Pop 'stache

Hailing from Brooklyn, N.Y., electronic duo Tanlines unintentionally began to form in 2008. Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm wrote and produced a remix of Telepathe’s “Chrome’s on It,” and it began to escalate from there. After collaboration and live performances, Tanlines was born. Emm from Don Caballero and Storm & Stress, and Cohen from Professor Murder drifted away from their respected style of music to formulate a customized blend of electronic with a hint of reggae. The duo released a two-track EP, New Flowers, in 2008 then another EP, Settings, via True Panther in 2010. After much anticipation, they dropped their first full-length album, Mixed Emotions on March 20.

After being evicted from their own studio, Tanlines recorded this album in a slew of locations, which turned out to work in their favor. The duo’s time spent writing is reflected in an honest, raw fashion in Mixed Emotions. Not to mention, four-time Grammy-winning engineer Jimmy Douglas (The Rolling Stones, Missy Elliot, Timbaland) mixed the album in Miami.

Originally introduced on Settings, “Real Life” is a tropical dance anthem. As the only song Tanlines double dips, “Real Life” is powered by synth and is bongo-frenzied. Although similar to the rest of the island-themed tracks off their EP, this track stands out on Mixed Emotions. Not to say Tanlines strays from the breezy tunes, but they take a more pop-focused approach.

Mixed Emotions emits a full-bodied sound that relies more heavily on Emm’s vocals and less on sampled beats. Fittingly so, the duo further strays away from the producing and remixing they began with to transcend into a fully functional band. Kicking off the album is “Brothers.” All hazy and sun-soaked, “Brothers” serves as a transition from tropical electro beats to organically driven melodies. Tanlines doesn’t entirely neglect the tropical backbone, but rather adopts a lesser punch. “Yes Way” is lead by a steel drum and Emm’s dominant baritone. Like the bulk of tunes on this album, “Yes Way” is drenched with carefree beats and warm tones.

With a dusting of 1980s throwback, Mixed Emotions embodies a youthful, sunny outer disposition, but it changes tone in “Nonesuch.” Blanketed with nostalgia and heartfelt confessions, this song ties into the album title with obvious intention. After a steady buildup, the duo gently brings it back down to earth with quiet finger-snapping and poignant vocals. Reminiscent of a prom or summer camp, “Nonesuch” is a ballad best suited for a disco ball and slow dance. Although Tanlines eliminates tropical drums in this last track, the warm blend of keys and gently throbbing bass is just as effective.

Tanlines – Mixed Emotions tracklist:

1. “Brothers”
2. “All of Me”
3. “Green Grass”
4. “Abby”
5. “Yes Way”
6. “Not the Same”
7. “Lost Somewhere”
8. “Real Life”
9. “Rain Delay”
10. “Cactus”
11. “Nonesuch”

Is it any use calling The Shins a band when, over the course of several lineups, it’s become painfully clear James Mercer is The Shins? Right now, there’s a pretty kickass touring roster (Jess Dobson, Joe Plummer, Richard Swift, Yukki Matthews), but even they seem at the mercy of their frontman’s auteurism—Mercer played many of the instruments himself in recording. Clearly, the guy’s particular. It’s been five years since the outfit pressed its last album, Wincing the Night Away, and in its wake, Mercer  turned his attentions to having children, recording with Danger Mouse side-project Broken Bells and generally chilling in the Pacific Northwest (or at least that’s what one writer would like to imagine). He’s expressed numerous times his doubts on The Shins’ staying power after such a prolonged silence.

By the band’s own admission, Port of Morrow targets the iTunes audience who “downloaded-Adele’s-21-multiple-times.” And from the first track, it’s clear that this is a move toward the pop-sensible. This album is heads and shoulders more palatable than its three predecessors. Mercer eschews his lovely falsetto for high howling over boppy, almost Phoneix-esque grooves. Instead of humdrum moroseness, ghostly harmonies and lovably nonsensical lyricism, we have clear vocals, basic premises and (for the most part) cheery vibes. Mercer remains a deeply proficient lyricist, and it might be said that the turn towards prosaic suits him better. In the upbeat standout “Bait and Switch” he sings, “I finally had all my ducks in a row/Peace and quiet by means of subtraction”: lines weaned from experience.

Since Garden State hailed The Shins a band that will “change your life,” a lot has changed with the world. If somehow Oh, Inverted World were released new in March 2012, it wouldn’t mean nearly the same thing. Of course things change, but one of the most telling details in recent interviews with Mercer is his shift from introspection to looking outward, the result of starting a family. He told The New York Times, “Until having kids, I had never really thought about mortality so much.” Not to be mistaken, there are love songs on Port of Morrow, pleas and ballads (see the beautiful, breezy “September”), learning lessons and a desire to turn things around. But it’s all done through a nongenretized looking glass, without all the angsty, youthful wonder (Mercer is now 41), without Jesse Sandoval (fired in 2007) and without Dave Hernandez (walk-out). Short of calling it commercial, the album showcases Mercer’s sheer penchant for infectious, middle-of-the-road songwriting, in the tradition of the greats before him.

