Third album, first of two conceptual albums that have planned from this cult's band, makers of impossible melodies, in which they play 10 songs, each with the name of a catastrophe, ranging from conventional indie rock to avant-garde ballads. Capricious music that from chord to chord moves from anxiety to sweetness, from dissonance to catchy ditties, and from tenebrous to innocence. Although at first listen "Someday All This Could Be Yours Vol.1" may sound a little bit dispersed, in the end the Texan quartet manages to make the combination of wandering pianos, incidental noise, changing rhythms and strange but strongly melodic lines, becomes in some kind of indie/noise-pop with a little touch of experimental music. Captivating and slightly freaky. -CORANNIEIT-
The Paper Chase, Someday This Could All Be Yours Vol.1
Another record to the American indie folk inventory courtesy of the Portland (where else?) based husband-wife duo The Woodlands, who debuted with this self-titled album produced and published by themselves, making 10 pieces of bucolic and austere folk/pop. While Samuel is in charge of music, unplugged, and lyrics, almost poetics, Hanna contributes with her so sweet (i mean really sweet) voice, sometimes barely whispering, creating songs that moves between oppressive melancholy and levity moments in which the couple allow themselves a little joy. Despite the limited instrumentation and extremely honeyed Hanna interpretations may cause after some tracks the album falls into monotony and cloying sweetness, this is not a bad record; it is saved by a few "bon iverean" touches and good moments on tracks like "We Can Stay", "Anymore" or "In The Dark Of Monday" that, at the end, makes of "The Woodlands" a pretty record. Ideal for "Grey's Anatomy" soundtrack. -CORANNIEIT-
The Woodlands, Self-Titled The Woodlands-Indie, 2009
Asserting itself as one of the most prolific bands nowadays, Los Campesinos! presents "Romance Is Boring", their third album in just 2 years (plus a couple of EPs), which includes, for if this were not enough, 15 tracks. While the quantity and, it is fair to say, the quality has never been problem for this guys from Wales, perhaps some thing that is beginning to be noticed is the lack of variety. Though "The Sea Is a Good Place To Think Of The Future", an excellent song that was published on their website in October last year, led us to expect a record a little bit more "profound" and ambitious, "Romance Is Boring " still maintains intact the style of the band featuring, once again, funny, energetic, partying music. Spontaneous and effusive rock/pop with accelerated rhythm guitars here and there, splashed with some violin and the pampered interpretations of Gareth Campesino!. Plenty of catchy & irresistible melodies, almost with a single on every theme, "Romance Is Boring" does not contain any innovation but, in some way, it patent the "Campesino" sound which, after all, is not bad...not at all. -CORANNIEIT-
Los Campesinos!, Romance Is Boring Arts & Crafts, 2010
When you see the cover of "Sigh No More" the first thing that comes to your mind is: Does the world need another Felice Brothers clone?. But is enough to listen "Sigh No More" and "The Cave", the songs that open the album, to immediately change your mind. Practically with an unplugged sound, this British band has the sensitivity to capture, even better than many of their American colleagues, the essence of folk, country and bluegrass (which, considering they coming from the urban-London, is something not to be ignored) to make 12 crafted pieces of clear, intimate and extraordinary warm folk/rock. From emotion, between melancholy and celebratory, of "The Cave" or "Roll Away Your Stone", in which Winston Marshall happily untie his banjo, to the introspection and severity of minor keys in "I Gave You All " or " Thistle And Weeds ", the quartet, beside let us clear that they definitely are not a Felice Brothers clone, give us music as simple as brilliant. A joyful and cordial record. -CORANNIEIT-
Noah And The Whale debuted last year with "Peaceful The World Lays Me Down" a good album but not more than the average dozens of records from indie bands with a semi-low fi acoustic folk /rock that included, but of course, some violin. Something really interesting must have happened so that now they can deliver a record as "The First Days Of Spring", an ambitious and sophisticated work conceived as a sort of accompaniment (or vice versa) to the homonym film created by guitarist and vocalist Charlie Fink. Curiously, although Fink and ex-band mate Laura Marling break up seems to be the inspiration and guiding line of the album, "The First Days Of Spring" has a joyful spirit even though has moments of fully melancholy. Combining gentle & introspective folk/pop with nice orchestral arrangements that are used either, give a twist to songs like "The First Days Of Spring", which opens the album in a majestic way, or to create a divertimento, choirs included, in "Instrumental I"/"Love Of An Orchestra”, Noah And The Whale have given a turn of the screw that has led them a big step forward. -CORANNIEIT-
Noah And The Whale, The First Days Of Spring Cherry Tree Records, 2009
