“Seven Times” - Zoe Boekbinder
I have no idea why Zoe Boekbinder’s not the indie darling of blogs everywhere. She’s better than at least 95% of the crap I see slathered lovingly across the likes of Pitchfork.
Starving artist. Literary genius. Weasel under the cocktail cabinet.
In other words, the inimitable Tess Grover.
Address commentary, questions, and prepositions to orphicfiddler AT gmail DOT com.
Following:
“Kokko - Eagle Of Fire” - Amberian Dawn
So, if you’re so into Finnish metal that you actually know who Amberian Dawn is and have been listening to them since the release of their very first single (*ahem* I may be only slightly obsessed with Finland, just a little, just kind of), you probably have your own opinions about Heidi Parviainen leaving the band and being replaced with Capri Virkkunen. I actually like Capri’s voice. It’s gruff. It’s interesting. But I’m not sure she’s as good as Heidi for “Kokko.”
Whatever, I’m excited to see where the band goes from here. Metal on.
“Young And Beautiful” - Lana Del Rey
From The Great Gatsby soundtrack. For the love of glamour, let’s just have her record the next Bond theme already.
“Thrift Shop” (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Cover) (Bart & Baker Electro Swing Remix) - Postmodern Jukebox
A old school cover of a modern hit now remixed back into modernity. Oh, technology, you make life fun.
“Letter of Intent” - Ducktails
Ducktails’ new album, The Flower Lane, sounds as though the band were attempting an indie cover for an ’80s sitcom theme song. It’s not bad, but a lot of it is boring. (I do kinda like “Timothy Shy,” but that’s probably because it has a sort of Elton John vibe to it.)
Maybe I’m just sick of twangy guitars and soft-voiced youths trying to sound especially sweet and indie. Excuse me, but I’ll stick to Real Estate. At least Matt Mondanile’s other band isn’t quite so goddamn twee. Though it’s still not far off.
(Also, please, why is there such a deficiency of emotion in current indie pop? The vocals lack inflection and everyone stands about in music videos as though they’ve been severely medicated. Indifference to the world has always been “cool,” but this is something eerily beyond that.)
“Locusts” - Widowspeak
The extremely simple video for one of the simpler songs on Widowspeak’s recent album, Almanac. Honestly, I don’t think it’s fully representative of what that LP has going for it - yeah, “Locusts” has that thin airy quality that defines Molly Hamilton’s pretty little voice, and it’s got the steady hypnotic beat that runs throughout, but it’s lacking the intricacies of the waltz-like “Thick as Thieves” or the edge of “The Dark Age.” Well, edge for Widowspeak.
Anyway, Almanac is lovely, and you should listen to it.
“Amnesia” - Hilly Eye
Hilly Eye is mainly Amy Klein of Titus Andronicus (with a little help from Catherine Tung) being more awesome than her previous band. Yeah, I’m sure it’s sacrilege, but I prefer Amy’s debut album, Reasons to Live (Amy Hempel reference?) to any old thing TA has ever done.
It’s post-punk, it’s sustain-y, it’s oddly angelic. Seriously, listen to it. Probably my favorite album from January 2013.
“Space Oddity” (David Bowie Cover) - Commander Chris Hadfield
“Space Oddity” as sung from the International Space Station.
Happy Mother’s Day! Because seriously this holiday needs way more pterodactyls.
“Say That” - Toro Y Moi
A good deal of the drive behind Toro y Moi’s most recent album, Anything in Return, lay in the challenge of creating a pop record that wasn’t “processed and bubblegum.” And, you know, I think Chaz Bundick got a real handle on that. The solution, it seems, is to funk up the beat and play with the bass more than your usual superstar. Oh, and mellow those vocals. No divas here.
Also, the video for “Say That” is so unbelievably dorky that it propels itself into endearing. Good luck figuring out that mix, Lady Gaga.
