World's Greatest Ghosts

No Magic

(Lucky Madison; US: 10 Nov 2009; UK: 10 Nov 2009)

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Unlike many releases, World’s Greatest Ghosts debut LP No Magic accurately describes what to expect in the album’s title. The lack of magic shouldn’t be blamed so much on the music, though. This four-piece definitely kicks solid, upbeat tunes with intricate guitar noodling and spiraling keyboards in the vein of Les Savy Fav or fellow Northwesterners, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band. The magic disappears for these earnest popsters in its vocals and lyrics that are worthy of a high-school notebook and nothing else. This review will now conclude with a question to demonstrate with sound reason the mediocre rating this release has received.

Which lyric is not found on World’s Greatest Ghosts debut LP No Magic but rather comes from a Wham! song?

A. “All the signs said, “Do not enter / There’s a monster at the center.”

B. “Call me a pessimist / The days to come are looking bleaker / Give me something to say / I’ll spray it through my loud speaker.”

C. “Why do you have to be so cruel? / You’re such a fool.”

D. “Hold Tight! / The lies shine too bright.”

—Saxon Baird

the Inner Banks

Songs From Disko Bay

(DAG!; US: 15 Sep 2009; UK: 15 Sep 2009)

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The Inner Banks are one of those bands who clearly believes anything is possible. After all, within Songs From Disko Bay, the second full-length from this Brooklyn two-piece, are eight tracks which seem simple enough. But the Inner Banks call on a varied cast of ten different instrumentalists to accompany lead singer Caroline Schutz’s inspired tales of faraway places. From songs that could have begun on acoustic guitars, Schultz plus multi-instrumentalist and husband David Gould draw the sweeping beauty out of these simple songs and manage to create a textured, lush album. It bends with ease from pleasantly subdued acoustic psychedelia to rich, melodic orchestral pop. “Darling” stands as the couple’s best work; few tracks clocking in at six minutes featuring an array of strings could maintain such deft simplicity. Therein lies the secret and the beauty of Songs From Disko Bay.

—Joshua Kloke

Songs for Tuesdays

(Slumberland; US: 14 Jul 2009; UK: 3 Aug 2009)

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the esteemed indie label Slumberland Records. From its humble beginnings as a collective of seminal Washington, DC-based artists such as Velocity Girl, Black Tambourine, and Powderburns to the runaway success of their current roster highlighted by the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Crystal Stilts, former Vivian Girls drummer Frankie Rose, and Pants Yell!, the imprint has proven to be the measuring stick on how to keep a small record label afloat in turbulent economic waters. One of Slumberland’s most impressive releases this year is the debut release from Summer Cats, an Australian-based garage-pop ensemble whose sound is a throwback to the label’s salad days. Songs for Tuesdays is a punchy, perky mix of amped-up melodics that recalls the Go-Betweens if it was recorded by Lenny Kaye for the original Nuggets compilation. While the Pains of Being Pure at Heart seems to have monopolized much of Slumberland’s recent focus, Summer Cats’ kinetic debut is an overlooked addition to the label’s roster that deserves far more attention than it has received.

—Ron Hart

Morningbell

Sincerely, Severely

(Orange; US: 1 Dec 2009; UK: Import)

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Morningbell pull off one stunner of an album. Shimmering glam rock and epic psychedelic anthems litter its fourth full-length release, Sincerely, Severely. Founded by two brothers (Travis and Eric Atria), Morningbell was indeed named after the famous Radiohead song. At times, Travis’ vocals soar like Prince’s “Kiss” falsetto (“Hello, Dali” and the title track), while at others, it shines hues of Perry Farrell, Freddie Mercury, and Robert Plant. Try not to move to the afrobeat rhythms like the ones found on “We’re Marching Off to War”. On the bridges of this aforementioned track, Travis’ subtle yodel is just right. The album is lush with instrumentation, as Eric (bass and theremin), Chris Hillman (drums), and Stacie Thrushman (keyboard) round out the band.

