The Week in Albums: Apr. 29

Another quiet week for releases. I'm covering two moderately reviewed indie-friendly albums, plus an intense metal album that got some great reviews earlier in the year.

#1
Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
Explosions in the Sky
Temporary Residence

As I sit here, only days away from being done with college, it's easy to reflect back on the past four years of my life. One random observation? I've never, ever gotten into post-rock. That horribly named subgenre, with its noodling instrumental virtuosity and wide-screen epicness, is usually seen as tailor-made for the collegiate masses. It all sounds "so deep... man," which suits an environment already rife with introspection, pretentiousness and lots of discussing the meaning of life. Explosions in the Sky are one of the more beloved post-rock bands operating today, but thus far I've managed to avoid their supposed charms and Take Care, Take Care, Take Care is doing nothing to change that fact. Over forty-six minutes, the band churns out pretty guitar instrumentals, but ones that feel devoid of any tension, emotion or drive. Occasionally things get noisy, but not noisy enough. If I wanted big, sparkly grandeur, I'd play a Sigur Ros album. So there you have it. The world will shortly have one more college graduate who isn't into Explosions in the Sky. Count us while you can, 'cause we're a dying breed.

Simon's Grade:



#2
Wit's End
Cass McCombs
Domino Records

The latest in Pitchfork's endless string of left-of-center Best New Music nominees, Cass McCombs' Wit's End continues the Californian songwriter's run of good-not-great albums of tender balladry. After last year's Catacombs raised his profile, Wit's End has been getting more attention than any album in McCombs' history, mostly for the better. His songs are gentle, often sad and more than a little influenced by the radio-friendly pop-rock of the 1970s. It's an odd combination, especially given today's love of all things shoddy and low-fi, but McCombs mostly sticks the landing. Particularly with the moody opener "County Line" and the sprawling piano drama of "Saturday Song," Wit's End is packed with emotionally charged moments, bursting with pathos and minor key chord progressions. Is it all a bit schlocky? Perhaps, but there are some solid melodies and lyrical gems hidden in there. Those things are always good in my book.

Simon's Grade:



#3
Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I
Earth
Southern Lord Record

Drone metal can be a bit of a tough sell, but I honestly find it one of the most accessible types of hard rock. Since it usually veers away from the throat-shredding vocals, growling and general scariness people associate with the genre, I think drone has plenty of crossover potential. Sure, there's that whole "seventeen-minute-songs-themed-around-death" side of things, but nobody's perfect. Angels of Darkness, however, the latest release from my fellow Seattlites Earth, provides an excellent example of how listenable drone metal can really be. Over the album's five, extremely lengthy tracks, the band runs through a series of musical themes and riffs, all with funereal pacing and a fairly gloomy atmosphere. Angels of Darkness excels due to the raw, emotional cello that underpins much of the guitar dirge, as well as some excellent use of tension and musical catharsis. The album got plenty of critical nods upon its release in February and I have a hard time saying it doesn't deserve the praise. So, go check it out. Drone metal might not seem like your thing, but Angels of Darkness makes it surprisingly palatable.

Simon's Grade:

It's Whosday! Recaps: "The Impossible Astronaut"

As part of my attempt to bring diverse and varied writing to this blog, I'm proud to introduce It's Whosday! Recaps, Pretzel Logic's new Tuesday programming. Since Doctor Who, one of my favorite shows, has finally returned, I'm going to be covering each week's episode here on the blog. Be warned, though. Here be spoilers.


Series 6, Episode 1
Title: "The Impossible Astronaut"
Writer: Steven Moffat
Director: Toby Haynes

So, this Saturday, Doctor Who's sixth series began with "The Impossible Astronaut," the first half of the two-part intro to the season. Right from the start, this episode seems quite aware of the show's growing American audience. There's a bit more "this-is-the-Doctor-and-this-is-what-he-does" exposition than we usually get in a season premier. Oh, and the episode is set and actually shot in America. So there's that.

I cannot emphasize enough how incredible the production values for this show have become since Steven Moffat took over as showrunner. Gone is the harsh, BBC lighting, which inexplicably loved making everything neon green or purple. Instead, we get lots and lots of location shooting, which is positively put on display here. The show journeyed to Utah to shoot these first two episodes and the stunning cinematography does not disappoint. I mean, look at that photo up there. Just... look at it. Gah.

