Imperial Teen: Feel the Sound
On it’s fifth album, Feel The Sound, Imperial Teen is full, bright, and tight. Given the critical acclaim of past efforts and the groups from whence its members came – Faith No More, Sister Double Happiness, the Wrecks, among others – that should come as no surprise. The cynic in me, though, didn’t want to believe a band known for it’s youthful, poppy sound could be youthful or poppy sixteen years after its inception. Within the confines of such a rigid structure, how much can really be expressed? Pop music, for all the tricks and tropes at its disposal, can only do and say so much before it comes full circle and bites its own butt. Given the short shelf-life of the average song, album, and even career, the industry standard holds that bands combat irrelevance by producing constantly. It’s a methodology that holds no water for Imperial Teen. With five years since their last album, the members are clearly glad to be back together, lifting each other with the perspective gained in their time apart.
Shades of Imperial Teen can be heard in contemporary critical darlings like Phoenix and Cut Copy. Both deliver their brand of high energy pop with precision and charisma. Neither of these bands deliver precision or charisma as well as Imperial Teen, though. From the opening moments of “Runaway”, the band is of the same mind. Propelled by a swirling keyboard hook and held up by a meaty backbeat, it culminates with a gloriously harmonious vocal movement until the song is clipped. I choose to believe that harmony continued in perfect accord well after the engineer stopped the tape and went home for the night. On “No Matter What You Say”, the breathy “Ah-Ah” section of the chorus speaks volumes of the band’s ability to do a lot with oh so little, expressing both wonder and resilience in those two short syllables. Clocking in at 40:40, the songs on Feel The Sound are right out of the pop playbook and right to the point. Within those confines, though, Imperial Teen project a warmth and lack of cynicism that is as refreshing as it is unique.
For all the limitations of the pop palette, Imperial Teen manages to find freshness by refusing to box in their raw, live sound. It’s a sound that, at it’s biggest, wants to be even bigger. With tools as old as the hook and the chorus, Imperial Teen commands a level of synchronicity that they can will in any direction, tipping any box that would seek to contain it, spilling transcendent harmony all over the damn place.
Rating: 8.0/10
MP3: Imperial Teen “Runaway”
Buy: iTunes or Insound! Vinyl

Dastardly: Bury Me in the Country
All aboard for Chicago quartet Dastardly’s new EP, Bury Me in the Country. From a dead stop “Freight Train,” takes an opening minute to shake off the bonds of gravity, and much like the unmistakable sound of train cars clacking together under the strain of locomotion the album lurches forward in an unconventional time signature. There is a definite sense of orchestrated discord to the opening tune, something akin to Thelonious Monk’s off timing which displays a musical intelligence that is quickly disbanded for a more traditional format as the album picks up speed.
Track two, “Fever,” is the clear choice for a single, with a stand up bass line that will ricochet around in your head for days and harmonizing reminiscent of any back porch whisky tippling, finger picking string circle…Wait for it, and enter the yodel! I’m not saying it makes the song, it just makes the song dirty.
Now passing through “Brief Thoughts on Death,” a one-horse town we barrel through whistle blaring. “Every time I see someone 85 I wonder how the hell they’re still alive.” Like all good Mid-Western acts, Dastdardly has an unhealthy fascination with their own mortality, and god bless them for it on this track. Between questioning relevancy of heaven and hell and blaming a higher-power for all their problems Dastardly cleverly disguises a lament behind humor.
Next stop, “Dead Birdhouse Blues,” “Missouri you’re a cold and miserable fucker,” the perfect chorus for any love song narrative, delivered with an intense and almost neurotic flip flopping from hopeless love to outright disgust. You can comfort yourself he’s talking about the state and not the girl, (right?) that just manages to fit in a jibe against New Jersey before closing out and coming to my personal favorite track.
“Dirtnap,” (Uncouth Hillbilly Gets What’s Coming to Him) takes the piss outta all the posturing and pretension behind modern music circles, a la Dead Milkmen in its ravings, the rant culminates in violent acts and public nudity, an eventual arrest where you realize the conductor’s keeled over and this train’s running away on us. After the glorious collision when the train jumps the tracks, you can rest assured Dasdardly will bury us all, deep in the country.
For added kicks, check out the group’s blog. These are clever guys, well worth letting into your stereo for a play or two.
Rating: 8.8/10
MP3: Dastardly “Fever”
Buy: iTunes

