I like how things have been going with this so far. I've gotten a lot of good feedback and its only been a week. Things are starting to flush out with the improvements we're continually making like the track previews and now music videos, but if you can think of something else, by all means, tell me.
I'm setting up a gmail account just for this Blog, so if you want to email me, go ahead and send me something at:
Now without further ado, here's the weekly review:
Weekly Rankings:
Or Give Me Death [Aqueduct] : 8.20
Beyond The Neighbourhood [Athlete] : 7.54
Cease To Begin [Band of Horses] : 7.52
Myth Takes [!!!] : 7.10
Obviously, this being my first week, all four of these albums are now considered residents of the "Top Ten Albums From Inside the Trench Coat" list at the top of this page. A couple weeks from now it'll be interesting to see which, if any or all, of those albums are still on that list.
I'm going to use this opportunity to briefly discuss a highly anticipated album that's coming out this month: D-Sides [Gorillaz]. That's right, apparently Damon Albarn (the creative genius behind the Gorillaz, Blur, and The Good The Bad and The Queen) is deciding to take these fellows back "off the shelf" sooner than expected. Although I haven't yet heard any confirmations of this, I think its safe to assume that the album is a remix of their most recent album, "Demon Days". All in all, it should be a worthwhile piece of music, so keep your eyes out for it on shelves on November 20th, 2007.
Other than that, life is good... go hug a stranger.
We've got the nukes, but britain definitely has the music. Somehow I think we drew the short straw in that respect.
Basic Info:
Album: Beyond The Neighbourhood
Artist: Athlete
Release Date: September 25, 2007
Release Number: 3rd Full Length Album
Track Number: 11 tracks
Album Length: 45:00
Price (Amazon): $13.98
Genre: Indie/Brit-Pop
Band Bio:
It never ceases to amaze me what kind of great music shows up on the top-40 lists in Britain. So much of it is really, really good and would never be taken seriously here in the United States. This band is no exception.
Their past albums have had a smattering of success in britain, and a small amount of underground appraisal here in the states. But they're still fairly unheard of on the wider spectrum, which is a real shame. They have a great sound that is unique without being abrasively original. Actually, at first glance they might even seem pretty mainstream (especially if you listen to a lot of Brit-pop), but they add enough into their music to make them a definite original. I suppose their United States counterpart would be The Bravery; both are very accepted in the mainstream musical world, but anyone who bothers to actually go out and buy the album soon realizes that they're much more powerful than the clips you hear from the media.
Band members:
Carey Willets - Bass and Vocals
Joel Pott - Guitar and Vocals
Steve Roberts - Drums and Backup Vocals
Tim Wanstall - Keyboards and Backup Vocals
Johnny Pilcher - Guitar (and the only guy that doesn't sing... what gives?)
Here's a Video! It's a series of interviews/concert shots of the Band, all relating to this album:
Album:
Easily the most important thing about this album is that it is, technically, Athlete's first true "indie" album, i.e. the first one the produced on their own. It's a big step for any band that's used to having a slew of producers at their disposal (also saves them a lot of money though!). I think this brings up a really worthwhile topic though: Indie rock is HARD TO DO!
Just stop and think about what goes into an indie album. Not only do they record, mix, layer, synth, dub, etc.... but they still have to write and play it! The result of putting that many tasks on yourself can often be a really crappy album that sounds like auditory vomit (in recording quality and production, and sometimes, musical content too). But Athlete has the advantage of experience. Their two previous albums were obvious influences on this one and if no one had told you, it would be hard to figure out that this wasn't professionally produced based on the end result.
But let's get back to what's important... THE MUSIC! In fact, I think it's about time I added a new category to differentiate between "album" and "music". Let's do it!
Music:
The Bravery might be a better comparison than I realized. There are some definite similarities, though I wouldn't say that they sound quite the same...
One of the most unique things about Athlete is the emphasis they choose to put on different parts of the sound. For instance, the bass is leveled very high, but in turn it tends to have very simplistic and elegant parts that don't really distract you from the overall sound. Great keyboard work all throughout too. It has a nice mix between solid structured chords and fancy frosting on the top of the music. And then we get to guitar work which is pretty mundane, but honestly, there's very little to be done with a guitar in the way of originality anyway.
They also aren't afraid to bring in new sound, which is always a good thing. "The Outsiders" features the typical "sad violin" but, though perhaps cliché, it's still done well. Also, pay attention to the drummer. As you'll see in the video above (midway through), they have some fun with the drum set and it really comes across great.
Lyrically, cliché. Nothing special to report.
Ultimately, the music is pretty great. I'm not sure about the choice of album construction though. There's a great upbeat beginning and then... it just dies. Not that the music gets worse, it just looses the drive that's so strong in the beginning. But maybe that's what they're going for. It just upsets me because I start to loose interest around "Second Hand Stores" even though it's one of my favourite songs on the album. And the last track on the album, "This Is What I Sound Like" is just fantastic, but I rarely find myself getting that far through the album before I begin looking through my new cd's for something else... It's good music, but it could use a bigger hook...
MUSIC VIDEO:
Hurricane
Previews (30 Seconds):
Tokyo Second Hand Stores Best Not To Think About It This Is What I Sound Like
A few months ago, I was listening to someone compare "emo" music with "indie" music. They said "Its almost the exact same thing sometimes... only indie rock is happy..."
Basic Info:
Album: Cease To Begin
Artist: Band of Horses
Release Date: October 9, 2007
Release Number: 2nd Full Length Album
Track Number: 10 Tracks
Album Length: 34:48
Price (Amazon): $15.98
Genre: Indie Rock
Band Bio:
These guys are still fairly new to the scene (though when you get right down to it, isn't everyone?). They formed in 2005 after Ben Bridwell (guitar/vocals) and Matt Brooke (guitar) recovered from the break up of their previous band, "Carissa's Wierd". If you like "Band of Horses" you might want to look into some of "Carissa's Wierd"s old albums too because the content is fairly similar. Main difference is the more expansive instrumentation in some of Carissa's tracks as well as the recording quality, which is much better in Horses (No one said indie bands needed to sound like they were recorded in a garage).
If you look online long enough, you'll find someone willing to compare this band to every other band you've ever heard of, but I can't quite figure out why this keeps happening. I think people are confused by the sound Horses is creating in this album; its pretty new, but at the same time, you can easily see it fitting in nicely with any music library (well... maybe not a hardcore gangsta rap collection, but aside from that). This is actually a really nice effect overall though. It gives you that nice familiar sound while stretching the limits just far enough in every direction to be something completely new. And its because they're making this purely new music that they're still considered indie, even if they do have a record contract with "Sub-pop Records".
Album:
Let's get back to my opening statement. Emo vs. Indie. Interesting concept, no? Well I'm not entirely sure whether I agree with the sentiment, but it's albums like this that give the idea some credibility. Of course the difference that this music has against "emo" music is that... um.... its good... But we'll ignore that point in order to draw the comparison.
The reason the connection works is that if you simply listen to the chords, and the expressiveness in the voice, it sounds like the Bridwell's putting his heart on his sleeve. And I suppose that's exactly what he's doing in most of these songs. The difference between this music and "emo" though, is that the lyrics are hopeful, happy, joyous, and excited. It's the expression of that horrible heart-wrenching pain of being in love, not the shallow temporary hurt of being dumped.
And if you need anymore proof, take the track "No One's Gonna Love You" for example. It sure looks pretty "emo", until you hear that the rest of the line continues to become "No one's gonna love you more than I do". Ok, it's a tad cliché, but its made up for by really good music. Or how about the lyrics "The world is such a wonderful place" and then literal "La-dee-da"'s from the track "Ode To LRC"? Its really an amazing work in that way; its got all the intense melodramatic emotion that can drive music (of any genre) but it's still ultimately a happy album!
Stylistically, the music is an intense blend of acoustic rock, country, and what can only be described as "alternative". For the most part, the music is acoustic too (or amplified acoustic, but still not anything near a heavy-metal axe), which gives it a really nice mellow feel that won't ever make you cringe with an intentionally dissonant chord. Band of Horses proves that simplicity is king and that you can still make great music, even if you stay far away from anything atonal (that's oldschool...).
