June 14, 2010: Blitzen Trapper

Artist: Blitzen Trapper
Album: Destroyer Of The Void
Year: 2010

Destroyer Of The Void is Ziggy Stardust re-imagined by the current indie-pop scene. Before this album, Blitzen Trapper had their Byrdsy roots but took more from The Band than from Bowie; Destroyer is decidedly more glossy and glamorous, sugared in soundscape and mired in fuzz. The album's title track opener starts this off with a six-minute romp that's halfway "Space Oddity" and halfway that infamous four-song sequence near the end of Abbey Road. "Laughing Lover" shows off their contemporary edge, sounding something like a theatre group covering The Shins; "Below The Hurricane" could have been written by Neil Young. The influences are all over the album, and the sound that results is comfortable, familiar but inventive, and has a habit of sticking to you ear. The composition and songwriting is top-notch, managing to be technical without being self-indulgent and dynamic without being predictable. Some more highlights are the Dylan-esque "The Man Who Would Speak True", the clever "Dragon's Song" and the sincere "The Tree". Highly recommended.

Hear it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiaivHA02Zc

June 13, 2010: Staind

Artist: Staind
Album: Dysfunction
Year: 1999

Alternative metal bands have a tendency to write a really good major label debut and then go on a downward trend, and Staind is no exception to this. Good news is that Dysfunction is worth what would happen to the band in their later career; it's painful, angsty, heavy, all without compromise. Opener "Suffocate" starts strong and the album never relents until the hidden track "Excess Baggage". Key tracks: "Just Go", "Home", Mudshovel", "Spleen".

Hear it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb7X5stZU6w

June 12, 2010: Iron And Wine

Artist: Iron And Wine
Album: Our Endless Numbered Days
Year: 2004

Without a doubt in my personal top five albums of all time with Have One On Me, Illinois, Sunsets And Carcrashes, Our Endless Numbered Days is the ultimate indie-folk album and an absolutely necessity to any music collection. Sam Beam's broad and gentle finger picking under his perfectly harmonious voice (and beautifully combined by his haunting and hushed sister who sings on a handful of tracks) is a soothing marvel and leads the way in what some would call "chill" music. The album is a modern day Mona Lisa, a testament to beauty in music. Beam experiments all around the album as well, such as the folksy "Teeth In The Grass" and the dark "Free Until They Cut Me Down"; however, while these tracks are incredibly solid and add great changes of pace, the highlights of the album are Sam writing wonderfully sincere and gorgeous ballads: the thematic "Naked As We Came", the sincere "Love And Some Verses" (which openers with one of my favorite lines in a song ever: "Love is a dress that you made long / To hide your knees"), the minimal "Radio War", the comforting "Each Coming Night", the drifting and poignant "Fever Dream". However, Beam saves the best for last with a song I could only describe as perfect: "Passing Afternoon". This is, without a doubt, my favorite song of all time. No question. If I could only hear one song for the rest of my life, this would be it. Highly, highly recommended.

Hear it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGPzyGIaw0E

June 11, 2010: Dan Black

Artist: Dan Black
Album: UN
Year: 2009

I don't think it's a big surprise if I say that UK folks know how to write good pop music. Dan Black's UN is a decent starting place for this, and the album goes for broke when it comes to bombast. Opener "Symphonies" was built for radio play and works as such, but the rest of the album is where his influences shine. "U + Me =" is a drone track that features the fun instrumental flurries of the current British indie-pop scene mixed in with some Kyle Andrews-esque fun. In fact, this album made me think of Andrews a lot, but Black is versatile enough to balance his influences: the experimental funk of "Alone", the tongue-in-cheek sincerity of "Cocoon". "Yours" could have been penned by Dan Keyes; the album is a swirl of influences that differentiate enough to make an original and enjoyable product. You might hear some Vampire Weekend ("U + Me =") or some The Cure at one moment, and suddenly the electronic chirps are directly Radiohead in nature and Black pushes a funky croon that draws you in ("Wonder", "Alone"). More highlights: "Life Slash Dreams", and excellent closer "Let Go".

Hear it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYxly14v5do&feature=related

June 10, 2010: Patty Griffin

Artist: Patty Griffin
Album: Impossible Dream
Year: 2004

I'm not going to pretend I came from a music scene I didn't: it was Bright Eyes' stellar I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning that got me into Emmylou Harris, and Harris that got me into this contemporary folk scene or alt-country scene or whatever you guys call it. I wasn't all that aware of Griffin until my dad gave me this album to listen to, but Harris is the first thing that popped into my mind and the album became immediately familiar and accessible. It doesn't hurt that she does some background vocals on the album, either. Speaking of familiarities, Dixie Chicks hit "Top Of The World" appears on this album, as Griffin wrote the song originally and gave it to them. The album itself, however, easily stands on it's own: Griffin is earnest and her ability to write songs is unarguable: from the opener "Love Throw A Line" to the ballad "Kite Song", the album doesn't have a boring moment. Other highlights include the soulful "Standing" and the rounds tune "Rowing Song" which is driven by a well-paced brass section. Highly recommended.

Hear it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeO63Trs5wk

June 9, 2010: Tokyo Police Club

Artist: Tokyo Police Club
Album: Elephant Shell
Year: 2008

Take your 90's math-rock bands (think Counterfeit), your 80's art-pop bands (think middle-era The Cure) and then The Strokes and a dash of Gang Of Four and put them in a melting pot and you've got Tokyo Police Club. The Strokes is the most immediate: Elephant Shell's songs are immediate, obtuse and remarkably catchy. The influences never dominate the album: despite the math-rock and post-punk tendencies, Tokyo Police Club put forth something immediately accessible on it's own merits while Dave Monks gives his personal insights, sometimes directly relatable and at other times absurd. One thing Tokyo Police Club do much better than their contemporaries is that they know not to overstay their welcome; only one song goes over three minutes, but within the two and half-minute package is a full song with all that it needs and nothing extraneous added on. Opener "Centennial" start's the album's pace, and it never relents. Highlights are "In A Cave", The Photo Atlas-esque "Graves", "Juno", and key track "Tessellate", whose lyrics are too inventive to ignore, and the sing-along "The Harrowing Adventures Of...". The whole album is strong and never drags on. "Your English Is Good" is my personal favorite, or maybe the mathy closer "The Baskervilles".

Hear it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93sf6H-POzs

June 8, 2010: No Doubt

Artist: No Doubt
Album: Tragic Kingdom
Year: 1995

A long, long time ago in a music scene far, far away: Gwen Stefani was a wonderful musician, singing with her ska/punk band No Doubt in the early nineties. While tragic is a better word to describe what would happen to her career after this this than the album itself, Tragic Kingdom has such an irresistible appeal maybe due to it's creativity, Stefani's wonderful frontwoman delivery, and that every song is teeming with quality. Opener "Spiderwebs" is an absolute classic, "Excuse Me Mr." keeps the energy going, it keeps going on: "Different People", "Sunday Morning", the title track... Not to mention that feminist anthem "Just A Girl" and that heartsinker "Don't Speak". Just a solid album with frantic energy, a frenetic pace, and delivered with authority by Stefani. Stuck somewhere between punk and ska with circus breakouts and prog explosions ("The Climb"), how could anyone not like this album?

Hear it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZktNItwexo