by Lauren Tischler

The sound of Ghost Mall is indescribable. But the band, made up of college roommates Pierce, Alex, Cody, and Jimi, give it their best shot. “Garage-y ramshackle pop/ethereal,” lead singer Pierce Lightening struggles, attempting to put a label on his own music. With a lead singer named Pierce Lightening, and influences along the lines of “Babes, Springsteen, Comic Books, and Star Wars,” you are naturally drawn to the quartet. What is surprisingly more interesting than the band members themselves is the music on their first album, Goons.

The album, produced by DJ Teenwolf of Ninjasonik, features five well-done and oddly classy songs. The EP starts out with the marijuana-induced “40 Nugs”, and while I would have chosen a different track for the first, it sets an appropriate tone to the album without giving away their mysterious style. Next is “Senile Felines”, setting a dark synthesized tone that lures the listener further in. The next couple of tracks are “Young Liars”, followed by “Balloon Idea’s”, which captures an eerie essence while keeping it light; it samples a few lines from Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” with convincing maneuvers. The final track, “Johnny Appleseed”, serves as a near-perfect ending. It is more of an anthem than anything, providing the listener with a soft sort of closure.

The album itself is a work of art, but it is clear that Ghost Mall are about performance art more than anything else. Ethan Barnett, a fan, describes a show in full detail. “The first time I saw them, it was in the basement of SUNY New Paltz. It was one of the coldest nights of that winter, but as soon as I got into the basement and Ghost Mall was about to begin their set, I began to sweat because there were about 75 people packed into a small classroom. They began their first song and the room turned into a beehive, with everyone dancing in every direction. The lead singer was lost in the crowd, and all you could see was one of his hands. By the time they began their second song, the keyboardist and guitarist were lost in the mess too. Midway through their set, Pierce was thrown up into a crowd surf, and he held onto a water pole that was soaking wet from condensation. After the final song, “Johnny Appleseed”, everyone ran out the exit covered with sweat. Head to toe.”

“I don’t know what we’re trying to achieve,” Pierce says about his band’s music. “We’re just being honest. Sometimes it’s about our specific friends, sometimes it’s about how everything should be. Mostly, our songs are about the end of the world. So maybe they’re a warning.”

You can catch Ghost Mall on September 24th at 323 Wall Street in Uptown Kingston, New York.

RIYL: Japanther, Penguin Prison, Male Bonding, Urinals, Latterman, Cloud Nothings, Abe Vigoda, Times New Viking, No Age, The Mae Shi, Parts & Labor, Psychedelic Horseshit, AIDS Wolf, Wavves, Lightning Bolt, Jay Reatard, NODZZZ, Sic Alps, HEALTH, Arab on Radar

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Ghost Mall – 40 Nugs

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Ghost Mall – Balloon Ideas

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Ghost Mall – Johnny Appleseed (acoustic version)

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The post Ghost Mall appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

Continuing with the recent theme of atmospheric pop music that Washed Out and Neon Indian showed us, Her Vanished Grace deliver a similar sort of layer-based sereneness that differentiates itself through dark and moody Brit-rock instead of chilly electronica or sample-based experimentation. By most accounts, Blue is their tenth release of new material since their debut, State of Grace, was released in 1991 with a promising take on atmospheric pop that revolved around assorted guitars and keyboards. Her Vanished Grace’s actual number of releases is somewhat debated due to their cult-like following, which has manufactured many assorted mixtapes and compilations in itself. If one thing is for certain though, it is the rare capability that this band has to remain interesting as time goes on. As their tenth release Blue shows us, it does not take a precise discography for a listener to witness Her Vanished Grace’s maturation. Their initial career reaped from interesting use of post-rock, noise, and shoegaze, wearing influences like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine on their sleeves despite noticeably lo-fi production that prevented the New York-based group from reaching widespread recognition. Their work still touts those prestigious influences today, but now they infuse more of their originality in an effort to differentiate themselves. So far, so good.

The most recent incarnation of Her Vanished Grace commenced in 2000 with Colors Vols. 1 & 2, when the founding husband-and-wife duo of Charles and Nance Nieland disbanded the initial workings of Her Vanished Grace and combined forces with bassist Maria Theodosiadou and drummer Brian Haarer to form a more full-bodied version of their initial group. A vigorously talented rhythm section and higher-budget recording methods in addition to the songwriter-guitarist husband-and-wife duo paved way for their most successful period in the early to mid 2000s. Five new albums were released after Colors, the most recent being the excellent Blue. Although their success to date has been gaining momentum for several years now, Blue may be the knockout punch that propels this band from obscurity to unanimous acclaim. Charles and Nance met at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art about two decades ago, and ever since then they have been working together to pursue their dream of musical success. Time is only relative for artists, and many may consider success occurring after attributed experience is better than success prior to experience, for it is a factor that is a monumental factor in determining an artist’s durability.

Durability is synonymous with Her Vanished Grace, at least in the sense that longtime fans have yet to be disappointed with the four-piece. Billy Loose has since replaced Haarer on drums but the original duo along with Theodosiadou are still there along with their ambitions. In terms of stylistic exploration, Blue has little to offer in terms of breakthroughs, but their blending of familiar styles like power-pop and shoegaze into one beautiful audible landscape make up for any lack of stylistic innovation. To enjoy Blue one must push aside any stylistic biases regarding shoegaze, as common stylistic elements like reverb and gushing guitars are abundant but not utilized in a conventional manner. Since the melodies are crisp and polished in the form of modern indie-pop instead, the regressing influence is not exposed in the way one might expect. The excellent self-titled track instead reaps from an infectious blend of power-pop and post-punk, being grounded in production techniques involving heavy doses of reverb, thick tremolos, and heightening guitar arpeggios that clash with a bustling rhythm section to consume the listener through both pop-minded appeal and atmospheric vision. Like predecessors in the vein of Sonic Youth and Ride, Blue marks Her Vanished Grace’s true emerging period as a group putting their ambition to accessible use without sacrificing the ingenuity that got them there in the first place.

Although both Charles and Nance contribute vocal duties on Blue, Charles is primarily used due to the way his brooding vocals accentuate the retrospective and forlorn aroma of post-punk and shoegaze most commonly attributed to Her Vanished Grace. The band employs their differing vocal styles well, allowing each specialty to reap from their eclectic use of instrumentation. For instance, Charles is lead on the empowering “Blue”, where a brilliantly moody chorus provides awe-inspiring embrace in washed layers of guitars and synth pads. Its strength is dependent on darkening mood and evolving versatility, growing from an emotive guitar-driven piece to one guided by distinctive layers of sound that accompany a versatile croon that goes from low-pitched to an ethereal chant of sorts with heightened pitch. Charles’ presence is felt in the album’s darker tracks, leaving room for Nance to take control of more lighthearted efforts like “Rush”. With a better grasp of bubblegum-pop or lighthearted indie-pop in the vein of Metric or Mates of State, “Rush” works by using a bunch of repeating guitar chords before exerting itself into a chorus that reminds me of 90s Brit-rock in the vein of PJ Harvey, Black Box Recorder, or even less absurd Morrissey efforts like “Reader Meets Author” with its swirling sort of guitar-based simplicity. Although it strains itself from too much repetition, it is a nice reliever from Her Vanished Grace’s more emotionally complex efforts like “Blue and “Remember”, as enjoyable as they are.

The latter is narrative in approach as Charles and Nance participate in a duet, again retracing their steps to the amiable type of alt-rock that was abundant throughout the ’90s. With Charles’ vocals at times sounding like a cross between Gruff Rhys, Morrissey, and Hayden Thorpe (Wild Beasts), his versatile approach does wonders to this respective style along with the band’s tendency for anthemic hooks. Nance’s contributions contrast somewhat in terms of style, but the parallel creates very refreshing circumstances that are simply a testament to the group’s valuable chemistry. The diversity between efforts like “Blue” and “Rush” summarize the album’s success quite well, as Blue serves as an enjoyable release that relies on the band’s gathered experience in the spectrums of pop music and layer-based atmospherics. Without the experience of nearly two decades I would be surprised if Blue would have even been possible, but Her Vanished Grace have undoubtedly reached an artistic peak by doing so without sacrificing what got them here in the first place.

