Music Reviews: Brooklyn, is there something in your water?
July 7, 2009
Since the last review, there have been some magnificent and important releases that deserve a great deal of attention. Grizzly Bear and Dirty Projectors have come out with full lengths that certainly join the ranks of Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavillion as 2009’s imminent “bests”. But as the blogosphere fights over that list, Phoenix and Mos Def have unleashed a couple of strong showings that deserve a lot of appreciation too. So if you get a chance, listen to all the reviewed albums, because there have definitely been a good few that are worth it this time around. By the way, I know Brooklyn is a cultural Mecca, but are they just intentionally breeding musical ingenuity? All the artists, except for Phoenix, reside there.
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimist – released May 26, 2009 on Warp Records
Often described as freak-folk, experimental indie rock, Grizzly Bear has followed up to their acclaimed Yellow House album with the highly anticipated Veckatimist. They have tweaked their sound to result in a well-crafted accessible pop album. The band themselves have recognized this too, with drummer Christopher Bear saying, “I think that it’s kinda clearer, clearer equals more accessible I feel like clearer equals more accessible in general as a rule.” The second track, “Two Weeks”, which is also their first single for Veckatimist, is fantastic summation of the sound of this album in roughly four minutes. Its pop vocal harmonies weaving in and out between high pitch keyboard punches make for a unique song conveying the common problem of being stuck in a “routine malaise”. This track’s undeniable accessibility compared to previously released Grizzly Bear material signifies the group’s active progression into pop-oriented sound while still keeping their original folksy complexities. Another track, “Cheerleader”, showcases some more ghostly harmonies with some Phil Spector-esque production. It almost sounds as if a Spector girl group slowed their sound down and still utilized that very rich, full “wall of sound” technique to record, which also makes it very Yellow House-like. “Ready, Able” is one of the darker melodies off of the album that seems to deal with the admittance of terrible guilt and then living with it on one’s own. The song form fittingly creates a haunting build up of layered instrumental tracks until it hits a climatic crescendo of a bridge where it slowly falls. “While You Wait for the Others” seems to be an overtly existential bit about the deterioration of the human relationship. With lyrics like “While you wait for the others to make it all worthwhile / All your useless pretensions are weighing on my time / You could beg for forgiveness as long as you like”, the band isn’t writing about overly complicated topics, but some major life issues that relate to a large audience, which is perhaps one of the most important characteristics of a pop act. The release of Veckatimist sets Grizzly Bear easily apart from other indie pop groups as an elite and shows that the musicianship from Yellow House has taken a huge step in accessibility. Less of an acoustic art folk sound, the album not only makes them the reigning experts in harmony, but establishes them as masters of allowing complex song compositions to sound necessary, simplistic, and pleasing. Veckatimist is surely an album to check out immediately if you haven’t – it’s amazing.
Rating: 9/10
Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca – released June 9, 2009 on Domino Records
After their last brave reinterpretation of Black Flag, these guys and gals are back with their completely original Bitte Orca. Maybe not as risqué as Rise Above (an experimental “cover” album of Black Flag’s Damaged after not hearing it for 15 years), this full length still manages to challenge the musically minded, yet remain entirely accessible, which might be considered an even greater leap of faith for them. But led by composer Dave Longstreth and supported by an ever-changing cast of talent, the collective known as Dirty Projectors are showing that it’s worth the effort to find that equilibrium. The album starts off powerfully with what is perhaps Longstreth’s perspective on humanity’s animalistic qualities in “Cannibal Resource”. Upon first listen, the track sounds like a roller coaster of a very diverse set of samples that pop in just at the right times. It makes for a carefully constructed critique questioning whether human evolution really subtracts our violent instincts as nature’s creatures. The first single, “Stillness is the Move”, is evidently one of the more electronically influenced five minutes of Bitte Orca. With more focus on the vocals, which the gals in the group sing, the heavy beat and repeating keyboard sample play nice complementary roles in this rhythmic track dealing with existential love. It ends by blending into a dramatic violin piece that abruptly transitions to the romantically relaxed “Two Doves”. But as lovey-dovey as the guitar picking and violin might suggest a perfect springtime relationship, lyrical content tells the story of a couple that seem content only when perceived externally, but riddled with hidden conflict. Thus, form and content appropriately mesh when you hear lines like “Your two eyes are like two doves / But our bed is like a failure” sung so beautifully over contradictory instrumentals. Longstreth, apart from composing and producing, shows off his singing chops throughout Bitte Orca and it’s no different in the vocally harmonic “No Intention” as he wails his voice in the chorus. Dirty Projectors were already perceived as a thoughtful, complicated collective of musicians before Bitte Orca, but with this full length, they have achieved a balance between creating an original sound and a relatable sensibility for audiences. Thus, it isn’t too difficult to establish the album as their best to date and if you don’t give it a good thorough listen, you’re missing out on what is sure to be one of the contenders for this year’s best.
