Yeasayer: Fragrant World

     

     Brooklyn based Yeasayer constantly strives to break new ground, and their third full length album, Fragrant World, is no exception.  For this effort, the band drew from more genres than should be allowed, but it turns out well.  While there is still plenty in evidence in their odd time signatures and crowded sound, Yeasayer tightened the reigns on their indie rock weirdness, and experimented with synth effects and hip hop beats.  For their effort, Fragrant World incorporates all the complexities of their previous work without the overbearing sound of instruments fighting for room.  The band utilizes a bouncier feel to combat the sounds of instrumental disarray. 
     Those purists looking for a genuine indie, or electronic. album may want to look elsewhere, as Fragrant World makes no apologies for being a genuine fusion album.  The backbone of the songs are organic instruments, heavy on effects, and awash in synth to create a sound truly their own.  This practice is often used in the indie scene, but is rarely done this well.  Do not be fooled, however, Fragrant World is not in the vain of the electro pop making a wild run for Indie Rock's favorite sound. The beats are harsher and more convoluted, and the songs are not readily accessible.  They will not get stuck in your head for the day, but make you reflect for a few minutes before moving on to the next. While the beats and tones are breezier and jazzier, the
     In the past several years, Yeasayer has established themselves as Indie Rock guru's.  They have an excellent concept of sound that they proudly display on all their albums.  Fragrant World shows that the boys from Brooklyn continue to do what the Indie world has been trying to for years; find a delicate mesh of genres.  The only difference is, with Fragrant World, Yeasayer found the perfect recipe.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: Mature Themes

 

     Ariel Pink has had a long career for being a relatively unknown musician.  His early claim to fame was his extensive cache of home recordings that would wind up in the hands of L.A. based musicians.  Pink hit his big break in 2010 when he released Before Today, a critically acclaimed album that put him on the lo-fi map.  Now, two years later, Ariel Pink comes back with Mature Themes, grittier counterpart to his previous effort.  While Before Today was not a particularly poppy album, it showed a sensibility that Pink never really explored.  Mature Themes certainly lacks that sense of melody and song, and may be a little too chaotic and bizarre for the casual fan.  As Mature Themes moves along, it becomes more apparent that this Pink trying to utilize a bigger budget to return to the sound of his home recordings.  He does it well.  The songs are loose and erratic, but are well produced.  Each noise has its place and purpose.

     Lyrically, Mature Themes is dark and dry. It is not mature, but does dabble into some taboo words and phrases; Pink makes references of masturbation and G-Spots.  The lyrics are completely nonsensical, and are pointless to dissect.  That is the plan though.  Ariel Pink does not try to be convoluted and opaque, he just is.  The irrational lyrics combine with the music to create a theme of confusion.  In the end, throughout the landscape of noise, Mature Themes comes together, and shows that Ariel Pink's bout with success was by no means a fluke.

Opossum: Electric Hawaii

     

      Electric Hawaii is a good debut for the New Zealand indie pop outfit, Opossum.  The band shows that they are mature beyond their albums with their beachy, post rock sound.  The band dabbles in a few different genres throughout the album, as they teeter the line lo-fi garage rock, and synthy sleekness.  Electric Hawaii's  action of subtly blending genres shows a musicality that is not too often found in debuts.  The band clearly has a distinct sense of sound and sensibility.  They are clearly not planning on being a one trick pony, and the difficult classification implies a bright future for the band.
     Unfortunately, Opossum's same philosophy that has made Electric Hawaii intriguing is also that which keeps it being from a benchmark debut.  While the cross pollination of genres is innovative, it is easier said than done.  Even though the band does pretty well sticking to the post punk sound, there is still a noticeable deviation between that sound and the synth pop that sometimes makes an appearance.  The two are by no means mutually exclusive,  but Electric Hawaii seems to go partway in each, without dedicating itself to a sound.  Sometimes, this works out.  In this case, however, it seems to lack a thematic element that could have been there with a more cohesive sound.  The idea of a diverse album it great, but the Electric Hawaii sounds more non-committal than advanced.
      Opossum showed they have talent with Electric Hawaii.  They put together a good batch of songs, and created a good debut album.   Their shortcomings are common pitfalls of debut albums.  At this point, the career path of Opossum is a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book.  All they have to do, is choose it.

