Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco
With Yankee, Wilco takes pop/americana (with all its catchy hooks and rhtyms) and gives it an almost ethereal (some would say... spacey) feel via some well placed laptop effects.
Jim O'Rourke pours in his genius in the record, adding some neat effects and instruments where the music requires it. There is no song in the record that feels incomplete - the band and the producer have thought it all. But, the question is, what does the record actually sound like?
See, it's a little hard to describe. It's got catchy, memorable and singable lyrics, but they are also complex and poetic. The music itself shape-shifts to fit the lyrics. For example, on Kamera, you can feel the guitar strings - you can hear the strings being pulled if you listen closely, and you feel forced to dance to the rhythm. You can't picture the song sounding like anything else and being as good as it is. Likewise, War on War could have been on Summerteeth if it wasn't for its effects heavy introduction and core.
But the real winner, in my opinion, is Jesus, Etc, not because the song has anything to do with Jesus himself (or Himself), but because it's one of those songs where the timing of the lyrics matches perfectly with the music that drives it.
In all honesty, the album isn't really a concept record or a journey because its strength lies in the individual songs. Listen to: Kamera, War on War, Jesus Etc, and Heavy Metal Drummer.
Apologies to the Queen Mary by Wolf Parade
If you've heard of Wolf Parade then you've probably seen them being compared to bands like Modest Mouse and Frog Eyes. Truth is, you don't have to necessarily enjoy those bands to enjoy Wolf Parade, and no previous experience with this type of music is a prerequisite to love this album.
Apologies is an album that grows on you, an acquired taste. The music won't resonate with the listener in its first spin, is what I am trying to say. At first the songs feel very standard: loud and heavy, with two alternating vocalists yelling most of the time through. Multiple listens, however, and it helps if you are listening closely, will slowly reveal the lyrics, and they will start to make sense to you. Then its just a matter of realizing that if the music wasn't loud and heavy, then Wolf Parade would sound just like the next guy.
Here, in Apologies, the music is anthemic, hard-hitting, sometimes morose, and certainly honest. Here's an album for those who like to fall in love with the music they listen to. Check: Grounds for Divorce, Shine a Light, I'll Believe in Anything, Dinner Bells and This Heart's On Fire.
Two new picks by Monday.
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