St. Vincent - Strange Mercy (2011)

I became acquainted with St. Vincent about a year ago when I went to see tUnE-yArDs at Central Park Summerstage; completely indifferent to the fact that St. Vincent was the headliner. After witnessing her rousing live show, I decided to give her a real shot and have since bonded with 2009’s Actor after many extensive listens. So when news of a new album started to emerge I got incredibly excited; couple that with a pretty awesome promo campaign via Twitter, the revealing of the brilliant first single “Surgeon”, and an absolutely incredible article in Under the Radar and I was expecting the best album of the year in Strange Mercy.

For me, Strange Mercy was a definite grower. There are enough great ideas that it’s not quite a disappointment but the strongest songs on the album are those that we’ve already been introduced to before i.e. “Surgeon” and “Cruel”. The other songs require a certain amount of patient listening before you realize they're not just random throwaway songs. It would be easy for Clark to hide behind her big guitar licks or her pretty, shimmering vocals but this time out they’re tinged with enough real emotion – real hurt and real feeling – that you want to put in the work to understand them and that’s where the random line that makes it all make sense presents itself. In this Clark has created an album that compelling enough for multiple listens, despite the fact that not all the songs merit endless replays. Clark’s more emotionally intense tracks “Cheerleader” and “Strange Mercy” require way more effort than fast-paced jaunts “Chloe in the Afternoon”, “Northern Lights”, and “Hysterical Strength” while “Neutered Fruit” and “Year of the Tiger” only need about one focused listen before you get the point.

While Strange Mercy disposes of some of the aspects listeners might have loved about Annie Clark, it also introduces them to a side of her they’ve never seen before. Gone is the grand cinematic scope of Actor, the wry lyrical wit of Marry Me, and Clark’s flippant presentation of some rather dark subjects. Instead we gain a newfound intimacy that’s personal but not claustrophobic juxtaposed with the lovely melodies and coarse musical moments of St. Vincent past all contained within one complex, intricate tangle. Though every song on Strange Mercy isn’t exactly a masterpiece, they all stick to the overall idea of displaying a rawer, open Clark and the album as a whole definitely benefits from it.

ARMS reveal first new single

Yesterday Brooklyn quartet ARMS premiered their first single from upcoming album Summer Skills, "Fleeced" over at Paste Magazine. You might remember it as the song they used to soundtrack their first album teaser. Well now you can hear the track in all it's glory.

The new track is the first taste of the new batch of songs that were not previously featured on the EP released last year. It's a fast-paced rock jaunt that crackles with the memorable licks and otherworldly-evoking reverb that ARMS is know for.

Listen to "Fleeced" now:



Summer Skills is out November 8th.

Megafaun - Megafaun (2011)

While North Carolina trio Megafaun has proudly accepted their freak folk label time and time again, on their fourth and latest album they shy away from it for what turns out to be the better. Megafaun is far more intimate than any of the album’s that preceded it, perhaps due to its main inspiration coming from music the band grew up with like Grateful Dead, Jackson Browne, and Paul McCartney. Instead Megafaun’s experimentation takes the form of its innovative arrangements like in “Isadora” with its distinctive pseudo-Latin flavor gained from brass and vibraphone.

And yet at no time does the album sound uncharacteristic of Megafaun, there’s still the certain jam-band quality that pervades the best Megafaun tracks (“Get Right”). Rather there’s a certain vulnerability that the band hasn’t showed before - particular in ballads “Hope You Know” and “Kill the Horns”. Megafaun’s trademark quirk isn’t completely expunged from the album: “These Words” which uses field recordings of a Balinese gamelan and rural sounds recorded by Joe Westerlund or the electronic jumble of “Serene Return” are the proof and manage to fit in with the other material quite well.

Megafaun is one of those rare bands that are not only able to release a new record on a yearly basis but also have each record be significantly better than the last. Their self-titled release is by far their best yet. Mature and finely developed but also bold and out there, it’s an album where there’s no shortage of risk-taking but also where the band really come into their own as songwriters. On Megafaun, perhaps for the first time in all four records, you are truly drawn to the lyrics as the emotions they conjure drive the songs.

