Review: Wild Beasts - Limbo, Panto (* * * *)

Limbo, Panto is the debut album English art-rockers Wild Beasts. Their distinctive, flamboyant personality came, according to singer Hayden Thorpe, "out of a boredom and lack of interest in beer and testosterone rock. It concentrated us like a fruit." Like a fruit? However you describe it, their uniquely over-the-top sound, topped with Thorpe's theatrical falsetto vocals makes them a noteworthy and exciting new addition to the indie scene.

About ten seconds into Limbo, Panto's opening track, "Vigil For A Fuddy Duddy," you'll know you're in for quite a ride. Thorpe croons, howls, and yelps over the intricate guitar/bass arrangements and tasteful percussion which, throughout the album, always leave the vocals front and center. His voice might take some getting used to, but it's the most powerful and unique weapon in the group's arsenal. On many of the album's ten tracks bassist Tom Flemming provides smooth tenor harmonies that compliment Thorpe perfectly, though occasionally Flemming takes over on lead vocal duties, most notably "The Devil's Crayon" which is one of the album's best. His pleasant, even voice is a welcome element of normalcy in the midst of so much strangeness.

Wild Beast's music includes bits of seventies funk, eighties alternative, and plenty of classic pop melodies, often mashed together in the same track with shifting time signatures and tempos. Fortunately, the band prefer to stick to their basic guitar/bass/drums (and occasional piano) lineup instead of embellishing their music with string and horn arrangements, a wise choice that keeps the album focused and easier to digest. Beside the two tracks previously mentioned, highlights include the first single "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants" and the melancholy closer "Cheerio Chaps, Cheerio Goodbye."

Unexpected, surprising, and ambitious, Limbo, Panto is a rock album without equal and what looks to be the beginning of great things for Wild Beasts.


Wild Beast's MySpace

Review: Longwave - Secrets Are Sinister (* * * *)

New Yorkers Longwave could never be accused of complacency. The group have gone through several lineup, label, and stylistic changes, all before releasing their fourth album and most recent effort, Secrets Are Sinister. With new producer Peter Katis (Interpol, The National), Longwave take their indie shoegaze/alternative sound and make everything...bigger. Whereas the band previously changed the pace of their albums frequently, fluctuating both the tempo and the volume, they tightened the focus for "Secrets." The result is a solid rock record of arena-sized proportions.

While the band add the occasional keyboard flourish or digital programming, the wall of guitars, thundering bass, and gunfire drumming do all the talking here. Longwave aim for "epic" every time and hit it often enough to make for an exciting listen. Openers "Sirens In The Deep Sea" and "No Direction" start things off on a good note, with Steve Schiltz and Shannon Fergeson's guitars swirling around Schiltz's strong, clear tenor while the rhythm section of Jason Molina (drums) and Morgan King (Bass) pound away. "Satellites" continues with more of the same before subsiding into a radio-friendly sing-a-long chorus. Occasionally the band take a stylistic detour, like on "Life Is Wrong," a noisy, dense track, or the more relaxed, effortless "The Devil And The Liar," but the ten songs generally sacrifice experimentation for consistency, which feels like the right choice here.

Schiltz isn't exactly the world's most inventive lyricist, but he has a way of phrasing things in grand, gorgeous generalities (ooh, alliteration) that works just fine most of the time. Whether singing about looking for allies and satellites or finding "direction" in life, he sounds sincere, if a bit sappy. It's only on the slower "Shining Hours" when Schiltz's writing is left without an especially strong melody or guitar/bass line that the lyrics seem thin or forced. Fortunately, the closing number "Secrets Are Sinister" gets things back on track with beautiful vocals and more epic, sweeping guitar work.

Longwave may not reinvented any wheels with Secrets Are Sinister, but the album provides enough great alternative rock anthems worth blasting in the car and wailing at the top of your lungs that it doesn't matter much.

Favorite Tracks: "Satellites," "Secrets Are Sinister," "I Don't Dare"

Longwave's MySpace

Review: Glasvegas - Glasvegas (* * * *)

Scottish music industry mogul Alan McGee swears Glasvegas are the next big thing. He might know a thing or two about that, having discovered and worked with a plethora of successful U.K. musicians, most notably Oasis. Since forming in 2001, the band have only released one full-length album, this, their self-titled debut which was released this summer overseas and on iTunes in the U.S. with a physical release coming over here in January. The four-piece from Scotland have already reached superstar status back home with both fans and critics.

