popwreckoning » album http://popwreckoning.com without music, life would be a mistake. Sun, 25 Dec 2011 10:15:36 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Lovedrug Announces New Album http://popwreckoning.com/2011/11/28/lovedrug-announces-new-album/ http://popwreckoning.com/2011/11/28/lovedrug-announces-new-album/#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:00:41 +0000 Casey Osburn http://popwreckoning.com/?p=36998

The oh so love-able band  is self releasing a new , Wild Blood, this upcoming March. In light of the upcoming release, the band put out a two-single split in September which you can get on iTunes. Lead vocals, Michael Shepard also has a love for film and with his film background, he wrote and directed their for “Dinosaur” off the split.

:
Pink Champagne 
Dinosaur

Lovedrug | website

 

 

 

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]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2011/11/28/lovedrug-announces-new-album/feed/ 0 M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming http://popwreckoning.com/2011/10/17/m83-hurry-up-were-dreaming/ http://popwreckoning.com/2011/10/17/m83-hurry-up-were-dreaming/#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:00:48 +0000 Jeffrey Whitelaw http://popwreckoning.com/?p=36785

, We’re Dreaming is the sixth from , AKA France’s .  The album is sprawling and ambitious, full of huge electronic hooks and filtered vocals. It’s brilliant, and occasionally bizarre dance music. Nearly every track sounds like it could be a pop hit.

The album begins with a five minute intro that begins with ambient synths, and whispered vocals. The song continues with Gonzalez reciting the phrase “carry on.” The song gets very big, very quickly. Zola Jesus joins in a kind of duet, and the sound of hope floats in. The song introduces us to the sound of the record, which is ‘80’s synth pop filtered into ‘70’s arena bombast, and Brian Eno ambience.

The next track, “Midnight City,” begins an instant hooks, which leads into a big ass beat. The hook continues through until the end. The song eventually fades out with the sound of saxophones. It’s interesting, this is obvious pop music, but it’s almost impossible to sing along to. This is music made for either car stereos, or to be heard through headphones. It’s rare that music can be heard so well as both.

Of course, not everything here is a pop song. “Raconte-Moi Une Histoire” is a spoken word piece. It’s basically the sound of a child actively endorsing the licking of psychedelic frogs. No, seriously. It’s funny once or twice, but it gets grating after a while. It interrupts the flow of a record that often works great as background  noise.

The only other real flaw is the length. At 72 minutes, spread over two discs, it’s a chore to listen to in one sitting. It’s a great record, but a bit extravagant. Still, as the outro fades out you won’t be disappointed. The anthemic songs will hook you into the dreams of the brilliant songwriter who made the record, and you’ll be coming back for more.


CD1
Intro (featuring Zola Jesus)
Midnight City
Reunion
Where the Boats Go
Wait
Raconte-Moi Une Histoire
Train to Pluton
Claudia Lewis
This Bright Flash
When Will You Come Home?
Soon, My Friend

CD2
My Tears Are Becoming a Sea
New Map
OK Pal
Another Wave From You
Splendor
Year One, One UFO
Fountains
Steve McQueen
Echoes of Mine
Klaus I Love You
Outro

 

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]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2011/10/17/m83-hurry-up-were-dreaming/feed/ 0 Wilco – The Whole Love http://popwreckoning.com/2011/10/04/wilco-the-whole-love/ http://popwreckoning.com/2011/10/04/wilco-the-whole-love/#comments Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:28:05 +0000 Jeffrey Whitelaw http://popwreckoning.com/?p=36656

It’s been ages since a new has been an event, but The Whole Love is the album we’ve been waiting for since A Ghost is Born.  It’s exciting, refreshing, and a reminder of what this band does best. It’s bookended by two incredible songs, and between those is enough to spend the next few months digesting.

The first song, “Art of Almost” is a string drenched upbeat pop song. It bops along for six minutes before descending into a panic of noise and guitar solos. It’s the perfect beginning to a fantastic record.

At the end of the record is “One Sunday Morning, a mostly acoustic thing that feels short even at twelve minutes. In the song Jeff Tweedy sings about an overly religious father in a manner that is gripping, and a little terrifying. You can feel the truth leaking out of Tweedy’s voice, even while the song is quiet enough that it might be easily missed. It’s a brilliant prayer of a song that reminds us of why exactly we love this band.

