album of the week: 8.5

Battles

Gloss Drop

(2011)

why you'll love it: Unbelievably well performed music. Catchy AND still weird!

why you'll hate it: Not as dark or epic as last album.

For a more detailed and colorful review, I'll have to defer to this guy's dissertation of Gloss Drop. He basically says everything I have to say about this album. Battles has indeed stepped up to impossible odds by taking on the recording of an album as a trio. Using a Gorrilaz approach of guest performers, they've managed to delver something that meets the undefinable and musically impressive charm that Mirrored (2007) was, without riding its coattails into the future.

Missing from Mirrored is a structured oppressive theme, which still makes that album my preference. Its hyperactive paranoia is a one of a kind feeling… but I don't miss it. Battles' attempt to branch out to a wider audience is a success, and without dumbing down their TIGGGGGGGGGGGHT layering and performance. John Stanier's drumming is still inhumanly precise; and while the iconic (or hated) pitch-shifting vocals of Mirrored has disappeared, the "who's who" of guest performers add just as much of an unique flavor to each song.

Track by track, I have very little to complain about. Without the pitch-shifing, I think a lot of old-school fans feel vindicated, as the instrumentals now resemble something that their debut EPs have produced. "Africastle", "Futura", and "Sundome" lack the fantastic climaxes of songs like "Tij" and "Atlas", but the journey to them is now more enjoyable. All of the guests are fantastic. Matias Aguayo's "what language is this?" contribution to "Ice Cream" combined with that swirling keyboard rhythm, makes for the perfect introduction to Battles. Kazu Makino's fragile vocals provide a grounding natural beauty to the sci-fi fantasy world Battles creates. Gary Numan does little more than evoke "dude, that's Gary Numan", but it's still a good song. And of course Yamantaka Eye working with Battles is a match made in heaven.

Living up to their reputation, you won't find a much more musically impressive album than this, and none this accessible. This album had a lot of expectations to meet and questions to answer. It confronted all of them and prevailed. One of 2011's best.

don't panic

How'd you spend your hurricane/PAX weekend?  Probably better than mine!  Irene knocked out the power in my town for 4 days.

Oh hey, this copy of Deus Ex: HR can finally get played...

album of the week: 8.4

capsule

World of Fantasy

(2011)

why you'll love it: shameless all or nothing party jamz

why you'll hate it: insultingly dumb lyrics. Lacks the intensity of previous albums

While the electro-disco bubble may finally be bursting for capsule, at least one smart move was made with this year's afterthought of an album. It was delayed for title and art revision just before its scheduled March release. I agree. Putting something titled Killer Wave on Japanese store shelves days after the world's most horrific natural disaster of 2011 would indeed be a bad idea!

Killer Wave resurfaced in May as World of Fantasy. A bland title taken from the album's bland single. I was also annoyed that the album artwork remained unchanged from Toshiko Koshijima (vocalist) dressed like a torture porn goth from The Fifth Element. Looking like when Lisa Simpson dressed skanky to impress her tween friends is yet another reminder of how far flung this duo has gone from their Shibuya-Kei roots. Sadly, this album, and capsule in general, are just as stubborn and unwilling to innovate on or depart from this failed gimmick of cool sexiness. This "cool" phase of capsule has been hanging tough for over five years now, and has been plagued with more embarrassing pitfalls than big hits. Their prime has probably been 2008's MORE! MORE! MORE! thanks to a heavy dose of 80's pop kitsch to chase away the douche-chills.

The problem with World of Fantasy is that there are no songs on here that justify all the terrible parts. When capsule cranks out a hit, they totally nail it. Songs like "e.d.i.t." and "Flash Back" have these amazing moments like the floor dropping out from under you, and take you on a cosmic wormhole speed coaster of sound. A couple songs on here try to do this, like "Striker" and "What is Love", but rely too heavily on played out tricks (repeat the last line, speed it up each time annnnnd… chorus), or are just plain silly. In "Striker" there is this… truck horn thing? I guess that is something that goes on at raves, maybe? I just laugh to myself every time and think "Who invited the convoy?"

