Tag Archives: 4 Stars (of 5)

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The National – High Violet

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The National - High VioletThe National – High Violet (4AD)

I didn’t think a band was supposed to work this way in these times: follow up the most successful album of your career with one that could potentially become the least likely to succeed.

But I can’t say enough about High Violet, the National‘s fifth album and most ambitious release to date, not only in terms of how its woe ultimately takes the wind out of any momentum that Boxer may have provided it, but how focused, smart, and goddamn good it sounds in those dark corners of personal abyss.

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Paul Weller – Wake Up The Nation

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Paul Weller - Wake Up The NationPaul Weller – Wake Up The Nation (Yep Roc)

The big news with Paul Weller‘s tenth solo album is that it finds him working with bassist Bruce Foxton on two new songs, and as any real Jam fan will admit, this is probably as close to a Jam reunion as we’ll ever see.

The story behind 2/3’s of the Jam collaboration is, unfortunately, based in tragedy: Weller recently lost his father and Foxton his wife. The good news is that loss has not only prompted Weller to rekindle with former bandmates, but to reconnect with the sounds of his past to create an audio scrapbook that has him creatively moving forwards.

“My faith has been sure inspired / I’m schooled in the textile time,” Weller declares right out of the gate, hinting at the fire under his ass as of late and the impressiveness of his wardrobe collection.

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Roky Erickson with Okkervil River – True Love Cast Out All Evil

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Roky Erickson with Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All EvilRoky Erickson with Okkervil River – True Love Cast Out All Evil (Anti)

The greatest praise that I can give to the first Roky Erickson album in fifteen years is that if you listen to it without an inclination of the man, his past, and his inner demons, you’ll find it a worthy collection of alt-country originals that please the ear and comfort the soul.

Of course, for those of you that do know about the man, his past, and those inner demons, True Love Cast Out All Evil becomes that much more of an impressive achievement. If you’ve ever seen the documentary on Erickson, You’re Gonna Miss Me, the new record may even come as a relief, as it may be his first release that finally finds him at peace with himself.

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The Fall – Your Future Our Clutter

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The Fall - Your Future Our ClutterThe Fall – Your Future Our Clutter (Domino)

“When do I quit?” Mark E. Smith asks listeners repeatedly during “Chino,” one of nine new offerings housed together for Your Future Our Clutter, the band’s first album in two years. The joke is that two years in between Fall albums is like an eternity. It was time well spent, and even Smith knows he’s delivered something special this time with his unmatched cynicism declaring it to be “a showcase of raw talent” a few minutes into the first track.

The concern is that M.E.S. is beginning to contemplate life after the Fall, but the optimist in me would counter that while Y.F.O.C. gives cryptic hints of finish lines, mortality, and growing old, it’s also an album where there’s a vibrancy to the production and the band is clearly on a roll as there aren’t any disruptions to the lineup since the last record, Imperial Wax Solvent.

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Serena-Maneesh – SM2: Abyss In B Minor

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Serena-Maneesh - SM2: Abyss In B MinorSerena-Maneesh – SM2: Abyss In B Minor (4AD)

Quite possibly, the most accurate interpretation of My Bloody Valentine‘s Loveless since Kevin Shields submitted the invoice to Creation Records for the recording fees from that landmark album.

Yes, I’m aware that I’ve penned a number reviews that active use Loveless as a handy reference point, but Serena-Maneesh‘s second album, SM2: Abyss In B Minor, is such a spotless reinterpretation of Shields’ shoegaze classic that I’m inclined to tell everyone waiting for a My Bloody Valentine reunion album to pitch the idea and lend your support behind these Norwegian sound manipulators.

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Love Is All – Two Thousand And Ten Injuries

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Love Is All - Two Thousand And Ten InjuriesLove Is All – Two Thousand And Ten Injuries (Polyvinyl)

I’m a complete sucker for these guys, specifically the bi-polar projection of vocalist Josephine Olausson’s cutesy pop against the band’s art punk racket. I love how lyrically they don’t stray too far from the trials and tribulation of love in your late twenties. I love the artwork that each record presents; an old fashion cut and paste job with an X-Acto knife and retro fashion photography.

Enough already—I love these guys completely.

Love is all, indeed.

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The Morning Benders – Big Echo

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The Morning Benders - Big EchoThe Morning Benders – Big Echo (Rough Trade)

For their second full-length, the Morning Benders enlist the help of Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear) to help manage the blinking lights with frontman Christopher Chu, turning Big Echo into a meticulously crafted pop gem.

Sure, there are moments of Taylor’s influence, but they’re restrained, allowing Chu to assert his influence (after all, Morning Benders did begin as Chu’s solo project) which is a very wise choice as he possesses a strong sense of melody and a very deep concentration with arrangements.

Big Echo is more than just another fine entry in the overflowing talent pool that is the Northwest Indie Pop scene; it may be the first example of that gene pool heading east to mix their Beach Boys lovin’ harmonies with the lysergic eating ways of the Northeast Neo psychedelic weirdos.

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