Glasvegas sounds something like the collaborative effort of The Jesus And Mary Chain and pop stars of the 50s and 60s. With their wall of guitars and drums lifting singer James Allen's thickly accented vocals to epic heights, the band create some stunning moments throughout the record's ten tracks. The opener "Flowers And Football Tops" features some old-school "whoa-whoaaaas" behind Allen's plaintive lyrics before the song ends in a blanket of fuzzy guitars while the words to "You Are My Sunshine" are delicately sung. It's an absolutely stellar song followed by the equally impressive "Geraldine," a song by a social worker promising to be "the angel on your shoulder." Other highlights include the anthematic rocker "Go Square Go" and the drum-heavy, miss-you ballad "S.A.D. Light"

Occasionally, Allen's open and honest lyrics come across as a bit simplistic or childish, as on "It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry" where he wails "liar, liar, liar, liar, liar pants on fire!" or the I-hate-you-for-leaving-us-dad downer "Daddy's Gone." By the same token, it's Glasvegas' all-out and honest approach to their music and lyrics that makes the group so exciting and memorable. It's a record only their collective genius could have produced, with plenty of gripping moments like the creepy, quiet recounting of "Stabbed," the story of a man running from a group of thugs over Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata;" a weird, yet compelling experience.

Perhaps more exciting than Glasvegas' successful and impressive debut is their obvious potential. It's a rare thing for a band to achieve this much critical AND popular success so soon, and this should open doors for them to continue making progressive, vital rock records for years to come. They've set the bar high for themselves, but I have a feeling they won't disappoint.

Favorite Tracks: "Flowers And Football Tops," "Geraldine" "S.A.D. Light"

MP3 Monday on Wednesday: Larsen & Furious Jane, Matt Duke, Anathallo

So I missed MP3 Monday, but that doesn't mean we can't all enjoy some free music later in the week, right? I've actually got THREE songs and one video for you to enjoy, so check them out.
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Larsen & Furious Jane

The first two songs actually have to do with my latest post on Larsen & Furious Jane. Two more tracks have been made available for posting from their fantastic record, Zen Sucker, so I'm putting them up here because it's imperative that you take a listen. "Vietnamese Pool Boy" is a dark, edgy tune, while "Local Nobility" leans more toward mellow noise rock. Both are great.


Vietnamese Pool Boy (MP3)

Local Nobility (MP3)
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Matt Duke

This next song comes from singer/songwriter Matt Duke. Duk is well-loved in his home town, Philadelphia, and has recently released his sophomore album entitled Kingdom Underground. The song, "Spilt Milk," is an emotional pop-rock ballad that deals with some heavy issues. Matt's new album is full of more weighty matters than love or heartache, as he explains;

“Love songs – I put those aside. I hear them on the radio so often. Writing about love and breakups is almost tired. The whole idea of your spiritual unrest, what you believe in and what you don’t, what you’re struggling with now and what you will struggle with for the rest of your life, were, for some reason, the things that were the easiest to write about."

Spilt Milk (MP3)
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Anathallo

OK, so I'm cheating a little here. This isn't a track for download, but it's a song you should hear. Over at Pitchfork they have a video for the song "Bells" by the band Anathallo. The band have a rich art-rock sound full of gorgeous instrumentation and layers of harmony. Their new album Canopy Glow was released on Tuesday and is receiving rave reviews already. The video is odd, to say the least, but the song is wonderful.

Bells (Video)

Review: Larsen & Furious Jane - Zen Sucker (* * * * 1/2)

Larsen & Furious Jane are most likely the best thing to ever have emerged from the Denmark music scene. Easy for me to say, outside of Aqua and the Raveonettes, I haven't had any exposure to Danish music, but the band's third album, Zen Sucker is an absolute stunner and one of the year's best. The group, started by friends Torsten Larsen and Tore Johansen, has received critical acclaim in their homeland and with any luck, they'll break on through to the U.S. side soon.

