Category: Album of the Week

by Devin William Daniels

Surfer Blood‘s debut, Astro Coast, was one of the most promising indie rock albums of the past few years. With an excellent pop sensibility, keen musicianship and a proven ear for a great tone, they were clearly on the rise. The band was the indie music equivalent to a NBA team prospect with perfect height, athleticism and basketball IQ – if they could just pull all the elements together, they’d be a force to reckon with. With expecations high and a major label now in on the action, their second LP, Pythons, doesn’t completely realize the band’s potential, but it’s a fantastic pop record with songs that will grow on you in surprising ways.

Despite the band’s name, this isn’t surf music (not in the tradition of Dick Dale nor the surf music revival). Given the album’s emphasis of perfect pop structure, the closest surf analog is probably the Beach Boys, though you’ll hear more obvious harks to the other pop/rock kings, the Beatles (frontman J.P. Pitts‘ yelps on “Blair Witch,” seemingly channelling Paul McCartney). The Orlando-based group does bring a California sound, but with its elements of slippery guitar licks and contained sonic freakouts, it’s less beach front property, and more San Fernando Valley suburbia, recalling the feel of the early, fantastic Weezer albums. I’m sure some will label it a sophomore slump, but I think, more than anything, it only further confirms that this is a growing band on the rise — and it’s worth remembering (see the last indie darlings to truly make it big, the National) that it usually takes more than two albums to reach the summit.

As much as this is a pop record, it’s also a guitar record. The guitar occupies a strange place in the current musical consciousness. On the one hand it’s almost lame — the symbol of a certain outdated but still omnipresent brand of “cool.” It’s the “cool” of a lost generation of rock fans, chased after in the dim light of bonfire parties by frat bros with acoustics and a few covers (or worse, hackneyed originals). The covers are usually from the 90s alt rock boom, and the instrument itself seems to have devolved into a relic and cautionary tale of that genre’s precipitous fall to irrelevance and machismo.

The album’s highlight track, “Weird Shapes,” starts with a thrilling guitar riff that would have dominated all five minutes of plenty of bands’ songs, but after only 17 seconds, we’re treated to a multi-faceted verse that never stops developing. A great vocal line pairs with synth and guitar with terrific effect. Pop music is often thought to be mostly about repetition, but “Weird Shapes” demonstrates that great pop is really about growth and surprise. Instead of dwelling on any of the excellent parts or melodies, the song keeps throwing in something new through the chorus. “Weird Shapes” even manages a third part without killing the momentum, which the band does by building and expanding on what’s come before instead of diverging for the sake of diverging. The verse/chorus form is oft-rejected or expanded for more uncommon forms, but it’s often that I hear what should be a perfect pop song dragged down by an inferior bridge or third section that seems to have been written just because. Pythons not only manages a solid verse/chorus pairing on almost every track, when the band expands on that structure, it’s almost always for the best.

This approach wouldn’t work if the new sounds weren’t as good as the old sounds; but they are, and soon we’ve forgotten about the song-that-could-have-been, had the first 17 seconds looped for three minutes. It’s a testament to great melodies and simple harmonies – the bricks of appealing pop music. With the philosophy that the point of music is to provide as many of those elements as possible in ten songs, Pitts and the gang keep the songs moving and deliver them jam-packed.

Even when we aren’t treated to as many elements and variations, it’s addition by subtraction. “I Was Wrong” starts with the kind of vague arpeggio that could start a million indie rock songs, and most of the time would build in volume and intensity if not much else. Surfer Blood, however, always seem to be moving foward and quickly offer a great chorus and verse. Verse/chorus/verse/chorus is pretty much all the song does, but it manages all the release and transitory power of a bridge through a short but pristine guitar line without dragging the song down under too much weight. There’s a little Modest Mouse-style shouting in the mix that doesn’t quite work, but it’s forgivable. Pop music has largely been taken over by the electronic and the vocal, but moments like this are reminders that the electric guitar is the perfect instrument for a pop hook.

Of course, it’s also the perfect instrument for reckless abandon and passion, and it’s a little frustrating that Pitts doesn’t let it rip more often. We’re treated to a bit on “Squeezing Blood”, but the guitar never completely explodes, sticking to its allotted bars before the song returns to its pre-planned verse/chorus itinerary. Astro Coast, as well as JP Pitts’ live performances (I saw him open for the Pixies, and he broke some strings in the best possible way), prove he’s got the chops. There’s a lot of self-styled indie rock guitar gods out there, but Pitts is one of the few who really separates himself from the pack. I’m sure he could lay out on these songs as well as anyone, so I have to think this was a statement of intent that Surfer Blood wanted to make a great pop record without being read as another giant-guitar-wielding noise pop band. I think they succeed, but I imagine listeners will be somewhat disappointed. Now that he’s proven his point, hopefully Pitts brings more heroics on future releases than he has on any of the studio material to date — something that could really take Surfer Blood to the next level — rather than retreat further into pop-based modesty.

