New Panda Bear Out Today

April 12th, 2011 • Electronic, Release Calendar

It’s weird to think that Panda Bear, the moniker of Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox, has been around since 1999. The project was so overshadowed by Lennox’s involvement in the Animal Collective collaboration (including himself as Panda Bear and David Portner, Josh Dibb and Brian Weitz under monikers, respectively, Avey Tare, Deakin and Geologist). In 2004 Lennox focused more on solo Panda Bear with Young Prayer. In 2007 he released Person Pitch which was pretty huge.

TODAY (April 12, 2011) after a lot of postponing, he released Tomboy. You can check it out for a limited time on NPR First Listen.

If you’re into ambient-electro-pop…enjoy!

Matt & Kim “Sidewalks” Review – Track by Track

November 4th, 2010 • Album Review, Brooklyn, Electronic

#1: Block After Block – This track sounds more like a remix of a Matt & Kim song – there are just too many layers of sound. It’s more oriental-sounding like “Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare.” The thing is that Kim is clearly playing a drum machine, and that is a totally new direction for the band. i know they’ve used it a little in the past, but this flat jingly snare sound doesn’t work here. I think this track would be better live.

#2: AM/FM Sound – Again it really doesn’t open like a Matt & Kim song. The verse sounds really tacky, like they struggled to write the melody. The chorus, however, is more fun and catchy with the “oh ay oh”s. This track is a little reminiscent of Cinders, but I just don’t really feel like I could dance to this.

#3: Cameras – I’ve already been in love with this song for over a month. I love the bells Kim is playing as well as the syncopated brass. Matt’s voice sounds so natural and excited in this song. The effects on his voice are just what they’ve always used in their prior albums. True, it’s not clear keyboard/drums of To/From and their self-titled album, but the elements are all there. I think it’s the syncopation and explosive jolting energy which really make this song so amazing.

#4: Red Paint – The drums and Matt’s voice are pleasantly familiar in this track, but then there’s too much cymbal and nintendo noises which distract. The volume levels seem off – Matt and the flute are kind of drowned out by extra vocal layers and whatever else they added in.

#5: Where You’re Coming From – I like this one more than most of the songs on the album. The beat is good and the energy is up a little more. It’s like the “Turn This Boat Around” of this album. It’s the feel-good, change-the-world, inspirational one. Whatever happened to abstract lyrics like “pitchfork, switchblade, salt water and this hose/I tend to believe my eyes before my nose.” No, apparently now Matt is showing people how to become a man, how to walk into a grave, claiming he knows where you’re coming from.

#6: Good for Great – Honestly this song is just asking for Fireflies and Riding Solo mash-ups. This song also just seems so boring…which doesn’t make sense because Matt and Kim are such enthusiastic performers. The lyrics take almost an environmental theme: “So I’ll leave these pages in the trees.” The layered vocals are awful in this song too, unfortunately – making it sound like Hawk Nelson or Forever the Sickest Kids.

#7: Northeast – Aww another song about New England. Okay this is the Daylight outro of this album. Matt’s vocals are pretty good and he references Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare: “as I said, the skyline’s brighter tonight.” There’s a nice drum addition and synth, but still it’s too simple and cliche for them. It ends very abruptly. It seems like it’s building up, and you’re hoping something awesome will happen next, but no…the song just ends.

#8: Wires – I have a great feeling about this one – it reminds me a lot of Dash After Dash, especially with the low distorted keyboard. I think they could have chosen a more crisp snare sound, but other than that this track is really quite good. The vocal layering fits much better here, and the drumming gets better and better. This is the second best track on the album, I’d say.

#9: Silver Tiles – At first I was really excited that they were doing a Silver Tiles remake. Now I feel betrayed. Matt’s vocals are almost the same as the original though he has a little more control. I HATEHATEHATE the tinny back up vocals. They make his voice sound like Matt Theissen automatically and totally drown him out. I feel like they’re trying to make this sound more professional and mature; and it sucks. They did almost nothing to remake it – they just re-recorded it with their fancy new equipment and effects.

