PeeP on PoP- Dirty Beaches

Dirty Beaches- Badlands (Zoo Music- 2011)

~by Gabe McBride

76_______________________

One of the problems with most bloggy, buzzy bands, and Dirty Beaches might be the one right now, is they seem to rely so heavily on attitude, fashion, and presence over any kind of real chops, that the bubble bursts after a promising EP or two, or a single decent album, and then poof, it’s on to the next victim ready to stick the knife in their own back. The bands mindfuck the blogs and the blogs mindfuck the bands, and a lot of potentially good or even great music gets lost in this shuffle. So, after stepping down from my soapbox,  I am here to praise an band, well… a guy really, Alex Zhang Hungtai, aka Dirty Beaches, who relies almost exclusively on evocative atmospherics and style to create a persona, as opposed to making an album about the songs (that’s rule number one here at Pop on Purpose, folks). And I can’t stop listening to it.

Badlands, I would estimate, can be boiled down to being about three, or maybe four things: hot rods, hair grease, smoking, and talking tenderly to the ladies. Badlands lingers in Bukowski’s dive bars, sits in the passenger seat of Chevy speeding on a country road during a midnight drag, and plays in the background while Jackson Pollock splatters paint on a canvas spread out over the floor in his barn on Long Island, sucking on a Pall Mall. Some songs are straight up rockabilly or surf jams (‘Speedway King’, ‘Horses’), some are eerie piano set-pieces (‘Lord Knows Best’), and some emotive fragments (album closer ‘ Hotel’), all with the apparent intent of hearkening back to an idea of a time, not necessarily that time itself. 

I would be remiss if I did not mention David Lynch when discussing Badlands. I have seen more than article on the band and album refer to the record’s sound as “Lynchian” and this truly is the case, in more ways than one. Like Lynch, Hungtai creates moody American tableaus that they are both repulsed by and fascinated with; an idea of delinquent machismo and tough-guy idealism that they have observed, but likely never experienced (Lynch is an Eagle Scout from Montana, and Hungtai was born in Taiwan, and spent most of his life Canada). Plus, any one of these tunes could be on the soundtrack of most any of Lynch’s cannon. I’m not sure that Badlands is one of the best albums of the year, but it is the most interesting so far. 

For Fans of: The Raveonettes, Lost Highway 

PeeP on PoP- Papercuts

Papercuts- Fading Parade (Sub Pop- 2011)

~by Gabe McBride

50________________________

Papercuts is California native, Jason Quever’s band, that specializes in soft but expansive, pastoral folk-pop. Quever’s breathy, frequently almost whispered vocals set the morose tone for the aptly titled Fading Parade, and he accentuates this point with song titles like ‘I’ll See You Later I guess’, ‘Chills’, and ‘Wait Til I’m Dead’. So maybe Quever has had every girl he ever dated take her own life in state of adolescent ennui, or maybe he just had a bad vegan egg salad sandwich… every day before he went into the studio… but Fading Parade is decidedly one-note, that note being ‘dysthymic teen boy’.

It becomes an even bigger problem for Papercuts when the listener takes into account the band’s previous work, particularly 2004’s Mockingbird  (Antenna Farm) which trod substantively similar, melancholic ground, making Fading Parade a sequel rather than an actual new album. Quever is clearly talented, as is obvious intermittently throughout the album, and most apparent on Lennon-esque, piano driven 'Marie Says You've Changed', but someone needs to tell this kid to lighten up a bit. 

For Fans of: The Morning Benders, Vetiver

PeeP on PoP- Kyle Bobby Dunn

Kyle Bobby Dunn- Ways of Meaning (Desire Path- 2011)

~by Geoff Webb

90______________________

Kyle Bobby Dunn is a NYC based sound artist specializing in ambient drone compositions. He released his critically acclaimed double album A Young Person’s Guide to Kyle Bobby Dunn in 2010 and returns this year with the shorter, (40 minute) but no less powerful Ways of Meaning. He primarily uses treated guitar, organ and synthesizer on his new album to a stunning effect. I don't like to make comparisons between different artists work, but if I had to pick a reference point for those unfamiliar with his work I would say Brian Eno or Stars of the Lid would come to mind. He specializes in the type of subtly shifting soundscapes that demands the listener’s full attention to hear the multiple layers of sound that combine to create the whole of his recordings. Minimalist is a word that is often used to describe the music of Kyle Bobby Dunn, but that doesn't really do his compositions justice as these tracks are full of life, rich and lush and thick. The devil is in the details and it's the slight melody under the surface or the low end hum under the shimmering guitar that make the difference between a fully realized composition or just a lifeless ambient drone album.

