4/21/13
album of the week: 4.3
Other
(2013)
why you'll love it - cool glitchy music, enchanting vocals
why you'll hate it - a cold and shallow genere
Here is a cool recent album I didn't know anything about before fate led me to it a couple weeks ago. The individual parts of Data Romance are nothing new. There is a kinship with modern indie craze - The XX, just a dash of Bjork, and thick coating of Portishead. Something all three of those bands share in common is how they hardly ever seem to meet my personal expectations. The XX's intimate and minimalist approach seems cool in concept, but usually is too synthetic to hold my attention. Portishead has a well deserved reputation in the trip-hop genre, but to call myself a big fan of theirs would be an overstatement. And well… I love Bjork, but her art takes precedence over her talent far too often.
Data Romance hits that sweet spot between all of these artists. They've got an impressive knack for electronics, and seldom offer up a surprisingly heavy beat. I don't want to spoil which songs do it, because the surprise was very fun. "Oh really, were going there, Data? Alright." Nothing to break out dancing too, but definitely tripper than most of these kind of emotional pop songs get. I'm already spinning this more than any Portishead album.
Amy Kirkpatrick's voice is quite impressive. They are not afraid to tone down the synths, and make her the centerpiece of a song. Her ability to carry a song caked in glistening and glitching synthetics makes me think of Bjork. Obviously much tamer, but still impressive. She can sing with strength and authority in a songs like "They" and "Others", but it's her delicate and fragile delivery on "Cargo" that really struck me. Especially how interesting the juxtaposition is with the lyrics "Let me hold, some of the weight for you."
I sure hope Other catches fire like The XX had. I feel they appeal to a very similar crowd, but Data Romance seems to have a whole lot more tools to keep creating fresh music. I'm not totally nuts about this album, but like it a lot more than I thought I would; and yet I still feel there is a lot more to explore on this LP and let it grow on me. Amiss everything I'm hyped for between March and May, a surprise like this is like a cherry on top.
4/12/13
album of the week: 4.2
The Black Box
(2013)
why you'll love it: A more original and classy take on chiptune. Also, "Lonely Rolling Star"
why you'll hate it: Trapped in a stagnant genere
It's been too long for my liking since the last YMCK album. The jazzy-pop chiptune group seems to have blinked out of existence over the last 3 years. It feels like a real stroke of good fortune that I stumbled across The Black Box while ruminating over that very thought. aivi & surasshu are a chiptune duo, with lounge, jazz, and some pop influences. At face value, they fill the very space I was looking to have filled.
To end just there wouldn't do justice to aivi & surasshu though. They aren't just another chiptune band. The use of classical piano really helps bring some grace and higher sense of quality to a genre that is usually shallow and niche, even at its best. The decision not to have vocals is common for this genre, but at least is another thing that sets them apart from YMCK, and makes them not sound as detrimentally "cutsey".
While the album as a whole is a smooth, enjoyable listen, the clear highlight is a cover of "Lonely Rolling Star", a song from the (honest to god - SO GOOD - not just a video game that I like) soundtrack to Katamari Damacy. Boy, do I ever love the Katamari soundtracks. As much of a stereotypical light it casts me in, I have to admit; my heart warmed when I heard that cover. As far as music that doesn't make me sound like a mindless fanboy, the next best track on here is probably the swing number "Here's How!"
I can't blame you for rolling your eyes at the first mention of chiptune; even if (or maybe especially) you play a lot of video games.. It has over-saturated the scene, and is mostly co-opted by insufferable empty headed video game geeks. If you give The Black Box a chance, maybe you'll conclude that the duo brings a bit more to the table than most of their peers. The album is freely distributed on their bandcamp site. Check it out. Maybe it will leave an impression on you.
4/5/13
4/3/13
album of the week: 4.1
Waking Up is Hard To Do
(2013)
why you'll love it: Smart, snarky songwriting, fun tunes to go with bummer content
why you'll hate it: Lacks the punch of the debut, a couple corny songs. Bittersweet ending to an under-appreciated band
The weird thing about Annie Hardy is that what makes her so hard to figure out is also what makes her songwriting so good, and personality so interesting. I can't tell if her 2005 critically praised shoegaze rock album (as Giant Drag), Hearts & Unicorns made her a modern rock genius, doomed to wallow in the shadows of 90s grunge legends. Her sarcastic vocal delivery and sometimes rude lyrical content always has me guessing about what is sincere and what isn't. I can't tell if the personality she shares with us on the internet is a satirical reflection of the drugs & rock and roll lifestyle, or a pretty big clue as to why there has been no follow up LP all these years.
