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Land of Talk - L'Aventure Acoustique
Released: Late-2008
Label: One Little Indian

Some time after the release of Applause Cheer Boo Hiss and possibly Some Are Lakes, Montreal’s Land of Talk released a low tech gem called L'Aventure Acoustique.

Bolstered by the distinctive vocals of Elizabeth Powell, L'Aventure Acoustique showcases her unique style and often mysterious lyrics in a pleasant presentation. Because of the absence of the more electric fare from their usual work, this acoustic album is particularly interesting in the variety of instruments and time signatures used.

In the acoustic version of “Sea Foam,” the song is slowed down considerably and a glockenspiel assists in fleshing out the song to more heartfelt levels. For “Street Wheels,” the acoustic version adds another layer with a grand piano that gives an immense level of depth while also taking a slower pace. The change-up in the songs are noticeable and separates itself from sounding too similar stylistically to Applause Cheer Boo Hiss.

With less noise and effects, listeners can hear Powell’s powerful voice loud and clear on the album. Her soulful tone and passion meshes well with the instrumentation and combines to create a beautiful work of indie rock music.

The only downside with the album is that because the first seven tracks are from Applause Cheer Boo Hiss, ending the album on “Street Wheels” would have been perfect considering the tone and sound. However, while the acoustic versions of “Young Bridge,” “Some Are Lakes” and “Ghost” by Wintersleep are welcome, they change the cohesiveness of the album. The album does not feel like it ends on a real note of finality.

On the other side, since this is an acoustic album meant to give another take on Land of Talk’s existing songs, the song order is not a big deal. The idea was not to make a very “complete” album with beginning, middle and end but rather something interesting to listen to. With that in mind, the album is a treat to Land of Talk fans and indie rock fans alike.

http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/L+Aventure+Acoustique/5518395

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Deerhoof & Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog - Who Sleeps, Only Dreams
Released: April 19, 2014
Label: Northern Spy Records

Deerhoof has always been known for their eccentricity and they continue to flaunt it in excellent fashion in their split, Who Sleeps, Only Dreams, with Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog.

The album starts out with a familiar song of Deerhoof’s, "Qui Dorm, Només Somia" (which means Who Sleeps, Only Dreams translated from Catalan), from their album Deerhoof Vs. Evil. The song is melded with Marc Ribot’s intense guitar playing and is devoid of main singer's Satomi Matsuzaki’s vocals to sweeten things. What occurs is an interesting take on the song with a more upbeat vibe reminiscent of a flamenco flavor at times. It almost feels like a whole new song and begs for multiple listens to discern all the differences from the original.

On the flip side, Marc Ribot’s song, “Hide With Me,” is much different than “Who Sleeps, Only Dreams.” “Hide With Me” starts with a slow build up into garage-y rock with very sparse vocals. The vocals are muted and subtle, but what stands out is the steady beat of the drums and guitar. It drives the song and there is some impressive playing at hand. However, the song is not as catchy or quirky, considering this is a split with Deerhoof. There is something missing when it comes to making the listener wanting to come back and put the song on repeat, especially compared to Marc Ribot’s more memorable acoustic fare. With only two songs on the album, the balance is a little off.

While it is a Record Store Day exclusive and is only limited to 1000 copies, the album is just an alternate take on an existing Deerhoof song and a decent rock song on the other side. It is definitely recommended for Deerhoof or Marc Ribot fans, but it may not draw in new crowds with its particular sound.

https://soundcloud.com/northernspyrecs/deerhoof-with-marc-ribot-who

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwUr11vnP3Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MowmAE3ew1U

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Crying - Get Olde
Released: August 29, 2013
Label: Double Double Whammy

Chiptune is a genre where it is somewhat difficult to change things up. The essential Game Boy and old school electronic blips and bloops are predominant and define the genre.

But when a band like Crying comes along with Get Olde and adds regular old instruments with punk influences, that is when it becomes much more interesting. Instead relying solely on the electronic elements to see the songs through, the band utilizes guitar and drums to flesh out the sound. What entails is a unique mix that can please both the chiptune and the indie rock/punk audiences.

