Audiophilia: October 2011
Welcome to another new column on DOOM! Audiophilia will be our monthly recommendations for stuff you can listen to and maybe go out and buy it if you like it (somebody has to). For the task of offering the widest range of taste I have assembled a team of DOOM’s die-hard, music-loving staff… and then settled for anyone who bothered to show up. Myself, JJ Hawkins, Michael Harris and Katie Delz are going to give you our picks for what to try this month.
Aaron:
This month I’ve been listening to two albums that probably coudln’t be further removed from eachother. Irish songstress Lisa Hannigan’s soulfull and very folksy Passenger and Brazillian group CSS’s punky, electronic La Liberacion.
Lisa Hannigan had been plying her trade musically with Damien Rice over two albums before their relationship turned sour and she was forced to go solo. Her debut album, Sea Sew, was well recieved critically but only did moderate sales. With extensive tours worldwide since then it can only be hoped that Passenger does better business.
Those tours are what shaped this album too, with the majority of songs about travelling and being a stranger in a strange land. Hannigan has divulged in interviews that she finds it difficult to seperate life from her song writing and the result is a personal but accessable collection of songs that are a step up musically from Sea Sew’s naivity and awkwardness.
Two singles have been released so far but my favourite and what I feel is a good indication to the rest of the album is Knots. Click the video below to have a listen. Also, lovers of dresses beware… this one gets destroyed.
La Liberacion is CSS’s third studio album and a welcome return to greatness for a band that lost it’s way a little. Their debut album Cansei De Ser Sexy (which is Portugese for Tired Of Being Sexy, also what CSS is short for) was a riotous dance/pop/rock album backed up by a chaotic and infinitely infectious live show.
Second album Donkey was mediocre at best so I was more than thrilled to find La Liberacion (one would assume the title is a sneaky dig from lead singer Lovefoxxx now that her engagement to Klaxons’ Simon Taylor-Davis has ended) is a solid album with very little in the way of filler.
Only one single has been released so far and it’s the one bloody song I don’t like all that much, so instead I’ll leave you with some a bit more indicative of the rest of the album, the title track La Liberacion. This is the only song on the album that’s not in English but it’s also my favourite.
Katie:
People of the internet, my recommendation for you all is Ladytron’s Gravity the Seducer. If you’re not familiar with Ladytron, they’re an English electronic band that is peppered with new wave and shoegaze elements. Fun fact: They get their name from the song “Ladytron” by Roxy Music. A one Mr. Brian Eno (a former member of Roxy Music) called Ladytron “the best of English pop music”. Though I am not a legendary musician with a vast knowledge of music, I think I am inclined to agree that they’re pretty great.
I used to listen to this band a lot in high school, a time where Fischerspooner, The Knife and Freezepop were on a constant loop. But like many things I was crazy about in high school, I burned myself out on Ladytron.
Fast forward to the grand year of 2011, I’m meddling around on the internet as I do, and I come to find that Ladytron has released a new album. I was equal parts curious and nostalgic, so I gave it a listen. I can’t say I was surprised to discover that this album was good, because Ladytron has always been consistent in the quality of their material. I did however find that it seemed a bit darker to me. Ladytron has always kind of had this melancholy, soft vibe to their music. But what I listened to on ‘Gravity the Seducer’ sounded like the ultimate chill-out music for a sorcerer on their day off. In other words, this is completely relevant to my interests and I was beyond ecstatic to find that their sound had evolved into what I heard on their new album.
Included with my recommendation is a video (of audio) for ‘Moon Palace’, which is made perfect with eerie lyrics, phantom chanting, and a soothing beat.
JJ:
There are some bands that seem to be the constant soundtrack of your life. For me, it has been Anthrax. I discovered them in Junior High and have been a listener ever since. They put out a new album called Worship Music, and HOLY COW does it rock.
Anthrax has been putting out music now for almost thirty years. At a point in their career when most bands have begun the unending “greatest hits” tour, they have managed to put out a record that pushes not only the idea of what their sound is, but redefined the genre as well. The return of Joey Belladonna was going to draw comparisons to the last work he had done with the band roughly a decade ago; however, Anthrax manages to circumvent expectations. They have delivered an album that not only has the drum and guitar heavy sound that is associated with the band, but is also more richly melodic and unique than any hard rock album I have heard in quite some time.
As for recommended tracks? There are two tracks that sum this album up quite nicely. First, the rich vocals of “In The End” amaze me. Belladonna has always had one of the stronger voices in hard rock, but who knew he could put such emotion into his voice. As a lifelong fan, I had no idea that Anthrax could still surprise me. I was wrong.
Second, I have to recommend the mosh pit inducing Zombie epic, “Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t.” Just an old fashioned heavy song that makes you want to jump up and down. And really what more can you ask for than a track that makes you do the one dance white men are really good at?
Enjoy and Rock Out with your Bach out!
Michael:
St. Vincent – Strange Mercy (Released September 12, 2011)
Annie Clark has reached that nirvana-like state of singer-songwriter where she can do no wrong. Having reinvented and refined her sound over two previous albums, Strange Mercy is a much more focused effort. Clark took a lot more from her own troubles and made an disarmingly emotional album that wears on you while making out wish for more. Definitely not a light and airy listen if you’re looking for that, but a very introspective and truthful look at the life of an ever-evolving person. Notable tracks include “Cruel” and “Dilletante”
White Denim – D (Released May 24, 2011)
I was initially going to write about Lisa Hannigan’s Passenger (which Aaron stole), but fortuitously, I saw these fellows live last night and was blown away. They have a lot of talent for guys so young, and I’m sure By-Tor will appreciate the Rick that their bassist plays, but I’m sure that he’s probably already heard of his four-piece of Austin natives. This album wasn’t really a recent release, coming out about 6 months ago, but its something that has probably passed a lot of peoples purview, including mine. Stylistically the gentlemen range from psychadelic and prog-rock to folky goodness and even a bit of blues thrown in for good measure. Notable tracks include the powerful “Anvil Everything” and “Bess St.”.
… WE MADE IT THROUGH THE WHOLE ARTICLE WITHOUT ONCE SAYING “ROCKTOBER”! WOOO!