What is certain is that Hearts & Unicorns is still a fantastic album. That combined with a personality that keeps me guessing (and racking me with judgmental guilt), has kept me checking in on the status of Giant Drag every few months for close to a decade. After years of silence, briefed with "there is new stuff" "there is no new album" "there is new material" "most of it is old" "there was a new album I never told you about, but it's gone now" "there is no band" "there is a band again" "there is no new album again" - we have finally come to the abrupt conclusion -
"There is a new album HERE IT IS RIGHT NOW! oh and the band is done"
Although it's claimed that Waking Up is Hard To Do was mostly written in 2007, and has gone through production limbo for years, it still feels like the final act to a movie that skips the middle. The album has a very different tone than the grit and spitfire of Hearts & Unicorns, and even the 2009 single, "Stuff To Live For". There isn't as much fuzz and punch in the production, the lyrics and vocal delivery have this bubbly aloofness to them. Even though this material is firmly planted in (let's just call it) nu-grunge, there is this sort of "over-it" tone to the songs; which either give them a silver-lining, or so wrapped up with clever condescension that they feel like pop songs.
The bottom line is that I'm totally cool with all of this. Actually quite into it. It feels natural that after 8 years, a person would change enough to put out material that feels different. But even if this were released in 2007, I'd still love the fresh change. I would never expect positive feeling brought into a Giant Drag song would be a good thing, but it really does work here. I love everything in the first half of the album. A lighthearted take on the kind of snarky and cool attitude Hardy puts into her songs. "Meowch" and "I Saw The Light" are the only two low points for me, because i feel the songs rest too heavily on gimmick.
I suppose Waking Up should feel like closure. It must certainly feel like that to Hardy; but the change of pace here left me wondering where else Giant Drag could have gone. If not onwards from here, what would have come in those past eight years if there were constant output? But here were are, at the end of Giant Drag. I'm not sure whose fault it is. Hers, mine, fate, or the music industry. I'm just happy there was something to show for it in the end.
This was a super-indie release that went through years of hardship before a completed state. If you would like to tip the artist, you can do so at anniehardy.bandcamp.com
yes, i know I'm a week behind
As a distraction, here is a sample of everything I've enjoyed so far this year.
album of the week: 3.4
The Chronicles of Marnia
(2013)
why you'll love it: Impressive guitar work, wonderful uplifting lyrics and vocals
why you'll hate it: No Zach Hill, not as wild as previous works
It's amazing how much my perception of Marnie Stern has changed over the past 5 years. Around the time of her (totally killer) album, This is it And I Am it And You Are it And So is That And He is it And She is it And it is it And That is That (2008), my short summary of her was "Crazy Hella fangirl who shreds on guitar, and has an odd infatuation with breaking the rules of time and space". I used to judge her songs on the scale of "how damn nuts can she make this?", and little more. Her 2010 self titled release changed all that. At first i begrudged the repression of wacky super-fast songs about time travel, but eventually, the bare emotion and honest personality put into her new songs became an endearing replacement.
I jumped into The Chronicles of Marnia not even caring that the god-like Zach Hill would be replaced on drums. I wasn't here for madness anymore. I was just here for Marnie. There still is trademark fingerpicking, and few short bursts of ranting style delivery on this new album; but it's more cleverly woven into the song structure now. The real draw of this album is Marnie's ability to come off as a real person, a peer. Her lyrics are not nuggets of wisdom handed down to the clueless listener, it's just sharing a relatable life with you. Being normal may sound counter-productive in rock music, but I find it novel.
It's a bit tough to sell this record on a brand new listener. There are no real clear singles. Nothing that punches you in the face. There is a lot of talent to speak of, but it's spread evenly across the album with subtlety. This won't go down as Marnie Stern's best album, but damn if it isn't enjoyable. It hasn't failed to put me in a better mood in any of the dozen times I've listened.
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