A lot of great stuff happening in my music world. I'll give you my thoughts on one CD, provide a handful of videos to introduce you to artists I've been introduced to lately, and show you an exciting new purchase that is enhancing my listening enjoyment.
One CD
The Twilight Sad
(myspace): Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters
Reviews: Metacritic, NoRipcord, Pitchfork (& Forkcast), Prefix, PopMatters
This one is rocking my face off. It's a very odd and wonderful experience for me. It's not odd in an eclectic or experimental sort of way, but in that these Scotland folks sound extremely, well, Scottish. You know how accents are harder to hear in music? Not with these guys. Thick accents driven with emotion, angst. It's a great flavor.
But its texture is just as gripping. Soft and restrained runs into power and response. From Pitchfork...
The shifts in volume, though not exactly surprising, are crucial. Peter Katis handles production, and the sonic arc he and the band construct tracks the lyrics beautifully. There's a "big moment" on most songs where the music gets ridiculously loud and the guitar distortion crowds almost everything out. There is, of course, no trick in this sort of surge; a couple clicks on a floor pedal is all it takes. But the Twilight Sad know how to use dynamic range to advance the plot.
The only thing missing from this excellent CD are lyrics. Most of them are not online at my last check. I've emailed the band hoping to urge them on to getting them up. While I'm waiting I'm trying to type some of them out, but I always seem to snag on a section where the accent is just too much for me. But don't let that stop you. This is an album worth enjoying again and again.
No Ripcord gives this album a perfect "10"...
Thereâs a fair chance that The Twilight Sad will be labeled the Scottish Arcade Fire before long. I hope I wasnât just the first. Itâd be a shame for that to happen however, as Fourteen Autumns And Fifteen Winters knocks the impressive Neon Bible into a cocked hat. If youâve yearned for a band that takes that dramatic indie-rock template but injects a bit of post-rock drama into it, then boy, have you ever come to the right place. In fact, The Twilight Sad fall more into the field of what Hope Of The States were aiming for with the initially impressive, but ultimately lacking in longevity debut that I fawned over those years ago. That may sound like damning with faint praise, but consider: a band that inject some real emotion and dynamic excitement into a comparatively standard template. Lots have tried, but few have succeeded. The Twilight Sad are most definitely one of the successes.
The first track is a real favorite of mine and it's available for free download: "Cold Days From The Birdhouse." Don't miss it, and catch the other songs over at Twilight Sad MySpace.
A Handful of Videos
Love this one from LCD Soundsystem (I recommended the last album here). This is from the previous album. How cool are his crazy vocals? Answer: Very cool.
Blonde Redhead's "23" video (I recommended them here). Really loving their CD.
I'm digging A Hawk and a Hacksaw's new album. Here's a chance for you to dig their vibe too. Awesome stuff, and just wait until he gets that funky hat a-movin'.
Linkin Park is always good to get the blood pumping, and I like this new track. New album on the way in like a week.
New Purchase
As a reader of my blog you probably know my Mom died a few days before Easter. Last week my Great Aunt died (she was like a Grandmother to me and my siblings). While in my hometown we purchased from my Father my Mom's car. We didn't think we would be able to get a second car, but we're getting it for about 1/2 of what it's worth and had some leftover tax money to help us out. Very cool. AND it's a Dodge Stratus: "I drive a Dodge Stratus!" Will I make a video on this car??? Who knows.
The only bad thing is the stereo was messed up. I would try to turn it up one notch and it would be full blast. Yikes. Good to find that out at 72mph! And bad for a music lover. So we had the fine boys over at Best Buy replace the stereo today with a Pioneer and it rocks now. It looks pretty cool and wasn't too much $$$. I have a CD player and an iPod cable that all runs (if I desire, and I do desire) through a simple remote. Wowwy. I passed on getting it totally pimped out because I figured the Kicker would make my car dissolve into a pile of mush.