Jellyfish- "Bellybutton"/"Spilt Milk"

 

When well-to-do, in-the-know, record store counter jockeys debate the musical impact of the nineties (after they collect themselves from laughing) they'll smarmily namedrop the staple indie rock darlings that emerged and the inevitable rise and demise of grunge.  However, amidst the frantic rush of trapper keepers and Bush administrations was a subtle and engaging power-pop resurgence, at the forefront of the movement was a little band called Jellyfish.  The brainchild of Jason Falkner, Roger Manning, and Andy Sturmer, Jellyfish existed in a pop bubble of hook-driven, bubblegum choruses and drew from a pool of influences that ranged from Queen to XTC to The Beach Boys.

Releasing only two albums from 1990 to 1993 ("Bellybutton" and "Spilt Milk", respectively), the band quickly dissolved due to creative differences, the members going on to become staple players behind the scenes in modern pop production.  With over a decade since the release of their prominent works, both albums are finally available in a deluxe dual-disc special edition format.  Each reissue contains the albums proper and includes a myriad of supplemental material including b-sides, rarities, demos and live versions that are finally seeing the light of day. The perfect way to discover or rediscover a true hidden gem.

Get your JELLYFISH reissues RIGHT HERE!

Mark Ronson- "Uptown Special"

Nostalgia could easily be categorized as a genre in these ever-changing modern times; the rate at which quality new pop music is released and radio filler clutters the racks is almost neck and neck. Enter the black sheep: Mark Ronson.  The dial-tuner behind some of the decade's favorite darlings, including Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" and Amy Winehouse's "Back To Black", Ronson has made a conscious effort to craft layered, catchy pop songs that evade easy categorization.  His recent release, "Uptown Special", is no exception.

Relentlessly harkening back to Stax-era funk and jive street shuffle grooves, "Uptown Funk" succeeds at creating a vacuum of radio nostalgia that is severely absent from the charts today.  With it's modern guests spots in tow (you've probably already heard the single with Bruno Mars enough) and the reverence for its roots planted firmly (Stevie Wonder and his patented harmonica hues are ever-present and welcomed), the album embraces its time capsule mission statement. In the hands of another producer, the result could have been a mixed bag of kitsch and eye-rolls, but Ronson succeeds at making his beloved era of music shine with his glossy, modern production. Similar in retro-futurism to Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories", "Uptown Special" delivers relevant pop charm with strong roots to the past.

Get your copy of Mark Ronson's "UPTOWN FUNK" HERE!

Public Service Broadcasting- "Inform Educate Entertain"

Public Service Broadcasting is deliberate retro-futurism; the sound of a time capsule being strewn across the ether.  Existing as a science project foremost, PSB's mission statement of "teach the lessons of the past through the music of the future" rings true amidst its well-cultivated collection of antique radio broadcast samples and krautrock stylings.  Equal parts Kraftwerk with guitars and saturday matinee film strips with breakbeats, there are moments this band serves as a self-narrative- using their arsenal of lo-fi samples as lyrics.

The brainchild of one J. Willgoose, Esq., the imagery cultivated is undeniably the sum of its parts- you can imagine hours in library vaults culling over microfilm and lost transmissions to find the perfect selection to accompany the clattering math-rock implosion.  With tongue planted firmly in cheek, PSB spends the majority of "Inform Educate Entertain" escalating rollercoasters of sound and percussion with educational aplomb, and it's a ride well worth taking.

Grab your copy of PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING's "INFORM EDUCATE ENTERTAIN" here!

Ariel Pink- "Pom Pom"

Ariel Pink has been called many things; from "genius" to "misogynist", he is a divisive figure in modern alternative music. Born Ariel Marcus Rosenberg, Pink has successfully guised himself as a conundrum to the naysayers, prolifically devoting his life to endlessly creating lo-fi trash masterpieces for seemingly his own amusement. Teetering somewhere between the heir to the Zappa elseworlds and Dr. Demento's back catalog, the patchwork songsmith has allegedly crafted hundreds of records- releasing a sparse handful as physical albums comparatively.  The most recent to wriggle its way from his collection: Pom Pom.

In a surprising (and abruptly noticable) change of pace, Ariel Pink's Pom Pom is his most produced effort (don't worry fans, it's still the same crazy- it just sounds cleaner)- which really seems to do his work justice. Vascillating between 60's wizard pop, spaztic noise rock, and sing-along 80's nuance, Pom Pom's toybox exists in a world where your VCR's tracking problems create accidental sideswiped nonsensities.  It's strange, complex, completely original while being completely derivative, and undeniably not for everyone- but it needs to be experienced to even try to explain.

