First, this is my first post from the BlogPress iPad app so if things a little off, thats why. I'm hoping it turns out alright because that will give me some freedom to post on the go more often. Anywho, here we go!
ONE SENTENCE REVIEWS
Halcyon Digest Rating: 80/100 While immensely enjoyable and beautifully executed, Halcyon Digest fails to venture outside of territory that hasn't already been fully charted by The Velvet Underground, The Strokes or Pavement though a band could hardly be inspired by a better group of artists. High Point Tracks: "Sailing", "Desire Lines", "Coronado"
Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard Rating: 77/100 If you like Vampire Weekend, it is almost certain you will also like the latest offering from Ra Ra Riot as it is similarly polished, preppy and poppy but it lacks the wild energetic streak that has propelled VW to indie rock super stardom. High Point Tracks: "You and I Know", "Too Dramatic", "Do You Remember"
Girl Talk - All Day Rating: 86/100 It takes a while for All Day to really get moving, but once it does, it never looks back with Girl Talk aka Gregg Gillis creating a constant stream of hard core booty shaking mashups that are breathtakingly sublime, often comical and utterly unforgettable. High Point Tracks: Not Applicable
Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz Rating: 90/100
After years of waiting for another installment of the legendary 50 States Project, Sufjan returns with a majestic and pioneering album that redefines his refined indie folk sound with electronic textures and innovative rhythmic patterns.
High Point Tracks: "Age of Adz", "Vesuvius", "Impossible Soul"
Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager Rating: 84/100
Post-rap prodigy Kid Cudi delivers another chapter in his Man on the Moon trilogy that leads the listener through a dark tour of his psyche with a highly enjoyable collection of infectious genre bending tracks.
High Point Tracks: "Erase Me ft. Kanye West", "Mojo So Dope", "These Worries ft. Mary J Blige"
Last night Sleigh Bells put on one hell of a show at the Clubhouse. Don't believe me? Check out these videos I shot. If you are only going to watch one, definitely check out the set closing Crown On The Ground. They only played for 34 minutes, but as you can see, it was a wild 34 minutes.
It doesn't happen very often but when the planets (free time & spare cash) align, I like to check out a live show. Over the past month I've had a chance to see both Sea Wolf and The Walkmen. I recorded a few full songs and posted them on the YouTubes but because I'm a nice guy, I've also embedded them right here into MidPoints. I've got a few more shows lined up so check back for more videos soon. Enjoy!
"Leaves In The River" - Sea Wolf
"You're A Wolf" - Sea Wolf
"The Rat" - The Walkmen
"Another One Goes By" - The Walkmen
"New Country" - The Walkmen
"Woe Is Me" - The Walkmen
"We've Been Had" - The Walkmen
ONE SENTENCE REVIEWS
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
Rating: 81/100
A promising debut album from a band that cleverly balances pop melodies, dance beats and robot noises not unlike Justice, Cut Copy & Daft Punk, but with there own enjoyably distinctive touches.
High Point Tracks: "Vanished", "Crimewave (Crystal Castles vs HEALTH)", "Knights"
The Roots - How I Got Over
Rating: 80/100
Excluding the final few tracks, How I Got Over is a remarkably thoughtful and cohesive hip-hop experience that emphasizes authentic instrumentation, rhythm and of course, an MC who actually has something to say.
High Point Tracks: "Walk Alone ft. Truck North, P.O.R.N. & Dice Raw", "The Fire ft. John Legend"
Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
Rating: 70/100
Both enjoyable and forgettable, Infinite Arms does little to distinguish itself from any of the bands preceding releases.
High Point Tracks: "Laredo", "Neighbor", "Compliments"
Best Coast - Crazy For You
Rating: 85/100
Filled with irresistible pop melodies, fuzzy guitars and soaring harmonies, Crazy For You is a quick but entrancing journey through the 'highs' and lows of summertime love and heartbreak.
High Point Track: "The End", "Goodbye", "When I'm With You"
Florence + The Machine - Lungs
Rating: 86/100
While the execution isn't always perfect, the debut album from Florence + the Machine is expansive, unapologetic and straight up epic.
