Derealization EP/Disguised as Ghosts/Fading Parade

Derealization EP - The Forms (Threespheres/Ernest Jennings, 2011)
Finally, The Forms have released something new! Well, only kind of. I have been chomping at the bit for some new material from these guys since their excellent 2007 self-titled LP, but all Derealization offers up is newly recorded versions of six old songs. Seriously, what the hell? It's not that these updated versions are bad. In fact, only one of them is mediocre, and the rest are actually quite good (there are even two songs toward the end that harken back to Anathallo's heydays a little bit). I guess I just don't understand the point, and I'm not nearly as into this more electronic twist that these songs have taken. I miss those beefy, spacey guitars and the rock solid Bonham-esque drumming. I still want to pick this up so that I at least get the vinyl version of The Forms' first album, Icarus, that comes with it. But, c'mon guys. Please write and record some new songs!


Disguised as Ghosts - Mock Orange (Wednesday, 2011)
What a terrible name and cover for such a solid rock record. I had long forgotten about this band, and here they come pleasantly surprising me. Mock Orange have existed since 1993 and have matured from a young emo band with mathy tendencies to the well travelled, guitar pop band they are now. Nothing has changed all that much between 2004's Mind is Not Brain, 2008's Captain Love and this year's Disguised as Ghosts, but that's totally alright. All three of these records are fairly interchangeable, and to me, they all bring to mind what Built to Spill's post-Keep It Like a Secret material SHOULD have sounded like. Anyway, the focus here is Disguised as Ghosts, and on it can be heard great melodies sung by a voice not too unlike Doug Martsch's or Jeremy Enigk's, layers of interesting and enjoyable guitar lines and some truly fantastic drumming. All the songs are good to great, and this is just one of those random gems that pop up a couple times per year.


Fading Parade - Papercuts (Sub Pop, 2011)
Libby Hopper introduced me to a little project called Papercuts back in the summer of 2007, and their album that had been released then, Can't Go Back, was perfect for me at that time. A nice, mellow, summery pop record dominated by folky ballads I suspected to be styled after The Byrds and The Zombies. In 2009 they released the follow-up, You Can Have What You Want, and while there was slightly more variety and definitely a larger sound, it didn't hit me nearly as hard. Now comes their Sub Pop debut, Fading Parade, and it is basically just an extension of You Can Have What You Want, only it is better. For the most part, the songs here are still mellow, but the overall sound is huge, and thankfully, not in a distracting way. Fading Parade's mood is definitely downtrodden, but also dreamy (as are the guitars), which I think perfectly fits the title of this record. This is a nice indie pop album that can be boring at parts, but is easy to get lost in (in a good way).