The Best Albums of May 2011

School is almost over here at UCLA, ladies and gentlemen! With that said, I should be studying, so let's get right to it.

"The Way It Was" by Parachute

I've always been a big fan of Parachute. I've had the opportunity to see them live as well, and they're outstanding. That said, I was a little concerned approaching the sophomore album. It's a notoriously tricky album for bands, and, to be completely shallow for a minute, I don't trust albums with a simple picture of the whole band on the cover. I didn't need to worry. "The Way It Was" is the band's best album to date, and they explore a whole lot of new musical tools. 

"Helplessness Blues" by Fleet Foxes

It's been a long time coming for Fleet Foxes' second full length album. Don't worry, the wait was well worth it. Everything you know and love about the group is here. Though they don't necessarily try a whole lot of new things on this album. But, when their other music is as good as it is, do you want them changing the formula a ton? I for one am fine with Fleet Foxes doing what Fleet Foxes do best.

"Rome" by Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi

This is probably the least conventional album on this month's list, but it may very well be the best. "Rome" sounds like an ode to spaghetti westerns. There are great vocals by Jack White and Norah Jones, as well as some great elements of classical music. Listening to the album, you feel as though you're listening to a great movie soundtrack, minus the movie. Bravo. 

That's this month! Until next time, keep reading the blog, like the blog's Facebook page, and enjoy the music!

Andrew

"The Way It Was" by Parachute

Parachute has been one of my favorite bands for a while. Their debut album played repeatedly on my iPod for months before I moved on to other things. I still listen to the debut, but for a few months now I had thought that a follow-up album was past due.

Now, with "The Way It Was," Parachute has created a sophomore album that defies the phenomenon of the "sophomore slump."

The band has expanded its melodic repertoire greatly, especially in the use of more "instruments" than the standard band set-up. On the debut album, backing vocal effects (though not lyrics), were used to a certain extent, but this new album takes full advantage of everything the human voice can do beyond simply singing lyrics.

That being said, lyrics are not the strongest aspect of this album. That is not to say the lyrics are not well-written, they certainly get the point across. However, most of the songs revolve around the theme of love (which is an issue that I wish a huge amount of bands could deal with).

Nonetheless, every song on this album is well-executed and, as usual, is extremely catchy. For both longtime fans of Parachute and newcomers to the band's music, this is a success.

My three favorite songs on the album are "What I Know," "Kiss Me Slowly," and "Philadelphia."

Here's a link to their Myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/parachute/music

Until next time, enjoy the music!

Andrew

"Magnetic North" by Aqualung

Most of my friends are done with school for the summer. This makes me sad. As a result, IT'S BALLAD TIME.

And, when it comes to outstanding balladry, there are few artists better than Aqualung.

My favorite album of Aqualung's is "Magnetic North," because it has a bit more musical variety than "Words and Music." That being said, the backbone of this album is piano and vocals. Each song is very simple. There aren't too many different melodic ideas in each song, but what's there is really good.

The vocals are delivered in an understated way, with a slight British accent (in my opinion). The lyrics are also extremely well written. The one downside of this album is a result of this understated character of the album. The songs are not necessarily catchy and laden with hooks. You have to think about this music a bit, but if you invest the extra couple of minutes, the investment is well worth it.

There are some great guest vocals on this album as well, the best of which are from Sara Bareilles.

Overall, this album is a deep one, one of the deeper albums I've reviewed in a while, in fact. Trust me though. It's perfect for a cloudy summer day while you sit at your desk and wonder why you're not home for summer vacation yet.

My three favorite songs on the album are "New Friend," "Remember Us," and "Magnetic North."

Until next time, enjoy the music!

Andrew

"Gary Go" by Gary Go

You've all probably heard the song, "Wonderful," by Gary Go. It's been on the Disney Oceans trailer, as well as tons of other commercials that want to make their product or show seem uplifting or inspiring.

What you may not know, however, is that the rest of Gary Go's debut album is also outstanding pop/alternative music.

All of the reasons people love "Wonderful": the infectious melody, catchy hooks, and a chorus that begs to be sang out loud in your dorm room are also present on just about every other song of the album.

The lyrics are not necessarily groundbreaking, but they're sweet in their own way and definitely have a heart to them. No song is phoned in. Every song finds a way to put a smile on your face, whether it be with a beautiful piano line, beautiful strings, or a super-catchy guitar riff.

Gary Go is best known for super happy alt/pop, but he also shows that he can succeed at some slower, more "sad" songs as well.

Overall, this album is a remarkably diverse first foray into alternative/pop music for an artist who is definitely worth keeping track of.

My three favorite songs on the album are "Brooklyn," "Refuse to Lose," and "Wonderful."

Here's a link to his Myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/garygo/music

Until next time, enjoy the music and spread the word about the blog!

