Music Worth Hearing – Spring 2007
I’m going to preface this brief review by stating that the music I’ve selected to highlight is straight-up party music. What makes the albums so great however, is that their writing and craft exceeds senseless disco and proves to be much deeper.
LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem’s/DFA producer James Murphy pops out another nine song album that delicately balances variety, consistency, and innovation. I see Sound of Silver as a continuation/revision of LCD Soundsystem’s last album (their eponymous debut). The biggest difference is that SOS sounds like an album, start to finish, and not just a collection of singles. Don’t get me wrong, every song on the album could stand it’s own as a 12″ single, but their is a wonderful flow when listening to this album start-to-finish. I still haven’t skipped a single song, though Murphy’s every-other-song-mentioning-New York is starting to wear on me just a bit…
Recommended Trax: Get Innocuous!, Someone Great, Sound of Silver
You’ll like this album if you like: LCD Soundsystem’s first album, The Rapture, !!!, Beck’s Midnite Vultures, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
!!! – Myth Takes
I first got into !!! upon hearing the song KooKooKa Fuk-U, and have been a casual listener ever since, mostly enjoying their mix of party and politics in principle rather than actual listening. Their latest release is easily their strongest lyrically, and will also hopefully be their most listened to, aided by the record’s release on Warp Records. Like LCD Soundsystem’s latest, Myth Takes is a great record to dance to, or just to listen to when you need some extra energy. However, whereas LCD veers more into dance-rock, !!! seem to wander into more atmospheric spaces, like if you were to replace the delay in dub with reverb. Also, if you have the chance to see !!! live, by all means, do so. Not only will you witness an amazingly energetic show, but you’ll probably burn 1000 calories with all the dancing you’ll be doing.
Recommended Trax: Bend Over Beethoven, Myth Takes, All My Heroes Are Weirdos
You’ll like this album if you like: Out Hud, TV on the Radio, Deerhoof, Gang of Four
Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
I admit that I hadn’t listened to Of Montreal that much because I always got them confused with Boards of Canada. Apparently I can only handle one band with a Canada reference for a name at a time. Regardless, the bands sound nothing alike, and while both are great, I wish to highlight the former’s ridiculously amazing latest album. After hearing Of Montreal’s last few albums, I can confidently say that they all build up to this album. It’s a great combination of main guy Kevin Barnes’ Beatles-esque melodic vocals, head-bop-inducing beats, and sensual textures formed from fuzzy keyboards, overdriven drum machines, and layered vocals. The album as a concept is surprisingly tight, a sort of break-up album with honest-as-David Gedge lyrics that seal the deal. But this album is also incredibly suited for radio play, though I wouldn’t play it straight through at a party like I would LCD. For me, this is more of a headphone album.
Recommended Trax: Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse, Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider, Cato as a Pun
You will like this album if you like: Beck’s Midnite Vultures, Queen, Apples in Stereo, Ratatat