The Needle & The Groove

What Sophomore Slump?

February 11th, 2010 § 0

It’s no secret that follow up albums often fall a little flat. Whether it be Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the Kaiser Chiefs, the Fratellis, or any number of other bands, sophomore albums often leave us wanting more. Too often a band tries something new and unfamiliar with disastrous results, or worse, tries to reproduce the magic of their first album…becoming stagnant and hackneyed. But on occasion, some bands build on their initial success, moving in exciting and impressive new directions (see the Arcade Fire, the Pink Mountaintops, or Phosphorescent, for example). A pair of recently released sophomore albums by Vampire Weekend and Yeasayer do just that. With a sense of familiar novelty, both groups have managed to produce fantastic and entertaining new records.

The Vampire Weekend stormed onto the scene with the release of their self-titled debut album in 2008. The quirky lyrics and catchy beats made that album a whole lot of fun to listen to…kind of like a perpetual spring break. The band’s newly released follow-up album, Contra, lacks a little of that playfulness…that inescapable air of youthfulness (for example, you won’t find anything quite so silly as “who gives a f#@% about an oxford comma?”). But this isn’t a bad thing at all. The band seems to have matured and grown a little, and their sound has matured with them.

Vampire Weekend – Horchata

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

There is still the ghost of the jovial in this album, but it has been tempered. And despite this, it still works. The sound is familiar, but the effect is completely new and exciting. Now, this isn’t to say that the band has forgotten how to have fun, they are now just having a more grown up good time.

Vampire Weekend – Cousins

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

And Vampire Weekend isn’t the only band to have outdone itself with their sophomore album. I’m always a little nervous when a band’s first album is almost too good, and Yeasayer’s All Hour Cymbals was just that. It always leaves me wondering where the group could possibly go…how they could possibly make great better. Yet with the release of Odd Blood, Yeasayer has done just that. The album’s first song, “Children,” is a distorted, atonal, noisy song that seems to announce to everyone that this album is going to be different. Yeasayer doesn’t try to hide that fact…they shout it from the rooftop! And Odd Blood is different. The strong beats and percussive repetition of All Hour Cymbals gives way to the lyrical, almost ballad-like tracks of Odd Blood…and the change is refreshing.

Yeasayer – I Remember

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Again, the band has managed to hang on to just enough of the familiar to remind us why we loved them in the first place, but they’ve taken it further…or if not further, in an exciting new direction. I can’t say that it’s better, but it is most definitely not worse…it is equally great, and that is saying something.

Yeasayer – Ambling Alp

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Posted by the Needle

Share:

The Needle & The Groove, Mixtape Vol. 2

February 6th, 2010 § 0

It’s been a while since our last official mixtape, but better late than never, right? You can check it out here and here. The tape is a mix of songs we have written about since the last mixtape, so sit back, enjoy, and remember the good times…and as always, let us know what you think.

The Needle & The Groove, Mixtape Vol. 2 (Pt. 1) (Pt. 2)

1. So Many Ways to Die – Bombadil
2. Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
3. Night and the Revolution – These United States
4. Baby Boomer – Monsters of Folk
5. A Mighty Leviathan of Old – Vandaveer
6. I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked – Ida Maria
7. Puppets – Atmosphere
8. Run – The Urban Sophisticates
9. This Way (featuring Median) – Tab-One
10. Hold on (featuring Erykah Badu) – Pharoahe Monch
11. Slow Down (featuring Black Thought) – Chiddy Bang
12. Prescription – Wale

Posted by the Needle

Share:

Coward’s Anthem

February 3rd, 2010 § 0

Since the Needle and I started this blog, I’ve been meaning to post about my favorite local band, The Urban Sophisticates. Based out of Greensboro, NC Urban is officially composed of six members, two on vocals, and others on trumpet, trombone, drums and bass guitar. Brothers Benton & Aaron James perform the vocals – Benton tackling MC duties, while Aaron brings an R&B and soul influence to the tracks. Due to the sound and size of the group, they naturally gain multiple comparisons to the Roots.

