Shifty's Annual Monthly Album Rundown Overview- January 2015

It was a good month for music, man. Cool. 

Everything on here gets a Shifty Seal of Approval!!!!!

#thingsiliked

Panda Bear- Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper

-I like this cause it's got some sweet tunes on it. Panda Bear is fam, man. Not as good as Person Pitch, but I can't name a lot of things that are. #givetheguyabreakokay

Justin Townes Earle- Absent Fathers

-Someone's got some daddy issues. Guess who it is. It's Justin Townes Earle. Sorry man. #thiswholealbumisadisstrack

Alex Calder- Strange Dreams

-This guy is good friends with Mac Demarco. That explains a lot. V chill. #thereisabigdifferencebetweenlazinessandlethargy

Sleater-Kinney- No Cities to Love

-There are plenty of cities to love. #amiright  

Napalm Death- Apex Predator

-Grindcore man. Does this album skew more towards hardcore punk or death metal? Let's have a discussion about putting things in a box or something. #whocaresimjustinitforthetinnitus

Pond- Man It Feels Like Space Again

-You're goddamn right it feels like space again. These guys are answering all of the hard life questions. #nicealbumtitle

#thingsilikedliked(These ones get two Shifty Seals of Approval)

Joey Bada$$- B4Da$$

-Probably the best album title of all time. So much effort was put into that, ya know. Cause it's like his name and he doesn't have $$ yet. So smart. So hip. So hop. Good beats. Good lyrics. I liked 1999 a little better, but that doesn't matter. 90's kids man.  #only90skidswithbackpackswillunderstand

Viet Cong- Viet Cong

-Very spooky stuff. My favorite album from this month. I like the last song on this album the most cause cause it's really long and it has a pretty name. #listentothiswhenyouarelootingthroughcansofbeansduringtheapocalypse

Watch this Video or Tyler Kills a Puppy. Don't Let This Happen.

So yeah. New Decemberists. Get the fuck on this.

Handwritten

Gaslight Anthem

Handwritten

I have to just mention that the more I listen to this album, the more I fall in love with it. Gaslight Anthem have really created something great here. Take a listen to the first couple of singles and judge for yourself. 

Dive? DIIV? Whatev

DIIV--Oshins

It...kinda blends together, track by track, I suppose.  But it almost needs to.  It's dream-pop-y and a little bit motorik (and yes, the name change is kinda inane)--but this is /good/.  The smudgy guitars and unintelligible vocals careen across a staccato bass that hurdles along at speeds Engineers could get behind circa 2009 (maybe with a little less heroin).  It's synth-y indie-pop and shoegaze pressed through a mound of gauze.

Why wasn't I listening to this sooner?

Knock Knock

I have not been this excited for an album in a long time!

A Matter of Function

I had always wondered what had happened to Peter Adams.  

Apparently he's been writing for the Cincinnati ballet and film.  Holy crap!
I was obsessed with this album when it came out back in 2004. I had "The Disappeared" on loop for something like six months.  Yet here I am eight years after the fact finally googling him.  (What the hell is wrong with me?)  

Also, because I am lazy, a list of random reviews: http://www.tinderboxmusic.com/default.asp?page=154

I Don't Need a New Life

"One Foot" from: Fun.--Some Nights

Infectious is the word that springs to mind.  Fun. can be obnoxious, yes (hellooo, Autotune!)-- but sometimes all you want is a catchy chorus and something to rattle your teeth with.

Try, Try to Get, Get Over It!

Archie Bronson Outfit has always fascinated me.  They're all kinds of 60's garage-noise-jangle and stabbing lovesick deranged-ness channeled through driving drum lines punctuated with Sam Windett's frantic vocal swagger.  He sounds unhinged.  Their first two albums bent towards obsessiveness through blues-influenced claustrophobic psychedelia.  Their third album? Well.  They took on producer Tim Goldsworthy--and took on a dance-punk sensibility that somehow manages to work.  It is the strangest thing, in a way, but not really all that shocking when you give it a go. 

Somehow it makes sense.

"Kangeroo Heart" from 2004's Fur



"Shark's Tooth" from 2010's Coconut

Oh oh oh!