As for the plot, "The Impossible Astronaut" throws a lot at us, leaving approximately eighty-thousand balls hanging in the air for this Saturday's episode to catch. It seems that a version of the Doctor from later on in his timeline has recruited Amy, Rory and River Song for some unseen purpose, bringing them together (along with the mysterious Canton Everett Delaware III) in the middle of America. Suddenly, an astronaut emerges from the lake (what?), shoots the Doctor (what?!) and then shoots him again mid-regeneration (WHAT?!), just to make sure that he's really most sincerely dead. And we've still got another half-hour to go.

Long story short, the Doctor that fits our current timeline shows up and doesn't understand why everyone is so distraught. After lots of hugging and crying, the gang marches off to the TARDIS and goes in search of Canton. The find themselves in the middle of Washington, D.C., materializing in the middle of Nixon's Oval Office. Turns out Tricky Dick has been receiving phone calls from a mysterious child every night and, after lots of gun-pointing and jokes, the Doctor agrees to investigate.

While goofy stuff is happening, however, Amy discovers something far more serious and frightening. After briefly seeing a dark figure in the desert, only to mysteriously forget about it a moment later, she is finally confronted by the figure, who turns out to be an incredibly creepy alien. These, ladies and gentlemen, are the Silence (or Silents, depending on how you want to interpret things).


Like many of Steven Moffat's alien threats, the fear they create comes more from psychology than actual creepiness. Like the Weeping Angels, the Silence need to be observed. However, this is because the minute you stop seeing them, you forget that you ever saw them. Also, they can apparently channel some kind of electricity/magic to make people explode, which Amy discovers when her alien menace combusts an unsuspecting woman in a White House bathroom. Combined with their eerie faces, elongated hands and some stellar sound editing, the Silence are truly creepy and disturbing group of antagonists.

The episode ends with the Doctor & Co. traveling to Florida, determined to track down the young girl who's been calling President Nixon. They find lots of stolen astronaut gear, some clearly alien technology and a spooky interface that seems to have been foreshadowed by last season's "The Lodger." Oh, and River and Rory discover a nest of Silence (Silents? Silences?) underground. Meanwhile, Canton (who's been tagging along) gets knocked out by an unknown foe and, in a moment of panic, Amy reveals to the Doctor that she's pregnant. The astronaut from the episode's beginning appears and Amy grabs Canton's gun and shoots, screaming to the Doctor "I'm saving your life!" All things considered, it's a gripping cliff-hanger to end on, meaning this Saturday cannot come soon enough.

Now, since I'm an avid reader of the A.V. Club, it's time for some...

Stray Observations:

-Great use of music throughout. I particularly liked the Ennio Morricone-ish guitar theme heard throughout the beginning. I guess they're trying to emphasize being in America...?
-There's far too much stuff concerning River to go into here. I've discussed the nature of who she is and how she relates to the Doctor with friends and the resulting conversations have taken hours. For now, I simply suggest going back to "Silence in the Library," when we first meet her, and paying close attention to Alex Kingston's performances. Trust me. You'll thank yourself for doing so.
-The sequence where we first meet present-day Doctor reveals odd similarities between his hairstyle and Elvis'.
-The Doctor has a special straw. It adds more fizz. Because of course it does.
-Rory poking the Doctor to make sure he's real is eight types of magical.
-Has the Moffat-era TARDIS always had chairs? Have I somehow not noticed this the entire time?
-"NASA is where the spacemen live." Hilarious.
-Evidently, TARDIS hazing means that, if you're the newest companion, you have to explain the whole "it's bigger on the inside thing." Also hilarious.
-When asked why he lost his job at the FBI, Canton says "I wanted to get married." Amy: "Is that illegal?" Canton: "...yes." Hmm, should we read this as Canton being gay and, if so, how will this effect the plot of the next episode?
-Finally, Amy, Rory and River are so very concerned with keeping the knowledge of the Doctor's future death away from him, but one of them is obviously meant to tell him, since he walked knowingly towards the astronaut. Time travel creates all sorts of problems.

(Photos courtesy of marishna)

Seattle Zephyrs Recaps: Week 3, 5-11 Loss

Well, this week wasn't pretty. The middle of the Zephyrs' lineup was kept nicely in check, with Carlos Gonzalez letting everyone down by posting a single measly hit over the course of the whole seven days. This team is counting on CarGo to get on base, drive in runs and swipe some bases along the way and, so far, he's been doing none of those things. Injuries also took Victor Martinez and Logan Morrison out of the lineup, adding to the offensive void.