Hospitality: Hospitality
Described as “the bittersweet commingling of past and present,” Hospitality‘s self-titled full length debut seeks to encapsulate adventure, romance, and, by the sound of it, great success. In separating past and future, the present becomes an interstitial non-place, where nothing and everything become a possibility. That’s where Hospitality makes its home. Imbued with contentment and a precocious self-awareness, the narrative voice of Hospitality speaks from an infinite now, luxuriating in moments the less imaginative would just as soon punctuate in favor of stability and convention. In short, Hospitality embodies a youthful confidence that seeks no answers.
Set against the backdrop of New York City, where Hospitality formed in 2007, with a hypothetical side trip to Tokyo, the lyrics could be read as a map to New York cool, as on “Eighth Avenue”, on which singer Amber Papini traces the route to a rooftop tryst. With as many instrumental layers as there are sides to a story, the songs often become so dense that it would be a distraction if they weren’t so excellently arranged. It lends the whole endeavor a you-had-to-be-there quality. Singer Papini honed her vocal chops by imitating Richard Butler of Psychedelic Furs, and as a result, delivers her lyrics with the slightest British accent. Though she flirts with vocal incoherence at every turn, it serves the sometimes manic, sometimes confusing rehash of times gone by. Ultimately, she delivers her lyrics with such sweet self-assuredness that the listener will gladly sit through them as many times as necessary in order to hear her out. As of this review (and many listens), I’m still working it all out, but also still enjoying it.
Though Hospitality may borrow heavily from the Lit-Rock play books of Belle and Sebastian and Vampire Weekend, with whom Hospitality share a co-producer in Shane Stoneback, they leave the neurosis and quirk for which those two bands are sometimes known in the margins where they belong. Hospitality are book smart by way of the streets. Or maybe its the other way around. Equal measures of each is the point. On “Betty Wang”, for instance, Papini sings of a final lunchtime adventure with a departing friend, praising her friend for her brutal honesty and willingness to remain an outsider.
Clocking in at thirty-three minutes, Hospitality is more musically dense than most albums twice its length. Awash with the warmth of cascading keyboards, the punch of horns, the hum of synths, and of course Amber Papini’s very intelligent vocal offering — which is evocative of Debut-era Bjork in it’s unvarnished confidence– the cleanly layered arrangement on display suggests a species of introspection devoid of regret. To Papini’s great credit, she is unafraid to get out of the way as instrumental concerns are given precedence. It makes her vocals shine more brilliantly when they are allowed back to the forefront. Few listening experiences in recent memory rival the bright and triumphant moment of “Argonauts”, when Papini quiets herself to make room for the brassy gasp of horns. It’s a silence that crackles with the energy of what just happened and what’s to come. It’s a silence that I wish could last forever.
Rating: 9.0/10
MP3: Hospitality “Betty Wang”
Buy: iTunes or Insound! Vinyl

