The Black Keys - Brothers

Taylor's Choice:

The Black Keys - Brothers

Hipster Review:

Over the course of the last decade, The Black Keys have been indie music's main supplier of classicist blues, and both their debut The Big Come Up and follow-up Thickfreakness are early 00's Garage rock landmarks. But as the years progressed, so did the duo's sound: their fourth album (and disappointing throwaway) Magic Potion was a step away from their simple blues roots and saw the band trying their hand at pop sensibility. Then with their fifth album Attack & Release, the group went for their pop focus head-on, while also bumping up their production by adding a wash of Psychedelic flair to the songs. On Brothers, the Psychedelia is more of a pinch, and takes a backseat to the myriad of other bells and whistles the band has added to their sound. The production here is spit-shine clean, completely removing the group from their Lo-fi roots, and to some this may elicit a complaint. Personally, I feel that the band finally got their attempts at genre-mixing right this time, not adding too much and stopping their flow of ideas when they need to. The songs are more poppy than ever before, but there is still that classic Black Keys blues touch. My main complaint with the album is that it's too long (55 minutes is shaky ground), though I may just be saying this because I'm used to a short-but-sweet experience with this band. Overall, the songs are well-crafted and the group's ideas are expanded yet limited, and it's nice to see them getting the expansive part right this time around. It's on the lengthy side, but thankfully it doesn't mar the experience too much.

Hipster Rating:

8.2

Friend Review:

Hmmmmm what do I want to say about this album… Well first, I’ll say this: that is some of the best album art I’ve ever seen. Seriously, it’s just very unique and creative. And none of that hidden meaning crap, this art tells it like it is! But besides the art I can’t say I was very pleased with the album.
This is one of those that at the end just left me dull. I don’t really have strong emotions about it. It started out nice, it felt really jazzy. I honestly liked the feel of the opener “Everlasting Light”, but besides that, the album just seemed to drag on. It’s rather long for my taste at over 55:00 and there’s nothing overly exciting about it. It’s all very chill. So if that’s the sound you’re going for then it’ll work out fantastic for you but to me it’s quite boring. Sorry. This my first experience with The Black Keys. Before this, any discussion involving The Black Keys would have evoked this response from me: “Um, I’ve heard of them but haven’t really listened to any of their stuff…” Sadly, Brothers doesn’t make me interested in any of their other work at all. I don’t hear anything more than average out of this album.

Friend Rating:

5.4

Coming up on Wednesday, Nothing Hurts by Male Bonding!

The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt

Paul's Choice:

The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt

Friend Review:

So, Folk is a genre I don’t know much about. The only reason I chose to review this album was because someone mentioned The Tallest Man On Earth on /mu/ as one of the nicest artists he or she’s ever met after a show. Curious, I checked out his Myspace and gave him a listened and enjoyed it. And typically, unless there is a specific album I’m looking forward to, that’s how I pick an album to review. But anyways, let’s get to the actual album…
Unfortunately, guitar is not my forte so I’m going to describe the instrumentation on this album in layman’s terms. Um, it’s AWESOME. Kristian Matsson is one of the most talented guitarists I’ve heard. Every song is filled with extremely complex, um, guitar-playing-skills and is really quite pleasing to the listener. I think the only song lacking amazing guitar playing is the closer, “Kids On the Run” and while it does drag on a bit (You have to do something amazing to impress me with just a piano and vocals), it’s a great way to close the album. So essentially, two sounds make up the album: Matsson’s guitar and Matsson’s voice. To be honest, if you can’t get past his voice, I wouldn’t really blame you. It’s very different from the norm and in a sense whiny. Personally, I like it. It reminds me of Jeff Mangum (hipster’s delight!) so if you dig Neutral Milk Hotel I don’t see why you wouldn’t like The Wild Hunt. Alright, now everyone hold on to your knickers because this is something I don’t think I’ve ever said before: THIS ALBUM IS TOO SHORT. Barely. If Matsson was able to produce just fifteen more minutes of good quality songs, I would be okay with it. However, I would rather have an album too short than three more boring songs so all in all, I am okay with this. At just under 35 minutes, I sat around a few extra minutes to listen to the top of the album again. If you’re not sure about this sort of music, I recommend you go to his his Myspace and listen to “King of Spain”, if you enjoy that you will absolutely love The Wild Hunt.