What is Port of Morrow? In one sense, it’s a new beginning, the reimagining of a band inextricably wound up in what it means to be “indie”; on the other hand, it’s the uncertain future, where Mercer doesn’t quite know where to turn next, what the new day will bring in harbor. The title song itself is a sour, slow melody in haunting falsetto, “Under my hat it breathes, the lines are all imagined/A fact of life I know to hide from my little girls/I know my place amongst the birds and all the animals.” At one point, in a spine-tingling turn he addresses his “dear listener,” even surmising, “life is death is life.” In that sense, there’s still an air of mystery to this Shins release. Even if it fails to cut as deeply as previous efforts, it seems dangerously cast between two roles: one of chart-climbing rock record and the other of new-sound, new-vibe Shins. If there is one hope, one overlooked circumstance that could inadvertently boost Port of Morrow, it’s the inexplicable resurgence of rock on the pop charts in the past year. First, Foster the People and now, fun.—even stretching back to Contra and The Suburbs—have proved it’s not a foregone conclusion, as it basically was five years ago, that a new band with an indie aesthetic could top the charts. Then again, the one that did five years ago saw both Mercer and Plummer lend a hand.

The Shins – Port of Morrow tracklist:

1. “The Rifle’s Spiral”
2. “Simple Song”
3. “It’s Only Life”
4. “Bait and Switch”
5. “September”
6. “No Way Down”
7. “For a Fool”
8. “Fall of ’82”
9. “40 Mark Strasse”
10. “Port of Morrow”

There are bands that can instantly transport listeners back to distant times in their lives that were previously long-forgotten or deeply buried. But childhood is rarely one of those times; it’s a phase in everyone’s lives that’s just kind of there. Childhood is a time that we all acknowledge and sometimes yearn for, but dwelling on it is not commonplace.

Upon listening to Time Capsules II by Oberhofer, those memories all keep flooding back. The New York-based quartet’s whimsical musical styling and jovial vocals combined with traditional rock-guitar structure personify the innocence of childhood while still maintaining a sense of maturity.

The album opens with “HEART,” a song whose melodic sweetness matches its namesake. Upper-octave keys chirp through deafening silence to eventually build with percussion, cheery vocals and, considering its presence in every single song, what must be the band’s all-time favorite instrument—the xylophone.

Oberhofer is not a lyrically driven band and often relies on the same tried-and-true, formulaic song structures to get through the album. The use of xylophone, which begins as innovative and novel, loses its charm by track 10—imagine if your little sister had overstayed her welcome at battle of the bands practice and decided to jam on the xylophone.

Sparse lyrics offer just a few glimmers of what could have been vivid imagery. Redemption is earned during the outro, though, as impressively powerful wails and swirling piano climb up walls of anxious strings. Tracks like “Landline” and “Away FRM U” follow this formula and incorporate Strokes-like guitar riffs to provide some much-needed edge to the otherwise sugary-sweet, cavity-inducing surfer pop that dominates the album.

Some lyrical prowess is displayed midway through the album with “oOoO,” fluttering through brief nature imagery before launching into an angrily desperate Kooks-like love song. With “oOoO,” Oberhofer treads welcomed lyrical territory by building a brief storyline, rather than repeating the same three or four lines and calling it a day.

The album’s closing track, “Homebro,” is without a doubt the most tender of the lot. The apology to a loved-and-lost lover is tragically beautiful with the refrain, “My life … was pointed back at you again,” complementing the ghostly strings. “Homebro” is a wise choice for a closer that leaves listeners with a sense of yearning for both better times and an entire album of these brilliant arrangements.

Although their self-declared “coincidence pop” shows a unique aesthetic, it fails to hold attention for the span of an entire album. Not short on inspiration or time, only a single track dips below the three-minute mark. But with this insistence on tinkering with every song into a four-minute epic comes the unavoidable counting of seconds until the end.

The juxtaposition of the whimsical (energetic vocals stretching to the upper registers) and the traditional (grounded pop, a la The Drums or Strokes) makes for an intriguing sound that the four members dub a “mix of newfound formal training with the noisy exuberance of youth.” Time Capsules II certainly makes listeners yearn for youth, but does it make them yearn for more? That is harder to say.

Oberhofer – Time Capsules II tracklist:

1. “HEART”
2. “Landline”
3. “Away FRM U”
4. “I Could Go”
5. “Yr Face”
6. “oOoO”
7. “Cruisin’ For”
8. “Gold”
9. “Haus”
10. “Homebro”

A trio of men complete with a set of synthesizers, a drum set and a guitar make up Geographer, who describes their sound as “soulful music from outer space.” This isn’t far off from what they’ve released: Geographer’s music is strange and other-worldly yet meaningful and thick. With the impact of Myth, hey’ve defined themselves pretty well for a young band.

