NOEXTEHO

I really didn't want to post about a Pitchfork favorite, but, the truth is that it is really good. I keep finding myself listening to it more and more lately. And it truly is a very unique sounding album. Often, you can pick out the influences, and yet what is being produced sounds nothing like the influences at all. I think the two most dominant influences are post-punk and Swedish indie-pop. And what is made sounds like both and neither at the same time. Damn. Please forgive me, but I have to say (for the first time ever) that this album is "a breath of fresh air" in the indie world. Due to legal issues, the only thing further that I'm allowed to say is: I really like this album.

Another CD I was disinterested in at first. I assumed this was bad techno, like a Paul Oakenfold or something. But no! Its simply a compilation of awesome awesome jazzy soul and soulful jazz that I've never heard of before! I'm not a huge soul-head (read: I don't go out collecting obscure bits of expensive vinyl) but I'm glad Giles Peterson is, so he can feed me primers like this. The funky country-soul cover of "Higher Ground" alone is worth getting this CD. (On the subject of obscure soul, though, also check out the Eccentric Soul series on Numero.)

I remember reading about this at some point and not thinking it was worth investigating. Then, I saw a music video for the title track somewhere. Wow. Its poppy, and fairly polished, but its still good. And the video! Wow. Its weird and retro and futuristic at the same time. And sexy. And all those phrases can describe the music as well. And it works. I could see this stuff going on the radio, even. But it'd definitely be one of those songs where you think to yourself "Whoah... sometimes pop music is good!" And damn funky, too. Maybe groovy would be a better word, actually.

Another work where words like "epic" and "tension" can be applied. But this one can also use the word "metal"..... It's the Melvins! A band so many people have told me so much about, and yet I sort of always hated them. Then one day, I heard a slow, heavy, instrumental piece of theirs (I forget what album it was off of) and I realized "Hey! Nice!" I listened to a bunch of their albums, and liked parts/bulks of some of them, but never a whole entire album (except maybe Houdini)..... then they released this album. This album is amazing! It's got so much heaviness, but also slow bits, and almost poppier bits, too. Shit. It's great. I would say that this album ranks up there with Boris' Akuma No Uta for most cohessive use of lots of different musical styles. (a side note: Boris is named after a Melvins song, and heavily influenced by them as well.)

Hey you! Are you still into epic long instrumentals that build oh-so-nicely to amazing crescendos? Yeah, I thought you might be. Well, I recommend this to you, then. It starts of sounding quite like some contempo-classical string piece, and, after quite a while, it slowly builds and brings in things like drums and guitars and crazy tension. I'm not always in the mood for both parts, but right now, I'm totally digging the string part. Totally.