killmoms

Music in brief

While nothing has hit me hard enough to justify a full review since Boxer, I have been listening to several other albums in the last few weeks that deserve mention.

• The Hush Sound – Goodbye Blues – Precious indie-pop kids grow up a bit and release a stronger, more forward album that maintains the infectious piano-driven pop/rock hooks of their previous efforts. Greta in particular has grown into a vocal force, shedding the sweet/girlish sound for one that’s richer, more mature, and all-around more appealing. Lots of great stuff here. Particular favorites: “Honey,” “Medicine Man,” “Hurricane,” and “Molasses.”
• The Long Winters – Putting the Days to Bed – I know, not a new one, I’m just very very late to the party. There’s lyrical (and musical) meat on these bones, to say the least, if you can get past John Roderick’s unique vocal stylings. Particular favorites: “Pushover,” “Teaspoon,” “The Sky is Open,” and “Clouds.”
• Panic at the Disco – Pretty. Odd. – Unexpectedly (and wildly) successful loud electric-cabaret indie rock band uses their sophomore album to reinvent their sound, to the alternating chagrin and exultation of their fans and critics everywhere. But don’t let the shameless Beatles/Kinks/Beach Boys-aping deceive you—they are, in fact, “still the same band” with the same winking, self-referential and self-aware lyrics and penchant for crafting hooks they displayed on A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. Particular favorites: “Nine in the Afternoon,” “Do You Know What I’m Seeing?” and “When the Day Met the Night.”
• Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts I – IV – Trent Reznor gives the music industry the middle finger in a manner even more daring (and apparently successful) than Radiohead by releasing his 4 EP set in a number of digital and physical formats, including full lossless-quality downloads. While the material itself is uneven (ranges from forgettable to pretty kickass), the release is notable for sheer ballsiness alone. If you’re a fan of Reznor’s knob-twiddling, it’s certainly worth the $5 for a set of high quality MP3s or lossless FLAC files (and a fucking awesome accompanying PDF booklet—art direction and typography are top-notch).

Also, I’ve completed the vinyl portion of my Sigur Rós collection.

Filed by matt at March 27th, 2008 under Life, Music