Neil Young - Mirror Ball (1995)
Young is one of those that I really don't know much about and have never taken the time to get familiar with. After seeing him on Conan's Tonight Show farewell, I decided it was time to dig into his extensive discography. I regret having waited so long to do so. Last week I thoroughly enjoyed several of his records from the '70s (Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After The Gold Rush) and '92s Harvest Moon. This week I had Pearl Jam's "Glorified G" stuck in my head, went back to listen to '93s Vs and remembered they had recorded with Young on Mirror Ball. I like. A lot. The sailor sing-a-long on the opener "Song X" is great.
Retribution Gospel Choir - 2 (2010)
I love just about everything that Low has done. When I received R5's weekly email this week and saw Low front man Alan Sparhawk's name I got a little excited. I had no that idea Sparhawk has a new band. Actually it's the same band with a new drummer. Low's Steve Garrington is on bass. 2 is much louder and much livelier than anything Low ever did. At times, RGC is straight rocking it. It's interesting to hear Sparhawk's voice in this new environment. It's vaguely familiar and as R5's write up said, it's not too difficult to imagine how Low might have stripped down these songs and made them crawl. This is Low's less repressed younger brother, letting the heat flow. It's wicked good.
Cat Power - The Greatest (2006)
Ms. Chan Marshall is another artist whom I've always meant to spend more time with. After dabbling a bit this week, I think The Greatest is all I can stomach. Her records sort of feel a bit manic. On one she comes across as cold and shrill, on another she's warm and soft. This album seems to be her warmest and most comforting. It's pretty and calm. Her name and the album art could be deceiving. These are simple and quiet songs. One of my co-workers recommended it and calls it her "going to sleep" album. I don't know that anything particularly special is happening here, but it sure sounds nice.
Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (2010)
This one I'll need more time with to adequately describe. I read about it on Pitchfork (I'd strongly recommend reading their review if you have the time). When I saw that Beck wrote and produced it I decided I had to listen. After a couple passes, I'd have to say it's pretty great and probably just what you would expect - Beck's catchy song writing with a female voice to give it some beauty. Their duet on "Heaven Can Wait" is fantastic.
Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies (2006)
Destroyer has a bit of a cult following and I have always felt like I should be a part of it but haven't really given them a fair chance. I kind of like '98s City of Daughters and enjoy portions of '08s Trouble In Dreams but have never really been sold. Facebook reminded me of Dan Bejar and company this week. I went looking for an album I haven't heard in the Destroyer catalog and found Rubies. Bejar's voice wears on me a bit, but this album uses it nicely, laying out just the right landscape for it.
Surfer Blood - Astro Coast (2010)
Another one discovered through Pitchfork, Surfer Blood make simple, '90s era rock music. Pitchfork likens them to Weezer and Built To Spill. What else do you need to know?
Handsome Furs - Face Control (2009)
I grabbed their debut Plague Park from a friend but never really spent much time with it. While I was checking out Beach House (see below) I decided to see what else was good with Sub Pop and I gave this sophomore effort a listen. I'm not sure what happened to this band, but they sound re-energized. Perhaps building on the success of lead singer Dan Boeckner's other band, Wolf Parade (who made a pretty good album in 2008 - At Mount Zoomer), this album seems more focused. It's broader and well written and well...just not as boring as their first.
Beach House - Teen Dream (2010)
I will admit that, being from Baltimore, I am partial to artists from that area. I am puffed up with pride about Animal Collective. I'm starting to feel that way about Beach House. This is a brilliant album and you will see it on the year end best-of lists (including mine). Teen Dream is their Sub Pop debut and it does not disappoint. This is the same Beach House, their sound is still slow and a bit haunting but they are bigger and stronger and that's clear.
What a week, huh? I'll be digesting all of this for the next month or so, for sure.
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