Emotional Listening #39

Alight of Night - Crystal Stilts (Slumberland, 2008)
2008 was pretty much the year that lo-fi punk-infused music re-broke. I didn't quite get the appeal back then; it took me until 2009 to truly catch on to the brilliance of Vivian Girls, No Age, Women, Crystal Stilts, etc. My passion for the latter was pretty deep for a couple years, thanks to the strength of tracks like "Love is a Wave," "Silver Sun" and "Half a Moon." Now that I'm revisiting their breakthrough debut LP, Alight of Night, I'm noticing that this might be their best release. The band has since shed most of its doom and gloom, but here, it's wonderfully formed into a mix of Joy Division-style post-punk and psychedelic 60s rock inspired by The Velvet Underground. Alight of Night is both haunting and gorgeous, and well worth coming back to.
Top jams: "The Dazzled," "Crystal Stilts," "Graveyard Orbit," "Prismatic Room," "Shattered Shine," "The City in the Sea"




Eccsame the Photon Band - Lilys (SpinART, 1994)
Eccsame the Photon Band, the second full-length record from Lilys, isn't quite shoegaze, but, it is close enough to start the descriptions there. There's a lot more going on here than just warped, bendy, overdriven and effect-laden guitars and soft, buried vocals. I mean, there is some of that, but those aren't the defining characteristics of this record. There is a whole lot of space on this record, which, is fascinating because at the same time, there are some huge sounds here. Just listen to how big and roomy the drums sound and pretty much every song (that features drums). "Day of the Monkey" and "FBI and Their Toronto Transmitters" are prime examples where the music overall is very subtle and the drums nearly overpower. "The Hermit Crab" is easily the album's best track, with its clever melodies, droney and jangly guitars, and forward-moving groove. Lilys resident weirdo genius, Kurt Heasley, can really write a melody, and, this becomes even more apparent on later albums Better Can't Make Your Life Better and The 3-Way. Heasley did a lot of genre hopping from album to album, and, Eccsame the Photon Band is the release I've spent the most time with thus far. However, it seems that pretty much every style he has touched on, whether it's this more unique combination of things, or full-on shoegaze, or Kinks-referencing 60s pop, he has done a tremendous job.
Top jams: "High Writer at Home," "Day of the Monkey," "FBI and Their Toronto Transmitters," "The Turtle Which Died Before Knowing," "The Hermit Crab," "Overlit Canyon (The Obscured Wingtip Memoir)," "Kodiak (Reprise)," "Radiotricity"




Stephen Malkmus - Stephen Malkmus (Matador, 2001)
I know, it's weird and sad that I'm just now fully familiarizing myself with the great Stephen Malkmus' debut solo LP. I'm already well versed in 2008's Real Emotional Trash, 2011's Mirror Traffic and even this year's Wig Out at Jagbags. Why is it that Stephen Malkmus didn't come until now? Good question! Now, my thoughts: It is a totally great record. I don't know that I'd consider it the Malkmus record that sounds the most like Pavement, but, it does pick up pretty much right where Terror Twilight left off. It's got a lot of the usually Malkmus-isms: Awesome sounding guitars, surprisingly complex melodies, and clever, often times non-sensical lyrics. "The Hook," "Discretion Grove," "Troubbble," and "Jenny & the Ess-Dog" are all great, but, "Pink India" is the best.
Top jams: "Phantasies," "Jo Jo's Jacket," "Church on White," "The Hook," "Discretion Grove," "Troubbble," "Pink India," "Jenny & the Ess-Dog"




We Love Life - Pulp (Island, 2001)
My girlfriend Sara is a huge Britpop fan, and has been diligently convincing me that, much to my surprise, the 90s classics in that genre are not all cheesy, overwrought, arrogant exercises in trying to be the biggest band in the world. What I'm trying to say is that, yes, that seems to be an element of the style, but, that's not all there is to it. There actually are really good songs and albums. Now, there's no real rhyme or reason to why I decided to start with Pulp's 2001 swan song, We Love Life. Back in January, Sara and I were driving back from a weekend in Traverse City and I had my iPod on random, and, a song from this record came on and I really liked it, so, I decided to go with it. There is quite a diversity of sounds here, and, I would consider them grandiose, due to the slightly more expanded orchestration on a good number of the songs. Still, We Love Life is generally a huge guitar pop album at its heart. Opener "Weeds" and "The Night That Minnie Timperley Died" are both excellent, but, "Trees" is the true jam of the album.
Top jams: "Weeds," "The Night That Minnie Timperley Died," "Trees," "Bob Lind (The Only Way is Down)," "Bad Cover Version," "Sunrise"




Colour Trip - Ringo Deathstarr (Club AC30, 2011)
Ringo Deathstarr aren't really the most unique or forward-thinking band around, but, they do a really great job at paying homage to shoegaze heavy hitters My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and Ride. There is a more modern lean in the production, focus on groove, and more intentional drumming on their debut LP Colour Trip.  Otherwise, this is pretty much a straightforward, poppy shoegaze record that is done so well that any lack of originality is completely forgiven. Colour Trip may be a little too top heavy, but, you couldn't ask for it to start in a better way than with "Imagine Hearts."
Top jams: "Imagine Hearts," "Do It Every Time," "So High," "Kaleidoscope," "Chloe," "You Don't Listen"