The Urban Sophisticates – “3 Minute Promo Video”

At a Talib Kweli show my senior year of high school I was able to catch the group open and was captivated by their unique, professional sound. Live, the group brings incredible energy and enthusiasm to their performance – some songs are outright dance parties, others become much jazzier, smoother and mellow. After the performance, I picked up both a cd and a t-shirt – in large part because I was hooked by their song, “Chapel Hill.” As a proud Chapel Hill/Carrboro native, I loved the song dedicated to marrying a girl from my hometown.

The Urban Sophisticates – “Chapel Hill”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

On disc, their sound is much more laid back and darker – but equally addicting. The album I picked up, “Coward’s Anthem,” is my favorite output of theirs and truly deserves acclaim. Each song fits well within the sound of the album and its completely void of filler. Refreshingly, Benton’s lyrics are not laced with arrogance and anger like stereotypical hip-hop lyrics – but rather speak to insecurity, struggles, and topics more relateable to a wide-spectrum audience. Since being put on to the group I’ve tried to make the majority of their concerts at the Cradle – and traveled to Greensboro to see them open for Talib Kweli a second time.

The Urban Sophisticates – “We Can Watch It All”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

By far the most impressive part of the band to me is they are truly great people. I don’t know them at all personally – though I did have a run in prior to a show. I had shown up much earlier than the band was supposed to perform, early enough that the club they were performing at was still serving dinner. Recognizing I was out of place and there for the show, the band invited me to eat dinner with them before they performed. Needless to say, their hospitality was much appreciated. Its obvious from their shows that this large group of diverse musicians truly just loves making music together – and the crowd definitely feeds off it.

The Urban Sophisticates – “I’m Feelin’ It”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I’m not going to post too much of their music – as you can buy it on iTunes – so I greatly encourage you to pick it up. Also, for local readers – they’ll be playing a show February 17th with other local hip-hop acts Inflowential, Kaze, & the Beast.

Posted by the Groove

Share:

Who, What, Where, When, and Wye

January 26th, 2010 § 0

The road-trip has come to an end at last. Final tally: 6,057.6 miles, 15 states, 3 oil changes, 1 tune up, and the District of Columbia. All told my brain is a pile of mush right now, and I’m not sure I ever want to see a car again. Despite that, though, I did hear some great music during my travels, and for the last week or so, I have barely been able to stop listening to the Baltimore based duo, the Wye Oak.

The Wye Oak is Andy Sack and Jenn Wasner, and for all of you who are wondering, they took their name from the state tree of Maryland (I may have learned that during my oh so pleasant drive through the ridiculous Baltimore traffic). The group started out as The Monarch and independently released their first album, If Children, in 2007. Soon afterward, though, they picked up a label and a new name. In 2008, Sack and Wasner signed with Merge and became the Wye Oak…and for the life of me, I can’t tell whether this is a good or a bad thing. Believe me, it pains me to say anything bad about Merge…after all, they are the home of the Rosebuds, M. Ward, the Shout Out Louds, and oh so many more great bands…but in this case, I feel as though the Wye Oak has lost a little of what made them unique and exciting.

Wye Oak – “Please Concrete”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

If Children is a rough and gritty mix of folk sounds with ambitious ventures into harsh psychedelia that come together in sweeping, moving, and entrancing ways. The surprising and abrupt jumps from quiet folk to screaming guitars and pounding drums is strangely effective, and never distracting. And the album is successful because these occasional trips into psychedelic folk are tempered by songs oozing with sweet vocals and pleasant piano backing.

Wye Oak – “Keeping Company”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Merge re-released If Children in 2008, and the band has since released their follow up album, The Knot. But The Knot lacks the creativity and grittiness of the band’s debut album. The sound has become noisy and heavy…and for lack of a better term, normal. The album seems less fanciful and somehow more oppressive. This doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have its moments (the song “Tatoo,” for example, is fantastic), but on the whole, it lacks the vitality and energy of If Children.

