25 January 2011

2010: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. & Das Racist

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Horse Power EP
Released July 13, 2010 (Quite Scientific Records)

Short notes: It’s a trendy indie pop record! Not bad, but not amazing!



Brandon: B

I was pleasantly surprised by this little four track EP. It’s nothing at all revolutionary--this is a band riding the popularity of a certain sort of wry, cutesy indie pop with some synths behind it. Perhaps its just because so many of the recent records I’ve reviewed have sounded too long, but despite its shortcomings (nothing too original, middle of the road lyrics and music), I enjoyed this record. I thought the synths, the reverb, and the airy quality (they covered “God Only Knows,” for christsake, which reminded me of that minute when indie pop bands were referencing the Beach Boys a few years ago) worked for the songs--just busy enough to be engaging (looking at you, Beach House), but not fussy.. It’s easy listening, but worth it, especially given the limited commitment.

Lin: B-

There's not much to this 13 and a half minute EP. It has its moments -- the third track "Simple Girl" being the best, sounding like a late early period Beatles piece. But there are more things working against it: the choice of a cover, one as particularly well known as "God Only Knows" seems more like a ploy and makes it even harder to judge how much I like this band. Additionally, my disdain for bands like Animal Collective and anything that sounds like them keeps me from really getting into any of the songs. It's not a great comparison, but the production and other musical choices give just enough of that taste that I can't just take it. Kinda like how eggplant overpowers anything it's in if you hate eggplant, you know? So, the long and the short of it is: there's not enough here to really get a good taste, but what I do get doesn't particularly leave me wanting more.



Das Racist
Sit Down, Man
Released September 14, 2010 (mixtape)



Brandon: C+

“Took a lot of samples out, you don't gotta clear those
Made a lot of weird raps, you don't want to hear those”
- "You Can Sell Anything”


That pretty much sums it up. About a quarter of the time, this is the most interesting hip-hop record I’ve heard in years, filled with dense pop culture references and dry humor over cleverly composed, sample heavy beats. At their best, Das Racist sound like Das EFX, if Das EFX had gone to a preppy east coast liberal arts college. And I’m not joking. I love Das EFX.

But when this record is bad, it’s the flip side of all of those positive characteristics--dense, pedantic, musically repetitive, and not terribly funny. Now, I love self-consciously weird hip-hop. When I was in college (just a few years before these dudes, at a much less prestigious liberal arts college with a much less self-conscious institutional dialogue about race and sexuality), my first favorite hip-hop record was the Deltron 3030 album with Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Dan the Automator. We also loved Kool Keith, and the Gravediggaz, and a lot of alternative artists who were self-consciously pushing against the gangsta mainstream and the too-serious backpack types. But when I compare Das Racist to those groups, what I hear is rappers both trying to be funny and trying to make it sound like they aren’t joking. It’s worth checking out, but I’d guess you’ll come away more frustrated than thrilled.

Lin: B-

It makes a lot of sense for a band like this to be called "Das Racist" -- it's a poking-the-bear-with-a-stick move signifying their satarization of...whatever. The problem with satire, though, is not one that the artist can easily correct as it lies with the observer. I'm relatively knowledgeable about hip-hop and the tropes of rap music, but it's not my thing and I don't overdo it any more than I overdo my love of country music or British punk. What I'm saying is, you can skewer Sacred Cows, but no one cares if all they want is a hamburger. So, the "humor" that other critics point to in Sit Down, Man is lost on me, not because I don't get it, but because I don't care.

So what's left is just the music itself -- and there's not a whole lot there that brings me back. We got two tracks that show why Das Racist are getting the praise they are ("hahahaha jk?" and "People Are Strange" (though there's a good chance I like the latter because I love that sample)). There are a couple more that fall under the "Okay, I can see why folks like this" category. But for the most part it's boring or tedious as, at 78 minutes, the album/mixtape falls into the same "gotta use all the time we can" trap as so many other rap albums. It's fine for what it is, I guess, but there's no way I'm taking it over any of the already reviewed rap albums.