Lana Del Rey: Born to Die
Unless you have been living under a rock the past few months, then you are already privy to Lana Del Rey‘s rise from internet sensation to worst SNL performer. What is most striking about the trajectory of Del Rey’s career is that the people crucifying her seem to be the same people that created her to begin with.
It is not like we have not seen this happen before–Black Kids come to mind. But with Lana Del Rey, the demonization seems to be particularly ridiculous. She is not a good live act. Anyone who heard her striking breakout single “Video Games” could have predicted that. When a song has as much open space and atmosphere, it is hard for one singular person to stand on stage and capture that without it feeling awkward.
Then people tried to demonize Del Rey for not being authentic. Saying that disregards the last 60 years of musical history. Her image is the 1950s pin-up model for the hip hop generation. How is that different than David Bowie‘s image as a rock star from another planet? Or the Wu-Tang Clan‘s image as a ghetto ninja troop? The truth is imageless music does not exist and largely musicians or artists with full fledged images have a much better chance to “make it” than those who half-ass it.
Listening to Lana Del Rey’s Born to Die, it is obvious she has committed to her image and it pays off. Lyrically, she steeps her words with Americana images. On “Diet Mountain Dew,” she casually mentions heart-shaped sunglasses, dashboard jesuses, and white Pontiacs all jazzing up what would otherwise be a banal love song. But she does not create her pathos through interspersing Americana images alone, she uses the language of Americana. Phrasing like “my old man” which begins “Off to the Races,” helps set the tone.
That tone is carried through the album and is supplemented musically by production that, like Del Rey’s lyrics, mince old with new. The production nods to hip hop, downtempo, and Nancy Sinatra-style rock. My only problem with the problem with the production is that it almost too obviously tips its hand at its influences. No one can listen to the opening strings of “National Anthem” and not recall The Verve‘s “Bittersweet Symphony” or the track’s deep organ and not think of Matt and Kim‘s “Camera.” “Born to Die” blatantly rips off Kanye‘s drum sound and the ending ambient yell of “louder” sounds like it was directly lifted from Common‘s “The People.”
I can overlook my issues with the production because of how stunning the production is. Although the album uses upward of six producers, they all seems to have the same singular vision to create an album with a sense of space while still seeming lush. There is no track on the album that falls short of this goal. With that said, there is no way to call this album a failure. If Del Rey can weather the storm of tabloid cattiness, she has the talent and the vision to make truly great pop albums.
Rating: 9.1/10
MP3: Lana Del Rey “National Anthem”
Buy: iTunes or Insound! Vinyl

Alec Harris: The Early Premier
The Early Premier is the new mixtape from rapper Alec Harris. The tight production paired with Harris’ verses about living through hard times makes Premier an album worth checking out.
While Harris’ lyrics may not be as creative some other great lyricists that come to mind, that have been in the game for much longer, Harris has a strong delivery, coupled with the gritty and jazzy production. It is easy to see him as a great up-and-comer in the hip-hop genre. The different producers featured on the mixtape provide a melodic and rhythmic foundation to Harris’ message. The hip-hop symphony “Superhero Save Yourself”, produced by Mr. Silverberg, is a hypnotizing hymn, crafted for Harris to rap over. It is just one example of the awesome variety of styles that pass through The Early Premier. The growling bass kicks of the second track, “Life Lessons,” provides the backdrop for Harris’ verses about falling and getting back up while living life. Running through the maze of life is a very strong subject, and Harris tackles it with a self-confident fervor that becomes an irresistible hook, especially when he is rapping over the ominous purr of the grimey bass underneath the mix. Harris takes no time before jumping into the soft jazz hip-hop song produced by Matt Cody, “I’m On That,” a beautiful track with a soft nod to the late Nujabes.
Other producers include DJ Black Diamond, for Harris’ love rap duet with Brett Altman, “Never Let You Leave,” and Brandon Lipman, who produced the opening track of this imaginative and impressive mixtape, “Early On.” In “Early On,” Harris raps on the joys of being young in life and meditating on future prospects in what life has in store. Alex Harris’ lyrics and message are a great positive lift and it all sounds smooth thanks to the talented producers that helped compose The Early Premier. If you are looking for something that has many great sounds and some creative, witty lyricism, check out Alec Harris and his new mixtape The Early Premier.
Rating: 8.0/10
MP3: Alec Harris “Superhero Save Yourself”
Download: MediaFire

The Walkmen: Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone (Re-Issue)
Is your life not going anywhere? Tired of middle management? Are you in your late twenties, early thirties, single and still living in an apartment the size of a coffin in some beehive like complex in suburbia? Are you fed up with lonely nights of Japanime and pining for a dream girl that doesn’t exist?
If you’re like most Americans, this is your life. But it doesn’t have to be. We here at Surviving the Golden Age have exciting news that will revolutionize the way you live. Insound has re-issued the Walkmen debut album, Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone on vinyl. But don’t take our word for it, let’s see what the people are saying about it.
Debra H. in Little Five Points, Atlanta had this to say:

Before the Walkmen, I was a pretty normal person with a college degree and a stable job. But after the Walkmen, I sold everything I owned, moved into the city and started a great new career as a bar waitress/bike courier.

And here’s Jeff C. in Williamsburg, NYC:

I was in a rut, I really was. Until Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me, came along I had a laughable sex life and a decent haircut. Now, I own a bike repair/sashimi take-out/organic pet food store and date a revolving door of foreign born beauties.

