In the End, Everybody Wins
Summer of 2009: two patient developers and one immediate punch in the face.
I’ve like a number of albums this year, but only two have blown my mind. First up, Future of the Left’s incredible Travels With Myself and Another, which is released nationwide tomorrow.
If you want to get into the backstory of the two members of McLusky that formed this band, be my guest. But this second album by Future of the Left requires no previous entry point; it is loud, tight, boisterous, bilious, and hilarious. Totally recommended for thirtysomething cubicle drones who used to really like Husker Du and still listen to Pixies on occasion. Or, if you liked McLusky.
I am also the ten-millionth blog owner to sing the praises of Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest. You may have seen this bizarreness:
Though they don’t sound much like middle-period XTC, Veckatimest reminds me of the way XTC’s albums continued to unfold over many listens, revealing layers and shades that I swore weren’t there on the previous play.
Also growing on me is St. Vincent’s similarly complex Actor.
When I first heard her previous album Marry Me, I liked it. It grew to be among my favorite albums of the year. I like Actor quite a bit, and I like it a little more each time I listen to it.
Tags: Music Review
Yes…good stuff here. St. Vincent reminds me a bit of what early breeders sounded like before they went into heavy pop overdrive mode. A nice raw naked sound with intensity and drive. I also have heard snippets of future of the left. Great stuff. I am concerned though for putting unibrow artists up front. Coincidence, I think not Mr. Clamp!
Hey Scott, long time no talk. Hope all is well with you and yours.
I’ve been addicted to Veckatimest for over a month now. As much as I loved Yellow House, this album is much more approachable, and I actually don’t mind when one of the tunes gets stuck in my head.
Marry Me is one of my favorite albums for background dinner music. Actor seems to fit the bill for desert. Maybe Annie can focus on the salad for her next release?