Ultimately this is an album of promise, much like the debut, though the promise now takes on a different character. While some might see this as a regression (Astro Coastd is the superior, if not as finely constructed, record), I see it as proof that Surfer Blood have a few different tricks up their sleeves. If they can put them all together on the next record, this is a band that will transcend the overcrowded musical spaces they currently reside and become one of the truly memorable acts of the day.

Rating: 9 of 10

Devin William Daniels is a freelance writer and musician from Allentown, Pennsylvania. He teaches English in South Korea and records music as the Negative Sound

Earlier this year, IRC featured the DIY recordings of Florida musician Thad Kopec in the DIY Artist of the Week series. Kopec’s profile received quite a bit of love and attention from IRC listeners, and within the larger music community as well. He now lives in Nashville and attends Belmont University majoring in public relations and political science.

Partly inspired by the positive response to his demos that premiered on IRC last May, Kopec, 21, set out to select a dozen songs among more than 50 demos to be re-recorded and mastered for his debut LP, Heart of Man, which he has shared exclusively with IRC. It is evident after a few spins of the album that Kopec is a DIY force to be reckoned with – his music is bold, heartfelt, wonderfully composed, and overall, a compelling listening experience from start to finish. We’ve listened to it all the way through already four times, and will listen to it again, and again. It’s highly recommended to spin the songs on this page, and the entire album itself, with good pair of speakers because it enhances the experience even more, which is so fittingly for such a brilliant album, musically and vocally.

It’s probably the best DIY debut we’ve heard this year.  Judging from the enthusiastic response Kopec received earlier this year when he was profiled, and what we expect to be even a bigger response to Heart of Man, an album that is without doubt still a secret to the larger world of music lovers for the gold that it contains.  It’s also one of those albums that in some mysterious way, gets better with each spin.

In fact, it was difficult to pick which songs to feature, because we obviously can’t post them all. It’s very rare to come across an album where every song is important to you, touches you in some way, and that you go back to again and again. After the release of the demos he premiered on IRC last May, and now with his debut self-released album, which Kopec also wrote, produced, mixed, played most of the instruments and sang on, Kopec should be on the cusp of breaking out big time. More people need to hear his music, and hopefully the majority of them will agree – it’s a brilliant album by a young, promising and talented artist.

Seriously, we like every song on the album, some, of course, more than others, but each song stands on its own. The album’s first track, “The Rift, an Opening,” is a 50-second introduction that by itself is a splendid piece of work.

Other times, on songs like “The World Was Young,” Kopec, along with help from other musicians, almost sounds like he’s paying homage to The National. “This is one of the first songs I ever wrote and really arranged,” Kopec remarked. “It’s the oldest one of the album, dating back to mid-2010. I added some parts for the new version to fit the album, but it mostly remains as it was.” It’s also one of the best songs on the album, wherein the relatively quiet verses eventually lead to a full-on, flourishing chorus in the last 30 seconds of the song especially.

“The World Was Young” would, however, be an even better song if the combination of instruments, vocals, rhythm and overall vibe of the last 30 seconds was extended for another one or two minutes (hint, hint).

“The World Was Young” – Thad Kopec from Heart of Man

At times, on songs like “White Wolf,” for example, Kopec seems to be channeling, in a subtle way, Sufjan Stevens‘, both musically and vocally, but not at all in a way that sounds like he’s lifting aspects. The intro includes the use of a ukulele, which adds even more to the comparison with Steven’s (whose new Silver & Gold box set was the Album of the Week last week) and also features Kopec on the piano.

“I don’t really know my way around the piano all that well,” Kopec told IRC, “but when I get an idea in my head, I’m relentless at getting it into the song. My form is absurd, but it got the job done. ”

“White Wolf” – Thad Kopec from Heart of Man

Other times, such as the rolling drum beats, choruses and guitar hooks of the album’s title track, “Heart of Man,” it is understandable if you hear strong hints of Fleet Foxes.

