Posts Tagged: portishead

2009 / 4 stars / autorotation / reviews — No Comments
12
Oct 09

Everything is Everything (2009) by Autorotation

autorotation everything is everything

Autorotation
Everything is Everything
2009, TeknoStan Records
electronic dreampop
4

I’ll admit that I’m a hesitant electronica listener, at best – I fancy guitars and pianos way too much to give them up. But there are times where an electronica album will come out of no where and basically hit me upside the head, which is what I experienced with Autorotation’s Everything is Everything. I don’t claim to completely understand the lyrics nor do I completely get the medley of sounds that are melded to form each song. However, there’s a difference between not understanding lyrics and not having them at all, and with each listen it’s obvious that Autorotation falls in the former category. Every song is intricately crafted and the minimal production quality gives it a delicacy that emphasizes lead singer Robyn Sellman’s voice instead of drowning her out. It might take you a few listens to ‘get’ this band too, but knowing the lack of brilliancy in most of this year’s album releases, that would be time well spent.

“Green Army Choir,” “Metal and Wood,” “Mittelschmertz – Norway Pumpkin Remix.”
myspace, last.fm
Portishead’s Third, Years of Rice and Salt’s Service Bell EP

Disclosure: A free copy of the album was given to me by Igor Olejar of the band. Please see my review policy for more.

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2009 / 4 stars / animal collective / reviews — No Comments
7
Apr 09

Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009) by Animal Collective

Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective

Animal Collective
Merriweather Post Pavilion
2009, Domino Records
experimental, psychedelic rock
4

I’ve mentioned before that I gave this album a listen because Pitchfork and practically every music critic under the sun adored it. When I first listened to it, it sounded like a bunch of frat boys got drunk one night and decided to make some sort of noise that they believed to be music. I was prepared to go to my grave believing that, but the lyrics tell an entirely different story.

For all their ‘frat boy’ sound, Animal Collective has written songs that are surprisingly mature and almost cutesy in their honesty. The bare ‘I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls’ from their single “My Girls” is a prime example, but that honesty just continues throughout the album. Knowing that some thought went into this album gave me a whole new perspective on it, and I’ve come to realize it takes some skill to sound so disoriented and collected at the same time. I wouldn’t recommend listening to this on repeat without being under the influence of an illegal (or legal) substance, but it’s definitely a welcome novelty in today’s music world.

“My Girls,” “Bluish,” “Lion in a Coma.”
myspace, last.fm
Portishead’s Third, The Dodo’s Visiter

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2008 / 4 stars / portishead / reviews — No Comments
28
Jan 09

Third (2008) by Portishead

Third by Portishead

Portishead
Third
2008, Island Records
electronic rock, trip hop, experimental
4

After 11 years, Portishead came out with their third album (appropriately labeled Third) in 2008. This album was my introduction to Portishead so I can’t speak for their other albums (yet), but the group has made a reputation for themselves as originals and innovators. I heard a lot of originality in this album, but no real innovation.

Third is an intriguing contrast of the familiar and the displaced, the ordinary that can become extraordinary when used appropriately. The use of a rapidfire beat in “Machine Gun” that emulated the actual sound was jarring and memorable. In fact Portishead also suceeds at the imitation of “The River” and in evoking appropriate imagery for their other songs, but seems to fail at taking it all one step further into innovaton.

Innovation requires lyrics that do more than just reinvent the wheel. Innovation also asks that each song not repeat the same beat over and over again. Lead singer Beth Gibbons’s voice is distinctive enough to suit the songs well (even though she really does sound like a wailing cat in “Deep Water”), and the reedy fragility of her voice masks some of the more boring lyrics but doesn’t fully compensate. Portishead provides a beautifully uncut gem in Third, but it seems someone else will have to polish it up so we can look back on this and call it a landmark album.

“Magic Door,” “We Carry On,” “Machine Gun.”
myspace, last.fm

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