the XX - XX (young turks records)

What can I say about these youngsters? The XX are a trio from London whose songs a very simple, dark, and easily creep into your head and stay awhile If simplicity is key, than the XX may be the true locksmiths.

The debut record was in the top 10 on just about everyone's list in 2009. With dual vocals from Romy Croft and Oliver Sim, the melodies come across as hardly trying, an almost talking, effortless way of singing, and it works with the instrumentation (guitar, beats, keys) which also seem to pull back. To me, this is great "night music," and its darkness is reminiscent to the Cure's early days, i.e. Faith and Seventeen Seconds. Maybe, that is why I like it so much, and obviously the rest of the critics do as well. I think the XX pull from the Cure in a different way than say...the Black Kids, but its good to hear how they interpret an older sound in a new way and concentrate on the simpler side of things.

The key tracks here are, the back and forth male/female banter of "VCR," the hand clap interplay with the guitar and vocal melody on "Heart Skipped a Beat," and "Shelter," whose naked vocals over the heavy reverb of the guitar is both haunting and addicting to the listener.

My biggest drawback is that the simplicity may be so simple due to the musicianship of the band. I can hear a little struggle in the guitar picking, but hey, it doesn't not make me not like the songs, so who cares, right?

The Score: 8 out 10 bells
The Math: The Cure's Faith x Seventeen Seconds - the instrumentation + soft female vocals = XX

Sleigh Bells - Treats (N.E.E.T.)

"Treats," is the debut album from male/female duo (and M.I.A. employees) "Sleigh Bells." The duo brandish their take on danceable guitar-rock over beats guaranteed to crack your iPod headphones. Ex-Poison the Well guitarist, "Derek E. Miller" at the helm as guitarist and producer with Alexis Krauss on vocals. The screaming guitar riffs borderline "metal" at times, but over the slightly distorted drum machine and Alxesis's soft croons, it actually works..well. There has been so much hype about this band, and I actually classified them as a guitar heavy and somewhat catchier version of the M.I.A.'s last record, "Kala." I guess it is no surprise they were signed to her label with such similarities.

Most of the tracks are in the 2 minute to 3 minute range, and tend to get a little monotonous, from the juxtaposed rhythms of "Crown on the Ground," and "Riot Rhythm," that anything longer could get REAL annoying. With that said, there are some beautiful moments on here. Take, the wordless chants of "Run the Heart," which really makes you feel like the aliens are hovering down for your soul, so let them take it. "Rill Rill," another standout track, and more structured than most on the album, is very catchy and poppy and I'd like to hear some more tunes in this direction than the latter.

So, do I think "Treats" deserves the hype? Well, the album on a whole has its moments, and I've read they perform with just a guitar and an iPod, which is interestingly and lo-fi enough that I'm sure it does the trick. I'd be curious to see what kind of an album they come up with next before I make my decision.

The Score: 7 out of 10 bells
The Math: a catchier M.I.A. + plus softer vocals + distorted drums x screaming  guitar riffs = Treats

The Morning Benders – Big Echo (rough trade)

The second full length release from "The Morning Benders" is a well crafted ride through indie-rock bliss. Opening with the seasick rhythm of "Excuses," which sounds like it was recorded in a church or a large hall. The album begins with a shaky organ, violin, and a marching snare, followed by a stagering vocal on the verse to the Beatle-esque harmonies which take the infectious melody to the dreamy chorus. The chorus makes you want to sing along and sway back and forth, beer mug or absinthe in hand.

Other key tracks include, "Hand Me Downs," the upbeat jingle of "Cold War," and "Promises" with its odd time riff and hand claps take you to to edge of the cliff, just to lift you back up into another stellar verse. Some of the more mellow songs like, "Pleasure Sighs" and "Mason Jar" don't seem to really go anywhere exciting, but the album as a whole, is pretty close to flawless.

The Morning Benders have really nailed down what they were going for, and I believe that is a collection of songs that sound modern and yet vintage at the same time, without coming off as trying too hard. Well done.

The Score: 8 out of 10 bells
The Math: a Magical Mystery Tour - John, Paul, George, & Ringo = Big Echo

Best Coast - Crazy for You (mexican summer)

Reverb...Check!
California sun...Check!
Clangy guitars and jangle pop tunes...Check!

You have the debut record from "Best Coast - Crazy for you."

The album sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom and that doesn't bother me a bit. I miss the way records used to sound and this sounds like it should be in the cassette player of your car while you're cruising the down the sunny coast.

Vocalist, Bethany Cosentino, has a twang in her voice which drones on at times, but the beauty here is that if starts to get annoying, you only have about 2 and a half minutes to the next song. With that said, after 13 songs, it probably could have been narrowed down to 10 songs for a perfect pop record, but it is what it is.

Lyrically, it can get a little...amateur, but I don't think "Best Coast" is trying to make an artistic statement or reinvent the wheel here, just craft some pure summertime pop, and they have succeeded. 


The Score: 6.5 out of 10 bells
The Math: Beach Boys - the harmonies - the orchestration + female vocals = Crazy for You

Vampire Weekend - Contra (XL)

The sophomore effort from Vampire Weekend, takes us back to those preppy days on the green with our cocktails in hand, at that rich relative's estate that we wish we had. Yes, these young lads have crafted another catchy album laced w/hooky guitars, afro-beat rhythms, and witty lyrics that most of us can't relate to, but isn't that what makes them so unique?

Contra is great follow up to the hard to follow first record by Vampire Weekend. The opening track, "Horchata," and its bouncy rhythym only gets bigger at the chorus. It is very transcendent of...I don't know... Paul Simon's - Graceland? Ezra Koenig's falsetto stabs on the second track "White Sky" fit well over the landscape of banging drums. This is indie-pop at its finest. I'm not a big fan of the second single from the album, "Cousins," as it seems a little to easy, and directly to the point for them. The track is probably the most uptempo song on the record, and for me, I like my Vampire Weekend slower with a groove.  "A-Punk" was my least favorite song on the first album, but hey, maybe its just me?

You can dislike them if you want for their off kilter stage banter (from what I've heard at their appearance at the Roots picnic this year) but, the kids are alright and their making some good records.

The Score: 7.5 out of 10 bells
The Math: Paul Simon's Graceland + Wes Anderson film scores = Contra

MGMT - Congratulations (Columbia)

Well...I have tried and I have tried folks, but I just can't get through this album with something positive to say.

Call it the sophomore album curse, but I don't think so. I think we have something much deeper here folks. We have a band "trying" to out smart their fans. Think back to Radiohead, Kid A. I am sorry, but Radiohead didn't fool me either and neither is MGMT. I know when a band is refusing to write "good" tunes, and is hiding behind "artistic merit." I understand that a band and/or artist has the freedom to make the record they want to make, but I also think that if said bands release those albums in the first place, they'd still be playing the club circuit, so why kid yourselves? It is clear that MGMT is giving the listener a middle finger by the album artwork alone.

"Congratulations," is an experimental prog-rock opus of schizophrenic melody, and at times some melodies are good, they lead to nowhere, and off the cliff they go. The best songs on the album is the opening track "It's Working," and the two minute "Someone's Missing." I would put "Flash Delirium" as one of the better tunes of the lot, but its blatant melody thieving from Cindy Lauper's "Good Enough for Goonies," is there in every way, shape, and form...and no one steals from my Goonies!

We can only hope that better things are on the horizon for this band, but an Oracular Spectacular 2 will probably be null an void by then. I can already hear the influence of the first MGMT record on some of thier competition and it is clearly being taken to new strides.

The Score: 2 out of 10 bells
The Math: Flaming Lips Soft Bulletin x Oracular Spectacular - song structure = Congratulations

Free Energy - Stuck on Nothing (astralwerks)

Ahhh, Free Energy, the band from Phillly, but not really?

