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A Camp/Kid, You'll Move Mountains
Mar. 24th, 2009 11:17 pmIf you can believe it, two years ago today was the day I first posted to this blog. I can't believe it. Time flies by way too quickly. Anyway, in celebration of that, here are two short reviews of a couple albums I've enjoyed this year but have been a bit overshadowed by my other obsessions. Of course, that doesn't mean they're any less important or good - just that I've got way too much music and way too little time to listen to it all.
A Camp is the solo project of Nina Persson, better known as the Cardigans' frontwoman, and her first album, released in 2001, seemed to serve as an outlet for a bunch of weirder, more experimental, and more mature songs that didn't quite fit her band's poppier sound. Colonia is rather different, full of pop hooks that can more easily be compared to the Cardigans, but full of darker lyrics and a few quirkier moments that still wouldn't jive as well. Colonia boasts one perfect pop song after another, bathed in beautiful string and brass arrangements, smart lyrics that are often more macabre than the sunny melodies attached to them suggest, and of course, Nina's lovely voice, flawlessly pretty but unique enough to be instantly recognizable. The album has grown off of me a bit since I first heard it but I still think it's an excellent pop record and a rather impressive primer in the craftsmanship of an instantly catchy tune - there are so many infectious hooks here that you're guaranteed to get a new one stuck in your head every time you listen.
Opener "The Crowning" starts off with a whimsical plinky-plink piano melody before erupting into a fine example of how a song can be terribly catchy but also extremely smart; Nina's vocals are effortless and the chorus soars. "Here Are Many Wild Animals" is also memorable from the very beginning; after its sweet "ooh-wee-ooh" opening vocal melody and handclaps, it gets progressively darker and more aggressive, before culminating in Nina singing throatily and sinisterly, "Come little bastard/Come little millionaire/Come, come faster/This is America/Come little rodent/Come little carnivore/Eat your dinner." Contrastingly, "The Weed Had Got There First" is a sultry and slinky ballad about, oddly enough, gardening - only a voice like Nina's can make such a mudane topic sound so interesting, not to mention sexy and sensual. Also make sure to check out the single, "Stronger Than Jesus", and "Golden Teeth and Silver Medals", a gorgeous deut with Nicolai Dunger. Colonia is already out in Europe and will be released in North America at the end of April. You can pre-order it on Amazon right now, rather expensively, but I'm sure the price will go down over the next few weeks.
Kid, You'll Move Mountains - Loomings
Kid, You'll Move Mountains is one of those bands I discovered completely randomly and they're still young and aren't very well-known yet but Loomings is a rather impressive debut album. If I had to compare them to other bands to describe their sound, they seem like kind of a strange hybrid of Rainer Maria, The Anniversary, and Mates of State to me. They have the rawness of early Rainer Maria, the energy and youthfulness of Mates of State, and some of their boy/girl vocal harmonies remind me greatly of The Anniversary. The production on this album is rather muddy and lo-fi which was a bit off-putting to me first (I have a hard time enjoying the actual music when it all sounds so muffled and quiet) but after a few listens, the songs began to stand out more. The band also hasn't quite perfected the art of writing a punchy, concise song yet - though each one has its memorable moments, they often sound a bit meandering and the pieces don't quite all fit together completely. However, with a bit more experience and some decent production (though they probably had limited funds to accomplish that particular thing and that's understandable), they could be very, very good.
As it is, this album has definitely got its moments. "Volts", "West", and "An Open Letter to Wherever You're From" are among the album's tightest and most well-constructed songs, making techniques that could come across as stale and tired, such as heavy repetition and sudden transitions from soft to loud, sound fresh and interesting. They also perfectly showcase vocalists Jim Hanke and Nina Lanthrum, both apart and together. Neither of them have a particularly unique voice but they completely make use of what they do have, always full of energy and intensity, complimenting the band's musical style well. You can purchase Loomings - digital or physical - directly from their website for $7 which is an extremely good deal for forty minutes of music, especially the physical album at that price. I didn't even know about this until I looked them up to post a link here so I'll definitely be ordering it soon and I recommend anyone else to if they like what they hear as well. After all, they're one of those bands who need all the support they can get.
