Tympanogram Grade: C+

“Money is the anthem of success. So put on mascara and your party dress.” These are truly words to live by, and I am quite certain that I have discovered my new mantra. The self-described and self-anointed “Coney Island Queen,” Lana Del Rey, has arrived with her rushed debut album. It’s rushed in the sense that it feels like these songs were hastily penned/produced/recorded to capitalize/cash in on the immense buzz Del Rey has generated over the past few months. Del Rey is like some sort of weird sociology experiment. And on her major-label debut Born To Die, she feels more like a product than the excitingly retro voice that many of us fell in love with last summer.

All the while, I think it is imperative to consider Del Rey as a character. Lizzy Grant, the artist’s true name, is playing a character. This album feels like an artist who hasn’t had enough time to carefully consider and plot the course of her creation. You could chalk this haste up to outside influences. Or (and I am probably over-analyzing or trying to find meaning where there is none) Del Rey was just so desperate for success that she fully accepted this fate, excited about the opportunity to hit the mainstream after languishing in the shadows for far too long. Either way, there is the spark of something interesting and exciting here, but this record fails to deliver on that original promise.

The album is book-ended by the two best songs on the album, opener and title track “Born to Die,” and closer “This Is What Makes Us Girls.” The opener is a slow-burner in the vein of “Video Games.” And unlike many of the tracks on the album, the use of orchestral arrangements adds to the overall theatrical and cinematic quality of the music. Many of the qualities that make this song successful are the same qualities that make so many of the later tracks fail. The production can come off as almost cheesy and sophomoric, while the syrupy quality of the message and delivery that might at first seem playful ultimately becomes unhinged. “Born To Die” is LDR at her finest, but it also shows how limited she just might be.

“Video Games” is a home run. Enough has been written about the song’s brilliance. Most might point to the song’s nostalgic novelty, but I think it truly shows signs of talent and vision. Fortunately (or unfortunately), you can’t make an album of the same non-sense. Or maybe you can. You can switch around the lyrics a little bit, maybe speed up the tempo in a few instances, but you can’t make up for shitty songwriting.

When I first heard “Video Games” last year, I was genuinely excited. But then that began to slowly deteriorate. That feeling was cemented when I saw the tracklist for Born To Die. The standard release features only six new songs. This is an immediate red flag. Instead of releasing all new material (as most artists would be inclined to do), LDR and her people decided to repackage and re-produce/master some of the songs we had already heard and even liked. My biggest qualm is with “Diet Mountain Dew,” where the record’s version sounds little like the original version that surfaced last year. It’s been sped up considerably, pushing the tempo into realm that really doesn’t suit Del Rey in the least. But this is not the only instance of repackaging and re-purposing. I just don’t get it. #FreeLDR

I think we can all agree that Ms. Del Rey has mastered slinky, slow, and seductive. But when she tries to hurriedly rush into new territory, that’s when she runs into trouble, and the audience can’t help but cringe and probably laugh. This is apparent on “Off To The Races” – a terrible song with creepy, cringe-worthy lyrics. And I know that LDR is going for the whole glam retro aesthetic, but how can you not laugh when you hear her describe herself as a “harlot”? “Radio” continues that parade of cringe-inducing music, and “Carmen” is equally laughable.  “Million Dollar Man” is bawdy trash. It’s cabaret. It’s sappy. And it’s poorly executed, which can be said about most of the newer material on the album: It fails to live up to some of the excellence or promise that we first heard on “Video Games.”

That’s why “This Is What Makes Us Girls” and “Summertime Sadness” give me hope. Of the new songs, they are easily the strongest and most dynamic. They both have a sultry quality that reminds me of Fiona Apple. These genuinely get me excited about the future. Of course, this could all be for naught. The whole Lana Del Rey experiment could blow up and disappear.

This album feels unfinished and rushed. And if I were to assign blame (and I am going to), I would point to Del Rey’s handlers. As an educated guess, I would say that the fine folks at Interscope heard “Video Games” and decide to cash in.  Therefore, I believe it is important to consider LDR as a product and a character. She might have some artistic merit, but that is ultimately lost in the glossy package. Hopefully, she gets enough time to catch her breath, regroup, and redeliver.

