Crystal Castles, (III), November 5th 2012

On their third album, appropriately titled (III), Crystals Castles seem to have simultaneously produced something that is different and the same all in one album. It's as if they have somehow generified their sound, that you can have different productions - but it's still the basically an equivalent output.  All of that despite the fact that the band got all new pedals and instruments for recording this album so they could have an original sound. Really?

That being said, it's a good same-same. I like this album. It creates the typical beautiful, melodic and sometimes cacophonous, all with a cool beat, sound of Crystal Castles. I guess I just haven't been in the mood for it. Next time my heart aches, or I don't want to feel like I am becoming an old lady, I will turn on this epic hipster elctronica album and rage away the pain of heartache and fear of growing old.

For now, I am going to keep listening to Bat For Lashes' new album that I blogged about previously. At least her sound matured, rather than merely morphed by a change in drum pedals.

Silver and Gold by Sufjan Stevens

So you hate Christmas music. Or do you really?

Maybe you are just too cool for a little bit of, yes, cheesy tunes. But Sufjan Stevens isn't. In fact, he takes the classic, albeit cheesy Christmas tunes and makes a hipster twist. Sound like an oxymoron? Sufjan Stevens' five disc album "Silver and Gold" is all over the map. From melancholic to upbeat, from folky to electronic, from cheesy to hipster, there is something for everyone. While many attempts in life to achieve so much may utterly fail at achieving anything at all, this album seems to work out just fine. I believe that anyone could listen to this album, and like it.

Not only does Sufjan make some interesting versions of the world's most well known Christmas songs, sometimes mixing them with other random tracks (such as Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart), but he also has some tracks I am pretty sure are completely original. Songs such as Christmas Unicorn and and Happy Karma Christmas just sound too goofy to come from anyone but this Christmas hipster mix master. Sound like he's trying to hard? Well, these are actually quite good songs.

Search for it on Spotify, download it, buy it on vinyl, I don't care. If you are a typical bah humbugger, I whole heartedly encourage you to check out this album. It just might get you in some sort of semi-hipster-ish Christmas spirit.

Would that really be so bad? I don't think so!

Lana Del Ray, Paradise, November 13th 2012

Lana Del Ray's last album Born to Die has such a distinct sound and image, that I thought she could not possibly replicate either without sounding like a cheap stretch on her gangsta Nancy Sinatra image.

Her new album Paradise delivers everything I hoped it would and more; not only is it a collection of great tunes that feed my hunger for the persona that is Lana Del Ray - it deepens that musical lust. While the first song "Ride" opens the album a bit weakly, the tracks after have their own haunting, sultry sounds. The second track "American" definitely satiates my need for the sexy American trailer park glam. "Cola" is a particularly great track, destined to repeat in my brain for days to come. While "Body Electric" falls short, there is still something great about the song - slightly straying from the overall sound in a nice way.

"Blue Velvet" reminisces the swaying era of the 50's, perhaps really bringing home Lana Del Ray's persona on this album. Another slightly different tune, "God & Monsters" also gets a bit crass, only to be followed the very mellow version of the already mellow, previously released tune "Yayo." The album ends with only eight tracks, with the last song "Bel Air" which is hauntingly beautiful and shows Lana Del Ray's more delicate side.

The only downside of this album - it's a bit of a tease with only eight tracks, one of which we've heard before. Definitely worth listening to, especially if you liked Born to Die.

Bat For Lashes, The Haunted Man, October 23rd 2012

I liked Bat For Lashes' other albums, in theory. The blend of dark, magic, and ethereal with pop was intellectually satisfying to me. But somehow her music didn't really capture me.

Until The Haunted Man.  On this album, Bat For Lashes has grown into her strengths somehow. It is sophisticated and strong. No longer trying too hard to be interesting, she has found her voice. The album grows on me with each listen, the lyrics beating into my brain, the drums connecting with my body, most notably in the song "Horses of the Sun." Another song, "Marilyn," has a much softer sound, with musical accents from the 80's, given a modern twist with her echoing, soulful voice.  There is no bad song on this album.

This is my new favorite album! A must listen.

Dragonette, Bodyparts, September 25th 2012

The entire album fell flat, save for one song "Riot."


Here's a live video of the group performing the song.

Here's the actual song:

This song is great for work out mixes or dance parties! Other than that, this album was a bust. 

Lord Huron, Lonesome Dreams, October 2nd 2012

For an album titled Lonesome Dreams, Lord Huron certainly has come forth as the next great indie folk artist - this time with a happier tune. With similarities in sound to Band of Horses, Bonnie "Prince" Billy and maybe even a little bit of Smog, Lord Huron is my new favorite crooning, acoustic dude music. To boot, this guy is a cowboy-style cutie. At least by the looks of his marketing:

What a hottie! Who cares if he is hot if his music were to suck, but the fact of the matter is, I have fallen in love with his music, and am having a hard time believing this guy knows the meaning of lonesome. Maybe if he is super picky and only waiting for the right one...

The album's first song starts off mellow, but picks up speed; "Ends of the Earth" is probably the song at the album that sets him farthest apart from the previous mentioned indie folk dudes. The following songs have a similar upbeat (not lonesome) sound. His voice definitely has that lonesome country singer sound, but paired with the music, the overall sound is really not that of a lonely cowboy but rather has ecstatic build-ups that feel a bit like you just climbed a beautiful mountain on a horse and found your true love up there. The entire album is fantastic, with no particular song standing out, although "The Man Who Lives Forever" has a little bit of an extra country twang twist. My only complaint is that this album is too short. With only ten songs, I am always surprised when it is over, and  just end up playing it again.

So far, this appears to be his only full length album. He has a couple EPs with entirely different songs. I intend to check those out too! For now, Lonesome Dreams is a great album, one you should definitely check out.

Niki and the Dove, at the Rickshaw Stop, October 5th 2012

What do you get when you cross Stevie Nicks and Cyndi Lauper?

Niki and the Dove!

Niki and the Dove's album Instinct blew me away. The first song I heard was DJ, Ease My Mind and my body started moving and I thought, "yes, yes, yes!" This is definitely my new favorite band.  The song In Our Eyes moved me, made my body pulse, made my heart swell. The entire album is fantastic, opening up with the song Tomorrow, only to be followed with great song after great song.

I was fortunate enough to hear about their show at the Rickshaw Stop on October 5th, at the last minute, and find someone selling tickets on craigslist, as this show was sold out FOR GOOD REASON. This was a magical show. Niki, captivating us with her quirky beauty. People were moving. So was I.

This is the only video I found of the show online. It really doesn't capture how amazing the show was. I can see myself dancing, although it would be too hard to describe where I am. I do believe I am moving around more extremely and erratically than anyone else.