Released on Carrot Top Records

If you’re looking for a melancholy yet carefree album of love songs Honey Moon, The Handsome Family’s eighth studio release, is it.  Brett and Rennie Sparks take you on a journey through starry skies, winding corn mazes, petrified forests, and the dusty roads of Albuquerque to celebrate their twentieth year of marriage.  And no matter the genre of the song, their evocative lyrics transport you right there with the Sparks.

The album is complex in sound and ranges from country ballads (“Little Sparrows”) to bluegrass ditties (“Wild Wood”) to somber, twang-free ballads (“The Winding Corn Maze”).  Honey Moon is the kind of album that flows from one song to the next, Bret Sparks’ voice taking on a different quality of haunting, soul-piercing as you travel through each song.  It’s the kind of voice and sound that will make you snap to attention when it floats through your speakers, wafting into your brain and ever so gently tugging at your heart strings.

The Handsome Family

Released on Matador Records

Have you ever picked up (or been handed) an album and popped it into your listening device only to listen to half of the album (unintentionally from finish to start-stupid listening device) before putting together all the pieces to the puzzle and realizing what you are truly listening to?  You thought that the album was some singer songwriter that you had never heard of, a pleasant female voice, maybe even two.  Isn’t it funny that her name is Stuart?  But then the song “Funny Little Frog” comes on while you’re riding the train and you bolt upright.  Wait, I know this song….

Yes, it took more than half of the album for me to realize that Stuart Murdoch is THE Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian fame, THE Stuart Murdoch, genius pop song writer.  The truth is, I’m definitely not a B&S expert, but I felt a bit sheepish as I made this revelation.  Regardless, God Help The Girl is positively beautiful, enjoyable, and sung mostly by non-Stuart Murdoch female voices, a total of 9 different to be exact including Catherine Ireton, Celia Garcia, and Alex Klobouk.  Please check out the God Help The Girl website for the back story on the making of and collaborations on the album, as it is quite intriguing.

The album consists of a handful of different, but lovely, in some cases prettier Belle and Sebastian remakes, “Funny Little Frog” sung by Brittany Stallings, being my absolute favorite.  I like the original but there’s something about the vocal and musical arrangement/combination on this one that made me appreciate the song, including the clever lyrics even more.  The remainder of the album is new songs written by Murdoch and sung by various other characters.  It’s one of those female vocals-heavy albums that manages to not be overtly girly, which I love.  “Musician, Please Take Heed” is another upbeat song that builds up from nothing to a symphony.  “I’ll Have To Dance With Cassie” makes me laugh since I too picture myself dancing with Cassie.  And “A Down And Dusky Blonde” is giving “Funny Little Frog” a run for its money for my top track on the album.

The album is definitely reminiscent of B&S, but I think it would be possible to enjoy this album even if you are not a B&S fan and easy to enjoy if you are.  It’s somehow more stripped down, despite the countless vocals and instruments, equally well written, but less quirky allowing the lyrics and the various vocalists to shine.

Check out God Help The Girl here.

Fantasies is Metric’s fourth release and I was awaiting it with anticipation since their 2005 Live It Out, both on Last Gang Records. And, to be honest, before I badgered Christine to obtain this album so I could review it, I was listening to it online daily.

For long time Metric fans, Fantasies should live up to expectations, as it’s chock full of the usual variety of obsessable songs, catchy ditties, Emily Haines ballads, and anthems. For newcomers or for those that weren’t too keen on Metric before, I think Fantasies is their most straightforward and likeable album yet. Front woman, Emily Haines’s vocals aren’t quite as breathy, pretty, and baby-voiced on this album. It’s not quite as clever, quirky, or catchy as Live It Out, but it seems less contrived and more mature and thoughtful. If you go to Metric’s website, you can watch a video where Haines discusses her post-Live It Out journey to Argentina to do some writing, which gives an interesting background to some of the songs.

