Album Review: Sam Tudor – The Modern New Year

Most students celebrate the end of first term by sleeping, eating too much food at family Christmas dinners, and drinking excessively (and not just eggnog!). Vancouver based singer-songwriter-UBC-student-all-around-good-guy Sam Tudor decided to spend his Christmas break a bit differently. He gathered a few of his musically inclined friends and family, notably Brent Morton and Harry Tudor, drove out to a cabin in the woods at Gavin Lake Camp, and recorded his second album, The Modern New Age.

The effects of this recording environment seem to resonate throughout the album, which, while at points melancholy, has a nostalgic air that brings you right into that cabin in the woods, escaping from the bitterly cold air outside. Tudor crafts songs that blend the familiar with the new, striking a balance between comforting instrumentation and thought provoking lyrics. This is wholly illustrated in the excellent opening tracks from the album. “Modern New Year” catches the ear, as an opener always should, with a “cheap” sounding drum machine beat softly backing a vocal riff lazily and gloomily sung in harmony. Then Tudor enters, clearly and carefully shaping visually stimulating verses and a catchy chorus. I love the echoed and distance vocals in the second verse calling from afar.

The Modern New Year continues at a pace that balances the mellower songs against the peppy, goofy tracks such as “The Exhaltation Of Some Things (Get On Out)”. This track shows off Tudor’s more playful side with a kazoo solo reminiscent of the Beat Farmers’ “Happy Boy,” and various whistling jingles and jangles flowing in between string parts. The laughter ending the track just caps it off oh so well.

On the other hand, on more serious tracks like “The Mezzanine Waltz” and “The Darkness Song” Sam’s song writing really shines through. “The Darkness Song,” my favourite from the album, is a gloomy, brooding march that builds towards the finish, highlighted by mellow banjo picking and a tasteful solo. However, it is the coupled male and female vocals that really make the track. It’s a song equally fit for a downtrodden bar as it is for a campfire somewhere in the interior.

“The Modern New Year” is a prime example how a little d.i.y. attitude and a pitcher full of talent can create something rivaling anything produced in a multi-million dollar studio. In some ways, Tudor attempts to tackle the issue of computer produced studio albums being released everyday on his last track “Lottapeople Blues.” As Tudor laments: “every 10 track game plan measuring in charts and pounds” and “everyone the same, clogging up the drain a billion times,” he makes the case for going back to the music, cutting out the excess, and instead huddling around a mic in a cabin in the woods.

Keep your eyes out for Sam's CD release party in late September/early October! 

Album Review: The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers

If Canadian indie rock supergroup The New Pornographers have suffered from anything in their five previous albums, it has been that the band has simply too much individual talent. With songwriting stalwarts Carl (AC) Newman, Dan Bejar (Destroyer), and Neko Case, not to mention Katherine Calder (Immaculate Machine—excellent band!), the band has always struggled to make a cohesive record from front to back, especially in their last two releases, Challengers (2007) and Together (2010). The pattern within their albums has become familiar: the best songs are sung and written by Newman, Neko chimes in here and there with her iconic vocal chops, and Bejar drunkenly stumbles in every three songs with an off-kilter, yet oddly whimsical and endearing track (see “Silver Jenny Dollar”, “Myriad Harbour”).

Brill Bruisers “challenges” this familiar mold. The instrumentation is fresh, with deep modulated bass riffs and more synths, while still keeping that distinct “New Pornos” blend of indie rock. The band seems more cohesive, with vocals blending and fewer single vocal tracks featuring only Bejar, Newman or Neko. This is perfectly illustrated on the title track that features triumphant “bo-bahs” and “ooooohs” sung by the whole band, while Newman confidently slides in between to add lyrical depth. It’s a song that just screams happiness. This lyrical sharing is a general theme throughout the album and is capped off perfectly with the pop explosion that is the final track, “You Tell Me Where.” (link)

Even some of the songs with a single lead vocalist, such as Bejar’s “War on the West Coast” are stellar. I love this song with its dark, brooding bass riffs and creepy lyrics sung by the King of Creep himself, Dan Bejar. On the other hand, songs like “Wide Eyes,” “Spidyr,” and “Hi-Rise,” are just boring in my opinion and offer little lyrical or instrumentally.

As a final thought, Brill Bruisers just doesn’t stand up to early New Pornogrpaher’s albums. It lacks the power chords of Mass Romantic’s “Slow Descent into Alcoholism,” the pure energy of a Kurt Dahle drum fill a la “The Bleeding Heart Show,” or the staying power of a catchy single like “Letter from an Occupant.” While the album has its highs, I feel it simply doesn’t have that THING that will continue to bring people back to it in years to come, unlike Mass Romantic or Twin Cinema. 

6.5/10

A Couple of Things to Look Forward To

New singles are exciting!

New Pornographers - "Brill Bruisers"

Have always loved this band, will always love this band, and I am super excited for their new album! Talk about an instantly catchy indie pop rock tune right here...love the "ba-bas" and the cool interactive video (VIDEO HERE).

Album out August 26!



JPNSGRLS - "Smalls"

Great newish rock band out of Vancouver. With plenty of rock band competition in that city, JPNSGRLS has crafted a nice blend of rock, punk, and ska to really set themselves apart from fellow YVR bands like Japandroids and Tough Age, among others. Love this single from their debut LP coming this summer.



Spoon - "Rent I Pay"

Spoon has a new album out this summer too! Spoon is such an off and on band for me, but this single, "Rent I Pay," is awesome with its crunchy riffage and thumping bass and drums. Crank it up loud and bang that head!



Arkells - High Noon

ARKELLS IS BRINING US NEW MUSIC! One of favourite bands is dropping their third studio LP this August, following up on the solid Michigan Left, and their breakout, best-of list topping album Jackson Square, which continues to be one of my all time favs.

The single "Come to Light" picks up exactly where the Arkells left off with Michigan Left, bringing back that instantly recognizable blend of rock and roll. And DAMN is that not a riff or what?! The other single "11:11" is much more poppy, almost cheesily poppy, but I still find it catchy enough as a light summer jam. Hope they bring some more RAWK for the full LP. Can't wait.

Album Review – Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else

Cloud Nothings are an excellent lo-fi rock band out of Cleveland. A guitar, bass and drums along with Dylan Baldi’s lead vocals. In fact, Cloud Nothings basically started as a one man band of just Baldi, but the band now has permanent bass and drum members too. However, Baldi is clearly still the leader when it comes to the band’s musical direction.

Here and Nowhere Else is a noisy lo-fi racket of an album full of textured rhythmic guitars, grimy, hoarse vocals, and interesting melodic interludes that give some respite from the more punk influenced rock outs. The track “Psychic Trauma” stands out as a great exemplar of all three of these things. The song starts out with a simple, yet catchy guitar riff parading along at a mid-tempo romp before the drums kick the song into hyperdrive with some absolutely ridiculous fills and rolls. Baldi follows the drummer’s lead with some screamy lyrics to match. Excellent track.

The album continues along with some great riff rockers, along with some not so great moments where the lyrics become overpowering and to some extent, detract from the stellar backing tracks. The song “Giving Into Seeing” is a good example of this. The song is like an earlier Cage the Elephant song on cocaine (speaking of which, did you see CTE’s Matt Shultz at Coachella?—yikes!), with a super fast bass riff and solid guitar sub-riffage. However the chorus yelling “SWALLOW,” in this disturbingly nasally, yet throaty voice is off-putting, which is too bad given the quality of the song otherwise. ***edit: this songs freaking rocks

However, the album ends on an absolute dime with “I’m Not Part of Me.” This is as good as it gets in terms of rock and roll. Just take a listen. It’s catchy, just edgy enough, YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE LYRICS (A+++), and a nice length. Kinda reminds me of lo-fi rockers Ladyhawk, with the more obvious Built to Spill influence. It’s a perfectly crafted little gem ending off a solid album from Cloud Nothings.

8.5/10

Album Review: Eagulls – Eagulls

Eagulls first caught my ear a few years ago with their awesome rocker “Coffin,” a total party rock anthem with a great bass riff, howling vocals, and a pounding drum beat to match.

With their 2014 self titled debut LP, Eagulls have continued the trend set out by “Coffin.” It’s a noisy, rambunctious post-punk album off dirty, grimy guitars and beats. You can picture the band sweating it out in a basement club in their hometown of Leeds, pounding away at their instruments. Eagulls somehow mix the glistening guitars of shoe gaze with straight up punk bass and drums and an almost New Wave-esque vocal licks. Good luck understanding the lyrics more than 30% of the time.

The album kicks off with three solid post punk tracks, and then the track “Tough Love” really grabs your ear. A great guitar riff really brings some sunshine into an otherwise dark sound, and rather droning vocals.

“Possessed” is the single from the album, and notably the song they played on Letterman. How they managed to get post-punk on Letterman is beyond me, but, hey, sounds good to me! This track has the best guitar riff of 2014 so far! Great guitar solo too.

The album ends with “Soulless Youth,” a track that starts with this weird feedback riff droning rhythmically before the band comes bashing in from behind. The track rips along with screeching guitars and furious drumming before melting down at the end into a tangle of feedback tones. That’s how you end an alb
um!!

7/10

Check this awesome live concert where they play the whole album + "Coffin" !!

Album Review: Foster the People – Supermodel

Coming off their smash hit Torches from 2011, Foster the People had a major challenge to avoid the classic “sophomore slump” on their 2014 release Supermodel. The name of the album provides hints into the muses of Mark Foster, a man pushed from the margins of the music industry right up to the very peak on the back of the success of “Pumped Up Kicks,” otherwise known as the most overplayed song of 2010 AND 2011. The album is about coming to grips with this new fame, with tracks asking “Are You What You Want to Be?” or “Tabloid Super Junkie” or, more obscurely, the track “The Angelic Welcome of Mr. Jones,” invoking Counting Crows’ “Mr. Jones,” which tells the story of a man who thinks fame will bring him friendship and love, when in fact Mr. Jones is just as lonely famous as he is before. (possibly the worst song I've ever posted...oh well it's just so catchy haha)

Musically, Supermodel is a collection of very danceable pop songs and more mellow rock and folk tracks. Tracks like “A Beginner’s Guide to Destroying the Moon” invoke Portugal. The Man’s early work (see Churchmouth), except without the same flair and deepness of a Portugal. The Man song. That’s my issue with the entire album, it all just floats on the surface of your psyche, and fails to make a real impression. You listen to the album, and enjoy dancing along to the catchy pop ditties, but nothing is memorable and attempts to be super mellow on a track like “Fire Escape,” just seem like mediocre attempts at profound song writing. You write pop songs Foster, and you’re damn good at it, so stick to that. Check out “Best Friend” for your daily dose of dance! Love the final horn breakdown just when you think the track is over—what a kick in the musical gut!

5/10

Best track: