The Most Serene Republic "Underwater Cinematography" (Arts and Crafts Records) Sounds like: Death Cab for Cutie drowning in a bathtub. B+
"I think we all know the words," repeats lead vocalist/lyricist Adrian Jewlett and his band of grad school refugees. Well, actually, no we don't. Maybe including a lyric book would have done a great deal to trivialize The Most Serene Republic's debut LP. Following the My Bloody Valentine rule of thumb, lyrics are a weapon of choice and not of necessity, heard at equal or lesser volume than any other instrument. The burgeoning Canadian experimental sextet, unlike their Arts and Crafts label mates Stars and Feist, don't go straight for the heart or the tear ducts. It's straight experimentation for the most part, and pretty exciting when it needs to be. Comparisons with Broken Social Scene jump out regularly but get swatted away. This newfound republic is just too unpredictable.
There's a sort of desperation to find the proper emotion at work on "Underwater Cinematography." Jewlett's willing to pose as Death Cab's Ben Gibbard or Kid A-era Thom Yorke, whichever vocals seem to please. The rest of the band is just really good room service at times. Need to wake up? Let's throw down some nifty percussion. Want to get brought down again? Someone will slam a forearm on the keyboard for minutes at a time. Electric soundscapes will swirl and occasionally intermingle with the spoken work or even noises of a rustling crowd, as is evident on "King of No One." Additional solo acoustic guitars are utilized at good times, if not necessarily precise ones. But precision isn't always the name of the game, which makes the LP's title seem apropos. No one is meant to see underwater, so the cinematic elements portrayed by The Most Serene Republic appear blurry until something swims up close to the lens to say, "Hi."
Oh, jeez. We really do know all the words, don't we? O.C.-era indie bands have our number, knowing what makes us weep, and how embarrassing it is to admit it. But The Most Serene Republic captures just how confusing it is to remember exact details of said despair. "Underwater Cinematography" is the unedited home movie rotting in the cellar and gathering water damage by the day. And you're afraid to watch it, but more than a little worried that you almost forgot it was there at all.
-NEAL FERSKO
The Kingsbury Manx "The Fast Rise and Fall of the South" (Yep Roc) Sounds like: Therapeutic pop-rock, combining Wilco's alt-folk guitars, Simon and Garfunkel's soft vocals and Stereolab's melodic simplicity. B+
With the psychedelic pop of The Kingsbury Manx at the forefront, it's no wonder the South hasn't yet managed to rise again. That's not to say that the complacency of this nation's southern residents is a reflection of poor musicianship or of a lack of passionate lyrics. Rather, the fifth release from these Chapel Hill natives, "The Fast Rise and Fall of the South," is too beautifully serene to inspire widespread revolt.
It seems, in fact, that the boys from Chapel Hill intended this collection of 13 tracks as a soundtrack to distinctly pacific activities. This calmness is evident in the trancelike "Snow Angel Dance." Of course, it may just be that The Kingsbury Manx has already drawn upon the emotional energy necessary to stage a full-scale uprising. With gentle two-part harmony, reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel, they sing "You left me a scar in the shape of a heart" with quiet acceptance.
Such folksy crooning and laid-back strumming can perhaps be attributed to the album's co-producer and Wilco keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen. Wilco's apparent influence on The Kingsbury Manx is further marked in the alt-country tinged pieces "Ruins" and "Greenland." The addition of piano and organ on several tracks completes this picture of delicate folk-rock sorrow.
"The Fast Rise and Fall of the South" creates a similarly mellow mood throughout, with its dreamily lulling ditties conveying accounts of loss and heartache. Each song tends to lead into another with only slight variations upon this straightforward sound. By no means does The Kingsbury Manx's mellow hum possess the urgency to instigate any type of revolution. Nonetheless, "The Fast Rise and Fall of the South" is a pleasant, albeit familiar, collection of folksy psychedelic catharsis.
-MIA STEINLE
Various artists "Vans Warped Tour 2005 Compilation" (Side One Dummy Records) Sounds Like: Various pop-punk and hardcore bands that played the Warped Tour in 2005 A
As the eighth installment of Warped Tour compilations, this double-album does a great job representing the punk, pop-punk, screamo, hardcore and ska acts on the 11th annual tour, though it omits some of the major acts such as My Chemical Romance and The Starting Line. In the true nature of Warped, though, this gives lesser-known bands a chance to get their music out there.
For the most part, the songs selected for the compilation give the listener a good idea of what the bands are all about. MxPx, one of the original bands to join Warped, kick off the compilation with "The Darkest Places," an upbeat tune despite of its name. The Dropkick Murphys follow with the sing-a-long "Sunrise Highway." Rising acts Fall Out Boy, ...the Academy Is?, Boys Night Out and the Plain White T's all appear on the first disc with catchy, energetic songs. Old favorites The Offspring and Big D & The Kids Table are also featured, along with the soft-sounding Mae.
