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!

Of Montreal - False Priest

Taylor's Choice:

Of Montreal - False Priest

Hipster Review:

My first exposure to Of Montreal, the 2007 near-classic Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer?, was one of the most mind-bending, pervertedly enjoyable listening experiences of my life. Even today the album holds a special place in my heart, and through delving deeper into their discography I've gained a better understanding of the band, and the changes they've made over the years are astounding. Since the aforementioned album they've stuck to a distinct sound that has made them the unique band that they are today; a combination of danceable, disco-esque beats, funky Beatle-esque basslines, blaring synths, Kevin Barnes' hilariously garish vocals, and astoundingly abstract, ridiculously sexual lyrical themes.
Their last album, 2008's Skeletal Lamping, while highly enjoyable, was an incredibly indulgent album, and oftentimes feels exhausting to listen to. False Priest continues this wild approach, but it feels a bit more tame than the last one. Albeit, it's still crazier music than that of any other band's today, but for Of Montreal, the album is a bit of a letdown because it feels... too safe. A number of little decisions here feel tacked on and ill-conceived, like Solange Knowles' guest spot on "Sex Karma," one of the album's weaker songs. The production here is also a lot less adventurous, and while a lot of the songs still carry that signature Of Montreal spirit, some (especially near the end) feel draggy instead of lively. And listening to the album reveals another unpleasant fact: This post-Hissing Fauna sound is starting to lose steam. While there are sparks of newness during parts of the album, one can only hope that those are seeds being planted for the band to reinvent themselves again on the next album. Even the album's highs feel lesser then on previous albums, and the lows, while small in number, feel pretty lacking. 2005's The Sunlandic Twins saw the group blossoming into something beautiful by scraping off bits of their old sound and injecting newer elements, and that album felt weaker compared to the previous stunner Satanic Panic In the Attic; maybe False Priest, like Sunlandic Twins, is an embryonic album, a slight promise of things to come.
Despite my somewhat cold commentary, I still enjoyed the album. It's fun and crazy just like Of Montreal's other works, but on it Kevin Barnes sacrifices some of the artistic restraint (for lack of a better word, probably not the right one for a guy like him) that made previous albums so stunning. Disappointing for sure, but not lacking in enjoyability.

Hipster Rating:

7.0

Friend Review:

Hey-o!

I feel like I hold a lot of unpopular opinions regarding music (Make Believe is a pretty good album, Loveless is unlistenable, Third Eye Blind’s self-titled album is amazing… Actually, these are pretty much just things where I disagree with Taylor, I have no idea how they survive in general… ‘cept the Make Believe thing, everyone hates that album and I’m not sure why), and this theory holds true with Of Montreal. Many moons ago, I asked Taylor for some new music to listen to and he told me to check out Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? I immediately asked him what I did to wrong him in such a way that he would suggest that album to me. Apparently everyone loves that album, I dunno man. But anyways, I kinda developed this opinion that Of Montreal is weird, flamboyant, bright, vivid, and generally obnoxious. Generally, this holds true for False Priest. However, contrary to how negative my words may seem, I don’t find this album awful. It’s definitely not my cup of tea, so if you’re the kind of person who tends to side with me more than Taylor I doubt you will really enjoy this album. If you dig Of Montreal’s past stuff, who knows. I heard this album is less electronic than their past stuff (man, who knows what I’d have given this if it was super electronic) so y’know, keep that in mind. My favorite track was “Famine Affair”, probably the most “normal” of the bunch. Which says a lot about me more than anything. I also really loved “Our Riotous Defects”, particularly the speaking parts which is a bit strange of me. Anyways, feel free to give this a shot, but prepared for in-your-face pop with hyperactive vocals and bright music. If this music could be visually represented, it’d be represented by a rainbow in the background with fireworks in the foreground.

“X of the Year” post tomorrow!

Friend Rating:

6.8

Coming up next, Hurley by Weezer!

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Let It Sway

Paul's Choice:

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Let It Sway

Friend Review:

So I’m going to have to borrow a phrase I heard my friend say to properly describe this album… Frick, I’m not even going to borrow it, I’m just going to steal it. And I didn’t even hear this friend say it; I saw it posted under my other friend’s Facebook Quotations. Ladies and gentlemen, this is plagiarism at its finest. So here come my feelings on Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin’s Let It Sway: It just makes my heart tickle! Thanks to Bethany for saying that and thanks to Nathan for posting it on Facebook many moons ago.

