Random Access Memories has been....(wait for it!) ..... randomly accessed.

Given the hype, and the hype over the hype, I was both excited and terrified for this release. It could have turned out to be a total piece of crap, but luckily ended up being an alright Daft Punk album. They were promoting the album and drumming up hype in a genius fashion by dropping mysterious TV ads and posters in strategic places.

Some very nondescript posters in an area of Seattle that I frequent. 
The genius in this Ad-campaign is that I needed nothing more to fully understand what was being communicated here. 

I was chompin’ at the bit, and regularly checking the web for some leak info. I knew something was up when a quick check of HasItLeaked.com showed the site was down! I think they then released streaming versions of the album a few days ahead of the scheduled release date, in an effort to combat the leak, as they do these days.

As of several listens it sounds kinda, eh. Nothing extraordinarily epic about it, but an alright Daft Punk album nonetheless. It’s got a bunch of filler, and a few terrible songs in standard Daft Punk form, but overall I like it.

My Initial Track-by-Track notes: 

1. Give Life Back to Music    Pretty good kick-off. Catchy. I like it.
2. The Game of Love  An alright slow-jam.
3. Giorgio by Moroder - Giorgio banter which is vaguely interesting, followed by a very catchy synth riff.  Maybe a bit repetitive by the end.
4. Within  - Piano ballad about soul-searching. It’s pretty good.
5. Instant Crush (featuring Julian Casablancas)  - Casablancas is heavily vocoded. I like everything he has done, from The Strokes up to (and including) this song.
6. Lose Yourself to Dance (featuring Pharrell Williams) -  Nothing special about this. I don’t like it. Regardless of the word "Dance" in the title, you will not lose yourself to dance, unless maybe you are doing the electric-slide with excessive clapping.
7. Touch  (featuring Paul Williams) - Starts off creepy, gets creepier with the lyrics. The lyrics are terrible and could easily be plucked from a Disney movie... maybe Beauty and the Beast? Then it picks up with some horns, but overall is it terrible.
8. Get Lucky (featuring Pharrell Williams) - As of now, this is best song I register on the album. It is the one they were using as a teaser “Get Lucky”. It is quite catchy, and consistently good throughout. I like Pharrells vocals.   
9. Beyond  - Symphony intro, then a slow-jam. Its alright. At 3:30 some synth work, but overall unimpressive.
10. Motherboard  - Purely instrumental. A funky bouncy-sound intro, then symphonic sound. Followed by a Philip-Glass-esque bit (which I like). That vibe continues. I like it.  
11. Fragments of Time (featuring Todd Edwards) - Funky beat to start. Catchy. This could grow on me.
12. Doin' It Right (featuring Panda Bear)  - They should re-title this track “Doin’ It Wrong”. I was very excited about Panda Bear’s collaboration, and I am quite disappointed in his song. It is so repetitive (and not in a good way), and annoying.  Really disappointed that I hate this. I don’t like the way he just speaks some words with weird inflections. I expected great things in that mash-up! He says in his behind-the-album video, that he came up with his song in a rushed 5 seconds or sumthin, so what do you expect.
13. Contact  - Starts with some fitting and interesting banter. My take on the banter is: It’s someone (an astronaut?) thinking they are seeing signs of intelligent life, which most likely ended up being the rhythmic flashes of a Pulsar. I really like the sound-byte and would love to know it’s origins and back-story. The banter then kicks off a nice sci-fi-esque (or Clockwork Orange-esque) synthesizer intro, which continues building. It should have ended at the 4:50 timestamp, but drags on with annoying distortion for another ~1.5 minutes!

Here is someone else’s track by track description, which I haven't read, but it may have more useful information than mine.

Mostly what this album does for me is give a little infusion of some new Daft Punk (which I appreciate), and spark my interest to go back and listen to past Daft Punk songs which I absolutely cherish. I doubt there will be many (if any) off the RAM album that make it into heavy rotation for me, or any that I will absolutely need to revisit often.

The Collaborators Series 

Don’t forget to watch The Collaborators series for more information on how this mystical robot rock was created. 

After you watch the Panda Bear one (Episode 5), make sure you see this gem of a parody. haha!

David Bowie - The Next Day

David Bowie - The Next Day

Wow. This is one of THE WORST albums I have ever heard.  I forced myself to persevere through listening to the whole thing (in an effort to give it a chance), and it was painful. I am embarrassed for David Bowie.  I love a lot of Bowie's songs, and he has done one of the most beautiful songs I can think of, Life on Mars, so it makes me sad that he couldn’t just NOT MAKE THIS CRAPPY ALBUM. That is all. 

Foxygen - We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic

Foxygen - We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic

I think we can all agree... that this band's name is fantastic. So good, in fact, that they don't even have to make good music to make it big. It's the best band name I have heard in a loong time.

