Jason's Pick: The Horrors - Skying

Friend Review:

Now, 80's synth pop has never been my favorite genre. Something about it is just not stirring enough for me, I guess it's too happy or something, I don't know. Anyway, when I heard the single from the record a month or two ago, my jaw dropped. I immediately though back to two years ago, to that horrid speed bump called "Primary Colours" and never wanted our relationship to wane ever again. Skeptical, I listened to the album to see if it was going to scare me off. It definitely did the opposite. Immediately the album starts with a rich and warming sound, which is something you wouldn't EVER expect from the Horrors. But something about this album is still so close to home. Much like Radiohead (yes, I will make that comparison. Haters gonna hate.) The Horrors had completely changed their sound again, yet stayed so close to the things that made me fall in love with them. Somewhat spacey, somewhat poppy, still sort of creepy, and as always, beautiful. Songs flourish before you, stretching into a lush soundscape, with Farris' voice adding color and accents. Songs that are slow, yet powerful (like "Still Life" and "Changing the Rain"). Where there are songs that make you want to sit back and soak in the beauty, there are also songs (like "I Can See Through You" and "Monica Gems") that make you want to dive in and explore. This album came together so well... until the end of the 6th song. Once the 7th song began to play, I knew that the album was fading. It was almost as though it was falling away from me; the songs were less inviting, stoic and insubstantial. I tried to get in to them, but it felt like I wasn't really met half way. Farris' voice begins to lose it's control and almost becomes lack luster at points, and by the final song it seemed like they just made up a song in the last hour they were in the studio. After being so excited in the first 3/5 of the album, I was left with somewhat of a sour taste in my mouth.
Despite the final songs, this is still a very strong album. Very very top heavy, seeing as the first 6 songs are outstanding, but still very good. I can look past a few songs if it means I get to keep the majority of the album. This didn't destroy my love for The Horrors, if anything, it made it stronger. I can't wait to see what they cook up next.

Friend Rating: 8.2

Hipster Review:

The first time I ever listened to The Horrors on their debut Strange House, I was caught a bit off-guard; it's pastiche of B-52's-esque New Wave and boogeyman garage rock had a slightly kitschy vibe, yet I felt a sense of excitement while listening to it. After a few revisits I gained a clearer understanding of the album, as well as what I thought was a better understanding of the band itself. Then Primary Colours came out in 2009, and upon listening to it all of my preconceived notions of The Horrors shattered like glass. It's brooding mix of Shoegaze and Post-punk was like a kick to the gut, an album that truly showed off their varied colors and proved that they were much more than a nostalgic romping punk outfit. To this day the album remains one of my favorites of that year, and every time I revisit it I'm reminded of just how special a band that The Horrors are.

Now we're at 2011, and The Horrors have created an album that once again shows how unwilling they are to remain complacent with one sound. This time the band goes for psychedelic Synthpop, a sound even farther removed from their debut than Primary Colours' was. The style change finds vocalist Faris Badwan showing off the more dynamic aspects of his voice, moving closer to the woozy melodicism he'd only hinted at in previous material. He's also loaded his voice with reverb this time around, allowing it to flow about with the free-flowing nature of the songs instead of just staying put, which ends up being both a good and bad aspect of these songs. The entirety of the album jumps between the poppiest and the most sprawling material that the band has put out. These two extremes balancing each other out results in a thematically focused album, but it also results in the whole thing being a tad overlong. Here and there some songs could've used some fat-trimming, and some songs lose their momentum halfway through. Despite this, the material here is strong and sustains itself for the entirety of the album, even if during some periods of drifting. While certainly not their bet album, Skying is still another reminder of why The Horrors are such a good band; no matter how much they change, they'll always be the same strange, wonderful group their fans fell in love with.

Hipster Rating: 8.4

Our Favorite Albums of the Year, So Far.

