Via Coma - "Bridges" EP (2009)

87%

The Bridges EP by Via Coma is a delightfully quick little foray into the field of experimental rock and the studio debut of Lafayette, California-based Via Coma (meaning “by way of sleep” or “to travel through sleep”). The group delivers a textural, sensual sonic experience while still managing to avoid sounding too soft or unaggressive over the course of the EP’S five tracks. The solid opener “Turn” offers the most textural sounds on the album, while “Aquanota” is a slower, more contemplative follower that provides a perfect canvas for the chilling strains of “I, The Sovereign”. “Charlotte Parker” goes through several strange rhythmic permutations that may seem a bit distracting to the song, but ends on a more tired note, allowing for the calm intro to the brilliant “Architects”, arguably the album’s strongest song. “Architects” makes good use of falsetto and repetition, features powerful lyrics, and truly makes the EP complete.

While the songs of Bridges may seem to sound similar to each other at many points, each has its own enjoyable details and its own distinctive mood, separating this album from many of the single-dimensional albums that smother the industry at present day. One could also argue that the lyrical themes and the way in which they are presented are inexcusably pretentious, and I would have to agree, but to enjoy this album, you must embrace the pretension and simply listen.

tl;dr: A short but thoroughly passionate EP from a little-known experimental rock band that deserves to get signed.

Best Tracks: “Turn”, “I, The Sovereign”, and “Architects"

-Zhaboka

1. Turn

2. Aquanota

3. I, The Sovereign

4. Charlotte Parker

5. Architects

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Woodbums - "Keepin' it Street in the Woods" (2009)

91%

Keepin’ It Street in the Woods is the first album produced by the Woodbums, and what an album it is! It begins with what is easily the most ballad-like song in the United States-based rap collective’s catalog. “Song for the Ladies” is a tender ode to the opposite sex that never comes across as either demeaning or overly sappy. It gives then-rookie MC Ginga Snapz a chance to bust rhymes from the heart, and it constitutes a great opener for the album. The second track, “Check under the Hood,” cautions the listener to make sexual conquests with care, through a series of narratives relating to hook-ups gone awry. The attention to detail in the storytelling is vivid, but never slows down the development of the plot, if something developed in three minutes can be called that. “Ginga Bredd Juice” is a collection of old-school boasts that are just clever enough to make you smile; for example, Ju-C Juice uses the lines “[w]ack MC’s, I’d hate to be ya/ Cuz you bite people’s styles like a quesadilla/ I got street cred like Al Pacino/ And I drop twenty yards like Dan Marino.” The fourth track, “2 Young 2 Drink 2 Drunk 2 Fish,” is a solo track from Snapz, and it thoroughly merits its spot as the Woodbums’ most famous song. With lyrical content describing underage drinking on a raft, it is an original and catchy track. “G Funk (On the Strang)” is another track based on clever rhymes rather than narrative; both of these styles are strong points for the Woodbums, so this track is full of quotable gems like Bredd Loaf’s “I can rock well like my name was Norman/ With the funk on the Strang and I be global warmin’/ My thunder be stormin’, and my hordes be swarmin’/ And I got more wives than a polygamist Mormon.” The sixth track is called “Draggin’ Dragon” and consists of Loaf and Snapz trading couplets which “subtly” refer to their members. “Wave to the Weave” leaves the reader with a pensive outlook about women with hair extensions.

Every beat on the album has a slightly different feel, but all of them seem to mesh, and this is Bredd Loaf’s genius as a producer; he infuses every track he produces with his trademark sound. Loaf also manages to weave a hip-hop aesthetic into every one of his beats, whether it’s the Oriental pulse of “Draggin’ Dragon” or the blaring synths and bumping drum machines heard on “Check under the Hood” (I defy anyone not to start grinding with something upon hearing that beat). Another aspect that gives personality to the music is the blatant contrasts in the individual rappers’ styles: Loaf’s laid-back swagger, Ju-C’s often incendiary flow, and Snapz’s delivery, which perfectly personifies the album title. Snapz, this being his first album, did shake a few times, but his lyrics are so solid on this album (“The girlies are tryin’ to sit next to me/ Slippin’ some drink into my ecstasy”) that any faltering in terms of delivery is rendered a moot point. Keepin’ It Street... is a classic in Woodbums history and an excellent album by any standards. It is refreshing to hear a rap album more focused on cleverness and a release of energy than a message. Don’t get me wrong; having a message is important in the grand scheme of things, but it is also crucial to have a few albums from which the most important lesson the listener learns is to “check under the hood.”

