On the Dial: Blizten Trapper

Destroyer of the Void by Blitzen Trapper
By Mr. Design Girl

 
*email subscribers - head to the Apt528 blog to hear tracks from the album
If Bob Dylan's John Wesley Harding had babies with Electric Light Orchestra's music catalogue, Destroyer of the Void would be their middle child, never getting enough attention or recognition. 

Destroyer of the Void is like a trip back in time. The title track sets a mellow, folksy pace with acoustic guitars and keyboards playing a harpsichord melody. After listening to the song, it was hard to believe it was released in 2010 and not thirty-five or forty years ago.  That could be said for most of the album. "Dragon's Song" sounds like Creedance Clearwater Revival or the Allman Brothers Band with it's classic rock/Americana rhythms.  Johnny Cash would be proud of "The Tree", an excellent folk song featuring Alela Diane, a little known soloist with a pure classic folk sound that gives you a warm sunny feeling. Her voice hits you like streaks of sunlight coming through a willow tree on a hot summer day.

Bandleader and lead vocalist Eric Earley easily channeled classic rock and folk legends through his vocals. "The Tree" has him sounding almost precisely like Bob Dylan while "Laughing Lover" and "Below the Hurricane" could easily be mistaken for Tom Petty's crooning lyrics. "Love and Hate" could be sung by John Lennon OR Eric Earley and no one would be the wiser. By the way, the guitar and keyboard on "Love and Hate" are the best on the album so check that track out for sure!

Blitzen Trapper is quickly climbing the ranks of the indie scene. Not bad for a band that got their name from something printed on the side of a winnebago!


Sounds Like:
  Bob Dylan
  Johnny Cash
  Neil Young & Crazy Horse
  Creedance Clearwater Revival
  Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

On the Dial: Cold War Kids

Loyalty to Loyalty - Cold War Kids
By Mr. Design Girl

I've been meaning to review the Cold War Kids ever since Mrs. Design Girl suprised me with tickets to their show at The Orpheum (the same spot we caught Mika) this past winter.  The band had tremendous energy and stage presence and the distinctive voice of lead singer Nathan Willett was just as amazing live as it is on the album.  

On Loyalty to Loyalty, the Cold War Kids go a little darker than their first album, Robbers & Cowards, and set a mood that's palpable and gritty, with raw emotion pouring out of every note.  In each song, you can feel the strain in Willett's voice, demading your attention as he spins you a story.  "Something Is Not Right with Me", the first song realeased off Loyalty, is amazing.  It's a high energy diatribe of personal problems and dilemmas. My favorite verse concerns our crooner trying to call his girlfriend with a less than desirable outcome: "I tried to call you collect, you said you would not accept. Your friends are laughing, 'cause nobody uses payphones."

 

I can't recommend Cold War Kids enough, I've seen them in concert twice now (I first saw them at the Bonnaroo Music Festival way back in 2007) and really look forward to them coming around again. Their music has a truly original vibe to it...I can't wait to see how it grows and changes on their third album due out later this year. If you're a fan of indie rock on any level whatsoever, Cold War Kids should be in your top ten.  A few songs you can't miss are: "Mexican Dogs", "Against Privacy", "Welcome to the Occupation", "Golden Gate Jumpers", and "Avalanche in B", just to name a bunch.

I guarantee you'll like the Cold War Kids or your money back! (No refunds of any kind.)

Sounds Like:
  Black Keys
  The Raconteurs
  Arctic Monkeys
  Modest Mouse
  The Fratellis

On the Dial: The Strokes

The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth

I know this album came out three years ago, but The Strokes are working on a new album and I'm so excited that I just need to review something by them.

The Strokes are my favorite band and definitely one of the most original sounding music acts in a long time. Based out of New York City, this quintet was focused on attaining an indie-rock sound that was the norm for NYC in the 1970's.  They nailed it! Everytime I listen to a Strokes song I can almost feel the denim jacket on my back, smell the cigarette smoke in the air, and feel my feet sticking to the grimy beer-soaked barroom floor.

First Impressions of Earth is the third album from The Strokes and although it's not their best album it would be insane to call it, or ANY if their records for that matter, their worst.  The album kicks off with "You Only Live Once", one of my favorite tunes to play along with on my bass.  Later in the album, Albert Hammond Jr., the lead guitarist, shreds on "Heart In A Cage" delivering such a cool riff that it makes me want to drive a really fast car...well, really fast.

