Category: Album Reviews

Posted in Album Reviews

Passion Pit – Gossamer (2012)

Posted on by Michael

In the lead up to Passion Pit’s sophomore release, Gossamer, much has been made about band leader Michael Angelakos’ mental state. Cancelled tour dates, stays in mental hospitals, addiction, talk of suicide and a bi-polar condition have all been discussed in various interviews. The seriousness of those issues are all explored in the lyrics which is in stark contrast to the giddy rush of the music contained on this album.

Working with co-producer Chris Zane and engineer Alex Aldi over the course of several months, Angelakos’ crafted the follow-up to the very popular debut release, Manners by writing all the songs and playing virtually all the instruments himself. The result is a very synthesized pop record. Tracks such as “I Take a Walk” and “I’ll be Alright” are sure to excite festival crowds while “Carried Away” sounds tailor made to soundtrack an iPod commercial.

Gossamer does not slow down until “Constant Conversations” which sounds like Dirty Projectors if they were produced by the Weeknd. The song features lyrics about drinking too much which is a theme also explored in “Cry Like a Ghost” where the singer makes the confession, “and yes I drank all those drinks on my own, my life’s become some blurry little quest”. As much as those tracks are highlights, Angelakos may have saved the best for the second half of the album. “On My Way” is a dead ringer for mid 90s period Mercury Rev and the confused romantic ponderings of “Love is Greed” have an anthemic quality as does “It’s Not My Fault, I’m Happy” when it declares, “don’t call me crazy, I’m happy!”

A close approximation to Gossamer may be Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreaks. The main difference being that Kanye’s similar warts and all introspection is set over brooding synth lines which easily show the contemplative tone whereas Angelakos’ helium voice and production sheen belies the seriousness of the lyrics. So much of Gossamer sounds of the moment that it’s easy to not pay closer attention to what the album is actually saying. But once the rain washes away the pop candy castles, what remains is the concrete lyrics that hold these sugar walls together.

8/10

Review also found at UMFM.com

Posted in Album Reviews

Julia Holter – Ekstasis (2012)

Posted on by Michael

Back in the spring of this year, Julia Holter quickly released the follow up to her debut from 2011 entitled Tragedy which was inspired by Euripides’ Greek play Hippolytus. Taking time away from tutoring teenagers in her native Los Angeles, Holter recorded Ekstasis mostly at home and mostly on her own. At times recalling Kate Bush and more recent artists such as Grimes, Ekstasis sounds like it’s from another time both past and future.

Like walking through an old abandoned home with secret passages and hidden rooms behind bookcases, there is much to discover here. First track, “Marienbad” is a marvel in itself. At times feeling like it could all fall apart at any time; beats, strings, and a distorted bugle appear and disappear throughout. The dreamlike vocals of “Our Sorrows” with its “if you call out, call out, call out, call out I will follow you” refrain is then followed by swirling vocals that make it feel like you’re listening to someone drown. “In the Same Room” features an insistent drumbeat and handclaps, the lyrics being a back and forth between two people before it all starts to fade away as quickly as it came.

The challenging aspects of Holter’s work is balanced by featuring just as many melodic and catchy moments throughout. Not a conventional listen and quite abstract at times, Ekstasis is an album to get lost in.

9/10

(Review also found at UMFM.com)

Posted in Album Reviews

Beach House – Bloom (2012)

Posted on by Michael

Several months ago when publications were creating short lists of hotly anticipated albums for 2012, Beach House were one of the heavily mentioned bands. Their third album, 2010’s Teen Dream, was a massive critical success and gained the Baltimore duo of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally many new fans in the process. Set to do an Animal Collective and become the “it” cool band, Beach House released Bloom back in May and have been on the road ever since.

