The Zimmermann Note

Well here is a quick rundown of some of the better music (in my opinion) so far this year. It would seem as we are about 5 months into this year, the music from my standpoint has been pretty stellar. There are already a couple albums which I can see myself keeping on a regular rotation.

One of the ideas that seems apparent is that with the influx of information being shared, i.e. the internet, the “Scenes” are being sped up and much more disparate. While I would classify much of the list here below in the broad category of “Psychaedelic” it’s sub-genres could fill up a telephone book.

I am also much more aware of how our forebearers of rock and roll laid their seeds in sounds which are minutely being disseminated by bands now. For Example, I can imagine that an entire genre of music was created by the song ‘Blue Jay Way’ by the Beatles not to mention other awkward moments like “Revolution No. 9”.

My other point is thinking how even the most obscene rock and roll like “Metal Machine Music” which was abhorred by many critics that did not have the last name of “Bangs” is cherished and copied on purpose or by accident by artists today.

While artists might starve and record companies might blame downloading for their woes, there is not a shortage of ideas, thoughts and sounds being present in music today. As with our society, we have an influx of music which I can only listen to a very small percentage of.   Thus with any list, this one feels incomplete but only a prefix tasting of some of the better sounds I have laid my ears upon the first couple months of this year.

 

 

1. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

This album still takes the cake for the best album of the year.  This album still gets weekly airplay by me, on sometimes multiple occasions.

 

2. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

As I sit here writing this post I am listening to ‘I Live With You’ as it smashes through your eardrums, another very important release has hit our eardrums. The mixing of Art Rock, fragile pop moments, it’s another one of those albums that needs several spins before the pieces of the puzzle come into place. This album does not have any singles and sometimes feels a bit unsure of itself, especially in the middle but is beginning another element of rock that is going back to studying music’s roots in a contemporary era.

 

3. Various – Dark Was the Night

It is very rare that I will appreciate a compilation album, but this benefit double CD is a “”Who’s Who” of indie rock that adds just the perfect amount of spice. For someone wanting a taste of the ‘Pitchfork Circuit’ this is a good place to start.

 

4. Lotus Plaza – Floodlight Collective / Deerhunter –Rainwater Cassette Exchange (EP)

This Deerhunter offshoot offers momentary glimpse into the lives of lives of musicians in the band not named Bradford Cox. Of course Deerhunter is never short of recording new material. Fresh off their double album Microcastle/Weird Era Cont., you can also get their stunning new Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP that continues on the beautiful shoegaze/psychaedelic music that keeps my blood flowing.

 

5. Wavves – Wavves

This would seem like a hit or miss with folks as they found the music unappealing or rather sounding like Kurt Cobain’s cousin Frank. Maybe that is why I like it or maybe it’s the fact of their meltdown in Spain this week. Not a good start to a tour. Let’s hope they last until Pitchfork at least!

 

6. Dan Deacon – Bromst

Music that makes you want to jump around with 500 of your closest friends. Quirky and infectious.

 

7 . Japandroids – Post-Nothing

A mixture of My Bloody Valentine ear-bleeding guitars and punk. If there are any cowebs up there in the brain, this is a good way to clean them out.

 

8. Andrew Bird – Noble Beast

The first of two Chicago bands back to back. While critics such as Jim Derogatis might find Bird’s lyrics to challenge the most inane part of the dictionary, I still find his Nick Drake impressions endearing. 

 

9. Wilco – Wilco (The Album)

Unlike some of their albums where they felt cohesive, this one does not. Not to say that it is bad whatsoever but feels more like R.E.M.’s –New Adventures in Hi-Fi, ala a collection of the sounds of Wilco since their inception. A little bit of everything.

 

10. Woods – Songs of Shame

A mixture of prepubescent Velvet Underground. Their lead singer invokes early Elf Power songs intermixed of Folk songs filtered through New York Coffeehouses listening to the Moldy Peaches.

 

Jay Bennett Dead At 45

  

Jay Bennett, a rock musician with deep ties to Chicago best known as a former member of Wilco, died early Sunday morning in downstate Urbana, where he had been running a recording studio, according to a spokesman for his family.

The singer and multi-instrumentalist was 45 years old.

“Early this morning, Jay died in his sleep and an autopsy is being performed,” said Edward Burch, a friend and musician who collaborated with Bennett on the 2005 album “The Palace at 4 a.m.” “The family is in mourning and is unavailable for comment at this time.”

