Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
Florence + The Machine - Lungs
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The Love Language – The Love Language
Foreign Born – Person To Person
Bad Veins – Bad Veins
St. Vincent - Actor
Art Brut – Vs. Satan
The Mary Onettes - Islands
Miniature Tigers – Tell It To The Volcano
Official EP Selection: Superchunk - Leaves In The Gutter
Imagine, if you will, Jens Lekman clutching a soft fall sweater; add in notes sublime innocence and you’ll have a fairly clear notion of Princeton.
The opening strings are certainly [and purposely] collegiate; the baroque pop of “Sadie & Andy” is swaying and autumnal, romantic and sweet.
“Show Some Love, When Your Man Gets Home” is equally insulated from the harsh sting of reality. Horns and twostep timing harken to the charm of the ’50s before the tempo picks its jovial course.
It doesn’t take long to know where Cocoon of Love is going - somewhere easy. The shimmering trot of “Calypso Gold” seals this in a pretty, pearly time capsule. Even tracks named “Koren War Memorial” and “I Left My Love In Nagasaki” are loopy, fun and wistful.
“Shout It Out” recalls a 7th grade dance with ease and good humor and shows they’re truly able to hit a perfect mix of tentative and wide-eyed.
Were times ever really this easy? Probably not, but it’s nice to dream along.
Every artist has a golden time, but few capture the golden times of others; Sea Wolf’s White Water, White Bloom is that rare exception.
While we can’t know if it is Alex Brown Church’s high point, it almost perfectly crystallizes a time before Matt Pond PA became bland and Bright Eyes became insufferable (that is to say, The Green Fury and Fevers and Mirrors, respectively).
Strings are plentiful, the air is warm and emotions are decidedly detached. Warbling beauty is played down to ward off obvious desperation; feelings pass through instead of surround.
A likeable folk-tinged album that takes great care to avoid being overwrought, White Water, White Bloom fits a very special niche without overplaying its importance. It’s just a nice way to spend time.
If you’re viewing this in Chrome, your eyes aren’t deceiving you; nopocky.com now supports it. In IE, it depends on resolution and I’m in the process of more revisions. Beware of falling margins!
In the meantime, here are some current musical obsessions: Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, old Doves and sublimely overdramatic ’80s indie pop.
Hearty recommendations also go to Adventureland and The Time Machine Did It.
Official hoorays!
Please join me in congratulating Sarah on her new role as a Senior Application Support Analyst.
Sarah joined the Clinical Events team in August of 2008 as an Intermediate Application Support Analyst. Sarah brought a wealth of knowledge to the team. And if you have ever had the opportunity to work with her you know that it’s a pleasure.
Thank you for all of your hard work and congratulations on your new role, Sarah!
Not only did I get a spiffy new title of Space Administrator for working with uCern [a. Yes, I did say “spiffy” just now and b. “Space Administrator”, is my current favorite personal descriptor], I got a promotion today.
One small step… and so on.