This short three song EP from Shlohmo–LA’s maestro of muddied, mellow beats–finds the classically trained, maximally blunted producer trading in the live-session feel and soul-rending howls of his debut album, Bad Vibes, for something with a little more bounce to the ounce.
Vacation is a short but sweet slice of the young beatsmith’s gray matter, three songs under 15 minutes in which you can hear innovation and talent coalesce into a vibrant palette of sound that Shlohmo, born Henry Laufer, would use to paint the damn sky if they’d let him.
So, you remember those albums I was really excited about for January? Well, the dark, introspective part of me overrode the quirky and experimental this past month. I assign the blame to Sharon Van Etten, Brooklyn’s modern folk songstress. Her third album, Tramp, is out via Jagjaguwar, and upon first listen I realized that this was the album I hoped to get this year. ‘Heavy rotation’ does not even begin to explain how many times I envision myself appealing to Van Etten’s croon for understanding and rapport throughout the future months. Sharon, we have never met, but you will be my best friend this coming year. I will sing along with you, in grief and elation, and feel that through your songwriting you have looked into my soul and delivered the blackest as well as the most cherished emotions back to me through songs so pristine, that I know myself better now because of you.
Anyone else subliminally reminded of Postal Service? (Photo courtesy of tellallyourfriendspr.com)
What’s the deal with double drumsets? The arrangement always instantly adds depth and variety to music. It always takes a few measures to figure out why the snare hits sound fuller, why there seem to be far more frequent symbol hits than other songs, or why such intricate bass drum grace notes can be played – but two drumsets is nearly exclusively the culprit. We at Treeswingers have seen Radiohead, Brand New, MuteMath, and others add a second drummer at live shows, but this new band has gone ahead and embedded it in their style.
Calling Minneapolis home, Polica is set to release their first album, Give You the Ghost on Valentine’s Day. How cute. The video below shows Polica performing the stand-out track from the album, “Wandering Star”. Watching the unique instrumentation for a four-piece band provides a nice context for later listens of the song, which you can grab below. Don’t miss Polica’s autotuning and double drumming when the album comes out next month.
I am not sure whether it’s politically correct to call an album “anthemic” in the indie world. Perhaps it’s too close a description of arena rock, an antithesis to the exclusivity that the excluders like to define as “indie.” So when I say that The Big Pinks’Future This is anthemic, I want to make it clear that I mean it in the least offensive sense of the word.
Another year. Another list. With 2011 in our rear views, each one of us here at Treeswingers is taking a look back at the year in music. Not quite as star-studded as last year, 2011 still had its gems, from the return of Bon Iver to the arrival of Real Estate. There was the R&B revival courtesy of The Weeknd as well as the meteoric mark of M83. There was also Kreayshawn. Just kidding.
Below are each of our lists for the top albums of 2011. There’s no particular order or reason. Feel free to adore, berate, mock or love our lists in the comments section. Or leave your own top 10 of the year. On to 2012. Continue reading →
