WRUV Reviews

Wakin On A Pretty Daze, the fifth album from Kurt Vile, is arguably his best. His last album, Smoke Ring For My Halo, was a reflective record that showcased some of his best guitar work. This time, he’s focused on the swirling psychedelic sounds he can pull out of his guitar. On the stunning 9 minute opener, “Wakin On A Pretty Day”, it instantly becomes clear how effortlessly he can shred. The most radio-friendly (in terms of length) is “Never Run Away”, another wonderful nugget of psychedelic pop. This is a gorgeous record that evokes the essence of spring, and should be played as often as possible.

FCC: Clean!
RIYL: The War On Drugs, Woods, Atlas Sound, Real Estate
Play: 2,4,5,10

Celluloid records began during the late 70s in Paris. During those early years Celluloid put out records by predominantly post punk, industrial and new wave bands. In the 80′s founder Jean Karakos became involved more in the New York hip-hop scene and that music became a big part of Celluloid’s output. Karakos also dabbled into recording some African Artists. This mix of post-punk, new wave, hip-hop, and African music is uniquely Celluloid, and it is displayed on this brilliant and expansive collection. A really cool piece of musical history thats awesome to listen to!

RIYL: DFA, The Clash
Play:
(Post-punk) CD1 – 1,3
(New-Wave) CD1 – 5,6             CD2 – 2,3,9
(Hip-Hop) CD1 –  9                   CD2 – 10,12
(African) CD1 -12,13 

FCC: CD1 – 8  CD2-13

Driving guitar hooks, with tormented vocals, slashing guitar riffs and an overal sound that brings to mind a more melodic 90′s lo-fi . The instrumentation is very raw, and the dense punk parts are interspersed with atmospheric fuzz-jams. Unfortunately most of the best tracks, “I’ve Got A Wild Feeling” and  ”Illegal and Free” break some FCCs.

RIYL: Hüsker Dü, Dinosaur Jr, Potty Mouth
Play: 3,5
FCC: 2,4,8

Classic punk and rock and roll with hints of country coming through in the swinging melodies. High energy in the instrumentation, but the vocals often don’t keep up. The guitar riffs are pretty standard, but the delivery is solid. The middle tracks get quicker as their punk tendencies take charge.

RIYL: Titus Andronicus, Bass Drum of Death
Play: 2,12,7,6
FCC: 5

With over ten albums and about a decade of work Thee Oh Sees have disproved the idea that garage/psych rock is a short road for young rockers. Member John Dwyer used these words to describe Floating Coffin: ”These songs occur in the mindset of a world that’s perpetually war-ridden. Overall, it’s pretty dark, and much heavier than our other albums.” The songs range from being frantic to grooving, with clamoring guitars, subdued organ, and yelped vocals. A great balance between psychedelic atmosphere, garage punch, art rock with some of the bands best songwriting to date.

RIYL: White Fence, Ty Segall, Mikal Cronin
Play: 2,10,3,5,6  ALL!
FCC: Clean

Pop melodies coated in dense 80′s new wave. The dark mood is counteracted by the bouncing basslines and catchy songwriting. The intrumentation is pretty typical for new wave (shimmering synths, thudding drums, fuzzed guitars) but Wax Idols add their own edge with some noise viola. Discipline + Desire doesn’t break any barriers, but it’s a great example of inspired emulation.

RIYL: The Cure, The Mary Oneness, Siouxsie and the Banshees
Play: 3,1,6,7
FCC: Clean

The Little Ones - The Dawn Sang Along

The Little Ones are a band out of southern California who have received comparisons to Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys. Their latest album The Dawn Sang Along is full of upbeat, happy, summery, catchy, fun indie pop. The album starts out strong with lead single “Argonauts” and other songs like “Little Souls” and “Forro”, but does run out of steam in the second half. While this music isn’t too original, it serves its purpose: fun music for fun times.

Biffy Clyro - Opposites

Biffy Clyro are a Scottish band who aren’t that well known in the U.S. but are huge in the U.K. They sound like a mix of Foo Fighters and Frightened Rabbit. This is the kind of rock music that would feel more at home in a stadium or arena than a small indie club, but their knack for melody, unique vocal style and interesting, unusual lyrics make them stand out. Their latest release Opposites picks up has a similar sound as their last album Only Revolutions. Sadly, on this album many of their lyrics drift toward the typical self-pitying angst that has thankfully gone out of fashion. Still, this album has some worthwhile songs. Biffy Clyro are at their best in moments like the second half of the opening track “Different People” and other more upbeat tracks like “The Joke’s On Us”. Then there are ballads like “Opposite” and “Biblical” which take after their hit song “Many of Horror” from the last album and while they aren’t bad, they drag the album down. Another criticism is the choice of songs that are on the regular version of the album. I had first listened to the deluxe version online which has 22 tracks compared to the regular version which has 15. While I think it was a good idea to condense it into one album, on the U.S. release they left off some of the best songs that were on the double album like “A Girl & His Cat” and kept songs I could have done without like “Biblical”. If you’re into the more radio-friendly side of alternative rock this is worth a listen, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re more into the lo-fi indie rock that is popular with a lot of the DJs here.

FCC: 3, 9, 12

Recommended: 1, 2, 5, 6, 11, 15

RIYL: Foo Fighters, Muse, Frightened Rabbit

Loveskills - Multiplicity EP

A very promising EP from electronic pop act Loveskills. Their sound can be described as chillwave but incorporates elements from a lot of other genres including house, dubstep, hip hop, and R&B. The track “Genorate” (featuring Phaze Future) shows the diversity of their style, going from a driving rock rhythm to more of a laid-back hip hop track, while standouts “Flash in the Dark” and “We Say Love” will make for great listening on hazy summer days.

FCC: 4

Recommended: 1, 2, 5, 3

RIYL: Toro Y Moi, Memory Tapes, Rhye

Everything Everything - Cough Cough EP

Everything Everything are a band out of the U.K, who got some attention a few years back with their single “My KZ, Ur BF” from their debut album Man Alive. Their Cough Cough EP contains that song, plus four songs taken from their sophomore album Arc, which is not yet available in the U.S, plus a remix of the EP’s title track. This band has a very unique sound. Very melodic and danceable, but with interesting rhythms and odd lyrics. They sound a little bit like a more energetic version of Alt-J, but with a completely different vocal style that sounds more like the singer from Foals. This is a band that deserves more attention in the U.S.

FCC Clean

Recommended: 1, 3, 5, 2

RIYL: Alt-J, Friendly Fires, Foals