Back from the Break!

Sorry for having no posts in the last two weeks I've just been busy with finals but now I am done.  Here's some stuff that's been going on!  The biggest thing these past few weeks has been the release of two of the most generally anticipated albums of the new year, Transference and Contra, so I will start out with those.

Spoon :: Transference

On Tuesday Spoon released their 7th studio album, Transference, which is a follow up to their first big commercial success, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.  In this album, they still maintain the distinct Spoon sound, but they are more adventurous with it as well, perhaps banking on the notion that they are now big enough and have enough of a "completist" fan base that they will sell plenty of records regardless of whether people like the different sound.  I thouroughly enjoyed listening to this album, although in my opinion, it is not quite as good as say Kill the Moonlight or Girls Can Tell, which are both excellent in my opinion.

mp3: Got Nuffin'  (in other news this song was featured heavily in Josh Schwartz' tv show Chuck's most recent episode.  Spoon actually gained some of their initial recognition from "That's the Way We Get By" being played in another one of Schwartz' show, The OC.  If you haven't seen Chuck, I recommend it.)
(Update: Sorry I got requested to remove my link...)

Vampire Weekend :: Contra
 This came out on the 9th, but I didn't get a chance to write about, so now that I have listened to it fairly thoroughly I can give you my opinion on it.  While there are songs that are good on the album, such as "White Sky," "Taxi Cab," "Run," and "I Think Ur a Contra," on the whole the album feels like it doesn't quite know what sort of sound it is going for, which in this case takes away from it.  "White Sky" and "Taxi Cab" both sound very similar to Discovery, Ros Botmanglij's electronic summer side project with Ra Ra Riot's Wes Miles.  "Taxi Cab" and "I Think Ur a Contra" are both slower, more ballad-like tunes, which certainly outshine some of the other frantic, all over the place songs on the album.  I think that this capacity for songs that seem slower, more deliberate and planned out do show some growth in the band, but songs like the completely uncoordinated "California English," which I won't even get into how much I dislike, and the inane "Holiday" turn an album that could have been a fairly good one with a couple of filler songs into an album that leaves a feeling of missed opportunities and definitely not wanting more.

Even the naming of the song "I Think Ur a Contra" takes away from the album for me; the song is good, but the obnoxious use of "Ur," even if Vampire Weekend are trying to be annoying on purpose (which they probably are), is just pretentious and unfortunately takes away from a good song.  It's part of the whole "We try and alienate people on purpose because we have our own style" deal, but I'm just not buying into it.  I will say though that I do like the naming of "Diplomat's Son," which has almost got to be a reference to the great Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Fortunate Son" (it has a lyric "I ain't no senator's son / no).  Normally naming of songs doesn't make a difference to an album, but for this album it seemed to have a strange impact.

Bottom line: an album with a couple of good songs that are certainly in a new direction, but overall it does not live up to the previous album.

mp3: White Sky
(Update: Sorry I got requested to move my link...)

-- A Teenage Elephant

In Other News
The Coachella lineup was officially announced, and it's excellent this year.  Tickets went on sale yesterday.


Benefits
All of Radiohead are playing a special benefit show for Haiti at the Music Box here in LA on Saturday.  They have also said that they are currently in the studio in the middle of recording new material... 
Bon Iver, Britt Daniel of Spoon, and St. Vincent will all be playing a special benefit show in Brooklyn on Saturday.

Album News
Owen Pallett (formerly Final Fantasy) released his new album Heartland.
mp3: Lewis Takes Action

OK GO released their new album Of the Blue Color of the Sky.
mp3: This Too Shall Pass

RJD2 released his new album Colossus.
mp3: Games You Can Win

Surfer Blood released their new album Astro Coast.
mp3: Swim

The New Pornographers announced May 4th as the official release date for their fifth studio album Together.

She & Him (i.e. singer-actress Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) will release their second album, Volume Two, on March 23rd.
mp3: In the Sun

Photo by Taea Thale

Toro y Moi Album Released!

A couple of days ago the new Toro y Moi album was released.  It was supposed to come out in February but it was released a couple of days ago instead.  I'll post a review in a little bit but I just wanted to let yall know 'cause I feel bad that I said it would come out in Feb.

Also, the Vampire Weekend album is available for streaming on their myspace and is out to buy in a couple of days.  I've listened to both and will post a review shortly.

--A Teenage Elephant

Eternal Summers

Here are two new tracks from Eternal Summers, who released their first EP earlier this year and are looking to release a full-length in the next year.  They are pretty simple, lo-fi, relaxed songs; fans of Wavves and Beach House will be pleased.  These were just released for free on Beko-Dsl.com.  Enjoy!

mp3: Safe at Home
mp3: Dye


In other news...
Broken Bells (whom I mentioned in my previous post) seem to have just posted some tunes (what plays changes every time you reload the page) that seems to me like a preview of what is to come.  I'm liking it, and it is reminding me a little of RJD2.  Check it out at kerbsnobell.com (an anagram for Broken Bells).  As always tell me what you think!

Vampire Weekend just put up another song from Contra on their Myspace, and I am liking this one a little more than the previous two new songs; it's called 'White Sky,' and it features a little synth (much better used than on the 'Cousins' b-side 'California English, Pt. 2,' and of course Ezra K. crooning "ooohhaaahhhoooh."  I think that if this is what the rest of the album is like, than it will be good.  Still have no idea if Contra will bomb or be good.

-- A Teenage Elephant

New Videos/New Vampire Weekend Review

I'm going to start a segment that I will try to do weekly/at least I will have a bunch of videos right now because I have just recently started my blog so there is some stuff I need to catch up on but here we go anyways.  The Vampire Weekend review is really late.. but I had to review it anyways.

Small Black :: Despicable Dogs
This is really interesting video by Small Black (who I wrote about in an earlier post).  I don't really know what to say about it/if there is anything to say about it... I think you should just watch it.  It reminds me a little of the Wrestler...  Tell me what you think.  I really love this band and their sound.


Grizzly Bear :: Ready, Able
Veckatimest had to be one of if not my favorite album of 2009.  Everybody about it is awesome, from the album artwork to everything about the songs.  The album flows really well and is truly a full album... both in terms of the sound and the fact that there isn't a single dud on it.  Here is the new video to possible my favorite song on the album, "Ready, Able."  It's a really cool, beautiful, and fun music video to watch.  It must have taken forever with the stop-motion animation, but it looks incredible.

Ready, Able


Vampire Weekend :: Cousins, Horchata
Vampire Weekend is one of my favorite bands - their first album blew my away when I first heard it... I love their multi-instrumental sound and I really feel like all their songs have a lot of emotion/are really fun.  "I Stand Corrected" has got to be my favorite song by them.  They have a second album coming out January 12th on XL Records called Contra.  I've been getting the feeling that it is going to be a sophomore slump... I feel that the first album had a unique sound that duplicating would be pointless and even trying to duplicate wouldn't be very good... It was just a complete album that doesn't need anything else.  They have already released two singles from the new album, the first of which, "Horchata" is pretty stereotypical VW: preppy lyrics (especially the rhyming in the beginning), african sounding drums, preppy sound... but I don't think it's very good.  I don't like the xylophone (is that what it is) in the beginning, the sound of the vocals in the beginning... I feel like they are taking the "We're Preppy, Deal With It" too far, even if they are trying to make a joke out of it.  I do like the part with the violins in the song a bit more, but still as a whole I don't love it.  It has grown on me (it is worth listening to a bunch... I promise your opinions will change) but I don't think it's great.  You can download it for free over at their website.
I like "Cousins" a bit more, but again I feel like it's not as great as the first album, and even if it was...It's been done already!  My theory though is that Vampire Weekend should just not put out any albums.  The first album should be all we have to remember them by...Greatness.  Maybe what I'm saying is crazy and call me an idiot... but that's just what I feel.  If the new album comes out and I love it...I PROMISE I WILL COME BACK AND ISSUE AN APOLOGY.  Plenty of bands have had great first albums and then great second albums, so I understand.  I really love the video for "Cousins" though... It really captures the upbeat-ness and peppy-ness of the song, and is visually awesome.  I'm sure it took loads of time to make, what with the countless arrangements of location, wardrobe etc.

Cousins



mp3: Horchata


Also check out this awesome video for Ambling Alp by Yeasayer in an earlier post.