A Bit Late, But Never Mind.

It was Record Store Day yesterday, and it completely passed me by. Well, I don't get NME anymore and I haven't listened to the radio in months, so it's hardly surprising. So, what did I miss?

Unreleased Yeasayer! I can't remember who this reminds me of, but may I call it discofolk? Well, maybe not disco, but certainly electro. Ok, ok, you win, electrofolk. Yeasayer, Swallowing the Decibels

I couldn't exactly ignore this could I? From Regina Spektor's Four From Far LP, Riot Gear

It's the oddest thing. In the list of RSD releases, there are loads from last year. Perhaps they have some left over. Anyway, I'm pretty sure this wasn't available last year. Esben And The Witch, Chorea

Must dash, the original St Trinian's is on.

Moll x

AOTS: Sunset Rubdown, Dragonslayer.

Or, I Am Really, Really Stupid. I got this album from Amazon a few weeks ago, and despite my well-established love of SR, I didn't listen to it for fear of being disappointed. Need have I been worried? Nah. Opener Silver Moons is rather understated, but there are still some wonderful lyrical gems: "And I believe in growing old with grace / I believe she only loved my face / I believe I acted like a child / Making faces at acquired tastes". You Go On Ahead is back to 'normal', all gritty glitter and smoggy feedback, surreal lyrics and cute-but-psycho keyboards. Apollo And The Buffalo... is positively dripping with Greek mythos, nostalgia, and quiet lost beauty. It seems, at first, that their wonderful eccentricity has decided to take a back seat - but Nightingale / December Song makes it clear that it has just taken a bit of a chill pill. It still has oh-so-many different rhythms and sounds, but they don't fight like they they used to. It's good to see madness hasn't been forgotten, but it would be nice if the reins were loosened a little more frequently. Oh, what's that you say? Black Swan? A return to the mania of old, only with a healthy dose of The Strokes? Oh yes. It's a gamble that pays off incredibly well, making it the best track on the album after Idiot Heart. Off the wall lyricism and mad cap rhythms and even the often annoying backing vocals can't make a dent in its brilliance. It might only be eight tracks long, but I'll take those eight tracks over twenty tracks full of fluff any day. It might not have the recklessness of its predecessor Shut Up I Am Dreaming, but it's just as superb and a hell of a lot darker.

9/10

Moll x 

SOTW: Regina Spektor, December

"Rumours have started that you are in love again, rumours that are completely unsubstantiated..." From the delicate but invincible piano, to the quirks of her voice, December is a beautiful song. A bittersweet love-letter full of sharp lines and gentle melodies. On a cursory listen it is easy to disregard - a soft, barely two minutes long, average song. But it isn't average. Not when you bury yourself in it, like the song is buried in snow. Her voice rises and falls - sometimes with the music, sometimes against it, sometimes dropping aitches sluggishly, sometimes lifting in to notes that almost break the windows. It is sweet enough to flow gorgeously, and sharp enough to hold you enthralled. It is, quite simply, superb. 

10/10

Moll x

Adam, Where The Hell Have You Been?

Time for a history lesson. A few years ago, I was addicted to a band. I hadn't listened to very much music before, so my horizons were rather were rather narrow. Not that that diminishes how good the band were/are, of course, but you know what I mean. And I loved them, I really did. Then I got into music properly, and I stopped listening to them. It's tragic, I guess. I'll still dig out the old (and very well played) albums and listen to them occasionally, but it's fair to say I pretty much left them alone for a while.

This band was Counting Crows.

And they're back again. So, for nostalgia's sake, listen to this! I forgot how much I love Adam's voice (if you're reading this, do you mind me calling you Adam? Coz if you do, email me. I'll faint, but when they bring me 'round, I'll correct it)

Moll

P.S. I used to have Amie (actually, I had six of them) from a live disc, and it really annoyed me. I mean, how is it possible to have a song that catchy? It also shows how often I listened to them that I remember every single word from a song I didn't even like that much!