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The Dø
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A Mouthful
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Six Degrees
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ESM Rating: 9/10 |
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Pronunciation: The [doh]/doʊ/
Olivia Merilahti and instrumentalist Dan Levy have
compiled a French rebellion record with blissful harmonies, dignified guitar
talents, and filthy rap lyrics on A
Mouthful. And they’ve done this successfully — in 2008, The Dø found themselves on the top of the French charts, garnering the only #1 record
ever performed in English by a French group and kicking dust in the ears of
English-snubbing radio stations inhabiting the home of metric units and
Napoleon.
A Mouthful is truly grand. The album works through a range of styles equivalent to the
cardboard art collection of a homeless Parisian elder, with Merilahti and Levy
sharing in the grandeur. The two met during a film shoot in the not-so-distant
past, but sync like they were both born from the seed and sapphire of a
mythical Greek Siren and a tiny car filled with break-dancing clowns. Silly
jaunting on album opener “Playground Hustle” opens to operatic intros and
smoking gun guitar triumphs. Then somewhere in there, most notably on “Queen
Dot Kong”, The Dø pastes these nasty hip-hop tracks where Merilahti
belts out gutter rap vocals from her awesomely filthy elfish mouth.
The Dø is
said to be just as impressive and surprising on stage. If you like the
following items — guitars, clowns, women with filthy tongues, sadness,
happiness, bread, hummus, babes, distortion, organization, France, hating
France, yourself, other people, magic, partying, or elves — give A
Mouthful twenty to thirty listens in a row. By William Port Whales
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| True Lovers |
True Lovers
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| Altra! |
| ESM Rating: 7/10 |
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Many great rock ‘n’ roll bands fly under the radar
without achieving much exposure, and end up dying an ugly, slow death without
having a chance to develop a following — only to be appreciated decades
after their demise. Other mediocre rock ‘n’ roll bands get sucked up by
corporate record labels, receive an “indie” makeover, and have their music
over-produced, only to be regurgitated on the airwaves for dumb teenagers to
slurp up.
And some manage to maintain a sound that is not
accessible enough for the mainstream radio waves, but can still cultivate a fan
base of people who love good, independent, and authentic rock ‘n’ roll. True Lovers have done just that.
Hailing from NYC by way of New Zealand, True
Lovers have emerged with a piece of rock gold in the form of their debut
self-titled LP. It’s what rock ‘n’ roll should be: dirty, loud, offensive,
under-produced with a good bit of soul infused and wailing guitar solos
strategically placed throughout.
At times, True
Lovers comes off like Make-Up or Weird War, especially on tracks “Death
Threat” and “Lady Of The Manor,” or even The Mooney Suzuki on “Bang Bang.”
Other times, True Lovers exhibit
clear influences from The Rolling Stones (circa Exile On Main Street), like on “Guilty Pleasure #9” and “Makes A Fool Out Of Me.” And yet
a flash of decadence remains in their Wolfmother-esque solos on tracks like “Cougar.” True Lovers play all the good parts
of rock ‘n’ roll, applying an amalgam of the genre’s best attributes and
wrangling them into a sex-fueled lyrical onslaught of songs mostly about women.
They step on the gas in explosive solos, only to then slow it down to a
slithering sexual grind and finish the whole thing off with some honky-tonk
blues. By Pete Viele |
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| Rooms |
Rooms
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| Self-released |
| ESM Rating: 6/10 |
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There is plenty of self-proclaimed mathematical
organization on this self-titled release by Rooms. Operating under the
ever-present fear that someday math would force its way back into my life, I
was loath to understand the concept of the genre years ago before the forces or
Mars Volta or Yo La Tengo. Rooms are the type of group among a small
list of others who will help if, like me, you face this dilemma.
Matt Askren and Kevin Toole present passionate
vocal talent, guided by the tight drum work of Ben Traub and taut bassiactrics of
Andrew Greenburg. Rooms maintains energy yet lacks extreme diversity.
Luckily, the energy and instrumental skill level of the members is so above par
that there isn’t a single song that presents a notable twinge of
displeasure.
I always imagine rocket scientists as thin, cigarette-smoking
men with short-sleeve button downs, slicked hair, and thin black ties. They
have ultra confidence and dozens of red buttons in front of them that could
destroy the planet. If this is
true, and is reflected in the way Rooms appear on stage, this band might
be really interesting. By William Port Whales |
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| Plants And
Animals |
La La Land
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| Secret City |
| ESM Rating: 6/10 |
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The creative process can be a cruel mistress,
particularly when the demand to repeat or expound upon previous works weighs
heavily upon the artist. For Plants And
Animals, the expectation was high to follow up 2008’s Parc Avenue. And having tweaked their original sound towards an
emphasis on amplified electric guitars and fuzz pedals, La La Land is not quite what fans were expecting.
It’s as if these guys wanted to make a combination
between the alt-country twang of Son Volt and the urgent agitation and
orchestral treatment of Arcade Fire. With bookend tracks “Tom Cruz” and “Jeans Jeans Jeans” being the most indicative of this formula, other tracks
are left to saunter in La La Land (pun intended) on songs like “Undone Melody” and “Celebration.” While “American Idol” and “The Mama Papa” are
probably the catchiest and most enjoyable melodies, they still leave the
listener wanting a deeper composition.
With production ramped up for this Montreal-based
trio and the amps cranked to 10, Plants
And Animals attempt to achieve a more energetic sound. But as it only
flashes for a moment, their ability to produce definitive hooks wanes quickly.
For all of their efforts in departing from their past sound, they manage to
make a record that sounds like college radio rock, but with a few glimpses of
brilliance. By Pete Viele |
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