The Loves - Three & Liechtenstein - Survival Strategies In A Modern World - Reviewed

The Loves - Three
Liechtenstein - Survival Strategies In A Modern World

Whereas you could almost bet your mortgage that Lacrosse's Bandages for the Heart is going to be my favourite pop album of the year two other bands coincidentaly starting with the letter L may well give it a good run for its money.

First up Slumberland Records Liechtenstein with their album/ mini LP Survival Strategies In A Modern World.


A delightfully short nine tracks that suceed in taking the Shop Assistants template and warping it only just enough to make it their ow. Jangly, melodic and catchy as can be, occasionally taking the unexpected route away from the obvious verse chorus verse, but not enough to spoil the fun.

Sounding not too distant from Heavenly and the more reverberated, less distorted parts of the Aislers Set, ie. if they had rerecorded My Boyfriend Could Be a Spanish Man during the Mission Bells sessions, you might begin to get an idea where Liechtenstein are coming from.

Postcard is a glorious stand out with its repeating "Don't leave the cat on its own".


Perhaps better and a most likely contestant to Lacrosse is the new offering from the long loved The Loves, inventively entitled Three, this is the Loves third album to date and perhaps their strongest, if not their strongest, it certainly contains some of their best songs to date.

Ode to Coca Cola and Sweet Sister Delia are fine lessons in the art of writing a pop song, and yes I of all people am always interested in hearing something new and love the idea of stretching music to it's limits but you can rarely beat good old pop, and if that means stealing parts from elsewhere then please do go help yourself. If it ain't broke...

A little bit TRex, a little bit Beach Boys, a little bit fantastic. Both previous downloadle singles, One Two Three and the Ex-Gurlfriend feature and are lovely to hear once again along with the aforementioned favourites and the quite wonderful two and half minutes of pop perfection of You Don't Have To.

One for the appreciative few to wind down the windows, open the sunroof and drive steadily, bopping your head much to the chagrin of confused fellow drivers.

Put simply, i love The Loves and really you should too.

Liechtenstein - Postcard mp3
Liechtenstein - Roses in the Park mp3
Source = Pop Tarts Sucked Toast

The Loves - Ex Gurlfriend EP Download
Myspace

Fanfarlo Bargain

From http://indiemp3couk.wordpress.com/

Fanfarlo are currently selling a digital version of their album Reservoir, along with 4 bonus tracks, for $1 via their website. It’s on sale at this price until July 4th 2009. They say after that, the madness will end and you will be able to get the CD, the vinyl and a beautiful new special edition at normal prices.

My Space | Homepage

Fanfarlo – I’m A Pilot

Clorinde

Based on a recommendation from the man behind the excellent Phantom Channel net label, Clorinde are a rather lovely new discovery. Its no surprise that upon searching i find that the even more amazing Folktronica blog has been raving about them for some time.

Beautiful, fragile and twinkling like the very stars above you on a clear, dark night.

The four tracks here are from the Sound on Poetry project and should give you an idea of where they're coming from whilst we await their debut proper.

Clorinde - Wolfram's Dirge mp3
Clorinde - A Dream Within a Dream mp3
Clorinde - Requiescat mp3
Clorinde - This Living Hand mp3 (this is slightly creepy in a male miranda july kind of way)

Candy Claws , Molly Berg + Stephen Vitiello

Candy Claws - Two Airships/ Exploder Falls

Whilst you may already be getting washed away in their dreamy drifting In the Dream of the Sea Life album you would be strongly advised to take advantage of this wonderful free EP.

The two extended instrumentals that clock in at a combined thirty minutes are some of the freshest pieces I’ve heard in some time, like Tortoise and Ducktails throwing an impromptu beach party on the autobahn, I don't actually think that’s possible but Candy Claws have successfully managed to nail the sound should it ever be.

Candy Claws - Two Airships/ Exploder Falls Zip Download

Molly Berg + Stephen Vitiello - The Gorilla Variations

Its sometimes the case that the leftovers surpass the main meal, like the cold beef you have with chips and mint sauce the day after the roast, or the cold pizza from the night before. Or like one of your mothers meals when she cooks like she's still cooking for five growing children, often the leftovers are just too good to throw away.

In the case of Molly Berg + Stephen Vitiello came together for a soundtrack project commissioned by Brazilian video artist Eder Santos, whose video portrait of a lonely, zoo-dwelling gorilla (named Idi Amin) was the starting point. Although only a three-minute piece was required of the duo, they improvised their way through forty minutes of guitar, clarinet, vocals, field recording and electronics, the results of which then became the basis for this charming and beguiling album.

Organic and whimsical this album enchants from beginning to end, combining the beauty of the dusky forest sounds with slow burning drones. Highly recommended.

Stream 2 tracks here
More Stephen Vitiello to stream here
Lots of Free Stephen Vitiello mp3 here

Taylor Deupree, Stephen Mathieu, Jana Winderen

Taylor Deupree - Weather/ Worn
Stephen Mathieu - The Key to the Kingdom
Jana Winderen - Surface Runoff

I'll admit that drone is not the easiest genre to get into, it takes years of straightforward post rock followed by a departure to more string and piano based instrumental music before it finally clicks, a gentle departure from music being about playing instruments and rather using the everyday sounds and electrical surges to form a hum of pleasing decay.

Its often the case with drone that songs extend past the six, seven minute mark, maybe past fifteen and nearer half an hour, and although I love some of the longer tracks I’m sure that I’m not alone in having been put off by such lengths of time.

The open minded listener who wants to understand why drone is so raved about will no doubt be grateful for these three short releases. Short in length but certainly not in quality.


