by: Paul McEldowney
Spiritualized - Sweet Heart, Sweet Light – (Fat Possum)
Contrary to what you might think, the album is not called 'Huh?'. Maybe I was at fault for assuming so, but the album cover continues the utilitarian and now maybe literally iconic stylings of Jason Pierce by featuring a green outlined stop sign with Huh? typed out in large and skinny helvetica. One thing I really like about Stereolab, Spacemen 3, and Spectrum was their unrivaled commitment to planning out every aesthetic choice from the album art to song structure to minutes of guitar drone. Every album of Pierce traps you into listening holistically, and they each sound like an opera--a self-contained and self-expressing musical. 'Sweet Heart, Sweet Light' is no different. It is a transparent, ambitious, and moving story of who knows what huh?.
Toro Y Moi - June 2009 – (Carpark)
Timeline cover photo friendly yearbook style compilation of Chaz's 60s influenced boredom bloomed bedroom pop and early PM Dawn style gangsta's paradise muffled R&B that he recorded during his wee college years. I won't encourage you to save the date, as I am trying to make these blurbs so dumb-pun heavy, but I cannot help myself.
Horse Feathers - Cynic's New Year – (Kill Rock Stars)
I watched Meek's Cutoff last week (It's on da 'flix) and was pretty blown away. I have a soft spot for slow, mood emphasizing, anti-narrative type of films, and Meek's Cutoff was able to capture the anxiety, dread, and self-created schizophrenia that I can only imagine organ trailers (windows 95 or wagon 1845) experienced on their journey North. On the opposite side of the spectrum is romantic myth-making that we often see in folk music and cowboy films. In a romantic form, progress is always necessitated in a plot where there is an individuated journey with a beginning and end that documents some balance between good and evil. Horse Feather's new album shows this. It's hopeful, sweet, moving, and plot heavy. Unlike Meek's Cutoff, we see exactly where Horse Feathers is going, and it's refreshing, comforting, and familiar.
Beach Fossils - Shallow/Lessons – (Captured Tracks)
New two track single from everyone's favorite can-do-no-wrong cherub melting jangle pop band.
Theme Park - Wax EP – (Transgressive)
Scared-of-heights friendly unlimited-speed-pass rickety churro heavy synth pop that is loop free for those on the queasy side.
Nick Waterhouse - Time's All Gone – (Innovative Leisure)
Time machine classic 50s sounding speaker cone piercing R&B soul.
Sleepy Sun - Spine Hits – (The End)
Swirly head in the clouds anything but humble psych rock which draws more from arena rock.
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