Record Reviews
The Loose SaluteTuned To Love (Graveface)
The Loose Salute don't seem too fussed about sticking to one genre in particular. However, steeped as they are in a particularly English sort of folkiness, it seems fairly certain that their sound will never get too heavy. On Tuned to Love, their infatuations include freewheeling country pop, plaintive ballads and breezy, let's-put-on-a-show charmers. The light touch of Mojave 3 drummer Ian McCutcheon (who also assumes vocal duties) sets the band's easygoing pace as it rambles into each of these areas and creates a gently confident debut.
Tuned to Love often captures the feeling of being lost and disconnected, most explicitly on the forlorn "Photographs and Tickets." "All I have are photos / ticket stubs from old shows / That's all I'm left with this time," McCutcheon's co-vocalist Lisa Billson explains in a velvet murmur. The track nicks a melody from Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer," of all songs, as deftly as it evokes mournful nostalgia. It's not all heartache, however; the Salute prove themselves fully capable of generating a joyful atmosphere. "Turn the Radio Up" exudes a lazy sensuality, while "Through the Stratosphere to the Bars" playfully recreates the twangy vibe of a 1970s radio hit.
Despite the mild first impression left by this laid-back album, it has a real durability, communicating both the restlessness of summer and the cozy feel of autumn. Pick it up now, and you can nod knowingly once your friends tune in to Love.
- Amanda Langston
The Loose Salute
Graveface Records
The Sea and CakeEverybody (Thrill Jockey)
Chicago supergroup The Sea and Cake were on a roll in the early part of the decade, with their Oui and One Bedroom LPs building to a fever pitch from the percussive, jazzy foundations of their 90s recordings to become instant classics of sophisticated, mature indie-pop. After a four year break during which Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt both released gorgeous, heavily orchestrated solo albums, the full band is back with Everybody.
The new album marks a slight change in sound, significantly scaling back and varied instrumentation and electronics that made their past few albums so jaw-droppingly impressive. What is amazing is how much Everybody still sounds just like The Sea and Cake even without those now-expected embellishments. John McEntire's fluid beats, Prekop and Prewitt's wonderful guitar interplay, and Prekop's soothing, lazy voice are all at the forefront, and on the louder numbers the band seems re-energized with a sense of power that adds an interesting new dimension to their sound. For a band who never had much of a chance to rock, they do so very well, in their own restrained, classy way. At times, though, especially on the slower numbers, it's hard not to long a bit for the delicate arrangements of the past few albums. However, considering their consistently high-quality output, it's easy to go along with them, whether the new sound is just a break from complicated electronics or a transition to some new phase of the band's career.
- Parks Westbrook
The Sea and Cake
Thrill Jockey
The Sea and Cake play the EARL this Tuesday, September 25 in support of Everybody. Meg Baird opens. The band's subsequent tour dates are as follows (with Meg Baird unless indicated):
Wed., Sept. 26 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
Thurs., Sept. 27 - Satellite Ballroom - Charlottesville, VA
Fri., Sept. 28 - Sonar - Baltimore, MD
Sat., Sept. 29 - Warsaw - Brooklyn, NY (w/Antietam, Soft Circle)
Sun., Sept. 30 - Museum of Fine Arts - Boston, MA
Mon., Oct. 1 - Higher Ground - South Burlington, VT
Wed., Oct. 3 - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
Thurs., Oct. 4 - Majestic Theatre - Detroit, MI
Fri., Oct. 5 - Metro - Chicago, IL (w/Meg Baird, Douglas McCombs & David Daniell Duo)
Fri., Oct. 26 - AV Cervantes Festival - Malaga, Spain
Sat., Oct. 27 - ZDB - Lisbon, Portugal
Sun., Oct. 28 - Teatro Vigo - Vigo, Spain
Mon., Oct. 29 - O Meu Mercedes - Porto, Portugal
Tues., Oct. 30 - University Auditorium - Huelva, Spain
Wed., Oct. 31 - University Auditorium - Cadiz, Spain
Fri., Nov. 2 - Tanned Tin Festival - Castellon, Spain
Sat., Nov. 3 - Auditorium - Zaragoza, Spain
Mon., Nov. 5 - Gaswerk - Winterthur, Switzerland
Tues., Nov. 6 - Enjoy Jazz Festival - Heidelberg, Germany
Wed., Nov. 7 - Gleiss 22 - Munster, Germany
Thurs., Nov. 8 - Zakk - Dusseldorf, Germany
Fri., Nov. 9 - Botanique - Brussels, Belgium
Sun., Nov. 11 - Koko - London, UK (Thrill Jockey Anniversary, featuring many TJ bands)
Bat for LashesFur and Gold (Caroline)
"Horse and I," the opening track on Fur and Gold, immediately establishes Natasha Khan (aka Bat for Lashes) as a fiercely original artist. In it, she sings about "mystic golden light" and mysterious rituals while accompanied by a driving harpsichord melody and haunting tribal rhythm. Dressed in her preferred garb of warrior makeup and headdress and playing the Baroque era's favorite keyboard instrument, she's like Siouxsie Sioux crossed with Tori Amos.
Khan's evocative voice weaves in and out of a debut album that is rich in eclectic choices. "Prescilla," a jaunty number replete with handclaps, mixes alongside the ethereal, This Mortal Coil vibe of "Seal Jubilee." The tribal sounds of the opening track return on "Sarah," but this time with subtle, jazzy brass. Khan even tackles a spare cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire" as a bonus track. The centerpiece of the album, though, is "What's a Girl to Do?," Khan's ode to a faded love affair. Amidst swirling harpsichord and delicate background vocals, she creates a gothic girl group epic, wondering how to proceed now that "kisses at night are replaced by tears."
Dark and introspective, but with an overriding delicacy and innocence, Bat for Lashes sounds like the soundtrack to a vivid fever dream. But with music this rich, it is a dream you will not want to readily escape.
- Stuart Myerburg
Bat for Lashes
Caroline