Best & Worst Albums: March 2010 April 2, 2010 1 comment	By Derek

March was a relatively slow month for groundbreaking releases, but nonetheless we were able to sift out some quality music — so here we are. This month’s most iconic release was probably Plastic Beach by Gorillaz, an idiosyncratic album that was either: a) ironically ironic (secretly regarding itself as a masterpiece) or b) simply lame. Contrastly, Peepers by Polar Bear came in under the radar but proved to be a wonderful showcase of musicianship quite worthy of our ears. Also winning favor were Warp veterans Autechre, dazzling us with what we think is one of their finest collections of sonic intricacy.

This month’s report includes streaming samples for you, hoping to draw out each album’s spirit more adeptly than our clumsily-chosen words. So read on and we’ll see you next month, as we get started cooking up reviews on buzz-generating releases from musical maestros MGMT and Caribou, among others.

Best Albums of March 2010

Polar Bear – Peepers
7.5	Described ambiguously as ‘post-jazz’, the London five piece Polar Bear are talented musicians that bring a refreshing blend of jazz, alt-rock, funk, and big band together into one big dinner-date of an album, ‘Peepers’, their fourth overall. With tracks ranging from frenetic messes that sound like a disassembled jigsaw puzzle, to down-tempo 1940s style lamp-post leaners, to the delicious title track ‘Peepers’, which sounds as if Cake, the Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Jaga Jazzist all jammed out with James Brown, this album has many corners and pathways to explore. If what you have read so far hasn’t piqued your interest, then I am not sure what else to tell you. Listen to this album just for the rhythm section – you will find a clinic of world-beat, funk, and jazz breakdowns devious enough to satisfy anyone old enough to enjoy absinthe. Polar Bear – Peepers by theleaflabel
Autechre – Oversteps
7.5	Oversteps, the 10th album from this titanic production duo, opens with the very slowly developing “r ess”, which gradually blossoms into a thick storm of ominous ambient whitewash, dashed with abrupt synthy bursts that land like lightning strikes. This sets the tone for the album, transitioning seamlessly into “ilanders” (track transitions on this album make for a good “album experience”) which soon bursts into a wall of buzzing, overdriven synths. Dark, vibrating ambience – akin to the style of Datach’i – is a theme throughout the album, flowing over and around the surgical percussive work that is Autechre’s distinction. Oversteps may be the most ambient album from Autechre to date, which may make it a bit more palatable for listeners unfamiliar with the aesthetics of experimental IDM music. Fans of Autechre will have no difficulty recognizing the world class sound design that we look forward to with each new album. Footnote: We’re rating Oversteps ahead of 2008′s Quaristice Autechre – ilanders by sub_raw Autechre – see on see by sub_raw
Rogue Wave – Permalight
7.0/10	Permalight is a slight divergence for this quintet of California indie rockers, serving up plateful of happy/songy tracks that may surprise you with their cheery hooks. We think it’s important to note that Rogue Wave has gone on the record expressing that their interest was to create something fun and danceable with this album. Given that this style was their intention, we think they accomplished their goal and created something worth your regard. While flirting with pop constructs, few of the songs really behave as you predict, keeping the listening experience engaging. Not every song is peppy, with a few acoustic serenades that add some variety to Permalight. Stars and Stripes by RogueWave Permalight by RogueWave
Ted Leo + Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks
7.0/10	This is a Ted Leo album through and through, which, for those not indoctrinated to his stylings, means that one can expect high-energy call and response pseudo-political anthems interspersed with geographic references, happy little hammer-on guitar solos, lyrics ascending to falsetto range, and a few moments of slow-it-down palm-muted lyrical revelation. So what I am trying to say is that Ted Leo and the Pharmacists’ new album is like Fugazi mixed with the Beatles. All in all The Brutalist Bricks is a great avenue for new fans to get interested in Leo’s ever-growing oeuvre, but it will simply solicit a satisfied nod from fans already wowed by classics like ‘Hearts of Oak’ and ‘The Tyranny of Distance’. Ted Leo And The Pharmacists – Even Heroes Have To Die by Royalty Central Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – The Mighty Sparrow by teamanda
jj – jj n° 3
6.5/10	Less than a year after their out-of-nowhere coming out party, jj is back with another studio album, their first with American label Secretly Canadian. The Swedish duo raised eyebrows with last year’s jj no 2 (if you’re wondering, jj no 1 was a single), managing to introduce listeners to a unique blend of dreamy pop whim with soulful, reverb-heavy female vocals that call to mind Imogen Heap (less heapy), as well as the female lead from tour partners The xx. jj no 3 seems to carry the momentum successfully, just quirky enough to never get boring, offering a few surprises along the way. The album name is not all that is short – most of the tracks are about 3 minutes and there are just 9 of them. But considering how quickly they turned this around, we’ll cut them some slack. This music is really creative (in that quirky Scandinavian kind of way) and we think you should try it out and see what the buzz is about.
Broken Bells – Broken Bells
6.5/10	Brasky usually isn’t big on reviewing albums that can be purchased at Starbuck’s, but James Mercer (of the Shins fame) and Danger Mouse (of the Grey Album fame) collaborating on an album seems like a match made in heaven. The album received a considerable amount of press starting as far back as December, and it finally officially dropped in March. Taken wholly, it certainly is not disagreeable, but anyone looking for something more than the sum of its parts will be disappointed. A conspicuously placed first-track single (The High Road) then bleeds into a power struggle between the two artists for who can sound more like they belong in The Shins, with a side objective of rhyming some form of the word ‘light’ with some form of the word ‘night’ as many times as possible. The album is not without its high points and solid beats, but it is curiously even and ‘simple stupid’ the whole time through, with lyrical content aimed directly at disenfranchised twenty-somethings. Verdict: This music fits nicely in a Starbuck’s, where it will inevitably be played regularly until the next Fleet Foxes album comes out. 01 The High Road by wdazzle 04 The Ghost Inside by wdazzle
Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
5.5/10	At best, The Winter of Mixed Drinks is… a little above average. The signature track, Things, is catchy, but honestly belongs on the radio instead of in my music collection. (It would get old. Quick.) This album possesses the elements of both generic and artsy indie rock, which leaves me with mixed feelings. It is appealingly light and airy, however, and seems to tell the story of moving on, seeking solitude, and ridding one’s self of worldly possessions. It doesn’t compare to their second album, Midnight Organ Fight, but to be fair, that album put the on them map and will probably always serve as a work of comparison.

 

Worst Albums of March 2010

Gorillaz – Plastic Beach

4.0

While there were plenty of albums we reviewed and discarded this month, Gorillaz was the only one that distinctly disappointed. Perhaps we’re being too critical, but perhaps instead we’re just being honest with ourselves. An all-star collection of musicians toying with a beachy, whimsical theme is not quite enough for us to praise an album for “originality”. Gorillaz could have sold us an hour of silence and some brit on the corner of the Internet would be still be proclaiming the artistry of it. Check out Aaron’s commentary on the issue from earlier this month and learn a few reasons why maybe Gorillaz shouldn’t get the benefit of the doubt: Gorillaz vs. Mark Gormley

 

Tags: march Music review