Geographer falls under the alternative genre with a spin on indie/electronic and dream pop, coming in at a difficult time where even the greatest bands have their work cut out for them. Making it as an alternative band in 2012 is like trying to achieve commercial success as a boy band at this day and age. It’s prime has simply passed. Bands like Young The Giant and Geographer will face an indefinite struggle coming out and generating airplay because their genre’s greatest times were when bands like The White Stripes, Nirvana and Radiohead ruled the radio and headlined festivals.

When stakes are high for up-and-coming bands in a make-it-or-break-it industry, proper stylization is crucial. Geographer’s leg-up on the competition is their use of effects and toying of psychedelic effects on vocal tracks. It’s this magic that makes Myth successful even within the first song. “Life of Crime” is fun to listen to, but would be nothing without its twinkling reverbs that channel a dangerous sound in the song’s background.

Geographer’s weak points happen in certain mixes where no profound effects are implemented. Plus there is no middle ground between hallucinogenic sounds in Kaleidoscope” and “. There’s either all or nothing, which doesn’t mesh well when viewed as a whole. The band’s indecision ultimately places a fork in the road, dividing their work into that of two separate bands. One excels in uniqueness and leaving a lasting impression while the other could’ve been made by a band practicing in their suburban apartment at state school.

Regardless, a concept like that of Myth’s should be enough to put together a fan base that collectively buys into a fascinating set of ideas. The album proves that Geographer knew at least what they wanted to happen, though it may not have been laid out as they had dreamed of.

There’s a tranquil energy that runs through Geographer’s Myth that feels good to hear whether you’re paying attention or not.

You might not expect the tone to drop as suddenly as it does in “The Boulder.” This song slows down the entire album as it casts a veil over its melancholy message, building momentum toward something that turns into more beat-driven and climcatic. It’s interesting to hear this song fall into place over the span of four minutes as everything picks up and puts color on the canvas of what started out as a very dull song. It’s amazing what a little conceptualization and a gradual buildup can accomplish.

The band hasn’t completely absolved any doubt that they’ll ensure memorability in the long run, where it’ll have fans eager to press play over and over once the album is done playing, but it does entertain in the meantime. The album just isn’t the timeless wonder that Geographer might have aimed at achieving.

Geographer – Myth tracklist:

1. “Life of Crime”
2. “The Myth of Youth”
3. “Kaleidoscope”
4. “Blinders”
5. “Lover’s Game”
6. “The Dream Has Faded”
7. “Shell Beach”
8. “The Boulder”
9. “Vesijarvi”
10. “Kites”

In an ironically soulless moment at the conclusion of their 1980 movie, The Blues Brothers were taking an elevator to the Cook County Assessor’s Office, to pay off the penguin’s orphanage tax bill, and stood stock still while light Muzak was playing, a rare peaceful moment that director John Landis contrasted with the massive military mobilization underway outside in an effort to capture the fugitive duo “on a mission from God.” TOPS is like being stuck in that elevator, but accompanied by yuppies in leisure suits and chic dresses with shoulder pads and big collars. Regrettably, the band is more Murph & The Magic Tones than the brothers of blues, more Holiday Inn lounge act than grizzled veteran bearers of the Lounge Ax.

Here’s yet another in a seemingly endless parade of groups for whom the nineties never happened, never mind the 21^st century, and on their full-length debut, the Montreal quartet TOPS beg the question, at what point does the music of the 1980’s stop being an influence and inflection and start becoming a note for note re-creation?

The single “Turn Your Love Around” starts sounding like a cover of Eric Clapton’s “I Can’t Stand It” performed by Sade fronting The Police but morphs into a Toni Basil shouting match at the conclusion. The nearest modern ancillary might be Los Angeles duo The Bird And The Bee, but there’s not even a nod to true modernity here, and even though the kick-off cut, “Evening” pays a nod to their coy electropop, the B&B have better songs. “Rings of Saturn” starts like the Star Trek theme but devolves into a lush and loungey track that might have fallen on the cutting room floor of Frankie Rose’s Interstellar sessions.  Singer Jane Penny sounds more bored here than anywhere else on the record–  it’s a shame the soft rock arrangements and pacing don’t let her beautiful voice grow and shine more. “Double Vision” borrows the keyboard part from a New Order track, but the pace is so slow and the vocals so lovely and lilting, the only vision issue is keeping one’s eyes open.

By contrast (and it’s not a stark contrast by any means), “Diamond Look” dovetails off of Sade’s “Diamond Life” but sounds more like Sheena Easton singing on it, and it even references Madonna’s “Lucky Star.” A listener could be forgiven for thinking this was a lost Missing Persons single.

