"Should've
took the high road, now my days have all turned black," vocalist Madeline
Follin coos, squeezing through an airtight rhythm section on new Cults single
"High Road". The song still floats along with the same breeziness as
the 60s girl-pop signposts the NYC-band swears by, but it's more than just a
musical buoyancy Cults share with "Myrmidons of Melodrama" The
Shangri-Las. It's a pained realization of the unknown. In "Remember (Walking in
the Sand) Mary Weiss was struggling to recall the memories of the boy she
once knew, "the boy who said he'd be true," as a harrowing piano cast
a shadow over her every recollection. Here Follin can't find her own coordinates
("no one really knows whose house I'm in") while a scrawling organ
runs interference. When the high and low roads begin to blur together, an
instrumental meltdown ensures Follin's lost status. There’s not relationship cartography
to map unchartered territories and Garmin doesn’t make a GPS to help you avoid heartache.
Plotting a course in life it's easy to lament a wrong turn you've taken,
particularly when the way out is "such a long way back."
Cults new album Static is available October 15 courtesy of Columbia.
Girl-pop acolytes Cults are prepping their second album Static and in the run-up they've already released a mysterious teaser trailer, and now the static is starting to take shape with first single "I Can Hardly Make You Mine". Madeline Follin's effervescent vocals thread the needle through a dense wall of sound (a la Phil Spector) and a noticeably heftier guitar than anything on the first record. Are they mirroring the moment many cults go playful to militant? Only judgment day will answer that question. Until October 15 comes, don't drink the Kool-Aid.
R. Kelly & Phoenix Hook Up
As previously mentioned on the blog, Phoenix was flirting with the idea of working with R. Kelly in the future. Now it seems that the flirtation has become an actual relationship, and the pair will be releasing a remix of Bankrupt cut "Trying To Be Cool". The band posted the above cover to their Instagram account earlier today, though no official release date has been announced. If waiting has you all hot and bothered, beat the heat with the original or check out this remix to the remix of "Ignition".
Electric Lady
The release date for R&B/soul/funk chameleon Janelle Monáe is swiftly approaching and the now the announcement will leave more than a few fans wishing September 10 would get here already. The album will continue the futuristic, dance-addled dystopian nightmare of the ArchAndroid and Monáe will have more than a few collaborators to help tell the tale. In addition to single "Q.U.E.E.N." featuring spiritual progenitor Erykah Badu, Monáe will be splitting time with: Solange, Miguel, Esperanza Spalding, Big Boi, and the Purple One himself...Prince. A two-disc edition is also in the works, which will stretch the guest-list to include Cee-Lo. Check out the tracklist below and after the jump, the video for the electronic-bounce of "Q.U.E.E.N."
The Electric Lady:
1 Suite IV: Electric Overture 2 Givin Em What They Love ft. Prince 3 Q.U.E.E.N. ft. Erykah Badu 4 Electric Lady ft. Solange 5 Good Morning Midnight 6 PrimeTime ft. Miguel 7 We Were Rock and Roll 8 The Chrome Shoppe (Interlude) 9 Dance Apocalyptic 10 Look Into My Eyes 11 Suite V: Electric Overture 12 It's Code 13 Ghetto Woman 14 Our Favorite Fugitive (Interlude) 15 Victory 16 Can’t Live Without Your Love 17 Sally Ride 18 Dorothy Dandridge Eyes ft. Esperanza Spalding 19 What an Experience
20 Q.U.E.E.N. [feat. Erykah Badu] [Wondamix] 21 Electric Lady [feat. Big Boi and Cee-Lo Green] [Dungeon-Wondamix] 22 HYTB 23 I Want You Back
Check back in again tomorrow for the newest in new(s).
As an added boost to his rapping status, begun on the "Oldie" posse-cut, OF-crooner Frank Ocean has posted lyrics on his Tumblr of what appears to be his own rewrite of the summer smash "Versace." "I'm wearing some Dickies, they cost 30 Euros, I'm not even into Versace," goes the final couplet. No word yet on if the song will make an official appearance anytime soon, though Ocean will be appearing at Drake's OVO Festival in Toronto next month, so we may not have to wait long.
