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SLEEPY SUN
Fever
ATP
Merging the spin! of 0 G psych -
rock bands like Jefferson Airplane
with newer acid-rock brawn this San
Francisco act has been turning big
heads Though most of those heads
have been in the UK (U N K L E. with
whom it's collaborating, and Arctic
Monkeys, with whom it has toured)
perhaps this expansive sophomore
outing will earn the band its due at
home Psychedelic music is ali about
rendition of mood, and the bands deep
sonic kaleidoscope can range from
clinging wisps of smoke to time-bend-
ing riffs to mind-expanding sprawls
sometimes all in one song But its
the ability to get heavy and heady that
gives Sleepy Sun far more bite than
most of its contemporaries
Though nicely navigating between
sleep and wake, it's not until "Wild
Machines" rises in some beefy riftage
that the song owns you Same goes for
Freedom Line “ whose gutter shuffle
ultimately bursts into a glorious moun
tain range of slow-groaning mammoth
riffs Also belonging in the good stash
are the droopy-lidded twangs and pri
mal howls of "Desert God '
Psych-rock is one of the genres
that's riding high in the underground
right now. and legitimate dope-slmgers
like Sleepy Sun are the reason why
Bao Le-Fiuu
PETER WOLF CRIER
Inter-Be
Jagjaguwar
Launched by a shimmering debut
that has a remarkable ability to grip and
move, this Minneapolis duo is poised
to jump the line from total obscurity to
primetime player. Its simultana)usly
scuffed and otherworldly folk-pop is
built from well-crafted melodies and
rich atmospheric detail. Primarily
a purposefully ramshackle dance
between tne dreamy drifting of Peter
Pisano’s voice and the rhythmic
dynamism of Brian Moen, its music
quivers, quakes and breaks in all the
right places. And despite the intimacy
of its lo-fi treatment, the record packs a
widescreen sense of drama.
Highlights include the charming
jaunt of "Crutch & Cane," the clattering
but vibey "Down Down Down” and
the bluesy midnight soul of ‘Saturday
Night." But the band's very best songs
are the ones that unfold in a grand
way, like the rising simmer of "Hard
as Nails' and the brightly blossoming
Lion"
Though it feels nicely worn-in. this
is a work of great instinct and finesse
Peter Wolf Crier may wander the same-
fields and streams as decorated label
mates Bon Iver. but it's far more imme
diate and punctuated And Inter-Be
is one ot the more distinctive albums
to emerge from the current indie-folk
wave in quite some time
Bao Le-Huu
RUSKO
0 M.G!
Mad Decent
Though the perspective of this
rising British DJ/producer is rooted
in dubsfep his debut full-length is a
shamelessly post-modern affair built
from a prism of over four decades of
dance music But at least its equally
shameless about its party intentions
Ruskos roofs are heard clearly
m dub- and reggae-inspired tracks
like "District Line" and 'Rubadub
Shakedown." but the albums most
memorable cuts come when he's aping
other styles ' Dial My Number breaks
into '80s dance glides that are smooth
enough io make Chromeo drool Both
Kumon Kumon" and "Raver s Spesh"
are straight cops ot the exact synth
hooks, breakbeats and sped-up female
vocal snippets that moved the early
90s rave nation But the top pick is
Hold On." a nod to brisk mid-'90s
house with soulful R&B vocals from
Dirty Projectors Amber Coffman
The record is actually least evoca
tive when it tackles current styles in
tracks like "Woo Boost' and "i Love
You," whose clunky post-millennial
grinds are cumbersome and one-
note Though uneven and as overly
protracted as an LP O M G -'does have
some real hits, which is as much as
you can ask for from a dance album
Bao Le-Huu
CRYSTAL CASTLES
II
Fiction
Stepping beyond the restric
tive eight-bit confines that made
it a sensation, this Toronto duo’s
sophomore album is an exercise in
contrast. The mostly ethereal palette
here is broader, even encompass
ing trance (“Celestica*), big house
(“Baptism") and ‘80s alternative dance
("Suffocation," "Vietnam") But, despite
glimpses of gossamer beauty, there's
a bloodless aspect at play, and some
thing's often noise-damaged Like the
club cousin ot ADULT it's digital dance
music with deadly intent
Salient selections include the
blared electronic workout ot “Doe
Deer." the increasingly haunted electro
thump ot "Birds’ and the entrancing
nocturnal dance-pop of "Pap Smear'
The album's best straight-up melody is
Not in Love" a sparkling, if somewhat
distant, synth-pop number that's as
comfortable in a cathedral as it is in a
disco But none can match the heavily
moody Empathy." a masterful blend of
dreamy vocals stomping bass beat and
paranoid synth unduiations
Though the constructs can be con
ventional and derivative, the dynamic
tension that conveys the sense that
all is not guile right" is critical to
their identity Whether their dark pop
will strike that balance on a consistent
basis remains to be seen, but at least
the doors are a little more open now.
Bao Le-Huu
Crystal Castles is playing at The
Maspuerade in Atlanta on Sept 8
THE RLACK KEYS
Brothers
Nonesuch
For me. The Black Keys have
always been defined by "When the
Lights Go Out,' the lead track on their
third LP. RuPber Factory Dan Auerbach
bends those first baleful notes like a
master blacksmith tempering wrought
iron, and coupled with the chain-gang
march of Patrick Carney's drums this
song became the high-water mark for
the duo's greasy garage-blues sound
They've hewn closely to that formula tor
their subsequent albums, but with the
release of Brothers I am thrilled to say
that this dynamic Ohio duo is finally,
fantastically, evolving.
This sea change is evident
within the first 30 seconds of opener
‘Everlasting Light" on which, unlike
with past albums, it is the vocals that
take center stage. Adopting a Jack
White falsetto here, and several other
masks in between the sour-mash
blues-wailing we've come to expect
(Howlin' Wolf on ‘Too Afraid to Love
You," a young Anthony Kiedis on
‘Tighten Up'), Auerbach deftly breaks
up the monotony of the band's previ
ous two records. Smart production
touches—handclap percussion, muted
choral swells, clanging harpsichord—
turn slow grinding tunes like “The
Go Getter" and “I'm Not the One" into
ominous swamp stomps and transform
potentially cheesy tunes like ‘Next Girl"
into the kind of memorable refrains
that get sung en masse at live shows.
Whereas before these songs might
have run together like so much water in
a rusty raingutter, on Brothers they are
rendered strong and distinct. The Black
Keys are evolving, and I cant wait to
hear what they come up with next.
David Fitzgerald
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