_CD Reviews 2010 (Page 10)

Josiah Wolf – “Jet Lag”Anticon-out tomorrow3 / 5 Josiah Wolf of Oakland Bay’s indie outfit Why? has struck out on his own with his first solo album. Sonically, this album takes greatly after Jim O’Rourke’s solo albums, in vocal pitch, as well as in the unusual choice of lyrics (“The way we communicate makes me feel like a snake,” from “The New Car”). His strength here lies not in the hushed and somewhat warbled pitch of the vocals, but moreso in the lyrics and instrumental choice of bells, xylophone, wood block, etc. While the album is vibrant sonically speaking, it lacks a definable pull; eachRead More →

Besnard Lakes – “The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night”Jagjaguwar-out tomorrow2.5 / 5 The Montreal-based Besnard Lakes are on their third dream/rock album with “The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night.” While we admit this to be an utterly awesome title (and the cover’s pretty cool, too), the Lakes seem too entrenched in the languid flow of their genre to fill out an entire album. Every track is a slow-build, with a classic rock feel in the vocal harmonies and guitar work, and while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, consider “Chicago Train,” which doesn’t hit its first chorus until about 2:30, halfway through theRead More →

Portugal. The Man – “American Ghetto”Equal Vision Records-out now3 / 5 The Portland, OR based alt rock band Portugal. The Man has been up to a lot lately; about an album a year, to be precise. Such a strain of creative flow would bend or break most bands, but P.TM seems to thrive in it, with the underground “Censored Colors” and the poppy, upbeat “The Satanic Satanist” as their last two releases. “American Ghetto” returns to darker, more sophisticated colors, utilizing more distortion and processed sounds. Right from the get-go is “Dead Dog,” a declaration of the band’s darker approach. Throughout “Ghetto” are good chorusesRead More →