I’m not going to blame my lack of updates on the swine
flu. That would be wrong, sleazy, and
downright unconstitutional.
Now that I got that off my chest, I’m happy to report that my cleaning ventures have been particularly fruitful. No, I didn’t find that copy of Tremors II: Aftershocks that you claim I never returned (let it go, bro). I did, however, dig up the following dusty gems:
Wheat – White Ink Black Ink
Americans like short things: lines, books, hair, conversations, etc. Sometimes even using full sentences takes too long; it’s why we invented Twitter. Thankfully, there is a band called Wheat. Not only is their name economical, but more than half of White Ink Black Ink is under the four minute mark. You just can’t argue with odds like those. Each track loyally embraces the simplicities of song craft and the complexities of song experience; meaning, the album will probably appeal to those of us that appreciate music straight up, minus additives like weird stupid metaphors and lengthy experimental escapades. Of course there are flaws to this logic, the most obvious being 2009’s love affair with electro beats and dance-driven, overproduced indiepop. The kids want to move and while White Ink has no shortage of catchy hooks and gung ho knocks, the resulting mood does not exactly inspire bods to hula, which is basically a compliment but commercially a loss. At its best, the album sounds vaguely like the byproduct of a musical three-way: the cool nonchalance of slacker rock + timeless anthemic sway + a dash of requisite “indie” flair (the indefinable “all spice”). Suggested tracks: the first half of the album.
Website / Myspace
UltraChorus – Ultra-Def
Speaking of electro beats: Minneapolis electronica duo UltraChorus recently released Ultra-Def, a brain cell-shattering smattering of slick robot grooves. This ain’t music for your grandma (unless grandma gets her freak on). As I mentioned in my review of Words Kept Talking (7” single), being an electro-lovin’ musician in Minnesota is akin to being a minority in Minnesota: you’re in the minority. UltraChorus may very well be a shining fiber optic star in a universe of bland, denim-encased chunks of coal, and the world…of Minnesotans might never know. Such a shame because Ultra-Def is solid material. It pumps you up, but not in a Jock Jams sort of way, and warms the innards without leaving a metallic aftertaste. A distinct rhythmic base connects each track without distorting identity; this attention to continuity gives us simpletons something to hold on to, a sort of symbolic Roller Coaster lap bar. Suggested tracks: “Words Kept Talking,” “Houseparty 5” and the super-mixed-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink “Yucatan Peninsula.”
Website / Myspace
Kordan – Fantasy Nation
Wow, Arthur Eisele (Kordan) sure knows how to befuddle a critic. Is Fantasy Nation a concept album? Or is it dreamy electro-pop disguised as a concept album? Maybe it’s a soundtrack to a film not yet written: something Japanese but inspired by French New Wave—a love story, perhaps, set in the stylish future, where the girls look like Francoise Hardy and the boys busy their arms with battered anthologies of 19th century existentialism. Something like that. Honestly, the effort required to simplify Fantasy Nation—to break it down, if you will—seems pointless, irreverent even. The album succeeds as a fluid movement, a continuous aural flow. What it isn’t (and, incidentally, what may hinder mainstream marketing) is track-driven. Sure, I’ve picked a favorite (the wispy, Gainsbourg/Birkin-esque “Slouchy Girl”) but that’s just personal preference and an ear for melancholy vocals. As an objective writer, I’d advise readers to avoid listening to Fantasy on shuffle mode; fight the urge to single-song download, readers (you wouldn’t treat In the Aeroplane over the Sea in such a defiling manner, would you?). Suggested tracks: listen to the whole damn EP (EP = short and sweet).
Website / Myspace
Now that I got that off my chest, I’m happy to report that my cleaning ventures have been particularly fruitful. No, I didn’t find that copy of Tremors II: Aftershocks that you claim I never returned (let it go, bro). I did, however, dig up the following dusty gems:
Americans like short things: lines, books, hair, conversations, etc. Sometimes even using full sentences takes too long; it’s why we invented Twitter. Thankfully, there is a band called Wheat. Not only is their name economical, but more than half of White Ink Black Ink is under the four minute mark. You just can’t argue with odds like those. Each track loyally embraces the simplicities of song craft and the complexities of song experience; meaning, the album will probably appeal to those of us that appreciate music straight up, minus additives like weird stupid metaphors and lengthy experimental escapades. Of course there are flaws to this logic, the most obvious being 2009’s love affair with electro beats and dance-driven, overproduced indiepop. The kids want to move and while White Ink has no shortage of catchy hooks and gung ho knocks, the resulting mood does not exactly inspire bods to hula, which is basically a compliment but commercially a loss. At its best, the album sounds vaguely like the byproduct of a musical three-way: the cool nonchalance of slacker rock + timeless anthemic sway + a dash of requisite “indie” flair (the indefinable “all spice”). Suggested tracks: the first half of the album.
Website / Myspace
UltraChorus – Ultra-DefSpeaking of electro beats: Minneapolis electronica duo UltraChorus recently released Ultra-Def, a brain cell-shattering smattering of slick robot grooves. This ain’t music for your grandma (unless grandma gets her freak on). As I mentioned in my review of Words Kept Talking (7” single), being an electro-lovin’ musician in Minnesota is akin to being a minority in Minnesota: you’re in the minority. UltraChorus may very well be a shining fiber optic star in a universe of bland, denim-encased chunks of coal, and the world…of Minnesotans might never know. Such a shame because Ultra-Def is solid material. It pumps you up, but not in a Jock Jams sort of way, and warms the innards without leaving a metallic aftertaste. A distinct rhythmic base connects each track without distorting identity; this attention to continuity gives us simpletons something to hold on to, a sort of symbolic Roller Coaster lap bar. Suggested tracks: “Words Kept Talking,” “Houseparty 5” and the super-mixed-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink “Yucatan Peninsula.”
Website / Myspace
Kordan – Fantasy NationWow, Arthur Eisele (Kordan) sure knows how to befuddle a critic. Is Fantasy Nation a concept album? Or is it dreamy electro-pop disguised as a concept album? Maybe it’s a soundtrack to a film not yet written: something Japanese but inspired by French New Wave—a love story, perhaps, set in the stylish future, where the girls look like Francoise Hardy and the boys busy their arms with battered anthologies of 19th century existentialism. Something like that. Honestly, the effort required to simplify Fantasy Nation—to break it down, if you will—seems pointless, irreverent even. The album succeeds as a fluid movement, a continuous aural flow. What it isn’t (and, incidentally, what may hinder mainstream marketing) is track-driven. Sure, I’ve picked a favorite (the wispy, Gainsbourg/Birkin-esque “Slouchy Girl”) but that’s just personal preference and an ear for melancholy vocals. As an objective writer, I’d advise readers to avoid listening to Fantasy on shuffle mode; fight the urge to single-song download, readers (you wouldn’t treat In the Aeroplane over the Sea in such a defiling manner, would you?). Suggested tracks: listen to the whole damn EP (EP = short and sweet).
Website / Myspace
10/29/2009 00:07:00 ♥ lara (
/lara206.vox.com)
♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ news.weheartmusic.com