Rating: 9/10
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – released May 26, 2009 on V2 Records
Maybe used as irony, Phoenix has named their new full length, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, because upon initial hearing, it seems they aren’t trying to achieve anything grandiose, but rather just make you dance or sing in the shower. The record’s first track, “Lisztomania”, is titled as such to reference the maniac behavior pianist Frank Liszt’s super-fans would often exhibit. Upbeat drum kit strikes, constant guitar riffs, and cool vocals easily call for some serious feet shuffling. This tone is pretty much set in stone for the rest of the album from here on out. “1901”, the second single, relies on some heavy synth to make it a sure hit on the indie dance floors. The French quartet is holding up their home’s preconceived sense of dance music well while still keeping their signature ambience. In fact, the almost completely instrumental seven-minute track, “Love Like a Sunset”, offers an early spacey intermission for what one could consider redundancy in the LP. But then tone instantly revs back up again, though not completely. The latter half of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is certainly still appropriate for some indistinguishable movement; however, the band reverts to some easygoing rock that’s more ideal for home listening. These include “Rome” and “Countdown (Sick for the Big Sun)”. Phoenix is still doing what they do best with Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and has obviously pursued to be a little catchier, appealing to the club youngster. The poppy tracks make for a fun listen, but the album in its entirety lacks diversity, which results in a definite sameness that will cause listening fatigue. So with the joy in its immediacy, just keep in mind that it may be transient.
Rating: 7/10
Mos Def – The Ecstatic – released June 9, 2009 on Downtown Records
With mainstream rappers drifting further and further from actual rapping (West’s excessive autotune use and Lil’ Weezy’s attempt to strap on a guitar and rock out), it’s refreshing to hear a well-written rhyme over a well-produced beat. That directness is what Mos Def’s The Ecstatic delivers and purist rap fans won’t be disappointed with the result. But with this simplicity, it’s not to say the full length is boring. With attention-grabbing audio samples inserted as intros to tracks, The Ecstatic offers Mos’s signature flair in his wit-fueled raps. The Neptunes-produced “Twilite Speedball” is an interesting mainstream-to-underground collaboration that has its expected deep horns and shrieks Pharell and company is infamous for these days. “Life in Marvelous Times” is the most bass intensive track making for a conventionally rough gangster rap tune about his hometown streets. Hailing from Brooklyn, Mos describes the conditions of growing up in an asphalt jungle for what it is, showing more nostalgia than anything. He then moves on to current issues with “Workers Comp.” standing up for the common workingman in today’s tough economic climate. It’s this kind of relevancy in indie hip-hop that makes an artist like Mos much more important compared to most of the radio rappers cranking out nonsensical club bangers. “History” teams Mos Def aka Mr. Smith back Talib Kweli, alluding to their duo days as Black Star while documenting a personal story of the struggles and triumphs of the past in two and half minutes. The Ecstatic is a straightforward underground rap album that is as entertaining to listen to, as it is culturally relevant. In that spirit, Mos Def has recently decided to also release the album as a t-shirt, with the cover as the graphic on the front and the track list on the back. The tag will have a download code on it for buyers to obtain the album digitally, a new concept of distribution for any artist. If you’re sick of the same Flo Rida playing on the radio, this 16 song album will enlighten you in some way – or at least put clothes on your back.
Rating: 8/10
