Dehyper: Santogold

Dehyper is a feature that highlights bands and albums that don't really match up to their growing reputations.

On today's mix...
Santogold - Santogold (2008)

Some comparisons are unavoidable, so in the spirit of the summer box office season, I'd say Santogold is Two-Face to M.I.A.'s mad genius Joker. There's a lot more CGI and a lot less personality. At best, the entire act is a superfluous confection; at worst, it threatens to reduce a once promising new direction for the form into a shtick as vapid and empty as the one it's meant to replace. But to stretch the Two-Face thing out further, Santogold does have another side to her--and it's this side that's thankfully finding success.

Let's start with the ugly, though: the first half of this album is awful. The first six tracks here range from empty soundtrack fodder like "Say Aha" and "My Superman" to full-on stylistic abominations like "Shove It". It's like hearing M.I.A. as interpreted by the Police and Avril Lavigne, and it's not a happy sound.

It's a shock, then, when she suddenly drops the whole awful act on track seven and delivers "Lights Out", an irresistible, sexed-up ballad that sheds the M.I.A. pose for something more like Cyndi Lauper, delivering what may well turn out to be the mainstream crossover track of the year. It's a track that melts away so much of the awfulness that preceded it that it's easy to warm to the remainder of the album. Though "I'm a Lady" is the only other track to follow in the airy footsteps of "Lights Out"--it's a knockout as well--tracks like "Starstruck" and "Unstoppable" at least rise to the level of Kala B-side. And closer "Anne" isn't particularly memorable, but it also isn't obnoxious.

Though Santogold would so clearly like to be an edgy groundbreaker like the friends she so closely apes, it's when she embraces her commercial-ready roots on songs like "Lights Out" and "I'm a Lady" that she really sparkles as much as that glitter's she's vomiting on the album cover promises. Given the money she's making off "Lights Out", let's hope Santogold chooses to pursue the path of mainstream pop in the future rather than spending more time salting M.I.A.'s terrain.

4/10

*nidiosync: Mandy Moore

*inidiosync is a regular feature on embarrassing albums I love.

On today's mix...
Mandy Moore - Mandy Moore (2001)

I'm on vacation for the week, so no running and no blogging, but here's something shameful to digest in the meantime...

At 16 I was probably too old still to be falling prey to teen pop, but really, who doesn't love Mandy Moore? Sure, her film career has proven to match the quality of her pop career, but hey, so has Diane Keaton's. And on that note, I'd say that Mandy Moore's eponymous third album is the musical equivalent of How to Deal--it's not breaking away from the genre, but it's surprisingly successful in its modest aims.

With their relatively edgier production and middle-eastern flair, Mandy Moore's first four tracks--"In My Pocket", "You Remind Me", "Saturate Me", and "One Sided Love"--were obviously intended to be its hits, and it's worth noting that they were not. However, what Mandy Moore lacks in show stoppers, it makes up for it in consistency, both with its hooks and with its production values. Though "In My Pocket" lacks the sing-a-long vocals necessary for a teen pop song to hit, its fast pace and menacing horns make it a delightfully delirious lead single. With it's seductive layering, "Saturate Me" is indeed a song worth soaking in. For better or worse, any of these songs would've fit in a teen movie in 2001--perhaps the greatest testament to that being that the album's weakest track, "Cry", was indeed released to promote Moore's leading role in A Walk to Remember.

What's most surprising on Mandy Moore, then, is how the album keeps the pace until the end. Filler "Yo-Yo" matches a cute metaphor with a lively hook, and "Turn the Clock Around" is an irresistible confection that would've easily been a hit were it not for the production, which felt dated even in 2001. However, it's hard to complain about the production when the same team produces the glossy "Split Chick" or the Moore co-written album closer "When I Talk to You"--a track that strips things down to Moore, a violin, and some acoustic strumming to excellent effect.

Making an album like this isn't rocket science, but judging from the cultural garbage of Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Willa Ford, and Jennifer Lopez--to name a few--it did require a charming persona and some consideration for the actual age group being targeted. The album's most effective moment is certainly single #2, TRL favorite "Crush", which indeed nails the feeling of a high school crush. And a song like "17" is delightful especially because Moore was still at an age where it seemed relevant to sing about her age. Ultimately, Mandy Moore is an album that succeeds by coloring in the lines, never veering too far from its modest teen heroine and never working itself into a dirty sweat. Mandy Moore got Britney's leftovers and made herself a solid album, one that stands as an artifact to turn-of-the-millennium teen pop before Pharrell came along and popped its cherry.

8/10

Disco!graphy: EP Feast

On today's mix...
Air France - On Trade Winds (2007)
Beck - A Western Harvest Field by Moonlight (1994)
Air France - No Way Down (2008)

I don't really like getting to know bands via EPs, but Air France have been making some noise (pleasant, ambient noise) with their two recent ones. On Trade Winds is the band's proper introduction, with the track "Beach Party" in particular getting a lot of attention last year. On Trade Winds is a calm, lush, and hypnotic debut. As has become clear this year, Swedes really know their indie, and Air France may actually recall France's Air, though they're not as memorable in terms of melodic content. A relaxing grower.

