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Posts by the KRLX record librarians informing you of notable new albums and other library news.
By Anna on March 4, 2010 in library
Just the other week I spotted Beirut’s “The Flying Club Cub” album while putting cds away in the record library. I’d been introduced to Beirut my freshman year by way of the Lon Gisland EP. I didn’t love them during my first listen, but sometimes I find the artists that take a little getting used to such as Beirut end up becoming long lasting favorites.
I’m really attracted to the unique sound of Beirut—currently a 10-piece band started by Zachary Francis Condon in his bedroom in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is never hard to pick out the Beirut song from a crowd. Its instrumental range (accordion, flugelhorn, ukulele, and more) and implementation of these instruments is impressive. Beirut’s music is upbeat while still maintaining a tinge of melancholy. I think this melancholy is partly due to the singer’s distinct voice, which sounds slightly lamenting.
When I listen to their music I think of an old carnival visiting a rural town in the Great Plains. Bright lights. Fantastic colors. Chipped paint. Dancing the polka on sun-dried grass. If you want a better description than the flash imagery their music elicits, here’s a quick overview of their influences and style:
Wikipedia: “combines elements of Eastern European and Balkan folk with Western pop music”
iTunes: “Eastern European Gypsy styles…whimsical indie folk…homemade psychedelic experimentation”
Beirut isn’t for every occasion. I wouldn’t slip them on in a crowded room on a weekend night, but I recommend giving them a listen for solo activities such as studying or walking. “The Flying Club Cup” is a perfect entry album to spring. My suggestion for the next sunny day: put your headphones on, blast some Beirut and walk through the arb, letting the orchestra march behind you.
Tracks for your enjoyment:
Beirut - A Sunday Smile
Beirut - Nantes
Beirut - In The Mausoleum
By Scott Matthew Fox on February 26, 2010 in library
Let’s go back to where it started from with The Stone Roses’ self-titled 1989 debut, one of the most critically acclaimed debut albums of all time.
I discovered the Manchester, UK band early this year after reading that The Pixies’ Doolittle, also from 1989, was ranked the 2nd greatest album of all time by a 2003 poll done by the British music magazine, NME. The first? The Stone Roses. I would argue that both albums play a similar role in music history with each one setting a template for one the major strands of ‘90s alternative rock. One can see its influence upon ‘90s British rock bands including the Britpop explosion of the mid-90’s.
The Stone Roses contains the fusion of several sounds. There’s a bit of the stereotypical 1980’s new wave sound (“She Bangs The Drums” and “This Is The One) and the CD builds upon it with a 1960’s psychedelic influenced sound (most strongly found on “Don’t Stop). Nearly all of the album’s songs slowly build as one layer of sound floats atop another (especially upon “I Wanna Be Adored”). Any CD that deconstructs “Scarborough Fair” into a tale of Elizabethan revenge gets high praise for me (even though “Elizabeth, My Dear” is only a 50-second interlude, it’s hilarious nevertheless). Overall, The Stone Roses are largely worth the hype. After the success of their debut, a legal dispute with record labels and infighting pushed back the release of The Stone Roses’ less well-received second and final album until 1994. They broke up in 1996.
Tracks for your enjoyment:
The Stone Roses - Elizabeth My Dear
The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored
The Stone Roses- Don't Stop
By Clare on February 18, 2010 in library
Though Mariee Sioux has received comparisons to the likes of fellow Nevada City native Joanna Newsom, she is known for a sound that is much earthier or, as the record library's copy of her album Face in the Rocks reads, "delicate like a flower."
I picked up Sioux's album while raiding the folk section in the record libe with no expectations and was blown away by the beauty of something I found sandwiched between banjo songs and tall tales. Face in the Rocks, released in 2007, is an [album deeply rooted in nature -- particularly in this line from "Buried in Teeth": "can't tell if I've got rivers or veins running under my skin, flowing out over the plains."
The album is overflowing with intricate, mellifluous lyrics such as this one, and when paired with Sioux's graceful finger picking and Native American flutes and percussion it makes for a truly breathtaking listen.
Mariee Sioux has been performing since the age of sixteen and self-released her first two albums -- Pray Me a Shadow and A Bundled Bundle of Bundles -- in 2004 and 2006 respectively. Face in the Rocks is her only studio album to date.
Tracks for your enjoyment:
Mariee Sioux - Wizard Flurry Home
Mariee Sioux - Buried in Teeth
Mariee Sioux - Two Tongues
By Mandie on February 11, 2010 in library
Carrie Newcomer is from the generation just before the pop-ation of country music. While her voice is a traditional country-style voice, her songs often defy the genre. There are strong folk currents in her music (two of her CDs were actually located in the folk section). She comes from a generation when these two genres could and did overlap. Her predecessors like John Denver proved this. However, her later music is less folk-y and more like modern country. Just listening to the differences between the albums in the record libe shows the progression of country music today.
