Amatorski

Amatorski

From Clay to Figures

Crammed Disks

Here's a new band from Belgium with dreamy electronica, and good, thoughtful lyrics that are also just as dreamy as the music.  This is my favorite type of ambient electronica, especially because they use pianos and acoustic guitars on some of the tracks.  So if you’re a fan of this sort of music, try this band.  You’ll be rewarded with a great debut. https://www.facebook.com/amatorski

Andrea Weiss

Fucked Up

Glass Boys

Matador

With Chemistry of Common Life, hardcore as progressive rock. With David Comes To Life, hardcore on a grand, rock opera scale. And now, with Glass Boys, this is hardcore as adult rock at its best.  With content galore, this is one of the best and smartest hardcore bands around.

The theme here is to look at life as an adult, and how your perspective changes as you get older. It’s a theme that hasn’t really been sung about before, as rock is still of the “hope I die before I get old,” stance.  But Fucked Up always has to do things their way, with wonderful results. I love this album for its wisdom, its maturity, and for how easy it is to transform a youthful style, into something adult, and still rock as hard as you can.

The guitars slash and burn.  Damian Abraham sings like he’s figured things out, even though he knows he hasn’t.  The four drum kits beef up the beat.  If you order the vinyl version of the album, you get a download of an alternate version with one drum kit played at half speed.  It’s very interesting to hear the drums played like this, although I have to say I prefer the four-to-one drum kit.  Sandy Miranda’s bass playing is excellent.

If hardcore isn’t your style, think again. This is head and shoulders above most in that genre. If you feel too old for it, think again. I’m 51, and felt extra youthful as I listened. You’re never too young to hear this album because someday you’ll need the wisdom and fire of this band.  And if you just want some good punk rock, look no further than Glass Boys. http://fuckedup.cc/home/ And check out the video about the mtivations behind the album. 

Andrea Weiss

OWS

I am a liberal, but I don’t usually put my politics front and center in a tiny blog such as this.  I am speaking out now because I feel very strongly about this. I am an Occupy Wall Street supporter from afar, and stand with them on their main message, as well as this one.

Cecily McMillian, an OWS activist, has been in jail for striking a police officer at an OWS protest. On Monday she’ll be sentenced.  Pussy Riot, and others like Spike Jonez and Kim Gordon, have written letters to the judge asking for mercy, as I am doing here.  I read about the trial in the NY Times, and felt Cecily was getting a raw deal, as she might be sentenced to seven years in prison.

You can view the letters here and stand with the writers, as am I, asking the judge for mercy. I feel, like them, that time served and a conviction on her record, is enough.  Sending someone up the river for seven years is way too long a punishment for someone 25 years old. 

http://voiceproject.org/campaign/cecily-mcmillan/

Andrea Weiss

TS

Trophy Scars

Holy Vacants

Monotreme Records

Morristown, NJ's Trophy Scars returns with an album that began as a 35-page treatment for a screenplay.  A treatment can be a one-page synopsis or a much longer combination of an outline and synopsis.  Here, the music and lyrics are as cinematic as a movie.

It is also a pop take and, toward the end, a more metal take on the progressive metal band Mars Volta.  I like this album as far as it goes, but this band needs to develop more of their own sound with a little less of Mars Volta.  Nevertheless, it's a good album -- interesting, thoughtful music and lyrics, and, if you like Mars Volta, you’ll probably like this album, too.

https://www.facebook.com/trophyscarsband

Andrea Weiss

Tune Yards

Tune Yards

Nikki-Nack

4AD

Merrill Garbus’s best yet, and hardest hitting album.  Birdbrain, her debut, showcased some wonderful home recordings.  On WhoKill, Garbus got comfortable in a full-fledged recording studio, and on Nikki-Nack she moved on from found sounds to synths and more percussion.  Now, her sound has also become heavy and complex, and is some of the best danceable rock I’ve heard in a long time.

Always feminist, even when, on “Water Fountain” and “Left Behind," she’s calling out women.  She's always political, even writing about peace and love in a hippie kind of way.  Even her put downs are full of common sense and respect.  These songs have more content than most in this genre. 

Nikki-Nack is probably her breakthrough album, even more than WhoKill which just started the process.   I loved WhoKill, but Nikki-Nack will appeal to a wider range of people, especially if, as I hope, some of these songs get remixed.  If you’re a fan like me, you will thrill to this album. If you’re a newcomer, get out on the floor, dance up a storm, and think while you’re doing it. https://www.facebook.com/tuneyards

Andrea Weiss

Tourist

Tourist

Patterns EP

Monday Records

This EP, featuring contributions from Lianne La Havas and Will Heard, has a very good sense of melody. This is more than just pounding beats.  These rhythms skip along very nicely, since whenever there is a good melody, or melodies, everything -- rhythms, lyrics -- falls into line, at least for me.  So, if you want to dance to something very melodic, and fun to listen to, this EP is for you.

https://www.facebook.com/musicbytourist

Andrea Weiss

IA

Incan Abraham

Tolerance

White Iris Records

This is very pleasant, dreamy synth pop, musically and lyrically, but I must respectfully disagree with those who liken this band to Beach House and Grizzly Bear. What I hear is a debut album with a sound all its own that may use the Bear and the Beach sparingly as starting points but that doesn't prevent the band from trying new things on it’s own.  Its sound is sturdy and the framework is strong, allowing it to roam free.  The lyrics reflect the music.  Try it.  I think you'll like it.

https://www.facebook.com/incanabraham

Andrea Weiss