High Point Tracks: "Dog Days Are Over", "Cosmic Love", "You've Got The Love"
The Walkmen - Lisbon
Rating: 79/100
Lisbon is a satisfying mix of energetic indie rock and relaxed guitar pop that sounds both comfortingly familiar and enticingly strange.
High Point Track: "Angela Surf City", "Victory", "Torch Song"
Lil Wayne - I Am Not A Human Being
Rating: 77/100
Half of it sounds like a triumph, a quarter of it is unnecessary features and everything else is a mix of useless trash and Planet Weezy weirdness; but all math aside, this is a solid place holder until Tha Carter IV drops.
High Point Tracks: "Right Above It ft. Drake", "I Am Not A Human Being", "What's Wrong With Them ft. Nicki Minaj"
Enjoyable from start to finish, Brothers is the Black Keys doing work.
High Point Tracks: "Next Girl", "Tighten Up", "Sinister Kid"
Drake - Thank Me Later
Rating: 71/100
After the incredible So Far Gone mixtape and a handful of promising singles, Drake delivers a somewhat disappointing major label debut that reveals the young rappers fatal flaw: he just doesn't have much to say.
High Point Tracks: "Over", "Up All Night ft. Nicki Minaj"
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (II)
Rating: 80/100
While somewhat repetitive and noisy, a healthy number of strange and satisfying tracks redeem Crystal Castles' self titled sophomore album.
High Point Tracks: "Baptism", "Suffocation", "Not In Love"
Sleigh Bells - Treats
Rating: 94/100
Treats is unabashedly loud, inventive, fun and easily one of the best albums of the year.
High Point Tracks: "Kids", Infinity Guitars", "Rill Rill", "Crown On The Ground"
Eminem - Recovery
Rating: 84/100
Relapse was only ok; Recovery is much better.
High Point Tracks: "Won't Back Down ft. P!nk", "No Love ft. Lil Wayne", "Almost Famous" "Havoc"
Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
Rating: 89/100
Big Boi's hip-hop epic is fresh and flawlessly executed.
High Point Tracks: "Daddy Fat Sax", "Shutterbug", "Fo Yo Sorrows", "Shine Blockas"
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Rating: 98/100
The Suburbs is another remarkable release from one of the best bands of the past decade; I believe there is no stopping them now.
High Point Tracks: "Half Light II (No Celebration)", "We Used To Wait", "Month of May", "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP
Rating: 83/100
The title track which is more than 11 minutes long makes two appearances on the EP and they're both different, and uniquely enjoyable in a way only Sufjan Stevens can deliver; as is everything else in between.
High Point Tracks: "All Delighted People (Original Version)", "Enchanting Ghost", "Djohariah"
M.I.A. - Maya
Rating: 73/100
The chaotic splashes of noise and sound effects over deeply effected pop melodies sometimes seem more like a schtick than an artistic choice here, however they still seem work for her most of the time.
High Point Tracks: "Steppin Up", "XXO", "Meds and Feds"
So my friend Kristie has been telling me about Miniature Tigers for a while but I was foolish and never really gave them a chance until I saw that Neon Indian has started producing their stuff. They have a new album, F O R T R E S S, dropping later this summer and you can download the Neon Indian produced first single "Gold Skull" right here.
Wolf Parade - Expo 86 preview
A pair of new tracks from the band's forthcoming third album were recently released and fans of the bands previous material won't be dissapointed with either. You can download them both for free right here:
"Afraid of Everyone" - The National w/Sufjan Stevens on Letterman
"Higher Than The Stars" - The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
"Next Girl" - The Black Keys
"Zebra" - Beach House
ONE-SENTENCE REVIEWS
Note: This has easily been the best month of new music releases that has happened since I started this blog. This stuff is really good, I'm just sayin'.
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
Rating: 90/100
By drawing heavily from many of the most innovative artists of the past half-century, James Murphy aka LCD Soundsystem has once again synthesized countless familiar sounds and textures together with his own dance-production prowess to create a profoundly emotive, ridiculously danceable and brilliantly constructed album experience.
