New Music: The Blood Brothers, Jeffrey & Jack Lewis, Mouse on Mars, Phelan Sheppard

The Blood Brothers - Lazer Life - Young Machetes (V2 2006)


The Blood Brothers – Young Machetes / V2

So there was no doubt that 2004’s Crimes was a bit of a disappointment after the unprecedented art-core perfection of …Burn, Piano Island, Burn. And the truth of the matter is that The Blood Brothers may never be able to top that album if only because of the absolute surprise that it was, but if anything, Young Machetes is a damn fine go at it. With quite a few surprises including some group sing-alongs, a couple leanings toward dance-punk and the very pretty clarinet, upright bass and organ conclusion to Street Wars/Exotic Foxholes… yes, pretty. Don’t fret though, the Seattle quintet’s core sound remains: Jordan Blilie and Johnny Whitney trade fanatic yelps and eerie whispers alike, carnival organ riffs dance over scathing guitar blasts, and songs continue to find that unusual niche between abrasive and catchy. Not to mention, Laser Life may be their best single yet, easily paralleling the ridiculous fun of Ambulance vs. Ambulance. It’s good to hear the Brothers continuing to progress so fruitfully in an often mundane genre… and I will continue to get every one of their albums in what sadly may be a lost cause to find a follow-up that surpasses Piano Island, but it will certainly be damn fun trying.




Jeffrey & Jack Lewis - Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror - City & Eastern Songs (Rough Trade 2006)


Jeffrey & Jack Lewis – City & Eastern Songs / Rough Trade

On his third properly released full-length, NYC’s Jeffrey Lewis along with his brother Jack continue to hone their anti-folk sound with a great deal of success. Behind Jeffrey’s everyday voice and hyper-literate, idiosyncratic lyrics, the Lower East Side products jump back and forth from Velvet Underground-inspired rock to loosely crafted punk to wavering folk without it ever feeling particularly forced. The lyrics are incredibly specific and visual, obviously thanks to Jeffrey’s other gig as a comic book artist, but I wouldn’t call the album personal because there is a completely relatable quarter-life crisis vibe throughout. There is also a certain classic, DIY indie-rock feel to the album; as if it was recorded half structured, half improved on the bedroom 4-track after a particularly inspiring high, but with expanded instrumentation, mixing and mastering (which is a hearty nod to producer Kramer [Galaxie 500, Butthole Surfers, Daniel Johnston]). This is a very enjoyable album that can reach new and old DIY rock fans, from Lou Reed to John Darnielle, but with a particular individual trip for each listener.




Mouse on Mars - Retphase - Varcharz (Ipecac 2006)


Mouse on Mars – Varcharz / Ipecac

To be completely honest, my favorite Mouse on Mars moments come when the German electronic pioneers tease the samplers with a bit lighter touch, letting them pop rather than pound. Well this is an Ipecac release and Mike Patton like his pop music to grind into uncharted territories, so I am a bit out of luck. But no worries, this is Mouse on Mars we’re talking about and with whichever approach they take, you can expect an inventive barrage of pop, techno, disco, trance and ambient. In this department, Varcharz (a technical term short for ‘variable character [field]’ minus the –z), the duo’s 9th proper full-length, does little to let down as their personal brand of unconventional electronica trips, bounces, smacks, slips, slides and grinds its way across the dance floor. There are as many moment of spaz-glitch as there are poptronica, so it should please fans from both sides of the MoM spectrum. The first half is for fans of their Idiology and Niun Niggung phases while the second half is for devotees of the heady stuff.




Phelan Sheppard - Weaving Song - Harp's Old Master (Leaf 2006)


Phelan Sheppard – Harp’s Old Master / Leaf

David Sheppard and Keiron Phelan, two-thirds of State River Widening, are once again tinkering around the studio with every instrument they can squeeze a sound out of and bringing forth what seems to be another subtly gorgeous record for the Mecca of minimal amazement, the Leaf Label. Harp’s Old Master emphasis is on sparkling string sounds, but its what’s happening around those harmonies that really move the song; a double bass simultaneously plods and whirrs as mechanical snares tiptoe over echoing keyboard snippets and bright, high-frequency pads zip by like passing headlights. Songs swoon, patter and blossom in an array of lush sounds that envelope gently back onto each other before settling quietly like the morning after a good snow. Recorded during the London winter of 2005, Harp’s Old Master manifests the feelings you get on a cold December morning walking the peaceful back alleys of a dense city grid: tranquil, aged and humble.