4Play: Owl City, Orange Juice, Eskju Divine, Muse

Jan. 31, 2010

Owl City - Ocean Eyes - Republic
Recorded entirely in a cold basement in the middle of winter in Minnesota, where Owl City, aka Adam Young, had to contend with the ceiling freezing (literally - into icicles) whenever he turned off the noisy furnace to get a vocal recording, these songs belie their chilly location with warm synths, vibrant production, and earnest vocals. Simple lyrically but executed prettily, each track is polished with interesting synth work and beat loops, from the romantic “The Saltwater Room” and “Vanilla Twilight” to the more festive “The Tip of the Iceberg” and “Hello Seattle.”



Orange Juice - The Glasgow School - Domino
Influencing such fellow Glasgowians as Franz Ferdinand and the new buzz band Bricolage, Orange Juice’s early ‘80s tracks have finally been put together into this set, which combines one of their unreleased albums for indie label Postcard with the band’s four better-known singles. Both wonderfully anti-rock, yet everything indie rock should be, OJ combined rattling guitars with romantic lyrics and - dare we say - sweet melodies, right at the pinnacle of the punk scene, winning surprised fans with the likes of “Poor Old Soul,” “Lovesick,” and “Consolation Prize.”



Eskju Divine - Heights - Imperial
Recently given a shoutout on an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations show, this Scandinavian trio base their music on piano/keyboards a la Keane, and craft a sound that’s also reminiscent at times of Muse or Aqualung. Singer-songwriter Gustaf Spetz’s voice swoops and winds throughout the band’s familiar-yet-new sounding melodies on such songs as “Skargarden,” “Hold On,” and the striking opener “Release Me.” So what’s the bad news? Well, this talented band’s unfortunately already broken up - but at least you can still snag the album.




Muse - The Resistance - Warner Bros.
Muse has returned with their fifth studio album in fine form, especially the voice of singer Matthew Bellamy, which seems even stronger and more confident than on previous efforts. Rock opera in tone, the set opens with first single, the apocalyptic “Uprising,” and moves on through the Queen-meets-classical “United States of Eurasia,” the “Exogenesis” 3-part rock symphony, and “I Belong to You (Mon Coeur S’ouvre a ta Voix),” with its title borrowed from the Samson and Delilah opera and several verses sung in French. An epic, impressive musical achievement.