It really gets me going when the first song on a new (and much-anticipated) album makes me swoon on both a sexual and an intellectual level. Menomena’s “Queen Black Acid,” off their most recent album, Mines, does just that. Even more impressive is the equally stimulating bundle of tracks that follows. What girl wouldn’t like to hear, “You’re five-foot-five/not a 100 pounds/I’m scared to death/of every ounce” crooned over heavy brass? Maybe it’s me, but listeners can expect to be drawn in by catchy lyrics coupled with ever-changing delivery as the three Portland, Oregon natives share vocal duties on this new album.

It’s easy to classify Menomena as experimental, given the wide variety in sound found throughout their entire discography, which includes two previous LP’s I Am the Fun Blame Monnster! (2003) and Friend and Foe (2007), in addition to two EPs, Wet and Rustling (2003) and Under an Hour (2004). Add Mines to that list as well.

The acoustic grit of “Dirty Cartoons” reminds me of everything I like about live shows: hearing a stutter in a strum or a fault in what sounds like an otherwise perfect delivery. The simple addition of some piano also gives the track an impromptu feel, as if someone happned to lazily drag their fingers across the keyboard only make a splendid discovery.

A xylophone solo delicately opens the next track, “Tithe,” which became an instant personal favorite, if not for it’s simple beauty then for it’s heartbreaking lyrics: “Spending the best years of a childhood horizontal on the floor/like a bobsled minus the teamwork and the televised support/and nothing sounds appealing.” Driven and moody, the song showcases the band’s talent to create a surprise around every corner with a diverse selection of instruments—first a riffy guitar, next with bouncy bass, then a Korg-and-piano duet.

The second half of the album is more reminiscent of Menomena’s older work, specifically “BOTE,” which is heavy on the funk and brass. It tells a tale of reaping what you sow in a relatable “my boat is sinking and I’m lost” kind of way, while the vocals beg “Oh, sea legs please don’t fail me now!”

“Oh Pretty Boy, You’re Such a Big Boy” claims the longest song title of the album, yet has the least amount to say. Four or five lines are repeated over, driving home the track’s melancholy message:

All my life I’ve run away
From those who’ve begged me to stay
All your love is not enough
To fill my half empty cup
Your love, oh my love, is just not enough

The band has been criticized for feigning maturity, but I found Mines to be enjoyable without being too serious or calculated. This is evidenced in the last two tracks, “Sleeping Beauty” and “INTIL.” Here, Menomena find the perfect balance between what is ideal and what is real, pairing cohesive chords with sporadic, out of key movements, all without losing their sound. Perhaps that’s why Mines is such a success—it isn’t trying to be perfect. Rather the band seems to have let that fall behind a higher priority to mirror reality.

“Queen Black Acid”

These days, the mediums through which artists can present themselves abound: We’re in the midst of a momentous vinyl revival, and not far behind are the clicks of cassettes changing sides as their nostalgia seems to be having an ever-increasing influence on smaller music acts. On the other end of the spectrum is the Internet, where we can click, listen, watch, dig and tweet until our eyes are bloodshot.

Chicago, Illinois-based Colin Caulfield, a.k.a. Young Man, takes full advantage of the latter. Granted, most bands would be foolish not to use the Internet to spread their goods, but for Caulfield, it seems to be his birthing place.

The first time I heard Young Man was actually the first time I found SoundCloud, where his debut EP, Boy, was streaming in its entirety. For first time listeners of Caulfield’s music, I suggest starting from the same place. Boy is a concept work—about being five years old, playing in the backyard and the unfairness of life. Despite the latter item on that litany, the EP is a pleasant ride packed with excellent vocal harmonies and satisfying guitar work.

The reason you should begin with Boy and not, say, his extensive arsenal of YouTube covers (below), is because the EP is the first real output Young Man can claim as his own. One of my initial reactions to it was a subconscious revisit to a Sung Tongs state of mind. Lo and behold, the kid appreciates “Winters Love” as much as I do! I don’t like Caulfield’s music because he covers cool songs; rather, because the musical gene pool he selects from seems to be creating a solid offspring. Caulfield opens the blinds at the right angles where whatever influences you choose to pick out of his sound shine through to create a warm room that is his own.

