It's hard to write about Eric Bachmann and his new solo effort To The Races without comparing it to his previous work with Archers of Loaf and Crooked Fingers. However, it is worth a shot, simply for the reason that while this is still the same Eric Bachmann, but it is very stripped down so that it is just Eric Bachmann.
Sean Lennon’s debut, 1998’s Into the Sun, had laid-back, jazzy undertones that afforded him positive reviews and a place in the contemporary music world apart from either of his iconic parents. Now at age 31, Sean Lennon has matured and it is purely evident on Friendly Fire.
A superb release, yes; but comparisons to recent works should bear the acknowledgment that there are many, many Willies floating around these days. Still, the collaboration works, and leaves us hopeful that Adams and Nelson's studio stint was a raucous, hazy bender that has them eager to meet again.
When Ratatat first popped up a few years ago, their intriguing collection of drum beats and spacey guitar work set them apart from most bands. Sure, other instrumentals were eyeing the same avenues, but Ratatat put the mental n instrumental with their border-breaking goldmine of catchy as fuck beats and just plain solid songs.
Comets on Fire updates the grind of the ‘70s with clean production and melodic piano noodling putting it in a context both timeless and contemporary. All this is accomplished within a framework that would please Iron Butterfly. Avatar is a great way to keep listening to old-school “hard rock” without being accused of being out of touch with the music of today.
Like the Magic Numbers’ recent debut before them, Mohair is bound to make another dent as new classic pop songwriters from across the way.
On Skelliconnection, Chad VanGaalen offers up a wealth of musical influences, somehow crafted into a listenable, if not exactly earth-shattering, album. One hears, in his sound, hints of Joseph Arthur, Cloud Cult, and any number of Sub Pop artists. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that he is being touted as a combination of Iron & Wine, The Postal Service, and The Shins.
To follow the success of We're Already Gone, The Beautiful Girls decided to move ahead by looking behind, filling in their new American audience with Water, a compilation of tracks pulled from those earlier releases between 2002 and 2004.
While Eisenhower may eventually prove to be just another step in a larger, ongoing Slip journey, it proves to be the band's monumental achievement nonetheless. Not so much for it’s distinction from previous efforts, but for proving that a fledging band that debuted with such spark could persevere, and ultimately, a decade later, change the way you look at rock.
Eight years following A Go Go, Out Louder pairs the groove kings together once again. Melding the sonic style of John Scofield with the groove heavy sound of MMW, these musicians easily found common ground. In fact, they sound as if they have played together for years.
