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The Listening is comprised of twelve tracks, and a couple of bonuses, note that four of the tracks have already been released through her EP. Probably the biggest gripe I had with the album, was the recycling of music, otherwise I thought it was great and very fluid. The best aspect of Lights is her eccentric style, which happens to be present in every song and fittingly so. Her dream-like gimmick, gives off a sense of euphoria and care-freeness that doesn’t come across as pretentious. Instead her relaxed attitude speaks for itself, in an album that definitely has both talent and natural instinct.

Saviour is the first track, and one of her current singles from The Listening. It has her distinguished melody, which is often played simply but sounds emotional and extravagant. It’s the perfect compliment to her soft and subtle vocals, which while may not be extremely talented, work well within the confines of her range. Her sweet voice is the second most important element, next to her hypnotic melodies, that truly work to grab the attention of listeners. However, as with most music, their individual efforts are not enough, and the combination of dreamy vocals and entrancing melodies further solidifies her originality and artistic prowess. Besides her space-like style, her originality is also portrayed through her themes and lyrics. Saviour is a romantic track with clever metaphors and not the typical kind of happy-go-lucky song. Instead listeners are treated to the hopeful, passionate kind of feelings that are hardly seen when it comes to love songs.

I already covered tracks like Drive My Soul, Ice, and February Air in my review of Lights’ EP, which all happen to share the same elated approach. The new tracks on this album also express the same style, but some are more upbeat while others are more hopeful and sombre. Two of my favourite tracks, happen to be one after the other; Face Up and Lions! Face Up is a very mellow song that has a positive message and a hopeful sound. The lyrics combined with the overall attitude of the song makes this track very noteworthy and worthwhile. Similarly Lions! has a great message, and utilises clever lyrics. Lions! is a surreal track with an overall beautiful touch, and if it doesn’t hit home, then I’m not sure what will. I think the innocence and great attitude of Lights is what got to me the most, and that is a combination of her sound, words and ideology.

The Listening is a great album, with great themes, and a consistent style. With the album alone I can tell exactly what Lights is all about and this allows me to further appreciate her music. While she may not be the most talented artist out there, she is certainly one of the most genuine, and that is a likeable quality. Pleasant music from an even nicer person, if there’s one thing Lights preserves, it’s innocence and a kind soul.

Check out her Myspace for more info.

Lights – Saviour

Lights – Lions!

But if I did not have so much faith in A Rocket To The Moon, I would say On Your Side is certainly a worth while listen and a very pleasant one as well. A lot of the track s put emphasis on cute, quirky themes, and as long as you have the stomach for it, the tracks can be more than entertaining, meaningful almost. With track titles like Mr. Right, She’s Killing Me, and Like We Used To, there’s no question as to what the album submerses itself in. But it should be known there is certainly nothing wrong with the individual efforts of the songs themselves. Mr. Right for example is a fantastic pop track wrapped neatly within the confines of alternative instrumentals. The elegant use of acoustic guitar alongside the atypical instruments such as keys, bass and drums cause a rush of pretty feelings. A song that’s pleasantly themed and awful hard to hate on, it’s hopeful and cheesy in a good way. Clever and catchy hooks cap the track, but overall it has a great home style feel, and that’s definitely a plus.

Life Of The Party is another fun pop track, but leans further towards the pop spectrum. It’s clearly more aggressive, but only in comparison. Otherwise, it’s a good-natured track, a little immature in style, but graciously fun. I think this track was really a toss up for me, while entertaining; it did not have the ARTTM ‘swagger’ so to speak, cliché as it may be. What’s left is a cheesy fun song, good at times, just not all the time. Then there’s a track like Sometimes, which seems almost experimental. Sometimes has clever lyrics and I would go so far to say that it’s catchy, but the basis of the track is groovy funk. Considering the dramatic change in vocal style and melody, it just doesn’t really fit the image of the band. A very intriguing listen that’s for sure, and a serious side of ARTTM that is seldom seen, but this is where the album gets confusing for me. As an individual track I thought it was good, very creative, and if not done by ARTTM, I would have enjoyed it even more.

