It’s music to trip to — 15 years ago it would have been called “trip-hop.” I don’t know what the kids call it today. What’s odd is how short the tracks are, but maybe that’s how it works now.
“Paper Hearts (So Horny Mix)” is an instrumental until the final five seconds, but it’s good for talking over. “Lullaby” sounds like a Portishead track, although the voice is just a bit too shrill. The Adrian Carter Mix is better although still a bit jarring.
“Wish I” is more along the lines of what I would expect from this act. It sounds like some spacier Everything But the Girl stuff, and the vocals are mixed in a more flattering matter.
There’s not enough of this out there, so it’s a welcome addition, but I hope the next record has more polish.
Archive for July 2011
Pixsid “Atoms Apart”
July 10, 2011The Luyas “Too Beautiful to Work”
July 10, 2011That’s what I’m talking about: female vocals and synth-dominated accompaniment. Not like La Roux but more like Stereolab. It’s so good I can’t write in complete sentences.
The title track leads off and is absolute bliss. If anything the singing could use a little more confidence, but this is picking nits. “Tiny Head” isn’t about flat beer, but it certainly could be. This one is slightly psychedelic.
Fans of Hope Sandoval (lead singer of Mazzy Star) will tweet their love of “Canary.” This song is, er, Topps and a true one-of-one. This one is good with headphones.
Is “Cold Canada” about beer? I mean, one of these songs has to be about beer, right? The accompaniment is more frenetic than on other tracks, so if you wanted the trippy sound of “Tiny Head” with a little more noise, go north, baby.
“Seeing Things” is the last track and is slower and more subdued. All in all it’s a great way to end a fun record. I’m a fan of The Luyas — mark it down.
Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion “Bright Examples”
July 10, 2011This one gets me right here. (Imagine where I’m pointing.) Ms. Guthrie knows what her voice can do, and she applies it to the music well. The result is perfectly balanced composition. They go for that She-and-Him-Matt-&-Kim vibe that we all know and love, but that’s fine. They do it the right way.
“Ahead of Myself” sets the tone right off the bat. The music reminds me of Wallflowers, of all things.
If you want something in the Neko Case vein, give “Seven Sisters” a try. These acts always veer into the both-types-of-music vein (that would be country and western) from time to time, but that’s OK. It’s quite believable here.
“Hurry Up and Wait” makes me want to go to the Opera House Casino and get a one-pound chicken fried steak dinner for $5.99. But the difference is that this song isn’t good for a limited time only.
Some songs are made for movie soundtracks, and “Butterflies” is one of them. When Kristen Wiig or one of her ilk is driving around trying to figure out why she always fucks things up, this is the song that plays on the car stereo. If the director is really smart, he tells the sound editor to adjust the sound when the camera shot comes from outside the car.
“Cry Quieter” and the title track are also recommended, although they’re not as good as the tracks mentioned above. There’s a lot to like on this one.
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