Sultry yet sleepy vocals and acoustic guitar dominate “Feeling for the Wall.” It’s such a basic song, but it’s put together flawlessly. “Rapid Fire” is another storytelling track, but the synths make it quite compelling. You can’t help but drop what you’re doing, even if it’s taking a shit, to focus on this one.
If you want your music to brood, “Dirty World” will give you what you need. The synths are more retro sounding, but it all comes together pretty well. This belongs at a piano bar when the pianist is on a break. It keeps you in the mood for when the ivory tickler returns.
“Crazy and Wild” has a dude singing, but I can handle it. It’s almost midtempo, which is uptempo for this album, but it’s very smooth. Unfortunately, “Dead End” is neither a cover of the DDR song nor a tribute to my favorite feature in the Twilight Zone pinball machine. However, it does have one of the fastest beats of any song on the record. It needs it, too, because the track exceeds five minutes. This one also has the best vocal quality.
Archive for November 2011
Meshell Ndegeocello “Weather”
November 13, 2011Stephaniesid “Starfruit”
November 13, 2011More rock than indie, Stephaniesid offer a modern look at what Pat Benatar would sound like today. There are still some eccentricities here and there, but they’re nothing that would make Bjork blush. “Closer” isn’t a Nine Inch Nails cover, but the band is on Nine Mile Records. The song itself uses xylophones or similar to give an otherwise straightforward alt-rock number a bit of an edge.
I’m still feeling an ’80s vibe when “Cadiz” comes on. The vocals are similar to Altered Images, but thankfully the lyrics aren’t. “Cinematic” sounds like one of those rap songs on The Sims, except the lyrics are in English. The melody is similar to the chorus of Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok.” The rhyming doesn’t hurt, either. In other places, the melody mimics En Vogue’s “Free Your Mind.” This band is wasted on Generation Y.
The band continues its tribute to the Reagan years with a cover of “Life in a Northern Town.” They’ve made it their own, but fans of the original will still appreciate it.
I like “I Like It Too” even though it is missing a comma. That comma is fast disappearing in American English anyway. (Do you see what I did there?) There’s a lot of whispered human-made sound effects, which is kind of cute. Curious to see how that would look live.
The other track I like is “Multiply,” which sort of goes with another song, “Life of Pi.” At any rate, “Multiply” is slower and more modern sounding, so if you want to play something hip, that’s probably the way to go.
My Brightest Diamond “All Things Will Unwind”
November 13, 2011This sort of melodic, female-fronted indie rock’s days are numbered, sadly, but I’m enjoying every minute of it that I can. Somehow, if beautiful music had survived, this is what it would sound like today. “We Added It Up” showcases pitch-perfect vocals and well-orchestrated accompaniment. Perfect for Regina Spektor and Bat for Lashes fans.
More of the same on “In the Beginnning.” This one uses more strings, but again it’s the vocals that dominate. “Be Brave” is hypocritically more subdued but still worth a listen.
“There’s a Rat” is the type of story a Fiery Furnaces song would tell. Musically, the song is absolutely gorgeous. The other track I like is “Everything Is in Line.” It reminds me of some Rasputina songs.
Lots of winners on this record. Lots.
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