Japandroids--Celebration Rock

I fucking hated their first record. (Still do. Well, mostly. I might be warming up to its grubby noise-rock.)  But this album has been on loop in my car for an entire goddamned month now.  Yeah!  Bits of it embody a weird douche-bro-ness that I can't quite put my finger on (it kinda channels a louder, better Kings-of-Leon-meets-the-Hold-Steady I suppose, and lord knows I can't stand either of those bastards).  There are only so many lines about drinking and smoking and partying that I can take, I guess.  But this album makes me want to throw my fist up--it's loud and dense and just a little bit bittersweet, and the boys' guitar-n-drum wall of sound is just so goddamned fearless and ecstatic.  Play it loud.

Easy Money

Bruce Springsteen--Wrecking Ball

The first time I heard Springsteen's last album, I thought someone had created a depressingly realistic parody of him.  I'm a one-legged dog running through town?  Seriously? Just, no.

So I tossed this one on the stereo expecting to laugh it off should anyone give me the side-eye and mumble something hipsterish and douche-y under their breath about selling-out (You know I've seen you playing air-guitar to Led Zeppelin, right? Yeah, you.) But this, this is good.  He's angry and rebellious and all at once wistful in that classic Springsteen-ian juxtaposition of resignation and hope Nebraska had (that Working on a Dream didn't).  It's Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, twenty years from now.  He never did escape.  

 

The River Plays Deep

Motopony--Motopony

My favorite "new" artist of the month (from, um, last year...).  Holy hell.  It's Iron & Wine on whiskey. It's stomp-a-licious and quiet and roaring and sleepy all at the same time, and all over the place.  But it works.  This particular track--"Seer"--is all kinds of soul-infused '70s rock, but still manages to fit right into the album's overarching mood without sounding out-of-place. Why the hell wasn't I listening to this last year? This (belatedly) gets a nod on my top 20 list of 2011.

I am Upside Down

My two current Obsessions are "What Goes On" from the Velvet Underground's Live Vol. 1 and "And the Glitter is Gone" from Yo La Tengo's Popular Songs.

The wiggy manic jam session halfway-through "What Goes On" gets me every time--goddamned organ noodles that flip back on themselves and change and you don't even notice even when you've got your headphones on and nothing else exists.
And I can't even begin to pinpoint what, exactly, it is about 'Glitter' that burrows under my skin and nibbles on my bones.

To borrow a phrase I picked up flipping through reviews awhile ago, these two tracks are "both harrowing and oddly comforting."  And that is as close as I will ever come, I think, to making any sense  of it.

Featured Album Of The Week

Ashes & Fire

Ryan Adams

I usually try to highlight a lesser known album for my weekly picks, if only in the hopes of turning you on to something you may not have known about otherwise. This week however, I couldn't resist selecting the new Ryan Adams album, Ashes & Fire. This is Ryan's first solo album since 2007's Easy Tiger, although that's not to say he's been inactive since then. He's put out 2 records with The Cardinals (Cardinology in 2008 and the leftovers album III/IV in 2010) as well as a record from his metal alter-ego Orion. Ashes & Fire was well worth the wait. It's everything you'd expect from Ryan Adams. It's beautiful. It's sad. This record really shows that all Ryan needs to blow you away is an acoustic guitar and a microphone. I wouldn't be surprised to see this album in my top records of 2011 list. It's a really good one. So, if you're in the mood for something quiet and easy to enjoy, Ashes & Fire is a good place to go.

Featured Album Of The Week

Kasabian

Velociraptor!

In a week that will have us seeing new albums from Wilco, Blink-182, and Mastodon, I wanted to highlight a release that might get a little lost in the shuffle. My pick for the week is Velociraptor! by Kasabian. Kasabian is a great little British combo that has put out a few really good albums. In their native Britain, Kasabian have risen to nearly the top of the neo-BritPop scene, often being touted as the next Oasis. That's a tall mountain to climb, but these guys seem to be up to the hike. Velociraptor! is a great listen with plenty to love about it. With plenty of rock snarl and just enough synth to make you want to dance (not that I dance), I found this to be my surprise of the week.

