Shy Girls – Timeshare EP
Shy Girls’ “Timeshare” EP is one of those happy accidents that comes along after some old-fashioned, feel good bump and grinding. This is no dream: Shy Girls (moniker for Dan Vidmar) is a real R&B artist with an attention to detail and a smooth touch of electronic, synthesized production. This EP easily sets the mood as “Without” warms us up with some softcore sensual vibes, followed by the slower “Still Not Falling” that reminds us that a little crooning behind the guitar never hurt nobody. The EP closes with “Under Attack,” a lush song with slow strumming guitars that whisk everyone away with a spell of all the feels. The appeal to Shy Girls is that all of the textured instrumentation is simple, but the lyrics dig deeper under the skin to reveal the turmoil of love (“I’ve got a clear vision, but visions don’t make up for love”). While some tracks like “Voyeur’s Gaze” drag on a little too long, Shy Girls has a lot to offer with this seductively sincere EP. Surely, the best is yet to come as Shy Girls invites everyone to be a part of the R&B revival with open arms.
RIYL: Rhye, Milosh, How To Dress Well, Basecamp, The Weeknd, Sampha, Cyril Hahn, Cashmere Cat – Sydney Gore, Artificial Sweetener on Wednesday at 12-2 p.m.
Mac DeMarco – 2
While this isn’t the album that started it all for Mac DeMarco, it’s definitely the one that got the ball rolling. Propelled by great press and an even better guitar tone, it was nice a surprise feature of many year-end lists of 2012, poking its goofy nose out from between the rest of the monolithic, self-serious albums that defined last year. That’s not to say it doesn’t deserve its place- “2” is a masterpiece of sleazy slackerism. The entire album floats along in a narcotic haze, with Mac’s languid vocals and omnipresent slippery guitar masking brilliant, hooky songwriting with an attitude of marginal interest. Each song is a tasty, gummy gem, a character sketch about an old girlfriend or a drug-dealing dad with seemingly endless earworm guitar licks. “Ode to Viceroy,” the standout, is typical: you’ll forgive a love song to a brand of cigarettes by virtue of its gorgeous guitar chords and the way Mac’s voice slides into them like a banana coated with crisco.
RIYL: Real Estate, Ariel Pink, Beach Fossils, Stephen Malkmus
-Jesse Paller, WVAU staff
Jel – Late Pass
Left-field producer/rapper Jel’s third album has been billed as “Public Enemy meets Can.” Appropriately, “Late Pass” blends PE’s wall-of-sound aesthetic with moody progressive rock. The title track sets the tone with its murky backing track and warped vocals amid persistent sirens (excerpted from a live Public Enemy performance). The chaotic, scratch-heavy “Thnk4U” bears the influence of RJD2 and DJ Shadow. The slow-paced “Steady” has a more bare sound, punctuated by hard drums and blasts of synth and guitar. Worth mentioning of “Late Pass” is the crafty use of samples by Jel and co-producer Odd Nosdam. One highlight of this approach is the clever juxtaposition of Ice Cube and KRS-One snippets on “La Resolve,” which injects dynamism into an otherwise dull song. Jel’s vocals help cultivate the album’s dark ambience together with the beats, but they’re not so great on their own. By the album closer “Romantisch,” “Late Pass” mostly succeeds in producing brooding sounds that merits more than one listen.
RIYL: DJ Shadow, RJD2, Anti-Pop Consortium
-Rafael Smith, The Funk Box on Wednesday 4-5 p.m.
Black Books – Black Books
Their sound will grab you and take you into their world. It’s a huge sound, but the song structures are all pop at heart, and very catchy. The guitars are heavily reverberated, but more in a The Edge of U2 kind way and not really psychedelic. The vocal hooks are also drenched in echo, but also in more of a huge arena or concert hall kind way. The keys are what really rounds out their sound and create a dreamy atmospheric vibe. Sometimes you notice them easily, and sometimes they are a layer that you may not realize is there, but in either case, they complete Black Books’ sound. Their songwriting is excellent, with big moments like the end of “Take Take Take,” and their guitar work is downright beautiful on tracks like “Paradise.” Black Books have a great sound and write catchy hooks, all while still being able to convey plenty of feels.
RIYL: My Morning Jacket, Local Natives, The Besnard Lakes – Drew Sher, Fur Sher on Friday 4-6 p.m.
The History of Apple Pie – Out of View
Like fellow countrymen and friends Yuck, The History of Apple Pie are a band predicated on revisiting the sounds of fuzzed out, guitar-based indie rock. Luckily, “Out of View” never succumbs to being nostalgic for nostalgia’s sake; rather, the songwriting chops of singer Stephanie Minn and boyfriend/guitarist Jerome Watson elevate the album above the current wave of ‘90s revivalists. The hooks here are found in both Minn’s sweet, dreamy vocals and Watson’s hard-hitting riffs. This is most evident on album highlight “Mallory,” a perfect showcase of the band’s balance of melody and noise. Meanwhile, the backwards guitar loops of “The Warrior” and gentle acoustic strums of “Long Way To Go” prove The History of Apple Pie is more than a one-trick pony. While the band has gained a great amount of hype in the wake of their rambunctious live shows, “Out of View” is affirmation that the praise is well deserved.
RIYL: Yuck, Lush, Sonic Youth
-Cameron Meindl, Rhyme & Reason with Cameron Meindl on Tuesday 10 p.m.-12 a.m.
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