Can You See the Sunset? » indie rock

Dinosaur Jr. – Farm

Eric — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 20:56:54 +0000

With great and instantly memorable songs, impossibly wild guitar solos, and a familiar feeling of confident slacker cool, Dinosaur Jr’s new album, Farm, (their second since the reunited lineup of J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph got back together) is on par with anything the band has ever done. Despite not sounding radically different than some of their albums from almost 25 years ago, there is something fresh, vibrant, and energetic about Farm that makes it, like 2007’s Beyond, a joy to listen to. It’s strange, really, that this band (J Mascis especially) can just keep putting out such great music. But it’s what makes them one of the most important bands I’ve ever listened to. If you’re a fan of Dinosaur Jr., you’ll certainly love this record and if you aren’t familiar, I’d start with Green Mind, but this really is almost as good a place as any to start. Out now on the great Jagjaguwar label.

MP3 | Dinosaur Jr – Over It Farm
MP3 | Dinosaur Jr – I Want You To Know Farm

Annabel – Each And Everyone

Eric — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:23:27 +0000

Last summer I wrote some nice things about Annabel’s promising debut EP Now That We’re Alive and I’m glad to find the band hasn’t missed a beat and hasn’t really shaken things up too much with their recently released full-length Each And Everyone. Again, the Kent, Ohio band’s melodic indie-pop sounds breezy but layered and dense and a little familiar. Imagine Interpol without the dark corners or a less quirky Troubled Hubble and you might get close to imagining what Annabel is up to here. There are re-recorded versions of three songs from the Now That We’re Alive EP included on Each And Everyone plus nine new ones but for those who haven’t heard the EP, you’d never be able to tell what’s what. The songs on Each And Everyone are intricate without being complex and complicated, they are dreamy, drifting, and not all that dynamic but upbeat and never meandering. If you like “woah oh’s” and the like you also won’t be disappointed with this one. It’s an album which (just like the EP) won’t initially knock your socks off but when the record stops playing, you’ll find yourself playing it again without hesitation. Each And Everyone is just a really nice and enjoyable record to kick back with. RIYL: Built To Spill, Interpol, Look Mexico, etc…

MP3 | Annabel – People And Places Each And Everyone
MP3 | Annabel – Bouquet Mines Each And Everyone

Only Thieves – Greetings From Levy Park, T.L.H.

Eric — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:17:42 +0000

If you are looking for some joyfully boisterous and indie rock then you need to look no further than Tallahassee, Florida’s Only Thieves and their EP Greetings From Levy Park, T.L.H.. The 5 songs on the EP are muddy yet melodic indie rock that is (depending on how drunk you are) more fun than fireworks at a 4th of July party. It’s a blend of smart and sassy wrapped up tight in a fuzzy and noisy aesthetic that actually reminds me a lot of hipster indie Chicago groups like Chin Up Chin Up and Bound Stems but with a bit more of a punk edge (think The Thermals vs. Pavement). You know, it’s fun music that’s frenetic without being frantic. On Greetings From Levy Park, T.L.H., I also hear shades of 90’s Northeast indie rock a la Dinosaur Jr., Juliana Hatfield, Buffalo Tom, etc… It’s a bit of a strange coming together of styles but it totally works. If there is any justice in the world, it is music like this that will make indie rock fun again.

MP3 | Only Thieves – Watertower Scars Greetings From Levy Park, T.L.H.

Vacations – I Was Bikini/But Rain Afraid

Eric — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:34:33 +0000

Vacations is a project formed from 2 members of the Chicago band Chin Up Chin Up (a band that we here at CYSTSFTS liked very much) and Bobby Burg from Make Believe. Their new album/EP collection/7”/whatever I Was Bikini/But Rain Afraid contains 13 songs of rhythmically interesting indie rock that draws something from the breezy and tropical indie-punk of Abe Vigoda or Vampire Weekend but still manages to sound like it could come from nowhere but Chicago. It’s experimental in that your mom might not like it, but it’s certainly not inaccessible. This album is anything but. Of course there are shades of the members’ previous bands (minus the whole Kinsella thing) but this isn’t really comparable to either. For me, I Was Bikini/But Rain Afraid is exactly the sort of fun indie album that is perfect for summer days in Chicago. It sounds like flip flops, Goose Island, hot pavement, and cool Lake Michigan breezes.

MP3 | Vacations – Solar Tongue I Was Bikini…
MP3 | Vacations – Elastic Boards I Was Bikini…

Modern Skirts – All Of Us In Our Night

Eric — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:26:10 +0000

Modern Skirts arrived on my radar with their second full-length All Of Us In Our Night as Mike Mills’ (from R.E.M.) favorite band from Athens, Georgia, so that’s kinda what I expected and that’s kinda what I got. I’m not normally a huge fan of this sort of indie pop and this album isn’t about to change my mind. It’s an eclectic indie-pop rock album that despite incorporating a plethora of disparate sounds and textures is a comfortable and familiar listen. Perhaps it’s because Modern Skirts remind me (in places) of the likes of Brendan Benson, Spoon, Phantom Planet, Stereolab, Ben Folds, Weezer, Pinback, and more. All Of Us In Our Night is well-executed and deftly arranged but never really figures out what it wants to be and suffers from its lack of commonalities. All Of Us In Our Night is a pleasant and melodic album that’s heavy on acoustic guitars and keys, and it’s all fine and well, but not really my thing. That being said, I do like the two songs below.

MP3 | Modern Skirts – Radio Breaks Reviver EP
MP3 | Modern Skirts – Chokehold Reviver EP

Abe Vigoda – Reviver EP

Eric — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:48:06 +0000

A few months back I wrote about the L.A. based Abe Vigoda’s full length Skeleton and just how awesome it was. Well, since then the band has also released an EP, Reviver, that is also quite good, but not really the same. The band mostly eschews the mutated indie tropicalia of Skeleton in favor of more swirling guitars and less overtly frantic melodies. It’s the same lo-fi aesthetic except the cassette has been flipped over to the other side and is less Vampire Weekend vs. Black Dice and more JAMC does Boxer. Compared to the joyous squawking and clanking of Skeleton, this seems subdued. The guys also cover Stevie Nicks’ “Wild Heart.” It’s all a bit different, but good.

MP3 | Abe Vigoda – Don’t Lie Reviver EP