CD review - Cymbals Eat Guitars, Lenses Alien (2011)

Sophomore release paints a progressive, post-indie rock sonic landscape

Lenses Alien is an impressive follow up to 2009's Why There Are Mountains (review here). As on their debut, Cymbals Eat Guitars still restlessly shift directions, but the changes are more fluid and seem less capricious. The band continues to experiment with controlled chaos a la Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and to explore Trail of Dead style post rock. But now they've introduced more of the raw energy of their live sound.

That energy drives Lenses Alien forward musically, but the band seems to have a fatalistic air and the lyrics are more oblique. It can be hard to tease out the words, but they often allude to darker subjects. Plainclothes shows off the best and worse of this. The words bounce around in a stream of consciousness flow, from thoughtful:

I feel the ghost of all the parties still happening
Right on this very spot that I am standing
Kids are blissing in the spare room
Light years away

to the threatening:

It is initiation season
So watch out for the cars with no lights on
If you flash them they would swing around
Then follow you home

Along the way Cymbals Eat Guitars tease with phrases like "Dry mushrooms taste a lot like communion wafers". The music has detuned, dreamy moments as well as punk-worthy snarl and unfocused thrash. A lot is crammed into a brief four minutes or so but the music is more coherent than the lyrical flow.

Cymbals Eat Guitars offered a first taste of Lenses Alien last month. The epic leading track is called Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name). It sprawls through a mix of indie rock and psychedelic sections, split by a cathartic swirl of sound. That progressive feel permeates the other songs. The band leans more towards a sectional structure than simpler verse-chorus blocks.

Sometimes, a superficial listen tricks the ear that the band does slip in a chorus in songs like Keep Me Waiting. But, like a shark, the song moves constantly forward and doesn't find words worth repeating. The arrangement feels more standard in large part to the heavy Replacements influence. The track kicks off like it belongs on Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out the Trash. The thrashing guitars hit that Replacements sound and Joseph D'Agostino's voice even reaches toward Paul Westerberg. It doesn't matter whether it's a homage or just channeling from deeper currents.

Even if the lyrics often slide too far into beat poetry expressiveness, the musical vision always rescues the songs from self indulgence. Lenses Alien is messy, trippy, and an intriguing sonic landscape.

August singles

This month's singles cover some bigger named artists that I have a lot of respect for. Three very different musical directions, but all are quite talented entertainers.

Jonathan Coulton - Nemeses (Artificial Heart, due out Fall 2011)

Photo credit: Shervin Lainez

Jonathan Coulton has built an impressive following with his quirky takes on mad scientists, zombie office workers, and code monkeys. As a strong proponent of Creative Commons licensing, he has shared his way into his audience's heart. Most of his music is fundamentally simple: a man with a guitar (and perhaps a backing vocal or two). His tours, occasionally with musical comedians Paul and Storm, have emphasized that simple, direct style.

The new album promises some changes: guest vocalists, including Suzanne Vega, and a backing band. The first taste, Nemeses, premiered on Paste Magazine. Coulton is backed by a band and hands the lead vocal to John Roederick (The Long Winters). It's a surprising setp, but Coulton has reassured his fans that we'll get to hear plenty of his voice on the album.

It's also strange hearing his guitar slip into the full sounding pop arrangement. But the writing comes through and Coulton still hits his target zone where wistful melodies blend with odd perspectives. In Nemeses, the main character posits that his existence is based on his role as another man's nemesis. It's funny, touching, and a bit sad...it's Jonathan Coulton.


Pajama Club - These Are Conditions (Pajama Club, due out in September)

Pajama Club is Neil Finn's latest band vehicle. These Are Conditions shows off Finn's pop sensibility, recalling his time with Split Enz more than his work with Crowded House. The tightly restrained funk riff also owes a debt to Split Enz contemporaries, The Fixx. Finn updates the groove with some modern elements and adds a touch of club to the new wave vibe.

Pajama Club also includes Finn's wife, Sharon Finn, as well as songwriter Sean Donnely. Pajama Club's touring line up adds drummer Alana Skyring to fill out the sound. Drop by the band's website to get another Pajama Club track, From a Friend to a Friend. Keep an eye out for a Pajama Club album in September.

Tori Amos - Carry (from Night of the Hunters, due out September 20)

Tori Amos continues to extend her scope with her upcoming album, Night of the Hunters. Harking back to her classical roots, the Deutsche Grammophon project promises to be a modern song cycle, with inspiration from composers like Eric Satie and Frédéric Chopin. With orchestral backing and well known classical players, the albums seems like a challenge that her fans might find daunting.

