3 New albums blending Indie & Alternative Rock
Concert season is upon us! Keeping my eye on shows coming to local venues also makes me aware of bands I should know about. Check out these three new albums from musicians who have been around awhile, but may be new to me and you.
Sinister Grift (CD) by Panda Bear
Noah Lennox, AKA Panda Bear, has been a member of renowned experimental indie band Animal Collective for 25 years. Seeing them live in Lawrence in 2007 redefined what music could be to me. After that, his hypnotic solo album Person Pitch soundtracked treks across the KU campus my first semester. In the intervening years Lennox moved to Lisbon with his wife and became a dad, but never stopped recording solo or with AC. In fact they all contributed to various songs on this new album.
Sinister Grift shows Panda Bear at his most conventional maybe ever, setting aside those experimental origins for Lennox's take on American pop oldies. His eerily Brian Wilson-esque voice and layered harmonies have always lent the music a (more) psychedelic Beach Boys feeling. And the breezy seaside vibe is pervasive through the reverb-laden length of the album as he incorporates elements of reggae and dub in surprising, tactful ways. The B-side hints at the titular "sinister" undertones with slightly uneasy, pensive tracks and lyrics about parental anxieties and ended relationships. (Lennox's daughter wrote and recites the Portuguese poem on "Anywhere but Here".)
Idles are one of the most promising rock bands in recent memory. Hailing from Bristol, England, the five-piece band exemplifies a post-punk sound and ethos (even if they shirk the punk label). Lead singer Joe Talbot's brash British bark of a voice is the band's strongest instrument, as the rest of the band pummels on behind it. Despite sounding like a bar brawl, the band is quite self-aware with lyrics condemning monarchy, toxic masculinity and bigotry while championing labor rights and emotional vulnerability. Just very loudly! I'm excited to see them open for Deftones in KC next fall.
Tangk is a shift in gears as Idles expands their songwriting dynamics into sometimes softer, moodier or atmospheric tunes. Producer Nigel Godrich, of Radiohead and Beck fame, produced the LP, meeting halfway between his own cinematic sweep and their fiery thrash. On "A Gospel" Talbot croons to a gentle church piano, while "Hall & Oates" is a tribute to brotherly love over rowdy surf guitar. "Dancer" features collaborator LCD Soundsystem for backing vocals and a dose of that band's rhythmic, dancepunk jams. Although the album doesn't have the sonic blast of their previous efforts, it's an evolutionary step in the right direction for a band proving their many strengths.
Romance by Fontaines D.C. (CD)
While I'd not listened to Fontaines D.C. before this album, the hype around the band forced my attention. The late-20-somethings Irish band (D.C. stands for Dublin City) has become a popular headliner on festival bills, growing an overseas fan base with their first trio of albums. However, buzz around this fourth album was about their expanding styles and refined writing. Apparently the Fontaines viewed each song as a standalone vignette influenced by unexpected narratives. I get no sense of that as a listener, though the album feels cohesive and like a band with a strong identity.
The various '90s band influences are there, but they never feel like nostalgia bait or pastiche. I felt Smashing Pumpkins' influence in several places like the grandiose strings of "In the Modern World" or the melancholy of "Motorcycle Boy." The song "Favourite" has the infectious guitar bliss of a Smiths song without their morose lyrics. The Britpop influence of Oasis and Blur are everywhere. My favorite, "Sundowner", has enough shoegaze haziness to pay tribute to fellow Irish greats My Bloody Valentine (I didn't clock any U2 nods besides the brogue).
This is a well-studied band, but their own voice is unique and their recognition is earned. While not every song's a winner, I'm excited to see where they go from here.
