Review: Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart (* * * *)

Stephen McBean has never seemed particularly interested in keeping his two bands as entirely separate entities. Black Mountain and Pink Mountaintops have more in common than just their similar titles; McBean enlists many of the same musicians to play for both projects and it can be difficult to tell at times where he draws the dividing line between the two band’s. But while McBean doesn’t often vary from the basic ingredients, any direct comparison of the previous efforts by each project reveals fundamental differences in trajectory, with Black Mountain’s In the Future working through various forms of guitar-heavy psychedelia and Pink Mountaintops’ Outside Love incorporating a mellower blend of pop and experimental elements. With Wilderness Heart, however, McBean tempers Black Mountain’s more epic tendencies. (Continue reading @ In Review Online)

Review: Will Stratton - New Vanguard Blues (* * * * 1/2)

Patience is a virtue, sure, but one that tends to slow things down and occasionally even seems completely unnecessary. Will Stratton’s third album, New Vanguard Blues, serves as a reminder that impatience can be just as valuable a trait. After offering one of my favorite records of 2009—the consistently stunning No Wonder— Stratton apparently didn’t want to bother taking the traditional route in releasing his third full-length. Recorded and mixed by the songwriter himself over the weekend of July 9th, the album was made available online only a couple weeks later, an unusual but certainly welcome decision as New Vanguard Blues is in many ways Stratton's best effort to date. Shedding the varied sonic decorations that enhanced the tunes on No Wonder, his latest is simple and stripped-down, resulting in a tighter, more focused set of songs that relies almost exclusively on his impressive guitar work for accompaniment. But the album mostly succeeds for the same reason the last one did: Stratton’s singular songwriting, which has only gotten better with time. (Continue reading at In Review Online. . .)

Review: Mountain Man - Made the Harbor (* * * 1/2)

After a few years filled with the emergence of high-profile indie bands like Girls and Women, both of which are comprised entirely of males, perhaps we shouldn’t be at all surprised to find that a band named Mountain Man is not, in fact, a man, but three women. And really that’s a welcome surprise in this case, as such a seemingly straightforward moniker conjures thoughts of yet another sup-par songwriter attempting to follow the success of breakout acts Fleet Foxes, Tallest Man On Earth, and the like. These girls will still appropriately be lumped in with their fellow folk revivalists due to their earthy, sparse sound and nature-themed lyrics, but Vermont’s Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig and Amelia Randall Meath have created something uniquely lovely on their debut full-length, Made the Harbor. (Continue @ In Review Online)

Review: Best Coast - Crazy for You (* *)

For young writers and aspiring musicians, some of the most frequently heard advice has got to be “write what you know.” This is obvious counsel, to be sure, but true in many respects, especially in the realm of pop music where people generally respect honesty in songwriting. We like artists who share their stories with us and reveal the more intimate details of their lives, allowing us to connect with them through their experiences. But sometimes, even when a musician is eager to get personal, we find there simply isn’t much about them that we care to hear. Such is the case with the latest lo-fi, beach-pop phenomenon Best Coast, fronted by puzzlingly popular newcomer Bethany Cosentino and featuring former Vivian Girl Ali Koehler along with Bethany’s former babysitter (seriously), mutli-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Adrift somewhere between SBhe & Him-style balladry, polka-dotted 50s girl groups, and fuzzy, Vivian Girls-esque pop-punk, Best Coast makes music that is hazy and sun-soaked, and it’s not difficult to hear the appeal in Cosentino’s casually strong voice. But on the band’s debut, Crazy for You, Cosentino’s inane songwriting fails to engage on any level and her vacuous insights into love and loneliness reveal no depth whatsoever to her personality. (Read the rest @ In Review Online)

Review: The Acorn - No Ghost (* * * 1/2)

It’s a risky move releasing a concept album early in your career, but Canada's the Acorn proved quite capable of doing just that with their 2007 sophomore effort, Glory Hope Mountain. That record chronicles the life of singer Rolf Klausener’s mother (whose journey from Honduras included a great deal of drama and adventure) over the course of twelve woodsy folk songs featuring delicate harmonies and intricate guitar signatures, revealing impressive musicianship for such a young group. The songs work both as part of the whole and are engaging individually—no small achievement given the source material—and the record showed the Acorn could be ambitious without overreaching. So while Glory Hope Mountain didn’t make overnight sensations of the band, they gathered enough fans that high expectations were instated for future endeavors. Their third album, No Ghost, appears uninterested in an overarching concept, and in fact feels more modest than their previous release despite its broader stylistic range. It doesn’t quite propel the band forward or equal the considerable quality of what preceded it, but No Ghost is at least an enjoyable entry in the band’s catalog. (Please read the rest of my review @ In Review Online)

