Sounds of the Season
Normally, I try to fill the space here at It Goes to 11 with t-shirt-related content and commentary. Seeing as how it’s been a slow news week (code for I’m feeling lazy), I thought I might switch gears a bit and hit you up with a short list of albums, arranged in no particular order, that served as my summer soundtrack.
Ratatat, LP 3 (XL Recordings) This instrumental duo mixes hot riffage with hip-hop beats and shimmering electronic accents. On their newest full-length, the Brooklyn-based band successfully expands its sonic palette and incorporates both new sounds and influences.
Starfucker, Starfucker (Badman Records) The subject of intense media scrutiny and breathless blog buzz, Starfucker is an on-the-rise trio from Portland, Oregon. Their new disc features a bevy of breezy and seemingly effortless lo-fi indie pop songs that cry out for repeat spins. The whole affair — gentle guitar strumming fleshed out with sunny vocals and artfully strewn electronic bric a brac — emits a Sebadoh-and-Folk Implosion vibe. Very nice.
The Stills, Oceans Will Rise (Arts & Crafts Records) Bouncing back from a rustic and somewhat somber sophomore release, The Stills return to the moody, ’80s-influenced synth-rock hybrid that made their early recordings so appealing. The album’s standout track is “Being Here,” a huge, soaring anthem that cribs from the Muse and U2 playbooks.
Santogold, Santogold (Downtown Records) I’m crushing on Santogold, a.k.a Santi White, a one-time songwriter for pop tarts like Ashley Simpson and other forgettable Top 40 types. Stepping out on her own, White delivers a stunning, impressive debut LP noteworthy for its varied sounds and inspirations. Take for, example, the Strokes-as-fronted-by-Karen-O mid-tempo rocker (”L.E.S. Artistes”); the Go-Go’s-inspired, new wave pop song (”You’ll Find A Way”); the dubbed out reggae toasts (”Shove It”); the chunky and Elasticated-’90s alt. rock single equal parts Breeders and Veruca Salt (”Lights Out”); and the glitchy, M.I.A.-like slice of lurching, buzzing electronica (”Starstruck”). For my money, this is the best album of 2008 (thus far).
No Age, Nouns (Sub Pop Records) Considerable amounts of ink have already been devoted to this L.A.-based twosome, but in this rare case, the artistic output is equal to if not greater than the hype. The No Age formula — short, atmospheric blasts of distorted guitar leavened with half-buried snatches of melody and raucous, pounding backbeats — will be almost surely be copied by countless lesser groups in 2009. The lesson here: Accept no substitutions.
Honorable Mentions: Albert Hammond Jr. (RCA Records), Como Te Llama; Lil Wayne, Tha Carter (Universal); Girl Talk, Feed the Animals (Illegal Art Records); MGMT, Oracular Spectacular (Columbia Records) (technically speaking, this came out in 2007, but it didn’t gain widespread exposure until ‘08…); and Nine Inch Nails, The Slip (Null Recordings).
We aim to please here at It Goes to 11, so let us know if you’re feeling this. Kudos? Complaints? Both? Forward them to the following address: travis@founditemclothing.com
