Arcade Fire - Refelektor

I still haven’t read other reviews about The Arcade Fire’s newest full length Reflektor, but what I’ve been hearing are words like “dancey, Bowie-esque, dense, and self indulgent.”

            I am here to dispel these rumors, minus the Bowie one.  He totally does sing on the first track.  Now the weird thing is that those aforementioned adjectives were used with a negative connotation (at least as they were relayed to me).  However, I wanted to wait till I listened to the album all the way thru in my office at home on vinyl uninterrupted (with the exception of flipping both records) to review the album myself.  I changed the color of the lights in the room to a pale blue and green, dimmed the over head lights and sit dead center in my office and just listened.

            My first thoughts were something like “Oh my god, they have defeated other bands at being bands, they have done the unthinkable with so much elegance.  They managed to get dancey without being lame.”  So let me rewind a little bit.  I reviewed the single Reflektor that was released as a 12” back in September as a teaser to the album.  If you scroll up a few reviews back you can see the optimism and excitement for this album that fanboy-ed its way out of me.  I can say now that it wasn’t misplaced.

"Going to Haiti for the first time with Regine was the beginning of a major change in the way that I thought about the world. Usually, I think you have most of your musical influences locked down by the time you're 16. There was a band I [feel] changed me musically, just really opened me up to this huge, vast amount of culture and influence I hadn't been exposed to before, which was really life-changing." (Win Butler). 

Butler cites Haitian music as a major turning point in his work.  To me it is tough to say if he did have a musical epiphany in Haiti, but the band does seem to be at their grooviest.  If you listen carefully to the drums, you can hear that in some places on the album they are actually tuned to the root notes of the chords to thicken up the bass and reinforce the melodic bass lines in the songs.  It took me two listens to the whole album to take in the full depth of just how involved this album is.

            The album sparkles in a way that would normally scream big budget, but for the Arcade Fire, beginning at their humble first EP up through Reflektor, the movement to a larger than life sound is natural.  They have earned the right to put out something grandiose and impressive.   The cool part is, rather than becoming overwhelmed by the restrictions that normally come with such a high risk release (in terms of budget) the band actually embraces it.  With James Murphey (LCD Soundsystem) and Markus Davis at the console they mix a poignant blend of fuzzy layered guitars, BIG drums, thick bass, powerful lyrics and the most confident vocal delivery of Butler’s career.  At times employing the “lo-fi/hi-fi” trick of dirtying up the vocal tracks to great effect.  Reflektor moves quickly, keeping the listener interested with transitional ambiance, screeching feedback and dub-ed out spoken announcements introducing the band. 

The biggest departure from previous albums that I noticed is the lack of their traditional instrumentation.  On previous albums, accordion, strings, trumpets and a layer of other melodic instruments that moved together to provide melodic reinforcement are gone.  Yes, here and there they will toss in something that is doubled with one of those instruments, but it is no longer a big focal point.  Reflektor is much more subtle and understated but somehow saying more than any previous release.  Much closer to Neon Bible than Suburbs.  It is hard to say what this album means long term for a band with a Grammy for Suburbs in 2011 under their belt already.

If you haven’t given your ears some sweet sonic pleasures lately, I urge you to do so with Reflektor.  I also urge you to send your feedback to our facebook page, as I am curious about the thoughts that everyone has on this eloquent departure from a band who has consistently put out quality music.

Buy Arcade Fire's Reflektor on Vinyl

An Open letter to Sir Paul McCartney Regarding “NEW” (and the corresponding blog)

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Dear Sir Paul,

I know you don't need it from me...but KUDO's to you Sir McCartney. Your "NEW" album not only sounds modern, it captures the magic that has been missing from your music since The Beatles. I am not only impressed, but a little sad, since I feel like you will never be able to top this. With a little something for a fan of every Beatles era, and a modern touch to the production, "NEW" is an appropriate name for this modern miracle of an album. No cheesy Wings nonsense, no old standards, just the things that made you what you are. Great job Paul, and though you will never meet me, or know my name, know that you have made me feel like I just listened to Revolver on vinyl for the first time.

-Doug

(now to continue to the rest of the blog)

Oddly enough, I can hear a touch of Sparklehorse, Man Man, and second album Dear Hunter in the production (yes, I’ve been listening to those bands extensively so maybe that is still lingering in my ears).  The acoustic guitar is almost always present, and the drums sound larger than life.  These are two traits that (to me) make a great sounding album.  Not to mention the fact that Sir Paul’s voice hasn’t sounded this incredible since his Beatles years.  

There are weeks I struggle to write about a new release, but this album has topped my expectations (which to be honest, after Kisses on the Bottom, weren’t very high) and made it easy to write this blog first thing in the morning.  Sir Paul’s forward thinking has been showing with age (and that is a positive).  Recently, he sang on a track with The Bloody Beatroots of all people, and kills it.  That songs is the reason I listen to the Beatroots album.

