REVIEW: Evangelicals - The Evening Descends

A good friend once told me that the sophomore slump was caused by everyone learning to play their instruments. Elvis Costello was a case in point. All the touring after the first album makes a band get more comfortable and proficient with their instruments so the second album has a tendency to become more of a showcase of what the band can do than well-crafted songwriting.

The latest band to fall victim to the dreaded slump is Oklahoma psych-rockers The Evangelicals. You may have seen their newest album, The Evening Descends, get recommended by P-fork. The Evangelicals fall into the tradition of post-Flaming Lips Oklahoma bands, which means they focus on effervescent melody and spacey instrumentation, cleverly merging the influences of The Beach Boys with the work of Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie. So Gone, The Evangelicals debut, came out in 2006 and was a beautifully crafted pop album with well-focused songs showing off the melodic songwriting that makes central Oklahoma something other than a Sooner-infested wasteland.

In The Evening Descends, The Evangelicals have shirked their songwriting focus in favor of a loose instrumentation with spiraling keys, weird spoken-word moments, and trippy guitar parts that threaten to send each song overboard rather than advance the song. Or, to put it another way, the songs sound like they're from space, not reaching toward space. Or, to put it another way, The Evangelicals went for the space part of Bowie and left Brian Wilson in the spaceship.

There are some beautiful moments in the album, the opening to "Midnight Vignette" for example where lush harmonies overtake and merge into intricate instrumentation. Or, the glorious keyboard riffs in "Skeleton Man" which, with the crashing cymbals, makes me return to that moment I heard The Soft Bulletin for the first time. But, these moments are overshadowed by the weird introduction to "Party Crashing" where the band reenacts the usage defibrillator with horrible British accents. It's easy to get lost in the beautiful melody, but The Evangelicals always seem to undercut it, and not in the good way. Maybe The Evangelicals will find their stride again, but for all the glorious moments, this album seems lost in the mess of harmony without anywhere to land.

REVIEW: Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

For better or worse, albums are always tied to a certain time, weather, season, or person with me. Vampire Weekend's debut (out tomorrow on XL Records) which has been garnering praise all over the net is meant for early Saturday mornings when you don't know why you got up as early as you did but you've decided to make pancakes. Which, I guess, critically, means that it's a cheerful collection of tunes that make you want to dance while stirring eggs. What? You want something more substantial in your criticism? Well, I'm not sure I can give you much more. Of course I can talk about the afro-beat influences, which would inevitably lead to a discussion of Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon's work (Vampire Weekend, for their part, openly acknowledge their gratitude to Mr. Gabriel in their tune"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" with the lyric "feels so unnatural / Peter Gabriel too").

Or, I could talk about Sasha Frere-Jones' article "A Paler Shade of White" from the New Yorker where Jones laments the influence of traditionally black musical styles in contemporary indie rock (re: The Arcade Fire). Of course, Rock 'n roll has a long and dubious tie to African music from Elvis's alleged stealing from black musicians to Paul Simon's use and criticism of his usage of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

But to go further into this seems to devalue what Vampire Weekend is after with this delicious, elegant album. It's just plain good music. And it's funny, because I'm not sure that I can go further than that. There's nothing that really catches me in this album, not lyrically, not musically. Which isn't a criticism so much, as to say that everything seems to fit in a really nice way. A way that's unforced and natural. There's a bunch of influences that you can catch in this album. The beginning of "M79" sounds like it was commissioned by Wes Anderson. And there are hints of ska peppered throughout. But honestly, because nothing really gets under my skin or turns me on means that Vampire Weekend is really suceeding with their sound. It's a solid pop album from an impressive, multi-faceted band.


ZACH THAT:
Ohhhhhh....mannnnnn. I can't get behind this over hyped album, I'm sorry. I would like you, if you did enjoy this album, to do the following. First, listen to tracks one and two. The first features a piano that is hit in rhythm....over and over...but a distinct pop hit. "Oxford Comma" does exactly the same thing! It's the same fucking song back to back...and it pisses me off. Ok, now...listen to tracks three and four. IT'S THE SAME SONG! The same high pitched guitar, wandering lyrics, and overall sweater-prep feel. So, we have four songs, two of which are rehashing of the others. Great. Listen, this is bad ska. This is unimaginative work that is exactly what the art world praises but only to be cutting edge. Vampire Weekend is that painting that only has three lines in opposite directions....that painting that is a piece of shit, but someone wearing a black vest stumbles upon it and out of fear calls it the work of the decade. No, I will not be that person. I do like (it is not like Wes Anderson's scores in the least HANK!) the track "M79". It's clever and takes the chances the other tracks don't. But with that said, I still think the track overstays it's welcome in my ears after a few minutes. I would like to leave you with this....lyrics from the track "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa":

