Thundercat – Apocalypse
Every artist making a second album needs to pay attention –
this is how you do it! Brainfeeder bassist Thundercat goes into orbit to create
one of the years best albums and show off his dynamic range more than before.
Apocalypse is a vivid, colorful, jazz, funk, rock, prog, dance showcase that
fuses genres so perfectly together. Think if Flying Lotus had Justin Timberlake
in a studio with Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew-era band and their style as JT’s
backing band and was told to make a record with the spirit of early Michael
Jackson, well, that is what Thundercat just did. I dare you, in fact, I double
fucking dare you to try and sit still listening to this album or not attempt to
be blown away by this perfect craftsmanship.
FINAL GRADE: A+
Portugal. The Man – Evil Friends
While Portugal. The Man have released a record every year
from 2006-2011, many fans scratched their heads as to why a record never came
out in 2012, yet, the band had an answer – they got a call from Danger Mouse
and he wanted to work with the Portland via Alaska art rockers. Pushing back
whatever would have came out last year, PTM started fresh with Mouse and
managed to create one of the best albums of their career and really show off to
fans that it was worth the wait. Evil Friends is the result of hive minded
collaborators, artists, and raw musical talent hard at work. While Danger Mouse
added his thumbprint to the bands signature psychedelic sound, he never took
anything away from it, in fact he added more. Evil Friends hears elements of
funk and jazz, and even slight touches of reggae in the mix. This is the record
that should skyrocket the bands already massive fanbase and bring on a broader
appeal to those living under a rock that have never paid attention before.
FINAL GRADE: A
Queens of the Stone Age - …Like Clockwork
Josh Homme and co. return for an epic comeback and a
fantastic display of pure rock and roll. Queens of the Stone Age pack all the
punches with help from Dave Grohl on drums, production by Trent Reznor, and
former bassist Nick Oliveri back on board to lend a hand, yet, more superstars
like Elton John and Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner display their talents for what
could be Queens’ best album since their 2002 breakthrough, Songs for the Deaf.
FINAL GRADE: A
Rhye – Woman
The tender debut from Canadia / Danish, LA based Rhye is a
stunning achievement in R&B, proper dubstep, and trip-hop that could be
played when the night is winding down or time for baby making music to be put
on.
FINAL GRADE: A-
Dillinger Escape Plan – One of Us is the Killer
The mathcore titans return and never fail to deliver the
goods. It is amazing that over a decade in this business and doing this, New
Jersey’s Dillinger Escape Plan manage to make record after record that outdoes
the last and find an astonishing way to get harder, faster and much more
aggressive than before.
FINAL GRADE: A-
The Dig – Tired Hearts EP
Following the release of last years beautiful and lush
Midnight Flowers LP, The Dig return with an EP of new songs to hold fans over while
a new album gets made. Taking the sci-fi rock elements that gained them
attention in New York City and combining it with some of the atmospheric moods
of Flowers, Tired Hearts hears a band progressing in beautiful ways, but, alas
it is just a tease to what is to come.
FINAL GRADE: B+
Chapel Club – Good Together
Take everything you know about London’s Chapel Club and
throw it out the window. After releasing their stellar debut, Palace in 2011,
Chapel Club return with a fresh new sound that manages to still stick to the
blueprint of the band but adds much more dynamics and colors. Combining cold
wave and electronica together with singer Lewis Bowman’s poetic lyrics, their
new direction seems to be good together.
FINAL GRADE: B+
Anamanaguchi – Endless Fantasy
The band that helped Scott Pilgram take on the world is back
with their latest studio LP and they are more fun than ever before. The
chip-tune electronic band comes back with Endless Fantasy, a record that is
sure to take you back to the days of playing old school Nintendo and Sega while
making you want to throw a flash mob dance party wherever you are.
FINAL GRADE: B+
The Orb / Lee “Scratch” Perry – More Tales From The
Observatory
After last years fantastic mash-up of electronic titans The
Orb and reggae legend, Lee “Scratch” Perry, the mash-up continues with the same
style of rhasta flow over blips and beeps.
