Thao and Mirah (2011)

http://www.mediafire.com/?t3beltd62y1onp3

Estrogen overload? or TALENT MADNESS!!!

I was greatly looking forward to Thao & Mirah, a collaboration of two totally talented, quirky, innovative, experimental, and versatile singer/ songwriters who defy that categorization. Gone are the days--at least I hope so--of the Sarah McLaughlan/Sheryl Crow Lillith Fair aesthetic. *shudder* Welcome to the new generation of women who make great music. In fact, how about this slogan-- GIRLS DON'T JUST MAKE MUSIC FOR GIRLS ANYMORE.TM .

The album is pretty all over the place. Ended up being a bit dancier than I would have expected, which maybe came from their ridiculously wild producer Tuneyards. I'm not sure yet if it's an instant classic, but I'll say it's one of the coolest records I've heard in the last month or two. 
Besides the range of styles, my absolute favorite part is how Thao and Mirah trade off the lead in the middle of the song. I love LOVE LOVE groups that do this. It's not exactly a new trick (See the Beach Boys, circa 1960) but it's so effective when it's employed well. Also love how the songs really defy any easy categorization. Not only is it hard to tell what genre each song is, but it's hard to tell who is writing which song. Not a lot of ego involved.

My one critique: The only Tuneyards-written piece, Eleven, appears first and it KILLS. The rest of the cd doesn't quite reach that level of sheer adrenaline.

Listening to this album makes me feel that young indie women are finding a great niche in music--some kind of a dance/indie/quirky/songwriter space that was blazed by weirdo alt-divas like Bjork Sinead O'Connor decades ago. When I was younger, women were always either the singers, the keyboard players, or the bassists. And they were either sexy and quiet or sexy and brash. It's so nice now to see more women stepping forward who are much more complex, diverse, and physically "honest." It makes me so elated to watch someone perform with weird makeup and flowers in their hair, or cowboy boots. Why the hell not!

I wonder if this last generation's work didn't directly allow this new wave of subtle and interesting female artists, whose music i generally prefer to their male counterparts (Andrew Bird, Bon Iver). ? I also wonder if the ladies don't feel a little more freedom to be as bizarre, eccentric, and wild as they want to be?

Shut the f*ck up, men! I'm awesome!

Luke Temple- Snowbeast

http://www.mediafire.com/?k0ls0vv8izwrhkc

You know you have a good friend when they email you to write, "Hey, this cd makes me think of you. I think you'd like it."

Luckily for me, when someone does that, they're often right. Luke Temple was recommended to me by a good friend and I ended up really being drawn by it. I really got hooked on it when i was riding my bike downtown on the way to see Camera Obscura play live. This is an amazing "Hot-summer-night-on-a-bike" cd-- lots of swirls, loops, ambiance, textures, and great vocals. The songs are simple and catchy, and they fade and wash into each other, so that the whole of the album is greater than the parts of it.

Snowbeast (nickname for yeti) made me think about songwriting and recording differently. Luke Temple sings in this great haunting register, and layers his vocals at parts. There is a strange absence of low end stuff-- hardly any bass, etc. But it's really the high, lonesome vocals that do it for me. Plus the gurgling synth textures and "less is more" approach. The tracks are eerie, pretty, and haunting, which is like icing on the cake.

Give it a chance, listen to it a couple of times, and I bet it'll grow on you.

By the way, this image was taken from the Daytrotter Sessions site (which you should look into, if you haven't). Luke Temple with an armful of Yeti.  Wacky.

Clogs- The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walden (2009)

http://www.mediafire.com/?7q0am23d6v78wdd

Clogs is a "new classical" group that takes a very weird approach to making music. They are a little like Rachel's, where you feel that you could show the cd to the sweet metalhead who lives down the lane, your traffic cop, or your grandma, and all would be equally enthused.

I just realized that this is actually members of The National (Bryce Dressner, at least), who tend to dip in a lot of chamber music. Also featuring Sharon Worden of My Brightest Diamond, who sounds much better here than on her own music. Sorry, Sharon.

This cd has really grown on me-- haunting, minimal, strange, quiet, and beautiful.

Especially recommended if you've ever been interested in acoustic instruments, vocal harmonies, choral music, jazz, weird pop stuff (like St. Vincent or Deerhoof), and feeling as if you're very cultured.

Definitely recommended for fans of Colleen, Bjork, your local Byzantine choir, and renaissance music.

Animal Collective & Vashti Bunyan: Prospect Hummer

http://www.mediafire.com/?xclu1cs51ekw5sy

Okay, Animal Collective? Now, they're cool, but can we be honest and say they're pretty overrated?

Vashti Bunyan, on the other hand, is SOOO legit that she eats Panda Bears and Avey Tares for breakfast on her farm out in the woods where she gathers mushrooms and smokes wild "ragweed" and howls at the moon while shearing her own sheep with a razor that she sharpened on her own teeth. She's the real deal-- put out one kick ass album in the '60s titled "Just Another Diamond Day" and called it quits.

So, let's all give almighty thanks to AC for bringing Bunyan out of retirement, but shame on them for not extending credit to her and naming the album after themselves. No worries-- i will correct their arrogance by co-crediting this short EP, which is a real gem. It's pretty stripped down by AC standards, but still holds a kernel of their weirdness. And Bunyan's voice blends really well, and actually fares well against all this. Not all singers could be featured on an AC album and still shine through with a lot of personality. Kudos, Vashti.

Think: ethereal, strummy, reverb, delicate, kind. This is a fantastic cd for a summer day at your table, eating a vegan meatloaf with a tall wheat beer. 

Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan - Pullhair Rubeye {REVERSE-REVERSED}

http://www.mediafire.com/?fz2dh34290p2dt3

Animal Collective singer Avey Tare and his wife Kria Brekkan (of Mum) put out what should have been an incredible album of mind-blowing weirdness. Instead, they made a pretty understated, intimate record that is surprisingly gorgeous. But, then they watched a David Lynch movie and, probably while they were high, decided it would be so great to reverse all the tracks so that the entire record was backwards. Amazingly, they still released the cd like this.

It's an exercise in patience to listen to the cd all the way through. However, any average joe with a knowledge of Audacity can easily thumb their nose right back and just flip it back to its original direction. Which is what i did.

Ladies and gentlemens, i present you with "Pullhair Rubeye {Reverse-Reversed}." Please enjoy.