Arts in ReviewSoundBites (Mikal Cronin, Second Family, Phoenix, She & Him)

SoundBites (Mikal Cronin, Second Family, Phoenix, She & Him)

This article was published on May 13, 2013 and may be out of date. To maintain our historical record, The Cascade does not update or remove outdated articles.
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Print Edition: May 8, 2013

Mikal Cronin - MCII

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mikal Cronin
MCII

The spring months often contain releases that are summer-ready, reminding the listener that those winter dreams of lounging in the sun while sipping a beer are about to be realized. The past two springs have seen the release of Best Coast’s sun-soaked The Only Place and Noah Lennox’s chillwave-inspired Tomboy, and for me both records provided a soundtrack to those summers, with disjointed memories attached to each track. Mikal Cronin, a member of the Ty Segall Band, moved to California to record MCII, an album that I see fitting the bill of this spring’s introduction to summer record, not just because of its summery vibe, but because of Cronin’s out of sync mood throughout the record. Falling somewhere between a garage rock and pop record, Cronin focuses the theme’s of MCII on his apprehension moving forward in life, trying to remain hopeful while frequently haunted by his past. On “See It My Way,” Cronin laments, “I hear the song/ I wanna sing along with you/ But when I try I’m out of tune/ I turn and walk away.” A maturing artist with an ear for arrangements is always a treat to listen to, and Mikal Cronin demonstrates that he has truly emerged from Segall’s shadow with this release.

TIM UBELS

Second Family - Second Family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second Family
Second Family

The album art for the self-titled debut EP from Vancouver’s Second Family sports a collage of ‘80s and ‘90s sitcom families. The Cosbys, the Tanners, the Connors. All accounted for. Okay, I get it. Television is like a second family, Second Family, you clever bastards. Less clever is the music contained inside. Musically, the band draws on a bland, vaguely post-punk range of influences that could slot them in nicely alongside your standard, middle-of-the-road Peak 102.7 faves. While the sonic palette isn’t particularly original, the musicianship is pretty stellar. That’s what’s so disappointing about this EP; it’s a group of seemingly-talented performers turning out half-baked work. The production is right on the money, but the songwriting is middling, tepid, and downright boring. The EP’s most interesting track, “Summer Daze” starts out promising, with playful, palm-muted guitar interplay, but it never goes anywhere. The lead vocals would be a fairly serviceable baritone if it wasn’t for the incessant and irritating yelps punctuating nearly every line. If this is the best Second Family can offer, perhaps the band’s members would be better off finding other ways to wield their considerable talents.

NICK UBELS

Phoenix - Bankrupt!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phoenix
Bankrupt!

“Almost anything/almost everything” go two separate refrains from Phoenix’s “Bourgeois,” one of ten assured yet aggressive tracks on Bankrupt! that isn’t so much a statement of intent as a pleasurably recursive continuation of the album’s larger sound. Each anthem (and save the outro of “Chloroform” and the “Love Like a Sunset”-recalling all buildup of the title track, that’s what each comes across as) plays into the same wanting of extremes: the safety of solipsism (“I’d rather be alone”), the perfection of coexistant eternity (“I wish I knew you from before/‘Til I die”), but together more a reflection of the anxiety of the two brought together (“and you can’t cross the line/but you can’t stop trying” again and again on “S.O.S. In Bel Air”). Thomas Mars’ lyrics cut off into partial epigrams, yet strike unambiguously in repetition, achieving a mix that leans more toward near-straight dance than the airy rock of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, leaving the questions of “do we have to know what truth is?” cuts of “self-entitled portraits,” and down note of “I’ll never know/you” an equally unconcerned and urgent tone that carries consistently through the album: “under stress/whatever” to an energy line of synths and guitar-drowning drumkit.

MICHAEL SCOULAR

She & Him - Volume 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She & Him 
Volume 3

She & Him have always been a contemporary throwback kind of band, generally going to the ‘60s and ‘70s for inspiration. And nothing in that regard has changed here with the release of Volume 3. The band, composed of main vocalist Zooey Deschanel—who seems to be able to do no wrong in anything she does—and M. Ward, have somehow created something much more than a novelty act over the years. It’s actually been five years since their first LP was released and they continue to improve, notably in production quality with this newest album. Spanning 14 tracks, including three covers, Deschanel’s voice is very sweet as song types range from Motown sounds to the twang of country music’s golden age. What is most likely be the album’s biggest single is the second track to appear, “Never Wanted Your Love.” It’s a light pop-driven ballad, light on the lyrics but strong on the sentiment. Following that is “Baby” and the first to feature a duet between Deschanel and Ward. A favourite, “I Could’ve Been Your Girl,” is rich and powered by Ward’s expressive guitar. Finally, “Sunday Girl” has to be mentioned simply because it’s a bilingual song, partly in French. It would be hard to say any song found here is forgettable, as each is simply unique and ignoring that would be a mistake. As a whole, this album at least stands on par with their previous work – if not above.

JOE JOHNSON

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