safer in the dark

Keepaway – Black Flute

gwyoung — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 03:47:34 +0000

Artist: Keepaway

Album: Black Flute

Release: Greedhead, 2012

Genre: Experimental

RIYD: Yeasayer, Nurses, Animal Collective

Brooklyn psych-pop band Keepaway burst into the scene with their incredible single “Yellow Wings” back in 2010, drawing comparisons to both the synthwork of similarly psychedelic acts such as Animal Collective and Yeasayer and to the guitar riffs of indie rock greats like Modest Mouse and Built To Spill. Unfortunately, the rest of the material on those first two EPs was mostly hit-or-miss, with the few good tracks “5 Rings” and “Sideways Smile” buried amidst a lot of uninspired filler. But, at their best, their sound was bright, dynamic, and surprisingly unique despite all of the comparisons, and they showed a lot of promise.

Now, two years since, they’ve finally released their debut full-length, Black Flute. The record finds the band haunted by the same problems, as a lot of these songs are duds and most view the album as a huge disappointment compared to “Yellow Wings” and “Sideways Smile”. The vocals are less energetic: gone are the “Did You See The Words?”-like screams of pleasure and delight that made those tracks so excellent. In addition, the song structures are looser and more meandering, and the album has a very quiet feel that is unexpected from the band that started with such a big sound.

However, despite the fact that Black Flute is by no means a great record, something about a few of the tracks continued to lure me back in each time I tried to listen to something else instead. Of course, there are quite a few misses, but fortunately there are also a few subtly intriguing “hits”. After only one or two listens, I would find myself humming the whimsical chorus of “Bomber” over and over in my head as I walked to the bus or singing about “Royal Jelly” in the shower. Lead single “Cake” also has its own charm, “Stunner” has a killer bridge that ties the mess of a song together, and the live version of “Erika” also stands out against the drab atmosphere of the filler tracks in between. On these few tracks, the band shows a clear talent for constructing inviting yet quirky soundscapes to fit their vocals, layering on the gentle synths as they wander through their off-kilter melodies.

Ultimately, I’m recommending this album only for those few treats within it, as Black Flute has proven to be a perfect example of the work of a band that has matured too soon. Their sound has lost the vibrancy of its youth, but while that is definitely something to lament, we can also at least celebrate the originality of the few good tracks that came as a result. There are still sweet spots on this band’s over-ripe and occasionally rotten fruits.

Balam Acab – “Kimmi In A Rice Field” & “Video Games” Remixes

gwyoung — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 02:40:04 +0000

Balam Acab’s debut album, Wander/Wonder, was one of the more intriguing releases of 2011, combining pitch-shifted vocals with gentle, watery compositions of graceful chimes, bubbling arpeggios, strings, and piano. His original music is borderline ambient, and as such might put some of you to sleep, but his remix work is a horse of a different color. His fluid arrangements provide the perfect background for other musicians’ (especially female) voices, so he strips the originals down to their bare-bones vocal tracks and structures his own little snow globe worlds around them, both highlighting their original emotion and imbuing them with a gorgeous, ethereal quality. So far the best one’s he’s done are of Twin Sister’s “Kimmi In A Rice Field” and, a safer in the dark favorite, Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games”. Check them out below:

Twin Sister

“Kimmi In A Rice Field (Balam Acab Remix)”

Lana Del Rey

“Video Games (Balam Acab Remix)”

DropDeadKxy – Blessa (Toro y Moi Cover)

gwyoung — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:19:49 +0000

My friend showed me this video, and it was so beautiful I just had to share it with, uh, whoever reads this blog. It’s an acoustic cover of the first and only Toro y Moi song I’ve ever enjoyed, “Blessa” (off of the 2009 Causers of This album.) Her voice is stunning:

The 20 Most Quirky, Bizarre, and Overlooked Albums of the 00s

gwyoung — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:33:03 +0000

I never got around to making an end-of-decade list for the 2000s, which is surprising considering my affinity for making lists. But now, here we are, two years into the 2010s, and I’m finally ready to discuss some of my picks for the first decade of the new millennium. A lot of these are albums I’ve been meaning to talk about for a long time while the rest are recent obsessions that couldn’t be covered in my coverage of 2011 because they unfortunately came out many years back and I completely missed the boat. One thing that unites them all, however, is their strangeness: all of these albums are unique, weird, or quirky in their own wonderful ways, and hopefully some of them were overlooked enough that they’ll serve as new treasures for you to experience. We’ll go chronologically:

Boredoms – Vision Creation Newsun (2000)

Japanese experimental rock band Boredoms have been making a commotion for quite awhile, changing their style to predict musical trends long before they even materialize. Abandoning the group’s more abrasive aspects in favor of a more psychedelic approach, Vision Creation Newsun started the millennium off with a bang: a seamless jam session spanning nine tracks that pioneers all of the vocal manipulation, synth drones, precise guitar strums, and propulsive drumming that have become the norm in experimental indie music as we know it today.

Múm – Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Is OK (2000)

Icelandic band Múm suffered a great loss when founding member and lead vocalist, Kría Brekkan, left the band in 2006. Her nymph-like vocals, full of starry-eyed wonder, were part of what made the group so unique on its original recordings, this album included. Here her voice is woven into the electronic tapestry of glitches, distorted piano, and rolling beats as an instrument in its own right, bringing attention to the special quality of the sound rather than the indistinguishable and unimportant lyric. The combination makes for a dynamic album that jumps back and forth between nostalgic melancholy and moments of pure bliss.

Circulatory System – Circulatory System (2001)

Rising from the more experimental half of the ashes of the recently-revived psychedelic pop group The Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System continues in the same strange vein. Their self-titled debut takes the listener on an existential journey through a mystical world that may resemble something like what’s depicted in the album art, though perhaps even darker and more mysterious. The album came into existence at the tail end of the Elephant Six collective’s reign over indie rock, but is right up there with Neutral Milk Hotel’s In The Aerpolane Over The Sea in terms of both quality and emotional breadth.

Cornelius – POINT (2002)

Cornelius definitely wants you to remember the name of this album, as a sample of him shouting “POINT!” serves as several interludes to stitch together the various loop exercises that comprise the real songs. The album itself flows remarkably well, as the aforementioned loops move from water droplets to birds in a rainforest to infectious bass guitar grooves, and of course Cornelius’ soft-spoken vocals float happily above all the impeccably controlled chaos.

The Books – The Lemon Of Pink (2003)

The Lemon Of Pink is an album of redemption. On it, the Books immerse the listener in a confusing world of sample-based disorder strung together by the melancholy tones of violin strings, inducing unsettled feelings of alienation, isolation, and foreboding. But every so often, just when it feels like all hope is lost, the shuffling samples and strings align to form brief moments of wonder, redeeming those disturbed feelings of emotional upheaval as feelings of hope and optimism. The Lemon Of Pink is not just an interesting experiment in collage music, it’s a truly unique demonstration of the impact of sound on human experience.

Ellen Allien – Berlinette (2003)

“Trash Scapes”, the centerpiece track on Berlinette, is certainly a fitting title for the electronic style perfected on techno producer Ellen Allien’s masterwork, as sampled cosmic junk, warbled, vocoded stammers, and gritty sound effects fuse to form a danceable medley of futuristic beats. The ugliness is layered on top of beautiful backdrops of synthetic chimes, strings, bells, and whistles, constituting the perfect blend to capture the bittersweet, polluted and technological atmosphere of the modern age.

The High Llamas – Beet, Maize & Corn (2003)

Beet, Maize, & Corn is a tribute to the nostalgic, making me feel like I’m sitting at the fireplace while watching black and white television cartoons in the 1950s even though I’ve never experienced anything of the sort. The songs themselves are lazy, meandering, and mildly psychedelic, and their deft and unexpected arrangements will put you in a funny-feeling but serene mood that’ll stay with you long after the album’s conclusion.

Black Dice – Creature Comforts (2004)

Creature Comforts is not necessarily a pleasure to listen to, and most would probably not consider it music at all, but the alluring cover and the bizarre sounds within make this album’s impact inescapable. Here Black Dice forego all rhythm and melody to carefully construct soundscapes of noise, resulting in some sort of beast that sounds like a cross between a vacuum cleaner and a jungle animal. Creature Comforts is not comforting in the least, but it does succeed remarkably in transforming harsh, mechanical sounds into a living, breathing creature.

cLOUDDEAD – Ten (2004)

I could’ve picked any anticon.-related release for this list: Themselves’ Them, Subtle’s For Hero: For Fool, Why?’s Oaklandazulasylum, or even cLOUDDEAD’s self-titled debut. They’re all about as strange as indie rap music can get, favoring atmospherics, bizarre samples, and off-kilter speedy rhymes to the conventional beats and rhythms of other hip-hop of their time. But cLOUDDEAD’s Ten is the most endearing of them all, standing above the rest as a ghostly music-box filled with child-like wonder and remembrance of things past.

