Overview For this week: A very quiet week for music. Nothing particularly earth-shattering here, but there still are some worthwhile investments
Recommended:
Half String - Maps for Sleep
Maps for Sleep, the final album in the short but sweet career of Half String was originally released in 1996, but it's now being released for a limited time on Captured tracks as a special double LP. This amazing album was released too late for its own good, when Cocteau Twins and Ride were already on their last legs and was lost amid the topsy-turvy sea of music. A forewarning: This album is only on vinyl at the moment, so it runs a steep price (24.50) but the bonus disc which includes demos and live shows should keep hardcore shoegazers busy for weeks. Maps for Sleep is a gorgeous, melancholy, if not a tad ambitious record that's definitely worth a few spins.
Choir of Young Believers - Rhine Gold
Rhine Gold is, to say the least, a very intriguing release sure to stir up debates in the most hipster campus coffee shops. This Copenhagen based band covers all parts of the musical spectrum and covers each part to the extreme. The album opener, "The Third Time" is a 7 minute dreamy opener teeming with misty keyboards only to be pierced by the majestic vocals of lead singer Jannis Makriis. "Sedated" is the stand out track here. With its groovy bassline and spacey guitar line, it is truly made to be an Apple commercial at some point in the future. The longest track "Paralyze" clocks in at 10 minutes, yet a bouncy drum section keeps things interesting. If you're looking for a quick musical fix, you may want to pass this up, but for an adventurous listener who isn't afraid to invest ten minutes in a good song should give this album a try.
Buy This album on: iTunes Amazon Ghostly International
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Don't Buy:
Birdy - Birdy
As if you couldn't tell from the cover, Birdy is Alternative in name only, yet is still making a huge buzz in the "indie" scene. Birdy (AKA Jasmine van den Bogaerde) is a indie band cover artist who has a great voice, but most of the time doesn't preform the song in the way it was meant to be realized. For example, "1901" by Phoenix, is meant to be a high-energy, bouncy pop song. Birdy turns it into a piano driven mope-fest that sounds more like a new Adele single, not a fresh and fun song to listen to on a nice summer day. While sometimes this delivery works, ("Terrible Love" - The National) this album comes off as drab and repetitive. My advice to Birdy: Write your own songs, you're very talented so why not become the next big thing?
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Lost in the Mix
("Lost in the mix" is the section where I show you a band that was generally forgotten or overlooked, but has put out great music recently)
Tan Vampires - I Found a Body
