Beans is more Artist then Master of Ceremony and End It All is more art installation that you visit once and ponder then favorite album you play everyday.
With its fifth release, Garage a Trois has crafted an album destined to go down as one of the best instrumental releases of the last couple decades. That may sound a tad hyperbolic, but Always Be Happy but Stay Evil showcases the extraordinary range of four musicians at the top of their respective games.
Two and a half years removed from Dear Science, TVOTR has returned from their “indefinite hiatus” with a record that is thematic of love and the mind/body universal connection.
On Eisley’s third album, The Valley (2011), anger and desperation act as both the record’s centerpiece and Achilles heel. Those looking for a return to the ethereal angst-laden dream-pop of Combinations (2007) or Room Noises (2003) are certainly in for some disappointment. The songs on The Valley are deeply rooted in the visceral rawness of heartbreak and the ensuing waves of disillusionment, wrath and desolation.
While much of the content is forceful, there appears to be more confusion than cohesion present after listening to this album. In its entirety, the instrumentals and production behind the piano-laced beats that make up much of The Family Sign speak louder than the poetic flow of Slug and the quality of his lyricism.
The first thing that jumps out at you is the stunning cover art of Generation Debt; taken from a George Jartos painting as the Bellingham, WA group featured a hometown artist on their album. The second thing that is noticeable is the running time of the tunes, these songs stick around for a while as there are no quick ditty’s on Acorn Project’s newest offering.
On their fourth release, the Kills place more emphasis on melody than on angsty rock riffing. Blood Pressures features fewer squealing guitars and buzzing feedback and more vocal harmonies. Hell, there’s even a piano ballad. Not to worry, though; the duo’s gritty sound, combining blues with a punk swagger, is intact.
Robbie Robertson credits Eric Clapton for much of the original impetus behind the recording of his new album, so it’s no coincidence that How to Become Clairvoyant is remarkably reminiscent of Slowhand’s studio productions as heard on 1998’s Pilgrim.
Recordings such as In Concert Brandeis University 1963 are the source of a charisma Bob Dylan still commands today, the likes of which continues to resonate with generations far removed from his own demographic. Originally available only as a value-added piece to The Witmark Demos, this composite of a live show documents the power of Dylan’s performances as well as his compositions of that period, just prior to his breakout beyond the folk genre he would soon redefine.
Tom Hamilton is an amazing and underappreciated songwriter. While his work in Brothers Past and American Babies has steadily produced memorable hook after memorable melody across a diverse range of musical styles (from electro jam to indie-electro brooding to pastoral country rock) his name is not particularly well known. Hamilton’s penchant for producing a majestic elegance inside all his musical voices is second to none and on his new American Babies release, Flawed Logic, he further cements his reputation as major talent.