I realize that Radiohead comparisons are often an obvious/lazy way to describe a band, and while Zen Sucker doesn't exactly sound like OK Computer, the album is compelling and fascinating in the way that Radiohead's albums always have been. The lyrics have a dark edge, similar to Yorke's, and though the music is sometimes deceptively warm and inviting, the beautiful melodies always seem underlined by an almost menacing feeling. Also, while the band experiment with a variety of sounds and effects, it's never at the expense of the music itself, resulting in a thoroughly captivating listen.

Larsen & Furious Jane's ability to create so much diversity while maintaining a sense of unity and connection between the songs is what makes Zen Sucker such an impressive and interesting record. "The People Person Is A Zen Sucker" and "A Car That Comes With The Job" have a sparse, yet delicate background for the clear tenor vocals (Larsen, I think) and bitter lyrics. On other, heavier tracks like "A Deathbed Conversion," "Snakes In The Grass" and especially "Vietnamese Pool Boy," the tone becomes considerably more sinister while Larsen channels dramatic singers like Ian Curtis and Interpol's Paul Banks. It's a wonderfully strange ride, one you'll hate to have come to an end after the gorgeous, haunting closer "Forbidden Fruit."

Zen Sucker unfortunately does not have a scheduled U.S. release date, though I do have one of my favorite tracks ("A Deathbed Conversion") here for download and their MySpace has a few more to check out. I'm interested to know what you think about these guys; if you like what you hear, send me a note and I'll put in a good word to see if we can generate some interest.

A Deathbed Conversion (MP3) [Once again, if you're having trouble playing this in the browser, just click on the link to download the song or play it outside this window]

Review: Anya Marina - Slow & Steady Seduction, Phase II (* * * 1/2)

The seed of Anya Marina's new album, Slow & Steady Seduction, Phase II, should attract some attention. On one fateful night in a bar in Burbank, she and Britt Daniel (of Spoon fame) were discussing music when Anya mentioned she hadn't been inspired to write much recently. She felt frustrated at her inability to write in the rhythmic style of her recent favorites like LCD Soundsystem and Public Enemy. Later, Daniel sent her a selection of beats and loops he had created which ended up inspiring a good deal (and the best) of Marina's new record, which features Daniel as producer for two tracks.

Even without knowing the story behind the music, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to compare Marina's music to that of Spoon, especially on songs like "Drop Dead Blues" and "Two Left Feet," which mix acoustic guitars with stomping percussion. It's a great sound to serve as the backdrop for Marina's sexy-yet-sweet vocal style and unconventional-yet-relatable lyrics. Highlights include the cocky swagger of "All The Same To Me," the first single, "Move You," and the perfectly restrained, "Vertigo." Marina maintains a sense of humor and a sharp wit throughout even as she deals with broken relationships and heartache.

Occasionally, Marina's confidence gets the best of her, as on "Afterparty At Jimmy's," a sleazy rocker which would feel more at home on a Pink record but just sounds awkward here. Most of the time, however, her quirkiness and expressiveness allow her to create something refreshing, fun, and all her own. Slow & Steady Seduction blends elements of folk and pop music in an unusual and exciting way that should turn some heads come December.

The album drops December 9th on Chop Shop, but you can download the song "Move You" for a sneak peek at my previous post here.


Anya Marina's MySpace

The Republic Tigers on Daytrotter

One of my favorite new bands this year are The Republic Tigers. If you haven't already, you owe it to yourself to hear their amazing debut album, Keep Color, which I stumbled upon a few months ago. With killer vocal harmonies and a balanced organic vs electronic instrumental attack, the album's smooth sound is immediately addicting. Check out some of their stuff on MySpace.

Now to the news. The Republic Tigers are featured over at Daytrotter with a live five-song set available for download. It's a nice introduction to the group as the article explains a bit about the history of each track and the band itself. I was impressed with their ability to remake their signature sound for a compelling live experience so I highly recommend heading over to give it a listen. Plus, it's free to keep if you like.

Daytrotter Set:
1. Feeling The Future
2. Buildings & Mountains
3. The Nerve
4. Fight Song
5. Golden Sand

and here's a few tour dates for ya...

