Albums of the Month - November 2011

Albums of the Month - November 2011

Only one month remains before our annual (now expanded) end of the year lists. But for now, here's my three favorite albums for the month of November.

3. Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler/The Dream
Parts messy punk interludes, part downtrodden midnight white boy blues, Carrion Crawler/The Dream is the most recent joyful (and mysterious) jab by Thee Oh Sees at a genre they seem to patent. There's a casual knuckle-splitting feeling throughout the album, particularly in the first half with gems like "Contraption/Soul Desert" which very often forgets to find itself, in the very best way.

Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler/The Dream (Insound)

2. A$AP Rocky - LIVELOVEA$AP
Really? The super-drug addled breakout New York mixtape from a guy who has a dollar sign in his name? Unfair perception. No one's jumping out saying the A$AP Rocky's LIVELOVEA$AP is the best rap album of the year, because it isn't. He doesn't match the visceral thrill of Kendrick Lamar's Section.80 or Big K.R.I.T.'s Returnof4eva, or the utter fantastic weirdness of Danny Brown's XXX, but there's always something to be made of the case of a rapper that just does the part right. No mask of fake attitude, no presumptions, damning and memorable beats (constructed by Clams Casino), and a kid who has true potential. It may come a little empty for some, but for others, this is how modern rap should be built.

A$AP Rocky - LIVELOVEA$AP (Download)

1. Atlas Sound - Parallax
If Brandford Cox's second prominent project, Atlas Sound, is confusing anybody with Deerhunter, Cox's more well-known outfit, don't worry. As the years and sheer volume of Cox's work continue to pile on, the collective sounds begin to aesthetically merge: subtle strings of synthetic noise effortless in the background of his echoing (yet quiet) vocal style, letting his songwriter play the forefront. "Te Amo," one of Parallax's more stellar outputs, sounds particularly akin to the final track on Deerhunter's previous album Halcyon Digest, "He Would Have Laughed." From then on out, however, the album builds itself as a particular outlier, collectively unique to the new, crafty Bradford Cox. The album's final calls drift into a dark, ethereal sound, that is until you hear "Lightworks," the most upbeat thing in the man's endless catalog. One of which will continue to grow and perfect itself.

Atlas Sound - Parallax (Insound)

Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2009 (Pt. II)

We'll continue the top 25 countdown with songs #20 through #16.

#20: Feel It All Around - Washed Out

Ernest Greene, more commonly known as the solo outfit Washed Out, made his first real strides towards prevalence a couple months ago with "Feel It All Around," a dream-haze recreation of Gary Low's "I Want You." The loose, earthy semblance in Greene's sparkling vocals echo behind the rich synths and droning tones to create a spectrum of sound that sticks to the listener. Neither present, future or past captures what "Feel It All Around" is, but it isn't timeless either. It's a moment, a fraction of time between everything.

Washed Out - Feel It All Around - MP3

#19: Charlie Darwin - The Low Anthem

"Charlie Darwin," The Low Anthem's story of the American working-class, is a slow-building, harmony-driven song that sails towards the end of the world, or in this case, to a newer old world. The soft harmonica spins a solemn split between the "Oh my God," chants of the sad, sad world "Charlie Darwin" feared.

The Low Anthem - Charlie Darwin

#18: Dominos - The Big Pink

Brit pop, in most forms, took a relative backseat in 2009. The Big Pink, among very few others, seemed to emerge from the once dominating scene with "Dominos," a song that flourished under massive synth bass-lines and impossibly catchy hooks. Those "girls" that "fall like dominoes" may seem a tad more trivial than the subjects on the rest of this list, but what makes "Dominos" last is the constantly flowing rise and fall of the buzzing backdrop for a loud and constant chain of enticement.

The Big Pink - Dominos - MP3

#17: The Reeling - Passion Pit

Passion Pit landed their second slot on the Top 25 Songs of 2009 list with "The Reeling," off of Manners. The glistening, both of the electro rhythm and Michael Angelakos' vocals, invigorates the pulse of the "Reeling." It sparkles as an accessible dance track, something that Passion Pit have cultivated along well with churning and bright pop music.

