Magnetic Fields – Realism (Nonesuch)
After listening to this album I breathed a sigh of relief. 2008’s Distortion was filled with superb pop tunes, the kind that Stephin Merrit comes up with so easily it’s almost annoying. However that album drenched everything in distorted fuzzy reverb, tipping the scales to me being officially pissed off. He comes up with so many awesome songs he doesn’t seem to mind ruining a bunch of them! This album turns a 180 – it’s pretty much the MFs unplugged. Merritt and Claudian Gonson (that’s another thing - the dude’s got an endless supply of honey coated female vocalists) wander around campfire folk and hoedown pop, all the while spinning yarns of romance that are sometimes mixtape-for-your-crush worthy, and other times downright heartbreaking.
Mixtapes – Maps (self released)
An unassuming release from some Ohio kids who most assuredly spent their formative years in the 90s listening to college radio. Thankfully, this group took the best elements of that wide array of music and put out a great collection of songs. The catchy-but-calculated melodies of indie rock, the brevity of punk, and the brilliant female/male vocals that you commonly see left of the dial all make an appearance here. The short and sweetness of the album is key (10 songs in 18 minutes) but the variety found here also earns a nod of respect. Pop anthems made for a basement punk fest sit right next to piano and acoustic guitar ballads. Upon multiple listens I’m almost tempted to dissect this further but I’ll defer to the Faloon school of crit lit and keep it brief despite how awesome this is. Top tenner, for sure.
The Morning Benders – Big Echo (Rough Trade)
This album starts off so brilliantly the slow, slow decline to the last track is pretty forgivable. I’ll wait for it to grow on me, but I’ve waited years for the Shins and Grizzly Bear to grow on me (other than a few select highlights), and no such luck yet. But seriously, skip over to youtube and check out “Excuses” – it’s the lovechild of Phil Spector made with Zach Braff’s indie soundtrack wet dream.
RJD2 – The Colossus (RJ’s Electrical Connections)
Unfortunately, RJD2’s Deadringer was a fantastic debut that was never matched again. One of those sad cases where a guy had a boat load of talent and no idea what to do with it. Techno/Instrumental hip-hop DJs that can construct songs instead of mindless dance beats are few and far between, so I’m glad he stuck around. He may have finally found his calling here, since this disc is pretty solid. The new school of modern soul is slowly taking over, and this album is filled to the brim with crackling beats, jazzy loops, and the smooth sounds of such guest vocalists as Kenna, Phonte Coleman, and Aaron Livingston.
Roxy Swain – The Spell of Youth (Spade Kitty)
The term “bar band” usually has a derogatory feel to it, so it’s hard for me to simultaneously describe this as such and recommend it to others. The band plays mid-tempo rock, the singer sounds like Chrissie Hynde, and the group seems to have their set list nailed. For the most part I prefer the 2-minute nuggets found here, although the grand finale “Coming Back” is the exception to the rule. Also of note is that there is a male singer who sings on a few tracks, and his vocals (though not his delivery) sound like Josh Caterer. Smoking Popes fans might want to take a peek, if only out of morbid curiosity.
Unwelcome Guests – Don’t Go Swimming (Kiss of Death)
My oversimplified music review fill-in-the-blank staple statement would be “Sounds like Uncle Tupelo if they were a punk band from Buffalo” but that doesn’t quite do them justice without a little more elucidation. Like, remember how Uncle Tupelo wrote a shit ton of great songs? And remember how they fused country and rock and made it seemed like the most natural thing in the world? That’s the feeling I get with this album. All these songs are aces, and this is what Nashville could’ve sounded like if their heads weren’t up their asses in 1990. Despite being a record junkie with a collection that goes on for many, many miles, each year I’ve been lucky enough to find that one special album that recharges my battery. In 2010, Don’t Go Swimming is it.
Vampire Weeknd – Contra (XL)
I thought their debut was outstanding, so now that they’ve slightly strayed from the path I look at it as a step down. Still, there’s plenty of good stuff here. I don’t know what possessed them to throw some awkward falsetto into a perfectly a good tune like “White Sky” or why they decided to dabble with electronic beats when the more organic sound was perfect to being with, but at the same time at least they didn’t rehash their way into a sophomore slump.
– Mark Hughson
PS – I’m already behind. See you in another 3 months with my review of the new Black Francis album.
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