Cults announce new album
Cults 2011 self-titled debut was an idyllic slice of 60s girl-pop with a modernist glaze and ripe-picked quotes from actual cult-leaders to circumvent the sweetness. Come October 15 the band will be back with a new take on the recipe entitled Static. Out via Columbia Records, the LP enlists the aid of Shane Stoneback (who worked on their original album) and Ben Allen (best known for doing production work with Animal Collective and Youth Lagoon). Check out a promo clip for the album here which features some gargantuan sounding 60s surf-pop.
"Byegone"
Justin Vernon (he of Bon Iver fame) is readying his second collaborative as Volcano Choir, his experimental-pop project with fellow Wisconsin natives Collection of Colonies of Bees. In the run-up to the release of Repave, they've debuted the video for first single "Byegone." The understated grandeur of the track is reflected in the video which features numerous skyward shots of a massive tree redecorated with light bulbs. Repave is out September 3 via Jagjaguwar.
"Hot Knife"
In the tradition of past highlights: "Paper Bag", "Fast You Can", and "Limp" Fiona Apple has re-teamed with ex-boyfriend Paul Thomas Anderson (the man most recently behind The Master and There Will Be Blood) to produce a video for The Idler Wheel... closer "Hot Knife". The stark black-and-white paneled video also features Apple's sister Maude Maggart who sung on the original tune. Just a few short months after The Idler Wheel dropped notorious recluse Apple booked it back into the shadows, so celebrate every piece of news we get.
Since I didn't deliver the goods yesterday, I'm back with a double-dose today. That's right you'll be getting six albums instead of the usual three as we move closer to the coveted #1 spot. But first, a recap.
30. 4- Beyonce
29. The Dreamer, The Believer- Common
28. Just Once EP- How to Dress Well
27. Alien Observer- Grouper
26. Step Brothers- Don Trip & Starlito
25. Cole World: Sideline Story- J. Cole
24. Weekend at Burnies- Curren$y
23. Suck It and See- Arctic Monkeys
22. Celestial Lineage- Wolves in the Throne Room
21. The Whole Love- Wilco
20. Bad As Me- Tom Waits
19. Live, Love, A$AP- A$AP Rocky
#18 Helplessness Blues- Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes are hopelessly preoccupied with the past. For them music stopped as the 60s came to an end. This is the most modern-sound the band approximates, often dipping into timeless folk-balladry. They long for a time they can never live in and this album represents that deep-desire to go back in time, if only in their mind.
“So now I am older than my mother and father, when they had their daughter now what does that say about me,” Robin Pecknold asks on the serene opener “Montzeuma.” With the voice of an Appalachian angel, he turns an eye to his own past, lamenting what he “used to be.” The song supplies rustic guitar work and harmonies that would make the Beach Boys proud. On “Bedouin Dress,” the groups utilizes Irish-tinged violin and recalls the restorative waters of Innisfree. “Just to be at Innisfree,” they join in singing, longing to be at the tranquil place once more. The jaunty “Battery Kinzie,” sees the band break gently from this pattern of nostalgia, focusing on a present problem. The track is a flimsy relief however, as Pecknold can’t help but dwell on what led him to losing his love.
Though the band spends a great deal of time dwelling on the past both musically and lyrically, on the title track Pecknold obsesses over his present station. “Just tell me what I should do,” he demurely demands. On this album, Pecknold’s past is a bright and glorious land to which he can never return, his present and future mysteries he is helpless to solve.
"Grown Ocean"
#17 21- Adele
Hopeless romantic and jilted lover. Adele inhabits these roles with a “fire starting in her heart,” as she croons on “Rolling in the Deep.” The moment that voice first emerges with the subtle guitar playing, you know this is a woman that’s been wronged, someone who’s suffered. She doesn’t need to go any further, one line paints a thousand pictures. The fire burns out of control on the propulsive chorus where Adele reflects on her heart being helplessly crushed. “We could’ve had it all,” she screams, her recollections the gasoline to the forest fire that is her former relationship.