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Her Vanished Grace – Blue

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Her Vanished Grace – Slip Away

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Her Vanished Grace – Remember

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Nathan Pemberton refuses to abide by the DIY stereotype. He records in his Florida garage with an economical home studio, which supplies just enough firepower for him to make his innovations come alive. But despite the allure of lo-fi minimalism that comes attached with these modest circumstances, Pemberton is pursuing the most majestic sound possible in accordance to his personal repertoire. He is a multi-instrumentalist in the truest sense, using his experience with a multitude of instruments to encompass his material in its entirety. There are few collaborators to be heard, only the ideas of Pemberton and his five friends/roommates as they flow gracefully in a mixture of epic jams and dreamily intricate indie-rock. They go under the alias of Holiday Shores, a name that will certainly be reputable by year’s end. Hip-hop, punk or metal, and lo-fi pop have always seemed to be the easiest to tackle with a home studio due to their respective forays in sampling, tremolo riffs, and bare minimalism, but Pemberton, Holiday Shores’ songwriter, seems to have crafted a winning combination with doses of heartfelt pop nostalgia and contemporary indie-rock wizardry. He possesses the ambition of a jam band or post-rock experimenters, all while retaining the pop sensibilities that fellow genre-mashing contemporaries like Sunset Rubdown and Deerhunter have flawlessly exhibited throughout the past several years. But do not overly associate Holiday Shores with these acts. After all, their greatest strengths are in their own ideas, not the inspiration of others.

Being seemingly aware of your past and present is simply one of Pemberton’s strengths, as concocting an original sound from a variety of influences is not the only ingredient required for success. Songwriting and flow are both elements that are overlooked by many groups new and old, not necessarily because they disvalue it but because it is so difficult to combine great and captivating songwriting with a sound that is entirely your own, whether it derives from past successes or not. Pemberton accomplishes this tricky venture with rare precision, making the best of his garage studio to unveil his enigmatic voice and compositional prowess in a manner that should mark Holiday Shores as one of 2009’s breakthrough acts. Pemberton’s pop sensibilities often result in songs barely exceeding four minutes, but both his capitalization of minimal resources and extremely impressive grasp of several instrumentals combine for unconventional endeavors that make four-minute efforts feel epic in the best way possible. For instance, the sputtery “Days Drag” uses the echoes of guitar distortion to craft an initial feeling of rough-edged repetition, only to be beautifully complemented by a twinkling bundle of keys. The transitional phases that this song encompasses, like many others on its album, are always one step ahead of their subsequent outcomes, resulting in an album full of replay value.

On Holiday Shores’ debut album, Columbus’d The Whim, the initial development always turns into something extremely gratifying and precise, like the keys in “Days Drag” or the evolution of muffled percussion into expansive hi-hats in “Tremor Rolls the Peak”. These turns are unexpected, but Pemberton’s strong pop ties often make the ideas sound extremely appealing after the second or even first listen. A beauty like “Edge of Our Lives” requires only a few minutes to recognize its brilliance though, sounding like the perfect mash of a lost ‘60s classic and today’s indie-pop breeziness. I would be surprised if it is not a college-radio favorite by year’s end. Between Pemberton’s tranquil voice, the interweaving guitar arrangements, and explosive hook that the chorus crisply generates, this is a surefire accomplishment in every regard. That it is difficult to spot the hook I am referring to is part of the song’s allure; there are so many different methods of achieving melodic greatness here that describing only one is an injustice. There also seems to be a slight undertone of jazz in the use of keys and guitar, again beckoning to jam bands of the past and their tendency to unveil pop hooks under an intricate cast of evolving instrumentation. This may be one of the album’s more accessible tracks, but there are few that show the group’s apparent high level of musicianship as well.

Comparisons, as I mentioned before though, are a bit extraneous in regard to Holiday Shores, as so many influences can be found in their sound that it eventually becomes influentially indistinguishable. However, as a songwriter and vocalist, Pemberton seems to recall the ingenious ability of Tom Verlaine most vividly. Like many up-and-coming indie-rock acts these days, the work of Verlaine and Television is a strong influence in Pemberton’s sound. This is most notable in his songs’ ability to evolve into full-scaled epics, usually with the innovative pushing of a particular instrument (most often in a soaring guitar solo or trickle of keys). He also emits a similar croon, finding a warm place between nasally elegance and brittle yelps over series of concise guitar progressions and hectically implemented keyboards. It all depends on the track though, as Columbus’d The Whim is so enthused with its own ambition that it achieves greatness on its innovation alone. But considering it IS a pop album at heart, the stellar songwriting of Pemberton certainly helps the cause. Both fans of modern indie-rock and nostalgic pop music will likely embrace Holiday Shores because of this, not only because it can remind them of their favorite bands, but also allow them to discover a new one in the process. I consider Columbus’d The Whim one of this year’s must-haves. It is an enormous accomplishment for any album, making its status as a debut album that much more impressive.

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Holiday Shores – Edge of Our Lives

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Holiday Shores – Tremor Rolls the Peak

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Holiday Shores – Days Drag

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Many musicians, regardless of prestige or intellect, tend to emit an appreciation for many varieties of art. They can stand afar as hobbyists of painting or photography, but few are brave enough to venture into being an actual participant of the art. The word “artistic” seems too broad most of the time, but there is no doubt that certain individuals posses a superior flair for fusing creativity, passion, and knowledge into an audible and/or visual experience. All arts require these aspects in some form, so it is no surprise that many successful artists are eclectically inclined within some fields of art apart from their primary field. In some cases, dabbling in an assortment of arts can eventually lead an artistically inclined but multifariously overwhelmed individual into a field that suits their personal abilities best. Here, a cumulative interest in art brought the initial founders of Bowerbirds together. The North Carolina-based trio has consisted of alternating members since their formation in 2005, but core members Phil Moore and Beth Tacular are indebted to a sense of artistic eclecticism among Bowerbirds’ members. Their style is highly indicative of stylistic transfiguration, altering accessible forms of folk and chamber-pop into accomplishedly unpredictable results that succeed after practically every attempt.

Lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Phil Moore began writing songs for a then-unnamed project in 2005, looking toward friends in multi-instrumentalist Mark Paulson and Beth Tacular to provide additional input and initial instrumentation on the material. Moore and Paulson had been friends in middle school and fronted several bands together during their schooldays, including some hilariously ridiculous names like Speed of Sauce, Ticonderoga, and Blast Force. Tacular originally had little experience in music, doubting her ability to sing and perform. However, Moore recognized her potential and artistic ability and she joined the group in 2005. She had taught herself to sing and play the accordion, so her contributions were immediate in April 2006 when the trio began recording their first EP, Danger at Sea. She also has a background in painting and web design, the latter of which pertains to the web design company she and Moore own. After all, everyone needs some kind of day job. For these two multi-talented bandmates, it came in something that catered to both of their eclectic artistic talents. This undoubtedly helped her eventual work with the similarly inclined Moore and Paulson, the latter of whom Tacular credits for his “multi-talentedness.” That is a word that describes Bowerbirds as a whole, both in their personal lives and their band’s stylistic result.

Bowerbirds’ debut album, Hymns for a Dark Horse, was released in early 2007 to commendable reviews, drawing many comparisons to the freak-folk movement that was so prominent at the time (with the likes of Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, etc.). The comparisons likely brought some extra fans to Bowerbirds’ camp, but I personally found the comparisons somewhat off the mark as Bowerbirds’ additional emphasis on pop songwriting and accessibility was contrary to many figures of the particular movement. This is further demonstrated on their new album, Upper Air. This is not music from the typical surveyors of indie-folk with hushed melodies, soft acoustics, and subtle choruses, but rather an inventive concoction of infectious pop and folk that combines for an experience that could be called soothing, refreshing, and impressive. In comparison to a genre like jazz, pop music often lacks a component of subtle variation in which suave key changes are implemented or chords are presented with a certain variance. Bowerbirds’ past material opposes these simplistic sentiments, but Upper Air shows them at their true best with unconventional intentions in familiarly accessible territory. There are minimalistic acoustical efforts like “Silver Clouds” and “Ghost Life”, but there also stands extremely impressive displays of expansiveness that include the lusty Parisian exoticness of “Teeth” and the ever-evolving franticness of “Beneath Your Tree”. These are displays of a band that clearly shows their ambition, but also of one that seems to have few limitations.

“House of Diamonds” plays like a pop gem, plain and simple. The opener to Upper Air certainly sets Bowerbirds off on the right foot, boasting with an irresistible melody being led by acoustics, keys, and Moore’s smooth voice. An instant comparison would be to Andrew Bird, but Grizzly Bear’s multiple harmonies over lush folk instrumentation remain as another comparison due to the often-simultaneous vocals of Moore and Tacular. The track begins simplistically with its acoustic and keys, but an excellent chorus introduces a great hook as the duo sings, “You are free, you are already free.” A string arrangement serves as a portion of the bridge… and in an instant Bowerbirds’ resourceful delivery is exposed. They do not adorn their music with unnecessary additives, instead resorting to a qualitative philosophy that opts to utilize additional instrumentation when it truly makes a difference. During this specific moment after the chorus, the strings work beautifully and any additional use would have taken away from its novelty. The same resourcefulness can be said for the other tracks on Upper Air as well. “Beneath Your Tree” sticks to the same instrumental arsenal throughout, but still feels like an ardent success to the group’s rhythmic variations, interesting chord use, and superb songwriting. They are all reasons why Upper Air is Bowerbirds’ biggest success yet, also proving indicative of their explosive potential and likely breakthrough.