High Point Tracks: "Dance Yerself Clean", "All I Want", "I Can Change"
The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever
Rating: 72/100
With out any of the urgency, heart, nostalgia or drunken poetics of their previous releases, The Hold Steady have disappointed me for the first time with a very average and unfortunately forgettable record.
High Point Tracks: "Hurricane J", "The Weekenders", "We Can Get Together"
The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards
Rating: 87/100
Everything I said about their debut album holds true with their sophomore effort but more so; its grittier, scarier, bluesier, more distorted and it flat out rocks harder.
High Point Tracks: "The Difference Between Us", "Die By The Drop", "Gasoline"
MIDPOINT OF INTEREST
The National - High Violet
Rating: 98/100
With four consecutive nearly flawless albums under their belt, The National continue to take strides towards being one of the greatest bands of this generation and High Violet proves that they can remain true to their core sound while wildly expanding their scope with a batch of 11 songs that dig deeper and soar higher than just about anything the band has previously released. This album delivers their loudest, most distorted guitar-rock anthems as well as their softest most desperate, heartbroken orchestral ballads; the crazy thing is that they are often the same song. Frontman and songwriter Matt Berninger isn't quite as mumbly as he was on Boxer and he doesn't yell as much as he did on Alligator or Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers, but the middle ground of High Violet translates to what is probably the most direct and melodic National record yet. With each release, he seems to expand his nuanced lyrical honesty and in my opinion, this album proves that he is more than just a great modern songwriter but a great modern poet. However, the quality of a record or a band isn't determined simply by lyrics or guitars or melodies, but in their ability to weave all of these elements together to create something innovative, moving and transcendent and that, above all else, is what makes High Violet more than just a great rock record, its the closest thing to perfection I've heard in years.
High Point Tracks: "Terrible Love", "Afraid of Everyone", "Lemonworld", "England"
Here is some cool stuff I've found over the past week. Enjoy!
MidPoints Top 5: Mom Songs
I'm going to start posting more of these Top 5 countdowns so feel free to comment with your own Top 5s. Happy Mothers Day!
5. Chromeo - Momma's Boy
4. 2Pac - Dear Mama
3. Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama
2. Sufjan Stevens - Decatur, Or, Round Of Applause For Your Stepmother!
1. Kanye West - Hey Mama
VIDEO
The National - Terrible Love
ONE SENTENCE REVIEWS
The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday
Rating: 90/100
Garage rock and drunken nostalgia have been perfected over the past decade by The Hold Steady, and Separation Sunday is the one that kicked off their hot-streak of great albums back in 2005.
High Point Tracks: "Your Little Hoodrat Friend", "Banging Camp", "Stevie Nix"
Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
Rating: 81/100
When a phenomenal band like BSS releases a mildly disappointing record like this one, the result is sometimes still a very enjoyable and engaging album.
High Point Track: "World Sick", "All to All", "Water in Hell"
The Dead Weather - Horehound
Rating: 86/100
Its loud, dirty, and a little frightening but its also one of the most raw and powerful rock albums in recent memory.
High Point Tracks: "60 Feet Tall", "Treat Me Like Your Mother", "Hang You From The Heavens"
David Guetta - One Love
Rating: 68/100
European producer/DJ David Guetta delivers a hit or miss collection of up-tempo club jams, all of which feature at least one relevant name from the hip-hop/r&b scene.
High Point Tracks: "Sexy Bitch ft. Akon", "When Love Takes Over ft. Kelly Rowland"
The White Stripes - Under Great White Northern Lights
Rating: 93/100
This live album from 2007 features the lo-fi rock duo at their loudest, sloppiest and absolute finest while giving new life to both deep cuts and hits alike.
High Point Tracks: "Blue Orchid", "I'm Slowly Turning Into You", "Jolene" (Dolly Party cover), "Seven Nation Army"
No real info about an album or anything, but the band's website seems to indicate that they've got something up their sleeve. The song is pretty good, and very Interpol so if you like dark sounding guitars, and big helpings of reverb, you might want to give this track a download.
Have you ever wondered what the solar system sounds like? Some dude made a scale-music box thingy that lets you hear the music of the planets. Its crazy. Check it out here.
Here are some cool things that I've found over the past week.