The songs avoid the overly ornate and electronic accompaniments that characterize so many country songs throughout her early years. When she starts exploring different accompaniments, her choices have the raw potential of any new discovery. Carrie's voice is rich and full, and she uses her lower range powerfully and expressively. The songs are mostly traditional country themes: family, love gone right and wrong, and life lived fully. They're songs that make you think about what you value and about what you take for granted. Carrie Newcomer sings about single motherhood and personal themes, going deeper into her own life than most artists are willing to explore, driven by her understanding of life as a single mother and her Quaker faith.
We have three of Carrie's albums: My Father's Only Son, An Angel at My Shoulder, and My True Name. My Father's Only Son is a mix of love songs, songs about life, activist songs (“Tracks” and “The Madness You Get Used To”), and songs about family. An Angel at My Shoulder is full of yearning for better life, personally and globally, and defining relationships. My True Name addresses failed relationships, life's disappointments, and identity.
Tracks for your enjoyment:
Carrie Newcomer - Three Women
Carrie Newcomer - The Madness You Get Used To
Carrie Newcomer- When One Door Closes (Another Door Opens Wide)
By Phil on February 6, 2010 in library
The Streets are easily one of the most polarizing artists out there. I personally believe that Mike Skinner, who produces music under the name The Streets, is brilliant. There are, however, many who would tell you that his music is horrendous; a hodge-podge of obnoxious cockney talking, singing, and rapping all on top of bizarre sound effects, grating samples, and dissonant synth lines. But of course there’s no way to know what side of this debate you’ll be on until you listen to The Streets yourself. Luckily we’ve got two of his albums in the record library, ready and waiting for you to experience them.
First is The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living, The Streets’ third album. Skinner’s emotions run the gamut from sadness, joy, anger, and compassion, all told with his sharp wit and knack for words (and British slang). As on the first two albums, we are treated to stories about life as a twenty-something in lower-middle class London, but THWTMAEL adds to this Mike’s struggles with his newfound celebrity. Some of The Streets’ funniest and most personal material can be found on this album with “Can’t Con an Honest John”, when Skinner explains how to con someone who is conning you and “All Goes Out the Window” in which Skinner contends with lying and trust in relationships.
Second is The Streets’ most recent album Everything is Borrowed. This album sees a change in The Streets’ sound, as Skinner perfects his pop songwriting form. Because of this it would be easy to say that The Streets have finally sold out and diluted their music, but it’s just as lyrically dense anything before it only in a more accessible guise. I view the album as a resolution and a maturing of Skinner as a songwriter and a person after three albums of drug abuse and selfish immaturity. The title track of the album gives an excellent picture of where Skinner has gone with the album, containing a catchy melody and more romanticized and introspective lyrics.
If these albums haven’t impressed you, then I suggest two things: give them some time and a few listens, Skinner’s music is so idiosyncratic that it can take some time to really appreciate it; and check out his debut Original Pirate Material and his story concept album A Grand Don’t Come for Free, both of which feature the artist at the peak of his abilities. Having done this I hope you’ve found The Streets to be as fun, challenging, and inspiring as I have.
Tracks for your enjoyment:
The Streets - Everything Is Borrowed
The Streets - All Goes Out The Window
The Streets- Cant Con An Honest John...
By Frank Firke on January 28, 2010 in library
 As cliché as it is to say this about a band, the Books, whose albums The Lemon of Pink and Lost and Safe are in the record library, are very difficult to classify. They get samples from everywhere, frequently using recordings of people speaking, and set those samples to all sorts of instruments, though there is usually some acoustic guitar in their songs. While there are clear parallels to mid-20th century classical music, they are overwhelmed by the whimsical, relaxed nature of the music. I find that I can't help but enjoy it.
The Lemon of Pink is the stronger of the two albums; a few of the highlights include the gorgeous crescendo of “Take Time” and the syncopated joy of “The Future, Wouldn't That Be Nice?” The best part of the album, though, is what seems to be a musical chronicle of a trip to East Asia, with the joyous and flight-attendant-sampling “Tokyo” being the plane ride and arrival and the time on the ground being “S Is For Evrysing,” parts of which could be on the soundtrack to Hero.
Lost and Safe is, as its title suggests, is not quite as confident or joyous as its predecessor, and its tracks are a little harder to get a handle on, but the basic approach is the same. The album features more original vocals and the instrumentation is spacier, but tracks like “Be Good To Them Always” and “Vogt Dig For Kloppervok” are as good as any in the band's catalog.
