Angels of Light
We Are Him
(Young Gods)
Music fans of a certain age may recognize Michael Gira's singing as the foreboding voice behind Swans. A whole new generation of indie rockers has Gira and his label Young Gods to thank for introducing the world to artists like the protean Akron/Family (who back him here) and the hirsute troubadour Devendra Banhart. Gira has traded in much of the noise of his earlier work for acoustic instruments, bleak country waltzes and apocalyptic gospel. Something about this music is cold and ultimately distancing, but Gira remains a singer and poet of darkness.
—John Adamian
Diego Amador
Piano Jondo
(World Village)
Flamenco piano? It may sound improbable, but the collaboration between the self-taught Spanish pianist Diego Amador and double bass player Miguel Vargas makes the unlikely audible. Amador captures the unique Andalusian cadences that are the hallmark of flamenco, while Vargas uses his bass to give a cool, dark texture to the Dorian mode in which most flamenco tunes are composed. They also incorporate well-placed hand claps, percussion and accented dance steps from Luis Amador and Joaquin Grilo to emphasize rhythms. But don't expect the fire of a Carlos Saura film. This is a quieter, moodier piece that's like a jazz version of drum and bass, except much slower.
—Rob Weir
Meat Puppets
Rise to Your Knees
(Anodyne)
The Meat Puppets really sounded like no one else, with their mix of punk spirit, acid-damaged country, borderline psychedelic guitars, sun-bleached poetry and spooky off-kilter vocal harmonies. The band peaked creatively in the mid-'80s, and has been more or less dormant for the past 10 years. Teaming up again with brother Cris, frontman and mastermind Kurt Kirkwood has said this is a return to their mid-'80s approach. They do occasionally recreate their inimitable burnt-out Steve Miller-in-outer-space sound, though never quite with the gem-like detail of past glory. Long-time fans will be pleased to simply hear another good Meat Puppets record, but newcomers would be better served by buying their near-perfect mid-'80s records Meat Puppets II and Up on the Sun.
—John Adamian
Peter Bjorn and John
Writer's Block
(Almost Gold)
One of the great songs featuring whistling, "Young Folks" has quickly gone from word-of-mouth sensation to mainstream ubiquity. Even Kanye West has rapped over it. While that terrific single showcases the tasteful power-pop talents of Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John, it doesn't entirely prepare you for their third album. Writer's Block is surprisingly nuanced and textured, but the songs are less immediate and often melancholy. There are several instantly memorable tunes, but more often songs take several spins to make an impact. The earnestly simple delivery occasionally veers toward parody, seeming like a self-serious version of Flight of the Conchords. But it's a mark of the group's talent that even such a knock doesn't sound half bad.
—Jeff Jackson
