2008 album preview: A closer look at hidden, indie gems
By Max Bonem, Staff Writer
February 29, 2008 | 12:52 a.m.
At the beginning of each year, labels announce when new albums will be released. While some albums have been talked about with the same fervor as the November election (Coldplay, anyone?), others creep just below the surface, waiting to be discovered.
My Morning Jacket
For those who like: Pink Floyd, The Allman Brothers Band, Band of Horses
Although Louisville’s My Morning Jacket has been one of the perennial powerhouses of guitar-driven American indie rock for almost a decade, the band has not released a new studio album since 2005’s critically acclaimed Z. After the band made the jump from southern acid rock to a more exploratory and keyboard-driven sound, it began receiving praise as America’s best live rock band and heralded comparisons to Radiohead.
Since 2005, MMJ, led by singer/songwriter Jim James, has toured relentlessly and played at festivals all over the country. However, when it was time to begin recording again, James said, in an interview for the magazine Under The Radar, that he had been listening to a lot of symphonic soul. Specifically, he was listening to Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield and What’s Going On-era Marvin Gaye. “A symphony mixed with a solid, low end is a winning combination,” James said.
Evil Urges, which comes out June 10 through ATO Records, will test the popularity of MMJ and prove if the rest of the world is ready for James’ new mix of guitar solos and funk-gospel.
The Wombats
For those who like: Franz Ferdinand, Klaxons, all things British
Continuing what seems to be a yearly tradition in Britain, the press has named the “it” Britpop band for the coming year. The Wombats is comprised of three Liverpudlians who, according to a Spin Magazine article, were brought together by a love for lager and lyrics about animals. Matthew Murphy, Dan Haggis and Tord Øverland-Knudsen met at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, which was co-founded by ex-Beatle Paul McCartney. The band played more than 270 shows in 2007.
Attending a school with connections to rock royalty had its privileges, and when the school helped fund a trip to China, The Wombats played to a crowd of 10,000 people. Although the band is still unsigned, its debut album, A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation, has made the band a big name in the British dance-rock scene and has recently placed The Wombats on the cover of one of Britain’s leading music magazines, NME. The album will be released in the states this spring.
Wolf Parade
For those who like: Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire (with a cold), Canadians in general
Apologies to the Queen Mary is one of the most loved indie albums of 2005, receiving praise from the likes of Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse and Win Butler of Arcade Fire. For Wolf Parade, however, the album simply was not enough. Instead of returning to the studio to record a follow-up to the rasp-induced, guitar-laden debut and focusing on maintaining the buzz, the members of Wolf Parade each embarked on successful side projects, such as involvement in the bands Sunset Rubdown and Handsome Furs.
Apologies’ tentatively named follow-up, Pardon My Blues, was recorded last summer at Arcade Fire’s church-turned-studio in Wolf Parade’s hometown of Quebec, according to Spin Magazine. When asked about the recording process for the new album, lead singer Dan Boeckner strayed away from the ordinary. “We didn’t really wear pants or shirts,” Boeckner said. Pardon My Blues is set to drop via Sub Pop Records this June.
For those who like: Feist, Rilo Kiley, Emmylou Harris
The decision-making process pertaining to a band’s name is never an easy one to manage. Sometimes it is the simpler approach that gets a band noticed, which is exactly the method She & Him used. She & Him is exactly what it sounds like: a two-person band comprised of one female singer and one male guitar player. However, this is no ordinary twosome.
The “she” pertains to Zooey Deschanel, who is better known for her movie roles, such as the older sister in “Almost Famous” and the singing department store girl, Jovie, who catches Will Ferrell’s fancy in “Elf." The “him” refers to longtime singer/songwriter/producer M. (Matt) Ward, who has toured with both Bright Eyes and Rilo Kiley.
Although the two seem like an odd couple to be making a record, Deschanel had recorded upwards of 30 demos on a home recorder before meeting Ward, according to an interview by Under The Radar Magazine. And if there were any doubts as to her abilities, “Zooey is a genius vocal arranger and an absolute natural at music,” Ward said. The blending of Deschanel’s melodic vocals and Ward’s precision with a guitar is sure to get the duo noticed when Volume 1 is released by Merge Records later this year.
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