Music Roundup

I have listened to a number of records recently which weren't quite good enough to garner the illustrious title of "The Best Thing I Heard This Week."[1. We take ourselves very seriously here at The Minimum Blues. That's the royal "we," for those keeping track.] Nonetheless, they also don't deserve the derision that I sent Coldplay's way last week. In alphabetical order:

Megafaun-Megafaun: I am annoyed by bands releasing self-titled records that are not their first record. This is a gimmick that needs to end, now. There are some good songs in here ("Real Slow," "Resurrection," "Get Right," and "You are the Light"), but there's a lot of other stuff which kind of clogs the record. I respect a band's right to be experimental and try different things, but it really takes away from the "listenability" of this record. This band is ridiculously talented[1. So much so that they could afford to lose Justin Vernon of Bon Iver a few records back and still make great music.] and can write a fucking song, but it's a shame you have to go digging for it on this record.



Real Estate-Days: Is to their first record as Room on Fire was to Is this It.[1. Meaning, at first blush it sounds the same. However, after more listens, you realize that the band has polished their sound and released a better record.] The guy on the OC would have loved this band. Still, the whole thing sounds a bit innocuous--a pleasant listen but not a life-changing one. Best Songs: "Easy," "Green Aisles," "It's Real," "Out of Tune," "Wonder Years," and "All the Same."[1. As you might imagine, looking for "Real Estate" songs on Youtube is pretty tough.]



Unknown Mortal Orchestra-Unknown Mortal Orchestra: A few of my friends love this album. As in, truly love, as in, this band is the next big thing for them. I like the record, but I just don't see that. Some of the songs are good (I like the opener "Ffunny Ffriends") but there is no sustained greatness on this record. Also, I'm kind of over misspelling all of the words in your song titles. The production here is minimal, and everything is under a haze of distortion, which I like. The guitar sounds great. This record sound a little bit like early Dr. Dog, but I don't think the songwriting is quite as strong. Nerve Damage is very good. Maybe a little Nobunny there. So while the record is a quick listen, I was expecting a little more to be honest. Best Songs: "Ffunny Ffriends," "Nerve Damage," "Thought Ballune," and "How Can U Luv Me."



Van Hunt-What Were You Hoping For?: "North Hollywood" sounds weirdly funky/catchy offbeat. Changes pace into more of a rocker: "Watching You Go Crazy is Driving Me Insane." I'd say this is a very LA album, but I've never spent time there, so I can only say it's an album that is at least very LA stereotype. There's even a tongue-in-cheek analysis of "Designer Jeans" tucked in there. The beginning of "Plum" starts out like M. Ward and ends up like a Tribe Called Quest.



Wild Flag-Wild Flag: Feels a little light, more like a hobby and less like a job. Not unpleasant to listen to, but doesn't grab you like anything that Sleater-Kinney used to do. Songs like "Glass Tambourine" seem to lack any real ambition. This record doesn't have the catchiness of Woods or hunger of One Beat. "Electric Band" is a catchy tune, like a lot of the surfer girl pop (Dum Dum Girls). Best Songs: Electric Band, Romance, Short Version.



Youth Lagoon-The Year of Hibernation: This is the best record of this bunch. If the vocals weren't coated in a layer of fuzz rendering them nearly unintelligible, this would have been the best thing I heard this week. The crazy thing is that this was made by a 22 year old kid from Boise, Idaho during his winter break in college. You know what I did over my winter break in college? Yeah, neither do I. Trevor Story's sound is like that of Antlers but not as bone-crunchingly sad. Sometimes, I think it also sounds like a more pleasant Wolf Parade. The Year of Hibernation has a cool melody which keeps mutating and repeating throughout the record. Despite some long songs, it ends up being only a 35 minute record. Recommended Songs: "Afternoon," "Cannons," "Daydream," "Montana," "Posters," and "Seventeen."



Photo by nffcnnr