Dntel - Dumb Luck

It all began in 1994 with Jimmy Tamborello's project as Dntel. Over the years, however, Tamborello acquired another alias as James Figurine, one-half of The Postal Service. Jimmy "James Figurine" Tamborello's music was innovative in The Postal Service as well as within his solo projects. One of James Figurine's albums, Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake has some of the best tracks on a modern electronica album to date. "Pretend It's A Race and I'm Winning" has incontrovertibly remained as one of my favorite songs for "thinking" [among other verbs]. James Figurine and Dntel's music is reminiscent of that ambient electronica genre which dates back to Brian Eno's Another Green World of 1975; and still, Tamborello modernizes the genre by incorporating modern technology, guitars, and serene vocals (collaborations with Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley among others in "Roll On.")

Dumb Luck is something new, but it maintains that traditional pop aspect to it. It is abstract enough for one to think "ooh ahh, how new," but it is commercial enough for a hipster to say "this is too mainstream for me." These elements to the album cancel each other out, and they create an equilibrium that everyone can enjoy. All the tracks on the album are pretty much reserved for times when relaxation must relieve stress. "Rock My Boat," "Dreams," "Breakfast in Bed," and "I'd Like To Know" are my personal favorites on the album, but I am parcial to the majority of the songs.

The flaw on the album, I feel, is the Roger O'Donnell Mix of "Rock My Boat." Tamborello's attempt to make the song jazzier by removing the drumbeat is a mistake. This remix, unlike the Gudrun Gut's Natural Remix of "Natural Resources," is unnecessary.

Regardless, I highly recommend this album. Flee this page and walk to your local record store, or just scroll down.

Download:

Dntel - Roll On (ft. Jenny Lewis)

also: I beg you check out Dntel's video for "This is the Dream of Evan and Chan" --its older.

See A Penny, Pick It Up, Listen.

YACHT just came out with the single "See A Penny, Pick it Up" which will be the single from the upcoming album I Believe In You, Your Magic is Real. It's a lot of fun. I recommend listening to it, for you will be content hearing its jingle-esque melody and loopy vocals.

Yacht - See A Penny, Pick It Up

Go Back in Time to Year Zero.

What a trip, Trent Reznor. The industrial king of rock has once again contributed his innovative eye to the modern music scene. Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero has the potential to make one's jaw drop through the floor. You would not be wrong if you said I had been listening to "Me, I'm Not" on loop for the last two days at least.

I have been fond of Nine Inch Nails since my friend played "Closer" for me in 7th grade. I felt indestructably cool knowing a song proclaiming "I want to fuck you like an animal."; therefore, I thank Trent Reznor for helping me keep my aura of cool as an early adolescent. To continue with the tangent I am going off on, Reznor's lyrics on Year Zero occasionally encompass a kind of anxiety that could be found in a mainstream cheesey rock song. However, he manages to eliminate any dislikable quality to the lyrics with his violent beats and factory smacks on the drum machine. For the record, this is without disrespect. His lyrics are genius. The current hit from this album is "Survivalism," which screams the following:

"I should have listened to her/ So hard to keep control/ We kept on eating but our bloated bellies' still not full/ She gave us all she had but we went and took some more/ Can't seem to shut her legs our mother nature is a whore

I got my propaganda/ I got revisionism/ I got my violence/ In hi-def ultra-realism/All a part of this great nation/ I got my fist/ I got my plan/ I got survivalism"

All I can say is fantasmic.

Download:

Nine Inch Nails - Survivalism

Nine Inch Nails - Me, I'm Not

Mid to Late Monthly Playlist (continued)

7. The Rakes - The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect,
Great riffs, good vocals, clever title.
8. Lily Allen - Smile (Mark Ronson Revisit)
A hipper version of the infectious song. More motown-y.
9. Blonde Redhead - 23
Great song: You'll go on a journey in your mind.

Mid to Late Monthly Playlist - April

1. Panda Bear - Comfy in Nautica
A hypnotic taste of beach boys-dom mixed with repetitive bliss. good to zone out to.
2. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
Awesome awesome awesome. Sound of Sliver is an amazing album, and this is only one of Sir Soundsystem's achievments.
3. Land Of Talk - Magnetic Hill
I love the singer's voice. While being very human, it is also endlessly soothing. The scratchy lo-fi sound backing her doesn't sound too bad either.
4. I'm From Barcelona - Treehouse
If you want a happy song, this is your best bet. These Canadians know how to smile.
5. Battles - Atlas
Acid trip in a song. That's it.
6. Lou Reed and Nico - Little Sister (bedroom edit)
You can feel every fiber in this song, especially since it is recorded literally in a bedroom. The rawness of it really makes you wish you were a rock star.

