Peter Bjorn & John - "Nothing to Worry About" (except crazy dancing Asians)

Their new album, Living Thing, still won't be released for another month, but Peter Bjorn & John have released their first single and subsequent music video for "Nothing to Worry About". And it is good:



-j2

New Music Tuesday

Sometimes Tuesdays feel like Christmas. With all the anticipation and build-up of what's inside that strangely-shaped box wrapped with that giant red bow, opening the present either results in massive disappointment or utmost exultation. And so occasionally the music industry's designated day for new album releases carries with it that same excitement and anxiety, specifically when a highly-touted new act with previously leaked tracks finally gives us their first full-length.

For months we've been teased with the same two or three tracks from Next Big Thing Vampire Weekend. Well today their self-titled debut finally dropped, and it truly is a gift. With a throw-back sound recalling Peter Bjorn & John, the NYC quartet moves quickly through each track (the whole album is a brief 35 minutes) of post-new wave pop. Perhaps it is simply that each song is only two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half minutes long, but not a single one dissatisfies. "A-Punk" may be the preppiest punk ballad ever, but it may also be the most accessible and enjoyable, and "I Stand Corrected" is a pleasant admittance of wrongdoing that denies refusal of forgiveness. Added to previously released/leaked "Mansard Roof", "Oxford Comma", and "Walcott" - each duly creating the aforementioned hype - this is a most promising debut. Let's hope they get to the middleCoast soon. In the meantime, enjoy the mp3 for "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", the reason for all the Paul Simon comparisons:



Make friends at http://www.myspace.com/vampireweekend.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joining in the gift-giving this holly Tuesday are Portland duo The Helio Sequence, with their fourth release (their second for Sub Pop), Keep Your Eyes Ahead. These indie rockers have always been masters of creating atmosphere, and the soaring guitars and ethereal vocals on "The Captive Mind" and title track "Keep Your Eyes Ahead" continue that virtuosity. What Helio Sequence manages to pull off on this most recent LP, though, is to evoke shades of (dare we say it?) Bob Dylan. "Shed Your Love" is gorgeous melancholy, a tale of love lost and the self found. Finale "No Regrets" has all the country thump and lo-fi production of a Guthrie-cum-Zimmy track, harmonica and all. The two styles combine for cultivated collection of truly endearing dream pop.

Unfortunately, the closest these fellas are planning on getting to the middleCoast is Denver, so you can check out their live performance from today's KEXP broadcast here, or enjoy the mp3 for "Lately" here:



Make friends at http://www.myspace.com/theheliosequence.

-jT

Best of 2007, Part X

In the immortal words of Soul II Soul: Back to life, back to reality / Back to the here and now, yeah. The holidays have come and gone once again, and the middleCoast offices are back open for bizness.

To finalize the mC staff member Best (and/or Worst) Lists of 2007, we present the conclusion of the:


Top 20 Albums of 2007 (Nos. 10-1)

Number Ten (10)
Artist: The New Pornographers
Album: Challengers
Label: Matador
Release Date: August 21, 2007

On their fourth full-length, the Canadian supergroup puts on a clinic in how to craft brilliant pop music. Neko Case and Dan Bejar, fresh from making two of the best albums of 2006 on separate projects, reunite with Carl Newman and the boys to produce a mature and cohesive collection of power pop and rock anthems few bands of today even attempt. "My Rights Versus Yours" is quintessential New Pornographers, while "All the Old Showstoppers" and "Unguided" are bittersweet tales that will challenge even the most afflicted shoegazers to raise their eyes and fists to the sky.

Number Nine (9)
Artist: Spoon
Album: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Label: Merge
Release Date: July 10, 2007

Album title notwithstanding, Spoon have created their best album to date with Ga [et cetera]. Wallpapering our ears with sounds stemming from Motown ("You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" and "The Underdog") to Memphis ("Don't Make Me a Target"), the design remains complete and beautiful. Whether pounding on the keys or crooning into the mic, Britt Daniel finally gives us everything he's got, holding back only when appropriate ("The Ghost of You Lingers"), and the precision and detail Spoon has become so gifted at cultivating into pop tracks manifests itself in some of the most soulful rock in years.

