Album Review: Bon Iver (Self-Titled)

Let me start this post with a preface: I was not going to review Bon Iver's new album in light of how everyone else in the world already had their say about it when it leaked. However, I came across a hilarious article listing all of the adjectives used by major reviewers to describe this album, and I now feel compelled to write a review that (I hope) does not rely on thin adjectives like "experimental," "breathtaking," "beardy," or "not something you would describe as angelic." If you want to make a list of the adjectives I use in this review, go ahead. My hope is that the list is not very long, and that it does not read like a page from a thesaurus (or, more accurately, www.thesaurus.com). Okay, preface over.
Now in a complete contradiction to that last paragraph, I would like to start this review with an adjective: full (easy one, right?). What I mean by the use of full is along the lines of "totally qualified, accepted, or empowered; complete in every particular," (via Webster's Dictionary). Within this album, Justin Vernon and company (a lot of company) manage to rotate through instruments, vocal effects, and styles with ease, creating an overall product that remains "full" throughout all of the changes.

Like the new album, this picture could easily be described as "plaid-y"

The opening track, "Perth," could probably fool those who have only ever listened to "Skinny Love" into thinking that this was Vernon's version of Bob Dylan's Newport Fiasco. However, this track (and album) is not the old music with amplification. The opening guitar line uses the audio effect of playing two notes next to each other to create a warble or "beat" in the sound, which usually signifies that either the player is terrible at tuning a guitar, or he/she knows something about audio effects. Within the larger context of the song, I'm just going to guess that this case is the latter. The two drum sets, multiple guitars, and horn section take that dissonance and agonize with it, creating what is probably the heaviest track on this album.
Things calm down with the next songs, "Minnesota, WI," and "Holocene," the former of which begins with an African rhythm soon replaced by 80's synth lines and Vernon's auto-tuned voice in the baritone register, a rarity on this album. The buildup of this song witnesses the reappearance of a distorted electric guitar, which fittingly appears after Vernon sings the line, "Never gonna break, never gonna break." You won't hear me personifying music very often (as I personally believe most of what passes as personification in music is total crap), but the heavy guitar and drums seem to bring with them whatever it is that could do the breaking.
Other notables on this album are "Hinnom, TX," and the radio-friendly "Calgary," which has unofficially appeared as the lead single from this album. "Hinnom, TX" again finds Vernon singing lower with a lot of slapback echo in the sound, creating a song that sounds very similar to Spoon's "The Ghost of You Lingers." "Calgary" and the final track "Beth / Rest" both sound like songs that didn't make it onto the Gayng's album Relayted. If that doesn't help you, the Itunes review of Relayted is the best piece of music writing in the history of music writing: "Gayngs sounds like an art-school loft party at four a.m., DJ’d by trip-hoppers who forgot to caffeinate for an all-nighter." So, um, there you are.

There are zero differences between this picture and Gayngs.

Speaking of Gayngs, those who have only listened to Vernon's work should probably check them out along with Volcano Choir. It's kind of a chicken and egg situation as to whether Vernon's work with these projects influenced the new Bon Iver sound or if Vernon's musical direction had already evolved before working with these other projects, but I think those who feel a little disoriented by this sound as opposed to the sound of For Emma would benefit from hearing these endeavors to better understand how this album isn't a complete departure from what Vernon has been doing.
While I can understand why people might not see the obvious connection between the new album and For Emma, the ethos of the sound has remained pretty constant from first album to second. I am using the idea of fullness to describe the new record, but even though For Emma contains probably 1/16th of the number of instruments as the new album, I would not hesitate to use the same label for both albums. While a different manifestation of the idea, For Emma contains harmonies and ideas that exploit the simple voice and guitar format to such a level that the new album, for all of its bombast, acts as the natural progression from the first. Now that Vernon has new toys at his disposal, he does not hold back in using all of them. The end result, as I said in the beginning, being a "full" sound. I'm not exactly what is full of, but I'm guessing maybe, "plaid-clad, mountain man, mythological, almost naive, raw-honey yacht rock." But that's just a guess.


As an addendum, I would like to apologize if my writing is convoluted in this post. I am going on few hours of sleep from driving to Iowa City to see Yo La Tengo last night, about which I will post quite soon. Thanks for reading.