Review: The National - High Violet (* * * 1/2)

Any band that relegates a guest list including Sufjan Stevens and Justin Vernon to tiny font in the liner notes obviously sees no need to capitalize on the recognition recording with these artists might bring. And it’s true the National don’t need to be famous by association. These five gentlemen from Brooklyn have—in what could perhaps be described as a most traditional and unspectacular manner—transitioned into one of the indie world’s most revered rock bands. Now, with their fifth release, High Violet, they've about reached superstar status, and they’re ready for their close-ups, as it were. A quick look at the band’s two appearances on Letterman—the first to do Boxer highlight “Fake Empire” and the most recent to perform new single “Afraid of Everyone”—best exhibits what I mean. No longer does frontman Matt Berninger stand nervously clutching the mic, staring at the floor while delivering lines like he’s reading excerpts from his journal. Nowadays he gazes almost assertively outward, dressed to kill and sounding fantastic, while he and the band display previously unseen confidence as they run through a charismatic, dynamic performance. (Read the rest @ In Review Online)

Review: Sam Amidon - I See the Sign (* * * *)

Given the unusual way in which Sam Amidon approached his first two albums, you might expect him to either be relegated to the smallest of niche markets or to feel pressure to write a record using more conventional methods. Instead, the young folk musician has found his unique songcraft to be quite sustainable, and he's garnered increased acclaim over the past few years—especially with 2008’s lovely All Is Well. Of course, Amidon isn’t the first person to take traditional folk tunes and reinterpret them with a personal twist, but the obscurity of his chosen songs and the lengths to which he goes to make them his own labels him as a genuinely fascinating artist. His third effort, I See the Sign, is once again a collection of covers, though as is par for the course, it’s unlikely (with but one notable exception) that you’ve heard them before—and with his often dramatic rearrangements, it would hardly matter if you had. The new record isn’t necessarily better than its predecessor, but the growth Amidon shows here in the complexity of his arrangements and in the confidence of his presentation make it his most compelling to date. (Read the rest @ In Review Online)

Review (Reposted): Patty Griffin - Downtown Church (* * * *)

After a consistently impressive start to any career, an artist tends to earn enough goodwill to try something different; a concept album, an unusual collaboration or new genre, for instance. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should, and for every successful foray into the previously unexplored there have been innumerable disasters. Granted, when you consider the dependably fantastic Patty Griffin’s latest effort, a gospel record fittingly labeled Downtown Church, it doesn’t seem so removed from her previous works (especially her last album, 2007’s wonderful Children Running Through). Her country-folk straddling aesthetic and continuing progression as a singer would seem to lend itself somewhat to gospel music, but there are still risks associated with her taking an album in a direction that many might see as alienating or easy to dismiss as an indulgent gimmick. (Continue Reading @ In Review Online)

@ In Review Online: Best Albums of the Decade (20 -1)

The best of the best unveiled at In Review Online:

Also check out individual staff lists (including mine) here.

20 - 11
Personal Picks:
20: Radiohead - In Rainbows
19: The Avalanches - Since I Left You
17: The Books - The Lemon of Pink
13: TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
12: The National - Boxer

10 - 1
Personal Picks:
10: ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Source Tags & Codes
8: Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
7: Arcade Fire - Funeral
5: Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
3: Panda Bear - Person Pitch
2: Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica
1: Radiohead - Kid A

@ In Review Online: Best Albums of the Decade (50 - 21)

Alright, we're getting close to the grand finale, here's 50-21 of In Review Online staff's picks for best albums of the decade. As I did last time, I'll list my personal picks below.

50-41
Personal Picks:
50: Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
49: Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
48: The Wrens - Meadowlands
44: The Mountain Goats - Sunset Tree
42: Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
41: Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

40-31:
Personal Picks:
40: The Strokes - Is This It
35: Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
33: Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in the Hands
32: Spoon - Kill the Moonlight
31: The National - Alligator

30-21
Personal Picks:
29: The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
27: Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
26: Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
25: Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
24: Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
23: Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender
22: Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days

@ In Review Online: Best Albums of the Decade (100 - 51)

The next installment of our "Best Albums of the Decade" series, 100-51. I'll highlight those albums that also find themselves in my personal top 100, but check out the links to the pages for the complete article.

