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Record of the Week: J. Tillman(of Fleet Foxes) – Year in the Kingdom (Western Vinyl)

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

J. Tillman - Year in the Kingdom

I’ve mulled over this for like a week and a half now. I’ve put it off as long as I possibly could. It’s finally time to name a Record of the Week for September 22nd. It’s just that, there are so many records that should have that honor. First off, how could a collaboration between Bon Iver and Collections of Colonies of Bees, aptly named Volcano Choir, NOT be Record of the Week? How could the new Castanets record, which coincidentally is THE BEST Castanets record, not be Record of the Week. Then there is the new EP from Pains of Being Pure at Heart which is just excellent. Le Loup threw us for quite the loop(HA) and put out an absolutely outstanding album that brings forth the best moments from recent Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective and Fleet Foxes discs. New albums from Owen, Girls, Múm, Twilight Sad, Times New Viking. These are allllllll excellent albums. Maybe the obvious choice would be Monsters of Folk where Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, M. Ward, Jim James of My Morning Jacket have teamed up to make an album. The choice after all was said and done though was…

J. Tillman’s A Year in the Kingdom is a testament that you can be as prolific as you want to be and still release killer album after killer album. Better known as the drummer of Fleet Foxes and one of their best backing vocalists, J. Tillman’s albums always stand on their own without bringing his pedigree up.

J Tillman’s solo stuff would appeal to the fan of Iron & Wine, Bon Iver, or Nick Drake. Hushed vocals over acoustic guitar but the backing instrumentation helps this release even more. Hammered dulcimer, banjo, recorder and very great string arrangements. There is a bit of that Fleet Foxes vocal harmonies as evidenced early on in the record with “Crosswinds.”

“Crosswinds” is definitely an album highlight along with “Earthly Bodies,” which has a very early Iron & Wine feel to it. Sort of around that Our Endless Numbered Days material where it was still stripped down but had some interesting instrumentation to it.

In short, if you liked Fleet Foxes, you’ll love this. If you like Iron & Wine, Nick Drake, Bon Iver, chances are you’ll like this as well. It takes a damn good record to stand out over the rest of the other records this week, and that’s just what this is. It’s also $9.97 at the store for the next month!

"Crosswinds" from J. Tillman's 2009 album Year in the Kingdom

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"Earthly Bodies" from J. Tillman's 2009 album Year in the Kingdom

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Honorable mentions for September 22nd Record of the Week:

  • Castanets - Texas Rose, the Thaw & the Beasts (Asthmatic Kitty)
    "Down the Line, Love" from Castanets's 2009 album Texas Rose, the Thaw & the Beasts

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  • Volcano Choir – Unmap (Jagjaguwar)
    "Island, IS" from Volcano Choir's 2009 album Unmap

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  • Le Loup – Family (Hardly Art)
    "Forgive Me" from Le Loup's 2009 album Family

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Record of the Week: Blk Jks – After Robots (Secretly Canadian)

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Blk Jks - After Robots

A little bit of a late start to Record of the Week this week but with Beatlemania happening around here it’s finally here.

After releasing their debut EP, Mystery, earlier in the year, Blk Jks were already my favorite new band of 2009. I was incredibly excited for their debut full length and wasn’t let down in the slightest.

The band, hailing from South Africa, made their second trip to the U.S. to record this full length, After Robots, with Brandon Curtis of Secret Machines producing. If you are not familiar with Blk Jks, their sound is an incredibly unique blend of afro beat and progressive rock. More song oriented than Mars Volta but definitely on par in terms of musicianship, with vocalist Lindani Buthelezi goes back and forth singing in English, Zulu and Xhosa.

The album is full of bombastic highlights. From the huge honrs and chanting on the first track “Mololatladi” that builds and builds into a monster of a song to the dub sounds of “Skeleton” the band churns out one memorable tune after another.

While the band mixes complex songs together seemlessly, they also strive when working with a limited pallette of sounds. “Lakeside,” which appeared on the Mystery EP, gets stripped down to it’s bare essence of a song to show just how proficient they are at writing. Perhaps even more telling is the closing track, “Tselane,” which strips the band down to mostly just acoustic guitar and vocals being sung in one of their native tongues.

This album is not just record of the week but a strong contender for record of the year. Just an absolutely refreshing record and one of the most promising debuts I have heard in some time.

