Money Save Moneysafety Naked Celebrity Celebs

Picture Lita Lesbians Male

THE gRAIN - TWO THINGS IN LE YOU CAN BE CERTAIN OF

Money Save Moneysafety Naked Celebrity Celebs

appears to be film music. Many of these tracks have an epic, cinematic sweep redolent of film composers like Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota. "Crest" swells and subsides along with emotive string arrangements, with squalls of anthemic guitar punctuating each passage, like Hendrix jamming along to a soap opera soundtrack. The album maintains a consistent MOR sunshine-pop vibe, with a sparkling atmosphere of heroism and patriotic grandeur. The sampled chorus of breathy "aahs" on "The Lithium Stiffs" recalls the atmospheric light-rock of 10CC's "I'm Not in Love," not exactly a popular reference point for cutting-edge indie rock. Much care has been taken in sequencing these songs, with the first half of the album threaded together into a continuous narrative. "Stretch (You Are All Right)" is pure Tortoise-by-numbers, with its point-counterpoint conversation between vibraphones and guitar. The songs on this album seem more composed than ever before, excising the elements of chance and improvisation almost entirely. This results in an album that at times feels a bit calculated and over-composed, the same problems that have plagued recent efforts by Stereolab. However, with musicians as talented as Tortoise, even an effortlessly tossed-off record like this one can prove to be quite engaging. Although the album loses much of its momentum in its last half, "Salt the Skies" reconnects with the themes from the opening song suite and serves as a fittingly bombastic conclusion. There is no doubt whatever that Tortoise are an immensely gifted group of musicians, and it seems a shame to complain that an album as lovely and accomplished as Cunt Lesbians Tgp's All Around You seems phoned in, so I'm not going to. I'm just going to shut up and listen to it. - Jonathan Dean

samples:


mÚm, "summer make good"
FatCat
The howling winds which open MíQ's third full-length record are ominously foreshadowing of what lies within. The group, now down to a core trio, have moved even further away from their first releases of pretty prancing techno fairies sprinkling happy dust over the morning dew, delving into deeper exploration of a more sad beauty that doesn't come without a sting. It's like admiring the beauty of the blue sky and bright sunlight after drowning, sinking to the bottom of the ocean. The first real song, for example, even aches of sadness with the title alone, "Weeping Rock, Rock," and with an arsenal of instruments, the sound swells to a thick heaviness the group only let bleed through occasionally on 2002's Finally We Are No One. In the studio this time are live drums and percussion, guitar and banjo, mandolin, accordion, organ, horns, strings, and plenty of unidentifiable objects while the digital glitchery has been reduced to a bare minimum, used only ever subtly for effect. Taking center stage is the even more matured, bold choices the group is taking with song structure and production. Whispery vocals are brought to the foreground, allowing for every imperfection to be audible. Imperfection is, after all, what makes humans distinct from each other. The album's first single, "Nightly Cares," should be an indication for those lucky enough to find it, as it moves slowly, with doubled vocals and airbrushed drums and a muted trumpet that reminds me Mark Hollis is overdue for a second solo album. Fans of the first releases should be warned: MíQ have created a record which is almost completely void of predictable pop ditties that make for crossover radio hits, despite vocals appearing on nearly every song. Perhaps the group has taken some influence from the uprising in bands to challenge the almighty pop structure. Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, MíQ have effectively balanced that stretch for originality with a listen that's equally as captivating. Often times, things seem almost alien in nature, with bleak reality distortions that could even give Matt Elliott the shivers. MíQ have succeeded in making an album that's very shy at first, unassuming and timid. But, with a growing curiosity and openness from the listener, bit by bit, more gets revealed, and I'm still learning. Those who appreciate a nice package might want to hold off this week as some limited edition version in a book is due out but delayed due to manufacturing issues of some kind. - Jon Whitney

samples: