Dead to Me - Girls Names (Slumberland, 2011)
This being released by Slumberland Records, it's no surprise that the music Girls Names plays on Dead to Me is jangly, reverb-y and totally moody. It's got that lazy, surf thing going too, but when I listen to it, I think more about the nice guitars and also sadness. And drama! There are some ridiculous song titles here, like "I Could Die," "I Lose," "Cut Up," "Bury Me," and my favorite, "Seance on a Wet Afternoon." Somehow, this lends some charm to the record. I'm sorry, I don't have much to back Dead to Me up, I just like it fine the way it is.
It's All True - Junior Boys (Domino, 2011)
That Junior Boys' latest, It's All True, is even more sparse than previous albums isn't a bad thing. Unfortunately, it is still my least favorite of theirs, though I am still yet to try out their 2004 debut, Last Exit. The boys are still doing the smooth, sexy and mostly slow 80s synth pop thing, and still rule at it, really, it's just that It's All True is missing some intangible that I can't quite place. Maybe it's that the breathy vocals of Jeremy Greenspan aren't as prevailent, or that there aren't quite as many video game blips. There are even two really great upbeat jams on here in "Itchy Fingers" (it's opening is possibly the single greatest moment on the entire LP) and the epic "Banana Ripple." I just don't know. All of this uncertainty, and yet, It's All True is still a damn fine record.
An Argument With Myself EP - Jens Lekman (Secretly Canadian, 2011)
After a drought of almost four years, all we get from Jens Lekman is a five song EP? For real? Thankfully, it's a doozy. In a text message from a few weeks ago, Bravender mentioned that An Argument With Myself sounds like karaoke music, and as much as I hate to say it, I don't think I can argue against that. It doesn't matter though, because, as we all should know, Lekman is a master songwriter, and he can make whatever accompanies his voice and lyrics at any time sound good. Here, I would say that there are three songs that rival his greatest songs prior. The latin rhythms and ridiculous production on the title track may be cheesy, but the lyrics are clever as hell, and the choruses, which are different every time, simply rule. "A Promise" is smooth and gorgeous (the strings!), and features some incredibly cool chord changes. My favorite, though, is "New Directions," which has an obnoxious intro, but a great beat, nice, prominent bass, an adorable chorus with slightly Sufjan-y (ugh) horns, and takes that funky twist that every Lekman jam should. This will suffice for now, Jens, but come out with that next full length, already!
Era Extrana - Neon Indian (Static Tongues, 2011)
Alan Palomo's follow-up to his critically acclaimed and much loved debut as Neon Indian, Psychic Chasms, should not be a surprise to anyone. Of the three "major" "chillwave" acts now in the national spotlight who have released new records in 2011 (Washed Out and Toro y Moi being the others), the changes on Era Extrana are the most slight and least shocking. Sure, I think everyone saw Washed Out polishing up and getting even wussier, and Toro y Moi's Underneath the Pine sort of came out left field and is without question the best thing any of these dudes have ever done (at least that I've heard). But, Era Extrana isn't all that different from its predecessor, aside from the fact that there aren't as many good songs on it. Zing! Okay, okay, sure, the production value is a bit less purposefully low-fi, and overall it's probably even better as a straight up pop album. I actually do enjoy Era Extrana and all of its video game synths (which I do love) despite my negative claims, and thus express that there are totally some jams on it, like "Hex Girlfriend" and "Fallout." "Future Sick" takes the cake, though.
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