What the Creative Loafing music team is jamming to break through the Monday malaise and rocket launch the week… Click here to check out previous entries.
– Sufjan Stevens, The Age of Adz (2010)
It's not a release for everyone, but I just can't get enough of this album. It opens with Sufjan's typically delicate notes and soft vocals on "Futile Devices," making the exploding electronica of the next song, "Too Much," seem all the more unusual — until the vocals kick in and you remember exactly who you're listening to. It sets the tone for the entire release, which walks a delicate line between cacophony and precision; held together by unspeakably gorgeous orchestration and some of the most intimate lyrics we've ever heard from Sufjan. Obviously, the most discussed tracks are going to be the 25-minute long AUTOTUNED "Impossible Soul," and the unexpected F-bomb of the year on "I Want to be Well."
The album is scheduled for release on October 12, but is streaming on NPR now until that date, because public radio kicks ass. If you agree — go to WMNF.org and make a pledge for the fall fund drive; this one is crucial to keeping the station going as we know it…
Nicole – forgetters, Too Small to Fail EP (2010)
forgetters are a trio featuring Blake Schwarzenbach, Kevin Mahon and Caroline Paquita. The forgetters doubl 7" has four excellent tracks: "Vampire Lessons," "Too Small to Fail," "Not Funny" and "The Night Accelerates." Predictably, since I am a sucker for ear candy, my favorite song is the super catchy title track. They played the Ritz in March; hope they will be back again soon. Check out my pics from there performance here.
This article appears in Sep 30 – Oct 6, 2010.