June 19, 2010: 1997

Artist: 1997
Album: Notes From Underground
Year: 2009

I had always liked 1997 for their quirky pop, and though their sophomore release On The Run never stuck to me like their debut, junior release Notes From Underground easily surpasses anything else they'd done. The songwriting isn't as cute as it used to be, but where it's lost it's charm in sugar it has gained charm in depth, sharper songwriting and consistency. Even their debut ... A Better View Of The Rising Moon only had three or four truly memorable songs, while Notes From Underground is both musically diverse and completely solid from start to finish. The earnest opener "#1" opens the album eerily before breaking into a very good but not particularly surprising 1997 track, but it's the next track where things get crazy. "Hold Yr Breath" is almost an alt-country tune, maybe alt-country superimposed on other versatile songwriting structures all composed into one (the way the song breaks down near the halfway mark is brilliant, almost going straight into 70's pop near the end, then being pulled into that old Victory sound and just clearing away to the finish). Stand-outs continue from here on in, with the dynamic "Sympathy For The Living", the brilliantly building "Falling Down" in which vocal lines are piled onto each other slowly until the song explodes and takes you with it, the wonderfully executed "Wolf + Sheep" the Bright Eyes-esque "A Fruitless Year", the poppy "A Fearless Heart"... It just never relents. "Candle" is a swan song for any band on the road; "Pagan Melodies" switches perfectly between scathing and pretty; however, closing track "#3" brings the album to a close with a wonderful solo track by new co-lead singer Arthi Meera. A shame this band broke up recently, but at least they left us one real gem before they went.

Hear it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btsLn0O2VqU

June 18, 2010: MGMT

Artist: MGMT
Album: Congratulations
Year: 2010

Considering how much debut Oracular Spectacular was a criticism of pop culture as well as what entails "mainstream success", the band suffered the ultimate irony as they burst onto radio and broke through effortlessly with a certain, quirky platform of experimental and gazy pop. In many ways, Congratulations is meta-humor at it's finest; the album title acknowledges this irony, and what it contains is a backlash of MGMT submerging even deeper into their influences. Opener "It's Working" is fine surf-pop laden with hooks, "Song For Dan Treacy" haunts away with layered synths and a rollicking beat. "Flash Delirium" is half-frenzy and half-pop gem; perhaps the best summary of this album. Whereas on Oracular, different songs exhibited different influences, Flash Delirium pushes them all together, satisfying fans of MGMT's former work without pushing their limits - while polarizing casual fans of their singles. Congratulations indeed.

Hear it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koXkdpcI7W0&feature=fvst

June 17, 2010: The Sundays

Artist: The Sundays
Album: Static And Silence
Year: 1997

The Sundays make some very enjoyable pop music. Soft, focused, and gentle, Harriet Wheeler and her Brits craft easy to listen to, pleasant and smooth tunes that'll either get stuck in your head or pass the time. You'll probably recognize opener "Summertime", and if you don't you will after you listen to it. The highlights are pretty obvious to recognize: the soft "Homeward", the gentle yet something-under-the-surface feeling of "Folk Song", the smooth "I Can't Wait". The album does not get weak near the end as many pop albums do; both "Your Eyes" and "So Much" are great tracks that keep the album feeling full and vibrant. If you like pop music, this album's for you.

Hear it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwuGRSD5Ngk

June 16, 2010: The Academy Is...

Artist: The Academy Is...
Album: Almost Here
Year: 2005

Out of that whole mess of pop-punk, second wave "emo" bands (or whatever they're called), The Academy Is... might have been the most pop-minded. Will Beckett and company craft something that mixes the intensity of dynamism of that flurry in the new millennium with the 90's alternative that made it possible in the first place. Opener "Attention" comes about as a pop song, but quickly rollicks into the smooth alternative pop-punk that the band is famous for. There is something very smooth about the band in general, which contrasts very well with the frenetic pace of their B verses and choruses; see "Slow Down" for a great example of this, how the first verses are silky and quickly grow coarse as Beckett takes over the song with his immediate tone and controlled but anxious delivery. "Season" takes jaunty verses and then blasts into a well-written, tongue-in-cheek singalong chorus of "so show me something we haven't heard yet". The album's pace is deliberate and never sticks around too long, punching you with hooky choruses and frantic confessions over and over. "Black Mamba" is another highlight, falling more on the punk-pop side, but throwing in acoustic guitars played fast for good measure. The pacing of the album makes every song a highlight, really, as these ten tracks are very deliberately chosen to offer something different to the table. "Skeptics And True Believers" grows in immediacy from front-to-back, "Classifieds" is another tongue-in-cheek song about the industry that is silky smooth, "Checkmarks" takes "Black Mamba" to a harder edge where Will shows more of his dynamic delivery. "Down And Out" is a slow, change-of-pace nearing the end track, but Beckett doesn't exchange speed for sap and the delivery remains immediate and intense and remarkably clever. Closer "Almost Home" ends the album in summary, frantic and rushed and bare but missing the smoothness, showing Beckett at the end of his patience until a coda near the finish ends the album much like how it began: clever, smooth, immediate, and pop-minded. An incredibly solid album and a clinic in how to write great pop-punk. I'd personally nominate Beckett one of the best frontmen of this genre; he has a talent for pulling you right in with his smooth and dynamic vocals. Highly recommended.

Hear it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zLkB2U_hwI

June 15, 2010: "Weird Al" Yankovic

Artist: "Weird Al" Yankovic
Album: Running With Scissors
Year: 1999

Kimberly brings the heat. True fact: he was my first concert back when I was ten or something, and that is something I will never regret. Man knows how to entertain. "The Saga Begins", "Jerry Springer", "Germs", classic "Your Horoscope For Today", "It's All About The Pentiums"... come, relive what should have been your childhood.

Hear it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIPay8ryydk

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