Broken Bells, "Broken Bells"

Do you miss the Shins? Or more specifically, do you miss lead singer James Mercer?

How about Danger Mouse? Miss him?

Well, what if they both dropped out of the sky one day and into a collaborative full length album then straight to your waiting ears?

Broken Bells new self titled is that album. A collaboration between Danger Mouse and James Mercer.

And it is scrumptious!

Lead tracks "The High Road" and "Vaporize" are its strongest songs. It does taper off at points. But overall, the album is a treat for the ears.

At times, highly electronic. At other times, it has that unmistakable guitar that seems to pop straight off of a Shins record.

This album comes just in time for those of us like myself who have been feeling musically nostalgic lately. Missing the old days, etc. I won't be like this forever, but Broken Bells delivers a massively warm shot in the arm for me. It's both new and old at once and you should definitely check them out if you're a fan of either of its contributing members.

Ok Go review to come later, but I was just sideswiped with this album yesterday and felt the need to give you a quick review.

Leave comments if you feel lead! I'd like to know that I have readers if I have em.

Show Review: Williamsburg Hall of Music, June 4th, 2010

I went to my second New York show on Friday night at the Williamsburg Hall of Music.

The venue itself puts you in the mood for music immediately upon entering. Dim lights and a nice intimate setting really set a great tone to listen.

I decided that for this show I was not going to make the mistake again of showing up too early. I ended up getting to the show an hour and a half "late".

One hour later...the show started.

Music Hall of Williamsburg

Just checking in

Hey readers! (Do I have readers?)

Just wanted to let you know that I will be putting up a new review asap. I have Stars concert tomorrow night, which excites me to no end. Hopefully this weekend I'll get up my review of Ok Go and their new record.

Preview: It's really really good. Like...woa.

DMCA

Well then...

I just got a cease and desist from whoever the nameless drone is that hands out DMCA notices. (Digital Millenium Copyright Act, aka, Big Brother)

Needless to say, I have removed the offending material and going forward I will only be posting links to other sites where you can hear the music that I'm writing about. Because...you know...this is the fucking internet! You can find anything, anywhere, any time and there is nothing any nancypants DMCA official will ever be able to do about it!

But because I don't want to be sued by the lawyers of some band that I love because, namely, I don't have the money to pay if I did...I won't be uploading any more songs to my site directly.

I'll just be posting links. To other places. Where you'll be able to hear the music. Which will produce the exact same result without making me a scapegoat.

Oh, and please keep in mind going forward that I don't make a dime doing this. I write about music because I LOVE MUSIC. And I want you to love it to. But here's the catch, and any band who thinks about hiring lawyers to squash little crooks like myself should hear this, people actually have to hear the music to decide if they want to listen to it...and more importantly, go to shows and support you.

Just keep all that in mind.

Until later on,
Jeege

Crystal Castles, "Crystal Castles II"

I've held up on this review for a week or so now because I can't decide how I feel. This is a complicated album for me.

I Love/Hate the new Crystal Castles album. Their second studio record shares the name of their first.

I must confess, I'm not very familiar with the first album, blasphemy for an electro fan. (Especially one who lives in Brooklyn) So, I'm unqualified to discuss how this album compares with their first effort.

There are moments of real beauty and moments of intensity bordering on the insane sprinkled throughout the record. It sounds like something a madman would dream up. Perhaps Ethan Kath, the driving force behind Crystal Castles, is such a madman.

There is a mixture of cutting edge electro technique combined with old school, europa-lectro house music. Sometimes the album is just downright trance.

It disturbs the ears, and then soothes them. It delivers a potent melody, and then tears it down. It makes you want to dance, then it makes you want to sit and think.

I Love/Hate these elements and the way they are presented.

The track "Celestica" sounds eerily like something Dido would do if they started taking lsd and went to an island in Greece to write. Truly beautiful.

The track has some truly unique elements including the use of a sound like a track skipping. This plays at the beginning of each new chord pattern and literally had me doing a double take, "Is my ipod skipping?!"

Vocals by Alice Glass range from a Dido-like quality and fullness to an outright punk rocker screech. At times her voice is modulated to literally a screeching level. Lyrics are difficult to pick out without actually reading them online, though lyrics play almost no importance to Crystal Castles music. Their goal is sound...lots of sound. Sometimes too much sound. Her name is oddly fitting as she sounds at times like breaking glass. I mean that as a compliment.

I would not point someone in the direction of Crystal Castles unless they were an avid fan of music, and more importantly of electro music. "Crystal Castles II" is a musical experience. Meant to be explored and thought about, not necessarily "listened" to in the classic sense of listening to music. The combination of old school techno elements with new school presentation is both disturbing and fascinating.

I Love/Hate this album, but you may Love/Love it. Check them out.

The Postal Service

I was listening to an old favorite this morning, The Postal Service.

I had such a wave of nostalgia and warm memories wash over me as I listened that I just had to tell somebody about it.

The Postal Service started as a project between Ben Gibbard (of the still small at the time Deathcab for a Cutie) and Dntel (Jimmy Tamborello, I'll get to him in a second) with the addition of the (pretty much unknown at the time) Rilo Kiley.

This collection of artists collaborating is akin to a film starring a group of young actors who will become stalwarts of the industry in the future. It's the kind of thing that never happens once the artists become big, or if it does happen it is not organic. Collaborative efforts at a later stage of a career are generally done to try and generate a buzz about a song or an album. It's a desperate plea for attention.

Not The Postal Service. This was a labor of love for the three of them. Quite literally, it was difficult to produce.

The band would "mail" (The Postal Service...get it?) each other new sounds, lyrics and tracks they were trying to create back and forth for months. This process would culminate with a completed album which was meant to be no more than a side project but would turn into so much more.

The Postal Service launched Ben Gibbard's career into the stratosphere. It did so much more for him than Deathcab ever could. It put him on a platform, a stage to showcase his remarkable talent for lyric spinning and vocal crooning. His smooth melodies and heartwrenching hooks made for a once in a lifetime sound.

Rilo Kiley owes everything to The Postal Service. She was a relative unknown to the general public, despite years of good production in her own band. The Postal Service did the same thing for her that it did for Gibbard, it put her on the stage. She reached millions of new listeners because of that album.

Dntel was a big time DJ and producer, but had never managed a very successful pop record. He had never really been in the public eye with his own work before. After The Postal Service, he hasn't stopped working. More on him in a second.

This album does not have one dull or uninspiring moment. It is perfect from beginning to end. Every note is fascinating. Every emotion feels as real and as raw as the moment it was written into existence. You feel this record in your bones.

I was falling madly in love when this album first came out. Every time I hear "Such Great Heights" I am flooded with memories of exact moments that song would come on as we kissed in the park. Or, times when I'd just be driving and looking out the window at the stars (a rarity in Los Angeles) and listening to this album.

I love it. You love it. If you don't know it, then get to know it.

Finally, a quick note on Jimmy Tamborello.

As you know, I have an affinity for the "electro" sound. Jimmy Tamborello is one of the fathers of it's concept. He is one of the first producers to create legitimate pop records with an electronic foundation. The Postal Service was his biggest success, but he was around long before that.

Jimmy Tamborello may have been just a tad ahead of his time, but he is a visionary. Anyone who makes electronic music and does not list him as an influence or inspiration...is lacking in influence and inspiration.

People like myself have been clamouring for a new album from these collaborators since...well, since the last second of the last song. But maybe it's ok that it will probably never happen. Maybe it's ok that this is a special group that existed in a special time for music, and for many of a us, a special time in life.

Keep it special, Postal Service.

Fyfe Dangerfield, "Fly Yellow Moon"

Fyfe Dangerfield is one of the founding members and lead singer of the Guillemots. (Pronounced The Gilly-Mots...as far as I know)

There are no lack of descriptors that I could use to paint a picture of the power and beauty of the man's vocals. At times, he reminds me of Bono. At other times, he reminds me of Paul McCartney. The only thing that Fyfe Dangerfield lacks in comparison to those singers is name recognition.

