Well. March is drawing to a close, and as such, so is the RIAA Boycott. I haven't bought a CD in a month, and at any concert or such that I've been to (quite few, mostly some small jazz stuff) I've tried to buy merch to support the artist.
Thank Providence, then, that most stuff I listen to is not on an RIAA-based label, because this March has seen some really good new material. The "headliners", if you will:
ARCADE FIRE: Neon Bible (Merge in US, Rough Trade in UK)
HOLY CRAP ON MY FACE. This is an album I've been waiting for ever since I discovered that rock and pop music was not limited to the guitar/bass/drum instrumentation. Instead of going the "hey, let's get a two-trillion-track recorder and put in all these ridiculous noises because we can", the quite-a-few-tet from Montreal actually utilized every bit of sound it could make, making a layered, twisting, continuous flow of truly powerful indie. Some tracks skiffle, some tracks bob, some rush, some bristle, and a few do several (most notably Black Wave/Bad Vibrations). A beautiful album marred only by a few poor word choices on Win's part. I love Antichrist Television Blues, buddy, but you can be more introspective than "I don't want to work in a building downtown", not to mention less repetetive.
MODEST MOUSE: We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (Epic)
We all know Modest Mouse from that oft-radioed (read: overused) Float On track from Good News. The tragedy, in my mind, was that Good News was an experiment, a brief glimpse for the group into a slightly more lighthearted, rootsy, and poppy sound, and that everyone who heard Good News will buy Ship Sank expecting the same type of music. Truth is, Modest Mouse has found its way back to Dramamine and Tiny Cities with the anachronistic addition of Johnny Marr (Sea? Marr/Mar? Am I the only one?) , who adds the slick strummed guitar sound back into the half-pie-eyed, half-piss-eyed songwriting of Isaac Brock. Hear Dramamine and Ocean Breathes Salty on Spitting Venom, an eight-minute long-form-single possibility and suite to boot, and the groove of Tiny Cities on Dashboard. Even The View plus Karma Payment Plan on Florida, a track featuring the Brock-signed James Mercer on backing vocals. Amalgamation is the key to survival, and Modest Mouse will be seeing green and out of the red with their indie cred once again.
Since I do have school tomorrow, screw it. There are a few more important ones, notably Ted Leo's evidently legendary new disc and Bright Eyes' (re)formative Cassadaga. Sweet April come!
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