Sweet Nothings: Be on the lookout for…The Guru.

The Guru is a psychedelic, shoegazy, indie-pop, summer, band, thing…yeah.

My first exposure to these guys was back during the summer of 2011. I got really into them during that season, and it was so appropriate. It was just fun music for fun times. Then one day after summer ended and I was moved into my new “home”, a shitty converted-triple college dorm at Purchase College, I was sitting watching the music video for The Guru’s [then] new track, “Beach Monster.” Later that day I exited my dorm to go skating when I spot a kid that looks exactly like the drummer//lead singer of the band, Eddie Golden III. Sure enough it was, and we made kickass lab partners in science class (got a B-, bitch).

I can absolutely promise you that The Guru’s sound will capture your attention instantly. They got such nice and bubbly guitars that make for some very catchy tracks. The drums are just perfect as well. Their precisely quiet or loud exactly when they need to be. These guys also seriously know how to get down when it comes to getting loud. Honestly though, The Guru will come out with some of the gnarliest, almost classic-rock-like, guitar solos when you least expect it. They always seem to blow my mind and give me crazy chills. And all complete with Eddie’s loud and gritty voice that has a nice way of flowing above and through their songs. I can guarantee you’ll be listening to these guys on repeat for a long time.

If you’ve never seen these guys live, I’d highly recommend you do so whenever you can. Their lead-singer Eddie is just hilarious and always knows how to please the crowd. Whether he’s touching himself profusely or shouting indiscernible nonsense (while still playing the drums, no less), it’s always entertaining. I suggest that you’d see them soon because their taking off and you never know what could happen. They’ve been playing a lot of festivals lately, and this July they are even playing with The Growlers! So awesome! I actually just found out they are touring in August (and they also need help finding venues), so try and catch them then. I’m super proud of The Guru, they are really doing great. Can’t wait to hear new tunes from these guys in the future.

Tumblr: theguruband.tumblr.com/

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/themadcatguru

Label: http://seagreenrecords.com/

23 May 5 Permalink

Sweet Nothings: Summer Lovin’

My friend Matt, owner of the Vinyl Lounge in Nyack, just got me into these guys. I can’t get enough of this album.

Itchy Hearts utilizes a combination of folk//acoustic sensibilities with the amount of energy that comes with making punk music. I love how this album has a perfect blend of these smooth, beautiful, and poetic tracks with other tracks like “Paulo & Stinky” and “Ima Be Cool” that just make you want to get up out of your seat and dance. The lo-fi drums on this album also have this raw//gritty enough feeling to give the album this sort of intimacy. That is definitely the greatest thing about this album. The fact that, to me, there is this absence of a barrier between artist and the listener. Every song feels very personal, close to home, and relatable.

Another quality I love about this band is the singer’s voice. It seems like this perfect unity between Violent Femme’s Gordon Gano and Bob Dylan. Such an interesting voice allows for the very powerful lyrics to fully settle. They also feel a lot more real to me, for a lack of a better word. There’s something that seems incredibly honest about the singer. His voice sounds hoarse from trying to convince the world that there is a lot to admire in things that, on the surface, lack beauty.

And there’s enough tracks on here to keep anyone satisfied. Take a listen, I highly recommend it!

22 May Permalink

Sweet Nothings: Album Review

Artist: TV Girl

Album: The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle

For people who like: Algebrahs, Dirty Gold, Ducktails

The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle is the first full-length album from indie-pop samplers, TV Girl. Although, technically they are calling it a “mixtape,” but I suppose that is to avoid legal issues because there is a lot big-name sampling on this album. Samples on this album range from The Beatles to Biggie Smalls. On their newest effort TV Girl continues much on that same path that they did when they first appeared on the radar.

I’ve been pretty into TV Girl for a little while. If you look back at old posts when this blog was lamer, you’d see just how much I was keeping track of these guys. I really thought it was interesting the way they incorporated samples to make an indie track. The song “Benny and The Jetts” and the rest of that EP were pretty much my summer jams last year. Back when I was actually in a band, I even used to cover their classic song, “If You Want It” (which seems to have been wiped off the face off the earth due to copyright infringement) with my friends. Although there were a lot of songs I absolutely loved by TV Girl, I always knew they were equally as capable of making bad songs. TV Girl definitely knows full-well how to make an extremely catchy track, but the formula they use to do so is often repetitive and sometimes feels recycled. When they released their first physical 7”, Girls Like Me, I feared for the future of the band because it seemed as though they were heading down this path of monotony. However, I thought I was reassured with the release of a live performance they did of their single, “I Wonder Who She’s Kissing Now”. That performance was amazing! It was TV Girl with a more organic sound. It seemed as though TV Girl was on the verge of something really cool with a full band. That idea was quickly thrown out the window on this new album.

(TV Girl)

I don’t know why they did not really utilize their new members on the album (I guess they were only for live performances?). They continue to make use of the electronic drum-kit, which really gets dull after a while. It’s a real shame because “I Wonder Who She’s Kissing Now” really sounded awesome with the newly added members. The bass had such a nice groove, the real drums were so crisp, and the guitar was nice and bubbly and only popped into the track when necessary. This recorded version seems to be a lot staler, and the only added thing I enjoy is the sampled horns that pop up throughout. This album seems to play its best hand at the start, because by the fourth song, you pretty much have the best songs on the album finished. The rest of the album just gradually gets more and more boring as it goes on.