The Woodbums deliver a fresh, fun album with Keepin' It Street in the Woods. One of my favorites.

Best tracks: “Check under the Hood,” “2 Young 2 Drink 2 Drunk 2 Fish”

#1. Songs for the Ladies
#2. Check under the Hood
#3. Ginga Bredd Juice
#4. 2 Young 2 Drink 2 Drunk 2 Fish
#5. G Funk (On the Strang)
#6. Draggin' Dragon
#7. Wave 2 the Weave
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SUNBEARS! - "Dream Happy Dreams" (2009)

90%

Dream Happy Dreams by SUNBEARS! is easily one of the best albums of 2009, and yet, it doesn’t even get half the recognition it deserves. This skillful duo masterfully pulls off a combination of an experimental and psychedelic sound with bubbly, electric indie pop. The melding of these two sounds results in an album that is very accessible, and delightful to listen to. Throughout the album, there are moments reminiscent of Of Montreal, Beirut, Animal Collective, and other such bands (to name a few).

The album begins and ends with two pleasant instrumental tracks, “Le Penné Pageant” and “Sunshine At 9 P.M.”, and in between those two are five epic, happy yet melancholy, unique, beautiful songs. The lyrical content is cute and poetic, and invokes the urge to smile and cry—AT THE SAME TIME. There is not a single dead spot in all thirty-one minutes of this gem of an album. Their sound is unique and interesting, and yet, it’s not difficult to listen to, as some bands of this ilk can be. It’s an album to listen to when you’re happy or sad, alone or with friends, etc. I can’t say anything else except for: LISTEN TO IT!

tl;dr: An experimental psychedelic indie electro pop rock orgasm that’s easy to listen to and adore. Highly recommended.
Best Tracks: “All You Need Is Sleep”, “I’m Alive!”, “Dream Happy Dreams” and “Little Baby Pines” (The album is very short; it’s worth it to just get the whole thing.)

~Probey

1. La Penné Pageant
2. All You Need Is Sleep
3. I'm Alive!
4. Dream Happy Dreams
5. Little Baby Pines
6. A Lovely Tuesday Afternoon In June
7. Sunshine At 9 P.M.
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Metric - "Fantasies" (2009)

77%

One of the nice things about Metric is that each of their albums has a slightly different sound. Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? was a catchy dance-punk album; Live It Out was more experimental, and had a louder, more rock-like sound; Grow Up And Blow Away was a simpler, sultry, more mellow album.

Fantasies is no different, in that it is different. It is, for lack of a better word, their most “mainstream” sounding album yet. Not that that’s a bad thing; the album is incredibly accessible, and a very easy listen. While their past albums have mostly been centered around Emily Haines’ talented synth playing, this album has a more guitar centric sound, and they forgo the biting political lyrics seen on Old World… and Live It Out for more intimate, personal lyrics. But, like every one of their other albums, everything is executed with a very high level of skill.

Still, when I first listened to it, I was not impressed. I had downloaded “Help, I’m Alive”, the lead single from the album, the moment it came out (what devoted fangirl wouldn’t?) and I was blown away. It’s an unarguably beautiful song—the sort you only have to hear once to fall head over heels in love with. The lyrics and melody are simple and repetitive, and the song has the same powerful drive from beginning to end. It pretty much only served to make me even more impatient for the release of the new album, and raised my expectations to what, in retrospect, was probably an unattainable level.

I have to repeat: this is not a bad album. However, for Metric, it is a bit of a disappointment. It seems like they took their unique energy and drowned it in a shiny commercial gloss. Not that I have anything against that sort of sound, nor do I think that it’s a direction that Metric shouldn’t pursue, but with Fantasies, it’s almost like they let the gloss overwhelm some of the heart and soul of the album. This could be attributed to their choice in John O'Mahony for mixing (O’Mahony is most notable for mixing for Coldplay). Or perhaps it is simply where their evolution took them. Their previous albums do seem to get progressively more polished.

