It’s been eleven years since Jeff Mangum and co (Neutral Milk Hotel) released their masterpiece In the Aeroplane, Over the Sea.  Fans have been waiting for Jeff’s triumphant return ever since; yet, other than a few live guest spots, Mangum has kept completely silent.  In some of the press sheets, The Rural Alberta Advantage are said to be the next Neutral Milk Hotel.  Generally this sort of hyperbole squashes my interest, but I decided to give the record a shot anyways.  I’m quite happy I did.

The RAA’s debut album Hometowns is thirteen songs packed full of percussion and the yelping vocals that gave RAA the Neutral Milk Hotel comparison.  The driving element throughout the record are the drums.  During even the slower songs like “Don’t Haunt this Place,” the percussion moves into double time - creating a striking counterpoint to the gentle guitar and vocals.

I love dance music as much as the next person, but it’s nice to hear a jamming acoustic guitar again.  The band recently signed to Saddle Creek, a label that seems to have lost the limelight due to the changing tides of music.  It’s a great fit though, and one that could facilitate more great albums from the Canadian trio.

Grab “Don’t Haunt This Place” here.

There’s a factory in Brooklyn making great bands, and it’s latest creation is called Suckers.  This four song EP gets in and out without a dull moment, and the indie-anthem “It Gets Your Body Movin” is the perfect leaving-the-listener-wanting-more exit.  The sound makes sense when you look at the production credits for Anand Wilder (Yeasayer) and Chris Moore (TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs).  The influences seem to rest on their sleeves (David Byrne and Wolf Parade to name a few), but don’t get in the way due to the quality of the songwriting.

This should be a lesson to any new band - less is more.  Write thirty songs and release four.  The landscape of music has shifted, and the bombardment of content leaves people with little time to gain opinion.  Suckers asked for 14 minutes of my time, and as “Beach Queen” reached it’s chorus I knew I was going to be there for the remaining 12 minutes.

Suckers Myspace

Things felt a little shaky there for The Thermals in early 2008.  They had toured on The Body, The Blood, The Machine for over a year and a half, they no longer had a drummer and were looking for a new label home.  Yet, in reality all that paled in comparison to their toughest hurdle.  Trying to write music that surpassed their landmark Bush-era concept record was going to be near impossible. TBTBTM combined everything great about The Thermals, political music and punk rock.  By 2008 the political and social tides had begun to shift, and it looked likely a Senator named Barack Obama might be our next president.  How would Hutch and Kathy translate this new landscape into an album?

Out of this situation, somewhere in a Portland studio, Now We Can See was birthed.  From the lyrics of the album’s title track, (”Now that our vision is strong, we don’t need to admit we were wrong”) it’s clear Hutch still has a sharp tongue when it comes to public and political behavior.  The album’s narrative comes from the POV of a newly deceased man and his journey through his new “life.”  It references the TBTBTM era, and talks about how we’ve reacted to these changes.  Hutch still doesn’t have much good to say about the national consciousness, but where TBTBTM was explicitly apocalyptic, Now We Can See cuts a more subtle argument.

One of the newest sounding songs, “At the Bottom of the Sea,” runs a two note bar chord that hints at the guitar line in “The End.”  It’s pretty subtle but for some reason I just keep seeing Apocalypse Now playing during this song.  “Now We Can See” is the standout single and combines the energy, quick delivery and interesting commentary that made me a Thermals fan in the beginning.

Grab the free track below and buy Now We Can See on Amazon.

[mp3] The Thermals - Now We Can See

It’s been quite the year for Michael Angelakos, mastermind behind Boston based Passion Pit.  First, his belated Valentine’s Day present turns into an indie hit, then he signs a record deal with French Kiss, and now how he’s got a full band and a debut LP called Manners coming out.

The musical growth between Chunk of Change EP and Manners is pretty hard to gauge given all that’s happened.  I was curious to see what would happen to the purity of Angelakos’ original mission, and whether the addition of a band would stifle him or take Passion Pit to a higher musical level.  With “The Reeling” and a Fader.tv studio visit as my first peeks at the album, I’m pretty confident Passion Pit have channeled the same energy and child like approach to melody (Michael even talks about being inspired by children’s choirs during their studio profile - which includes a guest spot by a… children’s choir) as he did on the EP.

Stream the song below or on the band’s Myspace.  Look for the album on May 19th.