Friend Rating:

9.0

Hipster Review:

I'm just going to be blunt here: There are a plethora of singer-songwriter-folkie artists these days that all meld together. They do little to distinguish from one another (if at all), and they all copy from the same handbook with no real spark of inspiration. In my honest opinion, apart from their passion of playing music (which in some cases can be nothing more than airheaded pretension), there's no real reason for them to even be around. However, I'm not so cynical to truly believe that the art of good folk died with Dylan's glory days; there are a number (a small number, but nevertheless) of musicians that take the genre and make something inspired and truly wonderful (one artist you should check out for example is Spencer Garland... but I digress).
Swedish musician Kristian Matsson, under his moniker The Tallest Man On Earth, has apparently been making this kind of Folk music for some time now, and The Wild Hunt is my first exposure to him. And boy, does he know how to do it right; the lyrics are wonderfully crafted and delivered in a sensitive yet powerful Dylan-esque croon (I hate comparisons from other folk artists to Bob Dylan, but honestly sometimes it just can't be avoided), and the gentle, beautiful music is carefully arranged in such a unique way that Matsson makes the sound completely his own. And the album is at the perfect length; the 34 minutes that rush by allow the listener to appreciate the album without suffocating or boring them. Like I said before, there's only a few true Folk artists out there that are worth your time, and I'm happy to say that The Tallest Man On Earth is one of them.

Hipster Rating:

8.4

Coming up on Sunday, Brothers by The Black Keys!

LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

Taylor's Choice:

LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

Hipster Review:

Through the course of the previous decade, James Murphy has proven himself to be a most interesting individual. Taking influence from the likes of Joy Division, Liquid Liquid, Talking Heads, ESG, etc. to create an oddly unique blend of Dance-punk, LCD Soundsystem's self-titled debut was a marvel of musical feat; while their influences were groundly rooted in the past, with the help of Murphy's creative mind, it sounded fresh and new. Then in 2007 came the band's sophomore masterpiece Sound Of Silver, which showed the band as more flexible, comfortable whole, and Murphy as a lyricist more than worth his salt - all around, the band took that simple but necessary step to evolving as artists: adding heart and soul to the music.
Now we come to This Is Happening, the third and (unless Murphy is screwing around with us) final album from LCD Soundsystem. And in all honesty, it's every bit a classic as Sound Of Silver was, and then some. Instead of simply staying in the waters of Post-punk that he has found himself comfortable in, Murphy goes for something more daring: think Brian Eno and Berlin Trilogy-era Bowie. Sounds pretty hefty a vision, doesn't it? However, those who know better were confident in Murphy's abilities, and thankfully the album doesn't disappoint - not even in the slightest, in fact. Murphy once again shows off his chops as a very (self)conscious songwriter, taking shots at himself whenever possible; "Love is an open book to your bad poetry; And this is coming from me." Although Murphy is a lot more clever than he gives himself credit for, his humility makes what he's saying more relatable (and just because he's self-deprecatory doesn't mean he's above attacking his detractors: "You wanted a hit; Well, this is how we do hits.") He's got a lot on his mind, too; the world he surrounds himself in is filthy and hedonistic, and he reflects on his various observations with biting sincerity. Musically, it's unbelievable just how much the band succeeds; They give the music just the right combination of moody atmosphere and arty dance arrangements. And while the influences are obvious throughout the album, the band makes it all their own, revisioning the music of the past into something completely new; which, aforementioned above, is what they've always done best. So far, This Is Happening is the best album I've heard all year, and I have a feeling (unless Panda Bear pulls out all the stops with Tomboy) that it'll stay that way.

