album of the week: 2.4

the telephones

D.E.N.W.A e.p.

(2012)

why you'll love it: Possibly your new favorite telephones song?

why you'll hate it: rather pointless EP, band is still annoying as ever

OK, I'll concede. the telephones are "disco". I mentioned in my last telephones review, that they really aren't a disco band, for all the times they've said it. I think, by now, they've said it enough. Culminating in "D.E.N.W.A"'s proclamation "WE ARE FUCKING DISCO!" The song basically lists out all their previous "disco" singles, IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER! OK, you guys win. I get it now. It certainly is a unique approach to plant your flag into a genre; but you've successfully brute forced your way into "disco" certification. Congrats.

That video is all you need to know about this single (with enough extra tracks to be an e.p.) If you can't hang with that… absolute nonsense, then bail out right now. I say nonsense as a complement. I love that video, and the song. It goes for it. That's all I ask of a band like this.

The rest of the e.p. is basically an afterthought. "Swim Swim Swim" is a forgettable ballad. "Wonder Woman" is fun, but just as forgettable. The rest of the tracks are alternate versions of older songs. I like the sped up version of "Sick Rocks". It's probably how they've been playing it live over the years. The "Habenero" remix is sludge. Throw that out. And there is nothing new about "White Elephant" aside from unnecessary in studio cheers bookending the track.

The only other note of interest is that this is the first time (to my knowledge) that the telephones are writing Japanese lyrics. I hope this doesn't become the norm with further releases. I like Akira's Engrish when it's bad, and found him to be surprisingly clever when he gets it right. Their excessive use of English lyrics are just another little thing that gives this band its charm.

The whole point of this EP is the title track. I think it's one of the most fun songs they've done. It's silly, clever, loud, and absolutely bonkers. I wouldn't have even bothered with this review if I didn't like it so much (I picked this over 4 other releases!). So, sorry for the bad taste. I know this music is total junk food. I'll talk about something less embarssing next week.

album of the week: 2.3

Chairlift

Something

(2012)

why you'll love it: Synths so saturated you could swim in them

why you'll hate it: Way more pop than art

Few things annoy me more in pop culture than goofy 80's nostalgia. VH1's I Love The 80's, The Wedding Singer, pretending John Hughes teen comedies were any good. Aside from horror movies, the 80's were terrible. A cultural cesspool. On the surface, Chairlift's new album, Something, appears to be that annoying cheeky hipster approach to 80s pop. They do something a little bit different, though, take it seriously.

Chairlift's brief iPhone commercial popularity seemed to miss me entirely. I had not heard the song "Bruises" until just a few months ago. Something is my first good look into this band, and from what I've read, this album is a major departure from their usual cookie-cutter indie pop style. This is a very evolved synth-pop album. A better reviewer than me pegged this as "what the 80's thought the future of music would be." That is spot on. The electronics are HUGE on this album. There are some brilliant heavy, gloppy synths that remind me of YMO's Technodelic (1981).

Something sets a very high bar with the first two tracks. "Sidewalk Safari" is probably the best song about vehicular homicide I've ever heard. "Wrong Opinion" has the craziest art-house synths. But Chairlift isn't Hot Chip. They're not out to make art-attacks. I'm thinking the depth of the first two tracks may have been stumbled upon, because the rest of the songs follow a basic pop ballad formula. I'm not all that annoyed. There are still a lot of great moments in "Amanaemonesia" and "Guilty As Charged". It's just that this album had the opportunity to be an out-of-nowhere electronic treasure trove. Instead, the story is "oh wow, an 80's sounding album that I don't hate."

No matter what kind of music fan you are, or how well you have known Chairlift, this album definitely has a few enjoyable surprises for you. It's a great party album for the first half of 2012, but I don't really see it having legs. Despite getting disappointingly pop after the first two songs, I really appreciate Chairlift's dedication to this sound. It isn't shallow or a silly little nod. Chairlift dives straight into the deep end of synthpop here, and for a brief half hour, sets itself apart from all the modern hipster tropes of piano ties and Don Johnson references.

album of the week: 2.2

John K. Samson

Provincial

(2012)

why you'll love it: Amazing songwriting with unconventional topics

why you'll hate it: A couple bad songs, not as good as The Weakerthans

It's probably a bad idea to introduce someone to an album with "I think this is the best songwriter around today!" Nothing can really live up to that expectation; especially in the way John K. Samson writes songs. Old photos in a box, abandoned homes, housecats. Just as in his full time band, The Weakerthans, Samson writes songs about the overlooked, in a tone just as modest as the subjects. The subjects of these independent short stories are almost always unique. In Provincial, there are songs about trying to get a hometown hero into the hockey hall of fame, a short lived teacher-principal affair, and desolate Manitoba roads.