Colin Caulfield covers Animal Collective’s Winters Love:

A more recent and unique cover of Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti/Rockin’ Ramrod’s “Bright Lit Blue Skies”:

Earlier this month, Young Man was picked up by Frenchkiss Records. Boy gets an official U.S. release on August 31 (digital) and October 12 (physical). The EP is already out in Europe on Kitchen Music.

Bonus mp3: “Fate,” Caulfield’s latest non-Boy track.

Young Man tour dates:
08/04 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
08/09 Iowa City, IA – Gabes Oasis
08/21 Nashville, TN – THe Basement
08/22 St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway
08/25 Minneapolis, MN – 400 Bar
08/26 Chicago, IL – Schubas

After doing some hard time as a favorite iPod playlist, Stars’ albums from 2004 and 2007, Set Yourself on Fire and In Our Bedroom After the War, respectively, were retired and replaced by the release of the band’s latest album, The Five Ghosts. But not for too long. After a first listen, I missed the lovesick ballads and the clever mix of angsty and upbeat I had so guiltily and diligently indulged in on previous releases.

Take The Five Ghosts’ opener, “Dead Hearts,” for example, which reads like my most recent session at the psychotherapist’s office. Stars’ lyrical question-and-answer-style was more endearing on In Our Bedroom After the War, and I wish it didn’t remind me right off the bat of what I loved most about their older work. For the majority of the tracks on the new record, Stars misuse their talent, specifically, drowning out their drummer Pat McGee with a soulless beat machine and stepping away from the boy-girl ballad method they employ so well.

“Wasted Daylight” could have used a little more development musically (i.e., cut the chorus in half) and sounds more like a waste of some clever lyrics, which much of their audience swoons for. With a little help from their website’s feature of the video, I came to like “Fixed”, thanks to singer-guitarist Amy Milan’s angelic voice.

“We Don’t Want Your Body” is a standout and appropriate choice for the middle of the album—I might not have made it through otherwise. The following track, “He Dreams He’s Awake” waits nearly three minutes to kick in to a tune worth listening to. Finally, three-fourths into the track, the vocals and instruments finally manage to synch up,but much too little, too late.

Milan’s the star again on “Changes,” an inspiring track that features some rich orchestra coupled with a funky, synth-driven beat, which is different from almost anything I’ve heard from them and (cross your fingers!) could signal that they haven’t completely lost their game.

The next few songs feel like fodder… I mean, really, with lyrics like “this is the last song ever written… this is the last time there will be a last time,” it’s hard to take the album seriously, especially considering lead singer Torquil Campbell’s often overly theatric voice.

Stars need to take one step away from the separated feel of this album and a few steps back toward the nuanced duet sounds of their previous work. Discourse plays out in some of their “Making Of The Five Ghosts” video, which leads me to wonder if the lack of organization and track development here is the symptom of an overall illness. Milan and Campbell sound best when balanced together, period. The inner teenager still trapped inside of me hopes they can make a comeback worth waiting for.

Group antics still include things like challenging fans to baking contests and reading Woody Allen books on camera, and Champ, TPC’s second full-length, suggests the Newmarket, Ontario boys—singer/bassist Dave Monks, keyboardist Graham Wright, guitarist Josh Hook and drummer Greg Alsop—are still thoroughly enjoying their career. One need only look to the hyperactive start-and-stop riffs of “Favourite Color” and the almost danceworthy and thoroughly remixed single “Wait Up (Boots of Danger)” for proof. “End of a Spark” is a bouncy, bass-driven tune that will make any beginning-of-the-week commute to work a little less painful, and, from the almost giddy nature of Monks’ singing here, you could theorize the guy finds enjoyment out of even a failed relationship.

