Five Albums Worth a Look: April Edition

It’s amazing to think that only four months into the year more great albums have been released this year than all of 2006. That trend will continue with so many big-name April releases coming that it’s difficult to single out five individual releases. Of course, my job is to make it easier on all of you, so here are the top five albums that are worth seriously considering next month:

1. Kings of Leon Remember the Times (April 3)

I’m going to warn you right now, Remember the Times sounds nothing like the first two efforts from this family band. While 80’s rock has certainly become the flavor of the month influence-wise, their U2-esque opener "Knocked Up" is the most intimate and personal song that KoL has ever released, and it is absolutely superb for all 7:10 minutes. Between that, the wicked Pixies-gone-dixie piece "Charmer," the single "On Call," and the outstanding and intricate "Ragoo," Remember the Times is sure to impress.

2. Blonde Redhead 23 (April 10)

This appears to be Blonde Redhead’s most focused album yet, not to mention most atmospheric. While there doesn’t appear to be a bad song on the album, the strongest songs are the title track, which seems to be channeling My Bloody Valentine, the churning tracks of "SW" and "Spring and By Summer Fall," and lastly the gorgeous yet melancholy "My Impure Hair." If you’re not familiar with Blonde Redhead yet, be sure to get this album when it comes out.

3. Bright Eyes Cassadega (April 10)

This will probably be the most interesting release of the month, only because I’m interested in just how well Bright Eyes will pull off this country-tinged release. While I still absolutely love the single "Four Winds," I’m not sure how I feel about the overall album yet, but there are some definite gems with songs like "If the Brakeman Turns My Way" and "Make a Plan to Love Me." I do know for sure that those that are already fans of Bright Eyes will love this album, but I just don’t know how much of a new audience Conor Oberst will attract.  

4. Nine Inch Nails Year Zero (April 17)

While I certainly liked and enjoyed Trent Reznor’s last effort With Teeth, it seemed to lack the (pardon the pun) bite that earlier albums showed. Also, after waiting for so long for the album to be released, it seemed that Reznor was almost trying too hard. This time around, Reznor and company appear to offer more than just being loud for loud’s sake, with the twitchy "Survivalism" leading the way. Also, "In This Twilight" and "My Violent Heart" are two other very strong tracks, and is arguably better than anything that appeared on With Teeth.

5. The Electric Soft Parade No Need to be Downhearted (April 24)

With My Morning Jacket finally gaining some popularity thanks to their back-to-back breakthrough albums of It Still Moves and Z, it is now time for The Electric Soft Parade to get their due. You’d be hard pressed to find any of their earlier albums here in the states, but thankfully, No Need to be Downhearted will see a US release on April 24. Wonderfully eclectic, this album boasts such great tracks as "Life in the Backseat" and "Misunderstanding." By far the best track on here, which is a carry over from The Human Body EP, is "A Cold World." I can almost guarantee that you’ll be addicted to these guys after one listen, so be sure to pick this album up when it hits the stores.

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LCD Soundsystem and Modest Mouse’s latest reviewed

LCD Soundsystem

Sound of Silver

100

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the album of the year. Barring some stroke of mindblowing genius, I can all but guarantee that nothing will beat this album, nothing. Not the White Stripes, not the indie flavor of the month, nothing. While the eponymous debut album rarely went deeper than outrageous fun, Sound of Silver strikes a perfect balance, with nine wonderful, reflective tracks that are not only as smart (or smarter) than before, but also incredibly meaningful. The sobering “All My Friends,” the slick “Us vs. Them,” or the incredibly personal closer– and ode to New York– “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” all are marked points of a quantum leap of maturity on the part of James Murphy. For those that appreciated the raucous sound of the debut album, there are tracks for you as well in the single “North American Scum,” and “Time to Get Away.” No matter where you stand however, this is a must-have album– it’ll make you dance, it’ll make you think, and it’ll touch you in a way very few albums of this genre can do.

