Tennis: Young and Old

     The indie world is cascading with male/female duos creating simple pop LPs.  Tennis, a husband and wife pair based out of Denver, share the same aesthetic as the flocks of other indie acts, but has been known to add a carefree, less gloomy sound to liven up their listeners.  In February, they released their awaited sophomore album, Young and Old.
     It is ironic that this album was released on Valentines Day, as this album's contents is significantly heavier than their debut, which dealt with themes such as bird watching on the high sees.  On Young and Old, the couple grow up, and discuss some of the typical issues that married couple deal with; things such as finding flaws in your once perfect lover, and youthful adventures slowly replacing mundane routine.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, as the lyrics are not complaining about their life, merely citing the state of their relationship.  They are still happy together, just a little older, and not as exciting.  This inevitable circumstance will certainly resonate with Tennis' older, more mature fanbase.
     Musically, Young and Old is a little heavier as well.  The sprightly pop is still their, so fans of their debut will not be shocked, but their is certainly more maturity and brawn to their bubblegum base.  Young and Old was produced by now revered Black Keys drummer, Patrick Carney, and his influence is clearly heard throughout the album.  Under Carney's ear, their are many more elements of traditional rock and roll, as the album has instances of jangly keys and guitar riffs.  The beach pop skeleton is certainly there, but it is underneath a thin skin of rock fuzz.
     Tennis has the makings for indie stardom, and this album has the potential to lead to even more critical acclaim.  The Denver duo have shown that they are not afraid to grow up and tackle benign, but pensive subjects.  They are also not afraid to tweak their successful sound for experimentation. Through their increasing maturity and dare, Tennis is showing that great indie pop does exist in the mountains. 

Dr. Dog: Be The Void

     Since 2002, Dr. Dog has been releasing consistently good albums of jangly multi-genre Americana.  With the release of 2012's Be the Void, continues on the same path.  

      For their latest album, Philadelphia's own Dr. Dog continues its trademark of taking all their influences and mixing them together into catchy, relatively concise songs.  The result is a sound that is indescribable; a common classification would saying the "kind of sound like" an innumerable amount of other bands.  While this certainly leads to a creative and interesting sound, it creates a harsh reality for the band:  They sound too similar to too many other groups.  The listener struggles to separate Dr. Dog from the band it paying homage to.

     The band seems to be working at curating their own sound, however.  Be the Void's precise combinations of indie and folk, awash in psychedelia, fosters a style that is "Dr. Dog."  Whereas many indie artists are making a name revamping early 80s dance pop, Dr. Dog is reviving the psychedelic jangle of the 60s.  They are certainly forming their own identity, it is just taking too long (7 albums and counting) to do so.

     Despite the bands shortcomings, Be the Void displays Dr Dog's continuation of well crafted and easily accessible songs.  The band, perhaps because of all their influences, have impeccable song writing sense and capabilities.  They abandoned some of their heavy instrumentation for a sparser, more bare boned, sound; relying on the primary band rather than guest instruments.  The result is a rawer album based more on spontaneity and controlled chaos.  Be the Void is an interesting record, from an interesting band.  While Dr. Dog evolves,  the audience can happily rely on these listener friendly songs in the meantime.

     

     Much ado has been made about Rob Gronkowski's postgame dance party following the Patriots heartbreaking (to some) loss to the New York Giants.  This marks the second time in five years the Pats have lost, in dramatic fashion, to the Giants.  While Patriots fans all over the country mourned the teams loss, Gronkowski shook off the disappointment by cutting the rug in shirtless glory.  He clearly was in rare form.  What changes his behavior from a spectacle to a controversy is the fact that Gronk did not play in the Superbowl, as he was sidelined with an ankle injury.  Critics of Gronkowski lay claim that if someone is too injured to play, then they should be too injured to celebrate. 

          Dancing like an idiot only hours after the game ended probably was not Gronkowski's best decision.  It is in poor taste to have that much fun while his teammates were probably too battered and depressed to be able to be that light on their feet.  He also should have realized that, being the arguably the biggest talent on the team, his actions are under scrutiny, and that not participating in the biggest game of his life would only place magnifying glasses closer to the paper.  His behavior would definitely not be taken likely by fans and teammates who visualize his absence whenever they picture what could have been done to win the game.

     That being said, many people are discussing what kind of consequence Gronkowski should incur, and the answer is, nothing.  While what he did may have been objectionable, it is certainly not punishable.  He went to a party that was financed by the New England Patriots, to be held whether they won or lost.  The team hired LMFAO and an open bar, so there was no confusion as to what kind of revelry was to be had. All those in attendance, Gronk included, was expected to drink and exhibit different levels of foolishness.  Gronkowski was merely celebrating a season that would never have happened if it wasn't for his talent.
     Those who pose the cross-examination that Gronkowski was too hurt to play, but not too hurt to dance and drink at the after party, the answer is undeniably YES!  There is a big difference between dancing like an asshole, and being sought out by three top-tier linebackers who are trying to keep you on the ground for 60 minutes straight.  Keep in mind also, that Gronkowski attempted to play, and was sidelined.  He was not asking to be placed on the injured list, and there was no question as to the severity of his injury.  In fact, this Monday, Gronkowski will be having arthroscopic surgery on his ankle.  There is no dispute that he was injured, and there is certainly no question to the loyalty of his team.
      So Rob Gronkowski dances like a douche bag.  He takes his shirt off too much, and listens to bad music.  He is apparently too extroverted for his own good.  But, those who are harshly criticize him and call for his ouster from the team should really take inventory on what he actually did wrong.  While there was some questionable behavior, getting really drunk and dancing like a dick is hardly a punitive offense. 