There was a period in time where anyone that listened to me would have heard the words utter out of my mouth that Wilco was the best band on the planet. My conclusion was based on predominantly on the “Jay Bennett Era” of Wilco.

The first time I remember seeing Wilco was in 1999 during R.E.M.’s ‘Up’ tour.  I still remember sitting in the audience during this show and listening to Drew, my friend, rant about the secret ingredient outside of the Lead Singer, Jeff Tweedy.

Jay Bennett was the musician that brought the powerpop sensibilities to an alt country god and transformed their music into something different. It was their collaboration on albums such as ‘Being There’, ‘Summerteeth’, ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’ as well as their collaboration with Billy Bragg on the Mermaid Ave. albums which have always signified in my eyes, the golden years of Wilco’s existence.

That first show opening up for R.E.M. did not sell me at that moment. Sure, they did receive quite a standing ovation from the loyal Chicago crowd, but it was the next show I saw on January 9^th, 2000 at the now defunct Lounge Ax, in Chicago that made me a huge fan.

The final weeks of the Lounge Ax featured quite a few prominent artists to play one final show at the legendary location and this night featured Minus 5 (Scott McCaughey and backing band Wilco) and then Wilco for a blowout performance. A night of about 40 songs The Minus 5 and Wilco combined felt more like a raucous performance in a small bar in the middle of nowhere. The Lounge Ax, was a hole in the wall, had some of the worst sight lines in existence, leaky ceiling, and probably not the most optimal place to see a live show. At any rate, on this particular evening it had been perfect.

Over the next couple years I would try to see Wilco at every moment possible, whether it was at Rock the River festival in the Loop, after a Chicago Fire game at Soldier Field or the Riviera.  This would be on top of the local acoustic shows that lead singer Jeff Tweedy would by playing from time to time.

Wilco had become my band, a new band for me considering my love and devotion for another band quite like them, namely R.E.M.

Wilco featured beautiful songwriting on top of the outstanding lyrics that made Tweedy-Bennett songwriting a staple. And here was a band that I could see during their “Peak” so to speak, not a band like R.E.M. whose best days were behind them since the departure of drummer Bill Berry. All of this was shortlived.

The masterpiece album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”, claimed Jay Bennett as an ex-member afte the album was finished and recorded. The backstory, never clearly told on anyone’s account and highly doubt it will ever come out can be stated pretty simply was that Wilco was not big enough for both Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett.

Wilco was Jeff Tweedy’s band. He formed it, he owned and controlled all aspects of the band. Say what you want about democracy within the band, but the truth is that Tweedy and Bennett hit a point of “Irreconcilable Differences” and Bennett was asked to leave the band.

As a fan this was shocking and not something that I have ever been able to deal with. I attended shows afterwards and missed Jay’s stage presence as he would flail around with his guitar.  I have missed Jay’s pop sensibilities on the last couple albums as Wilco has reformatted their sound to remind me something closer to a Jam band. While others still flock to Wilco shows their newer albums have never clicked with me the same way the Jay Bennett albums inspired me.

As any collaboration is, Jay Bennett’s solo work missed the delicate nature of Jeff Tweedy’s lyrics, his folklore, and sadly I never got much into his albums with the exception of his initial release. 

Unfortunately, this is often the breaks when you get two talented songwriters in a band. That collaboration (i.e. Lennon-McCartney) is often stronger than each of them doing their separate things.

I think there were always times when I hoped that Bennett would someday reunite with Tweedy and Wilco. As anything, it was always a passing fancy but something that I knew would never happen.

I was blessed to see Bennett live with Wilco and am continually blessed with the fact that they were able to record so much good music together, music that has helped define who I am.

Sadly, the last chapter in the Bennett-Tweedy feud was heartbreaking when Bennett decided to sue Tweedy for lost royalties when he was with the band. It is hard to say whether Bennett’s current health problems had anything to do with this, however, I would suggest that if Bennett was able to have a successful recording career of his own that things would be different. As written on his Myspace page, a hip ailment that was causing intense pain on top of having no health insurance made him reevaluate quite a bit as a person.

He will be missed but his music will live on. Rest in peace, Jay. 

Setlist 

Lion In a Coma

Slippi

Blue Sky (new song)

Guys Eyes

Summertime Clothes

My Girls

Also Frightened

Daily Routine

Leaf House

Brother Sport

Encore: Comfy in Nautica

 

 

This will probably be the last time I write about Animal Collective for awhile. Of course with a new album and seeing them at the Metro and seeing that their album is getting close to “Masterpiece” status, there has been a lot on my mind in regards to them.