TOPS are like a less funky version of Black Kids, a less fun version of Chromeo, and a less rocking version of Pseudoecho. Fellow Montreal exports Stars and Grimes at least have original songs and weirdness going on to add to their palette of eighties sounds– TOPS just sound like a 1980’s tribute act. No matter how much you want to like them, there’s an inescapable feeling that this has all been done before. At the end of the day, as they say in a track that’s remarkably reminiscent of the smooth latter day Fleetwood Mac, it’s hard not to wish that they would just “Go Away.” It’s a shame, as the record is not a bad listen, it’s just too easy on the ears, too retro when there are so many more advantages to looking (and listening) forward.

As essayist Susan Sontag once wrote, about a novel published over one hundred years earlier:

Isn’t every work that speaks to us with an originality and lucidity we’re capable of acknowledging one we want to conscript into what we understand as modernity? Our standards of modernity are a system of flattering illusions, which permit us selectively to colonize the past, as are our ideas of what is provincial, which permit some parts of the world to condescend to all the rest.

But Tender Opposites contains only what was defined as modernity in the 1980’s– it wasn’t an accurate depiction of how the future would be (at least, it isn’t yet), and the way that TOPS selectively “colonizes the past” doesn’t offer anything original or particularly lucid.  As music writer Simon Reynolds wrote in 2011’s Retromania: “It’s like we can’t get past this past. Neophilia turns into necrophilia.” To paraphrase Kermit the Frog and Rowlf the Dog’s number from the original version of “The Muppet Movie,” let’s hope that something better comes along.

Tops – Tender Opposites tracklist:

1. “Evening”
2. “Diamond Look”
3. “VII Babies”
4. “Double Vision”
5. “Go Away”
6. “Turn Your Love Around”
7. “Rings of Saturn”
8. “TOPS Theme”

Swedish stoner band Greenleaf is no stranger to churning out lengthy, quasi-metal jams during the course of its career. Initially formed as a side project by Tommi Holappa of Dozer, Greenleaf never strayed far from the template he had created with Dozer. With Dozer going on an official hiatus in 2009—and Greenleaf now featuring three of the four members of Dozer—it makes sense that Nest of Vipers blurs the line between the two projects.

Nest of Vipers is Greenleaf’s fifth full-length album, and as such the group’s dynamics are all in sync. It doesn’t hurt that Holappa has spent years working with the members of Greenleaf in various projects, but the album boasts numerous contributions from other metal acts such as Opeth and Lowrider.

Opening with “Jack Staff,” Greenleaf wastes no time laying out the blueprint for Nest of Vipers. It is direct in its execution, avoiding any meandering—a trait that can often creep into much stoner-rock acts. Perhaps most notable about “Jack Staff,” as well as many other songs on Nest of Vipers is how downright catchy the choruses to some of these tracks are. These songs bare the heavy nature that fans of stoner rock would be used to, but with a bit of classic metal homage thrown in for good measure.

Perhaps the best example of this classic metal influence taking hold is on “At the Helm,” where Holappa’s vocals offer up sing-along hooks and the group’s dronier side takes over. It feels akin to something from Black Sabbath’s early years, where it could easily inject a sense of melody atop dark, brooding metal anthems.

While there are moments on Nest of Vipers that prove Greenleaf’s skill, the album also suffers from the confines of its genre. The overarching stoner genre has certain qualities that are attributed to it, and of course, they show up here on Nest of Vipers. This is in no way a bad thing, but it often makes the record run together into one big, midtempo mess. There are tracks that see Greenleaf transcend its genre without bastardizing it, but at the same time, when it defaults to the genre’s key elements, the album sounds like a second-rate version of Mastodon’s The Hunter.

The album closing track, “Nest of Vipers (A Multitude of Sins)” is a slow-burning epic that finds its greatest asset to be the off-kilter and ambitious drumming of Olle Marthans. The song builds slowly for its eight-minute duration, consuming the listener and keeping them engaged, the way any stoner band worth its weight should be able to.

Nest of Vipers doesn’t break any new ground for the genre, but it doesn’t really need to. Greenleaf has found its sound, and by absorbing members of Dozer, it proves that Sweden’s stoner elite still have plenty to offer. At times it is formulaic, but the moments that work show there’s a lot more to this genre than just punishingly repetitive riffs.

Greenleaf – Nest of Vipers tracklist:

1. “Jack Staff”
2. “Case of Fidelity”
3. “Lilith”
4. “Tree of Life”
5. “Dreamcatcher”
6. “At the Helm”
7. “Sunken Ships”
8. “The Timeline’s History”
9. “Nest of Vipers (A Multitude of Sins)”

Those following the Southern rap echelon know that it’s been a very long time since a talent like Big K.R.I.T. has emerged. By most accounts it was 20 (!) years ago when a group from Port Arthur, Texas, by the name of Underground Kingz signed to Jive Records and forever cemented their place in history. The dexterous delivery, emotional lyricism and calm command of presence K.R.I.T. shares with his forebearers have made his album Live From the Underground one of hip-hop’s most anticipated of 2012. The second of his 4eva series, the Mississippi rapper/producer looks once again poised to shake things up. He’s proved more than capable of bypassing big labels to get his art out there, and now with the help of Island/Def Jam, he won’t need to.

