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Alt/Indie's Best Albums of the Decade

2009-11-23T20:47:34Z

Over the past decade, the definitions of "alternative" and "indie" have become increasingly subjective. An independent artist can quickly attract a mainstream following thanks to instant blog/social-networking stardom, and a major-label luminary can venture into decidedly "indie" sounds (which in itself really has no concrete meaning). Alternative and indie can refer to artists who delve into rock, pop, electronic, world, jazz, classical -- sometimes all at once. It's a genre that refuses to be a genre. Its essence is to reject classification and celebrate eccentricity, abstractness and autonomy.

So this is by no means a definitive list; it's simply an acknowledgment of artists that have managed to continually stand out, whether they're Brits, Canadians, Brooklynites or a solo dude holed up in a Midwestern cabin. Though many of the artists represented here belong to some sort of revival -- post-punk, synth-pop, classic rock, garage-rock, shoegazer, folk -- each has imprinted their genre with a distinctly modern touch that will forever be recognized as quintessential '00s, a decade when innovation was steered not by looking to the future but by honoring the past.

Be sure to listen to all the artists mentioned here, anywhere and anytime in high-def audio, with your Rhapsody subscription. Not a member? Click here for a free trial and get on board with the ultimate music experience.

]]> 25. Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend, 2008

From the advance hype, you'd think Vampire Weekend were the first to consummate Anglo indie rock's infatuation with Afro-pop. But don't let the vague Africana of "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" or self-aware skank of "A-Punk" distract. The studious appropriations are more akin to Paul Simon's: merely terrific pop songs wearing funny hats. Even then, the lion's share of these tunes -- including "Campus" and "Oxford Comma" -- cite less exotic influences, like Spoon and the Strokes. But from whom they borrow hardly matters -- they do it wisely, resulting in an instantly familiar, hugely promising debut. -- Nate Cavalieri

24. The Postal Service
Give Up, 2003

"Such Great Heights" is a pop classic worthy of the Lightning Seeds, and fans of such pretty, ethereal, bleepy pop music will warm to this release. Think They Might Be Giants, Belle and Sebastian and Stephen Duffy all in one. Twee and fey, but also warm and comforting, these songs will take residence in your brain long after summer is over. -- Nicholas Baker

23. Sigur Ros
(), 2002

Untitled upon its release and outfitted with eight untitled songs, Sigur Ros' third LP was highfalutin out of the gate. But then, this mercurial post-rock is pretty hard to put into words. More grandiose than its predecessor (as if that were even possible), the disc is two acts: the first hopeful and melodic, the second cacophonous and sprawling. The centerpiece is track four (aka "The Nothing Song"), whose careening, delayed guitars and determined throb urge along Jon Thor Birgisson's pained wail. Another intergalactic civil war fought by teddy bears. -- Garrett Kamps

22. Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes, 2008

Astute students of tradition, Fleet Foxes take inspiration from folk, pop, Celtic, gospel and sacred harp singing to create harmonic bursts of heartfelt precision. Sounding like Mother Nature's sons, they sing of valleys, mountains and hummingbirds while running through forests of lush guitars, tom-toms, bass, organs, mandolins and dulcimers. "Ragged Wood" and "Your Protector" have them chasing after the perfect trifecta of huge melodies, crescendos and harmonies, while the poignant "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" and "Meadowlarks" slow things down to reveal these Foxes' charming fragility. -- Stephanie Benson

21. Hot Chip
The Warning, 2006

With their second album, Hot Chip graduate from the bedroom to the recording studio and keep grinning the whole way. Even with denser production, the London electro-hop outfit retains a cuddly lo-fi intimacy, thanks especially to Joe Goddard's straight-faced vocal nonchalance. Not quite singing, not quite rapping, Goddard bubbles and funks underneath Alexis Taylor's laddish falsetto, while the rest of the band add layers of squiggly synths, nano-sized breakbeats and assorted Casiotone confetti. But don't be fooled -- Hot Chip's levity belies the depth and stickiness of their music. -- Jonathan Zwickel

20. Yeasayer
All Hour Cymbals, 2007

Yeasayer's debut fuses fist-pumping, harmonized melodies with "Games Without Frontiers"-era Peter Gabriel, giving birth to a smart, intergenerational pop mutant meant for dancing. Fretless bass, electronic drum pads, and noncheesy synthesizers leave plenty of room for vocalist Chris Keating to play the part of an anxiously soulful crooner. Tracks like "Waiting for the Summer" are pure Eastern mysticism, minus the lame hippie baggage, but Yeasayer avoid overdosing on retro nostalgia with the space keyboards and chanted chorus of "2080." -- Scott Indrisek

19. Grizzly Bear
Veckatimest, 2009

Veckatimest will linger in your head; it will beautify the landscape around you before haunting your dreams and urging you to listen again. Grizzly Bear's 2009 breakthrough album has a battle of good and evil at its core: the multipart harmonies have choir-boy grace, while swells of piano, woodwinds, strings and tribal beats burst with devilish glee. Sunny waltzes reveal elusive confessions, as dark dirges mask innocent pleas. "Two Weeks," "Ready, Able" and "While You Wait for the Others" are essential, but you won't be truly spooked and stirred without listening to the rest. -- S.B.

18. The Flaming Lips
At War With the Mystics, 2006

More heartfelt flamboyance from the consistently weird, constantly brilliant Flaming Lips. As usual, they disguise mind-blowing observations with seemingly simple lyrics, then hide those inside odd orchestras of electric strings, thumping drums, heavenly voices, things that go bzzzzt, and anything else that happens to be lying around. Prepare to be moved. -- Tim Quirk

17. Wilco
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, 2002

The esoteric but alluring collage of sounds on Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot earned them the No. 6 spot on our Best of 2002 poll. The songs traverse styles, from the bleak "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" to the perky "Heavy Metal Drummer," all the while retaining Wilco's signature pawnshop-guitar-run-through-a-dozen-effects-pedals sound. -- Eric Shea

16. Interpol
Turn on the Bright Lights, 2002

Hailed by critics and fans alike as one of the best indie records of 2002, Interpol's debut unapologetically apes the jagged post-punk pioneered by bands such as Joy Division and the Chameleons. But with its tight structures and strong melodies, their excellent dirge-rock is more an extension of the past than an exhumation. -- Mike McGuirk

15. Phoenix
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, 2009

Mozart? Not quite. More kitschy reference than homage, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix has an air of sleek sophistication steeped in summery French electro-pop that's still as edgy as any hipster band out of Brooklyn. Mid-album, the band nods to fellow Frenchmen Air and M83 on "Fences" and the "Love Like a Sunset" couplet, which flickers with the feel of an electrical storm. But it's tracks "Lisztomania," "1901" and "Girlfriend" that sizzle like Pop Rocks on the tongue, with snappy guitar and synths that purr alongside Thomas Mars' cool coos. -- S.B.

14. Beirut
Gulag Orkestar, 2006

Gulag Orkestar drops you in Eastern Europe with a young high school dropout from New Mexico as your tour guide. Zach Condon, just 20 upon this debut release, is the prodigy behind Beirut: he sings with a Rufus Wainwright drawl and plays multiple instruments (saxophone, clarinet, mandolin, accordion, etc.). His song titles suggest a German influence, but the music within is steeped in traditional Balkan folk and the mariachi of the American Southwest. The gypsy spirit and romanticism is all framed by tightly structured indie pop that bursts with wonder, wistfulness and wanderlust. --S.B.

13. White Stripes
White Blood Cells, 2001

The third proper White Stripes LP catches Jack and Meg at their finest -- not yet bored with the simple alchemy that brought them international acclaim, but mature enough to make the most of it. Starting with "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground," the record opens with five of Jack White's most fully conceived tunes, the best being the seductive "I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman." Aside from the downright ungentlemanly snarl of "I Think I Smell a Rat," there's hardly a miss. -- N.C.

12. TV on the Radio
Return to Cookie Mountain, 2006

Blonde Redhead, Roxy Music, Outkast and god knows what else are on the list of influences you'll find on this second record from these indie-rock subversives. Along with Arcade Fire and Animal Collective, TV on the Radio are recording highly avant-garde pop music that threatens to make indie rock worth listening to again. And they're garnering attention from such big shots as David Bowie, who contributes backing vocals on "Province," and Trent Reznor, who took them on tour with Nine Inch Nails. -- M.M.

11. Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand, 2004

The Scottish group's debut is a dirty, stylish racket filled with needling guitars courtesy of the school of art/punk (circa 1982). Throw in their tendency to fall back on a solid 4/4 beat, and you've got a recipe for mega-hipness in 2004. This wouldn't mean a thing if the songs weren't good, but they are. -- Jon Pruett

10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Show Your Bones, 2006

Karen O. steps up to a new level of squawkless rock without losing her mad grin and karate-kick spunk. As the X-ray album title suggests, this third and more spit-polished-in-the-studio CD has the guts to reveal the Y.Y.Y.'s softer side, yet it still radiates with energy. "Cheated Hearts" and "Turn Into" are some of the band's most subtle, evolving-into-bliss songs yet. -- Michele Flannery

9. Broken Social Scene
You Forgot It in People, 2003

If you wanted to coin a genre out of the music made by loose collectives of wildly creative Canadian indie rockers working in the early '00s, You Forgot It in People would be the record that started it all. Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Feist -- not one of those bands could say they weren't influenced by this. Tattered, huge and unafraid, the sound is insatiably curious, venturing toward skewed tropicalia in one moment, bent Husker Du rock the next. From horns to synths to kitchen sinks, no instrument is left unturned. When Kevin Drew sings about "lovers' spit," well, you don't forget it. -- G.K.

8. Bon Iver
For Emma, Forever Ago, 2007/2008

On his debut, Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, is lonely and it shows. Recorded one winter in a secluded Wisconsin cabin, For Emma, Forever Ago is overwhelming in its bleakness. Vernon's haunting falsetto delivers confessional lyrics in yelps and whispers over little more than an acoustic guitar. It's slow and deliberate -- songs fade out, only to storm back after seconds of silence -- but Vernon's intensity keeps the album from dragging. Throughout every song there's an unwavering atmosphere of melancholy that creates a cohesiveness rarely seen in today's indie-rock landscape. -- Ben Rosen

7. Animal Collective
Merriweather Post Pavilion, 2009

"In the Flowers" begins life as a lazy bank of fog. It then explodes into an atomic radiance that's equal parts noise, electronica and rumbling bass. From this, believe it or not, drips a child's melody, as well as these innocent, virtuous voices. They're chirping words like "love," "smile" and "dancing." This tune -- perfect pop, truly -- embodies beauty and terror. And it's Animal Collective's ability to believe in both extremes that makes Merriweather Post Pavilion such a profound chunk of indie rock. -- Justin Farrar

6. Cat Power
The Greatest, 2006

The mercurial Chan Marshall returned to her Southern roots and recorded this blissful album in Memphis. The Greatest glows with a new ease, and the music itself -- which features many of the greatest soul musicians in history -- is sunny and open. There's a sense of joy coming through here that you'll want to share with friends. -- N.D.

5. Spoon
Kill the Moonlight, 2002

The only unconvincing part of this album is when Britt Daniel coyly claims, "We rarely practice discern." It's a little hard to believe him when it's the self-control, subtlety and simplicity that make Kill the Moonlight prickle and pop. Spoon take elements that are often just sprinkled in for effect and make them key ingredients. Flittering synths, staccato piano chords, tambourine jingles, hand claps, drumstick taps and a human beatbox make standouts like "The Way We Get By," "Stay Don't Go" and "Paper Tiger" both sticky and sweet -- ear candy you don't feel guilty asking for more of. -- Stephanie Benson

4. Modest Mouse
The Moon & Antarctica, 2000

The Moon & Antarctica was Modest Mouse's first major-label record, but it sounds pretty damn indie. Many of these musings are more moody and melancholic than the group's previous works, but songs like "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes" and "A Different City" rely on the pointy and angular arrangements for which the band is known. -- E.S.

3. The Strokes
Is This It, 2001

The much-hyped New York group's debut is undeniably infectious. Combining the tonal inflections of young Lou Reed with the poppiest elements of late-'70s East Coast art-punk, the Strokes made a frenetic, jittery pop record that clicked with fans and otherwise uptight critics.

2. Arcade Fire
Funeral, 2004

Fueled by the loss of family members, Canada's Arcade Fire turned their sorrow into cathartic indie rock for their debut album. Imagine the early energy of the Talking Heads transposed onto a more baroque mixture of Neutral Milk Hotel's inspired folk-psych and New Order's sense of pop dynamics. Good stuff, then! -- J.P.

1. Radiohead
Kid A, 2000

What a way to start out a decade. After the whirlwind of acclaim for OK Computer, Radiohead tried to escape the hype by hitching a ride through the cosmos -- or at least that's what Kid A would have us believe. As Thom Yorke's wails sound belted from the insular surface of the moon ("How to Disappear Completely"), opaque textures of twinkling music boxes ("Kid A"), bustling horns ("National Anthem"), fanciful harp ("Motion Picture Soundtrack"), crystallized hums ("Treefingers"), dissonant reception ("Everything in Its Right Place") and plenty of unidentified flying clatter orbit this otherworldly masterpiece. -- S.B.

Honorable Mentions (in alpha order):

Antony and the Johnsons, I'm a Bird Now
Band of Horses, Everything All the Time
Battles, Mirrored
Beck, Sea Change
Bjork, Medulla
The Black Keys, Attack & Release
Black Mountain, In the Future
Bloc Party, Silent Alarm
Caribou, Andorra
Coldplay, Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head
Deerhunter, Microcastle
Destroyer, Destroyer's Rubies
Feist, The Reminder
The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere
Goldfrapp, Supernature
Gorillaz, Gorillaz
Grandaddy, The Sophtware Slump
Green Day, American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown
Grizzly Bear, Yellow House
P.J. Harvey, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
Iron & Wine, Our Endless Numbered Days
The Killers, Hot Fuss
The Mars Volta, Frances the Mute
MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
M.I.A., Kala
Muse, Black Holes and Revelations
My Morning Jacket, Z
The National, Boxer
Joanna Newsom, Ys.
Portishead, Third
The Raconteurs, Broken Boy Soldiers
Radiohead, In Rainbows
Ratatat, Ratatat
Rilo Kiley, Under the Blacklight
Shearwater, Rook
The Shins, Oh, Inverted World
Sparklehorse, It's a Wonderful Life
Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Stars, Set Yourself on Fire
Sufjan Stevens, Illinois
Tool, Lateralus
TV on the Radio, Dear Science
Wolf Parade, Apologies to the Queen Mary
the xx, xx
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever to Tell

Concentric Pleasures: Phoenix, Vitalic, Redshape

2009-11-08T23:56:06Z

There are three really cool things about my job. One of them is getting to turn people on to the music I'm most jazzed about: it's a license to pontificate, really -- a pulpit for strictly musical evangelism. But, recognizing that my own tastes can be, shall we say, peculiar, I also try to listen with open ears and the humble reminder that what doesn't float my boat (a rather cramped dinghy, it sometimes appears) may carry another listener's craft all the way to shore. They talk about the critic's role as a "filter," but I'm really more like a theater usher, lighting your way to the appropriate aisle.

]]>
Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Remix Collection)
Let's face it: it's hard to further polish a gem like Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. And to be fair, this collection of remixes from the album doesn't really try, offering instead a selection of agreeable alterations from the likes of Alex Metric, Passion Pit and others, who generally tug the French rockers off the stage and into the middle of the dancefloor. But the best mixes go further afield, like Turzi's hushed electro reverie, YACHT's Phillip Glass disco revamp and, particularly, Animal Collective's reverb-soaked reverie.

Vitalic, Flashmob
Pascal Arbez keeps up his walloping pace on the follow-up to 2005's electro-house touchstone, OK Cowboy. His mechanized disco rhythms are as overdriven as ever, and his synths are as subtle as paint stripper, peeling back the high end in an ecstasy of treble. But while these rave-tested anthems are built to thrill, there's enough pop structure and sonic nuance to keep the mood versatile.

