Saturday, June 1, 2013

Vol. 4 Episode 21




Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead fame has made it onto twitter (@JnnyG)

Veronica Falls will have a new single, the title track for Waiting For Something To Happen, released from their latest album out soon on Slumberland Records.


Here we go...



This is the third album from Vampire Weekend. It was released mid May, 2013. The material for the album was started during the tour for Contra (second album). After the tour the band took a break to pursue other musical projects but reconvened to work on the album in 2011. For the first time the band brought in an outside record producer to work on the album. The album was recorded in various locations including Martha’s Vineyard. There was an XL Recordings exclusive white vinyl pressing that was made available through XL’s web page. It was a couple bucks more expensive plus shipping cost so I ended up getting my copy through Amazon.

The albums sound is darker and more grounded than the first two albums were. This was done to show the bands growth and so that they did not become pigeon holed into one sound. For me their sound is still there, it is just shaded differently. If you listen for it the style of the first two albums is still there on this new album but the music that is on the album is darker, almost depressing but definitely down to earth. Where as the previous two albums floated care free in the clouds.

There have been three tracks released as singles so far. The first two are a double A side single. Diane Young comes off as a Prince inspired fun track. The vocals use a pitch shift pedal during the chorus that shift above and below the vocalists’ normal pitch. It is a trick that comes off as odd but works well with the song. I first heard the track on my local radio station 89.3 The Current. I thought it was an odd song the first couple of times that I heard the song but it sort of grew on me. I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of the album after hearing the song on the radio.

The AA side of this single is called Step. I had never heard this track before getting the album. The song is a slow track with a cool piano part that just makes sense. The chorus is a bit strange though. He sings, “The gloves are off, the wisdom teeth are out.” Maybe I just don’t understand the song but that pair of lines just doesn’t make any sense to me. That doesn’t mean the song isn’t just as sweet as any of the other songs on the album though.

The third single from the album is called Ya Hey. This track is another slow track that I have not heard on the radio yet. I would have thought that with a track called Ya Hey it would have been a lot more fun than it actually is. The chorus comes off as a bit silly with an interesting high pitch shifted response to the vocalists lyrics. It is so high pitched that it is unintelligible.

The last two tracks on the album are so monotonous and slow they bore me to pieces. I usually cut the album when the second to last track starts playing. Those two tracks are called Hudson and Young Lion.

All in all a good new album with a new sound from the band. I do think that every one should hear Diane Young but if you are not a fan of the group then don’t worry about the rest of the album.


This is the groups fifth album release (including the soundtrack to Tron Legacy). It was released in late May, 2013. There are quite a few people that have helped out with this album. Some of those names include Panda Bear, Julian Casablancas, Todd Edwards, DJ Falcon, Chilly Gonzales, Giorgio Moroder, Nile Rodgers, Paul Williams, and Pharrell Williams. Daft punk themselves have taken a step back from electronic styled music in favor of late 70s/early 80s pop rock and disco styled music. They have even limited themselves to primarily drum machines, a modular synthesizer and vintage vocoders.

There has only been one single released from the album so far. That song is called Get Lucky. The song was cowritten and featureing by Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers. The song is a disco/funk track about the fortune of finding chemistry with someone and not just about sexual chemistry. I was not really sure about this track as I had only heard the beginning or the end of the track. I really like the vocoders that are used on the vocals with this group. When I finally heard the whole song I was relieved to hear that the vocoders were not abandoned. The use of live musicians, especially with this track, gives a new light to the group.

I don’t think that there is really a bad track on the album if you’re looking for a throw back to the late 70s/early 80s. This album is not one that I could listen to over and over though. It is a good album if you’re in the mood for a new retro sound.

This is the third and last 7” scheduled to be released for the new album. This was supposed to be released as a download as well as 7” vinyl but the band has still yet to put it up for download at any of the usual sites. It is available still in black, everywhere, and purple, at chunklet. There was also a clear pressing that was limited to 200 copies. I ordered my copies as soon as it was available and got both the purple and clear copies.

This is a three track single with the A side coming from the upcoming album and the B side having two tracks exclusively on this single. The A side track is called Disintegrate. It features backing vocals from Liz Durrett. Liz Durrett is a folk artist who is signed on Warm Electronic Recordings, a small record company based in Athens Georga that Brian Causey (A.K.A. Starcrunch) operates. The song itself is very punchy or hard hitting. Starcrunch has his usual flat vocals that work well with the space theme. Durrett’s vocals are fantastic and have a space like floaty sound to them.

The first B side track is called Baby’s First Spacewalk. There are no vocals on this track. The song is very playful in nature and is very easy to dance to considering the beat is quick and fun. This track is more surf than space but considering the title there is an image in my head that is more space than surf.

The second track on the B side is called Defcon 0. This is an all electronic track that is more experimental in nature than anything else. The song is very short, clocking in at just over a minute long. It is also very depressing as it is the last number in the series of Defcon tracks (Defcon 5-1 will be on the album).


This is a special download put up by Sea Wolf and Noisetrade. It is a pay what you want EP that contains two tracks from Old World Romance and three rarities that come from the same recording session. The songs deal with major life changes - the death of a close relative, the birth of a child, relocation, relationships, and the general weight of life. They're songs of growing up and facing the fears and realities of adulthood. All five songs are very beautiful but I could tell why the rarities were left off the album. They just don’t have that special something that the other tracks on the album have. This could be due to production values on these songs or it could just be that they are not as good as those chosen for the album.

I talked about the first track on the EP, Old Friend, on Vol. 3 Episode 41. I had this to say about the track, “This song is a great lead off song for the album. It has a great beat. It is sort of funny because most Sea Wolf songs are slow and this one has a quick beat that is unexpected. It is almost danceable. I love the acoustic guitar and electric guitar back and forth that happens in this song too. It is a pretty song that floats but still has pop sensibility with the exceptional drums on the track.”

The second track from the album that is also on this EP is called Kasper. The organ and backing vocals are what really make this song for me. The vocals are standard Sea Wolf vocals but the organ and vocals that happen in the breaks are so pretty they seem to float like clouds with the sun shining through them. It is just beautiful. I could really listen to this song over and over. The drums come off as sporadic but rhythmic almost a bit jerky but they still work well within the parameters of the song.

The third song is called Old World Romance. Obviously this would have been the title track but it didn’t end up on the album. This is a slightly slower track. In the chorus he sings, “I don’t belong here, I don’t belong here, I don’t belong here but I belong here.” This is really how I feel about my life since I had to start all over, it seems, since my divorce ten years ago. I am still not at the same place I was back then. This is good and bad. It is a completely new life now.

The fourth song is called Sons & Daughters. This track picks up the pace. I like the acoustic guitar that is played in this track. It is very fast strummed. The organ that is used is very sweet but the synth that is used comes off to me as a bit spooky. It is still a very good song but a bit different than I would have expected from Sea Wolf.

The last track on this EP is called Two Strangers. This track slows it down a bit again. It kind of reminds me of Leaves In The River but a bit more striped down. It is a completely different track but has that style. It has a break through uplifting feel. As if a struggle was taking place but is over come in the end. The song makes me feel good that life may get better if I keep at it.

Remember this is a pay what you want download EP from Noisetrade. Don’t avoid this EP get it as soon as you can, you won’t be sorry. You can listen to all the tracks at the album link.

That is all I have for now...

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