What I'm trying to say is capsule is throwing a party, but I'm not a party guy. I want to have fun and let go, but I need something that gets me REALLLLY FUCKED UP, so I don't realize how bad everything else is for me. None of the songs on here serve that up. Some are ok! "I Can't Say I Like You" and "Prime Time" are probably the best on here. But they don't distract enough to get the embarrassment of "I Just Wanna XXX You" out of my head. There just isn't much on here to hang an excuse on, and maybe I'm also tired of making excuses in general. I can get my electro dance floor madness from Does it Offend You, Yeah? I don't need to pine for capsule's Shibuya-Kei past, because there is a shiny new Towa Tei album that is wonderful. If i just want steady dance beats to bob my head to, I can just pop in the MBMBaM mix tape. At least there I'm listening to funny quotes from my favorite podcast, and not banality like "Tonight it's party time" repeated for five minutes.

Yasutaka Nakata can still craft a pretty swell beat. If you've got a sturdy mental block for eye-rolling party phrases, there is a half-hour of good (not great) music on here. There is still a part of me that remembers this is the duo that gave us phony phonic (2003), so I'll always give them another shot. It's just that with more guilt free options currently out there, capsule's position has become redundant. Either the life of the party pastiche has to be put to rest, or they must create a scientific breakthrough and produce literal audio methamphetamine.

review - youtube - repeat

Looking forward to seeing Ted Leo next month for the (I've lost count)th time.

album of the week: 8.3

Towa Tei

Sunny

(2011)

why you'll love it: Creative pop music that draws from all over the place

why you'll hate it: a bit cheesy, lacks any attitude whatsoever.

Chronicled throughout this blog and its previous iterations is my constant lament over diminishing fad, Shibuya-kei. Now that I look back at the past ten years, I haven't been considering all that I've had. Great releases from Fantastic Plastic Machine. Those Katamari soundtracks are brilliant. Thinking it through, the real thing that sticks in me is that there hasn't been a true landmark release.

In swoops Towa Tei, who's also been releasing material throughout the naughties, but nothing so fuckin' fresh as Sunny. Without resorting to "louder, faster, crazier" gimmicks, he still manages to create something that feels like 2011; despite the retro time warp Shibuya-kei naturally is. Sunny sticks to the basics of taking old yuppie swinger jazz, lounge, and bossanova styles, and brings them to the modern day while still maintaining a chill groove.

One of my favorite cuts here is the robotic smorgasbord, "Cloud". I also love the bells and whistles in "Upload" that lift up one of the simplest melodies one can create. "Melancholic Sunshine" has a sublime dub beat reminiscent of Saint Etienne. "The Burning Plain" is one of the only normal songs on here, with actual lyrics and a verse-chorus structure. It's a song that cleverly bunches up 4 generations of pop music. The other somewhat normal song on here is "Teenage Mutants" with an absolutely killer performance by Miho Hatori (Cibo Matto, Gorillaz). Best song on here, and one of my favorites of 2011 so far.

The only stumbles on this album are "Exterior" and "Ruffles" because I feel they use uninteresting samples repeated to the point of nausea. Some may be turned off by "Get Myself Together" and "Alpha". Towa Tei was in Deee-Lite, so those songs are unsurprising to those familiar with him. For others, I wouldn't be surprised if the response is "What is this Paula Abdul sounding shit doing here?"

A few bumps don't spoil what is the best Shibuya-kei experience I've had since, well… ever. I was late for the Pizzicato Five/Cornelius party, so it's nice to have something brand new to celebrate. This is some of the most fun I've had with such a deliberately un-hip genre.

HAHUWHAT IS IT?

Enjoy this Let's Play of sorts of the first hour of Resident Evil 1 on the Sony Playstation.