Redshape, The Dance Paradox
The musician known as Redshape's identity is still a secret, but no one wonders much about the man behind the red mask these days because, frankly, his music says more than any bio could. In keeping with his 12-inch singles, The Dance Paradox revels in the steely melancholia of classic Detroit techno, with synths creaking and battered drums swinging like a post-apocalyptic playground. Imagine Burial illuminated by spotlights and given a high-voltage jolt, brooding and punishing in equal measure.

Neon Indian, Psychic Charms
There's little wonder about Texan Alon Palomo's moniker on his debut, a home-produced blast of fluorescent effervescence and Day-Glo tone color. He wields samples like the Avalanches and drops fuzzy, gritty funk in a Stones Throw vein, on tracks that are nominally lo-fi but have plenty of punch behind their yacht-rock choruses. What do you call this kind of psychedelic, style-scavenging indie pop? Who knows, but lined up with Cfcf, Wavves and even Animal Collective, it sounds very 2009.

Various, 5: Five Years of Hyperdub
After five years of warping dubstep into ever wilder, woolier shapes, London's Hyperdub label -- home to artists like Burial, Zomby and label-head Kode9 -- releases a sprawling compendium of counterintuitive bass explorations. Running from lo-fi, video-game bleepery to digital lovers' rock, the double-disc comp encapsulates half a decade of dance music on the peripheries -- and suggests plenty of evolutionary possibilities in the years to come.

F*ck Buttons, Tarot Sport
F*ck Buttons' second album features Two Lone Swordsmen's Andrew Weatherall on the boards, but don't expect another Screamadelica. Laying into savage, techno-ready kick drums and cranking the synths and guitars well into the red, the Bristol band achieves a rare fusion of dance-music form and oozing, psychedelic content. "Olympians" is throbbing fluo-pop like a niced-up HEALTH; "Phantom Limbs" turns This Heat's metallic clang into bracing, wind-tunnel funk. It's ecstatic, mind-bending stuff, and it might just change the way you think about both "rock" and "electronic music."

The xx, The xx
Twenty-year-olds aren't supposed to sound like this: this confident, this subtle, this sensual, this weary. Borrowing the pace from slowcore icons Low and an R&B rhythmic sensibility from electro-poppers Junior Boys, the London co-ed quartet turns spindly four-bar progressions swathed in reverb into minimalist pop that's alternately jewel-toned and charcoal-streaked. Breathy boy/girl vocals up the intimacy factor even as they dissipate into a world-weary haze, making this the perfect accompaniment for breakups and breakup sex alike.

Playlist: Everything You Need to Know About Blister Pop

2009-11-03T05:09:06Z

Blister Pop is the name of an album from the Embarrassment, this wonderful little band that has become something of a cult legend over the last two decades. The Kansas-based group crafted a shambolic -- and really quite nervy -- brand of underground awesomeness that fell in the cracks between post-punk, hardcore, power pop and Attractions-style pub rock. Nowadays, the Embarrassment would be considered indie rock or quite possibly pop-punk, but back in the 1980s there wasn't a quality name for what they were doing.]]> the Feelies and all them great Boston bands: Mission of Burma, Volcano Suns, Big Dipper and, of course, the early Lemonheads, long before Evan Dando became a famous-for-15-seconds alterna-hunk.

The West Coast also produced its fair share of relevant acts: Flop, Red Kross, Wipers and the Urinals. The Minutemen, not long before D. Boon's tragic death in 1985, also helped define the blister-pop sound, with its more "commercial" offerings.

Though both coasts produced a slew of great bands, "blister pop" found its purest voice in that sprawling expanse known as the American Midwest. This has to do with the fact that punks in states like Minnesota, Kansas, Michigan and Ohio held a place in their hearts for classic rock's edgier groups, stuff like Cheap Trick, the Who and the Kinks. In the Midwest -- pre-Internet, that is -- there was no sealing yourself off from mainstream culture. There was no Lower East Side-type hipster bubble to hide inside, and so alterna-types in the middle of the country tended to mix everything together into one big stew. This how you get Husker Du, a group that found a way to fuse insanely thrashy hardcore and 1960s-inspired pop.

Scott Stevens, drummer for one of blister pop's great unsung heroes from the Midwest, the Sinatras, explained it best when, like a total fanboy, I recently e-mailed him and gushed about the group's amazing new compilation, Life in Flames. Do check it out.

"We were too punk for pop," he wrote back, "and too pop for punk."

Other Midwest bands that totally tore it up include Scrawl, Great Plains and the Mice, a Cleveland-based group that exerted a huge influence on Superchunk and Guided by Voices.

For a primer on blister pop crank the playlist below, or go here and have at it!

Playlist: Unpacking The XX

2009-10-19T18:57:34Z

The likely pick for my favorite album of 2009 is looking to be the self-titled debut from the xx, a co-ed London quartet of 20-year-olds whose self-produced album is a masterpiece of sensuality and restraint. Even I'm surprised at my enthusiasm for the record: it doesn't necessarily reach out and grab you on first listen, favoring atmospheres over hooks and suggestion over immediacy. Still, I have a hard time listening to it only once in a given sitting (one of the pleasures of a 39-minute album).

One of the things I like about the record is how it distills so many influences into such a simple, unassuming form: there's a vintage rock 'n' roll patina borrowed from Sun Studios-era Elvis and, less authentically vintage, Chris Isaak's "Wicked Games" (which serves as the barely disguised foundation for the xx's "Infinity"). The welling bass is reminiscent of dubstep and UK garage, and the sullen ambiance recalls post-punk and early goth; the song structures suggest the molasses Americana of Galaxie 500 and their prot�g�s, like Low, Yo La Tengo and Mazzy Star.

The more you listen, the more references you can spot, floating like drops of oil on the surface of the xx's inky, glistening infusion. Since I can't just keep listening to their album on a constant loop (can I?), I put together a playlist that pulls together a number of possible xx influences—as well as a few contemporaries who achieve a similarly dark, viscous bliss in their music—including all the above plus Slowdive, Hugo Largo, David Bowie, Massive Attack, David Sylvian, Cocteau Twins, Seefeel, Brian Eno and many, many more. Listen to a sampling below, and check out the whole playlist here at Rhapsody's Playlist Central.

Concentric Pleasures: Basement Jaxx, Massive Attack, Fennesz

2009-10-13T08:02:41Z

The fall release schedule has kicked in, in earnest, and the electronic-music world is humming like an overheated Theremin. From Basement Jaxx' cyborg pop to the nether reaches of the underground, here's a selection of recent records that don't require a PhD in electronic subgenres to appreciate.

]]> Basement Jaxx, Scars
The Jaxx are back, and as always, they're sounding weird -- in a good way. Despite protestations that Scars would mark a return to their club roots, this is brain-scrambling future pop. The sitars-'n'-filter-disco rush of "Raindrops" is an obvious crowdpleaser in vintage Jaxx mode, while "Scars," featuring Kelis, sounds like a 21st-century rendition of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. And while I've never been entirely convinced by Santigold's carefully styled cool, I can't help but fall for her on "Saga," which takes direction straight from the hyperkinetic playbook of two-tone veterans the Selecter.

Massive Attack, Splitting the Atom
Perhaps spurred by Portishead's unexpected 2008 comeback, Massive Attack return from several years of virtual inactivity sounding unexpectedly inspired. The organ-drenched "Splitting" features the honeyed voice of Horace Andy and sounds something like Stereolab chopped 'n' screwed; "Pray for Rain" pairs TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe with waterlogged pianos, rolling toms and the kind of brooding bass that's always been Massive Attack's forte. "Psyche (Flash Treatment)," featuring Martina Topley-Bird, evokes a little of Fever Ray's bleepy melancholy, while Fever Ray co-producers Van Rivers and the Subliminal Kid put a techno tinge on "Bulletproof Love," fronted by Elbow's Guy Garvey. The EP is a teaser for a new Massive Attack album due out in February. If that's got you salivating, get a load of this news: Massive Attack's Daddy G has said that the group is also planning a dub version of the album, akin to 1995's Mad Professor-mixed No Protection, in collaboration with none other than U.K. avant-dubstepper Burial. (Then again, given what came of Burial's long-promised, never-delivered DJ Kicks mix, we'll believe it when we see it.)