Finally there’s Baby Blue Eyes, which nearly borders the country genre. That said, the track does have the same themes and messages that ARTTM seems to be going for, only it’s performed to a slow, country-inspired ballad. Again as an individual track I thought it was good, heartfelt, and moving to say the least. A Rocket To The Moon has a knack for hitting the soft spot, however simple or hashed their themes may be. This is a talent that I believe in, and it’s definitely their strong suit when it comes to their music. My only gripe seem to be with the inconsistency of the music, and no clear direction for the album. I’m not normally very critical of albums, but I’m bias towards ARTTM because I’ve heard them since the beginning. The original rendition of Fear Of Flying still impresses me till this day.

It seems like ARTTM is consistently changing, improving and trying new things. They definitely did so for On Your Side, and while this is a good thing for an EP, I think a full length album should be a little more consistent. As an album, the tracks together did not work for me, the tracks as individuals, however, did. If I think of this album as a compilation of great tracks by ARTTM, then it more than surpassed what I expected. Nonetheless the talent is still there, the creative juices are definitely flowing, and maybe A Rocket To The Moon just needs a little more time before they grow into a unified style.

Check out their Myspace for more info.

A Rocket To The Moon – Mr. Right

A Rocket To The Moon – Dakota

The six piece made a mix of folk, orchestra, jazz and pop to make an extremely entertaining EP and they continue it on their self-titled release. The fact that they have Jennah Barry, Ida Maidstone and Chantel Emond sharing lead vocals between tracks is a luxury many bands don’t have. The only comparison I could think of is Faunts of Edmonton but alas the musical style is different.

The style of The O’Darling recent release is more of a softer, jazzy and ultimately slower pace. It doesn’t matter what direction The O’Darling takes as you kind of feel like they’ll end up making something very good. It does step a little outside of what I typically like but that hardly makes a difference. They do show off a more poppier side for the track Embroideries so in a sense this songs feel a little out of place though I hardly mind.

Each track has it’s own subtleties behind the amazing vocals. I don’t think it’s as good as a Nice EP (the EP is basically an amazing album) but that’s partly a product of sticking to a certain style which I can’t blame them for. If nothing else the album proves that yes the band is very talented and yes we all should want more from them. As for their popularity level, I have no idea but they SHOULD be more popular. They’re a band that I’m proud to say is from Toronto/Canada.

Some of my favourite tracks are Prairie which is sung in French, Venture song – the lead track and City Part 1 which features some backup male vocals toward the end. The band seems to put a nice touch on everything with subtlety and while they may not win you over right away, they definitely will given time.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5
The O’Darling isn’t that type of band that I have to say O WOW LOOK AT THIS BAND. I will say they do come close and if anything The O’Darling is a talented band that makes nice, solid music. I’m sure as hell happy with that. Now someone go and sign this band already.

City Part 1 by The O’Darling
Venture Song by The O’Darling
La Prairie by The O’Darling

Brand New are in a position that many bands would both dread and be envious of.

Since the release of 2001’s Your Favorite Weapon Brand New has achieved cult status, and attained a rabid fan base that only grew with the release of 2003’s incredible, genre defining Deja Entendu.

The band took there time crafting one of the best albums ever when they recorded 2006’s The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, an album that was at once powerful, graceful and poetic, while pushing their sound to the limit, both technically and emotionally, with tracks like Millstone, Jesus and Degausser.

Daisy finds Brand New straying from their previous clean, well produced style for a dirtier in your face vibe. The change in vibe is not surprising once you learn that guitarist Vincent Accardi took over primary song writing duties from front man Jesse Lacey for this album. The resulting sound is more akin to 90’s grunge than to anything you would have anticipated on the follow up to The Devil and God.

The album starts out with a lilting choral hymn before breaking into Vices, a track that has to be considered the hardest song in Brand New’s catalog. Lacey displays a whole different side to his voice, as he shreds his vocals, while the backing vocals recall a time when Scott Weiland had found the right dose of heroine and condescension and the Stone Temple Pilots still mattered.

The lead single, At The Bottom does a great job of walking the line between the new sound found on Daisy and the direction that they were heading on Devil and God. The dark, pondering lyrics run the theme of death, and burrying a loved one in a way that is distinctly Brand New.

The slow and melodic You Stole is a definite stand out, and is the most reminiscent of Deja Entendu era Brand New, as the song crawls along, with distortion weaving it’s way through the background, creating an oddly simple complexity over which Lacey’s voice can find a place to call home, the way it did on older songs, like Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis. Lyrics like: So if I’m a liar and you’re a thief/At least we both know where the other one sleeps/So let’s end this tonight , wouldn’t work coming from anyone but Lacey.