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Bowerbirds – House of Diamonds

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Bowerbirds – Teeth

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Bowerbirds – Beneath Your Tree

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One hit wonders are certainly a fascinating concept. An artist with the fortune of executing one brilliant idea can live quite a luxurious lifestyle with minimal work, even if most artists who instead release numerous albums that are all enjoyable often end up barely scraping by. Sure, most of us can agree that the music industry does not reward its inclined occupants based on effort, but what is the deciding factor then? Most of the time, it seems to be based on chance and commercial reception more than anything else, which hinders the ability that independent music has to emit originality and selflessness. The effect may be indirect, but the hordes of artists that compete for the one breakthrough single that earns them a cool million or two inherit an ideology that proves detrimental to the values of artistry in general. Striving for monetary success is an ideal that has been firmly enforced in society, even if its tendency to overlap into business, sports, and the arts has caused aspects like effort, commitment, and morality to lower themselves within the hierarchies of success. Independent music, though, seems to retain selfless intuitions for success. It seems to prevail momentously in the arts, mainly because the results affect its followers on an emotional level.

Existing within this realm of independent music in a form that is too transparent for their evident talents, The Kingsbury Manx are a fine example of a group that have never been deterred by the allure of cheap ambition. Their four albums, all released this decade, have shown the North Carolina-based quartet to be a band that values consistency just as much as they do radio-friendly accessibility. It would be hard to select any of their four albums as their best, as their lush mixture of throwback pop and country (with tinges of psychedelia and rock) has remained a successful concoction that has never grown tiresome or uninspired on any of The Kingsbury Manx’s releases. The group’s history is pretty traditional, as they follow a long line of schoolmates-turned-bandmates that met in middle school, separated for a bit in college, and then reunited to infuse their artistic compatibility. For college, the four members all stayed within the boundaries of North Carolina, with half attending UNC-Chapel Hill and the other two studying at Wilmington. Both The Kingsbury Manx’s adoration for their home state and their unintimidating demeanor is indicative on their MySpace, where their celebratory response to UNC’s NCAA win is profiled in a plethora of photos. It looks like the MySpace for a high school sports fan rather than a professional band, but it fits surprisingly well with The Kingsbury Manx’s unpretentiousness and artistic values.

The Kingsbury Manx’s rise to success has been slow but steady, seeming to escalade slightly with each successive release. Their four albums came within the span of 2000 to 2005, demonstrating a rapid sense of workmanship in addition to the consistency that eventually resulted in a sizable fanbase by the release of their previous album, The Fast Rise and Fall of the South, in 2005. Four years has probably seemed like a lifetime to fans that were accustomed to The Kingsbury Manx’s quick releases of LPs and EPs, but it has certainly paid off with the release of their fifth album, Ascenseur Ouvert!. Their sound has always been accessible, mainly because of the influence that British ‘60s pop has had on them. The Kinks, The Byrds, and even Pink Floyd’s lighter fare have a prominent influence on The Kingsbury Manx’s fusion of blissful chamber-pop and ‘60s psychedelia. Beginning with their second album, Let You Down, The Kingsbury Manx have explored more ambitious moods and styles in addition to their accessible vein of pop. Each album has appeared to involve more modernistic styles like alt-rock or Americana, but their admiration of ‘60s British pop remains prevalent. On Ascenseur Ouvert!, the four-piece have used their decade-long experience and growing stylistic ambitiousness to present an impressive release that capitalizes on both their British influences and native American roots.

As a whole, Ascenseur Ouvert! is accessible from the get-go due to an approach that uses both the group’s conception of familiar pop music and an album format that features short-but-sweet tracks that rarely exceed four minutes. These never seem to waste even a second of time though, as the lush vocal harmonies and melodic assortment of keys and acoustics make tracks like “If You’re on the Mend, I’m on the Move” and “These Three Things”. The infectious “Over the Oeuvre” is more brisk with its pulsating keys and trickling synth line, but the vocals of guitarist Bill Taylor and drummer Ryan Richardson are serene and whimsically delightful enough to make even chaos seem uncharacteristically relaxing. Save for the budding strings of “Minos Maze” and the subtle orchestral usage in “Shoulder Stories” and “Well, Whatever”, the album never strays far from a familiar and consistent stylistic territory. The aforementioned tracks with orchestral implementation tend to echo contemporary chamber-pop acts like Field Music or Belle & Sebastian in their approach, occasionally resulting in even greater heights than on throwback Brit-pop efforts. Even on those though, the album reaches sweeping heights that rivals all of The Kingsbury Manx’s previous efforts. They may not have reached household-name status yet, but their consistency should pay off after Ascenseur Ouvert! is warmly received. Not everyone needs a one-hit-wonder to achieve success; for The Kingsbury Manx and most enduring artists, their eventual recognition will arise from consistency and durability.

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The Kingsbury Manx – Well, Whatever

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The Kingsbury Manx – If You’re on the Mend, I’m on the Move

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The Kingsbury Manx – Over the Oeuvre

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Odessa Records

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When the time occurs in which technology overtakes many basic human functions and automation becomes a habit, many futurists claim that we will revert into something of a “leisure society”. John Maynard Keynes, one of the forefathers of macroeconomics, projected that most modernized countries would see a decrease in work time and an increase in leisure time, so much that in 2030 we would have more days off than at work. “We shall do more things for ourselves than is usual with the rich to-day,” he wrote in an essay from 1930, “only too glad to have small duties and tasks and routines.” As glorious as a four or five-day weekend sounds though, the chances of this arising within 25 years are quite marginal. Critics claim that Keynes failed to account for people’s relative needs, which are things that people want but are not required to have. Someone could likely live a similar lifestyle from working only three or four days per week now, but it would be very doubtful that they would have the extra expenses to buy things like iPods, stereos, and other products that are nice but not necessary. Also, in our current economic situation, there are people that would gladly take up a well-paying occupation that requires five or six days per week. This “leisure society” seems farther away than when Keynes first envisioned it, but that does not mean that some people cannot yearn for it through artistic means.

This background information can certainly be useful for discovering the origins of The Leisure Society’s name, but what it does more importantly is assist in identifying their desired sound and how they achieve it so successfully. Perhaps the group says it best in their own words, clarifying that “they strive for a time of relaxation through automation, for a moment when they can hold their table tennis bats aloft and salute modernity”. Much like Keynes, their desire for a world in which people are judged by their qualitative actions and not by how long they sit in a cubicle is prevalent. Whether one is best judged by what they do in their free time or how well they perform in a menial occupational task is an argument that cannot be won due to subjectivity. It is also an argument that everyone from economists to philosophers can jump into. As for the boys of The Leisure Society, they present their ideology quite clearly. Through glimpses of luxurious chamber-pop and melodic folk music, they present listeners with a ceaselessly soothing style that is made memorable by lead vocalist Nick Hemming’s delicate voice and naturally infectious songwriting. Simplicity is a concept that The Leisure Society proclaim throughout the album, both in their charming songwriting and lyrical content. Whether they sing of yearning for the days when “life was so much simpler” in “Love’s Enormous Wings” or the overemphasis on assigned tasks in “A Short Weekend Begins With Longing”, it is evident that this British collective value enjoyment through the simple things in life, those in which people often overlook because of demanding schedules and occupational conformity.

“Turned into stone, all the people they had known,” Hemming sings on the effervescent, string-led “A Short Weekend Begins With Longing”. “Lost on their way through a world of blank expression,” he continues. “No one made the time, everybody had their reasons.” The lines seems conventional enough under the caressing strings and gently plucked acoustic guitars, but for Hemming it is a summation of the album’s thematic approach. As they attempt to define the separation between work and leisure time (weekdays and weekends), it is impossible to avoid the sheer charm of The Leisure Society’s songwriting and general stylistic approach. What they have done so effectively is mix stellar orchestration with compatible lyrical sentiments to create an album that reaps from cohesion, resulting in a perfect mood piece. Abrasiveness is not found on one note throughout the 11 tracks on their debuting The Sleeper, showcasing the meticulous craftwork of Hemming’s songwriting. Chamber-pop may be the most readily available genre to clump this one into, but an additional emphasis on folk, country, and pop makes attempting to singularly classifying The Sleeper a futile effort. Though the lyrical focus, structural tendencies, and choice of instrumentation is consistent, longtime fans of Hemming should be hardly surprised that he has offered up enough variety to excite listeners. After all, The Leisure Society’s frontman has been around for quite awhile, and this looks to be just the thing that will lead to his recognition beyond the island of Great Britain.