"Molalatladi" from Blk Jks' 2009 album After Robots

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"Lakeside" from Blk Jks' 2009 album After Robots

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Honorable mentions for September 8th Record of the Week:

  • Health - Get Color (Lovepump United)
    "Die Slow" from Health's 2009 album Get Color

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  • Vivian Girls – Everything Goes Wrong (In the Red)
    "When I'm Gone" from Vivian Girls' 2009 album Everything Goes Wrong

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  • Nudge – As Good As Gone (In the Red)
    "Burns Blue" from Nudge's 2009 album As Good As Gone

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Record(s) of the Week: Pissed Jeans – King of Jeans (Sub Pop) & Mount Eerie – Wind’s Poem (P.W. Elverum and Sun)

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

Pissed Jeans - King of Jeans

Pissed Jeans are one of the most unlikely bands to sign to Sub Pop in the new millenium. In the early 90s it might have made a bit more sense but after releasing records from the Shins, Fleet Foxes, Postal Service and Band of Horses, going back to their roots and releasing a record like this seemed to be the last option for the label. Yet here we are in 2009 and Sub Pop is releasing Pissed Jeans third record, their second on Sub Pop. And not only is it refreshing to see Sub Pop continue to support Pissed Jeans, it’s a good thing they have because this might be the best record the label, or any label for that matter, has put out all year.

If you aren’t familiar with Pissed Jeans, they are a hardcore band that is equally influenced by Flipper as they are the Birthday Party. What separates them from any other hardcore band and lets them cross-over to other crowds is the fact that their sloppy brand is actually played incredibly well and you can either laugh or relate to the overly-nihilistic lyrics.

For me, the lyrics and vocal delivery of them are really what shines for this band. Singer Matt Korvette’s lyrics are generally way over the top and always self-deprecating. This might be most evident on the final track of the album, “Goodbye (Hair),” an ode to getting old and losing your hair. Halfway hilarious, halfway “uh-oh, this is going to be me soon.”

While the word hardcore and punk might turn a lot of people off who wouldn’t normally listen to this type of stuff, this record really has a lot of special moments and stands hands and feet above the rest. It’s catchy which I am not sure hardcore punk has ever been. Do yourself a favor and time some time out of your day to check this album out.

"False Jesii Part 2" from Pissed Jeans' 2009 album King of Jeans

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"Dream Smotherer" from Pissed Jeans' 2009 album King of Jeans

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Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem

For the second time, we have two albums that get Record of the Week honors. Joining the newest album from Pissed Jeans is the newest album from Mount Eerie titled Wind’s Poem.

Phil Elverum, who is Mount Eerie, has played under a couple monikers, most notably Microphones. After Microphones released their album, Mount Eerie, Phil decided to release music under the new moniker. He has released quite a few albums with Mount Eerie and each has gotten decidedly darker and darker until he released the E.P. Black Wooden Ceiling Opening last year and finally went off into the murkiest of musical waters. Mixing in his singer-songwriter, lo-fi folk with black metal, Phil stumbled upon a new genre which he titled “black wooden” for it’s organic feel. Wind’s Poem is Phil’s first black wooden full length album.

You can tell Phil has been listening to a lot of Xasthur for his black metal influence. There is a lot of layered, desolate sounding guitar like waves crashing against rocks in a not so peaceful manner. Phil’s voice remains a soft spoken one over it all though. The beginning track, “Wind’s Dark Poem,” shows Phil getting it out of the way right at the beginning that this is not going to be your typical Mount Eerie release. Drums and distorted guitars crash away before falling apart to reveal it is still him behind all of this. There are several nods to legendary black metal band Burzum from the synthesizer sounds on “Between Two Mysteries” to the lyrical homage on “Stone’s Ode.”

All in all, Phil did something with Mount Eerie I didn’t think would be possible. Put out an album that has a large black metal influence and for it to actually be good, let alone great. If you have been a fan of anything from Microphones or Mount Eerie before this is an absolute essential album to check out.

"The Hidden Stone" from Mount Eerie's 2009 album Wind's Poem

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"Between Two Mysteries" from Mount Eerie's 2009 album Wind's Poem

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Honorable mentions for August 4th Record of the Week:

  • Antlers - Hospice (Frenchkiss)
    "Bear" from Antlers' 2009 album Hospice

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  • Jay Reatard – Watch Me Fall (Matador)
    "It Ain't Gonna Save Me" from Jay Reatard's 2009 album Watch Me Fall

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Record of the Week: Throw Me the Statue – Creaturesque (Secretly Canadian)

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Throw Me the Statue - Creaturesque

Last year’s debut from Throw Me the Statue, Moonbeams, was one of my favorite albums of last year. It was 13 upbeat Summer songs that ranged from the Phil Elverum esque “Groundswell” to the hotel commercial soundtracking of “Lolita.” All around it was one of the best debut albums I have heard in a long while. So how does Creaturesque do in following it up?

