Title: Skyline

Artist: Yann Tiersen

Year of Release: 2011

Yann Tiersen is a musician I’ve mentioned before on this blog, having reviewed his famous soundtrack album for the 2001 French film Amelie. Due to his claim to fame with the soundtrack, he is often mistaken to be a composer for films. However, he is actually a very talented musician who has a rich and diverse discography to his name. Having started out being influenced by post-punk bands in the 80s, he marries the conventions of rock and classical music while crafting his own unique sound. There’s always a distinctive “watermark” in each of his albums that you can identify as his, as far-fetched as that might sound.

In his new release, Skyline, it’s centered around a traditional rock band set-up, coupled with synthesizers. This contrasts his previous efforts, where classical instruments like the piano and accordion (among others) were dominant. Yann Tiersen does not let down with his songwriting. Bands like Tangerine Dream and Sigur Ros coming to mind when listening to this album, which makes me think that Yann Tiersen was probably inspired by post-rock and krautrock during the writing and recording process.

Instrumentation is strong, although the use of vocals is a mixed bag for me. I like that the vocals are treated here to blend in with the instruments, rather than something to stand out, but I felt a few songs could have benefited from stronger vocals. Another gripe of mine is the length of the album. Each time listening to it, I feel that the final song ends on an abrupt note. The record could have been longer, but it’s not something major. Overall, it’s still a well-made record.

If you’re fairly familiar with his discography, Skyline might come off as a minor shock, but it is an album worth getting into. He did a great job with it, and I can only imagine how the songs will come off when played live.

Standout tracks: ’I'm Gonna Live Anyhow’, ‘Hesitation Wound’, ‘Monuments’

Title: Cults

Artist: Cults

Year of Release: 2011

Cults is an indie pop project of vocalist Madeline Follin and guitarist Brian Oblivion, of which I had the pleasure of seeing live at the Singapore stop of Laneway Festival, an Australian-born music festival focusing on the hottest upcoming indie acts in the scene. Their self-titled debut is a catchy and pretty pop record that is can be easy to enjoy, but I’d imagine some people might be turned off by the production, like how I was at the beginning.

Their sound is similar to noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells, but are a lot less fleshy and boisterous as them. Instead, they rely on sounding like a guitar-infused girl-group from the 60s. Because of that, the production tries to make the album sound as ‘retro’ and ‘vintage’ as aesthetically possible, but I feel it affects the songwriting, which I think is pretty strong. Before seeing them live, I have to admit I did not enjoy this album as I do now. I had a greater appreciation of their record after their live show.

Their songs sound more fresh and real live, and coming back to this album, I’m finally able to see what they tried to achieve with this, after months of confusion. I have friends who dug them from the get-go, so your experience might differ from mine, as how it always is. Check it out if you like catchy pop music.

Standout tracks: ’Abducted’, ‘Never Heal Myself’, ‘Go Outside’, ‘Bumper’

Title: Sunset Mission

Artist: Bohren & der Club of Gore

Year of Release: 2000

Another album that helped me through my revision. Bohren & der Club of Gore are a jazz outfit from Germany. They’re probably one of the most unique jazz groups out there in the scene right now. They’ve develop a very interesting sound over the years, combining genres such as jazz, ambient and doom metal. Early in their career they were primarily centered around rock instruments as shown in their earlier efforts Gore Motel and Midnight Radio (they used to have an electric guitarist, but he left before this album) but they’ve since grown into a relatively traditional jazz outfit. Sunset Mission was their first effort as their current incarnation.

As the genre mash-up I mentioned earlier, they take the instrumentation of jazz and combine it with the atmospheric soundscapes of ambient music and deep, dark sounds of doom metal, resulting in a very thick, dense but minimal jazz album. The whole record feels like a soundtrack for an old-time film noir flick. It’s very dark and atmospheric. The mellotron sets the tone for the album, with the saxophone creeping out of its corner every now and then.

The track names are slightly misleading, with titles like ‘On Demon Wings’ and ‘Darkstalker’ that might scare away certain listeners, but rest assured, the songs are not as scary as the titles might make them out to be.

Standout tracks: ’On Demon Wings’, ‘Nightwolf’, ‘Dead End Angels’

Title: Fallen Light

Artist: Phaeleh

Year of Release: 2011

Since I had to stop writing for a short while due to my exams, I had to make use of the time by going through hours of revision and music made that a lot easier. Obviously they’re more quiet in nature, as I can’t concentrate with dynamically loud albums, but at the same time the silence can be distracting for me as well. It’s weird, but anyway that’s where music comes in. I selected a few albums that are ambient in nature but also musically interesting. The first of this is Fallen Light by British dubstep producer Phaeleh (yes, dubstep)

Dubstep has gotten a lot of flak in most music communities for being the loud, boisterous incarnation of robot farts. Basically, most peoples’ views of dubstep rely a lot on the work of popular musicians such as Skrillex, Deadmau5, Magnetic Man, among others. I used to think like them as well, but as I delved into the world of dubstep, I found out that it is a lot more diverse than people give it credit for. There are producers out there who avoid the loud, rave-worthy styles of their brethren and instead use dubstep beats and samples more tastefully. A band like Nero, whose album Welcome Reality I reviewed a while back, are similar to the aforementioned examples of popular dubstep artists, but they’re more unique in combining dubstep beats with fluid pop structures not unlike what The Prodigy has done with hardcore techno. At least that’s what I see.