So, when you stop by to get your new Wilco album, be sure to check this one out too. You may be surprised how often it'll make it's way onto your playlist.

Featured Album Of The Week

Honkey Kong

Boots Electric

When I heard that Jesse "Boots Electric" Hughes, of Eagles Of Death Metal fame, was putting out a solo record, I was pretty excited. He certainly didn't let me down. This album is pure, sleazy, sexy rock 'n roll and that's just the way I like it served up. Full of back-seat innuendo, and a decent helping of electro-funk, this one is well worth the price of admission.

Featured Album Of The Week

Blitzen Trapper-American Goldwing

Well, it's finally time for another installment of my "weekly" featured release. This was a very tough week. I had a huge amount of excellent new albums come across the desk. After some deep thought, and a lot of time with my turntable, I have narrowed it down to American Goldwing by Blitzen Trapper. This album, like most Blitzen Trapper releases, just oozes old school Americana. The album was intoxicating, evoking images of dust covered drifters wandering the plains. It was solid throughout. This one is very much worth adding to your autumn playlist.

Things I Should Probably Stop Playing Before I Wear a Groove Into Them

                

Mister Heavenly

Mister Heavenly-Out Of Love

My featured release this week is the debut album from Mister Heavenly, Out Of Love. The band is a side-project comprised of members of Modest Mouse, Man Man, and Islands. Some of you out there may have heard of Mister Heavenly due to Michael Cera's involvement as their touring bassist. Dubbed as "doom-wop", the album lives up to the expectations I would have for that phrase. It's poppy sounding, but with an underlying sadness in the lyrics. I found it very interesting. Fans of Modest Mouse will most likely enjoy this one. I don't really listen to Man, Man or Islands enough to know what their fans will think.

All-in-all, I would say this one is worth a couple trips about the turntable. Very enjoyable.

Check in next Tuesday for my next featured release.

Awesome Band!!

Hello out there in Blog Land. Got you a killer band to check out--The Stone Foxes, and they've got that boogie blues/psychedelic rock thing down pat. They've got two records out and both of them will make your ears all sorts of happy. The track "I Killed Robert Johnson" from their second album, Bears & Bulls is just plain undeniably rock 'n roll. So do yourself a great big huge favor and track down a copy of one of their albums, then stop by the shop and shower me with praise for having made your life better.

3 more

I was surfing through the record collection and found a few more albums worth a shout out.

Rival Sons-Pressure & Time

This is some more of that killer boogie rock that just makes me all happy in the right places. Their singer reminds me very much of Paul Rodgers (he fronted Free and Bad Company and was briefly filling in with Queen). This is their second album and I discovered it because the track Get Mine was iTunes free single of the week. They are starting to get some attention as they have been opening for Judas Priest in the UK and have been featured in the Jeremiah Weed beer commercials. Just a great band with a really apparent love for classic rock.

Interesting side note: The album cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson who has done covers for Zeppelin, Biffy Clyro, Audioslave, Muse, The Mars Volta and, most famously, Pink Floyd.

Dirty Sweet-...Of Monarchs & Beggars

Here is another really great classic rock throwback. These guys owe quite a bit (including their name) to T. Rex. This album was just such a fun listen. It's been on my iPod for a couple years and if you swing by the shop there is a good chance that I'll be playing this one (if I'm not, just ask, I'm almost always in the mood to play it). It's got the groove, it's got a little of the blues, and it's got some sleaze. This one is totally worth the price of admission.

Buffalo Killers-3

For their, fittingly titled, third album, the Buffalo Killers really show what makes them a great band. It's solid throughout. I would expect nothing less from these Cincinnati blues-rockers. In case you can't tell I've got a thing for garage/blues/boogie-rock bands, and the Buffalo Killers are no exception. The album has only been out a couple of weeks but I can already tell it'll be high on my albums of the year list. Another great outing from these guys.

We just got in limited edition purple vinyl of this one. So, hurry and get one before I buy them all.

So, there you have it. 3 more picks worth a trip around the turntable.