Not all is lost, however. The Zephyrs were surprisingly able to pick up Geovany Soto to replace Martinez. The Cubs catcher surely has to snap out of his recent slump in the near future. Grady Sizemore was also acquired this week, replacing the dramatically under-performing Brett Gardner. Outfielder Corey Hart is due to return from the disabled list, hopefully adding a bit more pop to the lineup. Finally, pitching pickups Michael Pineda and James Shields proved to be wonderful moves. After a couple weeks of pitch-and-ditching, the Zephyrs have finally settled into a semi-stable rotation of Weaver, Haren, Danks, Shields and Pineda.

Alright, off to the stat leaders...

Offense
-Runs: Jose Reyes (NYM), 5
-Hits: Adrian Gonzalez (BOS), 10
-Home Runs: tie - Casey McGehee (MIL), Colby Rasmus (STL), Grady Sizemore (CLE), 1
-Runs Batted In: Casey McGehee (MIL), 6
-Stolen Bases: tie - Dustin Pedroia (BOS), Jose Reyes (NYM), 2
-Walks: Dustin Pedroia (BOS), 9
-Batting Average*: tie - Casey McGehee (MIL), Jose Reyes (NYM), .320
-On-base Percentage plus Slugging*: Casey McGehee (MIL), .974

*minimum 15 at-bats

...and the Week 3 Offensive MVP Award goes to:


CASEY MCGEHEE! After a slow start, the Zephyrs' third baseman finally had a good week, getting timely hits, a fair share of walks and driving in some runs. The team certainly isn't looking to Casey to carry everything, but weekly contributions like this are what makes good teams great. Ideally, other hitters should be shouldering the MVP-type burdens, but the relative suckitude from our hitters this week does not diminish McGehee's accomplishments.

Pitching
-Wins: tie - Justin Masterson (CLE), Michael Pineda (SEA), James Shields (TB), Jered Weaver (LAA), 1
-Losses: John Danks (CWS), 2
-Saves: J.J. Putz (ARI), 2
-Strikeouts: John Danks (CWS), 13
-Holds: none recorded
-Earned Run Average*: tie - Michael Pineda (SEA), James Shields (TB), 0.00
-Walks plus Hits Per Inning Pitched*: tie - James Shields (TB), Jered Weaver (LAA), 0.67
-Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio*: Jered Weaver (LAA), infinite (8 Ks, no BBs)

*minimum 5.0 innings pitched

...and the Week 3 Cy Young Award goes to:


JAMES SHIELDS! This was a close call, since both James and Jered Weaver threw complete game wins this week. Ultimately, I decided that Shields' shutout was better than Weaver's one-run start, despite giving up two walks. Either way, this team has some incredible pitchers on its roster.

The Week in Albums: Apr. 22

After the wave of awesomeness that was last week's album release schedule, things calmed down a bit during the past seven days. However, we do have a challenger to PJ Harvey's "most acclaimed thing of the year" title, along with two albums I've been meaning to write about for a while.

#1
w h o k i l l
tUnE-yArDs
4AD

This punctuation-defying band is the project of Merrill Garbus, a New England performer who absolutely cannot be placed into any specific genre. Utilizing a wide range of unconventional instruments (ukelele seems to be a favorite), Garbus' songs flit between indie rock, R&B, world music and just plain experimental nonsense. w h o k i l l is her second release and, thus far, it has been ravenously consumed by the music critic community. Pitchfork gave it an 8.8, Rolling Stone won't shut up about it and the blogosphere is just generally drooling with contentment. Sure enough, the album is an impressive one. Garbus has a voice unlike anything I've ever heard, occupying a weirdly androgynous space on almost every song. Her music is playful, goofy and very loose, giving the impression of being recorded live during an in-studio party. Garbus' unique style of best showcased on "My Country," "Gangsta" or "Bizness," songs that combine powerful rhythm tracks with whimsical lyrics and musical touches. The album's second half does loose some momentum, as the silliness starts to get irritating or repetitive, but the starkly beautiful "Wolly Wolly Gong" is worth waiting until the end. tUnE-yArDs will certainly be a big player during the year-end lists, so you might as well listen to it know and find out what everyone's so damn excited about.