Lana Del Rey // Video Games

(I lean toward giving this an album an incomplete, and I am willing to give Del Rey a second chance. It would be advisable to have a strong screenplay in the future. Remember, this is a character. And with an unfinished script, this release feels equally unfinished.  It seems like this all been some weird, hyper-speed cycle in which the audience has gone through the entire cyber-cycle of life. We loved her, we loathed her, and now most are just indifferent. Count me among the small minority then who wants to see a re-birth and a second chance. I think it could lead to promising places. But then again, this could be merely a case of me misprojecting. And who knows, maybe Del Rey will resurface in the future with a new identity and a new aesthetic (which we will probably dissect and analyze to death). Maybe, this was all a trick. Maybe we were the unwitting audience and this will be a big joke on us. Either way, “Now my life is sweet like cinnamon, like a fucking dream I’m living in.”)

Tympanogram Grade: D+

After the cycle of touring and singles surrounding their 2009 debut, A Brief History of Love, The Big Pink went silent, working on the follow-up. The resulting album, Future This, was released yesterday through 4AD, who signed the duo prior to their debut full-length.

Future This starts out promisingly, with “Stay Gold,” the obvious first single from the album. The Big Pink is at their best when they’re at their catchiest, and “Stay Gold” is instantly memorable. It’s loud, bombastic, and sunnier than the band was on the debut. It’s easily the best track on the album, however, and things unravel quickly over the rest of the album’s ten songs.

The third track, “Give It Up,” is indicative of the album’s problems as a whole. It boasts a faux-hip hop beat that’s not particularly interesting, and the song itself is filled with unmemorable catch phrases, imploring the target to “give it up for me / make your move / get after it.” If The Big Pink are interested in soundtracking self-help seminars, that’s the type of lyricism that will get them there. Beyond that realm, however, their bland songwriting, even if it is dressed up in pyrotechnic electro, leaves much to be desired.

That’s not to say everything on Future This is that uninteresting. Furze and Cordell are adept as musicians, and the album benefits (slightly) from the texture that the twosome gives their songs. There is a lot to take in, even if it all isn’t particularly noteworthy. But in the end, Future This ends up sounding like a single forty-five minute long song, without much in the way of defining one track from the next. The Big Pink were signed based on their singles, and that’s what they remain good at. They’re essentially a singles machine; when it comes to a cohesive, continuous album, the pair falters.

The pair’s move to a centrist, radio-friendlier domain didn’t do them any favors. The Big Pink would have been better served retaining the darker undercurrent that they cultivated on A Brief History of Love. Future This sounds, in the end, more like their contemporaries in the indie electro rock scene rather than the new pioneers that the London outfit could be.

Connect with The Big Pink // Facebook | Twitter | web

The Big Pink – Stay Gold by thebigpink

Atlanta hip-hop collective Nobody Really Knows scares the living shit out of me. Most of these dudes are under 20 and they are already delivering quality music. This is the type of music that most full-grown musicians would be jealous of. Tyler Major stands at the forefront of the awesomeness of NRK. The 18-year-old has already delivered two stellar EPs, including The Suburbia EP, a recreation and reimagining of laidback 90s hip-hop.

At the end of May, Tyler delivered his full-length debut Alone in His Meadow Garden. It’s a pretty stunning artistic accomplishment and hints at the potential for exponential growth and promise. Unlike a lot of artists, Tyler seems just as interested in the beats he crafts and the lyrics he delivers. It all makes for a tantalizing, thought-provoking package.

