popwreckoning

Odd Blood by Yeasayer is the follow-up to the band’s 2007 debut release, All Hour Cymbals, for which the band garnered much-deserved acclaim. All Hour Cymbals is filled with urgent and complex songs driven by thick electronic ambiance and shouted/sung vocals which often lay low in the mix, requiring you to listen more forcefully (and rewarding you for your efforts). Odd Blood is scheduled for release on February 9, 2010.

The album begins promisingly enough; the first track (entitled “The Children”) lets the listener know that they are in for, if nothing else, a strange but fun and interesting journey. The last 45 seconds of this track are especially stellar, with a thudding bass backing a hauntingly catchy synthesizer riff and relentless percussion. Track two, named “Ambling Alp,” is a song that some may be familiar with due to its early online release. This is an engaging and easily accessible song with a sing-along chorus and affirmative and positive lyrics: “You must stick up for yourself, son; never mind what anybody else done.” “Madder Red” follows and is easily the stand out on this album. This track is energetic and highly danceable, yet multi-layered and intriguing enough for a “headphones in your room” listen. The bass rattles and rolls its way through piercing guitar licks and barely audible backing synthesizers. The vocals suit the song perfectly, and the “ooh ooh” refrain is catchy beyond belief. “Madder Red” is dance party ready and well-equipped for longevity.

After this highlight, however, Odd Blood seems to lose its way. “I Remember” ambles through four minutes of electronic noise, building and promising a crescendo that never really comes. “Grizelda” offers more of the same, burying earlier driving percussion in the mix and leaving the listener wanting. Patience with the album will occasionally be rewarded; “Love Me Girl” delivers a giant pay-off in the closing minute in the form of a start-stop bass line and soaring vocals, and “Mondegreen” is a caffeine-fueled romp that dares you to sit still. However, these moments can be easily lost amidst weaker and ultimately forgettable offerings.

Overall, Odd Blood is often charming and exciting–and often frustrating, and it ultimately shows more potential than it delivers. With every effort to put the band’s previous album aside and gauge this album on its own merits without comparison, it’s still difficult to be more than mildly enthusiastic about this release. Is this disc worth a listen? Definitely. The strong parts of the album are well worth the price of admission. Just remember: patience is a virtue.

Track Listing:

1. The Children
2. Ambling Alp
3. Madder Red
4. I Remember
5. O.N.E.
6. Love Me Girl
7. Rome
8. Strange Reunions
9. Mondegreen
10. Grizelda

Written by Marc Gray

It is rather funny sometimes how our preconceived notions can deceive us. Lars Ludvig Lofgren almost fell through my fingers into the abyss of CDs I refuse to listen to due to a name that I incorrectly assumed HAD to make them an awful death metal band from somewhere in Nazi, Germany. However, it would seem that Lars’ actual sound is more like a punk version of The Raveonettes than Rammstein.

I thank god for that and should you too. Because in all honesty, this band is worth a listen or twelve. Heterochromia, Lars Ludvig Lofgen’s latest effort is actually rather infectious. Their songs’ structure keep the listener interested with just enough catch to leave you caught up and shifting your body in time with the beat. Driving guitar riffs in tracks such as “It’s Ridiculous” or “Tiger In My Tank” remind me of better days when The Lemonheads and The Replacements ruled the world.

In my book, that sound is welcome to swing by anytime. Hell, it doesn’t even have to call ahead to make sure I’m free.

But, Lars Ludvig Lofgren doesn’t stop at simply sampling the 90′s signature sound. I can hear the Pixies, The Beatles and The Pretenders in their sound as well. Collecting these dated, throwback sounds that are rather popular in indie bands these days, Lars Ludvig Lofgren would be the perfect choice for a 2010 sock hop, should someone decide to throw one.  Seriously, picture it: prom queens in poodle skirts skanking to the catchy hooks of peppy numbers like “Canadian Maple Leafs” and “Candy Rome.”  They wait patiently near the vodka-spiked punch bowl, waiting for their steady to ask them to slow dance to “Across Your House,” before sneaking away to fuck in the backseat of the car at Lover’s Point, while “Round Your Heart” blares from the radio. An album like this would make James Dean proud

Track Listing:

1. Canadian Maple Leafs
2. Across Your House
3. Round Your Heart
4. Candy Rome
5. Give The Dog A Bone
6. Opportunity Knocks
7. It’s Ridiculous
8. Hope You’re Thinking Of Me
9. We Always Knew
10. Tiger In My Tank
11. My Kid Could Paint That

Remember when the term “indie rock” meant something? From Dischord Records bands like Rites of Spring and Fugazi to 1990s lo-fi staples like Pavement and Elliott Smith, indie rock used to mean that a band maintained a certain aesthetic of raw, do-it-yourself production, and it meant that they released their records on independent record labels. Remember that? Yeah, neither do I. I’m 27 years old. I was raised on Nirvana and Pearl Jam, bands who eschewed independent labels for gigantic mainstream success. Nowadays, indie rock is a blanket term that can be applied to any number of types of bands and genres of music. That being said, Untied States is an indie rock band to the core. They are signed to relatively unknown indie label Distile Records, and their sound harkens back to a laundry list of well-respected Dischord bands (among many other bands too numerous to list) yet they still cover enough new territory to sound fresh and exciting.

I must admit that upon receipt of this album, I was instantly skeptical based solely on the name of the band. Untied States? So, it’s like, you know, the United States, but like “untied,” like we’re a nation divided or something. Get it? (Wink, wink). Yeah, I get it. However, being the good little music reviewer that I am, I pushed these reservations aside and started listening. I was floored; these guys are GOOD. These guys are REALLY good. After the first thirty seconds, I wouldn’t have cared if they had called themselves The Flying Burrito Brothers. Wait, there’s already a band named The Flying Burrito Brothers? Jesus, never mind. On to the album at hand: Instant Everything and Constant Nothing.

From the opening track “Gorilla the Bull,” this is a relentless, driving record that demands attention and doesn’t let go. It’s difficult to focus on certain tracks, and in this instance, that’s a good thing. Never mundane or repetitive, this is an album in the truest sense of the word. The songs flow into one another organically, and although each piece is unique enough to be memorable, the whole is certainly greater than the sum of its parts. The bass guitar on this record is an electronic yet throaty thump that pulses through each track, providing consistency and cohesion. Steady verse parts often explode unexpectedly into reckless but well-orchestrated dissonance, and the song structures are as varied as they are unusual. All of this may seem a bit formulaic without having listened to it (I could have written the same review up to this point for my favorite Blood Brothers album), but this is most certainly not such a record. The vocals stand out quite markedly from other bands of a similar ilk; you won’t find any hardcore-punk shouting or pop-punk melodies on this album (and certainly no Blood Brothers screeching). Instead, expect to hear strange and ethereal singing often hidden (but not buried) under dense electronics. Colin Arnstein’s voice is haunting and familiar (with shades of Tim Kasher of Cursive fame), but his voice is decidedly his own. The heavy electronic foundation on which these songs are built is also a separating factor which will help this band stand out from the crowd. Many bands have attempted to fuse together their love of digitally produced sounds with garage band gusto; few bands that I’ve heard have done so with such complete disregard for either camp. I can just hear the band members now: “Too electronic for ‘true’ punk fans? Who cares! Too noisy and aggressive for the masses? Who cares!” Untied States seem to be making the music that they want to make, and that’s just fine with me.

Track Listing:

1. Gorilla the Bull
2. Not Fences, Mere Masks
3. Unsilvered Mirrors
4. Grey Tangerines
5. These Dead Birds
6. Take Time for Always
7. Bye Bye Bi-Polar
8. Wrestling With Entropy in the Rehabbed Factory
9. Delusions Are Grander
10. Holding Up Walls
11. Kowtow Great Equalizer

Written By Marc G. Gray