Hopefully his first solo record will play some part in increasing that recognition.

When working with the Guillemots, Fyfe can at times fade into the background. The focus of that group is usually to create interesting sounds by combining their varied musical backgrounds. No one member is above the rest. It's what makes the Guillemots such a fascinating band.

With this solo record, Fyfe showcases his talents as a songwriter and especially as a vocalist. Fyfe takes his singing to another level on "Fly Yellow Moon." From the first track through the bonus tracks, the album absolutely drips with his beautiful tone and lyrical prowess.

The album doesn't have any particular message in mind, but does focus on the being in and out of love. At the beginning of the record on the track, "When You Walk in the Room", he explains "I can't help it if I'm happy/I can't help it if I'm happy not to be sad/'cause when you walk in the room/I see things I can't understand".

Dangerfield is for me one of the greatest musical talents that I've ever listened to. He has a range of talents far too rare to be ignored and this album really puts that into focus.

On the sample track below, Fyfe does something that I've never heard him do before...he uses vocal manipulation. (auto-tuners and the like) Combined with that is an electronic element that is again, completely unlike anything I've heard from the man before. To say that he does an electro impression really well, would be a vast understatement. To say that I'd love to hear an entire electro album from him, would also a vast understatement.

And to say his first solo record is both rare in it's pleasant sounds and special in it's vocal styling, would also be a vast understatement.

Show Review: Webster Hall, May 5th, 2010

I haven't done a show review in a very long time. So, it's nice to have such a spectacular show to kick off my reviews with this particular blog!

My evening began about a half hour after doors opened, due to a slight miscalculation on my part...I went to the wrong venue. I stood outside the Williamsburg Hall of Music for about twenty minutes before I actually looked at my ticket and discovered, "Lo and behold! I'm supposed to be at Webster Hall!"

Luckily, it was only about twenty minutes from where I was to Webster Hall and I got to walk through my favorite part of Williamsburg while I was at it. I also prevented someones house from going up in flames. True story.

Section Added -------->

Good morning everyone!

While I let last night percolate a little before I post on it, I wanted to draw your attention to a new section I've added to the site. It's called "Jeege is listening..."

For those of you who like to use my site to find new music, this will be a great spot to quickly get a couple of band names and albums from me without having to read a whole post.

There won't always be current music up there, either. Sometimes it will just be stuff that I'm into.

Enjoy!

Shout Out Louds and Freelance Whales

...Tonight!

I'm at the lovely Webster Hall tonight for cinco de mayo to watch two of my favorite bands at once!

One of them is like an old lover, the other is rambunxious and new. Both have a claim to my musical obsession for one reason or another and both will be highly entertaining.

Review to come later!

The New Pornographers, "Together"

I decided to switch up the sound a bit for this post. I don't want to overkill with the electro jams.

But, we will stay in the pop realm with today's review.

The New Pornographers have been around the indie scene so long they should be called the Ron Jeremies...budum chi!

Now, excuse me while I clear the crickets from my screen.

Their newest effort, "Together" contains a plethora of great music within. Lead singer, AC Newman is less interested in creating a particularly beautiful sound with his voice and focuses instead on telling stories or creating interesting vignettes for the listener to picture.

The album shifts between an old school, classic rock record and a snap, crackle POP music triumph. Nothing about the album is particularly new or exciting. But, frankly, I don't care. It sounds great. And isn't that the point of music anyway?

There is nothing new to say about this band, really. So just enjoy the music! "Valkyrie In The Roller Disco" combines the two previously mentioned sounds that traverse this record so smoothly into a scrumptious little combo. Check it out below.

This album drops tomorrow.

Album: Marina and the Diamonds; "The Family Jewels"

A sweet part of having a blog is that you always have something that you can do. Like write a post while riding a Megabus from NYC to Boston. Although, with the way the bumps in this road are shaking the shit out of my keyboard I wouldn't exactly call this writing. More like fumbling. I'm fumbling my way through this post.