#10: Ice Melts – The last track has a few more classic Matt & Kim qualities, like the keyboard following Matt’s voice and if you listen closely you can hear the bass notes on the keyboard. This, for some reason, sounds more like a track 2 than a last track. There’s definitely more energy in this song, though the balance between instruments and vocals still isn’t quite right. The bells pull the Cameras theme back in. Again the ending is very abrupt – much too abrupt for a last track.

Overall I was clearly disappointed with Sidewalks. I miss their old minimalist keyboard and drums feel – it felt much more genuine and the excitement from Matt’s voice and Kim’s beats was contagious. This album just feels different than their older ones. As an album itself, it’s actually pretty good. It’s just within the context of their other albums it falls very very short. It was smart of them to release Cameras as a single first, though – it’s definitely the best track on the album.

Matt and Kim’s Sidewalks on Pitchfork

Summer Music: Dubstep

August 22nd, 2010 • Electronic

Dubstep is an emerging genre of music that combines the dominant sub-bass lines of dub (as in dub reggae) with the jittery half-time drums of two-step.  This music will break your headphones, so you’re going to have to find a system with some nice deep bass to enjoy these tunes.  Dubstep already has developed several cliches, including layered synths, ‘wobble bass,’ and the ever-present ‘bass drop.’  A bass drop usually consists of a gap in the music, after which the main phrase comes back in but with an overwhelming synth bassline.  Below are two dubstep remixes: The first is a ‘typical’ dubstep remix by UK artist Chrispy (who was only 17 at the time), and the second is a mix by Canadian duo Zed’s Dead, which pushes the envelope a bit.

M.I.A. Takes the Cake

April 29th, 2010 • Commentary, Electronic, Video
Tags: Born Free, M.I.A., mthfl

Editor’s Note: This article was originally written for (mthfl), and was published in that publication on April 29, 2010. The video below contains scenes of nudity and violence. Viewer discretion is advised.

The webs are aflitter with talk of the new M.I.A music video, “Born Free,” and all MTHFL has to say is “bravo, m’lady.”

I think I have found the second candidate for the “futurevisions” series.

Treading a tender line between blatant outraged social commentary and dark science-fiction future-drama, this artist has made something that feels uncomfortably close to the truth, and yet remarkably and violently foreign. The tune is great, sampling a late 70′s punk song by a band called Suicide. Some people are saying this plays special significance to those who lived through that era of music and can remember the time and place that song came out. I cannot be counted among those poeple, so I cannot attest to this fact. i suggest you read more about that if you are interested. Read more »

CONCERT REVIEWS: A fantastic week of music for Paris – Frightened Rabbit and The Very Best

April 15th, 2010 • Concert Review, Electronic, Rock, Video
Tags: frightened rabbit, radioclit, The Very Best

It was a fantastic week for music in Paris. Frightened Rabbit played Tuesday night at Le Flèche d’Or, and The Very Best graced Social Club the following evening. The groups put on shows that are practically polar opposites, but both nights proved to be brilliant in their own right. Read more »

Concert Review: Toro Y Moi/Washed Out/Small Black/James Cook

March 16th, 2010 • 1 comment Concert Review, Electronic, Maine
Tags: chillwave, Jamie Cook, Small Black, Toro Y Moi, Washed Out

Editor’s Note: This article was originally written for The Bates Student, and was published in that publication on March 9, 2010.

Music lovers of Bates turned out in distinct droves and waves on Friday night, March 5^th for a WRBC-sponsored event at The Benjamin Mayes Center. The concert was much promoted by the campus radio station, in an effort to get students listening and excited for these up and coming groups.

The artists, who fall under the blog-spun catch-all genre “chillwave” all actually sounded pretty distinct. Each group brought a distinct and enjoyable sound to students who were clearly very excited to dance and enjoy what the bands had to offer. Read more »

Fresh from the South: Toro Y Moi (with Video)

January 28th, 2010 • Electronic, News, Release Calendar, South Carolina, Video
Tags: Blessa, Causers of This, chillwave, Columbia, South Carolina, Toro Y Moi

We all know South Carolina as the bastion of the Confederacy, Palmettos, Boiled Peanuts and Sweet Tea… But Chillwave? Apparently. Toro Y Moi, a band that derives its name from a mashup of Romance language word meaning The Bull and Me, is a rising star in the growing genre, and he calls Columbia, South Carolina home.

