I haven't had time to probably review all the new albums I've been listening to lately, so instead, we're going with a one paragraph blurb about whether or not the releases met the expectations of my discerning ear. Here are the results:
Destroyer: Trouble in Dreams
Rating: 7.7 (out of 10) A sprawling record veering between musical styles between songs and in the midst of tracks, conveying Dan Bejar's continued brilliance as a songwriter while broadening his range. Album openers "Blue Flower/Blue Flame" and the sublimely beautiful "Dark Leaves Form a Thread" provide a great punch to start the affair, and 4th track "Foam Hands" is one of the most beautiful tracks Bejar has ever written. Things bog down in the lengthy middle section, as both "My Favorite Year" and "Shooting Rockets" drag over six minutes, and each song's moments of wonder are somewhat lost in the meandering refrain. "Introducing Angels" and "Rivers" make a recovery, but the closing songs don't exactly leave much of a mark. In the end, a little editing was needed, but this is one of Bejar's better albums. Recommended.
The Mountain Goats: Heretic Pride
Rating: 8.2 (out of 10) My initial thoughts on the album were not as positive, but the recording has grown on me, and can firmly take its place as one of the best albums of 2008. Opener "Sax Rohmer #1" is one of the greatest tracks of the year (and my most played) - a pure burst of pop beauty hearkening back to "If You See the Light" from John Darnielle's last effort (the otherwise disappointing Get Lonely) and sets the stage for a strong string of instant classics, including the wonderful title track, the solid "Autoclave", the magical "In the Craters of the Moon" and the group of excellent tracks on the second half, including "Lovecraft in Brooklyn", "How to Embrace a Swamp Creature" and "Michael Myers Resplendent."
- "When the house goes up in flames, no one emerges triumphantly from it; when the scum begins to circle the drain, nobody is a winner." - "Michael Myers Resplendent"
- Download The Mountain Goats - "In the Craters of the Moon".mp3
- Buy Heretic Pride
Stephen Malkmus: Real Emotional Trash
Rating: 6.5 (out of 10) Semi-disappointing effort from the former lead singer of my 2nd favorite band of all time, a somewhat too jammy affair for my taste. A few hidden gems emerge, mostly in the latter part of the album, but the 10-minute centerpiece title track stops me cold, and I didn't really love the tracks before it. The second half is mostly strong, though, and well worth a listen.
Chris Walla: Field Manual
Rating: 4.5 (out of 10) Except for a track or two, particularly "Everyone Needs a Home," there's nothing on here all that memorable as anything but Death Cab-lite, and we can all agree that Death Cab is already light enough. I'm not really a big fan of the band anymore either and my first glimpse of their new album doesn't leave me particularly excited. Here's a listen to their first leaked track if you're interested.
Plants and Animals: Parc Avenue
Rating: 8.3 (out of 10) I've been raving about this album for weeks on this site, and now that's officially released I can only urge you to find the time and effort to go purchase it. An eclectic mix of '70s era sprawling Americana (many songs remind me of Midlake's Trial of Van Occupanther) alongside brilliant expressions of perfect pop beauty (opener "Bye Bye Bye" is easily the song of the year so far, and "New Kind of Love" nearly equals it). It's an imperfect album - there are some stretches where the edge of expression steps over the line into too much jamming repitition -- but for all the "sprawl" of the sound, it is remarkably listenable and wonderfully original, in a way that Malkmus's similarly sprawling tracks were really not. You should try it out, or at least try "Bye Bye Bye." Believe me, you will want to hear the rest of the album.
- Download Plants and Animals - "Bye Bye Bye".mp3
- Download Plants and Animals - "A New Kind of Love".mp3
- Buy Parc Avenue
Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band: 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
Rating: 7.1 (out of 10) The longest band name that I've ever had to write consists of members of the seemingly now defunct Godspeed You Black Emperor, including Efrim Menuck, and the influences of that wonderfully influential band are here on this 4-track, nearly 60-minute musical composition. The songs were all live staples developed over the past couple years and you can hear the ragged beauty on brilliant opener "1,000,000 Died to Make this Sound." But while the entire album is good - and one of the best ever recorded under this moniker (I wasn't nearly as big a fan of Silver Mt. Zion as I was of GYBE) - the only thing that really matters is the presence of the 4th song, one of the most sweeping portraits of musical wonder I've ever heard, "BlindBlindBlind." The song has three to four distinct portions, beginning with the slow, low-fi musings of the first several minutes, augmented by a playful female voice in the middle, and then building to what is such an incredible epic closing half that on first listen, it truly took my breath away. I had to listen to the song again immediately. And again. And again. The last 6 minutes of "BlindBlindBlind" is the closest anyone has ever come to the 7 minutes of post-rock magic in Godspeed's "Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven." I'm including it here. Please buy the album if you are as moved as I was. There is very little in life as perfect as this track, but the rest of the album is very good.
- Download Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra - "BlindBlindBlind".mp3
- Buy 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
Mogwai: EP+6 reissue
Rating: 8.7 (out of 10) I haven't actually heard the remastered reissue yet, but I can say that this 2001 release of assorted non-album tracks by the band is one of their best recordings ever, almost on par with classics Come On Die Young and Young Team. Classic songs on this album include scorching opener "Superheroes of BMX", the lilting and beautiful "Stanley Kubrick", the wonderful "Small Children in the Background", the spare "Christmas Song", the massive "Rage: Man" and of course, one of my top 200 songs of all-time, the 8-minute epic "Burn Girl Prom Queen". Definitely take a listen.
MGMT: Oracular Spectacular
Rating: Not good. I don't know, I thought "Kids" was a catchy song, pretty good, but the rest of this able is dreck to me. Sorry. Some people seem to like "Time to Pretend". It's not horrible. I couldn't get through the rest of the album.
I have CD reviews stacked up too, don't know when I will get to them. I pretty much agree with your ratings, although I like the Malkmus a little more then you do. I really love the new Destroyer. Mt Favourite Year is actually my favourite song. I only just got hold of the A Silver Mt Zion, so I need a little more time with it. And I love the Plants and Animals. Another CD I am loving is Visiter by The Dodos.
Posted by: Wayne | March 24, 2008 at 11:20 PM
I did check out Visiter via your recommendation. Not into yet. Haven't heard it enough to make a judgment.
Posted by: Bill | March 25, 2008 at 08:08 AM