So I'm starting a new feature on this blog today. It's goal is to review, as briefly as possible, all the albums I've listened to that have fallen by the wayside, all in one big hit, before their release dates grow any more stale. I'm going to call it "Latecomer Reviews", for obvious reasons.
From now on, I'll be putting a "Latecomer Reviews" post together whenever time gets away from me, and my pile of unreviewed albums gets too high for me to handle.
From now on, I'll be putting a "Latecomer Reviews" post together whenever time gets away from me, and my pile of unreviewed albums gets too high for me to handle.
So... without any further introduction, I present:
LATECOMER REVIEWS: VOLUME #1
***
Label: Because Music
Genre: Indie Rock/Electronic/Experimental
Release date: 30 January 2012
British quartet Django Django's self-titled debut album is a joy to listen to. It's also really bizarre. To the best of my knowledge, no other bands sound quite like Django Django do. They've created something totally and utterly unique with their debut, fusing the techniques of the traditional rock band line-up with laptop noises, and influences as eclectic and varied as African music, cowboy films and the stories of Arabian Nights. And that is what makes it so much fun to listen to. Sure, it takes a while to grow on you. But after two or three listens, I guarantee that Django Django will be your new favourite band.
Stand out tracks from the album include the show-stopping lead single 'Default', the wub-wubbing dubstep-inspired 'Waveforms', and the five minute polyrhythmic Afrobeat epic that is 'Zumm Zumm'. But really, each song on the album is so varied and different - I can't really accurately pick a favourite. This album comes highly recommended, it's definitely an early contender for my 'Top Albums of 2012' end-of-year list.
Rating: 9.5/10.
Django Django - Waveforms by Django Django
***
Label: Atlantic Records
Genre: Indie Pop
Release date: 28 February 2012
London-based indie pop act Fanfarlo have been quite unfairly lumped into the 'boring and safe' category by a lot of reviewers. It's easy to see why. At first glance, they seem to occupy much the same territory as every single other 'alternative' group ever to provide the soundtrack to a TV commercial or an overwrought teen movie. But their second album, Rooms Filled With Light, does have an extra layer of shine and beauty to it, which proves Fanfarlo can stand above the pack. The band took a long time between releasing this album and their debut, Reservoir, which dropped in 2009 - and obviously that break has done them good. For the most part, Rooms Filled With Light sounds like the audio equivalent of a warm hug in the middle of winter. It's gorgeous, heartening, well-crafted, multi-instrumental pop music.
Highlights are 'Feathers', 'Dig' and the saxaphone-heavy 'Tunguska'. Opening track 'Replicate' is perhaps my favourite song on offer though. I'm always a sucker for violins in a pop song. Plus the chorus, "Is it dead enough?/Is it still enough?/Will it replicate/Inside our bodies now?", makes me imagine a crazy self-replicating science fiction movie virus. It don't really care if it's a gross misinterpretation of the lyrics. It's a fun image, and a crazy thing to sneak inside such a wonderful, artful record. Overall, my verdict is that Fanfarlo's Rooms Filled With Light is another must listen for any self-respecting alternative music fan.
Rating: 8/10.
Label: Turnstile
Genre: Indie Pop
Release date: 20 February 2012
Seattle-based solo artist Mike Hadreas, a.k.a. Perfume Genius, is known for touring alongside Beirut, and for making really cool music videos featuring his mum, or cross-dressing and gay porn stars. He's also known for making very simple, stripped-back pop songs with fragile vocal performances and emotional piano melodies. His latest album, Put Your Back N 2 It, has resonated with reviewers and listeners all across the world, gaining an abundance of accolades.
I'm not sure I entirely understand the hype though. I've really tried to get into Put Your Back N 2 It. I've listened to it multiple times, trying to let the music reach me, or 'move' me or whatever it's supposed to do. But for some reason, I just ended up bored. A few tracks, like 'Hood' and 'Dark Parts', did make me sit up and pay attention. But in the end, it wasn't enough. I've been cruelly forced to conclude that Perfume Genius is just 'average'. Feel free to disagree with me, of course. Mike Hadreas might well and truly be on to something with Put Your Back N 2 It. It's just for some reason, it wasn't communicated to me when I listened to it, no matter how hard I concentrated. It happens. All I can do is move on.
Rating: 5/10.
***
Label: Modern Art Records
Genre: Indie Pop/Electronic
Release date: 6 March 2012
Brooklyn-based trio Miniature Tigers third album is called Mia Pharaoh. And all you need to know about it, is that it's pretty much 90% pure indie-dance-party fodder. There's not much to this album other than a bunch of catchy lyrical hooks, repeatable synthesiser riffs, and over-manufactured drum machine beats. Sure, it's got an awesome name, but who cares? Mia Pharaoh is forgettable, boring and not very nourishing - it's the kind of stuff you'd expect on an album from Foster the People or the Wombats.
My recommendation is that you download the tracks 'Sex on the Regular', 'Female Doctor', 'Easy as all That' and 'Boomerang'. These are perhaps the best four songs on the album, and they'll be very handy next time you need to get a party going. The rest of this album isn't worth it, really.
Rating: 4/10.
Label: Kranky Records
Genre: Indie Pop/Experimental
Release date: 2 April 2012
Lotus Plaza is the solo project of Lockett Pundt, guitarist of the critically acclaimed and much hyped Atlanta-based indie rock group Deerhunter. And if you've listened to the work of Deerhunter, you'll be treading familiar territory with Lotus Plaza's second album, Spooky Action At A Distance. But I suppose that doesn't really matter, because it's still so good, even if it directly clones the work of Pundt's main act. It can get away with being unoriginal.
Spooky Action At A Distance is the kind of album that just melts into your brain. You can get absorbed into it if you like, and pin down all the intricacies of Pundt's guitar skills, or his hypnotically poetic lyrics. There's plenty of scope for that. Or you can do what I did when I listened to this album - put it on the stereo, start doing some other task, and forget that it's even playing, because it's beautifully assimilated into the background noise of your brain. To discover an album that possesses this specific degree of versatility and listenability, makes me euphoric just thinking about it.
The highlights of the album are the tracks 'Strangers', 'White Galactic One' and 'Monoliths'. But do you really need me to tell you that? It's much easier if you listen to the album yourself and make up your own mind. Just go listen to Spooky Action At A Distance, let it entrance you, and I guarantee you'll come back with a smile on your face.
Rating: 8/10.