Simon's Grade:



#2
Mirrorwriting
Jamie Woon
Polydor

Dubstep, a ghostly variant of hip-hop, has been around for almost a decade, yet it has stubbornly refused any type of mainstream crossover. With the possible exception of Burial's Untrue in 2007, the genre has never had a big album to lead that charge. Mirrorwriting, the debut from London's Jamie Woon, seems poised to finally shoulder than mantle. Combining dubstep's dry, brittle samples and loops with a romantic atmosphere borrowed from contemporary R&B, Mirrorwriting's twelve songs err on the right side of accessibility. They're catchy and certainly radio-friendly, but they still retain the spookiness and challenging sound of dubstep. Woon's singles "Night Air" and "Lady Luck" have been making some headway on the English charts and music critics have been pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of the album. Personally, I recommend "Street," the album's languid second track, as an ideal starting place. If its careful balance between hushed verses and a somewhat ominous chorus don't win you over, I don't know what I can tell you.

Simon's Grade:



#3
House of Balloons
The Weeknd
self-released

No, that's not a typo. House of Balloons is the debut recording from the Weeknd, the performing name for Canadian singer Abel Tesfaye. Not unlike Jamie Woon, Tesfaye seems to be borrowing from the nocturnal vibe of dubstep and crossbreeding it with R&B. However, unlike Mirrorwriting, House of Balloons is a much more foreboding and bleak statement, discussing romance, sexuality and decadence in frightening terms. Brilliant sampling work plays a large part, especially when Siouxsie & the Banshee's "Happy House" gets folded into Tesfaye's "House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls." Beach House is another common sample, adding to the album's spectral eeriness. "High for This" serves as the album's jarring, sinister opener, while late-album highlights such as "Coming Down" keep up this level of consistency. Who knows whether the Weeknd's future releases will stay at this level of competency. All I know is that this debut is one that should not be ignored.

Simon's Grade:

Seattle Zephyrs Recaps: Week 2, 10-4 Win

The week's last pitch has been thrown and the Seattle Zephyrs have racked up another tally in the win column. Despite some truly depressing offensive performances from certain members of the lineup, my team both out-hit and out-pitched this week's opponent, #winning.

This week saw the departures of early Zephyrs hero Torii Hunter, as well as utility man Neil Walker. Key additions for this coming week include Logan Morrison, Michael Pineda and setup man Joaquin Benoit. Maybe next week, I'll actually have some holds to speak of.

Offense
-Runs: Colby Rasmus (STL), 10
-Hits: Colby Rasmus (STL), 13
-Home Runs: tie - Torii Hunter (LAA), Carlos Gonzalez (COL), Nick Markakis (BAL), Dustin Pedroia (BOS), Colby Rasmus (STL), Jose Reyes (NYM), Neil Walker (PIT), 1
-Runs Batted In: Carlos Gonzalez (COL), 8
-Stolen Bases: Jose Reyes (NYM), 3
-Walks: tie - Adrian Gonzalez (BOS), Dustin Pedroia (BOS), 4
-Batting Average*: Colby Rasmus (STL), .371
-On-base Percentage plus Slugging*: Colby Rasmus (STL), 1.046

*minimum 15 at-bats

...and the Week 2 Offensive MVP Award goes to:


COLBY RASMUS! In case you couldn't tell from the stats above, Colby absolutely carried this team the entire week long. Oddly, after working eight walks during the season's first ten days, he only got one during the past seven. However, ripping the cover off the ball works just as well.

Pitching
-Wins: Dan Haren (LAA), 2
-Losses: tie - Bronson Arroyo (CIN), Jeff Francis (KC), Ian Kennedy (ARI), 1
-Saves: Heath Bell (SD), 2
-Strikeouts: Dan Haren (LAA), 14
-Holds: none recorded
-Earned Run Average*: John Danks (CWS), 1.12
-Walks plus Hits Per Inning Pitched*: Jered Weaver (LAA), 0.57
-Stikeout-to-Walk Ratio*: Dan Haren (LAA), 7.00

*minimum 5.0 innings pitched

...and the Week 2 Cy Young Award goes to:


DAN HAREN! The underrated right-hander continues to be dominant, supporting his fellow Angels ace (and Seattle Zephyrs teammate) Jered Weaver to create one of the most lethal one-two pitching combos in baseball. His two starts this week helped balance out some misfires from my other starters.

The Week in Albums: Apr. 15

If last year was a bit short on new releases, this week was absolutely crammed full of awesome new albums. Therefore, today you get four (!) reviews, to balance out last Friday's meager two. Let joy ring out.

