This act reminds me of Baxter: vaguely industrial with a female lead singer that doesn’t hide her British accent. “Your Body Is a Machine” reminds me a bit of Dubstar as well. So electronic Britpop it is, for you pigeon-holers out there. I love it. It’s not trippy, like Portishead. It’s much more like Lush.
“Wolves” is more ’80s in sound at the beginning, like Berlin, before regressing into Metro Station-type vocals. However, there are also parts that remind me of Men Without Hats’ “Moonbeam.” High praise, indeed.
Although songwriting isn’t generally the strength of these types of acts, “Prisoner” throws a bone to those who want mildly thought-provoking lyrics. You’re better off focusing on the music with this genre, though. That’s why it exists.
The last track is a remix of “Skeleton.” I prefer it to the original version. This one is for Republica and Sahara Hotnights fans. I know a few of those are left.
I’m pretty crazy about this one. I hope we get more of their stuff in.
The Good Natured “Skeleton”
November 13, 2011Fun. “We Are Young”
November 13, 2011It’s just a single. Standard modern indie rock fare focusing on a dude singing, especially in the chorus. It does the job of getting you excited, so here’s hoping I can hear a full-length to see whether there’s any creativity with this band. No obvious hooks, but the song flows well and belongs on most college radio shows. Oh, and it features Janelle Monae, who everyone seems to love. See? Now you care.
Meshell Ndegeocello “Weather”
November 13, 2011Sultry 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.
Stephaniesid “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.
Dreamers of the Ghetto “Enemy/Lover”
October 30, 2011I don’t understand the band’s name, and I’ll try not to be offended by it, because I don’t have enough information about it to be objective. What I do know is that the lead singer sounds like Bruce Springsteen. “State of a Dream” has all kinds of music going on at the same time, and it all adds up to a pretty standard rock song for a pretty standard rock band.
Good male-male harmonies dominate “Regulator.” The synths during the chorus are a nice touch as well. “Phone Call” is more of the same, among the better tracks. It has an early ’90s feel.
The other track I like is “Night Hawks.” The chords provide a nice hook, and the chorus reminds me of Siouxsie and the Banshees, of all things.
Although not generally my cup of tea, I can get behind this act.
Gringo Star “Count Yer Lucky Stars”
October 30, 2011Their record “All Yall” was one of the first I reviewed for KSCU. Now they continue with crazy variations on the second person, using one of my favorite grammatical crutches, “yer.”
“Shadow” gets the album off to a good start. This band continues to crank out the cheerful power pop that’s expected. And I get all Frampton when I listen to “Come Alive.” This track is well put together, right down to the bridge.
The classic love song about a special lady is “Jessica” in this case. It reminds me of the Monkees. “Make You Mine” also has a ’60s sound reverberating, but the backing vocals put this one over the top. It’s got it all.
Soft Cotton County “Looking for You Know Who”
October 30, 2011It’s an EP. They’re good at those. The first track is “Look Out Ma, Papa’s Comin’ Home.” Soft Cotton County continue with their dreampop antics here. The title track is second and has pronounced guitar. It’s more of an indie rock approach than what we’ve seen from the band in the past. The synths, relegated to a backup role, do a fine job. The male vocals do surprisingly well. All in all, it reminds me of my favorite Bernard Sumner side project, Electronic, specifically “Getting Away With It.”
Next we are asked “Is This Your Kind of Country?” It also has more of a contemporary feel to it. The last track is “Here Comes the Stone & Steel.” It’s more reflective of the Soft Cotton County sound I’ve grown accustomed to.
This EP is clearly a coming out party for the title track and the sound associated with it, and I’m intrigued to see what happens next.
Sports “Sports”
October 30, 2011This is the perfect record to review while watching sports. This band reminds me of Elvis Costello with a modern sound. I mean, when Costello was new he had a modern sound, at the time. Sports sounds like him but with a modern sound for today. OK.
“Started So Tall” starts the album, and it makes me think of Squeeze. The other good tracks are “Emily, Frankly” and the last one, “Disappear.” This last one has a bit of ’60s power pop in it. If I listen to it just right, I feel as if I’m watching the end of an episode of Murphy Brown. There’s just enough Motown going on.
Lots of fun, short songs on this one.
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