Album: The Head and the Heart

Label: Sub Pop

Rating: 3.5/5

It was bound to happen. What with all of the recent mainstream success of folk-rock acts like Fleet Foxes and Mumford and Sons, it was only a matter of time before other similar sounding groups began to emerge from musical obscurity. Enter Seattle, Washington’s The Head and the Heart, an indie-folk rock band with a pop and country twist.

Originally released independently in 2010, the re-released self-titled LP follows the folk blueprint to a tee. But that’s not to say that it isn’t brimming with quaint, heartfelt tranquility.

In fact, The Head and the Heart’s debut album is actually quite enjoyable. Though it’s not overly challenging, the LP is quirky and endearing.

Buoyed by a simplistic minimalism, the album invokes contrarian themes of loneliness and connection. Sharing vocal duties, Jon Russell and Josiah Johnson communicate an innocence sparked by tenderness but punctuated with fragility. There is unease at the heart of this album, and the LP’s sorrowful nature is consistently at odds with the optimism striving to endure.

“Ghosts” is bouncy and spirited with a Ben Folds Five vibe, while “Down in the Valley” transitions from a weeping, melancholic ballad into an exuberant exploration of hope.

Sadly, the primary drawback of the LP really has nothing to do with the album itself. Instead, it seems to have more to do with folk music’s recent mainstream oversaturation. Jeopardizing originality and talent, this issue always tends to undermine honest intentions by bands like The Head and the Heart in their struggle to achieve success through sheer perseverance.

Album: Suck It and See

Label: Domino

Rating: 4/5

It’s never an easy undertaking to predict the sonic structure of an Arctic Monkey’s album. Their first two LP’s, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not and Favourite Worst Nightmare, were hyper-frenetic garage rock anthems while their third album, Humbug, was largely inspired by producer Josh Homme’s (of Queens of the Stone Age fame) fondness for classic rock with a psychedelic twist. Suck It and See is yet another reinvention that heavily embraces vintage rock of the 1950s and 60s.

In all honesty, it did take a few listens of Suck It and See to fully comprehend the denseness of its body. Seductively ensnaring, the music slowly and methodically glides upon you with mesmerizing serpentine prowess.

“Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” is dark and foreboding with a dizzying array of dense guitar soundscapes and hypnotically dour bass lines. While “The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala” and “Piledriver Waltz” revel in the unpredictability that has come to define the recent musical landscape of the Monkeys.

Easily one of the most intriguing lyricists in modern music, lead singer Alex Turner incorporates wordplay with an almost Dylan-esque sensibility. Full of bewildering imagery that borders on the fantastical and enigmatic (“Jigsaw women with horror movie shoes/ Be cruel to me cos I’m a fool for you”), Turner’s talent for colorful and playful explorations of vocabulary is at its finest and most puzzling during Suck It and See’s duration.

Though the sound of the Monkey’s continues to deviate from its original blueprint, the thematic structure of the band’s art remains largely consistent with previous releases. From the very first album, Alex Turner has brazenly identified himself as a volatile outsider, and with a Jarvis Cocker sort of swagger, Suck It and See once again delivers a funky romanticism peppered with antagonistic richness.

It’s nothing short of bizarre to witness the continual evolution of the Sheffield, England quartet. With simply four albums, the Arctic Monkeys have adamantly refused generic limitations. While some of their fan base may be diminishing as a result, their artistic diversity continues to expand with notable results.

Album: Destroyed

Label: Little Idiot

Rating: 3.5/5

Populated by desolate and dour soundscapes, Moby’s Destroyed eerily captures the essence of emptiness. Basking in haunting structural tones and textures, his tenth LP obsessively consumes itself with the re-creation of the fantastical elements of sleep deprivation. In fact, the electronica mastermind defines his latest release as “a soundtrack for empty cities at 2 a.m.”.

Suffering from bouts of insomnia during the configuration of this album, Moby’s latest release is definitely a curiosity piece; far from perfect, but hardly a write-off.

It should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed his career that Moby prides himself on the seductive manipulation of sound. Embracing a seemingly limitless musical structure, Destroyed expresses a dense abundance of sonic diversity.

