Media Junkie

CD Review: Lymbyc Systym - Shutter Release

Lymbyc Systym
Shutter Release
2009
Mush Records

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Two years ago I discovered the duo of brothers Jared and Michael Bell, known as Lymbyc Systym, as an opening act for The Album Leaf.  Impressed with the rich sound created by only two people, I purchased their stellar debut EP Carved By Glaciers, and anxiously awaited the release of their first full-length record.  Love Your Abuser came out later in 2007 and continued to impress, but since that day, the band has toured almost non-stop.

Considering their rigorous touring schedule, it was surprising when the announcement that the duo would be releasing their second full-length album was made only five weeks before its November 3rd street date. 

Shutter Release is the next logical step in the brothers' sound.  It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it improves upon everything that made Love Your Abuser a solid debut.  It's bigger, fuller, louder, and more dramatic, but retains the essence of their earlier works, from the beautiful melodies to the booming drums.

CD Review: One eskimO - All Balloons (Promo)

One eskimO
All Balloons
2009
Little Polar Records

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In 2004 a young singer/songwriter named Kristian Leontiou signed a deal with Polydor Records and released a widely acclaimed debut in the UK.  That CD, Some Day Soon, saw modest commercial success thanks to the hit single "Story Of My Life", and Leontiou was marketed as a male counterpart to popular songstress Dido.

Unhappy with the direction the label was taking him, Leontiou rebelled against becoming another pop star and a product of the record industry.  He wanted his music to be something more; something he would be proud of that represented his own desires, not those of a label trying to market him to a young demographic.

Together with drummer Adam Falkner, guitarist Pete Rinaldi, and bass/brass player Jamie Sefton, Leontiou pursued an altogether different sound in the form of the indie pop-rock quartet known as One eskimO.  Ironically, the band would eventually team up with producer Rollo Armstrong, the older brother of Leontiou's closest comparison, Dido, and the mind behind the international success of Faithless, and the results are both astounding and unique.

Thanks to a brilliant animated video for the album's earliest single and numerous shows around England, One eskimO have gained some popularity, but alas their debut CD, All Balloons, continues to see delay after delay.  After missing an early 2008 release date, the album slipped to Spring 2009, and again to the fall where it is now slated for a September release while the band rerecords portions in Los Angeles for hopefully the last time.

The crime is that All Balloons, in its current incarnation as a 10 track promo CD, is an excellent record to begin with.  In his desire to maintain his artistic integrity, Leontiou's perfectionist attitude could end up ruining a sweet, soft, and simply charming piece of acoustic pop-rock.

CD Review: Moby - Wait For Me

Moby
Wait For Me
2009
Little Idiot

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Oh, Moby, you know I can't stay mad at you.

After last year's dreadfully bad attempt at returning to dance music, Moby has gone back to the sound that helped 1999's Play become such a success.  Recorded in the artist's home studio and mixed by Ken Thomas of Sigur Ros, Moby's latest, entitled Wait For Me, is downtrodden, world-weary, intensely personal, and a rather lo-fi affair, but also a resounding success. 

CD Review: The Crystal Method - Divided By Night

The Crystal Method
Divided By Night
2009
Tiny e Records

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There is a common misconception that electronic music is inherently European.  No doubt many innovative dance and electronic bands have come from across the pond, but many of the genre's roots are firmly planted in American soil.  Techno originated in my hometown of Detroit, and Chicago gave birth to house music.  Many prominent nu-skool breaks artists hail from the United States, including Uberzone, and it could be argued that no artists had a bigger hand in the big beat movement than Nevada natives (now relocated to Los Angeles) Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, better known as The Crystal Method.

After scoring it big with their debut album Vegas, TCM helped pave the way for the subset of electronica for bands like The Prodigy.  The Crystal Method are easily one of the most well known names in electronic music today, even to those who are relatively unfamiliar with the genre. 

With the release of their fourth full length studio LP, Divided By Night, The Crystal Method attempt some new things - for better or worse.  Longtime fans may be puzzled by some of these new directions, but there's still plenty to love here.  This isn't a complete reimagining and that familiar crunchy, speaker-blowing sound is still intact, but the band has definitely branched out further on this record than any of their three previous, with a lot of help from some friends.

CD Review: 1090 Club - Natural Selection

1090 Club
Natural Selection
2009
SideCho Records

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When one thinks of great rock towns, cities like Detroit, New York, and Chicago spring to mind.  Billings, Montana is about the furthest thing from those sprawling metropolises, but it's home to a four-piece indie rock band known as 1090 Club whose recent release Natural Selection may just help put Billings on the map.

I was introduced to 1090 Club by a member of their own record label, SideCho Records.  I accepted his offer to listen to the band's record, but cynically dismissed it in my mind as an effort to get some free promotion.  Figuring I would never like the album enough to write a review, I sat down to listen to Natural Selection a few days after receiving it and was surprised to discover that this was anything but another blasé, straight from the mold independent album.

CD Review: Pet Shop Boys - Yes

Pet Shop Boys
Yes
2009
Parlophone (UK) / Astralwerks (US)

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Of all the bands I love, I have always maintained that the Pet Shop Boys have been the most consistent.  After 25 years and nine albums, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have released more strong records pound-for-pound than any other artists.

