Brand New
What makes an average day memorable? Well, I don’t care what your answer would be…but for me, for your standard indie-minded teenager brought up on pop-punk cheese and prog pretension, a Saturday night combo of Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and Brand New’s Daisy did the trick. Naturally, I was worried that both endeavors would fall flat in the wake of previous masterpieces from both director and band. But it was a night of glorious parallels. I was happy to find Basterds and Daisy to be challenging, rewarding works of art worthy of their respective canons.
I’m not going to praise Mr. Tarantino, though, as excellent as his follow up to the abysmal Death Proof may be. I’m going to praise Brand New. Formed at the turn of the century and spearheaded by mastermind Jesse Lacey, this band has excelled in the often-tiresome realm of alternative rock by means of reinvention and experimentation, an approach that has yielded for them both critical and commercial acclaim.
Over a career spanning the entire decade, Lacey and company have embraced a spectrum of styles. Your Favorite Weapon was a promising but forgettable exercise in pop punk. Deja Entendu set a new standard for Brand New, boasting clever self-aware lyrics accompanied by experimental emo music. The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me was an ambitious indie-laced melancholia trip with post-rock influences. In only six years, Brand New displayed a sort of maturity rarely seen in a band with pop-punk roots. Before hearing 2009’s Daisy, I considered Brand New to be the quintessential emo alt rock band of the 00’s. Guess what. I still do.
Practically every review for Daisy, whether positive or negative, will single out first track “Vices” for doing two things: effectively setting the mood for the album, and effectively dispelling any possibility of it being Devil and God part two. It’s true, though. “Vices” is horrifying. I haven’t been so affected by a soft-to-loud transition since, well, “Luca.” Within the first minute and a half of the album’s 40-minute runtime, Jesse is screaming his lungs out.
He rarely stops screaming, wailing, or shouting, either. Save for the brooding “Bed” and “You Stole” and the “Handcuffs”-esque title track, Brand New’s tortured leading man takes his voice to the upper registers seldom seen on previous outputs. But he doesn’t have to scream to give off undercurrents of emotion. All three of the aforementioned songs could have easily been placed on Devil and God without affecting its subtle flow.
The rest of the songs are quite visceral. There’s no doubt about it, Daisy is a heavy, heavy record. “Gasoline,” “Sink,” “Bought a Bride,” and “In a Jar” are all experiments in earth-shattering grunge. Feedback abounds, distortion swirls this way and that, and the occasional wall-of-noise whines mercilessly. And the thing is, the songs are all fairly short and to the point. They rev up, they demolish, and then they depart.
Don’t get the false impression, however, that Daisy is a spastic mess, because it’s not. Although grit is key to Brand New’s formula here (think the noisier sections of “Not The Sun” or “Archers”), it is carefully balanced with more subdued, ambient parts. For example, “Gasoline” has Jesse Lacey letting go the reins as he embraces vocal desparation accompanied by instrumental chaos. But in an instant the vocals, the guitar, the drums, everything ceases, slowly leading into a minute of distanced ambient feedback.
“Bed” is even more relaxed. It’s a dark semi-funky crooner complete with atmospheric effects very much in the vein of the band’s previous studio album. Likewise, the guitar parts on the softer sections of “You Stole” seem to borrow influence from the dismal post-rock of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. In this way, Daisy succeeds in blending downtempo moments into an album riddled with fire and passion.
Lyrically, Daisy is a bit of a letdown, seeing as Deja and Devil and God sported some wonderful verses. Here the best lines are short, dark, and schizophrenic (i.e. “Just say goodbye to the ground,” “It feels like I’m jumping towards a train,” “I’m on my way to hell.”) At first glance, these lines hold absolutely no weight to past zingers, but it’s the emotion in Jesse’s voice that makes these lines memorable and effective. So while many listeners will find the music and vocal approach to completely undermine any lyrical significance, this should not be the case.
There is no filler here. No, not even “Be Gone,” a foreboding southern track featuring frantically sliced vocals and a thudding beat. Those of you who found first single “At the Bottom” inferior should reevaluate; it sounds much better in context of the album. Also, those who criticize Daisy for mimicking Nirvana and Modest Mouse should chill out. Yes, there are some notable similarities between Daisy and In Utero, but any influence is worn only in homage. The same goes for Modest Mouse.
Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of Daisy, however, is its energetic three-track conclusion. “Daisy” has Brand New using electronic beats that lead into an explosion of drums while Lacey moans a string of self-deprecating lyrics. “In a Jar” is a monster of a track that blares, reverberates, and drones straight into “Noro,” Daisy’s own “Limousine.” “I want to burn down everything we’ve begun. / I want to kill and eat my young,” says a distraught Jesse. He then condemns himself. And then the song ends. And then a hymn-singing woman greets the listener in the same way the album begins. And then it’s over. Is this it? Does Daisy’s conclusion signal an end to Brand New? Maybe, maybe not. She loves me, she loves me not…
Overall, Daisy is a satisfying listen. It takes multiple listens to appreciate, and devout fans of the band’s earlier work will find it difficult to love. Think about it this way: I didn’t really like Inglourious Basterds the first time. I saw it again. Guess what I thought of it the second time. Exactly.
4.5/5
Review By Daniel Smith of Sputnik Music
Genre: Rock / Alternative / Indie
For fans of: Manchester Orchestra, Kevin Devine, Taking Back Sunday
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/brandnew
Track List:
1. Vices
2. Bed
3. At the Bottom
4. Gasoline
5. You Stole
6. Be Gone
7. Sink
8. Bought a Bride
9. Daisy
10.In a Jar
11. Noro
Read More
This Town Needs Guns
Yet again, I feel myself in the need to brag about a pretty awesome band. This genre’s virtually unheard of yet there are sooo many great bands out there following this same music style. Be it Indie Rock, Math Rock, Post-Rock, Experimental, it’s a style all it’s own and deserves a listen. Particularly this band, and this album culminate a lot of great rhythms. The guitars sound so distorted that it’s hard to believe the sounds coming out of them, and the spectacular pseudo-psychedelic ambiance of this album makes it perfectly comforting music as well. If you can pick on on the distinctive instruments, you’ll hear a great deal of jazz influence coming from the bassist, which gives the whole music experience a kind of pick up from it’s down and drowsy hypnotically beautiful noise. Definitely check these guys out, I really doubt you’ll be let down. They’re a cute and clever little band, the album ‘Animals’ itself is filled with a tracklist of 13 animals that can be seen on their cover, which just goes to show the simplicity and creativity with this band, check their stats below, and then go download, or check their myspace and see if ya like it.
Artist: This Town Needs Guns
Album: Animals [2009]
Genre: Indie / Alternative / Math
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thistownneedsguns
-Track List-
1. Pig
2. Baboon
3. Panda
4. Gibbon
5. Rabbit
6. Badger
7. Elk
8. Crocodile
9. Quetzel
10. Chinchilla
11. Dog
12. Lemur
13. Zebra
Read More
Copeland
With all that has happened over the past two years, it is hard not to feel privileged to have a new Copeland album upon us. After all, signs seemed to point to this record not being made at all. After the release of Eat, Sleep, Repeat, the band saw the departure of bassist James Likeness, parted ways with Columbia Records, sold their van and trailer, unloaded their demos and b-sides, and generally just slipped off the radar. Outside of some sporadic touring, there was little news coming out of the Copeland camp – no label decision, no recording updates – nothing. However, in a brilliant coup of marketing genius (and perhaps boredom-fueled creativity), Copeland hijacked Fall Out Boy’s CFOB campaign, and while neutering the buzz around Wentz’s (or Island’s) brainchild, used it instead to announce the imminent arrival of You Are My Sunshine.
So, while Copeland certainly has a trademark sound to claim as their own, their previous three albums are all quite markedly different. As such, it was certainly interesting to hypothesize where the Lakeland troupe would go with this one, especially since Eat, Sleep, Repeat is the type of record that a band could really retire on, feeling like they placed a perfect capstone on a nice run. But instead of just packing it in, Copeland has returned, seemingly refreshed (“Run right back to the start”), and have put together an album that incorporates some of the finest elements of their previous offerings.
You Are My Sunshine begins in distinct Copeland fashion on “Should You Return,” with Aaron Marsh’s delicate crooning floating along airily atop sparse verse instrumentation. Of course, as beautiful as this combination is known to be, it is made all the more affecting with some of the most resonant lyrical construction since Beneath Medicine Tree.
