Many Mellifluous Jingles from My Morning Jacket

Like so many great bands I was introduced to My Morning Jacket by Rob.... I don't know what I would do without him :) Their latest album titled Z has been more-or-less deemed a great success, some saying less-so due to the albums departure from the band's more southern sounding rock roots, and some saying more-so because this is an amazing album that lifts the spirit and rocks out all at once. I personally like it more than their previous effort It Still Moves, which is an excellent album but perhaps a tad too southern for a good ol' Nova Scotia boy to fully appreciate. The blog-o-box is a buzz with posts about this band, and in particular I have read very good things about their current tour, which is very convenient since they will be playing Vancouver early next month. So strap on your headphones, crank up Wordless Chorus, and check out some of the buzz. Though keep in mind that the review by Stephen Deusner below is shitty at best, he uses way too many words to essentially say nothing at all about the album, perhaps it's a parody of Wordless Chorus... or perhaps it's a bad review.

Reviews:
Pitchforkmedia's Stephen M. Deusner - 7.6/10.0 Z abandons the Skynyrdisms of It Still Moves, but that album's lessons remain intact: Compared to those on previous albums, these tracks have more guitar crunch and tighter song structures. Even single "Off the Record", with its driving reggae rhythms and James' lively performance, foregoes a dueling-guitar climax in favor of an unraveling outro that sounds like Air noir.

What other bloggers have to say:
ChromeWaves.net
Borrowed Tunes
Between Thought and Expression
Big Stereo
Indoor Fireworks

Purchase from Amazon

Exercises for the reader:
Wordless Chorus
Off The Record
What A Wonderful Man

Pleasant Songs from the Planet Smashers

I was an undergraduate student at a small university in Quebec when I heard The Planet Smashers for the first time. This was partly due to the fact that the town, Lennoxville, is adjacent to The Planet Smashers' home town of Sherbrooke, and partly due to the excellent music taste of Evil Nick. However it happened, I have been addicted to the bands feverishly high energy ska-rock from the moment I heard the first blast of brass instruments backing up lead vocalist Matt Collyer as he belted out the chorus to Girl in the Front Row from their 2003 album Mighty. You'll have to work pretty hard not to enjoy The Planet Smashers' infectious hooks, toe-taping horns, and undeniably fun melodies.

Reviews:
Absolute Punk's Brandon Allin - 9/10 Unstoppable, the latest offering from Quebec's ska-punk heroes, The Planet Smashers, follows in the typical fashion we've come to love: an album jam packed from beginning to end with catchy, skankin' tunes that are sure to get stuck in your head for months to come.

What other bloggers have to say:
Nothing at all!?! Am I the first to blog about the amazing ska-punk rockers?

Purchase from Amazon

Exercises for the reader:
Bullets to The Ground
A Revolution Song
Bad Mood

Check out the band's site here, it's pretty fancy ;)

Intense Musings from Immaculate Machine

I saw Immaculate Machine live with the New Pornographers and Destroyer as the three Vancouver bands rocked the home town crowd. The show was a masterpiece of musical ecstasy, and Immaculate Machine set the tone for the evening, immediately grabbing the audience and directing them through the highs and lows of their indie-pop perfection. Check out Rob's review of the show. The band is: Kathryn Calder (vocals/keyboard), Brooke Gallupe (vocals/guitar), and Luke Kozlowski (vocals/drums). This band has three remarkable features:

1. Kathryn's vocals are breathtaking, sweet, emotional, and engaging
2. Luke is a bad ass drummer, who's high spirited precision drumming damn near steals the show
3. The dynamic of three vocalists adds a unique and appreciated dimension to their music, especially since they each have a very distinctive vocal style.

Reviews:
Splendid's Phillip Buchan - Their keyboard-driven, harmony-laden power-pop should land them OC appearances, New Porn comparisons and a modest showing on the CMJ charts

What other bloggers have to say:
You Aint No Picasso
SixEyes

Purchase from Amazon or for less $$ at Maple Music

Exercises for the reader:
Broken Ship - A beautiful song that showcases Kathryn's vocal abilities.
Latest Breaking News - A perfect example of what three vocalists have to offer.
So Cynical - Perhaps my favorite song on the album, full of emotion and charm... musical charm.
Phone No. - A pop confection featuring Brooke Gallupe at lead vocals... also I think this song is about booty calls :$)

There ya have it, four songs, but only because two are being offered from the band's website, so don't get used to it. I strongly encourage you to go see them live, the show was a blast, and if you catch them with the New Pornographers and Destroyer then you'll get to see Dan Bejar drunk.

Decisive Cacophonies of Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie is and indie band gone huge with their latest album Plans being released on the label Atlantic. The good news for people who like bad news is that this jump has not caused the band to alter their trademark sound. Forced Modest Mouse references aside, Plans will deliver almost exactly what one would expect from the indie band that has rocked them so consistently in the past. The album does sag considerably in places, but not so much as to stop me from loving it, and there are some amazing songs that can not get played often enough.


Reviews:
Pitchforkmedia's Joe Tangari - 6.3/10.0 In a way, it's comforting to know what you're getting: Four or five songs you'll treasure, four or five you'll tolerate, and a pretty good band sticking to their guns. In another sense, it would be nice if a band reaching for a larger audience had a sound that matched that sense of ambition.

What other bloggers have to say:
Music (for robots)

Purchase from Amazon

Exercises for the reader:
Soul Meet Body
I Will Follow You Into the Dark