Wilco - The Whole Love [dBpm]

7.0

What separates Wilco’s earlier releases of Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot from the latest efforts of Sky Blue Sky up to their eighth release The Whole Love? Ingenuity. The blend of alt-country and the raw yet refined experimentations make Wilco easily one of the most exciting indie acts of the early ‘00s. Critics crave another Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, while new fans are added onto with what seems to be every new record with whatever lead man Jeff Tweedy and Wilco throws at them. Honestly, Wilco can really do nothing terribly wrong, but the lack of intensive direction can be a turn off to seasoned Wilco fans.

The Whole Love starts out promising enough with the wild “Art of Almost” that has an eccentric guitar outro that might be one of Wilco’s best guitar works to date, but The Whole Love really drops up and down from there, like the trend that Wilco efforts have been doing since Sky Blue Sky. “I Might” is another definite highlight for The Whole Love and is the signature track on the album like “Wilco (The Song)” was for Wilco (The Album)” and “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” was for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.; the killer organ hook that Wilco uses on “I Might” plunges the track into a classic Wilco tune. The rest of the album turns into mediocre alt-country mush that can be easily listened to, but lacks the vigor and approach that the world knows Wilco capable of.

From moody acoustics on “Black Moon” and “Open Mind,” to an electronic country-infused tune, “Capitol City,” The Whole Love is by far not bland in differentiating styles, but again it just sounds too contemporary. Where is the near-experimental approach we were left with on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, or the charming pop tunes on Summerteeth? Unfortunately, it’s inevitable to believe that Wilco will someday return to some “form” to appease everyone’s taste because honestly Wilco has moved on to a more traditional sound that will attract new comers yet frustrate long-time Wilco fans.

One of the more ambitious moves Wilco attempted was a 12-minute folk track that has great poetic lyricism from Jeff Tweedy with moving lines that precariously drip off one another; “Bless my mind, I miss/Being told how to live.” Those moments are rare on The Whole Love, for there seems to be barrier hiding all the ambition away with uninteresting alt-country tracks like “Open Mind” or “Sunloathe” which are just simply boring and sound so typically Wilco. It is all just so average, nothing pressingly terrible, but nothing excelling.

Wilco again follows the slightly-above mediocrity formula; two to three interesting and engaging tracks with one excellent hit track (“I Might”) and then surrounds those by bogged down tracks that simply don’t transcend to any heights Wilco has reached before. The Whole Love will simply go down as another average LP in Wilco’s discography and will be waved off as purely unimportant and a backdrop to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’s and couple of other records’ successes. Honestly, any expectation for The Whole Love were killed when Tweedy sings, “I can’t help it if I fall in love with you!” on “Dawned On Me.”

Thundercat - The Golden Age of Apocalypse [Brainfeeder]

8.2

Stephen Bruner, aka Thundercat, is the bassist for hardcore punk band Suicidal Tendencies, but when Bruner is using his nickname, Thundercat, Bruner make music that is completely contradictory to Suicide Tendencies’s bizarre hardcore, thrash metal/punk. The Golden Age of Apocalypse is Thundercat’s debut effort produced under the transcending experimental electronic artist Steven Ellison, aka Flying Lotus. With so much going for Bruner; phenomenal, wide-ranged bass playing from his time with Suicidal Tendencies and his guest work on Flying Lotus’s excellent LP Cosmogramma from last year and the inclusion of Fly Lo’s production, what can possibly go wrong with The Golden Age of Apocalypse?

Digesting The Golden Age of Apocalypse is curious. On the front side you have very catchy and ironically more experimental tracks that really define the high points of Apocalypse, while on the back side of the record, you have more vintage sounding groove tracks that reek of the ‘80s. Though the introspective Cosmogramma is no way an apt comparison to the much different Bruner who crafts more dancey electronic that really grooves. Inevitably though you are going have hints of Fly Lo everyone once in a while; the mixed bag of instrumentation on opener “Daylight” sounds like a brighter, more easily accessible Fly Lo tune, but Bruner adds his own character with futuristic synths soaring in and out. I have an uncanny feeling that the heavily produced songs at the beginning were heavily helped by Fly Lo while the latter tunes are Bruner finding his niche, but I could be completely wrong.