And all I want is just a love to make it hurt
‘Cause all I need is something fine to make me lose
Now it’s a funny way – I find myself with you
It is lines and themes like these that then go on to personify the record. There is the inherent brooding sense of doubt and foreboding that pervaded on Eat, Sleep, Repeat, but the edges of those clouds now seem softened by a sense of hope and optimism – both in word and sound. In this way, the opener is less a revelation and more a sigh of relief – Copeland is back.
On the tracks that follow, Copeland draw quite deftly from their experience cache. “The Grey Man” starts off like “Kite Part II” but then pulls a switcheroo in the vein of Death Cab’s “Title Track” as Jon Bucklew’s drums kick on a half minute in. The song does a great job of combining the highbrow indie pop of ESR and the mainstream accessibility of In Motion, and is indeed a solid choice for a first single. After this development, the inclusion of “Chin Up” is a bit of a letdown for those that own Dressed Up & In Line, since the remake doesn’t bring too much to the table outside of a still-satisfying crescendo that is far more fleshed out than on the demo. The disc rebounds after, though, with some truly gratifying moments. “Good Morning Fire Eater” sounds like nothing Copeland has done before – with a decidedly springtime melody carried almost exclusively by Marsh’s constant falsetto. The result is both operatic and cinematic, and centers around the emotive line, “I’m afraid you’ve stopped to lick your wounds.”
The sugary sound is not ever-present, however, as “To Be Happy Now” takes up a much moodier, darker, ESR-like tone. The track itself is somewhat by-the-numbers, ups the ante for the bridge, where Marsh’s dramatic vocals bring down the house in a way we haven’t really heard since his superman note on “You Have My Attention.” Similar backdrops are painted for later tracks – the classical muted majesty of “The Safest Ledge” and the melancholy minimalism of “Strange and Unprepared.”
In the midst of these excellent songs, Copeland rises above their own high standard with the album’s highlight, “The Day I Lost My Voice (The Suitcase Song).” Breezing in with “Strawberry Fields Forever”-like mellotron flutters and Marsh ambling along over soft percussion and horns, the tune is striking in its simplicity and elegance. But it gives goosebumps when everything yields dutifully to Aaron signing, “I’ve got my life in a suitcase / I’m ready to run, run, run away / I’ve got no time, ‘cause I’m always trying to run, run, run away / Every day in here feels like it’s only a game / I’ve got my life in a suitcase, a suitcase, a suitcase.” It sounds simple enough, but the execution is completely arresting – delivering one of the best songs the band has ever crafted.
Copeland likewise strikes emotional pay dirt on “Not Allowed,” which again draws upon the shadowy facets of ESR, yet with much more urgency and emotion – reflected in kind with the lyrics that scores of fans can relate to, as we dress up out own sadness to keep others in good spirits (“Here you go I’ll smile for you now, ‘cause you’re sad and I’m not allowed to be sad”). In true Copeland fashion, they then go on to close out You Are My Sunshine in an epic frame. “Not So Tough Found Out” is a ten and a half minute opus stuffed with gorgeous Marsh-only vocal layerings, buzzing electronic static distortion, a dulcet female guest spot, shuffling percussion underscores, and lonely guitar wails rolling into bombastic swells. A testament to its creators that such a prolonged coda leaves its listeners yearning for more.
With You Are My Sunshine, Copeland not only return to the scene, but they sound energized in doing so. Incorporating the mood mastery of Eat, Sleep, Repeat, with some of the energy of In Motion and the intimacy and emotional honesty of Beneath Medicine Tree, the band seems to have found a comfortable place where they truly belong. The gripes with the record are minor. Marsh’s vocals are incredible undisturbed, but too often they are propped up with the crutch of an additional track. Bucklew’s drumming is skillful, but comes across as a little too clinical and impersonal at times – it would be good to hear more of The Real Jon, and less Drum Machine Jon. And finally, it doesn’t sound like Aaron Sprinkle’s influence got to come through enough on the record, as You Are My Sunshine could just as well be a Matt Goldman effort. Of course, the production is aces, and compliments the music well, but it might impact those who had structured expectations on this new pairing. Regardless, in the end, You Are My Sunshine is a breathtaking, stunning release from a band that is adored and admired by so many. Here’s to hoping we get many more such volumes.