Based on some of the other setlists and reviews from the shows they probably skipped out 1 song due to Avey Tare having vocal problems. He did not come out for the encore and they played only a total of around 75 minutes but it was essentially 75 minutes of straight music with few interruptions. I have read some reviews so far which would suggest that fans were slightly disappointed in this. At this point, I am much more satisfied in the fact that they actually played as the issue with Avey Tare’s voice might have been the reason they were forced to cancel tonights show.

This is the second time that I have seen Animal Collective, the first time at Pitchfork Music Festival. I would not have considered myself at the time being an avid AC follower. I completely loved Panda Bear’s ‘Person Pitch’, one of my favorite records from 2007. Panda Bear, aka Noah Lennox came out with this solo album exploring some more of his nuanced Beach Boys meets Electronica style that had me shimmering for more. Animal Collective’s ‘Strawberry Jam’ was also an album that I appreciated that year as well. In breaking my virgin status with the Animal Collective show that night, I was struck immediately with the psychaedelic and hypnotic atmosphere of the night, as the songs while much more mellow than last nights show made me a fan of their live show.

When I found out that the band was playing at the Metro in mid-November, I immediately grabbed a chance at seeing them in a more intimate venue. I was surprised when I arrived at the venue nearly 45 minutes before the show started that it was pretty much packed already. As a fan that has always tried to stake out a good spot to see a performance there was a level of excitement in the air for the sold out show that was selling quite a bit over face value on eBay.

The setlist was heavy on the new Merriweather Post Pavilion (MPP) material playing 7 of the 11 tracks off the new album. As with an album that is as masterful as MPP, I could not help but be disappointed however, in the exclusion of ‘In the Flowers’’ probably my favorite track off the new album. However, with an album as solid as this and a show as stunning as it was, individual selfishness has to take a seat to the tapestry that was woven onstage.

Animal Collective are not a type of band where their actions onstage will definitely warrant any fans. These are not individuals that are in any way theatrical with their instruments. They are still a jam band for the electronic age, sounding tight but at the same time very improvisational. You would expect that within a set with virtually no breaks that the band would be playing the same setlist in order night after night but this is not the case. Lengthy interludes between songs make seeing them a unique experience.

Some of the highlights for me was ‘My Girls’ is the oft-repeated chorus during the song. . .

I don’t mean to seem like I care about material things like a social status

I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls

In the live setting, the song becomes almost universal, that barrier broken down between band and audience where everyone is singing and dancing, where the message and music are one. While we might be overwhelmed in the digital age with our mobile devices, email, or our entertainment systems, these material possessions mean nothing when it comes to the basic premise of protecting the ones we love.

 

Animal Collective – My Girls (Video) 

‘Brother Sport’ plays in the same vein as ‘My Girls’ offering that moment where the crowd can be engaged with the band. Being the second of the two songs off the new album with the most pop sensibilities the song builds up in the middle for a frenzied electronic explosion and shifts almost into a completely new song. But the message being brought out is about having inner confidence, and let go of the bad and take in the good. During these dark times we live in, it clearly hits the nail on the head.

As I had mentioned earlier, with Avey Tare having vocal difficulties Geologist and Panda Bear came out for a 1 song encore and I could not have been more pleased with the song they chose. I could argue that Panda Bear’s ‘Comfy in Nautica’ would be a song presented on my ‘Desert Island Mix Tape’ which sounds like Beach Boys behind a sampling board. I would only imagine that Brian Wilson could listen to this and think that this is the true next step beyond Pet Sounds. Hearing this song live and particularly the last minute of the song I felt that “Perfect Moment In Time” as the music crashed around my eardrums I did not want that moment to pass or have the song end but could have stood there for eternity. 

 

From the Liner Notes From Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion

 

Merriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor music venue in a place called Symphony Woods in Columbia, Maryland. It was designed by Frank Gehry in the 1960’s, and they’ve been having concerts there from 1967 up through today. We used to go to shows there while growing up and have fond memories of times spent on the lawn. For most of the time we’ve been playing together, both in Animal collective and the years before, we’ve tried to make music that would be deserving of an amazing outdoor listening experience. As both a name and a place, Merriweather Post Pavilion represents this for us.