Air: Le Voyage Dans La Lune

     

      In 1902, La Voyage Dans La Lune, a silent film about a trip to the moon, was released to the masses.  Now, 110 years later, Air decided to colorize and remaster the short film, and lend their talents to create an appropriate soundtrack.   Air's downtempo, spaced out M.O. is the perfect rocket fuel to facilitate the trip to the moon.
      Air did a wonderful job tweaking their sound to fit the movie.  Where many artists will pick and choose songs to score a soundtrack, Air clearly composed the songs with the movie in mind.  Air thickened their sound, using beefed up layering to empower the silent film.  La Voyage Dans De Lune shows that, even though Air has created and set the bar for lounge music, they are not afraid to experiment with their sound.  The ambitiousness of the band is tangible throughout the album.
    A few issuea arise with this new album.  Air released a full length, albeit very short, album to a 15 minute silent film.  The result is a tendency for songs to meander on before sputtering out of gas.  The songs fail to hold their strength for their entire length.  Conversely, being a soundtrack, this album floats from one sonic theme to another, and lacks the typical Air focus and cohesion.  While listeners will certainly applaud Le Voyage Dans La Lune's experimentation, its tread on multiple emotions and sounds will leave the heavy Air fan seeking more a more grounded thesis.  La Voyage Dans La Lune is a great album, and will certainly be a notable 2012 release.  In the catalog of Air albums, however, this will fall short of a classic.

*Fans of the Smashing Pumpkins will enjoy watching the film Le Voyage Dans La Lune,  as it serves as the premise of their 1996 Breakthrough video masterpiece, Tonight, Tonight.

Gangrene: Vodka & Ayahuasca

         Gangrene is a rap duo (The Alchemist and Oh No, respectively) based out of Southern California.  In the past two years, they have worked incessantly to produce a large body of work. Their Sophomore LP, Vodka & Ayahuasca, was released in early 2012.
     Gangrene has followed the current Left Coast trend of combining outrageous lyrics, with the stoner-friendly loops.  The result is a dark album;  exchanging playful psychedelia for bad trip gravitas.  Many of  the lyrics are tongue-in-cheek, and the album should be taken with typical rap culture hyperbole (the two rapper do not really dabble in black market organ trade).
     Despite the sound and off the wall subject manner, Vodka & Ayahuasca is not a nonchalant, quick, collaboration.  The production is pristine, and the album has a astoundingly cohesive feel; one song, and deranged thought, tactfully slithering into the next.  Both parties show off their musical chops and compositional ear, as the two flavor the album with guitar heavy riff rock and psychedelic loops and blips.
     Vodka & Ayahuasca may not be for everyone.  Even the most avid gangsta-rap fans may not be able to digest the albums heavy sounds and themes.  Those who are able to listen to the album with the awareness of the West Coast abstraction that it presents will find an interesting listen, a genre dancing album, and a concrete frame of reference to the underground rap scene.  It may not go down in the books as one of the greatest, but it is a pleasant listen.

Snoozer Bowl

   

  EDIT to preface I am an avid football fan and watcher.
      It's that time of year again.  Americans from across the world will come together in food, beer, commercials, and football for Super Bowl XLVI.  It's an exciting time for not only fans of the respective teams, but for sports fans in general.  This year has been a great NFL season, full of surprises and standouts.  As the regular season sauntered into the playoffs, the games became even more exciting; with the all the 4th quarter and overtime shockers, no victory was secure until the teams were in the locker room.  On multiple occasions, favorites were taken down by the most unexpected underdogs.
      It is unfortunate that, after the most thrilling NFL seasons in recent memory, the two most deplorable, most incumbent franchises have made it to the Super Bowl.   Both the NY Giants (except for Eli Manning) and the NE Patriots are teams that are both unlikable.  For the most part, the entire Super Bowl is devoid of a fan favorite, or an agreed upon "good-guy" to root for.   While it is true that most viewers have never have an invested interest in the game, as obviously only two teams make it per year.  In this deja vu match up, very few people will have any interest.  I, for one, will watch the game, as I almost always do, but will almost certainly be bored to tears.  I guess I will root for the Giants since I HATE Tom Brady and kind of like Eli Manning.....how's that for enthusiasm?

 I wish I could write more on this, but I'm so painfully apathetic about this Super Bowl I have nothing else to say

Gotye: Making Mirrors

     Gotye (real name Wouter "Wally" DeBacker) has been around for several years, though very few people, especially in the United States, have heard of him.  With the release of his third Album, Making Mirrors, the cat is out of the bag.
        Gotye, a multi-instrumentalist, uses his own talents and the aid of a talented producer, to produce a simply amazing art-pop album.  Gotye has long utilized instruments from all continents of the globe, but until now, has been unable to congeal them into a cohesive album.  Where his previous efforts would document his extensive knowledge from one song to the next, Making Mirrors ties his musical globetrotting into cohesive, easily swallowed, pop songs that are full of emotion and tact.  There are only a couple of instances of Gotye wandering off in too avante-garde a territory, but his keen sense of pop structure reels him back in.  Gotye opts to bundle his work into a retro-pop genre( a style befitting for his voice, which is reminiscent of Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, and Sting), but layers each song with loops of the unique instruments that made him famous in the first place.  The result is an album that can be appreciated on both a critical and popular plane, and be enjoyed with as much superficiality or depth as the listener chooses.  Despite the painfully catchy songs, Making Mirrors is not a work of bubblegum pop;  an extreme amount of toil has gone into this work of art.