Many of the songs on the album are quite good, in and of themselves: “Help, I’m Alive”, as previously mentioned; “Sick Muse”, a catchy, solid pop-rock song (I was particularly taken by the opening lines: “Watch out Cupid / stuck me with a sickness / pull your little arrows out / let me live my life”); “Twilight Galaxy”, a more mellow, lush song of the Grow Up And Blow Away variety (again, Haines’ lyrics tug at the heart, with lines such as: “Did I ask you for attention, when affection is what I need?”); “Gold Guns Girls”, a another superb, dancey, pop-rock song; “Gimme Sympathy”, a song of the “Sick Muse” and “Gold Guns Girls” sort, though it’s beautiful, poetic lyrics, and the way it flows effortlessly from beginning to end make it possibly the best of the three; “Front Row”, a seductive and harder song than the others on the album, making it reminiscent of Live It Out, in a way, though it still has the same sheen as all of the others on the album.

I believe the error was in putting them all together on the album. It’s difficult for each of these songs to shine when placed side by side. It took me a few listens to truly appreciate this album. Though it may not have all of the personality of their former albums, it is still a worthy piece. However, I don’t think it is a good place for people to start listening to them; it doesn’t give a full view of everything the band is capable of, and by only listening to this, you couldn’t truly appreciate everything that makes Metric the amazing band it is.

(Note: Acoustic versions of the songs “Gimme Sympathy”, “Front Row” and “Twilight Galaxy” came with the limited edition bundle of Fantasies, and they are a very interesting listen if you can find them. They also do a nice cover of Pink Floyd’s “Nobody Home”, and the B-Side “Waves” is pretty good.)

tl;dr: A well done, solid album that makes for a good listen, with many very good songs on it. However, it is not the recommended starting point for those who are new to Metric. Go listen to some of their earlier stuff first.
Best Songs: "Help, I'm Alive", "Sick Muse", "Twilight Galaxy", "Gold Guns Girls", "Gimme Sympathy", and "Front Row"

~Probey

1. Help, I'm Alive
2. Sick Muse
3. Satellite Mind
4. Twilight Galaxy
5. Gold Guns Girls
6. Gimme Sympathy
7. Collect Call
8. Front Row
9. Blindness
10. Stadium Love
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Green Day - "21st Gentury Breakdown" (2009)

Keep It Real, Please - 55%

Pretension is not the bane of good music. In fact, many bands can use it to glorious effect; Dream Theater, for example, not only writes ridiculous songs about monsters and heroes, but also has the melodrama of James LaBrie on lead vocals. However, when found in a sub-par band and to such a low degree that some may find it convincing, insincerity can be the determining factor for the quality of an album. Green Day’s second foray into the realm of the rock opera is an example of this tragic situation. As soon as the album starts playing, you know that Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown is not going to be worth your while. “Song of the Century” is an introductory track featuring radio-tuning effects and a sole singing voice which, while being a pleasant melody, is simply over-the-top in terms of album structure. The remainder of the album is told in not-so-cohesive units which Green Day has labeled “acts.”

Overly anthemic choruses permeate all of the album’s full-length songs, as do three-chord progressions (I never would have guessed). Very few exceptions to these compositional rules occur throughout the album, and they sound forced when they do. An odd time signature? It’s simply not right. In this respect, the boring songs on the album (such as “¡Viva la Gloria!” and “The Static Age”) are liable to be the most enjoyable. Even the politics on the album are fake, never expanding intellectually. Billie-Joe Armstrong just doesn’t know what he’s talking about. One track near the end (“21 Guns”), however, managed to pleasantly break the flow through avoiding Green Day’s form entirely and more closely following the power ballad style of the eighties; the song displays Armstrong’s vocal and stylistic range in a flattering instrumental context. But overall, there are far better uses for 69 of your minutes. Well, a mere look at the cover art should be deterrent enough for anyone.

tl;dr: Bright points do pop up in the album. For the most part, though, it is ostentatious and formulaic.
Best Songs: "21 Guns" and "Peacemaker"

~Nilla

1. Song Of The Century
2. 21st Century Breakdown
3. Know Your Enemy
4. ¡Viva La Gloria!
5. Before The Lobotomy
6. Christian's Inferno
7. Last Night On Earth
8. East Jesus Nowhere
9. Peacemaker
10. Last of the American Girls
11. Murder City
12. ¿Viva La Gloria?
13. Restless Heart Syndrome
14. Horseshoes and Handgrenades
15. The Static Age
16. 21 Guns
17. American Eulogy
18. See The Light
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