The opener, “Help, I’m Alive” is the obsessable track. And yes, I know that’s not a word, but it’s the perfect way to describe the kinds of tracks Metric creates. There’s a few on each album they put out. Haines croons the catchy yet dark, “Help, I’m alive/My heart keeps beating like a hammer” throughout the song. It’s one of those songs you can envision someone running to in a movie, perhaps through the forest, escaping a predator. Yes, I can hear your heart beating like a hammer! Nothing is better than a song that makes your foot tap while simultaneously being raw enough to make you empathize with the song’s peak into someone’s personal thoughts and fears.

Track 6, “Gimme Sympathy” is the catchy ditty and, of course, the first single off the album. “Who would you rather be: The Beatles or the Rolling Stones/Oh, seriously you’re gonna make mistakes you’re young.” Oh, Metric, you are funny and sharp as always.

Then there’s the Haines ballad, with the built up intro into the sad revelation on “Blindness.” And the oh so fitting concluding anthem of “Stadium Love,” a total fight song, literally. Metric as a band is tighter on this album, and there’s a lot less prominent keys from Haines. They’ve become more of a background, rather than that in your face Moog/synth sound previously heard on multiple tracks. This album is more rock and roll and it suits Metric as a band. It’s easy to tire of a band after four albums. Hell it’s easy to tire of a band after two albums, but Fantasies piques your interest enough to hold up in the long term and Metric keeps evolving enough to have you looking toward number 5.

Metric is currently touring the US. Check out their schedule. You won’t regret seeing them live.

Let’s face it: I pretty much like anything Neko Case lays her hands on. If you know me, you know this, and you can read about how this all came about. After each album she puts out, I always think, “There’s no way she could top this.” And then she always does. Middle Cyclone is no exception to this rule. And the icing on the cake, cherry on the sundae, the perfectly formed head on my Guinness? It’s a whole CD of love songs (relatively speaking), the very type of song Case has said in the past that she doesn’t write, although I always thought that was kind of a sham; “Lion’s Jaws,” “That Teenage Feeling” – c’mon, they’re kind of love-ey.

I will admit, to not seem totally biased and to prove that I did look at the album with scrutiny, when I first downloaded the early released track “People Got a Lotta Nerve” from the ANTI- site I was underwhelmed. And after obsessively listening to Middle Cyclone for the past month, I still think it’s the weakest track, with the exception of “Marais la Nuit”, which is 31 minutes and 39 seconds of crickets and outdoor sounds and it’s nothing but annoying. Okay, you’re in a barn. That’s cool, but I’m not going to listen to these crickets all night. The thing that bothers me about “People Got a Lotta Nerve” is the line, ‘I’m a man man man man man maneater, but still you’re surprised-prised-prised when I eat ya.” It made me simultaneously cringe at the triteness and conjure visions of Hall and Oates. I mean, “Maneater” is their thing! I keep picturing Neko in the video with Hall and Oates in an equally fabulous Miami Vice-style suit. Regardless, the song soon grew on me and the rest of the album is a grand showcase of Case’s ever-evolving vocals and the amazing variety of guest musicians and piano orchestras.

Cyclone is, of course, like no other Case album. It’s almost “country” free, but still recognizably Case in her indefinable folk, roots, rock, and bit of pop style. I recently heard an interview with Case where she admitted that working with Carl Newman (band mate and frontman for the New Pornographers) influenced this album, and I think it shows on tracks such as “Red Tide,” “People Got a Lotta Nerve,” and “I’m an Animal.” Station Manager, Christine, once dubbed Newman as one of the greatest song writers of our time and I completely agree with her. But I do think Case gives Newman a run for his money, but her lyrics are a bit darker. Perhaps it’s just the presentation.

The album opener, “This Tornado Loves You,” draws you in with its upbeat, constant guitar and piano build up leading to the inevitable shouting of “This tornado loves you!” “The Next Time You Say Forever” won me over with the line, “The next time you say forever I’ll punch you in your face.” Case’s cleverness and wit never ceases to delight. “Magpie to the Morning” is one of those songs that will make you cry while you’re walking down the street…not that I’ve done that. And “I’m an Animal” will have you following up with an air kick and smirk at the line, “I love you this hour, this hour today, and heaven will smell like the airport.”

