Jose Gonzalez

"Down the Line"
from the album In Our Nature
2007
iTunes



The tension between cool Latin rhythm and whispered polemic exemplifies Jose Gonzalez's new outward turn on his entrancing second album, In Our Nature.

The Swedish singer and guitar-magic-maker created a quiet sensation with his debut Veneer and first two American tours, which included a stop at Madison's Union Terrace last spring. Audiences were instantly captivated by his hushed, fragmented lines of simple but enigmatic poetry, revealed bit by bit in chorus over a subtly shifting, rhythmic acoustic guitar. Gonzalez's total mastery of his instrument allows an expressive dynamic range and chords that seek the farthest reaches of familiarity while never falling into dissonance.

All of this could, conceivably, get old, however, as the brooding singer-songwriter is a halfpenny-a-dozen. Gonzalez isn't content to rest on his laurels, though, and In Our Nature shows a fierce, universally political voice that gives new life to Gonzalez's pleasant melancholy.

"How low/ How low are you willing to go," Gonzalez not asks, but states as a foregone conclusion on the album opener. A syncopated, bass string-buzzing marching riff accompanies Gonzalez's merging of personal and political in the lines "Invasion after invasion/ This means war … Where to will you relocate/ Now that's it's war."

Lest one think Gonzalez is simply detractor of current international politics, the dancing, guitar-body rapping "Down the Line" calls out from the perspective of both the colonizer and the colonized: "You're doing the same mistake twice/ Making the same mistake twice." Gonzalez's subtle breaking of phrases, seen also in the next track: "What's the point with a love that makes you/ Kill for" makes an old plea feel new, set against intractable and suspension-popping strumming.

The album's rising action hits an early climax in the appearance of Gonzalez's signature concert encore, a reinvention of Massive Attack's "Teardrop." The repetition and buried melody work in Gonzalez's warm hands where they bored in the original's rigid electronica structure, building to a heady peak and a brief hopeful note in an album about staving off the darkness.

The second half the album slows down, returning to the intimacy of Veneer. Two of these tracks, "Time to Send Someone Away" and "The Nest," bring fresh ideas, like an easy African percussion background beat. But "Abram" and "Fold" rest on their still-entrancing lyrics, and their plodding melodies tire.

All is forgiven, however, upon the album's rightful closer, "Cycling Trivialities." Gonzalez, having attacked hypocrisy and cruelty on a global and interpersonal scale, now returns to the self. "So how's it gonna be/ When it all comes down/ You're cycling trivialities." Gonzalez's epiphany is matched by a tragically triumphant, upward-reaching guitar line, which is forced by the limits of song to back down and come to a false end. The beautiful but still connection between musician and listener is Jose Gonzalez's love and loss.

There was always more than the "veneer" of Gonzalez's guitar to his music, but it is clear now that the musician is stepping out of coffee bar introspection, down from sermons on the mount and into human nature

~ Tim Williams, The Badger Herald

Deer Tick

"Art Isn't Real (City of Sin)"
from the album War Elephant
2007
iTunes



Deer Tick is Providence, RI's singer/guitarist John McCauley, backed by drummer Dennis Ryan. The band's debut release, War Elephant, arrived September 4th via the Houston-based Feow! imprint.

Google "Deer Tick," and you're greeted with some pretty gruesome pictures -- arachnid wildlife and open sores do not make for pleasant feelings. War Elephant does, though. McCauley sings, "I should have been an angel, but I'm too dumb to speak" with such conviction that you sort of forget that not only is he speaking, he's doing it beautifully. The record recalls summer nights in the woods where one might pick up his band's namesake, shot through with a drawl somewhere between Nashville and nowhere (or the Northeast -- whatever). Like San Franciscans Two Gallants, McCauley mines the rich tradition of the American South better than most actual Southerners -- you know Ryan Adams is pissed he didn't write the line "I gotta get drunk, I gotta forget about some things" (from "Art Isn't Real (City of Sin)"). McCauley explores the existential depths of love and the artistic highs of loss, and perpetually makes the case, as he claims to believe on "Long Time," that "agony is a sound."

McCauley's apparently looking to sell himself to the highest bidder -- just check out his MySpace page. In the "About" section, he says "Any consideration for your McDonalds or your Chevy commercial would be appreciated. Deer Tick's lookin' to really sell out." This isn't the most impressive bit of sacrifice for his craft, though. Under "Sounds Like:" "John McCauley went and sold his soul to the devil again." Again? That, my friends, is dedication.

~ Jeffrey Parker, Spin.com

Matt Nathanson

"Come On Get Higher"
from the album Some Mad Hope
2007
iTunes

Matt Nathanson has a bit of a conundrum regarding his songs.

Play them in the tender sparse acoustic fashion of his fantastic live album, Live at the Point, and he risks naked exposing just how lonely the album is. Playing the songs swelled up with a full band, a la Beneath These Fireworks, and his songs gets a bit too overblown and glossy, losing the raw emotion that makes his songs sparkle. He strikes a solid balance between the two this time around on Some Mad Hope, for his most consistently pleasing album to date.

The soaring line, "I'm wide awake and so alive," that flies above a bundle of chiming riffs to open the album on single "Car Crash" attempts to trick listeners into believing that the album will be a cheery affair. The gorgeous guitar-pop tune eventually reveals Nathanson battling apathy rather than an ex's ghost in the hook, "I wanna feel the car crash, because I'm dying on the inside." The ex's are never far behind, though.

It would be easy to write-off Nathanson as some lame lovesick sap if he did not make it all sound so good. The sparse acoustic ballad "Bulletproof Weeks" is one of the few times on the album where it is clear just how melancholy the lyrics are, with only an acoustic guitar and piano backing the despondent tale of a break-up. All the longing may get under your skin by the end of the album, but lines like "I miss the sound of your voice, and I miss the rush of your skin" are too starry-eyed to hate on. Those lines are only half the story of acoustic toe-tapping "Come On Get Higher," as the delicious melodic hook "Come on get higher, loosen your lips, faith and desire in the swing of your hips" is the best on an album full of good ones.

Songs where he actually has the girl either focus on the time when he did not or hint that it may not last. Heart-wrenching "Wedding Dress" finds Nathanson preparing for his wedding day with a typically solid hook, "In your wedding dress, to have and to hold, even at my best, I want to let go." Before long he is emotionally recalling his lonely days without her, "Thought I lost you, thought I lost you, I gave you away."

Plucky acoustic romanticism fuels his recollections on "Still." Nathanson reminisces, "I remember hearts that beat air, I remember you and me, yeah, tangled in hotel sheets. you wore me out," hinting at another love lost before begging, "Come on and drive me wild." Raggedly strummed bedroom rocker "To the Beat of Our Noisy Hearts" succeeds in becoming one of the few feel-good entries with lyrics that make Nathanson's muse come to life, "She was her mother's secret, she was daddy's girl, she brought weekend boys home in her car."

Some Mad Hope is a delightfully apt title, perhaps only because Some Mad Hope Wrapped In Gooey Melodies So You Forget How Lonely These Songs Are is too long. Nathanson's lyrics have never sounded so lovelorn, and his music has never sounded so damn happy about it. The album's acoustic rock sound is just loud enough to keep you from drifting away, and just sparse enough not to overshadow the songwriting.

~ Chad Grischow, IGN.com

Silverchair

"Straight Lines"
from the album Young Modern
2007
iTunes

In the mid-nineties, the Australian trio Silverchair was a true boy band -- very young men playing strong, original hard-rock songs on their own instruments. Drummer Ben Gillies, bassist Chris Joannou, and singer-guitarist-songwriter Daniel Johns are still young (in their late twenties). They are also aggressively modern in the long reach of Young Modern, their first studio album in five years, from the balled-fist fuzz of "Mind Reader" to the sumptuous glam of "Strange Behaviour" (with strings scored and conducted by Van Dyke Parks) and the glassy jangle of "Waiting All Day." Johns is just as wracked by doubt and betrayal now as he was in the iron growl and distortion-mountain rock of "Israel's Son," on 1995's Frogstomp, and the self-loathing title track of 1997's Freak Show. He's also wiser in the ways of pop wow. In "Young Modern Station," he fires dirty-tremolo gunfire at a disco clip. "Insomnia" is a wake-up bomb of marching metal and bright chorale. And the Beatlemania lurking in Silverchair's early big-rock records comes out first in the solo-John Lennon-like creep of "The Man That Knew Too Much," then in "Low," which, with its dirty-angel-army harmonies and the diamond-wire whine of a slide guitar, sounds like early-Seventies George Harrison‚ high on teen spirit.

~ David Fricke, Rolling Stone

Athlete

"Airport Disco"
from the album Beyond the Neighbourhood
2007
iTunes



After first becoming acquainted with Athlete nearly four years ago with their debut Vehicles & Animals, I almost feel that I have watched the quartet grow from writing pretty pop songs to even larger pop anthems. On the band's third album, Beyond the Neighbourhood, Athlete pull out all the stops and penned tunes that deal with the joys and confusions of everyday living. It's more personal and reflective. Not an easy task, but its one that the group does with ease and certainty.

The mellow instrumental opener, "In Between 2 States," sounds completely opposite of the single-tastic "Hurricane," which begs to be put on a soundtrack. Actually, this is the most upbeat jam on the album. "Tokyo" sounds like it could have come off the cutting room floor from 2005's Tourist. However, it's with the bombastic "Airport Disco" that I am reminded as to why I like this band in the first place. Lush sonic textures present themselves in front of gentle vocals, a nice combination and one that works in their favor. There are some electronic elements that run underneath the album's surface, as in the haunting "Best Not to Think About It" and the mellow "Flying Over Bus Stops."

Overall the work is more relaxed and feels more organic than past efforts. The group has always had somewhat of an earthy vibe (note: not hippy), and it really shines with Beyond the Neighbourhood. Maybe its because they recorded and produced it themselves. Or it could be they are getting comfortable in their skin. Either way this is an album that will not only please older fans, but new ones as well.

~ Erin Chandler, thetripwire.com

The Deadly Syndrome

"Eucalyptus"
from the album The Ortolan
2007
iTunes



Making one's way through any decently sized city's local music scene can be an adventure fraught with all manner of sonic peril. If a music fan isn't careful, they're prone to subject themselves to any manner of horrible bands that are shoddily ripping off whatever musical trend has been popular for the past six months. Soul-sucking sycophants with barely average talent pick up the most currently popular albums and mash it all together, hoping to pass the sound off as their own -- it's a bastardization of all that’s good and holy about making music.

Luckily, every once in a while, there are groups that come along who are able to listen to the prevailing musical winds, pluck out what works for them, merge it with their own talent, and create a sound that's all their own. Hailing from Los Angeles and recently signed to Dim Mak Records, the Deadly Syndrome is one of those bands and The Ortolan is their debut album. With a diverse palate of instruments that includes a xylophone, wheezy pianos, and an accordion, these four gentlemen have achieved the difficult feat of both satiating and impressing the cynical listener hoping to dismiss them as copy-cats and making accessible indie pop record that will attract the average music listener. With greats tracks like "I Hope I Become a Ghost," "Friends Who Don't Go Out at Night," and "Creature, Creature," The Ortolan is a solid album full of folksy songs that could have just as easily been found in either a short story anthology or your favorite local independent music store.

~ Adam P. Newton, Amplifier Magazine

The Guggenheim Grotto

"Told You So"
from the album ...Waltzing Alone
2005
iTunes



Hailing from the same Dublin songwriting scene as Damien Rice, Irish trio the Guggenheim Grotto might not be as well-known within the U.S., but that's beginning to change. Syndicated taste-shapers like Morning Becomes Eclectic's Nic Harcourt (KCRW) and The World Café's David Dye (WXPN), among others, have taken notice of the group’s musical artistry, and deservedly so, given the exquisitely crafted folk-pop of their LP debut, ...Waltzing Alone.

With gorgeous, honey-dipped vocal harmonies illuminating the way, the band's melodic sophistication asserts itself with economy, marked by spare arrangements that help their songs resonate with rich intimacy.

A beautiful clarity pervades throughout, in part because nothing ever feels heavy-handed. The trio works with a masterfully light touch, from their delicate acoustic fingerpicking to the effortless harmonies to the instrumental arrangements, giving each song the perfect weight and density for its intentions. Beyond acoustic guitar, the band incorporates other stringed instruments with expressive timbres -- double bass, cello, viola -- that, together with keyboard tones of piano, Hammond, Wurlitzer, and Rhodes, create a cinematic palette with which to underscore a mood. Soft atmospheric strokes suggest rather than saturate, while the band members' multi-instrumental abilities help each tune find its own distinctive identity.