(In no particular order)

Taylor's Picks:

1. Destroyer - Kaputt: Destroyer are not a band known for a single distinct sound (especially on their last few albums), which is what would make Kaputt such an easy record to go into. However, because of it's sound; a general combination of 80's jazz and pop; it is instead Destroyer's most indefensible and easiest-to-hate album. And yet, in spite of and also because of all that, Kaputt is (in my humble opinion) one of this decade's first masterpieces. The intricacies flowing throughout the record are mystical and intriguing, and while the song ideas are relatively simple, the experience itself is more complex. I don't see another record topping it this year.

2. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues: Expanding and improving on everything that made their debut great, Helplessness Blues is the sound of a band who've over time grown into themselves, both comfortably and otherwise, and as a result made a masterful work full of beautiful compositions, stirring arrangements and purposeful lyrics. Baroque folk isn't usually my bag, but Fleet Foxes have taken their Simon & Garfunkel-esque sound and made something truly unique, the kind of record they were meant to make. It's heartbreaking and bluntly disillusioning at times, but that's part of what makes it so compelling.

3. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up: I remember first digging on Digable Planets, and how much they stood out from the other jazz-rap collectives of the 90's with their odd, bubbly personality. Never in my wildest imagination though did I think something as confrontational and distinctly weird as Black Up would come out of that group (Shabazz Palaces is the brainchild of Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler from Digable Planets). This record reminds me of the boundary-pushing feats of such rappers as MF Doom and Madlib, where the sound production is pushed as far into left field as possible. We got classics like Madvillainy from such experimentation, and Black Up serves as the spiritual successor of this sound.

4. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake: PJ Harvey's discography is as varied as it is rewarding, each album carrying it's own distinct sound and attitude. And even taking that into consideration, Let England Shake is one of Harvey's most strange and confrontational albums. The mood is strongly centered around death, history, and patriotism (namely England's), and both the follies and horrors that come from war. The songs are atmospheric and haunting, burning their imagery into your mind ('I've seen soldiers fall like lumps of meat' she cries in the opening lines of "The Words That Maketh Murder".) It's an album both unrelenting and touching, and inarguably one of Harvey's finest moments.

5. Fucked Up - David Comes To Life: While I am an avid fan of Fucked Up's music, I was skeptical of their plans to make a "hardcore punk rock opera." The idea smacked of indulgence and overambition, and I was worried that the band would lose themselves in the concept. So how they instead ended up with one of my favorite albums this year is beyond me, but considering how much I enjoy it I won't nitpick. The production shoves the sounds of several guitars seamlessly into the mix while perfectly balancing everything else that's going on. The songs here are Fucked Up at their poppiest, and you don't have to follow or even understand the story in the background to enjoy them. This album is a success I don't think anyone but the band saw coming.

6. Tune-Yards - Whokill: Jittery instrumentation, warbly vocals, off-kilter time signatures, with songs about street violence and other such subject matter: this is the world of Whokill. Although this is the sophomore album by Merrill Garbus' Tune-Yards project, whokill is the band's real true artistic coming-together; a wacky and oftentimes frightening experience that has the capacity to both intrigue and confuse.

7. Crystal Stilts - In Love With Oblivion: Merging the psychedelic wooziness of The Doors and the garage rock romp of The Velvet Underground, Crystal Stilts hit a bullseye with In Love With Oblivion. The tunes here are stronger and more developed then the band's past material, and the album's composition is nearly flawless. One of the year's most fun albums for sure, but also one of it's most mysterious.

8. Iceage - New Brigade: The notion that punk truly is a young man's game is strengthened on this Denmark post-punk outfit's debut LP. Capturing the raw intensity of early Gang of Four and the sonic scuzziness of No Wave, New Brigade is unapologetically brash in it's aggression, and proves Iceage to be one of the most intriguing young acts today. If you're looking for something less than conventional and out-there, look no further.

9. Battles - Gloss Drop: Dealing with a pivotal member's departure isn't easy, which is one of the aspects that makes Gloss Drop such a success. Instead of trying to shoot for the ideal followup, Battles instead deconstructed their signature sound and reassembled it. What came out the other end were such delights as "Ice Cream." Including guest vocalists was also a genius idea, and the spots here don't feel forced or out-of-place, making them integrate seamlessly into the album. Surprise or not, Gloss Drop is a victory for Battles.