But maybe not. Laced between those carefree stretches are moments distinctly more melancholy. Whereas Elephant Shell and the band’s 2006 EP, A Lesson in Crime, both opened with crashing symbols and pep rally-worthy shouts, Champ‘s first track, “Favourite Food,” starts with just a few minor keyboard chords and a lone acoustic guitar before Monks begins to sing: “With a heart attack on your plate/you were looking back on your days/how you spent them all in a blur/when they asked if you were for sure.” He’s shed some of his goofy, schoolboy aura of the past and when he sings, “you know it’s sweet getting old,” it’s not hard to believe he means every word.

He’s tackling a more ambitious vocal range too; “Breakneck Speed” finds him unafraid to wail and drone with equal measure, even if he doesn’t always hit the notes dead-on. Likewise on “Hands Reversed,” Champ’s mellowest track and a restrained number that’s more of an implosion than an explosion. “I’m gonna tell you what to do about yourself/because the breakfast of the champions is a hedonistic hell,” he sings, thusly making you wonder just what the last two years of his life have held. Overall, the sound on the record is airtight, whether the guys are noodling away on guitars (“Frankenstein”), crashing on what sounds like 10 hi-hats (“Big Difference”) or singing about stumbling home drunk in the middle of the night over sweeping synths (“Bambi”).

My one grief with Champ is its length—none of the songs wander too far past the three-minute mark. While this isn’t an anomaly for the band (A Lesson in Crime clocked in at a whopping 16 minutes; Elephant Shell is less than half-an-hour long), it would be nice to see them apply their newfound musical maturity to this area as well. I don’t imagine sinister experimental epics are around the corner anytime soon, but here’s hoping. Maybe when they turn 30.

Listen – “Breakneck Speed”

Here’s a handful of some upcoming albums that have us excited for the new year, and expect many more to join the list in the coming months.

January

01/12
Owen Pallett – Heartland – Domino
Jason Boesel – Hustler’s Son – Team Love
OK Go – Of the Blue Colour of the Sky – Capitol
Vampire Weekend – Contra – XL

01/18
Blockhead – The Music Scene – Ninja Tune
These New Puritans – Hidden – Angular/Domino
Various – Pop Ambient 2010 – Kompakt

01/19
Cold War Kids – Behave Yourself – Downtown
Eels – End Times – Vagrant
Lindstrøm & Christabelle – Real Life is No Cool – Smalltown Supersound
RJD2 – The Colossus – RJ’s ELectrical Connections
Spoon – Transference – Merge

01/26
Beach House – Teen Dream – Sub Pop
Clipd Beaks – To Realize – Lovepump United
Four Tet – There is Love in You – Domino
Fucked Up – Couple Tracks: Singles 2002 – 2008 – Matador
Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM – Because Music/Atlantic
Home – Seventeen – Jagjaguwar
Interference – Viva La Interference – The Social Registry
Jaga Jazzist – One-Armed Bandit – Ninja Tune
The Magnetic Fields – Realism – Nonesuch
My Brightest Diamond – Shark Remixes – Asthmatic Kitty
Pit Er Pat – The Flexible Entertainer – Thrill Jockey
Thavius Beck – Dialogue – Mush
Various – Good God! Born Again Funk – Numero Group
Various – The Minimal Wave Tapes – Stones Throw

February

02/02
Georgia Anne Muldrow – King’s Ballad – Ubiquity
Hot Chip – One Life Stand – Astralwerks
Laura Gibson & Ethan Rose – Bridge Carols – Holocene Music
Pantha du Prince – Black Noice – Rough Trade
The Watson Twins – Talking to You, Talking to Me – Vanguard
Yeasayer – Odd Blood – Secretly Canadian

02/16
Exceptor – Presidence – Paw Tracks
Field Music – Measure – Memphis Industries
Tindersticks – Falling Down a Mountain – Constellation

02/23
Efterklang – Magic Chairs – 4AD
Eluvium – Similies – Temporary Residence
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh – Universal Motown
Martyn – Fabric 50 – Fabric
Shout Out Louds – Work – Merge
Xiu Xiu – Dear God, I Hate Myself – Kill Rock Stars
Zeus – Say Us – Arts & Crafts