Wye Oak – “Siamese”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I’m not sure what this means for Wye Oak, and I’m not sure which direction they will go with their next album…but I do know that I’ve barely been able to put down If Children in the past week. The album is a showcase of the band’s talent, and well worth a listen…or four.

Posted by the Needle

Share:

Let’s All Go To The Lobby!

January 16th, 2010 § 0

So the Groove and I recently got a little bit of press from the folks over at Cinema Romantico, a film blog out of Chicago. If you’ve never checked out their site, you should definitely do so…and we just want to send out a hearty thanks! So, in recognition of those of you who dwell in the realm of the cinematic, I thought I would put up some recently released music videos. So settle in, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the show.

I’ve written before about Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. As if their music wasn’t great enough, the band has decided to start releasing music videos as well. Everything about the group is epic (for example, the tour with as many as ten members), and why should their videos be any different?! Rather than release a one-off, typical, run of the mill music video, they have embarked upon a feature-length movie musical extravaganza. The movie is being produced in 12 parts, and so far “Desert Song” and “Kisses Over Babylon” have been released. I can’t say I fully understand any of this yet, but hey, it’s only parts 1 and 2! Can’t wait for the next ten!

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Part 1: “Desert Song”

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Part 2: “Kisses Over Babylon”

Ok, so I’m aware that both of those are a bit heavy…and frankly, a little odd, so I thought I would lighten it up a bit with the next two videos. The first is the song “Aerosmith, Take Me To The Other Side,” by the San Francisco based, “hammjamm” band Still Flyin’. Don’t ask me what a “hammjamm” band is…Still Flyin’ made up the term…but no matter what it means, it’s a good time, and I think this video proves it. And yes, that’s the band dressed up as Aerosmith. And I have to say, this song fully captures my own idea of Hell…Aerosmith, ugh.

Still Flyin’ – “Aerosmith, Take Me To The Other Side”

It’s hard to know exactly how to lead in to this next video…but here goes: Michael Cera giving a drug induced cosmic hug to Nicholas Thorburn. What more can I say?!

The Islands – “No You Don’t”

Well to finish up, I thought I would move away from officially released music videos and share some some fantastic, fan-filmed performance videos. All of these come from the music site, La Blogotheque, which is easily one of my favorite music blogs. Now I realize that it helps to be able to read French when you visit their site, but you don’t have to know a foreign language to enjoy their Les Concerts A Emporter series. They have dozens of these sessions, and they are all amazing…here are just a few of my favorites. Enjoy.

The Antlers – “Two/Epilogue”

Vandaveer – “Woolgathering/Roman Candle”

Tallest Man On Earth – “The Gardener”

Vive le cinéma!

Posted by the Needle

Share:

The Next Generational

January 9th, 2010 § 0

I’ve been a bit out of commission lately. In the past three weeks, I have been in or through thirteen different states, driven almost 5,500 miles, and had three oil changes and two car-washes. While all the travel hasn’t left me a whole lot of time to write any new posts, it has given me a chance to listen to a lot of music that I have been meaning to catch up on…and of all the bands I’ve been listening to over the past few weeks, the one that has stuck with me the most has easily been the Generationals.

The Generationals is the project of New Orleans based Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer, though they are joined by a number of other musicians and performers both on their album and in their live shows. Their debut album Con Law was released not too long ago by Park the Van Records. I first heard of Park the Van through Dr. Dog…I had caught one of their shows a long time ago, and the label was giving away free sampler cd’s to anyone who would take them. And while that first sampler didn’t exactly blow me away, the label has since picked up bands like The High Strung and The Spinto Band…and with their signing of the Generationals, it is clear that the label continues to expand, experiment, and explore in exciting and entertaining new ways.