 

I think whenever you make a statement like I did that this album is the best album since Wilco’s ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’ that you essentially are left with your dick in your hand; sorta like a first date when you blurt out ‘I Love You’. You better be under some heavy drugs or completely inebriated for such a comment to fly. Most times, you will get a weird look and “Well . . . it was interesting . . . before you crawl into the corner of your bed contemplating the misery and your ineptitude among other things.

 

However, I was neither on any smack, ludes, hash, or any banned substance which would make me blurt this out. . . just me myself and my trusty computer screen here to guide my way.

 

There is a point in the first song on Merriweather Post Pavilion (MPP), exactly 2:31 into the song that it just explodes in your brain.  A moment of pure ecstacy and delight that could in some cases make the rest of this album insignificant. There can be no more pure moments in rock and roll but at that moment, two minutes and thirty one seconds into this song where you picture thousands of people at a show feeling that same energy.  That everything is peaceful and perfect and alright in the world.

 

If I Could Just Leave My Body For The Night . . .

 

The rest of the album is not insignificant and leads the listener into its hippie cauldron of bliss.   However, this is not a hippie album by any measure but an album that transcends styles and ideas at a more universal approach. I was bundled up this week during the cold Midwestern weather walking to work. . . it was sunny, frigid, and MPP was blaring on my iPod and the streets were silent, as if I was having a Vanilla Sky moment. As cold as it was as my eyelashes were freezing together, I could not help but feel the warmth of the music.

 

MPP is a progression of Animal Collectives sound mixing the best from their last work, ‘Strawberry Jam’ and Panda Bear’s ‘Person Pitch’

 

MPP is not a dance album but you want to dance to it. Its an electronica album but you would not think of it as true “Electronica” because its almost organic human characteristics surrounding the music. The lyrics are not going to blow you away as it is not doctorate level poetry but who says that it has to be?  Do lyrics have to provide us with some deeper meaning in life or is it the construct to mesh with the music that is provided on the disc? Not everyone can be Dylan, not even  Dylan himself.

 

Do I think that there was a reason that the CD of this album is intended to be released on January 20^th for a reason? I would guess that the Inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama has something to do with it. MPP offers that same hope and optimism that should be

 

The album probably has 5-6 really standout tracks which, depending on the fan you talk to will give you a different answer. The opening track, In The Flowers opens the album up, setting the mood as described above and is followed by ‘My Girls’ a moment of pure bliss pop electronica.

 

‘Bluish’ is its love song, the lyrics ‘lucid’ and dreamy as the music while ‘Lion In A Coma’ is all about beat and rhythm featuring the ethnic African beats while still sounding fresh and receptive. Brothersport ends the album in a frantic pace, as the dance rhythms take you over.

 

I would suggest the best listening experience would be to either crank these tunes up very loud to appreciate the heavy bass or wear headphones and get drowned out in the summer atmosphere.

 

While we are only in January, I am going to be hard pressed to find a better album this year. Something will really have to jump up and surprise me to beat this from start to finish and if it does 2009 would expect to be an amazing year in music. 

2008 became a very difficult year to review in my opinion. It might have been that there was very little that caught my ear this year, however, I believe it has more to do with the subpar music that came out this year compared to 2007. Who knows, in a year I might be saying the exact opposite. Comparing this years top ten to last years, there would probably be 4 albums that match up to last years top albums, and two of those bands (Deerhunter and Of Montreal) were on last years list as well.

 

I guess I could offer a glimpse of last years music in a trance-laced podcast I put together of some of my favorite tracks. You can download it here.

2007 Podcast of Best New Music 

I have not figured out if I will do one this year or not. I planned to do it this weekend but fell ill.

10.   Beach House –Devotion  – Continuing on their ‘devotion’ to slowcore and shoegaze. Fans of ‘Low’ might appreciate their music tranquilized before they do the same to themselves.  

9.     Fuck Buttons – Street Horrrsing – For me this electronica album makes it for its uplifting premise.

8.     TV on the Radio – Dear Science – TV on the Radio is bringing funk back to rock and roll. This is on the edge like Prince was in the early 80s, with great guitars, dark landscapes and great vocals.

7.     Lou Reed – Berlin: Live at St. Ann’s Warehouse – While this is a live album, I really think that it finally makes “Berlin” right. This is one of my favorite Lou Reed albums, albeit not his happiest release ever.

