Born Ruffians - Birthmarks

What? No way, Luke's actually writing a review?! Bullshit!

Nope. It's the absolute truth. The moment you've all been waiting for, breath held in quiet, trembling anticipation, scarcely daring to allow yourselves to hope, has arrived at long last. 

I've had this album in mind and have been planning on writing this review since August. Birthmarks is the third studio album from Born Ruffians, indie rockers from the Great White North (that's Canada, to the lay person). And you know what? It's fuckin' snappy. I dig it. 

St. Lucia - When the Night

I know I know....not only was I over a week late, I am submitting someone I've already done. This is the debut full length album to complete St. Lucia's original EP (which was my first review). If you enjoy dancing to 80's synth pop when no one is looking like me you have to add this record to your collection. It is a nice change of direction from the typical indie frontline these days. Most of the goodies from his EP are on this album with of course the addition of a handful of new nuggets of listening pleasure. He is playing in Atlanta at the Buckhead theatre on a Monday, November 11. I'll be headed that way, plenty of room. Grab your slap bracelets, tease your hair, and lets party like its 1999.

-Ryan O'Hagan

Jack White - "Blunderbuss"

Jack White

“Blunderbuss”

With White Stripes, Dead Weather, The Raconteurs and now solo, Jack White is a certified badass and everything he touches turns to gold.  Loud guitars, odes to old school country, fiddles, 60’s soul and tender ballads- “Blunderbuss” has it all.  How amazing is it White can play an entire set with an all female backing band, then, the next night or even next set, bring the dudes out to rock some more?  Take a second to consider the spectrum of artists, and I use the term loosely, White has collaborated with over the years:  Loretta Lynn, Meg White, Alicia Keys and the Insane Clown Posse.  How does that group even make sense?  Yet White manages to draw inspiration from said musicians (ICP is excluded of course) and create something  uniquely all his own.

            “I want love to stick a knife inside me/and twist it all around.”  White is usually loathe to talk about his personal life but songs such as “Love Interruption” can give us an idea on what inspires White.  The ballad is a masochistic love song leaving the listener wanting to slam their face into a wall while begging for more.  It is painfully brilliant, much like many of the songs on the album.  Want to roll your windows down and turn the volume all the way up?  “Sixteen Saltines” and “Freedom at 21” are your go to tracks.  Love and long for the rocking soul of 60’s R&B?  “I’m Shakin’” will have you shaking.  The song is actually a cover of Little Willie John’s song from the 60’s.  It fits perfectly on “Blunderbuss” and White manages to own it by putting his rockin’ spin on it. 

            Hot damn!…Jack White always leaves us wanting more!  Every album he’s involved with gets better with his touch.  I hated to see the White Stripes disappear but Dead Weather and the Raconteurs have allowed White to continue making great music while being a part of a bigger band.  But his first solo effort proves White can do whatever he wants and it will be epic.  The man is a true talent.  Keep on rockin’ Jack!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl-sagy3uzI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkcGuZHPbKk

Paul McCartney - NEW

And on the 8^th day, God created Sir Paul McCartney.

At 71, McCartney is making the best music on the planet.  NEW is the BEST album of the year.  No one else is even in the same ballpark.  Not even close.  This isn’t even up for debate.

Packed with the wisdom of a man who has been there done that and the giddiness of a 14-year-old kid who has just been given his first guitar, these songs are an all-ages experience.  Delivering an album full of youthful maturity, Macca proves again he will only grow up on his own terms. 

Sir Paul, doing what he does, pushes the envelope even further on mainstream music again, whether solo or with that band (whatever they were called) he used to be in, he continues to create music that is for the masses without compromising his long standing credibility as an artist.  In an era when his contemporaries (Young, Dylan, Elton) are making albums only serious fans can embrace, McCartney is still making popular music the world can easily revel in.

NEW finds our hero mixing in a more modernized texture of instrumentation.  Some fuzz, tasteful synths, and signature McCartney bass runs are sprinkled delightfully throughout the album making for a very interesting and yet still very listenable pop record.  And the harpsichord! He uses it like no one else.  After a synth riff kicks off "Alligator", in jumps the harpsichord we remember from "Fixing A Hole" and upon launching into the verse, "I want someone to come home to, I need somewhere I can sleep," you're strapped in and ready to ride this wave with him.   