Marina and the Diamonds stars none other than Marina Diamandis. Yes, this is her real name and yes she does look like a model. But, don't be fooled by her good looks or shapely...shape. This girl packs a lyrical, metaphorical, and probably physical punch.

She's a live wire.

There are certainly tracks that don't deliver on the promise of her EP's or singles prior, but there are some real winners on this album. Marina is at her best when she goes big both with the production of the song and vocally. This girl can really pipe it. She combines choir girl orchestration and falsetto with rock n' roll gusto. She reminds me a bit of Matt Bellamy from time to time with the way she attacks her own lyrics. It's like she's eating them. Hot.

The record has some real treats for anyone to appreciate, but of particular note is the single that I've already linked a remix for, "I Am Not A Robot". This song has not gotten old for me after dozens of listens to both the original tune and countless remixes.

But, since I've already shown you a remix I'll let you form your own opinion with the below song, "Oh No". It encompasses a particularly important theme with Marina, her lack of desire to fit in. In an earlier song on the record she asks us if we are satisfied with average lives, because she's not...and that's what she thinks makes her weird to other people.

Marina, I'll tell you something. It doesn't make you weird to me. But even if it did, it gives us a reason to listen.

Expect great things from this girl.

Album: Delorean's "Subiza"

I'm on an electro kick. I have been for some time.

That's not to say that I haven't kept up with non-electro grooves, I've just been focusing mainly on groups that have an electronic element. It's a sound that has always appealed immensely to me. When I was in high school I would try to get into techno periodically...and couldn't. The songs were too long and not dynamic enough for me. Basically, you had to be high to enjoy them at all.

And then there was electro! As though in answer to the prayers of my heart, electro came along and combined two crucial elements of two different types of sound; Pop sensibility and technological orchestration.

The possibilities are endless.

Delorean's new album, their third, "Subiza" has a plethora of sounds for the pleasure of your ear. Of particular note are the album's jump off track, "Stay Close" and the track "Simple Graces".

"Simple Graces" sounds like some amalgamation of nineties trip hop and a choral arrangement. "Stay Close"...is just beautiful.

This is a great record and will no doubt be one of the hottest albums of the year.

Marina & the Diamonds (remixed by Clock Opera)

Anyone who has talked music with me in the past few months knows that one of the few bands that I've had time for is Marina & the Diamonds. I'll do a review on her new record later on, but in the mean time enjoy this remix that Neon Gold Records has just dropped.

Marina & the Diamonds; Clock Opera Remix

Broken Social Scene's "Forgiveness Rock Record"

The scene has really turned its back on its roots.

When I was first getting into being an "indie kid", that's what my friends and I called each other before "hipster" was a word to us, we were into the music. That's what drew us to the other things like the clothes and the attitude.

The music was always the backbone of our passion.

I feel like the "hipster scene" has hijacked what was once a beautiful thing and turned it into something rather sinister. It's not "corporate", but it's similar. It's about conformity and attitude now. The music is just another tool to establish status amongst one another and outsiders. It means no more and no less than what clothing you wear or who has the best sneer on their face at a concert.

Broken Social Scene has come out with a record that reminds me of what first drew me to independent artists. The sounds they make absolutely entrance me.

Tracks like "All to All" and "Me & and My Hand" will remind you of those first Broken Social Scene EP's and the promise of a young group of spectacular musicians playing music for the sake of playing beautiful music.

I owe Broken Social Scene a huge debt for shaping my musical tastes from the early days of their albums. Some of my fondest musical memories come from them and this record does their legacy no disservice. There are certainly tracks that I have to look the other way on, but with gems like "Meet Me In the Basement" rounding out the narrative of the record, it is impossible to ignore how good this album is.

It will probably be trashed quite a bit from Pitchfork and the like, because let's face it...it's their turn to be trashed right? God forbid that they score another one in the column of their greatness.

Fuck it. It's great. Listen to it. Buy it. But most of all, see these guys live. They will energize your soul.

I love you Broken Social Scene. Marry me.