Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles
(Last Gang Records)
Crystal Castles' debut offers a guided tour through the world of videogame soundtracks, jagged robotic rhythms, moody synth pop and brash electro. The duo of Ethan Kath and Alice Glass dismantles and reconfigures these styles for maximum variety. The hypnotically sighing synths of "Magic Spells" ride a serene techno groove into infinity. "Alice Practice" marries harsh 8-bit beats with Glass' anguished shouts. Throughout, the vocals impressively switch between pure texture, glitchy loops and aggressive declamations. If a few tracks threaten to become trendy affectations, the album's gauzy and ethereal coda "Tell Me What To Swallow" suggests the two have more tricks up their sleeves and increasingly interesting music to explore.
—Jeff Jackson
Angel Band
With Roots & Wings
(Appleseed)
Let's see—three female vocalists singing bluegrass and country songs in close harmony and fronting a polished band. Remind you of anyone? Did I mention that Lloyd Maines produced the album? Dixie Chicks comparisons are inevitable, but off the mark. Nancy Josephson, Jen Schonwald and Kathleen Weber are fine singers, but none has the range or grittiness of Natalie Maines. (Who does?) Nor does their material have the Chicks' occasional edge. There's a cool cover of "Angel of the Morning," a hit for both Merrilee Rush and Juice Newton. The rest of their latest album is pleasant, but too wholesome for its own good. They open for David Bromberg (Josephson's husband) at the Iron Horse on May 23.
— Rob Weir
Jonathan Richman
Because Her Beauty is Raw and Wild
(Vapor Records)
Since the first Modern Lovers release in 1976, Jonathan Richman has compiled an impressive oeuvre of quirky, often comic songs concerning art, wacky characters, teenage lust, and romance for an earlier, more innocent rock 'n' roll era. Many of these tropes live here, on his twentieth album, but there also exists a maturity and depth that shines through Richman's trademark guilelessness. This growth is best exemplified by album closer "As My Mother Lay Lying," an ode to sharing in his mother's last days. The tunes are pretty barebones—most feature just acoustic guitars and sparse drums—and include a new take on his classic "Old World" and a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Here It Is."
— Matthew Dube
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra
13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
(CST)
There's lots of epic string-wielding sturm and drang on this indie rock collective's new record. Big crashing sounds make a dramatic clatter with swells of feedback, all vaguely agonized. I think I'd love this record's ramshackle glacial punch if it weren't for the annoying vocals and some of the lyrics ("The hangman's got a hard-on"). You might hear similarities to Neutral Milk Hotel or to the Arcade Fire's high-concept moments. All all you need do is look at the band name to tell that these folks want to overdo it.
— John Adamian
