This post is long overdue because of the World Cup. Go Spain!
Starting off with some reviews:
The Airborne Toxic Event - The Airborne Toxic Event (7/10)
Picked this up, not expecting a whole lot, but this isn't all too bad. Some tracks on this album sound like a more energetic The Strokes. Definitely more hits than misses, among them "Papillon" and the excellent closing track "Innocence".
The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang (7/10)
This rock outfit gets compared to Bruce Springsteen every time, and it is in fact a good reference for their sound. So many people were hyping this that I had to check it out, doesn't quite meet the expectations, but a good listen nevertheless. For me, it lacks a little punch, which my favourite track "Stay lucky" does have.
Beach House - Teen Dream (6.5/10)
(The album cover of this album is actually just a white surface.) Chillwave is a hype music genre from a couple months back, but is better suited to survive the tropic temperatures we're experiencing/enduring here at the moment. Listening to this, you can almost feel the drops of sweat forming on your forehead, as they are doing right now while I'm typing this, seeing that it's 31 degrees celsius in my bedroom. Umph. Ten tracks on the album, they're all about 4 to 5 minutes long, and most of them are more or less interchangeable. Since you might already know the first single "Norway", I picked the track "Zebra".
Regina Spektor - Far (6.5/10)
On her previous album, I liked 4 first tracks, the rest was kind of hit or miss. On Far, I like the first 7 tracks, then my attention fades away while listening. She seems to uphold a more constant level of songwriting here, although "Begin to hope" was a little more varied stylewise. Found a very nice live version of "Folding chair" from last year's edition of the Glastonbury festival. Enjoy!
Weezer - Red Album (0/10)
Words fail to describe how awful this album really is. Avoid at all cost!
Rock Ahoy, one of the coolest radio shows in a long time, recently broadcast its last episode. Mimicking pirate radios from the sixties, Katia V. mixed classic/cult songs from the sixties and seventies with modern day songs that were influenced by that same period. The three compilations (themed Madness, Badness and Sadness) this show spawned, are all a good listen. Next 2 tracks are also on those compilations:
The Drums - Saddest summer
It takes a couple of listens to get into this track that sounds just silly at first. Kind of reminds me of the "Girls" track by Beastie Boys. Note the cheesy saxophone at the end, these guys get away with just about everything.
Dum Dum Girls - Jail la la
A slight noise influence coupled with some nice vocal harmonies on this one.
Time for some rock?
The Swellers - Fire away
These guys were on tour with Paramore some months back, which makes a lot of sense. Think Foo Fighters with a slight emo-touch.
Kids In Glass Houses - Matters at all
Only incorporated this one because the video has a nice twist at the end. As it turns out, this band is on the roster of the Roadrunner label, which used to be metal-only, but I guess this is no longer the case. According to Wikipedia, The Wombats are also on the label.
It's ironic, just when The Shins are in hiatus and singer James Mercer just released the (mediocre) first single by Broken Bells (his collaboration with Danger Mouse), two bands pop up that sound a lot like The Shins and gain a lot of popularity. I guess it's the whole My Morning Jacket vs. Fleet Foxes story all over again.
Avi Buffalo - What's in it for
Here, the organ distinguishes a little from the standard The Shins formula.
Surfer Blood - Swim
Definitely adds a little more rock to The Shins equation, and some African influences (not unlike Vampire Weekend) in the middle part of the song. Like this a lot.
Next up, three tracks with an inherent fun-factor.
Caribou - Odessa
And now for something special, some jungle sounds on this track.
Miss Li - Oh boy
You probably know this already, it has been picked up for a commercial or something. Simple yet infectuous. Scandinavia does it again.
Mark Ronson - Bang Bang Bang
Sounding distinctly different from the tracks on his previous album, Mark Ronson goes more elektro on this track. The tempo change in the chorus makes me think of Santigold.
And closing off with a random nineties track, I forgot what a good Foo Fighters single this song is. From "There is nothing left to lose" and with some vocoder, excellent stuff. Listening to this now, the lyrics strike me as slightly odd though. Some lyrical snippets: "Eating deep inside you/If it was me, it was all I'd ever do" combined with "...and everyone starts going down (on you)". Orly, Dave?
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