In the album's liner notes -- notable for sharing the band'’s insights about the development of the songs -- members Kevin May, Mick Lynch, and Shane Power reveal a few of the eclectic influences that infiltrated the record: Marvin Gaye, Leonard Cohen, a Shelley poem, and David Crosby's spare production on Joni Mitchell's debut album, Song to a Seagull. Far from wearing their influences literally, though, they use them as sparks of inspiration that give form to their own artistic ideas. On "Koan," the group extracts a phrase from an online interview with Cohen, in which he relays a nugget of advice given by his spiritual guru Roshi ("You should sing more sad"). The line becomes a refrain in the song, a beautiful vocal harmony arranged with cello, glockenspiel, and viola. Likewise, on "Vertigo," the trio borrows the percussive vibe of Gaye's "Inner City Blues," but the languorous, descending progression travels lyrically to a different place. "Ozymandias" is haunting folk ballad that draws both from the Shelley poem and a story by fantasy author Neil Gaiman.

On "Portmarnock Beach Boy Blue," chanting vocals suggest an almost druid-like incantation before the pre-dawn mood yields to sunny harmonies. The pedal steel-inflected "I Think I Love You" revels in the delirious excitement of blossoming romance. "A Lifetime in Heat" brings together minimalist touches of piano, double bass, and guitar parts, while a viola sings a shapely melancholy line. "Philosophia" suggests Simon & Garfunkel in a hypnotic trance.

You, too, might find yourself hypnotized by the lyricism of this record.

~ Jim Kirlin, taylorguitars.com

Johnossi

"Man Must Dance"
from the album Johnossi
2007
iTunes



Comprised of best friends John Engelbert (guitar/vocals) and Oskar "Ossi" Bonde (drums/vocals), Swedish indie rockers Johnossi landed their first record deal in 2005 after what was only their third live performance. Poised to embark on their first U.S. tour next month alongside Shout Out Louds, Johnossi's self-titled debut is slated to drop stateside on October 9.

Johnossi might only be two men strong, but they don't sound like it -- they sound twice their size, especially when it comes to fiery rockers like "Execution Song" and the greasy, punk-inflected punch of "Man Must Dance." In spite of their Scandinavian roots, this Swedish duo sounds thoroughly American -- often invoking the metal-laced energy of the White Stripes, at times drawing on the bluesy kick and spit of bands like the Black Eyed Snakes and the Black Keys, and occasionally adding just a pinch of alt-country twang to the mix (palpable on tracks like "Family Values"), Johnossi's sound will ring familiar to most American indie rock fans.

Johnossi is geeky for video games, and their story has everything to do with them. "A couple of years ago, before Johnossi existed, all we did was playing video games," John Engelbert says. "One day our Playstation broke down, and not knowing what to do, we thought it might be fun to play some instruments.

~ Margaret Reges, Spin.com

Liars

"Plaster Casts of Everything"
from the album Liars
2007
iTunes



By this point, anyone hoping for a return to Liars' dance-punk days must feel like Eddie Murphy fans wondering when he's going to drop the fat suit and make another Beverly Hills Cop. Still, leave it to the Brooklyn trio to confound expectations yet again with some of its most accessible songs yet. From the opener, "Plaster Casts of Everything" -- built around a punishing backbeat and an insistent, distorted organ riff -- to the surprisingly soulful could-be-a-club-hit "Houseclouds" and the trip-hop-aping "Sailing to Byzantium," the experimentalism of They Were Wrong and last year's Drum's Not Dead has more or less been put aside in favor of something much more visceral. Clanging, chant-heavy tracks like "Leather Prowler" and "What Would They Know" are the exception rather than the rule, and they're overshadowed by simpler pleasures like the reverb-laden, Jesus and Mary Chain stomp of "Freak Out." Echoing Drum's "The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack," the arresting closer "Protection" (although it's built on sketchy details like "I would take a Polaroid / You would show me how to drink") is so unexpectedly delicate that it lends neutral lines like "Where are we today? / Somewhere near our future" a touching sentimentality. For Liars, forgoing heady concepts and willful obtuseness -- embracing rock music instead of deconstructing it -- may actually be the boldest move yet.

~ Sean O'Neal, The AV Club

Shout Out Louds

"Tonight I Have to Leave It"
from the album Our Ill Wills
2007
iTunes



Swedish outfit Shout Out Louds' sophomore album is much less rollicking than its debut, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff. On Our Ill Wills, the band pays homage to such influences as the Cure and the Smiths -- even naming a track "Meat is Murder," an allusion to the Smiths' album and song with the same name.

The record plays like a letter to a former love, perhaps left in the dust of a tour bus as the band went to conquer the indie-music scene across the pond. Songs such as "You Are Dreaming" and "South America" bemoan the difficulties of being on the road and away from home and describe a band trying to reconcile those parallel lives.

The album's only misstep is "Hard Rain," which lacks focus and drags on about two minutes longer than it should. While Our Ill Wills also suffers from poor sequencing, it exemplifies a band exploring its talents with great returns and is a sturdy follow-up to Shout Out Louds' debut.

~ Meryn Fluker, The Daily Iowan

Mink

"New York Summer"
from the album Mink
2007
iTunes

The five rockers of the band Mink, one from Brooklyn and the others from Australia, confidently perform their music on their new CD Mink.

It is obvious that many of their new songs have been influenced by older rock bands such as the New York Dolls and Kiss, as well as by other more modern alternative bands such as Jet and the Strokes.

The guitars are fierce and edgy and distinctly echo the sound of fellow Aussie rockers Jet. Guitarists David Lowy and Nick Maybury hold great harmony between the chords of the rhythm and the soloing lead. Opening track "Get it Right" would fit perfectly in the latest Jet album, perhaps better than some of Jet's own songs. Additionally, "New York Summer" features a striking resemblance to Jet's song "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is." The over-driven guitars in the songs "Madame Chung" and "Talk to Me" are reminiscent of several Strokes' songs such as "Ize of the World" and "You Talk Way Too Much." Any chosen guitar solo is carefully articulated and played hard.

Lead singer Neal Carlson's singing style sounds at times like he is channeling Steven Tyler, Lou Reed or the Velvet Underground. Much of "Get it Right" and "Madame Chung," as well as the chorus of "Crazy World," could nearly pass as Aerosmith songs, most notably in Carlson's voice. "Dematerialize" shows Carlson most like Reed, mimicking his notable style of "talking" the lyrics. With the same song it is possible to see Reed's influence on Carlson's song writing. The song "Untouchable" shows Carlson's strong falsetto and sounds like it could have been taken off of a Weezer album.

The band's lyrics contain a variety of topics. In "Madame Chung," which is a reference to a brothel in Chinatown, Carlson sings, "Madame Chung satisfies / As she gets you what you want all night." In "Dematerialize," the rockers convey a message about society to their listeners: "Artists in the high rise / singing about the hard life / The Millionaires laugh / cause they don't leave no tip."

The bass is very steady and in good alignment with the drummer. However, the screaming and distorted guitars, as well as the vocals, typically drown out the bass. The lines are definitely there, but due to the surrounding music, they come out much simpler than they really are. The two exceptions to this are "Get it Right" and "Crazy world," in which the bass controls the verse, but even here it gets covered by feedback from a guitar, The drums, while definitely more prominent than the bass, seem to be little more than a way to keep the guitars together. The one exception is "Get it Right," where drummer Stella Mozgawa is able to showcase some talent. Unfortunately, this is one of the few chances she gets.

True to the glam-rock style of the late '70s and '80s, nearly every track has a beat that can be danced to. With the exception of "Will Not Let You Down," no song would be out of place at all in a dance club. In fact, DJ Spank Rock has already remixed the band's first single "Talk to Me" to include a very upbeat techno rhythm (an iTunes exclusive).

Mink makes a great effort to keep its album true to the bands that did glam best. Glam-rock may be seeing a comeback, and with Mink opening for Kiss on its latest tour, this band may well be a part of it. With these catchy songs in their arsenal for the future, Mink could easily become a popular band.

