Print Edition: March 28, 2012
The Shins
Port of Morrow
After a five-year hiatus, James Mercer has refashioned The Shins to match his evolving creative output in the same manner that Jeff Tweedy rebuilt Wilco 10 years ago. While Port of Morrow is not nearly as potent as Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, it is a heartening and vibrant return: a collection of simultaneously caustic and delicate, sharply-penned pop songs that boasts a better-than-average ratio of diamonds to coal. Mercer impressively resists self-indulgence in spite of the doubly-enabling environment of a big-budget production and what essentially amounts to a solo album. No longer constrained by bedroom recording or the creative wills of bandmates as equals, Mercer can be just as sensitive and subtle as ever, though he certainly takes advantage of the wider range of tools at his disposal when warranted. Sonically, Port of Morrow picks up where Wincing the Night Away left off, but kind of blows The Shins’ early aesthetic to pieces, drawing on a much wider range genres and styles from hazy, psychedelic R & B (“Port of Morrow”) to ’70s AM radio (“Fall of ’82”) in addition to familiar, but freshly-tilled ground on tracks like “Simple Song,” “Bait and Switch,” and “September.”
Gentleman Jesse
Leaving Atlanta
Recorded over three years ago in front man Jesse Smith’s basement, Gentleman Jesse’s sophomore release Leaving Atlanta was unexpectedly delayed because of strange and unforeseen events in Smith’s life. After releasing his self-titled debut in 2008, he got beat up with a table leg while helping a stranger change a tire and had to recover from a broken nose in the hospital. On top of that, he lost several young friends in succession, including Jay Reatard and Bobby Ubangi, to whom Leaving Atlanta is dedicated. The album plays much differently after learning about such trying circumstances, as the jovial feel and Smith’s belting voice comes across as weary, but at the same time sincere. Darkness shrouds every note of every song, as Smith’s looming loss of innocence is stabilized by the kinetic energy of his band, The Men, and their carefree power pop tunes. His emotionally honest songwriting and melodic hooks are modeled after the energetic groups of the new wave era, bringing fresh talent to a classic genre long forgotten.
The Wooden Sky
Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun
The Wooden Sky’s third album, Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun, is the perfect solution for calming your nerves. This album is bound to keep you relaxed during this very stressful, exam-ridden time of year. The band’s sound is distinctive as it plays with genres, not really fitting into any one in particular. It is a mix of indie-rock, alternative-country, and soul. Although I am not a country listener, if country sounded more like The Wooden Sky, it may make a listener out of me. Lead singer Gavin Gardiner’s authentic voice carries the album with passion. The songs on Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun, are perfect for reflection, but won’t exactly have you dancing on the bar. This album is experimental, refusing to reduce itself to anything less than its unconventional musical style.
Mati Zundel
Amazonico Gravitante
Mati Zundel’s Amazonico Gravitante blends South American indigenous beats with wind instruments and upbeat grooves. From the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Zundel explores his homeland of Argentina with sounds from various South American countries, such as native instruments from the Andes and digital cumbia beats. Amazonico Gravitante is Latin in its entirety, yet it blends perfectly with modern dance tracks that get you moving. Recently joining Waxploitation records, Amazonico Gravitante is an album that allows the listener to explore dance tracks and melancholy melodies, while mixing the past with the present. Some of the tracks which stood out were “Taki Onkoi,” a haunting melody that blends wind flutes and murmuring chants, as well as “Zinud vs. Melo de Tababa.” The music itself of Amazonico Gravitante is the language of the album, and even if the listener doesn’t understand Spanish, this album still maintains a universal message that inspires the listener to enjoy the music and get off their chair and dance.
