In a moment out of the college fantasy of every bohemian high school student this side of the Mississippi, I huddled in a tastefully lighted room filled with the scent of brewing tea and effortless conversation. Maybe it was the Gypsy Kings in the background, maybe it was the loom of graduation for the seniors in the room that brought out the philosophical, or maybe there was more than just chai in the tea, but the topic of people who "glow" cropped up.
You've all met them — that person whose very presence is infectious — whose brilliance, talent, passion and restlessness drive you to be near them as much as it drives you to explore the infinite abyss that is life outside the bubble. Or, if you are of the Kerouacian school of thought, the ones who burn, the ones who are "mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time." I'm sure you've stumbled across the quote on Facebook, wedged between a line from Eliot's "Prufrock" and an exchange from an obscure, vaguely amusing British comedy series. But I digress. Thankfully, the Middlebury campus is speckled with people who burn, spurring me to dive into the equally infinite abyss that is the Indie-rock scene in search of a band that would light up my headphones and the subsequent space between my ears.
Fittingly enough, the New York founded, Montreal-based Stars live up to their name, burning like fabulous roman candles. The Stars aligned, if you will, in 2001, fronted by the fetchingly resonant vocals of Torquil Campbell and the sweeping keyboards of Chris Seligman. While their freshman full-length, Nightsongs, and follow-up Heart in 2003, are enchanting in their mixture of electronica and chamber-pop, it is not until 2004's Set Yourself on Fire's elaborate orchestration and simple poetry that the Canadian quintet exploded onto the scene and burned up the charts - relatively speaking. Several of the band's songs have made appearances on Fox Network's The O.C. (a series whose compilation comprehension rivals that of Zach Braff) and CTV's Degrassi: The Next Generation. And while these programs may seem low on the sophistication scale for the aforementioned BBC aficionados, it is sensible that Stars' unpretentious lyrics sung in Campbell's Morrissey-evoking cadence should be featured in coming-of-age dramas — even the ridiculous ones.
In fact, the lush soundscapes on Set Yourself on Fire were so striking that other members of the music community, including The Stills, The Dears and Junior Boys, remixed the 13 track modern masterpiece in the 2007 aptly-titled, Do You Trust Your Friends? And taking to heart the non-complacency that their emotive bebop evokes, their fourth full-length endeavor, In Our Bedroom After the War, hit shelves yesterday — although the band released the tracks for download two months ago in an attempt to curb leaking.
In Our Bedroom refines the give-and-take between complicated instrumentation and conversational verse while simultaneously highlighting the push of Campbell's crafted murmur and the pull of fellow vocalist and guitarist Amy Millan's wispy articulation. While some of the heartbreaking nostalgia is missing from their newest release, such tracks as "Take Me to the Riot" and "Bitches in Tokyo" are contagiously catchy, even bordering on danceable with their electronic-pop pulse. And for those enamored with Stars' classical couture, "Window Bird" and the title track still showcase Campbell's flair for the dramatic.
In Our Bedroom After the War, with its sometimes repetitive riffs and decreased emphasis on symphonic stylings, may disappoint some purist fans. And while there is nothing comparable to "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" lifting its line-up, Stars' fall release still delivers a catalog of both the infectious and introspective — moving forward without forgetting to look back. There is no doubt that Torquil Campbell is still on the top of his game. And when he's at his best, he's not just good, he's on fire.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Fodder for the Food Chain
As Midd students strive to leave their mark on the community for the first or final time, these artists deliver their fall releases with the same mingling of anticipation and anxiety.
Following in the indie-trends of girl-jeans and converse sneakers, Alexander Church has subscribed to the practice of giving a project name to his sole singer/songwriter outfit like Iron & Wine (Samuel Beam) and Bright Eyes (Conor Oberst) before him. Whether Church adopted the stage alias Sea Wolf — taken from the 1904 Jack London novel — as an attempt to fit in with the other hipster heroes or as an attempt at protective anonymity in case his freshman album flops is unclear, however, the latter seems unnecessary. Sea Wolf's first full-length debut, Leaves in the River, is as intoxicating as it is inspired. Church's resonant vocals in the vein of Daniel Kessler of Interpol and Matt Pond of the prolific Philadelphia quintet, Matt Pond PA, are a refreshing reverberation from the wavering whine plaguing the indie-rock scene — a widespread epidemic that researchers are saying may be caused by the aforementioned ill-fitting pants. And while the tracks "Winter Windows" and "Black Dirt" rival the orchestration found in the Decemberists or Andrew Bird, Church seems to have realized that the formula for "You're a Wolf" and "Middle-Distance Runner" is what will make him friends. This unfortunately causes Leaves in the River to play as much synth-pop as the Pearsons international party. Despite its penchant for repetition, Sea Wolf's Sept. 27th release will be a welcome newcomer to the genre — even if the scene is already more crowded than a Battell double.
Texas quintet Eisley bewitched listeners with their February 2005 release Room Noises — an album that bordered on magical with sweeping melodies and the Dupree sisters' enchanting voices. And, as it should be in nature's cycle, the band takes a page from the Arcade Fire's Neon Bible, crafting a more ambitious and darker sound on their sophomore attempt. The aptly named Combinations adds a layer of harder beats beneath Sherri and Stacey's angelic vocals —the opening track "Many Funerals" being the most rock-driven cut produced by the group to date. Despite the more jaded tone, fans of Room Noises should not despair. Glimpses of the quintet's exhilarating exuberance can still be heard on "Ten Cent Blues" and "If You're Wondering." Combinations, released on Aug. 14th, is a beautiful blend of dance-hall and ballad, magic and moping, showcasing the band's earned maturity and confidence on their second time around.