That raging fire becomes a delicate ember on “Turning Tables,” Adele is lost, breathless under someone’s thumb. The cold piano-figure further quells the flames that burnt within her at as she has to convince herself she’ll “be braver.” Adele continues to look longingly into the past on the blue-eyed soul of “Don’t You Remember,” where she can’t help but wonder if she’s even still thought of. Desperation is a demon she can’t seem to shake, “just take it all with my love,” is the plea on “Take It All.” The piano-laden track, common to this album, leaves Adele listlessly floating in sea of conflicting emotions.
The great irony of this album is that its strongest, most redemptive moment comes in the most fragile package. The alluring “Someone Like You,” is the one of the finest closing tracks in years. “Never mind I’ll find someone like you, I wish nothing but the best, for you too,” she maturely sings over a single piano. Here her power comes in admitting defeat. The fire of “Rolling in the Deep,” has been put out, as Adele knows her former love found someone else. She can now move on, but knows it won’t easy. It’s bittersweet for the 23 year old, and a brutal reminder for the listener, that love is rarely an easy emotion. “Rolling in the Deep,” may be the catchy single that moves the body, but “Someone Like You,” is the heart and soul of this record. It’s a forlorn soul longing to be loved, staying cautiously guarded through the years. If age is just a number, then that number on the cover is lie. On this record, Adele has spent an eternity in and out of love.
"Someone Like You
#16 Wounded Rhymes-Lykke Li
Can this even be the same Lykke Li? On 2008’s Youth Novels she hesitantly proclaimed her love, “I think I’m a little bit in love with you,” she cooed on “Little Bit.” That shyness is now gone. Li is no longer afraid to open up and on Wounded Rhymes it takes her to places she knows all too well.
“Oh my love, I’ve been denied it. Oh my love is unrequited,” on the albumLi is fractured, but instead of wallowing in pain she finds power in it. The meditative ballad of “Unrequited Love,” is beaten senseless by “Get Some,” a galloping track where Li declares “like a shotgun needs an outcome, I’m your prostitute you gon’ get some.” Here Li is in a bold new place, in total control, wrapping a sad-sap around her finger. It’s Li at her most dominant, and she gleefully seizes the reins.
With the Ronettes-indebted “Sadness is a Blessing,” Li takes up sadness as her boyfriend, wondering if sorrow will be her only lover. The song’s deep drums and soaring chorus betray the pain Li is in. Li is pathetically hopeless on the stunning “I Follow Rivers.” When I first heard the song, it was my pick for song of the year and in the months since, nothing has changed. The track similarly employs a grand-sweep, masterfully concealing the desperation of the situation. “Oh I beg you, can I follow?” she pleads, willing to follow her unreciprocated love into the depths of the deepest sea. The disconnect between Li’s assertiveness and the situation at hand is staggering. Li is finding power in pitiful circumstances, convinced that things can change.
The love Li sings of on this album is complicated. It’s a love grounded and starry-eyed, empowering yet deflating, painful but comforting. These wounds may cut Li deep, but they are ultimately scars of strength, earned by an old-pro who’s been to battle before.
"I Follow Rivers"
#15 Hilarious- Louis C.K.
If I had no discretion in putting together this list, this album would sit steadfastly at the top. Cackling at all the inferior albums below, but as it stands I realize it’s more than a stretch to put a comedy album at the top of a year-end album list. In spite of my own reservations about placement, I have no problem in calling this the greatest comedy record released in the past 10 years.
“You’re all gonna die,” Louie reminds the audience on the intro. He goes on to relay that being dead is “mostly what you’re ever gonna’ be,” the starry-eyed optimism of tracks like “Kid’s Names,” giving way to Bill Hicks levels of cynicism. This shift is no doubt inspired by Louie’s divorce and hitting that magic number of 40. Much like his phenomenal FX show Louie, he extensively details the struggles of being single after “10 years of marriage.” In his life as a 40-something single dad, getting into arguments with a three-year-old over a cookie is a common occurrence.