The first thing that is very different about the two albums is that Throw Me the Statue is now a full band. Lead member, Scott Reitherman, has gathered up three other musicians to back him on this album so there isn’t nearly as much drum machine on the album which really pays off on some of the larger sounding tracks such as “Waving at the Shore” and “Ancestors.” There are still some of the fuzzy blown out drum machine songs on this album and they are just as good as they were on the previous album. “Snowshoes” is the most notable of them and the drum machines are accompanied by swirling synths and Reitherman’s heavily reverbed vocals.

Whereas after their latest EP, Purpleface, you might expected Reitherman to take TMTS into a much more mellow, slower pace, Creaturesque is just as much the Summer pop album that it’s predecessor, Moonbeams was. An absolute must if you enjoy Microphones, Neutral Milk Hotel, or just a damn good Summer album.

"Ancestors" from Throw Me the Statue's 2009 album Creaturesque

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"Hi-Fi Goon" from Throw Me the Statue's 2009 album Creaturesque

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Honorable mentions for August 4th Record of the Week:

  • Desolation Wilderness - New Universe (K Records)
    "Boardwalk Theme" from Desolation Wildenerss' 2009 album New Universe

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  • Lightning Dust – Infinite Light (Jagjaguwar)
    "Never Seen" from Lightning Dust's 2009 album Infinite Light

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  • Yacht – See Mystery Lights (DFA)
    "Summer Song" from Yacht's 2009 album See Mystery Lights

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Record of the Week: Magnolia Electric Co. – Josephine (Secretly Canadian)

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine

My disclaimer for this Record of the Week is going to be as blunt as humanly possible. There was a point in time that I thought Jason Molina of Magnolia Electric Co. could fart in a microphone and release it on record and I would have told you it was the best fart I’ve heard all year.

Having said that though, after Songs: Ohia’s(Molina’s band prior to Magnolia Electic Co.) album Magnolia Electric Co.(yes the band is named after the album) I was so excited for his new band’s albums. Before releasing anything with the new band he ventured out solo with his debut solo album Pyramid Electric Co.. That album got me even more excited for the first Magnolia Electric Co. record. Then the first couple albums with Magnolia Electric Co. actually came out and well…turns out I didn’t really enjoy Jason Molina’s flatulance that much.

So I wasn’t really sure what to expect with the new Magnolia Electric Co. album. I heard it was going to be a bit darker, which Molina certainly works best when working within the realms of, so there was that. I certainly didn’t expect to love it though and that’s what has ended up happening.

Magnolia do quite a bit on this album. They tread new ground with “Rock of Ages” 1950′s melodies. They dip into the Songs: Ohia vault by breathing new life into “Whip-poor-will” which was on the Magnolia Electric Co. outtakes disc. On “Little Sad Eyes” they dip into the sound Songs: Ohia explored on  Axxess & Ace with the trademark organ sound that Molina played with on that album. There really is a bit of something for everyone on this album and Molina brings it all together very nicely.

This album undoubtedly marks as Molina’s best work while with Magnolia Electric Co. Lets hope he sticks with this as opposed to going back to trying to sound too Crazy Horse.

"Josephine" from Magnolia Electric Co.'s 2009 album Josephine

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"Little Sad Eyes" from Magnolia Electric Co.'s 2009 album Josephine

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Honorable mentions for July 21 Record of the Week:

  • Peter Broadrick – Music for Falling From Trees (Western Vinyl)
  • Greg Davis – Mutually Arising (Kranky)
  • Megafaun – Gather, Form & Fly (Hometapes)

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Record of the Week – Blues Control – Local Flavor (Siltbreeze)

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Blues Control - Local Flavor

When I first started working here I remember one of the first CDs I ever brought into the store was Blues Control’s self titled albums on Holy Mountain. Not a week went by of it sitting here before fellow co-worker Jerry picked it up and I knew our tastes would cross paths pretty often after that. It’s hard to believe that two years has passed since then but then you think about being without a new Blues Control record that long and it sort of seems like an eternity.

Blues Control is a two piece from Queens, NY whom recently moved to Richmond, VA consisting of Lea Cho and Russ Waterhouse. They play everything from guitar to keyboards to tape collages. They are not alone on this record though as they do see a couple guest appearances, most notably by store favorite Kurt Vile who plays trumpet on the track “Good Morning” and acoustic guitar on the track “Rest on Water.”