I don't have a whole lot to report on the past week but I do have some cool things for you. Its almost summer time and that means that music will continue to come out at a slightly accelerated pace. Lots of good indie stuff on the way, and lots of it is available for a sneak peak now.
SUMMER ALBUM PREVIEWS:
LCD Soundsystem is one of the most innovative and exciting acts out there and the mastermind behind the whole shebang James Murphy has decided to stream the forthcoming This Is Happening on the groups website right here.
Broken Social Scene's highly anticipated return to albumdom Forgiveness Rock Record is streaming on the NPR website now. Check it out here.
The Hold Steady are also showing NPR (and us) some love by streaming their forthcoming Heaven is Whenver here.
Man, NPR is all about music I love. They also have the full album stream of The New Pornographers' Together. It is here.
MUSIC VIDEOS:
THE XX - ISLANDS
This video doesn't seem to be to much at first, but I find myself haunted it. It seems repetitive but I promise you its not. Every shot is a little bit different and its super artsy and really emotional in some strange intangible way. I can't put my finger on it but there is really something to this video. Let me know if you figure it out.
ONE PARAGRAPH REVIEWS:
Broken Bells - Broken Bells
Rating: 80/100
This collaborative project consisting of James Mercer, lead singer of the Shins, and crazy-ass producer Danger Mouse is a simple and upbeat affair that doesn't sound too far removed from either ones body of work. To put it simply, it mostly sounds like a Danger Mouse produced Shins album, though even that makes it sound a little crazier than it actually is. What the album lacks in surprises, it more than makes up for in execution. All ten tracks are beautifully crafted to create a very fluid album experience that is emotional, accessible and layered in such a way that each listen reveals something new. Ultimately, its not an earth shattering record, but it feels as though it was intentionally crafted to be straightforward with few unexpected turns and to that end both creators have succeeded in creating a wonderfully enjoyable set of tracks that won't change your life but you won't soon forget either.
Here's some cool stuff I've found over the past few months, enjoy!
Record Store Day!
Yesterday was Record Store Day which means a lot of independent record stores have exclusives releases from literally hundreds of bands and labels. I went to my local Zia Records to see what kind of stuff they had and even though they were pretty picked over by the time I got there, I got two Record Store Day exclusives: a limited edition red-vinyl pressing of Passion Pit's "Little Secrets" and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Skeletons" limited edition 7" single. If you love music, please support record stores!
COOL TRACKS:
The Return of Broken Social Scene
"World Sick" was the first single released by Broken Social Scene to pave the way for their forthcoming Forgiveness Rock Record (May 4) which is the bands first album since 2005. Then they released a double A-Side single featuring "Forced to Love" and "All to All". All three songs are excellent but "World Sick" is definitely my favorite so far. Listen to all three right here:
Other Cool Stuff
"Sleep Paralysist" is a fun new track from Neon Indian. You can download it free with this thing:
I have to give a shout out to a song that I recently rediscovered. I don't know why but I just can't stop listening to R. Kelly's smash hit from 2002: "Ignition Remix".
Also, the video is hilarious.
ONE-SENTENCE REVIEWS:
Joanna Newson - Have One On Me
Rating: 84/100
Folky and mysterious, this 3-disc epic is a showcase of the singers vocal skill and songwriting abilities.
High Point Tracks: "Easy" "In California" "Go Long"
Death Cab For Cutie - The Open Door EP
Rating: 81/100
Sounds a lot like the Narrow Stairs material, and it is just further proof that Death Cab is one of the most consistent and enjoyable bands out there.
High Point Tracks: "My Mirror Speaks" "Little Bribes"
UGK - Underground Kingz
Rating: 80/100
It was the last full studio album released by the southern rap duo before the death of Pimp C, and Underground Kingz is a worthy testament to the talent, charisma and swagger of UGK.
High Point Tracks: "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You) Feat. Outkast" "The Game Belongs To Me" "Hit The Block Feat. T.I."
Bun B - II Trill
Rating: 78/100
After Pimp C died, the other half of UGK aka Bun B starting releasing solo records and though II Trill is impressive, he thrives when has another rapper on the track and the album reaches its peak on "Underground Thang" which features a posthumous verse from Pimp C.
