Rank
|
Artist
|
Album
|
1
| ||
2
| ||
3
| ||
4
| ||
5
| ||
6
| ||
7
| ||
8
| ||
9
|
Cults
Whether you want to tag this New York boy-girl duo as dream pop, twee, noise pop, or psychedelic pop, it is easier to just lump them into indie pop and say they have a nostalgic or “throwback” quality to them. Regardless of tags, their cutesy sound is unique and pleasing to the ears.
The Show
The Albums
Cults - Cults
Selected Songs and Quotes
Cults - Static
Having given new album, Static, a fair amount of listens, I would say while it stays true to their distinctive sound, it is lacking in something that I have yet to put my finger on. Seeing the songs live with the fantastic visuals synced to the audio, gave me a little more appreciation for the album, but I’m still not as fond of it as their debut. It’s a good album: I wouldn’t say great. Maybe I just really liked the eerie, dark, mysteriousness of the 1st album.
However, I do love how they chose an animated GIF image to represent the album in the digital realm. It has caught my eye on various websites. It’s a bit oxymoronic and a lot of genius that they chose a dynamic image to represent an album dubbed "Static". Brilliant marketing on their part, but they aren’t the first to do it (REM did it 1st, relatively recently).
The Show
The Visuals
So while I was excited for this show, I didn’t anticipate how absurdly visually-rewarding the show was going to be. I will pat myself on the back for immediately realizing that the 4 screens behind the stage would be used to display static, to go along with the theme of the album.
But I did not foresee the use of a projector to paint the entire room with beautiful psychedelic colors and patterns synched to the music. The effect was to flood the entire room with incredible visuals to coincide with songs; slowly cascading colorful sprites for the slow bits and spastic noisy geometric static when the song picked up. To add to the effect, the projections had to permeate the fog, which gave it an added trippy dimension. I picture that this type of affordable, accessible, and incredibly impressive visualization is the kind of thing that early psychedelic bands, maybe Jefferson Airplane only dreamed of. It was quite cool. By far the best visuals I have seen in a while.
The effect was even amplified by the lucky coincidence that the stage’s backdrop is red (as opposed to black), which rendered the projections in red, highlighted elements in the foreground, and gave the projected visuals even more perceived depth.
Here are some vids I shot that showcase this awesome effect far better than the pics (but be sure to crank the quality all the way up to 1080P!)
The Set
The Setlist for the show shows a 50/50 split of the 2 albums, which was a nice balance of old favorites and promotion of the new album. Besides what I thought was generally too loud of everything, except her vocals which were just a little drowned-out, I thought they translated very well live, sounding just like the albums. However, I did feel that the songs don’t lend themselves to much crowd participation. Even the most exciting parts of their hits just leave you kind of bobbing your head and swaying like the back-up singers of a Doo-Wop group. This is more to do with the nature of their music than their performance. Their performance was great, however there was a noticeable lack of the band head-banging and hair-thrashing, as their album-art leads you to expect.
So while they were spot on, and it was an overall good show, I didn’t find the show to be that fulfilling except for the stunning visuals. I do recommend catching their show on this tour if you can. If for no other reason, just to see the visuals, which were worth the ticket price alone.
The Albums
Cults - Cults
Their self-titled debut is a very novel and refreshing album that I was fairly obsessed with for a while. It has a consistent psychologically dark underlying theme to the lyrics with samples of famous cult leaders Charles Manson, Jim Jones, and Patty Hearst embedded into the songs, all hidden underneath the sugary-sweet vocals and happy-go-lucky percussion that gives the album its unique feeling.
Although most of the snippets of the cult leaders preaching and brainwashed ramblings of cult members are distorted beyond comprehension with reverb and other effects, I feel their inclusion augments the overall creepy feel of the album and add a cohesion that pulls it together into what can almost be mistaken for a concept album, (although it isn't). I’ll just say they really know how to make the most out of a motif, considering most of the album focuses on milder themes such as relationships, coping with life, and skeletons in the closet, rather than mass suicide and grape Kool-Aid.
Check out this cool music video for Go Outside, in which the band members are almost-flawlessly superimposed into footage from Jonestown. It really encompasses the vibe of the album.
Selected Songs and Quotes
Abducted – Sets the tone of the album, starting off with...
I knew right then that I'd been abducted,... giving me the impression she has found herself under the spell of stockholm syndrome and has fallen for her captors.
I knew right then that he would be taking my heart.
You Know What I Mean – a beautiful slow saunter through feelings of dysphoria, fear, and loneliness.
Bad things happen to the people you love,
And you'll find yourself praying up to heaven above,
But honestly I never had much sympathy,
Cause those bad things, I always saw them coming for me.
Cults - Static
Having given new album, Static, a fair amount of listens, I would say while it stays true to their distinctive sound, it is lacking in something that I have yet to put my finger on. Seeing the songs live with the fantastic visuals synced to the audio, gave me a little more appreciation for the album, but I’m still not as fond of it as their debut. It’s a good album: I wouldn’t say great. Maybe I just really liked the eerie, dark, mysteriousness of the 1st album.
