Return of The Strokes | First Impressions of Angles… Not Earth

 It’s been five years since The Strokes last album was released back in ’06, but since First Impressions of Earth members of the world famous band have produced some memorable side projects. Not the least of which was lead singer Julian Casablancas’s solo album Phrazes for the Young, which touted a heavy array of musical elements that would never be heard on a The Strokes album, such as synth loops and melodies that diverge from The Strokes garage band style of music.

Angles as an album has much of what you would expect from a The Strokes, great hooks, a sense of raw emotion behind the lyrics and a philosophical undertone that says; I’ve been fucked with but I don’t really care anymore. The track Games has a synth portion, so it looks like Julian’s side project has bled into the creative development of Angles after all.   

Call Me Back is the most distinctly unfamiliar track on Angles, its pace and tone are all but strangers to the band’s catalogue of songs. With a The Beatles-centric soft and slow picking progression that fills the track’s background, this track stands out as a new direction for a band that is known for rattle and hum tracks like New York City Cops.  Gratisfaction has a bit of a Queen vibe to it, mostly because at times Julian’s vocals lean a bit on Freddy Mercury’s all or nothing style of singing and the familiar drum rhythm.   

As an album that was described by the band’s bassist as “a return to the basics” there are plenty of innovative songs on Angles that are far from what you have heard from The Strokes in the past. When it comes to where this new album stands along side that of its predecessors, Angles would fall in second to last place, right after Room on Fire and beneath First Impressions of Earth and Is This It.

Fleet Foxes | Helplessness Blues

The Fleet Foxes will be releasing a new album May 3rd 2011 called Helplessness Blues. For those of you who remember, Fleet Foxes released their self-titled debut album back in 2008 to rave reviews. The folk infused baroque pop style of the band left a distinct impression on anyone who had the please of listen to them. Dreamy and gentle are the best ways to describe the Seattle, WA. based band and they have not missed a step with their latest Helplessness Blues. Listen to the title track from their upcoming release. Enjoy.

The Pauses | Review of A Cautionary Tale

The Orlando, Florida based three-piece The Pauses will be releasing their debut album entitled A Cautionary Tale on March 8^th. The Pauses have a surprisingly well formed sound for a relatively new band. Its members, Tierney Tough, Jason Kupfer and Nathan Chase don’t pull any punches with their straightforward brand of indie rock. The band’s lead singer, Tierney Tough has a vocal style that bears a similarity to that of one of Canada’s leading ladies in the indie rock scene, Emily Haines of Metric. Don’t think so? Listen to the third cut off of the album, The Migration and you will be pleasantly reminded of a few tracks on Metric’s Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? album.

The album art which was done my Travis Lampe of Chicago may lull any potential listeners into a scene of childhood nostalgia. A Cautionary Tale cover depicts what looks like a re-envisioned interpretation of Random House’s Little Golden Books children series. The choice of a debut album cover in style that evokes childhood memories may be intended to create a pavlovian response for record store shoppers. So, if you find yourself reaching for A Cautionary Tale before bed just know that The Pauses have rung their bell and you came. Don’t feel bad though, because you will be listening to a diverse album with enough of familiar and original elements to keep you engaged for a long time to come.

This may be the first time you’ve heard of The Pauses but based on the quality of their first album it will definitely not be your last.       

Fishboy | Taking a Look At Classic Creeps

The lighthearted indie pop act from the great State of Texas, Fishboy are set to release their seventh album Classic Creeps. If you are only hearing about Fishboy for the first time you’re not the only one. The band, which is based out of Denton Texas, has spent the past ten or so years in relative obscurity. Hopefully their seventh album will mark a change in their obscurity, because one thing is for certain, Classic Creeps is a special kind of wonderful.  

Classic Creeps has a distinctively upbeat style that closely resembles that of a long done indie act Neutral Milk Hotel. Healthy amounts of horns, piano and guitar, matched with the vocal styling’s of lead singer (the Fishboy himself) Eric Michener come together to make something that might remind some of The New Pornographers, lest Neko Case. All of these elements come together in Classic Creeps to tell the stories of people and places that have been brought to life by individual needlepoint portraits which accompany each song and also collectively constitute the album cover. That’s right Fishboy’s album cover is rocking grandma’s needlepoint handiwork French Knots and all. There is nothing like a little make it yourself initiative in creating a unique album cover, just ask the boys of My Grey Horse. These individualized needlepoint portraits that accompany each track do serve a purpose, in that they provide the listener an instant point of reference otherwise who would about Alyson Revere’s internet addiction or Alberto Simmons’ bloody nose. Each person’s song on Classic Creeps, fictional or not, have been brought to life by the natural texture depicted in the lyrics of each song. The songs depict regular people through the eyes of charismatic musicians making each track on the album pleasant and colourful character studies.     

Fishboy’s Classic Creeps is no doubt going to make it onto a few "best of" list by the end of 2011.       

The Study Band | A Review of the Suns Single

The Study Band is a relatively new act currently based out of Portland Oregon. This duo, made up of Eric Morelli and Jack Roberts, has already produced and toured with their debut album From a Limb. More recently, The Study Band released a new single, entitled simply as Suns. The three tracks of the Single, Suns I, II and III, are meant to mirror the movements of the sun itself, but we will get into that in a minute.

Eric Morelli who handles the lead vocals and guitar for The Study Band also released an EP last Halloween under the band name Neon Death Ranger.  The contrast between Neon Death Ranger and The Study Band’s tone and content is a testament to either Morelli’s versatility as a musician or the influence Jack Roberts has over The Study Band. Morelli may have been good in Neon Death Ranger EP but his star really shines in The Study Band’s Suns.

Suns I is a mostly instrumental track.  Piano, guitar and some light background synth make up the majority of Suns I, it’s calm and pristine like any good dawn should be. And if you ever wanted to know what a sunrise sounds like for the duo that constitutes this band, this track would be it. Suns II has a distinct quality to it, whenever you have sleigh bells permeating an entire song you might think its Christmas, but they fit well with the song none the less and the tracks vocal are reminiscent of Keane’s Tom Chaplin. The final track, Suns III moves back and forth from spoken word to more of a pop-centric refrain powered by a hip-hop loop. 

The Study Band’s Suns Single is worth a listen for anyone who is interesting in new and emerging musicians.