A Camp - Colonia
A Camp is the solo project of Nina Persson, better known as the Cardigans' frontwoman, and her first album, released in 2001, seemed to serve as an outlet for a bunch of weirder, more experimental, and more mature songs that didn't quite fit her band's poppier sound. Colonia is rather different, full of pop hooks that can more easily be compared to the Cardigans, but full of darker lyrics and a few quirkier moments that still wouldn't jive as well. Colonia boasts one perfect pop song after another, bathed in beautiful string and brass arrangements, smart lyrics that are often more macabre than the sunny melodies attached to them suggest, and of course, Nina's lovely voice, flawlessly pretty but unique enough to be instantly recognizable. The album has grown off of me a bit since I first heard it but I still think it's an excellent pop record and a rather impressive primer in the craftsmanship of an instantly catchy tune - there are so many infectious hooks here that you're guaranteed to get a new one stuck in your head every time you listen.
Opener "The Crowning" starts off with a whimsical plinky-plink piano melody before erupting into a fine example of how a song can be terribly catchy but also extremely smart; Nina's vocals are effortless and the chorus soars. "Here Are Many Wild Animals" is also memorable from the very beginning; after its sweet "ooh-wee-ooh" opening vocal melody and handclaps, it gets progressively darker and more aggressive, before culminating in Nina singing throatily and sinisterly, "Come little bastard/Come little millionaire/Come, come faster/This is America/Come little rodent/Come little carnivore/Eat your dinner." Contrastingly, "The Weed Had Got There First" is a sultry and slinky ballad about, oddly enough, gardening - only a voice like Nina's can make such a mudane topic sound so interesting, not to mention sexy and sensual. Also make sure to check out the single, "Stronger Than Jesus", and "Golden Teeth and Silver Medals", a gorgeous deut with Nicolai Dunger. Colonia is already out in Europe and will be released in North America at the end of April. You can pre-order it on Amazon right now, rather expensively, but I'm sure the price will go down over the next few weeks.
Kid, You'll Move Mountains - Loomings
Kid, You'll Move Mountains is one of those bands I discovered completely randomly and they're still young and aren't very well-known yet but Loomings is a rather impressive debut album. If I had to compare them to other bands to describe their sound, they seem like kind of a strange hybrid of Rainer Maria, The Anniversary, and Mates of State to me. They have the rawness of early Rainer Maria, the energy and youthfulness of Mates of State, and some of their boy/girl vocal harmonies remind me greatly of The Anniversary. The production on this album is rather muddy and lo-fi which was a bit off-putting to me first (I have a hard time enjoying the actual music when it all sounds so muffled and quiet) but after a few listens, the songs began to stand out more. The band also hasn't quite perfected the art of writing a punchy, concise song yet - though each one has its memorable moments, they often sound a bit meandering and the pieces don't quite all fit together completely. However, with a bit more experience and some decent production (though they probably had limited funds to accomplish that particular thing and that's understandable), they could be very, very good.
As it is, this album has definitely got its moments. "Volts", "West", and "An Open Letter to Wherever You're From" are among the album's tightest and most well-constructed songs, making techniques that could come across as stale and tired, such as heavy repetition and sudden transitions from soft to loud, sound fresh and interesting. They also perfectly showcase vocalists Jim Hanke and Nina Lanthrum, both apart and together. Neither of them have a particularly unique voice but they completely make use of what they do have, always full of energy and intensity, complimenting the band's musical style well. You can purchase Loomings - digital or physical - directly from their website for $7 which is an extremely good deal for forty minutes of music, especially the physical album at that price. I didn't even know about this until I looked them up to post a link here so I'll definitely be ordering it soon and I recommend anyone else to if they like what they hear as well. After all, they're one of those bands who need all the support they can get.
