Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde

This past week, I've listened to this album in its entirety about 15 or 16 times. I'm probably listening to it as you read this. I keep thinking I'll get bored of it, but I don't, the songs just grow on me even more. That fact alone is enough for me to call it, without a doubt, the best album of 2011 so far.

Back in 2009, Smith Westerns released their self-titled debut, which consisted of 10 very lo-fi, noisy tunes with upbeat melodies and a reckless sound that totally gave off the vibe of teenagers just having fun. Not only does Dye It Blonde show maturity, but it's also cleaned up and polished their rough sound, while still sounding alive with tons of color. The seemingly effortless distorted guitar riffs on every single track have created a trademark sound for the band, while the overbearing happiness on tracks like Imagine Pt. 3, Only One, and Smile makes me feel like my face is melting off. In a good way, of course. Plus, the traditional pop melodies and cheesy love lyrics make this album feel almost nostalgic.

The only thing keeping Dye It Blonde from excelling even further is the loose and weak vocals. Although I have to say, they do fit the youthful spirit of the album pretty well. The songs End of the Night and Dance Away seemed a little empty at first, but after several listens, I find that they fit perfectly with all the other pop brilliance going on.

With an album devoid of fillers, Smith Westerns make it to the top of my list for bands that I have high hopes for in the future. It's hard to choose between an 8 and 8.5 for this one, but considering that I can't stop listening to it, I'll give it the latter.




Tracklist:
1. Weekend
2. Still New
3. Imagine Pt. 3
4. All Die Young
5. Fallen In Love
6. End of the Night
7. Only One
8. Smile
9. Dance Away
10. Dye the World

-Julian

Deerhoof - Deerhoof vs. Evil

On their last album, Deerhoof cut straight to the point and occasionally got really loud with their bursting power chords and insane drumbeats, like on The Tears and Music of Love and My Purple Past. But in general, they kept it subdued, something that they do even more on Deerhoof vs. Evil. The kookiness is still there, it's always been, but on songs like No One Asked to Dance, they cut the crap and lead singer Satomi Matsuzaki's soft vocals really shine, which makes it a key track on the album. It's also nice to hear these moments balanced with Deerhoof's classic style.

While bizarrely flustered tracks are what you'd expect from this band, some songs end up sounding a little too weird, even creepy. Luckily though, there are a few kick-ass tunes here that can satisfy the acquired taste that's required when listening to these guys. Stand-out tracks include Qui Dorm Només Somia, Behold a Marvel in the Darkness (my personal favorite), No One Asked to Dance, Let's Dance the Jet, and Secret Mobilization. While it's an admirable effort, they've failed to show anything new on Deerhoof vs. Evil, and the tracks at the end are all pretty dull. If you're a Deerhoof fan, you know exactly what you're getting here, minus the rocking out more often. For non Deerhoof fans, I might hesitate, as their all-over-the-place musical style might take some effort to get used to.




Tracklist:
1. Qui Dorm, Només Somia
2. Behold a Marvel in the Darkness
3. The Merry Barracks
4. No One Asked to Dance
5. Let's Dance the Jet
6. Super Duper Rescue Heads!
7. Must Fight Current
8. Secret Mobilization
9. Hey I Can
10.C'Moon
11.I Did Crimes for You
12.Almost Everyone, Almost Always

-Julian

Peter Bjorn & John: "Breaker, Breaker"

Swedish indie rock outfit PB&J have released a killer little track that I can't stop listening to called "Breaker, Breaker". Download it for free here!

Their new album 'Gimme Some' comes out March 28th in England, Sweden, and similar places, and March 29th in North America.



-Julian

Tapes 'n Tapes - Outside

Let's start with the negatives and get those out of the way first. Tapes 'n Tapes haven't been as good as they were back in 2005 when their debut album was released, that's apparent. On The Loon, you can hear the energy of each song bursting at the seems, while the tunes on Outside tend to rely on sheer pep and less captivating melodies, something that made their second album Walk It Off so dull.

On the positive side, Outside is definitely a comeback from the sonically empty Walk It Off. The songs also vary much more making it a diverse album. The melodies might not be brilliant, but there's something about many of the songs here that makes me want to listen to them over and over again, namely the opener Badaboom, One In The World, Nightfall, Freak Out, The Saddest of All Keys, and Hidee Ho, which rolls along slowly at the start, but toward the end, picks itself up and socks you in the face with searing guitars and shouty vocals.

Some other songs feel a little too loose and lack drive, like Desert Plain, SWM, and a couple tracks toward the end, but Outside has enough juicy guitar licks and energetic vocals to satisfy anyone. Early Tapes fans might complain that this record doesn't have the originality and raw charm that The Loon had, but in my opinion, it only gained what it lost on their last album.




Tracklist:
01. Badaboom
02. SWM
03. One In The World
04. Nightfall
05. Desert Plane
06. Outro
07. Freak Out
08. The Saddest Of All Keys
09. Hidee Ho
10. People You Know
11. On And On
12. Mighty Long

-Julian

Girls - Broken Dreams Club EP

There are certain times in life when I really wonder what I was thinking. Like those times when I leave a pot of boiling water on the back burner and forget about it, or when I use really bad metaphors to describe what I’m trying to say. What I’m getting at here is that I completely chose to ignore Girls’ new EP last year. Although their debut, Album, was good, I was among the many who thought it was overrated. So when their Broken Dreams Club EP was released and received many similarly amazing reviews, I assumed it was more of the same.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Broken Dreams Club, while only 6 tracks, is spectacular. The opening tune, The Oh So Protective One is deliciously reminiscent of Elvis Costello and the Attractions, while Heartbreaker is the song Conor Oberst wishes he had written. The third and fourth tracks, Broken Dreams Club and Alright continue the quest for really simple yet beautiful tunes. Then there is a Substance, a song that sounds like it was written and performed by a band with decades more experience and maturity. The 7-minute closer, Carolina, meanders around for about 4 and half minutes, exploring pleasant dissonances before erupting into gorgeous simple melodic lines to close the album.

Despite only having six songs, Broken Dreams Club feels like it could be an entire album. There’s enough here to entertain you for a while, and it’s all well done.

-Owen