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These days, a certain sound or production style will spread like wildfire until every new release is a copy of a copy of a copy. The more music we have access to, the more we seem to choose the same band over and over – photocopies, if you will.

Noah and the Whale’s Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down succumbs to this universal blandness – no fault to the band or its too-cute-for-words collection of eleven songs. Based in Twickenham, London and formed in 2006, they can boast Laura Marling and Emmy the Great as former members.

The boys gallop out of the gates with the rambunctious, toe-tapping “2 Atoms in a Molecule” which features glowing harmonies and engaging lyrics like “last night I had a dream we were inseparably entwined / like a piece of rope made out of two pieces of vine” and “if love is just a game / how come it is no fun?” “Jocasta” welcomes Tom Hobden’s fiddle into the mix, matched with the percussive “mechanics of a dream”. A catchy hand-clap rhythm makes “Shape of My Heart” the most singalong-prone of all the tracks, combined with life-affirming horns and the added bonus of Marling’s sophisticated backing vocals.

Charlie Fink’s voice cracks like a teenage boy’s on “Rocks and Daggers” and the title track. While his range is questionable, his lyrical content makes up for all that: “all is fleeting / yeah, but all is good / and my love is my whole being”. The clock ticking at the start of “Second Lover” is spine-tingling, and xylophone paired with a longing and haunting vocal works wonders. The romantic “Mary” memorializes a girl who “lied and said it was her birthday” with a lush chorus of harmonized voices and the taste of regret.

Slowing things down with “Do What You Do”, the band makes use of a simplified arrangement, emphasizing themes of beginnings and endings, life and death (“my bones were made in the womb and now the brains are leaving my tomb”). Also dirge-like, “Hold My Hand as I’m Lowered” is essential listening for a rainy winter night, covered in blankets, the room spinning, whereas “5 Years Time” is what you might play in your car on a summer road trip, singing obnoxiously out open windows. In my opinion, the song sounds too much like a commercial for orange juice.

“Give a Little Love” is a song like a thunderstorm. With a strong message well-supported by piano and handclaps, it ends up being one of the most memorable songs included.

Pre-Travis and The Magic Numbers, Noah and the Whale might have sounded fresh. There are many waves to conquer if they wish to keep afloat in an ever-growing sea of twee folk bands.

MP3:
Noah and the Whale - Give A Little Love
Noah and the Whale - Jocasta

Buy at:
Amazon / Play

More info:
Myspace / Website

I barely watch music videos to be honest, but of the few I’ve seen I guess they’ve been good enough to warrant some consideration as the top videos of the year. Anyway here are my choices but I do warn that I probably haven’t seen a lot of good ones.

5. Old Prince Still Lives At Home by Shad

What more can I say about this video? Instead of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, you have the Old Prince of London, Ontario. It’s a funny parody that comes from a simple idea yet highly effective.
The Old Prince Still Lives At Home by Shad

4. Stress by Justice

This video some people like, some people hate. Yes, it does glorify violence but it does capture the volatile nature of the song as well as capture the true nature of youth violence. Youth gangs, don’t usually have a motive, they just want to wreck havoc and from my point of view, it’s power in numbers where only a select few who do object to their violent and douchebag ways get their ass kicked. It feels like a real video in that sense is that the video glorifies this group of boys while they seem to be playing up to the camera.
Stress by Justice

#3 House of Cards by Radiohead

In Radiohead’s new video for “House of Cards”, no cameras or lights were used. Instead, 3D plotting technologies collected information about the shapes and relative distances of objects. The video was created entirely with visualizations of that data

Two words: Freakin’ cool.

#2 New Violence by White Williams vs TV Carnage

This video is fun to watch and to try to figure out which clips come from which movie. Probably my favorite track off White Williams’ Smoke, this video is fun to follow along
New Violence by White Williams

#1 Toe Jam by The Brighton Port Authority

What better way to start a music video with people taking off their clothes? You don’t really have an answer for that. While it’s not all about naked people, it’s really just a collaboration of using the censored section of the human body to create some pretty cool art, from various letters of the alphabet, to a recreation of the game pong. Can you tell me that this video is not worthy? Pretty cool stuff.
Toe Jam by the Brighton Port Authority

It’s that time of year again, nearing the end of 2008 and the lists have already begun appearing. I always love the opportunity to share with you music that I enjoy, which has been the whole reason I began writing in the first place. This year powerpop has taken another step in the right direction, quickly growing out of its harsh “tweenie” labels. Of course, even if it never does I’ll still be feeling young, rocking out to music that is exciting, catchy and down right fun. While there are no specific requirements to get on this list, all these albums have had significant playtime on my iphone.

5) My Favorite Highway – How To Call a Bluff (July 22, 2008)
How To Call A Bluff is one of the most polished powerpop releases this year. It is evident that a tremendous amount of effort was put forth because everything was solid, from the vocals to the melodies. Dave Cook’s voice was inspiring and the instruments were extravagantly pop, putting a soulful twist to the genre. While it is this soul and passionate sound that drove me to put them on the list, it also prevented me from putting them in the top spot. This album is definitely the total package when it comes to sound, but their soul often translated into less of the carefree fun which is a staple for any powerpop band.
My Favorite Highway - Getaway Car

4) Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger (September 20, 2008)
Inspiring, enduring and beautiful, that is what Jack’s Mannequin has turned The Glass Passenger into. This album lacks pop in the traditional sense, there’s little fun and little non-chalant business to be found in this album. Instead listeners are treated to something real and passionate, a glimpse into the world of Andrew McMahon. While it is true that I hold a soft spot for Jack’s Mannequin, there are no pity points awarded in this list. The music speaks for itself, with words that motivate and sounds that allow you to visualize more than just music. From aggressive tracks to mellow ones, the music is powerful and tells a unique story. Definitely the most influential album on this list, it is however just delving on the borders of powerpop, and as such cannot be named the best powerpop album of the year.
Jack’s Mannequin - Bloodshot

3) Forever The Sickest Kids – Underdog Alma Mater (April 1, 2008)
A perfect example of what powerpop means to me is Underdog Alma Mater. One of the most anticipated albums of the year, it definitely lived up to the standards put forth by FTSK’s previous EP. Energetic, fun, clever, and catchy — these are all adjectives that best describe Underdog Alma Mater and are often used in conjuncture with the pop genre itself. While many bands possess similar styles, FTSK has honed their own with uniquely timed duel vocals and an edgy sound that keeps things fresh and never boring. Simple, honest, and fun is what they do best, and anything beyond that can be left to a different genre, not powerpop. By the end of the album there’s a smile on my face and a tune in my head, which is all I can ask for. The only issue preventing this album from moving up in rankings is it’s similarities with FTSK’s old stuff, which has not been the case for many of the sophomore releases this year.
Forever The Sickest Kids - Hey Brittany

2) Cute Is What We Aim For – Rotation (June 24, 2008)
A complete shocker for me, I never thought Rotation would cut this list, let alone be the number one contender as powerpop album of the year. After my first listen I was utterly disgusted with CIWWAF’s complete change and revamping of their music. But over time this album has grown on me so much that I have listened to it consistently since it was released in June. The change in style took some getting used to, and while I still feel the quality of lyrics has devolved, just about everything else has evolved into something great. It could be that Cute matured, and therefore the lyrics became less about witty sexual innuendos and more about real social problems, leaving little room for insanely clever lyrics. That said, Rotation is much more polished than their debut album, competing with a full fledged sound that is aggressive, powerful and catchy. It provided that kind of spark that got me completely pumped over nothing, and was still pop enough to be catchy and moving. Most importantly it did not lose its stay-power even after hundreds of listens. A definite surprise album for me, Rotation earned it’s spot as the second best album of 2008.
Cute Is What We Aim For - Practice Makes Perfect

1) The Maine - Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop (July 8, 2008)
It may be of no shock that Can’t Stop Won’t Stop tops this year’s list and has easily become my favourite powerpop album of the year. Since the day it was released it has been vying for the title, and after every listen I feel it deserves it more and more. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop perfectly combines emphatic and addictive pop with the meaningful and moving variety. Prior to this album The Maine was mainly known for just the fun stuff, so the debut album was a refreshing surprise in change. The Maine’s style is something that seems common, but has yet to be emulated to the kind of perfection that they deliver it with. Fans of powerpop can enjoy the fun and energetic songs but at the same time feel moved by the warm and inviting music. It is an album I enjoy each and every time I listen, not only because it is classically a fun album, but also because it’s a very thoughtful album. Perhaps I’m a softie for the quaint pop that has been produced this year, but at the end of the day, The Maine takes the cake with Can’t Stop Won’t Stop. Hopefully the title of this LP is an insight into their future endeavours.
The Maine - We’ll All Be

Honour Roll: The Academy Is… - Fast Times at Barrington High, A Rocket To The Moon – Greetings From…, Mercy Mercedes – 1.21 Gigawatts, The Morning Light – Self-titled

And that’s the list, have a happy holiday!

Paw Tracks, with its roster of Animal Collective, Black Dice, Panda Bear, and most important to me, Ariel Pink (the first non-Aminal Collective member), seems to be an excellent little label. The last on the list, Ariel Pink of Ariel Pink’s Haunted Grafiti, is one of the stand-out artists in contemporary music today, I would claim. I’m not sure how many of you are interested in “hauntology,” in whose precepts Pink is quite invested, but we’re all at least a little enamoured with the idea that society in late capitalism naturally gazes backwards to cobble newness together out of “traces” or “ghosts” of the past. Sounds intuitive enough, almost like a slogan for the general trend in music today, but Ariel Pink presses the point on its head by returning to 8-track cassette recording technology, cheap guitars and synthesizers, an extremely well-crafted lo-fi aesthetic in short.

Inevitably, listening to Ariel Pink is like finding a beaten old tape on the side of the road, whose name of the artist and of the songs are faded away. Popping it into your walkman leads you to think: yes, this is pop music; I’m not sure who it’s by, when it’s from, what it intends to achieve, but I’m intrigued.

Hailing from Los Angeles, a city knotted with innumerable ghosts, traces of dead stars, and containing film vaults that document the history of the rise and decline of American life and culture in the last eighty years, Ariel Pink expresses in “Life in L.A.” (included below for your listening pleasure) the loneliness of living in such a mausoleum, the experience of a “treasure” with “so many ways to unwind.” The reality of a life a debt, the reality of most people in our society, finds discussion in the tragicomic “Credit,” which begins with a hilarious skit involving a man who wants a refund boombox, and moves along, past an excellent phased chorus, to announce that “when you’re old, your kids will trade your brains for credit.”

Mr. Pink has innumerable underground releases, which do not include the nearly twenty albums to date (one of the most recent being The Glow In The Dark LP), and I, of course, have heard a slim margin of this vast collection of material (since I’m a fan, not a fanatic). The Doldrums is as good a place as any to begin, as I found, since it is a compendium of material from the late nineties to early 2000s, and because its low-grade electronic effects, tape hisses and vocal produce come together into an interesting melange, and even reminded some reviewers of Scott Walker (who is, as we know, can be just as weird if not weirder than the artist in question, known even to punch slabs of meat for percussive effect). His second major work, Worn Copy, however, happens to be my favourite album, the one I know best. Re-released in 2005 by Paw Tracks, it received wide critical reception and exposed Ariel Pink as an excellent songwriter capable of subverting pop music, and most important for me: capable of a fucking great hook (illustrated perfectly on “Immune to Emotion,” included below).

There are comparisons, of course, between Ariel Pink and other hauntologists, Mordant Music and The Caretaker, for instance, due to their treatment of nostalgia as a cultural symptom and a process of making music, but a cursory overview of these artists reveal both to be too electro/industrial to compare aesthetically. Rather, since Ariel Pink sounds to me like nothing I have heard before, the only logical equation, to me, is that he’s like Zappa: the intellectual bent, eccentricities, and warped “outsider” sensibilities suggest as much to me . . . And there you have it. That’s all I’ve got this week.

Credit by Ariel Pink
Immune To Emotion by Ariel Pink

Remember the Fratellis? I remember when I first came across them. I worked at a clothing store that was pathetically desperate to fit the indie-cool mold whilst serving a clientele of bleach blonde yuppies who could really care less about music outside a nightclub. Anyway, Costello Music was in the CD drawer and I instantly fell in love with the upbeat, catchy tunes. The album kept me awake and put me in a good mood.

Two years later, Here We Stand came out. I’m still not sure how I feel about it. It’s … not bad but it’s no Costello Music. It’s definitely not as happy and there’s more variation between songs. I don’t know, Here We Stand sounds like seven different bands wrote these songs and paid the Fratellis to play and record them.

“Shameless” has a weird nostalgic feel to it. Like if the Fratellis were twenty-five years older than they actually are. It sounds like the combination of some generic 80s song with a dash of Costello Music. It makes me think of a sad moment in a movie where the girl discovers some terrible truth about the guy and the guy sulks away with this song playing in the background.

