School got the best of me last week, and I was unable to give too much attention to the blog. So, today’s album reviews are going to be shorter than usual and combined into one post. Enjoy!
Sukierae- Tweedy
Tweedy, the family effort from Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy and his son Spencer, make their mark with their debut album Sukierae. The sprawling, 20 song double album is full of mellow, folky songs that are perfect for listening to while relaxing. Jeff Tweedy’s vocals are at times Dylan-esque, which only adds to the folk feel of the record. Sprinkled throughout are bursts of electric guitar and bass, helping to keep the album from feeling monotonous or too boring. One of the earlier songs is a perfect example of this effect. The third track on the album, “World Away”, has more of a groove than the other songs on the record, yet it still fits in perfectly. The bass and drum opening lends the song a kind of funk-folk feels, as crazy as it sounds. The electric guitar also comes in to break it up even more, yet by the end the song dies down to fit right back in with the rest of the songs. This technique of bringing in electric guitar shows up on other tracks as well, such as the folky “New Moon”. All-in-all, Sukierae is a great first release from Tweedy, and I can’t wait to see what they come out with next!
7/10
This Is All Yours- alt-J
Continuing their trend of atmospheric albums, indie rockers alt-J have taken it to a whole new level with their release This Is All Yours. Though they released many of the songs off the album prior to its release, I personally feel that it’s best to listen to it in its entirety. Using their unique song style to their full advantage, alt-J create an album that is simultaneously simple and complex. They weave together electronic sounds, piano, world music, and dub step beats into something that is wholly unique and immersive from song to song. On tracks such as “Pusher”, acoustic guitar and vocals take center stage. The song brings to mind Bon Iver, but the unique singing voice of lead singer Joe Newman keeps it in the realm of alt-J. Similarly, “Left Hand Free” reminded me so much of the Black Keys, with its blues rock style and grittier sound, that by the time it got to the chorus I had to check and make sure I was listening to the right artist. They also use some of their older songs as inspiration in the new album. On “Bloodflood pt.II”, they combine lines from their song “Fitzpleasure” (off of their 2012 album This is a Wave) with new lyrics and a different, slower beat to create a vastly different sound than they had on the one they borrowed from. Overall, This Is All Yours is wonderful to listen to as either separate songs or one single entity.
8/10
-N
Mixtape Musings 