March

03/09
Broken Bells – Broken Bells – Columbia
Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks – FatCat
Liars – Sisterworld – Mute
Morning Benders – Big Echo – Rough Trade
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks – Matador

03/16
Freelance Whales – Weathervanes – Frenchkiss/Mom + Pop
Gin Wigmore and the Cardinals – Holy Smoke – Universal Motown
White Stripes – Under Great White Northern Lights (CD/DVD) – Third Man

03/23
Goldfrapp – Head First – Mute
Serena-Maneesh – S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor – 4AD
She & Him – Volume Two – Merge

The Merge Records Companion

Celebrating 20 years of music is North Carolina’s Merge Records, home to artists like Lambchop, She & Him, Arcade Fire, Spoon, and dozens of others. As part of its ongoing anniversary celebration, the label has compiled this little volume, a visual look at its last two decades of releases. The covers of each and every album, EP, single, and DVD ever released by Merge are featured in the book, which also includes introductory essays by label founders Mac and Laura. Note that this is a limited edition item, so if you haven’t snapped it up by now, get thee to the Merge Records site.

Cost: $15.98
Buy

Bright Eyes – A Christmas Album

Back in the days when Bright Eyes was Conor Oberst plus a very large and ever-rotating cast of musicians, Saddle Creek released A Christmas Album, which saw the crew putting an indie-folk twist on traditional Christmas jams. The album, which originally dropped in 2002, has only ever been available on CD, but this year, the label repackaged it on 180 gram vinyl (that’s white, apparently) and is selling the record exclusively through its online store. Purchase includes the album and code for a high-quality MP3 version. All proceeds will benefit the Nebraska AIDS Project.

Cost: $15
Buy

Vinyl is Forever Apparel

Vinyl has undergone resurgence in the last 10 years, and whether you’re a longtime crate-digger that owns a battered copy of Hoyt Axton’s Road Songs or a newbie who simply knows that Arcade Fire sounds better on 180g, you’re hardly alone in your fetish. Soundscreen Deisgn—avid enthusiasts of the medium—have created an entire apparel line dedicated to the love of vinyl that features bright, bold designs on series of t-shirts, hoodies, and tote bags. Currently there are three editions to choose from. All garments are 100% Organic Alternative Apparel and limited edition.

Cost: $18 – $40
Buy

Wilco (the tote)

There are many tote bags in the world. None manages the affordable/efficient/hilarious combination quite as well as this one. I bought mine at a show this past summer and it’s been everything from a grocery bag to a piece of carry-on luggage to a conversation sparker. The tote is available as an individual item, or as part of Wilco (the bundle), which includes the bag, a vinyl copy of Wilco (the album), and a sticker. It’s worth noting that the entirety of Wilco’s online store right now is a music fan’s holiday shopping paradise, so take a look at some of the other fantastic packages up for sale.

Cost: $8 (bag only), $25 (bundle)
Buy

Portrait of a Young Man Trying to Draw

William Schaff is probably best known for creating the album art for bands like Okkervil River (The Stage Names) and Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven). Recently, he gathered 10 scratchboard images on linen paper and compiled them into a hand-bound book that’s signed and limited to a mere 500 copies. Needless to say, this one won’t last long in stores.

Cost: $34.99
Buy

Check Your Head Pillowcases

Most music-themed home decor is, admittedly, a cheesefest, but we wouldn’t be true enthusiasts without one or two items in the apartment. Tacky up the throw cushions with a set of these DJ-friendly pillowcases. (though if you’re out of college, you might want to relegate these to the man den.)

Cost: $24.99
Buy

OrgiAudio Speakers

This item grabbed Time Magazine‘s award for Best Invention of 2009. The eco-friendly folding speakers are made entirely from recycled material, require no batteries, are compatible with any device (so long as it has a headphone jack), and are nicely designed to boot. Available themes right now include Cityscape, Daydream, Lake, Flowers, Surf Break, and Canvas. Or go the extra step and create your own at the OrgiAudio website.

Cost: From $16
Buy