FINAL GRADE: B+
Bad Rabbits – American Love
The Boston based rock / funk band release their long awaited debut and have created a
dance party that will get any back yard BBQ, trip to the beach, or house party
rocking this summer. After a slew of acclaimed EP’s, American Love takes the
energy of the bands popular live shows and showcases what they can do in the
studio – still have as much fun as humanly possible while making good music.
FINAL GRADE: B+
Kisses
The LA fun-in-the-sun duo return for more neo-new wave
colorful vibes and the soundtrack to your summer.
FINAL GRADE: B
Shouting Machines – Grownass Man
The other project featuring Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon
released their debut after an acclaimed set at Coachella earlier this year. The
Shouting Machines much more energetic than anything quiet and shy Vernon has
done before, the band takes folk, bluegrass, and delta blues and fuses it all
together in a nice Americana style tribute.
FINAL GRADE: B
Tribes – Wish to Scream
After last years fantastic debut, Baby, England’s Tribes
relocated to Los Angeles and got a bit strange and funky. For their second
record the band dropped their slick Britrock sound and got heavy on the funk
and psychedelic tunes of early 60’s American rock. Much like Chapel Club,
Tribes have altered their sound so much they are now two different bands under
the same title, not that there is anything wrong with that, it is musical
evolution of course, but Wish to Scream lacks the chutzpah that we loved so
much, but still manages to be somewhat of a solid record while sounding totally
different.
FINAL GRADE: B-
The So So Glos – Blowout
The Brooklyn based pop-punk band that have been making waves
since co-founding popular Brooklyn music venues like Glasslands and The Market
Hotel have been well known throughout the five boroughs but Blowout will move
them beyond New York City. A slick record of roaring guitars, polished vocals
and pounding rhythms, Blowout is what will make So So Glos blow up in the
months to come.
FINAL GRADE: B-
The Fall – Re-Mit
The 30th, yes, 30th album from Mark E.
Smith and his latest incarnation of supporting cast members to post-punks The
Fall is exactly what you expect – a cranky old man that knows more about the
business, still pist after all these years and still cashing in. Smith is the
last of the original punks and intends to stay that way, which is why we love
him so.
FINAL GRADE: B-
Jimmy Eat World – Damage
Linking up with Alan Johannes (Them Crooked Vultures, Sound
City Players, Queens of the Stone Age) Arizona’s Jimmy Eat World deliver their
eighth studio record. Damage is the sound of a band maturing past a scene (the
emo, post-emo, mid 00’s era) and still crafting solid tunes and music while
becoming family men, growing up, and still savoring their moment in the
spotlight. Damage is a solid record from a band that has consistently given
solid music their whole career, longtime fans will love this album.
FINAL GRADE: B-
CSS – Planta
Brazil’s once rising funk, samba-rock, new wave, rave-rock
return with their fourth record, and marking their comeback they hired David
Sitek of TV on the Radio to mand the controls of Planta. Production wise, the
record rocks like it should thanks to Sitek’s vision, musically it lacks the
punch for a big comeback and feels a bit redundant from what they have given us
in the past.
FINAL GRADE: C+
Face to Face – Three Chords and Half a Truth
The legendary California punk / ska band return with their
eighth record and bring a more “classic” punk sound to the mix. Three Chords
and Half a Truth was produced by the bands longtime members Trevor Keith and
Scott Shiflett, yet, it would have been a bit more beneficial to this iconic
band to maybe work outside their own box and hear ideas from another producer,
the record may be a throw back sound, but it is nothing that we have not heard
before.
FINAL GRADE: C
Gucci Mane – Trap House 3
Fresh out of his acting performance in Spring Breakers and
his first album since being released from jail, southern rapper Gucci Mane
sticks to the uninspiring southern rap basics of money, power, cars, drugs, and
women as his cliché topics fall just as flat as his lyrics and flow.
FINAL GRADE: D
We may still be in the throes of an icy winter, but looking ahead to 2012 there are some very hot musical prospects emerging to melt your eardrums and warm your soul. And, pleasingly for this particular Londoner, the capital appears to be hothousing a thrusting multitude of artists ready to break out of their cocoons and spread their indie wings far and wide over the next 12 months.