Review By Steve Henderson of AbsolutePunk.net
Artist: Copeland
Album: Discography
Genre: Indie / Rock / Alternative
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/copeland
-Album List-
Read More
Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith’s legacy is best spoken by his records. For all the emphasis placed on his unhappy backstory and the distressing nature of his death, Smith left behind a body of work that defies and exceeds any stereotyping. Sadness may be the easiest emotional current to pick up on in his songs, but Smith’s expressive range was as wide as it was subtle; his music could be angry, funny, hopeful, and despondent, often at the same time. New Moon collects two CDs’ worth of material recorded around the same time as 1995′s Elliott Smith and its 1997 follow-up Either/Or, and unlike typical posthumous releases (not to mention second ones), is a genuinely worthy addition to a stunningly consistent catalog.
Part of what makes both Either/Or and 1998′s XO so essential is Smith’s avoidance of “classic album” compartmentalization; you don ‘t get “the sad song,” followed by “the experimental song,” followed by “the upbeat song.” Smith didn’t record specifically towards any album, he just recorded– more or less constantly. At their inception, the songs compiled for New Moon were no less significant than those that wound up making the cut for Elliott Smith and Either/Or, and for the most part they’re no less developed.
Smith’s signature style is more musical than it is aesthetic; from the lo-fi folk of Roman Candle through the muscular chamber-pop of Figure 8, Smith’s songwriting tics remain completely recognizable. New Moon is overflowing with characteristic melodic turns and unexpected chord changes, yet still covers a good deal of ground stylistically. The chugging acoustic guitar of “Big Decision” conjures Johnny Cash, while “New Monkey” subtly nods to a similarly titled Beatles song. Each song seems fully realized in its own right; for a 2xCD posthumous compilation, it’s unbelievably refreshing to not pick up even the slightest whiff of exploitative barrel-scraping.
Like much of Smith’s material from this era, New Moon is by and large quiet, acoustic, and emotionally complicated. It’s easy to see why Smith’s music earned him a reputation as a “sad sack,” but such dismissals don’t really hold up to any scrutiny. When asked whether he considered himself a “lo-fi” artist, Smith once responded that he simply didn’t want the recording process to be “a drag.” Smith’s interest in the the expressive potential of recording comes through loud and clear on New Moon; even when the subject or tone of a song is depressing, it still carries an unmistakable note of joy.
Which is certainly not to say that New Moon finds him sounding “happy.” Many of the songs here are almost unbearably melancholy, but their weight is the product of expert craft, not wanton self-indulgence. The coda of “Talking to Mary”, in which Smith repeatedly intones “One day she’ll go/ I told you so,” would not be nearly as powerful without the subtle tension and movement in Smith’s guitar part. “All Cleaned Out”, which hints at the musical and lyrical concerns that Smith took up with XO, is made all the more affecting by a second vocal line that injects well-placed harmonies into an already memorable melody. Every musical decision on New Moon feels both intuitive and considered; never obtrusive or distracting, but thoroughly rewarding when examined in depth.
Nowhere is this clearer than on an early version of the career-making “Miss Misery”. This is the fourth, and earliest, version of this song that I’ve heard, and it speaks to the incredible care and refinement that went into Smith’s recordings. The melodic backbone of the song is definitely present on this version, as are formative fragments of the lyrics, harmonies, and arrangements. It’s fascinating to hear this track in such an early stage, but downright humbling to connect the dots to the song it eventually became. Smith had an uncanny and arguably unmatched talent for developing his music to suit his ever-evolving arrangement and production techniques, and every intermediate version of “Miss Misery” makes perfect sense the way it’s performed and recorded.
Phrases like “rare talent” are thrown around all the time these days, but this compilation makes painfully clear just how unique and valuable this music is. Smith’s visionary qualities were not terribly flashy or transgressive, and his great musical gifts were not those of innovation. Instead, he steadily and quietly wrote, honed, and recorded a body of beautifully executed, deeply moving records not quite like any others. Consider him the patron saint of hobbyists, a talented and dedicated craftsman with a tireless love of the creative process.