~ Cyril Wood, The DePauw

Hard-Fi

"Tonight"
from the album Once Upon a Time in the West
2007
iTunes



It's difficult second album time for the lads from Staines and the media attention Hard-Fi have received ahead of the release of the follow up to 2005's smash hit debut album Stars of CCTV has been dominated by their "No Cover Art" artwork concept. So while other people debate the packaging, let's focus on the content.

At the time of the debut's release, lead singer Richard Archer said that even then, their second album was pretty much written, and that we could expect something darker from it. So is it? And would they be able to move forward from their lyrics of suburban despair when they've now earned enough money to make worrying about the daily grind of working for the weekend seem totally irrelevant?

Well, maybe it's a little darker, and while perhaps there's still a lack of depth, the songwriting has improved. And judging by the success of lead single and album opener "Suburban Knights," with its talk of political apathy and out of reach suburban dreams, they're still connecting with their audience. While that song bridges the gap between the two albums, the rest of this one moves forward, while leaving Archer's laddish drawl intact.

As with the first album, many of these songs have the potential to be singles. "I Shall Overcome: shows some maturity, and "Tonight" is a delight with its pulsating rhythm, strings and an abundance of Wooo-oohs, Aaaa-aahs and Yeee-eeahs.

There are a couple of ballads in the midst of all the swagger. Album closer "The King" is a nice enough song, but the better of the two is "Help Me Please." Apparently written about the death of Archer's mother, his sad vocals are truly affecting as he pleads "help me please. I'm in need 'cos being alone scares the life out of me."

From that point on the album really comes into its own. Stand-out track and forthcoming single "Can't Get Along," together with the pace and horns of "Little Angel," demonstrate that the band have the courage and ambition to try out some new things, taking on some Motown and soul influences. "We Need Love" is said to have been inspired by 1970s ska, but it sounds more like it's reinterpreted the classic bassline of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" and turned it into a belter of an indie tune.

However, like the first album, the weakness is that the songs are ultimately rather lightweight. Hard-Fi are quintessentially a Britpop band and in today's guitarpop heavy music charts -- perhaps that genre isn't as dead as we've been told. While the songs aren't particularly complex and won't be to the taste of anyone after something challenging, the band impress with how easy they make straightforward songwriting look. On this evidence, Hard-Fi are still (just) a step ahead of the current wave of British bands trying their hand at catchy hook-laden songs.

~ Ben Urdang, musicOMH.com

Caribou

"Melody Day"
from the album Andorra
2007
iTunes



With every album Ontario-born studio whiz-kid Dan Snaith releases, he moves further from the mathy electro-hop he pioneered as the one-man band Manitoba, and closer to the shambling psychedelic orchestra he has developed under the moniker Caribou. Pressing PLAY on his fourth full-length is like being yanked down the rabbit hole; without warning, Snaith plunges into the swirling Sixties acid pop of groovy opener "Melody Day." There are flashes of Animal Collective's druggy jams, Spiritualized's spaced-out atmospherics, and the Elephant Six Recording Company's symphonic rackets in Andorra's densely packed tracks, which dreamily flutter by like footage on a vintage projector. Layers of flute loops, bells, drum fills, and warped strings cushion Snaith's blissed-out harmonies on organized-chaos jams like "Eli" and "Sandy," and though a few digital blips sneak onto the closer, "Niobe," nothing disrupts the album's beautifully chereographed mess.

~ Carolyn Ganz, Rolling Stone

Pinback

"From Nothing to Nowhere"
from the album Autumn of the Seraphs
2007
iTunes



Autumn of the Seraphs, Pinback's fourth full length, offers a perfection of the sound made classic by the San Diego duo: minimalist, punctuated by syncopated rhythms, melodic bass lines, and plaintive overlapping vocals that weave dreamy and non-linear tales of everything from Star Wars to pet goldfish. That being said, Seraphs treads more serious territory than the previous release. A 9/11 release date forces a question of significance, one answered with a seemingly broader vision than typical Pinback. A hint of some universal message resounds in the final chorus of the final track "Off By 50," when Rob Crowe dolefully sings "Separate the world" over dark, slow guitars. However, this universality is ultimately nothing more than a shadow behind the intimate and navel-gazing sound produced by Crowe and Zach Smith, a sound that has found itself one of the most distinctive in indie rock.

~ Becca Nelson, reax magazine