Gauntlet Hair - Gauntlet Hair (Dead Oceans, 2011)
Their drummer may wear a hipster mullet, but, that doesn't distract too much from how good Gauntlet Hair's debut LP is. If all the songs didn't run together so much, I'd wager the record may have even reached great status. Every song pretty much sounds exactly the same. In spite of this, I can't deny that the songs on Gauntlet Hair present quite a unique sound structurally, sonically and stylistically. Guitars and vocals drenched in chorus and reverb mesh with almost club sounding drums playing simple but interesting beats. I give it to these guys for creating something relatively fresh, but hopefully next time they'll play with a little more variety. Regardless, "Keep Time," "Mop It Up" and "Overkill" are jams.
Humor Risk - Cass McCombs (Domino, 2011)
I think I've finally caught the Cass McCombs bug. It's fascinating that he is such a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter, but I wouldn't consider him popular by any means. He's label mates with Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors and now Real Estate, and I don't hear my friends talking about McCombs like they do the others. Anyway, while I thought that 2009's Catacombs and Wit's End, from earlier in 2011, had brilliant and utterly gorgeous moments, those albums also were too slow and boring for me overall (I've heard 2007's Dropping the Writ once, and I feel like that will be my McCombs record once I spend more time with it). Humor Risk is nowhere near as cohesive, but I guess I prefer it that way. Here, McCombs varies in volume and mood, and a few of the tracks, like opener "Love Thine Enemy" and "Mystery Mail," generally rock a little bit more, which I appreciate. This is funny, because my favorite track is a softer albeit upbeat folky jam, "Robin Egg Blue." McCombs songs are typically repetitive, but he seems to take that to another level on Humor Risk, and I don't think I mind it one bit. This gives the listener the space to focus on his stories, though I am still stuck on the seemingly never ending cycle of hooks. It's a plus that McCombs' voice sort of sounds like John Lennon to me. In summary, on Humor Risk, McCombs has added a little fire to his brand of folk/country/rock storytelling, and I look forward to moving both forward and backward with his music.
The Whole Love - Wilco (dBpm, 2011)
I'd say that Wilco's latest, The Whole Love, is sort of a return to form for the band. Now, aside from the fact that I'm not sure that I've ever listened to A Ghost is Born all the way through, but from my standpoint, The Whole Love has to be the best thing Wilco has done since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I'm not saying this record is incredible or anything, let alone consistently good, even (there are one or two really bad songs), but considering their output of late (and I liked Wilco (The Album)), The Whole Love is a huge step up. Almost half of the record is actually fantastic, namely the organ-driven pop of "I Might" and the excellent melodies and warm arrangements that make up the title track. The Whole Love is wonderfully versatile, showcasing beautiful country/folk ballads, upbeat and shameless pop/rock of the highest quality, and, unfortunately, some corny moments that I could do without. Regardless, this record is a welcome, pleasant surprise.
Wild Flag - Wild Flag (Merge, 2011)
Featuring Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney fame and Mary Timony, formerly of 90s indie rock band Helium, you had to know that Wild Flag's debut album was going to be bad ass. Wild Flag sounds exactly like you'd expect: mostly upbeat rock songs with a punk edge and some sprawling, jammy sections. Between the two primary song-writers, Brownstein and Timony, you can easily tell who's songs are who's simply based on the style or tempo. I find that I prefer Timony's due to the thicker guitars (and, her voice less obnoxious than Brownstein's). "Something Came Over Me," "Electric Band" and "Future Crimes" are true jams.
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