6.     Vic Chestnutt, Elf Power and Amorphous Strums – Vic Chestnutts unique vocal talents and words matched with Elf Power’s music is worth the effort.

5.     R.E.M. – Accelerate – Surely not their best album but this is not half bad with some of the best tunes they have written in years.

4.     Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes offer that beautiful folk pop that will make groups like Simon and Garfunkel and the Mamas and Papas jealous.

3.     Deerhunter – Microcastle/Weird Era. Cont – I am not sure which of these albums is better but presently it would have to go to ‘Weird Era. Cont’ with its beautiful ‘Calvary Scars LI / Aux. Out’, a 10 minute droning guitar piece.

2.     Portishead – Third  – Sometimes when bands take long breaks, their reunions are a mess. That is not the case here. Portishead reinvents their trip-hop style making it feel current.

1.     Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping – Kevin Barnes writes another masterpiece in my book with Skeletal Lamping. Probably not the type of album that you want your kids to listen to but definitely the most difficult album to get your hands around. While there are 15 tracks on the album, it’s actually closer to 150 as they piece together snippets of  20-40 second songs to form this album. Barnes continues on his 70s retro flair on this album, albeit there are plenty of pop moments throughout, just no singles!

 

My real #1 however, is R.E.M. – Murmurs Deluxe Edition. This album released on it’s 25^th anniversary makes note that nothing even comes close in comparing the standard and quality this album had compared to the music today. Murmur was an album that changed music for the better. Included here on the second CD was a great live show from the era to give fans an idea of what R.E.M. sounded like live during that era compared to the album. There is not a bad note on this album. 

With all the problems with our world, I know that there is always one constant in the world that we can always trust and abide by. Rock and Roll.

Rock and Roll, under all the shit that goes on in our lives is the constant. It is what allows our blood to flow, to breathe and see tomorrow.

It is not as Peter Buck might say just a couple of chords and a cloud of dust. Jeff Tweedy said that music was his savior and he got his name from rock and roll.

If I ever went into a coma I would want those around me to put my headphones on, to turn on the Ipod and let the songs breeze through my brain, for then I would be in paradise.

I miss walking around the neighborhood listening to music. I miss the idea that this constant in my life in viewing the moving pictures, images and thoughts are gone. All I have is a blank white computer screen that grasps my inner thoughts.

Rock and Roll is the nectar, the sweet and bitterness. The sour tasting apple, the sweet ripe orange filled with the seeds of growth. In the same way that Adam and Eve bit into the apple, we are both filled with pleasure and sin at the same time.

I can always be counted on though to save me.

Which reminds me, one of these days I still have to write an article about my favorite albums of 2007. The R.E.M. stuff has taken much of my time and while there are tons of politics posts floating through my head, putting a list is imperative in the next couple of days.

From Silicon Alley Insider 

Basically the YouTube Clips from the Zeppelin shows have become blocked and the claims are that this is from Warner Bros., however, there seems to be no official word regarding this as of yet why this is occurring.

Interesting story nonetheless and something to follow-up on.

The Scotsman 

There’s life in the legend yet as Led Zeppelin hit new high
JULIA KUTTNER
AT THE O2 IN LONDON
ALMOST 20 years since they last took to the stage together, Led Zeppelin drowned out the commotion accompanying the most hyped concert in a generation with a blistering two-hour set.

More than 20 million people had applied for 18,000 seats for the charity gig at London’s O2 arena and one Scottish fan was rumoured to have paid £83,000 for two tickets.

The legendary band’s 12-year reign of guitar blues and rock earned them worldwide worship in the shape of 300 million record sales.

And last night Led Zeppelin landed their mothership and fulfilled their promise.

Before the event, guitarist Jimmy Page had implored fans not to compare the charity show to others in the past and had insisted the concert would be a one-off.

Surviving members Page, singer Robert Plant, and bassist and keyboard player John Paul Jones were joined by the late John Bonham’s son, Jason, on drums.

The fundraising event was for an education project in memory of Ahmet Ertegun, the Atlantic Records boss who signed the band in 1968.

After the lights went down, newsreel footage of a 1975 performance in Tampa, Florida, was projected onstage.

With thousands of fans worked into a frenzy, Bonham began thumping the skittering beat before the surviving founders joined in on Good Times, Bad Times.

In jeans not quite as famously tight as they were 27 years ago, Plant still had the energy to strut his 59-year-old body across the stage. However, he mercifully kept his shirt buttoned up.