10. Colin Stetson - New History Warfare, Vol. 2: Judges: There isn't much that I can say about this album, other than it is unlike anything you've ever heard before. Stetson wields his baritone sax like it's several different instruments at once, due in part to his "circular breathing" technique (and of course a few skillfully-placed overdubs here and there). A listening experience that truly has no peer, this is an album that you must experience.

11. Death Grips - Exmilitary: Making Tyler the Creator's Goblin look like a garden gnome by comparison, the mysterious Death Grip's debut is unrelentingly bleak and aggressive. The production shows the projects's roots in the Grime genre, and the unknown MC's lyrical attacks are so full of rage and anger that one can't help but be frightened upon first spin. But those that give the album time to let itself in and work it's way into their subconscious will be rewarded greatly with an exhilarating experience. It's not for everyone and is certainly a grower, but Exmilitary is without a doubt one of the most original and exciting Hip-hop recordings ever laid to tape.

12. Poor Lily - Poor Lily: If Fugazi and Minutemen hypothetically fucked, Poor Lily would be the offspring that they birthed. Their self-titled debut is a piece of work, with songs about becoming a maniac from lack of sleep, being a normal guy apart from doing one's own surgery, and other such absurd lyrical topics. Frantic, angular and full of passion, this 25-minute blast of pure punk energy will stick with you long after it's conclusion.

13. Big K.R.I.T. - Return of 4Eva: In the 90's, Southern Hip-hop brought about such beloved acts as OutKast and Goodie Mob. In recent years, however, the genre's reputation is less flourishing, which is what makes Big K.R.I.T. such a breath of fresh air; instead of sticking to safe hip-hopisms like cash, cars and hoes from song-to-song, K.R.I.T. instead touches on subjects such as poverty, racism, fame, and pursuing one's dreams and aspirations. The vintage production also brings to mind Southern rap's glory days on classics like Southernplayalisticcadillacmusik as much as it does dudes like Ludacris (who also guests on the last track here).

Jason's Picks:

1. Colin Stetson - New History Warfare, Vol. 2: Colin's loops and samples from his saxophone create a bone-chilling landscape that stretches before you while you listen to this album. You can't just pick out songs, you HAVE to listen from start to finish. So good, it'll make your skin crawl.

2. David Bazan - Strange Negotiations: Always the David Bazan fan, it should come as no surprise that this made it on here. Hell, I financially supported this album before he had even started recording. His focus seemed to face more toward the musicianship than the writing in this album, but that's not to say that the songs aren't well written because they still have that same Bazan feeling. Great album.

3. Lady GaGa - Born This Way: Sure, it was WAY over-hyped, but at least it wasn't like "Goblin", seeing as it actually delivered. The songs aren't deep, they're not ground breaking, but they are well made dance songs that are amazing at what they were made for. Don't think too far into it.

4. Com Truise - Galactic Melt: I was lucky enough to see this guy live, and he was incredible. Retro, yet futuristic. This is an incredibly unique, dance album. You will not hear anything quite like this.

5. Poor Lily - Poor Lily: If D. Boon and Mike Watt had 3 love children, they would be the members of Poor Lily. In the hardcore scene, it's hard to find music that is completely unique but Poor Lily's sound is able to break through with their own specific sound. You can tell they are very passionate with their music, and it helps make a very enjoyable album.

6. The Horrors - Skying: For the third time, they reinvented their sound without making themselves unrecognizable. Throughout this semi-psychadelic, 80's synth pop album you can hear the familiarities that made everyone fall in love with them in the first place. I don't even like the genre of music generally, but The Horrors were almost able to transcend genre and create a completely unique, yet familiar album.

7. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life: I was really hesitant to listen to this album, thinking it was too over ambitious and was going to disappoint. What can I say? I was wrong. Fucked Up really can't do much wrong in my eyes. Sure, the album isn't like their original style, but it has that same feeling. I missed Pink Eyes' screaming...

8. James Blake - James Blake: Okay, it's not ground-breaking, seeing how similar it is to Untrue (Burial). Still, it's a well made album that flows very well. It's a very emotional album, which is hard to come by in this certain genre. It's getting better the more I listen to it.

