Moonface | With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery A Review

Moonface has released its third album recently called Heartbreaking Bravery. Moonface is one of the many projects of Spencer Krug former co-frontman of the now dissolved Montreal indie rock band Wolf Parade.  The last Moonface album which was a purely solo effort, Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped was released last year and was filled with Krug’s signature voice and (you guessed it) organ music. The album was not the strongest work released by Krug to date, as each track was quite long and noticeably experimental.  Fast Peter is the only true standout track on Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped and highlighted what makes Krug a likable song writer.     

With the new album, Moonface is accompanied by the Finnish band Siinai who are best known for their instrumental post-rock.  What came about is something quite different from the last Moonface album, an album filled with emotional anthems with lyrics grounded in a sense of anguish and yes heartbreak like the album’s title would imply.  The track Yesterday's Fire has a dominant drum rhythm throughout with the background filled with an ever-present series of notes played on keyboard which creates a desirable drone affect.  Shitty City starts off with an extended instrumental portion of fast paced synth riff which leads into a brief but poignant set of lyrics conveying regret for not leaving a place sooner; the song may be short but it leaves an impression. There are two standout tracks on this album, Headed for the Door and Teary Eyes And Bloody Lips. They were rightfully released before the Heartbreak Bravery came out in its entirety because they are the two songs that highlight when this collaboration between Krug and Siinai really shines. Both songs are subtle in their execution of the more emphatic moments that come as the song plays through, the way that the cymbal splashes out along with the keyboard when the line “I headed for the door” is sung a number of times at the end, and those little keyboard interludes throughout Teary Eyes And Bloody Lips. It’s these small touches that make them great songs and the best of the album.

Heartbreak Bravery is by far the best Moonface album to date, however, the album projects a sense of unmet scope as though it was trying for some kind of grand emotional anthem. Instead it is much more of a subtle album filled with roughly defined tales of heartbreak and unfinished business.   

M. Ward | First Impressions of A Wasteland Companion

M. Ward stands apart from many folk indie music acts. The lead vocalist Matt Ward has made a name for himself over the past decade or so, contributing to projects like She & Him and the supergroup Monsters of Folk. Ward might not be a household name but there is no doubt that you have heard at least one song from him in the background of a TV show, movie or even more likely a coffee shop. Recently, M. Ward released its latest album A Wasteland Companion. This is Ward’s eighth album with the last one being 2009’s Hold Time, which came out to very positive reviews and was considered by some to be one of the best albums of that year.

A Wasteland Companion is slightly more upbeat than Hold Time while still holding true to the musical style which made M. Ward the well liked folk act that it is. Ward illustrates his ability to perform his charming and well-crafted lyrics in his signature haunting vocal style throughout the album. The lyrics in the track Sweetheart (which features Zooey Deschanel) has a character and cadence that only come from a truly playful and positive creative place.  Clean Slate features a simple acoustic guitar along with a banjo picking progression; the song’s lyrics are straightforward while still managing to leave a lasting impression.  The entire album plays out like a warm summer’s day, full of familiar sounds and an overwhelming sense that in simple things we can find the greatest comfort.  

There is no doubt that this album and its music will find a home in the hearts and minds of fans of Ward, but it may also find some traction with others who have found themselves more and more drawn to this sort of music. Fans of Fleet Foxes last album Helplessness Blues may be drawn to A Wasteland Companion as they both come from a similar stylistic place. With Ward’s penchant for working collaboratively, would it be completely out of the question to hope for a Fleet Foxes/M. Ward project to appear out of the musical ether? Putting aside any wishful thinking, we know one thing for certain, that A Wasteland Companion offers just what you have come to expect from this artist, breezy acoustic guitar progressions which match the voice of Ward so well you could hardly envision him singing accompanied by any other instrument.  