But extra bonus: the music is good! A throwback to 60's-style, simplistic, chill, psychedelic rock. And they emulate it very well.

I often find myself grasping to figure out what other bands a new band sounds like (and not being able to put my finger on it), but not this one! I know exactly what it is that they sound like. The lead singer is a young Mick Jagger fronting an exact replica of what a modern day Velvet Underground would sound like.  When the lead singer is not sounding exactly like a young Mick Jagger, he is sounding like a young Lou Reed !   It uncanny. Maybe Lou Reed and Mick Jagger had a son together, and he started this band....?

Their sound is spot on Velvet Underground. It is like the lost tapes of the Velvet Underground. I love it.

Guards - In Guards We Trust

I saw Guards open for Deer Tick and I immediately liked them. They feature an omnichord, which is awesome!  The main dude's sister is in Cults (a really fantastic band).
I have always loved the original Guards (self-titled) album.

The new one In Guards We Trust is growing on me already!

Mac Demarco (current Discography)

Mac DeMarco

While at first listen there may not be anything incredibly novel about the songs that Mac Demarco puts out, I encourage you to give it a listen, and then revisit it again. Then tell me if that jangly reverb guitar sound doesn’t stick in your head.  That jangly off-pitch guitar sound, sounds like they recorded the guitars on vinyl, and then let it get slightly warped, and then used that as a backdrop to sing over.  And once it gets in your head, it just reverbs around in there, and you can’t get it out! The songs are overall simple, but catchy.  

Rock n Roll Night Club

I saw in an interview that he wrote up the entirety of Rock n Roll Night Club as kind of a joke, and then got a record deal out of it. The album is pretty consistent from start to finish, except it is interspersed with some filler radio-banter, which only serves to add to the weird vibe.

I can’t help but draw comparisons to David Bowie when I listen to this album. The title track sounds just like Bowie.  And Baby’s Wearing Blue Jeans is like Bowie’s Blue Jeans, redux.  

2

This album is where that jangly sound will get ya. Definitely has that bizarre can’t-put-my-finger-on-it throwback weirdness possessed by Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti. Definitely some similarities there.

I like a lot of the tracks on this one:

I was going to list the tracks I like here…..but then I realized I like all of them. Listen to it!  And then listen to  it again!

The Heavy - Glorious Dead

The Heavy - Glorious Dead

Soulful, brassy, good!

This album is pretty damn awesome with a few duds. Overall a great find!

The Lonesome Road has a Tom Waits kind of gritty swagger.

Songs I like:

• Be Mine  [I love this song! damn its good...]
• Curse Me Good
• What Makes a Good Man

Grimes - Visions

Grimes - Visions

I love this album. I didn't originally like it. I originally lumped it in with some other stuff, but after a few listens I can see that there is something different here.

For one thing, I like this description: "Her music is an eclectic mix of styles which she described herself as “ADD music”, because it shifts frequently and dramatically." I think that it is fairly accurate. It is very ADD. 

I also like her voice.

I saw Grimes at the 2012 Capitol Hill Block Party but I hadn’t really listened to her album very much ahead of time. Now that I am into this album and it is in regular rotation, I am ready to see her live again and really see how it translates live.

The songs that I really like are :

Genesis

Oblivion

Local Natives - Hummingbird

I LOVE the previous Local Natives album Gorilla Manor, and the new album Hummingbird seems to be a continuation of the same goodness. I like it.

San Cisco - San Cisco

This is really growing on me!

It sounds like Phoenix at times and also Vampire Weekend (but better) I think at times. and sometimes a blend of the two.

Very catchy. A late find for the year for me (thanks Blake!), but I would say its up there on the list of 2012 albums!

Geograper - Animal Shapes

(indie pop, indie, electronic)

I found this album by accident, and it is fantastic! I mistook Geographer  for Geologist (a member of Animal Collective).... I gotta say, that was an easy mistake to make, but I'm glad I made it!. Haha.

It sounds like a cross of Grizzly Bear and Passion Pit. I arrive at that combo since it has the chill vibe and vocals of Grizzly Bear, but the crisp, catchy synth-work of Passion Pit. Which is a weird, but fantastic combo.

It is an EP so it is short and has no filler so all 6 tracks are solid. Give Paris a listen and tell me that synth riff doesn’t immediately resonate as in your brain as addiction.

…And I just found out that they are playing within 4 miles of my house, in less than a month!!! Damn that was good timing on that accidental find!

Paris 

(No actual video here, just audio for your listening pleasure)

tUnE-yArDs - whokill

(experimental, freak folk, indie)

tUnE-yArDs has been on my Last.fm Recommended Artists list for a long time, but I have been reluctant to venture out of my music bubble to find new tunes. After seeing mentions of this artist in various places and on several best-of-2011 lists, I finally gave it a listen. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to be pleasantly surprised!  whokill is by far the most interesting and unique album that I have encountered from 2011.