A Western Harvest Field by Moonlight is another formerly rare, pre-major label Beck release turned accessible through the magic of the internet. Like Golden Feelings, it's another more experimental record, though he wisely pars it down to half of that album's length. Unfortunately, the EP catches Beck in an awkward phase, ready to focus more than he has on past releases but still more interested in creating ideas and sketches than fully fleshed-out songs. As a result, the mad thrill of Golden Feelings is gone, but it's not yet replaced by much that is as interesting as what would soon follow. Though full-length opener "Totally Confused" is worth tracking down, the rest of this EP is more interesting as a document of the artist's growth rather than as a fully formed release.

Though On Trade Wends was certainly nice, No Way Down is a marked improvement for Air France, a more engaging and distinctive release from the band. The music is still all very lovely and soothing, but the band is obviously more comfortable in the studio this time around. The resulting tracks feel more spirited and vital, and they now come off less like Air's calm cousin and more like the Go! Team's seductive exchange student. It's a good thing. Another grower, but more accessible this time around.

On Trade Winds: 7/10
A Western Harvest Field by Moonlight: 5/10
No Way Down: 8/10

Disco!graphy: Beck, Part 1

Disco!graphy is a regular feature that catches up with bands by exploring their entire full-length output.

On today's mix...
Banjo Story (1988)
Golden Feelings (1993)

Beck's eighth major label album, Modern Guilt, is out this week, and from what I've listened to, it's one of the best of his career--though, given his consistency, the critical consensus hasn't branded it a special event. Of course, every time I hear a new Beck album, I think it's a career best, so I figured now might be the time to look back and assess his rich discography to see how an album like Modern Guilt fits into the picture.

If you include all his unofficial, pre-Mellow Gold releases, Beck's musical output gets rather sprawling--Wikipedia lists eight bootlegs between 1991 and 1993, and that's excluding Golden Feelings. So in the interests of conserving time, effort, and general interest, Banjo Story is the only bootleg I'm going to assess here. Recorded when he was still a teenager, Banjo Story is distinctly the Beck who went on to make albums like Midnite Vultures--the Beck who's comfortable reveling in any genre, even as he skewers it. The target here is folk, and hearing young Beck Hansen spinning a freestyle narrative in the classic structure of a song like "Detonate" might recall early Bob Dylan were the narrative not about how he has "all kinds of devices I'm gonna detonate" and how he's used them to kill his boss and "every pop star in the top-twenty charts". Similarly the opener, which has Beck declaring that they should "moon some cars", "steal some beer", and "shoot some pigs", positions Banjo Story as a distinctly anti-folk album--apparently there's a whole movement. But even if the tracks here sink into parody as often as they rise above it, there's a lot to love: it's fun to hear Beck's stream of consciousness lyrics, something he'd prove particularly gifted at with "Loser" and Odelay. Further, songs like "Goin' Nowhere Fast" and "Woe" do a lot to indicate that Beck's songwriting gifts were intact from a pretty young age. Banjo Story is ultimately something of a novelty, but it's an interesting, never dull one, giving the listener a fun look at Beck's talent and persona six years before it emerged fully-formed with Mellow Gold.

1993's Golden Feelings is Beck's first official full-length, though it might not get that distinction were it not remastered and (very briefly) re-released on CD after Beck became a major-label star. Like Banjo Story, Golden Feelings indicates Beck's immense talent more in bits and pieces than in full-form, with Beck revealing his more experimental nature here. Other than the anomalous epic "Heartland Feeling"--a track that follows the logical progession of Banjo Story, though the target this time is John Mellencamp--there are few full-fledged songs on Golden Feelings to speak of; but it doesn't make this bizarre mess any less intriguing. For the most part, the album sees Beck having a field day at the studio, packing each track with a lot of vocal experimentation, distortion, layers, and good humor. At seventeen tracks, it does all start to bleed together, making Golden Feelings a little tedious if consumed whole; but taken in pieces, the results are rough, infectious fun. Worth tracking down for Beck fans.

Banjo Story: 6/10
Golden Feelings: 7/10

On today's mix...
Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances

As the Shakespearean band name might suggest, Titus Andronicus aren't out to conquer new territory--and yet their debut, The Airing of Grievances, is one of the most refreshing rock albums of the year. Of course, firstly, they're talented musicians with a mastery of their punk influences and a flair for the dramatic, but perhaps the selling point of the album is how they masquerade in a lo-fi setting. Opener "Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ" begins like any other lo-fi punk song might, beginning slow before yelling "fuck you!" and cutting loose. But the surprise is that it's actually an epic. When the noise fades for a guitar solo, for once it comes as a welcome twist, and when the guitar solo leads into an energetic horn section, you'd never have guessed they had it in them. It's a standard song structure, but Titus Andronicus play it like they just invented it. Similarly, the double epic of "No Future" and "No Future Part Two: The Day After No Future" might feel plodding presented in another format, but it feels positively vital here--you're unlikely to even notice that it goes on for nearly fifteen minutes. Titus Andronicus fill up the majority of the album with pretty straightforward numbers that wear their influences (most notably the Clash and the Replacements) on their sleeve, but the band's raw, assured delivery keep it fresh and exciting, and the steady skill that lies underneath it all makes The Airing of Grievances an album worth returning to.

