Say Hi to Your Mom "Ferocious Mopes" (Euphobia) Sounds Like: Snow Patrol, Bright Eyes C+
One-man bands always sound cool on paper, but paper's not always the reality. Say Hi to Your Mom is Eric Elbogen, a guy from Brooklyn who plays some pretty generic tunes just low budget enough to be called indie. Elbogen is an average musician with a likable, boyish voice that sounds like Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst on the slow songs and Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody on the post-punk tracks.
"Ferocious Mopes" starts out solid with "The Twenty-Second Century," a fun Snow Patrol-sounding track featuring pulsating guitar riffs and spacey vocals. Completing the one-two punch opening is "The Death of Girl Number Two," a slightly darker track with a rocking chord progression. Sure, it sounds really easy to play, but so did Weezer's excellent "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here." So far, so good.
And then mediocrity sets in. Several of the eight tracks that follow start out intriguingly, but Elbogen's penchant for repetition tends to kill them about halfway through. Clever lyrics help pick the album up again in the acoustic final track "As Smart as Geek is Chic Right Now," but the CD is over a minute later.
"Ferocious Mopes" is not a bad album, but it lacks variety and originality. Labels like "indie" and "one-man band" can't hide the fact that this is the work of an amateur.
Say Hi To Your Mom will open for Nada Surf at the Black Cat on Oct. 4.
-ADAM BENDER
Stellastarr* "Harmonies for the Haunted" (RCA Records) Sounds like: Addictive 80's pop with definite Cure tones and cues from today's indie-alternative craze. B
When Brooklyn's Stellastarr* came onto the scene, they (like every new-wave indie band before), were hailed as the "next big thing." Finally, more than two years after their self-titled first album was introduced, they're back with "Harmonies for the Haunted." Despite its flaws, it is a solid album worthy of hype-band status.
The album begins with a slow piano melody that slowly builds up into the band's attempt at a power ballad. "Lost in Time," the first single from the album, is a nice opening, but may become monotonous and stale after a few plays. The intense guitar instrumentation on "Sweet Troubled Soul" makes it possibly the album's best song.
Lead singer Shawn Christensen is sure to draw comparisons to the Killer's Brandon Flowers, but his style is all his own and he uses it to great effect. He may find his voice lost among the strong instrumentation, but he works hard to overcome it. One of the weaker tracks is "On My Own," which is ironically one of the strongest lyrically (which does not mean much, as most songs repeat phrases to an almost annoying level). "On My Own" showcases Christensen's vocal talent to a varying degree, but the song gets irritating and generally uninteresting over the course of nearly five minutes.
The use of synthesizers harkens back to the good old days of the '80s. In "Love & Longing," the catchy beat evokes the best of The Cure and even hints of Duran Duran. The band clearly enjoys retro-synths and uses them well in "Damn This Foolish Heart." It feels similar to Modest Mouse, another recently successful band.
In the end, the point of the album is to have fun. As one song suggests, over and over and over again, "stay entertained." Entertained, for sure. Amazed, maybe not.
-ANDREW GARDNER
My Morning Jacket "Z" (ATO) Sounds Like: Roxy Music on a hunting trip. A-
The track "Wordless Chorus" starts up with vocals reaching toward the ethereal, and keyboardist Bo Koster trailing half a step behind. The amps are louder than they should be for sweet low-fi while his riffs are too catchy to resemble Neil Young-inspired alt-country. For indie rock's perennial mountain men, this is uncharted territory.
My Morning Jacket has always thrived on the psychedelic instrumentation in the background of their barroom soliloquies. Frontman and Producer Jim James' 1970s charm appeared whenever he let all of the acoustics hang separately while the synchs forced the band to look towards the heavens. But on "Z," James doesn't want to look into space anymore. He wants to eat the stars and smile when his Louisville five piece has had its fill. The guitar work is no longer fringe or earthy, but pop solid, due no doubt to their lineup changes over a year ago.
The results are wholly uncharacteristic of their past work. Unlike the directional changes of other bands, the songwriting and production has a visible and staunchly unapologetic joy to it. Getting though "What a Wonderful Man" without grinning at the chorus goes well past the realm of studious and into bitter cynicism. Yet the breathing room that typifies their work remains, with woodland echoes shouting from the distance and into your headphones. Acquiring legendary producer John Leckie to put this together with James could be the best decision made this year on any LP released.
In a time where so many bands go in new directions through concept albums, Jim James has given the faithful something thick and juicy to chew on. Newcomers still need to backtrack a bit to see the full picture of the vibrancy on "Z." Any novice, though, will still see the goosebumps on their arm when the lightning on each song crackles.
-NEAL FERSKO
Annie "Anniemal" (Big Beat) Sounds Like: all the best parts of electronic dance music that's okay for even the bang-swooped elitist crowd to get down to A-
For those who can't deal with the cognitive dissonance of really genuinely loving a pop song but not being able to buy a pop record, here is Annie.
Born Anne Lilia Berge-Strand, this Norwegian DJ-turned-pop singer has everything that's right about American pop music: catchy hooks, stellar looks, glowing Entertainment Weekly reviews. What sets her apart from the Ciaras, Beyonces and Britneys, however, is unmistakable musical credibility (her live shows feature her turntable skills as well as her vocal ability), glowing reviews from independent music critics ("Heartbeat" was online indie music Bible Pitchfork's Song of the Year in 2004), and the fact that she probably will never be a big-time superstar, even though she is completely deserving and capable.
For "Anniemal," Annie's debut album, she goes for the gusto in a big way. Starting out with insta-classic "Chewing Gum" and going right into the spooky groove of "Always Too Late" (which rides it slow like the south, only more versatile), she manages to fill the dance floor and keep it bopping in the first five minutes of the record. No small feat.
The songs themselves aren't that different from what you'd hear on Top 40 radio. The good thing is that a lot of pop songs on the radio are really great. Either buy a Britney record for a single or buy an Annie record for 11.
-CHRIS DeWITT
The New Pornographers "Twin Cinema" Matador Sounds Like: In the best way possible, more of the same from a great band. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. B+
For some, the New Pornographers were a gateway band. They were a band that was easily accessible yet complex, juvenile yet insightful and just nice enough that you could play "Electric Version" in the car with your mom and she'd be alright with it (just don't mention the name - it doesn't bode well with the touchy mothers).
This, their third release, doesn't seem a very far departure from the formula that's worked so well for them in the past: catchy hooks, bubbly harmonies, lush arrangements for guitars and synths and the ability to rock when the opportunity arises. There are slower, quieter moments on the album, where individual band members are showcased (there are three "main" vocalists: Carl Newman, Dan Bejar and Neko Case) - "The Bones of An Idol" and "Sing Me Spanish Techno" - and there are anthemic, chorus-based shout alongs - for example, the title track.
"Twin Cinema" may be nothing new, but it really doesn't matter. They were interesting and great songwriters from the beginning. The fact that they can keep that up is a testament to their quality.
-C.D.