The futuristic jazz fusion Bruner crafts throughout Apocalypse is just purely shallow satisfaction with every drop of noise. At times it can be that high-driven, bombastic electronica that bursts with noises mostly unsuitable for the ear such as the pounding “Feel Ultra” that has a very flat-out in-your-face effect with its high-soaring synth centerpiece. Fortunately, Apocalypse doesn’t just dwell in that energetic, fast-paced experimental electronica; the slow-burning “For Love I Come” is an excellent rendition of George Duke’s 1975 tune “For Love (I Come)” and really defines Bruner’s internal brilliance as a musician. The dancey and more loud-thumping “Daylight” and “Is It Love” really can be enjoyable, but it’s tunes like “For Love I Come” and the fuzzy “ Return To the Journey” make Bruner “Thundercat”.

The track lengths aren’t rightly placed on an album of so much potential like Apocalypse; it needs more five minute intervals that hold your attention at the perfect standard rather than the two to three minutes that most tracks hold you to. The thoughts at sometimes feel incomplete as well, I feel as though “Mystery Machine (The Golden Age of Apocalypse)” could have been highly set-up as an epicenter that the whole album revolves around prominent, like “The End” is to the The Doors. Rookie, debut mistakes happen, and these are luckily easily fixed, so the sophomore can be even more defining.

With Bruner’s immense possibilities within this reign of “nu-jazz” is exciting. Bruner can easily be a front runner alongside Fly Lo and Gonjasufi. It’s as simple as experience in this case: Fly Lo’s third album was easily his defining work so far in his career after more and more progressively better albums and even Gonjasufi’s last year release, A Sufi and a Killer, gleams potential. Expect Bruner to be picked up by the next level of label: Warp with Fly Lo and Gonjasufi.

St. Vincent - Strange Mercy [4AD]

8.6

The third album is easily a defining moment for any artist in his or her career. The debut is unexpected, the sophomore reveals what tenacity the artist has, but the third will truly tests her strength and how good a musician she really is. Strange Mercy is that defining third album for the rambunctious Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent. Clark started her career with Marry Me, a fairly unknown debut that isn’t as well received as her second effort Actor . From that, Clark picked up momentum and confidence to craft together Strange Mercy, which feels light-years ahead of her past works.

Strange Mercy is expansive, unique, filled with emotions, and an overall refreshing listen. With a very crafty and edgy feel to the overall sound of Strange Mercy, Clark can do nothing wrong in creating very bombastic, rough music that still has a baroque, clean approach to it with Clark’s crystal clear vocals that reverberate with beauty. Then there are the guitars. Clark’s skill with a guitar is truly showcased on Strange Mercy, especially with its uniqueness on guitar solos where bizarre effects are added to create this attention-grabbing flare to them.

As intricate as Strange Mercy may be, casual listeners can relate. Clark’s uncanny ability to expose the different layers to her music without going to complex is remarkable. Nothing is too “out there” in experimentation, but there is still that feeling of Clark pushing boundaries that are satisfying to reach. The overall theme and consistent sound of Strange Mercy is hard to simply explain; in retrospective, it’s a collection of songs that explore different elements of music in each song. “Cruel” has a nostalgic hook that sounds almost like a ‘20s ballroom theme, and “Surgeon” has heavy synthesizers sinisterly lying under Clark’s wistful vocals with the ending of a groovy synth freak-out. “Neutered Fruit” has an excellent submission of a very shrill choir to create an air of dissonance that sounds quite satisfying.

Really, you can’t just explain Clark’s tunes with a couple of smart-sounding explanations because they are so ever-changing with swelling emotions bordering on insanity, yet she manages to stay on the safe side. The third album crutch that many artist encounters is truly surpassed by Clark with Strange Mercy, but the real question is where can Clark go now? The progression of Clark’s musicianship is ultimately the rise of a true musician. Album number four can only go upward from here.

Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost [True Panther Sound]

9.1

Girls’ 2009 release Album quite possibly redefined the face of modern indie pop, with its quick-witted, frantic song writing, quirky musicianship, and all out joyride made Girls easily a favorite new artist. The vastly different EP, Broken Dreams Club, in between Album and now Girls’ second effort Father, Son, Holy Ghost revealed Girls found the studio and worked on more articulate, crafty studio-quality music as opposed to Album’s playful lo-fi, basement recording musicianship. Similarly to what Broken Dream Club pointed to, Father, Son, Holy Ghost has beautiful, thought-out arranged melodies, guitar solos, rhythmic sequence, and everything music truly has to offer, all meticulously done in the studio.

The “grower” phenomenon in musical albums is very interesting. An album sounds disappointing and not as apt, but the more you listen to it, the more it works itself into your brain as something truly enjoyable and entertaining. Father, Son, Holy Ghost is a grower and ultimately sounds better and better with numerous listens. Having patience with Girls’ subtle use of guitar work is rewarding in a whole sense of its own. The intro to the spacious “Just a Song” is the best example of Girls’ ability to start off simply and build into an atmosphere unique and more mature when compared to Album.

The passionate “Vomit” might be one of the strongest tracks of 2011, with its heart-pounding dynamics. The delicate yet eerie guitar line and lead singer Christopher Owens’s hushed “Nights I spend alone” echo with such resonance that the epic cathartic explosion of drums, organ, and guitar is unexpected. “Vomit” also features the unique inclusion of a soul singer and a gospel choir to really top off the high-energy guitar solos similar to Pink Floyd.

Though no definite “theme” or consistent sound is established on Father, Son, Holy Ghost, the tracks have this slick, colorful vibe to them that is is a theme all on its own. The melodies and harmonies all intertwine into a sophisticated and musical originality that really doesn’t need a definite sound structure. Father, Son, Holy Ghost is easily seen as a collection of modern music that nods to past musicians; “Honey Bunny” a fast-paced surf rock nodding to The Beach Boys, “Just a Song” a nice ballad that relates to early ‘70s folk, and “Forgiveness” is just an acoustic build up into a clean, crisp guitar solo eerily familiar to “Stairway to Heaven” from the legendary Led Zeppelin.

Girls still has a charm about them that indicates the group’s complicated relationship with their influences. While sounding like they take all of music’s elements in a blender and letting it mix harshly, Girls’ highly entertaining replay value makes Father, Son, Holy Ghost a monumental album of the 2010s. Father, Son, Holy Ghost proves Girls aren’t just that “basement” band that makes a cutesy record with charm that wins us over instantly; Girls can work in the studio and create high quality music.

The War On Drugs - Slave Ambient [Secretly Canadian]

7.8

The War on Drugs is one of those artists were you can pick out their influences so easily, but they still have this unique combination of sounds that isn’t trite. With a voice like Bob Dylan and Tom Petty and instrumentation like ‘80s fuzzy shoegaze that reflects My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive, The War on Drugs takes their sophomore effort Slave Ambient to a new level with this new twist on Americana music mixed in with so many textures.

Forming around 2005, The War on Drugs have faced trials and tribulations with numerous line-up changes, including the departure of one of their major musicians, Kurt Vile, but original band leader and lead singer Adam Granduciel has stayed strong and pushed through to bring us Slave Ambient. With all of its Americana overtones like the introspective lyricism from Granduciel and spontaneous harmonica interludes, Slave Ambient can still sounds foreign to a seasoned Bob Dylan fan or Bruce Springsteen fanatic with its wavy guitars and walls of reverb.

As dreamy and woozy as Slave Ambient’s instrumentation may be, it’s still easy, fun-listening music that really hits a sweet spot. The rambling “Your Love Is Calling My Name” creates the atmosphere for absolutely spot-on highway driving music with a pumping drum beat and soaring synthesizers nicely placed on top of Granduciel’s nostalgic vocals. The build-up of the ambient “The Animator” into the sprawling “Come to the City” is pure enjoyment. However, as great as Slave Ambient sounds, the drum work can be weak and very trite. The beats sometimes sound off and really don’t delve into any more artistic grounds; there are rarely any fills (drum rolls or improvisation); it’s all one beat for the entirety of the track.

