Quick Takes on Albums and Tracks.

My Quick Album Reviews:

Levy – Rotten Love. B+
Much better than I anticipated. I thought they’d have only one good song. The whole album is consistent. Fun and catchy, but not deep. But that’s fine.

The Clientele – Strange Geometry. C+
I’ve only listened twice. Not sure what “dream pop” is, but this could be it. Not very memorable. I'll give a few more spins.

Most Serene Republic – Underwater Cinematographer. B
Hit or miss. Two really strong tracks, a few weak ones, and the rest is so-so.

The Long Winters – Ultimatum EP. B+
The single, Ultimatum, mostly carries this EP, but the rest of it is also good. The live version of the single is unnecessary and inferior to what works so well on the studio version.

John Vanderslice – Pixel Revolt. B+
The three songs before Trance Manual are probably the worse on the album. Once that is over, though, the album sparkles with five or so real gems. I can’t stand Sufjan, but really like this guy.

Song Reviews:
Silver Jews – Animal Shapes. A-
Of the four songs I’ve heard off Tanglewood Numbers, this is the one that strikes me the most. The melody is predictable, but obviously that has never bothered me. Sometimes I like singing along to songs the very first time I hear them. (Download over at Julseas)

Sun Kil Moon – Tiny Cities Made of Ashes. D
The only thing this song has going for it is that Kozelek stops the pain at 3 minutes and 16 seconds, and doesn’t drag it on for longer like he tends to do. Every line of the song ends in the same annoying way. Painful. (Download over at Gorilla Vs. Bear -Sorry Chris, I don't agree with you on this one)

Cordalene – Kissed Awake. A-
This guy’s voice is perfect for this song. Not a fan of the way it opens with only drum and vocal, but when he starts sings “You’re pretty like smoke/You’re pretty like paper”, it really picks up. In fact, just the way he sings “paper” is remarkable and I’ve been trying to emulate it all morning. I’m a big fan of songs that are so good they make you forget that they are secretly dippy. (Download over at Underrated Blog)