Speaking of awesome riffs, "Ize of the World" has the coolest of cool riffs throughout the choruses of the song. The other really interesting thing about that track is the way it ends so abruptly. For the longest time I assumed that the version I had (I burned a copy from a friend) was cut off and didn't have the complete song. It turns out that's the way it's supposed to end though! The last line of the song is "cities to vaporize" but it cuts off before Julian, the lead singer, finishes the word "vaporize" because like the song, the world was vaporized.  Genius!

If you only have time to catch a few highlights from this album, you can't go wrong with the three songs I mentioned, or just put the CD in and hit shuffle.  They're all good.

Now that I've written this review I want to listen to some Strokes and drive to a grimy dive bar and see some really good rock music. Until then I will have to be content with playing my bass along to the songs on my record player and pretending to be on stage with the band!

Sounds Like:

  Julian Casablancas

  The Libertines

  Franz Ferdinand

  Interpol

  The Hives

On the Dial: Mika

Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much

by Mr. Design Girl

I was lucky enough to see Mika perform his unique musical stylings a few months ago at The Orpheum with Design Girl. I knew his first album Life In Cartoon Motion from dozens of car rides with my lady rocking out to timeless pop tunes like "Lollipop", "Grace Kelly", and "Relax, Take It Easy" (which he opened the show with). This new album (it came out last September) is chock full of dancy, up-tempo pop songs that make for an amazing live show.

"We Are Golden" is currently my favorite Mika track by a landslide so I was thrilled to hear it live at the concert. The song has an epic, larger than life feel to it, and the chorus was made to sing-a-long with: "Teenage dreams in a teenage circus/ Running around like a clown on purpose/ Who gives a d*mn about the family you come from/ No giving up when you're young and you want some." By this time in the concert, the energy was palpable and there wasn't a single rear end in a seat.

The Boy Who Knew Too Much is a feel good jaunt through a musical fantasy world that's well worth the listen. Do yourself a favor: rent a convertible, get some over-sized sunglasses, pop this album on, and take a sunny day car cruise, because happiness is here to stay. Other essential tracks off of this EP are: "Blame It On the Girls", "One Foot Boy", and "Dr. John" just to name a few.  Now relax, listen to the whole album and feel good about the world for awhile.


Mika - By Design Girl

Queen is my favorite band of all time.  There's never been a singer quite like Freddie Mercury.  The lyrics, the musical compositions, the flamboyant stage presence.  Everything Queen played had an powerful force behind it.  Need proof, check out Queen's 1985 Live Aid video.  Best live performance EVER!

Gay or not, I'm quite positive Freddie had an illegitimate son and his name is Mika.  There are many times throughout Mika's albums when I have to double check who I'm listening to.  Both men live(d) in a candy-colored world of their own where you can like them or not but their music's here to stay regardless.  Mika even reminds me of Freddie during his performances.  Take a look at the music video for "We are Golden" to see what I mean. If he was alive today, this is the music video Freddie Mercury would have made and the song he would have sung.

Apparently I'm not the only person who sees a little Freddie in Mika.  He's been compared to Mr. Mercury so many times that he included it in his song "Grace Kelly" from his first album Life in Cartoon Motion: "So I tried a little Freddie/I've gone identity mad."  He even does a quick Freddie impression that sends chills up my spine.  Just to set the record straight, the song is about him trying to buck all the molds people were trying to put him in, not about him actually trying to be like Freddie Mercury.

As Mr. Design Girl said, seeing Mika (my favorite current music act) perform live was unbelievably incredible.  First off, he started the concert in a bear astronaut suit.  Afterward, he changed into a white ensemble.  Minutes later, his gyrating caused his pants to split.  No worries, he just changed them on stage.  The crowd, composed mostly of gay guys and 20-something girls, went WILD seeing Mr. Mika on stage in his tighty-whities!