The next one sounds more like the Fratellis I know and love. But it’s slower and Jon/John sounds really uncomfortable singing the word “cunt”. Are guys allowed to call themselves cunts? This song is pretty cheesy, I’m imagining exaggerated facial expressions and some guy in a top hat. “Straggler’s Moon” is a pretty good song but it sounds nothing like the Fratellis. It’s a snake of a song, kind of sleazy and mysterious. Parts of it sounds like the Beatles with Bowie as their producer. I like “Mistress Mabel” too but it sounds like a country song with predictable rhymes (Mabel/ unstable/ cradle/ fable/ unable). It’s pretty interesting about three minutes in and I like the piano bits. It’s a song Nick would have written to woo Lindsay on Freaks and Geeks.

“Jesus Stole My Baby” is obnoxiously monotonous and I don’t even want to talk about it. “Babydoll” is acoustic and awfully sweet. This is the scene in the movie where the guy does something to win the girl back even though he has to sacrifice his tough guy reputation or whatever. I can’t help feeling that I’ve heard it before though. It’s a very comfortable song and doesn’t take any risks. I was hoping for something different at the end but nah, nothing. “Tell Me A Lie” sounds like the Hives. It should have been on the Black and White Album instead of Here We Stand.

“Acid Jazz Singer” brings us some more acoustics. It feels like a filler track. “Lupe Brown” is the song playing at the end of that movie I’ve been making up throughout this review. “Milk and Money” is a poor way to end the album.

So this album is basically a loose soundtrack to some teen movie which is not necessarily a bad thing but doesn’t make for a particularly original or amazing album. They’re lucky this is their second album and not their debut. Hopefully, this is a case of the sophomore slump and not the one-album wonder.

3/5

The Fratellis - Look Out Sunshine!

The Fratellis - Mistress Mabel

Kate Miller-Heidke is from Brisbane, Australia, the second consecutive Australian singer-songwriter that I’m reviewing. Miller-Heidke is not really take the rest of the world by storm but more or less concentrating on her home country unlike Lenka, despite both being on Sony BMG.

Miller-Heidke got my attention with her track Can’t Shake It (video below) which is a dance pop track that works on many levels while Miller-Heidke brings out her own style to it (specifically a unique Australian accent to it). It’s great that way, it’s a type of a voice that many might not like at first but it’s not everyday where you hear a track such as this and thus I was instantly compelled to check out Curiouser.

As a side note, she seems to like a style of having a nose pad or something on her face, I’m no style expert but I’d probably prefer to see how her face normally looks (turns out she’s pretty hot too, just odd I guess). Anyone want to give me any background on this “look”?

Curiouser is Kate’s second release, I probably couldn’t find the first if I tried and while it looks like she’s popular, hopefully that popularity extends worldwide. Anyway, back to the music. On “Can’t Shake It”, Miller-Heidke is the modest type, saying she can’t bust a move and that her execution of the moon walk is like “she stepped in shit”. In that sense, she brilliantly conveys her lack of confidence, confidently. In the opening moments she shows off by submitting herself to a lover before on “God’s gift to women” suggesting that “If you’re god’s gift to women, then god got it wrong” – ouch. On “Caught in the Crowd” sings a pop folk song as its dense lyrically talking about an experience with a boy that seems biographical. It isn’t a love song but more or less having a friend that isn’t cool and not really hanging out with that person. It’s not a great song, as it really forces Kate to move quickly lyrically without using much of her vocal talent but I do feel like it’s truthful, it’s not a grand story in any sense, just a little weird where it fits into things (no real end story, just a random somewhat sad story.

Kate mixes things up in bits a pieces going between dance songs, a folk song, a piano ballad (The Last Day on Earth) and simple pop songs. I personally like her when she uses her vocal talent, even better when it can be mixed up but when she’s not singing to her full potential it leaves me disappointed. I also enjoy it when she goes out of tune and brings a unique side to it like on “I Like You Better When You’re Not Around”. You probably have to listen to the track yourself to see what I mean but it instantly becomes a favorite with this small piece of creativeness.

I don’t like all the songs on this album, but she’s wild and unique enough for me to give her some credit. She may not be the greatest song writer but it’s hard to dispute that she’s very talented. I think she needs to let herself a little more because when she does, it’s EPIC. Sure it’s like Regina Spektor but Miller-Heidke is much more loose and of course fun.

Rating: 3.8 out of 5
Can’t Shake It by Kate Miller-Heidke
I Like You Better When You’re Not Around by Kate Miller-Heidke

Video is after the jump.
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My Top 10 Dance/Urban/Electro Singles of 2008 (in no particular order). If you’ve read enough of reviews, you’ll know that I like to dance. Yeah, but I have to dance to “smart’ music. There has to be creativity involved, even in dance/urban/electro singles. I don’t think having good beats is an excuse for having weak lyrics. This is my dance/urban/electro list, so don’t take it personally if your favourites aren’t here. And obviously I don’t know every song out there, feel free to comment and add to this based on your preferences.

I’ve created this list based on 3 things:
1) it made my feet move.
2) it made me put the sh&t on repeat.
3) it made me put it on a playlist.

A. Let’s Go To War - Burn Down The Disco. This group is from Toronto and have opened for M.I.A. and Santogold, and performed at the Virgin fest. This track crosses the “urban” boundaries in my opinion, a nice mix of rock/urban/electro. I love: The intro, the bridge and the riff through the song.
Let’s Go To War - Burn Down The Disco

B. Brazilian Girls - Losing Myself. I’m pretty sure this is not a “single”. But, during their show at the Diesel house (which I weakly reviewed, lol), this track stood out to me most from their 2008 LP. I love: the bilingualism and the strangeness of her voice during the chorus.
Brazilian Girls - Losing Myself

C. Yelle - Je Veux Te Voir. This track is a re-release from 2006. Yelle is French singer from France. The intro is similar to the beginning of the 20 Fingers’ 90s track Short D*ck Man. I love: her high pitch annoying voice, the electro beat and the bridge.
Yelle - Je Veux Te Voir

D. Björk - Earth Intruders. It’s nice to see Timbaland produce something outside his tim-box and evidence that he’s beyond pop. Björk is always producing something innovative and then singing it weirdly. This song sounds like a dance march for funk and freedom I love: the lyrics, her weird articulation, and the beat.
Bjork - Earth Intruders

E. Robyn - Cobrastyle. I’ve always liked Robyn, even when she was a pop star. Robyn came back these last two years an independent artist with a dance movement. Her album is excellent, but this track is most electro danceable for me. I love: the lyrics (I press trigger, I don’t press people button) and the bass line.
Robyn - Cobrastyle.mp3

F. Kanye West - Love Lockdown. I so wanted to do this LP review, someone beat me to it. lol. Anyway, I was thoroughly impressed with this 808 album because it’s Kanye somber, electro and outside his box. The lyrics are weak as hell. I’ll make it an exception on this track because it’s heartfelt. I love: the Auto-tune, the tribal drums on the 808 and the simplicity.
Kanye West - Love Lockdown

G. N.E.R.D. - Spaz. There’s no doubt that N.E.R.D.’s Everybody Nose is a cool electro/dance track too… but Spaz’s drum-n-bass effect works so much better for me. I always like N.E.R.D.’s work anyway, but this song, it’s a step towards what I want to hear from them. I love: the lyrics “Spaz if you want to…” damn right, the drum-n-bass beat and the mix of rock for the chorus.
N.E.R.D. - Spaz.mp3

H. Santogold - You’ll Find A Way (Switch and Sinden Remix). Of course everybody loves Creator, that’s her anthem (I do too). You’ll Find A Way is always overlooked in favour of L.E.S. Artistes. This track though is “tough” though… I love: the opening beat, the whispers and the bridge.
Santogold - You’ll Find A Way (Switch and Sinden Remix).mp3

I. Janelle Monae- Sincerely Jane. A lot of people like Many Moons more, but I think it sounds too “Outkast”ee for me. Sincerely, Jane is an original urban track that’s danceable with live horns.. mid-tempo dancing maybe, lol, but I still groove to it. I love: the lyrics, the scratching, the live horns, and her voice.
Janelle Monae - Sincerely, Jane

J. Weezer - Troublemaker. Yes, I’m well aware this is not a dance/urban/electro track. But… this track is just so much fun and makes me want to rock out the dance floor. These self-proclaimed nerds’ guitars and drum line makes me move. I love: always the nerdy and sarcastic lyrics, the beat, the little interruption bridges… “I’m gonna be a rock star… marrying a biatch”. lol. This is my anthem of the year. I know.. I’m a total geek. Yes, and the buildup bridge, works every time.
Weezer - Troublemaker.mp3