Opinz

Discovery – LP

The premise of Discovery alone is enough to have you worried before you listen – one of the guys from Vampire Weekend and one of the guys from Ra Ra Riot record a synthy R&B pop album in the style of so many modern hitmakers – but the results are even more unlistenable than you’d expect, as these two tumble through every modern pop cliche in the book (handclaps, auto-tune, chopped vocals, repetitive lyrics about shallow romance and clubbing) in a series of poorly and clearly very hastily constructed songs (including an insultingly bad and ill-timed cover of “I Want You Back”) that aren’t even catchy or fun as disposable pop, just silly and obnoxious; LP (groan) is a joke and a disgustingly shameless effort at hipster-baiting.

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Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

Dave Longstreth has built his reputation on the appeal of his constantly wandering ambitions, but never before has he so successfully collected those ambitions in one place than on Bitte Orca, somehow fitting together things like catchy guitar riffs, girl group R&B vocals, and sweeping orchestral interludes in a way that feels more cohesive, accessible, and simply wonderful than many musicians could ever hope to pull off when running in so many different directions at once.

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Wilco – Wilco (The Album)

Jeff Tweedy has suggested that this new album’s humorous title is simply an indication that this is the most Wilco-sounding Wilco album yet, and I must agree – it’s all about balance with this collection of songs, brilliantly written and adorned with expert musicianship, and swaying confidently and seamlessly between the band’s experimental tendencies and their rock and country roots, alligning contrasting tracks like the noisy, atmospheric “Bull Black Nova”, the tender Feist duet “You and I”, and the catchy “Wilco (The Song)” into a singular and unique sound that is quite simply…Wilco.

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Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse – Dark Night of the Soul

Dark Night of the Soul is a big musical collaboration between the band Sparklehorse, ubiquitous producer Danger Mouse, a whole bunch of other people, and David Lynch, who provides an high price artbook full of accompanying visuals (and may or may not give an uncredited vocal performance on the title track); the album is made up of fuzzy, melencholy vignettes about “dark” themes like revenge and suffering but with an overwhelming pop sensibility – the results often live up to the contributor’s reputations and add to the album’s engaging mood (Wayne Coyne on “Revenge”, Iggy Pop on “Pain”, Vic Chestnutt’s “Grim Augury”) but as with any kitchen with this many cooks, missteps are bound to arise. (Nina Persson’s two tracks are pretty meh and Frank Black seems misused)

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Spoon – Got Nuffin

A “surprise” EP set for official release tomorrow, Got Nuffin is a surprisingly big letdown: the title track is so typically Spoon-ish (driving drums, tapped piano and slapped tambourines, yawn) that it will barely stay in your mind for more than a minute or two, before being replaced by a completely pointless and basically amateurish instrumental stab at grainy dubstep or something (accompanied by a “remix” that’s the same track with someone attempting a “rap” that’s either a sadly terrible idea or a midly offensive joke) and a slight ray of hope, “Stroke Their Brains”, which could maybe pass for a second rate Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga track; that album might’ve been their best, but if this is the kind of thing you’re putting out now Spoon, then please, get your shit together.

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Neil Young – Fork In The Road

It’s nice to see artists evolve and not put out the same music over and over again, but the “same old same old” rules don’t apply to Neil Young for two reasons – 1) we’re lucky that Neil Young is even able to sound like Neil Young, unlike some of his contemporaries, and 2) pre-grunge Neil Young and Crazy Horse, which is exactly what Fork In The Road sounds like, is some of the most charming roots rock ever made…the entire album is loosely based around his ’59 Lincvolt project and though one might wonder how to keep such a record from becoming dull it really is an inconsequential note, and it’s nice to see him continue the same themes and styles from the late Crazy Horse era because it works.
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