Loosely Sublime: A Portrait of The Field

The Field, the alter-ego of Axel Willner (electro-techno hero of Sweden,) just released his third album entitled From Here We Go To Sublime. I personally find it difficult to listen to ambient techno for so long. I'm sure its a sufficient genre to appreciate upon eating in a trendy Japanese restaurant in the West Village (I highly recommend Sushi Samba,) but when one is in the company of one's own home, it is merely music with no direction. I feel as though I cannot give a good review however, because I'm not familiar with wordless techno-background-type music. I'm sure if someone who wanted to buy this album talked to someone else who spends their times in hip clothing stores and other locations where they would play this kind of music, he/she would point you to an accurate judgement. I, merely stating my own point of view after listening to quite a few songs on the album, get kindof bored, yet I'm hypnotized at the same time. Songs like "A Paw in my Face" and "The Little Heart Beats So Fast" are the best of the bunch. The repetition in these songs, although uniform, is somewhat infectious. "The Little Hearts..." contains that infamous "uh!" sound normally found in Peaches songs or those breath sounds dating back to The Pixies' "Tame" and Imperial Teen's "Yoo-Hoo." The "uh" isn't as sloppy and raw as it is found in the songs I just mentioned, but it nevertheless drives the song. This review is sounding weirder and weirder to me as I go on, but so will this album if you are numb enough to listen to the entire thing. Don't throw tomatoes at me; I know Pitchfork gave it a 9.0

What Do I Know?























Download:
The Field - The Little Heart Beats So Fast
The Field - A Paw in My Face

The Rakes - Ten New Messages

When I first heard "Retreat" by The Rakes in 2005 off of the Retreat - EP, I was skeptical. There was a Post Punk-esque trend sweeping the scene and like many fans of the more original post-punk bands, I just wanted to hear them (Joy Division, New Order.) Then again, I'm bad with music classification; I might as well make up a genre. The Rakes' boys have admitted to being influenced by such groups and singers as David Bowie, Blur, The Cure, The Strokes (my fave,) Phil Lynott, The Specials and LCD Soundsystem. I always thought "Retreat" was catchy, but it never struck me as a brand new sound. It was meshed together with songs of The Bravery, She Wants Revenge, and even some Interpol. That rockin' beat with the single chord song-genre. Towards the end of 2006, I heard the song "Dark Clouds"off of their EP (I hadn't bought it in 2005, so my process of discovery was slower.) I completely fell in love with it. Upon hearing it, I would consistently visualize a crazy, neon, loud party where my friends and I would be jumping up and down. The musical arrangement in the song is truly infectious.

But on to Ten New Messages. I have to say I like it. It might not be the most profound rock n' roll you've ever heard, but it's not worth dissing. The album begins with "The World Was a Mess But His Hair Was Perfect," an intriguing title to begin with. The opening chords aren't awesomely climactic, but they succeed to get you revved up. Alan Donohoe, the band's lead singer, spouts vocals that melt on the microphone. It's not just because of his british accent too. The drummer Lasse Petersen, while consistent with a beat, doesn't fail to match Donohoe's nonchalante voice and hidden enthusiasm. It makes a catchy song. Songs that should definitely be listened to on this album are "When Tom Cruise Cries," "Leave the City and Come Home," and the present single, "We Danced Together." It's worth it guys.

Download:
The Rakes- When Tom Cruise Cries

Pesah Time / A Sunny Day in Glasgow

I've decided to write about my Passover seders that have happened over the past two days. Seder One: topics of discussion: Jackass 2, Tibetin Mastifs, Grave-robbings and other occurances on Primetime on ABC, and of course, The Ten Plagues. Quite frankly, I'm incredibly content with what we discussed. I suppose it's better than the conversations that would surface if my grandparents were present. (They're in Florida enjoying their matza ball soup at the Boca Raton Country Club.) My grandmother would merely discuss her new art show, jewish things, or how she abhors the way Madonna said she would never convert to judaism, for she participates in the Kaballah. My grandpa would stay silent, and things would go nowehere. I much prefer my Aunt getting up from the table and imitating Johnny Knoxville as an old man. It was a very tender dinner otherwise. We also took a break in between dinner and desert to watch the season finale of I Love New York on VH1. I'm happy she picked Tango. Seder Two: topics of discussion: College, Young Frankenstein, The Lives of Others, and we ended with a good game of Dictionary. It was pretty refined; I don't think it's worth being explicit about. A new band I have become recently infatuated with is A Sunny Day In Glasgow. Their spacey sound is truly fantastic. Check them out. Oh, and if you were wondering was "Pesah Time" was, it is a song that was in the back of the Haggadah (passover book) that I had no idea about. It was funny. Anyway, be sure to listen to A Sunny Day in Glasgow during your next Passover seder: Only 6 nights left.

Download:

A Sunny Day In Glasgow - C'mon

A Sunny Day In Glasgow - The Best Summer Ever

Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity

This would be an old review, but I never had the opportunity to discuss my appreciation for Friend Opportunity. It's an epic. I feel as though I'm on a ship filled with happiness and ice cream plus awesomeness. It begins with the insane "The Perfect Me" and then it moves on to additional brilliance with "The Galaxist," "Choco Fight," and "Matchbook Seeks Maniac." Their abstract work isn't chessey either, it's close to profound. Their fearless maneuvers by which they mix genres of rock, blues, classical, and pop is remarkable. Friend Opportunity is an achievement. The quirkyness, the pick-me-up, the drug, the evil, the tragedy, the reunion, sleep, eating, sexing, spitting, drilling: It's all in this album. Trust me. Applaud for Deerhoof.

This is so lame,

the Human Being

Download:

Deerhoof - The Galaxist