Operation alleviate boredom through music is in full swing here at the Anderson abode. My most recent musical refuge has been a band I’ve heard about for what seems decades. Despite this fact, up until about three weeks ago, I had never actually listened to any of their music. At all. The band? Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

The album I’ve been listening to is their debut: Fever to Tell. In the first listen through Tick really grabbed my attention and refused to let go, such that I found myself skipping forwards and backwards, ignoring other perfectly fine tracks in favor of the sheer insanity of Tick. With much will power I was able to break this tendency and listen to the rest of the album.

I’ve been listening to Fever to Tell almost exclusively for a week now, and for a week I’ve been trying to figure out how to describe this album. I finally figured it out, but only by using other bands that you may or may not have heard of. Which kind of makes this post moot, because practically everyone has heard Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The first is Cat Power, the second is Be Your Own Pet. Take both bands, and combine them in various ways. You end up with this album.

My affinity for Garage Rock is limited, to be honest. There is something about it that after a while just gets under my skin. Perhaps it’s too open-ended. Perhaps it’s because the vocals aren’t so pronounced, and to me vocals are what seal the deal. Or maybe it’s because the beat is hard to feel under all that guitar. Regardless, garage rock and I don’t always get along.

This album has some songs that don’t really pull me in. It also grates on me sometimes. Karen O’s crazy vocals are great, but when the guitar gets weird and screamy behind the crazy vocals it feels like too much.

The first two tracks on this album don’t do a whole lot for me.

Tick then goes nuts and permanently landed Fever to Tell in my remembered albums list.

The songs on this album that I don’t care for fall into a category of music I generally don’t care for, no matter who is producing it. Fast lyrics with slow music, or vice versa. Too much vampy guitar. A beat that is off kilter or subject to unexpected change. These things always get to me.

Black Tongue and Pin are pretty awesome. The beats are solid and the guitar is kept under control.

I also really enjoy Maps, but for alternate reasons. It’s a slow song, but with a good beat. The guitar gets vampy without getting piercing, and matches the deeper Karen O vocals. Modern Romance is another perfect slow song. The beat is steady, and the vocals are perfectly nostalgic.

For what it’s worth, though, Karen O seems to be a total Frother…which automatically gets her a gold star.

What to Take Away?

Generally speaking, Leslie doesn’t know enough about Yeah Yeah Yeah’s style of music to make much commentary on that, but overall the album has some good points, some boring points, and some points that really gets on Leslie’s nerves. This being the debut album, though, makes me look forward do a more defined sound in their later albums.

What to Expect?

Garage rock influenced Indie with a general lack of steady beats in favor of craziness.

What drink to pair it with?

A Hot and Dirty Martini. Pepper Vodka, Dry Vermouth, Olive Brine, a dash of chipotle tabasco sauce. Garnish with a pepperoncini stuffed with blue cheese, and enjoy the insanity.

Favorite song?

Oh my, Tick. That song makes the entire album seem like a gift from congress.

Meet the newest incarnation of Leslie: unemployed Leslie. Prior to, oh, today, i had a Job. And prior to that i had school. But i graduated (thank congress), and with that lost my on campus job. While in the search of gainful employment (or, you know, ungainful employment. Whichever presents itself first), i’m filling the 8+ hours a day i normally spent working, going to class, and procrastinating homework via Plants Vs. Zombies, with music.

I reached a musical road block some weeks ago, but thankfully i have at least one friend with a high rate of musical overlap who recommended some music my way.

Currently i’m investigating Noisettes, a three piece Indie/Rock outfit from Great Britain.
They are another band to be retrieved from my musical blind spot. I mean, they make perfect sense, but somehow i had never heard of them before.

But now i have. Specifically i have been listening to What’s the Time Mr. Wolf?. There is a lot of rock in this album. The tag “Indie” always gives me an image of relaxed fit music. Melodies, harmonies, and a lot of sanded down edges. I just automatically think “I’m From Barcelona” for some reason.

That’s not so much the case here. Sharp edges are in abundance, and there are quite a few discordant parts that pop out at you. The electric guitar parts are especially pronounced, not something that generally appeals to me, but most of the time here i feel that it is well placed. Not overwhelming like 70’s power-metal. Really, the album feels like a Garage Rock album. Perhaps with some minor Post-Punk tendencies, and a few dashes of Indie sentiment.