Cortney Tidwell, Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up Remixes
Nashville's Cortney Tidwell was responsible for one of 2007's cult faves in the form of "Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up," an ethereal, guitars-'n'-glitches ballad graced by her spooky, heartbroken croon; Ewan Pearson was responsible for spinning its golden filaments into the year's unlikeliest dancefloor anthem. Now, the recently revived R&S label has reissued the single with additional remixes, and it's just as essential as before. In addition to Pearson's original "Objects in Space" remixes (in vocal, instrumental and radio versions), there's a delirious drums-and-voice workout from minimal technician Sei A. But the most stunning selection is Pearson's "All This Has Happened Before" mix, which turns Tidwell's vocals, along with M83-caliber guitars and synths, into a beatless, nine-minute swoon.

Loscil, Strathcona Variations
Ambient fanatics, rejoice. Three years after his masterful album Plume, Vancouver's Loscil is finally back with another slab of infinite bliss-out. Only three tracks long, the EP -- released on Ghostly, rather than Loscil's longtime home base, Kranky -- may be short, but man, is it sweet, suggesting Arvo P�rt as interpreted by Fennesz or Klimek. Rinse, repeat and drift off.

Sparklehorse + Fennesz, In the Fishtank 15
Finally, speaking of Fennesz, the Viennese ambient maestro expands his list of unlikely partnerships -- which includes Ryuichi Sakamoto, Jim O'Rourke and Pita -- with In the Fishtank 15, a collaboration with the Americana-tinged Sparklehorse. Tremolo-treated vocals bubble up like fish hiccups while battered electric guitar lines corrode beneath layers of digital effects. They couldn't have chosen a better title for this curious, captivating set of underwater meditations.

New Moon Rising

2009-09-25T16:53:35Z

The era of the celebrity DJ is on the wane. These days, the real big-tent tastemakers are music supervisors: the behind-the-scenes types with the knack for administering just the right dose of Snow Patrol at the tear-jerking climax of a Grey's Anatomy episode. And no one does that better than Alex Patsavas, whose keen ears and bursting Rolodex have put their sonic stamp on Grey's Anatomy, The O.C., Gossip Girl, and a little yarn about vampires called Twilight, whose soundtrack went on to sell 2.2 million copies.

]]> Iron and Wine and the Black Ghosts alongside megastars Muse and Linkin Park, Patsavas drinks deeply from the indie-rock vein with his selections for New Moon. Last week Stephenie Meyer, author of the best-selling novels behind the films, announced the sequel's soundtrack on her blog. The track listing offers a who's who of both yielding sensitivity and kohl-eyed cool, featuring artists like Death Cab for Cutie, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and the Killers, all experts in nocturnal angst. (Not to mention OK Go, whose superhuman stamina on the treadmill suggests that they might actually be vampires themselves.)

Perhaps we shouldn't give all the credit to Patsavas: after all, Meyer herself is an avowed fan of left-of-field faves like Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear, and the latter turn up on New Moon with a new song, "Slow Life." While Brooklynites may be scratching their rumpled heads over that one, it's not the only surprise on the album. Radiohead's Thom Yorke makes a rare appearance, as do the folksy Bon Iver and St. Vincent, teaming up in an even rarer duet performance. Even hardcore indie insiders may be unfamiliar with Hurricane Bells, aka Longwave's Steve Schlitz, who until just a few weeks ago was still flying in stealth mode, as he told EW.com in a hastily arranged interview.

The New Moon soundtrack comes out October 20, a month before the film hits theaters nationwide. See below for the track listing. At Rhapsody, you can listen to all these artist, anytime, and you can even take it with you anywhere with our new iPhone app. So, be sure to sign up for your free trial Rhapsody membership, and, in the meantime, whet your appetite with our exclusive playlist of tunes by the soundtrack's artists. After all, with vampires on the march, don't you want to be prepared?

Death Cab for Cutie, "Meet Me on the Equinox"
Band of Skulls, "Friends"
Thom Yorke, "Hearing Damage"
Lykke Li, "Possibility"
The Killers, "A White Demon Love Song"
Anya Marina, "Satellite Heart"
Muse, "I Belong to You (New Moon Remix)"
Bon Iver & St. Vincent, "Roslyn"
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, "Done All Wrong"
Hurricane Bells, "Monsters"
Sea Wolf, "The Violet Hour"
OK Go, "Shooting the Moon"
Grizzly Bear, "Slow Life"
Editors, "No Sound but the Wind"
Alexandre Desplat, "New Moon (The Meadow)"

Supergroups We've Known and Loved

2009-09-22T21:42:42Z

From left: Mike Mogis, M. Ward, Jim James, Conor Oberst

The concept of the supergroup is older than fishing -- literally! Jesus and his Disciples were certainly a supergroup, and we're pretty sure Jesus invented fishing. Yes, bands of preternaturally talented brothers (and sisters) have been joining forces for millennia. With this week's debut from Monsters of Folk -- a supergroup comprised of Mike Mogis, M. Ward, My Morning Jacket's Jim James and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst -- we thought we'd reflect upon some of our favorite supergroups of years past. Was the whole greater than the sum of the parts? Read on to find out, and don't forget: if you dig supergroups, regular groups or anything in between, Rhapsody has you covered. Take a free spin to see what unlimited, unfettered music access tastes like (surprisingly unlike chicken, we think you'll be pleased to discover).

]]> Monsters of Folk. In recent interviews, the Monsters have downplayed any notion of their superiority, but fans of these dudes' respective acts will likely agree on how cool it is to hear them harmonizing together on tunes like "Slow Down Jo" and "Goodway," among others. And Mogis adds touches (steel drums!?) you're not likely to encounter in any of their other tunes. As an added bonus, the collective body odor of these four crusty indie rockers is no doubt something to experience.

The Traveling Wilburys. It is damn hard to argue with the pedigree of a supergroup featuring Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Jeff "Strange Magic" Lynne, so argue with the milieu of that group instead: the late '80s. It's a credit to the Wilburys that many of their tunes manage to get out from under Lynne's, shall we say, indulgent production, but at the end of the day it's their look that stands out -- that hair, those sunglasses, those sport coats and T-shirts … the Wilburys weren't a supergroup, they were a Miami Vice subplot.

Velvet Revolver. You'd think a band featuring GN'R's Slash, Duff and Matt Sorum plus S.T.P.'s Scott Weiland would result in a string of trashed hotel rooms and paternity suits, but by the time V.R. formed they had ditched Mr. Brownstone for Mr. Coffee and the morning paper. Consequently, they rocked about as hard as Slash's curling iron.

The Highwaymen. This is one supergroup you wouldn't want to get in a bar fight with. As Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash took turns beatin' on ya, Rhodes Scholar Kris Kristofferson would recite the true meaning of outlaw country as Willie Nelson passed out samples of Maui Wowie. To get a sense for what it'd be like if these guys had your back in such a fight, check out "We're All in Your Corner," a sing-along drinking song if ever there was one.

Damn Yankees. Featuring members of Styx and Night Ranger, plus Ted Nugent (aka Deadly Teadly, Theodocious Atrocious), Damn Yankees were the epitome of an empty threat: we're gonna rock the curls right out of your perm! They made good on it, too, delivering a pair of albums in the early '90s that packed all the testosterone of a wilting chrysanthemum. "High Enough" may actually be the least masculine thing Uncle Tedly Von Nugeberg's ever had a hand in.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The quintessential supergroup, C.S.N.Y. played their second show ever at Woodstock in '69, then released D�j� Vu a year later. The album became a cornerstone of the folk-rock movement and included hits like "Teach Your Children" and "Our House," which themselves became cornerstones of the movement to sell baby boomers things like cookies and auto insurance in commercials featuring songs from their salad days, thus making the album's title seem very ironic indeed.

Honorable Mentions: Tinted Windows, Blind Faith, Bad Company, Oysterhead, Zwan, Chickenfoot, The Dead Weather, A Perfect Circle, Humble Pie. Please feel free to point out supergroups we left out in the comments!