Eliot Lipp: Shark Wolf Rabbit Snake

    

     In the past decade or so, electronic music has gone from fringe genre, to critically viable milieu, to over commodified advertising slogans.  To be a (critically) respected artist in the electronic scene is to push the envelope and dabble in the myriad of subgenres that electronic music provides. One such musician is Eliot Lipp, a producer who continuously pushes his, and the industries, boundaries with each album.  With his newest Release, Shark Wolf Rabbit Snake, Lipp proves to be as innovative as ever. 
     One thing certainly proven on Shark Wolf Rabbit Snake, is that Eliot Lipp loves music. More so  than any of his previous efforts, Lipp experiments heavily with sound, blending a myriad of genres, electronic or otherwise, and adding his own trademark style and synths.  The result is a fluid LP that changes and morphs into a motley of styles.  Lipp experiments with 80's synth pop, and even some jazz.   Of course, he unifies these sounds with the blips and beeps that fans come to expect. 
     Although it is becoming more commonplace, especially within Pretty Lights Music, Lipp's new troupe, one thing that has always Eliot Lipp apart from the mass of DJs in the scene, is his emotive style of mixing.  His textures and strong sense of melody give the songs a contemplative pathos, while still being able to fill dancefloors.  As previously stated, the implementation of emotive beats is becoming a new trend in electronic music; a trend started by Eliot Lipp.  Shark Wolf Rabbit Snake shows that he can do as well as anyone else in the business, shadowing even his previous works. 
     Electronic music is a tough genre, in that there is a very fine line between inspired and terrible.  Too often, a DJ will come along with lots of noise and no musicality, and create a stir before fading into obscurity.  Staying power requires conceptualism and a acute sense of musical ingenuity.  For the last eight years, Eliot Lipp has shown this in spades, and judging from Shark Wolf Rabbit Snake, the future is looking skyward for the producer.

Passion Pit: Gossamer

     Passion Pit is part of a surprisingly critical paradigm shift that has occurred in the last three years.  They are part of a troupe of electro-pop artists who walk the fine line between pop sound and sensibility, and artistic integrity.  Passion Pit, along with similar artists (Phoenix Miike Snow are what come to mind), show that a group can be both glossy and credible.  To prove that Passion Pit is not merely and point in time, the band released its prestigious sophomore album, Gossamer.

     Gossamer has an interesting juxtaposition within the album.  Behind the carefree synth beats, lies some pretty heavy topics.  Throughout the album, Passion Pit exercises their opinions and memoirs on political strife,  substance abuse issues, depression and suicide, and domestic abuse.  Despite the danceable lyrics, lead vocalist Michael Angelakos uses his band as a platform to exercise his personal demons.  While the instrumentation may combat the self-destructive nature of the lyrics, it shows that Passion Pit is so far evolved from the typical club music act.  The deeply personal, obviously biographical, lyrics transcend what many club acts are creating, and subsequently adds credibility for the sub-genre under the microscope.

     Musically, Gossamer displays a significant, albeit cloaked, maturation.  The basic Passion Pit formula is present, but far more textured and complex.  The band experiments with tempos and sound to create moodier songs than the debut effort.  By doing this, Gossamer keeps its' high-octane electro vibe, while still remaining calm and cerebral; perfectly complimenting Angelakos' lamenting lyrics.  Conversely, but no less important, the complex synths also create an atmospheric chaos that goes hand and with the downer lyrics.  The effect is mesmerizes the listener, as it evokes a dark nostalgic disposition as it plays.   Once again, showing the Passion Pit's willingness to push themselves outside their comfort zone, and experiment with their music.  

     Gossamer is a fantastic album, and a perfect benchmark for the world we live.  As it delicately walks the line between sleek fun and complete disaster, listeners will be reminded of their own world.  Everyone walks their own balance between emotions, and squints to see their own blurry line that separates revelry with bedlam.  As we listen, and take stock in our own lives, Gossamer reminds us all just how blurry that line can be.  Easily one of the best albums of 2012.

Call Him Back, You Never Will. Jerry Garcia 8/1/42-8/9/95

     

     On the evening of August 9th, 1995,  a nurse at Serenity Knolls Drug Treatment facility passed by Jerry Garcia's bedroom to clearly hear an absence of his stentorian snores.  As she crept in she saw Jerry lying motionless in his bed, with a beatific smile on his face.  When the coroner asked why she made his face like that, she explained that she didn't; that is just how she found him.  That evening, Jerry entered his next trip with a smile.
     The culture is filled with legendary musicians.  Jerry and The Dead hit their stride when the "best" were a dime a dozen, at least in their scene.  What makes Jerry different?   What makes him an icon above all the other musicians, living or dead, of his time?  There has always been a cultural phenomena with The Grateful Dead, that actual scholars have dissected with differing opinions.  While the intelligentista muddle over this, the real question should be why there are millions of other people in their twenties, who have never traveled with Jerry era Dead, writing, listening to, or discussing, Jerry Garcia, as this sentence is so poorly typed.
      There is a clear difference between Jerry Garcia and his colleagues: this man was no rock star.  He lived a comparable life; filled with the sex, drugs, and music.  His attitude was different, however, then the demigods he would share the stage with.  His humanism is what makes him a prophet.   With his vices, insecurities, and drawbacks, he embodied the antihero, like the Steinbeck protagonists he admittedly grew up adoring.  While the rest of the world chose to sing-from-the-mountaintop, light their guitars on fire, and display their fictitiously massive bulge, Jerry kept his frail yet mischievous eyes on his guitar and microphone.  The juxtaposition of Jerry is what makes him so goddamn likable.  His is honesty personified: real person in an industry full of idols.  He walked the line between happy and flawed, and it showed in his emotive playing.  This would also reflect to the audience, who most likely saw themselves in Jerry.  All the world, multiple times throughout their lives, caroms from megastar on stage, to thin voiced muse.  Like Jerry, we are all weak, but possess the capabilities to be transcendent, and that is why we will never get enough of him.  Rest In Peace, Jerry.  You changed more lives than you ever planned on.

Phish: Chicago 94

     Opinions are abound in the spectrum of Phish, but few would argue that 1994 was one of the band's most critical years.  The band racked in 125 shows, and were full throttle on the way to cult superstardom.  It was at this point when it was evident to both personnel and fans alike that the band would pursue this as a career, and that Phish would be around for the long(er) haul.  The band felt this energy multiple times in '94, as evidenced by Chicago '94, a two show box set documenting Phish's debut performance at what would soon become one of their favorite venues.

     The setlist is notable, as they performed many songs off of Hoist, the studio album released earlier that year.  Phish turned these songs, and others into marathon jam vehicles, though it should be noted that only one song, the quintessential "You Enjoy Myself," stretches past the 20 minute mark.  This may be a minor detail to some, but it highlights the bands ability to push their sound without adding extraneous scale running.  The songs, however, do get the treatment, and in a big way.  Throughout the two shows, which are pretty comparable in mood, the band plays around with discordant chaos, which eventually finds their way into a heavenly, cohesive groove. They hit their high note stride with the energetic "Run Like in Antelope," which many would say have seen it's best day in 1994.  The highlight of this example would be the epic "David Bowie," an 18 minute exercise of sonic dissonance, which many fans say is the band at its best.  All the jamming is organic and original, and many would find the lack of looping ambiance, which would later be a staple of their live shows, a pleasant change of pace. 

     Many fans will note that these1994 shows are devoid of the running gags of the past, such as the Big Ball Jam or the Phish Secret Language.  This is a clear representation of where the band's priorities lay during this period of time.  They were dropping the gimmicks, and allowing the music to be the punchline.  A year after the first concert on the album, in June of '95, the band had a historic meeting to discuss how far they really wanted to push this project.  These shows reveal that, that even before the meeting, these boys were all in.  

     One thing that should be noted is how fun-spirited this show is in context of the band's history.  In 1994, the band was quickly becoming financially solvent.  They were beginning to book shows at outdoor amphitheatres, now in all areas of the country, and they were barreling towards the finish line of success.  They were playing without the worries of where the band would go.  It is just fun; a band on stage clearly enjoying themselves.  Conversely, they were still two years away from their historic festival, Clifford Ball; the moment that led them to exclusively play arenas, and the catalyst to Phish INC.  It was still in age of innocence in 1994, lacking the overwhelming burden of an entire enterprise resting on four hippies from Vermont.  Also lacking is the bacchanal of backstage hanger-ons who would eventually aid to the band's 2004 demise.  The business side of Phish was still run by in-house friends who cared about the band, and the people in it.  Once again, it is just fun!  It is a band on stage playing out of love, not worried about the overhead of what would soon become a pretty big corporation.   The good spirits are palpable throughout the album, and provides a shining example of what makes this band so damn great!