Even though his best days are still ahead of him, the story of Hemming’s career is quite an interesting one. His first project was an indie-rock group by the name of She Talks to Angels, a short-lived outfit that lasted from 1990 to 1993. The interesting thing is that it featured actor/director Paddy Considine and director Shane Meadows before they became stars in the UK. Considine has starred in a few great movies like In America while being featured prominently in films like Hot Fuzz and The Bourne Ultimatum, while Meadows is considered one of the most promising directors in the UK after directing the already cult-classic Dead Man’s Shoes and the universally acclaimed This Is England. The demise of She Talks to Angels was rooted in both of their desires to pursue film, a belief that proved to benefit both of them and Hemming in the process. Since they were former bandmates, Meadows let Hemming write the music for two of his films, A Room for Romeo Brass and Dead Man’s Shoes. After spending some time in the ’90s with bands like The Telescopes and Unisex, he began constructing the initial stages of The Leisure Society. The group’s debut single, “The Last of the Melting Snow”, was released this past December to a warm reception among British radio shows. The second single, “A Matter of Time”, will be released on March 16th, precisely one week before the release of the album itself, The Sleeper.

While The Sleeper offers plenty of memorable songs, the one that most immediately captivated me was “Love’s Enormous Wings”. The bare effort of a ukulele eventually finds itself complemented by an upright bass, woodwinds, and sparkling keys, paving the way for the song’s excellent development. The melody tends to repeat itself throughout the entire track, with the instrumental additions of a new string arrangement or woodwind accompaniment establishing the subtle melodic alterations. Considering that it is so beautiful though, it is hard to complain. Hemming’s vocals carry this one with extravagance and bliss. “Oh, once life was so much simpler,” he sings. “I had a heart, she owns it now. I’ll get it back some day.” The lyrical tone is melancholic and reflective, but the arrangement suggests otherwise in its briskly infectious delivery. If anything, the track perfectly summarizes how The Leisure Society are able to craft beautiful gems using little more than conventional structures and highly melodic instrumentation. Well, let us not forget Hemming’s stellar songwriting as well. On The Sleeper, all of these forms are showcased in an accessible and memorable manner that should have listeners coming back for more, whether they are in the middle of a workday or just beginning a weekend. The Leisure Society fit nicely on both occasions, even if they tend to be partial to the latter.

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The Leisure Society – Love’s Enormous Wings

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The Leisure Society – A Short Weekend Begins with Longing

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The Leisure Society – The Last of the Melting Snow

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Willkommen Records

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The post The Leisure Society appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

by Mike Mineo

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20. Ra Ra Riot – The Rhumb Line

Losing a member of a band to death can be devastating. No matter how many arguments and fistfights were initiated in the past, it is a fact that many groups tend to form a family-like bond after years and even months of touring and working together. When Ra Ra Riot’s original drummer, John Pike, was found dead on June 3rd of 2007, his former band mates were stunned. “This has felt like the unraveling plot of a tragic piece of fiction,” they said in a press release. However, about a month after Pike’s death, the band announced that they would continue the group in Pike’s memory. A string of tour dates and the eponymous EP in 2007 brought the group increased recognition as they prepared their debut full-length album, The Rhumb Line. The album itself serves as a fine example of the group’s potential, with their flashy style of art-rock serving as both an accessible and contagious interpretation of contemporary indie-rock. The New York-based group works with tinges of post-punk and punk, implementing both cellos and violins over a zealous display of dazzling guitars and tenacious rhythm sections. Vocalist Wesley Miles emits a sharp, slightly high-pitched tone that is reminiscent of vocalists in the vein of Nick Stumpf (The French Kicks) or a more subdued Hamilton Leithauser (The Walkmen). All together, it creates a very convincing sound that proves memorable despite its common originations. In addition to his role as a co-songwriter on a handful of tracks, one notable posthumous contribution from Pike on The Rhumb Line comes in the form of lyrical content. With Miles, he wrote “Dying is Fine”, a gripping track that wholly capitalizes on the group’s stellar mixture of strings and guitars. With an E.E. Cummings quotation serving as the main hook, the topic is emotionally ironic and the melody is addictively consuming. The mournful “Ghost Under Rocks” also makes excellent use of strings, guiding yet another captivating chorus as Miles yelps in perhaps his most emotionally resounding vocal performance on the album. “Here you are, you are breathing like little ghosts under rocks,” he sings, speaking of romanticized suffocation in mildly poetic form. When compared to the regretful – though dynamically vigorous – yelps and moans of “Ghost Under Rocks” and “Dying is Fine”, Miles’ vocals in “Winter ‘05” are appropriately more somber as the strings increase in intricacy and the percussion subtly adds several shuffled components. Along with a cover of Kate Bush’s “Suspended in Gaffa” making the cut, it exemplifies how The Rhumb Line serves as an enjoyably eclectic album within a fused genre that desperately needs it these days.

Ra Ra Riot – Dying is Fine

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19. Gentleman Jesse – Introducing Gentleman Jesse and His Men

One of the most appealing aspects of power-pop is the ability it has to remain untainted in a world where stylistic alteration is often inevitable. While some may argue that the genre’s apparent lack of stylistic ambition is the cause for such sturdy pop ideologies, the crafters of such music never seem to be given enough credit for their reluctance to become submissive toward what is deemed as this week’s fad in the music industry. Gentleman Jesse and His Men, a talented four-piece based out of Atlanta, employ this highly accessible form of power-pop very well, but they are also quite unique when compared to other groups in the genre. Yes, they are comparably intent on hooking in the listener with exceptionally infectious choruses and stellar harmonizing, but Gentleman Jesse and His Men happen to be significantly more nostalgic in approach. Instead of employing a formula in which an overwhelming degree of varying styles clash within a comforting power-pop aroma, the four-piece instead opts to bring back what made the genre so great in the first place. Traditional punk and garage-rock are the main forces at work here, making comparisons to the early workings of power-pop greats Exploding Hearts somewhat unavoidable. Exploding Hearts certainly infused more elements of punk into their overall sound, but the approach and level of melodic alteration remains highly comparable in the sentiment that both groups rely on amiable simplicity to elicit a uniquely engaging charm in which the songwriting and consequential hooks sound freshly invigorating despite the minimal forces of instrumentation at work. On their debut, Introducing Gentleman Jesse and His Men, frontman Jesse Smith plays the role of accessible power-pop vocalist with apparent ease, extracting a youthful tone of amateur exuberance while simultaneously allowing his commendable melodic range to flow naturally with the brisk use of guitar-led instrumentation. This is perhaps best heard on “All I Need Tonight (Is You)”, a track that would likely have been considered a classic by now if it had been released 30 years ago. From the lyrics to the lead guitar progression, the approach is extraordinarily simple but the appeal arrives in the strong melodic form that Smith conveys with the utmost confidence. In conventional power-pop form, he utilizes a callback approach in the utterly irresistible chorus before embellishing the moment with an extremely concise guitar solo. “You Got Me Where You Want Me” and “Attention” also utilize this accustomed callback approach with surprising precision. Those who view most traditional power-pop as a one-trick pony will likely state the same about Gentleman Jesse and His Men’s debut album, but anyone who enjoys fantastic hooks guided by little more than a guitar and rhythm section simply needs to check it out. Intricate it may not be, but this album’s infectiousness is downright undeniable.

Gentleman Jesse – All I Need Tonight (Is You)

Gentleman Jesse – You Got Me Where You Want Me

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18. Håkan Hellström – För sent för Edelweiss

Swedish listeners first caught a glimpse of Hellström in 2000 with his hit single “Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg”, with Hellström also releasing his debut album of that same name in November. Prior to the release, Hellström was only recognized as fans of the Swedish indie-pop band Broder Daniel as their drummer, a position he vacated between 1988 and 1994. He then rejoined the band in 1997 with a new role as the bassist, leaving in 2003 to focus solely on his solo career. By that time, Hellström had also released a second album, Det är så jag säger det, in 2002 and was in the midst of writing Ett kolikbarns bekännelser, his third album that released in 2005. Nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blått, a compilation of b-sides, was also released the same year. After announcing that he had become a father and planned to take a short break, he emerged with his fourth album, För sent för Edelweiss, three years later in 2008. Though his first three albums exhibited a form of potential that only arrives once every so often in Swedish pop music, Hellström’s style sounded awkward with occasionally out-of-key vocals and repetitive arrangements. However, with För sent för Edelweiss, it looks as if the skilled songwriter has finally lived up to his wholesome potential. When an artist names an album after one of their own songs in particular, the conceptual intentions of the self-titled track take on lofty expectations. When it comes to “För sent för Edelweiss”, it serves as arguably the most pleasing track on both the album and throughout Hellström’s blossoming career thus far. It features the type of melody that will cause anyone – regardless of whether they understand the Swedish lyrics or not – to grin in pure delight, with the hauntingly beautiful instrumentation contrasting impressively with Hellström’s ardent vocals. The light plucking of an acoustic guitar initially finds itself underlying a graceful piano melody as Hellström’s voice quivers over the corresponding melody. When the twinkle of a new piano melody takes charge and establishes the chorus, Hellström’s voice takes on a melodic shift and crafts a devastating hook in the process. When the track concludes with a Sigur Rós-like instrumental recap over the crooning of Hellström, it simply reminds the listener just how elegantly stunning the overall result actually is. Since the title track will generally be recognized as one of the more instrumentally subdued songs on För sent för Edelweiss, first-time listeners of the track will likely be curious as to what Hellström sounds like when accompanied by increasingly noticeable instrumental fervor. As both “Kärlek är ett Brev Skickat Tusen Gånger” and “Jag Vet Inte Vem Jag är Men jag Vet Att Jag är Din” prove, the result is actually just as satisfying. Both songs implement guitar within a style of pop that is most reminiscent of accessible indie-rock, with “Jag Vet Inte Vem Jag är Men jag Vet Att Jag är Din” especially being resounding of the sentiment with a fury of electric guitars and reflective keys. They each remain insanely catchy in their own unique ways though, with “Kärlek är ett Brev Skickat Tusen Gånger” benefiting most from the vocal correspondence between a bluesy guitar, effervescent keys, and Hellström’s impressive vocal performance. With so many great Swedish releases each year, it is quite an indicator that För sent för Edelweiss is one of this year’s best from Sweden.