Imagine Los Campesinos! becoming profound and melancholic. Or perhaps Frightened Rabbit with double power. It would probably be something similar to what the Scottish band We Were Promised Jetpacks does in "These Four Walls", their first album, in which, without any leaks, delivers 11 songs that combine frenetic attacks of rhythm guitars, evoking in someway Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah first album, with some of The Arcade Fire melodic drama doing music that by moments reach an impressive force. Through compelling harmonies and some energy that borders on punk, the quartet constructs in crescendo songs, stretching the rope slowly until blow up, going from intimacy and sweetness of plucks and softly chords, to moments of explosive catharsis in which the guitars of Adam Thompson and Michael Palmer, coupled with the intense Thompson performances that, just like music, goes from shyness to euphoria, transform songs like "It's It's Thunder and Lightning", "Short Bursts" and "Keeping Warm" into truly anthems. "These Four Walls" is an album effusive and intense. A fortunate debut for these Scots. -CORANNIEIT-
We Were Promised Jetpacks, These Four Walls Fatcat Records, 2009
From the Bay Area comes the first recording of Grand Lake, the new project from Caleb Nichols, Port O'Brien ex-bassist (by the way, Port O'Brien have just released "Threadbare" their second album), who along with Jamenson Swanagon and John Pomeroy presents "Nevermint", an EP that barely exceeds 20 minutes and in which trough 8 tracks these Californians offers a simple and catchy rock-pop sound despite the music sometimes has a dark and melancholic mood. Although some tunes have a vague sound even not totally finished, there are songs like "Concrete Blonde On Blonde", with some little touch from The Arcade Fire sound, "She's A Hater", rhythm and perfect to dance, or "Oedipus Hex" with some power chords (although content), which show the potential of Nichols and company and make "Nevermint" an interesting first step that perhaps with a good polish could become a very good album in the near future. We'll see. -CORANNIEIT-
"Now We Can See" is the fourth album from this Portland band in which they make simple, powerful and catchy rock, with some punk touch but quite melodic. Without reaching the Green Day's "sophistication" but not falling in Blink 182's bland happy punk, music by The Thermals is doubtless inspired and based on punk but also contains an undeniable pop touch, maybe because of the pop/folk background of guitarist Hutch Harris and bassist Kathy Foster, band mates also in Hutch & Kathy, that makes the trio's music sounds very friendly and digestible. Harris comes easy playing chord by chord to assemble circular, rhythmic and light music but also with some substance. 10 solid tracks that always keep a high intensity level including provocative songs as "I Let It Go" or "When We Were Alive" fast and distorted, but also slightly poppy songs like "Now We Can See", with a chorus rather than sticky, viral, or "At The Bottom Of The Sea" some kind of power ballad with tints of melancholy. Punk or heavy-melodic-pop. Power or melody. It doesn't matter. "Now We Can See" is an impetuous and absolutely enjoyable record. -CORANNIEIT-
The Thermals, Now We Can See Kill Rock Stars Records, 2009
After 3 years of silence since "Harmonies For The Haunted" (for some a "misunderstood" album, for others simply a bad record) the American quartet Stellastarr* is back with "Civilized", third album in their not too prolific discography and which seems to confirm that they are one of those bands that suffer the curse of having debuted with an extraordinary album which, 6 years later, is still a obligatory reference to their work and somekind of "shadow". "Civilized" is composed for 10 tracks which include pieces such as "Tokyo Sky" or "Graffiti Eyes" which sounds like the band tries to return to their "roots" combining power and spontaneity with Michael Junin's guitar generating all kinds of melodies, taps and riffs that are mounted over the distorted strings Shaw Christensen rounded with Amanda Tannen choruses (whose bass, indeed, has improved notably). On the other hand there are songs like "Robot" or "Numbers" in which New Yorkers show they have not broken up with that eighties new wave darkie sound that characterized his second album (perhaps they aren't trying to do so anyway). "Civilized" is a regular record so close to be good: it have power, it have punch, from the middle part of the album, with "Graffiti Eyes", the funny "Zombie Prom" and the powerful "Warchild," the album reaches really good moments but at the end something happen that there is nothing that definitely catch us. Unlike "Stellastarr*", their debut album, there is not any memorable song like "My Coco" or "Jenny", there is not the urgency and freshness of "Pulp Song". Certainly better landed that "Harmonies For The Haunted", but even without reaching the level of "Stellastarr *", "Civilized" shows a good band with the potential (already shown by the way) to make brilliant songs but which maybe this time lacks a bit of ambition, a last effort to get a good record without any objection. -CORANNIEIT-
First album from this quartet from Glasgow formed by musicians who have been wandering through different projects and now coincide in this kind of "superband" called Black Flowers. Led by English drummer Alexander Neilson, the quartet delivers "I Grew Up From A Stone To A Statue", a brief record , just over 30 minutes, in which the band offer 5 pieces that evoke English folk and medieval music, specially the vocals parts, combined with sixties psychedelia and a strong tendency to improvisation. While the opener "Calvary Cross" goes from total softness, with delicate and subtle vocals, to moments of wildness in which guitar and organ build intense passage of psychedelic jamming, other songs such as "Hot Crosses" or "And Words Fell Like The Malting Blossom" offer amazing moments with ethereal vocals barely accompanied by chaotic percussion or electro guitars. The record ends with Lavinia Blackwall singing "Sweets Rivers Of Redeeming Love" a sweet folk ballad. While not extraordinary “I Grew Up From A Stone To A Statue" is an interesting effort, although, due to the nature of the band, with a certain ephemeral smell. -CORANNIEIT-
Black Flowers, I Grew Up From A Stone To A Statue Bo Weavil Recordings, 2009
In some kind of Antony and the Johsons meets Devil Doll, the surprising Austrian girl, Anja Plaschg, better know as Soap&Skin, deliver her debut album "Lovetune For Vacuum" a record rather than depressive, dark and slightly macabre but also full of beauty and emotiveness. 13 songs with a truly dark sound, without chorus nor melodies, in majority of which this young lady, just 19 years old, is accompanied only by her piano played almost all the time in a disturbing and sinister low pitch, occasionally supplemented with electronic effects and strings arrangements. With a pretendedly fragile and delicate voice, Plaschg shapes her interpretations making them sometimes atmospheric and ethereal, barely whispering her desolate lyrics, while in other pieces she sounds openly passionate and theatrical. With songs like "Sleep" or "Marche Funébre", "Lovetune For Vacuum" is a record with a permanent dark and melancholic tone sprinkled with just a few moments of "brightness" in songs like "Cry Wolf" or "Brother Of Sleep." Tense and sometimes distressfully music but with a sensibility as dark as delicious. An excellent debut for this girl. -CORANNIEIT-
Soap&Skin, Lovetune For Vaccum Play It Again Sam Records, 2009
New album from Karen O and company in wich seem to be get away from the “alternative” sound still showed in "Show Your Bones" delivering now an album with a more varied sound but also much closer to pop. While the trio has never been the non plus ultra of rock, and dance music has been not entirely strange to his discography, songs such as openers "Zero" and "Heads Will Roll", rather than rhythmic, shamelessly discotheque music or "Dragon Queen", another poppy dance song with 80´s influences, may be disappointing for those hoping to find the melodic but full of energy and guitars music that the band had delivered in their last album in pieces like "Cheated Hearts" and "Mysteries". However "It's Blitz" is not a bad record, irregular perhaps, and contains good songs in which New Yorkers recover some energy like "Softshock" the third song in which Nick Zinner guitar stands out for the first time in the album, or "Fortune And Shame" aggressive and slightly noise, as well as others in wich calm arrives like "Skeletons", a quiet, almost atmospheric piece in which Karen O is accompanied just by idyllic keyboards and "Hysteric" a beautiful dream pop in wich for a moment we do not know if we are listening to Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or to Amy Millan and Stars. At the end "It's Blitz" is an uneven album in which we are often tempted to push the "Next" button and then we find songs that tempt us to push the "Repeat" button. One of those records that leave us with a bittersweet taste. -CORANNIEIT-
A brother-sister power-duo. Using as primary instruments guitar and drums respectively. With an austere but powerful sound based on blues. Where we heard this before? However, despite many similarities, the music of this London duo sounds completely different to the "brothers" White of Detroit. With the unsophisticated but intense and effective Gideon’s guitar, which in some songs is changed for bass guitar and Gideon no doubt to use some distortion to create crushing riffs, and accurate and precise drums of Viva, Joe Gideon & The Shark deliver in "Harum Scarum" music in a simple and overwhelming way with a clear and vibrant blues vein despite the dark atmosphere that wraps the 9 songs that compose it. With a voice that makes listening a lot longer than he is (let say he has a voice of an old men) and a vocal style in which he often talk more than sing (maybe because the duo elaborated lyrics are small stories of disappointment, love, loss and crimes) Gideon interpretations at times evoke Iggy Pop and Johnny Cash (in particular when he talk) providing warmth and emotion to each song. Including decidedly vigorous songs as "Harum Scarum", "Civilization" or "Johan Was A Painter An Arsonist," a tasty and distorted blues, others that combine delicacy with moments of explosive guitars as the poignant and epic "Kathy Ray" or the accelerated "Hide And Seek" with Viva playing the piano, and also some moments of serenity as the beautiful and heartbreaking "Pale Blue Dot" that closes the album, "Harum Scarum" is a great debut for this real brothers band that definitely promises great things. -CORANNIEIT-
Joe Gideon & The Shark, Harum Scarum Bronzerat Records, 2009