In between those two songs we have the most experimental Wilco record in years.  It could be a result of this being the first record on the band’s own label, but that doesn’t really matter.  Songs like “Dawned On Me” and “Rising Red Lung” are incredibly captivating and the record as a whole is highly recommended.

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]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2011/10/04/wilco-the-whole-love/feed/ 0 Download the Kansas City Mixtape for free http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/27/download-our-kansas-city-mixtape-for-free/ http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/27/download-our-kansas-city-mixtape-for-free/#comments Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:46:37 +0000 Casey Osburn http://popwreckoning.com/?p=36582

In March, we put together a of artists and gave them out at SXSW. Well, now everyone can have this wonderful composition of songs to themselves. For ! Yup, . Completely and utterly . Just head over to popwreckoning.bandcamp.com and download.

This was made possible by the awesome Element Recording Studios for partnering with us and by N8 for the artwork.

If you must have a hard copy, email casey@popwreckoning.com and we’ll send you one. Also, for free. A little gift for our amazing readers.

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]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/27/download-our-kansas-city-mixtape-for-free/feed/ 0 Thrice – Major/Minor http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/23/thrice-majorminor/ http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/23/thrice-majorminor/#comments Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:00:47 +0000 Devon Mueller http://popwreckoning.com/?p=36490

has always been a band full of surprises, with each sounding radically different from the one before it. Just when you think you have their sound pinned down and figured out, they find a way to go above and beyond your expectations. While their bold shifts in style may have alienated a handful of fans, if you’ve stuck around over the last decade it’s something to marvel at. Their early work is more punk while Vheissu takes an experimental turn. And then there’s The Alchemy Index, a rather lofty project that in my opinion is a true showcase of the band’s talent and one of my favorites. Beggars just didn’t do it for me and seemed rather forgettable, so I was really excited to see what the band would come up with next.

not only met my expectations but exceeded them. It feels like a natural follow up of all their releases to date and they may have finally settled into a comfortable sound. “Settling” and “comfortable” can be negative descriptors when it comes to bands and new albums, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth in this case. This album is cohesive and strong and is an excellent culmination of all their albums thus far. Thrice has found a sound they like and are going steam ahead with it. Better get on the train before you’re left behind.

“Yellow Belly” is a heavy, grungy opener and I can’t get enough of it. What a great way to start an album. Tell me your head isn’t bobbing and I’ll have to call you a liar. Lead singer Dustin Kensrue’s gritty vocals command attention and right off the bat it’s intensity from here on out. The grunge theme manifests itself throughout the album, particularly on “Blinded” and “Cataracts.” We get a taste of their softer side in the first half of “Call it in the Air” which is reminscent of their experiments with Air and Water of The Alchemy Index and it finishes strong and dark with nods to Fire. “Anthology” by far is the real gem of this album. It’s completely different from what we’ve heard from Thrice before as it has clear emo guitars and a post- feel. “Disarmed” closes the album nicely on a calmer note with choir-like vocals and melancholy guitars fading into silence. Clocking in at forty-eight minutes with most songs in the five to six minute range, it sounds like a dense piece of work, but it flies by once you put those headphones on.

Thrice seems to have found their sound and I dig it. With a soft spot in my heart for The Alchemy Index and a nostalgic spot for Artist in the Ambulance, I can definitely find room for Major/Minor‘s stellar achievements in sound.

Track list:

1. Yellow Belly
2. Promises
3. Blinded
4. Cataracts
5. Call It In The Air
6. Treading Paper
7. Blur
8. Words In The Water
9. Listen Through Me
10. Anthology
11. Disarmed

www.thrice.net 

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]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/23/thrice-majorminor/feed/ 0 Alessi’s Ark – Time Travel http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/22/alessis-ark-time-travel/ http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/22/alessis-ark-time-travel/#comments Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:00:52 +0000 Mary Chang http://popwreckoning.com/?p=36461

In the wide world of female performers, you have two camps: one that values extravagant style over substance (e.g., , Beyonce, recent upstart ) and the other valuing substance over their own understated style (the singers, generally). Of the latter category is 20-year old , who records under the name Alessi’s Ark. Laurent-Marke will be getting her first widespread North American debut as the Londoner supports on a 2-week tour of our continent.

