Featured Artist: The Joy Formidable

The Joy Formidable

The Joy Formidable are very different than the other bands I usually feature. For one, their Welch. Despite that, the big reason they are so different is because I fully expect them to be selling out Millennium Stadium in Cardiff some day, which they opened for Paul McCartney at in 2010. These guys are going to be huge. How do I know? Well, the have the same exact epic, power-pop, three-piece formula Muse has except The Joy Formidable is talented!

Formed in 2007 by Ritzy Bryan (Vocals and Guitar), Rhydian Dafydd (Bass), and Matt Thomas (Drums), The Joy Formidable have earned comparisons to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Besnard Lakes. They have toured the world, played Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds Festivals, and named to many "Watch" lists. All on the strength on their debut album titled The Big Roar. And may I say that this is one of the most appropriately titled albums ever! It is a ruckus of loud, powerful, sensational tracks. Epic in nature and delightful in passing The Big Roar is a fine album that shows future promise of this threesome. But the biggest reason I think they will be so big is because of their live shows.

They are spirited, vigorous and most importantly fun. They were in Durham last week and as much as I wanted to see them, I just wasn't feeling well enough to go. I know I missed out because of the first hand accounts of the show that I read about or talked to people about gave them an A+. Here is a video that somewhat represents what i am talking about. The sound quality isn't great, but you get the gist.

Anyways, check out the album, and listen to them before they sell out. The music is great, but not the typical indie rock that I listen to. Which makes it a little more special.

Tracks to Check Out:

- Whirring

- The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade

- A Heavy Abacus

- The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie

Thom Yorke Live DJ Set

On Wednesday, March 9th Thom Yorke made a surprise live appearance at an L.A. club called Low End Theory. He DJed for a little while, did some more of his awesome dances and left. It wasn't announced, it wasn't planned, but it was awesome! Here's some video from it:

Thom Yorke Live DJ Set @ Low End Theory LA 3.9.11 from Theo Jemison on Vimeo.

Review Session: Radiohead's The King of Limbs

The King of Limbs by Radiohead

I know the music world may not have been shocked by what Radiohead did the other week with their surprise release of their new album The King of Limbs. However, I believe the surprise was in the album itself. It has only 8 tracks, the least amount they've had on an album. It is less than 38 minutes long, their shortest album. It is more complex than a regular Radiohead album, which is saying something. But the biggest shock of them all is that for once, it isn't getting great reviews.

Usually, anything Radiohead does is met with bold critical acclaim, praise from the indie world and Pitchfork on it's knees in worship. Pitchfork gave it a 7.9, the lowest score they have ever given Radiohead. This time, The King of Limbs hasn't gotten that preferential treatment or the articles discussing whether or not it is the best album of the year. It hasn't made a movement of new fans sweeping into indie stores and picking up all their hits (as of yet). And for this, I applaud Radiohead. This album is made for the die-hard "Radioheads", that don't just buy their music because it's Radiohead, but because it's good fucking music. And The King of Limbs is fucking good!

It took me about three days and between 12-15 listens before I could feel it getting to me. It has taken me even longer to get this blog post out because I am still discovering new things about this album. New twangs and drips, new structures and lyrics, new stuff I didn't know Radiohead could or would ever do. This will not go down as their greatest album, not even top 5, but in my mind it is their greatest present to their truest of fans.

The King of Limbs starts with a heady beat that builds it's title track "Bloom" into an anthropic journey of nature, discovery and one's self. Yes, it is deep ... very deep. The next track, "Morning Mr. Magpie" is the heaviest of the sounds brought to us on the album, but it reality it is quite a bit lighter than Radiohead has been in the past. The track has a stringy bassline, steady rhythms and organic vocals from Thom Yorke. Then comes "Little By Little". This is the prized track on the album. It reminds me of something off of Amnesiac, but I cannot put my finger on it. This followed quickly by the experimental and instrumental "Feral". I have heard people say this is the worst song on the album and people say it is magnificent. I tend to think it leans more to the magnificent side. It has moxy and balls, and I like that out of Radiohead.

The second half of the album starts with "Lotus Flower", which changes it's flow up and down, in and out. It hardens and softens at the most appropriate times. The music video actually makes it better. "Codex" follows and definitely reminds me of a more advanced version of "Sail To The Moon". The seventh track on the album is "Give Up The Ghost", which is gorgeous! It is sad, haunting, and simple. Three things that make beautiful songs. The final track on this album is the most sophisticated, vivid track that Radiohead may have ever done. Remember they've done tracks like "Paranoid Android", "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" and "2+2=5". It is a potent ending to a potent album.

My rating will most likely be higher than most, and I do not know if I am being ridiculous, but I love it. The King of Limbs is a triumph for Radiohead. Again, they made music how they wanted to and no one can fault them for it. If no one else in the world liked it, at least I did.

Rating = 8.6

Featured Artist: James Blake

James Blake

At the age of 21 James Blake has released 4 succesful EPs and 1 incredibly well recieved LP. He's been listed in Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums (#8) and Top 50 Tracks (#8) of 2010. He's been named to BBC's Sound of 2011 list (#2), made an ingenious cover of Feist's "Limit To Your Love", and come in runner-up for the BRIT Awards Critic's Choice. Did I mention he is only 21? If I'm honest James Blake is the son of the new revolution in music... Minimalism! His songs are simple yet satisfying, deep but not at first glance, careful yet powerful. His music is just sexy (I didn't say he was, I said his music was).

Blake takes on a new approach to music. He makes tons and tons of it and choose's what he likes best and then takes it apart until it's just skin and bones. His debut self-titled, full-length album was given a 9.0 by Pitchfork and multiple 5 star awards from various media outlets. I even gave it a 9.0 in my rankings, which is usually a little lower than Pitchfork's. It is that good. It actually reminds me of The xx's album in 2009 because on the first listen you think, "This is good, but what's all the fuss?" Then you listen to it more and the songs get ingrained in your head and you can listen for the wierd little moments in his songs where he drops a beat for all of 3 seconds. And in those 3 seconds with no words, you realize that a lot is being said. He is a magician the way he fools the listener into believing there is more there than there really is. Just check it out and you will know what I'm talking about. Oh, and man can he sing!

Tracks to Check Out:

- Limit to your Love (Feist Cover)

- Wilhelm's Scream

- I Only Know (What I know Now)

- Measurements

Review Session: The Blitz

Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde

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