Sink is another track where Lacey stretches his vocals in a different direction, alternating between a solid scream and sweet croon, all wrapped up in a utterly frenetic package that delves deep into the darkest places in the soul of Brand New, which is some scary deep darkness.

Both fans and detractors are likely to find issue with different points on Daisy. I did, the first time through, believing that i wasn’t even listening to Brand New. But just as both The Devil and God are Raging Inside me and Deja Entendu are instantly amazing, but require more listening to truly comprehend their depth, Daisy will leave you feeling odd the first time through, but a deeper listen will no doubt lead you to the real Brand New dwelling there within the grungey feedback, and loud choruses. Like a homeless man with a heart of gold. At first you want to avoid him, and not give up your change, but if you stop to talk to him you’ll realize how much depth he truly possess.

Brand New wrote the book on pushing their music in different directions, and although Daisy isn’t the best chapter in the book, it’s still definitely worth reading.

Brand New – Vices
Brand New – At the Bottom
Brand New – You Stole

My first impression of Tune-yards was that she was a strange woman and I couldn’t quite get into her music but I tended to myself back to her myspace page giving it another try. I’ve really grown to her charm, it’s a little bit odd and strange but it’s cute and as much as it seems like it’s experimental it feels like enhanced pop.

Anyway tUnE-yArDs is a bit off-centre but weirdos tend to have some sort of magnetic force luring you and making it hard not to like Merril Garbus. It’s not a difficult listen in the least bit and while the album was produced on a laptop, it’s hardly apparent that it is indeed a lo-fi album. There are times where you hear static but I think it’s part of the simplicity in the recording that allows Garbus to not take too far with experimentation. Garbus uses a variety of types of a vocals as well as dialogue with a child. Garbus comes off as really cute and showing off a personality in between her songs. My favourite song off the album would have to be Jumping Jack because it starts innocently enough with a soft drum beat but her singing that I though could be annoying had me totally addicted.

Armed with the ukulele it plays a small factor in the entertainment but again the main draw is Garbus. She shines and she shows off she has a whole bunch of range and personality. It does make you wonder what she can do when she has more to work with but taking Bird Brains for what it is – you have a solid album made under limited production tools. Talent definitely shines through no matter what tools you have.

Whether it would be folk or African influences, you have someone who you’d like to see work under a real studio. Not that the album is bad or anything. Garbus is not really held back per se but regardless it’s the shear idea of that’s intriguing.

Still a good album and I’m very interested in seeing what Tune-Yards has to offer in the future. I like the album for the most part, Garbus is incredibly unique though I’d say some parts I didn’t like but that’s part of her charm of making some good experimental music.

Rating: 3.9 out of 5
Lions by Tune-Yards
Jumping Jack by Tune-Yards

Listening to Health is no easy task. These noise rockers have an abstract sort of music that I find isn’t easy to “get”. I think the problem with Health is that they’ve had a good remix album and their first single off Get Color was Die Slow. I thought they were going to move in a different direction e.g. not be as abstract.

Being abstract doesn’t necessarily mean a bad thing, while very interesting, when I just can’t fully grasp most of the songs in it’s entirety, I can’t just force myself to do so. I like a lot of what they do, the drumming and the mixing but again I like the parts more then I like the sum of the parts.

I guess Health sort of finds their satisfaction from not being entirely structured and open for how people interpret their music but again I still feel like people are talking about Health due to their remixes and tracks that don’t leave much to interpretation. Then again, who am I to say that Health should be making music to be more popular.

I really don’t have much to say as some stuff works for me, some stuff doesn’t. It’s a difficult listen that doesn’t appeal to everyone. I find myself struggling after many listens and I’m at the stage where I ultimately have to throw up my hands and say I give up. I’m down if they do another remix album but alas personally I can’t listen to their records. Maybe it’s the stark contrast between singing and the music? Maybe it’s because they come all math-rocky and my brain just explodes when listening to asymmetric time signatures for too long. I give up trying to figure it out.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
This score probably has more to do with personal issues on this album. It could and should probably rate higher but when something doesn’t work for you, I couldn’t act as if I liked it. Sometimes I like the songs then I listen to it again and I don’t…

It’s one of those where I feel like it should be good but my brain rejects it and I move on and skip the tracks. Meh what else am I supposed to do – force myself or pretend to like it? The only song I find that I can listen to without a headache is Die Slow which sounds like it’s tempered and actually out of place on this album.