19 January 2011

2010: Charlie Parr, Curren$y

Charlie Parr
When the Devil Goes Blind
Released October 19, 2010 (Nero’s Neptune Records)

Short Notes: Northern Minnesotan bluesman’s latest is equal parts delta-style and the grittier end of the folk revival.



Brandon: B+

Charlie Parr is an unlikely guy to be touring internationally (Australia and the UK, on the back of a 2008 song used in an Australian mobile phone ad) and playing with indie luminaries like Low. His style of music isn’t terribly hip--he plays something like the blues, a hybrid of delta signifiers and folk moves reminiscent of guys like Spider John Koerner. It’s also pretty decent. He’s not breaking any new ground, and I don’t quite like this record as well as I like somewhat similar work by Iowa’s own William Elliot Whitmore (who Lin and I both would praise to the ends of the earth, and who exhibits a bit more stylistic variation), but if you enjoy dark, energetic music that blends blues and folk influences, this is worth tracking down.

Lin: B

I imagine it's difficult performing in a genre that has a long history without a whole lot of change to it -- I know it's hard being a critic to these albums. History has codified a variety of rules that need to be followed: ignore them and risk not being taken seriously or follow them and risk being nothing special. Either way, you'll be endlessly compared by folks like me to what came before since one of my fundamental questions as a critic is: why ought I listen to your album instead of your progenitors or something I like more?

So, When The Devil Goes Blind is a good album -- he's a strong songwriter and musician -- but there's nothing here that wasn't done 50 years ago. I can't help but compare him to one of my favorite current musicians, William Elliott Whitmore, who does much the same thing: solo banjo and voice, Americana, dark tales of redemption. The big difference to my ears is that Whitmore has an aching voice, one that adds multiple dimensions of emotion (usually heartbreak) to the lyrics. Mr. Parr lacks this distinctive timbre, which leaves the album far short of essential, comfortably in the "a good distraction if you're into it" area.



Curren$y
Pilot Talk/Pilot Talk II
Released July 13/November 22, 2010 (DD127)

Short Notes: Unestablished New Orleans rapper makes a good and critically acclaimed album that is ultimately unexciting.



Brandon: B

The two new Curren$y albums were two of the best-received non-mainstream hip-hop records of the year, which isn’t at all surprising after my first listen. Apparently, he’s been around, for just less than forever--with No Limit (!), with Weezy before Tha Carter III, and now on a Def Jam subsidiary--putting out records, appearing on everybody’s tracks, and most recently, working with another one of the year’s big indie rap stars, Wiz Khalifa. He’s got decent flow, interesting, jazzy beats, and wickedly clever lyrics, all built (as good indie rap is) around elaborate second-tier pop culture references, weird metaphors (the whole pilot/plane thing), and weed.

So why only a B (for both records, or individually)? Because, at the end of the day, I’m an M.O.P. fan, that’s why. Because these are atmospheric, mood records filled with mid-tempo songs, and I want to know where the bangers are. Almost any one of the best songs on either record (I was especially partial to “Seat Change” [ft. Snoop Dogg] and “The Day” [ft. Mos Def and Jay Electronica] on the first record, and “Silence” and “Fashionably Late” on the second) would be great in a mix, playing at the bar, or coming on my shuffle at home. But 13 straight tracks that are all on the same vibe gets a little old for me. So if you like good hip-hop, these are worth a listen. But you got to cut ‘em with something that moves a little, just for the variety.

Lin: B

I don't have a much to add to Brandon's review -- he says essentially what I was going to say. This is very much a "weed" album, which doesn't do a whole lot for me. I want something that is more aggressive or more weird or more noisy or more something; I can only take so much of the 'laid back' vibe without it hitting some sort of higher emotional- or contentment-plane (i.e. post-rock). I can see why folks like this -- it's a well made album and Curren$y is a strong rapper (despite the punctuation in his name). Listening to both I and II back-to-back probably leads me to like this album less, as at the end it felt like work. To make this review even more boring, I even agree with Brandon's track picks: "Silence" on II is my favorite from either disk and "Sea Change" the best from the first. There's a few other tracks that would work well in other contexts (...mixtapes) like "Michael Knight" or "Chilled Coughee," the latter with Devin The Dude, but it's ultimately too much of the same thing.