People always react with surprise to discover the duo are even still making music, assuming they disappeared as fast as they burst onto the pop music scene in the 1980s.  I always find myself repeating the mantra "They're still around, and they're still making great music."

With the release of their tenth canonical studio album, Yes, that trend has finally come to a bitter end.  This is the Pet Shop Boys Paint by Numbers; a collection of formulaic tracks the duo could toss out in their sleep.

CD Review: The Silent Years - Let Go (EP)

The Silent Years
Let Go
2009
Sidecho Records

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Have you ever heard one of those bands that you knew was special from the instant you listened to the first notes of their CD?
 
The first time I listened to The Silent Years' debut EP, Stand Still Like The Hummingbird, I knew they were going to be one of those bands.  As a debut, Hummingbird is remarkable because the quality of the material is good enough for most acts late in their career.  Right off the bat, The Silent Years were a tight band with catchy melodies, sing-along choruses, quality hooks, and rocking riffs.
 
Their first LP followed in 2007, containing none of the fat often found early on in a band's catalog where they're still trying to work out their sound.  The eponymous album featured plenty of potentially radio-friendly tracks, but didn't skimp on the guitar.  The pop aspects never overshadowed the rock, and even the occasional foray into new territory such as the bluesy "Devil Got My Woman" was a success.  It was clear that The Silent Years were a legitimate band that had clout, but more importantly, talent.
 
Fast forward one year and a lineup change later to the release of 2008's The Globe.  Heralded as the best album of the year by yours truly, The Globe refined and expanded The Silent Years' sound, incorporating more experimental elements, additional keyboards and strings, and more complex arrangements.  The new members of the band didn't seem to slow things down at all, but instead the band still seemed to be growing.
 
It was with reckless excitement that I sat down to listen to the band's newest EP, entitled Let Go.  Due for release digitally on April 21st, and physically on July 14th on SideCho Records - the band's new label - Let Go is yet another step towards a much larger world for The Silent Years. 

CD Review: Prince - Lotusflow3r

Prince
Lotusflow3r
2009
NPG Records

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You've gotta hand it to Prince – he sure knows how to operate outside the system of the music industry.  Love him or hate him, Prince was a pioneer in the world of online, digital distribution – making his records available through his fanclub website years before artists like Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead jumped on the bandwagon.

After leaving his original record company, Warner Bros., Prince has signed numerous distribution deals to make his CDs available in retail shops as well.  His latest is a 3CD set, sold exclusively at Target for a bargain price, that includes a new protégé album, a funk-oriented disc entitled MPLSoUND (a Princely conjunction of “Minneapolis Sound”), and a more pop-rock-oriented one entitled Lotusflow3r.

Fans have known that Prince is a guitar virtuoso for decades.  Anyone who has ever seen him perform live has undoubtedly witnessed him go off on an extended guitar solo.  He has demonstrated his prowess numerous times on television, including a performance of the song “Fury” on Saturday Night Live several years ago, and during his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (specifically during the all-star tribute performance of George Harrison's “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”).  Despite this, there has never really been an album that has truly captured his extraordinary guitar-playing ability and after hearing that Lotusflow3r may be that album, I was cautiously optimistic.

CD Review: M83 - Saturdays = Youth

M83
Saturdays = Youth
2008
Mute Records

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There's a very fine line between being a derivative knock off band and making your influences apparent in your music.  While an argument could be made for either side, French popsters M83 have a distinctly vintage sound that still somehow manages to sound fresh in today's overcrowded, overproduced pop music scene.  They sound like they're straight out of the 80s, but like the best bands of that decade, lack the disposable, inherently cheesy qualities that doomed those artists to being forgotten over time.

Combining the new wave synthpop sound of New Order, prog-rock guitar work reminiscent of The Cure, and ethereal dreampop similar to bands like Hooverphonic, M83 have made the old new again.

CD Review: Wild Sweet Orange - We Have Cause To Be Uneasy

Wild Sweet Orange
We Have Cause To Be Uneasy
2008
Canvasback Music

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Several years ago I was one of those people who used to go to concerts dreading the opening acts.  I went to see the headliners and I didn't care about these so-called "nobody bands."  I was under the mistaken impression that bands were small for a reason.  I'll admit to you now that I was completely off-base, but that was before I fully understood the independent music scene - before the discovery of bands like Hybrid, Grandaddy and Margot & the Nuclear So and So's.

Soon after discovering bands who would go onto becoming three of my all-time favorites, I began to open my mind and my ears.  More than that, I made the effort to listen to the bands before the concert even arrived.  One such band was Birmingham, Alabama's Wild Sweet Orange, who supported Margot on their most recent tour.

After listening to the first two songs on their full-length debut We Have Cause To Be Uneasy, I knew right away that WSO's CD would be in constant rotation.  Their style of Southern indie rock was refreshing, rambunctious, and lead singer Preston Lovinggood's lyrics showcased a certain wisdom and relatability.  As a result, I began looking forward to their opening set for Margot at the Pike Room on November 21st, 2008 - a far cry from the days when I used to wish for the quickest opening set in history.