The Generationals – “When They Fight, They Fight”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

It’s hard to classify the Generationals. Their songs run the gamut, pulling together a range of sounds and instruments that gives each song a unique and exciting feel. And these songs don’t just show a range of creative sound, they pull together influences from several generations of music…everything from 50’s sock hop to 90’s indie rock, all with a new twist…a 21st century hint of novelty. The song “When They Fight, They Fight,” for example, screams of Motown influences from the 60’s. It’s as though the song was ripped straight from my father’s oldies collection…yet the it doesn’t sound old-fashioned or hackneyed…it sounds new and original. Most impressively, none of the songs on Con Law sounds repetitive. “When They Fight, They Fight” might sound like a familiar oldie, but just listen to a song like “Wildlife Sculpture” and you are transported to the synth-inspired sound of the 80’s. The Generationals truly pull from generations, creating an album that is unique yet familiar…novel, yet comfortable.

The Generationals – “Wildlife Sculpture”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

And as if the album weren’t enough to elicit novel nostalgia, the band has also released a video for their song “Angry Charlie.” Ahh, the joys of the Polaroid.

The Generationals – “Angry Charlie”

Oh, and GO BENGALS!!!!

Posted by the Needle

Share:

Chiddy Bang

January 4th, 2010 § 1

So one thing I had a lot of time to do in India was listen to music. Unfortunately, I had a terrible internet connection and zero access to my full music library – which led me to listening to a lot of stuff I had played out already. Fortunately, I had just added Chiddy Bang’s first mixtape Swelly Express to my iPod two weeks before I had left. I loaded up the album in anticipation of seeing them open for Mike Posner’s show at Cat’s Cradle (a great show, but Chiddy only had a 20 minute set). I had given it significant play during exam week, but having it on repeat for about 7 straight days allowed me to really appreciate it.

Chiddy Bang – “Kids (Remix)”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I had first heard of Chiddy over the summer when they released a remix of MGMT’s “Kids” to much critical acclaim. I withheld judgement until they had a catalog bigger than 3 songs, and since then the group has recorded a very successful premier mixtape in Swelly Express. The duo from Philly – Xaphoon, the producer, and Pro the emcee, are both highly talented, and it shows on tape. Xaphoon producing the majority of the material is a highly refreshing deviant from the prototypical Lil Wayne style mixtape. Swelly chronicles -through music and skits – the group’s journey from Philly to New York, as they meet with record labels and prepare for their future. For me, the most annoying part of the album are the numerous skits that often come at the beginning of tracks and diminish the replay value of some of my favorite songs.

Chiddy Bang – “Pro’s Freestyle”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The first song to make me say, ‘wait a sec, this group is pretty good’ was “Pro’s Freestyle”. Pro just goes in on a verbal exercise, unleashing a wide array of metaphors, similes and creative lines – my favorite of the bunch being, “People ask me how you make the world feel it, I say it’s DNA – it’s just in my double helix”. The line isn’t too spectacular or flashy, but for some reason – the way its set up or something – its my favorite line on the album.

Chiddy Bang – “Slow Down”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The next song that particularly stuck out to me was “Slow Down” featuring Black Thought. Black Thought, a fellow Philadelphia native, – though never discussed here – is one of my favorite emcees in the game and easily one of the most underrated. He delivers the most memorable verse on the album (understandable, he’s been doing this for over two decades) giving advice to the young group.

I know it now, wish I knew it then
Diminished returns, I burned through a few a them
Remember when I was in the position you were in
Shit’d be different if I had it all to do again – oh to be new again

There is something about the way BT rhymes – its so effortless but packs more meaningful content into the lines, its just remarkable.

Chiddy Bang – “Truth”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I can’t get this far without mentioning “Truth” – a type of track I see Chiddy being highly successful with. In a style very similar to their “Kids (Remix)” – has a dance/electronica vibe – “Truth” is catchy but doesn’t cause Pro to step down his game lyrically either.

Chiddy Bang – “Never”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Just another favorite track of mine (but you get the idea regarding skits…) I highly encourage you download the tape here.

Share:

The Needle & The Groove

What Sophomore Slump?

The Needle & The Groove, Mixtape Vol. 2

Coward’s Anthem

Who, What, Where, When, and Wye

Let’s All Go To The Lobby!

The Next Generational

Chiddy Bang

Categories

Blogroll