17 January 2011

2010: Caribou, Cee-Lo Green

Caribou
Swim
Released April 19, 2010 (Merge)

Short Notes: IDM that doesn't bring much to the table, even for a minimalist album.



Brandon: B-

I’d been wanting to check out a Caribou record for a few years. Dan Snaith is one of the major figures in the so-called IDM (“intelligent dance music”) scene, synthesizing more standard pop with house and electronica techniques and sounds. His music is less dance-y than bands I’m more familiar with (Hot Chip, eg.), more atmospheric, suited for headphones more than the dancefloor. And if you like that sort of thing, I can see how this record might be an outstanding example--lots of sonic variation, clever and carefully composed, it flows beautifully. But for me, it also wasn’t vary engaging. I found it too subtle for attentive listening, and too busy for reading. I'm sure it's good, but I can't imagine I'll be listening very often.

Lin: C

It's funny how the mind makes connections. I thought I had listened to -- and liked -- one of Caribou's previous albums, so I came into this thinking it had a decent chance of being slightly better than mediocre. I started it, but it quickly became obvious that I didn't much care for it, so I became curious and went back to this previous album to see if it was still good. But I couldn't find another Caribou album that had any metadata. With some creative searching, I finally found the album that I was thinking of -- it was from Califone, which has nothing to do with this album. Still, I imagine that I'd still not like Swim even if I hadn't gone into it with elevated expectations. It's too boring to be good dance music and too tame to be good noise music. Pass.



Cee-Lo Green
The Lady Killer
Released November 5, 2010 (Elektra)

Short Notes: (Brandon:) Probably his best “solo” record, but still pretty uneven. (Lin:) One of the best albums of the year despite losing momentum towards the end.



Brandon: B-

1) Listening to this record a few days ago was the first time I had the chance to hear the unedited, unchanged version of Cee-Lo’s hit “Fuck You.” The vastly modified version getting all that airplay is catchy (I first heard it on Glee. Yeah, I watch Glee. Screw you.), but really has nothing on the much more snide, biting, but also disarming original. In fact, the differences between the two versions have gotten me thinking about how much I’ll end up modifying my language when Kim and I finally start having children. Most people who know me know that I curse like the proverbial sailor, my daily speech peppered with a pretty wide range of curse words, which I believe I use reasonably artfully. I like swearing, and I’m not going to want to give it up just because I have kids who might pick it up. Obviously, I’m going to have to make some concessions--I don’t need my children getting singled out by prudish school principals and scandalizing the parents of the children I’ll probably want to make friends with. But I’m also not convinced that regular and creative swearing has a strong link with moral degeneracy. What I’m inclined to do is to reduce my use of sexually-oriented curse words (like Cee-Lo’s go to send-off) in favor of the scatalogical swears. Some people really are assholes, and observing the proprieties don’t really change that. The kids will be all right.

2) This record is the most conventionally “modern soul” record Cee-Lo’s done. While I think it’s pretty good, as far as that goes, there’s not a lot of other highs on the record to match “Fuck You.” The second track, “Bright Lights Bigger City,” with some Philly Soul strings up against a “Billie Jean”-style beat is also pretty good, but the mid-tempo songs that make up the bulk of the album sound pretty interchangeable to me. For what it’s worth, I found the much more overtly backward-looking (“retro,” if you will) Aloe Blacc record far more enjoyable.

Lin: A-

Let's start with "Fuck You," the first single, since that's what's bringing most people to the album, I imagine. It's undeniably catchy, don't get me wrong, and don't forget that I do like the song despite the upcoming criticism. I heard it when most of you probably heard it: the original viral 'video' version consisting of moving typography over brightly colored backgrounds. This method did a disservice: forcing the lyrics front and center makes them the "important" aspect of the song and, ultimately highlights a story that doesn't hang together tightly as it should (cf. Jarvis Cocker's "Running The World for a video that does this right). The above official video is much better, but the catchy vulgarity makes "Fuck You" fundamentally a novelty song -- a great single, but a track that distracts from the flow of the album. (For what it's worth, one of my favorite albums, Palace Music's "Viva Last Blues, also makes this mistake with "The Mountain Low" -- i.e. "If I could fuck a mountain, Lord, I would fuck a mountain...")