Håkan Hellström – För sent för Edelweiss

Håkan Hellström – Kärlek är ett Brev Skickat Tusen Gånger

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17. Thomas Function – Celebration

It would be premature for me to judge the chemistry in Thomas Function based on their music and online photos alone, right?. It could all just be a classic attempt to sell records. Well, considering that all pictures I have found of the members together depicts them having insane amounts of fun while at parties, playing shows, and in the studio, superficial corporate achievement seems to be the last things on their mind. In fact, It leads you to believe that these guys might even be having fun while making music together. And apart from the putting the “fun” in “function”, their music plays off just as naturally. Providing heavy doses of southern-rock and folk within a consistent showing of punk, the fact that Thomas Function are able to simultaneously provide odes to energized punk greats in the vein of Television and The Buzzcocks while delivering an array of styles related to folk and contemporary rock contributes prevalently to a style that is wholesomely unique and energetically engaging. The track that brought the four-piece arguably their biggest buzz in 2007 was “Relentless Machine”, a 7″ single that now once again has appeared on their excellent debut album, Celebration. Despite offering 13 tracks that are contained within a similar delivery, the boastful amount of hooks and instrumental variations provide for a form of excitement that most debuts only dream of. “2012 Blues” was a standout immediately for me from the first listen, as its acoustical folk origins are in stark contrast to vigorous punk-oriented gems like “Snake in the Grass” and “Conspiracy of Praise”, a style that reigns over most of the album. In a track like “Can’t Say No”, where a Pixies-like bass line is adjusted accordingly over an organ-led guitar progression that provides visions of classic Television and Velvet Underground, it almost makes for a colossal fusion of great indie-rock and punk bands who have made a significant mark in the past 30 years. The infectious “Can’t Say No” may be too hectic to make such past comparisons entirely spot-on, but the melodically charged energy that Josh Macero’s vocals convey makes the mixture of modernistic enthusiasm with past forms of punk and garage-rock a very satisfying blend. As for fans of The Buzzcocks or even Wire, one listen of “Snake in the Grass” should be convincing enough. Alongside “Conspiracy of Praise” and “A Long Walk”, it employs a concisely familiar form of catchy punk without being overly aggressive or manipulative in the process. With the rhythm section constantly impressing me with its tight coordination, the excellent guitar work making the comparisons to Television even possible, and Macero’s vocals being a constant source of hooks and youthful vibrancy, Celebration packs a very powerful punch that results in it being one of this year’s most satisfying debuts.

Thomas Function – Can’t Say No

Thomas Function – 2012 Blues

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16. Beach House – Devotion

Like many of those who immediately latched onto Beach House’s fantastic self-titled debut in 2006, I kept my admiration for the release no secret. It was an atmospherically beauteous album, flawlessly transcribing humane emotions as diverse as regret, embrace, and heartbreak into a sound that was as much accessible as it was ravishing. Beach House, a two-piece based out of Baltimore consisting of guitarist/keyboardist Alex Scally and vocalist/organist Victoria Legrand, were certainly the center of attention in 2006, as their well-received debut was an album that seemed to find its way onto everyone’s year-end list (it took a respectable #37 on mine). This year, they have reclaimed that same spotlight, with an excellent second album in Devotion that proves even more fulfilling than their debut. Though it may be subtle, Beach House’s own namesake provides for a cleverly suitable effect. Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand craft a sound that ushers the listener away from the hectic rush of complex urbanity, with their style being ceaselessly relaxing without any stylistic mundaneness. Like the location depicted in their namesake, the lushly written songs provide for an escape from petty demands and harsh realities; think of Devotion as a $15, 44-minute vacation. The exquisite “D.A.R.L.I.N.G.” is reminiscent of a lost love ballad from the ’50s or ’60s. Legrand’s vocals and Scally’s guitar progressions are seemingly able to put listeners into an entrancing state, this time being aided by a guitar soaked in reverb and a set of subdued keys. As per usual, Legrand’s vocals are beautifully chilling, being airily husky but giving off a frail sense of imagery in regard to the alluring backing instrumentation. The percussive involvement is always minute, but the lack of involvement makes the delicate nature even more suitably presented in the process. Another aspect that is revived from Beach House’s debut is Legrand’s ability to create a hook using her vocal range alone. Like “D.A.R.L.I.N.G.” and the majority of Devotion, “Gila” is aided by a guitar supplemented by a mixture of keys and organs. Though the bare instrumentation is enough to solicit immediate enjoyment, the moment when Legrand shifts her vocals into a deeper, more sympathetic range by stating, “Don’t you waste your time, no-oh-oh,” it provides for an instant realization in regard to the sheer beauty that the songwriting of Beach House conveys. With songs like these, Beach House’s Devotion is an elegantly beautiful release that sees this talented duo somehow improve upon the excellence of their self-titled debut.

Beach House – D.A.R.L.I.N.G.

Beach House – Gila

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15. Department of Eagles – In Ear Park

A good majority of people have, at one point in their lives, been forced to live with someone who does not exactly coincide with their standards of life. Roommate horror stories can be as amusing as they are appalling, but everyone recognizes that it is a part of life that most unspoiled individuals have to go through in order to live without a larger financial burden. When Fred Nicolaus and Daniel Rossen were assigned by NYU as roommates in their freshman year of college in 2000, they likely went through the usual semi-awkward introductions. The first few weeks may have passed by without much chemistry, but eventually when they found a common bonding point in music, they knew that luck was on their side. After putting out three EPs and two LPs under the name of The Whitey on the Moon UK, the roommates changed their name to Department of Eagles. Their first two full-lengths, The Whitey on the Moon UK LP and The Cold Nose, saw some moderate success with a stylistic array of electronic pop and sample-based instrumentals, but critics often felt that the releases were too disjointed and cluttered to truly capture a consistent audience. Shortly after the release of The Whitey on the Moon UK LP in 2003, Rossen joined the up-and-coming Grizzly Bear as an additional songwriter and guitarist. However, the two returned to working together shortly, recruiting drummer Chris Bear and bassist Nat Baldwin earlier this year to focus on In Ear Park, the duo’s second album under Department of Eagles. While I was personally impressed with some material that Rossen and Nicolaus have collaborated on prior to In Ear Park, this album is a major stepping stone in both of their developments as songwriters. The album itself was written partly as an ode to childhood, with Rossen making it a tribute of sorts to his recently deceased father. The actual “Ear Park” is a park in Los Angeles in which Rossen and his father used to visit, a touching point of significance when the song is being played. A lo-fi charmer, the duo shuffles through a series of intricately composed guitar arpeggios as Rossen relays his tender voice through a midst of backing strings and twinkling keys. The melody and instrumental capacity is astoundingly beautiful, especially when the subject is in consideration. The following track, “No One Does It Like You”, captures the essence of ‘60s pop in extravagant form. Backing vocals are exceptional here, simultaneously adding to both the rhythm section and enthralling melody in the deep and heightened tones, respectively. “Teenagers” is another key-led spectacle that later bursts into a consuming array of subtle horns and strings, highly indicative of the duo’s impeccably placed value on songwriting and production.

Department of Eagles – No One Does It Like You

Department of Eagles – In Ear Park

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14. British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music?