A self-proclaimed “perfectionist,” the amount of sweat K.R.I.T. poured into 4evaNaDay shines through immediately, from free-verse opener “8:04AM,” “Did I do all that I could do to ensure my success/Did I really give my all and am I really at my best?” 4evaNaDay finds K.R.I.T. not trying to prove anything about himself so much as wax on 24 hours, from waking up to insomnia, success to heartbreak, remembering the good times and forgetting the bad. This time, unlike the last, he goes it alone without so much as a sample from another rapper. With confidence settled, he plunges into the world of the self, his agile voice rich like Mississippi honey, impossible to miss—even for a beat.

Mad, bubbling loops suggest the soulful roots of his stomping ground, guitars, “oo”s, “ah”s and smooth saxophones fill the space between drums and fat basslines. K.R.I.T. takes a big, deliberate step away from the sinister-hook, 808 sound of Southern rap’s younger guns. Teaser single “Boobie Miles,” showcases its creator’s rare breed of confessionality and braggadocio. Many of K.R.I.T.’s contemporaries lack his gift for wordplay, his universality: “You got to play until the end/The only thing between a winner and a loser is a winner plays until he wins.”

In “Country Rap Tunes,” K.R.I.T. relishes in third coast pride, shouting out his “Southern kin” and calling out every detractor from the region’s hip-hop legacy by name. On the superb “Handwriting,” his flow is wild and unkempt as he lends props to Outkast and Ludacris, who believed in his own meteoric rise, even in its darkest days: “Guess I was too country to quit/I made albums not hits.” The work moves in themes, from an insecure ascent to chest-thumping successes to a mellow ride-out.

The only thing that prevents 4evaNaDay from being a full-fledged powerhouse (HipHopDX famously hailed Return of 4eva “a free album”) is mixtape syndrome. Even great mixtapes have filler—and that’s not to say glossed-over songs. But that in the interest of the greater dramatic arch of the thing, certain songs are allowed to slide by or preface one another—there is a lot of goodness on this album, but there’s also a lot on this album. The fire has been stoked into a roaring blaze for what’s next. In the interest of discovering a new voice, it’s worth the listen. So here he is, a new twist on a classic, an aspiring legend and a lovable, young hope for hip-hop.

 Big K.R.I.T. – 4evaNaDay tracklist:

1. “8:04 AM”
2. “Wake Up”
3. “Yesterday”
4. “Boobie Miles”
5. “4evaNaDay Theme”
6. “Me and My Old School”
7. “1986”
8. “Country Rap Tunes”
9. “Sky Club”
10. “Red Eye”
11. “Down & Out”
12. “Package Store”
13. “Temptation”
14. “Handwriting”
15. “Insomnia”
16. “5:04 AM”
17. “The Alarm”

Bear in Heaven is a three-man experimental electronic outfit from Brooklyn. N.Y. They’ve been together since 2003, but their 2009 sophomore album, Beast Rest Forth Mouth, is the recording that put them on the map from which they received critical acclaim from several important music publications. Now three years after the band’s big break, Bear in Heaven has dropped its third major label release, I Love You, It’s Cool. As the album’s title implies, it is a pretty cool recording. Love might be a little too strong a word, though.

It’s difficult to perfectly describe what Bear in Heaven is all about, as the members’ fairly experimental sound contains a lot of contradictions: there are synths, but it isn’t electronica proper; the sound is often ethereal but not truly ambient; and the songs are fuzzy but still poppy. Actually, the best way to capture what’s going on throughout I Love You, It’s Cool might be to look at the instruments.

The main attraction here is the synths. Spacey, somewhat-distorted and ever-present, they dominate every song and give the entire album a sort of dreamy feeling. They’re slightly too ambient and have slightly too much static to be straight up poppy, but they’re still mostly fun and never get too harsh. Vocals aren’t overly flashy and stick farther back, washed out by the oceanic synthesizers. Finally, behind it all are the drums, which are kept mostly constant and very upbeat considering the hazy synths.

And even though the music is very heavily synth-driven, it’s actually those perky drums that really power the album along. They set a sort of chipper trot that makes the music really work. Any slower and the synths might become dreary, the straightforward vocals boring or tired. But because the drums are always pounding away, marching forward at a brisk pace, the songs pass quickly and seem fresher, faster and more interesting overall as a result. It’s good, it works and it stays consistent throughout the album.

If anyone is going to make a major complaint against I Love You, It’s Cool, it’s likely going to be that most of the songs are fairly similar, which makes it a great album to have on in the background as it never has any sort of mood whiplash, but it does mean that more intense listening sessions might not be as interesting.

However, the one time they do mix things up it ends up paying off really well: “Sweetness & Sickness,” the album’s six-minute closing track, is a little bit darker with hints of pounding bongos perfectly capturing the vibe of a seedy alleyway. It still keeps a moderately fast pace, but by striving to make something more edgy and less catchy, the band gives the song a depth that a lot of the others lack. The whole album passes pleasantly enough, but if there’s one track you’ll really want to return to, it’s going to be this one. Regardless of what you think of the rest of the album, at least this song is worth checking out.

All in all, I Love You, It’s Cool is a very solid effort from an interesting, new(ish) band. It might not make any end of the year “best of” lists, but it is a fun and enjoyable recording to just zone out to.

Bear in Heaven – I Love You, It’s Cool tracklist:

1. “Idle Heart”
2. “The Reflection of You”
3. “Noon Moon”
4. “Sinful Nature”
5. “Cool Light”
6. “Kiss Me Crazy”
7. “World of Freakout”
8. “Warm Water”
9. “Space Remains”
10. “Sweetness & Sickness”

Houston quartet Drowner seems determined to live up to its moniker on its self-titled debut, for the band drowns its listeners in the sound of ethereal female vocals, spiraling electric guitar atmospherics and a wash of crashing cymbals. There’s so much atmosphere, in fact, that at times it’s difficult to find the songs.

On a number of tracks, like the lengthy excursion “Never Go Away” (which receives a shorter remix at the end of the running order), and the kick-off cut “Point Dume,” Drowner values sound above song; it’s a beautiful sound, but the ensemble prefers to explore the sonic textures of the same or similar notes on its ocean floor rather than getting caught and surfacing on melodic hooks. On “Chimes” (which also receives the remix treatment), they do craft a compelling composition, but the effect is diminished by the cliched lyrics: “Just a little bit longer, baby, just a little bit further into it, be just a little bit stronger, darling, just a little bit, we’ll put an end to it,” Anna Bouchard sings. “The die is cast and now we’re on our own,” she continues in a later passage. The quality of the music makes it an enjoyable listen, but the sentiment could be more creative, and the song sounds too familiar to posit itself as wholly original.

“Wildflowers” runs through fields of beauty but doesn’t get anywhere before being overcome by a wall of guitar atmospherics. A door opens back into the chorus and is shut again by an even louder guitar moment.

Those familiar with the alternativerse of the past 25 years or so may recognize a certain formula in the sounds Drowner synthesizes, and even iTunes correctly pigeonholes the band, for better or worse, as “shoegazer.” The term was coined by the (occasionally) rabid British music press sometime in the early 1990s in reference to some of the early bands of this genre’s habit of staring at their shoes while playing live.

Accuracy notwithstanding (and it’s a rare group that has not decried the use of the label), antecedents of Drowner’s sound include My Bloody Valentine, Lush, Ride and Cocteau Twins, and contemporaries could be Chicago labelmates Panda Riot and Lightfoils (both wonderful in their own right), Milwaukee Kalamashoegazerfest graduates Brief Candles, School of Seven Bells, Blonde Redhead, Asobi Seksu, Soundpool and Autolux. Some among those acts have advocated for the term “dream pop,” and that’s certainly a more descriptive way to describe the sound.

But really, Drowner is most reminiscent of the duo of Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia known as Curve, especially on the remixed tracks. Given that the core of Drowner is a duo as well, vocalist Bouchard and multi-instrumentalist Darren Emanuel (Swimming In, Apples to Earth), the Curve comparison seems especially apt, although the sounds of Drowner are in general a lot less linear, and a lot less rooted in traditional songcraft. “Tiny Ship” is a perfect example of the Drowner modus operandi; more than three minutes of swirling guitar work occur before the drums and bass crash in and propel the cut to a stunning conclusion. Just as Sean Evans and Mike Brewer recently joined in the summer of 2011, the other parts seem to enter the picture late in the compositions. That’s one reason why “Here” and “This” are such welcome changes of pace among the track listing: they integrate all the parts from the outset and successfully balance all the elements to benefit the stellar songcraft.

“Written” could definitely be a winning single as well, with the way the muscular guitar and propulsive bass establish themselves from the outset and Bouchard’s unaffected alto conveys the menace, slicing through the cloud of Robin Guthrie-like electric guitar parts like a finely serrated knife. She sounds like Shirley Manson of Garbage here more than any other place, especially when she references The World Is Not Enough, the James Bond movie for which that supergroup did the theme song.

Drowner is not a perfect record by any means, but it’s always a welcome surprise when something so sonically unanticipated spins such lovely songs in one’s headphones. It’s worth drowning in again and again, especially when following the directions to lather, rinse and repeat.