It's not fatal because the rest of the album, for the most part, is just as catchy, interesting, and, goddamnit, fun: with all the depressing and bleak music I generally listen to, I often forget that there's good music that's also enjoyable in a traditional sense. Cee-Lo is COOL in the way old funk is COOL, and that's what ultimately makes The Lady Killer succeed. This is neo-whatever done right, hanging modern tapestries on a classic framework, calling into question the trappings of both eras. (Remember, if you meet the Buddha on the road, you need to kill him.) "I Want You" is my favorite track here, the fuzzy horn backing an honestly romantic if off-kilter (...like most of the album) love song. Other highlights are "Bright Lights Bigger City" and "Love Gun," the latter being one of the more explicitly funky tracks in all it's double-entendre glory.

14 January 2011

2010: Caitlin Rose, Call Me Lightning

Caitlin Rose
Own Side Now
Released August 9, 2010 (Names Record, Import only in the US)

Short Notes: A lovely, soft (but not especially delicate) piece of contemporary Americana.



Brandon: A-

First off, I’d like to apologize for the grade inflation I’ve been dealing in these last few weeks. Looking back, comparing my ratings with Lin’s, it’s easy to see I’ve been giving out consistently higher grades, especially to records that, in all honesty, I can’t imagine listening to much after this project is over. I’m not making excuses, but I’m a bit of a softie at heart. I want to like the music I have to listen to, and I think I’ve been pretty big-hearted as a result. That said, I did pick a big chunk of these records, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by a number of them (Anais Mitchell’s, for example), especially those that tend to fall more clearly in my genre wheelhouse (Americana, especially) than they do Lin’s. In any case, I intend to be a wee bit more critical moving forward.

So, when I give this record an A- right off the bat, understand that I wanted an excuse not to. But I tend to stubbornly stick to a criteria given to me long ago by my friend Jay, who described a 4-star record as having three great tracks and no bad tracks. And this album, a beautiful slice of alternative country if ever there was one, not only tugs at my dedicated genre-loving heartstrings, but also brings the songs. If you like alt-country as I do (proudly a member of the twang nation since ‘96), there’s a lot to like here. She’s not as forceful a voice as Neko Case (although “For the Rabbits” reminds me of her, nor as singular as Gillian Welch, but she’s got a classic country sound that belies her status as an honest-to-god Nashvillian. This isn’t the agressive No Depression of Chicago, but a softer sort of alternative country, paying homage to the 60s-style production without ever sounding like anything other than an indie record. I love “Learnin’ to Ride,” “Own Side,” and “Shanghai Cigarettes,” (we’ve all smoked ‘em, yes?), with their harmonies and subtle twang, and the rest of the album is solid. This is an album I’ll be putting into rotation with Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and Revelator on cold Saturday afternoons for a while.

Lin: A-

One thing I need to do better at remembering is that not all music needs to be flashy. Just as it is with people, it's often better to spend your time with one that exudes a simple and subtle "force of will" than those that are IN YOUR FACE all the time. It stems from confidence, more often than not, as those content in their actions and beliefs have nothing to prove to the galley. I harp a lot on music needing to assert itself above the din of other things demanding my attention. (If it doesn't, what's the point?) This does but without garishness or embellishment.

If anything, this album reminds me more of vocal jazz than alt country. The country is there, but as the base instead of the garnish. It's surprisingly refreshing in this way. Neko Case isn't a horrible comparison, though I'm ultimately uncomfortable making it with any strength. Things do run out of steam towards the end, but the first half of the album is one of the best sides I've heard while doing this project. Each of the five tracks may end up being a home run -- I need to give it some more listens to see if they'll be able to leg it out -- but they're all at least a stand up triple.



