Well, it’s official: we really, REALLY wish we were in Austin at SXSW right now. Sure we’re having a great time here in the Midwest listening to records and everything, but at the same time it breaks our hearts knowing that we are missing out on quite possibly the greatest event of the year for music geeks such as ourselves. Between keeping up with all of the updates on Twitter and the other blogs, we almost feel as though we are there in spirit, but somehow that doesn’t quite cut it. Unfortunately Citizen Dick was no more than a glimmer in our eyes around the time we would have needed to be planning our travels and applying for credentials, which means we will have to wait until next year to make our pilgrimage to the land of all-day rock shows and BBQ joints. In the meantime we are going to keep plugging away with the reviews, bringing you the best new music we can find and looking forward to CMJ in October.
Up first today is Mazes, a local Chicago trio featuring Edward Anderson and Caroline Donovan of 1900s (another stellar Chicago band) along with friend Charles D’Autremont. I honestly love this record so much I almost don’t even know where to begin. I found these guys while playing around on eMusic earlier this week (as you may have noticed by now, I spend a lot of my free time doing this) and was hooked after listening to just a few of the 30 second clips. Obviously I downloaded the full album immediately, and it took only a single listen for it to instantly jump to the front of my list of best releases of 2009 thus far. A culmination of numerous sessions over several years, this self-titled debut album is an absolute masterpiece from start to finish. And given that some tracks were laid down in a matter of hours while others are the product of years of tinkering, it is absolutely incredible how cohesive and perfect the finished product truly is.
The Mazes sound is predominantly low-fi Americana with a 70’s AM gold vibe to it. It is the kind of music that suits itself so perfectly to listening on vinyl that I find it somewhat tragic that I have been listening to mp3’s. I imagine myself listening on a dusty turntable on a Sunday morning from the comfort of my log cabin while reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee and whiskey. Yes, this is the kind of music that takes you to another place in your mind and makes you feel all sorts of warm and fuzzy inside. And though the tracks sometimes shift between folk, country, and psychedelic, they all share an amazing balance of polish flaw; somehow finding perfection through imperfection time and time again. At its heart, the album is everything music should be and nothing that it should not. The songwriting is incredible and it is complimented beautifully by the array of instruments and harmonies strewn across each of the 11 tracks. Songs like the hypnotic “Cat State Comity”, the folky “Face Down on Forest Roads,” and the rich and delicate “I Have Laid in the Darkness of Doubt” are absolute gems. Top to bottom, this is timeless music that will sound as great in 30 years as it does today and likely would have 30 years ago. I really don’t know what else to say other than this is by far the best album I have heard this year and I very strongly suggest that you go out and buy it.
Mazes – “I Have Laid in the Darkeness of Doubt”
Buy Mazes at Insound
Next up in the grab bag is a Canadian super-group of sorts, Swan Lake, comprised of Daniel Bejar (Destroyer, New Pornographers), Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown) and Carey Mercer (Frog Eyes). Now Before I go any further, I have to make a bit of a confession: when I first listened to this record I had no idea who was in the band, I only knew that it was good. This is an incredible oversight on my part for a few reasons, the first of which being that when I looked through my older mp3’s from a few years ago I realized that I actually own their debut album, 2006’s Beast Moans. The second reason being that my initial thought was that they sounded an awful lot like a cross between Wolf Parade and Destroyer. So as you might imagine I felt like an idiot and a genius at the same time when I finally realized that Bejar and Krug were the masterminds behind the group.
Getting to the music itself, I think it’s fair to say that the album plays out exactly as a Bejar/Krug/Mercer collaboration should. Its both eclectic and genius, and the vocals are unique and powerful. After going back and listening to their Beast Moans, Enemy Mine (available 3/24 on Jagjaguwar) is far more cohesive and structured. Nearly gone is the wild dissonance and it has been replaced with layered melodies and intricate nuance, making Enemy Mine far more of a collaborative endeavor between the three artists. But with such distinct voices taking the lead on different tracks, it’s easy to pick out who is who. In some ways, it’s almost like listening to a mix tape that alternates between Destroyer and Wolf Parade tracks. Not a bad thing, and if anything it is a testament to how well the three musicians have come together to create a complete and full sound. For your listening pleasure, check out “Spider,” which is very clearly a dark and introspective Daniel Bejar tune, but be aware that to really appreciate the album you will want to purchase it and listen to the whole thing.
Swan Lake – “Spider”
Buy Swan Lake at Insound
For this week’s vault entry, we will be visiting out third continent of the day: Australia. No, today’s featured band is not Men at Work nor is it Midnight Oil (though “Beds Are Burning” was an outstanding track). Hell, it’s not even Silverchair or AC/DC. Nope, today’s band is Architecture in Helsinki and the track is “Maybe You Can Owe Me,” from their breakthrough 2005 album In Case We Die. For me, this track sums up everything that is great about indie pop music. It’s expansive and dreamy, and although the melody and structure are incredibly intricate and delicate it exudes an air of fun without pretense. This song made it onto almost every mix CD I made in 2005 (which was a lot), and after listening to it again today there is a good chance it will find its way onto a few mixes again this year as well. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Architecture in Helsinki – “Maybe You Can Owe Me”
Buy Architecture in Helsinki at Insound
Odawas’ new LP, The Blue Depths, really starts to make sense about three and a half minutes in the third song, “Our Gentle Life Together.” The first chunk of the song shares a distant genetic ancestor with Radiohead’s “No Surprises.” It’s one of those things that isn’t overt, but the first minute of the Odawas song sound like that track in the same way that my hand looks like a dolphin’s fin. The song slowly build, adding elements, most notably a haunting cello, until the weight of all the elements collapses; with a minute and change left, everything drops out of the song, leaving only and ethereal keyboard, laying down dreamy and soothing chords. A piano starts to pick out a few notes, way underneath the synthesizer wash and the song drifts away into the ether. This sound crystallizes the album for me; there are several variations on the general theme, but those drifting chords are the thing the album hangs its hat on.