My true obsession of the album is “Prison Girls.” It stays in your head all day between the “I love your long shadows and your gunpowder eyes” (I want to say that to someone!) and the ominous “Ohhh oh ohhhhh oh oh ohhhhh’s.” If “Magpie” doesn’t haunt your heart, Case’s cover of Harry Nilsson’s “Don’t Forget Me” surely will. I could go on about every track on the album. There are few artists that speak to me the way Case does. I’m not saying I “relate” to her experiences necessarily, but the frankness of her lyrics and the power of her voice are incredible forces that take you on an emotional adventure. They allow you to create mindscapes of meanings and emotions, while providing a beautiful backdrop of music. If you’re a long time fan of Case, Middle Cyclone should not disappoint. If you have dabbled in Case, but never quite got her, give her one more shot with this album, as perhaps it takes a Cyclone to win you over.

Neko’s website

What is it that really makes you like an album? Is it your good taste? Love for the artist? Impeccable band and well written songs? Partiality to the label or genre? Or just a solid collection of songs that pushes your buttons in just the right way? All of the above describe what went through my head as reasons the new Justin Townes Earle album, Midnight At The Movies released this month on Bloodshot Records, is the kind of album that you tell your friends and enemies to buy.

The album has a similar sound and just as much steel and maybe a little more banjo as his 2008 release The Good Life. But Midnight doesn’t draw quite as many visions of the band playing in a barn, but rather on a stage. A small, intimate stage where the sound of Earle’s voice warms your heart while chilling your soul at the same time.

This album is a bit more diverse in subject matter and sound, providing a wider variety of songs and perhaps appealing to a larger audience. The opener and title track paints a literal movies scene in your head and has the least country twang to it. Instead it has slow-dance-worthy piano and pretty guitars. Songs like “What I Mean To You” and “Poor fool” are Earle’s signature with love-questioning lyrics, saloon-style crooning, steel guitars and well-placed keys and whistling. He ventures into familial emotions and open contemplations in “My Mother’s Eyes.” “Black Eyed Suzy” has an infectious foot tapping beat and “Halfway To Jackson” has a head-shaking harmonica perfect for the good riddance kind of song that it is.

Midnight At The Movies has the near perfect balance of emotion, simplicity, and well-thought out arrangements to take you on a trip filled with sadness, frankness, and the sting of love lost making your heart ache, and your hips sway (or shake) at the same time. Justin Townes Earle is the kind of artist that can only keep putting out albums that just make sense.

Justin Townes Earle on Bloodshot

JTE MySpace

Don’t let the first track on this album deter you from listening to it in its entirety. “Angels” transforms from the kind of song that you hear at an open mike night from the weird guy in the corner into a pretty layered transition that takes you nowhere, but back to the awful beginning. Despite the fact that you want to rip the headphones out of your mp3 player and chuck them into the river, or you want to drop kick your computer, don’t do it! It gets better.

The rest of the album is one of those that you fade into and out of consciousness while listening. It’s a bit frenetic: slightly sad, slightly odd, with a tinge of pretty and a teeny tiny bit of it made me think of Grandaddy, but less clever.

But overall, Birdcircus, an unsigned band from Barcelona, Spain, sounds pretty promising. If I’m not mistaken, there are multiple vocalists that trade off throughout the album – one being raspy spoken word style with a lot of vocal effects as on “My My My” (the most upbeat song) and the other a nasal and sing song type, as in “Gold.” For the most part the songs are fairly somber and ominous, composed of mostly mellow layers of guitar and the occasional violin with pretty highlights of keys. Silence Out There Tonight is the kind of album that can only remain in the occasional rotation and requires some editing, which will hopefully decrease as Birdcircus evolves. It’s a good album for “the times;” it really sets the mood for hopeless job searches.

Check out Birdcircus on myspace

I can’t find a website for Lights On, or a myspace. For an unsigned band with a self-released debut EP, that seems weird, or perhaps my googling power is waning? Regardless, this is a varied, yet solid sounding, promising EP.

My favorite tracks are the opening track, “Wild At Heart,” which evokes New Order with its synthesizer and danceable beat. And I can’t get enough of the last track, “Listen To The Radio,” that has the same 80’s throwback vibe, but it’s still fresh with catchy, straightforward lyrics. It’s one of those tracks that you hope to unexpectedly hear in a bar, to kick it up a notch or end the night.