There's another instrument at play throughout NEW- the studio.  The crystal clear sound made possible only by today’s unparalleled technology is an entire trip alone.  You feel like you’re inside Abbey Road with the legend himself, hovering over the board with fellow producers Mark Ronson, Giles Martin, and Ethan Johns.

Lyrically, McCartney doesn't give you everything, he gives you only what you need.  You're not going to go inside a day in the life of a Beatle here.  Instead, Macca treats the listener like an audience of fans rather than a group of intimate friends.  It's like having afternoon tea with the man as opposed to late night cocktails.  He vents to you, but he doesn't reveal a thing he doesn't want you to know.  Yet, you still come away feeling as though he opened up his world to you.      

Yes, McCartney is still crafting incredible pop songs for one of the most impressive catalogues the world of music has ever known.  It all comes down to timeless songwriting.  An art that you could argue has been lost on many current songwriters or perhaps even an entire generation.  NEW will stick around.  Always timeless.  Always NEW.

Macca is back.  He never left.

Key tracks: ALL OF ‘EM. 

JK’s picks: “Save Us”, “New”, “On My Way To Work”, and “Turned Out”

Lorde - Pure Heroine

 

 

Artist: Lorde

Album: Pure Heroine

Release Date: September 27, 2013

 

You've probably heard her song Royals on the radio and thought "Why is this on the radio? This is really good..." (Can we talk about how the radio has been killing it recently though? Enjoy it while it lasts.)  She's 16, she's from New Zealand, and she has a crazy interesting voice.  I don't even know how to describe her music.  Non-obnoxious electronic/hip hop beat with a pop writing style with the good good harmonies? I hesitated to make this my pick for October because I am sure most of you have already heard the album. But fuck it.

 

 

 

Glory and Gore is probably my favorite upbeat song.  It's a champion's anthem and fight song.  Maybe it's because the chorus style reminds me of the chorus in Sophie B. Hawkins Damn I Wish I was Your Lower. 90s throwbacks. I DON'T KNOW. 

 

But for the softer side of things, Ribs is my favorite low song on the album

 

 

 

 

Maybe it's the deep, crooning vocals that I like (see: Lana Del Ray).  Either way, if you've been on the fence about giving the whole album a try, hop down. Then go get this album. 

 



 Cassidy



Miley Cyrus - Bangerz

Bangerz features more artists than the Smithsonian. I’m talkin’ Britney Spears, Big Sean, Luda, Nelly, Future, and French Montana.  But that’s not what’s on my mind today. 

Y’all know I’m a lyric guy, I mentioned that in my very first review here.  Keeping my promise to expose you to some of the most profound, poetic, and beautiful lyrics on the scene in 2013, here is my gift to you, Bangerz by Miley Cyrus. Alright, let’s do this thang. 

I’m gonna start with “My Darlin’” ‘cuase that’s what’s bangin’ in my headphones right now.  This is the one that features Future. I don’t know who that is but Miley is all into this dude.  Forget hit songs, they’re already crafting high budget films together.  “Oh my darling stand by me,” sing Cyrus and Future in the lovely key of auto-tune, “‘cause we gon’ make a movie, a movie, and it’s gon’ be in 3D, in 3D”. 

The next track, the smash hit, pun intended, “Wrecking Ball” is by far the best moment on Bangerz, however, most tend to focus on the hauntingly beautiful visuals of the music video that it accompanies.  And this is precisely what separates the true artists from us regular people- when Miley Cyrus licks a sledgehammer it is art.  When I do it, I’m “wasted” and “have to leave Home Depot”. 

I enjoy when an artist mysteriously titles a song with something that has nothing to do with the lyrics, like the number sign I kept waiting to hear about in the chorus of “#GETITRIGHT”.  Turns out, there’s no mention of a number sign at all! Just like Bob Dylan’s “Suberteranean Homesick Blues”.  Exactly like that. 

