It has been far too long dearies. We're back for good... [Apologies if these seem outdated ;) ]
Bryce's Pick: Sleigh Bells, Treats
When Sleigh Bells' singles, "Crown on the Ground" and "Tell 'Em" were being passed around, with the Interwebs abuzz, I must admit I was quite intrigued to see what mastermind Derek Miller and his vocal muse Alexis Krauss would have up their sleeves for their LP.
Treats is, indeed, as much fun as the teaser tracks/EP: Miller's guitar screams, the synthesized percussion is heavy, and Krauss is on point. Krauss's vocals, it seems, are love 'em or hate 'em, and I find her tone smart and aware enough to handle the alternating irony and seriously self-reflexive self-encouragement (wow!) of the duo's lyrics. Balls to the wall guitar-cum-electro is not the duo's only mode; in their "Rill Rill," they do indeed "have a heart, have a heart." On this song, the guitar is acoustic and the vocals are sweet. It shows the duo's versatility in what is a meaty 33 minute introduction to a new, welcome face from Brooklyn.
Arielle's Pick: The Black Keys, Brothers
Just for full disclosure I'll admit right off the bat that The Black Keys are a top five band for me - of rock, of blues, of the moment, of all time. Dan Auberach's voice is probably one of my most favorite things in the world. He could sing me that really irritating "Birthday Sex" song and I'd probably enjoy it. So it's no surprise that I'm a huge fan of their most recent release, Brothers. But there's more to it than just my insane Black Keys fandom, this album is above and beyond what they've released in the past. The songs vary from classic Black Keys ("The Only One"), to up tempto and playful ("Tighten Up" & "Sinister Kid" probably my two favorites tracks), to heartbreaking ("I'm Not The One"), to just downright funky on the instrumental "Black Mud." Whatever mood you're in, Brothers is sure to deliver. Probably most surprising was Auerbach's falsetto on a few songs on the album, including the first "Everlasting Light." It's a new sound for him and it's exciting that they chose it to lead off the record. I'm sure I'm reading too much into it, but I'd like to take it as a sign of a change in the band's career. It's been two years since their last release and in that interim they put out the Damon Dash collab Blackroc. Put that album (which is amazing by the way so go get it now) and Brothers together and you get an unexpected, but completely enjoyable, accomplishment by a band that I thought had already sufficiently impressed me. I guess I was wrong.
Landon's Pick: The National, High Violet
Through five studio albums, the Brooklyn-based band The National have witnessed a slow, subtle evolution to their sound, the nervous and frenetic heart-wringing of 2003’s Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers morphing into the lyrical reflection of their breakthrough work, 2007’s Boxer. Their most recent release, High Violet, continues in the sonic vein of Boxer, producing what might possibly be an even more aurally introspective album than its predecessor. And while I do miss some of the angry, escalating fury of some of their louder, higher tempo songs (Alligator’s iconic “Mr. November” comes to mind), Matt Beringer’s lazy-yet-insightful baritone is best served slow. The National’s lyrics have frequently fluctuated between the “their-singing-about-me” brand of profundity and the sprinkling of bizarre-yet-fitting doses of quirk (“I was afraid/that I’d eat your brains/’Cuz I’m evil” from the incredible “Conversation 16”), and High Violet represents something of a perfect achievement of balance for the band as it features some of their most impressively executed hooks to date. I haven’t heard a more addictively revisitable album since, well, the previous album by The National. With Boxer it took me many, many listens to obtain a grasp of its genius, High Violet is striking and magnetic in its first listen the same way Alligator was for me when I first listened to – or rather, was impacted by - the band half a decade ago. I would call it the album of the year, but I have to hear it 50 more times first.
Other Picks from Our Blahggers We've Missed because We Took a Much Needed Break:
LCD Soundsystem,
This is Happening
Robyn,
Body Talk Vol. 1
MGMT,
Celebration
Beach House,
Teen Dream
-- bryce, arielle, and landon palmer
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