Whether it’s the hazy dreamscapes of “The Low Hum”, the Shoegazing-inspired “Lie Down in Darkness”, or the hallucinatory stillness of “Rockets”, Moby invokes a rich and enticing ambience throughout. Even when a few of the tracks border on tedious banality, there always emerges something intriguing hidden amongst the layers of depth.

Destroyed is exactly what you would expect from an insomniac at 2 a.m. (jittery/anxious creativity), and for this reason will more than likely turn people away. It’s definitely experimental, but then again most of Moby’s artistic output tends to be. Suffice to say, it’s intriguing but perhaps it’s too soon to judge if it’s truly memorable.

Album: Give Till It’s Gone

Label:  Virgin

Rating: 4/5

Ben Harper’s Give Till It’s Gone is quite simply a quest for understanding. A self-reflective journey navigating throughout many musical genres, Harper’s tenth LP (largely a solo effort) is a melancholic exploration ripe with rhythmic bliss.

Throughout its duration, a clearly emotionally ravaged Harper passionately embraces change with soulful eloquence, heartfelt honesty and frustrated anger. More than likely an ode to the disintegration of his marriage to actress Laura Dern, the album is the work of an artist at an emotional crossroads.

Commencing slowly and melodically with the sad, weeping guitars of “Don’t Give Up on Me Now” and “I Will Not Be Broken”, the album quickly shifts gears as it propels recklessly into “Rock n’ Roll is Free”, a classic Harper concoction of blues infused alt-rock.

The album is also provided additional musical depth by the appearances of key contributors, Ringo Starr and Jackson Browne. In particular, Starr’s drumming on “Spilling Faith” and “Get There from Here” lends a post-pop Beatles psychedelic aura to both tracks.

What’s truly at the heart of the album is a remorseful and recovering Harper continuing to fight the fight. As the title indicates, he is prepared to do all he can until it is no longer possible to do so. The album is largely devoid of overt sentimentality and instead relies heavily on confrontational and questioning emotional catharsis, which is a welcome addition to the sonic scope of Harper’s work.

In a sense, the personal anguish of Harper’s life has led to his most profound work in…well, forever.

Album: Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray

Label: Wind-up

Rating: 4/5

Pain is a trait rarely desired. But when it helps to creatively fuel one’s own art, it can then be understood as an acceptable and worthwhile attribute to have. Seether’s Holding onto Strings Better Left to Fray is a painful expression of a wounded heart. Angry and volatile, it’s an album that proudly bears its soul to a willing audience.

Seether’s fifth studio release may not be an overly complicated construction, but it is an entertaining and endearing one. Revelling with angst-ridden glee, the album covers familiar territory (rock ballad included) but does it with a candid, albeit loud, perspective.

Throughout the band’s history, the music has tended to rely heavily on the tragic and melancholic while simultaneously incorporating (slight) catchy pop hooks with heavy guitar riffs and pounding bass lines. Holding relatively true to that blueprint, their latest release excels as a result of its emphasis on grungy and seedy explorations of expressive anger.

Some may write the enraged, isolated perspective of singer Shaun Morgan off as mere redundancy, but there is a profound energy that filters throughout his booming vocalisation. Driving and forceful, Morgan’s voice perfects a lonesome fragility in search of permanence.

Though seemingly straightforward, the album’s sound does occasionally diversify. Opening track “Fur Cue” and “Desire for Need” are explosive, in-your-face post-grunge rock outs, while “No Resolution” and “Country Song” are flavoured with a Southern rock twang that elicits boot thumping exuberance.

Though it may not be remembered six months from now, Seether’s latest release is actually their most intelligent and memorable album to date.

Album: Hope and Ruin

Label: Bumstead

Rating: 3.5/5

Is it fair to criticize a band simply because they refuse to deviate from routine? That’s the question I was asking myself as I listened to The Trews’ fourth album Hope and Ruin. In a way, it’s somewhat egotistical to want a band to alter their sound simply because they have already encountered personal success with that particular style (no matter how deceptively simplistic it may seem at times), but it’s important to critique, anyways.

