By Less Lee Moore
Since it continues the mythology of the band—self-perpetuation through self-aggrandizing self-deprecation—there’s likely no more appropriate title for the new Electric Six album than Zodiac.
Zodiac is more ambitious than any E6 release since I Shall Exterminate. . ., more structured than Flashy yet more ridiculous than Kill.
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By Less Lee Moore
Ruby Coast are a five-piece band from Aurora, ON. They’ve been around since 2006, released an EP in 2008 called Projectable Collections, and toured with bands like Passion Pit, Tokyo Police Club, and Ra Ra Riot, in addition to Toronto’s own Born Ruffians.
The band wrote and recorded their first full-length album this spring with Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade), and Brian Paulson (Wilco, Dinosaur Jr., Beck). It won’t be out until 2011, but don’t be sad: you can listen to a couple of tracks on their MySpace page now.
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By Less Lee Moore
From MEN‘s press release:
MEN, the Brooklyn-based band fronted by Le Tigre’s JD Samson . . . began in 2007 as the DJ/production/remix team of Le Tigre members JD Samson and Johanna Fateman. When the duo began to write new songs, it made sense to merge with JD’s live band named Hirsute, which she had formed with Michael and Ginger. JD Samson, Michael O’Neill and Ginger Brooks Takahashi now comprise the core of MEN, with Johanna and artist Emily Roysdon contributing as writers, consultants, and producers.
But what do they SOUND like?
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By Hanna
The goal of Black Sabbath: The Secret History of Black-Jewish Relations, a compilation released by the Idelsohn Society For Musical Preservation, was to “gather the US history of Black-Jewish relations into a selective pop musical guide.” While a lot has been published about black and Jewish musical influences, there hasn’t been an actual musical guide to Jewish music by black artists, and this is what the Society set out to accomplish.
Of course, it’s slightly less universalist in its approach than that; Black Sabbath focuses on the ’30s through the ’60s, a time of enormous racial oppression for both groups, and also a time when the cultural exchange between the two was especially great. This really shines through in this compilation; for all that it’s only one CD. It is an amazing effort and even more amazing in that it succeeds.
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By Jimmy Ether
In the few short weeks that I’ve been aware of Buke and Gass, I have become their biggest fan. Seriously. I’ll fight you for that bragging right! Let’s go!
Aron Sanchez and Arone Dyer create a sound—simultaneously backwoods and urbane—which fans some deep, primordial fire in my chest. They are positively . . . explosive. And they make me feel explosive.
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By Jemiah Jefferson
Fully recovered from an intensely bad 2009, the black-clad Portland-based quartet emerges as if from a chrysalis, their sound now fully formed. These days, the Prids have a sound all their own, no longer reminiscent of New Wave pastiche and riffs cribbed from old goth favorites. The Prids are their own group now, with a sound as distinctive and unique as any of their inspirations while allowing enough room to shout out as the mood strikes.
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By John Lane
I happily stumbled upon the duo named Candy Claws (now a sort of band) not too long ago. Their 2009 album, In the Dream of the Sea Life gives off a Wes-Anderson/Steve-Zissou vibe, from the quirk,y mostly-instrumental cinematic sounds right down to the design and packaging.
Sound architects Ryan Hover and Kay Bertholf return this year with Hidden Lands, an album that represents somewhat of a sideways progression. For hipsters clamoring for another boy/girl duo-combo (i.e., Beach House, She & Him), this will satisfy that need. What separates Hover and Bertholf from the pack, however, is the fact that there is a certain joyous naiveté that seems to guide them and makes their existence all the more curious and appealing.
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By J Howell
It speaks volumes about a band when, after 30 years and 19 albums, they remain vital. Los Lobos is just that, as Tin Can Trust demonstrates. For listeners who’ve slept on this institution of American music, or only know the cover of “La Bamba” from the 1987 movie of the same title, you’re missing out on one of the most consistently great bands, well, ever.
Don’t think you like Latin music? The cumbia “Yo Canto,” with its Marc Ribot-esque guitars, is brilliant. The norteno-flavored “Mujer Ingrata” bounces with such a joyous spirit that’s impossible to dislike. While the band does good by its Mexican-American roots, Los Lobos have always been masterful at incorporating all manner of American roots music into their work; Tin Can Trust is no exception.
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By Ann Clarke
JG Thirlwell’s The Mesopelagic Waters was released on John Zorn’s Tzadik record label during the spring of 2010. This is the third installment of Thirlwell’s Manorexia project, but it’s not a block of new songs. It is, in essence, an acoustic re-arrangement scored for tactual instruments, performed by virtuosos. However, that’s easier said than done!
So if you were hoping to hear new songs on this album that weren’t on Volvox Turbo or The Radiolarian Ooze . . . that’s not going to happen, so nix that thought! So now, if you are thinking, “Why bother?” read on, and I’ll explain why you should!
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By Less Lee Moore
The title song of singer/songwriter Jesca Hoop’s second album, Hunting My Dress, might sound odd, until you listen to the song and consider the lyrics. Rather than describing a woman’s article of clothing, she seems to mean instead the search for a guise, or perhaps a disguise. With all the various personas that she inhabits on this album, it is quite a fitting term.
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