As a young girl
Louis Vuitton
With your mother
On a sandy lawn

As a sophomore
With reggaeton
And the linens
You're sitting on

Is your bed made?
Is your sweater on?
Do you want to
Like you know I do

But this feels so unnatural
Peter Gabriel too

Can you stay up
To see the dawn
In the colors
Of Bennetton?

Is your bed made
Is your sweater on
Do you want to
Like you know I do

But this feels so unnatural
Peter Gabriel too

Is your bed made
Is your sweater on
Do you want to
Like you know I do

THIS MEANS NOTHING! NOTHING! What makes it worse is he sings these lines in the smuggest way possible, passing them off as deep lines we should invest in. No, no my friends, I will not buy the hype that surrounds this less than mediocre band.

REVIEW: The Magnetic Fields - Distortion

Writing this review hurts me...it's like discussing the last year of an ex-sports God who should have retired the year before. Distortion is just that, an album distorted in sound quality and meaning. The opening track "Three Way" is fun enough, a little repetitive, a little too close to Devo, but I forgive that. The next track however, "California Girls" is where my anger begins. The distortion covers what if I imagine hard enough is a clean guitar hook, but we'll never know. Merritt then lyrically distorts everything that the Beach Boys has taught us about California Girls, a little bitter, and really pushing the idea of distortion. We get it...but a gimmick can't carry an entire album. Distortion was used by Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation" but in a dark ballet sort of way. This album displays all of the things Magnetic Fields fans love about their music, but then distorts it, making it hard to connect to the sound. Each song is too thick, too loud, and has none of the charm typical of Merritt's work. Magnetic Fields fans have waited like addicts for this release. I'm still craving my hit, this did not do anything for my obsession. I used to be able to say that the band had a flawless discography, with this release, I sadly can no longer use this line.

REVIEW: Thao Nguyen & the Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings And All

We're moving fast on this one, folks. I was lucky enough to come across an advance copy of Thao Nugyen & the Get Down Stay Down (great backing band name)'s newest album We Brave Bee Stings And All (due out 1/29 on Kill Rock Stars) and was instantly hooked. Nugyen has been garnering critical buzz already for her folky/jazzy music drawing comparisons to every great indie rock female vocalist (Cat Power, Feist, St. Vincent). But, this album separates itself from the rest of the pack with meticulous instrumentation, forthright, self-assured vocals and a rollicking beat.

The well-placed guitar riffs on opening track "Beat (Health, Life and Fired)" is a portend of what is to come. Dangling lines over tight drums underscored with Nugyen's croon are stopped and turned over and over forcing the melody home with a dire urgency. Then comes "Bag of Hammers" with a opening lyric that makes Zach That cringe it's so good: "I'm all in a ball in your front yard I have this bag of hammers / And I won't ask to come in cuz I have sold everything still I have got some manners / And there's a hole in your head spilled your thoughts on the floor / we wanted you bad you wanted it more / the trick is you do not get on that interstate bus / the catch is you stay and see what becomes of us." Then a glorious chorus as jubilant as anything the Polyphonic Spree has done, but without the white robes and over-the-top grandiosity. But wait! Put your headphones on, accenting the percussion is a series of lip clicks that makes Pharrell's production of "Drop it like it's Hot" blush. "Swimming Pools" is a beautiful skiffle-influenced number where Nguyen shows off her ability to put childlike joy into the grind of everyday life.

I love any album which continues to unfold with every listen. The lush (but not too lush) instrumentation gets deeper with every listen. "Geography" is a mellowed out ballad with crawling guitar lines and heavenly keyboard hits. What makes it work is Nguyen's ability to find emotional depth in her lyrics that counterpoints the melodic music of the song. Hence everything reinforces itself and makes each song a little fun treasure. "Fun" may be a weird word to here, but this is the perfect album to dance around your bedroom in your socks on a bad. It's a remarkably confident and ecstatic album - no matter the comparisons that you hear , after one listen you'll be convinced of Nguyen's unique voice in a consistently jaded musical culture and what a voice to hear!