SSLYBY is a band that I have loved for a long time due to the fun and happy sound that is prevalent in all their songs as well as their simplicity. In their latest effort, the band has stayed true to their roots while venturing into new territory. Overall they have added more complexity to their sound such as what I believe to be improved drumming reminiscent of that on Weezer’s Maladroit as well as more interesting structure and whatnot (check out that time change in “Back On the Saddle”!). The album covers just about every tone from the soft makey-outiness of “Stuart Gets Lost Das Le Metro” to the fun rocker “All Hail Dracula!”. I think the best way to describe this album is to say the beginning is good: the opening track introduces the listener to the soft melodies of SSLYBY as well as their poppy goodness. The middle is good: the album doesn’t get boring by mixing in the faster paced songs among the slower ones to create a medley of awesomeness. The end is good: “Phantomwise” is absolutely genius and I think it deserved to be the closing track but that’s just, like, my opinion, man. The actual closing track, “Made to Last” has some of the sweetest vocals of the entire album and leave the listener content with everything in their life ever. Overall, this album has the entire package and should be appealing to all listeners. In my opinion, there are none better in the world of Indie Pop than Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

Friend Rating:

9.5

Hipster Review:

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is a band that I have no prior listening experience with. All I know is that they're one of Paul's favorite bands, and his excitement for this album was shown even during the beginning stages of this blog's formation. I can see why he likes this band so much; their musical brand is pop in the purest sense (he refers to it as "Paulcore"). The melodies are dreamy, but not in an abstract sense, rather in a free-of-any-subtlety kind of way; this is music that is upfront about it's intentions. The music is at it's core happy and easy-going, which is something I don't usually go for (it's my main gripe about groups like Passion Pit). But, the music is good, that's something I can't deny. It doesn't exactly grab me, and personally I don't think I'll give it many spins, but it is good. Each song has character and spirit, and there's a child-like quality to the music which makes it accessible and easy to approach, but at the same time it isn't juvenile; music that's heartfelt and free of pretension. It is essentially indie pop for the alt-rock crowd.

Hipster Rating:

7.8

Coming up next, New Politics Super-post, which will include the interview!

Mystery Jets - Serotonin

Paul's Choice:

Mystery Jets - Serotonin

Friend Review:

So Taylor is finally back in town which makes me happy because I missed him and we can finally get back to reviewing! Anyways, today (well, it may be passed by the time this gets posted) is a special day because it is Ringo Starr’s birthday! He may not be the greatest drummer that ever existed but he’s the drummer of the greatest band that ever existed! And for that he should be commemorated, so in his honor I’m watching “A Hard Day’s Night”. Feels good, man.
On to the album then! Mystery Jets have always been kind of a favorite band of mine simply because you know how you find that band by yourself and then you get to introduce them to your friends so you feel cool? That’s how these guys were for me. I found their video for “Young Love” randomly on YouTube and show it to my buddy Sofia and I said something like, “These guys are cool.” And then I think she said something like, “Yeah, you’re right.” And… yeah, that’s about it. Their debut album Twenty-One was good so I was pretty interested in this album.
The album opens up with “Alice Springs” which I think is Mystery Jets’ best song to date and overall simply an amazing song. Besides this, nothing is really noteworthy of the album. It’s very slow-paced and there’s no really song that will get stuck in your head such as “Young Love”. Mystery Jets have always had an 80’s vibe attached to them and there are times in this album where it becomes increasingly annoying. Synth lines can be cliché nothing particularly grooves in the album. If you are interested in this band, I highly suggest you listen to Twenty One before giving Serotonin a listen as this appears to be a miscue for Mystery Jets.

Friend Rating:

5.4

Hipster Review:

I've never checked out Mystery Jets before this, and was looking forward to listening to them when Paul picked Serotonin for our next review. Although that album cover is kind of a red flag, I was open-minded while listening to the music. It's not bad... not great, but not terrible either.
Many of the songs here, despite the band's rock vibe, are strongly pop-minded; a lot of them reminded me of Phoneix, like my personal favorite "Lady Grey". Which isn't to say that Mystery Jets are master song crafters; in fact, they come off a bit uninspired at times. Sometimes there's too much fluff in the songs, like synths that appear for no real reason and kind of take away from the substance in the song. There's not a lot of soul in the album, and most of it just feels like bunch of guys making poppy rock music, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are a few pretty good songs on here, but honestly I wasn't too taken by the album as a whole; It's decent enough, but definitely not something that's particularly gripping. It gives me a vibe similar to the one I get from bands like The Kooks, but thankfully Serotonin isn't nearly that crappy. I don't mean to sound like Friend, but in this case I don't have much else except this to say:
It's alright.
Some will dig it, others won't; such is life. I didn't hate it, but I didn't dig it either.

Hipster Rating:

5.5

Coming up next, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty [sic] by Big Boi!

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!