4Play

March 7, 2007

Clinic - Visitations - Domino
Smart-punkers Clinic once again send out an impressive package o’ electronic rock from their hometown of Liverpool, as headed up by under-the-radar (and, sometimes, too much under-the-mix) singer Ade Blackburn.  Stacks of harmonies ring through “Animal/Human,” a weary melodica sets the tone for “Children of Kellogg,” and the tone turns spooky by the time you get to the near-end-of-the-album “Interlude” - sure, they’ve completely pushed the bar on their habit of playing gigs in mint-green surgical scrubs (c’mon, guys, you’re talented enough to eschew the gimmicks), but good songs will excuse bad - er, trying-too-hard - behavior, so it’s a good thing they’re one of the most innovative modern rock bands out there.
 

Menomena - Friend and Foe - Barsuk
Menomena!  Doo doo, da-doo-doo... oh, sorry, distracted for a sec there. Yes, Portland, Oregon’s Menomena is indeed named after that groovy, ear-wormy Sesame Street song – but that’s
where the comparison ends. These manic compositions comprise a whole potpourri of daring sounds, from itchy guitars to the live-yet-electronic-sounding drums, the dense vocals to the erratically-tinkling pianos. It would be just as metaphorically easy to want to stick your hands in and stir this mess around as it is to listen to it, and there’s a lot to listen to.  The bassy tones of “Air Aid,” the thematic and pretty opposites of “Rotten Hell,” the peppy “Weird,” all add up to a smart and very listenable album that will definitely challenge your ears.
 

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer? - Polyvinyl

Kevin Barnes almost went solo on this disc, writing and recording most of it on his own, which probably explains the many programmed beats and synth trails – but for all its predictability instrument-wise, the tracks here are very personal in nature and arranged in such an unusual fashion that it makes for quite a set. Profoundly expressing his own personal frustrations, Barnes’ inward-looking lyrics aren’t the naval-gazing kind, but are rather focused on his own growing pains, as he traversed what he has said in interviews was an “insane year.” Although we wish he didn’t have to hurt to create ‘em, these standout songs – from “Suffer for Fashion” to “Gronlandic Edit” – prove that art can indeed be pulled from suffering.

 The Bird and The Bee - The Bird and The Bee - Blue Note

On a lighter note are the equally-airily-named The Bird and the Bee, an L.A. duo who are crafting a whimsy-filled, lounge-cool brand of tropicalia pop.  Fresh and jazzy, singer Inara George, alongside keyboardist/producer Greg Kurstin, work out a penchant for ’60s girl-group sounds and Brazilian beats that wouldn’t sound out of place in either a groovy downtown lounge or at a beach party – these songs add a sense of relaxed chill to wherever you might choose to play ’em.  It will be interesting to see if they can manage to continue this wide-eyed sound as they continue their career – but among the best of this particular set are the super-catchy “Again and Again,” the Stereolab-esque “La La La,” and the witty “I Hate Camera.”