Drowner — Drowner tracklist:

1. “Point Dume”
2. “Never Go Away”
3. “Chime”
4. “Wildflowers”
5. “Written”
6. “Tiny Ship”
7. “Here”
8. “This”
9. “Chime” (Apples to Earth remix)
10. “Never Go Away” (Nikki Gunz remix)

In Fanfarlo’s sophomore release, Rooms Filled With Light can be sized up as the more mature older brother to the band’s Reservoir (2009). With time came progression, and it came with the band’s sound, style and tactics toward creating great music.

The tactic used here, for example, works stealthily to increase the momentum and build a boost in energy that steadily rises until singer Simon Balthazar’s final breath. The backing band rides along with it, working together exciting mixes every step of the way.

Not much else in the world of music today sounds like this. Fanfarlo’s British flare plus an indie-pop kick propels band members forward as each song connects to the next, often with trumpet sounds roused in many songs en route to success. Fanfarlo’s contemporary edge resounds somewhere between DeVotchka’s and even Arcade Fire’s sound with the use of synth, violin and electric guitar. Perhaps The Smiths were an influence, too. Or maybe that’s just the accent taking over.

Fanfarlo’s occasional implementation of a female vocal is just like how Regine Chassagne of Arcade Fire rides the same melodies as the chorus of the main vocalist (and sometimes takes turns) but rarely takes the harmony. Taking the tandem part is something we hear too seldom, and this band reminds us what the simplicity of two vocals singing the same part can actually add to a piece of work.

“Feathers” gains pressure with a high-pitched guitar melody after a short rut in Rooms Filled With Light’s pace before it ultimately stuns itself into breaking down into a stripped male-female vocal in the bridge. Switching up the instruments is easily the backbone to Fanfarlo’s second album.

It doesn’t lose steam, either, even when the pace is slowed to accompany more downhearted melodies. The strength is steady throughout Rooms Filled With Light, especially as a surprise closes out the set: a half-minute-long chime douses the fire with the same bit of charm that ignited it at the beginning of the set.

“Shiny Things” and “Digs,” at varying points in the set, are songs you’d want to play for a loved one. Try it out and let us know how it works.

With that being said, the band’s efforts do get lost a bit amid indie-pop gems and charming digital wonders. Some glide by unnoticed, putting a shameful amount of effort to waste as they fall under the shadow of more ear-catching tunes.

Fanfarlo’s melodies and harmonies make it easy to see why its a common pick for narratives like the ones on TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and “House” and in films like Twilight: Eclipse and Going the Distance. The lyrics might not stand out particularly, but that makes it easy for listeners to fill in the story with their own along the way. Although this canvas may seem empty and vague, it is actually vast enough to possess the quality that listeners can find strength in the present lyrical work and wide capabilities of their composition.

Fanfarlo – Rooms Filled With Light trackist:

1. “Replicate”
2. “Deconstruction”
3. “Lenslife”
4. “Shiny Things”
5. “Tunguska”
6. “Everything Turns”
7. “Tightrope”
8. “Feathers”
9. “Bones”
10. “Dig”
11. “A Flood”
12. “Everything Resolves”

Apparently nobody has told The Mars Volta that it isn’t cool to mash words to make album and song titles anymore. But Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López love portmanteau, and thusly have named the band’s sixth album Noctourniquet. The concept for this album centers on a character based on the mythical Greek figure Hyacinthus and Superman villain Solomon Grundy. Ahhhh, welcome back, boys!

The album is the Volta’s first in three years, easily the band’s longest span between albums. Rodríguez-López thinks all of his ideas are worthy of publication (The man released 19 solo albums from 2007-10… 19.) and this prolific tendency has certainly affected the quality of TMV’s output. Taking three years on a record points toward a more careful craft, but as it turns out, the cause for delay was Bixler-Zavala’s inability to keep up with Rodríguez-López’s pace (Can you blame the guy?). Still, for the first time in a while, it seems The Mars Volta has given an album some time to breathe. Does it show? Not exactly.

Opener “The Whip Hand” sets up a dissonant groove but settles down a little for the verses, which really could have been compelling if Bixler-Zavala tried to write an actual melody. The song ends with him proclaiming, “I am a landmine,” the first catch phrase he’s provided fans since, “25 wives in the lake tonight.” If only it sounded half as cool.

Also, the band seems to be trying to incorporate synthesizers in light of the recent success of electronic music. The synth line is grimey and off-putting. The bizarre thing is that it’s higher up in the mix than anything Ikey Owens had ever done with the group, and this is the first record without him.

Also unexplainably higher in the mix is first-time drummer Deantoni Parks. He often attempts recreating the manic Latin-prog style of Jon Theodore, a facsimile which accurately replicates the style, but leaves out the soul. Other times, as on “Dyslexicon” (again with the portmanteau!), he tries the spastic and pummeling style of Thomas Pridgen, but sounds tame in comparison. Simply put, the keys and drums have the least identity of any Volta record so far; listeners have to wonder why after all this time they are just now getting this sort of attention.

