DeVotchka - How It Ends (2004)

DeVotchka's music defies easy categorization. Think somewhere along the lines of a lovelorn troubadour fronting a "north of the border" mariachi band that grew up listening to eastern European folk music, and you may be getting close. Describing the feeling of the music on this album is equally difficult: soft and delicate; loud and boisterous; mournful; celebratory - DeVotchka wears many hats, and they wear them well!
How It Ends is the type of album that suits many moods and many situations. Perhaps this explains why it has barely left my CD player for the past three weeks and has shot to the top of my Ipod's "Most Played" list. With the soaring baritone of singer Nick Urata leading the proceedings, DeVotchka weave together tales of love, loss, sorrow, and celebration, in songs full of exotic instrumentation such as bouzouki, glockenspiel, theremin, violin, and accordian - in addition to staples such as guitar, drums, and piano.
There are a number of highlights on the album, the greatest of which is the title track, How It Ends. The opening lines - "Hold your grandmother's bible to your breast / Gonna put it to the test / You wanted to be blessed" - introduce a song that has the ability to make one's hair stand on end - even after multiple listens. It is the type of slow song that you and your friends will want to sing-a-long to at the end of a long, boozy night. It will make you happy and sad at the same time.
Other album highlights include the playful, mariachi-flavored, We're Leaving, the quiet lament of Dearly Departed, and the rollicking, Such A Lovely Thing, which contains the bitter refrain: "You only love me 'cause I'm leaving".

Check Out: http://www.myspace.com/devotchkamusic & www.devotchka.net. For more DeVotchka music, check out the film Little Miss Sunshine, for which they provided the score.

The Shins - Wincing The Night Away (2007)

The Shins' latest album was released a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't as yet purchased the album, or at the very least given it a listen, may I suggest that you do so promptly. There are many people who have loudly sung The Shins' praises since the release of their 2001 debut album - Oh, Inverted World - particularly following the appearance of the track New Slang in the Zach Braff indie flick, Garden State. I am not one of those people.
Don't get me wrong - I own the bands first two albums and am of the opinion that they are really quite cool, however, for some reason, I have always felt that the albums were missing... something. Maybe I am crazy, because I certainly couldn't tell you what that certain "someting" is - it is simply a feeling I get when I listen to them. I can tell you, though, that Wincing The Night Away is missing absolutely nothing at all. It is a fantastic album! The Shins have brought together the best elements of their first two albums and have thrown in something extra special into the mix (a little fairy dust, some extra herbs and spices - I couldn't really say) to fully realize their potential.
From the opening track - the excellent Sleeping Lessons - through to the album's first single - Phantom Limb - and onwards, each song is an aural delight that begs multiple listens. One of my particular favorites is the delicate, 60's-psych-pop-esque, Red Rabbits - one of the album's many high points.
If you are unfamiliar with The Shins, it is probably time you cozied up and introduced yourself. If you have already formed an opinion of the band - even a high opinion, Wincing The Night Away could very well alter that opinion for the better, as it has certainly done for myself. Go Shins!

Check Out: http://www.myspace.com/theshins

Sparklehorse - Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of The Mountain (2006)

With their latest album, Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of The Mountain, Sparklehorse have created - in my opinion - one of the finest albums of recent times. The group creates music that is laden with joy, sadness, angst, and acceptance, often within the one song.
Sparklehorse is not so much a band, as the musical creation of Mark Linkous - lead singer, song-writer, and the only constant member in the band’s ten-plus year existence. Linkous has had a somewhat difficult career trajectory, which has included recurring bouts of severe depression and debilitating drug addiction, along with the release of a number of excellent albums that have been critically praised, yet have failed commercially. The band’s 2001 album, It’s A Wonderful Life, is one of my all-time favorite albums, and the fact that it did not introduce Sparklehorse to the music listening public at large is baffling!
Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of The Mountain serves up the same sonic brilliance of its 2001 predecessor, using all manner of weird sounds to craft songs of sonically textured wonderment. For those unfamiliar with Sparklehorse’s sound, two of Linkous’ collaborators on this album - Stephen Drozd (Flaming Lips), Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev / Flaming Lips producer) - may provide some indication of where Sparklehorse lie musicically.
The music, for the most part is ethereal, tranquil and uplifting. Songs such as Shade and Honey, Some Sweet Day and Morning Hollow are all fine examples of Sparklehorse's gentler side, while Ghost In The Sky and It's Not So Hard show that the band are not afraid of rocking a little harder.

Check Out: www.myspace.com/sparklehorse

Islands - Return To The Sea (2006)

Throughout the last forty or so years, islands have played an integral part in the development of modern music. First, in 1949, Chris Blackwell - an English man in Jamaica - founded Island Records, which would be home to such musical luminaries as Bob Marley, U2, and, for a short, yet productive time, Tom Waits. Then in 1983, came the Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton country-crossover hit, Islands In The Stream - a rousing love song that paired two of country musics finest, and that is everything a love song should be. Finally, in 2006, Islands, a band from Montreal, Canada, released the excellent Return To The Sea, which, in some strange place in my mind, brought everything full circle.
On Return To The Sea, the two core members of Islands - Nick Diamonds (vocals, guitar) & J'aime Tambour (drums) - enlisted the help of a number musicians to play all manner of instruments (accordian, cello, violin, charrango, flute, organ, etc.) to aid in bringing their eccentric, poptastic tunes to life - and, in this, they most certainly succeeded.
I love when bands have a cracking track as the first song on their album. Islands have done this with the epic opener, Swans (Life After Death). Clocking in at over nine minutes, the song carries you along with its driving beat, and its playful, yet oddly poignant lyrics, before changing time and rocking out at the eight minute mark. Very cool - especially as it is a clear indicator of the quality of music to follow.
Islands mission seems fairly clear: To write clever, intelligent pop music, while never taking themselves too seriously - at least that is the feeling I get from songs such as Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby - which is another favorite of mine.
Return To The Sea is a great collection of songs that, like any good pop music, makes you feel something real, while also engaging your mind. Obviously, for the most part, this type of pop music is no longer available in the world of commercial radio or television, and so, must be sought elsewhere. Islands is as good a place as any to begin your search.

Check Out: www.myspace.com/islandsareforever