Concentric Pleasures: Remixing LCD Soundsystem

2009-09-21T04:20:05Z

You have to give DFA credit for not resting on their laurels. The label's a figurehead of this decade's indie-dance scene, with an almost unnervingly astute sense for the nuances of 21st-century cool. And yet, aside from certain hallmarks of the DFA style -- ropy bass lines, disaffected vocals, judicious use of cowbell -- they have yet to settle into a pattern. (Black Meteoric Star's psychedelic, home-soldered acid house isn't exactly par for the indie course.)

Their habit of reaching outside their own scene when commissioning remixes is equally commendable. In addition to marquis names like Soulwax and Franz Ferdinand, DFA also tap artists -- like Carl Craig, Baby Ford and Luomo -- who resonate with house and techno die-hards, but have little foothold in American indie circles. It's not just a question of credibility; the stream of new input keeps DFA's mutable sound continually refreshed.

A stellar new collection of remixes of LCD Soundsystem's 45:33, James Murphy's Nike-sponsored album from 2006, is a case in point. Theo Parrish, Prins Thomas, Runaway, Trus'Me, Prince Language, Padded Cell, Pilooski and Riley Reinhold all take the ball and run as far as they can, touching down everywhere from Detroit downbeat to Norwegian disco. Read on for a rundown of the parties involved, with recommendations for further listening from each.

]]> Theo Parrish
He's a Detroit legend, but Theo Parrish's legacy isn't limited to techno. Like Moodymann, he injects house and techno with a heavy dose of funk and disco, and the results smolder until they explode. His 1998 album First Floor finds him worrying away at hypnotic loops of battered synths and sampled soul; his 13-minute rework of Sun Ra's "Saga of Resistance" is a masterpiece of moody groove.

Prins Thomas
A frequent collaborator with his fellow countryman Hans-Peter Lindstrom, Norway's Prins Thomas is a master of unassuming drama. His long, evolving, percussive reworks take "cosmic" disco ever further into the outer limits: see, for instance, his four expansive edits of Lindstrom's Where You Go I Go Too. He shows even more variety on reworks of the Figurines' "Hey Girl," Toby Tobias' "A Close Shave" and Studio's "Life's a Beach!"

Pilooski
This French artist, affiliated with Paris' D-I-R-T-Y Soundsystem, is seriously bananas flamb�. His LCD remix is typically mutant electro-pop, with the vocodered phrase "Do you like something French" repeated ad absurdium. For those who answer "yes," don't miss his soulful edit of Nina Simone's "Take Care of Business" or his clattery rework for Von Sudenfed (aka Mouse on Mars and the Fall's Mark E. Smith), which stacks its chunky guitars, vox, keyboards and drums like a game of Jenga.

Runaway
Runaway -- Marcos Cabral and Jacques Renault, with birth names so cool they don't need aliases -- live in Brooklyn and vibe off old New York and Chicago house. Their "Brooklyn Club Jam," released jointly by DFA and Radio Slave's Rekids label (and also remixed to blissful effect by New York's Brennan Green), is a chiming piano-house epic that evokes the spirit of Berlin's thundering warehouse parties.

Prince Language
Like DFA's Still Going, Prince Language draws inspiration from the crossover between disco and early house, but his productions don't sound any less urgent for their debt to an era of kinder, gentler dance music. His dub of the Juan Maclean's "Happy House" is the bees' knees (for bees that stage roller discos on grand pianos).

Trus'Me
Gilles Peterson calls Trus'Me "the most interesting and promising young producer in the country right now." He means England, but you wouldn't necessarily guess that Trus'Me is a Mancunian, given his penchant for low-slung, Midwestern funk. Check his 2008 album Working Nights plus remixes for Amp Fiddler for a taste of his slow-mo stuff.

Padded Cell
Like their DC Recordings labelmates White Light Circus and the Emperor Machine, Padded Cell (Bronx Dogs' Richard Sen and Dirty Beatniks' Neil Beatnik) specialize in dark, slightly menacing funk with a retro-futurist touch and a dubby disco blush. Explore more on their 2009 album Night Must Fall along with multiple EPs, and dig deeper with DC's Death Before Distemper volumes three and four.

Riley Reinhold
Riley Reinhold helms the labels Traum, Trapez and My Best Friend, which -- along with Kompakt -- helped establish Cologne as the world capital for a particular strain of resonant, reductionist electronic music. He's not the most obvious choice of remixer for LCD. Hear his spare, slightly melancholic interpretation of classic minimal techno on singles like Lull, Sunset Sound and Balsamic Times, whose title goes to the heart of Reinhold's bittersweet undertones.

Take the He/She Challenge

2009-09-17T18:50:39Z

I’m no Perez Hilton, or even a young Joan Rivers for that matter, but I think I’ve spotted a pop trend -- albeit a minor one. It dawned on me when I recently stumbled across the video for Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat's “Lucky.” (Nine months behind schedule, I know.) It was the same day I read about Break Up, the new album from Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson. I'm talking about this whole he/she retro-pop duo thingy. I’m calling it a trend because I can name four additional examples. There’s She & Him (M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel); Wilco and Feist; Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell; and Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs. Without sounding too reductive, all these acts are variations on a theme: take a little Lee and Nancy and some Serge and Brigitte and filter them through a modern alt-pop sensibility (with a dash of Americana thrown in for good measure, of course).]]>
Because fellow Rhapsody nerd Rachel Devitt’s Madonna vs. Whitney throwdown was such a killer read, I’ve decided to rip her off. To determine which of these six duos reigns supreme, I’ve decided to judge them across three vectors: killer jams, hot looks and real-deal staying power.

Read on to find out who climbs to the top of the heap.

JASON MRAZ/COLBIE CAILLAT
Killer Jams? The pair has produced just the one single, “Lucky.” It’s bubbly, fun and petite. Think She & Him for fans of Sheryl Crow and John Mayer who’ve never read Pitchfork.

Hot Looks? Mraz is your typical scrawny troubadour who waltzes into Urban Outfitters once a month and snaps up all the faux-vintage fedoras. Caillat, on the other hand, is something special. In that “Lucky” video, she nicks tricks from Jewel's old-school busty-nature-babe routine and flirtatiously wanders through some kind of low-tide flood plain in a snow-white dress. It's beyond pure.

Real-Deal Staying Power? Mraz will become a popular emcee on the adult alternative oldies circuit in exactly two decades (along with fellow fedora fans Gavin DeGraw and Matt Nathanson). As for Caillat, she’ll either blow up, wig out and head to Nashville (again, just like Jewel), or slip back into obscurity and become a honey-skinned surfing instructor just north of San Diego, where she’ll fall in love with me after saving my butt during a freak boogie-board accident.
Further Listening: "Lucky"

WILCO/FEIST
Killer Jams? As with Caillat and Mraz, they’ve produced but a single tune, “You and I,” the lead-off single from Wilco’s latest album. I love these guys, but c’mon Tweedy, you didn’t really share any top shelf material, now did you? I mean, it’s a pleasant enough melody, but it really is way more Poconos than Adirondacks when compared to, say, “Either Way” or “My Darling” or "Say You Miss Me."

Hot Looks? Feist is definitely an indie-pop cutie, yet she’s a little too Gap commercial. She needs a hairy mole or a big schnoz -- that little something extra to inject some character into her look. Now that I think about it, Feist is basically Charlotte Gainsbourg without all the bony awesomeness. Tweedy, meanwhile, is really starting to freak me out. In addition to patchy facial hair that resembles a Halloween prop gone wrong, he’s slowly morphing into my dad, which is kind of strange, considering Pops is an Italian/Puerto Rican mix who still insists on wearing a 20-year-old Caesar-styled toupee.

Real-Deal Staying Power? None whatsoever. Tweedy and company are so soft rock these days that he’ll quickly ditch Feist and shack up with Carly Simon.
Further Listening: "You and I"

PETE YORN/SCARLETT JOHANSSON
Killer Jams? Break Up is good, clean fun, if a bit schizo. Half the time Pete and ScarJo are chasing after She & Him: rootsy alt-rocker and sexy actress with quasi-indie cred, cranking out bubbly retro-pop. The other half finds them gunning for the adult alternative charts, with falsetto-laden balladry. The album contains one real misfire: Scarlett trying to tackle Chris Bell’s “I Am the Cosmos.” That's just plain wrong.

Hot Looks? What male under 70 hasn’t googled pix of ScarJo at least 100 times in the last three years? She just might be Hollywood’s pin-up of the decade. The lass bares creamy inner thighs without ever looking like a lady of the night -- or Fergie for that matter. How did Yorn get any work done in the studio? Poorly shaven dude must've been as nervous as a 13-year-old boy whose hot teacher bends over his desk to double-check his multiplication.

Real-Deal Staying Power? No offense to Pete, but he’s a strange match for an A-list star who could have the pick of the litter. The fact that Scarlett didn’t snag Chris Martin or even Jeff Tweedy makes me think she’s not taken seriously in the music biz. I give this collaboration an additional EP. But who really cares? Pete totally scored and surely enjoys Scarlett draped all over his shoulders during photo shoots. Good work, my man.
Further Listening: Break Up

SUSANNA HOFFS/MATTHEW SWEET
Killer Jams? Matt and Susie have churned out two albums of classic rock and baroque pop covers: Under the Covers volumes 1 and 2. Both are carefree affairs, bordering on karaoke toss-offs. That said, when you’re Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs -- power-pop icons both of them -- your karaoke toss-offs are better than most pop musicians' serious work.

Hot Looks? You'd think ScarJo would receive my vote for hottest retro-pop duo babe, but you'd be dead wrong! Susie Hoffs is tops in my book. First off, she looks fantastic for a classy lady born in 1959. Secondly, there’s the teenage lust factor. I dreamed nightly about Hoffs in the late 1980s. Each new Bangles video meant a new mini-skirt. Then there was the The Allnighter, this terrible flick from ’87 that will be remembered only because Hoffs sported a bikini for, like, 60 magical seconds. As for Sweet, he needs to hire Susanna’s trainer ASAP. He wasn't at all bad looking back in the Girlfriend days. In recent photos, however, it looks as though he’s hitting the In-n-Out Burger on Sunset about four times a week.

Real-Deal Staying Power? This is just a pit stop. Both are long overdue for some nostalgia love: recreating Girlfriend live, a Bangles reunion, maybe The Allnighter II...
Further Listening: Under the Covers Vol. 1

SHE & HIM
Killer Jams? M. Ward and Zooey have crafted the single-most consistent album here: Volume 1. This duo knows their Brill Building/girl group history. Each track is exquisitely arranged and filled with sonic coolness. Plus, Zooey’s voice hiccups with sass and preciousness. She can drill a melody straight into the skull. Throw great production into the mix, and you have yourself perfect polka-dot-bikini beach music.

Hot Looks? You know how certain rich kids look good only because they can afford fine designer threads and high-quality makeup? Well, that’s M. Ward and Zooey. It’s all in the shopping. Dress these two up like a couple of third-shift steel workers from Buffalo who shop at Kohl’s, and you wouldn’t even notice them. That said, Zooey's sister Emily has a stunning jawline.

Real-Deal Staying Power? Totally. These two have such fantastic synergy that Zooey is going to ditch main squeeze Ben Gibbard. Of course, their relationship will end badly (that whole business/pleasure thing), with a string of harrowing breakup albums credited to “She” and “Him” individually. Unfortunately, no one will ever get to hear them until the deluxe reissues 30 years later, because googling “she” and “him” turns up a bunch of nonsense. Further Listening: Voume 1

ISOBEL CAMPBELL/MARK LANEGAN
Killer Jams? Oh, hell yes. Though neither of their two albums, Ballad of the Broken Seas or Sunday at Devil Dirt, is quite as consistent as She & Him’s Volume 1, their peaks are unrivaled. What a genius idea: take the queen of Scottish twee and pair her up with hard rock’s last raspy-voiced titan. Listening to these two sing together is like diving naked into a pool of fuzzy bunnies and sandpaper. Talk about Lee and Hazelwood's cowboy gothic groove -- right now, we’re neck deep, friends.

Hot Looks? I dig the ladies, but there are two men whom I would consider making sweet love to: Jim Morrison and Mark Lanegan. But let's not overlook Campbell. Her hushed chirp makes you think you’re listening to one of these hipster waifs. Of course, she’s cute. But with a face often plastered with too much makeup, Campbell looks more like a waitress at the local diner. We’re talking well-worn sexiness, especially when she croons, “Tell me, baby, tell me pretty lies.”

Real-Deal Staying Power? These two are wandering spirits, so this won’t last too long. Maybe another record? What’s interesting to note is that it's Campbell’s project. She writes the songs and calls the shots, something you just don’t assume when you see the diminutive blonde standing next to this hulking beast, whom you expect is large and in charge.
Further Listening: Sunday at Devil Dirt

And the winners are ... She & Him. But wait a minute! Just as the duo reaches the podium to accept its award, Lanegan enters from stage right with Campbell hoisted upon his shoulders, kind of like Master Blaster from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. He kicks both M. Ward and Zooey into the orchestra pit and claims the brassy statue.

Concentric Pleasures: El Guincho, Lusine, Vladislav Delay

2009-09-12T15:57:26Z

El Guincho (photo: Oliver Faig)

This week's column has no explicit theme, but there might be an implicit one: all five of these albums explore what happens when you combine traditional acoustic and electric instruments with electronic processing and production. Three of them make heavy use of vocals. Four are new, another is a decade old, and one of them sounds way older -- in a good way.

El Guincho, "Antillas" remixes: EP1 and EP2

El Guincho's music is so full of energy and ideas, it's often hard to believe that it's the work of a single artist: listening to his 2008 debut, Alegranza, feels like standing on a hilltop equidistant from three or four different stages at a world music fest, with soca, Afropop, tropicalia and psychedelic rock swirling in the air and shifting with the winds. Now the Spanish musician has reissued "Antillas," one of the album's standout tracks, to a diverse crew of remixers who take his ideas even farther afield. Most of them stay true to the sunny-day spirit of the original, homing in on Highlife-inspired guitars and delirious, Animal Collective-styled chants. Spank Rock's XXXchange comes up with a dazzling slab of Technicolor exuberance in the spirit of DFA or Carl Craig. Norway's Prins Thomas, a master of hypnotic disco, seems to have come across a few of the helium-fueled balloons that once floated above the floor of David Mancuso's Loft; full of bluegrass guitar and manic hand claps, it's as unstoppable as a five-year-old's birthday party. Cee, of Germany's dub outfit Al-Haca, takes the opposite approach, layering atonal voices over quavering bass and stripped-down percussion halfway between dubstep and the bleakest techno: it's "Antillas" all right, but as heard from the other end of a black hole.

]]> Lusine, A Certain Distance

Built upon a bed of Seattle producer Lusine's typically fine-tooled rhythms, A Certain Distance indulges a jones for lushness with enveloping synths, acoustic samples and quietly dazzling vocals, layered and processed to spine-tingling effect. Downbeat in mood, the tracks sparkle with unusual clarity. There's no blur in Lusine's ultra-HD world. The easygoing "Twilight" projects singer Vilja Larjosto's supple voice as if through a prism, throwing rainbows in its wake, and "Two Dots" is even more colorful, with Larjosto's multitracked vocals fluttering like pennants stretched to the horizon. The album's out on Ghostly, which only makes sense: file this one alongside School of Seven Bells' Iamundernodisguise.

Vladislav Delay, Tummaa

Sasu Ripatti (aka Vladislav Delay, Luomo and Uusitalo) has often alluded to his background as a jazz drummer, and he recently picked up the sticks again for the Moritz von Oswald Trio. He must be making up for lost time with his new album, Tummaa. The rhythms derive from Ripatti's own playing — not on a traditional drum kit, but rather a battery of metal objects and custom percussion instruments — and he's assisted by Lucio Capece playing reeds and Craig Armstrong on piano and Rhodes. The results, torn between dub pulse and arrhythmic flicker, are as immersive as anything he's done to date. Dark and free-spirited, the album draws equally from dubstep and free-improvisers AMM -- a neat trick.