100 - 91
Personal Picks:
97: Life Without Buildings - Any Other City (2001)
96: Cat Power - You Are Free (2003)
95: Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (2000)

90 - 81
Personal Picks:
87: The Antlers - Hospice (2009)
81: The Walkmen - Bows + Arrows (2004)

80 - 71
Personal Picks:
76: Sonic Youth - Murray Street (2002)
75: Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006)
73: The Dismemberment Plan - Change (2001)
72: Radiohead - Amnesiac (2001)

70 - 61
Personal Picks:
68: Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (2000)
67: Beck - Sea Change (2002)

61 - 51
Personal Picks:
57: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (2008)
56: LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (2007)
55: The Clientele - Suburban Light (2000)
54: Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (2005)
53: The Notwist - Neon Golden (2003)

@ In Review Online - Best Albums of the Decade (Intro + Honorable Mentions)

After putting in some serious time over the past few weeks, the staff of In Review Online presents "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade," according to us. Much deliberation went into this selection and we think we've got a list that represents the interests of the staff as a whole - it's definitely worth looking into. I contributed some of these write-ups along with others of our staff to attempt to relate to you why these records deserve so much acclaim at the end of the decade for their contributions.

To start we have the introduction and the "honorable mentions" section - more to follow during the week. Please read and enjoy!

The 100 Best Albums of the Decade

Honorable Mentions (including two of my favorites, Mass Romantic by The New Pornographers, and The Tyranny of Distance by Ted Leo & The Pharmacists. Also featuring Taylor Swift - seriously)

Review: Vampire Weekend - Contra (* * * 1/2)

I wonder if Ezra Koenig and company didn’t intend for the opening line of the first track on their sophomore effort to be a direct affront to their critics: “In December, drinking horchata, I look psychotic in a balaclava.” This wouldn’t seem a declarative or confrontational statement out of context, yet given the amount of grief directed at the indie pop stars for their frequent references to hipster clothing and stuffy, upper class society, it might well be just that. But as the band transition into the sudden burst of tropical drums and the vocal refrain that follows soon after, there’s the feeling that this isn’t quite business as usual either. "Horchata" immediately becomes of a type with the entirety of Vampire Weekend’s second album, Contra. The record finds the group entrenching themselves further into their indie-rock-meets-afro-pop sensibilities, updating that style in a confident if less than truly adventurous way. With the aid of a bigger budget and more refined production, Contra should broaden Vampire Weekend’s already considerable appeal. But it doesn’t ultimately leave the same impact of their stellar debut. (Continue Reading at In Review Online)

@In Review Online: Top 15 Albums of 2009

Our combined staff list of the best albums of 2009 is up now at In Review Online. It's quite different than my personal list, but there's also a decent amount of overlap on some of the top stuff. Anyway, check out the 15 albums that made it along with some honorable mentions (also great) along the bottom of the feature.

Full Article

I'll go ahead and post the top 5 here:

5: Fever Ray - Fever Ray
4: The xx - xx
3: Sunn O))) - Monoliths and Dimensions
2: Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
1: Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

@In Review Online: While We Were Sleeping

Because our modestly sized staff can't get to everything noteworthy during the year, we've posted a feature over at In Review Online that covers a selection of records we missed over this year with our thoughts on each - briefly. I did a good chunk of the writing on this one, especially on a bunch of albums by emerging artists out of the U.K. (La Roux, Florence + The Machine, Biffy Clyro, etc) that don't get nearly as much attention in the States. So check out the feature and enjoy!

Full Article

@In Review Online: Unheard Of #3

The third installment of my "Unheard Of" column is up at In Review Online. As usual, it features some artists I've already covered along with some I haven't. I'll post some links below, but for the full article and free songs, check out the full thing HERE.

Will Stratton -
"...over the course of two records - particularly No Wonder - he's demonstrated a steadily increasing level of maturity and brought greater depth to his songwriting"

Lissie -
"Maurus' strong, slightly weathered voice aligns her with the likes of late-period Joan Baez or even Stevie Nicks, as does her emotive lyricism and all-encompassing folk style"

Capybara -
"...it's the songwriting that really shines here; simple yet arresting melodies, constant harmonies and intriguing song structures combine to form many great moments on the record."

Brooke Waggoner -
"She uses her talents to compose intricate, elegant songs that primarily feature sweeping orchestral arrangements underpinning her signature instrument, a lovely, emotive voice."