The chiming guitars of first single, “Myth”, gently welcome listeners into Beach House’s orbit, while the rolling drums pull you in deeper. Similar to many tracks on Bloom, the lyrics are like reading a book that’s missing every third page. “Wild”, tells of drunken parental concern before it loses you in a swirl of ambiguity. Both “Other People” and “The Hours” swing a bit harder in the choruses while “Lazuli”s hushed background vocals and twinkling keys recall the 80s more ethereal moments. The duo’s ability to make even the most simple moments sound majestic is one of Bloom’s most charming traits.

All the songs mentioned appear on the first half of the album and while the second half merely feels like excellent b-sides to the first half’s extraordinary singles, final track “Irene” is another Bloom highlight. Once the final chords disappear, the only thing left to do is go back to the beginning and lose yourself all over again.

9/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Billy Joel – Piano Man (1973)

Posted on by Michael

In the late 70s/early 80s Billy Joel’s music was everywhere. Hit singles, huge selling albums, and massive tours all meant that the once struggling artist was a major success. Early in his career, Joel played in various groups around New York City that went nowhere and saw a debut solo album, Cold Spring Harbor, mastered at the wrong speed causing his voice to sound a semitone than it should have. After a failed suicide attempt, Joel moved out to California with his then girlfriend, Elizabeth. While in LA, he got a job playing piano at The Executive Room piano bar. During this time, Joel wrote the songs that would form his second solo album, Piano Man.

It would be easy to look back and say that it is obvious that Joel would be a star based on hearing Piano Man but well, there is some truth to that. The melodies, music, and musicianship are all impeccable. The rumbling bass and banjo picking of “Travelin’ Prayer” (later covered by Dolly Parton) are ridiculously catchy. “You’re My Home” is a pleasant attempt at a Paul Simon like look at America while “The Ballad of Billy the Kid” has the story telling of Marty Robbins. It’s curious that “Stop in Nevada” was not released as a single as it has all the bombast of later Meatloaf productions with a few country touches to hit all the right demographics. This of course leaves the ubiquitous title track. Like many great songs from the past it has been slightly diminished over time having been heard a million times, but listening with fresh ears there is no doubt why the track has been played/covered so much over the last 35+ years.

While Billy Joel lacks the grit of Bruce Springsteen and the expert lyricism of Paul Simon, Piano Man hits a nice stride right into MOR radio. It has all the classic sounds of AM Radio from the 70s and while he would go on to better perfect his sound, there are a few gems here to listen to that would surely be overlooked on most “Best Of” collections.

7/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Santigold – Master Of My Make Believe (2012)

Posted on by Michael

After a successful career writing songs for others, Santi White, then going as Santogold, burst onto the scene in 2008 with the “L.E.S Artistes” single as well as the S/T debut. Buzzing with highlights such as “Lights Out”, “Unstoppable” and “I’m a Lady”, the debut went a long way in establishing Santi as a prime contender in the sophisticated dance pop ring. Four years later, with one name change under her belt as well as a Chuck Taylor advert and numerous commercial audio pop ups, she appears with her sophomore release Master Of My Make Believe.

Make Believe gets off to a rousing start with one of her strongest tracks in “Go!” Featuring Karen O, the menacing opening leads into Marylyn Manson like military drumming before it suddenly veers to 80s pop punk… and that’s just the first 45 seconds. First single, “Disparate Youth” continues the winning trick and is another standout. The track has moves similar to “L.E.S Artiste” as it seems just a bit too slow for the dance floor but one sure to get heads nodding. After this, the album gets a bit murky as tracks such as “Fame” and “Freak Like Me” are more curiosities and the pace really slows down with several mid tempo numbers (though “The Riot’s Gone” is one of the strongest tracks on the album). “The Keepers” gets things back on track and sounds like an updated version of Kim Wilde’s “Kids in America” with an equally infectious chorus.

There’s a lot of good on Masters Of My Make Believe as it boasts possibly three of the best tracks of the year. However pacing becomes an issue and like the debut, there’s a few songs that are easily skipped over. Still, Santigold continues to produce intelligent dance music and this album is a welcome return by one of the coolest girls around.

7/10