Brand Spankin'

Telekinesis! refuses to be tied down. It starts out slow with “Rust,” which is layered and lovely. It is a wistful snapshot; of his heart, Michael Benjamin Lerner (who is Telekinesis) sings, “It pumps something that I could not call blood/ and why’d it have to stop when you said love?” But by the time the second track, “Coast of Carolina,” really gets going, you’re somehow fully prepared for the unapologetically exciting, foot-tapping, larger-than-life sound it throws at you. At times reminiscent of early Rogue Wave (think “Publish My Love” off of Descended Like Vultures, in particular), this album is both lively and heartfelt, carefree and melancholy. Its tracks manage to be catchy without being completely mindless.

In the two days I’ve had The Lytics EP, I’ve listened to it over a dozen times, and with each additional listen, it seems to keep getting better and better.

A good album should listen like a good wine should taste – each sip revealing new details and layers that were seemingly invisible the previous sip.  Initial impressions and feelings should be built on and increased in complexity.  On the first spin, The Lytics EP was an easy listen.  Fun and toe-tapping, the focus was on seeing how consistent the rest of the EP was with “Big City Soundgirl” (which I had heard a while ago on The Lytics' MySpace page).  “Big City Soundgirl” is a great introduction to The Lytics' material because it brings you in gently and creates curiosity with a hook that is catchy but light --  instead of a heavy bassline -- to turn your ears and move your body.

Warped Tour '07 was something of a bittersweet event for me.  I was able to watch some of my favorite bands and people perform  (k-os, Meg & Dia, Pepper, Coheed and Cambria, Alkaline Trio, Bad Religion), many of whom I was seeing for the first time.  The thing that made the experience a bit disappointing was the feeling that compared to years prior, the lineup really wasn't as solid or diverse.  There were more screamo bands this year than the last twelve years combined, and the whiny, girl-jean wearing pop-punkers were out in full force.  Now this may just be a sign of the times, and maybe I'm getting too old to follow the latest trends, but based on the reactions of some of the bands interviewed on the Vans Warped Tour '07: 2007 Tour Compilation DVD, I wasn't alone in my out-of-place confusion (both Bad Religion and Killswitch Engage were bluntly honest when giving their opinions of some of the “talent” on the tour).

Whoa. Where did this come from? Wasn’t Santogold (Santi White) supposed to be a carbon copy of M.I.A.? Listening through her new self-titled release instead I’m picking up elements of No Doubt, Tegan and Sara, Rilo Kiley, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and yes, M.I.A. as well. After being written off as an M.I.A. clone for months based on a couple tracks, Santi finally gets a chance to strut her stuff, and strut she does. 

Santogold is far and away more diverse than anything M.I.A. has done. Santi is able to go from the danceable and M.I.A.-esque, addictive “Creative” (one of my favorite songs so far this year) to “You’ll Find A Way”, echoing early No Doubt (read: good No Doubt). The most impressive part out of all of this is she is talented at every type of music she tries. Of course any album as genre-spanning and ambitious as this is going to have a few weak spots. As versatile an album as it is, it is hard for it to feel coherent, it feels more like a mixtape than a planned out album. However, that isn’t to discredit the quality of the music, it just doesn’t flow very well at times. If you can get past that though, you’ll find 12 tracks running the gamut of indie music, and doing all of it superbly. Maybe Santogold should take on a Sufjan Stevens-esque project, but instead of doing states, she could do genres? What do you say Santi? You can thank me in your liner notes.

What’s the big deal?

Cave released Grinderman’s self-titled debut last year to great reviews, and this record is its poppy little brother. But this little brother is just as big a pervert, don’t worry. Cave has a way of disguising his sick and realistic sense of humour as catchy pop ditties on this one, catching you off guard and then sucking you in for classic Bad Seeds tunes.

What’s the big deal?

Kim and Kelley. The Deal sisters are back for the first time in seven years, with a new rhythm section and a sober outlook. The disc is drastically different from anything they’ve done before. Mellow and sparse, it’s a far cry from the manic pop we’re used to from the sometimes-Pixies bassist.

Who’s behind it?

Super-producer Steve Albini. He’s worked with Kim before in numerous capacities. He’s also worked with the man that wanted to be Frank Black, Kurt Cobain (among many, many others).

Singer-songwriter king Jason Mraz will release We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. on May 20th – his first full-length in nearly three years. With that on the horizon, he has cruelly decided to tease us with the first of two EPs to be released before the album, with a third being released on the same date as the full-length.

We Sing features four intimate takes of tracks to be featured on We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. First up is the single “I’m Yours” which has already hit radio and been a fan favorite live for years. Mraz fans will undoubtedly recognize this song and appreciate the Live at Java Joe’s laid back feel to this version. Next is “Live High” which I was able to take in live this past fall when Mraz was trying out a few new tracks on his tour. This is my favorite track off of the EP as if it feels like it was written in the same vein as Mraz’ pre-Waiting for my Rocket to Come material; simple, catchy, with a clear focus on Jason’s vocal stylings. Following that is “A Beautiful Mess” which has the same type of vibe as “Sleeping To Dream” from Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live At The Eagles Ballroom. And again, no need to hold your breath as it is pure Mraz through and through. The EP finishes up with “If It Kills Me”, another song channeling his pre-Waiting material on which he pains over an already taken love interest. He proclaims, “We get along much better than you and your boyfriend,” and then pauses as if to let the fact sink in.

Big Dipper had a short-lived heyday from 1985-1990, including one album on Epic, Slam, after which the band, (in an ironic play on words), disbanded. After being dropped by Epic, however, the band continued to record, much of which had been assumed to be lost in the annals of history. However, to astronomers’ delight, Merge Records has resurrected these seemingly lost recordings, along with the band’s formal releases (sans Slam) into a 3-CD, 49 track package. Their various stylings of indie rock are seemingly the ancestors of your current indie rock heroes.

What’s the big deal?

Former Pitchfork contributor Rollie Pemberton’s second album drops in Canada a year after his debut Breaking Kayfabe was released in the US on Epitaph. His first disc was nominated for the Polaris Music prize and was the equivalent of punk rock in the hip-hop world (not in the way the Beastie Boys were fifteen years ago, more so the punk rock aesthetic). Armed with an arsenal of some of the most relevant and clever rhymes I’ve heard in years (who else drops references to the Dandy Warhols, Ian Curtis and Iggy Pop?), Weapon’s sophomore disc seems like anything but. Operating as a rap record or a dance party instigator, Weapon only comes off soft during a few moments – but perhaps that’s all part of his charming plan. “Tattoos (and What They Really Feel Like)” is a perfect example of this. Weapon shows he’s human, likeable and ready to rock the mic right all at once.

It’s been too long.

Four years after the release of Around the Sun (a slow paced record the band almost disowns) the trio from Athens have put out a record not of this time. Fans and critics alike had been wondering if REM had a best before date that expired at the end of the century; but I am here to tell you that this is their most important offering since 1996’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi. That disc had its share of rockers, but it was their previous disc, 1994’s Monster that is their definitive and classic sounding rock record.