The 20-minute long Dazed and Confused raised stadium rock to a new level.

With tickets featuring a face value of £125, if you thought the audience had dug into their pension funds for a big night out you may be right.

But there was plenty of punching the air by fans who wouldn’t have been walking in 1980, the year John Bonham died.

Since then, Led Zeppelin have performed only a handful of gigs, including Live Aid in 1985 and an Atlantic Records anniversary show three years later.

By their own admission, each reunion was a shambles, so anticipation ahead of last night’s set at was high.

It was chance to revisit a time when rock was king, the record industry was at its peak and Led Zeppelin were its all conquering leaders.

After more than an hour the bulk of the fans got what they seemed to want most – a rendition of Stairway To Heaven.

Plant seemed to shake away the years and get livelier as the show went on. And two hours in the band were still running on full engines as they launched into the shuddering opening of Kashmir.

Whole Lotta Love had the crowd screaming out every word along with a passionate Plant. And the furiously fast finale of Rock n’ Roll had the arena whipped into a frenzy.

An emotional Plant thanked the fans, but had Led Zeppelin enjoyed the experience as much as their 18,000 lucky followers?

This morning millions of rock fans will be crossing their fingers and hoping for a positive answer to that question.

THE SET LIST
Good Times Bad Times

Ramble On

Black Dog

In My Time Of Dying

For Your Life

Trampled Underfoot

Nobody’s Fault

No Quarter

Since I’ve Been Loving You

Dazed And Confused

Stairway To Heaven

The Song Remains The Same

Misty Mountain Hop

Kashmir

Whole Lotta Love

Rock’n’Roll

From everything that I have heard about this, it sounded like an amazing evening. 

As much as it can be said for the writer’s guild strike, I will be curious to see just how much America will end up missing the writers. While a couple shows have some merit on television, for the most part it is something that can be readily avoided at all costs.

However, I think it can be stated that the Writers Guild strike is more than entertainment but information. The future of America is wrapped up in data, information systems and a way to distribute said data.

It is not the idea that these shows only exist on Television or the Movie Theatre, but on DVDs and the Internet as well. The Writer’s Guild’s argument is that they want a bigger piece of that pie.

However, I think that this idea is just a microcosm for the Information Age in general. As distribution methods change, those that are creating that data have to be mindful of all these aspects (see Radiohead). Radiohead realized that there are different distribution networks and instead of allowing Corporations dictate what their profits would be, they decided to do that on their own.

It doesn’t cost corporations as much to put into distribution the cost of a show, performance or album on the internet as much as it costs them to distribute those same elements in a CD, DVD or other medium. What corporations are complaining about is that they do not have numbers as far as profits are concerned with new media and claim they have been losing money. However, they fail to realize they still need to put money into that aspect of distribution, i.e. Technology and in the long term they will lower costs.

Japancakes – Loveless

This will probably end up on my list albeit with some of the problems that are associated with this disc. While obviously there are issues when you take a seminal album like My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless and turn it into your own there is that inevitable comparison/contrast and even moreso with a masterpiece such as this. First the issues. With some of the more exotic tracks on the album such as ‘Touched’, they miss a beat in regards to offering the level of depth and darkness that these tracks display on My Bloody Valentines version. Other tracks have a tendency to remind me too much of muzak or midi files such as ‘When You Sleep’, and ‘To Here Knows When’.

The band succeeds in creating that southern depth and feel however on tracks like “Only Shallow” and “Sometimes” among others. The key to the Japancakes over the years has been to promote their own vision of droning guitars, pedal steel and all and at the same time provide a unique listening experience that exhibits a side of the south that bands like R.E.M. have so wonderfully created throughout these years. No they are not your Skynrd-Red Neck version of the south. Rather than layering the music in fuzz the Japancakes make the notes deliberate and bring the music out of Kevin Shields symphony.

At the end of the day, if you are not a fan of the Japancakes, I am not sure I can wholly recommend this unless you are willing to break yourself from the forces of Loveless. The problem with putting your own take on an album is that it has been seen through fans in one distinct manner, the reverb, the droning guitars and muddled vocals. The Japancakes have produced this version in a manner with the sleepy strange south where everyone moves at half speed, words and notes are drawn out.

Admittedly, I have been a fan of the ‘cakes for years and their music takes me back to Athens everytime I listen to them. At the end of the day this album will probably get more disparity among fans than most of the music that comes out this year.