US Tour Dates:
November
15 Denver, Co - Hi Dive *
16 Ames, IA - M-Shop *
17 Chicago, IL - Subterranean Lounge *
18 Madison, WI - The Frequency #
19 St Louis, MO - Billiken Club #
20 Des Moines, IA - House of Bricks #
21 Omaha, NE - The Slowdown #

* = w/Bishop Allen
# = w/ Malpais

Review: Nickelback - Dark Horse (* 1/2)

I realize that Chewing Gum For The Ears leans much more toward the indie/alternative side of music, but I still dig a good rock 'n' roll record every once in a while. Back in high school, I enjoyed Nickelback's first two U.S. releases The State and Silver Side Up despite the fact that both were big, dumb rock records. Since that time, I always give the new Nickelback album a listen, just for old times sake.

The band's fifth album, Dark Horse, due out on Tuesday, raises the bigness AND dumbness to new heights. With songs ranging from sex-crazed rock anthems to uber-generic love ballads, the band aim low and hit the target squarely each time. Sure, the execution is great, these guys have this down to a science, but crappy songs executed well still suck. I'm confident this album will sell a billion copies or so, but this is soulless, mindless music, even for the mainstream scene.

I will say this for Nickelback, the band can rock pretty hard, like the ode to destruction, "Burn It To The Ground" or the high-class prostitute rocker, "Shakin' Hands." Also, guitarist Ryan Peake has discovered a love for solos, which show up on (and enhance) quite a few songs on the album (and even earned the record an extra half star; I'm a sucker). Unfortunately, despite a few fun moments, Dark Horse predominately switches gears from ugly and coarse to bland and forgettable. "Next Go Round" (basically a nastier rewrite of "Feeling Way To Damn Good") and "S.E.X." are all sleaze, while "Gotta Be Somebody" and "If Today Was Your Last Day" sound like 7th grade poetry, only it's not cute when 30-somethings do it. I know people have been writing about horniness and loneliness for a long time now, but Nickelback do nothing to make the subjects interesting or even tolerable.

I guess the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies here. Nickelback have no reason to change the formula that made All The Right Reasons go seven times platinum in the U.S., but that doesn't make the music any less awful, either. I doubt I'll be tempted to give the next album a chance.

Bon Iver to release new EP

Singer/songwriter Justin Vernon and his newly-formed band Bon Iver have announced they are releasing a new EP January 20th on Jagjaguwar. The EP is titled Blood Bank and will contain four new songs.

Bon Iver re-released his (it was just Vernon at the time) debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago earlier this year which has become one of my favorite records of 2008, so I'm thrilled to be hearing more so soon.


Blood Bank EP Tracklisting:
1. Blood Bank
2. Beach Baby
3. Babys
4. Woods

Bon Iver Tour Dates:
December
10 New York, NY - Town Hall *
11 New York, NY - Town Hall *
12 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg *
14 Boston, MA - Wilbur Theatre *
15 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero *
17 Lousville, KY - Headliners *
18 Chicago, IL - The Vic *
19 Madison, WI - Barrymore Theatre *
22 Eau Claire, WI - State Theatre

* = w/ the Tallest Man on Earth

New Artist: Yves Klein Blue

Yves Klein Blue are a four-piece from the Land Down Under just a couple years outside of high school who are already set to make some serious noise there and in the States. With a win at MTV's Kickstart competition in 2007, the band attracted enough attention to sign to Australian label Dew Process and release a stellar EP, Yves Klein Blue Draw Attention To Themselves. Their music draws inspiration from bands like The Libertines and The Clash, but Yves Klein Blue have a sound all their own, blending old-school punk, Brit-rock, and classic pop melodies.

Several tracks on their debut EP are noisy and raucous, especially the gypsy-punk tune "Polka" and the raw rocker "Silence Is Distance." On other songs, front-man Michael Tomlinson's conversational verses bounce along on jangling piano, bossa nova guitars, and horns before climaxing into energetic, earnest choruses. Yves Klein Blue pull it all off spectacularly, with intelligent (though sometimes irreverent) lyrics, great style, and an exceptionaly talented and confident presentation. I highly recommend giving these guys a listen; you won't regret it.

The band are currently recording their full-length debut album, though I don't know of a release date. However, you should waste no time in getting to their MySpace page, which is now streaming the majority of Draw Attention To Themselves. Also, the EP is available on iTunes, Amazon etc.