Get Olde at its heart is about metropolitan adolescence with lyrics about learning to drive, going to the arcade, and library fines. With a nice song aptly titled “Open,” the album starts off strong and establishes a frenetic pace. “Bloom” is a very short and sweet song that showcases singer Elaiza Santos’ breathy and subtle style.

Santos sings innocently and honestly about her city and area, reminiscent of a person walking down the street softly singing their favorite tune. There is also some content later on in the album that listeners can relate to about parental expectations about what a person should be and true self. It is very endearing and personal especially with Santos’ delivery.

The album’s only flaw is perhaps how short it is. With seven songs averaging around two minutes each, it is a very brief compared to typical albums of this genre. But in its briefness is a sweet and fun look into growing up in the modern age where friends go around, get snacks, and play video games. 

Get Olde is a very sweet and catchy album that is easy to listen to and Crying does a great job in combining a stories about everyday life with video game sounds. For someone looking to get into chiptune, but are not ready for a full-fledged jump, this is a good place to start.

http://wearecrying.bandcamp.com/album/get-olde

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Slutever - Pretend To Be Nice
Released: March 29, 2011
Label: Bantic Media

I stumbled upon this band after listening to a video of Crybaby by PENS. One of the comments compared this band to them and I figured I should check it out as I also enjoyed listening to female fronted punk offerings such as Best Coast and Vivian Girls. Compared to the two bands, Slutever draws more from straightforward punk rather than a melodic approach. This works out rather well, however.

For two ladies on guitar and drums, they sure can put out a lot of noise. That is one of the more attractive qualities of this band, as they also have some nice rhythm to their songs on top of the raucous sound. The first two songs fill out the loud and fast half of the EP. “RIP Maple” is a great opener with a lot of solid energy and build up. “I Can Dream The Rest Away” is when the album really gets into it. The drumming goes hammy in some spots and the beat loosens up, but that may just add to the DIY character instead of detracting from it. The last two songs are a little more mellow with a couple more “oohs” in the structure bringing the energy down to more manageable and catchier levels. 

As for lyrical content, the album goes on to describe a rather bad relationship and is full of negativity. It is almost like a timeline of the end of the relationship with the song’s content getting progressively worse yet the composition gets somewhat more calm. Overall, this album is nice to listen to, but not one I could always go back to. But at least it did its job in piquing my interest. If there is a full-fledged LP coming out, I will definitely check it out.

http://slutever.bandcamp.com/album/pretend-to-be-nice

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Test Icicles - For Screening Purposes Only
Released: October 31, 2005 
Label: Domino (UK)

Back when I was younger, I do not remember exactly how I found this band. I believe they had a page on Myspace and I stumbled upon it while looking for new music. Besides specific magazines and websites, there was not much in the way to find new and innovative music. Luckily, I was able to listen to acts such as Test Icicles, Arctic Monkeys, and Vampire Weekend through that method. But for now, I’ll focus on this particular LP from Test Icicles.

The most appropriate word for this album is that it is messy. This album is relatively polished in terms of production quality, but their sound is just straight up disheveled. Everything is slathered in this wild organization and I think that is what gives the songs their charm. The songs are energetic and the listener can hear the youth behind every lyric for, at the time of the band’s inception, Devonte Hynes (Lightspeed Champion, Blood Orange) and Sam Mehran were 18 years old. The opening track, “Your Biggest Mistake,” is a good indicator of how the rest of the album will sound sans the track “Interlude.” Every song will have this blistering pace and deafening volume.

When it comes to subject matter, this album has nothing incredibly deep. For example, on the song, “Catch It!,” talks about meeting a girl the color of piss and sticking tongues into hard drives. There is also a song dedicated to the life of sharks. Pretty ridiculous, but this album knows it does not take itself seriously. It is meant to be a reckless and insane dance-punk album and it does the job well. There are a few more stable and sane songs, however, in case there are any worries that it is all just a jumble of noise.

I enjoyed how different this album was when I was younger. I thought I would feel differently about this album now that I am older, but it still is a lot of fun to listen to. Chalk it up to nostalgia, but this album still has all the excitement and energy that I remembered. The nonsensical lyrics and absurd screaming just adds to the fun. Out of all the things I have listened to, this is still very distinguishable. It is not for everyone, but for the people it is meant for: Party on dudes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3siPJxHlMY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4xR8W3nE-M