All-in-all, I think Life in Cartoon Motion is Mika at his best; his second release just doesn't have the same magical power behind it.  Many of the songs seemed like leftovers from the first album while others like "Toy Boy" and "Good Girl Gone" seem more like filler than anything else.  Perhaps his third album will be bursting full of fresh ideas.  Still, I enjoyed The Boy Who Knew Too Much.  My favorite song is "Touches You."  The gorgeous harmonies and bouncy melodies make you want to get on your feet and dance.  If you like Prince or Queen you'll love this song.  Next, I love "We are Golden," Mr. Design Girl's fave...it's such an empowering song - listening to it makes me want to join together with a bunch of people and paint the world with rainbows!  If you're looking to slow things down a bit, check out the 20's jazz flavored "Pick Up Off the Floor". This song makes me feel like I'm at a speakeasy listening to a songstress on the mic.  I agree, if you're feeling at all depressed or need to know there's good in this world, listening to Mika will definitely make everything better!

*on a design note, the album covers, posters, and shirts on Mika's site are full of amazing colors and whimsical imagery.  This is one time when I'd say it's okay to hang a music poster on your wall, as long as it's done tastefully with a nice mat and frame!

Sounds Like:
  Scissor Sisters
  Queen
  Lady Gaga
  Lily Allen
  The Ting Tings

On the Dial: MGMT

Congratulations - MGMT

When MGMT released a free download of "Flash Delirium", one of the tracks off their new album Congratulations, fans of their first album Oracular Spectacular were less than happy. Ben Goldwasser, one of the two full-time band members, released a statement saying in short, "I'm sorry." But what is he sorry for? This album is good, maybe even great.  It hasn't had the mainstream success that Oracular Spectacular had with the singles "Kids" and "Time To Pretend" but that doesn't mean MGMT is suffering from a sophomore slump.  They simply broke the mold after their first album and started fresh with all new sounds.

  I'm a huge fan of the synth-laden feel good party tunes from their first album, but this second effort has me really paying attention to MGMT. They put down the synthesizers and picked up just about everything else laying around the studio.  Now, instead of churning out a handful of radio hits, they ended up with a geat example of modern psychedelic rock. In my opinion, "Siberian Breaks" is either going to be the track that reels you in or throws you back. It's a twelve-minute journey that will leave you speechless.  

If synch is your thing, feel free to listen to bands that only deal in the synth world, but with Congratulations, MGMT is showing everyone they're capable of a whole lot more than that. I think it's a solid second effort from the duo (turned quintet on the road) and I can't wait to see them in concert!

Sounds Like:
  The Flaming Lips
  Hot Chip
  The Klaxons
  LCD Soundsystem

On the Dial: Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire - Funeral

This past weekend my mother- and sisters-inlaw stayed with the wife and I.  With four girls in the house, we did a lot of shopping.  Being a sucker for vinyl, I bought a couple of awesome records on our Newbury Street excursion, one being AC/DC and the other Funeral by Arcade Fire.  It's ridiculously good!

Arcade Fire is a seven-member, twenty-instrument, indie rock band from Montreal.  Though I'm just discovering the awesomeness of Funeral six years after it's 2004 realease, I've been a fan of Arcade Fire for quite awhile.  Getting this album just put me head-over-heels for them. Case in point: I learned "Rebellion (Lies)" on my bass the day I got the album.

Funeral is rock solid and I'm not the only one who thinks so.  It was nominated for a Grammy (it didn't win, boo!) and ended up on a multitude of year-end lists - Rolling Stone chose it as the number six album of the decade while it was number three in Paste Magazine's 50-Albums of the 2000's.

I recommend listening to any album you buy front to back, track one to track done, but if you can only sit still for a song or three here are my picks off this LP.  First, "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)", one of their first real singles.  Written during a power outage in Montreal and full of energy and angst, "Power Out" is one of the darker tracks on a fairly dismal album.  Arcade Fire isn't a band that evokes joy. My second pick, "Wake Up", one of the most powerful songs I've heard in the past few years.  It starts with a single bassline and builds and builds into an explosion of voices that sends a rush of energy through you. Each time the song approaches the chorus and the singers join in together I feel it inside! I love that song.

Finally, "Rebellion (Lies)" is a great song with a steady rhythm and great female vocal accompaniment. Out of all the songs on this album this track is the most commercially accepted.  Most likely you've heard it on the radio already and loved it just as much as I did.

Regardless, grab this album and become a fan because this band isn't finished making amazing music!