The “sophomore slump” is a term that has been applied a countless number of times for musicians, with indie-rock artists arguably being in that recent undesirable majority. It often proves difficult to attempt to pinpoint the cause for such drop-offs in quality, though I believe much of it can be accredited to the amount of pressure an artist receives from their label, the press, and the masses of fans who follow in their every step. In regard to British Sea Power, I admit that they initially set my expectations at a nearly insurmountable high. I consider their fantastic 2003 debut, The Decline of British Sea Power, to be one of the best debuts of this decade and I continue to give it a listen every so often. After the group released their follow-up, Open Season, in 2005, I found that the result was not something I was too personally enamored with. It was not a bad follow-up by any means, just a step back in the direction that the prevalently ambitious British Sea Power intended to go. With their third album, Do You Like Rock Music?, the album’s title seems hypothetical in relation to the brilliant content it conveys. With it, I have once again regained hope that British Sea Power could indeed be one of the most inventive indie-rock bands of the decade. It all begins suitably with “All In It”, a brooding build-up where a choral vocal accompaniment sings reflectively over the steady beat of a snare drum. Once the song begins to subtly fade out and the murmur of a church organ is the only audible presence, a burst of percussion and high-pitched guitar effects collapse onto one another, creating a monumental hook that sets the tone for the rest of Do You Like Rock Music?. The brilliant “Waving Flags” is arguably the best song that British Sea Power have written since the classic “Carrion”, crafting their trademark sound of epic, guitar-oriented rock into a state of pure bliss. Once the ardently grandiose chorus kicks in, any skeptics of the Brighton-based four-piece will likely cower away. Though the structure remains more consistent and the instrumentation more simplistic, the glimmering “Canvey Island” once again finds its strength in a explosive chorus, fully cemented by a preceding verse and bridge where the murmur of strings are presented over the slight strumming of an electric guitar. Depicting the great North Sea flood of 1953, the suitably named British Sea Power carry the song in full force, touching on feelings on disastrous disbelief as Scott “Yan” Wilkinson resoundly croons, “Don’t you think its strange, you know, the way it all works out? Brace yourself for storms and summer drought.” the beautiful “No Need to Cry” rounds off the album very nicely. Being somewhat of a new approach for British Sea Power, they pull off the sympathetic throwback love ballad with ease. Wilkinson turns his vocal intensity down a notch but compensates it with a lush assortment of guitars, subdued percussion, and cooing backing vocals. Unlike the stadium-sized intensity of the choruses in excellent tracks like “Waving Flags” and “Canvey Island”, “No Need to Cry” uses a more subtle approach in being uplifted by a simplistic sprinkling of keys. Regardless, the result is stunningly beautiful when a violin cleverly emerges from the layers of delicately crafted sound during the song’s final few moments. Do You Like Rock Music? opens, continues, and concludes in the same way: with consistent quality. So, if for some reason, the question of “Do you like rock music?” remains etched in your head, it should be quite easy to answer. In regard to this specific album, the answer is an unhesitant “yes”.

British Sea Power – Waving Flags

British Sea Power – Canvey Island

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13. The Walkmen – You & Me

Whether or not The Walkmen regressed on You & Me is a topic with two sides to it. Yes, they returned to a style that was more indicative of their first two albums with a higher emphasis on heavily distorted guitars and angular vocal melodies, but there is still a glaring aspect of You & Me that separates itself from any of The Walkmen’s preceding four releases. While percussively aided keyboards were often at the forefront on Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone and distorted guitars and yelps comprised most of Bows + Arrows, You & Me serves as arguably the most stylistically multifarious album of their commendably consistent career. Their usual use of overpowering guitars, shimmering keys, and clashing percussion is predominant, but when looking at it by a track-by-track basis it becomes evident that efforts like “On the Water” and “Red Moon” contribute to an album whose stylistic scope remains unpredictably consuming. The swirling mixture of keys and horns in “Red Moon” creates some charmingly melodic circumstances for a topic as simple as romantic longing, while the beginnings of “On the Water” invokes the same sort of exotic imagery that songwriters in the vein of Tom Waits have been so known to generate. As the rumbling of bass underlies a glistening guitar progression, singer Hamilton Leithauser concocts a series of vividly appropriate lyrics. “All the years keep rolling, the decades flying by,” he sings as the guitars pick up pace and the track reverts from a mystical bass-led enigma into a hard-rocking fury. “But ahh, the days are long.” This lyrical realization is complemented superbly by Leithauser’s uniquely invigorating howl, an aspect that is aided by instrumentation that increases in intensity as the track progresses. “Red Moon” and “On the Water” are particularly excellent usages of the band’s tendencies to use natural imagery, an effect that supplements the occasional tranquility of both tracks superbly. In terms of each individual song, the songs are not the most structurally adventurous or melodically intimidating in the band’s catalog, but other gems like the anthemic “In the New Year” and the innovative use of percussion in “Postcards From Tony Islands” should convince listeners that the five-piece have clearly succeeded in crafting one of their most fascinatingly compelling releases to date.

The Walkmen – On the Water

The Walkmen – Red Moon

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12. Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer

Few bands manage to be as innovative and instantaneously accessible as Wolf Parade, the acclaimed joint project of Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner. The most impressive thing to me about the two collaborators, however, is not the infectious melodies they create or the constant critical acclaim that comes their way, but rather the stylistic transition that both are able to make seamlessly as they jump from project to project. Both have been renowned as a few of the busiest songwriters in indie-rock and their durability throughout the past several years can mainly attributed to the unique and melodically invigorating aspects that their songwriting triggers. At Mount Zoomer will hardly feel like a sophomore album to most listeners, as both Krug and Boeckner have been employing reminiscent styles in their respective projects of Sunset Rubdown and Handsome Furs ever since Wolf Parade originated. But it is also a common belief to state that Wolf Parade’s debut, Apologies to the Queen Mary, contains the most accessible material from either artist to date, an aspect that arguably derives from intentions to promote their material to a more diversified audience. Krug’s share of material on At Mount Zoomer appears most reminiscent to his work with Sunset Rubdown, with the eerily resounding flair of “Bang Your Drum” and “An Animal in Your Care” employing much of they key-oriented formula over the yelping vocals and consistently revolving song structures that made trademark Sunset Rubdown tracks so memorable. Keeping in mind that At Mount Zoomer comprises of a similar structure in that Krug and Boeckner contribute an even number of separate tracks, I am actually more impressed with Boeckner’s efforts this time around despite Krug’s showings also being expectedly strong. This can be primarily attributed to Boeckner’s increased instrumental virtuosity, as his use of keys and synths has noticeably become more prevalent. This is best evident on “Language City” and “The Grey Estates”, both tracks that utilize an array of sparkling keys in an infectious chorus that is also guided by guitars and rhythmic additives. Despite Boeckner providing for a more consistent offering of quality songwriting, Krug offers one of the best tracks in the excellent “California Dreamer”. Krug’s skills as both a songwriter and excellent keyboardist are in full display as he shifts a minimal introduction of singular keys and backing percussion into a chorus that is the most anthemic and memorable on the album. “I’ll be round, I’ll be round, I’ll be round,” he sings prior to the bridge. “Like a teenager in town where all the other young lovers are found.” It is a moment that is aided purely by the intensifying tempo of deepened keys, a technique that makes the exceptional chorus that follows even more satisfying. A few shrill chords on keys then follow as the fully bolstered rhythm section emerges for the first time. Boeckner’s “Fine Young Cannibals” also serves as a standout, mainly due to a catchy little guitar riff that manages to sound so seductively enthralling over a soulful blend of keys (à la “It’s a Curse”). As the steady delivery of a new wave-like guitar progression eases placidly over concise percussion, it takes over two minutes for the track’s greatest hook to appear. Signaled by the brisk entry of keys, a crescendo of chords flurry over the same guitar progression and intensifying quivers. Keeping in mind that a Krug-Boeckner release without some sort of epic would feel out of place, the concluding “Kissing the Beehive” makes use of both songwriter’s ability to craft alternating song structures within a familiar melody. Though the first several listen will treat nothing to the listener but a few unexpected melodic surprises, each new listen with a better comprehension of the structure provides more in terms of infectiousness and enjoyment. As that track ends, it is easy to note that Krug and Boeckner have once again collaborated for one of the most enjoyable indie-rock releases of the year.

Wolf Parade – Language City

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11. Portishead – Third

Unlike the majority of other groups during the mid ’90s in Britain, Portishead did not become legends by releasing a masterpiece or two alongside a dozen or so middling attempts at reviving glory. Instead, the trio’s status as one of the most mystifyingly ambiguous groups to have an undeniable influence on contemporary music was granted because of sheer quality, not because of an excess of tours or releases. Prior to this year’s release of Third, the group released two albums of new material in the span of 13 years. Both of them, Dummy and Portishead will forever be considered landmark achievements in the genres of trip-hop and atmospheric alternative-pop. Clearly, unless Portishead have something worth releasing, it is not going to see the light of day. This rare ideology continues with Third, an awe-inspiring release that ranks up there with the classic Dummy as being one of the most atmospherically brilliant releases of the past 20 years. Their arrangements are often initially sparse, such as in “The Rip” where only an acoustic guitar and haunting synth pad appears to back Beth Gibbons’ quivering vocals. Like many classic Portishead tracks though, the melodic and instrumental expansion of “The Rip” is what makes the group’s ingenious level of execution so irresistible. As a bassy synth arpeggio backs a lengthily stable croon from Gibbons, a simultaneous percussive ignition occurs as the track steadily fades to black. The vocally brooding nature of “Plastic” and the ethereal, guitar-based murmurs of “We Carry On” may provide indication that Third is Portishead’s least accessible album out of their three, but successive listens will reward even those who are reluctant of the trio’s atmospherically-based talents. Sure, there are less instantaneous hooks, but Third is a grower whose genius is slowly unveiled with careful audible precision. For immediate enjoyment though, a track like the appropriately titled “Machine Gun” (with its percussive bursts) and the melodically enchanting “Hunter”, the latter which proves to be one of Portishead’s most captivating efforts. Haunting is often a common word to describe Portishead’s atmospheric brilliance, and never has being haunted been so enjoyable. A sheer piece of atmospheric perfection, Third is an album to be treasured by fans of Portishead and newcomers alike.