Passion Pit - The Reeling

#16: Walkabout (ft. Noah Lennox) - Atlas Sound

I've mentioned more than once this year that Bradford Cox, the man behind Atlas Sound, Lotus Plaza, and Deerhunter is a total workaholic. The man churns out almost infinite amounts of music behind his three pet projects, and all seem to cling to the indie blogosphere with terrific fever. "Walkabout," the lead single from Atlas Sound's album Logos, features the creative influence of Noah Lennox, more commonly known as Animal Collective's Panda Bear. Never has Cox's music sound so blippy and uplifting as "Walkabout," a song about going away and never looking back to what may or not be left behind, the spins into dream cache'd end, asking "What did you want to be when you grew up?" The question is never answered, but that isn't anything to take away from the song.

Atlas Sound (ft. Noah Lennox) - Walkabout - MP3

Check Back Later for Tracks #15-#11.

Wednesday Bears: More Atlas Sound

It seems that there is no force in the physical world that can stop the music-making machine that is Bradford Cox. The man behind Deerhunter has released even more songs from the Atlas Sound catalog, including a cover of early 60's doo-woop group Five Discs' song "Doctor."

The "Doctor" b-side is a low humming, sombering acoustic "The Screens," that steps a bit outside of the Bradford Cox norm. That being said, it's also incredibly endearing and unique; a must listen for any and all fans of his music.

Atlas Sound - Doctor (Five Discs Cover) - MP3

Atlas Sound - The Screens - MP3

Tuesday Bears: Another Atlas Sounds EP

Only a month after the release of Atlas Sounds Logos LP, oft-mentioned workaholic Bradford Cox has just released another Atlas Sounds EP, compiled of tracks made during the re-working of Logos after the album was leaked last year.

The new Rough Trade EP, available via Rough Trade, features several different versions of Cox's work on Logos including an electronic version of "Criminals." The songs are more of a nice bonus addition to the aforementioned LP rather than just taking the EP in as it's own entity. Still, anything by Cox usually it's worth a listen.

Atlas Sound - Criminals (Electronic) - MP3

Thursday Bears: Atlas Sound Covers Everly Brothers

Atlas Sound recently did a rousing, fuzz-fused rendition of the Everly Brother's "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" complete with Cox-esque echoed vocals and slow-strummed backing rhythms that have become joyously common with Bradford Cox's work.

Atlas Sound - So Sad (Everly Brothers Cover) - MP3

MP3 Courtesy of Aquarium Drunkard

Tuesday Bears: New Atlas Sound

I'm finding it nearly impossible to gather my meager life in order at the moment, so these posts on Bears and Bullets have become very sporadic in the last several weeks. So, as it may stand (for however long it lasts), I'll attempt to continue my regular blogging rituals.

Atlas Sound, which everyone who reads the website (or any other on my blogroll for that matter) should know is the side-project of Deerhunter singer/guitarist Bradford Cox. Cox's new album Logos, which features the intrinsic "Walkabout" featuring Animal Collective's Noah Lennox (Panda Bear) that, more than likely, everyone who's reading this has heard before.

The album itself, which was leaked last year by Cox himself, has had some significant updates, altering it almost completely from the pseudo-original version. Logos (the real, full-length one) will be available October 20 via Kranky Records.

Atlas Sound - Kid Klimax - MP3

Atlas Sound - Walkabout (ft. Panda Bear) - MP3

MP3's Courtest of Pop Tarts Suck Toasted

Weird Summer

The guys at Aquarium Drunkard and Gorilla vs. Bear have dished out some lovely (and long) end of summer mix tapes, full of the fuzzy sun-fusion indie surf that have given Summer 2009 such a vibrant sound.

From the Aquarium Drunkard mix we have works from The Books, Atlas Sound, Love, Otis Redding, The Magnetic Zeros, Little Joy, Best Coast, and many, many more (full tracklist here.) The mix was put together by Aquarium Drunkard creator Justin Gage and his group Mondo Boys, which Gage calls a "NY/LA mixtape/sound collage collaborative."

Mondo Boys - Weird Summer - MP3 (79.3 MB)

Or

Mondo Boys - Weird Summer - ZIP

Bradford Cox

Courtesy of Gorilla vs. Bear I've got my hands on three new songs from Bradford Cox in recent days. The Deerhunter frontman and Atlas Sound side-project ... man has been prepping for the soon to be released Deerhunter EP Rainwater Cassete Exchange (due out 5/18) and a slew of summer shows including Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza in support of the late-spring release.

Deerhunter - Rainwater Cassete Exchange - MP3

Atlas Sound - Time Warp - MP3

Atlas Sound - Springtime Instrumental - MP3