The Library Is On Fire
Cassette
(independent)
Though I remain uncertain what exactly an “art punk” band might be three decades after the punk movement, Cassette is an interesting romp from Brooklyn (by way of Kent, Ohio) band The Library Is On Fire. At first, the nearly squirty slashes of guitar collide in entertaining fashion with a pleasantly hyperactive rhythm section; quick musical turns and short tunes don’t allow for much boredom. At their best, The Library Is On Fire nod toward fellow Midwesterners Guided By Voices (and it turns out Todd Tobias of GBV fame produced this disc). That said, the album sags into a three-chords-and-the-truth, wandering brand of rock in the middle of the album, never quite returning to the jaggedly interesting turns.
—James Heflin
*
Andrew Hill
Compulsion!!!!!
(Blue Note)
When pianist Andrew Hill passed away earlier this year, it was a huge loss for jazz. A small solace arrives in the form of this reissue of his long-lost masterpiece, Compulsion!!!!! The most adventurous and thrilling release of Hill’s impressive career, it showcases his provocatively open-ended compositions, elastic sense of time, inventive textures, and unconventional instrumentation. His playing was never more muscular, whether threatening to capsize a dark rhumba groove or conjuring a slippery lyricism. His crack band featuring John Gilmore and Freddie Hubbard supplies startling solos full of rhythmic stabs and melodic shrapnel. Compulsion!!!!! is proof Hill’s unique vision deserves a central place in the pantheon.
—Jeff Jackson
*
Blitzen Trapper
Wild Mountain Nation
(Lidkercow Ltd)
Someone pointed out to me recently that “synthesis” is the highest function of the intellect, that taking disparate ideas and combining them to make something new is evidently more profound than simply regurgitating. Lots of indie bands ape angular post-punk, psychedelic rock or hippie folk, but there’s not a lot of synthesis. Blitzen Trapper, a sextet from Portland, Oregon, are true synthesizers. They employ country harmonies (plus a little banjo!), greasy slide guitar, twinkling analog synth pulses, glammy attitude, shambling avant-art-rock accents and big hooky classis choruses all in the service of a freaky unified good-time record. There are moments that bring to mind the woozy Beach Boys-revival pop of fellow West coasters Dios Malos.
—John Adamian
*
Animal Collective
Strawberry Jam
(Domino)
It’s easy to dismiss Animal Collective because of the quirky pseudonyms, creature costumes, goofy lyrics and Dadaist soundscapes. They sometimes seem like tree-fort dwellers speaking their own made-up musical language. But they have proved themselves formidable musical tricksters. Strawberry Jam is their least hermetic, most accomplished effort yet. Catchy but still challenging, it blends electronics, free improv and freak folk with sophisticated tone drones and stomping tribal beats. The songs routinely blur the line between cute and confounding. The instant hits are the insidiously hummable “Peacebone” and propulsive “For Reverend Green,” punctuated by modulated and soulful screams. But the unhinged good vibrations of the entire album are hard to shake off.
—Jeff Jackson