There are also producers who aim towards a different goal of creating beautiful and quiet soundscapes with minimal dubstep beats, giving birth to a sub-genre known as ‘ambient dubstep’. Think Boards of Canada laced with dubstep beats here and there.  Phaeleh is a great example of this genre. His latest album, Fallen Light, is a very soothing and calming record, but it doesn’t shy away from being bass-heavy. It’s incredibly atmospheric, but it refuses to serve as background music for the listener by including strong bass beats and memorable melodies coupled with wonderful female vocals. It’s quite musically diverse for a dubstep album too, but I think this is better shown in his EP Within the Emptiness. Worth checking out even if you’re not much of a fan of dubstep.

Standout tracks: ’Afterglow’, ‘Badman’, ‘Fallen Light’

The Lazy Listener will be back again!

In the meantime, enjoy the new Meshuggah song from their upcoming album, Koloss.

I’ll be back very soon.

Sorry the lack of posts during the past few days. I’m currently preparing for my exams that start next week, so I won’t be able to have the time to post more often for this week and the next. Also, with Laneway happening during my exam period, looks like I gotta work extra hard in order to have fun.

I’ll be back soon!

Cheers!

Title: This is Where it Ends

Artist: All Shall Perish

Year of Release: 2011

This is Where it Ends is extreme metal band All Shall Perish’s fourth album. While I have not heard their older material, I got a kick out of this album. All Shall Perish created something special here that many modern metal bands wish to make: a technically-demanding metal album with undeniable catchy hooks.

It is hard to create an album like that, but ASP did it. The songs in this album are heavy and brutal but with hooks in the songs that stick in your head. It might seem unusual, but ASP makes it work, almost flawlessly. The band does an amazing job with their instrumentation, occasionally venturing into prog-metal territory.

I can’t believe I missed out on a live show by them when I had the chance (I passed their show for Parkway Drive instead due to lack of funds, as usual. Sigh.) I’d definitely see them in a heartbeat if I have another opportunity.

Standout tracks: ’The Past Will Haunt Us Both’, ‘Procession of Ashes’, ‘In This Life of Pain’

Title: The Low End Theory

Artist: A Tribe Called Quest

Year of Release: 1991

The Low End Theory was the second album released by American hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Fans and critics are divided over which album by them is their best: this or Midnight Marauders. Whatever it may be, there’s no denying that The Low End Theory is a classic, and its legacy can be felt even today.

This record was innovative when it was released as it was one of the first few hip-hop albums released that successfully bridged the gap between hip-hop and jazz. Also, it was one of the few hip-hop albums made at that time that differed from the usual violent hip-hop lyricism. The content in this album concerns mainly about social issues, including commentary of the music industry back then.

What makes this album work is the collaborative effort of the three core members of the group: Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. They were able to combine jazz and hip-hop without it sounding tacky, and coupled with smart socially-aware lyrics (well, except for a few songs like ‘Scenario’), they crafted a record that managed to give some credibility to hip-hop in the eyes of the non-hip-hop loving crowd, and gave birth to jazz rap, a genre that is still alive today in record labels like Stones Throw and Ninja Tune. An essential hip-hop record.

Standout tracks: ’Excursions’, ‘Verses From the Abstract’, ‘Jazz (We’ve Got)’

This list will be modified when I get the opportunity to buy those albums and listen to them. Hopefully they’re good.

Anyway, here’s the list I have so far. Most albums are linked to reviews already posted on this site. Artist names on the Top 15 are linked to their last.fm pages for better reference.

15. Nero - Welcome Reality

14. Anna Calvi - s/t

13. Mastodon - The Hunter

12. The Dear Hunter - The Color Spectrum (The Complete Collection)

11. Death Grips - Exmilitary

10. Touché Amoré - Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me

09. Protest the Hero - Scurrilous

08. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

07. Toro Y Moi - Underneath the Pine

06. Other Lives - Tamer Animals

05. Letlive - Fake History

04. Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges

03. Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction

02. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

01. La Dispute - Wildlife

Honorable Mentions:

James Blake – s/t
Harm’s Way – Isolation
All Shall Perish – This Is Where It Ends
The Human Abstract – Digital Veil
Yuck – s/t
Balance and Composure – Separation
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow
WU LYF – Go Tell Fire to the Mountain
Trap Them – Darker Handcraft
Laura Marling – A Creature of My Own
Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean
The Drums – Portamento
The Horrors – Skying
Feist – Metals
The Pains Of Being Pure at Heart – Belong
tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l
Thundercat – The Golden Age of Apocalypse
Real Estate – Days
Zomby – Isolation
Clams Casino – Instrumentals

Disappointments:

Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto

Paradise. That’s all I can say.

Radiohead – The King of Limbs

I felt the songs on this album were bland and lethargic, not to mention short. The packaging for the CD sucked as well. Maybe I just expected too much from them after In Rainbows. Oh well.

Tyler, The Creator – Goblin

This album is incredibly disjointed; some great songs like ‘Yonkers’, ‘Analog’, ‘Transylvania’ (lyrics are crap but production is fantastic), ‘AU79′, ‘Sandwitches’ and some shitty ones like ‘She’ and ‘Bitch Suck Dick’. Hoping Wolf is a lot more cohesive than this one.

YUP that’s it…for now.

Check out the first part of my most anticipated releases of 2012 here.