4Play

March 14, 2007

Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity - Kill Rock Stars

Fitting in nicely with their new album’s title, this may actually be the friendliest set of songs that Deerhoof has put out to date. Some find their crazed approach to electro-pop a bit too much at times - which perhaps explains why such a skilled group has yet to even tap on the door of the charts - but this time around, they’ve done things a little more accessibly (which could garner them a wider range of fans) while still hanging on to their signature experimental nature. Here is where you’ll find the spacey piano of “Whither the Invisible Birds?” the twelve-minute multi-transitional “Look Away,” and the drum-driven “Cast Off Crown,” all mixing their wild, unbalanced sensibility with nicely hummable tunes.



Godspeed You Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven - Kranky

In spite of the band name and the album cover, this isn’t another black metal experience, nor is it anything even close to emo. What it is is a very interesting new orchestral take on the typical post-rock group, entirely instrumental and grandly evocative. Utilizing strings and French horn along with guitars, bass, and drums, the album is structured into something akin to movements that stack upon each other like sonic Lego blocks, layering sounds like fine sheets of baklava and sieving in everything from distracted piano riffs to sketchy recordings of generalized vocal announcements. It’s hard to explain or define, really, but not hard to listen to - in fact, it asks for repeated listenings that reveal more each time.



Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder - CYHSY

The latest from this Brooklyn quintet offers up their sophomore set of songs earlier than fans might have expected, and they have also thrown out several curve balls into the field. Luckily, those swipes at uniqueness work where they might not for a less eclectic group - Clap Your Hands has a knack for it. It’s a little uneven in that it veers from carefully constructed songs to more wild-card compositions, but it somehow all fits together by the seventh inning, and the songs are also standouts when singled out - just hit your random button, and chances are you’ll be equally taken in by the likes of an out-of-context “Arm and Hammer,” “Five Easy Pieces,” “Yankee Go Home,” or the more involved listen that is the title track.



Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Broom - Polyvinyl

First of all, Southeasterners SSLYBY get bonus points for the witty band name. That aside, this album is a pleasant surprise from these indie-poppers who have already won the hearts of music bloggers net-wide. Tethered in acoustic guitars, this band has got their base solidified, which leaves them free to sound, at times, like Weezer, Bright Eyes, Of Montreal, or wherever else their candyland whims might take them. That’s right, this is a happy-sounding album, but don’t forget to look beneath the facade, as that’s where the intriguing parts lie - bittersweet and so confident that they can even be heard to occasionally leave a few mistakes here and there, they’ll drawn you right in with double-stuffed songs like “Pangaea,” “Anna Lee,” and “What’ll We Do.”