The 3 songs between have a different feel, still with the new wave influence. I can’t help but think “Boy” sounds like The Killers, but less annoying. And “John and Anne” is a lover’s duet in the style of Stars. Overall, the EP is varied enough to prevent ADD and just cohesive enough to not confuse you too much. And basically, I just listened to “Listen To The Radio” at least 5 times over while writing this. That alone is enough reason to look for a full length from Lights On, or to at least keep googling them.

Editors Note:
Check out their myspace: Lights On
And grab their album on Insoudn: Lights On

It’s been over 4 years since A.C. (Carl) Newman put out his debut solo album, The Slow Wonder and I have been waiting in increasing anticipation. The Slow Wonder was a fabulous album and Newman’s career has really exploded with his super power pop amalgamation, The New Pornographers since its release. Needless to say, there are probably some serious high hopes for his sophomore release, Get Guilty, on Matador. Newman does not disappoint, but it is not exactly what I expected, but…sort of.

If you’re a fan of the New Pornographers, but worried that Newman can’t hold up on his own without his multi-talented band mates with their beautiful voices to create those catchy layers, fear not. Newman has supplemented himself with the voices of Mates of State and Nicole Atkins and the talents of additional musicians to create the same kind of clever, stay in your head all day choruses. While there were some collaborations/harmonies on The Slow Wonder, most of the tracks were all Newman in his glory and a bit more stripped down, something I think he undervalued for Get Guilty.

Regardless, Get Guilty, is undoubtedly an intelligent album with a big, upbeat sound. My biggest qualm with it, which I can’t decide if this is fair, is that the majority of the album sounds more like the New Pornographers version 2.0 than the A.C. Newman I fell in love with many moons ago. Rather than criticism this is more of an observation and the change is an assumable natural progression. While there is no denying that be it the New Pornographers or A.C. Newman, Carl Newman is the engine driving both trains and the main songwriter, an uncanny genius songwriter. Despite my longings for some of the slow jams from The Slow Wonder (I put “Better Than Most” on at least 5 playlists/mixes I’ve made), I see Newman’s tendency toward the formulas and style that have been working for him proceeding his debut release, which must seem like eons ago in his career and probably personal life.

This peeve aside, I can’t help but get half of the songs in the album stuck in my head. Newman has a knack for making you feel like you’ve known a song forever after only one or two listens. I found myself singing along on the second run through and I had to stop and try to figure out if I had heard the song somewhere else. I hadn’t. As if the catchy keys and percussion aren’t enough, the real treat is Newman’s imaginative yet dead on lyrics. They hit you on the opening track, “There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve”: ‘Amid moving boxes stacked/I’m still waiting for the right words/Make of that what you will.’ Yes, I’ve been chanting “Make of that what you will” all day. The writing and music is consistent throughout, as in “Submarines of Stockholm”: ‘Stop twisting your words into shapes/Shapes you can only make out when you squint…It was one in a series of/one in a series of highlights and holy lows.’ It is the kind of writing that makes you go back and repeat a track to hear the words again. This style and likeability continues through the rest of the album, including “The Palace At 4 a.m.,” which is apparently the rather suitable first single off the album and the closing track “All Of My Days & All Of My Days Off,” which made me smile merely at the title.

While the above may be slightly schizophrenic, Get Guilty is thoroughly enjoyable and will likely please A.C. Newman fans, New Pornographers fans, and fans of clever lyrics and infectious choruses alike.

Check it – A.C. Newman

Here’s something you can do to help three good causes: animals, Neko, and YOU.  Check out the complete info on ANTI-’s blog, but the basic idea is to repost Neko Case’s new single “People Got A Lotta Nerve” off her upcoming March 3rd release on ANTI-,  Middle Cyclone. For every blog that reposts the song, ANTI- will make a cash donation to Best Friends Animal Society.  So, it’s pretty much a win-win-win.  You’re helping out animals (enter warm, fuzzy feeling), you get a free download as an appetizer for the new Neko album, and Neko and ANTI- get to promote the album via good karma.  So go get it and repost!