Call Me Lightning
When I am Gone My Blood Will Be Free
Released July 20, 2010 (Dusty Medical Records)

Short Notes: Named after The Who, but sounds like Future of the Left. Also, the records melts faces.



Brandon: A

Jesus Christ. I make a big point of saying how I want to be more critical, and then I go and give out nothing but high grades. But I’m not exactly sad, either, because I got to listen to this really great record from a Milwaukee band with a big sound. I’ve been trying to think of how to describe this record to other people, and the best I can come up with is that they meld the lyrical weirdness of Queen’s first few records with a sound that reminds me of the late, lamented McLusky or their successor, Future of the Left. This record is full of heavy riffs and high energy, and I’ve been listening to it non-stop for the last two weeks. It sounds like the biggest basement show punk you’ll ever hear--standout tracks like the title track, the opener “Called to the Throne,” and the aptly named stomper “Pure Shit” remind me of the best parts of those low-ceilinged all ages shows we do so well in the upper Midwest. If you enjoy non-doctrinaire, sleazy, weird punk rock, get a hold of this record right quick. Highly recommended.

Lin: B

I'll defer to Brandon on this one. The album is such that, were Call Me Lightning coming through my town, I'd absolutely go. It's an old, sad, refrain and sadly an all too common one: whatever live prowress they (I'm assuming) possess is lacking on the record. I can see this one improving with time and with volume; the album did on both accounts -- the last two tracks ("Follow Me" and "We Never Left") being my favorites.

12 January 2011

2010: Broken Bells & Broken Social Scene

Broken Bells
Broken Bells
Released March 9, 2010 (Columbia)

Short Notes: Danger Mouse and James Mercer (of the Shins) make a record that’s not bad, but not the sum of its parts, either.



Brandon: C+

This record has gotten a lot of heat in the mainstream press, but the indie media that’s been the meat and potatoes for both Danger Mouse and the Shins has been awfully silent on this record. That’s because its not as good as the major records by either artist. While they don’t sound terribly similar, it’s hard not to compare this record to the Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse Dark Night of the Soul--a comparison that this record doesn’t come out favorably with. There are a few tracks (“The Ghost Inside”) where this record transcends its usual "the Shins meets weak-ass trip-hop beats," but generally, this sounds like Shins outtakes with blips and handclaps.

Lin: C+

Since I didn't keep up with much of the music press this year, I'm going into many of these albums knowing nothing or little about what they're "supposed" to be or having other information that helps me make "critical shortcuts." Most albums are benefited by this (notice, for instance, how many reviews I've written that conclude with "good, but not as good as previous albums"). Thus far, no album has benefited as much as Broken Bells: I figured, going into it, that this was going to be a crappy pseudo indie pop album liked by people I don't like. (This is probably due to the name and the cover art.)

But that's not what this album is. Yes, compared to what this "should" sound like -- i.e. Danger Mouse and The Shins -- the album is minor. On the flip side, I'm not a fan of The Shins, that makes this more enjoyable. The opening two tracks are a promising start that's never really fulfilled, the next few tracks sounding like cut-rate Flaming Lips. "October" is my favorite here, the repeating piano figure providing an unsettling backbone that reminds me of Elliott Smith. All this said, I doubt I'll be coming back to this album again.



Broken Social Scene
Forgiveness Rock Record
Released May 4, 2010 (Arts & Crafts)

Short Notes: Neither great nor horrible, but nothing special either.



Brandon: C+

I was an early BSS adopter. I bought You Forgot It In People the week it was reviewed in Pitchfork, and I loved that record my first year in grad school. But the last two records by the Toronto collective have been generally less captivating, less filled with the soaring pop of their best work, more varied but less engaging. I think it’s a decent, middle-of-the-road indie pop record, but, unfortunately, that’s not what I want from a band that has meant that much for me in the past. But “Texico Bitches,” the third track, is worth the download.

