Reviews: Jason Collett, Hot Chip, Iron Maiden and more
Tuesday February 05, 2008 @ 02:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Releases: February 5, 2008

AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR Sirens Of Titan (Independent)
For once, the hype about a band's sound has proven fairly accurate. We're told by a sticker on this album's cover that Amateur Radio Operator are suggested listening for those who like Magnolia Electric Co. and Band Of Horses, and indeed, the sensibilities of both groups are represented here. The twangy guitars would fit snugly into any of Jason Molina's creations and the far-off falsetto singing is not unlike Ben Bridwell's. But while Sirens Of Titan sounds like a disc borne from a shotgun wedding between these two bands, Amateur Radio Operator aren't nearly as engaging as either of them. The majority of the songs on Sirens Of Titan take about two minutes too long to get off the ground and, while they do usually have a payoff at the end, you get the feeling that the first three minutes were nonessential. This is a promising start, but also a suggestion that much more is possible. Scott Bryson

JASON COLLETT Here's To Being Here (Arts & Crafts/EMI)
Jason Collett possesses a swagger that few musicians can affect. It's effortless, like he fell out of the womb in a vintage three-piece suit with a guitar slung over his shoulder. Here's To Being Here sees Collett put that swagger to good use playing with his live backing crew, Paso Mino, and a raft of the "special guests" we've all come to expect from any Social Scenester's release, including Andrew Whiteman (Apostle Of Hustle) and Liam O'Neill (The Stills). The result is a record that builds on the whispered melodies and timeless feel of his 2005 masterstroke, Idols Of Exile. Howie Beck's recording and production are clean but not precious, letting Collett's slightly nasal timbre ring out over his Dylan-gone-electric guitar riffs and meted out arrangements. The "alt.country" tag Collett's often saddled with doesn't do his musicianship justice. He's too fucking cool, not to mention talented, to be pinned down like that. Matt Littlefair

HOT CHIP Made In The Dark (EMI)
I used to think Hot Chip were one of the most overrated electronic acts of the past five years when The Warning hit dance floors and hipster headphones worldwide. It turns out their appeal, melodies and simplistic take on electro-pop had a lasting effect and the band have now established themselves as a smart, relevant and oftentimes groundbreaking set of blokes. So it's with glee and humility that I pronounce their new record, Made In The Dark, an electronic masterstroke that's bound to be one of 2008's best. It's weird, lush, experimental, danceable, make-outable, memorable, hilarious and sad all at once. Like TV On The Radio, Radiohead and even Kraftwerk, MITD evokes that exciting feeling of a band truly existing on a planet of their own when creating music in the studio. One advantage Hot Chip have over the aforementioned bands is that they seem to have a lot more fun, and by not taking themselves too seriously they generate new sounds and songs worth diving into. Phil Villeneuve

I SPIES In The Night (Independent)
On the I Spies' website it states: "The I Spies will lead the next wave of Canadian indie to new heights!" I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree. This Toronto-based quartet brings a familiar radio-friendly blend of rock and pop that's happy and easy to dance to, but it's nothing that's going to raise the indie bar just yet. The first half of this debut blends together a little too much, but the second half establishes a rather unique sound. Closer "Thump, Thump, Thump" is hopefully the way the band want to lead into their next album, as it features elements that could possibly help them lead the next wave of Canadian indie, just like the website says. I spy, with my little eye, a band that have the potential to be great, but haven't reached it yet. Logan Broger

IRON MAIDEN Live After Death (EMI)
Anyone with the most rudimentary sense of musical awareness will instantaneously be able to figure out the importance of the Live After Death two-DVD set. Recorded in 1984 and originally released on VHS at the height of heavy metal, by a band at their commercial, creative and touring peak, and ripe with every cliche associated with the genre — spandex, outlandish stage set-ups, pyro, ridiculous theatrics and fantastical song matter — it's the sort of show that deserves time-capsuling and preserving for all eternity. The Maiden people certainly seem aware of this. Disc one, the original Long Beach, California concert features what may be the band's most defining set list ("The Trooper," "Powerslave," Number Of The Beast," etc). Of no less importance, though, are all the newly added elements on the second disc. A history of Iron Maiden segment, a documentary on their tour to Poland while it was still under communist rule and footage from their inaugural appearance at Rock In Rio makes the whole package a rich, wickedly self-aware and essential historical document. Aaron Brophy

KAMERA Resurrection (Nettwerk/Sony BMG)
Sweden's Kamera wear their new wave influences like accessories. An enormous debt is owed to Roxy Music, The Cure and Duran Duran, and Kamera seem all too pleased to be so close to creative bankruptcy. For whatever reason, there are a lot of European bands that commit this error (The Hives, The Darkness, Pulp) by trying to be something, rather than doing something, and the results are usually character-driven recordings with no replay value. I prefer steak with my sizzle, and I'll take a hoarse-voiced, out of tune, lo-fi recording of brilliant songs over a high budget, oil-slick pop group any day. It's even worse in Kamera's case, because their character has as much personality as a Depeche Mode promo sticker. Let's hope they don't catch on. Jared Moreno