However, I do love how they chose an animated GIF image to represent the album in the digital realm. It has caught my eye on various websites. It’s a bit oxymoronic and a lot of genius that they chose a dynamic image to represent an album dubbed "Static". Brilliant marketing on their part, but they aren’t the first to do it (REM did it 1st, relatively recently).
The Album as an Entity
In the ADD world of the sound-byte, the meme, apps, social media, and the wide-array of crap which serve only to trivialize everything into an easy-to-digest, quickly-consumable, packet of unfulfilling data, I worry that the album is underappreciated as an art form. With digital media, songs are easily and often chop-shopped from their albums and sold and consumed individually. Back when vinyl was THE ONLY allotment of music, the album was king. Now I feel that many fail to even recognize that music is released as an album.
Most worthwhile albums, have cohesiveness among the tracks which unify them as part of the same time, place, experience, mindset, emotion, etc, and usually has a unique feel. I’m not talking about vinyl, and I'm not talking specifically about a concept album (which takes album cohesion to a whole new and substantial level, where it encompasses an overall unifying theme), I mean an album as an entity.
Art as an analogy
A song :: An Album as a Painting :: A Collection/Gallery
Or maybe …
A song :: An Album as a Small Piece of a Painting (say the top left corner) :: to the Full Painting
The point is, that together, the songs are far greater than the sum of their parts. An album is more than several songs lumped together, it is an experience. The album is a vast spatial canvas upon which an artist can compose an aural experience. A song is but an element of this larger composition. It is the album upon which a band is free to paint a full picture in your mind and bring about an emergent experience that often is not inherent in a song. An album can be a roller coaster ride of emotions, ebbing and flowing with anticipation and fulfillment.
Music is, by far, my favorite art form. I find nothing has more potential to affect my mood than music. I need a constant influx of music in order to function. And nothing is more fundamental to my experience of music than the album. An album can ‘make my year’ or change my life. I always anticipate the next release from an artist, wondering if it will be as life-changing as the last, or if it’ll be a let-down.
I feel that the album is the vital way to experience, view, and critique a work by an artist, and in order to give an album the credit it is due, it is crucial to experience it in the proper sequence, from beginning to end as one listening experience, as it was made to be heard. I simply think that albums are the fundamental unit of music, and are often created to be experienced as one entity. An appreciation of the album as an entity is fundamental to a true appreciation and understanding of music.
I found this. It is cool. Love this album.
I found this. It is cool. Love this album.
via Tumblr http://thecontrollerspheremusicblog.tumblr.com/post/67579463579
The Besnard Lakes ARE the Most Underrated
HOWEVER, once you have tuned your brain into their fantastic niche sound and conditioned your auditory nerve-endings to the nuances of their music, it is absurdly rewarding. I compare them in that way to Pink Floyd or Radiohead, in that you may not immediately appreciate the complex sound and the sometimes seemingly drawn-out or off-timing of particular elements, but after that a few listens the intricacies of the music gets ingrained into your neural patterns. THEN, and only then, will you realize the full potential and extremely rewarding sensation woven into the subtleties of the music. You anticipate a specific moment, (perhaps the placement of a vocal harmony or an escalation in tempo), and as the anticipated moment materializes you are rewarded with the release of pleasurable neurotransmitters.
The Besnard Lakes are particularly adept at delivering such fulfillment with their awesome build-ups, vocal harmonies, and the anticipation that goes along with them. Their 3rd album “The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night” is a goddamn masterpiece along these lines, and I look forward to delving into their full discography to see if the other albums are as rewarding. I think the new album, “Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO” has a lot of potential.
The Show
They unfortunately DID NOT play Chicago Train, which is the song I wanted to hear the most.
In this video Jace Lasek explains how they create their music, which in turn explains quite clearly why they sound so unique, saying they are “basically a cover band of our own band”!
They use a tool called an E-bow as a sort of magical 'pick' for the guitar, to produce some of the more bizarre sounds on the album which uses an “electromagnetic field to produce a sound reminiscent of using a bow on the strings.” Which roughly translates into “ sounds fucking amazing.”
Jace Lasek has what someone else very perfectly described a “laser precision falsetto” giving the vocals a very distinct sound, which translates surprisingly well live. This combined with their amazing harmonies and perfection of their ambient droney sound makes for some incredible music.
Albums to check out
Radical Face - The Family Tree: The Roots
In my post about Sasquatch 2013, I mentioned that I was quite taken aback by this band known as Radical Face that I stumbled upon, (and almost purposefully skipped due to (mis)judging the band by its name and bio-picture).
I have since followed up and listened to this band A LOT. The Family Tree: The Roots has become my top album of the last 3 months (at 250 plays!).