Get your copy of ARIEL PINK's newest album, "POM POM" RIGHT HERE!

TV On The Radio- "Seeds"

 

TV On The Radio formed in the wake of the early 2000's NYC rock n' roll revival trend, but unlike its five borough brethren who were preoccupied with analogue-striped guitars and Stones-worthy hooks, the Brooklyn natives had a more soulful approach.  Since the band's inception, Tunde Adebimpe, David Andrew Sitek, Kyp Malone, Jaleel Bunton, and Gerard Smith have remained core members- churning out four albums of expansive R&B-tinged indie rock that seemingly grows with each release.  The group's latest effort, "Seeds" finds the Brooklynites continuing down the road they started down and deliberately takes a few unexpected sideroads.

"Seeds" is decidedly a TV On The Radio record, the silky combination of Stax-era crooning over chunky bareback guitars that oscillate between dancehall grooves and cathartic distortion blasts.  The result is a band that could easily be the lovechild of Talking Heads and William Bell- the welcomed difference is the textural layers of melodies they openly embrace.  "Seeds" is a dance album for the NYC underground that still romanticizes guitars over synthesizers; or perhaps a soul record for the overzealous rock critic. Whichever camp you subscribe to, the common ground of genre-leanings TVOTR could easily make the most caustic naysayer bob their head to the beat.

Get YOUR copy of TV ON THE RADIO's NEW album, "Seeds", RIGHT HERE!

Mark Lanegan Band- "Phantom Radio"

 

Mark Lanegan is a survivor, above all else.  As a founding member of 90's Sub Pop Records' grunge darlings, The Screaming Trees, Lanegan was raised in the hanging gardens of rock n' roll. Even after the band's inevitable implosion after label disinterest in 2000, he began releasing solo albums, collaborating with former Belle And Sebastian signer Isobel Campbell, and becoming a member of Queens Of The Stone Age sporadically throughout the last decade. With the release of 2012's "Blues Funeral",  his writing process drifted from the all-too-familiar singer/guitar tropes of the other grunge survivors and took on the shape of a fully-formed ensemble.

Lanegan's greatest strength on his latest offering, "Phantom Radio", is the expansion of the sounds explored on "Funeral". Even at its meager moments, layers of cinematic synths and strings add a graceful texture to his most tragic yarns.  There are moments on the album that echo the somber tone of a more stream-lined Tom Waits (or even "Good Son"-era Nick Cave), glacially poignant. Weaving his signature blues-laced fretwork throughout, "Phantom Radio" exists in a world where cowboys retire to a dying radio that crackles dead gospel to a new wave backbeat; surviving the dying of the light.

Get YOUR copy of Mark Lanegan Band's "Phantom Radio" HERE!

Run The Jewels 2

 

2012 was a good year for rapper/emcee El-P, the snarky and business-savvy-minded mic-wrangler unleashed his first proper album in nearly 5 years (the fanfare-worthy "Cancer4Cure") and produced Killer Mike's last outing "R.A.P. Music" to critical acclaim.  Amidst his time behind the board, El and Mike struck up an unlikely partnership/friendship worthy of buddy cop movie comparisons; feeding off each others' industry woes and idea wells that pushed the duo relentlessly to the top of their respective games. From there, their inevitable team up as "Run The Jewels"spiraled outward to the hungry masses as they unexpectedly dropped their debut album for free online.

Sparing any discourse, RTJ was an immediate hit; topping out numerous end of the year hip hop countdowns and harkening back to a time when the medium was far more interested in self-aware, tongue-in-cheek musing than bragging about product endorsements.  With such a feverish over-confidence (and rightfully so) in their work ethic and abilities, the duo eagerly began work on the album's sequel: "Run The Jewels 2".

RTJ2 is not pulling any punches-- from the first second in, Killer Mike's vulgar aggression rips into the first track with escalating enthusiasm, and beef-worthy beat production. The miraculous element to RTJ is their ability to consistently push themselves forward, while keeping their energy and voraciousness at dangerous levels of exuberance. Featuring some unexpected appearances from Zack De La Rocha and Travis Barker, El-P and Killer Mike have managed to elevate their already strong force to be reckoned with; one can only hope there's a Run The Jewels 3 in our future.

Grab your copy of RUN THE JEWELS 2 here!