9. Amos Lee - Mission Bell: Although somewhat inconsistent, it's a steady album with some very strong songs. It must be pretty good if it almost made me want to line dance a few times. The singing is sincere, and the writing is not bad so it's a pretty enjoyable listen. Not incredible, but it's pretty good.

10. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues: They kind of make me wish I was listening to Grizzly Bear, but I can't deny that they still were able to make a good album with some very catchy and interesting songs.

10.5. Painted Palms - Canopy EP: I'm not sure that this will make it to the "best of" list at the end of the year, but that's not saying that it's not a good first effort for this band. If you haven't heard of them, it's definitely worth a listen, and it's free so you have nothing to lose!

11. Tune-Yards - Whokill: An album that's basically like a contained case of sensory overload. The songs twist and morph through some sort of eccentric journey through time and space. This band has an incredibly fun and substantial sound.

Review Coming soon!

"Skying" - The Horrors

Hello all.

Hipster & Friend hasn't exactly been on point with it's posts since the beginning of this year, mostly due to Paul's busy schedule. He has thereby relinquished his duties as "Friend" and passed them onto Jason Anderson, who will certainly have no trouble fitting in. And we'd like to kick off this lineup change-up with the respective lists of our favorite albums of 2011 so far.

We hope you enjoy the Hipster & Friend blog as much as you did before.

Sincerely,

Taylor King ("Hipster")

Belle and Sebastian - Belle and Sebastian Write about Love

Paul's Choice:

Belle and Sebastian - Belle and Sebastian Write about Love

Friend Review:

When I was originally listening to this album, I was trying to think of adjectives that I could use to describe it in the review. So here they are: cute and pleasant. And if you don’t think that describes this album you don’t know shit about music. But anyways, Belle and Sebastian Write about Love is about as accurate of an album title as you could ask for. When you’re sleeping next to your girlfriend and you’re alarm goes off, but you don’t want to get out of bed, this is the album that you put on. There’s nothing too daring or drastic about this album, it’s simple pop songs. BUT, that doesn’t mean this album isn’t enjoyable, especially if you’re a previous B&S fan. I personally am not a fan of Norah Jones’ inclusion on the album, but aside from that I really can’t think of anything to complain about. It’s cute, it’s simple, and it’s fun. From the jumpy twangy sound of “I’m Not Living In The Real World” to the badassness of “I Want The World To Stop” (DAT BASS), this album can keep any indie pop fan entertained.

Friend Rating:

7.8

Hipster Review:

After hearing If You're Feeling Sinister for the first time two years ago, I have had a special place in my heart for the Scottish indie band Belle & Sebastian. Their talent of stringing melodies together to create a brilliantly simple pop song is nothing short of genius, and they have plenty of classic albums under their belt (ignoring the dull Fold Your Hands Child You Look Like a Peasant) to ensure their placement in the canon of history's greatest pop groups.
After their last proper LP The Life Pursuit saw the group experimenting with and expanding their sound (with excellent results), the band took a bit of a detour with the side project God Help The Girl, a girl group-esque album that retained the band's signature pop sound while exploring new dynamics. It was a decent album, though definitely not up to par with what they had done before (it was, however, a lot better than Fold your Hands).
Write About Love explores the ground that was paved by The Life Pursuit, but also partially carries the girl group-dynamic present in God Help The Girl. It's a slightly disappointing record, but only slightly. There are a lot of good songs; in fact, pretty much every song here is good. The only problem is that none are great. There were a lot of times while listening where I felt like the songs either did too much or too little; there wasn't that structural balance that's present on pretty much every other album they've done. Though to be fair, one can't knock them for not making another Sinister (that's only slightly more likely than Weezer making another Blue Album... but I won't get into that now). And like I said, it's not a bad album by any means. It's a worthy entry into their discography, and definitely one of the year's most pleasant pop albums. Overall, Write About Love presents a more accessible, streamlined Belle & Sebastian. And that's better than none at all.

Hipster Rating:

7.9

Coming up next, Apollo Kids by Ghostface Killah!