The second disc of the compilation starts off strong with songs from Pennywise, Flogging Molly, and Hawthorne Heights (who played The Tavern last year with Mest). Armor For Sleep, Bedouin Soundclash, the happy sounds of Motion City Soundtrack, and Silverstein (not too screamo to handle) are the highlights of the disc, with the ever-entertaining Gym Class Heroes, a rock/hip-hop hybrid band finishing off the compilation with the unique "Taxi Driver."
Overall, the 2005 compilation is worth buying. Most people aren't familiar with all 50 bands, so this serves as a good introduction to some new music some may not have given a chance to spot. If you were fortunate enough to go to Warped, this will serve as a good recap. If not, you can see what you missed.
-JENNIFER SHUTMAN
Editors - The Back Room (Kitchenware) Sounds like: All signs point to Interpol B+
So, remember when Turn on the Bright Lights came out in 2002 and everyone who's anyone to everyone warned that Interpol would soon become the favorite band of anyone with a Spin Magazine pressed against his nose? Obviously some of that feeling still lingers in the corridors of ethereal, coked-out rock and roll, but Birmingham, UK's Editors have taken Interpol's formula and tacked on a bit of enthusiasm.
Like a forgotten Coldplay b-side, some songs linger with twinkling guitars and mopey vocals ("Fall"), while others (most notably "Munich") are marked by the succinct, repeated striking of the same guitar note. Lyricist Tom Smith's deep, resonant voice mimics Interpol's Paul Banks, but strays from the now-famous monotone that coats that band's songs like "Obstacle 2." The "play 'em again" quality is tangible on more than half the songs on these strapping Englishmen's debut album, The Back Room. "Lights," "Munich" and the single "Bullets" feature the swirling, echoed climb of guitar riffs akin to early-'90s London group Kitchens of Distinction. The slow progression of synthesizer notes combined with a fast clicking drum machine on "Camera" recall the opening credits of a 1980s fantasy film, and lyrics like "You fall from grace/You fall with such grace" are hard to forgive. Despite the few tracks that need skipping, the album is worth many spins. Editors may not sound as fresh as they would have three years ago, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It's actually quite good.
-REBECCA ARMENDARIZ
Dungen "Ta Det Lugnt [Expanded]" (Kemado) Sounds like: A Swedish Jimi Hendrix Experience. A-
Dungen's "Ta Det Lugnt" (pronounced "Dun-yen"), previously an expensive and hard to find import, has been re-released and expanded with five additional tracks on a second disc. The new addition doesn't seem to amount to much besides a footnote to the well-rounded original, with its transient track divisions (just because a track ends doesn't mean the song is going to) and experimentation with the borders of conventional indie-rock.
Gustav Ejstes, the creative force behind the band, plays a little fiddle and flute, but isn't afraid to lay on some of the heaviest guitar and bass you've ever heard. Lyrically, everything is Swedish, so it's a little difficult to get a sense of what he's trying to communicate, but not necessarily difficult to understand the fluid dynamic of the music.
And while it is trippy, this isn't the psychedelia your mom had when she was a flower child. For those of you who have seen the visual music exhibit at the Hirschorn and been disappointed by the movies, try out the band's new music video on their website, dungen-music.com. Unlike the sitar-filled flower ballads the Smithsonian chose to expand upon, watching Dungen's representation of "Ta Det Lugnt's" opening "Panda" might actually cause your retinas to explode.
Dungen's bringing their Swede-tastic domination to the Black Cat on the 18th on this month. And if you're looking for an hour or so of psychedelic sound exploration, check out "Ta Det Lugnt."
-JOSH KRAMER
Sufjan Stevens "Illinois" (Asthmatic Kitty) Sounds like: An Illinois-based history class with a slightly depressed folk-singer turned band-leader. A
As you may have heard, there's this nut with a crazy name going around the country making an album about every single state in the union. And what's worse, he's good at it. Unlike previous musical projects of this magnitude, Sufjan (pronounced Soof-yahn) Stevens' approach to his "50 states project" is logical and practical. Like "Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lakes State," (2003) the recent "Illinois" (aka Come On Feel The Illinoise!) is a dynamic, impressive, emotional, and artistic view of the people he is trying to portray.
Even though Stevens spent multiple months researching and writing each album, he has taken time in between the two episodes for other projects, including "Seven Swans," an album of Christian-themed music. He even spent a little while in Arkansas writing a song for NPR's "This American Life" about the recent re-discovered ivory-billed woodpecker. (Find it on www.npr.org).
The reason that "Illinois" is successful as a complete album, is because all the tracks together really do represent a complete lifestyle. Rich with historical imagery, personable anecdotes, and human experiences, Steven's lyrics often continue to reveal more truths after each listen, especially since he has a soft voice to begin with-not unlike an un-depressed (and not dead) Elliott Smith.
Not to say that the album is weak sonically - far from it. Though your safest bet would be to call this music "folk," rich orchestrations and a diverse array of instruments-most parts performed and written by Stevens himself-make the songs catchy and memorable.
Even the song titles are works to be pondered upon. Take for instance track 16, "They Are Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!" For an album so utterly epic, it's hard to imagine anyone making forty-eight more of these, but I have a feeling that's what Sufjan would want us to think.
-J.K.