Randolph Chabot’s career is starting to look a lot like that of Conor Oberst.  There are the obvious connections with their early musical starts (Randolph is 22), and midwest background; however, it’s more their approach to the creation of music as a solitary experiment.  Chabot says that by 17 he’d written hundreds of songs, trying to find his sound.  Maybe one day we’ll hear those early demos like we did with Bright Eyes.

I first discovered Keepers as an eMusic exclusive, and couldn’t believe how varied and flexible Deastro was in songwriting.  You can grab a couple free tracks on his label site here.  I didn’t hear much chatter online, but it felt like only time before this home recording blossomed into a musical career.  Deastro’s first official LP, Moondagger, might be the release that does just that.

The first single “Parallelogram” does a good job of expanding on the concepts and sounds of his home recordings.  When asked about the new record, Chabot references “a dream about a prince, a kingdom, an evil King of Darkness, and a search for the mythical “Moondagger,” the bearer of which wields ultimate power.”  Sounds about right.  You can grab this first song here, but you’ll have to wait until June before you hear the rest of the album.

“It’s hot in here,” Cursive front man Tim Kasher said as he worked the mic in front of a sold out crowd Friday. “It’s getting very sexy up here.”

The girl at the base of the stage fondling her man friend nodded in agreement.

This was the Omaha band’s second performance in Los Angeles this week.  The Troubadour and Spaceland shows were part of the promotional tour for their sixth album -Mama, I’m Swollen-, which hit the shelves March 10th.

“This is the week our album came out, so we’re really happy to be here,” said the pretty damn charming Kasher, who sported a plaid shirt and scruffy beard.

While Pitchfork.com said Cursive fans are “likely to be divided” over the new album, I didn’t pick up any “I miss the old stuff” vibes at the show.  I’ll admit it, I’m not a die hard fan and couldn’t always distinguish between the new and the old material, but the audience seemed to be singing, fist pumping and crying during every song the Omaha kings had to offer. OK… Maybe not crying.

One of the old iones I’m certain they played was “The Recluse.”  It’s a song off their Ugly Organ album that every Cursive fan knows by heart. (Well, not every fan. I have no idea what the guy next to me was singing during that number.)  When the choir of fans belted out the chorus of “I’m not that desperate. Oh no. Oh God… I am,” it was pretty amazing.

At one point during the set, it looked like all the energy in the room was going to channel itself into a mini mosh pit, but two girls in the front put the kibosh on that one.  “Chill out,” I saw them mouth as they shoved a guy in back of them.

Kasher made time to thank the two Saddle Creek bands that opened the show, Little Brazil and Ladyfinger.  He said their albums were two of his favorite records this year.  “If you don’t have our record, I’d prefer you have their records instead. They’re great. Check them out.” He insisted this wasn’t a fake sales pitch.

Cursive’s performance ended around the same time their late night television debut aired on David Letterman.   They played “From the Hips” off the new album.  It was much hotter live.

A few years ago I made friends with a French band called Toy Fight, and actually got to meet them in Paris during a trip I was taking.  David (from Toy Fight) introduced me to the great world of independent French music.  Some of the bands I discovered along the way were (Please) Don’t Blame Mexico, and more recently Orouni.  The common thread running through these bands are English lyrics, a love for folk music and the ability to craft playful pop melodies.

Orouni’s latest LP Jump Out the Window is a perfect example of all three of these qualities. Orouni’s accented delivery adds to the fun and adventurous storytelling inside the album.  The music comes off with the childlike feel of a Wes Anderson film, hand drawn album cover art and all; however, instead of 60’s Brit rock, Orouni’s soundtrack brings together stripped down folk and nursery melodies.

Standout tracks are opener “Panic At the Beehive (feat. Milie),” “The Perfume Conspiracy (feat. Mina Tindle)” and “Open it in May (feat. Milie)”  The female accompaniment on these tracks helps to accentuate the melody’s playful narrative.  The instrumentation throughout the album is held together mostly by guitar and sprinkles of violin, xylophone and shakers.  This sparseness brings the production farther forward, and adds to the intimate delivery.

If you’re ever in Paris be sure to get out to one of their show!  For more music and tour dates click here.