Album Review: Battles, "Gloss Drop"

Full disclosure - Before this album even came out, when it was announced that Tyondai Braxton was leaving Battles, for a short time my life goal was to replace him and be in this band. I would call myself a fan. However, I do not think that disqualifies me from looking at the album, Gloss Drop, with a discerning eye. But just so you know.

***

Last year, a friend and I went to a local theater to see The American, a Focus Features film starring George Clooney very much in the European slow-burn thriller genre. My friend, not being used to the drawn out camera pans and the West Wing-style "walk and talks," fell asleep soon into the movie. I must admit, I had a hard time with the entire thing; growing up on Mission Impossible and the Bourne series, I have an affinity for movies where shit blows up within the first fifteen to twenty minutes. 

The reason for this anecdote that none of you care about is that Gloss Drop plays out like one of Lynch's slowest burners; while the innovation shown in their first full length, Mirrors, still comes through, there are no tracks like "Atlas" or "Ddiamondd" that take that innovation and bash you over the head with it a la Jason Bourne. Instead, the main features of this album are the 6+ minute songs that take time to develop, as the trio get creative with keyboard and guitar loops and, as always, drummer John Stanier's robot arms. 

The secret to Battles' rhythmic intensity

The lead track, "Africastle," sets the stage for the rest of the album with a slow buildup of processed guitar and bass loops, and the "main section" doesn't really occur until 1:50 when Stanier a slightly off-balanced beat around which the guitar licks mutate into variations on certain ideas. This continues until the instrumental breakdown, from which the track never fully recovers. As an opener, I am glad they didn't give too much away on the first track, but I do think the climax of this song happened relatively early, leaving room for what could have been a second buildup or (my favorite) a false buildup. 

The rest of the disc features an interesting array of guests. With the departure of Tyondai Braxton, Battles had to find different vocalists to appear on this LP. While losing a quite-talented lead singer, they were able to nab some impressive talent for cameos on this disc. "Sweetie and Shag" features Blonde Redhead singer Kazu Makino, who dubs over herself to create a tone that mirrors that of the processed guitars backing her. With such a unique voice, however, she would have to try not to steal the show in this song, which, to an extent, she does. An interesting cameo is from Gary Numan (this guy) in the track "My Machines," an angst-ridden track (appropriate for Numan) in which the trio behind keep to a minimal pallet of materials to let his voice carry through."Ice Cream," the radio-friendly second track that was released as the first single off of this record, features the talented chops of Chilean-born sound artist Matias Aguayo. This track begins with one of my favorite buildups of all time, with Aguayo grunting on the beat that slowly speeds up with keyboards and drums in the background. When the buildup ends, the drums cut out for a few measures, but when they come back in they create the most danceable Battles track I have ever heard. To be sure, there are numerous technical aspects going on in this song, but none of them overpower the straightforward delivery of a fun track that a friend affectionately called, "day-drunk music," which I can only assume means it would be fun to listen to this music during the day while drunk.

Stare deeply into his eyes.

My favorite track, "Sundome," features sound artist, Dadaist painter, DJ, and all-around crazy person Yamantaka Eye, known most prominently for his work with Japanese hard rock band Boredoms. This sprawling, 7+ minute track feature countless guitar lines clashing with Yamantaka yelling what sounds like random syllables (which he has done in the past). The drums do not enter until 3:45, in which Stanier lays down a straightforward beat. However, the polyrhythmic guitar and keyboard melodies that surround the drums mask any sort of simplicity in style. Yamantaka sings using a generous amount of echo, pitch shifting, and formant altering, calling to mind work by The Knife or, more apropos, Battles in "Atlas." Actually, if it weren't for the long buildup into the meat of this song, I believe it would have the potential to be Gloss Drop's own "Atlas."

Like most (talented) artists, evolution between discs is to be expected (for evidence, check out my review of Iron and Wine's live show in support of their new album). This makes any sort of comparison quite difficult, especially when the members of a group change between albums, as well. In losing what appeared to be their frontman, Battles return with a slower burning album that may not have the same initial appeal as Mirrored but can be listened to numerous times while still finding new aspects of the creative apparatus of the band. If only they could get Yamantaka to join the band full-time.

