popwreckoning

Help Popwreckoning by Bookmarking us on Delicious

Shortly after the rise in popularity of “Juno,” people in mainstream markets of the record industry stopped to take a look at music in a way they hadn’t bothered to notice prior. Suddenly, artists like Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches and Daniel Johnston, who sport a less than in tune approach to fronting a band, were not only viewed as acceptable, they were embraced as trendy. Overnight, it became the “it” thing in music to care more about the message in music than the pitch in which you present it.

That movement in music couldn’t have come at a better time for Slow Club. Their tongue in cheek sentence structure supplies them with an almost unthinkable “aw factor” that can give any songwriter known for writing cute songs (Stars, Rilo Kiley, ect.) a run for their money. Hitting listeners with lines like “If you came back as the deep sea, I’d come back as the salt,” in “It Doesn’t Have To Be Beautiful” and “There are so many lessons that I never cared to learn” in “When I Go,” Slow Club’s charming wit is as addicting as the butterflies one gets in their stomach when their high school love walks into the room. They may not be true love or your future spouse, but goddamn if they don’t make your knees weak in a way that’s impossible to shake.

Yeah, So, the latest release from Slow Club, is a prime example indie labels in their prime. I have no doubt it could be released side by side with alumni of Saddle Creek or Sub Pop Records. Moshi Moshi, Slow Club’s current home has certainly snagged a sleeper in the group. Their release of this two disc set should turn heads once the word gets out of it’s unquestionable brilliance.

Listeners should be sure to snag the bonus disk, which includes “Christmas TV,” a track so strong it might be better than anything on the conventional release. Hell, to be completely honest, this song might be better than anything I’ve heard in the recent scene. Rocking a happy-go-lucky coffee shop feel and a sing-a-long structure, “Christmas TV” feels like a tune you’ve heard your whole life from spin one. With an addicting heart-warming feel to it, spin one certainly won’t be the last.

Track Listing:

1. When I Go
2. Giving Up On Love
3. I Was Unconscious, It Was A Dream
4. It Doesn’t Have To Be Beautiful
5. Because Were Dead
6. There Is No Good Way To Say I Am Leaving You
7. The Trophy Room
8. Dance ‘ Til The Morning Light
9. Come On Youth
10. Sorry About The Doom
11. Apples And Pairs
12. Our Most Brilliant Friends
13. Boys On Their Birthday

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