The Decemberists – The King Is Dead
Recorded in a converted barn on Oregon’s Pendarvis Farm, The King Is Dead eschews the high, mystical wailing of British folk for its North American counterpart. Rustic and roomy, the record nods to Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, early Wilco, the Band, Neil Young, and especially R.E.M. In places, it almost feels like a disrobing: “Let the yoke fall from our shoulders,” frontman Colin Meloy bellows on opener “Don’t Carry It All”, his voice loose and easy, freer than he’s sounded in an awfully long time. Read the Full Review on Pitchfork
Cage The Elephant – Thank You Happy Birthday
Having gained notoriety a couple of years back for intense live shows and memorable singles like 2008’s slouchy, sexy “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” Shultz and his pals, including brother Brad on guitar and secret weapon Daniel Tichenor on bass, stand at a crucial juncture. Can Cage the Elephant survive the scrutiny of jaded aficionados who call its drum kit-toppling yet sweet-toothed approach to guitar bashery nothing but a rehash of flannel rock? This set of ripping rave-ups and effortlessly tasty singalongs answers YES, in all caps. Read the full review on LA Times
Madlib Medicine Show 11
Funkadelic, psychedelic, jazz infused break-beats mixing influences and sounds of electronic, soul and a whole lot of Hip Hop – Madlib’s eleventh installment to the Medicine Show series, entitled Low Budget High Fi Music, is a welcomed addition to this multi-instrumentalist’s repertoire of work. With the longest track of the album being 4 minutes and 37 seconds long, the rest of the songs fall in the realm below the 2 minute mark. Each track is laced by Madlib’s incredible ability to capture a motivating groove accentuated by melodies whose instrumentation drives its listeners forward. Combined by great pacing, seamless jumps between tracks (and at other times intentional abrupt stops to melodic flowing sounds), the hilarious skits, commercial-styled breaks, interesting samples and ear-perking interludes excuses the fact that some may be turned off at the length of the entire album (42-tracks long). Read the full review at allhiphop.com
5.) Weed Diamond “Carry On + Sweater Kids” Abstract and non-linear concepts happening on this release. No, I can’t define what that means exactly. All I do know is that Weed Diamond has underdog charm in spades.
4.) Eternal Summers “Silver” Great example of a 2 member band being absolutely in sync with one other. They strip away all unnecessary production which amplifies just how strong the songs are.
3.) Frankie Rose & the Outs “Frankie Rose & the Outs”Takes inspiration from Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” aesthetic to create a spooky modern soundtrack. Beautiful vocal harmonies.
2.) Beach Fossils “Beach Fossils” Surf guitars elevated and executed better and above the sometimes silly “surf” genre cliche. I’m powerless to resist the hypnotic guitars that dominate and flow so well on this album.
1.) Wild Nothing “Gemini” Total euphoric listening pleasure. No matter what mood, energy level I’m experiencing or time of the day this record always is perfectly compatible. The melodies in the songs come so effortlessly, yet they really demand your attention.