8/10

mid-year in review

Top 20 Albums of 2008.5:
(Click links for full reviews)

20. The Dodos - Visiter
19. Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster...
18. Mates of State – Re-Arrange Us
17. Islands - Arm's Way
16. No Age - Nouns
15. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
14. Beach House - Devotion
13. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
12. Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
11. Ratatat - LP3
10. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
9. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
8. Girl Talk – Feed the Animals
7. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
6. The Breeders - Mountain Battles
5. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
--Ignore the backlash and take it for the silly, unassuming, and consistently catchy pop record it is. (Plus: Columbia!)
4. Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
--Better than The Warning, actually.
3. Man Man - Rabbit Habits
2. Be Your Own Pet - Get Awkward
1. Stephen Malkmus - Real Emotional Trash
--Malkmus branches out into more guitar-centric work, and thankfully, instead of delivering a self-indulgent jam-fest, he delivers his sharpest batch of solo work yet.

On today's mix...
The Dodos - Visiter (2008)

Visiter is an intimately quiet album and yet one of the liveliest you're likely to hear all year. Using few elements other than acoustic guitar and persistent percussion, the focus here lies mostly on the Dodos' routinely excellent songwriting. Though nearly half the tracks here would qualify as epic in length, they never fall prey to a predictable build-and-climax structure, instead choosing to linger on their most effective hooks or instead change melodies entirely. They move on as soon as they're ready, and the results are always unforced and organic--none of these songs feel "long". Though most of these tracks are experimental in structure, they're also accessible: it's never necessary to have a grasp of where these songs are going to enjoy them. If the album is flawed, it's mostly in the consistency of their sound. A track like "Ashley", for instance, stands out not because the songwriting is any better or worse than anything else on the album but because of the sudden presence of a female voice. Futher, most of the songs lack any lyrics that stand out, which would be a fatal flaw for an album like this were the music itself not so engaging. Visiter presents the Dodos as an impressive band with room for improvement.

8/10

Also... they're pretty great live.

Because it's extra indie to have a side-project...

On today's mix...
Albert Hammond Jr. - ¿Cómo Te Llama? (2008)
Shearwater - Rook (2008)

Being the Strokes' second guitarist and having never dated Drew Barrymore, Albert Hammond Jr. would probably be the band's most obscure member were it not for his recent solo output following the band's post-Impressions hiatus. Though Julian Casablancas has always been the lead songwriter for the band, Hammond's solo records indicate that, despite his seemingly slight duties for the Strokes, his contributions to it are perhaps the most critical in defining their sound. Which is to say, on a superficial level, ¿Cómo Te Llama? sounds like (if you will) classic Strokes material--the sound that made their debut so much fun and the rest so much less exciting.

However, the record also highlights what Julian Casablancas brings to the Strokes: songwriting and vocal presence. Hammond here almost never achieves much more than ambient Strokes noise here, and even the album's most delightful songs ("Victory at Monterey" and "G Up") still aren't quite up to par with that band's material. The only song here that really breaks away from the Strokes b-side flow is the instrumental "Spooky Couch", which is lovely but, indeed, as much of a throwaway as its title would imply.

Speaking of lovely throwaways, Shearwater has made a whole album of them. Shearwater boasts Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff and recently exited member Jonathan Meiberg, who takes on lead singer/songwriter duties here; but despite the talent onboard, the band never achieves any sort of distinction from its influences. It's difficult to listen to this album and hear much more than a little Sigur Ros here, some Arcade Fire there, and a whole lotta Talk Talk. They're all bands worth emulating, but Rook never merges them into anything particularly fresh or exciting. The key element in songs like these is restraint, but by album's end, Shearwater don't sound like they have anything left to hold back. In the end, Rook feel like more of an exercise in style than a full-fledged album. It goes through all the motions--and well--but it's never particularly satisfying.

¿Cómo Te Llama?: 4/10
Rook: 5/10

Dehyper: Atlas Sound

Dehyper is a feature that highlights bands and albums that don't really match up to their growing reputations.

On today's mix...
Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel (2008)

As a gay virgin afflicted with Marfan Syndrome, Bradford Cox makes for an intriguing indie figure, and his Stefani-ish lyrical obsession with Deerhunter bandmate Lockett Pundt only adds to the equation. Unfortunately, unlike Stefani, personality is less relevant on his solo project Atlas Sound. There's very little wrong with the project's debut full-length, Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, but its universal acclaim is hardly befitting of such a slight album. At best, it's a terrific record for "relaxation time" background. As Cox himself has indicated, this was a largely improvised record, and it shows: there's rarely much going on within these tracks other than a whole lotta reverb and loops. Though Cox creates plenty of engaging atmospheres, there's not much songcraft to speak of, and the end result is that these songs are never quite as evocative as they wish to be. Atlas Sound does a lot to signify Cox's enormous talent, but there's little to show for it once this ephemeral record ends. For better or worse, it's the indie Pure Moods.

6/10