[mp3] Orouni - Panic At the Beehive (feat. Milie)

After failing to get tickets for Animal Collective at the Henry Fonda (I did still see a great show at Spaceland - review coming soon), I decided to give the much smaller Troubadour show a shot.  Judging from the climate outside the club, and prices from the scalpers ($150 a ticket - wtf), you would have thought Tom Waits had finally come back to LA.  In reality, the fever pitch was for the once niched out, often alienating collective from Baltimore, who has deservedly grown a larger following over the past year or so.  All it took was a decade of making innovative and constantly evolving music that always sounds definitively AC.

So after two hours of asking every person in sight, I finally found the one person with a ticket (and a heart) to sell me their extra for only a modest mark up.  Finally in, I gave a few new friends from outside a high five, and made my way to the center of the floor.

One of the most dynamic elements of an Animal Collective show is their ability to play a seamless set.  So for 90 minutes there is always music coming at you.  During past tours, the interim between songs consisted of loose percussion and tonal experiments that could grow a bit thin; however, given their evolved electro approach, the show has more of a club experience (in all the best ways).

All great dance and noise musicians shape their music into a series of builds and releases.  Through loops or static a tension is built that slowly swells, until an audience is wound up so tight they are teetering on collapse, and at that moment the flood gates are opened - releasing the built up pressure as euphoria.  While Animal Collective is based in melody and song structure, they are uniquely positioned to also capture this build and release approach in how they transition in and out of songs.  Towards the end, a track disintegrates into a kind of sonic ooze,  which eventually emerges as the pieces to another song.  This cycle continues for the entire set.

The band was in perfect sync all night and of course the sound at the Troub was full and warm per usual. I’ve written out the setlist below.  It’s definitely Merryweather heavy, but there were some older treats in their as well.  This was the warm-up part of the tour, so look for Animal Collective to be in your backyard from now until May.

Setlist:

#1

Also Frightened

Leaf House

Guy Eyes

Summertime Clothes

Daily Routine

Blue Sky

My Girls

Fireworks

Brothersport

Encore…

Winter Love

Lion in a Coma

Slippi

Best described as intensifying high-energy indie-electronic artist, Kap Bambino never fails in putting on a great live set. With the collaboration of Caroline Martial and Orion Bouvier, it is no wonder the duo hailing from France…might just be the next upcoming artist in the music scene.

With songs like “Zero Life” and “New Breath” on their latest CD “Zero Life, Night Vision”, the track can easily lure the listeners into a world of eight-bit noise recordings. But take in mind, there are 12 tracks on this CD…with each being disturbingly unique and addicting.

Kap Bambino has a identity that can be pinpointed:  captivating and aggressive. Although the lyrics are somewhat unintelligible and the high vocals are enough the shatter glass, Martial and Bouvier are a powerful medium for self-expression.

Their new album Blacklist is suppose to be released in May 2009. That’s definitely something to be excited about. But for now, check out their new single “Red Sign/Acid Eyes”.

[mp3] Kap Bambino - Red Sign

Don’t miss Kap Bambino as make their way to the United States! Here is what their schedule looks like:

March 16 : San Franscisco @ 330 Ritch
March 17 : Los Angeles @ Viper Room
March 18-19 : Austin @ SXSW
March 20 : Chicago @ Schubas
March 21 : New York @ Webster Hall

Wondering how each does on their own? Check out Khima France (Caroline Martial) and Groupgris (Orion Bouvier).

The Black Lips’ name proceeds them.  Club owners around the nation (and now the world) are well aware of the on stage and off stage antics of the Atlanta four piece.  Having spent an evening in the front row of this madness, I can attest to the rumors.  For all the chaos at their live shows, Black Lips’ music is somewhat tame.  Songs are derived from simple melodies and guitar lines that make people want to dance and drink beer with friends.After the success of Good Bad Not Evil, the upcoming release of 200 Million Thousand is an opportunity to vault Black Lips into the indie stratosphere.  Luckily, the band hasn’t altered their musical vision in order to insure this result.  If anything they’ve made it a little harder on themselves.  The hints of psychedelia from prior releases have come to the forefront in both recording style and content.  Back to back tracks “Trapped In A Basement” and “Short Fuse” pull the band across a pretty wide range of influence.  Chances are “Starting Over” will be the radio friendly track (if that even matters anymore).  Few bands could pull off an album like this, and not sound gimmicky or derivative.  However, Black Lips are the real thing, and you can hear it in ever vocal inflection, guitar note and snare strike.  The record drops tomorrow on Vice.  Grab it here.

[mp3] Black Lips - Short Fuse

Get an idea of their live show after the jump…

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