Tara Jane ONeil – A Ways Away

Tara Jane ONeil - A Ways Away - K Records (2009)

Looking back as the year’s end approaches, the one record I have always been meaning to write about and never did is this one: “A Ways Away,” by Tara Jane ONeil.

This lp came out in May, and to be honest it’s never moved far from my turntable since. But “A Ways Away” is a quiet album, so I tend to listen to it when I’m in the mood for thinking, not doing. Plus, the overall feeling it evokes is one of fall-turning-into-winter as opposed to spring-turning-into-summer; so perhaps its impact would have seemed more immediate had it come out just now.

But “A Ways Away” is a great album that sinks in over time. ONeil’s expressive guitar work and affecting lyrics make tracks like “Drowning” (which you can hear on her Myspace page) and “A Vertiginous One” outstanding and memorable.

Of course, this comes against the backdrop of an extended period, now spanning nearly two decades, during which ONeil has consistently produced great music and visual art too. Still, “A Ways Away” may just be her best work yet.

Pants Yell! Received Pronunciation

My thanks to James of Friday morning Kick Out the James for telling me I’ve gotta listen to this new lp by Pants Yell! So let me pass along the favor and tell you, dear reader: you’ve gotta listen to this new lp by Pants Yell!

Pants Yell! play what I call pure pop perfection. The cover of the new album is designed by Mark Robinson of Unrest, and that I’d say is not an accident or unrelated coincidence, because Mark Robinson is one of the all-time greats when it comes to ppp.

Check out the video below for “Someone Loves You” and/or go to the Slumberland Records webpage and download the mp3 for “Cold Hands.” The whole album runs for less than 30 minutes, but that, too, is exactly how it should be: play what you want to play, say what you want to say, then call it quits. Just like the Beatles did on their early lps; just like Buddy Holly did, too.

In this interview, Andrew Churchman says this lp will be the band’s last, and that’s too bad. But if he wanted to go out on top, this was certainly the way to do it.

Pants Yell! Someone Loves You

Smoking behind the drums like Bun E. Carlos ….

DJ/Rupture & Matt Shadetek – Solar Life Raft

From the amazing and new “Solar Life Raft,” by DJ/Rupture & Matt Shadetek.

Arms and Sleepers – Matador

Arms and Sleepers - Matador - Fake Chapter Records (2009)

I’ve been really looking forward to the new lp from Arms and Sleepers ever since I saw the article in the Phoenix in late September. And I certainly wasn’t disappointed when I finally got a chance to listen to the station’s advance copy of “Matador,” due out this coming Tuesday (November 17) on Fake Chapter Records.

The ambient/electronics and the Album Leaf-like instrumentation from the duo’s previous work are still here. But the ideas seem more fully developed and the melodies more memorable than before. Vocals play a bigger role on the new lp, too, and this adds a significant new dimension, especially to the standout tracks “Matador” and “The Architekt,” both of which can be heard already on the band’s Myspace page. Listening to those songs is kind of like hearing an old friend speak to you in a dream, oddly but pleasantly making more sense than he or she ever did in person.

“Matador” by Arms and Sleepers. A major step forward for a major artistic force.

Etienne Jaumet – Night Music

Etienne Jaumet - Night Music - Domino Records (2009)

This new lp by Etienne Jaumet opens with a 20-minute track called “For Falling Asleep.”

A short description is all you need. Contemporary French techno that borrows heavily from both minimalist classical and 1970s-era Krautrock. That last part, combining the French and the German, could of course by itself be the subject of a medium-length monograph.

But that’s not all. Jaumet layers his own free-jazz-style saxophone playing over the electronics. Plus he gets Emmanuelle Parrenin to contribute wordless vocals and a harp solo (!) at the end.

And, oh yeah: the whole thing is produced by the master himself, none other than Carl Craig.

Needless to say, all of those forces combine to make this one of the most over-the-top spectacular dance tracks of the year.

Ad Frank & the Fast Easy Women – Your Secrets Are Mine Now

My favorite new release this week? That would have to be this one by Ad Frank and the Fast Easy Women: “Your Secrets are Mine Now.”

“YSaMN” is Ad Frank’s first lp in four years. And the time and effort he and his band put into it really show, for this is surely his/their strongest, most polished, and most consistently great release to date. This is also the first Ad Frank record, I believe, to include Sarah Rabdau as one of the Fast Easy Women; and that’s a great thing too, since her sweet voice adds a lot to the mix.

Instant classics on this one include tracks like “Winterthru” (which you can hear on the band’s myspace page), “A Note on the Type,” and my two favorites, “Man on Fire,” and “The Cuddle” (the latter with especially poetic lyrics which, regrettably, the FCC would object to — another reason to buy the record yourself, I guess, since that one can’t be played on the Z).

In fact, a lot of these songs are catchy enough and smart enough to remind you of what you used to hear on commercial radio stations like WBCN — by which I mean the old WBCN — you know, back in the day when at least some of those stations assumed that their listeners were intelligent human beings as opposed to mindless consumers. Bravo to Ad Frank and the Fast Easy Women for assuming the same, even today.

Ad Frank & the Fast Easy Women

Streight Angular – After and Before

Streight Angular - After and Before

“After and Before” is Streight Angular’s first full-length. But you wouldn’t know that just by listening, because the album consists of 12 confidently-constructed and intelligently-crafted songs. And, relating to that last part, intelligence has of course always been a hallmark of Boston Rock, so it fits well into that noble tradition, too.

Streight Angular have their style down pat, as well. It sounds to me like a blend of early-80s new wave and early-90s whatever you call what K Records put out a lot of in the early part of the last century’s last decade. Not only is that mix quite pleasing, but it gives the lp something of a timeless quality. This is an album that would have sounded great if it came out 10, 15, or 20 years ago; it sounds great today; and I bet it’ll sound just as great 10 years from now.

And finally, the best track of all of this album with many such best tracks is one called “Are You Ever Satisfied?” Which not only offers up a highly relevant indictment of selfishness and greed in our time, but even more important has boy-girl vocals that make it sound kind of like it could be by the Human League. Awesome!

Arms and Sleepers – We Are Post Rock Interview

Video from We Are Post-Rock.

Arms and Sleepers‘ new lp, “Matador,” out November 17 on Fake Chapter Records.

Neats – Red and Grey

Available once again on “Neats: 1981-84 The Ace of Hearts Years,” Ace of Hearts Records.