New York City's Interpol exploded on the scene with their iconic black suits and eyeliner in the fall of 2002. With their freshman debut Turn on the Bright Lights they proved they had the forte to match the fashion — such tracks as "NYC" and "Stellar Was a Diver" still hold a place of prestige on many a playlist. And while Antics, armed with the catchy chorus of "Slow Hands," launched the foursome into the mainstream, they officially left their indie bubble and traveled abroad to the strange and often confusing land of major-label records with their junior endeavor Our Love to Admire. The July 10th Capitol Records release features impressive tracks such as the radio-friendly "Heinrich Maneauver" and "Pioneer to the Falls."One can even hear allusions to Bright Lights through the polish in "Rest My Chemistry." But most of the record runs together as incarnations of Antics chart-breakers as Interpol struggles to replicate their sophomore success. Still, I look forward to their senior attempt in the hopes that they will embrace a new sound without quite forgetting the post-punk Joy Division imitations of their early years that I have come to love and admire.
Indie mainstays Palomar created a niche for themselves in the scene with their catchy power-pop in 1998 and have not done much to expand nor diminish their creative technique through their two subsequent releases. Their fourth record, All Things, Forest, stays true to the New York quartet's innocuous blend of head-bopping electronica-light and melancholy mania. And while their lack of development may prove a disappointment to some fans, the girl-next-door vocals of Rachel Warren set over jangly keyboard beats brightens any beatbox. All Things, Forest will most definitely not alter the music world, but in these tumultuous and transitional times, sometimes familiar is fundamental.
Following in the indie-trends of girl-jeans and converse sneakers, Alexander Church has subscribed to the practice of giving a project name to his sole singer/songwriter outfit like Iron & Wine (Samuel Beam) and Bright Eyes (Conor Oberst) before him. Whether Church adopted the stage alias Sea Wolf — taken from the 1904 Jack London novel — as an attempt to fit in with the other hipster heroes or as an attempt at protective anonymity in case his freshman album flops is unclear, however, the latter seems unnecessary. Sea Wolf's first full-length debut, Leaves in the River, is as intoxicating as it is inspired. Church's resonant vocals in the vein of Daniel Kessler of Interpol and Matt Pond of the prolific Philadelphia quintet, Matt Pond PA, are a refreshing reverberation from the wavering whine plaguing the indie-rock scene — a widespread epidemic that researchers are saying may be caused by the aforementioned ill-fitting pants. And while the tracks "Winter Windows" and "Black Dirt" rival the orchestration found in the Decemberists or Andrew Bird, Church seems to have realized that the formula for "You're a Wolf" and "Middle-Distance Runner" is what will make him friends. This unfortunately causes Leaves in the River to play as much synth-pop as the Pearsons international party. Despite its penchant for repetition, Sea Wolf's Sept. 27th release will be a welcome newcomer to the genre — even if the scene is already more crowded than a Battell double.
Texas quintet Eisley bewitched listeners with their February 2005 release Room Noises — an album that bordered on magical with sweeping melodies and the Dupree sisters' enchanting voices. And, as it should be in nature's cycle, the band takes a page from the Arcade Fire's Neon Bible, crafting a more ambitious and darker sound on their sophomore attempt. The aptly named Combinations adds a layer of harder beats beneath Sherri and Stacey's angelic vocals —the opening track "Many Funerals" being the most rock-driven cut produced by the group to date. Despite the more jaded tone, fans of Room Noises should not despair. Glimpses of the quintet's exhilarating exuberance can still be heard on "Ten Cent Blues" and "If You're Wondering." Combinations, released on Aug. 14th, is a beautiful blend of dance-hall and ballad, magic and moping, showcasing the band's earned maturity and confidence on their second time around.
New York City's Interpol exploded on the scene with their iconic black suits and eyeliner in the fall of 2002. With their freshman debut Turn on the Bright Lights they proved they had the forte to match the fashion — such tracks as "NYC" and "Stellar Was a Diver" still hold a place of prestige on many a playlist. And while Antics, armed with the catchy chorus of "Slow Hands," launched the foursome into the mainstream, they officially left their indie bubble and traveled abroad to the strange and often confusing land of major-label records with their junior endeavor Our Love to Admire. The July 10th Capitol Records release features impressive tracks such as the radio-friendly "Heinrich Maneauver" and "Pioneer to the Falls."One can even hear allusions to Bright Lights through the polish in "Rest My Chemistry." But most of the record runs together as incarnations of Antics chart-breakers as Interpol struggles to replicate their sophomore success. Still, I look forward to their senior attempt in the hopes that they will embrace a new sound without quite forgetting the post-punk Joy Division imitations of their early years that I have come to love and admire.
Indie mainstays Palomar created a niche for themselves in the scene with their catchy power-pop in 1998 and have not done much to expand nor diminish their creative technique through their two subsequent releases. Their fourth record, All Things, Forest, stays true to the New York quartet's innocuous blend of head-bopping electronica-light and melancholy mania. And while their lack of development may prove a disappointment to some fans, the girl-next-door vocals of Rachel Warren set over jangly keyboard beats brightens any beatbox. All Things, Forest will most definitely not alter the music world, but in these tumultuous and transitional times, sometimes familiar is fundamental.
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