The Bears
Eureka! (2007)
Feature Track: On
I know about The Bears because of their association with guitarist, electronics guru and producer Adrian Belew. Their 2007 release Eureka! is a masterpiece. However, if you hurry now, perhaps you can be the 700th person to listen to the album on Youtube. On Spotify, The Bears are not faring much better.
Despite the relative small impact these metrics would suggest, with the advent of nearly flawless data storage and playback system with little or no degradation, time will prove this band out to be one of the most influential and powerful musical forces to emerge out of this era of recorded pop music.
This band touches on the edge of the best sounds Weezer ever achieved while intermittently breaking out into disastrous hooks that must be an influence on Dave Grohl's ever maturing sound.
Relentless pop assault delivered via viciously purposefully counter-sound. Eureka will be 10 years old next year. It stands with anything released this year or last.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Moderat III
Moderat
III
Rating: Essential
I listened to this at least three times. Something would always come up and I would have to turn it down or off. Quite a few times, I let it play on through into the next albums (different versions of III) I found myself entangled. Huge tracks full of space. Animal Trails is characteristic of this "crashing silence". Discover this gem for yourself.
III
Rating: Essential
I listened to this at least three times. Something would always come up and I would have to turn it down or off. Quite a few times, I let it play on through into the next albums (different versions of III) I found myself entangled. Huge tracks full of space. Animal Trails is characteristic of this "crashing silence". Discover this gem for yourself.
Lukas Graham
Lukas Graham
Feature Track: 7 Years
Keep Listening: Better Than Yourself
The wikipedia for this artist reads like a artist-centric fantasy novel. It's impossible to believe anything on the internet. So this guy ordered an MPC from amazon, threw a track up on youtube and then sold 20,000 concert tickets. Magic record deal descends from heaven. 5 years later almost 500M plays on a few spotify tracks.
The harmonies on Mama Said are religious and highly original. They sound as if they were truly sung and not queued in. I feel like Joe Satriani/Cold Play are going to crash down on Lukas Graham's Happy Home. The vocals on this one are definitely tweaked. The sting is lessened by the smooth horns on Drunk in the Morning.
My complaint with Bruno Mars has always been that his songs are brilliant, but essentially without substance. Graham sits in a much more authentic pocket. I would say that Funk making a comeback, but did it ever really leave? From Bad Brains to Pearl Jam's Dirty Frank and into Daft Punk, funk has maintained a steady place in the peripheral awareness of any music worth listening to. Strip No More. o__o
Better Than Yourself opens up into Graham's self-confessional autobiography. This is an artist bringing everything he has, even though he doesn't understand what it is yet. He faces the fear of blossoming with a soliloquy of self-expression. Singing to a brother who is jail, literally, metaphorically opening up a bevy of avenues for the listener to reflect upon. Dude has a voice. It is easier to believe the Wikipedia history by the end of this album.
Lukas Graham
Feature Track: 7 Years
Keep Listening: Better Than Yourself
The wikipedia for this artist reads like a artist-centric fantasy novel. It's impossible to believe anything on the internet. So this guy ordered an MPC from amazon, threw a track up on youtube and then sold 20,000 concert tickets. Magic record deal descends from heaven. 5 years later almost 500M plays on a few spotify tracks.
The harmonies on Mama Said are religious and highly original. They sound as if they were truly sung and not queued in. I feel like Joe Satriani/Cold Play are going to crash down on Lukas Graham's Happy Home. The vocals on this one are definitely tweaked. The sting is lessened by the smooth horns on Drunk in the Morning.
My complaint with Bruno Mars has always been that his songs are brilliant, but essentially without substance. Graham sits in a much more authentic pocket. I would say that Funk making a comeback, but did it ever really leave? From Bad Brains to Pearl Jam's Dirty Frank and into Daft Punk, funk has maintained a steady place in the peripheral awareness of any music worth listening to. Strip No More. o__o
Better Than Yourself opens up into Graham's self-confessional autobiography. This is an artist bringing everything he has, even though he doesn't understand what it is yet. He faces the fear of blossoming with a soliloquy of self-expression. Singing to a brother who is jail, literally, metaphorically opening up a bevy of avenues for the listener to reflect upon. Dude has a voice. It is easier to believe the Wikipedia history by the end of this album.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Laura Gibson - Empire Builder
Laura Gibson - Empire Builder
Feature Track: The Cause
Keep Listening: Five and Thirty
Rating: 4
It helps if the first track is undeniably epic. But it is not required. Often, if the sonics are right, I find a few introduction tracks to be a nice 'wading in' experience to some albums. The Cause tip-toes into a barren creek bed. It starts to gently rain. Then with, seemingly, more force than that being applied by the surrounding precipitation, the river is running.
An effectiveness of pronunciation highlights the lilt of an accent and the words float through the air like the stories of Ulysses' bard. Not Harmless is a post-grunge folk masterpiece. Empire Builder was a roller coaster. I was unconvinced until the guitar faded in at the very end and the toms were uncovered. Five and Thirty is intentionally phased. The listener is required to complete the puzzle and verify the artist's intent. This is a vulnerable position for artist and listener. Simply entering this space, the listener has the power to examine qualities of their own sentience that are independent of genre or lyrical content.
Dark Lake provides a perfect segue from the broken back beat of Five and Thirty into the unapologetic pop of Two Kids. From here, I was tuned out while doing some work. But it finished strong with big horns behind a heavy fader.
Feature Track: The Cause
Keep Listening: Five and Thirty
Rating: 4
It helps if the first track is undeniably epic. But it is not required. Often, if the sonics are right, I find a few introduction tracks to be a nice 'wading in' experience to some albums. The Cause tip-toes into a barren creek bed. It starts to gently rain. Then with, seemingly, more force than that being applied by the surrounding precipitation, the river is running.
An effectiveness of pronunciation highlights the lilt of an accent and the words float through the air like the stories of Ulysses' bard. Not Harmless is a post-grunge folk masterpiece. Empire Builder was a roller coaster. I was unconvinced until the guitar faded in at the very end and the toms were uncovered. Five and Thirty is intentionally phased. The listener is required to complete the puzzle and verify the artist's intent. This is a vulnerable position for artist and listener. Simply entering this space, the listener has the power to examine qualities of their own sentience that are independent of genre or lyrical content.
Dark Lake provides a perfect segue from the broken back beat of Five and Thirty into the unapologetic pop of Two Kids. From here, I was tuned out while doing some work. But it finished strong with big horns behind a heavy fader.
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