The same is partially true with the mellow folk rock track, “Red Wolf,” in which there also sounds to be influences of Bon Iver. The song has such a romantic, log cabin charm to it – those are just the words that come to mind. Past the half-way point, trumpets enter the picture as a father laments about a roaming red wolf consuming his daughter:

It’s been four hours since sunset
And my daughter still hasn’t come home
I fear the worst; I fear she’s dead
I fear she’s all alone
I hear her there in your stomach
Screaming, ‘I just want to come home’

That is stark imagery and definitely leans towards folklore (“I hear her there in your stomach”), and yet the song, musically and vocally, is beautifully melancholic.  “I have three or four different versions of [“Red Wolf”] on my hard drive,” Kopec said. “I had written the song itself years ago, but finding the right arrangement ended up being a grueling process. I first started with a stripped down, melancholy version with just banjo and vocals, but felt like it needed to be bigger to capture the true darkness and desperation of the story being told.”

“So I opted instead for the bigger arrangement. It still didn’t feel right though. It needed more grit, and I felt like the words needed more time to sink in for some reason. I started thumping on my guitar as I thought, and that second portion took shape as I piled on tambourine and claps. Then I finally went to my friend Josh [Gilligan] to have him fill it out with trumpet. That was the thing that made it seem finished to me.”

“Red Wolf” – Thad Kopec from Heart of Man

“Winter Forest” is another song where Kopec’s admitted influences from Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes is apparent. It’s a quiet song comprised almost completely by Kopec’s soft vocals, and is another woodsy, organic song where the lyrics, or more like, the story-telling, is the focus.  It’s almost like his music is coming from the earth, as much as it is his heart, and he is just the right conduit to make the translation for the rest of us. One exception is the song, “Praying for Rain,” which is one of the album’s noisier tracks, with a faster rhythm, fuzzy electric guitar solos, and Kopec’s mysterious, smooth vocals.

“Winter Forest” – Thad Kopec from Heart of Man

It was not at all a surprise when we discovered (after making the obvious comparisons between Kopec’s sound to other artists above) that Kopec wrote on his Bandcamp page: “My writing draws from the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Elbow, Fleet Foxes, and Bon Iver, but the sound I craft hopefully takes on a personality all its own.” Yes, in fact, that’s exactly what it does – it has a personality all of its own but is clearly influenced by incredibly talented, original artists.

The gorgeous track, “Fire in a Gold House,” has its roots firmly planted in folk, and demonstrates Kopec’s ability to construct songs that stand on their own. The acoustic guitar picking is terrific and gives the song much of its character. Kopec said that when he performs “Fire in a Gold House,” people come up to after the show to talk about it. Following that song is the dreamy, calming story-telling of “Cathedral,” a love song that is mostly comprised of Kopec’s smooth, emotive vocals embellished by a flourishing climax of electric violin, rumbling drums and fast acoustic guitar strumming.

“Fire in a Gold House” – Thad Kopec from Heart of Man

“Black Lake” finds Kopec at the piano, singing from his heart about love. He also plays the violin on this track (and on “Dogs of Night”). As the song builds, a distant discordant guitar sounds off, adding a touch of darkness on what is already a melancholic, somber song. The album closes with “Dogs of Night,” featuring a ukulele and guitar on an otherwise mystic, gloomy song. The eight-minute track has a number of chapters and clear transitions, even though the underlining mood is dark.  At one point the vocal track becomes a little muffled, and it’s not clear if that is intentional or not. In the second half of the song, the mood intensifies, mostly by the introduction of electric guitars, determined, repetitious violin notes, piano infusions and a slight urgency in the rhythm.

The album is so appropriately named because Kopec’s heart is so clearly and deeply in the notes and words of his songs that he really connects with the listener, and that’s a hard thing for any musician to do, but also the key to their success. You know you have a great album when it’s hard to pick which songs from it you want to highlight. Honestly, the only way  to fully appreciate the brilliance of this record is to get a copy of it.  It is impressive the depth of talent Kopec displays, considering he writes all his own music, plays most of the instruments, mixes, produces and sings. It probably won’t be too long, we predict, based on his debut, that Kopec will be picked up by a label so that even more people can hear this still under-appreciated talent, some would even say indie music prodigy.

Kudos to Kirby Lin on violin, Josh Gilligan on trumpet and flugelhorn and T.W. Walsh, who mastered the album. Kopec performed on guitar, vocals, piano, bass, ukulele, violin (on “Black Lake” and “Dogs of Night”), bowed guitar, percussion, antlers. Yes, you heard that right. At the end of the song “Cathedral,” there are actually the clacking of antlers. Kopec also wrote, produced, engineered and mixed all of the songs on Heart of Man, which just adds another layer of talent to .