His most recent album, Causers of This, was released this month as a digital download and will come out in a hard copy February 2 on Carpark Records. The Internet buzz machine is alive with support of what he is doing. Even Kanye West agrees with the hype of this former USC Gamecock, Chazwick Bundick (what a name!). Read more »

Concert Review: Passion Pit at Boston’s House of Blues

January 12th, 2010 • 3 comments Boston, Concert Review, Electronic
Tags: Dirty Dishes, House of Blues, Magic Magic, Passion Pit

Months ago, I was looking to see if there were any good shows during our winter break in Boston. Growing up outside of Boston gave me many opportunities throughout high school to catch great concerts in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville; so, any time that I’m home, I try to see a show or two if I can.  By some miracle, Passion Pit, based in Boston, were playing a show the last week I was home and the tickets were only $25. I immediately bought them; after missing out on their last concert in Boston (with Phoenix and Spoon, reviewed HERE), which sold out the first day, I knew I had to act fast.

There was a lot of excitement leading up to the show—it was like the cherry on top of my winter vacation. I’ve been listening to Passion Pit for a few months now and recently they’ve become extremely popular, so I knew there would be a lot of interest and a lot of different people at the concert. Read more »

Editor’s Picks: 30 Best Albums of the Decade

December 24th, 2009 • 1 comment Commentary, Electronic, Folk, Hip Hop, Op-Ed, Rock
Tags: Amadou & Mariam, Animal Collective, Bjork, Bon Iver, Brian Wilson, Bruce Springsteen, David Sanford & The Pittsburgh Collective, DJ Danger Mouse, Fleet Foxes, Gregory and the Hawk, Gui Boratto, Jens Lekman, Jonsi and Alex, Lil Wayne, M83, Noah and the Whale, Phoenix, Radiohead, Ryan Adams, seabear, Sigur Ros, Sin Fang Bous, Spoon, Sufjan Stevens, The Arcade Fire, The Hold Steady, The Shins, TV on the Radio, Yeasayer, Yelle

1. The Arcade Fire – Funeral

This album made baroque pop cool again, something that seemed unachievable after the Beach Boys fell apart.

2. Ryan Adams – Gold

Gold is alternative country at its very best, chocked full of sublime instrumentation and sentimental lyrics.

3. Bruce Springsteen – We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

The Boss sings Pete Seeger and brilliance results; there is something fantastic about the combination of Springsteen’s voice and Seeger’s lyrics.

4. Yeasayer – All Hours Cymbals

All Hours Cymbals is an album for the decade lyrically, thematically, and instrumentally.

5. Jonsi and Alex – Riceboy Sleeps

Jonsi and Alex’s post-rock/ambient masterpiece is an album to listen to all the way through (8+ times) to really catch it’s flavor. Read more »

Editor’s Picks: 10 Best Albums of 2009

December 21st, 2009 • Commentary, Electronic, Folk, Op-Ed, Rock, Top Ten
Tags: 2009, Animal Collective, au revoir simone, best albums, Fuck Buttons, Grizzly Bear, Jonsi and Alex, Karen O and the Kids, Noah and the Whale, Phish, Phoenix, The Avett Brothers, Top Ten

Now, just 10 days remain in the decade, and as such, another top ten list is in order. This time, I am looking at what I think are the ten best albums of the past year.

1. Jonsi and Alex – Riceboy Sleeps

This is one of the finest ambient albums ever made. This album is both enigmatic and idiocyncratic; it really grows on the listener such that it may be true that each time one listens to it, Riceboy Sleeps feels like a whole new album. Despite being produced by Sigur Ros lead singer Jón Þór Birgisson and his boyfriend Alex Somers, this album has a unique quality to it that fans of post-rock should hope continues in the future with Jonsi’s upcoming solo release, Go, which is due out early in 2010

2. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

It’s light and poppy; it’s deep and lyrical; it’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. This album is about contradictions and while that might not normally make for a stellar album concept, French rockers Phoenix have really produced a piece on indie-pop gold in this, their fourth full-length studio album.

3. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

Delightfully weird, as one should come to expect from the Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavillion is a tour-de-force of the dream-pop scene, which is developing in and around Baltimore of all places. Read more »