And for anyone with a basic understanding of music theory, its also nice to listen to the unique melodic lines that Bridwell is singing in. He's one of the few artists that enjoys singing leaping melodies instead of the same old step-wise lines we've all heard a thousand times before. (in other words, his voice jumps around a lot instead of just going up a little... going down a little... going up a little... going down a little... etc.)
One minor complaint: Although its beautifully done, there's not nearly enough upbeat songs to fill the album out completely. "Islands on the Coast" is probably the most energetic song on the album, and even it only goes back and forth between upbeat and laid back. The album is still fantastic for all its beautiful mellowness though.
One question for you guys now... Does anybody know if there is supposed to be Christ imagery on the cover of this album? I'm seeing a cross made by the reflections, but I could easily be mistaken...
Ratings:
Music: 8.1
Lyrics: 8.4
Originality: 7.4
Bang for your Buck: 6.9
Indie-Cred (Obscurity): 6.8
Total Ranking: 7.52/10
Previews (30 seconds):
Is There a Ghost Ode to LRC No One's Gonna Love You Islands on the Coast
If indie music is supposed to be all of the original and new ideas in music, naming your band a series of ambiguous noises would be hard to top.
Basic Info:
Album: Myth Takes
Artist: !!!
Release Date: March 6, 2007
Release Number: 3rd Full Length Album
Track Number: 10 Tracks
Album Length: 48:12
Price (Amazon): $14.99
Genre: Indie-pop
Band Bio:
Formed from the ashes of the bands "Black Liquorice" and "Popesmashers" while the two were on tour together, !!! is a nice mix between a variety of styles and genres. The band name is a reference to the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy" and can be pronounced thousands of different ways. The name of the group is ANY monosyllabic sound repeated three times. But most commonly, you're going to hear them referred to as "Chik Chik Chik".
But I'm sure by now you're wondering what exactly the genre "Indie-pop" is. It's a blaring contradiction and a huge oxymoron; "indie" implies that it is outside the regular commercialized field of music, but "pop" (which is short for what, kids?) makes the claim that it is the socially excepted musical norm. So.... where does that put !!!?
When you start dealing with modern genres, you have to confront the fact that there are two ways of interpreting them. Either you take the literal meaning (as I did above) or you judge based on what it musically sounds most similar to. And thats the connection that !!! has to pop music. It's not popular, it's not commercialized, and it's not the same old thing you've heard a thousand times, but its still very reminiscent of typical pop radio.
Album:
This album is fairly on-par for !!!, probably moving in a positive direction from their previous albums, but its easy to see how they got to this album from their last one. They certainly did create the specific genre that they're in, but they don't seem to want to reinvent it all that much.
That being said, I think that "Myth Takes" is easily their best album to date.
And maybe that's even because they've chosen to stick to what they're good at. !!! certainly has become a master of their craft. The entire album is littered with disco/funk-esque beats and groove patterns that just make you want to dance. Even while you're shaking it to the title track though, you can't help but be aware that this is still one of the most original CD's that will be in your collection.
The pop-ish side of the album does come through strong though. The biggest issue you'll have with that is in the way you inevitably will end up viewing the album; its fun, bouncy, catchy, and most importantly, really good music, but it's something you'll want to enjoy in the background or on a car drive. It's not going to take your full attention. This makes it great for parties and showing off your cool music to less indie-inclined friends. Furthermore, EVERYONE will enjoy this album. I challenge you to find one person that truly dislikes this music.
Lyrically, there are a few exciting puns, but the vocalists use their voices more like instruments. Unless you go out of your way to pin down what is actually being said, you'll barely even realize that they're speaking english, and you won't be missing out on anything that's really important to the music. Most of the lines tend to be a tad bit cliché, but clever one-liner titles like "Bend Over Beethoven" and the chorus of "Sweet Life", which consists of the pattern of chords described in terms of "AABB CCDD CCDD DD" (note that they aren't playing the A chord when he sings "A". It's just the pattern), revive just enough poetic excitement so that its never really frustrating either. Lyrically, it is perfectly mediocre.
