THE BREAKDOWN (FT. DJ SUB PAR): Caribou - Swim

DJ Sub Par Says:
One man electronic wrecking crew, Dan Snaith, must have made a pact with the Devil never to make the same album twice. He has torn through flavored his albums with over-loaded psychedelia (Up in Flames), Beat heavy Kraut Rock (Milk of Human Kindness) beach-boy tinged pop (Andorra). Here he returns with a album that sounds if it was actually recorded under the sea with bleached out cassette tapes. He takes the strange summery sounds of a wave of pitchfork approved indie bands (Memory Tapes, Neon Indian, Real Estate) and out does them all with the track, "Sun." My only suggestions is give these tracks a few spins - what might first appear as calculated beats eventually shows itself do be as comfortable as worn-out walkman on a summer day.

DJ Responsible Says:
"Odessa" is amazing. Dance floor ghosts, a mesmerizing bass beat, Prince-lite guitar twangs, salt shakers, hand claps, Chromeo drum rolls, church bells, synth archipelagos, and thoughtful lines like "Turn around the life she let him siphon away": this is one impeccable opener. And, indeed, an impossible bar for the rest of the (impressive) album to match.

"Sun" is quite bliss as well. As is "Lalibela" (a.k.a. maple syrup electronica).

Swim (I always want to call it simply "Odessa") succeeds in its density, texture, and cohesive experimentation. There's not a dud in the bunch. But it lacks in two regards: 1) occasionally, Caribou drift too far into straightforward electronic music (as on the Pantha-du-Prince-but-not-as-good "Bowls"); 2) more broadly, sometimes I just miss the real, double drum set sound of the eternal "Melody Day" (and the rest of Andorra, really). Maybe next album.

This one'll do for now.

Essential Tracks

"Odessa"

 

 

"Sun"

 

"Lalibela"

WORTH A LISTEN: MGMT - Congratulations

A great, laid-back cut from MGMT's latest. I wouldn't mind another "Time to Pretend," or at least another "Kids," but I guess this is a nice lil' summer strum-along...

FYI...David Cross's Bigger and Blackerer

It's no Shut Up, You Fucking Baby (clever, too-soon post-9/11 observations drawn over two fairly-packed legendary discs). It's more of an It's Not Funny (same shock and political insights without as much longevity and/or humanness).

I mean, the brotha's 45-years-old. This stand-up comedy plateauing is pretty much the industry norm. Still worth a listen, from one of my favorite Hollywood outsider-insiders.

THE BREAKDOWN: Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

Local Natives surprised me with their adult contemporary-ness. I mean, look at the formula: much-hyped L.A. quintet releases much-hyped debut, complete with artsy could-be-Vampire-Weekend album cover and incongruous album title (Gorilla Manor). Here we go again, I thought.

But not quite.

It's not that I don't like their adult contemporary-ness, it's simply not as compelling as their more adventurous (and, paradoxically, more traditional) first half of the album. The second half couplet of "Who Knows Who Cares" and "Cubism Dream" could be The Fray with a respectable ghost writer and less restrained drummer. John Kerry wouldn't be offended to hear "Airplanes" on his ham radio. It's nice to see a band with range, it just happens to be at odds with the rest of the album. And schmaltzy, I suppose.

There's a lot of good stuff: "Wide Eyes" and "World News" put the bands amazing-yet-not-overbearing percussion work on full display. These guys are talented, obviously, but still need to solidify their sound.

Essential Tracks:

"Wide Eyes"

"World News"

"Camera Talk"

QUICK RIFFS: Ray Wylie Hubbard

It's always nice to see songwriters get weirder with age. Too much of the American populace melts into suburbia never to be relevant again.

I literally know nothing of Mr. Hubbard and his storied discography. But I do know a song like "Opium" drips with experience, pain, and grace: "It's such an elegant decay/such an elegant decay."

THE BREAKDOWN (FT. DJ SUB PAR): New Pornographers - Together

DJ Sub Par Says:

For those of you who don't know the New Pornographers, please for the love of music give them a listen. In an alternate universe this is the pop music that plays on the radio and gets covered on American Idol. This Canadian super group crafts three and half minute songs that are hooky and fun with cryptic lyrics that bare repeated listens.

For those who know this band: You may have been thrown off by the last album by A.C. Newman and the gang - "Challengers." The prevailing opinion was that they had abandoned the energy-cranked-to-ten approach for a mellower (read: boring) sound. I couldn't disagree more. "Challengers" was a natural progression from the Hey-la-las of stellar song "The Bleeding Heart Show." While the last album may have slowed things down it allowed them to bring in a complexity of sounds and find a strange highlight from weirdo contributor with "Myriad Harbor." So some critics may be calling this a come back of sorts, the bad-ass cello hits that start this album, the whistling bridge on "Crash Years" and fuller sound are a natural continuation.

DJ Responsible Says: 

Normally my least favorite contributor, Dan Bejar, is on fire here. I used to think he was sprinkled in for the sake of indie cred--Electric Version's wordy "Testament to You in Verse" just couldn't keep up with A.C. Newman's splendour-pop like "It's Only Divine Right." No more. Maybe I've matured, or maybe last year's whimsically epic Destroyer single "Bay of Pigs" was simply a turning point, but try not to love "Silver Jenny Dollar."

Together's best song, however, has been wrapping around my head for almost a week now: "Valkyrie in the Rollerdisco." Holy lovely banjo, I [heart] this duet. "You're a gold mine" New Pornographers. Keep making songs this bliss and albums this cohesive, and you're in for one hell of a discography.

Essential Tracks:

"Crash Years"

"Silver Jenny Dollar"



"Valkyrie in the Rollerdisco"

IN THE NEWS: R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio

I know very little of his music (80's Black Sabbath, Dio), so I'll let Tenacious D do the honors with this sweet live vid: