Marnie Stern, 'This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It...' (Kill Rock Stars)
Everything that sane people hate about music, executed meticulously.
By Jessica Suarez 10.02.08 3:21 PM
Marnie Stern has the voice of a little girl grafted to the grizzled hands of Yngwie Malmsteen. Her debut album was heavy on jittery, multitracked riffs, but light on compositions that could support their weight. Now Stern, working again with Hella drummer Zach Hill, attempts to pair her vicious shredding with actual structure.
SHARE THIS:
Cold War Kids, 'Loyalty to Loyalty' (Downtown)
Former blog darlings crank up the cranky complaints.
By Jessica Suarez 09.19.08 2:55 PM
While Cold War Kids may not make religious music, they like to preach. The California band open their second album by overtly endorsing the bohemian lifestyle ("Against Privacy"), then singer Nathan Willett intensifies the finger- wagging: "Raising your kids, America / You treat 'em like an obligation" (from "Welcome to the Occupation," not an R.E.M. cover).
SHARE THIS:
The New Year, 'The New Year' (Touch and Go)
Indie rock's answer to Ambien: You rest well, but sheepishly.
By Jessica Suarez 09.08.08 5:07 PM
Over the lullaby guitars of "Wages of Sleep," brothers Matt and Bubba Kadane recommend that "eight hours of sleep can make anything go away." And nearly every song on the New Year's third record nudges the listener toward slumber, whether at a gentle loping pace ("MMV") or with a circular melody ("Seven Days and Seven Nights").
SHARE THIS:
Calexico, 'Carried to Dust' (Quarterstick)
Folk-rock impressionists trace poignant cross-country journey.
By Jessica Suarez 09.08.08 1:37 PM
After 12 years and five studio albums, Calexico haven't lost any of their fascination with the Southwest. Joey Burns and John Convertino's sonic translations of dust-caked mythologies and hostile sandscapes modernize and polish everyday narratives into gleaming vignettes.
SHARE THIS:
Human Highway, 'Moody Motorcycle' (Suicide Squeeze)
Indie pals blithely examine the sand between their toes.
By Jessica Suarez 08.18.08 3:45 PM
Human Highway's debut album is summer's last stand. Though it comes from two Canadian over-achievers -- singer-songwriter Jim Guthrie and Islands leader Nick Thorburn -- Moody Motorcycle is indefatigably laid-back. "Let the sun soak through / And do what we want to do," they yawn on "All Day," a strummy number built on a gentle island rhythm.
SHARE THIS:
The Fiery Furnaces, 'Remember' (Thrill Jockey)
Feel the avant-indie confusion in the privacy of your own home.
By Jessica Suarez 08.18.08 3:34 PM
The Fiery Furnaces will never play your favorite song live. The duo of siblings Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger (plus road band) reformat their catalog for every tour, rendering each song virtually unrecognizable, alternately confusing or delighting audiences. On this two-disc mash-up of various live shows, it mostly overwhelms.
SHARE THIS:
