No Age - Everything In Between (Subpop)
?'Glitter' is the first single off No Age's forthcoming album, Everything In Between, coming out on Sub Pop later this month. The title track begins with anthemic drums and immediately pulls you in, as a deep bass line and glitchy synthesizer samples provide a melodic backdrop. A mixed down fuzzed-out-to-death guitar quickly comes in, and after an upbeat drum fill the song sets into full swing, resulting into a heartfelt hypnotizing musical experience. Drummer, Dean Spunt, sings more sentimentally than ever before with respect to his vocal stylings and lyrical content, really illustrating the song's melancholic and sincere attitude...Summing things up, their new 7" showcases another step in the evolution of their unique lo-fi dream punk sound, making me very excited for their upcoming album.? Well the album is here, and it is pretty awesome.
--Paul
Tim Kasher - The Game of Monogamy (Saddle Creek)
You may know Tim Kasher from Cursive, or The Good Life. If you know Cursive, or The Good Life, you know Kasher?s ability to write honest, reflective lyrics and thematic albums. On this album, Kasher writes about monogamy and romance, and appropriately sings over moody and sometimes lush, sometimes bare arrangements.
NoBunny - First Blood (Goner)
NoBunny is a dude in a mask. A bunny mask, to be precise, and he plays 50?s era rock n? roll. The songs are short, fuzzy, and fun.
--Tan
Sky Larkin - Kaleide (Wichita)
This British band has put out a good indie rock record. Nothing really genre breaking, but still enjoyable. If you like the lo-fi girly stuff that?s been added lately, you?ll like this too, though it isn?t lo-fi at all.
The Intelligence - Males (In The Red)
The Intelligence win over the ?male" demographic with songs about pot (track 1), puking on someones birthday (track 2), sailor's itch (track 3), house bandits (track 10)... you get the idea. But I actually think gals will enjoy this album as well. Fronted by the former drummer of A-Frames (Sub Pop), "Males" combines a mix of garage, post-punk and new wave, meaning it's angular but dancey at the same time. Track 5 "Like Like Like Like Like Like Like" is definitely catchy, even if they're making fun of the way we talk in Southern California. And they even throw in a good idea for a future KUCI PSA (track 7) ? ?I suggest you call mom, or move on in a parking lot.? As long as you?re not in the mood for anything too serious, then The Intelligence will win you over, male or female.
Les Savy Fav - Root for Ruin (Frenchkiss)
Tim Harrington is still crazy after close to 15 years of playing with Les Savy Fav. Or maybe the right word is priceless - c'mon, you know you would have loved to see him play at the Getty Center in tight shiny pants, feather boa and no shirt to unassuming parents with small children! These guys know how to play upbeat angular art-punk. ?Sleepless in Silverlake? (track 3 ? careful this one has OPI), "Let?s Get Out of Here? (track 4), and ?Calm Down? (track 10) are the stand-out tracks. Even the slower tempo songs like "Dear Crutches" (track 9) are good. It's nice to see LSF continually developing their sound with each release and still keeping the music fun.
Lazertag - A Minor Loss of Fidelity
A fun mix of electronic drum beats and intimate guitar work, A Minor Loss of Fidelity is an all around enjoyable record that is easy to listen to. The only thing I really have a problem with is that the vocals have really no range of emotion. However, this is more than made up for by the catchy, yet restrained, melodies, interesting harmonies, and nice guitar (and ukulele!) work. On top all of this, a little bit of electronica seems to be infused over large portions of the album, which adds a nice touch to songs that would otherwise seem just a little bit lacking. Overall a genuinely enjoyable record, and if you're looking for rock that's fairly subdued, give it a spin.
--Alex Zechiel
Rats ? Rats
This one's really mellow. Just guitar, bass, and saxophone all the way through (that's right, no vocals or drums!), the record seems to have very little direction. Even each song seems to have little to no direction within, which is actually a good portion of what makes the album unique and interesting. Because there are no drums on this album, the whole thing seems to be done in free-time, as in, very little steady rhythm, which makes it easy to chill out to, but still odd enough that it never gets boring. You really only want to spin this one if you're a fan of somewhat avant-garde jazz, but if you are, it's a nice little record that doesn't push too hard and has just the right amount of oomph.
-- Alex Zechiel
Dead Leaf Echo ? Truth 2&1
Oh no, Tan?s adding another shoegaze album, whatever that means. Well, this one is slower and more ethereal than the last few. Dead Leaf Echo work to build up the atmosphere, and then subtly put their vocals over the instrumentation. Think Cocteau Twins. Think Little Darla?s Bliss Out series. Think of what you?d want to hear in a dark studio at 4am.
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