THE LOVED ONES Build & Burn (Fat Wreck Chords)
It's tempting to say The Loved Ones' sophomore album, produced by Bob Strakele and Bouncing Souls' Peter Steinkopf and Bryan Keilen, is pop-punk. The problem in this, of course, is everyone equates "pop-punk" with nasally adolescents (either in age or attitude) reaching out to an audience of mall-based upper-middle-class suburbanites. The songs on Build & Burn, on the other hand, are mature, with good lyrics and a sense of harmony. They just happen to be accessible. Closer to Constantines than Clash, the disc stays near bar-room rock, from no-nonsense opener "Pretty Good Year" to Springsteen-aged allegorical anthem "The Bridge," to bonafide love song closer "I Swear," complete with not-so-punk, '70s-style piano/guitar outro. It's a consistently good album, but aside from the interesting Dixieland dirge of "Louisiana" (featuring guitar work by Tad Kubler of hipster darlings The Hold Steady), nothing really rises above the mix and enters the realm of instant classic. While it'll still please fans of the band, it's unlikely to win over new converts to the cause. Erik Missio

BOB MOULD District Line (Anti-/FAB)
While Mould has recorded some excellent songs on his five solo albums since 1989's Workbook, that aspect of his career has always been overshadowed by his groundbreaking work with Husker Du and the muscular buzz-pop he created with Sugar. So I looked forward to District Line after reading that it was a return to earlier form, which only increased my disappointment when I realized it wasn't. While there are big guitars and drums in opener "Stupid Now," it's also the first of too many tracks to employ a vocoder that alters the distinctive voice best showcased here on "Return To Dust." "The Silence Between Us" is a pop song that rocks, but exhibits more restraint than it should. "Shelter Me" should fit in well at the club nights that Mould now hosts, but dance music wasn't what got me interested in his work. Part of Husker Du's reputation was based on eardrum-shattering volume, which made their quieter acoustic numbers that much more memorable. But here they just blend in with mid-tempo rock songs to create aural wallpaper that fails to inspire. Steve McLean

JAMES MURDOCH In Transit (Indica)
As the Balkanization of indie music into genre-bending splinter groups continues unabated, it's refreshing to hear a musician willing to get back to basics. Edmonton-based songwriter James Murdoch does just that on his latest disc. You'll find verses that alternate amicably with choruses, hooks that go down easy, and heartfelt lyrics about time-worn topics like zig-zagging the globe, heartache and the romance of country living. While some of the songs seem almost deliberately designed to land Murdoch a deal soundtracking the opening credits of the next O.C.-style TV drama, dig deeper and you'll find some hidden gems. Album closer "Blindsided" — a simple acoustic number in which Murdoch's vocals recall Ryan Adams' — threatens to steal the show from radio-ready cuts such as "Give Me Your Love" and "False Alarm." Though co-producer and all-around gun-for-hire Hawksley Workman's name is plastered all over In Transit, this record is all Murdoch's. Matt Reeder

SCHOOL OF LANGUAGE Sea From Shore (Thrill Jockey)
Field Music aren't going to produce music as a "band" for a while, whatever that means, so main member Dave Brewis has risen like a phoenix to become School Of Language. If Field Music's last album, Tones Of Town, was the cool stoner brother who really understood music, Sea From Shore is that same sibling who became a doctor. This solo indie-nerd-rock project sounds relaxed and warm, but has also grown a little more mature and memorable. Brewis' love for complex time changes still throws many songs for a loop here, but it's all done with less force. "Keep Your Water" starts off as a watery ballad but peacefully moves into an upbeat acoustic stomper in the end. The bandmates are missed by mid-album, mostly because Brewis starts to sound like a man left too long to his own devices. Fortunately, Brewis ends the album by reconnecting with the record's first two songs, kind of like a good medical thesis explained to you when you're high. Phil Villeneuve

KELLEY STOLTZ Circular Sounds (Sub Pop/Outside)
"Everything Begins," the gravity-defying opener from this San Francisco-based songwriter's third Sub Pop release, is the musical equivalent of a hot-air balloon ride. Built on a heady concoction of chugging piano, bass and rushing drums flanked by reverb-y guitar, swirling sax lines and Stoltz's honey-drenched vocals, it's a brilliant exercise in '60s-inspired psych pop. The record's second cut, the acoustic-based "Tintinnabulation," transports us back to solid ground, but finds Stoltz leading us on an equally thrilling journey through a shadowy forest replete with sinister melodies twisted around mind-bending guitar trickery. The vintage panorama doesn't stop there. Stoltz, who once again helms the studio gear and plays most of the instruments himself, also channels bluesy garage rock ("Your Reverie"), Velvet Underground-inspired party jams ("The Birmingham Eccentric") and Nick Drake-like acoustic meditations ("Gardenia") on this 14-song opus. While such a collection could come off as a muddled mess in the hands of a lesser musician, Stoltz keeps the hooks nice and easy throughout, proving that accessibility needn't be sacrificed at the altar of elaborate songcraft. Matt Reeder

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