Sounds Like:

  The Polyphonic Spree

  Vampire Weekend
  The Decemberists
  Wolf Parade
  Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

On the Dial: Go

Jónsi - "Go"

Jónsi Birgisson is the lead singer of Sigur Rós, an Icelandic ambient rock group that brings emotion to light through music.  "Go" is Jónsi's solo debut and also (with the exception of "All Alright" off Sigur Rós' latest album) the first album recorded in English, which to some is appalling and to others amazing. I side on the amazing side - now I can finally ascertain the meaning of the lyrics in other songs!

Despite being a "solo" album, Jónsi stays true to Sigur Rós' sound by incorporating heavy drum beats with airy flutes and woodwinds. The electric guitars have been mostly cast aside for their acoustic siblings, while the cellos and other orchestral strings are present and accounted for.

There is almost too much to review so I will keep it short and sweet. "Boy Lilikoi" is a whimsical and festive encouragement to live life to the fullest and enjoy it all the way with lyrical refrains like, "...use your life, the world goes and flutters by..."  "Animal Arithmetic" is a percussionists daydream with a joyful rhythm throughout and plenty of woodwinds to add that necessary floating feeling to the track. The whimsy of this album is mixed with emotion on tracks like "Hengilas" and "Grow Till Tall."  Die-hard Sigur Rós fans should be happy. If you want to feel something in the music you listen to, get this album!


Sounds Like:
  Brian Eno
  Bjork
  Sigur Rós
  The Arcade Fire
  Massive Attack

On the Dial: My Spektor Perspektive

Regina Spektor - Far

By Mr. Design Girl

This week I'm giving you my "perspektive" on Ms. Spektor's latest effort, Far, released late last June. Before this album I hadn't heard any of her songs on mainstream radio. Now when I tune into 101.7 WFNX I'm almost guaranteed to hear a song by her, making Far Spektor's most commercially acceptable album so far (no pun intended. Or was it).

*email readers, go to the blog to hear songs from the album

It's funny the way that happens, Regina Spektor has released several albums before Far with little commercial appeal. Years later she's being played on a loop at radio stations. The funny part is, this album (although it is good) is not her best work in my opinion.

Now, don't get me wrong... I love this album, it just isn't her best (try Soviet Kitsch). I don't know why, Far just didn't strike me the way her other albums have. There are plenty of great moments on this CD though. One of my favorite tracks is "Genius Next Door", a classic Spektor diatribe. The lyrics are moody and full of imagery and her piano work is elegant throughout the song. Another good cut, and one that's seen a lot of radio play, is "Eet" (eat). She reprises the lyrics from the opening in the third or fourth verse and changes her inflection, adding emphasis and emotion on the words; it's really something special.

The only part of this album where I really stepped back and said "I don't like this at all" was during the dolphin sounds she makes on "Folding Chair". She's quoted in Spin Magazine saying, "I could have just sampled a dolphin but barking like one is so much more fun to do." That I can totally respect, but do I like it? No.

**Design Girl here.  I don't usually weigh in on the music posts, but I'm a Regina lover so I had to put in my two cents.  While I agree that Far isn't as amazingly amazing as Spektor's older albums, I loved the songs "Machine" and "Dance Anthem of the 80's"...they'll definitely add some quirky fun to your day.  In a mellow mood? Try "Laughing With," and "Human of the Year."  This album isn't as raw as her other albums which is probably why it's gone so commercial and has less appeal to her old fans; this album has a studio feel to it.  Still, it's decent and definitely worth your money.

Also Try:
  Fiona Apple

  Bjork

  Ella Fitzgerald
  Corinne Bailey Rae
  Ben Folds

On the Dial: Dropkick Murphy's - Live on Landsdowne

The Dropkick Murphys - Live on Landsdowne
By Mr. Design Girl

*sorry but we're having technical difficulties here at Apt528 so no music player today :(

The legendary local heroes from Quincy, representing both Boston and Irishmen everywhere, are dropping a special St. Patty's Day album (with bonus DVD) that any self-respecting Bostonian should own. 

This festive record was put together using songs from several Dropkick Murphy shows all around Beantown during the 2009 St. Patrick's Day season. All your classic sing-a-long and drink-a-long tunes are present  and accounted for (except, much to my chagrin, "Barroom Hero") on this epic, 20-track, live album.