The opening tracks, ‘Dropping Sandwiches in Chester Lake’, ‘Statuit’, and ‘Canyon Meadows’ form a sort of suite, each building on the other using shimmering, treated guitar to majestic effect. The sound builds over each track, growing slightly bigger and more full of life as the pieces play out and leaves the listener getting caught in the swell. It's a peaceful feeling, almost childlike in its innocence, but equally as powerful in its positivity.

On the fourth track, ‘New Pures’ the tone gets slightly more dissonant, but it's a subtle shift in the form of a low end sustained drone and treated feedback. The mood feels darker and more contemplative as the piece moves on and fades out with just a single disappearing guitar drone. This makes way for ‘Movement for the Completely Fucked’ which is the only track on the album to break the ten minute mark. For me this is the centerpiece of the album, taking the listener on a ride from the darker place of ‘New Pures’ building up over the course of almost fifteen minutes to the highest heights on the album. As the album ends with ‘Touhy's Theme’, the music fades into the distance. It's quiet and almost sad, a perfect ending to this album.

It's a spiritual place this music comes from and it's a spiritual place that the listener is transported to. The individual reaction is personal for the listener; maybe it evokes the reliable comfortable feeling of peace one might get watching the sun rise in the morning when no one else is around or the nostalgic feeling of a different time when all was right with the world. Maybe it takes you to a place of questioning or change and gives you the strength to take the first step. Whatever is it for you, Ways of Meaning can get you there if you choose to take the ride.

For Fans of: Stars of the Lid, earth

(Please note that the video is of a non-album track)

PeeP on PoP- I Was a King

I Was a King- Old Friends (Sounds Familyre- 2011)

~by Gabe McBride

61______________________

Norway’s Frode Strømstad and band, I Was a King, have been making music for about five years, and their first two albums, and now Old Friends have suffered from a lack of consistency, which has been especially tough on a true-blue pop fan like myself. Strømstad is such an obviously gifted songwriter and charismatic singer, that when his reach exceeds his grasp, it is a big disappointment. On Old Friends, the band has brought their horn section to the fore, on many of the tracks, and it frequently obscures, if not outright tramples all over the unctuous, organic hooks. I am not one to condemn a band for having ambition and a desire to experiment, it’s just that all the horn crescendos, overly busy drumming, and mid-song noise freakouts detract rather than add to the whole of too many of the songs.

On the band’s 2009 self titled album, Strømstad wrote three or four great songs, another seven or so songs worth of piano ballad diversions, and experimental song fragments, and one of the greatest songs of the last 25 years, an absolute masterpiece, his ode to indie-pop demigods Teenage Fanclub, ‘Norman Bleik’. It’s the perfect pop song, and Old Friend’s album closer, ‘Old Friends’ is it’s near equal. ‘Old Friends’ is relatively sedate (by the album’s standards)folk-pop jam that ends the album on such a heartsick, simple, blue note that it creates stark contrast between the rest of the album’s crowded arrangements, and makes the case for a stripped down sound that would ultimately let the songwriting shine through and allow the band to make the classic album they might just have in ‘em.

For Fans of: Lilys, Olivia Tremor Control, Flaming Lips

Peep on PoP- Telekinesis

Telekinesis- 12 Desperate Straight Lines (Merge- 2011)

~by Gabe McBride

78_______________________

Michael Benjamin Lerner’s Telekinesis isn’t inventing a new mousetrap, in any way, shape or form. He carefully selects the best bits from Cure-ish post-punk and American power pop to sing about girls and love, so he can presumably find a girl and fall in love. The songs on 12 Desperate Straight Lines tend to remain happily mid tempo rockers with the occasional breaks for keys and thudding bass lines. Lerner’s man-child vocals (not to mention his bespectacled, slightly nerdier Michael Cera mien) add to the overall effect nicely, and do a great job of burnishing Telekinesis’ ‘Matthew Sweet for the 2010’s’ personality.