Now that we’ve heard the buzz surrounding the Walkmen, I have a question: How much would you expect to pay for this record? $89.99? HA! Maybe at some other places. For the low, one time only payment of $18.99 you too can change your life.
And that’s not all. Every copy of Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone, includes 14 tracks of heady, retro instrumentation, bone crushing lyrics, and hipster credibility, ushering you to “Wake Up!” over haunting piano leads and dead fuzz guitars. With hits like “We’ve Been Had,” “Rue the Day,” and, “Revenge Wears no Wristwatch,” you’ll be the envy of every emotionally inclined, musically obsessed kid on the gentrified block.
But wait, there’s more!
That’s right, every single copy of “Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me,” includes dashing, artistic facial hair. That’s right facial hair! And if you order today, you can be one of only a thousand to receive the vinyl re-issue. And once these go, there gone! So don’t delay.*
*Shipping and handling not included, side effects may include irony, dating adult women that resemble teenage boys, a preference for Russian novelists and bad poetry, unemployment, starting a band that starts a movement that shakes up the music industry, drunk dialing ex’s at inappropriate hours, poor fashion choices and caffeine dependency.
Rating: 8.5/10
MP3: The Walkmen “We’ve Been Had”
Buy: Insound! Vinyl

Rick Ross: Rich Forever
Rick Ross is a Southern rapper who found fame in 2006 with his debut album, Port of Miami. Since then his stock has skyrocketed, becoming one of the most easily recognizable names in modern day hip-hop. On January 6th he released the mixtape Rich Forever. It features tracks produced by a number of different producers, including Beat Billionaire, Lex Luger, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, and D. Rich.
The cover of the album features a close up of Rick Ross’ face, complete with cigar and gold ring. His name is spelled “Rick Ro$$” and underneath that is the album title/statement “Rich Forever”. The powerful imagery was indicative of how the album was going to sound.
The first track on the album is a song titled “Holy Ghost,” a strong intro track featuring vocals by Diddy. Rick Ross doesn’t waste any time getting into things. His unique style of rapping blends well with the bass-thumping beats. This is a mixtape that is best appreciated with a “bassy” sound system. The low frequencies drive the lyrics and keep the energy of the album alive and bumping.
For better or for worse, most of the tracks flow the same way: songs driven by bass-thumping, southern-style beats. The lyrics ranged from mildly interesting to funny and/or exciting. The problem is that the discussion about money and drugs get a little repetitive. Even the slow track, “Mine Games,” features Ross rapping about money and wealth. The constricted variety of dialogue is expected to a degree; drugs and money are the topics of choice for this form of mainstream rappers. Maybe I’m just being obtuse. After all, the album is called Rich Forever. And Rick Ross is definitely making an effort to keep things interesting. However, a little variety would have been greatly appreciated.
If you consider what it is that Rick Ross is trying to do, the album works very well. Each track has its own degree of thug influence. There are strong contributions from a plethora of artists, including French Montana, Drake, Meek Mill, and John Legend. Nas even contributes a compelling verse on “Triple Beam Dreams.” These guest appearances help keep the tracks fresh.
Rick Ross has presented the people with an incredibly solid mixtape. If this is the music he is just giving away, I look forward to hearing what I’m going to be expected to pay for.
Rating: 8.0/10
MP3: Rick Ross featuring Nas “Triple Beam Dreams”
Download: Dat Piff