Sonically, there’s no denying that the album sounds exceptional (it was co-produced by Gord Sinclair of The Tragically Hip). Consistently solid vocalization by Colin Macdonald is impeccably balanced with crisp guitars and drums throughout each track.

However, as easy-going and straightforward as it is sound-wise, the album ultimately suffers from a lack of creative diversity that instills that awe-inspiring ‘oomph’. Powered, at times, by a ho-hum predictability, Hope and Ruin’s potential for greatness is unfortunately squandered by its refusal to truly take any chances musically.

But the album’s lack of experimentation is not a total letdown.

The album’s tendency to focus on gentle melancholic melodies that permeate throughout its duration is truly its highlight. Situated amongst the classic rock-infused pop tracks like “Misery Loves Company” and “People of the Deer”, tender ballads such as “One by One”, “Stay with Me” and “If You Wanna Start Again” highlight a sincere sensitivity/fragility that is a welcome addition to The Trews’ overall sound.

In the long run, Hope and Ruin may not be the daring enterprise many may want it to be, but it does strive to entertain. It’s hard to find fault with

Album: Mazes

Label: Sacred Bones

Rating: 4.5/5

There comes a time when an album’s expressive creativity transcends simplistic critical analysis. Moon Duo’s Mazes is that album. A hauntingly unnerving rhythmic exploration of space and structure, Mazes’ eight tracks are sonic escapism at its finest.

Fusing 60’s psychedelic with minimalist rock n’ roll swagger, the album is driven by an unforgettable sense of experimentation. Seemingly focused on repetitive two chord guitar riffs, freakish keyboards, and low key drum patterns, Moon Duo (Sanae Yamada and Wooden Shjips’ Ripley Johnson) unabashedly explore an array of sonic boundaries throughout the Krautrock influenced Mazes.

“Seer” is acid-infused garage rock with hints of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club soaring overhead, while “When You Cut” is a heady mix of hypnotic psychedelia wrapped up in a maze of ‘space-y’ guitar solos.

Highlighted by limited, but tormented and echoing, vocalization, Mazes unfolds strategically, ultimately revealing layers upon layers of musical intuitiveness and scope that eventually culminates with the eight-minute hallucinatory finale “Goners”.

Bursting with chemically enhanced flavor, it’s nearly impossible to define this album with simply one listen. Broad and courageous, the album revels in grungy/moody atmospheric auras that systematically devour the listener with ambitious delight.

Album: Swan

Label: Suburban Noize

Rating: 3.5/5

Battered and bruised, Unwritten Law’s Swan was originally slated to be theSan Diego rockers grand finale as a musical quartet. Having undergone numerous lineup changes and personal struggles (confronted on this album) over their 20+ year history, the band seemingly grew weary of the whole rock n’ roll lifestyle. But things seemingly changed during recording, and the band decided to stick it out. That sense of rejuvenation permeates across most of the album.

Though it is peppered with a few sonic irregularities, the album is undoubtedly a nod and a wink to their past glory days. Summoning the essence of punk and alternative rock throughout most of the LP, Swan overcomes a weak introduction by eventually transforming into classic Unwritten Law.

Whether if it’s the return to raw, punk rock on “Superbad” or its intimate moments of heartache on “Sing”, the album flourishes when it doesn’t conceal what it truly wants to be-a solid rock album.

It’s when the album deviates heavily into pop-infused superficial rock that the album languishes. The first two tracks, first single “Starships and Apocalypse” and “Nevermind” (both appealing but nonetheless soulless) are tracks that greatly rely on catchy pop hooks. Swarming with mainstream accessibility, they come off as mere replicas of songs Good Charlotte and Simple Plan performed nearly ten years ago. Ultimately, the bouncy, feel good sonics of these tracks just do not seem to gel cohesively with the ‘seriousness’ existent on the rest of the album.

In a way, it feels like Unwritten Law originally set off to create a pure rock n’ roll LP, but felt compelled to incorporate conventional song choices in hopes of  reasserting their radio-friendly vibe.

Ultimately, it’s this lack of emotion on their pop tracks that consequently comes to undermine the darker elements and themes at the heart of Swan.