Calexico – “Inch by Inch”
Aerocalexico
This is a short but sweet track off of Calexico’s self-recorded tour LP — whenever I hear it, it always captures my attention, but it’s so short that I always think I missed some of it.
Earthless – Cherry Red
Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky
This absolutely stunning album is equal parts Don Caballero, Van Halen, and Dead Meadow. The virtuosity on display in the two 21-minute epics making up the rest of the album is ear-breaking. It’s indulgent, insane, and technically impressive — and I’m betting their live shows are bananas. This shorter track encapsulates the sound, but you should really get the whole record to feel the expansiveness of this psych-rock masterpiece.
Seven That Spells – Quetzalcoatl
Future Retro Spasm
My friend Jeremy (who also sent me the excellent Peach Pit) is now in this band, though he didn’t play on this album of wildly kinetic prog. This is the shortest and most succinct of the tracks on the record, which barely gives you time to breathe except during the spacey epic “The Abandoned World of Automata.” Personally, I think it could use a little less horn-wankery, but it’s chock full of ideas and some great sounds — the guitars at 1:25 through 2:06 remind me of the very best of Earthless’ superb Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky. (band site)
Green Palm Radiation – “Rachel Brook”
Green Palm Radiation
This psych-rock album calls back to Jesus & Mary Chain style heavy guitars and atmospherics, though inexact vocals tend to hamstring some of the songs. This, the closing track, brings it to a beautiful and hazy conclusion, with shades of Charalambides’ INCREASE and the more ambient cuts from Sunset.
Dirty Three/Low – “Down By The River”
In The Fish Tank
This fruitful collaboration seemed to me at first to be a strange match-up. The personal, immediate songwriting of Low struck me as a poor match for the itinerant chamber improvisations of Dirty Three — but as it turns out, they supply each other’s wants quite satisfactorily, as this rendition of “Down By The River” demonstrates. Low occasionally wants atmosphere, Dirty Three occasionally wants direction. I hear a lot of both in this song, though many will disagree.
Tame Impala – “Island Walking”
Innerspeaker
Saw these guys on Pitchfork and thought I’d give them a go. It’s pleasantly surprising — with the feeling of both a throwback and a modern album. This is one of the more modern songs, an instrumental with shades of Tortoise and maybe even a little Mogwai. But the rest of the album sounds a bit like psychedelic-era Beatles meets Japandroids or No Age. That’s way too many name drops already, so I’m just going to stop.
Broken Social Scene – “Meet Me in the Basement”
Forgiveness Rock Record
While I doubt BSS will be returning to the supreme glory of You Forgot It In People, one of my favorite albums of the last decade, this new album is at least better than their muddy and directionless self-titled sophomore effort. They haven’t let go of the terrible vocal harmony style they introduced on that record, though, so this instrumental track makes for a nice break. Dynamic, punchy, and triumphant, this reminds me of the fun all-out jams they used to break out into during live performances.
Field Music – “Precious Plans”
Measure
This is a track which, like “Darker Still,” seems to slip by and be done before you realize you’ve been listening. I couldn’t even really describe “Precious Plans” to you, but it’s really easy to like, and keeps elaboration to a minimum. (insound)
Tricky – “Pumpkin”
Maxinquaye
Like many people, I had a trip hop period – during which time I only listened to Tricky, Massive Attack, and… that’s pretty much all. Dark days indeed. It didn’t last long, but the early 2000s were a golden age for the much-maligned genre. Maxinquaye would have caught my attention regardless, with tracks like “Pumpkin” and “Hell is Round the Corner” to its credit. Maxine’s voice in the former, making nonsense syllables out of actual lyrics, is so smoky and mysterious that it completely overshadows the slightly underwhelming backing track.
Flying Lotus (ft. Laura Darlington) – “Table Tennis”
Cosmogramma
If you like this track, a kind of dreamy cross between Manitoba and Stereolab, be aware that the rest of the album doesn’t really sound like this at all. It’s all over the place, really — but there there lots of high points like this which don’t seem to correspond to each other at all. Delicately plucked guitar gives way to drill and bass in a moment, and then segues into a choppy Thom Yorke vehicle. It’s all a bit weird, but interesting the whole way through. Plus: awesome cover art. (insound)