Greetings and salutations to all! I'm proud of myself. I'm actually getting at least one End of the Year list up before the end of the year! The Top Ten Albums will be up at some point but please enjoy these EP's in the meanwhile:
10. Manchester
Orchestra/Frightened Rabbit/Grouplove Split
Record Store Day 2013 brought us the first new
Manchester Orchestra songs since the stellar Simple Math. On this two song 12", the band pairs
with two different groups: Grouplove and Frightened Rabbit.
"Make It To Me" is definitely the more
rapid paced track. Grouplove contributes
their respective genre of, groan, indietronica.
The song is marched along by synthesizers and repetitive programmed
beats and features lyrics that are even more abstract than Andy Hull's usual
fare. The songs feel like true collaborations with the verses trading off
between the vocalists and the integration of each band's sound.
"Architect" is a melancholy song
consisting almost entirely of acoustic guitars.
Frightened Rabbit is a Scottish indie folk band so the song falls more
on that side of the spectrum.
Despite featuring some esoteric and intangible
lyrics, this release gives us just a little bit of Manchester Orchestra to tidy
us over until their next full length.
Recommended Tracks: "Make It To Me (feat. Grouplove)" and "Architect (feat. Frightened Rabbit)"
Recommended
If You Like: Anthony Green, The Dear Hunter, or Death Cab For
Cutie
09. Anna
Kendrick - Cups (Pitch Perfect's ''When I'm Gone'')
Yeah, yeah.
You can just shush yourself right there.
I quite enjoy this cover of "Cups". I know people were up in arms because Anna
Kendrick "stole" this song from Lulu and the Lampshades. Not only did she give proper credit but the
Lulu version isn't even the source - the original song was written back in 1931
by The Carter Family (yes, the same family that eventually produced June
Carter). That and the Lulu version is
boring beyond belief.
The single version (rather than the version on the
Pitch Perfect OST) was greatly enhanced with additional instrumentation. The
banjos and soft percussion really help flesh out the song.
Recommended
Tracks: "Cups (Pitch Perfect's ''When I'm Gone'')"
Recommended
If You Like: Audra Mae, Sara Bareilles, or Lea Michele
08. Against
Me! - True Trans 7"
Laura Jane Grace's journey is widely chronicled at
this point. The next big step is going
to be the release of the next Against Me! album entitled Transgender Dysphoria
Blues, a concept album revolving around a transgendered prostitute. Parallels are sure to be drawn and this is a
project close to Grace's heart, which is why she is both engineering and
producing the album in addition to her usual roles.
In July, the band decided to release this free
teaser single featuring acoustic versions of two tracks off of Transgender
Dysphoria Blues. "FUCKMYLIFE666"
is not quite as incensed (nor depressed) as the title might indicate. It is definitely a sadder song but Laura's
hope is evident in lines like "All moments meant to pass" and
"No more troubled sleep / there's a brave new world that's raging inside
of me". At this point in their
development, these songs seem to be much more mid-tempo and melodic so it will
be interesting to see how they form into full band recordings.
"True Trans Soul Rebel" is infinitely
more of a downer. I think this record is
going to be unspeakably cathartic for Laura and for the band.
Recommended
Tracks: "FUCKMYLIFE666 (Acoustic)" and
"True Trans Soul Rebel (Acoustic)"
Recommended
If You Like: Tim Barry, Lucero, or Alkaline Trio
07. Twin
Forks - Tour EP
Chris Carrabba has decided to take a break from
fronting emo darlings Dashboard Confessional to focus on this new band, Twin
Forks (formerly the already taken Twin Falls).
The biggest complaint I have about this EP (and career choice) is how
convenient it is to attempt this kind of music in a post-Mumford & Sons
world. Carrabba has danced around folk
music before (See "Tonight I'll Take What I Can Get", the bonus track
off of 2007's The Shade of Poison Trees) with fairly good results. And truth be told, he finds success in this
outing as well.
"Back To You" is an upbeat number with a
plucky mandolin frolicking through the background. At times, Carrabba's vocals sound strained,
as he strives to sound like a gritty throated folk singer, but the vocal melodies
and pop qualities of the song carry it through strongly.
"Scraping Up The Pieces" is by far the
strongest song the band has produced to date, complete with hand-claps, hey!'s
and backing vocals provided by mandolinist Suzie Zeldin. It's a nice little folk-pop song wrapped up
in a bow.
The band even attempts a ballad with closing track
"Hard Times" - an exercise that is driven off-track mainly by lyrics
like "When the day got long, as it does about now / I'd hear him singing
to his muley cow." This is a
promising EP from a man who we have already heard in various incarnations
(Dashboard Confessional, Further Seems Forever) in a genre that has been
treaded well (Mumford & Sons, Of Monsters and Men).
