4 Play/ The Rifles, Idlewild, Silverson Pickups, Bell Ochestre

4 Play/ The Rifles, Idlewild, Silverson Pickups, Bell Ochestre
Kristi Kates 5/4/09


The Rifles - Great Escape - 101
The first thing you might think of when you hear the initial guitar riff ringing forth from the Rifles’ set is the fact that they sound a whole lot like a UK version of NYC’s The Strokes. But while they obviously take their musical cues from that type of city-wise modern rock, there’s more here than just that comparison. “Sometimes” recollects the stabbing, hesitant melodies of The Jam, “The General” approaches an epic concert feel, and “For the Meantime” throws in a nice mellow change-up. There’s nary a clunker on this set from the mere two-year scenesters.

Idlewild - Scottish Fiction: Best of 1997-2007 - Caroline
The talented and quirkily-named Roddy Woomble has been helming Scottish band Idlewild for years, and now they’ve decided it’s time to encompass ten of those years into a best-of set. It’s a varied collection of songs that pays tribute to this band’s decade of effort, from their early R.E.M.-inflected pop to their more epic recent tracks. Included here are everything from the emotional “You Held the World in Your Arms” to the edgy “When I Argue, I See Shapes,” to the arena-worthy “American English.” It’s a grand overview of a coolly-evolving band.

Silversun Pickups - Swoon - Dangerbird
Silversun Pickups know their guitar effects, and could actually teach Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha a thing or two about the Pumpkins’ own signature b-i-g guitar sound. But those heavy riffs are applied in a very different manner on the Pickups’ set. Those guitars seem to have a life of their own on these songs; they screech like braking cars on “Growing Old is Getting Old,” waver between layered harmonies here, chug and distort there. Aubert’s vocals know how to work around these scene-stealing sounds, however, which is why these tracks work as a whole.

Bell Orchestre - As Seen Through Windows - Arts and Crafts
Bringing together members of Arcade Fire, Luyas, Jorane, and snailhouse, this sophomore instrumental set is an idiosyncratically listenable mix of classical, experimental post-rock, electronica, and even a little punk. The instruments may seem typical at first glance, but it’s what they manage to wring out of them that is impressive; stifled horns try to push their way through “Stripes,” that aforementioned post-rock makes its strongest appearance on the loudly-present “Gaze,” and “Bucephalus Bouncing Ball” takes drum experiments to a new level.
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