WRUV Reviews

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Ernest Greene returns from two highly acclaimed EPs under the alias “Washed Out” with his first full-length release, Within and Without, a title that fits the dichotomous nature of the album’s content.

Keeping in tune with Greene’s lo-fi and hazy soundscapes, the album begins with “Eyes Be Closed,” a summer gem with ‘wave-crashing’ synths, echoic tom drums, and blurry vocals. On the following cut, “Echoes,” Greene’s synth work is reminiscent of 90’s Night at the Roxbury clubland, but his vocals manage to set a more serious and dark tone. “Amor Fati,” an album highlight, is equipped with pulsating chords, driving percussion, and soaring vocals; a track likely to be heard at any hipster rooftop dance party. “You And I,” uses a beautifully constructed vocal sample as its refrain; having an undeniably catchy chorus and verse melody, as well as featuring guest vocals from the smooth and seductive Caroline Polachek (of Chairlift), this is perhaps the most dynamic and rewarding cut off the album. Though many of the songs seem to follow a similar structure and sequence (refrain introduction, building percussion, beat drop, verse, chorus, verse, bridge, climactic chorus, bridge, fade out), the most successful are those that embrace and emphasize it. Some of the more repetitious and lackluster cuts, such as “Soft” and “Within and Without,” give the album a nice intermission and subtle dynamic, but are less exciting as standalone pieces.

Overall, Within and Without is a debut full-length that captures the essence of a new voice in current music; a voice that is still developing and curious, but has surely created something new and exciting by referencing the old and innovating upon it.

RIYL: Small Black, Neon Indian, Toro Y Moi
Recommended Songs: 1*,2,3,6,7*
FCC Clean

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2 out of 5 stars

Melissa Livaudais and Busy Ganges return from a year of touring with two dark synth-heavy tracks. Their latest album, Dance Mother, was full of haunting and catchy dance gems. O the single’s a-side, “Throw Away This”, their “glitchy blip” production feels stale, and the vocal melodies sound like TLC had a love-child with the Backstreet Boys. The b-side, “Destroyer,” is closer in tone and depth to their earlier work, unfortunately their ominous synth-lines and anthemic choruses fall short in feeling genuine.

RIYL: Tegan and Sara, School of Seven Bells
Play: 2
FCC CLEAN

4.5 out of 5 stars

The One Am Radio takes pieces of their previous mellow glitch rock sound to re-define themselves as an electro-rock powerhouse. Front-man, Hrishikesh Hirway, sounds natural and effortless over the new up-tempo vibe of Heaven Is Attached By A Slender Thread. HIABAST is by far their most upbeat and danceable album from the band, with songs like face-paced night-drive opener “Sunlight,” the melancholic and uber-catchy “An Old Photo of Your New Lover,” indie-rock gem “Credible Threats,” and the club-worthy “Plans.”

Fans of The One Am Radio might be shocked by the stark sonic contrast to the bedroom lullabies of older albums, but HIABAST is a pleasantly surprising and wonderfully effective effort at transitioning to a more party-oriented, less dream-based, sound. Double thumbs up!

RIYL: The Postal Service, Stereolab, The Radio Dept.
Recommended Songs: 1*,3*,4,8*, ALL
FCC: 5 (f**k) at 2:54

Stream/Download: “

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Solid conscious hip-hop with dynamic, at times zany, production. Lyrically heavy flow. Straight outta New Hampshire!

Play: 1,2*,3
FCC: 4
RIYL: Del The Funky Homosapien

4.5 out of 5 stars

Picking up where they left off on their debut self-titled release, Beach Fossils offer a refreshed and fine-tuned sound on their follow up, What a Pleasure EP. Where their self-titled album focused mainly on the conversation between guitar layers, syncopated bass lines, and hushed vocal presence, WTP extends this interplay to moody synth-work and vocal clarity.

Though each song has its’ own unique qualities, their is a wonderful cohesiveness to the album. Each cut manages to have the right balance of catchy guitar work, memorable vocal refrains, relaxed, yet up-tempo bass and percussion. On album standout “Out In The Way,” we hear vocal and hazy synth accompaniment from Wild Nothing’s Jack Tatum. Dustin Payseur, Beach Fossil’s frontman, and Tatum’s vocals are a nice compliment to each other on this song about holding onto fleeting ‘moments’ of longing and lust. Other album highlights include previously released 7″ single “Face It,” jangly and emotionally-laden “Calyer,” and late-night make-out gem “Fall Right In.”

WTP innovates on the band’s previously laid out concepts with the use of crisper production and more explorative song structuring. All and all, it is a step in the right direction, and a big one at that.

RIYL: Wild Nothing, The Drums, Craft Spells

Recommended Songs: 3,4*,5,7**,ALL

Beach Fossils - “Calyer”

(Courtesy of Captured Tracks)

4.5 out of 5 stars

The man, the myth, the prince of Chillwave and the sort, Chaz Bundick returns with his sophomore effort, Underneath the Pine. Bundick takes a step away from his glo-fi roots to move towards a sparkling and eclectic groove-based sound stage. The big difference on UTP is that instead of hazy loops and early 90’s r&b sampling as a instrumental backdrop, it sounds more and more like Toro Y Moi has become a live band.

Standout tracks like “New Beat” and “Still Sound” showcase the essence of UTP with smooth and beefy bass-tones, glittery electric piano, and floating vocals. Instrumental transitions like “Chi Chi” and “Divina” really make UTP sound like an album. These songs meditate on sounds that seem to have been locked away in the dusty crates of studio 54, only to be reawakened with an enveloping glow.

