Theres probably nothing better to pull me out of review hibernation than the new Rural Alberta Advantage (“RAA”) album, Departing which is scheduled to be officially released on March 1st. Loyal readers of this blog are well aware of the love that weve shown this band, and for good reason. Their debut album, the very appropriately titled Hometowns, struck a nerve despite going largely unnoticed by a majority of the music-listening public. I thought it was one of the top albums of 2008 (the album was originally self-released in 08 and then re-released in the U.S. under the Saddle Creek label in 2009). The RAAs Hear Ya live session remains one of the most popular.
After my first listen of Hometowns, what immediately struck me was the heart-on-the-shirt sleeve earnestness and honesty of the music. The melodies are well-developed, emotionally-charged and containing a foot-stomping drive helped along by some pulsating percussion. The central theme was hometown (likely lead singer Nils Edenloffs) with stories of history, folklore, maturation, escape and, in my opinion, sentimental longing for youth. Themes recently perfected by the Arcade Fire masterpiece The Suburbs.
Some common music elements are struck on this album, except perhaps that central theme of the debut. Here it appears to be centered much more around relationships than hometown (although a notable exception is perhaps the track, containing the clever little play on words, “Barnes Yard”). Some fast paced tempo shows up again on a number of tracks, probably best exemplified by “Stamp,” a track that has gotten some air time on Sirius recently. Even the ironically-titled track “Muscle Relaxants” has a similar pace. I also found it interesting to go back and listen to the live session from 09 as it now seems clear that the band was beginning to veer slightly in a way that is further developed on this record. Additionally, the first track from the live session, untitled at the time, not surprisingly found its way onto this record and is now named “Coldest Days.”
The other immediate reaction that I had when listening to this album is that its production is glossier than its predecessor. The arrangements are still somewhat sparse and a little homogeneous, but there is a “slicker feel” to the engineering, better sound quality and a little more diversity to the instrumentation. Outside of the production though, this record, frankly, sounds quite similar to the first. A good thing given how strong Hometown was, but possibly in need of some creative tinkering when the third album comes along to avoid staleness. I do recommend picking this one up following its release, particularly if you enjoyed Hometown. The band will be at SXSW again this year in March and if youre in NYC check them out at my favorite venue The Bowery Ballroom on March 10th. They hit Chicago and Lincoln Hall on March 26th.
The Dodos are set to release their new album No Color on March 15th and will celebrate in Austin at SxSW 2011 with several day parties and showcases. Neko Case, who sings on half of the album’s songs, recently picked her favorite track to release as a free download. This is it.
How do you define the indie cred of a band? Does it have something to do with their Pitchfork rating? The tightness of their skinny jeans? The size of the smoke plume that rises from the audience when they hit their first chords?
I’ve been to countless concerts at the Music Hall of Williamsburg and Monster Island Basement. I’ve volunteered at Brooklyn Grange and can often be found drinking a Sportsman Special at the Levee. I don’t own a pair of skinny jeans, but I’ve got numerous flannels. You’d think all of this would put me more in touch with what it means to have indie cred, but in reality I have no fucking clue and to be honest, I couldn’t give a damn.
But alas, I think I’ve stumbled on something; apathy. Or, to be more specific, the appearance of apathy. The appearance of apathy has been a crucial component of coolness since time immemorial. For some reason, people dig people who are effortlessly good at things.
This is a long way of getting around to the effervescent Beach House concert I saw this past week at Webster Hall. Beach House is Victoria LeGrande and Alex Scally, hailing from Baltimore, MD. But really, they no longer need introduction. The critical and commercial success of their 2010 album Teen Dreams has deservedly launched them into the realm of dream pop stardom.
Beach House is apathetic grandness at its best. They rank high on the indie cred scale. Their dreamy supersonic loops and atmospheric vocals are fantastic and they nailed it on Wednesday night. Highlights of the evening included Norway, Zebra and their closer, 10 Mile Stereo. The light show was equally impressive, as can be glimpsed in the video below.
Another awesome dream pop band, Papercuts, opened up for them and I sadly arrived right as they were finishing up their set. I had a good excuse though – I was grabbing a burger and watching Carmelo Anthony’s debut as a member of the New York Knicks. Now, there’s a guy with some serious indie cred.
I first wrote about The Romany Rye back in June of last year and claimed that they filled the void left by Ryan Adams’ hiatus. I’ve since seen the band open for Delta Spirit and was won over once more. They just released a new song called “I Hate Myself (For Loving You)” and it’s not a Joan Jett cover. The song was produced by Kelly Winrich (Delta Spirit) at Matt Costa’s studio in Santa Ana, CA.
You can meet us and them at one of their SxSW 2011 sets, listed below.
March 13 - NY, NY @ Public Assembly
March 15- Little Rock, AK @ Sticky Fingerz
March 16 – Austin, TX (SXSW) @ Billy Reid Party Swan Dive (Time TBD)
March 18- Deadbird Records Party (SXSW) @ The Blackheart 6PM
Ivan & Alyosha are an indie folk-pop four-piece out of Seattle, WA. The band’s name was inspired by a scene in Dostoevskys Brothers Karamazov, which automatically means that the band is way more versed in literature and culture than myself. They can also play instruments and sing better than me, but I think I can [...]
The Builders and The Butchers are back with their third effort, Dead Reckoning, and it picks up where Salvation Is A Deep Well left off. I recently described B&B as a blend between the ambitious lyrical content of The Decemberists with the dark gothic folky feel of O’Death. Dead Reckoning was recorded live in eight [...]
The Decemberists have been kind enough to offer us a giveaway. If you’d like to win, email us at freeshit@hearya.com with “The Decemberists Giveaway” in the subject line and your name and mailing address in the body of your email. One winner will get a Vinyl copy of The Decemberists new (amazing) album, The King [...]
It’s extremely rare that Oz, Woody, and I all agree that we love an album. In fact, I’m not sure that it’s ever happened – at least it hasn’t quite to this level. But Athens, Ohio’s Southeast Engine has achieved the unthinkable with their latest album, Canary, due to release March 29th on lauded Misra [...]
Trampled By Turtles recently released a new video for the song “Victory” off of last year’s release, Palomino (one of our favorite albums of 2010). Fantastic video for an incredible song. Catch these guys on tour or at SxSW this year. Tour Dates: Trampled by Turtles Tour Dates are as follows: 02/18/11 Trollhaugen Ski Resort [...]
