Like, Not Quite like and Dislike: Menomena, Klaxons and Animal Collective.

giovanealex — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:30:30 +0000

Shake, shake, shake, Menomena, shake your body line!

Like:
Menomena, the trio from Portland is one of the most creative on the indie scene, beautifully crafting songs dealing with a reasonable level of wild experimentalism without losing the grip on musical appeal. Though Menomena’s songs feature a fair amount of synth and keyboard and the extensive use of percussion, drums and guitar is frequently built on loop samples (using a computer software programmed by one of the band’s members), their songs feature that essential rock feel which seduces not only your ears but also your entire body, since when listening to some of their songs you may feel an incredible desire to shake yourself loosely to their uber-addictive groove and phenomenal rhythm. It was not by chance that they were invited to write music for an experimental dance company of their hometown.

Menomena – “The Monkey’s Back” (from I Am The Fun Blame Monster!)

Menomena – “The Pelican” (from Friend and Foe)

Klaxons wearing quite ordinary clothes - it's often quite different.

Not Quite Like:
The three boys from British band Klaxons love combining a little bit of rock with tons of glowing electronica on their songs, which have as a result some exciting tunes crowded with sparkling guitars riffs and sci-fi like keyboard chords. But most of the time this unceasing excitement on the melodies composed by them is just too much. It seems they can’t control their eager desire to put just about everything which may produce sound on a melody at the same time: guitars, drums, bass, keyboards, synthesizers and even the voice of the three guys is often splattered together on more than half of the lenght of every song released on their debut album. I hope they develop a sense of balance on time to write new songs for their second album because if they keep their music the way it was done on the first release, people will get tired of them way too soon. Meanwhile, while we don’t discover what will be of their schizophrenic style on this yet-to-be-released album, make sure you have a good amount of aspirin pills at home if you decide to listen to Myths of the Near Future for two or three times in a roll – specially when wearing headphones.

Klaxons – “Two Receivers” (from Myths of the Near Future)

Klaxons – “It’s Not Over Yet” (from Myths of the Near Future)

It's a good idea to make some fun of yourself when your music is everything but fun

Dislike:
Higly praised by the indie music press as one of the coolest things on music scene, the guys from Animal Collective are often labeled as experimental, and sure they are. Problem is that they are specially skilled on always turning their experimentalism into drowsy, liveless, anemic music. Virtually all melodies composed by the music group is made of a cyclic melodic motif that sounds as if it was recorded while the band was uncontrollably floating on the air surrounded by synthsizers and keyboards constantly babbling swirling sounds on the course of their destiny to, I don’t know, some dream-like land, not like Alice‘s or Dorothy‘s but Michael Jackson‘s. It’s psychedelic, nostalgic, minimalist daring music made by avant-garde musicians, the band’s admirers would say. I dare to say that it is just bad psychedelic, nostalgic, minimalist never-end music made by nerdy boys. It’s like masturbation, folks – without the orgasm.

Animal Collective – “Brother Sport” (from Merriweather Post Pavilion)

Like, Not Quite Like and Dislike: Emily Haines, (Frederik) Sioen and Broken Social Scene.

giovanealex — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:38:45 +0000

Emiy Haines showing her elegant beauty

Like:
Since I had first listened to her songs, Emily Haines has become one of my music idols. She is not only deeply talented, she is hugely versatile: on her solo project Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton she has showed her most sensible, quiet, melancholic side, sometimes even reaching a sort of existentialism that gently covers some of her compositions; on her band Metric she has revealead a musical persona that swings sharply between pop and rock tunes which are often fuelled by a more vibrant and wild use of her vocal range.

Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton – “Winning” (from Knives Don’t Have Your Back)

Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton – “The Bank” (from What Is Free To a Good Home?)

Metric – “Love Is A Place” (from Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?)

Metric – “Handshakes” (from Live It Out?)

Frederik Sioen is really cute, isn't he?

Not Quite Like:
I have been trying to put Belgian singer Frederik Sioen (mostly known simply as Sioen) on my favourite artists list for some time. I guess I will keep trying to do it but I sense he will never get promoted since most of his songs are considerably boring. Actually, he has composed very beautiful songs on each of his albums but even some of these songs show quirky melodic shifts and obtuse lyric verses. Besides, his voice, which usually sounds beautiful with its husky softness is also quite strange as it seems to belong to a guy much older than he in fact is. Still, he deserves a place on my music library since he has a reasonable amount of beautiful songs and because he has showed a taste for musical versatility – his last album, Calling Up Soweto has proved it fairly well.

Sioen – “Reign” (from Ease Your Mind)

Sioen – “Son Of A Gun” (from Calling Up Soweto)

Broken Social Scene ensemble (are all of them here?)

Dislike:
When I watched “Half Nelson” some years ago I had a slight impression that Broken Social Scene‘s songs (which are featured on the film’s soundtrack) would be of my interest but when I gave the band a try the impression completely vanished. Though I adore Emily Haines so much, in my opinion on her involvement on the Canadian ensemble she wastes most of her musical qualities. Not only the somewhat (supposedly) intended amateur and raw sound of the band diminishes the power of her warm, beautiful and deeply emotive voice but the excessive number of musicians also causes her gifted abilities as a composer and musician to be mostly undermined.

Broken Social Scene – “Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl” (from You Forgot It in People)

Last Note: while Emily Haines said last June she has some inspiration floating for another solo album, Sioen has left the following message on his Twitter and Facebook profiles: “Sioen is having a co-writing session in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (NY)… Exciting!”

Outsiders » like not quite like and dislike

Like, Not Quite like and Dislike: Menomena, Klaxons and Animal Collective.

Like, Not Quite Like and Dislike: Emily Haines, (Frederik) Sioen and Broken Social Scene.