—Sarah Moore

Pieces of Jade

(Resonance Records; US: 8 Sep 2009; UK: 8 Sep 2009)

Bassist Scott LaFaro was only six years into his professional jazz career before dying at age 25 in a fatal car crash in upstate New York two days after accompanying Stan Getz at his legendary 1961 Newport Jazz Festival appearance. In that short span of time, which saw him play on Ornette Coleman’s revolutionary 1960 album Free Jazz and play a key role in Bill Evans’ beloved first trio alongside drummer Paul Motian, LaFaro made such an impact on the modern jazz world that his groundbreaking techniques on the upright bass are the measuring stick to which others are held. Pieces of Jade offers a rare glimpse into LaFaro’s creative process through this eight-track collection of previously unreleased material, including five intriguing performances with his own trio (featuring pianist Don Friedman and drummer Pete LaRoca) culled from a recently released rehearsal tape shortly before his death, a 22-minute recording of LaFaro and Bill Evans working out a section of Evans’ heartbreaking rendition of “My Foolish Heart”, a 1966 interview with Evans remembering his friend and bandmate, and a touching solo piano number, “Memories for Scotty”, penned by Don Friedman that dates back to 1985. The CD accompanies Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFaro, the very first biography written on LaFaro and authored by his sister, Helene LaFaro-Fernandez. Any fan of the jazz bass needs to invest in this indispensable dissertation on one of the craft’s true masters.

—Ron Hart

Volcanoless in Canada

The Way Forward

(Self-released; US: 14 Jul 2009; UK: Import)

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The barren Canadian province of Saskatchewan probably isn’t the first place you’d go if you’re looking for jovial party pop-rock, but after hearing The Way Forward, the debut full-length from Volcanoless in Canada, you might start looking at Saskatchewan a little differently. The crisp, beach-party vibe of the record runs as far away from the traditional notions of the province as possible and keeps the torch burning the entire way. A clean, radio-ready-production value gives the potent harmonies of the three acoustic guitarists a nudge in the right direction, as the rhythms aren’t complex enough to warrant sufficient meddling. The band has perfected the art of transitions as the vocals keep a stellar pace over a variety of bridges, choruses, and the like. The Way Forward stems from unlikely sources but is guaranteed to keep your toes tapping.

—Joshua Kloke

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

(Sony; US: 26 Oct 2009; UK: 26 Oct 2009)

Must this re-release be considered in a different light since Phil Spector’s demise? Should one of his high-water marks of recording and arranging be stripped of its lofty regard because of any criminal activity that occurred in a situation totally divorced from its inception? Of course not! It’s still one of the finest and most festive Christmas records ever made, and given the re-release treatment, it sounds excellent. The finest moment is still the baritone sax solo on “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” from Darlene Love, backed with brilliant light intensity from Spector’s Wrecking Crew, but every single compression of Christmas cheer and despair hits home most satisfyingly. No matter what may have happened to the Spector name in the last decade, certain achievements cannot be tainted for those that love them (even the slightly creepy spoken-word message from Spector himself over “Silent Night”). It’s still a winner by any applicable standard.

—Daniel Ross

Lye By Mistake

Fea Jur

(Black Market Activities; US: 13 Oct 2009; UK: 13 Oct 2009)

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If Dillinger Escape Plan and Psyopus had a baby who loved jazz-fusion and couldn’t talk, you’d have Lye by Mistake. The band is ostensibly metal—it is signed to Metal Blade imprint Black Market Activities, after all—in approach, though it’s obvious on its second album, Fea Jur, the band’s sonic range espouses a much broader spectrum of sensibilities. The improvisation of jazz is at the forefront, accented mercilessly with mind-blowing displays of virtuosic arpeggios and scale progressions most guitar players aren’t nimble enough to manage. “The Condition” and “Vanguard to Nowhere” are prime examples of this technical prowess, though elements of it pervade the entire record like a bizarre musical version of Tourette’s syndrome.

Fittingly, “Invincible Bad Ass” displays the heavier side of Lye By Mistake in a thundering prog-rock wet dream, as does the raging animosity of “Stag”. Then there’s the very out of place and Nick Drake-ish “Missouri Tomater”, which is gently strummed icing on the weird cake. By the time Fea Jur is over, it seems like a schizophrenic hurricane has just roared through your eardrums. At once disorienting, awesome, and destructive, Lye by Mistake has produced a staggering record that will thoroughly impress and confuse, depending on who’s listening.

—Andrew Dietzel