07/18 – 07/22:

Des Ark, Don't Rock the Boat, Sink the Fucker!

A very interesting record. A study in contrast and contradiction. Emotionally gripping. Pretty much tailor made for my ears. Des Ark put funny titles on serious music. They play fragile, haunting melodies that give way to raucous rock music and then recede again, like a wave. The vocals seem intentionally obscured much of the time, delivering extremely personal stories in a hushed whisper or buried in the mix, which only make the frequent huge choruses and chants that more powerful, while making the listener turn it up and play the record again immediately. The whole album must be taken together, with recurring themes both musical and lyrical and the end of one song blurring into the beginning of another. This is a record that really engages you.

Des Ark, “Bonne Chance, Asshole”


In Flames, Sounds of a Playground Fading

The 10th studio album by the melodic death metal pioneers comes right after Des Ark in my playlist of all the albums I’ve bought in 2011, and it fits surprisingly well. It’s dark, but not in what you might call a traditionally metal way. If anything, the songs seem to be about... well, the end. In Flames founder Jesper Strömblad left the band before this record to work on his alcohol addiction, so the strangely effecting lyrics about leaving and the end could be about that. But much of it, with lyrics like “The same road for far too long/Was it meant to be, we are losing identity/Faith has been denied, Let's not pretend/This Is this the first time, we just don't belong” and a moody spoken word interlude about saying good-bye and “vanishing through the Jester’s Door” (The Jester has been a prominent symbol in the band since their 2nd album), could really be taken as saying good-bye. Musically, they manage to keep things familiar without Jesper while still trying out some new ideas, too, some more successful than others. The album’s closer is the least-metal thing a metal band’s ever done, and I’m including Opeth’s acoustic album. Previous album A Sense of Purpose suffered from really middling production, making the whole affair feel flat and unfinished, but they’ve righted the ship on that front, with this album featuring lush production. Is this the end of our heroes? I guess we’ll find out.

In Flames, “Deliver Us”


Paper Tiger, Made Like Us

Paper Tiger, one of the producers for the unstoppable Doomtree collective, absolutely enthralled me on his full-length debut last year. Heavily reminiscent of DJ Shadow in his prime, the haunting soundscapes and dark ruminations he conjures here are fantastic.

Paper Tiger, "2nd Day Back"


Mastodon, Remission
Mastodon’s first proper album, the “fire” album in their series loosely based on the elements, their heaviest full-length, there’s a lot going on on this record. It’s a fun listen, and interesting in that it balances between crazy high-energy explosions and quieter instrumental exploration. They never made a record quite like it again.

Mastodon, “March of the Fire Ants”


Beck, Midnite Vultures

I realized somewhere along the line that Beck, to me = funny. From Mellow Gold and the Stereopathetic Soul Manure collection, that’s primarily what I got out of his music, and that’s what held my attention. However, Beck’s not very funny anymore. And it’s not a commentary on his music or anything, it’s just... I came for funny, and I usually get thoughtful hip hop-tinged indie rock, or crushingly sad singer/songwriter type stuff, or hybrids thereof. But, to borrow a phrase from Mojo Nixon, for one weird, glorious second, in and amongst this more serious fare, there was Midnite Vultures, the most absurd, hilarious thing in his whole catalog. And lo, it was good. It’s probably my most-listened Beck album.

Beck, “Hollywood Freaks”


White Gold, The Best I Can Give Is 2%

Once upon a time, in the far-off year of 2007, The California Milk Processor Board was looking for a new spin on the “Got Milk?” Campaign, and decided to try to create an off-beat viral sensation. So begins the tale of White Gold, a fictional rock star who was given a milk-filled guitar, his ability to rock, and his spectacular hair by “a crazy angel.” The Best I Can Give Is 2% is a 2008 EP of songs by “White Gold,” actually written and performed by Electric Six’s Dick Valentine and The Colonel. some of them were adapted into TV spots and music videos with an LA actor & musician playing the role of White Gold, but lip synching to Valentine’s vocal recordings. The songs are hilarious, some of the best material in recent Electric Six history, made even funnier because they stay on message throughout. Whether spinning wild tales about how milk can help you get women, have better hair, fall asleep and even help women with PMS, the songs are as laugh-out-loud funny as they are informative. It’s a weird, weird project, but worth listening to.

White Gold, “Tame the Tiger”

Yup.
--D