After hearing so much about the so-called "Philly band," I had to hear what the hype was about. Hailing from St. Paul, MN and transplanted to Philadelphia, they create a retro-guitar rock album of pop tunes for the up and coming hipsters of today. There was so much hype about this band, similar to the arrival of the Strokes, but sorry to say, the Strokes kind of deserved the media attention. And as much as a Philly boy is supposed to not like the Strokes, I am a fan, but enough about those rich kids. 


"Stuck on Nothing," the bands debut, opens with the song..."Free Energy." Not since Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden, has a band been so bold to name a song after the band, or vice versa, but a decent track nonetheless. Moving on, the second track "Dream City" is where it's at and definitely the best on the album. Perhaps these boys had big dreams when moving to Philly, and things are definitely going their way, but this song is as much "Thin Lizzy" as it is "Free Energy" I am afraid, but still a strong pop tune. "Bang Pop," another key track, very catchy tune, with a sing-a-long chorus in the style of a Pinkerton leftover, but that's not a bad thing. These two tracks are indeed, great pop rock tunes.


The rest of the album is pretty much moderate, not many highs or lows, just roll the windows down, or sit in the back of your friends pickup and wonder why you moved to this city. A city with so much hate for retro rock and roll? Well...not really, but Free Energy will have a tough road ahead without digging into more of who Free Energy is, than the crates of the classic rock record bin.


The Score: 6 out of 10 bells
The Math: Thin Lizzy + hipster chic = Free Energy

Ed Harcourt - Lustre (piano wolf)

One of my favorite singer-songwriters returns to the piano with a new batch of songs and sounds. It's been four years since the "The Beautiful Lie" release, and Ed Harcourt is back, and it is well worth the wait. He never seems to let me down with his brand of piano-based songwriting and dreamy soundscapes.

The album opens with the soft piano balled, "Lustre," and moves right into the organ intro on
"Haywire," which is almost identical to the beginning of an older tune, "All your days will be blessed," 
(From Every Sphere) and stays true to the formula with a catchy chorus. "Do as I say not as I do," is by far the greatest track on the album, with its swinging chorus and the breathy female backing vocals, this is Ed Harcourt at his best. I actually prefer his upbeat tracks than the slow lengthy ballads, but it is all here.

I must say, "Heart of a Wolf," could have been deleted from the album. It is a boring, melancholy track, and the dreary backing vocals do nothing but drag the song down even more. It seems like the artist likes to include a track similar to this on all of his albums, it's like an alter ego of his in my own opinion, but it just takes away from the rest of the record.

In conclusion, this is a great listen for the Autumn, to sit back and watch the leaves fall and wait for the Winter.

The Score: 7.5 out 10 bells
The Math: a piano on a hill+an Autumn breeze = Lustre

Foxy Shazam - Foxy Shazam (Sire)

Foxy Shazam's self titled major debut release is an album of action packed, fast flying, piano driven rock anthems. From the opening track, "Bombs Away," to the beautiful ballad "Evil Thoughts" which concludes the album, it's a refreshing well put together group of songs from beginning to end. The single "Oh, Lord" and it's "keep on, keeping on," lyric at the end of each chorus, sums up the triumphant, down on your luck, theme that stays constant throughout the record. On "Wanna be angel" lead vocalist "Eric Nally," belts "And all you hipsters say I'm gay, well I'm not gay AT ALL," keeps the content of the lyrics current while the music is more of a 70's piano-rock throwback, but in a good, good way. Such "borrowed" musical stylings are few and far between when done by other acts. Foxy Shazam is not stealing from from that glorious decade of the 1970's, but I believe they are taking its influence to a new level.

There's really nothing negative I can say about this band, so I won't. I have yet to catch them live, but I hear their live show is in fact, a "show," which makes me more anxious to see them. The only thing I would advise today's listener is, to give Foxy a few spins before you dismiss it, because sometimes, great things take time to understand and I do believe this album is one of them.

The Score: 8.5 out 10 Bells!
The Math: Rocky Horror Meat Loaf - vampires + basketball = Foxy Shazam