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Indiecision
India's #1 independent music blog.

Music And WTF No Review Today Too

Yeah, it's a bummer. But there's hope yet.

There's some great music I've had under review for a while now. Here's a head's up and a few MP3s for y'all to check out.



Pentagram are homeboys, and their new record is, though not as consistent as their previous efforts, a good 'evolution' of their sound. The new Blonde Redhead record is surprisingly catchy. 23, the title track, is terribly persistent and forces me to hit repeat over and over. This is my first spin of The John Butler Trio however. Don't EVER think of them as Australia's Big & Rich. They're lyrically efficient with an infectious reggae-country mix. Odawas have been making the blog waves pretty regularly over the last few weeks. Their new record Raven And The White Night is as good the reading it's been getting.

Download: Pentagram - Today [MP3]
Download: Blonde Redhead - 23 [MP3]
Download: The John Butler Trio - Better Than [MP3]
Download: Odawas - The Maddening of Raven [MP3]

Delays And Not The Band Of The Same Name

Sorry for the sparse (okay, none) updates over the last few days. One would never have guessed that graduation would be so bad for music. Regardless, the reviews and madness shall be soon faster than you can say "The new Fountains of Wayne album is killer".

And to make up for the mess that delays (no, not the band) have caused, here's a soppy-poppy song that I love from one of my favouritest bands of all time. Check out their album The Official Fiction, which, though not their best, is pretty darn good.

Download: Something For Kate - Max Planck [MP3]

Weekend List Fun!

Here's a list of recommended albums for the weekend. It has absolutely no academic value but does make for an interesting read once you discard the fact that the last Something For Kate album was released in 2006. *sob*

At number 5 we have...
5. Low - Drums And Guns
Slowcore at its best. A full review is expected once I get over Sandinista.
Download: Low - Sandinista [MP3]

4. Peter Bjorn And John - Writer's Block
"We don't care about the young folks, talkin' 'bout the young style..." Wee! Coffee time. Review downstairs.
Download: Peter Bjorn And John - Young Folks [MP3]

3. Calla - Strength In Numbers
Moody rock, just depressing enough get you off your computer and take a walk. Review.
Download: Calla - Bronson [MP3]

2. Maximo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures
Brit art-Rock is back, and jumpy as ever.
Download: Maximo Park - Our Velocity [MP3]

And the winner is...
1. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Brilliant album, and just so very, very weekend. Review in a bit.
Download: Andrew Bird - Imitosis [MP3]

Peter Bjorn And John And Victoria And Pitchfork

And on today's show we have...

Writer's Block

Peter Bjorn And John

The progression of our beloved genre has been pockmarked with events and music that, to a large extent, has been the creation of dynamic imaginations, often fragile sensibilities and Death Cab For Cutie. But what happens when the lexicon that they strive so hard to create, suddenly faces a brooding reality where extremes of opinion decide whether something is worth trying or not? Writer's block?

Peter Moren, Bjorn Yttling and John Eriksson bring us an LP that sees them exploring new soundscapes, experimenting with already diverse styles and delivering a very, very classy record. The trio from Stockholm break the notions of genre definition with a confident album that is indie-everything and has seen a lot of mainstream success as well. It's funny because all through the record, you don't really care to 'fit' it in.

With Writer's Block, the trio have broken new ground for themselves. Lighter, more subtle arrangements replace the 'bigger' sound, and yet seem to deliver just as much. It's not as much stripped-down as it is a band showing themselves in a yellow light, exposing what they are with such poise, it's hard to look at them with the disapproving eyes we're so ready to adopt. The album, therefore, finds its place in an adroit corner where, after one listen, you don't really expect it to excite or surprise, but more enjoy a beautiful piece of music.

Writer's Block is about love; two lovers finding themselves overwrought with a precise feeling of, well, love. Of course, this usually leads to heavy cheese-iness, and sometimes in this album, you will find the requisite amount of romantic yarn. "I'm all about you, you're all about me, we're all about each other" croons Moren in Paris 2004. Yes, it's cheesy, but their description of two lovers' daily activity could not have been phrased without as mushy a chorus as this.

The stand-out is definitely the superbly catchy Young Folks, a song that deserves all the hype it has got and still gets. Andrew Bird's whistle has a run for its money with the intro, and the ensuing, almost Beatles-esque, pop fantasy is a fascinating conversation between Moren and Victoria Bergsman (The Concretes). Bergsman's part is inspiring enough to pick up the entire Concretes catalogue (two albums and a bunch of singles).

The album follows the lovers through the good times, and thankfully, the bad. Both sides of the story are engaging and they steer clear of being banal by doing the one thing a lot artists are quickest to forsake - be honest. You can hear it in the lyrics and the simple arrangements that make this album what it is. The guitars are bluesy and not 'obstructive', in the sense that they aren't choppy or angular. Eriksson's percussion is flawless except on The Chills where his rolls and the shh-shh-shh just don't complement each other. It's a mistake rarely made, and easily forgiven.

There's enough in this album to have your attention through the 45 or so minutes. From the Christmassy rhythm of Roll The Credits to the infectious drumming on the album opener Objects Of My Affection. The only place where the trend is broken is on the surprisingly mundane Amsterdam, a song that seems terribly out of place in what is very frankly, one of the most consistent records of the last two years.

The album ends with the 'happily melancholic' Poor Cow. A fitting way to end an enchanting record. Triumphantly Moren proclaims "It always ends" and though the love story has, as he tells us, reached its final breath, one can't wait for the next time it starts. Till then, hit 'Repeat'.

Ooh Ratings: 88/100

Download: Peter Bjorn And John - Young Folks [MP3]