Despite a couple of missing classics, the Dropkicks deliver with their usual high energy live performances and great versions of "The State of Massachusetts", "Flanigan's Ball", and "Tessie".

The creamy head on this pint of Guinness is the closing track, "I'm Shipping Up To Boston", the classic soundtrack cut from "The Departed". The special surprise of the song: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones! That's right Dicky Barrett and the rest of the Mighty Mighties show up, and the crowd shows its appreciation big time by erupting at their emergence on stage.

So...wear some green, grab a pint, and listen to some Dropkick Murphy's because it's St. Patrick's Day and today everyone is Irish!

On the Dial: Muse - The Resistance

Muse – The Resistance

By Mr. Design Girl

The British rock trio Muse is at it again with their third album, The Resistance.  While a large portion of bands tend to fail after their sophmore slump, Muse just gets better and more ambitious with every track they record.

Matthew Bellamy, lead singer and guitarist, is a huge fan of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and it shows throughout this album with his falsetto crooning and the deep, artsy imagery his lyrics evoke.  I can't get over the bass and drums throughout the album. ”Hysteria” and “Knights of Cydonia”, tracks from their past albums had beautiful, technical bass lines and drum arrangements, but this album has Muse at the top of their “low-end” game. Listen to the bass lines on any song at any point on the album and see what I mean.

The same could be said for the guitar work and singing. Bellamy is a seasoned song-writer whose epic and crunchy guitar work compliments the melodic bass and aggressive drumming.

My favorite song on the album is the title track “Resistance”. It's untouchable on the bass guitar, has unbelievable drums, and the vocals and lyrics are superb yet again. If you're not into Muse, listen to "Resistance" and and your mind will be changed in no time.  Better yet, try “Exogenesis: Symphony”, a three track symphony done by a rock band. ‘Nuff said!

Other Bands That Rock Like Muse:
  Radiohead
  The Who
  The Killers
  Coldplay
  Led Zepplin

On the Dial: The Flaming Lips

You probably noticed I've been adding music to some of the blog posts lately.  That's because I'm a HUGE music fan.  So is my husband.  In fact, I'm pretty sure it's our love of music and burgers that keeps our marriage together!

That's why the hubby and I are teaming up to bring you a new weekly feature called "On the Dial".  Each Wednesday, my husband, a.k.a. Mr. Design Girl, will share with you the latest and greatest tunes from our diverse music library.

So kick back, crank up the volume, and enjoy!

On the Dial: Dark Side of the Moon by The Flaming Lips
By: Mr. Design Girl

The Flaming Lips are a psychedelic rock band that’s been doing their thing since 1983. They recently recorded a cover version of the album “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd. I’m a huge fan of both bands so I had to hear this.

I re-listened to the album this week and was quite impressed. Pink Floyd isn’t an easy band to cover and ”Dark Side of the Moon” is one of the more familiar rock albums around. But, the Flaming Lips really stepped up to the plate, so to speak, with this endeavor. Granted there are moments where the band falters, but there are many shining points throughout the album that even the harshest of critics would enjoy.

“On the Run” is one of those shining points and although I say shining it is more dark and sinister, the feeling of this track is captured nicely and the title says it all when it comes to what that feeling is. You literally have a sense of running away from something, and the constant bobbing and running sensation is excellently done. “Us and Them” is my favorite song by Pink Floyd, so it wasn’t a surprise to me that The Flaming Lips didn’t deliver on this one.  Despite doing well, it just didn’t get the job done for me.

I could say the same for “The Great Gig in the Sky”.  It’s one of the best tracks from the original album but it seems a bit watered down when redone here and at times far too distorted and over done with effects. Again, a good job but when compared to what it is paying tribute to, it just can’t stand up.

The best track on the album is the last track: “Eclipse”. It has such a great energy to it and seeing the band perform this song live at the end of the show would be a moving experience. The flipside of that would be “Money”…it just doesn’t work for them and for me, it’s one of those songs on the “Do Not Cover” list.

Overall, the album was okay.  If you're a fan of either band it's worth a listen.

Give It a Try If You Like:

 Radiohead

 Modest Mouse

 Sonic Youth

 The Arcade Fire

 Beck