Live Review: Iron and Wine @ People's Court, Des Moines, IA; 6/9/2011

“Okay, for this next song, we are going to take it down a bit and play a song for everyone who came to hear ‘Naked as We Came,” mused Iron and Wine frontman Sam Beam in the middle of his headlining set Thursday night at People’s Court in Des Moines, Iowa. This acutely aware statement characterized the mood of the evening, as Beam and company presented a raucous 90-minute set that had all of the teenage beauty queens expecting the Garden State soundtrack shifting uncomfortably.

Not the same.

Indeed, the most striking aspect of the show was just how much Beam has evolved since Our Endless Numbered Days. Gone was the solo, coffee-shop demeanor; instead, Beam was joined by 10 others on stage: a guitarist, bassist, two percussionists (one of whom was Joe Adamik, better known for his work with experimental group Califone, and who also looks conspicuously like the Macalester College Media Services Director Brian Longley), a keyboard player with three different Korg synthesizers at his disposal, and a sassy horn trio. Beam himself seemed quite comfortable in the spotlight, interacting with the crowd and even responding well when someone yelled, “Your hair is better than George Michael’s!” which, Beam admitted, no one had ever said to him before.

Also not the same

And while this new setup fit nicely with songs off of the newest album Kiss Each Other Clean such as “Me and Lazarus” and “Your Fake Name is Good Enough for Me,” what really shone through were his re-imagined versions of classic Iron and Wine songs, such as “Wolves” (from The Shepherd’s Dog), which evolved into a 10+ minute jam complete with drum machine and one of these things; and “My Lady’s House” (from the Woman King EP), which built to such great heights (sorry) that both drummers were pounding away at their cymbals while the brass section and female vocalists provided Beam a platform from which he could stretch his vocal range.

By the time they were three songs into their set, it was obvious that these musicians were digging into repertoire of the 60’s and 70’s to find inspiration for the live show. Beam seemed to be stretching his legs – in the size of the group, variety of musical influence, and general demeanor, they consciously pulled away from the voice that initially propelled them to fame. Whether this is a permanent change or only one stage of Beam’s musical journey is unknown; I certainly could see him returning to the sound of Our Endless Numbered Days following such an expansion in sound.

Not to be discounted were openers The Head and the Heart, a sextet from Seattle. Compared to the seasoned veterans on stage for Iron and Wine, the median age of this band looked to be around 22. Cast in Spin magazine as a band leading the charge of the “New Americana” movement, they certainly exuded the charm associated with some of the other acts in that list (The Avett Brothers, The Low Anthem), an earnest demeanor that sometimes felt like they were saying, “We are terribly sorry that our amps are this loud.”

But to call this band Americana and leave it there would be a great disservice; instead, their dynamic sound seemed to stem from a generation who grew up listening to equal parts Neil Young and Arcade Fire. Co-frontman Jonathan Russell shoelessly stomped along with the beat, and multi-instrumentalists Charity Rose Thielen and Josiah Johnson added stellar three-part harmonies to round out the band’s sound. I would have liked to hear more of Thielen by herself, however, as she only really let her syrupy voice loose on the final song to the appreciation of the audience. (On a side note, Des Moines shows always seem to have an abundance of bass drum in the mix, something I truly appreciate. I think its because of this guy.)

I spoke with Thielen about coming to the Midwest (it was the band’s first time in Iowa). “The Midwest is such a unique geographical area,” she said. “The culture here – people are friendly pre- and post-show, which I personally love.”
Beam echoed the sentiment during his set. Every time the drunk guy next to me yelled, "You should come back to Iowa!" Beam assured us he would. Judging by how big the crowd was, I think even if a few people were disappointed by his departure from his earlier style, he would find just as big a crowd next time he comes to town.

Setlist:

Boy With a Coin

Me and Lazarus

Summer in Savannah

Walking Far From Home

Wolves (Song of the Shepherd’s Dog)

Lovesong of the Buzzard

Half Moon

Arms of A Thief

Devil Never Sleeps

The Sea and the Rhythm

Your Fake Name is Good Enough For Me

Lion's Mane

On Your Wings

House By the Sea

Love and Some Verses

Lady’s House

Tree By the River

Encore: Rabbit Will Run