In Violet by Health
Die Slow by Health

Jamie T – Sticks N Stones
Jamie T – Spider's Web
Jamie T – Chaka Demus

I’ve had a chance to listen to Ashes Grammar sporadically over the past month or so. To say I’ve heard what I liked is a huge understatement. Some reviews have been lukewarm and I guess I’ll disagree vehemently that this album is a “miss”. A Sunny Day In Glasgow is a seven piece from Philadelphia and I can’t really peg them into a specific genre, I’ll just use the “experimental” tag.

A lot of experimental music is tough to judge, because it generally polarizes people and where Animal Collective is a huge exception to the rule most people will tell you that they just don’t “get” AnCo. It’s really not their fault though, I remember the first time I listened to Strawberry Jam and I couldn’t handle it.

I guess that their music isn’t necessarily Pop but alas I keep finding that most songs at their core are pop songs. A song at its basis needs to have some sort of structure and while there certainly are releases that have no structure at all, most music could be put into the pop section. A Sunny Day In Glasgow sort of make pop songs but in the abstract sort of sense. I’d compare them to Panda Bear or Animal Collective but just not as forward in their style. They have good vocals which are sung wonderfully over and behind a wide variety effects.

At a slower brooding place, A Sunny Day In Glasgow has music that is geared towards myself. It gives me time to enjoy their music with what it feels like 50 interludes. At 22 tracks it features a lot of short sub 2 minute “tracks”. While I do find myself struggling at times I couldn’t help go back to it constantly. The interludes make the lengthy tracks just that much rewarding. Sometimes bands use 1 minute interludes as teasers and ASDIG use it to setup the main tracks perfectly.

This year has been a tough one for me musically. I haven’t really found many things I’ve liked A LOT. This album however I’ll stand by and say it probably ends up in my top 20 5 of the year list.

There really is too much to cover to definitely say what this album really is. It features good singing and a lot of vast ideas owing up to what the beauty of experimental music is. When it works, it gives your mind that feeling a total euphoria that sets you free. How will you like this album? I don’t have the slightest idea but I LOVE IT. It’s an album that might not get you on it’s first go round but while the 22 tracks are exhausting to go through, it’ll pay off with time.

Rating: 5 out of 5
I hate the review by Popmatters (simply, it sucks as it the reviewer hates the interludes and how each song doesn’t stand out – it’s an album!). It hardly captures what’s important and definitely loses sight of what an album is. (The reviewer looks like he just covers the beginning).

This album is great and it shouldn’t be overlooked. (I’m glad Pitchfork gave it an 8.3 but why not a best new music tag?).

Passionate Introverts by A Sunny Day In Glasgow
Evil, With Evil, Against Evil by A Sunny Day In Glasgow
Failure by A Sunny Day In Glasgow

Oddly enough, when I listen to new albums from familiar artists, I become scared out of my mind. I always get the feeling the release won’t be up to par with releases before, and I’ll want to un-listen to what I just heard. For Kid Cudi, from mixtape to mixtape, I was afraid Man On The Moon: The End of Day would not have the same pure original sound as every leaked track and every mixtape song released before. This however, was not the case. Cover to cover, I intently listened to Kid Cudi’s voice relay his smooth rhythms and beat variations. My favorite part of Kid Cudi is his originality plus his frequent references to other lyrics or other people, as shown one of the first songs, “Soundtrack 2 My Life.” The album, does in fact, convey this theme, of HIS type of music to describe his life, his passions, but in a way WE can listen.

For the sake of length, I won’t describe to you every track, but the ones that hit my attention. Getting to “Heart Of A Lion,” his background story is evident once again, but the background beats are just as evident in its catchiness and its perfect fit with Kid Cudi’s vocals. I wouldn’t be surprised if “Enter Galactic” sounded just as awesome performed by Lupe Fiasco, because it definitely has some vibes from his more chill songs. When “CuDi Zone” comes around, the addition of a violin and a quick and more intense beat is captivating and rhythmic with Cudi’s voice. The next two famous songs, “Make Her Say” and “Pursuit Of Happiness” master the art of featuring just as esteemed artists, Common and Lady Gaga in the first, and MGMT and Ratatat in the second. However, I expected a more catchy tune to “Pursuit Of Happiness,” but what we have is nothing to be frowned upon. Upon the last song, “Up Up And Away,” I felt the CD come to and end, with a great satisfaction. The strong finish to end a collection of such great songs. With great pleasure however I continued along the Kid Cudi section of my iTunes with the ’09 Mix, featuring the one song I think Cudi missed when finishing his album: “Dat New New (VIKING Remix).” It’s catchy like you would not believe, remixed to perfection. In fact, I’ve never even heard the original, and I’m not planning on it.

