In Your Ear-7.12.11

Blood Pressures by The Kills

I came across this band listening to KEXP podcasts and found their latest album, which is pretty rocking, at the library.

The records opens with Future Starts Slow, a track I absolutely fell in love with, drawn to the stripped down instruments amplified by a hypnotic guitar part. My other favorite track is DNA, which haunts and rocks at the same time. Tracks 5 and 8 are completely at odds with the rest of the album. The first time through I thought my CD was broken. Really did not like Wild Charms (5), The Last Goodbye (8) is ok. Baby Says (track 7) doesn’t hit the heights plus the sound quality seems very odd.

Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter

I listened to the album a couple of weeks ago on Grooveshark and it didn’t really grab me. I must not have been playing enough attention because there are several great tracks on this album.

Fountain Stairs, Memory Boy, Revival, and Don’t Cry are short, unique pop songs that are pure Deerhunter, which Wikipedia describes as: Noise rock, Ambient, Shoegaze, Post-punk revival, Indie rock. If you say so. I just know that this band doesn’t sound like anything else I’m familiar with. Coronado uses the sax to create a light, fun pop song. My favorite track by far is Desire Lines. I could listen to the chorus and the end of the song forever, the instruments fusing together to create a sound that is out of this world. I love this about this band!

Recent Tracks I’ve found:

You’ve Got the Love by Florence and the Machine. They opened for U2 a couple of weeks ago and my brother suggested I check them out.

Cheated Hearts by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I came across the song during a rare listen to commercial radio on the Impact 89FM. Went online immediately and found it.

I Luv UR Sneakers by Poly Styrene. Sound Opinions featured this song as they remembered her influence and her passing.