Hipster Rating:

9.7

Friend Review:

Alright, so this is my first experience with LCD Soundsystem and I’ve heard good things about it so let’s give this a shot. I think I’m gonna try something new with this review and I’m gonna write it as I’m actually listening to the album and see how it turns out. So anyways, I’m 4:36 into the opening track “Dance Yrself Clean” and I gotta say I like it. To all musicians everywhere: if you want to make a really long song, YOU MUST HAVE DYNAMICS. This track has that part down pretty well I must say, I really like the change between soft spoken vocals and then louder almost yelling as well as the entrance of 80’s-tastic synth playing. It keeps things interesting dude, and this track doesn’t feel like nine minutes at all. Be right back, I’m gonna pause the song and go to the bathroom. Alright, back guys and I feel much better. I really like that song, a great way to open the album. So on to the next track, “Drunk Girls”. I believe this is the first single from the album and I’ve heard it on Alt Nation on XM a couple times. There’s some good things about this song, but man, the whole yelling, “Drunk girls” part gets old really really fast. It reminds me of Beastie Boys type shouting, just kinda barbaric. Well, that might be a bit extreme. Then I get to the chorus and bridge and I find out there’s actually a really nice song hidden beneath all the yelling. That always makes me sad. Now that I’m rethinking this idea I think this review is going to be really really long but I already started doing this thing song-by-song so I’m gonna go ahead and finish it. Alright, on to track 3, “One Touch”. The intro has a nice little groove to it but I’m not really a fan of the whole robotic-type vocals going on. Yeah, there’s not much to this song that I like. The groove that started out cool drags on and adds extra sounds that just clutters and complicates things and the vocals are monotone and boring. Like I said before, long songs need dramatics and this one is lacking. Here comes “All I Want”. Right away this sounds like it takes on more of a rock tone than the previous tracks and I gotta say I love it so far. This is a very good song, amazing heartfelt vocals and rad drums and an awesome guitar riff. Then this little synth groove walks through the door and I’m like, “OMG this shiz is awesome!!!11!”. There’s really not much to say about this track besides the fact that I like it a lot. On to “I Can Change”. There’s not much excitement to this track. Vocals are pretty cool but the beat gets annoying after a while but that is a pretty addicting chorus. The vocals are the saving grace of this song, anything robotic like “One Touch” and this song would be dead. Okay, so “You Wanted a Hit” takes nearly half the song to actually get into the lyrics and the song. I think if they took out the super-long intro it could be a pretty good song but with the intro it just feels long and drawn-out. Once you actually get into the vocals it’s pretty fun tune that makes you want to nod your head along. I love the steady beat. Then the band adds a rad guitar solo and a tricky synth beat and that is one spicy tamale. On to “Pow Wow”. Once again, I love the vocals, the whole spoken thing is very cool and once he gets more dynamic with his voice it gets that much better. The beat is cool too… for the first minute or so. Unfortunately, this is nearly a nine minute track. There’s not enough change to keep me interested and if it wasn’t for the fact that I was writing this review I would have skipped long ago. This is a really long album, and “Somebody’s Calling Me” is probably the most boring track. Slow and boring vocals make me a sad boy. It just goes on and on and I’m bored, simple as that. The album does end on a good note with “Home” though. Some of the most interesting percussion on the album with actual drums (or at least it sounds like it) and great vocals which I’ve come to expect out of the band.

Overall, this album does have some high points but generally I’d say it’s very overrated. Some songs such as “Dance Yrself Clean” are absolute gems but they don’t make up for the low and boring points of the album.
I'm not sure if I liked my new way of writing out this review, leave me a comment letting me know what you think.

Friend Rating:

6.3

Coming up on Wednesday, Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man On Earth!

Born Ruffians - Say It

Paul's Choice:

Born Ruffians - Say It

Friend Review:

So way back when (last year), my friends went to go see Franz Ferdinand perform at the House of Blues and opening up for them was this new rad band called Born Ruffians. Instead of going to the show like a good little musician, I opted to go to prom instead. While I don’t regret going to prom (my date was pretty cool I guess), I really wish I could’ve seen Born Ruffians because right after my friends raved about their performance I downloaded Red, Yellow, & Blue and absolutely fell in love. While Say It does provide a good listening experience, it can’t match the fun of the sound Born Ruffians’ debut album brought.
Overall, Say It provides a good listening experience. It has a calm sound that can relax and please. However, I was hoping for much more. The best parts of this album are when you can hear Born Ruffian’s authentic sound. “Retard Canal” is probably their best representation. Poppy guitar riffs, choppy drums (which I usually hate, but in Born Ruffians’ stuff I don’t mind it at all; having a defining quality in drums feels good man), and a groovy bass groove makes me a happy man. The opening track “Oh Man” also has one of Born Ruffians distinctive qualities as they take one the sad tone that is a common sound in their debut album that gives a sincere feel to their songs. Besides this, it’s hard to hear Born Ruffians outside of the screechy vocals. I dearly miss their coordinated yelps and cries which I can only imagine would be absolutely fantastic with audience participations. Say It has a very different sound from Red, Yellow, & Blue. A calm, breezy groove is felt throughout the entire album which is very relaxing. It’s not a bad sound by any means, just kinda different from the spaz and excitement. If you were to go on a picnic and had this album playing in the background, I’m sure it would be very pleasant. Especially if you had turkey paninis to eat. I love turkey paninis. Anyways, I’m going to go watch The Chronicles of Narnia and see if there’s any sandwich shops open at the moment. This album is good, just different. And that’s the bottom line. Toodles.