Number Eight (8)
Artist: Band of Horses
Album: Cease to Begin
Label: Sub Pop
Release Date: October 9, 2007

In 2006, Band of Horses burst onto the Indie Rock scene with one of the top releases of the year, Everything All of the Time. Despite that success, co-founder Mat Brooke departed in order to spend time with his other band, Grand Archives, leaving Ben Bridwell to begin again. Now, with new Horses Rob Hampton and Creighton Barrett, Bridwell gives us a sophomore release replete with all the swirling sing-alongs, good ole boy twang, and heartfelt ballads that made the debut so tantalizing. On "Ode to LRC" when Bridwell exalts in his crystal clear tenor, "The world is such a wonderful place", the beauty of melody and harmony make us inclined to believe this simple truth.

Number Seven (7)
Artist: Yeasayer
Album: All Hour Symbols
Label: We Are Free
Release Date: October 23, 2007

With the most promising debut of the year, Brooklyn's Yeasayer mix and match a veritable smörgåsbord of influences and derivatives. "Sunrise" and "2080" are psychedelic pop gems in the vein of The Beta Band or Spiritualized, but tracks like "Ah, Weir"and "Many Waves" venture into experiments in Middle Eastern and African musics. Combined with their pitch-perfect harmonizing, they manage to pull off the rare album that is simultaneously art-/experimental-/post-rock AND accessible. Despite the journey through such worldly sounds, at no point does Symbols feel pretentious or condescending. Instead, the kool kids are friendly and inclusive, and we can all tag along for the ride.

Number Six (6)
Artist: Blonde Redhead
Album: 23
Label: 4AD
Release Date: April 10, 2007

The haunting melancholy that drenches 23 seems to make for perfect rainy-day music. The alternating vocals from Kazu Makino and Amedeo Pace provide a tender framework for their lush and yearning tracks. Each song feels consistently and continually anxious, like the jilted lover counting the days passed since loneliness struck. What surprises, though, is the point when that dejection and despair start to feel good. Attachment to the gloom fills the void and becomes cathartic, and soon the album sounds just as lovely even on a sunny day.

Number Five (5)
Artist: Peter Bjorn & John
Album: Writer's Block
Label: Wichita
Release Date: February 6, 2007 (US)

When was the last time you could hear a song - a song featuring whistling, no less - over and over and over again on the radio, in commercials, in movies and still NOT get sick of it? "Young Folks" miraculously pulls off this feat, and it may not even be the best song on Writer's Block. After the brief instrumental opening of the title track, "Objects of My Affection" leads off the album with a coming-to-terms anthem, declaring a heartening self-awareness. We then get to enjoy the aforementioned "Young Folks", followed by similarly poppy "Amsterdam", which (perhaps intentionally) leads into the mellow "Start to Melt". The next few tracks continue the wistful dream-pop before another standout, "The Chills", alters the direction of the final few songs with its echoing vocals laid over percussion and bass-driven melody that calm and quiet the soul. The mingling of the earnest and energetic pop with the brooding atmospherics will ensure the album's place as a modern-day classic.

Number Four (4)
Artist: LCD Soundsystem
Album: Sound of Silver
Label: Capitol
Release Date: March 20, 2007

Disco-punk king, James Murphy, makes the best music around for white kids to dance to. What he's also managed to accomplish with Sound of Silver, though, are some of the most touching pop tunes of the year. The humor in "North American Scum", for example, when Murphy points out that "New York's the greatest if you get someone to pay the rent" balances with the bittersweet elegy of "Someone Great" because at the surface and at the base are the sonic grooves that keep moving forward. Bringing Side 1 to a conclusion (not accidentally) is "All My Friends", a new wave throwback that would fit alongside the best New Order track. The transition from adolescence into adulthood is a difficult one rife with poor decisions and a tendency to latch onto immature behaviors; what comes across with "All My Friends" is the acceptance of mistakes and realization that there aren't really any right answers, so there can't be any wrong answers, either. So just keep dancing.

Number Three (3)
Artist: The National
Album: Boxer
Label: Beggars Banquet
Release Date: May 22, 2007

I could've easily rearranged my Top 3 albums in any order, as Boxer is quite possibly the best of the year. Matt Berninger's plaintive baritone recalls Leonard Cohen, as do many of the short stories disguised as songs. The dense arrangements and emotive tones call for deep introspection, while the intimate and personal lyrics provide the basis for each listener to relate in his or her own way. The album contains wholly different meanings for each listener taking the time to pay attention. By being dramatically specific, The National's reach widens and expands to dramatically universal territory.

Number Two (2)
Artist: Arcade Fire
Album: Neon Bible
Label: Merge
Release Date: March 6, 2007

When the revolution comes, Arcade Fire will be on the front lines, leading the charge. The ebullience and theatrics of Neon Bible alternate between anthemic arena-rock and the state-of-affairs despair. "Keep the Car Running", "Intervention", and "No Cars Go" certainly provide a fair comparison to Springsteen, as do the multi-instrumental orchestrations permeating throughout. Win Butler and company maintain their originality, however, with experiments into more progressive song structure and arrangements, such as "Black Wave / Bad Vibrations" and "Ocean of Noise". The result is a lush and enthusiastic collection of fist-pumpers that play like gospel music to indie kids. Music is undoubtedly a religious experience, and Arcade Fire open their arms wide to inspire faith.

Number One (1)
Artist: Radiohead
Album: In Rainbows (Disc One)
Label: self-released
Release Date: October 10, 2007 (online)

I've hesitated writing about In Rainbows for a couple months now. First of all, the novelty of Radiohead's online release allowing fans to choose their own price has come off as revolutionary and a slam against record companies. Whether or not this method will result in any sort of industry sea change is still to be determined. Unfortunately, the hullabaloo surrounding this topic has detracted from the music itself. Which is my other hesitation in writing on it. As a Radiohead fan, it's quite difficult to critique without any bias. The original 10 tracks of Disc One have played over and over again in my home and in my head. What I'm trying to determine is if my initial reaction is accurate. You see, I'm inclined to say that In Rainbows is very simply the best Radiohead album yet. What that means, then, is that In Rainbows is better than OK Computer and better than Kid A; and in this humble fan's opinion, OK Computer and Kid A just happen to be two of the greatest albums ever recorded in the history of modern music. So to say that In Rainbows is better than those two classics is to also say that it is one of the greatest albums of all time. A difficult claim to make just three months after its release.

What I will claim is that In Rainbows is the band's most mature and sophisticated album to date. Combining the digital-rock gloom of Kid A, the subtle textures of OK Computer's balladry, the jazz-inspired wanderings of Amnesiac, and the night rain-drenched cool of Thom Yorke's The Eraser, In Rainbows finally feels like the next logical step for the world's foremost musicians. Yorke's pained but hopeful lyrics and vocals, Jonny Greenwood's post-classical compositions, and Phil Selway's underrated beats that keep pace for songs that live outside of time - all anchored by Nigel Godrich's production - are simultaneously advanced and grounded.

Certainly, parallels to previous albums exist: the digi-rock of openers "15 Step" and "Bodysnatchers" recall "Idioteque" and "Myxomatosis (Judge, Jury & Executioner)", respectively, while closer "Videotape" shares the minimalist denouement of Kid A finale, "Motion Picture Soundtrack". But there is a buoyancy to the new tracks that hadn't existed so fully on prior albums. The paranoia remains, and maybe gravity does always win, but it doesn't always have to get you down. Even this album's title implies a light at the end of the tunnel: in rainbows we glimpse those shades of vibrant color that shine through the bleak landscape after the storm.

-JasonToo

I'm a Lollapaloozer, Again

Well, once again three days of Lollapalooza has rocked my socks off, melted my face, and left me dazed and confused. So before the brain cells burn out or fade away, the final lineup:

Friday -
Bang Bang Bang
The Polyphonic Spree
Electric Six
MIA
Silversun Pickups
Blonde Redhead
Satellite Party (aka Jane's Addiction, aka Porno for Pyros)
LCD Soundsystem
Daft Punk

Saturday -
Tapes 'n Tapes
Stephen Marley
The Roots
The Hold Steady
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Spoon
Muse

Sunday -
The Black Angels
Lupe Fiasco
Kings of Leon
Peter Bjorn & John (unfortunately the speakers blew after only three songs)
!!!
My Morning Jacket
TV on the Radio
Pearl Jam

Dang.