When you listen to album opener “Meadow Garden (Phase 1)/Weeping Whales,” the first thing you notice is the warm tone of the music, the way Tyler’s compositions almost wash over you. The second thing you are struck by is Tyler’s vocal delivery. It’s very bold, especially Tyler’s decision to alter and pitch his voice on every track. I dig that. I also love the minimal compositions. Very bold. But I respect the decision to challenge the listener a little. And I think it shows definite artistic growth. Fellow NRK member Gloomy Pyramid also delivers a standout verse on the track. “This right here isn’t for the regulars.” That’s the first line that Tyler delivers in his skewed voice, which would seem to be an attempt to demonstrate his other-voiceness or the presence of a different train of thought.

Tyler Major // Meadow Garden (Phase 1)/Weeping Whales (feat. Gloomy Pyramid) [mp3] from Alone In His Meadow Garden

The album continues in a similary chilled out fashion, and does not contain any filler. It’s pretty incredible that each song just flows naturally into the next. It’s rare that you can honestly say that. Another album highlight comes on the “Sphinx Royal” later on the release. Pyramid Vritra and KC 2.0 offer strong contributions over a low-key jazzy beat. Let me be honest here…I could listen to Vritra rap all day. I love his understated, nearly talking, delivery. But the amazing part is that each of the members of NRK work in conjunction to form such a strong whole. The parts are insanely talented, but when they are added together, the sum is incredible.

Tyler Major // Sphinx Royal feat. KC 2.0 & Pyramid Vritra [mp3] from Alone In His Meadow Garden

I applaud Tyler for making bold artistic choices on this album. He said he wanted to deliver, “An album based around the concept of thoughts we all have while surrounded by beautiful nature. Like going for a walk alone, having a picnic by yourself, just enjoying the atmosphere you are in. The inner thoughts of an individual are much more random and scattered than what we speak which is why Tyler doesn’t sound like himself on this release.”  Tyler is speaking in another voice. The audience needs to accept this. Once it does, the return is pretty other-worldly.

The album is available for free download on the collective’s Bandcamp page, but I would highly recommend grabbing it through iTunes or Amazon. This way, you can get the three stellar bonus tracks, one of which features a great contribution from NRK’s Andre McCloud. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for releases in the next few months from Gloomy, KC 2.0, Luwees Luivera, and Pyramid Vritra (Hal Williams of Odd Future’s incredible Jet Age of Tomorrow duo). Needless to say, the future for NRK is looking far from gloomy. In fact, it is quite rosy.

Wild Beasts are a tough act for me to dive into headfirst, but their new album Smother offers many rewards to anyone willing to give them a fair shake. It just took me a while to embrace the record. Like a sonic equivalent to Linus Caldwell in “Ocean’s Thirteen,” they come off as the kind of band that keeps insisting that “the nose plays.” Hayden Thorpe’s vocals find a delicate balance between sleazy theatricality and a pleasantly polished range, so –honestly– the nose really does play. No matter how ridiculous it might look at first.

Naturally, there are points where they still lose me. The opening track, “Lion’s Share,” features Hayden and company employing a full-on Peter Schilling, so I feel entitled to some mention of “Major Tom.” I always approach the record a bit off tilt because of that track, but once the song kicks in, I can get my head back into the game.

The Beasts have stripped down their sound even more after relocating to the quiet isolation of Northern Wales. The arrangements are often sparse, tighter, and impeccably layered with an approach that’s almost minimal. The bright guitars and splashes of keys work to refine Thorpe when he’s at his most operatic. Smother is a fascinating, challenging and uncompromising listen. The gist is that more sordid Hayden’s lyrics become the more impressive Wild Beasts become, and at their best, they’re in a class of their own.

If you can meet the record on its own terms, you will find many great songs: “Lion’s Share,” “Deeper,” “Loop the Loop,” “Plaything,” “Albatross,” “Reach a Bit Further” and “End Come Soon.” They are also one of the more unique outfits in indie-rock. I wouldn’t necessarily walk around wearing a Wild Beasts t-shirt, but they have been mainstays on my iPod since Limbo, Panto dropped in 2008. They are following an obvious upward trajectory, and each record features the group sounding more refined and confident.

