A quartet for ’09’s 2nd quarter

We’ve hit the halfway mark in ‘09, and it’s about time I checked in with a list of what I’ve been digging over the last few months. Gentlemen, start your list making!

• Oi Va Voi, Traveling the Face of the Globe
  They were my May monthly crush, and for good reason: “At first glance, their sound recalls Beirut thanks to the globetrotting ethnic instrumentation — clarinet, trumpet, bouzouki, violins, and accordion pepper the songs — but as soon as Bridgette Amofah starts singing on the album opener “Waiting,” you’re transported somewhere distinctly modern and utterly unique. It’s indie rock! It’s traditional Jewish music! (It’s a floor wax! It’s a dessert topping!) It’s both, and it’s awesome. The songs are great, the melodies memorable, and the arrangements are consistently interesting & unexpected. Hard to describe in just a few words, but I think “Badly Drawn Jew” does them justice.”

  Try “Every Time” below, and if you dig it, grab Traveling the Face of the Globe at iTunes!

  Download: Oi Va Voi, “Every Time” (mp3)
  (Right-click/control-click link to download)

• Fred, Go God Go
  What I said while making them my June monthly crush still stands: “Go God Go is shockingly great, and is in the running for my favorite album of the year. It’s impressively hooky, soul-infused indie pop from beginning to end, and I haven’t found a single song that begs the skip button. Every tune brings something interesting & fun to the table, from the swirling disco + cowbell-enhanced rhythms of “Skyscraper” and the unexpected shot of mariachi horns in “Keep Me Clear” to the sharp, soaring brit-rock of of “Fear” — it’s all good. Best of all, the melodies are memorable & the stuff that repeat listens are made of.”

  Give “Good One” a spin below, and then grab Go God Go at iTunes!

  Download: Fred, “Good One” (mp3)
  (Right-click/control-click link to download)

• Wilco, Wilco (the album)
  Jeff Tweedy & company have assembled another batch of excellent songs, and I find the sound of (the album) to be a nice middle ground between the warmth of Sky Blue Sky and the chill of A Ghost is Born. Some critics have complained that the band are keeping guitar virtuoso Nels Cline on too short a leash, but I find the “lil’ dab will do ya” approach here a winning one. Beautiful stuff abounds.

  Check out “I’ll Fight” below & then grab (the album) at iTunes.

  Download: Wilco, “I’ll Fight” (mp3)
  (Right-click/control-click link to download)

• Manic Street Preachers, Journal for Plague Lovers
  Long story behind this album, so here’s the short-short version: Manics lyricist & guitarist Richey Edwards vanishes in 1995 shortly after the release of their opus The Holy Bible; band soldiers on as trio releasing gigantically successful albums, many dealing with the loss of Edwards; in tribute to their missing mate, Manics set unfinished/unused lyrics of Edwards’ to music, even reconnecting with Bible producer Steve Albini to recapture the sound of the band when Edwards was part of it; resulting album is really good — sounds like the proper sequel to Bible, and is a critical & popular success in the UK. Not yet available on these shores, but if you dug The Holy Bible, you’ll really dig Journal for Plague Lovers.

  Try “This Joke Sport Severed” on for size below & then order Journal for Plague Lovers from amazon.com.

  Download: Manic Street Preachers, “This Joke Sport Severed” (mp3)
  (Right-click/control-click link to download)

A few other favorites:

• Favorite reason to hit the dancefloor: Little Boots, “New In Town” from the forthcoming album Hands. Best pop single of the year, hands down (no pun intended).
• Favorite new road trip song: Malcolm Middleton, “Red Travellin’ Socks” from the excellent Waxing Gibbous. Folk with four on the floor.
• Favorite reason to learn French: Plastiscines, “Pas Avec Toi” from About Love. Nothing lost in translation here: this quartet of ladies rocks.
• Favorite Spoon-fed rawk: White Rabbits, “Percussion Gun” from It’s Frightening. Sharp, inventive indie from Brooklyn by way of Austin’s finest.
• Favorite reissues done right: Aside from our own? Gotta be the 2 new Def Leppard deluxe editions for Pyromania and Adrenalize. Both albums sound better than ever, and the complete 1983 live show added to Pyromania should not be missed.
• Favorite things to look forward to: Florence and the Machine’s debut album, Lungs, due in the UK in July; Nicely loaded reissues of the Beastie Boys’ Ill Communication and Hello Nasty, both dropping ahead of a new album this fall.