Fair to Midland - "Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True" (2007)

90%

Fair to Midland's major-label debut is a masterpiece. This epic progressive rock quintet from Texas utilize soaring vocals and clever lyrics to wonderful effect, as is evident in their third studio album, Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True. The roaring opener "Dance of the Manatee" provides a strong canvas for the rest of the album to explore, and songs like "A Wolf Descends Upon the Spanish Sahara" and "Walls of Jericho" do so with screaming glee. These musicians have clearly been doing this for a while, and while their earlier albums seemed a bit stylistically uncertain, this album asserts itself very confidently as an epic. While the titles of the tracks and the artwork of this album may at first make it seem a bit hard to take in, its coldly organic soundscapes and catchy (but not corny) choruses soon and envelop you and convert you to the Cult of Midland.

This album is flawlessly produced and mixed, leaving plenty of room for the subtleties of the music and unique song structure to shine. The lyrics are also quite interesting, with the most striking of the bunch being the words to the chorus of the album's closing piece, "Say When," which defiantly proclaim, "The way they left us all in the dark: The buried the sun, so I carried the torch." This album is truly a "you'd have to listen to it to understand" sort of album, and I urge you to do so.

However, I did not give this album over a 90% for a reason, a reason that can only become apparent after three or four spins of the album. When someone asks me to name the track I'm humming or drumming, and it's a track off this album, I hesitate. And then I ponder. Looking back on this album in retrospect, the tracks blend together in a large lump of chunky, flowing guitars and cheesy keyboards and the names of the songs dissolve into murky cesspools of doubt in my mind. Why is this? In my opinion, it's similarity between tracks. The tendency of this band to repeat their formula just a smidge too much on a single album is apparent now, but personally, I don't think it damages the album to too great a degree.

tl;dr: A memorable (but singular-minded) progressive rock classic. Fair to Midland at their best.
NOTE: The tracks after the backslashes are interludes.

Best tracks: All of them. Like I said, very similar-sounding stuff.

-Zhaboka

01. Dance of the Manatee
02. Kyla Cries Cologne / Pre-Versa
03. Vice/Versa
04. The Wife, the Kids, and the White Picket Fence
05. April Fools and Eggmen / Ciperion
06. A Seafarer's Knot
07. A Wolf Descends Upon the Spanish Sahara
08. Walls of Jericho
09. Tall Tales Taste Like Sour Grapes
10. Upgrade^Brigade / When the Bough Breaks
11. Say When / Ozymandius
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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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5ive Style - "5ive Style" (1995)

84%

5ive Style is an indie funk-rock band from Chicago. The songs on their self-titled debut are structured like mainstream rock songs in that they switch from verse to chorus repeatedly with few solos. It would seem that this would become horribly repetitive; it does not. The repetition allows the listener to sink even further into the cavernous grooves presented on each track. Moreover, the songs are of suitably short durations, so that each riff or rhythm stays fresh. The textures used are delicious: fat synthesizers, clean electric guitar, and basslines that emphasize the band’s deep-funk style.

The most important difference between 5ive Style and other “post-rock” groups is true musicianship. Guitarist Billy Dolan wields formidable technical power as leader of the band, interweaving melodic lines and triple-stops into extremely catchy riffs. Also, 5ive Style has a group dynamic in their music. The songs sound as if each musician is working toward a final product with the same conceptual goal. From the ambient (at least relatively) experimentation of “Sure Is Hot” and “I Told Ya” to the upbeat (again, relatively) rhythms which drive “Hard Afro Rubalon” and “Once Around the Park,” 5ive Style offers excellent funk-rock to any interested, with a grin on its little album face.

tl;dr: 5ive Style is a funk-rock album with a winning personality and some excellent music.
Best Songs: “Apple Pie", “Once Around the Park", “Hard Afro Rubalon" and “Deep Marsh”

~Nilla

1. Deep Marsh
2. Hard Afro Rubalon
3. Once Around The Park
4. Round Up
5. I Told Ya
6. Outta Space Canoe Race
7. Apple Pie
8. Waiting On The Eclipse
9. Freddy Flakeout
10. Sure Is Hot
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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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