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This album was released in Europe in 2009 but has finally been released here in the US this week. This is Athlete's fourth album and might just be their best yet. Following the good-but-not-great "Beyond the Neighbourhood" in 2007, "Black Swan" continues the soft alt-rock sound of Athlete but ups the ante with more epic anthems. It seems like the band really pushed themselves to put out consistently good songs and it show here. "Black Swan Song" and especially "The Getaway" are great tracks and are instantly catchy and ever-so beautiful. Joel Pott's voice is as great as ever and so are his lyrics. In case you didn't know, Athlete is from England and they bring the fresh and original sound typical of British bands that is both new and (unfortunately) ignored here in America. If you are tired of all the same-old same-old crap you hear on the radio nowadays, give Athlete a listen. You'll be in for a surprise.
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It's been nearly seven years since his death, and his second posthumous release "American VI: Ain't No Grave" brings a beautiful and fitting closure. Much like the previous albums in the American series, this is a mixture of Cash originals and cover songs picked by producer Rick Rubin. "Ain't No Grave" contains the final original Cash song "1 Corinthians 15:55" and is just as beautiful and poignant as anything he's ever written. I could go on an on about each individual track here, but that wouldn't do the album justice. While this might not be the best of the "American Recordings" series, it definitely is the most emotionally resonating. You can hear it in Cash's voice as he sometimes sounds like he literally is inches away from death. It's both heart-wrenching and inspiring to hear Cash's voice here; while his voice is at times booming and at others weak, there's no mistaking that it is Cash there behind the guitar. This is a heartbreakingly powerful and grand album, and definitely one that everyone, both fans and non-fans, should pick up now.
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I am an absolutely huge fan of The Shins. Everything they do is spectacular, but unfortunately they haven't put out anything in a while. Enter this new band: James Mercer, the voice and brains behind The Shins has teamed up with ultra-producer Danger Mouse (Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley) for a new side-project called Broken Bells. On their self-titled debut, both musician's tastes and styles collide for a record that is both original and spectacular. Just as quirky as The Shins and as equally trance-y and electronic as anything Danger Mouse has done, "Broken Bells" just shines with genius. Trying to describe the sound of Broken Bells is tough, but here goes: The Shins traded in their guitars for synths and electronic loops, got hooked on dance and psychedelic music, and then got shot into outer space. The album's first single "The High Road" plainly represents the sum of Broken Bells' parts: the beauty and quirkiness of The Shins meets the genius and electronic stylings of Danger Mouse. This is definitely one of the best albums of the year so far and will definitely end up on my "Best Of" list at the end of the year. Definitely one to check out.
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Check back in next week when I have a comprehensive review of the new Gorillaz album "Plastic Beach". Also be on the lookout for my new Nine Inch Nails Remix EP launching sometime in the next week (I know I said it would be out on Saturday the 6th but some other things came up and as of this moment I'm still messing around with the album art). Don't worry it'll be out by the end of the month.
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