Maybe not THE best album of this year, but my judgment could be biased from my indie rock roots. However, as for breakout artist of the year, maybe hands down I’d let Cudi take the prize. Even though his lyrics to do not possess the outright commentary such as Asher Roth’s “I danced my ass off and had this one girl completely naked,” or his personality unequilvalent to Kayne West’s conceited son of a gun nature, I think Cudi is a work of art of this time, no doubt.

Kid Cudi – Soundtrack 2 My Life
Kid Cudi – Cudi Zone
Kid Cudi – Dat New New (VIKING Remix)

For those not in the know, Sherwood plays a relaxed brand of alternative pop rock. This five piece band hails from San Luis Obispo, California, and tends to give off the nonchalant vibe expected of Californian natives. You can also see their honesty and good nature from their other endeavors such as The Sherwood Show. However, it is their trademark music that brings to light their personalities and most importantly their skill.

Sherwood’s music always tends to hit home, whether the theme is about friends, love or lost. It is their knack for positively spinning scenarios, which makes their music easily relatable. More so, their relaxed tendencies emit a special aura which engulfs listeners with feelings of elatedness and overall Zen. This was the Sherwood I remembered from A Different Light and Sing But Keep Going. Qu certainly does things a little differently by writing music in the outlook of other human emotions.

Tracks like Hit The Bottom and Not Gonna Love display the vintage Sherwood. These are songs that are deceptively upbeat, despite the content of the lyrics. Not taking into account the pleasant A cappella intro, Qu actually starts off with these two songs, which led me to expect the Sherwood of past. Hit The Bottom and Not Gonna Love have emphasis on catchy chorus lines and upbeat melodies moreso than anything else. Nate’s vocal work is superb as usual, and the band did a great job of incorporating simple but effective melodies. And while the lyrics are seemingly depressing, the tracks are a far cry from this notion. This is why they are considered alternative pop rock, because of their ability to provide undeniably catchy music yet always having substance for the fans.

The general direction of the album changes after the rather upbeat beginning tracks. Maybe This Time is only the fourth track (including the intro), and does not by any means follow the trend. The tone of the guitar work is very mellow and dark, and I don’t often like to describe music with this word, but it’s rather indie. There are glimpses of hopefulness but only in the dramatic sense, and the general nature of the song is sad. Definitely a different style of Sherwood than I’m used to, I thought it was still an awesome and intense listen. What kept me satisfied was the same use of keys and backup vocals that is so prominent in Sherwood songs, but simply played in a different frame of mind.

Some of the tracks that I thought were stellar despite the change in attitude included Around You and What Are You Waiting For. Around You had one of the simplest melodies, but it was a very soothing and intense beat. The vocals were just as simple and refined, however put together they felt complex and pleasant. While the song expresses feelings of struggle, I think the ultimate goal is something slow and comforting, which is how I understood it. Nonetheless the content is stimulating and satisfying. What Are You Waiting For is much more upbeat and seemingly pop. With a clear emphasis on catchy and simple performances, combined it is a clean cut melody. A very classy approach when it comes to alternative pop rock, I think Sherwood definitely aims for music with a lasting appeal.

Qu is most certainly a new outlook on Sherwood, but take that as positive feedback. Qu may have lost some of its fundamentally catchy core, but it made up with an abundance of new perspective on subject matter that could be considered profound on a smaller scale. Certainly an album fans of Sherwood should be excited to hear, others may be let down by the seriousness of the album; I myself found the change invigorating and mentally satisfying. For those that are impressed by indie inspired alternative pop, or pop rock with soul as I’d like to call it, Qu is definitely worth it’s weight in music.

Check out their Myspace for more info.

Sherwood – Not Gonna Love

Sherwood – Ground Beneath My Feet