Will post more when brain recovers. Also have pictures...

Enjoy your rock bubble...

Picking Up Where 2006 Left Off

So here we are, not even a third of the way into a youthful 2007, and we already have a hefty handful of candidates for Best Album of the Year. Last year was a good one for music fans, with brilliant albums by TV on the Radio, The Roots, and Silversun Pickups topping the list.

Here's what's been spinning in middleCoast offices since January (in some undisclosed, particular order):

The Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
The sophomoric effort from the Canadian septet (although, they tour with 10 members and an omnipresent hurdy-gurdy) is a beautiful, bittersweet testament to this modern life. All the frustration and angst sitting contently side-by-side with all the fascination and joy of a conscious human being living on this continent. The track "No Cars Go" leaves us with the repetitive line, "Between the click of the light/And the start of the dream", reminding us of that space before sleep, when the thoughts of the day become clear, and then are almost immediately lost into our subconscious. Neon Bible helps us hang on to them a bit longer.

Peter Bjorn And John, Writer's Block
(Although mC had an import copy of this album way back in December (thanks, Jess), it technically wasn't released stateside until February, so we're counting it on this list.) Writer's Block may very well be the most inherently enjoyable album we've ever heard. And "Young Folks" has to be the best single of the year, even given the bevy of talented artists providing us with solid tunes detailed in this list and elsewhere. We can't wait to see this Swedish trio live at Lollapalooza - if their live performance is half as smile-inducing as their album, we're in for a treat.


Bloc Party, A Weekend in the City
Another quality sophomoric album from a gifted band that gave us a promising debut, AWITC deftly glorifies all the apprehension and trauma of being a teenager, telling us to never forget what it's like. Bloc party dance-rocks with the best of them, and musically the album soars. Lyrically, they stumble through Sudoku references, and claim on "Waiting for the 7.18" that "If I could do it again, I would climb more trees/I'd pick and I'd eat more wild blackberries". Take it or leave it, perhaps, but we'll take the lush arrangements and leave the Rebel-Without-a-cause-angst in high school.


The Good, The Bad, and The Queen
A supergroup in the truest sense of the compound word, TGTBandTQ (sorry, that's unnecessary) reunites super-producer, DangerMouse, with Blur/Gorillaz frontman, Damon Albarn, who now join forces with Clash bassist, Paul Simonon, Verve guitarist, Simon Tong, and Africa 70 drummer, Tony Allen. The result is at once a throwback and a futuristic landscape - pop music from the year 3000 circa 16th century - replete with all of DangerMouse's signature blips and bleeps, and Albarn's unceasingly British view of post-modernity.


The Shins, Wincing the Night Away
Back with more of the best shoe-gazer pop ever made, The Shins continue to make girls look twice at the nerd sitting alone in the in the back of class reading The Dharma Bums instead of paying attention, and for that we at mC are eternally grateful. The Shins may not be breaking any new ground with Wincing, but they build upon the foundation they've established with Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow, and advance their own indie rock standard.


Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Some Loud Thunder
The third sophomore album on the list, blogosphere darlings Clap Your Hands Say Yeah do everything in their power (with help from producer David Fridmann, of Flaming Lips cred) to move their sound somewhere new. Where they go stays inherently CYHSY thanks to Alec Ounsworth's distinct vocals: earnest, resolute, and, of course, barely in tune while heartbreakingly endearing. Recalling shades of The Velvet Undergound through a number of the jangly, intentionally distorted tracks, CYHSY has an apparent desire to make listeners feel uncomfortable in some way. On "Love Song No. 7", Ounsworth wails, "We're safe and sound/So safe for now", but we feel anything but. Even on the most radio-friendly "Underwater (You and Me)" the yearning for escape permeates: "Upon an endless trail of moonlight/They'll never realize that we have gone/We have dropped right out of/Out of sight." Bittersweet hope, perhaps, that somewhere, some place there exists something better...

With new albums out already now by Kings of Leon, Amy Winehouse, and LCD Soundsystem, and albums still to come in the next couple months from Wilco and Bjork, 2007 is shaping up to be a stellar one once again. Enjoy.

Turn Up Your Speakers

Everyone should listen to Peter Bjorn And John and be happy.



Go buy the album now.