At its best, the Books' music induces a state of contentment, and though their samples and near-complete lack of singing makes the music seem distant at times, it's well worth the effort to reach out to these enchantingly original musicians.
Tracks for your enjoyment:
The Books - Tokyo
The Books - To Be Good To Them Always
The Books - Take Time
By Karl S. on January 21, 2010 in library
I discovered Sainthood at the very end of last term, and now it is one of my favorite albums. It was, if you will, love at first listen.
 I have always thought of this Canadian sister-duo as "pretty good indie pop", but this album changed my mind for the better. Their semi-desperate but confident vocal styles work together nicely, and there is no song on the album I ever want to skip. The way the songs are crafted is always satisfying: every song has some really nice keyboard parts and creative rhythms; every song has a catchy chorus and a thought-provoking bridge. One thing that sets Tegan and Sara apart from other indie pop duos is that their lyrics are so "excessively accessible". There are no mysterious metaphors; almost all of the words are conversational and refreshingly honest sentiments about love, relationships and the complex kinds of situations they create (e.g. "I know you feel it too / These words get overused"), and are sometimes linguistically clever (e.g. "Unnerved / The nerve! / You're nervous, nervous that I'm right" and "now you know you know it now"). Despite the nature of their lyrics, Tegan and Sara manage to avoid sounding whiney or trite because they have so much fun with the instrumentation.
The album starts with "Arrow", which has a contagious and quirky beat, setting the tone for the album. "On Directing Me" is one of catchiest songs on the whole album. The bridge of "The Cure" gives me chills, and the song in general expresses mixed feelings about being in love really well. "Northshore" is a self-indulgent rock-out anthem, almost as cathartic for the listener as it must be for the Quin sisters to perform; directly following it is "Night Watch", which is a cool-down song with some really interesting electronic bloops that escape from the usual straight-forward rhythm for a moment here and there. The lyrics in "The Ocean" are sad but, like I said before, refreshingly honest, and this makes it one of most musically satisfying songs on the album. "Sentimental Song" has some nice "ooohs" and "soooo's" in the background, and it leads into "Someday", a great ending track that talks about the future and self-confidence (or lack thereof).
So whether you want to vent about relationships, get your head-bob on, or hear a really well-crafted album, this is a really heavenly candidate.
In "Someday," one of the Quin sisters says "Mark my words, I might be something someday". But Sainthood makes it clear that she already is.
Tegan and Sara - The Ocean
Tegan and Sara - Northshore
Tegan and Sara - On Directing
By John on November 15, 2009 in library
Well, radio folk, it's that time again: time to bring back all your checked-out CDs and vinyl albums so we can get them filed and ready to go for next term. Today (Sunday, 11/15), no more checkouts will be available to DJs. The Record Library will officially close its door on this coming Wednesday the 18th.
I implore all of you to bring back your albums ASAP. The Record Libe is an amazing resource for music, and it's completely hamstrung if its users don't return what they borrow. (Plus, you don't want to make the librarians hunt you down and charge you ridiculous late fees for having albums out over break.) So please, make sure you bring everything back NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY. If we have not received it by then, bad things will happen. :)
Thank you all for a wonderful term! Good luck with finals, and enjoy your last broadcasts of term!
By John on October 17, 2009 in library
Simian is a great little band from back in early 00s England, which unfortunately only graced the world with two albums before splitting apart. Luckily enough, however, the record libe has their album We Are Your Friends (as well as an album by the follow up project of some of the original members, Simian Mobile Disco.)
Many will be most familiar with Simian in the form of Justice’s 2006 remix of the Simian song, "Never Be Alone," released under the name "We Are Your Friends." The Simian album of the same name is significantly lighter fare than the Justice mix, but you’ll still find it chock full of catchy choruses and electro schtick.
For being little more than indie pop, the album covers a considerable amount of ground in its meager 40 minute run. Opening up with the unabashedly Beatles-eque “La Breeze” and finishing off with the superb watery, spacey sounds of “She’s In Mind” and the hard-hitting, electro-funk of “End of the Day”, this album is just pure fun. Although you’ll find a lot of different sounds on the album, for an overall sense of the band, imagine if Primal Scream decided to produce an album of Brit pop, and voila! I give you Simian.
--Phil F.
By Zoe on June 1, 2009 in library
Please don't keep checked out CDs over the summer! The record library closes on Wednesday. If you find anything you forgot to return later in the week, send me an e-mail and we can work it out. Thanks.
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