Ólöf Arnalds -
"Arnalds' sound is like a cross between Sigur Ros and Joanna Newsom, as she makes mostly stark, acoustic music to compliment her high, almost childlike voice."

Full Article

@ In Review Online: Unheard Of #2

The second installment for the "Unheard Of" feature I'm doing for In Review Online just went up! There are some bands I've featured before on Chewing Gum for the Ears, and a couple new ones - so check it out! I'll post a shorter version of the feature below, but visit In Review for the full thing - including some free music!

Full article: Unheard Of #2

Featured Artists:

fun. -
Recent Release: Aim and Ignite

"...a record that is exquisitely crafted, consistently surprising, and - of course - very fun indeed."

Shuta Hasunuma -
Recent Release: Pop Ooga

"Each moment feels carefully constructed and beautifully presented, making Pop Ooga a captivating and engaging musical experience for its entire 51 minutes."

Netherfriends -
Recent Release: Calling You Out EP

"contains...plenty of psychedelically-tinged, messy musical and vocal hooks and a refreshingly strange approach to indie rock."

Arms -
Recent Release: Kids Aflame

"It may be a subtle kind of magic that makes Kids Aflame an album worth digging into, and some will likely be underwhelmed by its straightforwardness, but Todd Goldstein’s solo debut is a great way to make an entrance."

Robert Francis -
Recent Release: Before Nightfall

"Though Robert Francis’ youth will certainly turn heads, the music he creates deserves more than just 'he’s good for his age' sorts of comments. "

This Week @ In Review Online: Flaming Lips, The Mountain Goats and more

Maybe this should read last week at In Review Online, but these review just got posted recently and I think we've got a good haul for you. My Monsters of Folk review I've already posted, but here's the full list:







Flaming Lips - Embryonic ( by Yorgo Douramacos)
3.5 Stars (of 4)

"If all you think of in connection with Wayne Coyne and the boys is sugary, glacial bliss and secular humanist hymns set against stories about weird aliens and superheroes, here comes Embryonic to remind us just who we’re dealing with."

The Mountain Goats - Life of the World to Come (by Jordan Cronk)
2.5 Stars (of 4)

"...The Life of the World to Come is a deeply penetrating, earnestly manifest song cycle applicable to just about anyone willing to open themselves up to Darnielle’s penetrating realizations."

Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk (by Yours Truly)
3 Stars (of 4)

"You probably won’t want any of these talented musicians to quit their day jobs soon, but this album is more than just a fun diversion—it’s an impressive achievement."

Califone - All My Friends are Funeral Singers (by Jordan Cronk)
3 Stars (of 4)

"All My Friends Are Funeral Singers represents yet another unique and deeply rewarding conflation of a variety of classic and modern American rock and folk signifiers."

Wild Beasts - Two Dancers (by Yorgo Douramacos)
3.5 Stars (of 4)

"...Wild Beasts somehow create echo-drenched theatrical lounge music for tomorrow’s sexier rocket ships."

Review: Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk (* * * *)

If the word “supergroup” makes you uncomfortable, you’re not alone—that term has all too often created false hope for bands that should by definition be excellent but almost never fulfill those high expectations. But as jaded as you may be, it’s impossible not to be intrigued by the idea of folk superstars Jim James, Conor Oberst and M. Ward, together with Bright Eyes member and producer Mike Mogis, teaming up to release a collaborative album. And really, Monsters of Folk, or MOF (as it is frequently abbreviated), would probably only qualify themselves as a supergroup with the same kind of faux bravado carried with their appropriate but silly title, an example of the relaxed, high-spirited atmosphere that pervades the band’s music. That’s not to say their self-titled debut, with roots going back as far as 2005, ever feels lazy or tossed off. Quite the opposite, in fact; the 15 tracks onMonsters of Folk combine to make a better album than some of its creators have made recently as solo artists (Oberst and Ward especially). (Continue Reading...)

@InRO: Discographer #3: The What of Why?

Over at In Review Online we've just posted our third 'Discographer' feature - a look into the albums of Yoni Wolf's band, Why? I only wrote one of the reviews - but the entire feature is worth looking into for a take on this unique musician's notable career:

Discographer: The What of Why?

Reviews -

Oaklandazulasylum (by Jordan Cronk)

Elephant Eyelash (by Chris Nowling)

Alopecia (by Lukas Suveg)

Eskimo Snow (by Jordan Cronk)