Rodrigo y Gabriela - 11:11

So far away is the time when this couple of Mexican ex-metal heads used to play their guitars on the streets of Dublin to live. Now days they play one day in Tokyo and the next day in Coachella or Bonnaroo festivals, so they can afford to release a record as "11:11" with guests like Strunz & Farah and Alex Skolnick. "11:11" is some kind of conceptual album with, precisely, 11 songs, each dedicated to an artist who, to say the duo, has influenced or inspired their music in some way ranging from Astor Piazzolla to Carlos Santana and from Pink Floyd to "Dimebag" Darrell. Although the "Rod & Gab" well-known power-acoustic-instrumental sound remains with no change, there is some news: for the first time there's no covers (remember that many turned to see this guys for their wonderful versions of songs like Metallica´s "One", Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" or Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven"), on the other hand, perhaps realizing that the formula was beginning to run out, the duo incorporates instruments like ukulele, oud, darbuka and piano as well as including, also for the first time, an electric guitar with an Alex Skolnick solo. Though at sometimes can be slightly monotonous, "11:11" is a good record of (OK, let say it) world music with "Latin flavor" and rock flashes (though some people still think that this is flamenco music). -CORANNIEIT-

Rodrigo y Gabriela, 11:11
ATO Records, 2009

Links:
Official Site
My Space Site

Jonsi & Alex - Riceboy Sleeps

After release a couple of singles (one of them, "Happiness", included in "Dark Was The Night" compilation and that they signed still as Riceboys Sleeps) "Jónsi" Þór Birgisson (Sigur Rós) and Alex Somers (Parachutes) finally delivered his first album "Riceboy Sleeps" with which they materialize the musical side of this collaboration initially conceived as a visual art project (Somers, Birgisson's boyfriend, has designed much of the art of the Sigur Rós albums) but now naturally extended to music field. Recorded exclusively with acoustic instruments and the participation of Amiina string quartet, Sigur Ros regular collaborators, and the Kópavogsdætur chorus, "Riceboy Sleeps" is a record dense and relaxed at the same time in which Birgisson and Somers not only do not stray the sound of their "main" bands but making it even more radicalized to create quite atmospheric and ethereal music. OK, let say this: next to "Riceboy Sleeps", "Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust" the last album by Sigur Rós, could be almost considered a conventional pop album. Over little more than an hour "Jónsi" and Alex create long, dreamy, barely whispered soundscapes that gently swaying between ambient and experimental music. At first listen "Riceboy Sleeps" risks to end up being one of those records that are played as background music in "relax sessions", but it's worth listen it with attention, let your guard down and being involved to enjoy the almost celestial atmospheres created by Birgisson and Somers. -CORANNIEIT-

Jonsi & Alex, Riceboy Sleeps
Beggars XL Recordings, 2009

Links:
Official Site
My Space Site

Muse - The Resistance

Among the army of Radiohead clones that emerged last decade few bands can today claim to have found his own style. Fewer can boldly stand alongside the Oxford masters (to overcome them is so much to ask for, remember that Thom Yorke and company are cooked separately). One of these bands is Muse that just had delivery "The Resistance" their fifth studio album. There is not much new to say about Muse music. Everything in their work is excessive and still yet it sounds perfect. Keeping almost the same sound of "Black Holes And Revelations", the trio deliver intense, ambitious, elaborated and perhaps a little more bombastic, if possible, music. The guys from Teignmouth left behind the "floydians" album covers but keep their epic style with a progressive rock touch on tracks like "The Resistance", "Unnatural Selection" or "United States Of Eurasia/Collateral Damage" (with an obvious wink to Queen) songs in which they carry their rock/pop to cinematic limits by combining monumental orchestral arrangements with the powerful guitar and passionate interpretations of Matthew Bellamy. The album closes with "Exogenesis" a 3 movements mini-symphony in which Bellamy gives vent to his classical piano accompanied by Edodea Ensemble. "The Resistance" is an impeccable album that assures Muse to be on all "Best Of The Year" lists. It is also a great opportunity to take a rest of the low-fi/do-it-yourself fashion and enjoy a little bit of glamour. -CORANNIEIT-

Muse, The Resistance
Warner Music, 2009

Links:
Official Site
My Space Site

Volcano Choir - Unmap

After the extraordinary debut that he had with "For Emma, Forever Ago", a magnific album and certainly some of the best that came out last year, it seems like Justin Vernon, best known as Bon Iver, is avoiding to take the final step to record the dreaded "second album": earlier this year he recorded "Blood Bank" a 4 tracks EP; then participated with a couple of songs in the Red Hot compilation "Dark Was The Night"; now, resuming a pre-Bon Iver project, he meets again Wisconsinites pals Collections Of Bees to create Volcano Choir and release their first album. Those who expect to find in this new work of Vernon something like "For Emma, Forever Ago" will be disappointed. While "Husks and Shells", "Island, IS" and "Seeplymouth" opens the album in a hopefully way, from the fourth theme everything becomes blurred and the record takes an experimental turn, as if Vernon will continue what he began with "Woods", the final track of "Blood Bank", and which on this record includes a new version now named "Still". From this point "Unmap" takes place with a quiet and relaxed sound with Vernon talking rather than singing, accompanied by evocative chorus, incidental noises and some kind of instrumental minimalism (sometimes just the drums, sometimes just with an atmospheric organ) that makes the music sound scattered and at times a little bit tedious. "Unmap" is not exactly an electrifying album, it takes patience and some zeal for Vernon to take away all that pretentious packaging that it comes wrapped in and enjoy it. Maybe that's the way it should be. After all is not a Bon Iver album. Is a Volcano Choir album. -CORANNIEIT-

Volcano Choir, Unmap
Jagjaguwar, 2009

Links:
Official Site
My Space Site

The Thermals - Now We Can See

"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

Links:
Official Site
My Space Site

Marnie Stern - This Is It And I Am ...

With the horrendous title "This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That" (supposedly a quote from the English philosopher Alan Watts) and a cover deceptively innocent, the amazing guitar player and songwriter Marnie Stern, considered by many a true shredder, presents her second album, a frantic and noisy record in which the New Yorker does not beat around the bush and from the first moment shoot an attack of riffs, power chords and an endless series of guitar pirouettes. Stern gives no rest or truce and with no company but runaway drums, a shy bass guitar and some occasional keyboards, she creates 12 songs with a swishing and visceral sound, with complex and volatile structures that change from moment to moment. With the same sense of chaos of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (a much focused sense of chaos, paradoxically) and a tapping technique that will have proud even to Eddie Van Halen, Stern does not hide her impeccable technical level but unlike many of their male counterparts, she does not falls into the typical "look-i-can play thousand-notes-per second", and avoids the excess (the John 5 kind of excess, for example) going well beyond guitar pyrotechnics to make songs, chaotic and intricate yes, but well-defined songs that without losing the sense of melody goes from punk and hard rock to RIO and noise even touching experimental. "This Is it. .." is a vertiginous and exciting album in which this girl shows that there are many female guitar players. Female guitar players such as Marnie Stern, not so many. -CORANNIEIT-