Merrill Garbus’ androgynous vocals combined with layering and distortion produces an intriguing ‘sound’. This album may not be for everyone, as it is a bit sporadic, off-beat, and wild at times, but I find its oddity draws me in. It implants these intriguing, catchy little snippets in my brain.  In a way, this album has become an addiction; constantly plaguing my thoughts with cravings for a specific riff.

All the songs are interesting and most are great, but Gansta is a good place to start.

Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

There have been several fantastic albums released this year, but the one that I just cannot turn off is Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming by M83. It seems to mesh so well with my brain that it is has become the soundtrack of my synapses. This refreshing and nearly flawless album has almost immediately risen to one of my favorite albums of….life.

M83 rejuvenates 80’s-style synth and produces fresh modern synth rock. This coupled with their mastery of the shoegaze sound creates fluidity and maintains continuity throughout the album, even as the songs ebb and flow. I feel they have delivered a masterpiece: the perfect mixture (and sequence) of upbeat rocking synths and fantastic drumbeats, interlaced with leisurely soundscapes which slowly build anticipation as the song progresses and then…… aaahhhh, aural bliss. 

M83 has made several good albums, but it seems that they have reached new depth with Hurry Up, We're Dreaming; a new depth of sound as well as emotional depth. My only criticism is the fairytale/trip Raconte-Moi Une Histoire, whose purpose is to put you in the youthful, carefree open-mindset of which the album is best listened. It does this well, and is not a bad track, but upon continued listens it is skip-worthy. This minor inconvenience does very little to tarnish such perfection.

So do your auditory cortex a huge favor: gather up a pair of good headphones (not earbuds), lay down, relax, close your eyes, free your mind, listen to it straight through in it’s entirety, and send your imagination on a delightful adventure. Just as the title implies, it is the perfect listen-straight-through on the cusp-of-consciousness album.

Listen to it now on Spotify.

Band of Horses New Video/New Album

Swing on over to the Band of Horses Website to check out their cool new music video, a preview of there upcoming album, Infinite Arms, to be released in May. As I have previously posted, I am fairly excited about this album. Since I first heard them perform the song "Older," I have patiently waited to see if the rest of this new album will be as great, and if letting the other band members take the lead will live up to Ben Bridwell's vocals. I think we will be pleasantly surprised.

Flaming Side of the Moon

Well, Bonnaroo must have heard my grumblings. It has been released that The Flaming Lips will be headlining this year's festival, a spot which they truly have earned. They will be doing their full run-through of Dark Side of the Moon, followed by their regular set.

If you know anything about the history of The Flaming Lips and Bonnaroo you know that they go hand in hand. They have previously stated that their 2003 B'roo show was the show that opened their eyes to the potential of extravagant performances, and that it is their favorite venue. No doubt, it is the best venue to see them live as can be attested to by anyone who was present at their 2007 show (read the comments of this YouTube video). I will surely attest to this (It was the best time of my life.), as will a spike in ticket sales.

They are headlining the opening night, leading me to believe that even bigger names are reserved for Friday, and Saturday. Oh, the anticipation......

Review: Beach House - Teen Dream

While the two previous Beach House albums, Devotion of 2008, and their self-titled debut of 2006, were quite impressive pieces of drone pop, their newest release Teen Dream , steps it up a notch. Their music is seemingly simplistic and "kind of a downer," but this is not to be taken negatively, as their style is an art in itself, and Beach House has mastered their own sound in Teen Dream. Their cover art, on the other hand, doesn't receive such glowing reviews, except maybe under a blacklight...

Review: Yeasayer - Odd Blood

Yeasayer 's -sophomore release, Odd Blood, is a spirit-aural journey. If there is a soundtrack to finding Nirvana (as in bliss, not Grunge), there is no doubt several Yeasayer tracks from both their 2007 mind-blowing debut, All Hour Cymbals , and their soon-be-to-released Odd Blood (2010), make the playlist.

In several interviews they mention that the sort-of "spiritual" essence of their music is just an unintentional by-product of trying to make good, catchy, pop songs, a kind of forthright honesty and down-to-earthness that is apparent in their interviews . If you're like me, you want to believe this album was written specifically to guide you on a pilgrimage to enlightenment, but no, just a coincidence. But then again, that is in the ear of the beholder.

However they arrive at such eerily, enthralling music, they are doing it exactly right. Odd Blood is this years' Merriweather Post Pavilion , an early masterpiece, having unending replay value, and the potential to be a chart topper to propel them into limelight, a place where they certainly deserve to be.