As expected from a solo album, these songs aren't as fleshed out as they are with the full band, and are mostly soft spoken. Some are also short, and may come off as unfinished. "Highway 1 East" and "Grace Central" seem to only set a brief tone, and go away. Although there are a few surprisingly dense songs. "Heart of The Continent" takes its time in a satisfying way. "Letter in Icelandic From The Ninette Sun" has a well used accompanying string section. A couple surprisingly turn on the distortion a bit. "Longitudinal Centre" is the loudest one one here. That one, and the upbeat "Cruise Night" could have easily been Weakerthans songs.

In his efforts to create details around the characters of his songs, Samson got a little bit corny here. I don't like the video game references in "Stop Error" or "When I Write My Master's Thesis". Citing things like that, (and websites, etc) always seem to date your song, and make it sound out of touch. I also don't like the lyrical hooks in "Master's Thesis". They're so cliche, they sound as if it was written in one afternoon. These are the only two songs on the album is outright do not like.

The standout track on here is "Highway 1 West". It floors me every time I hear it. It's a big, driving, but simple sound. It just gives you that feeling of overwhelming space and distance. The gaping cadences littered about the big booms paint a detailed mental picture just as well as the lyrics do.

I'd recommend this album to just about everyone who loves great songwriting, and enjoys a bit of humility in their music. I really don't see this album as a classic, or something that stacks up to The Weakerthans, though. It's only a collection. Half of this album are songs that were on EPs released over the past few years. There is some good stuff on here, but the package as a whole doesn't live up to the pedestal I tend to put this poor guy up on. This is a generous appetizer, but I just want another Weakerthans album already.

it begins

This year, I'm gonna start doing non-review posts once a month.

It's five posts per page, so a month's worth a content is nice and tidy. Also, I have twitter now, so I don't have to sit on a random dumb thought for a week to post it here.

ANYWAYS - Groundhog's Day is over, but to me, winter has just begun. That's because tonight I finally found some new "cars sliding on ice/snow" videos on youtube! I love this time of year.

album of the week: 2.1

the pillows

Trial

why you'll love it: "持ち主のないGuitar", and lots of other good songs, much better than the last two albums

why you'll hate it: really bland production/mixing

Welcome to 2012! …or do I mean 2007? Where the peaks and valleys lie can be argued, but not the fact that every pillows release on the label avex trax has kinda sounded the same. This continues on their (in total) 18th album, Trial. The production on the last few albums has really annoyed me. It's too safe, and doesn't evoke anything. I've warmed to this indie rock era of the pillows over the years. A lot of stuff they try are clever; but the point is always muddled by the nerfed guitars and drums. The much praised FLCL era of this band is long gone, and I've accepted that. They can keep the volume and speed dead and buried, but what I really miss the fuzz.

That being said, Trial has really impressed me by turning out a good collection of songs with not a single bad apple in the bunch. A few come close. I'm not a fan of "Comic Sonic", or when I heard it last year. "Flashback Story" sort of does that dopey jovial country-rock thing that has annoyed the hell out of me on their last two albums, but with a lot more restraint. "Polarisの輝き 拾わなかった夢現" and "Minority Whisper" should have been just another couple bog-standard pillows songs, but the hooks stand out more than usual here.

The biggest surprise on this album is the over seven minute "持ち主のないGuitar". There have been a lot of pillows songs that dragged on and were only three minutes. If you were to tell me they made seven straight compelling minutes, I'd laugh at you; but "持ち主のないGuitar" digs deep. It has a great driving melody, a nice long guitar solo,and builds to an emotional climax. I'd even go as far as to say it's better than any of their golden era ballads like "Beautiful Morning WIth You".

There are no other classics, but some strong tracks on here. "Trail" rocks as hard as anything on Pied Piper (their last very good album). "Энергия" has a killer riff. When they play it slow, it sounds pretty, and when they speed it up, it generates intensity. The production is just as flat as ever here, but somehow despite it, the songs find a way to work. "Revival" succeeds in creating a rousing feeling of determination, just as the second track, "Rescue", is delightfully whimsy. "Ready Steady Go!" nearly fooled me. The first thirty seconds of that song almost had me thinking the pillows were about to revive their early nineties swing sound. That would have been a fantastic surprise. It's what I really want out of this band; something to surprise me. Aside from the diverse Pied Piper, it's been nothing but very safe indie rock for a long time.

"Ready Steady Go!" is still a good song. Trial is a solid record, with hardly any low points. the pillows haven't really been all that bad over the past five years. I can't figure if it's forced down by avex, or a conscious decision; but their sound makes them sound like they don't care. Nearly all their albums are growers, but this one takes a bit less time to get its hooks in you. Good album. Way better than their last two. It could have been a whole lot better if there was some punch or personality in the production, though.