Robin Guthrie, Carousel

I won't pretend that I've followed Robin Guthrie's career post-Cocteau Twins with much diligence (I was surprised, in fact, to find that Rhapsody has five albums by him, both solo and with Harold Budd, plus two EPs). I also won't pretend that he doesn't sound a lot like a version of the Cocteau Twins sans Liz Fraser on Carousel, his new album. But who's complaining? Cotton-candy guitar filigree runs through oodles of reverb -- carried by the Cocteaus' brooding bass and drum interplay, what more could you want? Instrumental or no, these are fully formed songs, not just Frippertronic atmospherics, with generous depth. If you'd have told me these were unearthed sessions from two decades ago, I wouldn't have doubted it. Not that the album sounds dated. Quite the contrary: it only reinforces how singular and enduring Guthrie's supple sound has always been, and remains.

Mr. Scruff, Keep It Unreal (10th Anniversary Analogue Remaster Edition)

You never need an excuse to pull out Mr. Scruff's Keep It Unreal, but we'll give you one anyway. The Mancunian doodler's sampladelic masterpiece turns 10 this fall, and to celebrate the occasion Ninja Tune has released a remastered version of the album complete with eight new tracks. His vintage-leaning, fun-loving cutups haven't aged a day: this is timeless, toe-scuffing funk tailor-made for road trips, picnics and weekends at the beach. (Perfect, in other words, for Rhapsody on your iPhone.)

Owl City's Pajama Party Songs

2009-09-06T15:37:49Z

Owl City (photo: Pamela Littky)

While Gawker reports that Michael Cera is losing his cool, there arrives a new torchbearer for gangly teenaged sincerity. Minnesota's Adam Young launched his electronic-pop project, Owl City, while passing the time in his parents' basement; his MySpace page lists "God," "optimism," "foreign accents" and "G-rated movies" as influences. Taking cues from the Postal Service's fusion of skittery digital rhythms and unabashedly emo melodies, Owl City's new album, Ocean Eyes, channels the bright-eyed rush of the teenage sublime into the sweetest -- well, bittersweetest -- sound possible. With the album casting its rosy glow over the electronic and rock charts, the daydreaming insomniac found the time to share with us an exclusive playlist: Owl City's Pajama Party Songs, complete with his own track-by-track commentary. With a surprisingly ambitious selection running from Hella through Boards of Canada and the experimental computer musician Alva Noto -- and, uh, Shaquille O'Neal -- even die-hard cynics will find it hard not to open up to Mr. Young-at-Heart.

Hella, "Welcome to the Jungle Baby, Your Gonna Live!"
"This song makes me wanna throw a huge pizza party with the Chicago Bulls."
Alva Noto, "jr: for katsushika hokusai"
"I wake up every morning and brush my teeth to this song. My pearly whites are incredibly clean."
Boards of Canada, "Dayvan Cowboy"
"Of dusk and dust and dreams."
Shaquille O'Neal, "My Dear"
"Best song in the history of recorded music. Ever."
Pelican, "Last Day of Winter"
"Indoor swimming music."
The Field, "I Have the Moon, You Have the Internet"
"Brilliant minimalist house."
Taylor Swift, "Love Story"
"Sigh."
Botch, "To Our Friends in the Great White North"
"Go-cart music."
Amon Tobin, "Get Your Snack On"
"This song makes me wanna hang out with my mailman."
Hammock, "When the Sky Pours Down Like a Fountain"
"Snuggle music."

Concentric Pleasures: Sally Shapiro, Yacht, Health

2009-09-05T19:58:44Z

Sally Shapiro

Summer's all but officially over, and boy does it feel like it. These three albums may be grounded in libidinal sounds like disco and punk, but there's nevertheless something coolly distant, even alienating about them. (That's part of their charm.) They might make for an entirely unscientific sampling of the current indie dance landscape, but from their heightened affect to their stylistic feints, I think all three speak to a creeping sense of anxiety in the pop underground, both explicit and unconscious.

Sally Shapiro, My Guilty Pleasure

If the term "ice princess" wasn't invented for Sally Shapiro, it's entirely possible she was invented for it. (And she is, let's not forget, an invention: Sally Shapiro is only the nom de microfon of a Swedish shrinking violet whose real name, she demurs, is "something else.") Even singing songs like "Love in July," she sounds about as summery as a steel-blue shock of glacier: her breathy, oddly translucent voice rises up from the mix like the vapors from a frostbitten kiss. Of course, much of the credit for My Guilty Pleasure's deep-freeze aesthetic goes to producer Johan Agebj�rn, whose Italo-disco-inspired arpeggios feel as sharply limned as the edges of a snowflake. All the gleaming surfaces can get a bit dizzying after a while -- Royksopp's Junior, a similar attempt at cryogenic disco, sounds positively tropical in comparison -- but there's a thawing respite in the trance-tossed "Dying in Africa," which summons visions of the Field's disappearing horizons.

YACHT, See Mystery Lights

YACHT's full-length DFA debut sounds almost like the work of a different band than the one responsible for I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real. On the Portland, Ore., band's new album Psychic City, the skittery electronic touches of earlier albums cede the center ground to more muscular guitar-drums-and-bass arrangements. Instead of sketching around the outlines of pop, Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans now home in on the shape of their songs in bold strokes. YACHT aren't shy about their magpie tendencies: "Pyschic City" and "It's Boring" take cues from the Pixies and Pylon, while more futuristic joints like "I'm in Love with a Ripper" open their arms wide to encompass '80s synth-pop and '00s R&B, via ZTT-inspired sampling and delirious flights of Auto-Tune. (There's even a trace of the Durutti Column in the limpid guitars of the opening "Ring the Bell.") It's far more engaging than fellow Portlanders Glass Candy, whose No Wave disco wants for YACHT's irreverent, inquisitive spirit. From the low-slung bass to Evans' slouchy delivery, the album's a no-brainer fit for DFA, currently running this corner of the indie dance scene. But despite the obligatory grounding in the punkier side of disco, it still sounds unlike anything else on the label.

Health, Get Color

Health's machinic rhythms and queasy oscillators, laced with digital tics and freaky effects, draw an imaginary line from Sonic Youth's swollen amplifiers to the nether space of the motherboard. Like Liars, Animal Collective and Battles, the L.A. band pulls at rock's ragged edges in both style and sonics. The new album, Get Color, is both heavier and trickier than their debut: songs like "Death+" sound like a cross between Helmet and Aphex Twin -- part death march, part angels' chorus. The band's tendency to lock into a trance-inducing churn sometimes leaves you wishing for more in the way of songwriting; maybe that last, as-yet-untaken leap is what gives the music such a palpable sense of struggle -- witness the fiery permutations of "We Are Water," where the band wrestles with the ghosts of prog rock, hardcore and techno; the song's imbued with a sense of almost incendiary frustration as it twists and turns.

Rhapsody Reviews: The Skygreen Leopards

2009-08-13T21:10:49Z

Gorgeous Johnny is finally out. Sweet. I’ve been waiting three years for a new album from the Skygreen Leopards. Their last, 2006’s Disciples of California, is so good it had me writing all kinds of wacky copy about Jerry Garcia fronting Television Personalities in a dive bar in Santa Cruz. (Oh, wait a minute. Maybe that was Mickey Dolenz and the Go-Betweens?)

Disciples strikes the perfect balance between 1980s twee and rootsy, West Coast folk-pop. Since its release I’ve stumbled across more than a few indie bands exploring similar turf. I dig a lot of them, particularly San Diego’s Donkeys, whose Living on the Other Side is just splendid. But for the most part very few of them can do what the Leopards do. Even with the Donkeys, you can point to a specific guitar lick or riff and say “That’s so Neil Young” or “Man, that sounds a lot like ‘Ripple.’” What makes Disciples special, in contrast, is how the album channels the golden age of California pop, folk and country without ever aping it, without ever sounding like a Monkees tribute band or the Grateful Dead, Jr. Ultimately, the Leopards are more about capturing the feeling of that era rather than its actual sound.

Now having said all that, Gorgeous Johnny finds the Skygreen Leopards backing away from their love of classic California. I mean, it does have its moments, like the Smile-inspired vocal magic of “Goodnight Anna” (the album’s third best song after (1) “Can Go Back” and (2) the title track). But overall, Gorgeous Johnny is way less pastoral, way less wandering-the-countryside-on-a-Saturday-afternoon music. In fact, it’s really kind of urban. Like one of America’s half-dozen classic flatiron buildings, it’s lined with finely detailed ornamentation. The album’s artwork gives all this away. Where Disciples’ cover is a dusty country road (albeit one with a gigantic skull hovering at its end), this new record sports a colorful painting of a city block full of towering apartment buildings.