To those who are reading this and thinking “Ugh, I just want more of those amazing jams I heard on Causers of This:” I hear you. I love those songs equally so, but we need artists like Chaz Bundick/Toro Y Moi to innovate, or at least slightly alter, their sound from album to album. The music scene is flooded with artists trying to sound like ‘this’ or ‘that.’ With Toro Y Moi we have an artist that is trying to make some wonderfully new, and he is doing a darn good job.

RIYL: Washed Out, Neon Indian, Small Black

Recommended Songs: 2*,3,5,6,9**, ALL

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(Courtesy of Carpark)

3.5 out of 5 stars

Jack Tatum returns with a continuation of the similar dreamy/shoegaze sound featured on his debut release, Gemini. Not to be confused with just batch of outtakes from Gemini, this EP has some truly stunning cuts.

Initially, we fade into “Golden Haze” (the first song and title track), a melancholic and fleeting soundscape of tremelo guitars, arena drums, and tight bass. Tatum speaks of his longing to find the “beautiful one” and poses the question: “what does it take to be like you?” The track is short and sweet, which is fairly common in Tatum’s work.

The album tends to focus on the speaker’s need for privacy and caretaking in his relationships. On songs like “Quiet Hours” and “Take Me In,” Tatum addresses the listener as the perpetrator and the savior. The person who has the ability to give him “not what (he) wants, but what (he) needs.”

We are left with “Vultures Like Lovers,” a slightly clipped/blown-out and distant ballad of circling canyon-esque delay which resembles a similarly looped-song structure to that of Animal Collective’s Panda Bear. At the end we hear the clicking of what seems to be a recording device and foot-steps walking away; creating a personal and intimate relationship with the listener after perhaps the most emotionally distant song of the album. The overall sound on Golden Haze EP is reminiscent of Tatum’s earlier work in the sense of song writing and structure, but the production quality is far superior.

RIYL: Beach Fossils, Panda Bear, The Radio Dept.

Recommended Songs: 1,3*,6, ALL

Stream/Download: Wild Nothing - “

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(Courtesy of Captured Tracks)

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5 out 5 stars

When I saw these guys back in October ‘09, I had a feeling in my gut that their debut record was going to be the “dopeness.”  10 months later, my gut was right on. Beach Fossils, their self-titled first release, is indeed dope. Delicately selected electric-guitar picking layered over careful and catchy baselines, subtle drums, and laid-back vocals equipped with some dizzying flange. Although relatively basic and straight-forward song structures dominate the album, this leaves room for Dustin Payseur’s guitar picking to act as the catchy hook for which your subconscious yearns. In fact, for most songs Payseur’s vocals are wonderfully similar to the bass and drums, both in their unobtrusive role in the mix as well as their comforting repetition in rhythm and melody.

Album highlights include the album opener “Sometimes,” packed with enticingly cryptic lyrical content: “I know I waste my time/ And I can’t figure out/ Which one is yours or mine/That’s fine/I really couldn’t say I mind,” as well as guitar and bass-line repetition which borders on a loop, but manages to hold onto the human quality of subtle inconsistency. “Youth” is a laid back summer jam complete with a nostalgic day-glo atmosphere and sweeping lyrical explorations: “we got our love to spare/cause we’re awake through our youth.” “Daydream” is exactly what the song’s title suggests; a sunny and laid back tune which slips the listener into reverie for a quick 3 minutes, only to be lovingly lulled back into reality by the following tune, “Golden Age.”

This is a remarkably simple, yet defiantly classic first album from Beach Fossils and in all seriousness, I am not sure if they will ever be able to top it.

RIYL: Wild Nothing, Woods, Small Black
Recommended Songs: 1,2*,3,6*,7

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(Courtesy of Captured Tracks)

3.5 out 5 stars

After a nightmarish initial jaunt of pop-stardom (live performance freak-outs, fist fights, etc.), Nathan Williams has managed to stay afloat with the endorsement of some talented friends. With the help of producer Dennis Herring (The Hives, Modest Mouse) and the backing band of the late Jay Reatard, Williams (Wavves frontman) has created a carnival of throwback/time-specific grunge-pop jams on King Of The Beach.

The opening (and title) track, “King of the Beach,” sets the tone for the rest of the album; a buzzing and powerfully distorted four-chord pop-punk tune with subtle hints of ego-driven desires of being the “king: of such recent indie obsessions with sun-soaked summer life. “Post-Acid” is an album gem, where Williams blends his fascination with melodic repetition, distortion, double-time rhythms, and pop hooks. “Baseball Cards” is a wonderfully kooky cut, rich with dynamic song structure, mixing, and “sha-lala-lala’s.” Previously released as a demo, “Mickey Mouse” is reminiscent of the previous Wavves release, employing distant distorted “woo’s” with blown out drums and, of course, more “sha-lala-lala’s.” The album closes with another highlight, “Baby Say Goodbye;” using sunny pop progressions and upper-register vocal belting to create a solid album closer. Perhaps the most interesting section of the song is when the line “baby say goodbye” is looped with “yeah-aa-yeah-aa” to eventually converge into a psychedelic cycle of fantastically whirly distortion. King of the Beach may not be the next Nevermind, but needless to say, nice job, Nate.

RIYL: Male Bonding, No Age, Little Girls
Recommended Songs: 1,2,5,7,10*,12*
FCC: 3 (S**t), 6 (F**k), 9 (F**k),

Download “Post Acid - Wavves” over at Green Label Sound.