Woodpigeon: For Paolo
In their latest EP For Paolo, the Calgary based orchestral folk-pop band Woodpigeon, attempts to capture a moment in time as much as a physical landscape. For the uninitiated, Woodpigeon’s sound would best be described as a cross between Belle & Sebastian and Iron & Wine. Mark Andrew Hamilton, the groups lead songwriter, states the songs on this EP were inspired by the long drives across the prairies of Canada his family took while he was a child. And like an open road, For Paolo creates a soundscape that unfolds song by song before the listener.
The title track establishes a firm sense of movement that will carry throughout the recording. Hamilton’s voice hovers on the edge of a whisper, which blends nicely with the backing vocals. The layering of guitars, synthesizers, orchestral strings, and vocal harmonies, gives this song a sonic luster, a sound that envelopes the listener.
The next track, “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Mark?” uses a string section to create a much more somber tone. There is also a chorus effect used on the vocals and some guitar distortion that while true to the song, almost seems overproduced and out of place with the more raw sound of the other tracks on this particular EP.
“Winnebago” has a more stripped down feel, relying only on Hamilton’s voice and a single electric guitar to carry a sense of sober reflection. In contrast “By Lamplight” is a love song hidden within a lullaby. The song begins simply with piano and vocals and then layers are added as the song progresses, blossoming before the listener.
Over I’d have to say that I am impressed by For Paolo. Hamilton has an unaffected vocal style which draws you in, inviting his audience into a casual intimacy. While the instrumental melodies on this disc create a mood that seeps into the listener.
Rating: 8.0/10
MP3: Woodpigeon “For Paolo”
Buy: iTunes

Grace Woodroofe: Always Want
Discovered by Heath Ledger, and placed under the capable wing of Ben Harper, Grace Woodroofe has some expectation to fulfill on her first full length release, Always Want, and for the most part she delivers.
Ms. Woodroofe has a pretty face to match her pretty voice, and could be thought of as something of a modern Australian answer to Sibylle Baier’s Color Green. Her voice on tracks like, “I’ve Handled Myself Wrong,” “H.,” and, “You’ll Never Find Me,” is luxuriously feminine, but don’t make the mistake of thinking because her slower songs are honey sweet that this woman doesn’t have teeth. Just see the thinly veiled threat contained within “Nocturnal,” when she sings in a smoky whisper, “You better watch your back.”
The album is delightfully light and streamlined for effect, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Always Want is weightless. The opening tracks are soft and low then balloon out towards the middle of the album with a surprising duality of character before settling back into a dreamy lullaby tilt at its close.
The most intriguing part about the album is undeniably its maturity. This is after all, a debut, leading one to expect the growing pains often found when young people attempt to transition into the role of an artist. Rather, from beginning to end you will find a polished professionalism in delivery and articulation that speaks more of a veteran than an unknown. I look forward to seeing Ms. Woodroofe progress and can’t help but think great things are coming her way.
Rating: 8.0/10
MP3: Grace Woodroofe “Always Want”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!

Craig Finn: Clear Heart Full Eyes
Artists seem to go solo for one of two reasons: either their band has broken up or they want to make music that does not fit into the cannon of their main band. The latter seems to be the case with Craig Finn. Said of his decision to go solo, The Hold Steady‘s music is celebratory but he does not feel that way all of the time. There were hints of this on the Hold Steady’s 2010 album, Heaven Is Whenever. The band which is known for great openers kicked off the album with “The Sweet Part of the City,” a slow, country-tinged ballad filled with slide guitar and plenty of melancholy. That track seems to be the blue print for Finn’s debut solo album, Clear Heart Full Eyes.
Tracks like “Western Pier,” showcase the new dynamic for Finn. The track has a downtrodden dirge feel to it, similar to R.E.M.‘s “Country Feedback.” The track features an acoustic guitar backbone with steel guitars laid over the top. But for the difference in musical elements, Finn’s vocal performance and lyrical content remains fairly consistent with those of the Hold Steady. Still very evident are the religious themes. So prevalent is the theme that it is difficult to find a track that does NOT mention Jesus. Perhaps the most obvious is “New Friend Jesus,” which sounds like a campy update of Norman Greenbaum‘s classic “Spirit in the Sky.”
As Finn is prone to do, he juxtaposes religious iconography with rock ‘n’ roll iconography. It is Finn’s way of saying “Joe Strummer is as relevant as Jesus to me.” Just in “No Future” alone, Finn name checks Freddie Mercury and Johnny Rotten.
But after the name checking and the religion, Clear Heart Full Eyes just feels like the slowest Hold Steady record to date. Besides a subtly lack of energy, there is not much difference between Craig Finn the solo artist and Craig Finn the Hold Steady front man. Those hoping to see Finn do something different on his first solo outing will certainly disappointed but those hoping for a new Hold Steady record will find a lot of comfort in Clear Heart Full Eyes.
Rating: 7.6/10
MP3: Craig Finn “No Future”
Buy: iTunes or Insound! Vinyl