumental collection destined to be slept on by most everyone who was chanting your name last year. But at the same time, while Writer’s Block got all the teenagers in a tizzy with the dazzlingly poptastic “Young Folks”—not to mention the rest of the album, which was undoubtedly one of the last five years’ most solid and unabashed homes for catchy-as-hell sugar hooks—Seaside Rock is a testament to a band who’s willing to say a little bit of “fuck you” to the slavering masses, a testament that declares that musical integrity and continued exploration are more important to this band than a continued assault on the tender eardrums of the thoughtless youth. Either that or they’re running away, like pansies, from expectations.
Wed Sep 17 2008 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#10) - Fight Bite & Department of Eagles
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as of Montreal, Vivian Girls, Bodies of Water, White Denim, Conor Oberst, The Walkmen, The Bug, Lackthereof, and Grizzly Bear.
Department of Eagles – In Ear Park
To be released October 7 on 4AD
Report Card: B-
It’s not hard to get excited about the potential behind Department of Eagles. After all, the band’s frontman is none other than Daniel Rossen, Grizzly Bear extraordinaire, and of late it’s seemed that anything Grizzly Bear touches turns to gold. And while the deeper-voiced Ed Droste is perhaps Grizzly Bear’s most recognizable member, Rossen is a big reason for the band’s Midas-touch, as he sings lead regularly, and got the ball rolling on the band’s assault on the most-anticipated-album lists with his stirring “While You Wait for the Others,” the first post-Yellow House track the band released. And if that wasn’t enough, Rossen’s cover of Jo Jo’s “Too Little Too Late,” a mostly terrible song in its original incarnation, kicks ass. So yeah, it’s easy to get excited about Department of Eagles, where presumably Rossen would be able to differentiate himself from his Bear brothers, not to mention giving the music world another class A release.
Fri Sep 12 2008 · Posted in Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#9) - Of Montreal’s “Skeletal Lamping”
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#9) – Of Montreal’s Skeletal Lamping
by Nick Courtright
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s
weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether
it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has
remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of Hot Off the Press, featuring acts such as
Vivian Girls, Bodies of Water, White Denim, Conor Oberst, The Walkmen,
The Bug, The Music Tapes, Lackthereof, and Grizzly Bear.
Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping
To be released October 7 on Polyvinyl.
Something has happened to Kevin Barnes. Whereas he once was purely quirky—a Beatlesesque Elephant 6 personality with comic intent and limited musical scope—he now has
become the superfamous man of the hour, the widely-adored
can-do-no-wrong pinnacle of electro-dance-pop glamour and glory. The
transition has been embraced so thoroughly it’s become almost
blasphemous to make a disapproving declaration regarding the advances
of his personal musical and self-revelatory state—it is as if his
evolution has acted as a statement for the acceptance of alternate
character, and the warm fuzzy feeling everyone has gotten from it (not
to mention a collection of some of the last few years’ most satisfying,
endearing, and excellent songs and albums) has created enough goodwill,
apparently, for him to push his audience’s ability to accept to a new
level.
Wed Sep 3 2008 · Posted in Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#8) - The Bug & Kemialliset Ystävät
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#8) – The Bug & Kemialliset Ystävät
by Nick Courtright
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s
weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether
it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has
remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of HOT OFF THE PRESS, featuring acts such as
Vivian Girls, Bodies of Water, White Denim, Conor Oberst, The Walkmen,
The Music Tapes, Lackthereof, and Grizzly Bear.
The Bug – London Zoo
Released on August 12 on Ninja Tune.
London Zoo is, said as straightforwardly as possible, one of the most striking and
unmistakable albums to hit the shelves so far in 2008. The
England-based brainchild of Kevin Martin borrows from the musical
heritage of Jamaica to form heavy, lumbering, blisteringly rage-filled
music that is sure to drive off as many listeners as it attracts. But
while the scowl this album wears makes much hardcore rap look like
child’s play, the album’s polarizing effects are a sign of its
ingenuity—Martin’s sensibilities regarding darkness and repetition make
it the perfect collection of anthems for sneering and cursing as you
cut off other drivers on the highway.
Wed Aug 27 2008 · Posted in Daily, Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#7) - Vivian Girls & The Music Tapes
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#7) – Vivian Girls & The Music Tapes
by Nick Courtright
It’s
Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s weekly first
glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be
just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained
under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of HOT OFF THE PRESS, featuring acts such as
Bodies of Water, White Denim, Conor Oberst, The Walkmen, Lackthereof,
and Grizzly Bear.
Vivian Girls – Vivian Girls
To be released on CD September 30 by In the Red.
The
blogosphere is an odd, isolated place, and sometimes the excitement
about an album is so thick and mad and foaming at the mouth that it’s
shocking to find out the rest of the world hardly knows what’s going
on. But this seems to be the case with Vivian Girls, a band who’s been
riding the wave of Internet love and adoration these past few months,
yet—perhaps because their limited edition vinyl debut has been sold out
since practically the minute it was released—most people haven’t yet
caught the fever. All that said, Vivian Girls’ clattering, energetic
approach to punky two minute pop-rock is befitting of the web's
fawning, and surely soon enough the Brooklyn trio (all women, no less)
will be the darlings of a wider populus…even if the album as a whole
doesn’t thrill as fabulously as the first couple singles would have you
believe.
Wed Aug 20 2008 · Posted in Daily, Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#6) - Lackthereof & Conor Oberst
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#6) – Lackthereof & Conor Oberst
by Nick Courtright
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for Nick Courtright’s
weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether
it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has
remained under the radar. Click here for other recent editions of HOT OFF THE PRESS, featuring bands such as
Bodies of Water, White Denim, The Walkmen, Au, and Grizzly Bear.
Lackthereof – Your Anchor
Released July 22 on Barsuk.
It’d
be pretty easy to compose a lengthy treatise on the rash of loop-based
musicians playing prominent roles in the scene nowadays, a group
ranging all the way from classically-trained Andrew Bird to knob-twisting Panda Bear, but instead we’ll just discuss Your Anchor and how it takes advantage of the benefits of looping, while also
encapsulating the method’s potential pitfalls. Lackthereof, notable
because they are the primary project of Menomena member Danny Seim, make music that sounds like a Menomena song lying
prone on the studio room floor, like an engine taken totally apart and
put only a little bit back together.
Wed Aug 13 2008 · Posted in Daily, Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#5) - Bodies of Water & Russian Red
This is the fifth installment of a weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Search for "HOT OFF THE PRESS" in our search engine to the right to see the previous four editions of this Wednesday column.
Bodies of Water – A Certain Feeling
Released July 22 on Secretly Canadian.
We’ve
all seen flashes of Arcade Fire’s influence in the music scene these
past few years, and it’s hard to believe it’s been almost four years
since Funeral took us all by storm. But rarely has an album
truly jumped out and demanded to follow in the bombastic footsteps of
Win Butler and Régine Chassagne’s Canadian outfit, while still being
talented and unique enough not merely to seem like parrots. But A Certain Feeling has that quality to it, as it’s flamboyant and very, very large in
sound, all the while featuring dueling male and female vocals, steady
percussion, and the occasional classic rock-esque guitar riff.
Wed Aug 6 2008 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#4)
The Walkmen – You & Me
To be released August 19, 2008 on Gigantic.
I won’t lie and say I was just buzzing with excitement over the release
of the new Walkmen album. After all, they’ve had a solid little
career, with some pleasant peaks and even a good deal of critical
acclaim for their 2004 release Bows + Arrows. And they’re taking a generous step towards general angelhood with the pre-release method for their new album, You & Me, which they are offering for a mere five dollars online, with 100% of proceeds going to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
But despite this undeniably excellent and heartfelt deed—not to mention
the steady reputation the band has established—it’s always seemed like
something’s holding back the New York quintet musically, and,
unfortunately, You & Me isn’t about to dispel those notions.
Thu Jul 31 2008 · Posted in Daily, Reviews
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#3)
It's Wednesday, time for another issue HOT OFF THE PRESS. This is the third installment of a weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for last week’s column, which reviewed White Denim and Black Kids, and click here for the first installment, which regarded the new Beck, Fiery Furnaces, and Ponytail. Read on...
Wed Jul 23 2008 · Posted in Daily
HOT OFF THE PRESS (#2)
This is the second installment of a weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. Click here for the first installment, which regarded the new Beck, Fiery Furnaces, and Ponytail.
White Denim – Workout Holiday
Released June 23, 2008 (on their European label, Full Time Hobby).
So...forgive a guy for being skeptical. Yeah, yeah, White Denim were lauded in Rolling Stone, and influential music blog Gorilla vs. Bear touts them so regularly it’s almost embarrassing…when this much hype is
brewing in the music world about a band who hasn’t even released a full
album, the raising of eyebrows is nothing less than natural. After
all, there was Vampire Weekend, and we’ve all seen the shitstorm of
divisiveness they’ve caused, what with half the world thinking they are
the Second Coming (in cardigans, no less), and the other half of the
world thinking they're Afrobeat-appropriating snobs who should just lay
back on their yachts and shut their mouths. But let’s give White Denim
a chance. If only because they’re from Texas, and have honed their
chops on the Austin scene.
Wed Jul 16 2008 · Posted in Reviews
New weekly column: HOT OFF THE PRESS (#1)
Our blog contributors are awesome. And here's more proof:
Behold...the the first installment of a weekly first glance at music discovered in the last seven days, whether it be just-released, just-leaked, or some long-lost gem that has remained under the radar. And we shall call it HOT OFF THE PRESS...
Beck – Modern Guilt
Released July 8, 2008.
Looks like Beck. Sounds like Beck. Must be Beck. And so it
is, with our favorite midnight vulture’s latest release – it seems like
he’s coming out with them a bit too fast for his own good, doesn’t it?
I have to admit it seems a bit soon after his last album, the somewhat
under-inspired The Information (you hardly remembered that
happened, right?), and the thought of a new collection caused more than
a few eye-rolls. But, in the end, Beck has been a brilliant bastard
more often than not, and this album – produced by the ever-present Danger Mouse – is his calmer self, harkening back to the Sea Change days with its cool nostalgia and reverence of 60s sounds. Despite the
skepticism – fueled by his diminishing live performance as he nears
forty – sure enough, like most all Beck releases, Modern Guilt gets its claws into you, and after a tepid first few listens, it starts
to hold together quite well as a collection. Guest turns from the
likes of Cat Power’s Chan Marshall certainly help the cause.