Wild Beasts – Smother LP by daftdreamy

I felt an immediate sense of familiarity upon the first sung note on The Elected’s Bury Me in My Rings. All I had to do was a quick Google search to find out why: Blake Sennett, The Elected’s lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter was the lead guitarist of the band Rilo Kiley, an indie act that had a country vibe buried beneath beneath their pop demeanor. If you have never listened to them or their classic album, The Execution of All Things, go check it out. You won’t regret it. But I digress.

This new album by The Elected – just released on May 17 – has served as my introduction to the band and I really couldn’t be more pleased with what I have been listening to. Bury Me in My Rings has all of the qualities necessary for a fun summertime LP. The beats are sticky and funky, the vocal melodies are plentiful, and Sennett’s guitar hooks are top-notch.

On a few songs, Sennett sounds like he’s the host of the party – full of joy and excitement. On others, he embodies the soul of a country western crooner. But more often than not, Sennett’s voice is clean, soothing, and contains a sense of ease that carries throughout the entire album.

Two of the albums earlier songs, “Babyface” and “Look at Me Now” have distinct funk vibes that infectious to say the least. The latter has more of an island/Latin feel, while the former is more of a Talking Heads groove with thick bass lines and sporadic guitar strumming. This kind of excitement doesn’t return until later on with “When I’m Gone”, which once again is full-on R&B with some soul, but tips heavily in favor of blues. This allows Sennett to tear off several buzzsaw riffs that are sure to snap you awake just in case you were getting too complacent in the album’s chilled melodies.

Sennett’s best work on Bury Me in My Rings comes when he keeps the songs simple. The album opener, “Born to Love You,” could’ve been a song on Pet Sounds if he had four-part harmonies going. And “This Will Be Worth It” finds him at his most intimate, singing along with a piano, pedal-steel, and a closing guitar solo that came straight out of a 1970′s arena rock concert. Close your eyes while listening and you’ll see the flickering flames being held up by the crowd.

This is an album that is chock-full of quality songwriting and there’s something here for everyone – a testament to Sennett’s talent as a musician and an artist. I didn’t want to be influenced by reviews of his two previous albums, so Bury Me in My Rings is my sole evidence of Sennett’s capabilities with The Elected, which, building off of his Rilo Kiley work, appears to have diversified. I’m looking forward to seeing what else he has created. Next stop: Me First.

Connect with The Elected: web | Facebook | Twitter | MySpace

The Elected // Babyface [mp3] from Bury Me in My Rings

Every once in a while, it’s nice to unwind with a straight-up rock record.  Unadulterated rock – without the burden of introspection or fear of the conventional – is nothing to laugh at or look down on. Its virtue is that you can unwind to it and tap your foot along with the rhythm. I find that works best when you are leaving work or while driving. There’s a place for rock in anyone’s life, even if they are afraid to admit it. The best type of rock is the kind that comes from bands that you don’t have to ask if they are serious (a la The Darkness).

Conventional rock is something like a natural redhead: a pleasant expression of a recessive trait that kicks like a mule. The fear of rocking (in my eyes) comes from a fear of regression. People who play music chase after the new to stand out from the crowd.  People who write about music meet the familiar with derision. People who listen to music (well, buy tickets to shows) want to be rocked.  The three groups of musicfolk rarely fall into a happy unity. Because of this a true rock band is a rare breed.

Filligar’s latest entry into the rock canon, The Nerve, shows exactly what rock looks like in 2011 (or 2010, I should say, since I kinda dropped the ball on this release!). Full of bluesy stompers, backroom brawlers and songs that any shifty go-between would play on the jukebox in your local dive bar.

“Robbery (Shocking Love)” is a nice, raucous foot-stomper that opens the album. While I listen to a lot of weird stuff, I do not shy away from the Temple of Rock. The kind of rock that comes from a guy on guitar who isn’t afraid to play power cords, his buddy from high school on drums, a singer with delusions of grandeur, some guy who everyone kinda knows who happens to play bass and someone in the band’s girlfriend’s brother on keys. It’s almost sacramental for me.

[Note from the author: I have no factual evidence to apply this background to the gentlemen in Filligar, especially since it is a four-piece.]

