DR. DOG – Be the Void

Review by Gil Israel

            Though music criticism as a whole is a wonderful thing, there are just some times when I completely don’t understand it. As a given, things already get a little dicey when it comes to critiquing/judging art. After all, as true with all art, some people may really enjoy the work in question while other may hate it. It may deeply connect with some, while viscerally repulsing someone else. But, even so, very often people can generally agree when something is at least or good or bad. Sure they’ll disagree on the nuances, but most people will say that The Shawshank Redemption for instance is a good movie, and that something like Birdemic is simply bad (unless you count the it’s-so-bad-it’s-good thing).

            That’s why for the life of me, I can’t understand what the high and mighty music critics have against poor Dr. Dog – a Philadelphia based band that’s made enjoyable indie rock since around 2000.

When you scan the web for some of their album reviews, and though some of them on some select websites are positive, on many websites, and especially the websites that carry a bit of hubris, all their albums have been destroyed. I mean, it’s not even like their albums got mediocre ratings – that would be more understandable. No. Instead their albums have been trashed! If you don’t believe me, look it up. And be sure to check the sites to which I am namelessly referring (you should know who I’m talking about). I’ve listened to Shame, Shame and thought it was fantastic. I’ve listened to their previous discography, though not extensively, and enjoyed all of it. I don’t understand how this band has some worse ratings then some truly terrible acts out there.

            To present a anecdote of sorts, when I first got Be the Void, Dr. Dog’s second to most recent album, a year or two ago, I innocently looked up reviews for it at some of these reputable websites. As you are probably expecting, the album did not receive positive criticism, and at times, the criticism just seemed plain mean. Yet, being open/naïve enough to take this review with credence, I wasn’t expecting much when I finally decided to really listen to this album.

Yet, despite my negative preconceptions, to my delightful surprise I found this album fantastic. Every song on it is a winner. The melodies are beautiful, the harmonies are spot on, and the instrumentation is gorgeous. Without a doubt, this is an album where though most people may not like it to the same degree I did, most would agree that it is definitely a solid album.

Many critics focused on the fact that Dr. Dog was a bit all over the place on this album. Like they had too many ideas – too many styles – and overly tried to cram them all in on this album. Though I will agree that this album is certainly diverse, for me this is part of what made the album. Though the album opens with the mellow folk tune, “Lonesome,” as the album progresses we’re met with some 60’s inspired surf/garage rock, some electro indie pop tunes, some anthem like sing-alongs, and even some hesh psychedelic rockers (see “Warrior Man”). Yes, this is definitely a lot of ground covered, but it was this kind of dynamism that kept the album interesting, engaging, and still enjoyable listen after listen after listen…

And though Dr. Dog certainly make use of a wide pallet of rock song styles, it’s this amalgamation that defines and makes Dr. Dog the great band they are. Even though they don’t limit themselves to a particular style, every song on this album still definitively sounds like a Dr. Dog song – an accomplishment critics should be applauding, not condemning.

And yes, as I read over and over again, Dr. Dog are certainly inspired by and draw from a similar trick bag as many bands that have come before them (i.e. The Beatles, The Band etc.), but let’s be real, what modern band doesn’t do that? To me, Dr. Dog doesn’t take from their influences any more than any other indie band on the scene and as I said earlier, every song still somehow uniquely belongs to Dr. Dog and Dr. Dog alone. Despite some similarities, no music fan would ever confuse a Dr. Dog on this album for a Beatles song, a Band song, or whatever else they said. It’s just simply, and wonderfully, Dr. Dog.

Thus, to wrap up, this album is full of great songs of different styles and feels that you will definitely enjoy at least to some degree. As a lesson to leave you with, don’t always take music criticism from sources you respect to heart. Don’t immediately write off an album that got terrible reviews because sometimes you might just completely disagree…

OVERALL SCORE:

8.6

WOLF PARADE – EXPO 86

Review by Gil Israel

            
            This week, I will once again be reviewing an indie album that’s not old and not too new. In fact, one may think it a little strange that I only just listened to it and am just reviewing this album now given that it came out in 2010, but hey, it was next up on my list of music to enjoy. So without further ado, I shall commence my review of Canadian Indie-rock band Wolf Parade’s third and final album, Expo 86.

