Yardwork
Brotherer
(Lunchbox)
The best rock often feels like it’s about to fall apart without actually collapsing. North Carolina’s Yardwork has captured this quality in spades on its debut. Surging and anthemic, woozy and ramshackle, it’s bursting with chiming riffs, clattering rhythms and catchy melodies. Brotherer opens with “Kiethiopia,” which mixes stomping beats, intertwining guitars, and euphoric sing-along vocals. The tightly wound “All Andy Were the Borogroves” is more punky and propulsive. There’s an African feel to the snaking grooves and guitars of “Posi Condor Session,” which is punched up with horns. You might hear bits reminiscent of Animal Collective, Akron/Family, or Yeasayer, but ultimately, Yardwork’s exuberant crazy-quilt sound is their own. Their layered songs would be improved by a top-notch studio, but they still deliver the sort of immediately engaging rock that’s all too rare. —Jeff Jackson
Angelo Spencer et les Hauts Sommets
World Garage
(K)
With tracks in English and French, the latest by indie musician Spencer more closely resembles a travelogue than a rock record. A childhood spent in the Alps means many of Spencer’s songs sound like they are being sung from a mountaintop (“les hauts sommets” means “the high summits”). This particular peak is equipped with auto-tune and reverb-drenched guitars. While heavy percussion and a collection of found sounds (alarms, noisy static, electronic squeals, etc.) frequently create swirling mixes that enclose the listener, opening cut “Tanger, Tanger” is an upbeat-enough rocker to give the boys of Vampire Weekend a run. Other instrumental tunes and experimental collages lose themselves in underdevelopment. Though the addition of vocals might have pushed such moments over the top, there is still plenty of material to revisit. —Michael Cimaomo
Tom Waits
Bad As Me
(Anti-)
It’s been seven years since the apocalyptic-voiced Waits offered new studio material. He’s seen many a change—from jazzy singer/songwriter to purveyor of theatrical monstrosity, with lots of stops along the way—and Bad As Me reveals a Waits who comfortably inhabits his many moods without regard for the tender-eared. There are ballads in his old-school style, reliably good if not groundbreaking. The upbeat pieces astound with their crazy rhythmic stews. There’s unhinged guitar from Marc Ribot and Keith Richards, too. The tragedy of Belchertown’s Jeff Lucey, who committed suicide after returning from Iraq, is apparently referenced in “Hell Broke Luce,” the story of a soldier named “Geoff Luce” (resemblances end there, however). That track offers the most fuzz-drenched, wild sounds since Bone Machine. Bad As Me offers a fresh take on everything Waits fan cherish: over-the-top theatricality, poignant ballads, and distinctive songcraft. It’s a welcome return. —James Heflin
