The Black Keys – El Camino
Made the Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2011 list here
The Decemberists – The King Is Dead
Made the Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2011 list here
Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire
As a die-hard Ryan Adams fan – hello! – I have nothing bad to say about his latest creation. He can do no wrong. He’s always had the ability to defy genre, and his forte is in crafting timeless classics. And by classic I mean, modern day Neil Young – there I said it.
This time around, on ‘Ashes & Fire‘, he discards all pretense, offering up a series of stripped down ballads and a few crystallized pop songs (see: “Lucky Now”, “Invisible Riverside”, “Chains of Love”).
If you’re a sucker, like I am, for his folk-Americana roots, then be sure to give the title track a few spins. There’s nothing like those few opening verses. I don’t know what’s more thrilling – that or the laid-back love song, “Dirty Rain“.
If his “Wonderwall” cover taught us anything it’s that Ryan Adam‘s can be at his best when he pulls back, and for the most part ‘Ashes & Fire‘ is one of those albums: it’s strength is in its subtleties.
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Made the Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2011 list here
Little Dragon – Ritual Union
Yukimi Nagano’s vocals give major soul to this otherwise electro outfit, and the resulting combination is thoroughly modern. This Swedish band’s recent collaborations with the Gorillaz and SBTRKT are only bringing more attention to their own releases – and rightfully so. Nagano delivers a current take on R&B that’s outside the mainstream.
Must hear: “Little Man”, “Please Turn”, “Nightlight”.
My Morning Jacket – Circuital
Rich and free-wheeling rock n’ roll with masterful arrangements. “Circuital” is an overall solid album, full of peaks and valleys, providing the listener with a complete experience.
Key Tracks: “Victory Dance” “Circuital” “Wonderful” “Holding On To Black Metal”
Smith Westerns – Dye It Blonde
The Smith Westerns self-titled debut album came as a breath of fresh air in all its fuzzed-out, adolescent glory. So with the release of the more fully realized ‘Dye It Blonde‘ there was a bit of an adjustment. Though the sound got cleaned up all the flirtatious lyrics and wonky guitar remain.
Yuck – Yuck
Wilco – The Whole Love
How do you begin to review a new Wilco album? This is a band that’s tended to the hearts and minds of listeners everywhere for 17-freakin’ years! They’re in a class of their own.
What stands out is how inventive they are. This album in particular explores some ambient noise moments that would be space-age if not leveled by Jeff Tweedy’s down-to-earth vocals. ‘The Whole Love‘ is a rhythmic dreamscape that covers a lot of turf. It’s masterfully refined pop and melancholia sandwiched between two starkly different 10 minute tracks, beginning with a wicked melt-your-face guitar solo and ending gently with a lullaby. Delicious!
The Kills – Blood Pressures
Made the Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2011 list here
