March Releases '07

How the hell did we get to May without addressing the great albums that came out in March? Oh yeah, I'm lazy. Here's the rundown:

Low - Drums and Guns

Minnesota slo-core band Low returns with their follow up to 2004's "The Great Destroyer" and deliver another unique effort. Opening track "Pretty People" reminds us over hazy guitar and strict beats that we are "all going to die". While "Pretty People" may set the mood of the album, second track "Belarus" lays out the blueprint with it's sterile, industrial feel. Gone are the big, easily accessible sounds of favorites like "California", replaced with calculated drums and heavily distorted, yet understated guitar. This formula, combined with minor keys, provides excellent tension throughout the album, coming to a natural conclusion on "Murderer" and "Violent Past". A well thoughtout and crafted album that will reward listeners that can overcome its rough exterior.


Air - Pocket Symphony

The eclectic Frenchmen kick off "Pocket Symphony" with the instrumental "Space Maker" a dreamy guitar/piano combination, which once again proves that Air knows how to make music equally suited for waking up and "going to bed". Unfortunately, album-wise Air has the problem of having to live in their own shadow, which includes one of the best electronica albums of all time (1999's "Moon Safari") and the best film score of all time (2000's soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's "The Virgin Suicides"). "Pocket Symphony" is the group's most understated work to date, using tracks like "Mayfair Song" and "Lost Message" to create atmosphere, but it hardly seems like new ground. Air does provide a new wrinkle, relying on Pulp's Jarvis Cocker to carry the slow moving (i.e. hungover) "One Hell of a Party" and allowing Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon to shape the excellent "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping". Again, nothing new here, but a pleasant listen.


Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

The Arcade Fire follow up 2004's unexpected classic (and possibly Album of the Decade!!) "Funeral" with the most anticipated album of 2007. "Black Mirror" leads the album off in typical Arcade Fire style, heavy and ominous with Win's vocals teetering on the edge. After "Black Mirror", "Neon Bible" storms out of the gate with "Keep the Car Running" and "Intervention" proving the Arcade Fire are able to perfectly deliver their emotions through song. Unfortunately this is where things turn a little sour. "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations" is clumsy and heavy-handed, while "Ocean of Noise" suffers from a lack of drive, leaving the middle of the album feeling empty and underdeveloped. "The Well and the Lighthouse" gets things back on track in a completely adequate way, before "(Antichrist Television Blues)" delivers the passion, songwriting and tension only the Arcade Fire can provide. Fittingly the album ends with "My Body is a Cage", the song that best distinguishes "Neon Bible" from its predecesor. Where "Funeral" ended "In the Backseat" with the listener sharing Regine's devastation and helplessness, "Neon Bible" concludes with the awkward and vague "My Body is a Cage". This emotional disconnect that permeates the album is ultimately why "Neon Bible" fell short of (admittedly) unfair expectations.