Choir of Young Believers: This Is for the White in Your Eyes

Choir of Young Believers does't have the weirdest name in indie rock, but it's kinda up there (Architecture in Helsinki or Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin have that honor). What is a bit weird--in a good way--is their sound. I'm not sure how to describe it, but if I had to give it a go, I'd say it's part Fleet Foxes (lead singer's voice/lots of reverb) with an Arcade-Fire-on-horse-tranquilizers backing band. The band's label says CoYB makes musical nods to influences diverse as Roy Orbison, Pixies, The Beach Boys, and Hank Williams (and you thought Arcade Fire on horse tranquilizers was weird!).

CoYB is fronted by Jannis Noya Makrigiannis. Jannis was involved in Copenhagen's underground indie scene for a few years before he took a Justin Vernon-esque trip in 2006 and isolated himself to discover his new sound. Instead of a cabin in Wisconsin, Jannis took refuge on the Greek island of Samos. When he returned to Denmark, Jannis formed CoYB, which is sometimes just Jannis on guitar and a cellist (see YouTube video below), but at other times the CoYB stage contains seven other musicians in addition to Jannis (see Vimeo video below).

"Action/Reaction," the album's upbeat single, is in stark contrast to the rest of the album, which often showcases a melancholy melody and lyrics from "Next Summer": "Next summer I will return, / I'll be back, / I'll break your heart." Sometimes the song titles are enough to depress you ("Hollow Talk" and "Why Must It Always Be This Way" for example). Unlike Phoenix--a band that also doesn't sing in their native tongue--CoYB's straightfoward lyrics don't come off as cheesy: "Where do you go when it all goes down, / You battle ballance, your patterns, / Back to all the thoughts that they killed your youth, / No one deserves this" from the track "Claustrophobia."

Even though the album seems full of downers, it doesn't depress me. The music is gorgeous and the lyrics are cunning. I would've loved it if some of the faster-paced tunes from previous EPs (Burn the Flag) would have made cut, but I'll settle for these ten tracks.

Blurb: This Is for the White in Your Eyes wouldn't make the best background music at a party (see above: Phoenix), but it's a good album and one of 2009's best debuts.
Grade: B

Patrick Watson: Wooden Arms

I first came across Patrick Watson in 2007 when his 2006 release, Close to Paradise, defeated Arcade Fire's Neon Bible for the Polaris Prize (the Canadian version of the Mercury Prize, which is the British version of the Grammys--if the Grammys had credibility and actually honored the albums that deserved to be awarded). At the time I scoffed and pretty much ignored Mr. Watson.

Well, last month I had some remaining downloads over at eMusic and I decided I'd use them on Paradise and finally see what all the fuss was about (two years late, I know!). Wow. Wow. I now understand--completely--why Paradise defeated the glow of Arcade Fire's Good Book (I'm not saying I agree, I'm simply saying I "get it"). A couple of weeks after picking up Paradise, I got my hands on Mr. Watson's latest (2009) release, Wooden Arms.

Since I acquired both albums within such a short time of each other, it was impossible not to compare them at every turn. At first, I was disappointed with Arms and I wanted to return to Paradise, but I kept listening and eventually Mr. Watson's Arms grew on me (although not in an I'm-a-four-armed-freak kind of way).

Arms doesn't have as many hits has Paradise has ("Close to Paradise," "Giver," "Luscious Life," "Drifters," and "Great Escape"), but it does boast a stable of strong tracks and it displays Watson's growth as he ventures further into sonic exploration (tracks like "Tracy's Waters," "Beijing," and "Fireweed" feature a bevy of rich, layered, and unique sounds). There is also the beautiful simplicity in "Man Like You," the simple and haunting nature of the title track and "Traveling Salesman," and the Americana (Canadicana?) that the song "Big Bird in a Small Cage" exhibits. Additionally, "Where the Wild Things Are" will likely be one of my top five songs from 2009 (sadly, no video exists ... yet).

Blurb: Perhaps Arms isn't the album that Paradise is, but it's still a fine album with a pair of the best songs of the year--"Wild Things" and "Tracy's Waters"--and it's probably going to be my pick for this year's Polaris Prize.
Grade: B+

Miike Snow: Miike Snow

I was unaware there was any amount of hype around Miike Snow's self-titled debut. Never having heard anything, a friend of mine passed along this album back in early July and it really grew on me. I had previewed the album on Amazon, but I tell ya, those 30-second clips just aren't enough sometimes. (I purchased a Gentleman Jesse album based on a series of 30-second clips and man do I regret that. I listened to that album once and deleted it.)