High Peak Tracks: "Underground Thang", "That's Gangsta ft. Sean Kingston", "Damn I'm Cold ft. Lil Wayne"
MGMT - Congratulations
Rating: 78/100
The highly anticipated follow up to Oracular Spectacular lacks the anthems of the debut, but it is filled with undeniably fun, quirky and artsy indie rock.
High Point Tracks: "Flash Delirium", "It's Working", "Someone's Missing"
Passion Pit - Manners (Bonus Tracks)
Rating: 96/100
This deluxe reissue of the 2009 MidPoints Album of the Year features new artwork and three new tracks including beautiful stripped down versions of "Sleepyhead" and "Moth's Wings" as well as a cover of the Cranberries' "Dreams".
High Point Tracks: "Sleepyhead (Stripped Down Version)", "Month's Wings (Stripped Down Version)", "Dreams"
Note: all 3 new songs are available on iTunes, so you don't have to buy the reissue to get the new stuff
There are few bands I get downright giddy about hearing new stuff from and Broken Social Scene is one them. May 4 can't get here fast enough. I've been waiting 5 years for this band to put out another record and while the group offshoots like Stars, Feist, Jason Collett and their semi-solo Broken Social Scene Presents series were all very very good, there ain't nothing like a full-fledged Broken Social Scene album. This new track is, much like the band itself, fucking huge! Its almost 7 minutes long with plenty of their signature build and release crescendos. Its awesome. Download the epic, "World Sick" for free-ninety-nine right here:
Spoon continues their streak of solid albums and although less upbeat than some of their recent releases, it is a consistently enjoyable and interesting listen.
High Point Tracks: "Written In Reverse", "Who Makes Your Money"
Yeasayer - Odd Blood
Rating: 82/100
Sort of wacky, and at times brilliant, Odd Blood is certainly a departure from their debut but it is also an enjoyable and modest improvement. Show all
High Point Tracks: "O.N.E.", "Ambling Alp", "I Remember"
Crazy orchestral trailer for the Gorillaz forthcoming Plastic Beach:
Crazy orchestral trailer for the Gorillaz forthcoming Plastic Beach.
ONE-SENTENCE REVIEWS:
Animal Collective - Sung Tongs
Rating: 82/100
Although it lacks the some of the layered complexity present on Animal Collective's last few releases, the mostly acoustic Sung Tongs is a strange and enjoyable journey through the softer side of AC.
High Points Tracks: "Winters Love", "Who Could Win A Rabbit", "Sweet Road"
Beach House - Teen Dream
Rating: 88/100
Teen Dream is a beautiful, haunting, and flawlessly crafted indie pop album that is definitely an early contender for album of the year.
High Point Tracks: "Silver Soul", "Used To Be", "Real Love"
Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP
Rating: 83/100
This companion piece to Merriweather Post Pavilion, is yet another catchy, weird, and impressive release from the ol' Animal Collective.
High Point Tracks: "What Would I Want? Sky!", "I Think I Can"
Discovery - LP
Rating: 85/100
Comprised of members of Ra Ra Riot and Vampire Weekend, Discovery offers up a brief but impressive debut with more infectious hooks and synth riffs than you can shake stick at.
High Point Tracks: "Can You Discover", "So Insane", "I Want You Back (Jackson 5 Cover)"
The Fiery Furnaces - Rehearsing My Choir
Rating: 25/100
I like the Fiery Furnaces well enough, but bizarre music and painfully boring spoken word narratives make this album almost entirely unlistenable
High Point Tracks: N/A (It was really that bad)
Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
Rating 79/100
Its a very top-heavy record beginning with a slew of wild and memorable tracks and ending without much of a bang but this unique debut certainly hints at some greatness to come.
High Point Tracks: "Sunrise", "No Need To Worry", "2080"
Lil Wayne - Rebirth
Rating: 50/100
Oh god, I love me some Lil Wayne but this monstrosity is baaaaaaad and it is only redeemed by that fact that Weezy is a genius, albiet a terribly terribly misguided genius but hey, at least its not Tha Carter IV.
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