Monday's Leaky Faucet

by Pop Tarts Suck Toasted on Mon, 2009/03/09 - 3:00pm Post to Twitter

Who: The Decemberists
Title: The Hazards of Love
Release Date: March 24th
Label: Capitol Records
Thoughts: I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that The Decemberists would try and create a rock opera at some point in their career. Their last album, The Crane Wife, was damn close to being one itself and their has always been a cinematic feel to the stories within Colin Meloy’s songs. But with everything linked together on The Hazards of Love, the songs kind of seem a little too overpowering at times. They are extremely dense songs, once again showing off Meloy’s penchant for wordiness, but occasionally cluttered musically. It’s almost as if The Decemberists tried to do too much for their rock opera. Still, there are a lot of good moments on here just none of those catchy moments that originally hooked us on this band.
Listen: The Decemberists - "A Bower Scene"
The Decemberists - "The Rake’s Song"

Who: Grizzly Bear
Title: Veckatimest
Release Date: May 26th
Label: Warp Records
Thoughts: The talk of the indie world right now pretty much starts and ends with Grizzly Bear. There may be other bands releasing albums and having them leak to the web, but few are doing it with the amount of pizazz that Grizzly Bear have. We have all been anxiously awaiting the follow-up to Grizzly Bear’s awesome last record Yellow House, and now we finally have Veckatimest. Granted the version of Veckatimest we have is a low quality web rip, but we still get to hear the dense layers, and thematic lyrics of the record and for that we’re grateful. But does the record live up to all the hype swirling around it right now? I’m not too sure. I’d prefer to listen to it on at a higher quality so I think I’ll reserve full judgement until then. For now I’ll say it’s a very good record and something that most people will be crowing about for some time.
Listen: Grizzly Bear - "All We Ask"

Who: Camera Obscura
Title: My Maudlin Career
Release Date: April 21st
Label: 4AD
Thoughts: For more then a decade we have been treated to the wistful pop music of Camera Obscura. Led by the adorable voice of Tracyanne Campbell, the band have found their way into the hearts of their adoring indie pop fans and have expanded their sound and reach with each passing record. With Let’s Get Out of This Country the band finally released the pop classic they had been threatening for years, a record that spoke to everyone who listened. Now after almost three years of touring and a jump from Merge Records to 4AD the band returns with their pop sensibilities in tact and Tracyanne’s voice once again front and center. My Maudlin Career stays true to it’s title offering an album of tunes that fit the maudlin label, but also remain catchy and hooky in large part thanks to Tracyanne’s singing. It’s a solid album, slightly less immediate then Let’s Get Out of This Country, but rich in songs that grow and spread out each time you listen.
Listen: Camera Obscura - "You Told A Lie"
Camera Obscura - "My Maudlin Career"

Who: Screaming Females
Title: Power Move
Release Date: April 14th
Label: Don Giovanni
Thoughts: For ages New Jersey trio Screaming Females have thrived in the underground DIY scene, playing to packed crowds in basements all over the place, and self-releasing fantastic nuggets of punk, garage rock. Now the band are ready to expand a bit, turning to a local label, Don Giovanni, to release their latest full length Power Move. The record is once again loaded with gems that dominate your ears right from the start. Basically put, this record will kick your ass up and down the street over and over again if you let it and you should. It’s super exciting to have a new record from Screaming Females and it finally seems like people are ready to take note of what this trio is doing.
Listen: Screaming Females - "Skull"
Screaming Females - "Lights Out"