Miike Snow is a collection of three Swedes that have been in the biz for a while. They were all intricately involved in the composition of Britney Spears' song "Toxic." I had actually read that somewhere before I heard the album, so I was prejudiced against Miike; I was looking for reasons to dislike them. However, similar to their fellow countrymen Peter Bjorn & John, Miike Snow knows how to lay down electronic beats. However, they do not sound like PB&J; I would describe them as Animal Collective for Dummies (in other words, if Animal Collective had created an album for the average listener). Miike Snow sort of sounds like Ratatat remixing Passion Pit covering Animal Collective (at least to my ears).

I would like this album even more if it were harder hitting at points or evidenced more depth or layers, but maybe the lack thereof is why I'm calling this album Animal Collective for Dummies. The album also suffers a bit from having its best track--"Animal"--as its first track. When the bar is raised at the very beginning, the other songs simply can't measure up.

Blurb: If you were hesitant to join the [Animal] Collective, Miike Snow makes resistance a little less futile. :)
Grade: B

The Moondoggies: Don't Be a Stranger

I stumbled across The Moondoggies on an NPR blog detailing the "Top 11 Debut Albums of 2008." I listened to their stuff and put them on my Amazon wishlist, but my wish didn't come true until three weeks ago. Initially I dismissed The Moondoggies as a poor man's Blitzen Trapper, but after giving Don't Be a Stranger a full spin, I quickly realized the error of my ways. There are strains of BT in there, but also Dr. Dog, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Band, and even Wilco. Yes, I think their sound is that diverse.

There's just something magical about [semi-Southern] rock, summer, and a road trip. I piped this album through my stereo as I traveled to my parents' house for the 4th of July and what a glorious soundtrack Stranger proved to be. I can't think of an album I'd rather have blaring while I'm driving down the highway with the windows rolled down.

The somewhat surprising aspect of Stranger, especially since these boys are from Seattle, is the [mostly successful] employment another Southern tradition: gospel. This is most evident in the song "Jesus on the Mainline," but it feels less forced in "Save My Soul," and "Ain't No Lord," the latter of which boldly proclaims: "Ain't no Lord gonna judge me now, / Ain't no one gonna put me down, / Ain't no home to rest my bones, / Ain't no woman gonna put me down." Clearly, The Moondoggies have also embraced another Southern tradition: abusing the English language. :)


Blurb: Don't Be a Stranger is not only one of last year's best debut albums, it's one of last year's best records. Period... err, exclamation point!
Grade: A

Unfortunately, they don't have a music video, so all I could find were live performances and and a "video" ... none of these are my favorite songs:

Shotgun Stories

It seems like I went all semester without seeing a great movie. I liked Slumdog, but thought it was a bit overrated (and maybe a bit too saccharin?). Shotgun Stories, however, completely bowled me over. As soon as I finished watching it, I turned right around and watched the director's commentary. I have no clue how this slipped by big film festivals, the Oscars, and year-end lists ostensibly unnoticed and remarkably unheralded.

Shotgun Stories tells the tale of two different families: one that was abandoned by their father, another that was raised by that same formerly-fleeing father. The abandoned children were left at the mercy of their unloving mother in a working-class world, while the father's new family experienced the love, support, and relative financial prosperity that he provided.

The father dies near the film's outset (he never appears on screen), and these two previously separate worlds collide, once Son, the eldest of the three abandoned boys, speaks his mind at the father's funeral (their father's lack of devotion is most evident--but never explicitly explained--by the fact that the children have the names Son, Boy, and Kid). The other family, the ones that benefited from their father's sobriety and religious conversion, are angered by Son's disparaging eulogy, and what emerges is a modern tragedy of Shakespearean dimensions.

The film's writer and director, Jeff Nichols, grew up Arkansas and the film is set in its rural areas. The focus on the area's natural beauty, simple surroundings, and long scene transitions had me convinced that Nichols was ripping off David Gordon Green ... until I watched the commentary and found out they had been classmates at film school and DGG put his own cash into the film when he became one of its producers. Furthermore, the film's cameras and second unit were the very same that DGG employed in George Washington and perennial Cine-Men favorite, All The Real Girls. Thus, I excused Nichols from any sort of infringement into DGG's territory.

The surprise for me here was Michael Shannon, the actor that played Son. I couldn't remember seeing him in anything and the trailer actually made me a bit skeptical of his talent, but his calculated and contained rage were perfectly portrayed for what his character embodied. A minor character (that actually plays an important role) named Shampoo provided a bit of necessary laughter to offset the film's deadly serious tone.

Blurb: An absolutely outstanding piece of cinema that somehow was--and still is--under the radar. I can't wait for Jeff Nichols' next project, even though it's entitled Goat.
Grade: A+

Here's the trailer if you want: