This Week’s Best Albums: July 27, 2010
With its Barsuk debut (Friend and Foe) three and a half years ago, Menomena came to indie-rock prominence thanks to a junior effort that stood out amid a sub-genre that was exploding in the mainstream.
The trio’s quirky arrangements, unorthodox instrument switching, and three-part harmonies generally won over critics. It has been a blog favorite ever since, but despite this popularity, the group was in no rush to churn out another release — even with a relative abundance of material.
Taking those three and a half years to craft and finalize Mines, Menomena now returns with a mature and focused 11-song affair. In a forthcoming ALARM print feature, the group’s drummer and co-singer/songwriter, Danny Seim, explains, “We’re more interested in writing more concise pop melodies than on Friend and Foe.”
And though Mines falls into “pop rock” categorization, each tune retains its own skewed sense of structure, and Menomena remains unclassifiable within the broader distinction. As on previous albums, the trio employs many wailing vocalizations, epic harmonies, and unique blends of instruments — including fuzzed-out bass grooves, rock-and-roll guitar leads, piano, stuttering brass riffs, string accompaniment, guitar slides, marimba, and keyboards.
Unfortunately, this is not enough to describe Menomena; listeners have to hear for themselves.
Menomena: “Queen Black Acid”
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William Brittelle: Television Landscape (New Amsterdam)
A composer and former front man of The Blondes, William Brittelle demonstrates the possibilities of pop when filtered through classical instrumentation and progressive song structures.
Television Landscape is only Brittelle’s sophomore effort, but it may prove to be his magnum opus. It’s a concept album based on a “media-saturated, pre-apocalyptic world,” with stated influences ranging from harmony champions The Beach Boys and Animal Collective to impressionist composers Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy.
This ambitious undertaking is executed with the deft abilities of an all-star lineup, featuring members of So Percussion, Alarm Will Sound, Jerseyband and many other talented ensembles. “Sheena Easton,” the album’s first “single” and ode to the 1980s pop singer, puts many of the album’s best elements on display via piano, strings, harp, rock-guitar solos, Brittelle’s falsetto harmonies, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
Other tracks have layers upon layers — many subtle, and many overt (horns, vocoder) — to create dense, interwoven soundscapes that twist and turn through movements. Brittelle’s overarching theme and dramatic vocals unify Television Landscape, resulting in something of a classical rock opera. But no matter how you classify it, Television Landscape is a realized vision.
William Brittelle: “Sheena Easton”
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La Gritona: Demasiado Tonto Para Los Niños Listos / Demasiado Listo Para Los Niños Tontos 2xCD discography (Hydra Head)
Rescued from obscurity, the 41 tracks on this double-disc collection are the reflection of a powerful alt-rock sound whose heyday came too soon.
Headquartered in mid-1990s Boston, La Gritona took a definite influence from the Amphetamine Reptile roster, drawing upon elements of Helmet, Unsane, and The Jesus Lizard while channeling the vocal intensity of Henry Rollins.
The material is a dissonant, debauched mix of down-tuned guitars, distorted bass, mid-tempo beats, atonal vocals, and noise. A song such as “+2 Charisma” (bonus points for D&D reference) aptly summarizes the band’s raw energy and repetitive power in just 63 seconds, and the collection’s live tracks capture La Gritona’s on-stage muscle.
La Gritona: “+2 Charisma”
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Jesca Hoop: Hunting My Dress (Vanguard)
[Originally appeared on This Week's Best Albums: December 15, 2009]
Having gained industry exposure via her contact with Tom Waits (as a nanny), songstress Jesca Hoop has released a series of well-regarded albums in the vein of Marissa Nadler, Mirah, and other enchanting folk artists.
Hoop, however, takes a few more chances with her production, and though the songs on this third full-length album are similar in tone and structure, it has enough differing elements to maintain a sound balance. Hoop’s bewitching sound may be best epitomized by the beautiful harmonized overdubs of “Whispering Light,” the album’s opening track.
With a catchy cadence and rangy melodic progression, Hoop grabs listeners from the album’s opening seconds. Her multi-tracked folk harmonies are the unquestioned highlight, but her steady acoustic guitar and instrumental complements make Hunting My Dress a complete, well-rounded work.
Released independently in the UK in November, Hunting My Dress is now available as a full US release after seeing imported availability in December of 2009.
Jesca Hoop: “Whispering Light”
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Honorable Mentions
Blipvert: Quantumbuster Now EP (Eat Concrete)
Common Grackle: The Great Depression (Fake Four)
Cruel Hand: Lock and Key (Bridge 9)
Cut Chemist: Sound of the Police
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.: The Horse Power EP (Quite Scientific)
Dead Kenny Gs: Bewildered Herd (Ropeadope Digital)
Decrepit Birth: Polarity (Nuclear Blast)
Madlib (Yesterday’s New Quintet): Medicine Show No. 7: High Jazz