It needs a name, but op-prog seems wrong. Oprog? Oprock? Op rock? I have no idea. If bands keep coming out like Delicate Steve, Adebisi Shank and now All Tiny Creatures, I’ll have to distill this idea into one name. But for now, it’s enough for you to know that All Tiny Creatures’ “Harbors” splits […]
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Toro Y Moi — Underneath the Pine
This is probably why Baths plays piano now, Foxes in Fiction is suddenly a guitar-based songwriter, Neon Indian is collaborating with The Flaming Lips, and Toro Y Moi plays disco/funk. Yep, you heard that right: Toro Y Moi, a pillar of the nascent chillwave scene, has released a sophomore album called “Underneath The Pine” that […]
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The Mountain Goats — All Eternals Deck
It seems like a quibble to say that the songs on The Mountain Goats’ new release, “All Eternals Deck,” are great, but they don’t fit together. But if you’ve heard the mastery that is “The Sunset Tree,” it’s hard to not want that total package every time. It should be noted that even if John […]
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Adebisi Shank — This Is the Second Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank
The positive prog-rock movement that Fang Island helped break last year has been a blast to listen to. With Adebisi Shank’s “This Is the Second Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank,” listeners are treated to more of the mostly instrumental, relentlessly fun, technical rock. The Irish trio made a pretty long album, as these […]
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Iron & Wine — Kiss Each Other Clean
But those who remember that the same man who wrote “The Trapeze Swinger,” “Naked as We Came” and “Love and Some Verses” is now composing international/ funky/indie/other songs will pretty much hate it. The beautiful piano and acoustic guitar of “Godless Brother in Love” — the tune from “Kiss Each Other Clean” that most resembles […]
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Kite Flying Robot — Solid Gold
Surprisingly, it’s marked not by excess, but by tasteful arrangements that result in strong pop songs. Anchored by mild-mannered electronic beats (think The Postal Service) and Nikolas Thompson’s calm, seductive voice, the songs reveal various parts and melodies at a leisurely pace. These unhurried tracks are long on a slinky, sunglasses-atnight-cool mood, and short on […]
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Braids — Native Speaker
Because no new trends have appeared at all in 2011 so far, I was getting kinda worried that I was going to be stuck listen to trashy, lo-fi garage rock and pristine folk all year. Thankfully, Braids’ “Native Speaker” crossed my desk, and I’m feeling a bit more calm. Even if they don’t spark a […]
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Typhoon — A New Kind of House
I’m even more enthused if an acoustic guitar is the primary songwriting instrument for the aforementioned. Typhoon’s “A New Kind of House” EP is all of that and more. The icing on the cake of all that I mentioned is if the band can make the songs beautiful. Music doesn’t have to be beautiful to […]
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The Caribbean — Discontinued Perfume
The Caribbean’s “Discontinued Perfume” certainly follows up on their opening-track promise with a bizarre sort-of indie-pop album that is not recommended for those of short attention spans. It helps that The Caribbean lay out their mission statement on the cover of the album, as part of the art: “’Discontinued Perfume’ seems to be about living […]
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Jonquil — One Hundred Suns
Ezra Koenig and co. have inspired a whole bunch of people with their bright, shiny take on Africa, and Jonquil is one of those bands. Jonquil’s “One Hundred Suns” EP features everything you’d expect from an Africa-minded indie band: quirky melodic structures, rumbling rhythms and airy guitar lines. Jonquil’s base genre is more dance-oriented indie […]