Shingai Shoniwa, the lead vocalist, has an amazing voice. her range is quite sizable, and her ability to switch from shrieking to sultry to soft harmonies is perfect. I’m tempted to suggest that her voice makes the band, but that’s not entirely true. The music certainly keeps up, and is engaging and forceful in it’s own way, but is constructed such that it leaves a gap where her voice can come in and pull everything together.

Shingai herself plays bass. For the record, female bass players are awesome. Dan Smith crafts all the guitar rifts, and Jamie Morrison has control over the drums. Smith and Morrison provide perfect back up vocals to Shingai’s singing. For a three piece, their sound is very large. I want to say the music sounds “neat”, but it certainly doesn’t. It sounds, i imagine, exactly how they want it to sound.

The music itself is varied. The first song “Don’t Give Up“, gives very definite Rockabilly vibes, thanks to a deliberate and prominent bass line, her full throaty singing, and a subtle twang. She even throws in some little growls that really bring the Rockabilly touch home. The whole song is at a good tempo, perfect for throwing someone around the dance floor. I love it. I wish the rest of the album followed this style.

Unfortunately it doesn’t, but at the same time not everyone digs rockabilly as much as i do. From track two, the notion that this is an Garage Rock album really kick in. The bass is backed up to normal. The songs seem slightly unbalanced, but i always feel Garage Rock to be slightly off-balanced. It seems to be part of the charm. Most of the songs certainly don’t follow the normal verse to chorus ratio.

While guitar and vocal heavy garage rock may be the signature of this album, Noisettes throw some tracks onto the album to show they are capable of deliberate and delicate music. “The Count of Monte Christo” is probably the best example of this.

I don’t necessarily love the entire album. But regardless, the whole album is artfully crafted. Some of the songs just reach outside of my normal comfort zone for screaming guitars. There are quite a few songs on this album though that i really dig, and “Don’t Give Up”, is one of the few new songs i’ve become obsessed with in ages. I mean, even one dynamite song is more than most albums have going for them.

What to Take Away?

Noisettes is a solid Indie Rock band that takes much from the Garage Rock genre. Shingai’s voice is powerful and amazing, and a lot of thought seems to go into their music. Oh, and Shingai is a total fox.

What to Expect?

Garage Rock and nuts vocals that sometimes verge on blues or soul.

What to Pair it With?

Gin and Tonic with an extra wedge of lime.

Favorite Song?

“Don’t Give Up“. Its combination of bass and vocals is intoxicating.

Stumping for bands is second nature I believe for any music lover. We all have our favorites, and we make damn sure that everybody else knows just how much we like them. Regrettably, stumping for local bands tends to be a more cumbersome endeavor…

People rarely know of the group being discussed. Concerts are inevitably on Thursday’s at bars I avoid going near let alone in. Albums are scarce to come by (assuming they have even published an album yet), and frankly, the music coming from the big music houses has caused consumers to expect a lot from musicians… A stumbling point I think when small is trying to break out of its little shell and into regional acceptance.

Enter Pittsburgh regional band Donora (not to be confused with the borough of the same name). Regrettably, I have very little time to bar hop during the weekdays to see all the start-up groups doing their entry campaigns so Donora slipped under my radar for their early life until a friend mentioned them (and MOIP) during a conversation detailing weekend happenings in the ‘burgh. It is also worth noting that their popularity has grown to the point that they are making regional tours through the mid-Atlantic and Midwest.

Now, while Pittsburgh has a very active start-up music scene, the bulk of participants leave me crying blood and screaming “you’re doing it wrong!” by the time they’re done tuning instruments.

Oh yeah, in general they’re that bad.

It has to be a wheat/chaff analogy thing. For every one band with potential, there is a group with the suckitude needed to balance some global artistic scale.

Donora not only doesn’t suck (a rousing endorsement, I know), they also manage to draw dedicated crowds in what is, woefully, territory held squarely by Top 40 hits, oldies, rap, and *shiver* country. It’s simply tough to get people to realize that there are alternatives to what our limited radio stations play although I think the constant influx of new blood to the various universities is helping.

Donora is more-or-less an indie-rock band with a bit of pop and some Midwestern alternative thrown in for good measure. Their lyrics are questionably placed at times, but still stray nowhere near the ridiculousness of Dragonette – my hope here is that with a maturing band the lyrics will grow a little as well.

Donora has released a full length (self-titled) album. Ten songs ranging from the catchy and danceable “Shout” [Editor's note: "Shout" is the only song in the album strategically missing from playback on last.fm] to the quirky “I Think I Like You” and the reminiscing, synth-laden “Photograph” – all rather short with an average being right about three minutes ten. Totally worth it. Given slightly more experience I expect longer songs up in the more normal 3:30 – 3:40 range.

Donora finally got their album up on iTunes (at least for US customers), and if indie-rock is even close to your cup of tea I highly recommend a trial listen.

What to expect.

Classic, quirky, fun indie-rock from a group that is destined to grow into something large.

What to take away?

While they tend to attract a large percentage of hipsters don’t let the scene that seems to follow them throw you off. Donora’s music is simply intended to be fun and dance inducing (with one notable slow song) with no pretension or preaching.

Favorite song?

Tossup. I really like “I Think I Like You,” but I think “Shout” still has the ribbon. It’s a bit repetitive lyrically (I know – I get hung up), but the energy that goes into it is addicting.

Pairing?

A slightly advanced hipster beer (above PBR anyway) – Straub of St. Marys, Pennsylvania.

So if it hasn’t been made perfectly clear: I’m generally an electronica slut. A man-slut, but a slut nonetheless. I just can’t get enough of the twitchy, tweaky, and yet soothing tones that manage to be produced and put into rhythm. However, even as I drool over something a synthesizer vomited up, I have a few uncharacteristic loves that fight for equal play. Enya and Feist are classic examples, but Dido (electronica influenced, but more alternative I think) and a few others creep up every now and again. Well, my friends, I have added another group to this distinguished and exclusive club: Ra Ra Riot.

Using an actual cello (Alexandra Lawn) and violin (Rebecca Zeller) to add that interesting depth to what could otherwise be just another quasi-folk band plucking away at a guitar, Ra Ra Riot managed to make a spot for itself in my collection almost immediately. I simply adore strings so any rock band that can incorporate a cellist almost immediately gets my accolades, but add to that a fast-ish tempo sound with a talented lead singer (Wes Miles) and you get musical demi-gods.

Wes has an uncommonly high vocal range in my opinion. It may not be for the genre, and it could easily be that I’m just more used to female vocalists but I think it’s unusual for a guy who doesn’t seem to be working in falsetto. It’s amazing – don’t get me wrong. Just… different.

The tone of the album is uplifting which puts it at stark contrast to what I imagine the prevailing mood of the band would have been after the tragic drowning of the band’s original drummer (and founding member), John Pike. Pike is credited with originally penning much of their recently released full album “The Rhumb Line” adding a certain depth to such songs as “Ghost Under Rocks” and “Dying Is Fine.”

The crowd favorite for this album seems to be “Can You Tell” which while not available on Last.fm does have an official version on YouTube:

What to take away…

Ra Ra Riot is comprised of incredibly talented artists and creates unique indie-rock music which should manage to find its way into any home. This music would be equally enjoyable while conducting spring cleaning or while chatting with friends – it’s powerful music, but not cloying.

What should you expect?

Soothing music with a fast tempo, a talented male vocalist, and string. Strings!!!

Favorite song?

While I’m still absorbing all there is to this band/album, so far I think my taste is lingering around “Ghost Under Rocks” mostly because it has a truly stunning opening which gives it a small boost against the rest. It reminds me of a theme song from Little Miss Sunshine for some reason…

What to pair Ra Ra Riot with?

Hmmm… I find this comparison difficult. Lets see – gin and juice. Maybe something tropical? Gin (in moderation) and peach-mango. Too much gin and you’d kill the combination, but just enough and I think the unique character created would be an adequate allusion to how Ra Ra Riot tackles indie-rock.