The Beijinger Blog - Henry Church

Eternal (Sonic) Youth & Skepta Stays Grimy - more music reviews

thebeijinger — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0800

The Eternal
by Sonic Youth

It’s easy to criticize bands like Sonic Youth when they start doing things like teaming up with Starbucks and making radio-friendly music. But now, the coolest rock band since The Velvet Underground are back in the zone with this indie release off Matador Records.

Apart from a few lukewarm tracks like “Antenna” and “Walkin Blue,” that trademark guitar and tribal drumbeats will call back fans of Confusion Is Sex and Daydream Nation for a new revolution. The disaffected adolescent spirit nearly lost since Murray Street is once again reincarnated on The Eternal – otherwise, why else would Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon be howling “anti-war is anti-orgasm”? WG

Music Reviews – International: June 2009

thebeijinger — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:00:00 +0800

Middle Cyclone by Neko Case

Neko Case has a voice made of dirt and wind. The earthy indie girl’s latest album of hard melodies laced with smooth country-girl vocals is yet another exhibition of her distinct bluegrass style. Teaming up with members of Los Lobos as well as several New Pornographers bandmates, Middle Cyclone is heavy on the love songs, as well as just plain heavy (“They’ve traded more for cigarettes than I’ve managed to express,” she croons on “Prison Girls”). Still, the album brims with an energy belonging only to a girl that is part sweetheart and part wild animal – a set of human tunes for howling at the moon. MD

Music Reviews – International: May 2009

thebeijinger — Thu, 14 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

It's Blitz! by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Their signature alt rock/art punk sound has been a blueprint for successful previous offerings; Nick Zinner’s unmistakable, wailing riffs – coupled with Karen O’s sassy, seductive tones – have so far been a triumphant formula. All the more surprising, then, that It’s Blitz! forays further than before onto the dance floor (note the liberal use of synths and looping electronica hooks) while simultaneously making a jaunt into sparse melancholy. Particular highlights are the effervescent “Zero” and the dulcet harmony of “Soft Shock.” Most notable, however, is that It’s Blitz! confirms O as being equally capable of tender and wilting as she is strutting and kick-ass. Paul Ryding

Music Reviews – International: April 2009

thebeijinger — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:00:07 +0800

Hungry Bird by Clem Snide

The album that Clem Snide broke up over when it was recorded in 2006 is finally out. Needless to say, the band is also back together. Straddling the alt-country and indie rock genre, they return with darker, more foreboding lyrics. Frontman Eef Barzelay maintains his soft, twangy wailings but lacks in the whimsical memorability found on previous albums. With verses like “Not everyone will die/ but no one is promised they’ll live” propped up against melodic guitars, banjos and trombones, the songs are resigned and wounded. The esoteric lyrics still cut deep, but these ten tracks will take a few listens to stick. JP