Slave Ambient has other downfalls as well, including some of the less apt “jam” or instrumental tracks like “Original Slave” or “City Reprise #12.” The War on Drugs shine with their vocalist Adam Granduciel. He brings this unique appeal to all of their music and everything it has to offer. Without him they’re simply another one of the hundreds of shoegaze-revival bands that flood the music community, but you can’t discredit the absence of Granduciel on those instrumental tracks, because they aren’t bad, just lacking.

The War on Drugs can easily become one of those “crossover” artists that make their way into the mix of mainstream indie big names like Arcade Fire or Death Cab For Cutie. Slave Ambient is a perfect end of the summer mix that can be easily grasped by anyone interested in delving into an up-and-coming artist like The War on Drugs. Expect an exciting and pure entertaining future from this bunch of Philadelphia boys.

Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne [Def-Jam/Roc-A-Fella/Roc Nation]

6.3

Jay-Z and Kanye West’s relationship has spawned for many years now dating back to 2000 when Kanye produced a Jay-Z song “This Can’t Be Life”. Later, Kanye would help produce the critically acclaimed The Blueprint from Jay-Z that would launch Kanye as this go-to producer in the hip-hop community, and this was before Kanye was even a rapper. Jay-Z also plays a part in Kanye’s solo rapping career when he had Kanye rap a verse on his follow-up to Blueprint; The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse. Then the rest is history with Kanye exploding on the scene with The College Dropout and Late Registration. Now it’s 2011 and Kanye and Jay-Z meet up again to combine their hip-hop dynasties into what they call “The Throne” with Watch the Throne.

Everything about Watch the Throne is purely expensive, extravagant, and coated in money; the cover is fancy (and shiny), lyrical themes are centered on wealth and materialism, and the beats are produced with endless amounts of cash in the studio. Attempting to find a more heavily produced album newly made will be impossible when Jay-Z and Kanye are teamed up. Every song has at least two to three producers that worked on it including A Tribe Called Quest mastermind Q-Tip and hip-hop group The Neptunes. Even with its plethora of producers, Watch the Throne still doesn’t create this “KABOOM” that I know Jay-Z and Kanye have the abilities to create.

“No Church In the Wild” is a promising start with OFWGKTA R&B specialist Frank Ocean making an appearance brilliantly, but things hit stale on an obvious rendition of Kanye’s “All of the Lights” from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy “Lift Off,” with the massively produced orchestrations and heavy bass line. From there we get ups and downs, with the “up” being the audacious “Otis” where Kanye heavily samples the legendary Otis Redding’s voice as a kind of beat. The “down” is the poorly put together “Gotta Have It,” with its irritating sample of James Brown that just don’t fit together with the overall mood of the tune.

Undoubtedly, Jay-Z is talented, but Kanye has always been the more creative one (and controversial). Kanye, having the vast producer knowledge that has the knack for pushing boundaries and yet staying easy to listen to uses all of his tools to make the production of Watch the Throne like no other. On the topic of lyricism and flow that is so important to hip-hop, Kanye sounds as fresh as he did on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, but Jay-Z just lacks this vigor, and the way he bursts out with “I guess I got my swagger back!” is almost comical. Watch the Throne isn’t one of those legendary underground hip-hop albums where two emcees push each other to new limits and you love it; Kanye easily shines while Jay-Z barely keeps up.

As quickly as Watch the Throne was released, only announced last October from a Kanye interview with MTV, it is what it is: two over-the-top hip-hop giants flexing their musical muscles on an album that will please and disappoint both fans alike. Highlights like “Welcome to the Jungle” and “No Church In the Wild” make Watch the Throne a worthwhile listen, but most of the rest of the album lacks of originality, mostly from Jay-Z. A worthy listen for fans of hip-hop, but don’t expect to find something so expansively impressive like Kanye’s last LP.