Download “People Got A Lotta Nerve”

Speaking of Neko Case…it’s funny how music can fall into your lap and change your life.  Quite a few years ago, I lived in a college town and had a lovely roommate.  When she and I parted ways and got separate apartments, there was some confusion in dividing up what had become the communal CD pile.  Weeks after move out, ex-roomie and I were hanging out when she asked if I wanted an extra copy of Neko Case’s Blacklisted.  At the time I barely knew who Neko Case was and I was fairly certain I wouldn’t like her.  “Um, I don’t like country and why do you have two copies?” I asked.  Apparently when dividing up the CD pile, ex-roomie thought that she had accidentally taken my BEAVER cd and that she had lost her copy of Blacklisted.  Turned out when she opened her brand new replacement Blacklisted the only word on the actual disc is “BEAVER.”  I’ve never been one to pass up a free cd so I took the copy and it sat in a pile for weeks.

I finally put the cd in my Discman (yes, DISCMAN!) during one of my many stressful late nights of grad school and I think it’s fair to say that I’ve been semi-obsessed with Neko ever since.  I distinctly recall the guy who sat next to me asking, “Are you listening to that BEAVER cd again?”  I’m pretty sure he could hear the banjo through my headphones on most evenings.  Something about Blacklisted kept me motivated enough to get through grad school and a really tough year in my academic and personal life.  The mood and feelings on the album spoke to me in a way only few, if any, other artists or albums had before.  Something about Neko makes me take trips to see her: at my old stomping grounds in Champaign, last minute in Vancouver, planned a trip to see a NYC friend around a Neko show, and I received a great bday gift a few years back from ex-roomie of Neko at Park West in Chicago.  People have actually tried to bait me to come visit them in other states by telling me that Neko Case is playing.

All of Neko’s albums are phenomenal and each has had a different impact on my life as I acquire them and as her career evolves.  She has incredible depth as a songwriter and performer, which leaves me in great anticipation of Middle Cyclone and her upcoming tour.  Call it coincidence, call it careless CD owners, call it ridiculous, I still think it was fate that I ended up with the spare BEAVER cd.

1. Justin Townes Earle – The Good Life on Bloodshot Records
Favorite Track: “Ain’t Glad I’m Leaving”
Reason for Repeat: JTE’s dreamy voice, steel guitar and the perfect balance of foot-tapping with melancholy.
Archived: The Good Life Review

2. Santogold – Santogold on Downtown/Lizard King
Favorite Track: “L.E.S. Artistes”
Reason for Repeat: 1 part Tegan and Sara, 2 parts M.I.A., 1 part current blonde pop icon – you’ll know the one, 6 parts clever beats that make you want to dance (That’s a lot of components!)

3. Jason Collett – Here’s To Being Here on Arts & Crafts
Favorite Track: “Not Over You”
Reason for Repeat: A little bit folky, a little bit rock & roll, a lot of good tracks.
Archived: Here’s To Being Here Review

4. Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst on Merge
Favorite Track: “Sausalito”
Reason for Repeat: Not quite as depressing as Bright Eyes, but not too far off; same great song writing and band.

5. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Pershing on Polyvinyl
Favorite Track: “Dead Right”
Reason for Repeat: This is my answer to Vampire Weekend rage – yes it’s different, but it’s just as loveable, happy go lucky, and it’s one that you can’t get sick of.

6. Okkervil River – The Stand Ins on Jagjaguwar
Favorite Track: “Lost Coastlines”
Reason for Repeat: Another solid album, lyrics you can relate to, a variety of sounds, including the occasional banjo.

7. of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping on Polyvinyl
Favorite Track: “Wicked Wisdom”
Reason for Repeat: Their wicked funny, witty, blunt lyrics and transitions never cease to amaze.

8. She & Him – Volume One on Merge
Favorite Track: “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?”
Reason for Repeat: The combination of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward is intriguing, including the difficulty distinguishing the catchy original songs from covers and it’s worth seeking out the brief M. Ward vocals.