Friend Rating:

7.0

Hipster Review:

After seeing Born Ruffians play with Franz Ferdinand in April last year at House Of Blues, I instantly fell in love with them. I got a copy of their debut album Red, Yellow & Blue that night, and it became a frequent spin on my iPod soon afterwards. To this day I still love the album, and while it's no classic, it is nevertheless a truly enjoyable listen. Now we come upon the sophomore follow-up, the album that usually spells out the fate of a band, the album that shows whether the band is truly worthy of it's praise or if it's simply a product of hype. The unfortunate latter is referred to as the "sophomore slump," and as much as I loved Red, Yellow & Blue, I had my sneaking suspicions that Say It would fall under that category.
I am happy to say that this is not the case, although it also doesn't belong in that former category either. It's simply a slightly-not-as-good-as-their-debut-but-nevertheless-enjoyable album. The best songs here are the ones where the band experiments a bit, where they move away from their comfort zone; alternately, the worst songs are the ones where they stay in their comfort zone too long, and as a result become stale. The interesting thing about Born Ruffians was always how loose and sporadic they were as a group, which makes it disheartening how a few of these songs don't have a lot of that unhinged juice in them. However, as unfortunate as their presence is there are only a few of them, and thankfully the quality of the album isn't marred too much. And while even the best songs on here can't match the pure fun of their debut, as long as you take the album for what it is, you'll enjoy yourself.

Hipster Rating:

7.6

Coming up on Sunday, This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem!

P.s. Taylor and I graduated on Friday, leave a comment telling us congratulations! : D

The National - High Violet

Taylor's Choice:

The National - High Violet

Hipster Review:

Ever since I discovered their album Boxer back in 2008, The National have been one of my favorite bands. The cryptic lyrics and Post-punk/Baroque pop hybrid was unlike anything I'd ever heard at the time, and even now, after the many bands I've discovered since, it's hard to find a group as unique and distinct as them. And since then I have listened to the album countless times; even to this day it remains a gorgeous monument of indie rock at it's most genuine and gripping. So naturally when i heard that The National would be releasing a new album this year, I got pretty freaking excited. I bought a copy of the record on vinyl three days before it's official release, and excitedly I placed the LP on my record player and sat back, listening with great anticipation...
While only time will tell whether or not it's better than Boxer, High Violet is undeniably brilliant and stunning in it's execution. While a few of the songs (particularly the moody "Anyone's Ghost") show the band moving toward a more pop focus, none of these songs drift too far away from the The National's perfected sound; everything here is familiar and comforting, and I'd be hard-pressed to find a fan of the group finding fault with this record. It's flawlessly simple in it's scope; instead of making a record that completely flipped the band around, they instead lightly tweaked what needed tightening, not moving anything around too much; it's a safe approach, and in any other case it would bother me, but with High Violet the band finds a way to make the familiar feel fresh. It's just the album they should have made, and if anything has changed the songs now carry more deep emotional undercurrents. The lyrics are less cryptic and orient around various characters, each seemingly troubled, akward reflections of singer Matt Berninger's subconscious. All around, High Violet is a record that is practically perfect in every way, a fresh tweaking of an already uniquely established band.

Hipster Rating:

8.9

Friend Review:

Sorry for the delay guys.