Lower Dens – Nootropics A Review

Lower Dens are a new wave synth band that call Baltimore Maryland home. It is hard to call something new wave anymore given that the genre has been around for over twenty years and all it is hardly new at this point. Perhaps it’s better to call bands with qualities similar to the great new wave originals Joy Division or The Cure by some other genre moniker, something like: The Children of The Wave or just Nue Wave (or maybe something less awful than those suggestions). The lead singer of Lower Dens is Texas native Jana Hunter, her voice is really the centerpiece of their latest album Nootropics. She has this earthy alto voice that sounds dark and burdened, exuding the qualities and characteristics that suggest an unfulfilled desire to be set free.  The melodies that line each of the tracks of Nootropics have this nice droning feel to them matched with compelling synth riffs. You get the sense that the power which is released in tracks like Brains and Candy rests in the tight rhythmic buildup. What this does is it takes the listener on a dimly lit musical journey, leading to a subtly impactful apex. Simply put the result is good, very good, which for those who have been paying attention to the new music being released so far this year is far too rare of a thing.

Lower Dens may be a relatively new band having only come into being in 2009 but they have managed to make something of value with Nootropics. The best examples of Lower Dens talents can be found in the tracks Brains, Candy and Nova Anthem all of which are must listens for anyone looking to extend their musical libraries. 

Sentridoh | Taking a Look At Weed Forestin’

Sentridoh was a side project of the bassist for Dinosaur Jr. Lou Barlow way back in 1990 and the album Weed Forestin’ has now been rereleased in several different formats including a version in all its original cassette glory. What has been rereleased is not the original version of Weed Forestin’, it has been remastered, although it is hard to think of this album as something that has been smoothed out. The ultra low-fi sound that encapsulates the style of this album is often duplicated and mimicked by current bands who try so desperately to make their digitally produced music have the characteristics of something that has come from an analog medium.  It’s hard to blame imitators for wanting their music to sound like that of Barlow’s, the background hisses and pops like that of an original Billie Holiday album. The charm of Weed Forestin’ is in the imperfections in the songs, an off note here and there and spoken word portion that starts as a poetic exploration of love and needs, only to end abruptly in brief self-deprecating jag.  Knowing that this album released over two decades ago only puts into perspective the impact this low-fi style of indie folk has had on the culture at large.

The track Subtle Holy Gift is filled with this breezy guitar matched with simple drum rhythm, its playful nature sets the tone for the whole album. The falsetto sung throughout the track tells the listener that this music is not to be taken, oh so seriously. It is supposed to be fun, and it is. Then there is Whitey Peach which could be best described as an honest acoustic love ballad for all those “horny young apes” out there. The thing which is attractive about this album is just how short and sweet almost all of the tracks are with only one song on the whole album cracking the three minute mark. It is as if the whole album is more or less a sample of things to come, of ideas and riffs for songs that would go on to be written by Barlow in a more articulated manner.   

It may be that what really allures people to music found on Weed Forestin’ is that it charms the listener into believing that if they had the proper inspiration they too could make an album to similar effect as Weed Forestin’. This is not true.  The idea that every aspiring musician has a great album or even a good song in them, is just not realistic, most people lack the ability to articulate whatever it is within them that might be worth sharing to others.  That being said, Lou Barlow seems to have created something in Weed Forestin’ which has managed to survive the twenty some years that it has existed and still remain an engaging listening experience.  

Freddie Nunez | A Review of Runaway

Freddie Nunez a musician from Moreno Valley, California and with his latest release, Runaway he now has three self-released albums under his belt. The latest was put out this past January and is filled with mellow gold. His style is very friendly to those who associate their music listening time with a good time to relax. Runaway is filled with tracks that provide a great escape for the listener and do so with a distinctive and accessible manner.   

Freddie Nunez seems to take some of his musical cues for this album from the early work of Seattle’s Band of Horses, in the way some of his songs echo a soulful and restrained presence like he has spent a life time patiently standing in the rain waiting for his bus to arrive.  Then there is the track Sun which has much more of a Radiohead feel to it as a result of the extended guitar and rhythm interludes accompanied by haunting simple vowel laced vocals. Let’s not compare Freddie Nunez music directly to Radiohead though since that would be an oversimplification and we wouldn’t want anyone’s head getting too big. Also, the album isn’t so derivative though that it lacks any of its own charm, the track Lion’s Den has a very subtle but satisfying hook in the way Freddie executes the chorus, “How they chase me out”.    

All and all Freddie Nunez latest album Runaway is well worth the $5 it costs to download it from his Bandcamp page. As well if you like Runaway there are other projects of his available for download at a “name your price” rate, which is always a plus.