Recent
No Age
Nouns
[Sub Pop; 2008 ]
Rating: 9.2
No Age follow their 2007 EP compilation, Weirdo Rippers, with a gorgeously thick Sub Pop debut-- a hazy, delirious expanse that's friendly and warm and, best of all, unpredictable. Like Times New Viking, No Age bury their addictive sing-alongs in layers of effects and fuzz: Nouns is so cacophonous, so fertile, and so ripe with sound that it's hard to comprehend how just two people manage to make so much noise while still sounding subdued and mysterious.
Portishead
Third
[Island; 2008 ]
Rating: 8.8
As radical reinventions go, Third-- the first Portishead studio album since 1997-- is surprisingly natural. Darker and bleaker lyrically than their previous work, Third is a sort of re-debut-- the band's sound after it has excised every possible remnant of trip-hop from it. Instead, Third is a psychedelic rock album, with an abrasive and jittery electro-industrial number, analog freakouts, free jazz horns, droning, rhythmically dense garage-kraut, and other sonic detours.
Titus Andronicus
The Airing of Grievances
[Troubleman Unlimited; 2008 ]
Rating: 8.5
Despite its title's implied politeness, The Airing of Grievances qualifies more as existentialism wrapped in an anti-suburban screed from an indie band that's at times violent, overblown, and irreverent. Frontman Patrick Stickles howls with anguish way beyond his 22 years, often cramming lyrics into tight spaces just to make sure he gets the last word in. Plus, as anyone who's heard five seconds of this band already knows, he sounds like Conor Oberst screaming from the bowels of hell. However, to peg these guys as "emo" would be sadly inaccurate. Sure, torn diary page scribbles clutter Airing's heart-on-sleeve, fist-in-air anthems, but the drama's more Boss than Bright Eyes, fueled by blue collar frustration and, most notably, beer.
Tue: 05-06-08
The Tallest Man on Earth
Shallow Graves
This Scandinavian folk singer embodies the (seemingly) breezy effortlessness of early Bob Dylan, infusing his songs with a detachment that, miraculously, is neither cold nor alienating.
Mon: 04-14-08
Frightened Rabbit
Midnight Organ Fight
Glasgow indie pop band (is there any other kind of Glasgow band?) follows its slept-on and charming debut Sing the Greys with another assured set of soulful barnburners and aching ballads.
Fri: 04-11-08
Sun Kil Moon / Mark Kozelek
April / Nights
Much-loved cult singer and songwriter Mark Kozelek releases both the new Sun Kil Moon record and, under his own name, a disc of alternate takes, rarities, and live tracks to accompany the American release of his book of lyrics, Nights of Passed Over, which is culled primarily from his work with Red House Painters.
Mon: 04-07-08
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
This is how rock musicians are supposed to age: Over 30 years, first with the Birthday Party and then with the Bad Seeds, Nick Cave has refined his lurid growl and lascivious subject matter, and at 50 he shows no signs of slowing or going soft.
Wed: 04-02-08
Sian Alice Group
59.59
On their debut album, this London band charts transformations from psych-rock and pastoral folk to free-jazz breakdowns, pounding Afro-tech grooves, and avant-classical composition.
Mon: 03-31-08
Melchior Productions
No Disco Future
After tapping away, in his inimitable style, for a long time now, minimally-inclined German producer Thomas Melchior has made the best record of his career.