My sophomore English teacher once told the class, “If you don’t have a love for a renowned piece of literature , there is a problem with you, not the literature.” I believe at the time he was talking about “Othello”. But anyways, this is how I feel about High Violet, that is, there is more flawed with my taste than the actual album. The only other piece I’ve heard by The National is Boxer, and there is so much I loved about Boxer than I can’t find on High Violet, notably the frantic drumming as seen in “Brainy”. So, it is typical of me to prefer music that is usually poppier and faster than average. But, just because I have preferences doesn’t mean something’s not good. I hope this makes sense to anyone reading because I’m starting to confuse myself. Anyways, there is plenty of content in High Violet that everyone can appreciate. Matt Berninger has one of the greatest voices out there right now in my opinion, and lyrically is a genius. To, High Violet is an album that has a place and a time. For example, I listened to it while working on my homework and thought it was just about perfect. It sets that kind of mood if you know what I mean. However, I don’t think I would appreciate nearly as much if I listened to it just while driving around town.
This might be one of the most contradictory and confusing reviews I’ve ever written so I’m just gonna end it with this. It’s not one my favorites, but you might love it!

Friend Rating:

6.9

Coming up on Wednesday, Say It by Born Ruffians!

The New Pornographers - Together

Paul's Choice:

The New Pornographers - Together

Friend Review:

Alright, let’s review this puppy. I have the saddest past with The New Pornographers. I first heard them in the video game Rock Band… and that’s about it. Sad, right? Anyways, it’s always nice to listen to a band for the first time despite how far behind everyone else you are.
This is a bit of a difficult review for me to write because I’m not sure what there is to say about this album. Ahem. Alright guys, you ready for this? Here it is:

IT’S ALRIGHT.

That’s it. There’s nothing really to set this apart from other indie rock albums, nothing new or exciting just plain good ol’ indie rock. While there wasn’t anything spectacular about this album, there also wasn’t anything terrible. Okay, my one complaint is the vocals. Everything sounds a bit lofty which I think gets old kinda quick but it’s not too bad. If you need something new to check out, go ahead and give this album a listen. You might like it more than I did and I wouldn’t be surprised. You also might find it boring and I wouldn’t be surprised. I would not trust anybody who calls this album amazing or awful (having said that, I really hope Taylor found this album about average as well). Anyways, I wouldn’t mind checking out The New Pornographers’ other albums after listening to this, I only hope that they can break out of being just mediocre and create something great.

Friend Rating:

6.0

Hipster Review:

I've known the New Pornographers for quite a while; about three years ago the blissful joy of their album Electric Version blew me away. After that I dived right into the band, their other two albums Mass Romantic and Twin Cinemas turning out to be even more satisfyingly infectious. The supergroup, consisting of several relatively well-known indie songwriters such as Neko Case and Carl Newman, and together they proved to be master Power pop craftsmen; it was easy to tell why they were such an acclaimed group. Then later that year came Challengers, the group's fourth album...
Even after the initial disappointment wore off, it was difficult to look at the album as anything but a harmless, toothless bore. It just didn't have the spirit or heart of their previous outings, and while granted, it wasn't a complete failure, it was a nonetheless an unfortunate misstep. Now the band returns with Together, in hopes of regaining the ground they lost with their last effort. Unfortunately, the album falls into many of the pitfalls that Challengers did, mostly in the song structuring department. While most of the songs here carry that New Pornographers signature, the attempts again feel rather toothless, hollow shells of what they could've been. Whether it's overproduction or a song being too long, the songs just feel lacking. The first half of the record is actually quite solid (the opener "Moves" is my favorite song on the album). But as the second half kicks in, the pace slows and the record loses it's momentum. It is better than Challengers, for sure; in this case, however, that's not saying much.

Hipster Rating:

6.5

Note, after further review, Taylor changed his review from a 7.3 to a 6.5.

Coming up on Sunday, High Violet by The National!

Caribou - Swim

Taylor's Choice:

Caribou - Swim

Hipster Review:

While mostly known for his previous work as a psychedelic pop craftsman, Caribou mastermind Dan Snaith saw it fit to evolve and push his art into uncharted waters. With Swim, Snaith delves deep into House and Dubstep territory, creating a strange breed of Dance music that is surrounded by a moody, emotive atmosphere. The results are spectacular, and the various musical textures flowing in each of the 9 songs make the record a feast for the ears. And the songs are all sequenced perfectly; it's clear that Snaith worked meticulously on each piece, making sure that everything fell into place in precisely the right way. The beginning track "Odessa" sets the mood perfectly, kicking off the album with a clubby yet abstractly-layered electronic jam. The rest of the record continues this pace, with song after song grooving together in a satisfying manner. Those who enjoy music with underlying layers of sound will be pleased with this; I've yet to hear another album this year as daring as Swim, and when Caribou dares, he succeeds. It is a record that, despite it's electronic nature, is full of heart and soul, and no doubt it's one of the best I've heard all year.