Lin: C
I believe I've mentioned previously that I listen to most music while doing other things. I've become fairly adept at keeping part of my brain on the music while doing the work that needs to be done; as such, I generally consider it a bad sign when I get done listening to a track and have no recollection of it. I'm all for subtlety (not every track needs to or should be a banger) but there ought to be enough there that makes me -- consciously or not -- want to listen to it. I've tried to get into BSS's critically acclaimed You Forgot It In People but was never really able to. I've gone through that one a few times because I get the feeling that there's just something I'm missing. I don't get that feeling with this new one. I'm not even sure what comparisons to make so that I can do my critic's duty to try and help you decide if you'd like it. It's probably not the best critic, but this reminds me of how I feel about the Belle & Sebastian record reviewed earlier. Brandon's right, I think, that "Texico Bitches" is the highlight, though I feel as strongly (...lukewarm) about "Art House Director" and "Water In Hell."

11 January 2011

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Black Sleep of Kali, Boston Spaceships

Bonnie Prince Billy & the Cairo Gang
The Wonder Show of the World
Released March 23, 2010 (Drag City)

Short Notes: Will Oldham and collaborators give us a record about families and domestic tranquility (although his wife maybe turns into a zombie on track four).



Brandon: A-

I haven’t really kept up on Will Oldham’s rather prodigious output for a few years now. I attribute this, in no small part, to the fact that all of his albums are pretty consistently similar (a point I’m not the first to make). Without the multiple recording personalities of his stellar mid to late 1990s work, he’s settled to a quiet, folky vibe, with lots of collaborators, good songs, and rather less of the visceral excitement that (for me, at least) characterized the Palace records. This record is solid top to bottom, but without the highs of a lot of his best work. That said, the Bonnie Prince’s best work this decade still features some great songs, and his deadpan, melancolic wit is especially sharp on a number of tracks here, especially my two favorites, “”Troublesome Houses” (track one), and the epic fourth track, “The Sounds are Always Begging.” Rather than describing it, let’s hear it straight from the man:

My wife turned crazy on me one day,
started chopping up the bed.
She looked past me with gaping eyes,
Left me too hard to be scared.
She left, but circled the yard,
All night she haunted the home.
The kids went crazy, life was hard.
The sounds of rings: boom.

I’m willing to entertain alternative interpretations, but I think his wife turned into a zombie--a sexy zombie, by the sound of it. And of course, the weird, pseudo-hashtag rap bit at the end of the verse ties it all together. Recommended, especially if you like clever, well-written songs (and occasionally raunchy--there’s a line on “That’s What Our Love Is” that describes his affection for the, um “smell” of his wife lingering on his moustache, paired with a guitar line reminiscent of, well, James Taylor) of a mellow disposition.

Lin: B-

It wasn't until I looked into it that I realized Will Oldham has been as prodigious as he is. His work under the 'Palace' (et al) monikers is some of my favorite folk music, the raw Appalachian folk matching Oldham's amazing straining vocal style. The first Bonnie 'Prince' Billy LP, 1999's "I See a Darkness" is a justifiable classic. Since then, he's released more than a dozen LPs and who knows how many EPs or one-offs. Why did I not know about this? If this newest one is any indication, the answer is easy: because it's not very good. Well, okay: it's fine and it's pleasant -- Oldham is a good songwriter even when he's not great. But it lacks the vitality of his earliest work, the neutered sound making me more sad than angry. For sure, there are moments here that approach something more (i.e. "With Cornstalks Or Among Them") but there's just too much mediocre work her to recommend more than a cursory listen.



Black Sleep of Kali
Our Slow Decay
Released August 24, 2010 (Small Stone)

Short Notes: Denver metal band continues the trend of reinvigorating metal with big massive riffs.



Brandon: B

So, I like this record a fair bit more than the Black Breath platter we reviewed a few days ago. This record, like most of the metal I could be said to enjoy, falls further on the “heavy” side of the heavy/hard continuum, with big riffs and that characteristically “sludgy” sound that goes all the way back to Sabbath in metal’s DNA. One review I read described it as a “classic” metal record, in the sense that it had the big three metal qualities: “loud, negative, and heavy.” And that’s exactly right. I like the way a record like this sounds--the aggressive guitars, the focus on developing and sustaining riffs--but the lyrics, which, while sung rather than screamed, come off as an afterthought, more developed than high school notebook shit, but pretty cliched. At its best, this record sounds great, but the lack of sonic variety (most of the songs end up in the same place) and the stereotypical metal lyrics make it hard for me to imagine multiple spins. In the end, for all but the Agalloch record, my metal album grades have probably been overgenerous, as I'm certainly deferential to my lack of metal cred/background.

Lin: B

There seems to me a rise in metal over the last few years of the "hard rock" or, perhaps, a reversion back to "classic" heavy metal. I know I'm over generalizing here, but a lot of metal over the last 20 years or so (at least the stuff I listen to) either trace's its roots back to black metal or doom metal. What I'm saying is, there wasn't a whole lot of Sabbath style metal anymore. Starting, perhaps, with Mastodon -- and culminating (currently, at least) in last year's Baroness album -- this is changing. I'm all for it: as good as the Agalloch album is, for instance, its sound isn't going to appeal to as many people as something like this.

Black Sleep of Kali does this hard rock-ish metal very well, even if it lacks the highs needed to make the album a go-to, especially for those not already convinced. I do love this album, despite the relatively low grade: it hits the motifs I love, even if I can recognize that others may not feel the same. This is metal that crunches under its weight -- not the kind that wastes away from within (black metal) or kills with precision (thrash).



Boston Spaceships
Our Cube House Still Rocks
Released September 7, 2010 (Rockathon)

Short Notes: Pretty good pop album suffers under weight of GBV comparisons.



Brandon: B+

As a new Ohioan with indie rock leanings, I feel more sympathy towards Robert Pollard this year than ever before. I’ve never been the biggest of Guided by Voices fans, as I’ve found impatiently skipping past the snippets, the noodling, and the buzzed out little song-turds (he did once name a record King Shit and the Golden Boys, so don’t blame me for a lack of charity) to get to the good stuff somewhat tedious. And since the break-up in 2005, I’ve made no effort at all to follow the man’s releases, opting instead for something I might charitably describe as “a life.” Frankly, I’m not even sure if the man himself has kept up--his own personal discography page is out of date and hard to follow (would it kill you, Bob, it just list the Fading Captain records in chronological order?).

But I did stumble on to a copy of “The Planets Are Blasted,” a 2009 release by Pollard’s “new” band, Boston Spaceships, last spring and was pleasantly surprised. It was tuneful, with some decent pop songs, and remarkably, it didn’t drag on through failed experiment after failed experiment. It was, surprisingly, an ok record. So when I put the newest Boston Spaceships release on the list for this project, I has slightly elevated expectations. And remarkably, ol’ Bobby came through for me. This year, my second favorite former elementary school teacher (love you, Mom!) has finally put out a record that, while not equalling the best of the GBV material by a long shot, is totally worth the trouble for the non-obsessives. This is a fuzzy, 60s-sounding (a little early Who, a little Kinks) pop record with a few duds (“The British and The French”), no remarkable pop successes, but lots and lots of solid tunes. And really, can we ask for anything more? Recommended for fans of guitar pop with a passing (but not obsessive) interest in the GBV back-catalog, or current lo-fi trends in indie pop. Grandpa’s still got it.

Lin: B-
I've not been able to get into GBV, despite the admonishings of friends who make hyperbolic claims like "BEST BAND EVER!" Knowing that this is a Robert Pollard project means that I probably like it less than I should simply because I believe it should be better than it is. But I don't know enough about GBV to say if this is comparable or not, so let me try to just take the album on it's merits. For starters, the second half, starting with "Come On Baby Grace" is far superior to the first half, which did almost nothing for me. "Freedom Rings" sounds like a lost psychadelic Neil Young cut and is my favorite song on the album. If "Freedom" doesn't have that honor, then it goes to The final track ("In The Bathroom (Up 1/2 the Night)"). In between is enjoyable if not particularly memorable 60's-style English pop.