Now that I am getting a little older and have seen some bands develop, I have seen a pattern in how bands should and do develop. Smith Westerns are no different. They came out with a youthful, less produced album that made some headway into the music scene. On their next album, Dye It Blonde, they grew up a little and made a mature, fuller sounding album. It is less lo-fi and more lo-tide. It is more fragile in most places, like a freshly frozen lake that still has points of danger that you can break through and drown in. I am admittedly not a huge fan of their sound, but I respect it. Dye It Blonde is more evolved and meaningful. Pitchfork received it well and I will follow suit.
Rating = 8.2
Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean
Most people know Iron & Wine as a twangy, guitar-picking, soft-folk band, but with 2007's The Shepherd's Dog, Sam Beam turned it up a notch. He added a few more instruments and a lot more umph. Well, with Kiss Each Other Clean he tried to go even further with the development of Iron & Wine's sound. It was a big risk-reward attempt, and I think he came up a little short. While the album is good and very enjoyable it has no breakthrough on any level. The lyrics do not really pull me in any direction, the sound is simple and a little dry, but worst of all it does not seem original. Beam is so good at making a song sound his own. On Kiss Each Other Clean it sounds like he got the music from someone else.
Rating = 7.5
The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
I think when a band is as accomplished as The Decemberists they begin to just make music that makes them happy. No risks, no darkness, no drab. Only the great bands are able to keep those things alive that make great albums. On The King Is Dead, The Decemberists just make good, safe music. To be honest with you, I think it was the right move. Their last album, the god-awful Hazards of Love was a bomb of an album. They needed to make an album that proved that good music was still in them and they did. They actually had the #1 album on the Billboard 200 after one week of being on sale. That is pretty awesome if you ask me. So, just a review of this review, The King Is Dead is safe, is good, and it proves "The Decemberists Are Alive".
Rating = 7.4
Karkwa - Les Chemins De Verre
This francophone French-Canadian band released this album last year, but I just got around to listening to it and well... it's amazing. If you go back and check my albums of the year, you will see it slipped into the Top 50 after a little reworking. The album is full of life and exuberance in most places, and in between it is reserved and focused. The band has been around since 1998 and this is their moment. Les Chemins De Verre (and yes I remember my french, it means "The Glass Paths") was shortlisted for the Polaris Prize in 2010 and it eventually beat out the likes of Owen Pallet, Caribou and Broken Social Scene for the win. I had not heard of the album or the band until it won, so I wanted to share them with everyone because they are an experience to listen to and they come highly recommended from me.
Rating = 8.5