The Wild, The Innocent, The Tv Shuffle also tends to get a little too sugary for it’s own good. Sometimes the tunes just get so poppy that I almost feel like I’m listening something on top-ten radio. It’s just too much; if it were actual sugar my teeth would rot. Especially on tracks like “Mirror Mirror” which is damn-awful. It also has a chorus that is way to convoluted with sounds to even be enjoyable. And don’t even get me started on the lyrics of this album. Some of the worst, cheesiest lyrics I ever heard (first sugar and now cheese…cheese and sugar urugh). I mean, at the same time I kind of ask myself “TV Girl is just a catchy band, why search for anything but what’s on the surface?” But, I can’t help it. The themes in the songs are over-dramatic, pathetic, and even weird. With lyrics like, “When a girl doesn’t like you, you could steal a lock of her hair” and “…and when that doesn’t work you could just cry in the shower” I can’t help but cringe (I mean common, who are you Tobias Funke?).

TV Girl’s, The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle, is a sappy and misguided huge step backward for the band. They have just failed to evolve their sound and have fallen into a state of repetition. Nothing about this album seems all that spectacular or interesting to me. I’m probably going to have a lot of people hate me after this review, but I’m sorry it’s just my opinion. If you haven’t heard the album yet it’s streaming on their bandcamp and you should take a listen for yourself.

2/10

Favorite Tracks: I Wonder Who She’s Kissing Now, Sweaters

Least Favorite Tracks: It Evaporates, Mirror Mirror, The Artist, etc.

http://tvgirl.bandcamp.com/album/the-wild-the-innocent-the-tv-shuffle

20 May Permalink

Sweet Nothings: Album Review

Artist: Hop Along

Album: Get Disowned

For people who like: Little Lungs, Be Your Own Pet, P.S. Elliot

Fuck. I mean I don’t even know where to start with this album…shit. Well for one thing this is (technically) Hop Along’s debut album, Get Disowned. This band is a more complete version of a former (mostly) solo project by singer//songwriter Frances Quinlan, and was originally called Hop Along, Queen Ansleis. These guys are apart of the amazing music scene that is coming out of Philadelphia, PA. On this album, Hop Along breaks away from its former Modest Mouse and folk music influences to develop a sound that is really interesting to say the least.

I first heard of Hop Along with the release of the first single of the album, “Tibetan Pop Stars,” which I really enjoyed. The way Frances sings on that track, it really is unlike anything out there today. The ranges her voice has are incredible. Just how quickly she changes pitch as well is pretty spectacular. There are parts of that song where she almost sounds like a yodeler, or a country singer in the early 60’s. For example, she kept vaguely reminding me of singers like Skeeter Davis. However, I had absolutely no idea just how good this album would be. I only heard that one single at the time because they didn’t stream any other part of the album online. My thoughts were “let me just see what this album actually sounds like instead of going out on a whim and purchasing something I know nothing about.” Now it is my biggest regret that I did not pre-order the album because I absolutely love it, and I heard that it came with a cool b-side cassette…why oh why did I play it safe?

(Hop Along)

The direction this band went in was definitely a progressive move on their part. Frances’ somewhat fragmented singing style just goes along so well with a full band this time around. Her voice is so strong that I feel it was completely necessary for the instrumentation to reach that level as well. The album seems to start off much like many of the songs do, soft and dreamy. With the mostly acoustic, “Some Grace,” Frances executes a calm and breathy voice (with A LOT of grace, actually), which is much in the vein of Frances’ solo version of the band. Then, as “Tibetan Pop Stars” plays out the band shows that they aren’t afraid to yell and get loud. People are probably going to kill me for talking about Frances’ voice so much in this review, but fuck it I just love it’s beautifully raspy sound!

These guys also know how to end a song perfectly. Nearly every song ends with such an incredibly flashy and energetic conclusion. Hop Along totally gives it their all on Get Disowned. Especially with the track “Laments,” which was originally on the album that Frances released as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis and was called “Laments of a Mattress.” The newly recorded rendition on this album though is sooooooooo good (that was extremely unprofessional, but I can’t help it I’m sorry). The track starts out with a nice acoustic melody, which seems almost homage to its older counterpart. Then the track breaks into the catchiest hook I’ve ever heard in my life, complete with gang vocals, piano, and a smooth-ass drumbeat. The song ultimately ends with this epic distorted breakdown and Frances chanting her lyrics in repetition as her voice, and the song, fades away. I told you they know how to end a song didn’t I?

I also really like how the band throws other instruments into the mix during certain parts on this album. To be honest, most of the time I dislike when most bands (who don’t naturally have people playing those instruments in the band) just throw random instruments into their songs because it feels like their trying to cover up the fact that their song lacks a soul. However, Hop Along does it in a way that definitely adds to the song and actually feels necessary. Like I mentioned earlier, the piano on “Laments” is great, but I especially dig the stuff going on in the track that directly follows it, “Trouble Found Me.” This track honestly feels like it has an “on-switch,” because out of nowhere everything just kicks in, drums, drones, and even some horns. The tempo during that part of the track is just so slow too that it really captivates you. When I listen to this track I feel like I walked into a dark room, flipped a switch, and then suddenly wound up outside watching stars die in slow motion.

