The Rock Blogger

Vampire Weekend. Vampire Weekend 2008. 3.5 stars.

New York City’s Vampire Weekend are riding a wave of critical praise and industry hype, having secured acclaim across many popular music blogs and a Letterman appearance, its no surprise that they have sleeper hit on their hands. So what is everyone getting riled up about? It probably has to do with the relaxed vibe and afro-beat rhythms sported by their self-titled debut, bringing some summery warmth to an otherwise dull and dreary time of year.

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Meat Puppets II 1984. 4.5 stars.

An underwritten and incredibly influential record, Meat Puppets’ II is a strange and satisfying romp through sun-blasted deserts, combining punk and hardcore swagger with laid back country themes and instrumentation. The impact this work has had on alternative and indie rock becomes ever more apparent with each listen, as the grimy and dusty aesthetic has been used to great effect by Pavement (Cooked Rain, Crooked Rain) and of course Nirvana, who famously covered II’s “Oh Me”, “Plateau” and “Lake of Fire” for their Unplugged in New York set.

Meat Puppets wallow in drug-induced stupors, getting lost on South-Western freeways (”Lost”), and confronting their inner anxieties (”Split Myself in Two”, “Climbing”). The acid-tinged lyrics are made ever more poignant by Curt and Cris Kirkwood’s pained vocals. The instrumental tracks, scattered throughout the album, also ring through in their Southern virtuosity, as the brothers furiously finger pick away.

The overall feel of this album, in spite of its psychological fits, is laid back and resolute, making it the perfect soundtrack for watching tumbleweeds blow across the dirty streets. Recommended for all the Nirvana fans out there who have yet to delve into Cobain’s influences and for punk fans looking for a more expanded retrospective of the genre.

No Age Weirdo Rippers 2007. 3 stars.

What the hell is a Weirdo Ripper? Perhaps its a loose moniker for No Age’s surreal brand of punk rock, relishing in lo-fi noisiness and ambient textures. If I were to make a rock equation, No Age’s first LP is a combination of scrappy slacker rock like Pavement and Sebadoh with the hazy ambient of Deerhunter, making for a listening experience that is strange and obtuse yet ultimately satisfying in its concision.

The overall tone of Weirdo Rippers is one of restrained excitement, where the band is conscious of their revolutionary artistic potential but is ultimately limited by their lack of technical savvy and thin production values. Still, the lo-fi element is probably what makes this work so unique and appealing in a market saturated by punk bands overcome by their devastating sameness. The roughness of it all has a certain charm to it, like the derelict building on the cover.

The National have a knack for crafting beautiful lyrical imagery in their songs and their music videos exemplify this, capturing the underdog spirit and wine soaked swagger with great visual subtlety. All of the following are from 2007’s incredible Boxer.

“Apartment Story”

“Mistaken for Strangers”

“Slow Show” (live)

Band of Horses Cease to Begin 2007. 4 Stars.

Over the holidays, I went online looking for bands I had overlooked in the past year and I came across Band of Horses, an indie rock outfit from South Carolina who have been breaking some pretty big waves over the past few years. Their sound is a delicate mixture of dream pop and folk rock traditions, creating both sprawling and inspiring anthems and intimate, laid back dirges, capturing the same drifter spirit found in My Morning Jacket and Okkervil River.

Cease to Begin opens with the stellar “Is there a Ghost” that manages to both haunt and enthrall with the use of a meager three verses. “Ode to LRC” and “Detlef Schrempf” are two of the other standouts from the disc’s first half, clearly demonstrating Ben Bridwell’s polished falsetto. The second half of the album is mostly comprised of comfortable and familiar sounding folk rock passages complete with lap steel guitar arrangements. As a whole, Cease to Begin is a wistful listening experience. While the album is rather short, clocking in at around 35 minutes, it shows just how refined and focused Band of Horses are in crafting their work.

The video for “Is There a Ghost”

As it is the holiday season, things are typically hectic around here, so I haven’t had much time to write any new feature articles, but I’ll be sure to post something substantial this weekend. In the meantime, check out this live Guided by Voices performance of their hit “Teenage FBI”.
You can find this track and about 31 others on their Greatest Hits album
Human Amusements at Hourly Rates. Take it easy.

Robert Pollard is Ohio’s drunken answer to Paul McCartney. There is something nostalgic about this music. Maybe it has to do with this video’s amateur charm, which like many of Guided by Voices’ songs, has a rough aesthetic that some how adds to the earnestness or freewheeling lyrics and vocals of Bob.This song is from their classic album Bee Thousand.