Review By Pitchfork
Album: Discography
Genre: Indie Rock / Folk Rock / Lo-Fi
-Album List-
Read MoreDOWNLOAD ALBUM: ELLIOTT SMITH – ROMAN CANDLE
DOWNLOAD ALBUM: ELLIOTT SMITH – SELF-TITLED
DOWNLOAD ALBUM: ELLIOTT SMITH – XO
DOWNLOAD ALBUM: ELLIOTT SMITH – EITHER/OR
DOWNLOAD ALBUM: ELLIOTT SMITH – FIGURE 8
DOWNLOAD ALBUM: ELLIOTT SMITH – FROM THE BASEMENT TO THE HILL
DOWNLOAD ALBUM: ELLIOTT SMITH – NEW MOON
Matt And Kim
Maturity is a good look for some bands, but Matt & Kim, at first glance, don’t seem the type. Over the past four years, the Brooklyn-based duo made its name from a joyously amateurish EP, a cheerily sloppy debut full-length, and an energetic live show that left a string of sweaty, satisfied audiences in its wake. Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino took Mates of State’s spare, co-ed, drum’n'keys set-up and bled it of anything mannered or pretty, leaving just raw, bleeting synthesizers, shouty singing, and relentless drumming. So the last thing we’d expect from this spazzy synth-punk band is a slowed down, gussied-up sophomore effort, but Matt & Kim wear their newfound growth surprisingly well.
Their previous recorded material was more like their propulsive stage show, so the first thing you’ll notice about Grand is the band explores new textures and diverse dynamics. More than half of the 11-song album lives in the mid- downtempo range, making Grand feel more wistful and intimate than its predecessors– likely the result of recording in Johnson’s childhood bedroom in Vermont. “Don’t Slow Down”, despite its title and “Just Can’t Get Enough”-like staccato melody, proves an insistent kick drum and repeated keyboard stabs can sound reflective and poignant. “Spare Change” buoys its droning, buried organ with handclaps and foot stomps but still manages to sound vulnerable and lonely amid the raucous percussion. And “Turn This Boat Around”, a drum-free ballad built on a charming calliope-like keyboard melody, is almost reverent in its relative stillness.
Such changes are welcome– a good band needs to evolve to continue to stay interesting– but Matt & Kim are still at their best when they are at their fastest. “I Wanna” takes a cue from earlier tracks “5K” and “Yea Yeah”, but even that track measures its breakneck pace with a slow section, settling its demanding verses into a more deliberate, looser groove. Instrumental “Cinders” features a melody so happily jerky and rhythms so dangerously spastic that you can practically hear paroxysmal crowds pogo-ing madly.
With glossy (by Matt & Kim’s DIY standards) production– double-tracked vocals, synthesizer effects (check that violin-like sound on “Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare”), and more clarity of sound– a newfound emphasis is placed on Matt & Kim’s words. Luckily, Grand features not only some of the band’s most personal lyrics, but also some of its most universal. Though made in a more pastoral setting than these outer-borough denizens are used to, the album’s subject matter is still decidedly urban. “Don’t Slow Down”, one of two tracks that namechecks the LP’s titular Brooklyn street, is like a hipster “We Didn’t Start The Fire”, listing all of the tiny details of life in the creative underclass. “Lock knees, no keys/ Brooklyn, Grand Street/ Four flights, late nights/ Black socks, white tights”, sings Johnson, and thousands of other kids in his zip code (and others like it around the country) feel like he’s describing their Saturday nights– even if this album is less of a party than their previous recordings.
Review By Pitchfork
Artist: Matt And Kim
Album: Grand
Genre: Indie Rock
MySpace: http://myspace.com/mattandkim
-Track List-
- “Daylight” – 2:51
- “Cutdown” – 2:52
- “Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare” – 3:30
- “Spare Change” – 1:14
- “I Wanna” – 1:38
- “Lessons Learned” – 3:36
- “Don’t Slow Down” – 3:08
- “Turn This Boat Around” – 2:10
- “Cinders” – 1:47
- “I’ll Take Us Home” – 3:27
- “Daylight Outro Mix” – 3:11
Read More