In the album’s strongest segment, Louie looks at the prevailing attitude in our country that we often want way more than we deserve, all the while hating the “beautifulthing” that we have. Louie’s observational humor has always been top-notch and now his social commentary has caught up. With this deft-blend of styles, Louie has released an album worthy of being called “hilarious.”
"The Way We Talk"
#14 Cults- Cults
When I first heard the jovial “Go Outside,” back in February 2010, I was afraid. I worried that this idyllic slice of indie pop was doomed to die before Cults as a band could ever begin. Hearing that song in the context of an entire album quells my fears, and I can easily rest my head on the bed of modern girl-pop the band has made.
The instant that shuffling guitar comes in on opener “Abducted,” and a distant Madelline Follin chirps over a whimsical xylophone I know that all is well. “I knew right then that I'd been abducted I knew right then that he would be taking my heart,” it’s a sentiment as old as the music Cults hangs their hat on, but still sounds strangely refreshing. Part of the revitalization comes from Cults combining this “formulaic,” style with alien elements. At times you hear synth and troublesome quotes from actual cult-leaders, two things unlikely to crop on any of the Supremes work.
Even now, many musicians still struggle to open up and I have long admired Girl pop for doing just that with remarkable ease. When Follin, backed by a beat two boot-steps removed from Nancy Sinatra declares “I never saw the point in trying, cause I would only let you down,” on “Never Saw the Point,” it’s a nakedly-honest admission on an album overflowing with them. By the time the 50s flavored “Rave On,” sends us off into the night, we realize we’re in a place few dare to go to, a place where melancholy and merriment walk side by side.
"Abducted"
#13 Goblin- Tyler, the Creator
“Bastard intro, how the f**k I’m supposed to top that?” Tyler questioningly snarls on “Goblin.” It’s a valid question, in the year since Bastard dropped Tyler and Odd Future have become lightning rods for controversy in the rap community. The young rappers who “gleefully” rap about sex, drugs, violence, and all-out debauchery are the new Slim Shady. Begging the question when does music go too far? Do lyrics matter if we know they’re fictional? Can something this venomous be considered art?
“I’m a f**king walking paradox,” he raps on “Yonkers.” Thanks to the video, still the most shocking I’ve seen in years, it’s a line almost any rap-fan has heard. With lurching synthesizer and repeated screeches that sound like a Bernard Hermann orchestra on speed, the track is the most important rap song to drop in 2011. The gigantic “Yonkers,” gives way to the punk-rap “Radicals,” with the anarchic chorus of “kill people, burn s**t, f**k school.” “She,” the first sign of relaxation, features an addictive Frank Ocean hook and is the most "mature" track Tyler has recorded. The three hit knockout of “Transylvania,” “Nightmare,” and “Tron Cat,” is Tyler at his vilest, soaring to new heights of degeneracy in “Tron Cat.”
The album’s back-half furthers Tyler’s imagined chaos, he calls out anyone who dare call him horrorcore on the virulent synth-paradise “Sandwitches,” pitting himself and his misfits against “them.” This violence is contrasted with the respite of “Analog,” which amounts to Tyler just hanging out and having a good time. “B***h S**k D***” follows and mentions its name a million times over. The song would be outright misogyny were it not for the wonky beat and adolescent lines offered by Jasper and Taco. Tyler kills the rambunctious pair at the song’s end and disturbingly lays waste to the rest of the crew on “Window.” “I killed my f**king friends,” he cries at the song’s end. “Golden,” puts an end to the violence and the album, as Tyler comes to grips with the conflicting natures inside him.
Tyler thrives on conflict and controversy, as this album fully demonstrates. Every time someone takes a line of Tyler’s and uses it against him, he smiles gleefully and politely tells them off. It’s Tyler as contradiction, he’s a kid who’s rapped about doing cartoonish amounts of cocaine, but proclaims to not drink or smoke. He’s killed more people in his songs than Dahmer, but couldn’t be nicer in person. His music is such a drastic far-cry from his real-life that the difference is often more-jarring than his controversial lyrics. For as divisive as his words are, we need people like Tyler. He artfully hopscotches between lies and truth, beauty and depravity with ease, “paradox” personified.
