This record, on its surface, may sound like another '80s throwback, synthesizer-spiced space jam, but Minus the Bear's equation comes off more measured than, say, the last great album from Seattle peersModest Mouse. While OMNI's title might imply MtB's desire to be everything to everyone, there's no posturing, no faking it from these composers
While one might pinpoint The Slackers' signature sound somewhere between the Jamaican essence of The Maytals and the English beat of The Specials, it would only prove futile to casually categorize this band. Since 1991 The Slackers have done more than marry ska's upbeat shuffle with its sluggish reggae counterpart. And they still possess the power to push even the biggest prude to dance in public.
Mick Jones’ last three albums with the Clash were genre-mixing explorations that pushed the limits, not only of punk, but of rock and pop as a whole. With the exception of London Calling, these efforts were both uneven as well as underrated. Big Audio Dynamite not only continued that tradition, but also expanded on it. Considering that such a broad palette would be considered commonplace in the next decade, This Is Big Audio Dynamite doesn’t get its due for for the part it played in laying out the landscape for many of the alt rock bands that exploded into the 90s.
Remember that engineer who left behind the prototype iPhone in the public bathroom? Maybe the act was intentional, maybe it wasn't. Either way, the event sparked a free p.r. firestorm. The same might be said for James Murphy, the man behind synthpop dance group LCD Soundsystem. Murphy ranted and raved last month when his latest album leaked via the Internet. Careless or otherwise, the same kind of whodunit buzz prevailed for the premature exposure of This is Happening.
This make-shift muscle rock outfit from Seattle does a lot with very little. At its core Unnatural Helpers is Dean Whitmore’s baby, but he added a few extra capable rockers to accent Cracked Love & Other Drugs. Nothing pretentious, just raw rock on display that never lasts longer then two and a half minutes with most songs ending before the two minute mark is even sniffed.
Girl in a Coma’s latest release, a series of 7" EPs titled Adventures in Coverland, is their stab at this critically (though not always commercially) dangerous plan. So, how do they fare? Well, with selections ranging from Richie Valens to Joy Division, they certainly succeed in laying out the influences of what has become, in a very short time, a remarkably rich musical palette. The selection is also culturally diverse, spelling out the trio’s cultural history as well. In conjunction with their last album, 2009’s Trio BC, these EPs make the source of Girl in a Coma’s rapidly expanding vision quite clear. Taken as a whole, there is no question that Adventures in Coverland succeeds where similar albums, often by bands with far more experience, fail.
f there is any justice in the world, Big Light’s, Animals In Bloom will dominate and help define your summer days this year. It is an album that is meant to be played loud, very loud, with your windows down. The music is deeply textural, brilliantly cleaver, and very centered on the words and vocal inflections of the band’s songwriter, guitarist, and co-founder Fred Torphy. It is powerful, emotional music in the vein of some of the classic modern songwriters like Jeff Tweedy and Brad Barr, but with Torphy’s distinctive spin.
Infamous Stringdusters began their career as a super group of Nashville pickers that blew away fans and critics with their caliber of songs and jaw-dropping instrumental skills which transformed into an impressive live act. On their latest release, Things that Fly, they had the privilege to record at Dave Matthews’ Haunted Hollow studios in Charlottesville, Virginia and enlisted renowned producer Gary Paczosa.
Superficially, Dear Companion appears to be a protest record, one with songs aimed squarely and angrily at the target – in this case, the horrifyingly irresponsible act of mountaintop removal coal mining. You can read all about the proceeds going to Appalachian Voices (an organization dedicated to stopping the practice) and about how three musicians from Kentucky – Daniel Martin Moore, Ben Sollee, and Jim James – came together to write about their love for their home state. But Dear Companion isn't full of the fire and brimstone you'd expect from musicians trying to make a point about a controversial issue. Instead, the record uses honey in place of vinegar, and the result is an experience with a broader worldview.
This is angular, complex rock and roll. Untied States has put together a jigsaw puzzle of riffs, tempo changes, click’s, synth’s, distortion and words with their third album Instant Everything, Constant Nothing. Experimental post-punk may be the easiest way to describe it, but the fellas do everything they can to defy labels.