Portishead – Hunter

Portishead – The Rip

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The post Best Albums of 2008: #20 to #11 appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

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When monumental success is accomplished through means of distinctive locality, I imagine that the sense of pride for a group is indescribable. You grow up with a certain group of friends, talk and occasionally bicker with them about music to pass the time during class, and even form an embarrassing band or two during the same period; it is all a natural part of growing up for childhood friends that share a mutual love for music. With that being said, to make a flourishing career out of something that has positively taken hold of you for the entirety of your childhood can be a dream come true. To do it with those same friends that you grew up with is a rare sight to behold, but it is certainly not impossible to find. The Pittsburgh-based Ball of Flame Shoot Fire can certainly attest to this, as the entirety of their band is made up of a group of friends who grew to be the best of friends during their high school years. They were often simultaneously friends and bandmates, a mixture that can occasionally prove to be complicated due to the highly sensitive nature of an occupational relationship. As displayed in their music though, the chemistry for this five-piece in undeniable, allowing the five friends to maintain their composure and combine their talents for something that is truly and uniquely riveting.

The list of influences that Ball of Flame Shoot Fire have appropriately compiled on their MySpace proves quite indicative of their modernistic approach. A few years out of high school, it is not surprising of them to list a few contemporary greats like Sunset Rubdown, Animal Collective, and Grizzly Bear as a few of their influences. However, their prevalent admiration for legends like Tom Waits, Harry Nilsson, and David Bowie also allows them to emit their veneration for past approaches. This ultimately results in a very flexible form of indie-rock that gravitates largely toward aspects that are largely experimental and occasionally psychedelic. A rather immediate comparison would be to that of Animal Collective, specifically displayed on the excellent “Mugs”, but Ball of Flame Shoot Fire are certainly no imitators of a particular style or group. Apart from the fact that their songs differentiate from one another vastly through melodic, instrumental, and structural variation, their songwriting is captivating in a way that calls upon both inventively plausible hooks and audible energy; this aspect of songwriting is what makes the comparison to Animal Collective the most accurate. Fitting in nicely with imaginatively unclassifiable indie-rock acts in the vein of Animal Collective, Man Man, and Frog Eyes (all influences by no coincidence), Ball of Flame Shoot Fire have the capability to become the next big thing in the world of creatively unpredictable indie-rock.

Though all five members were friends throughout high school who had participated in other miscellaneous projects, Ball of Flame Shoot Fire did not officially form until 2006. They have played primarily around Pittsburgh, achieving a startlingly emergent fanbase while opening up for acts as accomplished as Grizzly Bear, Man Man, and Mates of State. Listening to their music, it is quite easy to see why acts in the vein of Grizzly Bear and Man Man have sought out the five-piece to open for them too. Ball of Flame Shoot Fire do not only write songs that are somewhat influenced by the psych-folk of such groups, but their ardently expressive reliance on youthful exuberance is heavily prevalent. The same can be said for a group like Man Man that have made a name for themselves in being one of the best live acts around due to their highly energetic presence on stage and in the studio. Hot off some significant local recognition, Ball of Flame Shoot Fire released their debut EP, Grumpy Little Bird, in the fall of 2007 to some more consistent acclaim. Some local publications and sharp blogs were the ones to generate some buzz for this one, solidifying the group’s status as one of Pittsburgh’s most promising up-and-coming acts. Still though, the EP had yet to attract the national recognition that the group’s sound so genuinely deserved. To check it out, you can to listen to it for free here.

After devoting most of this year to writing new material, the five-piece has emerged with Jokeland, their debut full-length. Set to be released by the end of December, it may very well be one of the most prominent unexpected hits of the year if it is released in time for annual consideration. Keeping steady with the unique quality that all of the group’s members were good friends in high school, the album was actually produced by another one in Alex Herd; he went to elementary school with vocalist/saxophonist/keyboardist Peter Henry. Thanks to both this cumulative chemistry and the group’s undeniable level of talent, Jokeland looks to be a fantastic debut that stems nicely from the great potential displayed on Grumpy Little Bird. The aforementioned “Mugs” is utterly irresistible, seeing an alternating cast of vocalists pull off their best Avey Tare impression with a variety of melodically infused yelping and slurring over an onslaught of harmonic variations that serve as a nod to this five-piece’s songwriting ability. The track’s presence truly comes alive when the backing vocals enter to infuse some ‘60s psych-rock harmonies over an evolving assortment of guitars, bass, and keys. The vocal delivery transitions from freak-folk to a tribal chanting of sorts, structurally consistent enough to prepare the listener for each succession of this particular vocal-oriented hook. At the midpoint of “Mugs”, the back instrumentation explodes with fury as a series of guitar tremolos increase in audibility over the same charismatically infectious overlapping of different vocals that made the track so striking from the get-go.

Another one of the album’s tracks, “Bertie Hey”, serves as a good indicator of the album’s overall diversity. While it is still heavily apparent that the same band is behind the effort, the differing vocal approach and melodic ideology separates the track significantly from an effort like “Mugs”. “Bertie Hey” almost reminds me of Man Man’s “Engwish Bwudd” with its pirate-y melodic theme; this is especially true when numerous vocals collide simultaneously in accordance to a heightening pitch around 02:13. This is followed by a messily enjoyable guitar solo, another indication of this group’s alarmingly impressive flexibility. “Bertie Hey” concludes just as excellently, with a series of brass accompanying several ardently conveyed phrases like “you think I’m guilty, didn’t do it; got a voracious appetite for danger”. “Patience” brings us into territory more reminiscent of a group like Sunset Rubdown or Frog Eyes, where vigorously intricate keys lead the way over occasional falsettos and whimpers to establish over five minutes of pure art-rock bliss. When the distortion of the multiply layered guitars subsides after three minutes and a gentle electric guitar arpeggio emerges, it sounds as if it is about to practically evolve into a new song. The original melody swiftly returns though, as this new guitar arpeggio slides seamlessly into the gradual accompaniment. Based on these three songs alone, I personally cannot wait for the release of Jokeland. Though it is likely too early to make such claims, Ball of Flame Shoot Fire has the potential to be one of the most talked-about bands of 2009.

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Ball of Flame Shoot Fire – Mugs

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Ball of Flame Shoot Fire – Bertie Hey

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Ball of Flame Shoot Fire – Patience

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MySpace

Some great live videos of Ball of Flame Shoot Fire

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Like a swimmer dipping his foot into water to determine the proper temperature, many musicians comprehend the importance of testing the waters. Few of them instantaneously discover a stylistic solace, even if they are able to produce an eclectic number of genres flawlessly. For their own songwriting, they will never truly discover what style fits their own personal method best unless they are willing to try a variety of them. The Olympic Symphonium, a Canadian trio hailing from New Brunswick, tend to take this ideology to heart quite significantly. Between the three of them, the members have ties to nearly a dozen other groups, several of which are of different genres. Considering that the majority of their projects tend to produce vigorous forms of rock music though, it is somewhat ironic that their current primary project is focused on a gentle breed of folk, country, and pop that is accompanied by a delicate mixture of keys and acoustic guitars. The three multi-instrumentalists – Nick Cobham, Graeme Walker, and Kyle Cunjak – have written music where roaring guitars are at the forefront, others were a frail piano melody drives the track, and a few where an acoustic guitar incorporates itself within a mixture of both; it is simply a testament to the fact that these three young songwriters have tried their hand at a variety of genres.

When it all came down to it though, the trio’s decision to make The Olympic Symphonium their primary source of output came down to two things: the accessibility of collaboration and the stylistic flexibility that derives from it. Between gigs like Walker’s role as bassist in Grand Theft Bus, Cunjak’s occupation as an increasingly reputable photographer, and both Cunjak’s and Cobham’s positions as members of the Andrew Sisk-fronted Share (label-mates on Forward Music Group), one should be impressed that these three talented musicians find the time to sleep. They have all found relative success in their other projects, but the growing success of The Olympic Symphonium is most likely indicative of the trio’s high level of comfort when producing songs for it. Since the three members have such similar stylistic ideologies, they never are victims of forced stylistic decisiveness, instead embracing the luxury that they have in writing and performing songs in an atmosphere with no rules or guidelines. “It’s a lot easier to write songs for this band in a way,” Cobham said, elaborating by saying that writing for The Olympic Symphonium contains “a different aspect” of selectivity when compared to the other groups the members participate in. They are writing music in a vein most suitable for their personal tastes, resulting in something that is both resoundingly successful and methodically convincing.