Hipster Rating:

8.8

Friend Review:

I’m just gonna go ahead and open this up with an apology to anyone who enjoyed this album. I know it wasn’t my thing, but it might yours, so, yeah, I dunno, whatever.
So as many, if not all, of our few readers know, I am not a fan of Animal Collective, in particular their album Strawberry Jam. You see, that was my first introduction to any electronic/experimental related music and I thought that was as bad as it could get. If there is one thing I have to thank Caribou for, it is that they make me want to give Animal Collective another chance now that I know that they are far from the worst.
My first occurrence with Caribou was when I noticed someone had posted a song by them on Taylor’s profile. Curious, I gave it a listen and was introduced to the horror that is “Jamelia”. I was then saddened to learn that Swim was the album Taylor would pick to be reviewed today. Nevertheless, I went into it with an open mind knowing that I have been proven wrong before. I heard the opening track “Odessa” and thought to myself, “Hey, not too bad, but not too great. It might be okay after all!” NOPE. After the high point that is the opening track and single of the album, everything is a downhill tumble into a bottomless pit o’ doom and gross things. This album screams to me, “Check out my beatz and noise, lol!” Repeating the word “Sun” for nearly six minutes with typical electronic music? Cool story bro. Every song sounds like Caribou took any random noise he could find, stuck it in a bag, and let the contents out for any listener to hear. Every song is too long, and every song sounds the same, just a mixture of electronic stuffing backed by cheesy house drum beats. There is nothing special about this album to separate it from any of the junk you can hear at any stuck-up fashion salon. I usually listen to an album once and then have it playing in the background while I write my review. For Swim, once is enough. It’s simply typical electronic and doesn’t leave any lasting effect on me besides weirded-outness. This is one of the worst albums I’ve ever listened to.

Friend Rating:

0.4

Coming up on Wednesday, Together by The New Pornographers!

Kate Nash - My Best Friend Is You

Paul's Choice:

Kate Nash - My Best Friend Is You

Friend Review:

First off, sorry about the lateness in this review, this past week was kinda crazy for me and well, yeah, I’m just glad it’s over with because it was really stressful but up ahead I see good times so yay!

Mmmmmk, so let’s get to the album…
Alright, so the only other thing I heard from Kate Nash was her debut album “Made of Bricks” and I gotta say, that album was about as average as average can get. I’m not sure if ever even got through the entire album, every song dragged on and there were only two memorable ones, “Foundations” and “Mouth Wash” which I still enjoy listening despite how long they are. But, the one thing I saw in this album was potential! Kate Nash has great vocals and great songwriting ability, I felt like everything was just poorly executed in Made of Bricks. Because of the potential, I knew future releases could be awesome which is why I was looking forward to this album.
I think I’ve listened to this album about three times and the reason for that is that this album can be played in any situation. Whether it be driving in the car, pouting after dropping ice cream, or happy because you’re playing Super Mario Bros. 3, you can always put on this album and feel satisfied. It just has that sound to it that can fit anywhere. Kate Nash is of course the center of attention, and this is not a bad thing because she has one of the sweetest voices in all of music I think. But besides her, the instrumentation of this album is nothing short of fantastic. They give a sweet subtlety to the album without overpowering Kate Nash. As far as pop goes, I’m not sure when the last time I listened to an album as good as this one, probably Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin’s Pershing (they have a new album coming out in August, expect a review about it then!, but I digress…). If you just need to have fun and dance, there’s not a better album out there for you. Being one of the most gorgeous women on the planet (although one of our readers is more so…) and having one of the best voices in today’s music, Kate Nash is a force to be reckoned with in the scene today and this album is hard proof of that.