The Roots is a storytelling masterpiece. It is a haunting account of the hardship of (someone's) ancestors, (who I picture homesteading in frontier-culture Appalachia). From wikipedia: [This album is about] "the first two generations of the Northcotes' family tree and is narratively based in the 1800s". Although the tales are fictional, they manage to paint such a vivid picture that you feel as if narrator has personally lived through all of these events.
As far as concept albums go, it is pretty consistent throughout, even though the song topics range from purely depressing to just plain creepy. Musically, it is good as well, with songs the build from eerie intros to beautiful piano portions.
It is the first installment of an ongoing concept-trilogy which I have become very excited to see through. After The Family Tree: The Roots, will be The Branches (Oct. 2013), followed by The Relatives. Also throughout the project, they will release volumes of EPs under the heading The Bastards. Radical Face provides better descriptions of the project and the albums here. I think there is amazing potential in this concept and if he can maintain the same quality/consistency, I will be very impressed with this project.
If you are looking for an uplifting album, you are in the wrong place. This is one of those beautifully-hauntingly-depressing (and sometimes creepy) albums, which I cannot take out of heavy-rotation because I am entranced by the stories. Here are some of themes woven into the narrative (as interpreted by me, at an estimated 15 full-listen-throughs of the album):
Read the full album lyrics of The Family Tree: The Roots here.
The Roots is up there with The Antlers - Hospice as one of the most depressing modern albums (which is another amazing concept album, albeit a fucking dark and depressing one).
Enjoy, but seriously beware, because these are some real downers.
I have since followed up and listened to this band A LOT. The Family Tree: The Roots has become my top album of the last 3 months (at 250 plays!).
The Roots is a storytelling masterpiece. It is a haunting account of the hardship of (someone's) ancestors, (who I picture homesteading in frontier-culture Appalachia). From wikipedia: [This album is about] "the first two generations of the Northcotes' family tree and is narratively based in the 1800s". Although the tales are fictional, they manage to paint such a vivid picture that you feel as if narrator has personally lived through all of these events.
As far as concept albums go, it is pretty consistent throughout, even though the song topics range from purely depressing to just plain creepy. Musically, it is good as well, with songs the build from eerie intros to beautiful piano portions.
It is the first installment of an ongoing concept-trilogy which I have become very excited to see through. After The Family Tree: The Roots, will be The Branches (Oct. 2013), followed by The Relatives. Also throughout the project, they will release volumes of EPs under the heading The Bastards. Radical Face provides better descriptions of the project and the albums here. I think there is amazing potential in this concept and if he can maintain the same quality/consistency, I will be very impressed with this project.
- His mother dying during his birth.
- Being abused by his alcoholic distant father.
- Watching his twin brother die of some illness.
- The hanging suicide of his father.
- Being haunted by the ghosts of his grandparents.
Read the full album lyrics of The Family Tree: The Roots here.
The Roots is up there with The Antlers - Hospice as one of the most depressing modern albums (which is another amazing concept album, albeit a fucking dark and depressing one).
Enjoy, but seriously beware, because these are some real downers.
alt-J - Breezeblocks
In case you have missed the new-hotness in the music world. I present to you this cool video, for this great song, by a fantastic band!
alt-J is the most novel band I have encountered in a while, and I love their indistinguishable baby-talk lyrics. I dunno what they are saying, but I like the sound of it.
Reflektor
Arcade Fire is coming out with their 4th album, Reflektor, on October 28th, 2013! YES!
They have released the music video for the title track. Here it is.
They also have released an awesome, trippy, interactive video for the same track (different video), that operates through some wizardry that I will never understand. But you can read all about the wizardy technology here
Its quite impressive. Test out the awesomeness! https://www.justareflektor.com/
oh and the song is pretty good too! (of course).
Listen for the famous-artist cameo. here's a hint, they have worked together before!
They have released the music video for the title track. Here it is.
Its quite impressive. Test out the awesomeness! https://www.justareflektor.com/
oh and the song is pretty good too! (of course).
Listen for the famous-artist cameo. here's a hint, they have worked together before!
Crystal Castles Cover, A Capella by Kids Choir
Say that 3 times fast!
A cover of Untrust Us by Crystal Castles
This is stunning. It's takes about a minute to get to the awesomeness. Its quite beautiful and worth the build up.
The Postal Service - Some Idealistic Future (Documentary)
This is a short, concise, 15 minute documentary about The Postal Service. It marks the 10 year anniversary of Give Up and the related tour.
Its pretty cool. I find it interesting because I saw that set when they kicked off the US portion of the 2013 'reunion' tour at this year's Sasquatch Music Festival, which is (kinda) Gibbard's "home turf". Its also interesting to hear them reminisce about the creation of the album, and to hear Gibbard discuss living in Capitol Hill Seattle, and only caring about indie pop.
Its pretty cool. I find it interesting because I saw that set when they kicked off the US portion of the 2013 'reunion' tour at this year's Sasquatch Music Festival, which is (kinda) Gibbard's "home turf". Its also interesting to hear them reminisce about the creation of the album, and to hear Gibbard discuss living in Capitol Hill Seattle, and only caring about indie pop.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)