Citizens Against Audiophobia

Due to the support I’ve got for this blog over the months of my rather sporadic reviews, I’ve decided to make it more of a full time thing. We’ve migrated to http://www.audiophobia.net, where starting very soon I will be posting every single day. I appreciate all the followers I’ve gotten on here, and hope you will bookmark the new site and check back every day.

Coming up soon on the blog I will be reviewing this year’s Death Cab For Cutie album, as well asw the newest by Aussie indie rock band The Grates, and local Chicago artist Hemmingbirds. In addition to the normal reviews, I will be including other goodies including interviews as soon as I can start putting them all together. Keep an eye on that space! Thanks a lot.

The Whole Love by Wilco
dBpm, 2011

Score: 5.0

About five or six years ago, I might have told you that Wilco was one of my favorite bands. Although they had released the rather disappointing A Ghost is Born, I was still riding on the high that was their triumvirate of excellent albums (Being There, Summerteeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot) that saw them evolve from local Chicago band that some people had heard of, to indie rock messiahs that everybody knows. Since the aforementioned bummer of an experimental album, Wilco have released two albums that had their moments but were as a whole disappointing in Sky Blue Sky and Wilco (the album).

The Whole Love is essentially the total manifestation of a band that has begun to believe its own hype, and now sees it as okay to put out pretentious garbage, as everyone will buy it anyway. This is compounded by the fact that they have started their own label and have no one to answer to but themselves. The record has been praised some critics for its diversity, but I see it more as lack of cohesion. The Whole Love feels less like an album and more like a collection of outtakes.

The album opens and closes with overly long experimental bullshit in the form of “Art of Almost” and “One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend)”. On its own merits these songs are complete wastes of over twenty minutes, but it also breaks my heart that the band has Nels Cline on lead guitar and lets him go completely to waste. Sky Blue Sky might not have been a great album but it at the very least took advantage of what they had in Cline. He is barely above non-existent here, and these two tracks are exactly the kind of song that should be right in his wheelhouse. If you’re going to musically masturbate for twenty minutes, at least let Nels rip some awesome solos while you’re at it.

The songs that fall in-between the shitty bookends don’t really have much to offer, either. There are hooks here and there but they aren’t even as good as the ones on Wilco (the album), which is unfortunate. The lead single in “I Might” is probably their most underwhelming single ever, and really I can’t see another song on the album being a single. In the end, the only song on this album that I would ever even say I think is more than average is “Open Mind”. But its the kind of song that would have been one of the forgettable ones on an earlier Wilco album. It makes me sad to see the band end up like this, but now I have to address the elephant in the room: Wilco haven’t released a great album since the late Jay Bennett left the band. Is this a coincidence? I’m beginning to think that it isn’t.

Join Us by They Might Be Giants
Idlewild, 2011

Score: 6.1

They Might Be Giants are in the perfect sweet spot for me in terms of reviewing. I really enjoy a lot of their stuff, but I am also not so much of a fan boy that even the worst shit they ever put out will get ridiculously high ratings. I haven’t had to worry about that with my favorite bands, yet; The Decemberists are yet to release a bad album, but I’m sure when they do I’ll probably still enjoy it and rate it in the 8s. That’s not really a problem with They Might Be Giants, for whom there are some albums that are outstanding (Apollo 18) and some that are pretty weak. This is pretty weak, and the worst album of their long career, unless you count the download only Long Tall Weekend.

The idea here seems to be that the band are trying to go back to the sound they had early on on albums like the self-titled debut and Lincoln. In a way, they kind of succeed at capturing the overall feel of those albums. The problem is that it’s kind of like those albums but minus all the charm. Both of those albums have some great songs and some bad, and the fact of the matter is that on Join Us the ratio is in the favor of bad. As with most They Might Be Giants albums, it has a ton of songs. Unfortunately, only like a third of them are really good, another third are decent, and the remainder are actually quite terrible. “Cloissone” might be one of the weakest songs I’ve ever heard from them, and there are like four songs on this album of a similar quality level.

The single, “Can’t Get Johnny Down” is a melodically pleasing little tidbit, albeit very brief at not quite two and a half minutes. Despite the stupid title, “Judy is Your Viet Nam” is a clever little song, once again all too brief. I even like “You Probably Get That A Lot,” and “Canajoharie” is growing on me. Really, though, the only song I would call excellent on the album is “Old Pine Box.” It’s the only song from the album I could see myself putting on a They Might Be Giants mix down the line.

It’s pretty remarkable that at this point in their careers, They Might Be Giants are as prolific as they are. From 2001 to present, they have released a staggering eight albums, from Mink Car on to this. Sure, four of them have been children’s albums, but that’s still eight albums in eleven years by a band that has been at it since the early 80s. As a comparison, in the same span, R.E.M. has released four, two of which were pretty much total crap. When you put out albums as frequently as They Might Be Giants continue to, you’re bound to come out with some weaker stuff occasionally. Join Us is weaker stuff.

Peace Through Music by The Chinkees
Asian Man Records, 1999

Score: 8.5

Ska is one of my not-so-secret loves. If you were to take a look at me, this might be surprising. I tend to more resemble a beardy English major who would likely listen to really pretentious indie rock or progressive music, and that is only vaguely true. Really, I can find myself enjoying a band in just about any genre. Ska is a genre in which I enjoy just about every band.

I’ve been itching to write about ska, and with the Asian Man Records fifteen year anniversary just coming, The Chinkees seemed like a perfect subject matter. For those of you concerned with the name: it is an all Asian ska band, lead by Asian Man Records founder and former Skankin’ Pickle front man Mike Park. It is pure organ driven ska, with no horns, and a lot of political consciousness (as tends to be the case with most Asian Man bands). Peace Through Music is their second of three full lengths, and I think my favorite of theirs.

How do you describe ska to someone who has never heard it? It’s grooving music with guitar upstrokes on the offbeat that has a huge reggae influence. It is essentially what happened to reggae when a bunch of Londoners got a hold of it in the 1970s. The Chinkees I think would fall into late third wave ska, having come together in the 1998 following Skankin’ Pickle disbanding.

The album opens with a spoken word track that perfectly encapsulates what this band is about; almost all of their songs deal with some sort of social problem, and in most cases, it is racism. Mike Park is an important activist beyond his music, and he really shines in front of a ska band. The album is full of impossibly catchy ska songs, and a few really amazing ones (“Big World” comes to mind). Not every song on the album is excellent, but almost all of the tracks are short enough that if you don’t like a particular track, it moves on very quickly. I really adore this album pretty profusely and it is always one of the first things I consider when I’m in the mood for ska.

Several Shades of Why by J. Mascis
Sub Pop, 2011

Score: 8.0

I was admittedly a little bit nervous about the idea of a J Mascis album that is entirely acoustic. His primary project, Dinosaur Jr., is known for its crunchy guitar virtuosity, and there is generally decidedly less of that on a solo folk album. Luckily, J manages to put together an album that is almost as good as the finest stuff in Dinosaur Jr’s catalog, and certainly better than anything they have done since Lou Barlow left the first time.

J Mascis is not known for his poetic lyrics, but the simplicity of his words actually fits perfectly with the gorgeous acoustic guitar parts on this album. J Mascis manages to shred on an acoustic guitar, which is just astonishing, while singing in quite his normal way, and it all just feels right. There are occasional flashes of guitar crunch here and there, but hey are used sparingly and to great affect. The album builds nicely to moments with distorted electricity, making each of those spots feel particularly epic.

What I’ve learned from this album is essentially that I should never doubt J Mascis. Any time he has a guitar in his hands, it will be interesting. Whether it is rocking out with Dinosaur Jr or making beautiful music on an acoustic guitar, Mascis is really a tour de force. It is really astonishing the number of guitar nuts and gear heads who have never heard of this guy. Clapton who?

Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons
Glassnote, 2009

Score: 8.5

Mumford & Sons are a band that it is simply not cool to like. Despite there being tons of “hip” indie bands that have a lot of similarities to Mumford & Sons, the simple fact of the matter is that this band didn’t have to toil away in relative international obscurity for years a la The Decemberists or The Frames, so it’s simply not cool to like them. Only when a band has two or three albums go unheard does it make it okay for the hipster community to appreciate a good band. Too bad I don’t give a shit.

The fact of the matter is, Mumford & Sons are a great band, and Sigh No More is a really good album. As a man who appreciates a good hook, I can’t help but soak up every bit of this album. Marcus Mumford is a very good lyricist who writes songs with force and a penchant for epic. There is certainly a reasonable criticism in the fact that Mumford & Sons rely on a similar formula for most of their material, but I am of the mindset that if it isn’t broke, it doesn’t really need fixing. Has anyone ever criticized the Pixies for having just about their whole catalog follow the quiet verse loud chorus framework? I’m sure there has been somebody, but the Pixies are regarded as one of the most important bands of their generation, despite their fondness for that particular song structure. It is much the same for Mumford & Sons, and although I wouldn’t claim that they are as important or will be as influential as the Pixies, it seems silly to criticize one and not the other.

I think really the best thing about Sigh No More, aside from the epic moments that I love, is that it shows a lot of promise, but with a caveat. I’m kind of worried that Mumford & Sons will be one of those bands that continues to put out the same record over and over. This band will need to reinvent themselves to keep interesting, because I feel like they have done just about everything they can with the style of music they have made on Sigh No More. Perhaps they need to take a page out of the Decemberists book and do a prog album? I’m anxious to hear what they’ll get up to next.

100 Lovers by DeVotchKa
Anti-, 2011

Score: 6.0

DeVotchKa are one of those bands I had heard of dozens of times through all the usual suspects, such as Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and pretty much any other kind of media that talks about music that goes a little deeper than Lady Gaga. At long last, with their new album, I finally got around to giving them a listen. It really doesn’t seem like I was missing out.

