Here's three that are fairly recent that I like a lot and that have some similarities to Jeff Mangum and NMH, at least to me
The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts
This is quite an album and the most immediate one that comes to mind, much more complex than I was expecting, even with all the Neutral Milk Hotel and Jeff Mangum references appearing in most of the discussions about it. Maybe it's just because I'm a little older (OK, a lot older
), but the first thing that struck me about the music and (especially) vocals was the similarity to Robyn Hitchcock, notably his solo work with the Egyptians. And a little bit of the Smiths. The second song even kinda reminds me of a slow Dismemberment Plan song like The Jitters. And call me crazy, but the third song even reminds me a little of They Might Be Giants, something from the Flood album that I can't quite place at the moment. But there's an old cabaret aspect that runs through the music brought about by the use of those creaky accordians. Kind of a European folk sound, sometimes even a gypsy sound. The stories aren't quite as gripping as the epics ripped with such urgency from the insides of Jeff Mangum, but instead seem to be mostly told from an outside view and without much haste. Kind of reflective, you might say. More peaceful than NMH but still very personal. And very literate too, with lots of unique imagery. I like this one a lot and can see it growing to be a big favorite since it has that certain something that makes you want to know it better. The first listen actually left me just a bit underwhelmed, but it also left me with that feeling that I wanted to hear it again. And then it started to sink in much better. I do still feel it drifts a little too much towards the end and loses some of the majestic feeling that it had in the beginning but that's really a small complaint.
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People
Towards the end of last year they released You Forgot It In People on the little Arts and Crafts label in Canada and it almost immediately sold out due to the heavy buzz once people heard it. So it didn't get a good release until a few months ago and now it's probably a shoe-in for 2003 top ten lists. It was close to my favorite album of the first half of the year. Strong and varied all the way through and gets better with each listen. A little bit like Death Cab For Cutie meets The Strokes at times, but the best of both. And then along comes a very cool instrumental or a nice horn and piano interlude. A little Belle & Sebastian sound at times. Clever and sophisticated experimental pop music without being coy and cute (and ultimately disposable when the newness wears off). Being a Toronto collective formed from some other more epic sounding bands on the scene with the intent of making a pop music album, they do bring some of that Godspeed You Black Emperor type sound to it. But in shorter packages, nothing much over 6 minutes long. And nothing that will leave the "experienced" music lover scratching their head....well, maybe one or two of you might wonder a little bit why some people are intent on calling this good music
. A little Spoon but not quite as frenetic, maybe some Notwist but not quite as electronic. Still some Kinks at the core like with the previously mentioned Strokes.
British Sea Power - The Decline of British Sea Power
Some Joy Division mixed with some David Bowie and Echo & The Bunnymen. Maybe add some of the literary historical references to the music that has garnered much critical acclaim for the Decemberists recently. Whatever, I like this one a lot and have been playing it endlessly. Lots of great guitar parts and the singer does sound kind of like Ian Curtis at times. At other times maybe a little like Bowie. And even a touch of David Thomas of Pere Ubu fame (well, I guess Pere Ubu and fame don't have a lot in common
). But the music is still unique. And fun. And powerful. And emotional. It is quite an accomplished debut album, even with the couple minor missteps that inevitably creep in, although in this case they are very minor in my view, and the whole CD has a nice ebb and flow, fast and slow, soft and loud type of sequencing that is very good. It even starts with some Gregorian chanting before erupting into the second song, Apologies To Insect Life, which seems to take inspiration from and name-checks Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky and his Notes from Underground, at least in relation to the lines about his attractiveness (or lack of it in the opening line of Dostoevsky's fictional diary) and the brothel scenes and all the talk of insect comparisons that runs through the diary. Below is a short review from Filter Magazine ...
You don’t need a ticket or passport to enter the ephemeral world of BSP. All you need is an open heart and a belief that bravery exists. In a stifling world of shrink-wrapped pop where albums are drawn up by committee and harnessed to a Machiavellian marketing machine, BSP are a breath of much needed air. As the album unfolds you are drawn deeper into a world where rare birds swoop and dive and nature exists alongside the urban decay of the twenty first century. Their musical reference points can be mapped out, but to reel out a list of names would be a pointless exercise because this is quite simply the most original album you will buy this year. With songs as sublime as ‘Something Wicked’, ‘Fear of Drowning’ and ‘Carrion’ you know that they are the band to fall in love with. Once you have lived in the wonderfully unique world of BSP you will never want to leave. - Julian Mash, Filter Magazine