I really wanted to start my blog career with this album. Why? Well, it really is the embodiment of "Indie" music. Don't worry, I'll explain what I mean.
Basic info:
Album: Or Give Me Death
Artist: Aqueduct
Release Date: February 20th, 2007
Release Number: 2nd Full Length Album
Track Number: 12 tracks
Album Length: 41:54
Price (Amazon): $13.98
Genre: Indie
Band Bio:
The "Band" is really just singer/songwriter David Terry, but don't be fooled into thinking that this means he's another John Mayer, sitting around and whining on a guitar in the back of a coffee shop. David Terry is a self-produced artist and accomplishes some insane layering of his own voice, several instruments, and some noises that are of questionable origin all on his own. The exact method of the album's creation is largely a mystery, but that's the magic of it and the reason that it is such a perfect example of the indie trend; David Terry truly is independent of the music machine, free from the large scale production that populates top-40 radio stations. My immediate connection when thinking of David Terry is the grunge/garage-rock band "Bomb The Music Industry!", who similarly creates (and also distributes for free) all of their music on their own. If you're familiar with BTMI, then think of Aqueduct as the mellow, indie rock version of that concept.
Album:
It's really a fun album. It's easy to be skeptical of some of the sounds you hear (No those aren't the aliens coming to give you an anal probe It's actually just the backup on the track "Zero The Controls"), but if you give it a chance, it grows on you pretty fast. And at least its not something you've heard before. If nothing else, it's definitely original.
And the originality doesn't fade as you continue to listen to the album. Each new track has something that you never expected. From the lazy horn intro on "As You Wish" to the, possibly synthesized, accordion and string section that plays elegantly through all of "Wasted Energy", if you keep your ears open, there's plenty of treats to be had.
But I'm getting carried away. The album isn't all craziness. It's all based on solid, catchy guitar and piano riffs that you'll be humming in your head all day. And that's what you want in music, isn't it? Something that sounds so good you just can't forget it.
And then there's always lyrics. Lyrics can make or break a good song. Fortunately, David Terry has a fair gift for both music and poetry. Even better is the way that the music and words mix together so seamlessly. "If only for tonight/ I beg you for my life/ You see I must survive/ I'll probably kill you in the morning" just sounds ridiculous without the context of the music, but I promise, you'll be skipping down the street singing it to yourself in no time, attracting strange looks from men, women, and children alike.
Ratings (Out of 10):
Music: 8.1
Lyrics: 8.5
Originality: 8.6
Bang for your Buck: 7.8
Indie-Cred (Obscurity): 8.0
Total Score: 8.20/10
Previews (30 seconds):
Keep It Together As You Wish Zero The Controls Wasted Energy
Hi everyone. I feel like introductions are in order, so I'm going to start off this project by telling you a little bit about me so that we can move onto the good stuff.
I'm a classical music major at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. My typical night includes plugging my laptop into my bass amp and listening to any new music I can find, or going back over some old favorites. If I'm not busy doing homework or socializing while I listen, I'll probably be playing one of my instruments along with whatever it is I'm listening to.
To sum up; I study music, listen to music, play music, enjoy music, am a part of music. At this point, there's very little left that doesn't revolve around music in my life.
So I figured, hey, why not put some of my thoughts on paper (or screen i guess) and share them with anyone willing to listen.
So I am...
This blog is going to be my take on any new music I come by. This won't always be "new" music because there's so much out there at this point that its easy to find things that are new to me but might be from anywhere from the recent to distant past.
As the title subtly suggests, the music here is going to be alot of indie stuff. But not only obscure rock bands. I've got this elaborate theory about music history patterns going in 40 year cycles (try mapping it out and maybe you'll see what I mean). Anyway, if my theory is right, around 2004-2014 or so is an era of new truly original music. I think the indie movement is the perfect expression of that. But its not the only genre that's taking off right now. There's alot of Drum and Bass sound coming out of the woodwork, as well as Trip-Hop and other such new takes on old themes. So really, this blog should be a good balanced blend of new music.
And of course, if anyone ever has a suggestion... hit me with it... Even I can miss a good album here and there...
Now, with that said, I'm going to move on and start writing my first album review. I hope I can bring you a little closer to the music.
