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bedsitter23As promised, more.....
Ivy- All Hours (Nettwerk)- Ivy was a favorite band of the 90s. Their cocktail-pop was a unique sound for that time. There were many bands with similar influences, but it seemed like they all either went for gimmicky or being ironic. I never pegged Ivy for mainstream success, but wouldn't have been surprised if one of their songs didn't catch on. Lest we forget, there were no iPod commericals in the 90s. (Ivy guitarist Adam Schlesinger did reach millions with Fountains of Wayne and "That Thing you do"). It was unexpected that a comeback like this (first album in six years, second album in ten years) would be as good as anything they have done, but it is; and there you have it.
Nick Jaina -The Beanstalks That Have Brought Us Here Are Gone (Hush) - Jaina has been on my radar for a couple of years now, and I have to admit that I was kind of bummed that he brought in guest vocalists on this one (Jaina's voice is an acquired taste- as it isn't far off from a Tom Waits). That aside, I think this is the strongest work of his I have heard. The selection of singers (all female vocalists, mainly from Portland-area indie bands) range from good to great, and combine with Jaina's music to give a vibe similar to the Mark Lannegan/Isobel Campbell collaborations.
David Lowery -The Palace Guards (429) - I was a big fan of the critically acclaimed, quirky Camper Van Beethoven and the commercially successful Cracker. On his first solo album, Lowery manages to split the difference, and this album combines elements of both, but yet feels like something slightly different. Lowery fans should be pleased, though admittedly, this album is a grower- you have to spend time with it. Lowery's wit is sharp as ever, and the music should appeal to both Americana and FM rock fans.
J Mascis -Several Shades of Why (SubPop) - It's possible that I am a bigger Madcis fan now than when he was on top of the indie world. The two recent Dinosaur Jr albums have been solid, and Mascis returns this year with an album that is every bit as good as those. I had a bad taste with acoustic Mascis before (96's Martin and Me), but these songs are as well-thought out and put together as any of the Dino Jr stuff. This one is another great mostly-undiscovered gem of 2011.
The Men- Leave Home (Sacred Bones)- 2011 isn't the year I finally learned to love noise, it just feels that way (The Men's labelmates Slug Guts appear on this list later on). The Men took noise and made something inventive and melodic out of it, pulling from both the 80s No Wave bands like Sonic Youth as well as influence from the noisy college rock high of The Year Punk Broke bands like.. well, Sonic Youth. Not quite everything on this album works, but at it's best like "Bataille", it's a s good as anything their heroes recorded.
Moby - Destroyed (Mute) - I was Moby fan slightly before and during the time when everyone loved him (and yes I do like that punchline of an album 1996's Animal Rights). I have followed everything he has done since in his time in the limelight, and have been disappointed by the string of albums since (I can't imagine anyone ever says "Boy, I really want to listen to Hotel"). I was content that Moby was still making great art as a blogger, but I had started to give up on his discography. Destroyed was the album that brought me back in. Destroyed does harken back to that string of strong mid-to-late-90s albums- a lot of these songs could fit on Everything is Wrong or Play. Still, it's nice to have Moby back.
Part 3....tomorrow
Ivy- All Hours (Nettwerk)- Ivy was a favorite band of the 90s. Their cocktail-pop was a unique sound for that time. There were many bands with similar influences, but it seemed like they all either went for gimmicky or being ironic. I never pegged Ivy for mainstream success, but wouldn't have been surprised if one of their songs didn't catch on. Lest we forget, there were no iPod commericals in the 90s. (Ivy guitarist Adam Schlesinger did reach millions with Fountains of Wayne and "That Thing you do"). It was unexpected that a comeback like this (first album in six years, second album in ten years) would be as good as anything they have done, but it is; and there you have it.
Nick Jaina -The Beanstalks That Have Brought Us Here Are Gone (Hush) - Jaina has been on my radar for a couple of years now, and I have to admit that I was kind of bummed that he brought in guest vocalists on this one (Jaina's voice is an acquired taste- as it isn't far off from a Tom Waits). That aside, I think this is the strongest work of his I have heard. The selection of singers (all female vocalists, mainly from Portland-area indie bands) range from good to great, and combine with Jaina's music to give a vibe similar to the Mark Lannegan/Isobel Campbell collaborations.
David Lowery -The Palace Guards (429) - I was a big fan of the critically acclaimed, quirky Camper Van Beethoven and the commercially successful Cracker. On his first solo album, Lowery manages to split the difference, and this album combines elements of both, but yet feels like something slightly different. Lowery fans should be pleased, though admittedly, this album is a grower- you have to spend time with it. Lowery's wit is sharp as ever, and the music should appeal to both Americana and FM rock fans.
J Mascis -Several Shades of Why (SubPop) - It's possible that I am a bigger Madcis fan now than when he was on top of the indie world. The two recent Dinosaur Jr albums have been solid, and Mascis returns this year with an album that is every bit as good as those. I had a bad taste with acoustic Mascis before (96's Martin and Me), but these songs are as well-thought out and put together as any of the Dino Jr stuff. This one is another great mostly-undiscovered gem of 2011.
The Men- Leave Home (Sacred Bones)- 2011 isn't the year I finally learned to love noise, it just feels that way (The Men's labelmates Slug Guts appear on this list later on). The Men took noise and made something inventive and melodic out of it, pulling from both the 80s No Wave bands like Sonic Youth as well as influence from the noisy college rock high of The Year Punk Broke bands like.. well, Sonic Youth. Not quite everything on this album works, but at it's best like "Bataille", it's a s good as anything their heroes recorded.
Moby - Destroyed (Mute) - I was Moby fan slightly before and during the time when everyone loved him (and yes I do like that punchline of an album 1996's Animal Rights). I have followed everything he has done since in his time in the limelight, and have been disappointed by the string of albums since (I can't imagine anyone ever says "Boy, I really want to listen to Hotel"). I was content that Moby was still making great art as a blogger, but I had started to give up on his discography. Destroyed was the album that brought me back in. Destroyed does harken back to that string of strong mid-to-late-90s albums- a lot of these songs could fit on Everything is Wrong or Play. Still, it's nice to have Moby back.
Part 3....tomorrow