“Guilty Good Intentions” follows in the second position. Upping the ante, Johnny Mathias sings “Would you believe me if I said the boy who cried wolf is innocent?” in the most awesome slice of rock lyricism in the album. Take cliché or adage, put a spin on it and repeat it until you have everyone else singing it with you. Augment the standard meaning of a stock phrase with a slice of mayhem, and you have the recipe for a great rock’n’roll song. My dark horse pick for best song, though, would be the down tempo and keyboard-driven “Gray Area.” The track showcases how Filligar click as a collective.

[mp3] Filligar // Guilty Good Intentions from The Nerve

[Note from the author: Johnny Mathias (guitars, vocals) is the brother of not one but two members of the band (Pete on drums and Teddy on bass). In traditional rock brother fashion, they fight constantly.  Keyboardist Casey Gibson joined the band after (original keyboardist) Viv Savage was arrested halfway to Memphis while touring. Gibson is known as the peace-keeper, and his frequent travels through India will inevitably swing future tracks with an Eastern flavor and provide stability for the band after one of the brother's is kicked out.]

So anyone who isn’t afraid of simple, straight-forward rock will enjoy The Nerve. They sound like they would be even better in concert than on record, like any real rock act. Filligar is definitely a serious rock band that stays on point for the entirety of an album.

We’re trying something new. Forthwith, the albums we come across will be assigned ratings. As a group we will each give our own individual rating for albums and then average them for an overall site composite. We will be creating a handy dandy page for you to refer to all reviews/album ratings in efforts to help you decide whether or not something is worth your purchase. Remember that this is an overall score between all of us, so the reviews we write may not jive exactly with the overall rating we assign, because the individual reviewer may have a different slant on it than the rest of us (particularly in this case as I gave a much lower score than my cohorts). Starting us off is the Cloud Nothings release from a few weeks back. Let us know what you think if you have any commentary on what we’re trying and/or any of our reviews. Thanks!

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There is a general consensus that with increased production value, music tends to improve. I say general because this cannot possibly be 100 percent true, due to the many factors involved. I also say it isn’t true because I don’t believe it to be. Andy does not hide his diminishing appreciation for Bloc Party as he progresses forward through their catalogue, citing increased production on each subsequent effort as the source of his discontent. I tend to agree in that case, and it is my main concern with the record I am reviewing today.

I would like to say I struggled to temper my expectations for Cloud Nothings, but I did not. I had high hopes based on my great enjoyment of what I’d heard from Dylan Baldi prior to this release. I would also have liked to say those expectations were met with this album, but sadly they were dashed. I’m not saying anything here is awful; it just isn’t nearly as good as I would have hoped.

Much of this comes from the album’s vocals. Listening to earlier tracks, with their distorted lo-fi edge, something valuable within Baldi’s vocals goes missing here. Which brings me back to the production value: what was he doing to his vocals that he stopped, and for god’s sake why? On much of the album it sounds far too much like the whiny emo pop-punk of the early aught’s, much of wish I don’t wish to be reminded of. Too nasally and whiny for my tastes, it makes me wonder how he can sound so preferably coarse on tracks such as “My Little Raygun” and “Morgan.” When recently reading a review of the same album on Knox Road, I was struck by the writer’s attempt to get past a comparison to Blink-182. Despite my affinity for that band as a teenager, that I agree with the comparison does not bode well for my review of this album.

Moving past the vocals, in other reviews I’ve read there were reports of Baldi’s earlier guitar hooks remaining intact. If so, I ask where? With increased production, despite what Pitchfork says, his hooks have lost a necessary edge as well. Nothing here is particularly memorable or striking, and guitars are not usually an issue with hooking me. The hooks are still there, but to far less effect and drowned out in most cases by the mawkish lyrics, which I just can’t seem to get past. In some cases it seems production does less to enhance enjoyment, if others instead believe it improves quality.