I mean, I could go on for hours about every one of these songs, especially the title track “Get Disowned” and how intense the end of it is and how cool Frances’ voice sounds as she continually strains it, but I’ll save you those details because this is turning into a run-on sentence (run-on sentences, fuck it). I would however like to just also throw in that I was definitely satisfied with the underlying theme of resentment (toward a father-figure?) throughout the album, for it completely goes along with it’s title. To finally conclude this review, all I have left to say really is that Hop Along’s debut Get Disowned is one of the most-enjoyable albums I’ve heard in a long time. Never in my life has an album given me goose bumps so consistently on the first listen. This album literally makes you move your body whether you want to or not. I couldn’t help myself when I first listened to this, I just had to start dancing (embarrassing detail, fuck it). I liked this album so much that I shared it with everyone I know, even my mom (I burned her a mix for Mother’s Day, and you should burn your mom a mix too because any one could enjoy these songs). I highly (AND I MEAN HIGHLY) recommend purchasing this album. It’s so worth it. Seriously, Hot Green Records is only selling it for ten bucks, that’s a great price for a vinyl release. I think I’ve made my point about this album, so I’ll just stop talking.

10/10

Favorite Tracks: No Good Al Joad, Laments, Young and Happy, Get Disowned. (And all of them, really.)

http://hopalong.bandcamp.com/

19 May 1 Permalink

Sweet Nothings: Album Review

Artist: Morrison Brook

Album: Mad/Sad

For people who like: Dinosaur Jr., Weezer, Superchunk

Mad/ Sad is the debut album of Morrison Brook, indie rockers from Westchester NY. On their debut, Morrison Brook has a great way of blending melodic love songs with heavy in-your-face breakdowns. Though they owe a lot to the bands that came two decades before them, there is still a lot of great, forward thinking aspects of this album.

The thing I find greatest about Morrison Brook is their ability to be extremely memorable. The first time I caught Morrison Brook live, they were not a band I could easily forget. Their chorus’ are all just so catchy and passionate that they just stick with you. All subsequent times I saw them I was able to sing-along and really get into them, without even having heard any recordings then.

There’s just something about Morrison Brook’s sound that makes me personally feel like a kid again. It may be because of their influences, but I always seem to feel like I’m ten years old and in the back seat of my mom’s old van. They give me the feeling of being that young, staring out the window and having little understanding of the world. Those moments when you just zone out watching everything outside that you pass by. The nostalgia on this album is probably it’s best quality.

 (Morrison Brook performing at an apartment show at SUNY Purchase back in January. They killed it.)

I was really psyched upon release of this album that they started it off with “Colorado.” For those of you who don’t know, “Colorado” is a crowd favorite. It is the song most people anticipate and go nuts for when they play, and I have to say, it sounds so great on the recording. The track has such a nice bounce to it; the bass sounds so sick in the mix, which is something you don’t really notice as much live. I also love the way the song builds up to a much more powerful and conclusive “Oh Colorado” at the end. Right after that track it goes into the amazing “Tombstones,” which has a different lead vocalist. That is what I love about this album especially. There are three different vocalists, and they are all really good at singing. It allows for the album to have a lot of variety. “Tombstones” is a pretty defining song for Morrison Brook. It combines every great aspect about the band, both lyrically, and musically. It has that extreme passion and technicality, along with it’s lyrical themes of impotence and heartbreak.

Another track on Mad/Sad that I really love is “Toilet,” which is probably my favorite track. It’s pretty funny to say, but “Toilet” is a freakin’ beautiful song. The acoustic guitar strums that pop in and out of the songs first verse are so necessary. It greatly compliments the reverb on the vocals, which fittingly makes him sound as though he is singing the song alone in an empty room. And then there’s a track like “Fuck,” on the album which is just everything you could ever want in a song. It is a true testament to Morrison Brook’s grand musicianship, as well as their extreme cohesiveness as a band. These guys were just simply meant to play music together. After the epic grand finale in that song, it’s good to have some tranquility with “Wish I Could.” It’s a perfect end to this great list of songs.

Mad/Sad is a sentimental, yet aggressive album, with an amazing dynamic among the band’s members to keep you coming back for more. It is a great reminder of why it is anyone starts listening to music in the first place, for that energy and that relatability. There’s a little something on Mad/Sad for everybody. I know that there is going to be a physical release of some sort coming out soon, so keep your eyes peeled. This is an album your going to want to own.

 8/10

Favorite Tracks: Tombstones, Toilet, Fuck

http://morrisonbrook.bandcamp.com/album/mad-sad

18 May Permalink

Giving my first 10/10 this weekend…think you can guess what it is?

17 May Permalink

Like my discussion post (WhatISay)?

Have any suggestions for future things you would like to hear me discuss? Let me know!

16 May Permalink