Marnie Stern, This Is It and I Am ...
Kill Rock Stars Records, 2008

Links:
Official Website (at Kill Rock Stars)
My Space Website

Gustavo Cerati - Fuerza Natural

After refill his bank account with the Soda Stereo 2007 reunion tour, Gustavo Cerati returns with "Fuerza Natural" his fifth solo album in which seems like we finally recover Cerati as a guitar player, maker of organic and warm music . Yeah, is true, since "Ahí Vamos", his previous album, Cerati moved away from electronic sound and pick up guitar as base for his music again but, unlike the pompous and distant sound of "Ahí Vamos", in "Fuerza Natural" he put aside his avant-garde pursuits and focuses on simplicity and melody. The result could not be better: without fall into easy tunes and maintaining the refinement that characterizes his music, the argentinian deliver 13 songs with which we connect since the first chord of "Fuerza Natural" is played, song that along with "Déjà Vu" and "Magia" starts the album in a energetic way, with an enthusiastic and optimistic spirit to continue in a soft and rhythmic mood with songs like "Tracción A Sangre", "Desastre" and "Cactus", a sort of melancholic stylized chacarera, giving it a slightly bucolic and andean folky breeze to the middle part of the album. At the end comes the dreamy stillness of "Sal" and "Convoy" to close with "Hoy He Visto A Lucy" a 9 minutes trip with obvious reminiscences to The Beatles. Cerati arrives to his 50 anniversary with a great album. A flawless record which in some way, and without even suggesting the "Soda Stereo sound", he shows once again that ability to make engaging and perfect rock/pop songs. "Fuerza Natural" could be the album that we have been waiting from Gustavo Cerati for 12 years. -CORANNIEIT-

Gustavo Cerati, Fuerza Natural
Sony Music, 2009

Links:
Official Website
My Space Website

Stellastarr* - Civilized

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-

Stellastarr*, Civilized
Bloated Wife Records, 2009

Links:
Official Website
My Space Website

The Sounds - Crossing The Rubicon

"Crossing The Rubicon" is the third album by Swedish band The Sounds in which the band maintain the sound of their previous albums and preserves the Nordic tradition of good pop bands with rock ambitions. 12 songs light, extremely melodic, with catchy choruses and Maja Ivarsson's voice reminding us frequently to Karen O. Pop in all its forms: epic, synth, dance, power, dream, almost always bright and strong but sometimes near to be insipid just saved by the Felix Rodriguez's guitar which is responsible for giving substance to the sound when it begins to get so sweetie and danceable. Pop pure and delicious, with great punch and a sleek simplicity. Without pretensions, "Crossing The Rubicon" is a light and perhaps slightly superficial record but absolutely enjoyable. -CORANNIEIT-

The Sounds, Crossing The Rubicon
Original Signal Records, 2009

Links:
Official Website
My Space Website

The Dead Weather - Horehound

If after listen "Consolers Of The Lonely", The Raconteurs second album, we wondered: Does anyone misses to The White Stripes? After listen "Horehound", the debut album of The Dead Weather, the new superband founded by Jack White (and probably, along with Chickenfoot, one of the few that deserve the adjective these days) which also involved Alison Mosshart, The Kills vocalist, Dean Fertita, Queens Of The Stone Age keyboardist, and Jack Lawrence, from The Greenhornes and The Raconteurs, the question (perhaps a little bit unfair since White is not alternating with a support band nor beginners) that is floating on the air is: Is Jack White a genius of actual rock?. If in "Consolers Of The Lonely" White exploded the opportunity of have the "creative counterweight" of Brendan Benson and to play with a real band, with enough solvency to make more elaborated music, in "Horehound" what he gets is boost and enhance the garage sound of The White Stripes taking it to another level and give it some sophistication without lose a bit of his powerful and visceral nature. 11 pieces of hard and volatile music, in which White let Fertita take charge on the 6 strings (with a style very similar to White but less frenetic), and except for "Will There Be Enough Water?", a dark blues that closes the album, he abstain from play guitar taking charge, along with Lawrence, of the drums and share vocals with Mosshart and her raspy voice. "Horehound" is an extraordinary album, 43 minutes of austere elements music but with a robust and overpower sound, as garage as bluesy. Is Jack White a genius of actual rock? The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and now The Dead Weather seem to give us the answer: absolutely yes. -CORANNIEIT-

The Dead Weather, Horehound
Third Man Records, 2009

Links:
Official Website
My Space Website