            Without a doubt, Expo 86 is a great album with nearly every track being a tasty indie-rock jam. You’ll find some great fuzzy riffs, especially in the third song “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way), some awesome synth-work (see “In the Direction of the Moon”), and engaging/dynamic arrangements throughout. The lyrics are solid as well with lead vocalist Spencer Krug dropping lines like “So raise your hands, as he’s explaining how he built this city on cocaine lasers” in “Pobody’s Nerfect,” and my personal favorite, “I was a dream-catcher hanging in the window of a minivan parked by a water’s edge” in album opener “Cloud Shadow on the Mountain (I mean come on! Now that is an image!).

The best track of the album though, is fourth track “Little Golden Age.” On this track, the band not only shows their ability to craft beautiful evocative melodies, but also showcase their ability to build and manipulate sounds by creating a heavy shoegaze atmosphere that dominates, but doesn’t smother (perhaps the mixer deserves credit here as well…). There is a great interplay between the walls of fuzzed-out guitars and synthesizers, and Krug’s voice fits perfectly, producing an emotional bliss in the listener that only very few tracks succeed in doing. Even the lyrics are good, as they produce novel images in a song with the relatively cliché subject matter of singing of a better time passed: “You left town feeling pretty down, with your headphones and your coat, and your dirty graduation gown.”

BUT, even though this album is full of incredibly solid rock songs, that’s all the album really is… a collection of solid rock songs. Throughout the album I couldn’t help but wish that Wolf Parade would take their songs in weirder directions. I kept hoping that as the songs progressed they would add some crazy psychedelic synth noises, would do some feedback fueled breakdowns, or would do something more off the beaten path. Compared to “I’ll Believe in Anything,” one of their most successful songs off their debut album, with it’s quirky syncopations, crazy synth noises, and disorienting triple over duple time signature (or something like that), the tracks on this album feel like standard classic rock tunes.

In fact, the song “Palm Road” sounds like a standard Bruce Springsteen song, and some of the other songs come so close to the more commercial rock that you could almost see Wolf Parade being lumped into that same group as The Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Foo Fighters (no disrespect if you like those bands, I like them too). The album barely has enough unique aspects to it to differentiate it, and as a result, it comes dangerously close to being just another mainstream rock record… It even seems like the band realized this, and tried to differentiate the album more by subverting typical track names like Nobody’s Perfect to the album’s “Pobody’s Nerfect,” or Julia to “Yulia.”

Yet, that being said, a band can never go wrong if they write good songs, and this album certainly has good songs in spades. Though the songs can often feel a little cliché, or not quite different enough, there are enough moments to excite you and even a nice track-to-track transition between “Oh You, Old Thing” and “Yulia.” Thus, Wolf Parade’s Expo 86 is certainly an album worth checking out. Though you may not walk away feeling like you’ve experienced anything particularly new, you’ll at least walk away satisfied with some truly great rock songs.

OVERALL SCORE

8.0

    

Mark Guiliana - My Life Starts Now

Review by Russ Israel

Today I'll be talking about Mark Guiliana's newest LP, My Life Starts Now.  Enjoy!
I kind of go on some tangents throughout the review...but they're good tangents?!?!?!?!

            Pressing play on Mark Guiliana’s newest album, My Life Starts Now, I didn’t know what to expect.  The incredibly talented drummer has a very diverse resume, but is mostly known for playing with a number of heavy hitters in the world of contemporary jazz such as Brad Mehldau, Avishai Cohen and Tigran Hamasyan.  

            The opening track of the album, “The Beginning” amazed me.  It was so simple!  I assumed that all of his solo songs would have very complex rhythmic themes, or intense polyrhythms, for that is what his work with the already mentioned artists sounds like.  But no, the first song is a statement to people like me who know him for his ability to keep up with the oddest of meters.  Even his solo EP, 2013’s Beat Music, opened with his classic and overwhelming drum fills.  Though this change in his style is incredibly drastic, I really enjoyed it.  It is nice to see a side of the musician that is not constantly looking to the composer for approval.  Now he is doing his own thing – doing what he wants, which is a pretty refreshing thing in the music world. 

            The album does pick up a bit with the title track.  “My Life Starts Now” feels like a good wake up song, or one that would be on somebody’s motivational playlist.  This record expresses how Guiliana is preparing for the next chapter of his life, parenthood, and this song sets a great foundation as it sounds like your day should start with it playing in the background. 

            Throughout the album, the drummer expresses a wide variety of emotions in response to his becoming a dad.    “Strive,” one of the only songs with a decent number of words, addresses his confidence in being a parent.  Meshell Ndegeocello reads, “I have created beats and musical compositions, through interaction, attraction, love and trust, I have created you,” which compares his musical accomplishments with those of his family life.  This line perfectly parallels Guiliana’s philosophy that real world experience helps you become a better musician, and musical experience helps you become a better person – a statement a lot of musicians could likely benefit from.  At this early point in the album it became clear that the drummer doesn’t beat around the bush.  He says what he wants to say, and does what he wants to do, so that his genuine emotion can be experienced by his listeners.   

            Despite all of its depth and subtlety, My Life Starts Now has a lot of exciting moments.  The tune, “The Result of a Ring,” is a total jammer.  It is everything you want from Guiliana from a strictly musical perspective.  He holds down the fort with his usual badass backbeats, and interacts with the soloist just enough to crescendo at the perfect moment.  His percussive genius is especially prevalent in songs such as “I’m Ready” and “B.Y.O.B” in which he deals with odd meters and impressive fills.    

            Guiliana is undoubtedly proud to be having kids.  “This One is For You” is a simple song that almost sounds like a lullaby because of its gentle female vocalist, and ever-present xylophone, which gives the first half of the album an overarching feeling of innocence.  “Dream. Come. True.” has the most impressive production value of the album, but it doesn’t really feel like a dream, more like a nightmare.  Maybe this is the drummer trying to tell us he has some anxiety about parenthood.  “It Will Come Back to You” expresses how if one doesn’t love their partner, that wrongdoing will somehow return to haunt them.  It is normal to have cold feet going into parenthood, but songs like these definitely present the album as a dichotomy – one side being enthusiastic and prideful, and the other being anxious and dark.  

            To continue with the latter half of the polarization, the Drum and Bass-esque tune “My Name is Not Important,” is sad in the sense that Guiliana discussion his intention to sacrifice his career for his new family life.  It doesn’t seem as if he is saying he fears sacrificing his career, but rather that he knows he will have to, which is disappointing to his devoted fans like myself.  This theme returns in the closing track of the album, “Let Go,” which seems like he may be discussing letting go of his career, but it’s unclear as there are so few lyrics.  It ends on a very ominous note, possibly implying that Guiliana himself doesn’t know what to make of his new role of being both a father and an artist. 

            The two sides of Mark Guiliana’s “new dad” psyche makes My Life Starts Now a very balanced and entertaining listen.  The only disappointing aspect of the album was that it did not sound very urban.  He recorded this album in Manhattan and it was supposed to present the east coast side of his music (he simultaneously came out with an album that he recorded in Los Angeles).  I didn’t really feel any New York vibes from the record, but that is only a minor flaw.  Overall, Mark Guiliana created an extremely intriguing and creative piece of music, one I would recommend to all, especially those up and coming jazz cats who are trying to express deep emotion without lyrics.  This album is a statement of change for the drummer – a change in his musical life, a change in his family life, and a change in his entire character, as having a child is an impactful manifestation of love and emotion.  My Life Starts Now can be interpreted in many ways, but this is the only absolute throughout the album.  

Overall Score:

8.4

Passion Pit - Gossamer

For the first review ever of this site, I will be reviewing an album that falls in that hazy area. It’s definitely not old, but it’s not an album one would call particularly new. It made quite the scene when it was first released, but I only just listened to it recently. The album is…

PASSION PIT – GOSSAMER

Review by Gil Israel

Here we go!