But the first video, Carry, allays any fears. The organic, breathy flow of the song and Amos' expressive piano work put the song on familiar ground. Amos' lush voice yearns, but also comforts. The orchestral elements naturally complement the song, whether it's the string section lines or the touch of oboe. The mix is richer and more theatrical than pop but retains a song-like sense.

I'm looking forward to hearing more from Night of the Hunters.

CD review - Rene Lopez, E.L.S. (2011)

Lopez moves from retro soul to a contemporary Latin sound

Rene Lopez' last album, People Are Just People (review here) served as a kind of homage to classic R&B and soul music. On his latest album, E.L.S., Lopez steps forward to claim his own voice. "Electric Latin Soul" is his new banner and the album largely lives up to that vision.

The title cut serves as Lopez' statement of purpose, marrying an electro-disco funk groove with Latin percussion beats. But it's the second track, I Flow, that really delivers on the Electric Latin sound. The vocals provide club braggadocio touting his rap skills as the backing track lays down the speedy beat the flow demands. The horns and rhythms make a compelling combination:

It took me twenty years to finally find my flow
Now that it's mine, I won't, I won't let go
Pickpocket man try to steal, steal my soul
I caught him red handed when my eyes were closed
(Here I go, here I go)
To the east (I flow), yeah it's big in Japan
To the west (I flow), in the California sand
To the north (I flow), in the Bronx, I was born
To the south (I flow), it's going on and on

The beat is club worthy, but the syncopation gives it life beyond the dance floor.

Despite the electro-dance elements, Lopez hasn't completely abandoned his earlier sound. The "soul" part of "Electric Latin Soul" gets a workout in tracks like Honey Got Some Love or Everything We Do. These tracks keep the clave rhythms and tight percussion, but still deliver a soulful message and vocal feel.

E.L.S. is packed with busier tracks than Lopez' previous work. As much as I enjoyed People Are Just People, the new album is exciting as Rene Lopez plays with sonic ideas. Not all of the experiments succeed (L2 the Boogaloo's electro Latin hip hop, for example), but Lopez commits to the exploration. He embraces his Puerto Rican roots while reaching for a more contemporary sound. Lopez is a talented multi-instrumentalist, so his next steps will indicate whether he plans bring the E.L.S. sound to maturity or mutate it further.

(The link above for I Flow is a live version. Follow this link to tweet about the album and get a copy of the album track)

CD review - Cloud Control, Bliss Release (2010/2011)

Rich retro harmonies fill out psychedelic folk sound

Australia's Cloud Control have built a big reputation back home and started making waves in Europe. Now their debut, Bliss Release, is due for release here in the US.

Cloud Control cover some of the same terrain as other indie folkish artists like Fleet Foxes or Arcade Fire: guitar jangle, a mix of acoustic and electric instruments, and a retro haze permeating their music. Cloud Control stakes their own claim by leaning more towards a psych folk vibe and building rich harmony arrangements. These harmonies are where the band truly shines.

The opening track, Meditation Song #2 (Why, Oh Why) is the perfect representative for the band's sound. The simple folky start with sweet harmonies sounds like the Mamas and the Papas. The easy acoustic sway is pretty, but then a low level guitar distortion adds a fill of notes. A moment later, that distortion moves in with acid rock intensity and drives the rest of the song. The psychedelic feel reorients the harmonies to classic psych folkers, The Association.

But the full musical sound never buries the harmonies. The male and female vocals meld, then exchange lines. The voices maintain a kind of sunshine openness that contrasts with the intensity of the music.

On the other hand, songs like Death Cloud prove that Cloud Control can play solid indie rock, too. The driving beat and staccato bassline are more modern. But once again, the harmonies add complexity and depth to the song. Despite the threatening title and lyrics, the sound is open and joyous.

Cloud Control breaks up the love-fest with songs like Ghost Story or My Fear #1. The moody chanting and repetitive drone on Ghost Story build a delightful tension, even as the chorus offers a quirky diversion:

We are the sole protectors
We are the soul collectors
We follow solar vectors

The music is full of rhythmic details. Despite these darker moments, Bliss Release is ultimately an affirming listen. The retro sunshine resonance lingers like a sip of Barenjager honey liqueur.