The Wheel's Still In Spin

Best Albums Of May 2007

There were a number of albums I was looking forward to this month. A lot of the ones I was anticipating ended up being disappointments (Dungen, Dolores O’Riordan, Voxtrot, and Wilco). Luckily there were a lot of good albums and surprises this month.

1. BrakesBrakesBrakes (The Brakes) - The Beatific Visions | buy it at insound!

   This is a diverse album full of punk and country. The lyrical content, just like the music, is witty, intelligent, and fun. It’s mostly short songs that instantly grab a hold of emotions. So far, this is my favorite album of the year.



2. Richmond Fontaine - Thirteen Cities

   An incredibly descriptive album. The cities in reference cross the Midwest to the Southwest. It’s small towns and rundown thoughts. It’s the dialogue of people who are just trying to get by. And the music is rich and layered.



3. Dinosaur Jr - Beyond | buy it at insound!

   This is the first album from the original Dinosaur Jr lineup in a decade and a half. And J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph picked up right where they left off. This album has the tight, dynamic sound of the ban’s original recordings. It also doesn’t have the extended overjamming that Mascis has been known to do since Barlow left Dinosaur Jr. It’s a solid album or pre-grunge alternative for a post-punk world.



4. The Spectacular Fantastic - Outer Space Is Nothing But A Lie | Download the album here for FREE!

   They follow their retro pop sound of Underground with this free album - download it from the band's website. The production is the best yet from Mike Detmer and company. And this album sounds like the most cohesive album released under the moniker The Spectacular Fantastic. The band continues to live up its name.



5. Electrelane – No Shouts, No Calls | buy it at insound!

   It’s an energetic, upbeat album. It’s has a mellow feeling that can be suddenly smashed by overdriven electric guitar lines. The vocals sound ethereal, but not angelic.



6. Clientele – God Save The Clientele | buy it at insound!

   There’s a tuneful, Beach Boys-esque feel to this album. The songs bounce along but not in a cheesy pop sense.



7. Meg Baird – Dear Companion | buy it at insound!

   I really like the first track and the album keeps growing on me. That first track, though, is one of my favorite songs right now. After seeing Gillian Welch live, this album has made a bigger impact on me somehow. The stripped down folk music is captivating when well done. And this album seems to have some sort of conviction to it.



8. The National – Boxer | buy it at insound!

   Each time I listen to this album it grows on me more. At first, I thought it sounded like a typical indie album, but with each listen I catch more of the nuances that make this album pretty good, from the unique rhythms to the non-typical lyrics.



9. Beaten Awake – Let’s Get Simplified

   Some short and sweet songs. The style doesn’t get mixed up too much. If you like one song, you’ll like them all. Fortunately, I like this album of guitar drive songs.



10. Shapes & Sizes – Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner | buy it at insound!

    Musically, I really like this album. It’s eclectic and dynamic. The vocals change from song to song. It’s an unpredictable jumble of tunes, but I had trouble keeping my attention through the whole disc.

Back to The Wheel's Still In Spin Mainpage.

Submit this story to:

Del.icio.us | Digg | Blinklist | Furl | Reddit | Newsvine

BrakesBrakesBrakes (The Brakes) - The Beatific Visions

Release Date: 8 May 2007 (Rough Trade / World's Fair)

The Brakes’ The Beatific Visions was originally released in the UK in November of 2006 on Rough Trade Records. Since Rough Trade has worked a deal with World’s Fair to release their albums in the states, The Beatific Visions was finally released here this month. However, there was already a band in the US called The Brakes, so this album was released in this country by BrakesBrakesBrakes. The name alteration doesn’t change anything about this great album. It’s still full mostly of 2-minute songs that volley between punk, indie rock, and country influences.

Hold Me In The River (mp3)

Teddy Wasn’t Born Guilty

Teddy always wore a different old school shirt everyday to work. One day the white Ramones logo on the black t-shirt. The next day was an off white shirt with the Flying Burrito Brothers bubble style logo. Then there was the army green Guided By Voices one with the GBV beer bottle in a red circle and the words “My Kind Of Soldier.” If he wasn’t wearing the t-shirt of one of his favorite bands, he usually had a unique Western shirt with snap buttons. There was no telling where he got these shirts, but he seemed to have a closet full of them. No matter what shirt he was wearing, he almost always also wore his denim jacket.

It’s hard to explain the kind of energy Teddy embodied. Maybe he ate too many Snickers bars, maybe he was raised on Ritalin, maybe he did coke. Whatever the reason, he was full of wit, charisma, and genuine good spirit.

He worked at a national chain guitar store. On the speaker system in the retail store, an album played. It personified Teddy. It had the short quick spurts of humor and dynamism. It had the mixture of punk rock, country rock, and rock and roll. It was The Brakes’ The Beatific Visions.

Bright Eyes, Gillian Welch, and Oakley Hall - Wexner Center, Columbus, OH - May 20th, 2007

The last time I saw Bright Eyes perform live was five years ago. Conor Oberst and his two accompanists (droney keyboardist and drummer) opened for Wilco. This was about a month before Wilco would finally release Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Bright Eyes had yet to release There Is No Beginning To The Story. While Bright Eyes’ set that night was good, it was Wilco who owned the night. In addition to playing all of the songs from their aforementioned album, they played through the first seven songs from Being There in order for their first of two encores. It was a pretty amazing show.

This Columbus show had the promise of another memorable night. The lineup was another show of great performers. Oakley Hall, Gillian Welch, and Bright Eyes. I was ready for the next four hours of musical gratification.

Dinosaur Jr - Beyond

Release Date: 1 May 2007 (Fat Possum)

It’s been 15 years since the original Dinosaur Jr lineup of J. Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph recording an album together. The album, Beyond, not only sounds like the classic Dinosaur Jr albums, it highlights some of the best music these musicians have made. It’s almost as if these guys were holding on to some of their best stuff for this album, which harkens back to the sound of Without A Sound and other Dinosaur Jr albums.

Almost Ready (mp3)

This Is A Story Of True Victory, But The Road Is Long…

“When he opens his mouth, knock him in the teeth. Then hit him in the stomach over and over again. Ha. He drops his pants.” Bill, the avid video game collector of all systems old and new, was reminding Kyle how to beat King Hippo on Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! It had been at least 15 years since Kyle played this original NES Nintendo 8-bit video game. Having made it past his first four opponents, Kyle as Little Mac was beating King Hippo pretty easily.

“What have you been listening to lately?” asked Kyle as he alternated between the A and B buttons to repeatedly hit King Hippo’s tummy.

“I’ve been listening to the new Dinosaur Jr album,” Bill told him.

“Is that album any good?”

“Yeah. You want to hear it?” Bill asked as he pressed play on the disc changer’s remote.

King Hippo had been defeated and Little Mac was meeting his next adversary, Great Tiger. Throughout the fight, the jewel on Great Tiger’s turban flashes. This signifies an oncoming jab. Through Bill’s speakers, “Almost Ready” began playing. The song started with a searing J. Mascis solo and the tight rhythms of a masterful band reuniting for one of their best albums. At exactly 2:30 into the round, Great Tiger quickly spun around the ring and swung his power punches. By 2:30 into the song, the sound had been layered with the chorus vocals, extra rhythm instruments, and a guitar solo in each speaker. It was a powerful flashy song to accompany a foe of similar description.