Caribou – The Milk Of Human Kindness (2005)

Dan Snaith’s first album as Caribou, after the Manitoba project was ended by an unfortunate lawsuit, is all over the place stylistically. Combining elements of krautrock, psychedelic electronica, and classic rock funk, the songs on The Milk Of Human Kindness range from brief sample exercises to lengthy kraut-jams to looping guitar-folk, all in the span of about 40 fantastical minutes. It’s all-over-the-place in the best way possible.

Deerhoof – Apple O’ (2005)

Apple O’ shouldn’t be my favorite Deerhoof album. The Runners Four, Friend Opportunity, and even Reveille all have catchier hooks and guitar-rock jams than the spastic little song sketches peppering this short-but-incredibly-sweet album, but something about Apple O’ is just striking. The blitz of guitar, noise, sonic experiments, and, most importantly, bubblegum pop melodies found on the album perfectly showcase the gloriously raucous energy of Deerhoof in their adolescence, and though they’ve matured in equally interesting ways since its inception, Apple O really is, in my eyes, their finest effort.

Danielson – Ships (2006)

The various incarnations of Daniel Smith and his “Famile” have been pretty much hit-or-miss throughout his musical career, but it was on Ships, with the aid of friends from Serena-Maneesh, Greg Saunier’s guitar from Deerhoof, and Sufjan Stevens’ compositional prowess, that the “Famile” came together to bring us something brilliant. Ships is an elegant example of freak-folk at its finest, with Smith’s nasally vocals leading the energetically ramshackle band of brass, strings, and handclaps to victory throughout the catchy hooks and poppy wit of the album.

The Fiery Furnaces – Bitter Tea (2006)

As if Blueberry Boat wasn’t divisive enough, the Friedbergers returned a few years later with an even more grandiose, mind-fucking, and pretentiously cerebral project. Feeding the artists’ obsessions with backward-tracking experiments and skittering electronic flourishes while possessing an intensely anxious energy, Bitter Tea manages to outdo its predecessor with both exhausting ambition, precise composition, and, above all, excellent pop melodies.

Parenthetical Girls – Safe As Houses (2006)

Zac Pennington’s voice may remind you of Colin Meloy of The Decemberists or Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel while his disturbed lyrics bring to mind acts like Xiu Xiu with their references to miscarriage, drowning, and other ways for little children to die, but what sets Parenthetical Girls apart from those bands is the full, rich quality of their music. The direct songwriting and powerful arrangements found on the experimental pop melodies comprising Safe As Houses serve as an accessible entry point into the demented minds of Parenthetical Girls.

Xiu Xiu – The Air Force (2006)

Xiu Xiu sounds much more subtle and subdued on oft-overlooked The Air Force than the band did on the noisy Knife Play, the manic-depressive A Promise, or the surprisingly synth-pop Fabulous Muscles, and as such it features less of the chaos for which the band is known. Without all that mess, though, the true songwriting ability of frontman Jamie Stewart really shines through, and the gentler chimes, faint guitar strumming, and empty space of the compositional atmosphere showcase Xiu Xiu’s poignant sense of restraint, allowing listeners to hear their unexpected softer side.

Le Loup – The Throne Of The Third Heaven Of The Nations’ Millennium General Assembly (2007)

Sam Simkoff, Le Loup vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, sounds as if he’s calling out from the edge of the Earth, on the brink of destruction. The soft, plucked-string psychedelic folk backdrop supporting his wailing voice makes him sound even more isolated and desperate, but the combination, as well as the gentle build and emotive release in the songwriting, transforms the melancholy into something strangely inspiring and uplifting.

Azeda Booth – In Flesh Tones (2008)

If the initial shock of realizing that Azeda Booth’s singer is actually a man and not a little girl doesn’t get to you, the heartbreaking quality of his ghostly falsetto flitting in and out of lushly patterned synth arrangements will engrain this album in your head for the rest of your days. There’s really no other album that can match the emotional heft and aching beauty of In Flesh Tones, and though (hopefully) Azeda Booth may soon try again at a sophomore effort, its an irreplaceable one-off album that will not be forgotten.

The Chap – Mega Breakfast (2008)

The Chap sometimes seem like a joke band, with their nonsense lyrics and bizarre pastiche album art, but on Mega Breakfast they demonstrate not only their bizarre sense of humor but also their ability to make catchy, interesting songs. Their style utilizes polished electronic effects as a backdrop for their collective voices (each member of the band contributes, despite how off-putting they may sound), and the subtle nuances in their soundscapes make Mega Breakfast an unique and interesting listen, especially on a good pair of headphones.

Twi The Humble Feather – Music For Spaceships And Forests (2008)

The title says it all. The hushed, chant-like vocals and campfire guitar strums of this album will transport you into a mystical forest, full of wood nymphs, sprites, and faeries, while the electronic flourishes evoke futuristic images of traveling through space and time. The music of Twi the Humble Feather is both rustic and modern, and though it draws comparisons to the best of the early stages of Animal Collective, it still manages to solidify its own place in our time.

Tyondai Braxton – Central Market (2009)

Tyondai Braxton has been producing solo output for over a decade now, but his creative influence during his time in Battles, especially on their breakthrough album Mirrored, best prepared him to release this stunner, Central Market. The music comprising this record sounds like it could be the soundtrack to some more fucked up version of Peter & The Wolf or one of those trippy Donald Duck movies (like Donald in Mathmagic Land). No matter which comparison you choose, Central Market is deliciously insane.

The Big Pink – “Stay Gold” & “Hit The Ground (Superman)”

gwyoung — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:55:57 +0000

The Big Pink have a new album out in the near future, and though these first two singles may be old news by now, they deserve to mentioned here, especially because they’re pretty much the only good tracks on the album (though I guess “The Palace” and “1313″ can hold their own.) I haven’t listened to their debut, but from what I’ve heard the band has eschewed a lot of the shoegazey production that blanketed A Brief History Of Love in favor of tighter, crisper, and more direct pop songs, and it works quite well for the band. Opener “Stay Gold” has an especially good hook:

And just when you think the fun has ended, they move right into the second track, another hit with a catchy, universal chorus that efficiently samples Laurie Anderson’s breakthrough single, “O Superman (For Massenet)”. I’m especially fond of the latter half of the video, where random people blow raspberries with their lips in slow motion:

Finally, just for good measure, I’ll throw in the original Laurie Anderson track. If you haven’t heard it, give it a listen. Her ground-breaking spoken word vocal experiments are definitely worth any music-lover’s time:

The Shins – “Simple Song”

gwyoung — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:48:48 +0000

For those of you fans who’ve been under a rock for the past few months, gateway-indie pop band The Shins are back in town in 2012 with their first new material since 2007′s Wincing The Night Away. “Simple Song” is our first taste of the new album, and also our first taste of the new band frontman James Mercer has put together since firing his old bandmates (as they didn’t have the necessary skills to play the songs he was writing) and forcing them to open up taco stands to earn cash. But really, Mercer is the talent behind The Shins, a fact which becomes all too clear through the soaring melody of Port Of Morrow’s first single. We can only hope the rest of the album is just as phenomenal. Click here to listen, courtesy of Stereogum. Also, check out the alluringly dark album art for the single and the album below:

Llama Del Rey

gwyoung — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:31:36 +0000

Those of you familiar with Lana Del Rey will find this to be an amusing photoshop:

It’s taken from the most recent installment of Hipster Runoff’s vendetta against the newest, most lip-injected beauty queen of indie rock. Carles has still got it.

The 15 Best Album Covers of 2011

gwyoung — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 06:37:49 +0000

I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but 2011 had quite a few releases that intrigued me to listen based on album art alone. Often the music was a let-down compared to the beautiful art encasing it, but on rare occasion the music stood up on its own to complete the perfect pair of visual and aural imagery. So, just for fun, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite 15 album covers from 2011, to complete my year-end coverage (although I do have a nice surprise in store for my fellow list-lovers out there.) Criteria for the list include both ability for the art to capture the feeling of the music and pure aesthetic quality. Some interesting patterns: most of this art is very minimal, or blue-colored, or both. Also, breasts and cleavage were quite popular this year, as were cute dogs.

15.

14.

13.

12.

11.

10.

Top 15 Albums of 2011

gwyoung — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 06:24:50 +0000

You know the drill. Here are 2011′s giants: the best 15 albums of the year. Read on:

15.

Active Child – You Are All I See

You Are All I See sounds like apocalyptic grand cathedral music, only much quieter. Pat Grossi sounds like the melded voices of an angelic choir, singing in a dark church with bursts of light shooting in from stained glass windows to pierce the oppressive and devastating darkness.

14.

Beirut – The Rip Tide

The Rip Tide is short and to-the-point, containing straightforward songs entirely typical of Beirut. No surprises here as Condon continues to take inspiration from folk music throughout Europe, just incredibly good songwriting and powerful vocals.

13.

Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact

“Glass Jar” alone makes this album one of this year’s finest, with its 12 minutes of ethnic-infused tribal techno out-there experimental synth rock emerging out of the ether. Gang Gang Dance seem to both sidestep and exceed expectations at once, and Eye Contact shows a marvelously unexpected step away from their masterpiece, Saint Dymphna.

12.

Radiohead – The King Of Limbs

Almost every Radiohead fan pretty much trashed this album when it came out early this year, and to this day I still don’t understand why. Sure, it sounds like classic Kid A/Amnesiac-era Radiohead: it’s not a groundbreaking new sound for the band. But classic Kid A/Amnesiac-era Radiohead was some pretty excellent music, and so is The King Of Limbs.

11.

Future Islands – On The Water

I’ve already said my bit about Future Islands, and quite recently too. They’re still great. Don’t miss out on this album and all it’s atmospheric pirate-like new-wave goodness.

10.

Ponytail – Do Whatever You Want All The Time

Right when Ponytail stumbles upon the perfect balance between noise and sugar-soaked layers of guitar and effects, the band calls it quits. Though the individual contributors will continue to make music (Dustin Wong has a new album out early next year), this fearsome four-piece will be sorely missed.

Youth Lagoon – The Year Of Hibernation

Tragic lo-fi bedroom pop with some epic emotional build-ups from a mousey little voice off in the distance. Trevor Powers’ voice and soft electronics perfectly capture the nostalgia of summer “Afternoons” and “July”, and the charm of this album will both break your heart and send your spirits soaring.

Hooray For Earth – True Loves

Taking cues from Yeasayer and other “indie dance” bands that have been emerging as of late, Hooray For Earth took us all by surprise with their big sound and powerful hooks. “True Loves” and “Sails” were two of the best singles of the year, and the rest of the album follows suit.

St. Vincent – Strange Mercy

Like Dirty Projectors’ Bitte Orca before it, this album is more “music for people who have listened to so much music that they can’t tell what’s good anymore and only like it because it sounds different.” I don’t have any problem with that, because on Strange Mercy, “different” sounds oh-so good.

Deerhoof – Deerhoof vs. Evil

“Transitional album” my ass. This is Deerhoof at their finest, offering the freshest blend of cute, cuddly, and thrashing guitars. Satomi and Greg Saunier really outdid themselves this year, making up for the slight misstep of Offend Maggie and reassuring fans that they will, in fact, keep making their music better and better with each release.

Givers – In Light

It seems like a lot of bands are trying to ride the afro-beat coattails of Vampire Weekend (Delicate Steve and Jinja Safari being two others on these lists alone), but Givers do it better than any other with their pop sensibility, bombastic electronics, and stunning display of boy-girl vocal prowess.

Bon Iver – Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Building on For Emma with a backing band and gorgeously lush arrangements, Justin Vernon crafts a near-perfect (“Beth/Rest” and its cheese being the only exception) album that, despite the collaborative effort, pushes the angelic melancholy to its limits.

Alvin Band – Rainbow Road

This album sounds like what would happen if Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes replaced Avey Tare in Animal Collective and convinced the group to write songs about playing Mario Kart. Rainbow Road attempts and succeeds to capture the sheer joy and magic of a road trip around the mushroom kingdom.

Battles – Gloss Drop

2011′s music was big on the quirky and unique, and Gloss Drop pretty much tops the list in originality. Battles have proven that they don’t need Tyondai Braxton’s vocal effects to make interesting music, and instead barrage our ears with candy guitars and marshmallow drums.

Braids – Native Speaker

I reviewed this album back in January after hearing the leak before 2011 even started, and I contended that Braids was basically a female-fronted Animal Collective before daring the rest of 2011 to try to top them. Well, it didn’t, and though Braids’ sound is following in Animal Collective’s synthy footprints (see “Peach Wedding”), Native Speaker stands apart from any comparisons as a beautifully-conceived piece of emotional depth.

Top 15 Tracks of 2011

gwyoung — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:10:22 +0000

I really tried to limit my list of tracks this year (since I feel like picking a list of something near 100 tracks is essentially meaningless once you get past the first few) but I couldn’t cut it past 15. These particular songs defined the year for me, and because they appeared on their own or stood so far above the album material surrounding them, they made even more of an impact on my 2011. I couldn’t let the year end without sharing them:

15. Cults – “Oh My God”

14. Jamie xx – “Far Nearer”

13. Death Cab For Cutie – “You Are A Tourist”

12. Small Black – “Two Rivers (Feat. Heems)”

11. HEALTH – “Goth Star”

10. Junior Boys – “Banana Ripple”

9. Santigold – “Go (Feat. Karen O)”

8. Phantogram – “Don’t Move”

7. Lana Del Rey – “Video Games”

6. Rostam – “Wood”

5. Zammuto – “Groan Man, Don’t Cry”

4. Antlers – “French Exit”

3. Wilco – “The Art Of Almost”

2. Purity Ring – “Ungirthed”

1. Cut Copy – “Need You Now”