Gallows: s/t (Bridge Nine, 9/18/12)
“Last June”
Following its Grey Britain LP in 2009, British hardcore/punk outfit Gallows lost the backing of its major label and dealt with the departure of original singer Frank Carter. The band quickly rebounded, however, and released an EP with new vocalist Wade MacNeil (ex-Alexisonfire) in late 2011, revealing that the quintet from Watford, UK, was no worse for the wear. With Gallows, your eardrums might not be so lucky.
Tin Hat: The Rain is a Handsome Animal (New Amsterdam, 8/28/12)
A few weeks ago, the ever-daring Tin Hat collective released another new adventure — a 17-song exploration of the modernist work of poet EE Cummings, with each member offering his or her own interpretation.
“A Cloud on a Leaf,” the album’s opener, is another beautiful, wandering chamber-folk piece, this time penned by clarinetist Ben Goldberg and sung by violinist Carla Kihlstedt. Kihlstedt’s vocal arrangements are integral to the album, and here she offers a melodic interpretation of Cummings’s “Speaking of Love (of… (LV)),” whose punctuation, capitalization, and spacing break the rules in the poet’s typical style.
In the song’s live-style video, the four members present a shuteye performance with a disturbing twist — especially from a distance. Stay strong for the final stare-down at the song’s conclusion.
Brother Ali: Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color (Rhymesayers, 9/18/12)
Using his music as a platform is nothing new for Minnesota MC Brother Ali, whose soulful brand of hip hop has ranged from the outspoken “Uncle Sam Goddamn” to the positive “Fresh Air.” However, since recording Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color — another politically minded album — Ali has gone a step further, getting involved in the Occupy Homes movement of Minnesota, working to prevent wrongful foreclosures.
Menomena: Moms (Barsuk, 9/18/12)
“Capsule”
At the beginning of 2012, when multi-instrumentalist/co-singer Brent Knopf left quirk-rock trio Menomena, the future of the Portland band felt uncertain. Knopf’s tenor perfectly complemented Justin Harris’s and Danny Seim’s vocals, and his guitar work helped structure Menomena songs into hook-ridden frameworks.
But within just the first few minutes of Moms, the first Menomena release as a two-piece, it’s quite clear that Menomena will be just fine. For the most part, the classic Menomena tropes remain: Seim’s sporadic and intricate drumming, Harris’s swelling saxophone and bass lines, and a swarm of slow-burning strings, sprinkling keys, and hazy harmonies. Even the unconventional guitar work is in place, making it almost feel like Knopf never left. There’s seldom a hiccup or misstep, with standout tracks like “Pique,” “Baton,” and “Skintercourse,” among others, serving as stepping stones through a lagoon of sweltering rock-outs and bipolar dirges.
Going on four years without a proper album, Arizona-based Calexico is back with Algiers, and not since 2003’s Feast of Wire has the band been so immediately accessible.
Though much of keyboardist Marco Benevento’s new album traverses familiar territory, the opening two tracks will take listeners by surprise, offering playful pop with guest vocalist Kalmia Traver from Rubblebucket.
Ty Segall: Twins (Drag City, 10/9/12)
In light of his third release in just a year’s time, the ever-prolific garage/lo-fi wunderkind Ty Segall has just released a video for his new single, “The Hill,” a psychedelic throwback to VHS spliced together by the man himself over a series of three days. Think John Lennon singing over the grimy distortions of Big Business or Lightning Bolt…in a bear/dog/eagle costume.
Parenthetical Girls: Privilege, Pt. V: Portrait of a Reputation (Slender Means Society, 9/11/12)
Culminating two years of work on a five-EP cycle, the final installment of Parenthetical Girls’ Privilege series is here and full of dynamic pop beauty and angst.
Drawing back from the orchestral expanse of 2008 LP Entanglements, the core duo of vocalist / creative director Zac Pennington and producer/arranger Jherek Bischoff (whose solo album you must hear) offers dreamy electro- and 1960s pop, psychedelic rock, an organ dirge, and a touch of chamber elegance on Portrait of a Reputation. Watch here as the “Curtains” are closed on Pennington for a viking sea funeral.
David Byrne & St. Vincent: Love This Giant (4AD, 9/11/12)
“Who”
David Byrne & St. Vincent: “Who”
David Byrne has one of the most recognizable voices in music, ranking somewhere between Bob Dylan and Michael Stipe. No doubt this is why everyone wants the former Talking Heads front-man to guest on their records. Dirty Projectors, Arcade Fire, Jherek Bischoff — they’ve all taken advantage of the static friction of that back-of-the-mouth tenor.
But Love This Giant, Byrne’s collaboration with St. Vincent, a woman who’s known more for her multi-instrumentalist abilities than her voice, is the first full-length he’s co-written with anyone other than Brian Eno.
For its eighth installment, Chicago’s punk- and hardcore-centered Riot Fest decided to go big, adding stops in Brooklyn, Toronto, and Dallas and expanding its Windy City weekend to include an outdoor carnival. Though tickets are almost gone, you still can grab two-day passes for Saturday and Sunday in Humboldt Park or buy single-day tickets for those two dates.
Here are our picks for the weekend. Rain isn’t in the forecast, but bring your poncho for GWAR either way.