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I'm almost ashamed to review this album only after seven spins because each time the music gets stronger and the review score rises. 2008 is the year of 8 bit and Indie Folk. If Crystal Castles is the MVP of 8 bit then Thao Nguyen is the same for Indie Folk. Her banjo rips liek a needle through each track, interweaving a tapestry of sound with her beautiful voice being the yarn. "Swimming Pools" shows off all the powers at work in this album; it's upbeat but sticks to thoughtful lyrics that run throughout. I can't remember the last time I had a reaction to a new act like this, maybe Sufjan Stevens, but in the female form. This album has everything I look for in music: strong lyrics, trying something new, catchy melodies, and makes me want to listen over and over and over. I beg you readers, listen to the album any way necessary, but buy the album when it hits stores...this is an album that needs the full experience of album art and the connection a cd (a forgotten feeling) gives a listener when they have to carry it around and actually spend time with a tangible representation of the music.

REVIEW: Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Ask Forgiveness & Wai Notes (with Dawn McCarthy)

Among all the hubub of the end of the year, somehow Will Oldham (AKA Bonnie "Prince" Billy) managed to drop two new albums in between being in awesome Kanye music videos. Not that he hasn't been releasing records with the same regularity that my first wife put out (See: Summer in the Southeast, The Brave and the Bold (with Tortoise), Cursed Sleep, The Letting Go). That's almost twice a year for those of you keeping track. Not to mention appearing in R. Kelly's new Trapped in the Closet series. Oldham can't seem to sit still and it shows up in his new "Ask Forgiveness" record which is an 8 song covers album of anything from R. Kelly to Phil Ochs.

Oldham has this habit of hypnotizing his audience with simple droning guitar lines that sound like the underside of your unconscious. Then he hits you with a signature idiosyncratic line like - "I love my tummy / It's round and firm and funny." So, to hear his covers, where he doesn't get to surprise us with the lyrics, is a bit of a change. But with characteristic style, Oldham manages to out emote Bjork and make R. Kelly's "The World's Greatest" sound like a guy trying to get his self-confidence back after years of group therapy by stripping the track of it's R&B sheen and exposing the raw nerves at the center of R. Kelly's work (frankly, it makes R. Kelly sound like one of the greatest songwriters of the past 20 yrs).

The record was cut with folks from the Espers backing Oldham. And the sound is that trademark sinewy, plodding, thoughtful sound that Oldham does so well. Listen closely to Meg Baird's beautiful soprano punctuate Oldham's subtle guitar strokes. Not that there aren't some clunkers on this album. "I've Seen it All" from Bjork's Dancer in the Dark doesn't quite lift the song beyond the Bjork/Yorke version and falls into awkward lifts and shifts which doesn't play to Oldham's strong suits. Still, it's a worthy purchase for those who love Oldham and those who are trying to cultivate their winter malaise.

"Wai Notes" is another story. The recording, in collaboration with Dawn McCarthy of Faun Fables, is a tape-hiss ridden series of demos from the studio album "The Letting Go". Put up against the heavily orchestrated sound of "The Letting Go" these songs are in utero. Stripped of the production, Oldham's voice sounds right at home in the ultra lo-fi recordings and Dawn McCarthy's voice is a ghostly counterpoint to the lonesome guitar sound.

This record was released in a really limited quantity only 10,000 quantities worldwide, which is worth it considering the beautiful handmade packaging. For fans of Oldham's production on "The Letting Go," "Wai Notes" will seem out of place and incomplete but for those of us who still listen to the Palace Brothers, "Wai Notes" is another beautifully simple example of how Oldham can turn the most rudimentary recording into a masterpiece. The songwriting gets a chance to stand out here. You can hear the pages turning and Oldham talking to McCarthy in the background. It's like Oldham's "Basement Tapes" and a handmade gift to lifelong fans.

Both these albums sound like antidotes: "Ask Forgiveness" to 2005's wacko cover album "The Brave and the Bold" that Oldham made with Tortoise and "Wai Notes" to the polished sheen recording of "The Letting Go". As antidotes they show that Oldham can do whatever he wants and succeeds in most of it, whether it's turning another artist on their head or showing us the odds and ends of his recording. And as remedy's they're another pair of gems from Louisville's own, Will Oldham.