You can call me a philistine, but the term “experimental†scares me a little bit. Maybe y’all agree with me? More often than I am comfortable with “experimental†becomes some sort of catch-all term for… well, for lots of things that wouldn’t be nice to say here in this my first post of the new year. Alas, Canadian violinist Owen Pallet AKA Final Fantasy, who notably arranged the strings for Arcade Fire’s “Funeral†amongst other past musical endeavors, is unequivocally “experimenting†with his solo musical offerings and I can’t find a single unkind word for him, nor would I want to. These songs are non-linear, funny, offbeat, complex and unexpectedly beautiful. Pallet maintains all of the musicality of his classical training while successfully maintaining a lovely pop sensibility. Now don’t get me wrong, there are absolutely traces of some of the oft-loathed hallmarks of “the independent sensibility†(i.e. utilizing the word poo in the album title, naming oneself after something random like a video game, writing an album that is apparently “an eight-song cycle about the eight schools of magic in Dungeons & Dragons,†etc.) but he’s smart. Really, really smart. So Pallet gets away with all his geeky wit and irony like a bandit. All things said, I’m really shy about dropping the L-word, folks, but let me say here, loud and proud: I love this. Don’t dig it? Then just listen one more time, for me, and then decide. Okay?
Money Mark
A quick Money Mark refresher: He was instrumental, literally and figuratively, on Beastie Boys albums like Check Your Head, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty, and the oh, so groovy The In Sound From Way Out. He also played on a couple Beck records, Blackalicious and the first Handsome Boy Modeling School. Money Mark’s always good for a laid-back, soulful groove and that sounds like what we’re in for on this, his seventh, solo release. Brand New By Tomorrow represents Mark’s efforts at dealing with and documenting a break-up head on. Official Money Mark literature says that this first single is one of the more upbeat, hopeful songs on the album (which I have yet to hear in its entirety), so if you’re in need of soothing salve for your heartache drop this one on the ol’ hi-fi.
Blitzen Trapper
File this one under my favorite band that I completely missed in 2006. This despite the fact that plenty of fine sites have been trying to hit me over the head with Blitzen Trapper’s simultaneously spacey and homey sound. “Texaco” is a straight up country joint, the whining of a slide guitar punctuating the wavering vocals while “Summer Twin” floats and hovers about like one of XTC’s psychedelic efforts. The two tendencies come together on “Pink Padded Slippers.” Pure listening satisfaction. Don’t miss “40 Stripes,” a throwback to solid AM-worthy, classic rock standards and the electro-funk of “Love I Exclaim!” The band’s two self-released albums are available on CD Baby where a fan beautifully sums up Blitzen Trapper: “[they] sound like they’re trying to paint the Sistine Chapel with a box of crayons.”
Bitter Tea for Breakfast
Comparisons never work out right, you know? The most well-intentioned end up sounding like the biggest slams, e.g. when we still had a print newspaper at the high school at which I teach, and the student review of a new restaurant noted the “Applebee’s-like customer service with Outback Steakhouse quality.” I’m totally certain the kid was giving serious props to the place, while simultaneously guaranteeing that I would rather be hit (gently) by a truck than eat there. Anyway, Bitter Tea for Breakfast is Travis Carter, formerly of Millimeters Mercury, another Mr. Hyde Records band. Bitter Tea etc. reminds me of — well, don’t take this the wrong way — Bright Eyes. Not really in terms of sound or lyrics, but maybe in spirit. Meticulous chaos, that sort of thing. The thing is, the big C.O. doesn’t offer entire albums for free download over at Saddle Creek, like Travis does at his site. Oh well… By the way, I’m dedicating this post to 3hive’s new pal Lisa, like me a former Maroon (she’s hardcore though, she was in the college!) and wishing everyone a good 2007.
