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The Jersey Shore is the backdrop for the new self-titled release from Real Estate. But don’t let the song titles fool you into thinking that this is a soundtrack for the hot, sandy, folly of youth. Yes, the album does work on that level, but it’s also very considered music that will lilt effortlessly with a chilly autumn wind. Chocked full of reverb, their hazy, lo-fi sound feels off-the-cuff, but buttoned up–like a band that really understands their sound.
The Flaming Lips have ditched the affable jam band aesthetic they’ve worked so hard to create and put out a challenging listen that exhumes their weird, experimental roots. It’s worth the effort. On my first run-through, I was tempted to dismiss the over-modulated production as so-very-now gimmickry. But given a little time, the album sinks its meat hooks into you and drags you into its beguiling world.
I admit I’m a fan. And strangely enough, I have a on a BHP tee this very moment. Of course I’ve been eager for the new release, especially given the label problems that have help things up for so long.
So any good you ask? Well the mood is still black as sackcloth, and much of the instrumentation and tempos are things we’ve heard before—but it’s good, almost great I say. As with most of their albums, there are a few throwaways, but at least half is gothic bliss, and that’s really all I need.
Cheers to The Clean for a welcome return after eight years! The new album is quite good, and hangs on to the Kiwi Pop sensibilities that made the band so influential to begin with. It sounds, at once, both old and new. And when it’s The Clean, that’s kinda, exactly what you want.
Two words really sum up my thoughts about Two Dancers…strange and wonderful. On paper this album shouldn’t really work for me—what with the falsetto, the over-the-topness, and the sheer gayness of it all. But this strange brew comes together, and finds me coming back for more.
We Still Got The Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues
I didn’t want to buy into hype building around The XX. But a couple of listens to the album and I was sold. I didn’t want to use this word to describe the music, but...it’s sexy. This band is making me do all kinds of things I didn’t want to do, and that’s reason enough to share them with you.
El Que Siembra Su Maíz by Trio Matamoros
Los Tamalitos de Olga by Orquesta Aragon