Though the Leopards’ artistic core are singer-songwriters Glenn Donaldson and Donovan Quinn, the recent addition of multi-instrumentalist Jason Quever helps explain the sound of the new album. This dude is the brains behind Papercuts. If you dig richly textured dream pop, then check out their latest release You Can Have What You Want, released this past spring. Quever, unlike Quinn and Donaldson, doesn’t sound as if he writes songs while strumming a guitar underneath the protective canopy of a redwood forest. He’s more of a composer-type, one who probably develops ideas on the piano. Of course, I’m just guessing here, but I think I’m on to something. A good chunk of Gorgeous Johnny feels more composed, more baroque -- more rococo. (Ha! That word rules.) Several songs unfold like mini-suites stitched together from two or three song fragments. The most striking just might be the oddly titled “SGL’s et al.” It opens with piano and handclaps drowning in echo, that whole recorded-down-the-hall effect. This ends abruptly, giving way to Quinn mumbling like Lou Reed after staying awake for 36 straight hours. He’s saying something about the band getting in the van and driving to the sea. Gradually, Quinn melts into a hazy, droning chant involving a little strummed guitar and about three or four hushed voices. It’s really quite... gorgeous.

Then again, so is the rest of this more-than-worthy follow-up.

PS - You in need of even more Skygreen Leopards? Then check out their Rhapsody celebrity playlist! It’s packed with all kinds of good stuff: The Kinks, Jerry Jeff Walker, The Clientele, Lou Reed, Outrageous Cherry and more.

Live Review: Mocky in Berlin

2009-08-13T04:43:51Z

Mocky's new album, Saskamodie, makes great use of the Paris studio in which it was recorded, channeling the spirit of artists who have previously recorded there -- Nina Simone, Serge Gainsbourg -- into a wonderfully warm and intimate take on '60s lounge pop. The presence of friends and co-conspirators like Jamie Lidell and Feist only enhances the Canadian musician's ample, obvious talents as a songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist.

Mocky's recent performance in his current hometown, Berlin, didn't feature any of those names, and the setting couldn't have been more different from the celebrated Paris studio. The show took place at Badeschiff, an artificial beach along the banks of the Spree river, where the band performed beneath a plastic tarp while the crowd sat in folding hammock chairs or sprawled on damp sand. Berlin's clockwork summer showers had begun shortly after soundcheck and let up, more or less, right about the time the band came on stage. (Serendipity, or something more?)

]]> Bebel Gilberto singing a sultry, sunny bossa nova that seemed to mock the grey skies above, as well as the players on stage. "Can someone kill the DJ?" asked Mocky into the microphone, as a promoter scrambled to find the offending fader. Pause. "Turn that music off, too."

But the makeshift environment turned out to be the perfect setting for Mocky's homespun soul. The group -- including a pianist on a Fender Rhodes, Taylor Savvy on standup bass, a flutist and a string trio -- took the stage wearing bizarre, wide-brimmed sombreros hung with a good 18 inches of dangling, silky fringe; you wondered how the players didn't get the stuff stuck between their fingers and their instruments. The hats only lasted one song, but they sufficiently underscored the concert's ever-so-slightly madcap vibe. (Pun not entirely intended. Speaking of madcap, don't miss the album's genius, Zelig-like video, "Mockumentary.")

Mocky led his group through a faithful interpretation of the bulk of the album's songs, but with lots of room left for improvisation, impulsiveness and plain old fun. Virtually every player took an extended solo at one point or another. Mocky, his curls flopping about his forehead, dug into his drum kit with evident satisfaction, expertly maneuvering tempo shifts as he played his way around the beat. What he lacked in polish, he more than made up for in enthusiasm.

The string arrangements added an extra dimension to the small-combo sound: bursts of bright, augmented chords as refreshing as a Campari on the Riviera. But the real magic lay in the interaction between players. (Mocky and Savvy seemed to have a running joke going between them; their fills felt like wisecracks in a good-natured game of one-upmanship.) As relaxed as the music was, everyone scrambled to be useful. When laying off their own instruments, musicians would shake noisemakers hung around their necks, evoking the lazy rustle of a thatched roof in the tropics.

"Goofy" might be one word for those kinds of antics, but the band had the chops to pull it off. In the show's most spirited passage, the group broke down "Saskamodie" into a loose, chugging approximation of Philip Glass or Steve Reich, turning 8th-note patter into a gauzy harmonic weave. The flutist sang her notes higher and higher, looking almost surprised herself with her final, warbly steps up the scale. Taylor Savvy slurred around the offbeats, quite possibly on the verge of laughter. No one was having more fun than the musicians were, but the audience came in a close, envious second -- damp sand and all.

Watch Mocky and the Saskamodie Orchestra performing Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" at Badeschiff here, and listen to Saskamodie in our playlist.

Warp Records Rocks

2009-07-28T04:39:01Z

Grizzly Bear by Tom Hines

As you may have noticed, I've been on something of a Warp kick lately. To me, Warp will always be first and foremost an "electronic" imprint -- after all, the label served as my main introduction to contemporary electronic music 15 years ago, via Autechre's Amber and then other Warp artists like Aphex Twin. (I wrote at some length about my first encounter with Warp eight years ago, when the label's cofounder Rob Mitchell passed away; you can read that piece here.)

But in recent years, Warp has arguably had its most surprising successes outside electronica, in hip-hop, avant-pop and indie rock. I've already talked about Jamie Lidell, Battles and Flying Lotus. Here are a few more crucial albums from the guitar-wielding weirdos warping Warp's aesthetic in wild, white-knuckled ways.

]]> Grizzly Bear, Yellow House
You may have heard a thing or two recently about a certain Brooklyn quartet and its hotly tipped new album, Veckatimest. But don't sleep on the band's previous album, 2006's Yellow House. It's rooted in the same spongy delta where the waters of folk, psychedelia and post-rock mingle; you can hear bits of Simon & Garfunkel, Gastr del Sol and Leo Kottke in their intricate, cobwebbed and dew-glistened dream-pop. A synaesthetic's dream, Yellow House is a yellow house in afternoon light, the smell of cut grass at the seaside in springtime, a banquet of garlands and honey.

!!!, Myth Takes
!!! may smell like a jam band -- they're alleged to have done an entire U.S. tour without showering between shows, carving a wide arc of empty space into the audience -- but their musical cues come straight out of early '80s post-punk. Their bass- and cowbell-heavy grooves often draw comparisons to Liquid Liquid or A Certain Ratio; on the title track to 2007's Myth Takes, they're straight-up Bauhaus. "Funk-punk" doesn't have quite the ring it did a few years ago, but returning today to Myth Takes, the things that make these trisyllabic rockers different stand out even more, especially on oddball rave-ups like "Sweet Life" and "Yadnus."

Duncan Lloyd, Seeing Double
When Duncan Lloyd stepped out of Maximo Park's shadow with his 2008 solo debut, Seeing Double, it was clear that he'd been keeping some of the best songs for himself. Steeped in '60s harmonies and punk simplicity, Lloyd's stripped-down rock makes the most of electric instruments that jump out of the mix with a kind of knuckleheaded vulnerability. His songwriting tends toward a mixture of Sebadoh, New Order, and just the right amount of Velvet Underground, but songs like "Victory and Surrender" show that he's got a few tricks of his own up his sleeve.

Gravenhurst, The Western Lands
Swinging between the poles of acoustic melancholy and searing rock, Gravenhurst's 2007 album The Western Lands feels a little like a one-band rendition of a Sofia Coppola soundtrack. There's a Nick Drakey number ("Saints"), a My Bloody Valentine blast ("Hollow Men"), a plug for L.A. Chicano rockers (and Repo Man soundtrackers) the Plugz ("The Western Lands"), JAMC-meets-M83 fuzzout blissout ("Farewell, Farewell"). Add a little bit of the Smiths and Sarah Records; what saves it from being Now That's What I Call Indie! Volume 54 is the wide-eyed earnestness of it all.