Get Your Fix: Album Reviews by the CoolJunkie Staff

April 17, 2008 2:40 PM
by chipi [email]

M83 - Saturday=Youth
by: Aubrey Ford

It’s an exciting time for any fan of the arcane yet fundamental sound established in the early 90s that was christened ‘Shoegaze’ or ‘Dream Pop.’ Two of this singular phenomenon’s staple bands, My Bloody Valentine and The Verve, have almost simultaneously risen from the ashes after almost ten years apart, and the feel that they innovated more than two decades ago is becoming ever more prevalent.

Identifiable by a wash of layered ambient noise, recent shoegaze indebted groups like Air and M83 have taken the sound into an increasingly more electronic arena. It’s a logical move for a style based on sound texture, as electronic music’s palette is comparatively daunting that of rock.

With Saturday=Youth, M83’s Anthony Gonzalez delivers yet another solid epic that retains his stature in the world of noise music. This music is not well suited for the cynical, as it is unapologetically and flagrantly idealistic. Songs like Kim & Jessie and Skin of the Night exist on an impossibly deep emotional plane yet are able to send the listener into a passionate daydream of color and sensation. The central theme of teenage anguish may be hard for those in other circumstances to digest, however, it does work as a bountiful source of inspiration. Graveyard Girl is most in this vein, yet also marks the album’s high point.

In addition to the clear influences of My Bloody Valentine style vocal production, harmonies, and layering, Saturday=Youth also draws heavily on the sounds and sentiments of the 80s to complete a brave and honest ode to romanticism.

The Kooks - Konk
by: Marcos Colon

In the summer of 2006 the UK once again spawned some fantastic bands that jumped the pond once they had a firm grasp on their homeland first. Groups like Dirty Pretty Things and The Guillemots created some fantastic music that reached the US and once again produced another wave of talent coming from the misty land. One group that managed to stick around after the initial hype is Brighton quartet The Kooks. Their 2006 debut album, Inside In/Inside Out, brought an eclectic mix of reggae and alternative indie rock sound that was unique at the time, making fans both in the UK and US beg for more.

Two years later The Kooks are back with the highly anticipated release of Konk. This time around the boys seemed to stick with the same formula as their debut release, but added elements that hint on their maturity in the scene and preparation for the public eye in the States. Instead of dreading the ‘sophomore slump’ that many bands fall into, Konk provides more of Luke Pritchard’s cheerful banter, only now encompassing more of a swagger and jolt on tracks like "Always Need to Be" and "Down to the Market".

A definite improvement in the sound comes in the form of Hugh Harris’ expansive guitar riffs. Not that this was lacking before, but now it’s much sharper and pumps out melodic strumming on songs like See the Sun, Konk’s opening track and definitely the one that will garner the most attention with the catchy clap-along guitar hook and Pritchard crooning [For all the times I never, never turned away/And now she’s here on someone else’s arm].

Konk is what everyone’s been waiting for out of The Kooks. Inside In/Inside Out was definitely an achievement, but after an effort like this there won’t be too many fans that’ll stay stuck on their first release.

Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
by: Aubrey Ford

As the pop-consuming public tires of generic, punkish, indie rock bands, one can’t help in believing that a major shift of interest is imminent and that electronic-rock crossover artists like LCD Soundsystem, Justice, or Cut Copy could be the answer. They are arguably the most promising source of creative incentive for such a change, as they are persistently venturing into unexplored territory in an attempt to meld their two distinct worlds into one.

With In Ghost Colours, Cut Copy presents their first conceptually consistent album and in the process makes major strides in the unfolding sound of electronic rock music. The album shines with the sleek dance ability of their Fabric Live album, yet is an original work rather than a (brilliant) DJ set.

Alternately, it rivals LCD’s Sound of Silver as one of the few albums able to squeeze such a startling depth of emotion into such dancy and energetic music. The album resonates with the energy of new wave inspired vocal and synth production contrasted with indie-punk guitars and ample ambient layering, a la Fennesz. The defining song and high point of the album is Lights and Music, which brings together new wave synths, gritty electro bass and a dance floor-igniting chorus.

"Hearts on Fire" impressively revives the sound of early Detroit house music to recover something perfectly at home in its own context. "Strangers in the Wind" is the soulful, eclectic gem of the album, somewhat reminiscent of compatriot Mark Knopfler, where the country twang of a slide guitar reverberates organically against a wall of electronic sounds.

In its broadest sense, In Ghost Colours accomplishes something that only a record in this vein can and does so with flying colours. Its pop side presents an emotional portrait of human experience while its dance side exuberantly and indiscriminately celebrates every aspect of it, whether positive, negative, or somewhere in between.

Leona Lewis - Spirit
by: chipi

This week Leona Lewis became the first British female artist to debut at #1 on the Billboard Charts. Spirit has garnered the most successful digital album sales week ever for a new artist and the biggest female artist debut since 2005. All of this buzz makes for much ado about nothing. While Lewis' vocal talents are undeniable, the album serves up tired R&B and Pop production gimmicks.

The UK songstresses single "Bleeding Love" has been dominating radio waves and top 40 for weeks but fails to impress lyrically or musically. Simon Cowell was at the Executive Producer helm for Spirit and brought on nearly every generic hit-maker in the industry including Akon, Ne-Yo, J.R. Rotem and Max Martin. The result is ultimately a sum of it's parts: a piece of promising pop culture fluff. If Lewis can manage to escape the mass appeal Cowell mentality, her vocal abilities could surely carry her to a relevant and edgier production team.

While most of the record was a bother and a bore to bear through, Lewis' cover of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is worth a download.