            Gossamer, Passion Pit’s sophomore LP is certainly a lot of fun. It’s an immediately satisfying listen that requires absolutely no effort on the listener’s part to enjoy, but it’s also good enough to be able to listen to many times without sickening of it.

The melodies are extremely catchy, the hooks grab you like vulnerable fish in the big blue, and the tone/sound of the music leaves you happy and or hyped. However, though this is definitely a good album, the album’s great pop tunes and incredibly positive first impression may actually be it’s greatest downfall.

            To elaborate, though this album sounds like the college party soundtrack of the year (or I guess of 2012), the lyrical content of the songs are quite sad. The opening track, “Take a Walk,” one of the album’s strongest tracks talks about all kinds of upsetting scenarios that include a difficult immigration process, bankruptcy, and helplessness. However, if you blast this for your friends, they will start bopping to it and think it’s simply a good pop tune – just a tasty jam. A similar trend is continued on most of the songs throughout the album. Another example is, “Cry Like a Ghost,” which is also extremely catchy and upbeat, but discusses themes of alcoholism, depression/insanity, and even domestic violence. But once again, the track is too catchy for anyone to experience the subject matter as everyone just immediately gets hooked in the general melody while not paying any attention to the lyrics.

            I’m not saying that a contrast such as this never works however. Very often, artists use this same formula to successfully portray a stark irony, or to try to express how often one pretends that everything is fine and happy on the surface while they are falling apart on the inside. Of Montreal’s 2008 Hissing Fauna Are You the Destroyer did this masterfully where super catchy upbeat sings were filled depressing lyrical themes, and even Outkasts “Hey Ya” plays on this dynamic interestingly by showcasing the fact, in the lyrics of the damn song, that no one would be paying attention to the subject matter and would just pay attention to the in your face groove and party anthem feel.

            But Gossamer doesn’t do this nearly as successful. It doesn’t seem like it’s trying to be ironic, and it doesn’t seem to be trying to convey the outer inner dynamic. Instead, it simply comes off like Michael Angelakos simply can’t write any kind of song except super sugary pop-songs. Though thousands, even millions, would kill for such an ability, for Angelakos it seems like a detriment in that he can’t fully express the emotional depth musically that he tries to get at in his lyrics. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that underneath the blaring synths, dance beats, and falsettos galore, it’s often very hard for the casual listener to even make out the lyrics… so even if the listener wants to look past the pop-hooks, it’s not the easiest task.

            Yet despite this flaw, I did actually enjoy the album and there are tracks that do a better job of properly conveying the emotions Angelakos is trying to present. For instance, “Constant Conversations,” my favorite track on the album, is a fresh R&B inspired song where Angelakos once again sings of alcoholism, but also expresses a troubled relationship and an interesting persona as a drunkard who wants his girlfriend to stay, but also knows that she should leave him someday for her own good. There are moments of other tracks that also do a good job with this such “On My Way” and “Where We Belong,” even though the latter sounds like it’s trying super hard to be that epic album closer. Overall, it’s these moments that prevent this album from simply being mindless pop and instead something better – something more unique.

            So despite my thrashing, this album is sure to provide great listening pleasure and be stuck in your head for hours, days, etc. If your looking for a good time, you’ll immediately enjoy this album, and if you’re looking for something deeper, you’ll find it here too – you just may have to try a little harder…

OVERALL SCORE

7.8

Welcome

Hello all!

Welcome to Big Brather Music! A site where we review music new, old, and that hazy area in between.  We listen to a lot of music as we get it so we may not always be reviewing the newest, hottest, most cutting edge material, but we’ll always be talking about music, whether it be good, bad, or mediocre.  We try to listen to as many genres as possible; we are big on jazz, and indie style music, but we'll try to give you guys a little bit of everything.  Alas, we hope you enjoy the reviews/discussions/whatever else we decide to do. Should be a good time! Yah!