The buzz surrounding this album has been more among the demographic I would say my Dad falls into.  He has always been a huge Beatles fan, and introduced me to their more pop friendly albums at the age of 5.  I remember the day we listened to songs off the White Album on vinyl in our basement at my parent’s first house in Henrietta on my Dad’s disc jockey system.  It was life changing, I didn’t know what it was, but to me, it was what music was supposed to sound like.  I remember him saying “There will never be another band like this again, no matter where you look, no matter what you hear, the Beatles did it, and everyone else tried to follow suit, but no one could.”  As a 5 year old, those words didn’t really resonate with me, because I wanted to play with my Batman action figures and run around the yard.  Now I understand.  Sir Paul helped invent the genre that almost everything we sell in the store is based around.  Defining modern pop, rock, progressive, sonic experimentation, and acid sound-scapes that have been much copied, but never effectively emulated. 

Hopefully the youngsters that are listening to Arctic Monkeys a little too loud can step back and dig through their parents back catalogue for original Beatles albums, learn a thing or two about the songwriting and their significance, then listen to “NEW” and understand just why it is so impressive.  With The Arctic Monkeys citing the Beatles as an influence, releasing a new album (that has sold unexpectedly well) and reinventing themselves yet again, I almost hope this is Sir Paul’s way of saying “Guys, I know you’re trying, and I’m not going to be around forever, but let me show you how its done.  Also the skinny jeans and leather jackets are so two years ago.” (personal note, really hope that is how Sir Paul talks)

I’ll wrap this up without getting overly nostalgic again.  Listen to “NEW”, you won’t be disappointed.  It isn’t a gimmick, it isn’t trying to be something it isn’t, and it leaves you wanting more of a side of Sir Paul we haven’t gotten to see for far to long.  

Buy the Deluxe Edition of NEW before it is gone!!! 
Listen to "Road"

Islands – Ski Mask

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After Man Man’s release a couple months back, I began asking myself when Islands’ Ski Mask was going to be unleashed on the unsuspecting masses and how this journey down the rabbit hole would compare to their indie darling cousins’. Nick Thorburn’s keen knack for melody has resonated recently through his collaborations with members of Man Man in the doompop outfit Mister Heavenly as well as a surprising appearance on El-P’s latest release; with such diversity behind the wheel, I couldn’t wait to hear the latest effort from the former Unicorn. The most notable of its accomplishments, is how seamlessly the one compliments the other in a strange (and possibly intentional?) way.  Where Man Man’s album opts for a darker, 50’s-inspired back beat, Islands challenges its avid listeners with slightly more straightforward pop sensibilities- tinged in an elegant Flaming Lips-esque acid-mindedness.  Despite previous Islands efforts being arguably hit or miss, “Ski Mask” is unabashedly a band taking a step in the right direction with their best foot forward.  Thorburn’s attention to sonic layers is most prevalent on the ghostly “Winged Beat Drums”, mashing subtle B movie textures with familiar echoes of summertime indie pop harmonies that may very well melt the hearts of even the most caustic naysayers.  

Buy SKI MASK on Vinyl

Listen to Winged Drum Beats

Justin Timberlake the 20/20 Experience 2/2

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           After a 4 year hiatus, Justin Timberlake returns with not 1, but 2 full length albums.  I will get this out of the way early on, I am not typically a fan of the type of music that Timberlake has released in the past.  I have always respected him, because he is a true talent, but until 20/20 experience 2/2 I wouldn’t have actively listened to his records. That being said, if Justin continues to experiment with sounds, song structure and production techniques like he does on 2/2, I will be keeping up with what he does in the future.

            The first track “Give Me What I Don’t Know (I Want)” begins with huge vocal harmonies outside of the typical pop chord structure.  If Michael Jackson or Prince were young again and creating music in this generation, this seems like the integrity-pop they would have made.  I can’t imagine pop music ever being the same again after this record gets into the hands of the masses. 

Timberlake throws caution to the wind and has the budget to back up a project this ambitious.  He has created a delightfully self-indulgent romp through experimental pop.  The shortest song on the album is 4 minutes and 33 seconds, with the longest clocking at 11 minutes and 29 seconds.  In a world of pre-historic label executive mindsets, uninspired “how would Usher do it” songwriting, and producers that follow the 3 minute 30 second rule of the radio, Timberlake is making a statement…The bar has been raised, so Robin Thicke, Ke$ha, Miley Cirus and all the other big money creature factory puppets find every ladder you can and start climbing.

Not only is the production on 2/2 top notch, the songs all stand on their own as tasteful and creative, in or out of context of the record as a whole.  Mr. Timberlake may be the last great major label performer.  His growth as an artist and his back-story are legendary, his staying power is unparalleled, and most importantly, unlike his other radio peers, he continues to evolve and refuses to be pigeon holed as a one trick pony.

Get The 20/20 Experience 2/2 on Vinyl!
Listen to "Give Me What I Don't Know (I Want)