Film School has always created a lush, articulate brand of swooshing nu-rock that blows their more mainstream contemporaries (I’m looking at you Silversun Pickups) right out of the water. However, on their newest record Fission, the quintet has dialed back the swell and upped the ante on the indie, churning out lithe, piercing tracks of blazing harmony, relying on the strength of their musicianship more than ever. It’s a gamble from a group that has staked their claim on My Bloody Valentine references, but sounding more like a Cocteau Twins or Lush jam highlights the bold new directions the group is willing to head towards. Tracks like “Heart Full of Pentagons” suck the listener directly inside and propel them through the Film School universe like a guided stargazing trip through the cosmos with alien voices explaining in beautiful detail each star’s birth each supernova each black hole. Altogether a fantastic effort from the group yet again and worthy addition to their already incredible catalogue.
As one of the best examples of rip-roaring, blood-letting psych-rock in modern music, one criticism could always still be leveled at Canada’s Black Mountain: their lack of album-length focus. Their fury may be centric and their jam-band noodling essential to the experience but their unsureness in tone and penchant for not filing down the weaker elements of individual tracks have hindered the band thus far – that is, until their newest album Wilderness Heart blew all of that out of the water. Featuring barn-burning guitarwork mixed with haunting folk ballads, Black Mountain still maintain a fiery edge even on slower tracks, keeping the audience just south of comfortable on all of its twisting and turning tracks. There remains a feeling of unease coursing throughout Wilderness Heart, owing in no small part to the resolute and direct nature of even the album’s most sprawling numbers – this group knows exactly what they’re doing and sure as a shark in the sky they will swoop down and bite your head off with it.
The Cannibal Cheerleader crew got a first listen (albeit a highly downgraded and low-quality one) at Interpol’s new self-titled work, and our first impressions are that the NYC foursome has readopted the realms of swirling, surrounding guitar-lines masquerading as terrific guitar licks, completely immersing the listener in swaths of dark rhythms and Banks’ snarling, haunting voice and lyrics. Beginning with the traditional push and pull of rip-roaring dance-guitar trade-offs on the likes of “Success” and “Memory Serves” the detour quickly makes itself apparent with album highlight “Lights”, moving into the “Heinrich Maneuver with more-feeling” track “Barricade”. With the swooning addition of “NARC-esque” tracks “Always Malaise” and “Safe Without” the album careens into an obscure world that Interpol has never penetrated before, beginning with “Try It On”, a tinkling piano track reminscient, if perhaps distantly of “Hands Away” if only for its stark inclusion. “All of the Ways” features Banks devoid of song structure or dynamic contrast, floating on a sea of black with only his heart-wrenching lyrics to steer him, while “The Undoing” stands as Interpol’s best closing statement since “Leif Erikson”. Overall, a smooth and wonderful effort, though we eagerly await a more polished copy for our perusal!
This a welcome surprise! Our favorite group of all time the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have released a new concert film, out today on iTunes. Entitled Yeah Yeah Yeahs Live from 02 Academy Brixton the film promises over an hour of in your face action, featuring barn-burners and smooth-sailers from the band’s already impressive catalog of mind-bending art-punk. Check out the trailer below!
Indie-poppers extraordinaire Los Campesinos! continue on their whirlwind takeover of the world of wordy sensitive twee-rock with the release of their new EP All’s Well That Ends, which features reworked acoustic versions of four tracks from their excellent sophomore LP Romance Is Boring. These stripped down tales of loneliness (when you’re alone) and boredom (when you’re together) perfectly capture the essence of the group and highlights the strong lyrical content that truly elevates this group from all the indie-rock collective, eight-plus member bands. Songs such as “Straight In At 101/It’s Never Enough” stand among the greatest LC! has ever recorded and floats propelled by the power of the haunting, plucky instrumentation and Gareth Campesinos’ plaintive Cardiff drawl. Highly recommended, as are all the LC! recordings, pick it up immediately!
Jenny & Johnny continue to crank out summery country-rock stunners with “Big Wave”, the second track to find it’s way to listeners’ ears from their upcoming I’m Having Fun Now. This track features more Lewis on lead vocals and benefits heavily from the choice, propelling itself on the power of the frontwoman’s sultry croon. Mixed with the jangling production and Rice’s hushed background vocals, the track careens and swims through a sea of guitar lines, proving to be the best song from this group thus far. Here’s hoping the full-length lives up to the promise of the singles!
The Magician’s Private Library remains a singular, wildly imaginative effort rewarding countless listens with its depth and longing, none of its tracks superlative or unnecessary, and operating as a complete and all-encompassing work. So for Holly Miranda to attempt to dip from this same well of inspiration, to add to this record’s legacy so soon could only be cautioned against – there exists no need to crawl the cutting room floor, to discover the extraneous snippets that could only make a record bloated and tired. But then, how to capitalize on one’s audience desire for more tracks in a similar vein? Miranda seems to have choses the logical step and takes her syrupy brand of pedal-pushing folk rock to the land of indie-rock covers.
With an artist selection ranging from David Byrne to Swans, Miranda’s keen gaze upon the varied rock landscape proves piercing, as she unearths emotion and slow-burning heat from each and every note. Remaining true to the source material in overall tone and feeling Miranda injects elements all her own, from her haunting production techniques to her bluesy, pained vocal work creating rewarding listens and beautiful takes on a series of classic tunes. Overall a fantastic listen a great stop-gap to whatever may be next on Miranda’s journey.
Jenny Lewis represents a continuing trend in our indie-rock stalwarts – climbing the steep slopes of burgeoning stardom, recreating and perfecting one’s sound within the framework the band one has brought to painful fruition, and then blossoming into a solo artist, equal parts a student of the school one created and a pursuant of genre classicism ala’ Cat Power’s conversion to soul raconteur. While Rilo Kiley will always hold a special place in every lonely young music lover’s collection, Under the Blacklight might prove a the warm last embrace that we can all find some final satisfaction. In keeping then, Lewis continues along the solo career path, this time under the moniker Jenny and Johnny, referring to her longtime boyfriend Jonathan Rice. Lewis’ last effort Acid Tongue proved a raucous affair, a fuller and more collaborative affair than her breakout debut Rabbit Fur Coat, and her new pairing delivers on that promise of partnership while at the same time backpedaling on the big band sound a bit in favor of strumming guitarwork and wistful vocals. The first single “Scissor Runner” features a bit too much of Rice’s plaintative warble for our liking but Lewis’ songwriting once again comes shines through like the rays of the sun peeking through autumn leaves. Truthfully, there is a definite feeling of Fall to the track, like a sad ending to a summer of youth and adventure – Jenny Lewis is growing up and it’s written all over the blood-red photograph that adorn the forthcoming album’s (affectionately titled I’m Having Fun Now) cover.