Recommended
Tracks: "Back To You" and "Scraping Up The
Pieces"
Recommended
If You Like: Mumford & Sons, Dashboard Confessional, or Of
Monsters and Men
06. Dropkick
Murphys - Rose Tattoo: For Boston Charity
Recommended If You
Like: Hot Water Music, Flogging Molly, or Bruce Springsteen
In the wake of the horrific Boston Bombings, these
local boys set out to do as much fund raising as they could to benefit the
victims. It began with a "For
Boston" t-shirt that helped raise over $100,000, with all donations going
straight to the victims. The band also
played several benefit shows where all money was being donated. Their contributions culminated in this
charity EP, which originated from a phone call from Bruce Springsteen asking
the Murphys if there is anything that he could do to help. The band got together with The Boss and
re-recorded the lead single off of this year's "Signed and Sealed In
Blood" as well as two live and acoustic versions off of the same album.
"Rose Tattoo" is an excellent take that
actually sounds completely reinvigorated with the addition of Springsteen's
vocals. The album version is decent with its rousing gang vocals but the
trading off of verses between Springsteen and the band's vocals in this version
is top notch.
The remaining two tracks were recorded live and
acoustic at the House of Blues in our fair town of Las Vegas. "Jimmy Collins' Wake" is kind of a
throwaway for me considering it is about baseball and a Boston baseball
hero. "Don't Tear Us Apart" is
a much more poignant track about helping those in need and not letting a shitty
world tear you down.
Recommended
Tracks: "Rose Tattoo (feat. Bruce Springsteen)" and "Don't Tear Us Apart (Live Acoustic)"
05. Frank
Turner - Losing Days EP
It's a miracle that after releasing the
astoundingly good Tape Deck Heart that Frank Turner still had six equally as
good (and in some cases, better) songs to throw on the Deluxe Edition. And even
after those 18 slices of perfection, Turner had an extra 3 songs to throw on
this EP behind lead single "Losing Days".
"Hits & Mrs." is probably the
outright sweetest song that Frank has ever delivered. He worships the subject of the song as he
delivers lines like "She brings me hangover hugs and come down kisses / She
is my first and my last / She’s on my hits & my Mrs". Such a clever play on words and so
endearing. "Longing For The
Day" is a much, much slower track that finds him exploring his fragile and
nervous psyche. It's not a terrible song
but the tempo drags just a little more than it should. The closing track is a cover of the Biffy
Clyro track "Who's Got A Match?"
Turner's version is a very different animal than the original. Gone are the pounding drums and driving
guitar riff, instead replaced by Turner's soft plucking and a discordant piano
line serving as the spine. I would never
say I prefer it to the original but it is still a worthy tribute.
Recommended
Tracks: "Hits & Mrs." and "Who's Got A
Match?"
Recommended
If You Like: Billy Bragg, Lucero, or The Gaslight Anthem
04. Tim
Kasher- Truly Freaking Out (Single)
This single, much like the album it was birthed
from, carries the same existential crisis that was more evident on Cursive's
Mama, I'm Swollen than on their conceptually dense I Am Gemini. The album, entitled Adult Film, marks a
drastic departure for Tim Kasher from the orchestral fare of his debut solo
album, The Game of Monogamy. Since
"Truly Freaking Out" appears on Adult Film, I will focus on the
b-side "King of the Hill of Beans".
This is a scratchy and distorted track driven by an
acoustic guitar and a crunchy bass line.
It's not quite as electronic-based as the full length, which probably
explains its exclusion, but Kasher's introspection has never been stronger. Though there is a striking difference between
Mama, I'm Swollen's depressing, existential questions and these new songs that
seem to carry the slight glimmer of hope and optimism.
Recommended
Tracks: "King Of The Hill Of Beans"
Recommended
If You Like: The Good Life, Bright Eyes, or The Weakerthans
03. Weatherbox/Sainthood
Reps - Repbox
It's that time of the year again! When Weatherbox releases (or re-releases) a
song or two without actually thinking about putting out another full length. On the one hand, I should be glad that we are
putting as much temporal distance between us and their awful sophomore album
The Cosmic Drama as possible. On the
other hand, give us a new full length!
This year's split features Sainthood Reps, an indie
rock band formed by Brand New touring guitarist Derrick Sherman and Francesco
Montesanto. The band acknowledges early
90's alternative among their biggest influences and it is clear as day from
their track on this split.
"Deadlines" immediately rang of a bastard child between
Nirvana and Sunny Day Real Estate to me.
If you can get past the nostalgia of it and Montesanto's sometimes
monotone singing, this is an enjoyable cut of indie rock.
Weatherbox's newest offering is "Big
News" and it launches with a catchy guitar riff that winds its way into
the driving guitar line. Brian Warren's
voice sounds less nasally and a little stronger here than it has in the
past. The lyrics are not as out there
as those featured on American Art or its
successor, which helps make the song even more accessible to the average listener. I just hope at some point that Brian Warren
writes enough material to put out an album of this caliber.
Recommended
Tracks: Sainthood Reps - "Deadlines" and
Weatherbox - "Big News"
02. Braid
+ Balance and Composure Split
This split dashes out of the gate with the Braid
side of the record. While not as brash
as they used to be, the band is making up for it with an overabundance of
youthful exuberance. Their two cuts are
upbeat and peppy - a far cry from their old characterization of an emo band. "Lux" finds Bob Nanna playfully
singing "Let's get lit up!" backed by distortion and an energetic
drum lick. Chris Broach takes the vocals
reins for their second song "Many Enemies". His voice is markedly different from Nanna's
- it's in a lower range and a little more rough. It lends a quality to this song that just
reminds me so much of a Piebald song, especially with his delivery of some of
the lyrics. "Many Enemies"
tends to get repetitive due to the sheer repetition of the lines and for that
reason is not one of Braid's better tracks.
I'm glad to see Braid is moving forward instead of looking at the
past. Whether it takes them to more pop
punk territory or back to angular indie rock, I will always have a soft spot
for them.
I had never heard of Balance and Composure before
though they seem to be fairly well known within their scene. While they typical music sounds similar to
the aforementioned Sainthood Reps, with an affinity for Nirvana and Sunny Day
Real Estate, their two tracks on this split have a sonic quality that is
undeniably Boys Night Out. Both songs
are moody and beautifully poetic with lines like "Cause I'm not as stable
as you claim to be / Casting a shadow on what you believe / You're out in the
garden eating your flowers / Spreading your wings, cursing the ground." It was good enough to make me check out the
full length they released this year, which ended up in the Top Ten.
Recommended
Tracks: Braid - "Lux" and Balance and Composure
- "You Can't Fix Me"
Recommended
If You Like: Boys Night Out, The Promise Ring, or Piebald
01. Their/They're/There
- Their/They're/There
So apparently this is what happens when one of my
favorite indie musicians for many, many years now joins forces with an
incredibly talented musician that I had never heard of before now. In this case, the all time favorite indie
musician is Mike Kinsella, a man who was involved with Joan of Arc, American
Football, Owls, and Owen. American
Football was so vitally important to my musical development, despite having
only released one EP and one LP. It was
a band that used interlooped melodies to craft emotionally powerful and
poignant songs. In the wake of American
Football, Mike Kinsella joined forces with his brother Tim and their various
associates to record the one and only release from jazz punk band Owls.
From there on out, Mike Kinsella adopted the
moniker Owen and released album after album of introspective and mostly
acoustic songs. These songs, like
American Football before them, played an instrumental (pun intended?) part in
my high school and college life. Lately,
Owen albums have gotten more and more bleak.
Where once you had songs about love and the things that define you in
your youth (including unabashed horniness), you now only had songs about loss,
unhappy marriages and giving up on music entirely. And that's where this music comes as a
surprise and a giant gulp of fresh air.
The other pillar supporting this band is Evan
Weiss, the man behind Into It. Over It.
I am not sure how I had never heard of him before considering how
prolific and amazingly talented he is.
He once released a double CD album called 52 Weeks, where, as you might
have guessed, he sat down and wrote and recorded one track a week for an entire
year.
Aside from the truly awful band name, this is such
a remarkable and promising debut EP.
Weaving together the powerful melodies from Into It. Over It. with
instrumentation reminiscent of American Football, Evan and Mike bring a
refreshing brand of indie to the table.
All of the songs vary in tempo and content though they all carry Weiss'
lyrical witticism. Mike Kinsella seems
to have rekindled his passion for music by providing very few backup vocals and
shifting his focus to backing instrumentation.
I'm not even sure how to describe the kind of
music. If you are familiar with any of
the related bands, then you'll have a good idea what this sounds like. Even if you aren't familiar with Mike
Kinsella or Evan Weiss, be sure to pick up this album and give it a spin.
Recommended
Tracks: "Their / They're / Therapy" and "Fit Your Life Into A Grid"
Recommended
If You Like: Look Mexico, We Are Scientists, or Into It. Over
It.
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