She will also be promoting her first full-length release in America, Time Travel, scheduled for release on September 27 on ’s label. (The was already released in the UK in April, and there are some songs on Spotify [some old, some new] to tide you over until the actual release of the here.) I am quite pleased that Alessi’s Ark is finally getting attention on this side of the Atlantic, as I’ve been keeping tabs on Laurent-Marke since her first album, Notes from the Treehouse, was released in Britain in 2009.

Alessi’s Ark songs generally follow one rule: they’re all very short. On Time Travel, only the title track and “Stalemate” go over 3 minutes, with some of the other songs not even going past the 2-minute mark. This can be good or bad; in the good sense, Laurent-Marke’s thoughts are put into small, compact compartments, like something you want to scuttle away in a dark corner of your pocket and save for a rainy day. But in the bad sense, you’re left wondering where the song would have gone, had she decided to soldier on with her thoughts. The best example on the album is “Wire” (download it from Bella Union here, below). It appears to be a cryptic love letter to an important woman in her life (her mother? a lover?) that is now dearly departed. Yet there is also clear the acknowledgment that she feels lost, forsaken, and misunderstood (“I’m tired of walking this wire / it keeps me awake for heaven sake / I was made for this girl / I feel lonely / my friends don’t seem to know me / like I thought they did / I thought they did, but they don’t”). The angst of growing up is of course a common theme across many genres of music, but I’d like someone to come up with a song as elegant as this.

The beauty does not end there. “Run,” barely clocking in at a minute and a half, is the musical equivalent of seeing the moon’s reflection in a still lake. In “On the Plains,” Laurent-Marke uses simple chord changes against her effortless vocals for a simple love song. Flutes add a level of whimsy to this track, and throughout the album, you will find also find brass instruments supporting the standard folk backdrop of thoughtful guitars and Laurent-Marke’s calm voice. It’s almost unbelievable that someone so young could have such great control over the sounds that come out of her mouth. Then again, remind yourself who she’s touring with: Laura Marling, merely 1 year her senior. In the tune “Stalemate,” she admits, “the only thing I’ve learnt is I like singing / all the lessons that the guitar is bringing.” Something America should learn – and quickly: all aboard Alessi’s Ark, and prepare to enjoy the ride.

Time Travel, the first American release for Alessi’s Ark, will be released on September 27 on Bella Union. Catch Laurent-Marke on tour, supporting Laura Marling, on the dates below.


01. Kind of Man
02. Wire
03. On The Plains
04. Must’ve Grown
05. Time Travel
06. The Fever
07. Blanket
08. Maybe I Know
09. Stalemate
10. The Robot
11. Run
12. The Bird Song

(supporting Laura Marling)
Sept 22 – Lincoln Hall / Chicago
Sept 23 – Great Hall / Toronto
Sept 24 – Corona / Montreal
Sept 25 – Brighton Music Hall / Boston
Sept 27 – Sixth & I Historic Synagogue / Washington, DC
Sept 28 – Webster Hall / New York City

Alessi’s Ark: website | myspace

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]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/22/alessis-ark-time-travel/feed/ 0 Clay Hughes – The Whether Machine http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/21/clay-hughes-the-whether-machine/ http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/21/clay-hughes-the-whether-machine/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:11:02 +0000 Melissa Cowan http://popwreckoning.com/?p=36500

What do , and country have in common?

Seemingly nothing. Except they each contribute to Clay Hughes’ genre-bending The Whether Machine.

Released on June 7 through Sharp County Records, various Midwestern musicians came together for the project, including producer JKR70, Lennon Bone (Ha Ha Tonka) and Mac Lethal, to name a few.

This cross-genre collaboration is just partially the reason this album could appeal to a wide range of music lovers. The other reason: singer and guitarist Clay Hughes. His low, soulful voice could be featured over any backdrop, attracting kids with tracks like “The Love I Gave Ya,” which predominantly embraces instruments, and hip-hop fans with tracks like “Confessin’,” highlighting emcees Johnny Polygon and Jabee.The fluid movement is sure to keep you interested and engaged, even if the style is not something you usually listen to – I knew when I first saw Clay Hughes live that I had never heard music quite like his (and I’ve been hooked since).

You’ll want to experience this unique record for yourself. Pick up The Whether Machine at sharpcountyrecords.bandcamp.com and keep up with Clay Hughes on Facebook.

Tracklist:

1. Plaster (ft. The Phantom*)
2. The Love I Gave Ya
3. Bitter Pills (ft. Mac Lethal)
4. Walking, Understood
5. Confessin’ (ft. Johnny Polygon and Jabee)
6. Hippy Chic
7. The Replacement
8. Gotta Soul (ft. Lucid and Irv Da Phenom)
9. This Is Beautiful

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]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/21/clay-hughes-the-whether-machine/feed/ 0 Slow Club – Paradise http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/17/slow-club-paradise/ http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/17/slow-club-paradise/#comments Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:00:01 +0000 Mary Chang http://popwreckoning.com/?p=36401

The music of English duo has slowly but surely been making its way into America’s consciousness. The most recent appearance of the act’s sound was of the song “Apples and Pairs” from their first released in 2009, Yeah So, at the end of an episode of Showtime serial “United States of Tara.” Slow Club hails from , a place that most people outside of the UK associate , , and with. So it’s great that this pair is putting the Northern city on the map for instead.

The album was released this week on , a label that seems to have a good finger on the pulse of the best from the underground English music scene, always managing to pick the cream of the crop from blighty. (And while I’m here, I might as well clue you in to two other bands on their roster: [from Oxford, , not the one from Philadelphia] and [another boy/girl singing duo, from London]; if you haven’t heard of these bands yet, you will. Soon.)

The album’s lead single “Where I’m Waking” begins aggressively, almost -like. Thankfully, and pull it back with the right amount of restraint. The result is bouncy and fun, certainly one of the sunniest tracks on the album (possibly tied with the equally energetic “The Dog”), so it fits in nicely as part of “the story so far” coming off the success of Yeah So‘s more recognizable tracks. While neither is a “Giving Up on Love,” they’re still pretty good.

“Two Cousins,” the opening track of Paradise, also skirts the noise-pop barrier again, with bracing vocals. Is this the same band? It has been suggested by several British music pundits that Slow Club has “grown up” in this album, most noticeably with Watson’s voice being less young-girly and the duo’s foray into more bluesy, almost gospel territory (see: “Never Look Back”, “You, Earth or Ash”) utilizing their strong harmonies.

Taylor and Watson’s near perfect vocals in Yeah So are what made people fall in love with Slow Club, and while these great vocals are still present in Paradise, the percussion is cranked up in the wrong places and some instrumental choices have been made that are not flattering to the vocals. The title of “Hackney Marsh” is, I assume, a loving reference to the part of North London of the same name which, oddly, is the home of a disproportionate number of the city’s musicians. (Maybe that’s why it’s being immortalized in a song title?) It’s a great song, with a novel – but strange – saxophone interlude with Taylor scatting the melody. The thudding drums of “Beginners” mars an otherwise good song. You’d wish you had a mixer in your hands so you could adjust the equalizer. Slow Club took risks with this album and are showing their true hearts in it; this album less innocent and less precious than their debut was. The strong songwriting is still there, but I think in terms of the execution, people are really going to love love love this or not care for it.

Paradise by Slow Club is available now from Moshi Moshi.


01. Two Cousins
02. If We’re Still Alive
03. Never Look Back
04. When I’m Waking
05. Hackney Marsh
06. Beginners
07. You, Earth or Ash
08. Gold Mountain
09. The Dog
10. Horses Jumping

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]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/17/slow-club-paradise/feed/ 0 Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/16/laura-marling-a-creature-i-dont-know/ http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/16/laura-marling-a-creature-i-dont-know/#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:00:32 +0000 Mary Chang http://popwreckoning.com/?p=36221

The third from English songbird is called A Creature I Don’t Know and the approach this time around seems to be a mature one (like Marling’s second, I Speak Because I Can) but more raw and back to basics, more similar to Marling’s 2008 debut and Mercury Prize-nominated album Alas I Cannot Swim. Take, for instance, the opening track “The Muse.” A fast folk guitar, honky tonk piano, and drum brushes were adopted for this song, and the overall vibe is very laid back. Too laid back I think: Marling’s voice is jazzy, and it’s not really the best to showcase Marling’s otherwise beautiful singing voice. Check out “Don’t Ask Me Why” and “All My Friends” for clear evidence of this and Marling’s mastery of songwriting. The only problem I see with this album is that it is uneven in song quality.

The lead single for A Creature I Don’t Know is “Sophia,” which begins with spare guitar chords and a dry vocal from Marling. With beautiful backing singers harmonizing perfectly with her, it’s so gentle, as if you were in a boat going down a gentle river. But this doesn’t last long: confusingly two-thirds into the song, you are jolted back into reality when the song turns -ized. It’s a knee-slapper, folks. The first couple times I heard this song this summer on British radio, I was really unhappy with it because Marling is such a talented woman, I felt like she sold out trying to make it more radio-friendly. The song has grown on me since I’ve seen the for the song (watch it below) because it feels less contrived when you see her and her band playing it in a church. The is a nice preview of her upcoming tour at home in the UK, as she will be playing churches across the country.

“Salinas” appears to be a nod to John Steinbeck (the Nobel Prize-winning author’s hometown) and possibly his most famous work The Grapes of Wrath. The song speaks of strong women and questions of morality and mortality. Heavy stuff. Then again, no one ever said folk music was for the weak-hearted. Also see “The Beast,” which may be a reference to Satan and viewing sex as a sin. The instrumentation is probably the hardest we’re going to get from Marling – unless she does a complete 180 and completely gives up folk for hard , which I highly doubt – and while there have been aggressive tracks like “Devil’s Spoke” from her in the past, this one is a definite ratcheting up on the rockiness.

Unfortunately, if you’re more of a rock than a folk fan like me, the album plods along instead of continuing in a jaunty fashion. Things can get a little…well…boring. Marling is 21 now, has 3 albums under her belt, and has had two high profile relationships with fellow musicians Charlie Fink () and Marcus Mumford. The question now is, how will Marling change as the years go on?

A Creature I Don’t Know will be released in the U.S. on September 12 on Ribbon Records. Catch Marling on tour in North America this month, starting on September 17 in San Francisco. The opener for the tour is Alessi’s Ark, another amazing female English singer/songwriter.


01. The Muse
02. I Was Just a Card
03. Don’t Ask Me Why
04. Salinas
05. The Beast
06. Night After Night
07. My Friends
08. Rest in the Bed
09. Sophia
10. All My Rage


Sept 17 – Bimbo’s 365 Club / San Francisco
Sept 18 – Masonic Temple / Los Angeles
Sept 20 – Troubadour / Los Angeles
Sept 22 – Lincoln Hall / Chicago
Sept 23 – Great Hall / Toronto
Sept 24 – Corona / Montreal
Sept 25 – Brighton Music Hall / Boston
Sept 27 – Sixth & I Historic Synagogue / Washington, DC
Sept 28 – Webster Hall / New York City

Laura Marling: website | myspace

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]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2011/09/16/laura-marling-a-creature-i-dont-know/feed/ 0 Brandt Brauer Frick to Release New Album “Mr. Machine”, Announce American Fall Tour http://popwreckoning.com/2011/08/31/brandt-brauer-frick-to-release-new-album-mr-machine-announce-american-fall-tour/ http://popwreckoning.com/2011/08/31/brandt-brauer-frick-to-release-new-album-mr-machine-announce-american-fall-tour/#comments Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:00:39 +0000 Mary Chang http://popwreckoning.com/?p=36115

 

The Germans are coming, the Germans are coming! , the German trio who has been bringing their unusual blend of classical elements and minimal techno to speakers across Europe, will be releasing their hotly anticipated second , Mr. Machine, in the U.S. on October 25 on Records.

The band – , , – have been working hard to reinvent their live performance by eschewing the programmed computers that defined their 2010 debut You Make Me Real and have expanded to a ten-piece live line-up for an upcoming American tour this fall. The tour of America begins on October 24 in Minneapolis and finishes in Los Angeles on November 12. To get an idea of what the BBF experience is going to be like, watch the performance for their song “Bop” below.


Oct 24 – Cedar Cultural Center / Minneapolis
Oct 27 – Glasslands / Brooklyn
Oct 28 – Red Palace / Washington, DC
Oct 29-30 – Moogfest / Asheville, NC
Oct 30 – 529 / Atlanta
Oct 31 – Back Booth / Orlando
Nov 01 – Club Down Under @ FSU / Tallahassee
Nov 03 – Prophet Bar / Dallas
Nov 04-06 – Fun Fun Fun Fest / Austin
Nov 11 – Rickshaw Stop / San Francisco
Nov 12 – Luckman Fine Arts Complex / Los Angeles

Brandt Brauer Frick: website | myspace

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