#1
Nine Types of Light
TV on the Radio
Interscope

After scaring everyone half to death by declaring themselves on a hiatus in 2009, TV on the Radio returned this year with their fourth full-length album, Nine Types of Light. Ever since the release of 2006's Return to Cookie Mountain, TVotR have been a critical favorite and Nine Types of Light was predictably showered in praise and accolades. Mixing the more experimental end of alternative rock with lean, Prince-worthy funk and some world music leanings, TVotR hit so many "this is awesome" points on a music critic's checklist. And yet... not unlike their 2008 album Dear Science, this new release feels slightly soulless. Not in the sense of, say, "soul music," because there's certain enough grooviness and emotion here. Rather, the shiny production and airtight arrangements result in an album that feels weirdly plastic. TVotR are an explosive live band and their direct-to-digital recording style smooths out too many of their live quirks and eccentricities. The songwriting is still there, as evidenced by wonderful tracks like "Will Do," "Second Song" and "No Future Shock." I just wish they would wipe a layer of digital sheen or two off their music in the future.

Simon's Grade:



#2
Tomboy
Panda Bear
Paw Tracks

Noah Lennox, perhaps better known as Panda Bear, has already carved out a slice of music history for himself through his work as a member of Animal Collective. However, that's evidently not enough for Lennox, as he's gone on to release three solo albums. One of those, 2008's Person Pitch, is without question one of the finest releases of the past ten years and his latest, Tomboy, is threatening to continue that legacy of greatness into the summer of 2011 and beyond. Unlike the Brian-Wilson-worthy compositions on Person Pitch, Tomboy feels much more linear and organic, featuring more real instrumentation and far fewer eclectic samples. Most of the album's best songs, including the title track and the positively magical "Slow Motion," are driven by simple guitar strumming. Of course, in Lennox's hands, things become substantially less simple after layers of effects and keyboard squiggles and squelches, but the core songs on Tomboy are surprisingly traditional. The resulting album is one that's hard to love on first listen, but constantly rewarding multiple listens. Panda Bear's dreamy, meandering pop will certainly be on repeat for me over this spring and summer.

Simon's Grade:



#3
Build a Rocket Boys!
Elbow
Downtown/Cooperative Music

I've had to sit on this one for a while, since it was released in Elbow's native England more than a month ago. I don't like reviewing albums until I have a sense of how things are being received internationally and American critics have balanced out the almost universal acclaim their English peers were throwing at Build a Rocket Boys!. Elbow have always been an odd band for me, since they manage to operate at an almost Coldplay-esque level of anthemic earnestness without becoming obnoxious or corny. With this new release, the band's fifth album overall, Elbow continue to record inexplicably good music. In lesser hands, the eight-minute-long opener "The Birds" would have been an impossibly portentous and insufferable monstrosity. Here, it's actually a wonderful experiment in tension, building to a much earned climax and a catchy breakdown. Angular tracks like lead single "Neat Little Rows" help counterbalance the band's tendencies toward piano-y ballads and even some of those ("The Night Will Always Win") are strangely wonderful. Elbow are a band that drives me crazy as a critic, since I can never quite understand why I don't hate them. I simply have to hold up my hands and go "yup, they're big and populist and cliched. And I don't care." Deal with it, folks.

Simon's Grade:



#4
The English Riviera
Metronomy
Because Music

I was going to use this space to review the new Foo Fighters album (see below), but then I discovered Metronomy's The English Riviera and knew I had to include it instead. Although it has received very few reviews, those that it did get were wildly positive and rightly so. The third album from this London-based band, Riviera is an understated, surprisingly mature effort from a very young group of musicians. There's an air of European, Bryan-Ferry-worthy cool lurking on the edges of this album (christ, just look at that title and album cover!), yet there are also some great, against-the-grain elements as well. Funky songs like "The Look" or "She Wants" balance their non-threatening boogie with off-kilter or dissonant chord changes. Band leader Joe Mount has crafted a set of songs that wouldn't sound out of place during the early 80s, which is the highest of praises in my book. Albums that sneak up on you are always the best and The English Riviera has the highest ratio of expected enjoyment to actually enjoyment of the year so far.

Simon's Grade:



Also this week: Wasting Light by Foo Fighters (3 pretzels), C'mon by Low (3.5 pretzels)