The album’s starter, “Good Morning” begins as a psychedelic krautrock romp with keyboard and drums in the front of it all that doesn’t set the tone for the rest of the album at all. The rest of the albums tone is set with “Rest on Water” which is a trancing ambient track with saxophone drifting in and out throughout the track. The final track on the album, “On Through the Night” is nearly 17 minutes long and shows the band using the rooms reverb as an instrument as much as the instruments themselves. A very claustrophobic song that seems to be closing in on you as the seconds tick by. Absolutely excellent.

"Tangier" from Blues Control's 2009 album Local Flavor

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Honorable mentions for July 14 Record of the Week:

  • Yob – The Great Cessation (Profound Lore)
  • Discovery – LP (XL)
  • Alexander Turnquist – As the Twilight Crane Dreams in Color (VHF)

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Record of the Week: Oneida – Rated O (Jagjaguwar)

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

Oneida - Rated O

Last year fellow Culture Clash staffer Jerry and myself ventured down to Louisville, Kentucky to see Terrastock 7, a huge psychedelic / kraut / experimental festival that had an enormous amount of bands that we were both excited to see. Grails, Bardo Pond, Hush Arbors, Wooden Shjips, MV + EE with the Golden Road, and well you get the point. One band that was absent from my list of bands I absolutely have to see was Oneida. For some reason they just never did a single thing for me. They were scheduled to play first during the second day of the festival and I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to leave the nice Louisville breakfast we were having to go see them. So as I am standing there in the inside venue waiting for them to set up and yawning and stretching it was both a reaction of me being tired and what I was expecting to play in front of me.

What I didn’t expect was for them to be the highlight of the festival for me after playing a 30 minute set that consisted of their upcoming(at the time) album Preteen Weaponry front to back and having my jaw hit the ground from the first 2 minutes and not be picked back up before I realized I had to get outside to see Wooden Shjips.

The band had finally caught my ear with Preteen Weaponry and in a way that I couldn’t wait for the new album. The three songs on Preteen could only hold me over for so long. So when I heard that the second part of their Thanks Your Parents trilogy of albums, Rated O, was finally coming out I couldn’t curb my excitement. Then when I realized it was a freaking massive TRIPLE CD I basically lost it.

Oneida has gone above and beyond what made me love them with Rated O. Back are the looping kraut-rock jams found on Preteen Weaponry but they have introduced several entirely new elements to their sound that leave you dumbfounded and wondering if you are listening to Oneida.

The beginning of the album was a total headscratcher for the first 15 seconds before I realized how much I loved it. “Brownout In Lagos” is one of the grimiest dubstep songs you are bound to hear this year with Dad-Ali Ziai throwing these shouting vocals over that just fit perfectly. It isn’t until the end of the first CD that you hear a more Oneida type sound in the track “Story of O.” “I Will Haunt You” on the second track even sounds a bit like Terrastock brethren Wooden Shjips.

This album is seriously hours and hours worth of high energy psychedelic rock that will make you feel like you just ran a marathon if you listen to all three discs straight. Let me tell you though, you’ll get much more satisfaction listening to this than you would being worn out after running one of those.

Some MP3s below but three songs of an album that touches on a bit of everything is just a tease really.

"I Will Haunt You" from Oneida's 2009 album Rated O

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"Saturday" from Oneida's 2009 album Rated O

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"What's Up Jackal?" from Oneida's 2009 album Rated O

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Honorable mentions for June 23rd Record of the Week:

  • Bowerbirds – Upper Air (Dead Oceans)
  • Tiny Vipers – Life on Earth (Sub Pop)
  • My Bloody Valentine – Before Loveless (Lazy)

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Record(s) of the Week: Dinosaur Jr. – Farm (Jagjaguwar) & Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue (Warp)

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

We were torn this week when it came to Record of the Week. Some incredibly good albums came out and when it came down to it we found ourselves with two albums that were equally deserving of the honor. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm

There was no question from the first listen that the new Dinosaur Jr. was going to be tagged for Record of the Week. This is without a doubt, the only band that can go into hibernation for years on end and then come back at it as thought they put out a record the week prior.

The sound here is unmistakbly Dinosaur Jr. From J’s blaring guitar solo and heart on his sleeve lyrics(it’s hard to believe this guy is 45 years old now) to Murph’s thunderous pounding of the drums this album sounds like it was recorded somewhere between Where You Been and Green Mind. If you don’t believe us, check out the song “I Want You to Know” that we posted on our last Weekend Listening feature.

To top it all off we have the deluxe version of the CD that features a second CD with four exclusive songs. This version is the same price as the normal version and very limited. We also have this on sale right now! An absolute essential this year.

Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue

Bibio really came into this week at an unfair advantage. Dinosaur Jr. had the Record of the Week award on lockdown from the moment the album was released so putting out anything else good(and good lord is there a lot of good this week) was really just shooting yourself in the foot. Bibio managed to stay head and shoulders above the rest though and put out an incredible record in Ambivalence Avenue.

Equal parts Boards of Canada(for it’s warbly folky, National Geographic film being projected in 7th grade sounding interludes) and Prefuse 73(for it’s glitch-pop main tracks that actually manage to be the best Prefuse 73 material that Prefuse 73 didn’t put out), Bibio weaves his own brand of folktronica over 12 tracks and is one of the best releases not just this week but this year. To celebrate how great it is, we have this on our listening stations right now for a SUPER cheap price. There is absolutely no reason not to pick this up right now.

Honorable mentions for June 23rd Record of the Week:

  • Foreign Born – Person to Person (Secretly Canadian)
  • A Hawk and a Hacksaw – Deliverance (Leaf)
  • Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer (Jagjaguwar)
  • Tortoise – Beacons of Ancestorship (Thrill Jockey)

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Record of the Week: Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca (Domino)

Monday, June 8th, 2009

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

After taking a brief hiatus from declaring a record of the week, we are back with a good one. There are some pretty high profile releases out this week with the new Sonic Youth, Deerhunter’s new EP, and Coalesce coming back to life with their new full length but one stood head and shoulders above all of them. Dave Longstreth has been plugging along under the moniker Dirty Projectors and with his new full length Bitte Orca he really has delivered what looks to be his defining album.

Bitte Orca is a winding album of strange twists and turns, off-kilter rhythms and melodies standing on Longstreth’s warbling voice. Whereas most artists who work in the realm of playing such music might sound forced or use the strangeness of it all as a crutch, Longstreth truly doesn’t know any other way to make music. This guy is a legitimate weirdo yet he continually churns out these perfect pop gems, one after another on Bitte Orca.

Longstreth has finally seemed to solidify a lineup behind him and let’s hope it sticks. Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian’s(who also put out a pretty good solo EP a couple weeks ago) voices match up with Longstreth’s bizarre delivery incredibly well and each get a track in which they take the spotlight(Coffman on the single “Stillness in the Move” and Deradoorian on “Two Doves).

Dirty Projectors got quite a bit of attention when they appeared on the Dark Was the Night compilation with David Byrne in tow. They’ll no longer have to worry about guest appearances of such caliber soon as Bitte Orca is sure to have them getting plenty of press for years to come. Recommended if you like Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Talking Heads, or pop music that hangs on the fringe of insanity.

Honorable mentions for June 9th Record of the Week:

  • Deerhunter – Rainwater Cassette Exchange (Kranky)
  • Gregg Kowalsky – Tape Chants (Kranky)
  • Sonic Youth – The Eternal (Matador)
  • Quest For Fire – Quest For Fire (Tee Pee)

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Record of the Week: James Blackshaw – Glass Bead Game (Young God)

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

James Blackshaw - Glass Bead Game

For the inaugural record of the week we had a rather tough choice to make. So many great new albums are coming out for the May 26th release week between the new Grizzly Bear, Tyvek, Blank Dogs, Sunn O))), Current 93, Khanate, and tons of others. After all was said and done though, one stood much above the others to get the esteemed honor.

When James Blackshaw left Tompkins Square for Young God I had a feeling that something great was going to come. Michael Gira(Young God Records) rarely signs any artists that are short of amazing and I have absolutely loved everything that Blackshaw has put out. Admittedly though, I was feeling a little let down by his last effort, Litany of Echoes.

Blackshaw has been completely forgiven for any let down on this new album. Despite the fact that he is still compared to other guitar artists such as John Fahey, Robbie Basho, Jack Rose, and their ilk, Blackshaw has really carved out a sound all his own. Blackshaw’s sound has a much less American sound to it, which would make sense considering he is from England. His compositional skills go beyond guitar as well as vocal arrangements complement his guitar playing on the first track “Cross” and piano and string arrangements, not unlike Peter Broadrick’s work on Float, make up the majority of the second half of the album.

Blackshaw, having recently joined Current 93 and played on their new album(also released this week), is joined by members of Current 93. You’d think this would lead to a more abstract or disjointed Blackshaw but he seems to be more focused than ever. Recommended if you like John Fahey, English folk, ambient music or just a good record to play around the house on a rainy day.

Honorable mentions for May 26th Record of the Week:

  • City Center – City Center (Type)
  • Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest (Warp)
  • Blank Dogs – Under and Under (In the Red)

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