“We Can’t Stop” twerk the world by storm this year.  And rightfully so.  It’s a perfectly crafted pop song, something Miley and her writers do very well.  Just one thing- Anyone know who this Molly chick is that Ms. Cyrus is always dancing with? Ringwald?  Shannon?

“Don’t you worry ‘bout me, I’mma do my thang,” Cyrus tells us in “Do My Thang”, and that is what I truly dig and respect about Miley Cyrus. This is someone who is doing what she wants to do, and she can’t stop, and she won’t stop.  And that is something we can all get behind Robin Thicke VMA style. 

Now if only I could have my senior yearbook photo to do all over again, I’d replace my Theodore Roosevelt quote with one of my favorite lines from Bangerz-

“You think I’m strange bitch? It’s bananas like a fucking ‘rangatang bitch” –Miley Cyrus




3 points for whoever can guess my Teddy Roosevelt quote!

Passion Pit - Constant Conversations EP

Released October 4, 2013

In an effort to stay on the cutting edge of these sheers we call music, I'm going for a double feature. One part Portugal. the man, one half part Passion Pit. 

It's something along the lines of their usual but I just ran into it and I really like the second track which is apparently a B-side off Gossomer. The chorus repeats "don't let your worries ruin your day." And while my aforementioned first feature of this two-for is all about spawning salmon and good feels, I'm loving this track's lyrics. Give it a read http://www.metrolyrics.com/ruin-your-day-lyrics-passion-pit.html.

It has two remix tracks, one with a bunch of wobbles and whirls and one with just a piano. I like the one with the piano. Not really a remix but it is a cover. A cover of fun.'s 'Carry On'. It's Larry David. (pretty pretty pretty pretty good). 

Dennis

Portugal. the man - Evil Friends

Released May 31, 2013

I know I know I know, this was soo last Spring. It rained constantly. I had no real grasp of time or current events, I was busy trying to stay dry. 

Alaska is as well known for great soft rock bands as it is for Bullwinkle J. Moose from the critically acclaimed reality TV show 'The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show'. Well step aside Mr. Moose, Portugal. the man is on the loose. (zing) 

These eskimos have been around for just short of a decade and I don't know what they sounded like when they started out but I've really enjoyed them for the past four years. In fact People Say (lead off track on The Satanic Satanist (what's that all about?)) has been in steady rotation in my head for the past four years. If you have no experience with these mushers, check it out. 

I don't know that this pack of grizzly bears has ever put much weight in lyrical content or at least I'm sure these songs mean something to the spawning salmon, just not to this brown thrasher. And I like it. I know I rambled on last month about Typhoon's large meaty soul gripping lyrics and their importance to the albums overall effect on me but this month I just want to feel good, mindlessly. And how couldn't it feel good with fellow Georgian Brook Trout (only trout native to georgia) Danger Mouse at the helm of this Bering Sea crabbing boat? Answer: no need, you know it feels good. In fact the lead caribou says he just wants to be 'Purple Yellow Red and Blue.' Sounds druggy. Drugs feel good. It's a theme. Kind of like these animals I keep harping on.

This album is random and inconsistent but when he says 'I don't want to talk about the war, I just want to smile, smile some more' you're going to be like 'mmmmmh, yea me too.' It feels like it might be a throw back but it's not. It feels like it might be a straight forward indie rock album but it's not. It's got enough shakeup to keep you on your toes and enough not-shake-up to keep you comfy. But when it comes down to it, they're just 'Bullwinkle's in a t-shirt, jeans, and I don't fuckin care'

With love,

Dennis

Arctic Monkeys - AM

                                           

“Have you got color in your cheeks?”

If you don’t, you will after listening to AM. This opening line for Do I Wanna Know?  kick starts the album with throbbing desire: a desire that Alex Turner has no trouble weaving into the majority of his songs. AM starts with the post-punk, neo-rock-pop that most Arctic Monkeys fans have come to adore. However, the album takes a slower, softer, turn half way through and begins to mature. Sprinkled throughout are funky melodies, shoo-wops, la-la-la’s, R&B falsettos, and hints of 70’s Glam Rock.