The impecably named Taylor Deupree, who runs the erm impecable 12k label delivers his first vinyl offering on the label, and the cute story that goes along with it will surely only make you love this release all the more.

These two pieces came about from pottering around on a rainy day with some loop pedals and a collection of instruments including acoustic guitar, kalimba, and bells. Deupree explains: "Pixel, one of my cats, was sleeping next to me as I began to create a warm bed of drones and small noises in an attempt to warm the room and my spirits." As it so happens, the cat in question does actually contribute to these pieces, lending a wheezy snore to the music, immediately bringing to mind the reposeful feel of a Bagpuss episode coming to a close.

Watery and expansive, these are a delight to listen too, interestingly enough the digital release includes an extended version of Worn, cloking in at over 23 minutes and somewhat surprisingly making itself the best track of the bunch given the extra space to breather and expand.


Stephen Mathieu presents the wonderfully entitled The Key To The Kingdom, a two part 10" release, as etheral sounding as it is glaciel, dreamy drones melting away effortlessly and magically.

And finally a most interesting release from Jana Winderen, for those who fell in love with Annea Lockwoods idea of mapping the Danube for her album A Sound Map of the Danube, but just couldn't hack its sparseness, then Jana Winderens Surface Runoff may well satisfy your curiosity, 'Drift' is a collage based on underwater documents from several rivers across different continents, and its as wonderful as it sounds.

Lacrosse - Bandages for the Heart

Lacrosse - Bandages For The Heart

The last Lacrosse album seemed to fit so perfectly into a situation I was encountering in my life around the time it was released, songs like Who Will Brings Us Together, Let's Get Old and You Can't Say No Forever perfectly encapsulated the confusion and thrill that I was going through, the excitement of a new friendship and the strange feeling you get when you can't quite figure out how and when it will go anywhere and in fact why it wasn't and hasn't, the complicated make up of human relationships. Lacrosse put those feelings and scenarios into such perfectly crafted pop songs that really even the most confusing of times could be cushioned with a helping of pop
perfection.

It's sad to say that there are few bands that follow up great debut albums with better or even a standard equivalent to its predecessor, in many cases they either replicate what preceded, at times this works but often the songs seem forced, take Los Camposinos for instance, i was still sweating from their near perfect set at ATP when a new album filtered into existence, rushed and, with the exception of the first few tracks, generally would've been better saved for B sides. The Aislers Set would be another similar reference point, although it was their second album that really shone, the follow up, although good, is a million miles removed, a lovely album of slow burning reverb drenched 60's spector-esque tracks. Good, but not a patch on The Last Match.

So it was with mixed feelings that i pressed play upon receiving Bandages For The Heart, hopelessly excited but equally fully expecting to be disappointed. Fortunately Lacrosse do not disappoint, where I’d be lying if I said that this was better than This New Year Will Be For You And Me it's certainly going to give it a run for its money.


Four songs instantly stand out, the opening brace of We Are Kids & You Are Blind, setting off at lightning pace with the pure pop that we've come to expect and are so happy that has not been lost. If you think that pair is special, then just wait until you get to the, I assume Bonnie Prince Billy referenced, I See a Brightness & maybe even better, It's Always Sunday Around Here, this is pop perfection as far as I’m concerned, like an old friend that no matter what your mood is, you are always happy to hear from or see them. The glockenspiel intro is so typically Lacrosse, very reminiscent of a track from their debut that i can't quite put my finger on, and the lyrics put any doubts that this may be anyone else completely to bed, "Tell me a story/ make the ending happy please/ put some unicorns in there/ and some animals that speak/ don't know where i go wrong/ but it always ends this way/ the world is full of saturdays/ but it's always sunday round here" the muted guitars building and building before exploding at the chorus.

All The Little Things That You Do, My Stop & Come Back Song#1 are growers but are likely to find a place in your heart after just a few listens.

I can't recommend Lacrosse highly enough, this is pop as good as it gets.

Lacrosse - I See a Brightness mp3
Lacrosse - My Plan mp3

Animal Hospital - Memory

Animal Hopsital - Memory

I'd toyed with the idea of investing time into Animal Hospital, i was aware as some may well not be that the aforementioned band are not as twee as they sound and in fact one of a million recommendations last.fm had thrown my way care of my obsession with the Fun Years and other "drone"/"soundscape" types. Some intrigue, some disappoint, as always there will be a hundred poor/ average artists to every great one whatever the genre. Animal Hospital on first impression fall very much into the latter class, mesmerizingly brilliant and refreshingly innovative. Not afraid to drag songs past the fifteen minute mark, but not needlessly as bands of the instrumental variety have a habit of doing. Each note is gently pulled into the realms of sound with care and finesse, sieved to ensure that only quality comes through and the odd bit of experimentation, chilli and chocolate, peanut butter and jam, things that shouldn't work but do and in a more than pleasant manner. Note 5 mins 39 seconds into the glorious His Belly Burst, the guitars out of place, out of tune and yet fitting in like they'd been born to be there. 2 minutes into 2nd anniversary the guitars enter again, two notches too high on the amp, yet the contrast works perfectly.

The closing track Memory swells and ebbs and flows in a way not achieved quite so elegantly since Johann Johannssonns IDM Manual album, a quite beautiful discovery.

Website
Myspace

*I haven't listened to these 3 mp3's yet, they're off his 2004 debut album, Memory is worth checking out even if these don't seem that great

Animal Hospital - 1st Anniversary
Animal Hospital - Paralava
Animal Hospital - Below The Ocean