Despite being raised on the NES, RE1 was my first big deal obsession videogame. While these Giant Bomb interns aren't exactly hilarious, just watching the game again for the first time in 15 years brought back a look of good memories.

album of the week: 8.2

チリヌルヲワカ

白穴

(2011)

why you'll love it: Great guitar work, catchy indie rock

why you'll hate it: no gimmicks, don't know what they're saying

Here is a nice surprise. The last (and only) time we heard from チリヌルヲワカ was in 2005, with the album イロハ. A more straight-laced indie rock outfit offered a nice change of pace from singer Yumi Nakashima's well known surf punk band, GO!GO!7188. イロハ was no rock masterpiece, but had enough to leave you wanting more. After five years, anticipation turned into resignation. So even though this new release is only an EP, it feels like an absolute treat.

Stylistically little has changed with this new batch of songs. The production is a big difference. This is a much less polished sound. Everything is a bit fuzzier and rough around the edges, which I feel works for them. It sounds more like a one-take studio session, rather than a layered ordeal. With less studio tricks, these new songs rest on the performance skills of the band. There is a lot to enjoy about the dual guitar interplay.

None of the songs here are as instantly catchy like on the last release, but by the second or third listen, memorable progressions really start to sink in. That main guitar riff on "White Hole" is so enjoyable that I'd like the song to be three minutes longer. "姫事" and "天邪鬼" really drive home that off-the-cuff feeling mentioned earlier. "答案用紙" nails that Pixies-esque perfect balance between something a bit experimental and marketable indie pop. チリヌルヲワカ still doesn't set the scene on fire the same way GO!GO!7188 does, but the fact that they're once again on the scene at all is a joy.

your future-past

It's August, but March/April was so killer, I'm still clawing my way to May in releases. When the time comes, here is what to expect from the June/July contingency.

milka

Today was a good day to watch some Kids in The Hall DVDs. Almost every Kevin McDonald sketch had me doubled over laughing.

album of the week: 8.1

Architecture in Helsinki

Moment Bends

(2011)

why you'll love it: AiH sort of(?) goes back to old style by being mellower.

why you'll hate it: Anything but innovative or stimulating music.

If you are a busy person, let me just save you the time. This album is terrible! I hate it. The only reason I'm reviewing it this week, is because it's one of the biggest disappointments in recent memory. I don't recommend it to anyone. From here on forward it's going to be all complaining, so read on at your own risk.

Three years ago I was convinced Architecture in Helsinki would be the next Talking Heads. Their 2007 album, Places Like This, alienated a lot of their original fans by ditching DIY twee for hi volume party pop. It only made me fall further in love with them. The songs of Places Like This are silly and over the top, but also wildly unpredictable from moment to moment. Their follow-up, tentatively titled Vision Revision, was teased to be around the corner for the next three years. The 2008 single, "That Beep" only made me salivate further for a new LP.

Something happened in between "That Beep" and this new album. Or maybe nothing happened at all. It feels a whole lot like nothing going on in this album. "That Beep" makes an appearance, and sticks out like a sore thumb amiss a crowd of pointless weak supermarket wishy-washy filler music. Considering how they made a name for themselves with originality, to put out music this bland is offensive.

Right off the first track you are met with cheap crappy synths. I asked myself "what is this? why?" right away, and hardly anything forward derailed me from that thought. Cameron is trying to sing like a normal person, which he just can't do. Nearly every song on here sounds like the demo button on a Casio keyboard. The voices never raise, the music fails to do anything interesting at all, and the lyrics are insultingly vague. Even the album cover is lousy glossy 80's minimalist pop art that fails to evoke anything.

Not every moment is total garbage, though. "Contact High" has a little bit of wackiness and some memorable bass sounds. It wouldn't have been a big splash on their last album, but is clearly the best new song on this one. "Escapee" has grown on me a bit. "Denial Style" would be alright, but it's got a real corny Cyndi Lauper like hook to it. The whole albium sounds like an 80's synthpop reject band that never even had a hit.

And that last track, "B43D" had me audibly saying "oh, just shut up" by the end, with its crappy fortune cookie lyrics and Boyz 2 Men delivery. I've heard MIDI files embedded into GeoCities sites that sounded better than most songs on this album. This is the worst thing I've heard all year.

Three years. Three years I've been waiting for this!

sigh.