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Taylor's Choice:

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Hipster Review:

To this day, I still don't get it.
Everything about Kanye West should make me hate him. He's an arrogant, self-idolizing asshole. He knows it too, and seems not the least bit ashamed. And he constantly keeps us this image of douchery as if his life and career depended upon it.

And yet...
Kanye is unlike any rapper in recent memory. He doesn't have a pseudonym or rap name, unlike essentially EVERY other artist in the genre's history. He creates music with the highest ambition in mind, not settling for anything less than his artistic vision, which distinguishes him from most other mainstream rappers: he views his music as art rather than commodity. He is, above all else, for better and for worse, true to himself. And despite his less than savory image, he's made some pretty damn good music.
His first two albums (especially his sophomore release Late Registration) are among the best albums of the 2000's; their sprawling yet focused scope provided the decade with some of it's most captivating music, and to this day sound unlike anything else in the genre. And while his recent electro-pop detours were less thrilling, people who worked with West on his latest album began to talk excitedly, including DJ Premier who stated that West was "totally done with electro. You're gonna be surprised by what you hear."
Then "Power" leaked.
Built on a beautifully-used sample of "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson, the song was a surprising sudden comeback; it managed to be both self-aggrandizing and self-effacing, showing off both West's strengths and shortcomings. And that is essentially what the entirety of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is like; it's Kanye's love letter and roast to himself. He's been known in the past to write a few humble songs as a contradiction to his image, but never as much as he does here. He identifies himself as a "Monster," and still finds himself "addicted to the hood rats," even when he can find himself a "good girl." Kanye knows he's a fuck up, and he either doesn't know how to change or doesn't want to. In any case, Kanye has never been this open in his music before, and that's saying a lot about a guy who's constantly talking about... well, himself. Just look at that album cover; it says more than words ever could.
The production on these songs is brilliant; not a single one chooses to feed into the notion that the mainstream is stuck in a musical stasis, and each has it's own distinct feel and vibe that makes it stand out on it's own. All the subtleties and pokes at minimalism are completely shattered; Kanye goes after the biggest, grandest sounds on here. The guests pairings are pretty head-spinning, too: Raekwon and Kid Cudi? Jay-Z and RZA? Somehow even the craziest moments on this album come together as a whole and seem to make sense, which speaks to Kanye's talent as, if I may be so bold, an artist.
Alright, this is officially the longest review I've ever written, so I'm going to wrap this up: In essence, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the most grandiose, most flawed, most perfect album of Kanye West's career. It's not his best album, but it is his most defining and thematically consistent. It opens up Kanye for the world to see, and how much you care affects how you enjoy the album. But you and I both know that you do want to look, if even just a little bit.

Hipster Rating:

9.0

Friend Review:

Happy New Year! I hope you are doing well.

Hip-hop has always been more of Taylor’s thing than mine. However I was excited to listen to this album after seeing all the hype it got on /mu/. This decade’s ITAOTS, whodathunkit? Then I saw Kanye West perform on Saturday Night Live. HOLY FUDGE. That was seriously one of the greatest SNL performances I’ve ever seen them. If you didn’t catch it, YouTube it right now. No seriously, open up a new tab and watch it right now, he performed “Power” and “Runaway”.

The only real contact I have with hip-hop is the shit that gets played on the radio, usually heard when I’m bumming a ride off a friend. The biggest fact I know about hip-hop is that I hate that crap. There are moments in this album that very much resemble the hits that all the kids are singing out there today. Rihanna’s part in “All of the Lights” is straight up painful to listen to. The greatest moments on MBDTF are when West is aggressive and has his own distinctive sound. Listen to “Dark Fantasy”, “Power”, “Monster”, “So Appalled”, and “Runaway”. These pieces are straight-up MOVING. I know this is probably the most hyped album of the year, and when I listen to these tracks I completely understand and at some points agree, but seeing as it only comprises about half of the album, I don’t think it makes up for the slower parts of the album which just feel like filler to me.

Friend Rating:

7.4

Coming up next, Belle & Sebastian Write About Love by Belle & Sebastian!