Much has been made about the fact that Christopher Owen was raised in the Children of God cult.  Not allowed to listen to music other than that which was made by the other members of the group, Owen fed his musical hunger through the movies he watched without restriction, picking up his musical influences through soundtracks.

On Album the band is unfettered by convention, free to divulge in whatever resonates for that particular song.  Perhaps that’s an extension of the infamous drug-fuelled recording sessions that lead to Album; perhaps it’s simply finding a pace that works.  Album bears some the crunchy fuzz mark of the lo-fi/no-fi coming out of the California music scene lately, but make no mistake here: Girls’ take on the scene is far more melodic and appealing than what’s come before them this year.

Lyrically, the songs are about, well, girls.  And drinking and smoking and dancing and anything else that a formerly repressed twentysomething should sing about.  Unlike their regional compatriots, however, Girls seem far less pretentious when writing a dozen songs about it.  This is what they like, what they are like – regardless of whether anyone thinks it’s cool.  If it’s all a show, they’ve sold me on it.  It works in its entirely.  The result is an album that feels familiar – because in a way it is – and updated at the same time.

My favorite tracks are the first two on the album – “Lust for Life” and “Laura.”  Taken back-to-back, they provide a base for everything that comes after them on Album.  Whether longing for affection, beach houses or simply for a pizza, Mr. Owen is singing about exactly what any man needs.

For having been trained at his current craft via the art of soundtrack, it’s fitting that Mr. Owen’s debut will define many a summer from here on.  Album stretches out, long and straight ahead toward the horizon.

Girls – Lust For Life (mp3) from Album

Girls – Laura (mp3) from Album

In our New Releases post last Monday, we were remiss in not mentioning the new EP from former Tympanogram giveaway and New Jersey’s own, The Static Jacks.

Laces, a 5 song, 15 minute slice of updated garage rock, is a big step forward for the band.  Working with Andrew Maury of the Remix Artists Collective on this most recent effort, their sound is updated and far more polished than their previously released EPs.

For a band that’s never sounded their age, it’s refreshing to see them honing their craft.  Gone are the rough edges that hallmarked their last releases.  There’s more to sing along with, and a bright future to look forward to.

The Static Jacks – My Parents Lied (mp3) from Laces EP

This morning we have our first ever guest post from our pal Steve.  We’ll try to do this intermittently; it’s good to have different voices speaking out about what they find to be good.  Without further ado, here’s Steve’s review of the new Circulatory System album:

It has been a long and winding eight-year journey for Circulatory System to finally enter its terrible two’s. Their debut, 2001′s cleverly self titled album, snuck into the world and found a small yet enthusiastic following.  That their intelligent – albeit disjointed – first attempt met such a limited audience was perhaps for the best, as the sequel has not been rushed into existence, but instead given the time it needed to gestate properly.

Will Cullen Hart slips back into the fold with the rest of his Elephant 6 collective (most notably, members of Hart’s former band The Olivia Tremor Control, and cult favorite Neutral Milk Hotel) for Circulatory System’s sophomore effort Signal Morning. As long time fans had anticipated, the band does not disappoint. Even those who hopped on well after the initial release will not be let down, as the band brings forth a smartly crafted album with plenty of depth.

Few of the new songs stand out as show-stealers on their own; instead, the album is an intricate fabric of offbeat energy and craftsmanship that brings plenty of surprises and joys to be found on each subsequent listen. I never once found myself wanting to skip ahead, instead letting the album unfold at its own pace, as a whole (and not just because I was streaming it from the kind souls at NPR).

The album may not strike others as quickly as it did me, but rather may take time for the layers contained therein to peel away to the friendly and satisfying fruit within. The band has been releasing tracks on their Myspace page, along with their tour dates (I’ll be there with bells on for sure). Signal Morning is definitely worth your time; it will call you back for repeat visits, and has enough substance to satiate you for another eight years if needed, although we certainly hope not.

Circulatory System – Woodpecker Greeting Worker Ant (mp3) from the forthcoming Signal Morning

Circulatory System – Overjoyed (mp3) from the forthcoming Signal Morning