• DAVID: Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, a project which came about as Conor tried so desperately to separate himself from his Bright Eyes roots, is back with their second album. It is a 14 track record that came close to sounding like one long song but is saved when the rest of the band decides to pull a little weight of their own. While I enjoyed the songs recorded by Conor, especially the biblically charged "To All The Lights In The Windows", it was refreshing to hear the different sounds of his band mates. The way it was refreshing to hear Paul after John overstayed his welcome. I particularly enjoyed Nik Freitas, the band's guitarist, and his song Big Black Nothing.


• ALEX: The music is really solid. Definitely a well established sound. I'm not sure I'm that into the sound, it's a little too generic alt-country for me. But it's clear they are very good at what they do. Some of the vocal melodies are really nice, I just wish the music was more playful and experimental in some ways; I guess I just wish they jumped out of their well-formed box here and there for a little nice creative touch. That said, I enjoyed Macey Taylor's vocals on "Worldwide." Also, "Spoiled" was a really strong track for me; just really stripped down but enjoyable.


• DAVID: A little more creativity wouldn't hurt. I am assuming, and I could be wrong, that Conor Oberst is focusing more on lyrics and less on the sound which, when you sound like Conor Oberst, is a pretty good idea. He impressed me more often than not, but I was let down when he tried to preach politics in the oversimplified track, Roosevelt Room. I got tired of the guitar and wouldn't mind some piano or more of Nate Walcott's trumpet which never fails to turn a mediocre song into something memorable. After the first lesson I was underwhelmed, but I gave it another chance and now I find myself listening to it throughout the day. After all, these are solid songs and an album with 14 solid tracks is nothing to complain about.


• ALEX: Yeah, I dunno, I had a hard time not skipping through tracks. It's not that they are bad, it's just that there is nothing too interesting that is keeping me hooked to it for the whole song. Maybe it's just because I favor music over lyrics, but the album just isn't too special for me. Definitely not bad, it's still a good album, just doesn't really stand out for me too much.

• DAVID: Silversun Pickups is an American Indie Rock band famous for the effeminate, whiny vocals of Brian Aubert which fits, if you think about it, the whiny lyrics he sings. Sometimes, when I am bored with good music, I will imagine what it would sound like if the happy-go-lucky rock of the 90's met the downward spiral self loathing alternative rock of the present; I think Swoon, the band's second album, gives us the answer. It is Blink 182 meets Saddle Creek.


• ALEX: I dunno if I'd go so far as to compare them to Blink 182, but Swoon is definitely bland and blurred together. Songs are hardly distinguishing from one another, each one feeling like a contrived attempt to recreate the success surrounding their first single, Lazy Eye. Each song just ends up sounding like a slightly tweaked version of the one before, the guitar's power chords trudging along with choppy 4/4 drums and a bass following the guitar's example simply hitting the root note for every chord. The only times any song got slightly interesting or stood out from the others for me was when synths and strings were inserted as padding, breaking up the monotony of the same ol same ol guitar/bass/drums backing.


• DAVID: I guess the only thing I can say is that I just don't like their sound. Perhaps they are good at what they do, maybe they are fine musicians and maybe the singer has something to say, but I won't be listening.


• ALEX: I will say this though -- I was legitimately surprised after seeing a music video that the lead singer was a guy. I'm not saying this to just say it, I was actually seriously surprised that this person was a dude. There's this affectation in his voice that screams "I really want to be like _____ and sound like _________" but I can't fill in the blanks. All I hear is that he is really really conscious of how his voice is coming out and is aiming for this awkward, turtle-ish cutesy whispermoan. A turtle in is what comes to mind; or maybe, a gerbil. I'm not sure.

contact >>

Alex : alexbenson@asu.edu
stuffalexmakes.com

David : dklose@yahoo.com
davidklose.tumblr.com