Putting my finger on what kind of music it is is kind of hard. There are certainly elements of folk, but I would say it is closer to dream pop, but it just sounds a bit too much like generic college radio alternative. There are a few nice hooks here and there, and there’s nothing wrong with the lyrics or anything like that. It’s just an album that feels too safe. I don’t feel like there’s anything to gain by listening to this album. It sounds like too many other things, and doesn’t add enough of its own merit to make it a worthwhile jaunt.

My opinion is not unique, but apparently more critics seem to like it than don’t. Why? Is it because they use violin well? I do like the violin. There’s nothing in particular I can criticize about this album, there’s just nothing here that grabs me. It seems like a sound that might be more interesting to see live than to hear on a record. That’s the only explanation I can come up with, other than the fact that I’m just missing something.

Kids by Phantom Vibration
Self-Released, 2011

Score: 8.2

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous when I got my first submission by an indie act for a review. What would I tell them if their album totally sucks? It’s hard to find a balance in giving constructive criticism of something that I really don’t like, while not tricking people into thinking I enjoyed it one bit. Luckily, when it comes to Phantom Vibration’s debut EP Kids, this wasn’t a problem, because it is really good.

Phantom Vibration are a duo from St. Paul, Minnesota, and Kids is the first of apparently several releases they’re planning to put out this year. To draw a comparison, I would say it is sort of Mazzy Star-esque dream pop. The arrangements are lush, with violin, keyboards, guitar, and just about anything you would find in a rock band. The songwriting is strong, and the arrangements are really excellent.

The lead vocalist has an interesting quality that I find it really hard to compare to anything else. Normally, with a singing voice, I can point out someone I think that he or she sounds like with relative ease, but in this case I’m kind of scratching my head. I reckon that that is a good thing; in an art form that is so highly derivative of everything that has come before it, it’s a really good sign when there’s an aspect of what you do that doesn’t sound like anything else.

The EP isn’t without it’s issues. In particular on the last track, I think the full arrangement has moments of being slightly overbearing, during which I think going slightly more stripped down than the final version may have been better. This is really a minor complaint, though, because I really was deeply impressed by this EP and would highly recommend it to fans of Mazzy Star and any shoegaze or dream pop.

As if you still needed another reason to give Phantom Vibration a listen, the EP is completely free to download from Soundcloud.

Wye Oak at Schuba’s
with Callers

April 7th, 2011

Wye Oak is a band I hadn’t even heard of on the first of this year. It wasn’t until seeing them open for The Decemberists in February that I knew who they were, and obviously I was quite impressed. They played with a unique sound and outstanding energy that just was really hard to come by. Opening acts are often something you forget very quickly, but in the case of Wye Oak is lead to me looking up the majority of their catalog, and going to see them again only a couple months later.

Schubas is a brilliant but small venue in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, where many bands play on their up; most indie rock bands have played Schuba’s at least once on their way through Chicago. It has a lot of history, and is pretty awesome basically just being a stage in the back of an empty room. Despite being an audiophile, Wye Oak would actually be my first experience at this semi-legendary venue.

The opening act were Callers, a Brooklyn-based band that I think is best described as jazzy shoegaze. They’re a trio: a female lead vocalist, a guitarist, and a drummer (another band without a bass player). I did a bit of pre-show listening via their Myspace, and was not really impressed, but found them to be a more interesting experience when it came to the live show. They have a very strange but intriguing stage presence, with vocalist Sara Lucas dancing strangely and not really on the rhythm of the song, and the guitarist making funny faces that one would normally associate more with sexual intercourse than music. That being said, I found that I enjoyed their set more as it went on; they definitely saved their best material for the latter half of the set. I’m not entirely sure that stylistically they mesh with the sort of music I tend to be into, but they are all very capable musicians and certainly sound put together.

Wye Oak were much like they had when I saw them first: a blistering sound scape full of energy. They create an immense song for being a two-piece with guitarist & vocalist Jenn Wasner’s vocal warble making me remember the early days of R.E.M. during which you couldn’t understand a single word Michael Stipe said. Lack of clarity or not, Wasner’s voice has a beautiful and unique tone that matches perfectly with their shoegaze-y indie rock. Drummer & keyboardist (yes, simultaneously) Andy Stack is really a sight to behold: he drums with one hand, and plays keys with the other, never missing a beat. He doesn’t seem to have much to say but manages to speak volumes with his instruments.

Their set list was predominantly songs from their new LP Civilian, playing basically everything on the album. The highlights of the album were again highlights live, with the awesome “Holy Holy” coming second in the set and the show-stopping title track a bit later on. There was a really strange but great cover of Danzig’s “Mother,” which is barely recognizable as the song Danzig is famous for until the chorus. Covers in general can be a bit lame, but it is nice when a band puts their own twist on a song, and Wye Oak certainly did. Their live sound is much like their albums; there isn’t a lot of change, but there’s a certain energy and ferocity live that no one can really capture in a studio. This is most evident in Jenn’s guitar solos, which are rarely on key but have such vicious chaos that they are really a sound to behold. That’s really the best way to describe Wye Oak as a band: a sound to behold.

Credits: Top photo by yours truly, bottom photo by @riotgeek.