AM seems to mirror the life cycle of a touring artist going through heartache. Thrust into the spotlight at an early age, Alex Turner and his monkeys were only teenagers when they hit it big in the UK. Over the past several years, they've adapted to life as rock stars. However, teen grunge and angst has developed into full blown adult issues. Turner pines for love and its hopeful permanence. The days of being a rolling stone seem to be taking their toll on him. In R U Mine? he cries “In my mind when she's not right there beside me, I go crazy cause here isn't where I wanna be”.

Gone are the days of cheap, romantic lines in (what I assume are successful) attempts to have panties thrown at the stage. Alex Turner’s notorious romance is no longer a façade for the sake of a song. AM is a true and honest portrayal of the struggles and insecurities of a seemingly confident rock star. Turner’s heart bleeds in I Want It All -“Blind faith, Heartache, Mind games, Mistakes, My sweet fireball, My sweet rigmarole, I want it all”.  He’s learning he can’t have his Rock-N-Roll-tight-pants-leather-jacket cake and eat it too.

No. 1 Party Anthem and Mad Sound act as the heavy pull in the center of the album. No. 1 Party Anthem is a tongue-in-cheek title for a slightly tragic ballad about filling empty spaces with paid escorts, clubs, and nothingness - "Call off the search for your soul, or put it on hold again". 

One of my favorites, Mad Sounds, is a track that is sparse and has a western/gospel-like slowness. The lyrics “Love buckles under the strain of those wild nights” pin-points to the struggles of love and its mysterious delicacy. Perhaps this is a song about itself: one being eased by a lullaby - a lullaby to help you “reappear".

AM continues its crooning and questioning towards its end. Why’d Only Call Me When You’re High? Is a break up song about fucked up and desperate phone tags during times of loneliness post-relationship. Knee Socks seems to be a song where Turner begins to play his own therapist and gathers clarity about his broken relationship and where it went wrong: “I got a feeling I might have lit the very fuse that you were trying not to light, You were a stranger in my phonebook I was acting like I knew 'Cause I had nothing to lose”.  

The album unwinds with I Wanna Be Yours and Alex Turner repeating “I wanna be yours” over and over into it's end. Arctic Monkeys decide to leave AM on an honest and ‘say your last words’ note. Overall the album touches on a lot sensitivity that was merely suggested to in prior albums. Take a listen and enjoy monkeys! 

Lorde- Pure Heroine

Released September 2013

This album is crazy catchy y'all. 

I usually get annoyed when a band I like, something I discover on an indie radio station or the internet, starts getting major play on the top 20 radio stations. You start to hear them on every car commercial, in restaurants, and every time you get in the car. That song you loved is now your enemy, and you dread hearing it. But in this case, I think it's pretty awesome.

This girl (Ella Yelich-O'Connor, stage name Lorde, from New Zealand) is only 16!! She was discovered by an agent when she was 12, and signed to Universal by 14. Her songs are playing everywhere on indie stations and top 20 radio. Everyone loves her, and I'm happily hanging out on that bandwagon.

"Royals", the first single from the album, is the breakout hit. It's one of those songs you love to sing- so catchy, clever, and light-hearted. An easy song to like.

The album starts out with "Tennis Court"- sultry and slow in the beginning but it picks up fast and the chorus hooks you. "We're so happy, even when we're smiling out of fear." The subject matter throughout this album is equal parts teen and old soul. There are times when you realize her age, and plenty of times when you sort of shake your head at her clever musings and beyond-her-years knowledge of the world. Not to mention her uncanny ability to turn a phrase. This girl is like no 16-year old I've ever met.

Ray says Lorde is too "Britney Spears" for his taste. He hears all the pop notes, sees a young girl and can't get past it. For me, I hear clever lyrics, an interesting hip-hop meets pop meets indie artist with a lot to say. And I can't help but be impressed with her. I was really surprised when I heard she was just 16. The maturity in her voice and her lyrics really disguise her age. I'm interested to see if she sticks around, and what she'll do next.