Andrew

"Saosin" by Saosin

Alrighty, this album comes from a Southern California band! Random fact? Yes, but that's the best intro I could come up with this close to the end of the school year.

Saosin's self-titled debut is a straight-up adrenaline rush. The lyrics are not necessarily something to "ooh" and "ahh" over, though a couple songs have some great individual lines.

What keeps me coming back to this album over and over again is the music itself. The guitars are insanely good, with ridiculous hooks, riffs, and all sorts of other good stuff. The same goes for the drum work on the album, which constitutes the best drum work I've ever heard.

Another instrument which you wouldn't think of right off the bat is the voice of the lead vocalist. His voice can go to seemingly otherworldly heights without having to go into a falsetto. It's obscene, and for some reason it just makes the music that much more exciting.

If you're in the mood for a while to bang your head to music that is pure thrashing for the alternative music lover, Saosin is the band for you.

My three favorite songs on the album are "It's So Simple," "Voices," and "You're Not Alone."

Here's a link to their Myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/saosin/music

Until next time, keep reading and enjoy the music!

Andrew

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Thanks and, as always, enjoy the music!

Andrew

"Wait for Me" by Moby

Let me start off with my extraordinarily shallow first impression of this album: the album cover is one of my favorite album covers of all time. It's so simple, but it drew me in and it's a great representation of the music on the album.

"Wait for Me" by Moby is perfect driving music. Most of the songs are quiet, but some flow with a sense of urgency that makes them much more powerful than any louder song could be. Moby himself doesn't provide much vocal work for this album. Instead, he uses a variety of female singers, all of whom do great jobs on their respective songs.

At times complex, at times sparse, each song on the album brings something new to the table. You really do feel like the little being on the album cover, wandering on in some foreign place, feeling lonely and happy at the same time.

In addition to the vocal tracks, there are some great instrumental tracks that tie the album together. "Divisions," for example, serves as a sort of overture to the entire album. Once I heard that track, I was hooked.

Other tracks, such as "Pale Horses," evoke some feelings of nostalgia. The afore-mentioned song in particular made me feel like I was in a smokey underground club sometime in the 40s or 50s.

This is not the Moby of "Extreme Ways." It is a more restrained and more mature Moby. Everything on this album works, and I can't wait for his new one, due to be released soon.

My three favorite songs on the album are "Division," "Pale Horses," and "Study War."

Here's a link to his Myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/moby/music

Until next time, keep reading and enjoy the music!

Andrew

"Thriving Ivory" by Thriving Ivory

Happy weekend, everyone!

This album, "Thriving Ivory" by Thriving Ivory, is one of my favorite alternative rock albums of the last few years for a couple reasons.

One of those is melody and instrumentation. Every song is really catchy and very angst-y in a non-emo way. In other words, this is really emotional alt rock without the overly whiney characteristics of a lot of standard emo rock (I think that the album cover is a pretty fair representation of this). This album is full of great guitar licks and great piano rhythms.

Building on these melodies are some of the catchiest choruses around. Every. Single. One. I would be shocked if, after listening to the album the first time through, you aren't gripped by the urge to listen to it again and sing along with the choruses. They're absolutely infectious.

This album does come with a bit of a "This is an acquired taste" disclaimer due to the vocalist's voice. It's not a singer's voice, and though he sings in tune and very well, it's in a scratchy voice that took me a while to get used to.

Once you do, however, this is great cloudy day music to float away into.

My three favorite songs on the album are "Angels On the Moon," "Alien," and "Hey Lady."

Here's a link to their Myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/thrivingivory/music

Until next time, spread word about the blog and enjoy all the music out there,

Andrew

"(E)vening" by Mae

I know I've already gushed about "The Everglow," Mae's best album, but I think that "(E)vening is such a good finale to Mae's discography that it warrants a post of its own.

The album is beautiful, absolutely beautiful. And, as the band's final album, the music on it is especially poignant, the idea of nighttime mirrors the end of Mae's run as a great band.

Finally, Mae returns to the use of intricate piano that drew me completely into their music years ago. The three movements of "Seasons" combine to create one of the most beautiful song sequences in alternative music this year. It's a shame Mae didn't use this much piano in the rest of their work. Albums like "(A)fternoon" and "Singularity" suffered from the lack of it.

Once you hit "Sleep Well," (which is basically a poignant goodbye to the fans, in my opinion) you'll be feeling very bittersweet, because this album is by far the band's best work since "The Everglow."

It's sad that it's the band's last album, but it's great that they went out on such a beautiful note.

My three favorite songs on the album are "Bloom," "Seasons" (I'm counting all 3 movements as one song), "Sleep Well."

Here's a link to their Myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/mae/music

Until next time, enjoy all the music out there!

Andrew