Friend Rating:

7.9

Hipster Review:

I'm not wild about a lot of singer-songwriters, especially those who try to make their music sound as precocious as possible (I'm looking at you, Regina Spektor). Kate Nash is one these lasses, which is why when Paul assigned this album I wasn't exactly psyched out of my mind. But I was pleasantly surprised with My Best Friend Is You; which isn't to say that I think that this is a wonderful album, but it definitely doesn't totally suck. The opener definitely didn't allay my initial suspicions, as Nash's singing and the candy-sweet production was pretty much exactly what I was expecting. While it wasn't terrible, as she made the song interesting enough (she's a pretty thoughtful lyricist), that kind of stuff really just isn't my thing. But around the time song three rolled around I found myself actually enjoying the experience. The fourth track, "I Just Love You More," is (kinda) reminiscent of The Fall, with it's repetitive, almost post-punk-like song structure and off-the-wall kookiness; I found it to be one of my favorite songs on the album. And "Do-Wah-Doo," a surf-rock nugget, also reflects the more interesting aspects of the album. But not everything here is all that great; "Pickpocket" gallops through Regina Spektor territory, and the majority of the songs on the album, even the ones that contain the album's really interesting ideas, are just way too sweet and precious for my taste. Overall, it's a decent album, though nothing too special in my opinion. If you're into the kind of things that I mentioned above, you'll definitely enjoy this album. But for me, I'll just take that one relatively enjoyable experience I had with the album and call it a day.

Hipster Rating:

7.1

Coming up on Sunday, "Swim" by Caribou!

MGMT- Congratulations

Taylor's Choice:

MGMT- Congratulations

Hipster Review:

MGMT is a band with which I stand on neutral ground. I did not belong in the party that either loved or hated the band's debut Oracular Spectacular; I just thought it was a pretty good album by an interesting band. And now that they've staved off the popularity thrust upon them with hits "Kids" and "Time To Pretend," MGMT has become a more cohesive, fully-formed group, and with Congratulations they've created an album solely for themselves. Is it the masterpiece they were born to make? Not quite. Congratulations finds the group more stable and secure in their weirdness, and because of this comfort they are able to expand and stretch their creative ideas to their breaking point. More often than not the results are pleasant; however, there are (a LOT of) ideas that are thrown here and there on the album that at times seem too excessive, the best example being the overlong and overcooked 12-minute "Siberian Breaks." And sometimes their courageous ideas stretch a bit too far, resulting in songs that otherwise would have been just fine on their own. I do like the direction that the band is taking, and I think that this album of excess was important for their artistic growth. Perhaps next time they'll make their masterpiece, but in the meantime their debut will do just fine... And on occasion this too.

Hipster Rating:

7.6

Friend Review:

Just like the last review, I was pleasantly surprised with MGMT’s “Congratulations”. My history with MGMT has been a bit bland. I first heard “Time to Pretend” and thought it was a good song. Then I heard “Kids” and thought it was a pretty good song. Then I heard “Electric Feel” and thought it was one of the top five worst songs I’ve ever heard on the radio. That’s not an exaggeration, I seriously hatehatehate that song so much. I listened to “Oracular Spectacular” at least once and honestly can’t remember how I felt about it. All I know is if an album isn’t memorable it’s probably not very good.
Let me talk about my first impression of this album for a moment: the album art. Holy shiz, that’s bad. It reminds me of an 80’s computer game. Luckily, you can’t judge an album by its cover. This album completely changed my mind about MGMT. Unfortunately, the only time I had to fully listen to it was in the car so I was not able to take notes on each song like I usually do. But still I got a good feel for it. The whole album felt like a mix of synth from Wolf Parade and vocals from Arcade Fire to me. The opening track, “It’s Working” caught me right off that bat with its catchy bass line and simply superb drumming. Speaking of catchy, check out the synth in “Song for Dan Tracy”. Good stuff man! One of the doubts I had for this album was the twelve-minute track “Siberian Breaks” Ask Taylor, I never like a track that’s too long, but this one was different to me. It felt like I was always turning the corner to a different sound so I never even felt the slightest urge to check how long was left in the song. For me, the gem of this album was “Brian Eno”. MGMT takes the most basic formula, a fun song with a chorus that begs you to sing along. Combine this with a bridge to mix things up a bit and you’ve got a fantastic song to top an above average album.
Simply put MGMT made a great album that makes me want to see them live. I’ll definitely keep this album around for frequent listens, it deserves it!

Friend Rating:

7.5

Coming up on Wednesday, "My Best Friend Is You" by Kate Nash!