12 Desperate Straight Lines is a “grower” in the best sense of the word. While initial listens do a solid job of getting the toes tapping,  and it’s easy to find yourself singing a line or two a few hours later, or repeating some of the catchier guitar licks in your mind, waiting to fall asleep. Eventually, the articulate, effortless tunes set up shop in your brain and reconnect some familiar neuronal connections.   

For fans of: Velvet Crush, Sloan  

More reviews on the way! Like, a lot of them...

In the meantime, here's the new video for Surf City's "See How the Sun"...

Peep on Pop- We are Enfant Terrible

We are Enfant Terrible- Explicit Pictures (PIL Records- 2011)
~by Paul Mattson

 90

A beautiful sunny day in Portland in early April! " How is that possible?", you ask. The only logical explanation is that Spring was ushered in by the arrival of this album. A bright, bombastic overdose of vitamin D brimming with tracks designed for the sole purpose of being blasted on a summer day. I want to dawn a trench coat and stand outside your window with a giant boom box hoisted above my head declaring my love for this record.

Seriously I haven't had this much fun listening to music in a long while. The catchy hook filled tunes are charged with playfully energy, reminiscent of early Devo. I dare you to listen to this and not at least tap your foot. A near perfect fusion of retro beats and infectious riffs. This album is responsible for me cleaning my house.

My only real problem are the vocals. While both of the bands vocalists (Thomas Fourny, and Clo Floret) do an adequate job, a voice as upbeat as the music would have been a better fit. But that is a minor complaint. You'd be hard pressed to find a better soundtrack to celebrate the coming of Summer. Please excuse me now while I drag my Weber out of the garage to go barbecue in the rain.

For Fans of: Devo, Stereo Total, LCD Soundsystem

PeeP on PoP- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- Belong (Slumberland 2011)

~by Gabe McBride

90_______________________

*Sigh* It can be hard to maintain any sense of objectivity when a band seems to be made just for you. I ran across PoBPaH a couple years ago on YouTube, before 2009’s self-titled debut came out and knew more or less instantly that I had a new favorite band. It kind of becomes a criticism-proof scenario: ‘a band that likes all the bands you like and references them in all the ways that matter equals undying devotion’. Sure, there’s the supposed problem of a lack originality, but the best bands can transcend copy-cat status, The Pains do it very, very well. Even better, the band are prolific, having released 3 albums worth of material in the last two years, toured incessantly, and, apparently they have a great sense of humor about themselves (see the video below). Plus, they are on Slumberland Records! Not sure what else they could possibly do to ingratiate themselves to me, short of hiring another cute, bespectacled Asian girl to play alongside keyboard player/singer Peggy Wang, and performing at my house party for me and my friends. 

On Belong, the band expands on their twee-gaze sound from PoBPaH, without straying into unknown territory, making the new album an incremental step, rather than gigantic leap forward. The Pains have blown up their sound, and owe a very obvious debt to Smashing Pumpkins, while retaining their charm and likability, something Billy Corgan and co. never really had to begin with. The songs are bigger and louder, but still bursting at the seams with the charm and character the band have been known for, over these last few years. I guess I may be gushing, because I am way too much a product of my late-teen/early 20’s formative music years, along with my tendency to over-idealize adorableness in my music fanboy-dom, but The Pains sound like My Bloody Valentine, The Ropers, New Order, The Cure, The Smiths, Phil Spector’s “wall of sound”, and The Field Mice, depending on the song, and they do so because they genuinely seem to love playing these tunes. There’s not a bad track on the album, and the loveable nature of the tunes is a product of more than ‘merely’ great hooks and Sixteen Candles inspired lyrics, as even the upbeat songs register a certain amount of sadness and longing, that hints at a greater amount of emotional depth than any band playing such catchy tunes should have any right to. 

For Fans of: Jesus and Mary Chain, Black Tambourine, Yuck