Modest Mouse

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

88

If Modest Mouse fans weren’t divided enough after Good News For People Who Love Bad News was released– or, more specifically, “Float On” found it’s way into MTV’s rotation– We Were Dead.. is certainly going to make the polarization between camps even more distinctive. That being said, anyone who claims that Modest Mouse has sold out really needs to check themselves into the nearest asylum, because they haven’t really abandoned their roots as much as the album may have you believe– it’s just that over the years artists tend to mature and develop a better sense of pop sensibility. The opener “March Into the Sea” is the perfect example of Modest Mouse’s loud to soft style, as Issac Brock is snarling one minute and gently singing the next. From here, the album progresses to the marvelous single “Dashboard,” which captures you from the second you hear the simple yet nifty guitar riff, and gets increasingly grandiose with the layered vocals, horns, and strings. The next song, “Fire It Up,” which would be the logical choice for the second single, is probably the most straightforward rocker on the album, and sounds like it could have been a carryover from their previous album. Anthemic and summery, you can almost forgive it for being slightly too long. While the album starts off well enough, it is from the absurd track “Florida” on where Modest Mouse starts to get somewhat bipolar. The energy of “Florida” is there, but there is almost too much going on, and with this track being stuck in between “Fire It Up” and “Parting of the Sensory,” it just seems out of place. Same goes for “We’ve Got Everything,” which really would’ve been better suited as a b-side at best. Other highlights however include “Missed the Boat,” which is not only the breeziest piece on the album, it almost sounds Shins-like (and this has nothing to do with James Mercer singing backup vocals). In addition to “Parting of the Sensory,” “Education” should definitely appease old-school Modest Mouse fans, while anyone should be able to appreciate the added depth that ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr brings to the table. While a somewhat inconsistent album, the overall effort is just as good, if not better than Good News for People Who Love Bad News.

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Albert Hammond, Jr. and !!! reviewed

Albert Hammond, Jr.

Yours To Keep

87

When the Strokes’ latest album The First Impressions of Earth came out, I definitely gave the band some crap to say the least. They ended up receiving my infamous award for most disappointing album of 2006, and have in general fallen off from being one of my favorite post-2000 bands. Despite all this, it’s impossible to say that the Strokes don’t have talent, and the most recent example of this is with Albert Hammond, Jr.’s solo album. It’s worth noting that Albert Hammond, Jr. is, perhaps obviously, the son of 70’s pop-rock star Albert Hammond, most famous for his song “It Never Rains in Southern California.” The reason I say this is because the album’s sunshine-filled nuggets of 3-minute pop would appear to be a huge shock for anyone who is thinking that this is going to be a Strokes-like album. However, for those that are familiar with the father of the Strokes’ rhythm/lead guitarist, the album is something that would be slightly more expected. “Bright Young Thing” and “101″ in particular are very smart and concisely written songs that haven’t been executed so well since Rooney’s debut album. “Call an Ambulance” is another standout track, with its between the bouncy rhythm and carefree whitsling, Hammond, Jr. definitely plays to his strengths. Yours to Keep is the perfect summer album, so if you don’t pick it up now, be sure to get it by the time May or June rolls around– I guarantee it will find a permanent place in your rotation.

!!!

Myth Takes

90

As much as I enjoyed !!!’s (pronounced chk chk chk) previous effort, Louden Up Now, it was an almost impossible album to recommend because it was so darn inaccessible. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and like M.I.A.’s Arular, the clamored sound of the album was largely a reflection of the extreme political messages that were the overriding theme of both albums. Meanwhile, on Myth Takes, !!! put their dancing shoes on and have come up with an album that while not necessarily as deeply rewarding as Louden Up Now, it more than makes up for it in fun factor. “All My Heroes Are Weirdos,” “Must Be the Moon” and “A New Name,” all rock with such a stunning swagger that it is perfect for the dance floor, while “Bend Over Beethoven” is an eight-minute groove that never meanders like many of the longer tracks did last time around. Endlessly fun nad hardly fatiguing, Myth Takes is yet another great album from this Sacramento band. Highly recommended.

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Youtube Thursday (music edition)

There are reviews upcoming for the Strokes lead/rhythm guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.’s solo effort, Yours to Keep, as well as !!!’s latest Myth Takes. In the meantime here are some interesting news/tidbits with Youtube goodies mixed in.

White Strips get Icky (Thump)

With a very curious press release, the White Stripes released the info on their latest album which will be titled Icky Thump. Now, in case you’re wondering what the hell that means, there’s actually a mildly sensible explanation (at least by White Stripes standards),  it appears that the title is a take off of the British slang "ecky thump" which is an expression of shock or disbelief– the closest US-understood equivalent would probably be along the lines of "bloody hell." Anyway, in addition to the title and some very vague information as far as song titles are concerned, a short 30 second video of recording footage has surfaced ( as shown below) and features a rather curious skeleton. Enjoy!

OK GO has yet another insanely clever music video

This is hardly news, but if you haven’t seen this video yet, you really have to. This is the alternate video for "Do What You Want," the latest single from OK GO’s second album Oh No.

Bright Eyes video for new single "Four Winds"

Bright Eyes is back again, this time however it seems that he’s gone the straight country route, which, judging from this song and a few others that have been floating around the internet, definitely isn’t a bad thing. The album is titled Cassadaga and will be released April 10.

Modest Mouse gets weirder on "Dashboard" video

While the single has been leaking around the internet for what seems like forever now, I’m not sure if everyone has seen the video, which honestly makes me like the song a bit more than I did before. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank comes out March 20.

LCD Soundsystem takes on "North American Scum"

Definitely not my favorite song from the upcoming album, but it’s definitely not too shabby. Appearing something like a bad 80’s student sci-fi film, this video is nothing if quirky and fun. The new album entitled Sound of Silver comes out March 20.

Gruff Rhys’ "Candylion" video

Super Furry Animals’ frontman Gruff Rhys is back at it again with his Candylion album, which just came out this past Tuesday on US shores after being out for a while overseas. It’s definitely an album worth checking out, and just to peak your interest here’s a music video from the title track.

Kings of Leon are "On Call"

An absolutely superb single from a seemingly even better album, the Kings of Leon have completely changed things around for their latest album Because of the Times (release date: April 3). Check it out:

"Accident and Emergency" on video

Lastly, while it’s already out in the UK, Patrick Wolf’s latest album The Magic Position doesn’t hit here until May 1. This is the video for the first single which plays something like the Prodigy’s "Smack My Bitch Up" gone glam. Enjoy!

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Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible reviewed

Arcade Fire

Neon Bible

98

Unless you’re a skeptic– or perhaps you missed the score– you shouldn’t even have to read the review for this album. Neon Bible is easily the first must-buy album of the year, and unless you’re hoping for a Funeral redux, there is no way this album could disappoint. The neo-gothic tones begin on the outstanding opener “Black Mirror” and continue to build throughout, peaking at the hypnotic title track and the single “Intervention.” Instead of incessant percussion and loud, shouty vocals, Neon Bible almost always feels restrained and hushed, and often sounds so expansive that even the loud bits feel as if they are lost in translation. This is by no means a bad thing as it matches the thematics of the album perfectly, rather than detracts from it like reverb can tend to do with so many other artists. Other highlights include “Antichrist Television Blues,” which is probably the closest the band could ever get to making a 60’s American blues-rock song, and “No Cars Go” which was re-recorded from the original version which appeared on their eponymous EP. It’s damn near impossible for most bands to escape the shadow of a debut album of Funeral’s magnitude. Somehow, this band from Montreal not only avoided the sophomore slump, but created a masterpiece that I think five years from now could have even greater staying power than Funeral.

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