Irene
White Christmas in Sweden? When would it not be a white Christmas in Sweden? Guess that’s why Labrador Records’ Christmas present to us is the wishfully-titled “Christmas on the Beach” from pop masters Irene. I say pop masters since Irene’s songs display pop from every decade since the 60’s, no doubt honed and perfected on many a white Christmas Day while dreaming of warmer climes…
PostPrior
As my friends and family will attest, I’m a big fan of Christmas-y songs — new and old, classic and offbeat. So I’m always thrilled when I hear a new entry in the genre, such as this ditty from PostPrior (Midwest Product’s Ben Mullins and drummer/descendent-of-circus-acrobats Michael Kuzmanovski). PostPrior’s Touched Pilot EP is an icy cool treat in its own right, with its intricately composed and delightfully goofy new wave soul. But, for now, the lyrics to “Snow Orge” so you can sing along on the way to Grandma’s house:
“Confusing Scientists
With Conscious thought and moving limbs
The sun comes out and then he melts
Only to re-form again
Avoiding Mobs and cops
Because they know not what he does
Cause this his life ’twas forged in ice
And so misunderstood
GO SNOW OGRE, POUND YOUR FISTS AND ROAR
GO SNOW OGRE, A FINE AMBASSADOR
GO SNOW OGRE, LET THE SNOWFLAKES FALL
GO SNOW OGRE, THE ICE CONSUMES US ALL
Mom and dad, are just a lab, he has no place, of residence
Alone on Christmastime
Speeding Sleds, Gingerbread, Hyper kids, packages
Rotate through his mind
In the snow, he built a fort, with fine decor and even more
The Ogre trims the tree
Down below, warmer homes, throw a bone, and telephone
Say Ogre PLAY WITH ME.
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, go snow ogre go!
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, pound your fists and roar
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, go snow ogre go!
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, a fine ambassador
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, go snow ogre go!
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, let the snowflakes fall
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, go snow ogre go!
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, the ice consumes us all”
Happy holidays, one and all 🙂
Takka Takka
So I have this friend who is pretty much the indie rock grinch. You can throw on the newest.freshest.latest and he’s all BAH! INDIE BY NUMBERS!! Off with its head! It’s a battle you can’t really win. If he hears so much as a hand clap, a trace of irony, or god help you, whistling – it’s over. Enter exceedingly indie, uber DIY, outer-borough band (specifically: Brooklyn, Queens): Takka Takka. Hand clapping? Oh yeah. Whistling? Totally. Irony? Much. And they’ve got a country twang that’s not living in Mississippi. They are the arch nemesis of my hater friend. But that is his issue, not mine. Despite some musical tics that might seem a bit obvious, there’s just something about these boys that resounds with me. It’s a kind of clapping that I can get down with clapping along with. And who doesn’t like something catchy to whistle along with. Indie by numbers, it’s possible, but Takka Takka are also doling out some solid, catchy pop too. And after forming a veritable trifecta of oddness when they joined forces with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Architecture in Helsinki for a recent tour, the proof is in the pudding – silly/weird/random can be some good stuff.
Bossanova
More Canadians, eh? I’ve been sitting on Bossanova for a while now, ever since their debut album Hey, Sugar was released on Teenbeat way back in March. Please accept my sincerest apologies for hiding this Vancouver band’s catchy pop sensibilities for so long.
Kunek
Tim Ortopan is back for another guest DJ session. About 9 months ago he brought us Joseph Arthur. Now we have Kunek. O:
I went to high school with a kid named Kunec and at first I wondered if there could be any connection to the band Kunek. They sound like they could have been the socially awkward students sitting alone at lunch reading computer magazines that I remember. Could he have produced these beautiful songs of loneliness and sadness? It seems unlikely as I did not go to high school in Oklahoma nor could the student that I remember ever be described as “a delicate intersection of science and emotion—at times organic, dynamic, buoyant or ethereal.†I hope things are going well for the Kunec that I remember, but I know you will enjoy this Kunek straight from the flowering Oklahoma art-rock scene.
The Crabapples
Yes, OCD, you don’t need to tell me. “Hi, my name is Clay, and I’m obsessively compulsed with Slumberland Records!” Hey, the first step is admitting you have a problem. And my problem is the self-described “loud but melodic…catchy tunes played with sloppy abandon” that are Slumberland Records and the Crabapples. Continuing with the self-descriptions, the Crabapples rush “along in a breathless blur, fuelled by lager, explosive tunes and a love of great pop.” I’ll be sure to bring that up at my first meeting…