The album is currently streaming at Rolling Stone here.

Pitstop: Little Tybee

What could be gleaned from my love of Typhoon, Oryx and Crake, and Lost in the Trees (among numerous others) is that there's a very special place in my heart for the folk orchestra. There's a certain untouched majesty and epic grandeur that comes with having a large cast of musicians all working to create music that is not only performed well and arranged spectacularly but also wonderfully accessible without losing any of that masterful touch. Atlanta, Georgia's Little Tybee is another one these bands.

What separates Little Tybee and it's fluctuating group of members apart from the multitude of other bands that are essentially doing the same thing is that they aren't. Their phrases flexible, the arrangements handled with marked equality; and Brock Scott's vocals, with its folksy lilt, form the basis for what is Little Tybee. But their spark of individuality is gained from how they handle their songwriting. The Nirvana Kelly's violin isn't just relegated to delicate flourishes but soulfully accompanies Scott and his acoustic guitar. The bass and drums much more than mere beat keepers, getting their own opportunities to shine. Each member of the band gets a important and noticeable place to show their talent, but it's handed with such subtlety and modesty, that you can't help but smile.

Get to know Little Tybee with the live video for "History":

Caveman - CoCo Beware (2011)

It’s pretty much a given now that anything ARMS-related, I will check out. So when We Listen For You sent out that fateful tweet a week ago that mentioned ARMS and New York City quintet Caveman’s new albums, I was all aboard.

Caveman’s debut album CoCo Beware was among the multitude of album released this past Tuesday (9/13) but it shouldn’t be buried underneath the pile of other records. While most of the other records had tons of songs that were hit or miss, Caveman’s debut is full of psych-pop gems from beginning to end. Though some of the songs are short, they go exactly where they need to go in their short duration, establishing easy breezy melodies filled with dreamy synths and primal, ever-present drums. Yet despite its psychedelic leanings, it’s an album that’s as richly engaging as the various sounds it is filled with like hazy, instrumental track “Vampirer”. Not to mention there’s one of my favorite album effects: The lead in. In a time where the concept of an album is spotty at best, two tracks linked together by a cool effect or melody that leads from one to the other will always be a good decision in my book.

CoCo Beware is an album where there’s rarely a slowdown. From the moment you hit play, it speeds along, albeit at its’ own easy-going but never boring leisure. Caveman is like a drum circle in band form. However, instead of dragging along like jam bands are apt to do, they keep things simple, precise, lucid; but also loose – allowing you to get lost in their otherworldly haze and locked in vocal harmonies. A definite must listen, must buy, and must repeat.

Give Caveman a listen with this live video of "Great Life" for Yours Truly SF featuring an actual drum circle (composed of ARMS drummer Tlacael Esparza and Hospitality bassist Brian Betancourt, to name a few):

Caveman "Great Life" is Yourstru.ly from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

CoCo Beware is also streaming on Spinner, listen here.

Anna Calvi - "Suzanne & I" video

Just this year Anna Calvi released her self-titled debut album. And since it's January release, Calvi has been going strong with numerous worldwide tours and shows and now she's released the third single from the album "Suzanne & I".

The video has to be the coolest use of sheets I have ever seen. A dancer being pulled off a bed by the blankets alone, traversing through a cloth forest, and scenes of Anna Calvi and her band playing while blanketed figures dance behind them are but a few of the awesome effects in the video. There's also some pretty awesome dance scenes. While initially fighting the two dancing girls then become inseparable even as group of male dancers come and literally tear them apart, taking them through a series of aggressive turns, spins, and lifts.

New track from Yes Lord Sugar

Almost a week ago, Liverpool powerpop quartet Yes Lord Sugar revealed a brand new song. The new song "This Good Life" starts out slow and balladic before launching into an intense happy jaunt. It's nice to see the young band showing off their versatility early.

Yes Lord Sugar - This Good Life by YesLordSugar