Hipster rock fans have been hit with a lot of noteworthy album releases this month, including two big ones yesterday (Band of Horses and Black Keys). It seems all the cool bands want release their new albums in time for the summer festivals. Here's my quick take on six of them.
DISAPPOINTING
The National, "High Violet" – It'd have been very, very hard to live up to its two predecessors, but this one really doesn't come close. Too morose, even for these guys. DECENT Band of Horses, "Infinite Arms" -- Also coming on the heels of two stellar prior albums, their first for Columbia is more polished and pretty – but also pretty boring in a few parts. The Hold Steady, "Heaven Is Whenever" – The more classic-rocky shift is a cool changeup, but overall the songs don't have quite the fastball power of past stuff. Could be a different story live, though.
LCD Soundsystem, "This Is Happening" -- These guys have yet to make a record that matches their live show, but this one still shows James Murphy's sneering genius. DEADLY
The Black Keys, "Brothers" – Funkier and less punky than past records, it's a bulky 15-song set that flows, grinds and constantly thrills as if it were their "Exile." Dead Weather, "Sea of Cowards" – I slagged their First Ave show last year for feeling a bit too staged in a rock-with-your-you-know-what-out sort of way. With this record, they can let you-know-what out all they want. By the way, if anybody posts a comment here that they've never heard of these bands: a) go away; and b) we just got the Twin Cities Soundscan report from last week, and the National and Dead Weather were the No. 1 and No. 2 sellers locally last week. Right above Justin Bieber (whose fans admittedly don't buy albums).