The band sounds most comfortable in the second track, “Aegis,” the closest tune to capture the natural energy of 2003’s De-Loused in the Comatorium. It brings forth some promise, which the team quickly breaks going into the rest of the album. There are good moments throughout, but it’s incredibly spotty and only made worse by the volume of material.

Bixler-Zavala spends so much time trying different styles throughout the record that he forgets that, as a vocalist, he is supposed to carry a tune. It seems like Rodríguez-López had some decent ideas, but Bixler-Zavala didn’t follow through with his parts. His melodies are often lazily constructed and less than memorable. When he’s on, he’s one of the most unique and captivating frontmen in rock, but instead of just being that guy, he tries to be a lot more. It isn’t necessary or beneficial. This is the same guy who said he didn’t want to “hold the listener’s hand” and that “The Widow” was the worst thing the band has ever done, so this behavior doesn’t come as a surprise. It’s just a shame that he doesn’t see how detrimental this mentality has been.

What does Noctourniquet do right? It finds a middle ground between the extremes of The Bedlam in Goliath and Octahedron. There is a balance of bombast and subtlety. The “ballads” are improved, too. While Bixler-Zavala’s abstract lyrics don’t really make for great ballads, at least this time the arrangements don’t give too much space for the vocals to command the tracks. Tracks such as “Empty Vessels Make the Loudest Sound” and “Vedamalady” bear legitimate beauty and strong dynamics.

Since this material has been in the works for years, the recent At the Drive-In reunion really doesn’t invigorate the sound at all. Diehard fans may reject criticism as failure to accept change, but that’s far from the case. The Mars Volta has failed to find natural inspiration and, instead of focusing on its strengths, the band continues to force creativity. The difference isn’t just something you can hear; it’s something you can feel. Hopefully the guys will remember what it’s like to harness raw energy and passion like they did in ATDI and won’t be so numb next time around.

The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet tracklist:

1. “The Whip Hand”
2. “Aegis”
3. “Dyslexicon”
4. “Empty Vessels Make the Loudest Sound”
5. “The Malkin Jewel”
6. “Lapotchka”
7. “In Abesntia”
8. “Imago”
9. “Malochwalker”
10. “Trinkets Pale of Moon”
11. ” Vedamalady”
12. “Noctourniquet”
13. “Zed and Two Naughts”

During the past few years, Chicago has served as the breeding ground for bands trying to revive the sound that permeated the area in the 1990s. Many have come, and many have gone, but the scene is never lacking in new bands attempting to fill the void of the now-classic indie-emo sound.

One such group is Empty Isle. The band comprises members from other notable Chicago acts—CSTVT, Community College and Lipreader, just to name a few—Empty Isle specializes in indie-tinged emo songs that recall the Promise Ring in its earliest iterations. “Distance in Cigarettes” boasts jangly verses before giving way to a discordant, start-stop chorus. Tied together with noodly interludes and a rhythm section that flirts with collapse, Empty Isle captures the essence of what made past acts so engaging without merely becoming a group wrought with nostalgia.

Throughout the band’s Demo 2012 EP, Empty Isle showcases its knack for injecting subtle melodies into its sounds. “Birthmark Memory” opens with guitarists/vocalists Josh Snader and Keith Buzzard bouncing guitar lines off one another, as the sing-along “woo”s penetrate the listener’s psyche. The Braid-esque “yeah” thrown in near the track’s end only adds to the song’s energetic playfulness and its vintage feel.

Although it is only a five-song EP, Demo 2012 is well-constructed and commands attention throughout its short runtime. The production is lo-fi, and perhaps because of this, it occasionally recalls early Cloud Nothings material. It’s less fuzzed-out, but it has all of the snarled angst that helped Dylan Baldi garner so much praise early in his career. However, where Baldi’s early work often felt a little one-note because he was the sole band member, Empty Isle is already in tune with its group dynamics. The rhythm section, composed of bassist Alysa Snader and drummer Ryan Scaccia, propel songs such as “A Lie Every Time” by never making the loud-quiet transitions predictable or trite.

The five songs that compose Demo 2012 breeze by, leaving the listener pining for more from Empty Isle. The release concisely maps out the band’s sound, and it shows that even with the low production value, the songwriting is able to transcend this. While the group is deftly pulling influence from elder indie-rock acts, it never allows itself to become a mere imitator. Empty Isle takes the best aspects of a past movement, updates them, and comes away sounding as if it could have been part of that scene in the first place.

Empty Isle – Demo 2012 tracklist:

1. “A Lie Every Time”
2. “Wish/Well”
3. “Distance in Cigarettes”
4. “Birthmark Memory”
5. “Drowning Dream”