Quite naturally, The Olympic Symphonium came together over a collection of tentative songs. All three members are constantly active songwriters, and that can that be both beneficial and detrimental in the grand scheme of things. If you are with a project that strays exclusively toward a certain style, some brilliant examples of songwriting may never see the light of day due to stylistic differences. This was the case on The Olympic Symphonium’s debut album, the suitably titled Chapter 1. Initially an experimentation of sorts to see if the trio’s collection of songs would be compatible with a focused and cohesive sound, it expanded into a full-time project after they saw the artistic success it brought. Clearly through experience, the members knew what success sounded like after participating in both successes and failures throughout their musical careers. When crafting the beginnings of Chapter 1, they realized that this project in particular had the capability to be a prominent achievement. Though it did not manage to bustle up a lot of attention outside of Canada’s three Maritime provinces, those lucky few who were able to obtain a copy were delighted to hear what was the work of genuine songwriters whose stylistic focus and level of songwriting were proficiently presented in a form that is rare among rookie and veteran musicians alike. Though it is now out of print, I recommend their debut to all those who can find it (go the MP3 route, for sure).

Continuing upon the success of Chapter 1 after its March 2007 release date, The Olympic Symphonium wisely felt that undertaking another chapter of work as soon as possible would be a wise move. They began work almost immediately, but chose to take their time in releasing the final result. Spreading their work out over several months of writing and recording, they took time in noting and expanding upon the intricacies of each and every work, just like any group of musicians who get along exceedingly well. The final versions of the songs did not appear until November 11th, when their sophomore follow-up, More in Sorrow Than in Anger, was released. With the album’s title derived from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it contains the same sense of successful romanticized longing that Chapter 1 executed so well. One of the standouts, “Oh Dear”, makes for an extremely touching fusion of folk and country with aching accompaniments of slide guitar and banjo. “Oh my dear, your image is calling me,” Cunjak sings during the chorus. “Oh my dear, I’m falling.” The verses take a route similar to that of The Czars with a slow but delicately rousing assortment of acoustics and softly echoing bass, while the chorus sees an instrumental expansion that is additionally uplifted by the usage of simultaneous vocal harmonies and more prominent usages of the banjo and steel guitar. Overall, it is my favorite on the album for both its melodic brilliance and sheer amount of raw emotion conveyed.

One aspect of musicianship that all three members of The Olympic Symphonium clearly value is collaboration, and they once again showed no reluctance to turn to other brilliant musicians to aid in the progress of More in Sorrow Than in Anger. The constant percussive additions by Bob Deveau all throughout the album, the vocals of Catherine McLellan on the broodingly acoustical “Side by Side”, Kinley Dowling’s strings on the haunting “The Note”, and Rose Cousin’s duet with Cobham on the excellent “Dead Man’s Inn” are just a few of the primary collaborations throughout the album’s ten tracks. “We felt there were lots of layers there that we could use and we’re lucky enough to have lots of musical friends that are gracious,” Walker said. And even when the group leaves the somber territory of “The Note” and “Oh Dear”, they show that they are able to fill listeners with optimism on tracks like “Intentions Alone” and “Travellin’ Song”, the latter of which sees Cunjak’s upright bass working together with Cobham’s fleeting electric guitar to form a very impressive product. That the highly contrastable “Oh Dear” follows it up shows the diversity within the group’s songwriting to an excellent extent. Even upon first listen, More in Sorrow Than in Anger is a very rewarding listen that immediately sees the trio expand upon the promising ideas of their first album. Especially after repeated listens though, one will begin to fully understand how capable The Olympic Symphonium really are.

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The Olympic Symphonium – Oh Dear

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The Olympic Symphonium – Side by Side

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The Olympic Symphonium – Dead Man’s Inn

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Forward Music Group

MySpace

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The post The Olympic Symphonium Plays More in Sorrow Than in Anger appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

A good majority of people have, at one point in their lives, been forced to live with someone who does not exactly coincide with their standards of life. Roommate horror stories can be as amusing as they are appalling, but everyone recognizes that it is a part of life that most unspoiled individuals have to go through in order to live without a larger financial burden. As someone who has just gotten accustomed to living with a roommate over the past few weeks, I know that I fortunately got lucky by having someone who is not a hassle at all. In fact, we have actually become friends in the process. As most of us know though, the chance that a random pairing of roommates who have the capability to collaborate successfully on an artistic project is minimal, mainly because it is difficult to find such a compatible individual even if you were searching on your own. When Fred Nicolaus and Daniel Rossen were assigned by NYU as roommates in their freshman year of college in 2000, they likely went through the usual semi-awkward introductions. The first few weeks may have passed by without much chemistry, but eventually when they found a common bonding point in music, they knew that luck was on their side.

The freshman duo began writing songs on a regular basis after months of rooming together, utilizing an array of samples with programs that they were not hesitant to call “pirated”. Illegal or not though, they productively honed their skills and eventually found a meeting point in their intended style. Spacey folk has remained the main force at work, though their implementation of electronica is heavily prevalent in a form that is neither overwhelming nor stylistically desperate. Throwing them into that awkwardly titled “folktronica” category may be deemed appropriate by some, but avant-garde folk with a culturally resounding influence remains the most descriptively accurate for me personally. Think about something in the ambitiously folky vein of Grizzly Bear; it actually proves to be more than a mere comparison with some supporting background information that I will explain later. Recordings that were originally designed for the ears of friends only was uplifted into something more recognizable when the California-based Isota Records swooped Rossen and Nicolaus up, now with the alias of The Whitey on the Moon UK on their side. Mo’ ‘Tussin – the EP, their debut release, was put out in 2002 by Isota, featuring an impressive cast of ardent lo-fi efforts that allowed for a peek into the duo’s stylistic potential. However, it seems that when their alias changed, their sound shifted into a more expansive display that was for the better.

After putting out three more EPs and two LPs under the name of The Whitey on the Moon UK, the duo changed their name to Department of Eagles. It was primarily done to avoid a dispute with a band based out of San Fran by the name of The Whitey on the Moon, though Department of Eagles appears to me as a more concisely memorable choice regardless. Their first two full-lengths, The Whitey on the Moon UK LP and The Cold Nose, saw some moderate success with a stylistic array of electronic pop and sample-based instrumentals, but critics often felt that the releases were too disjointed and cluttered to truly capture a consistent audience. Shortly after the release of The Whitey on the Moon UK LP in 2003, Rossen joined the up-and-coming Grizzly Bear as an additional songwriter and guitarist. He proved vital to the success of the breakthrough Yellow House, an album whose critical acclaim remains nearly unmatched in the world of contemporary indie-folk. During this time, Nicolaus was worked a normal job but kept in constant contact with Rossen, supplying constant ideas as they continued to work on material for Department of Eagles. In December, the two began to focus on their second album under the name of Department of Eagles. Enlisting Grizzly Bear’s drummer, Chris Bear, and bassist Nat Baldwin to complete the rhythm section, they named the result In Ear Park when tracking and mixing concluded in May.

While I was personally impressed with some material that Rossen and Nicolaus have collaborated on prior to In Ear Park, this album is a major stepping stone in both of their developments as songwriters. While I do imagine that much of it has to do with Rossen’s newly founded experience as one of the main songwriters for one of indie-folk’s strongest acts in Grizzly Bear, longtime fans of Department of Eagles could easily tell you that chemistry between Rossen and Nicolaus created something that was eventual, regardless of any previous breakthrough projects. The album itself was written partly as an ode to childhood, with Rossen making it a tribute of sorts to his recently deceased father. The actual “Ear Park” is a park in Los Angeles in which Rossen and his father used to visit, a touching point of significance when the song is being played. A lo-fi charmer, the duo shuffles through a series of intricately composed guitar arpeggios as Rossen relays his tender voice through a midst of backing strings and twinkling keys. The melody and instrumental capacity is astoundingly beautiful, especially when the subject is in consideration. The following track, “No One Does It Like You”, captures the essence of ‘60s pop in extravagant form. Backing vocals are exceptional here, simultaneously adding to both the rhythm section and enthralling melody in the deep and heightened tones, respectively. “Teenagers” is another key-led spectacle that later bursts into a consuming array of subtle horns and strings, highly indicative of the duo’s impeccable value on songwriting and production. When In Ear Park is released on October 7th, I strongly recommend the purchase. It is an album whose critical acclaim is imminent for good reason.

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Department of Eagles – No One Does It Like You

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Department of Eagles – In Ear Park

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Department of Eagles – Teenagers

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Official Web Site

MySpace

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