From the raw demos he shared with us exclusively this year, Kopec has progressed immensely. In fact, he has simply refined and broadened his scope and artistic talents.

This could be the best $5 you spend this month. If this young musician doesn’t get noticed in a big way in 2013, something’s out of whack. In fact, we think Kopec, and his collaborators, should be booked for a couple of sets at South by Southwest in Austin in March 2013.

Kopec has also just recorded four Christmas songs.

New Jersey punk rock quintet, Titus Andronicus, led by the energetic bluster of Patrick Stickles, dropped their third album, and perhaps best, album Local Business; this week, the follow-up to to their critically-acclaimed 2010 sophomore album, The Monitor, which debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and prompted Rolling Stone to name them one of the top seven new bands of 2010.

This time around, Stickles, one of the most interesting and irreverent songwriters of the past five years, and his talented bandmates, largely abandon the Americana-style history lessons and grandstanding, the carefully crafted, tight knit musical arrangements and the distant-sounding vocal engineering of The Monitor. Local Business is a more visceral, personal and cohesive album that manages to maintain the raw grit and bluster that is at the core of their musical identity. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable LP that demonstrates the band’s genre-bending mastery, ranging from their signature angst-driven punk and anthemic 70s style guitar riffs to emotive, melodic pop (“In A Small Body”) and experimental old-school rhythm and blues (“I Tried to Quit Smoking”) , all the while Stickles vocals are front and center throughout the entire album, supported by the energetic drum work of Eric Harm and the impressive bass playing of Julian Veronesi.

The single, “Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape with the Flood of Detritus,” which features additional vocals from So So Glos‘ singer Alex Levine, was originally released earlier this year on a split 7″ with their tourmates, Diarrhea Planet.

“Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape with the Flood of Detritus” –  Titus Andronicus from Local Business on XL Recordings

On the whole, the band is perfectly in-sync on Local Business, and they sound like they’re having a blast, which makes the album that much more enjoyable to listen to – again and again. While the highlights of Local Business lean towards the east coast punk and indie rock intensity the band has built its brand on, there are also other moments on the album that draw from 70’s music orientations (“I Am Electric”).

One of the things we like about Titus Andronicus is that they do not follow a format or formula, and are not looking to pander to the radio play format of three to four-minute songs; five of the songs on Local Business are over five minutes long and three are over six minutes long. At the same time, there are four songs that clock at under four minutes long, including the one minute and nine seconds sprint of the track, “Food Fight,” which is essentially a blazing instrumental punk rocker (reminiscent of The Ramones) with only two words (the title, “food fight”) that are shouted like they would be in high school cafeteria when the food is about to start flying from all directions. Anyone who’s been in high school knows that once those two words are called out it’s like a general commanding his troops to open fire on the battlefield.

“Food Fight” – Titus Andronicus from Local Business on XL Recordings

The eight minute long track, “My Eating Disorder,” is a fragmented raucous romp that repeats the same line, much like “Food Fight,” again and again, but this time it’s “Spit it Out.” But according to Stickles, the food fight IS the eating disorder – an interesting play on words.

Stickles wrote about the recording of Local Business: “The songs on Local Business aim to make explicit the implications of the first two LPs, that the inherent meaninglessness of life in an absurd universe gives the individual power to create their own values and their own morality. Along the way, we witness a devastating automobile wreck, a food fight (that is to say, a battle with an eating disorder), an electrocution, a descent into insanity, and ultimately, a forgiveness of the self for its many faults. Titus Andronicus even finds time to broaden its emotional palette to include moments of pure positivity, brief respites from the usual doom and gloom.”

The band are clearly able to address despair and trauma with a sense of humor and irony, and demonstrate the ability to remain strangely optimistic at the same time. Titus is definitely no ordinary band. Their earnest commitment to writing and recording songs that are compelling both musically and lyrically is apparent throughout Local Business; it’s a collaborative rock and roll album that feeds off the superior talents of Stickles and band mates.

“Still Life With Hot Deuce And Silver Platter” – Titus Andronicus from Local Business on XL Recordings

Titus originally, but unofficially, released the ‘Flood of Detritus’ song as part of a free, 23-track mixtape that frontman Patrick Stickles posted via the band’s Tumblr page. The Titus Andronicus LLC Mixtape, Vol. 1, features cover songs, demos, live tapes and outtakes. The mixtape is a must-have for hard-core Titus fans and includes a number of cover songs of Weezer, Thin Lizzy, Velvet Underground, Television Personalities, and The Replacements. There are also more than a half dozen demos from the recording sessions of The Monitor and A More Perfect Union. The mixtape also includes the band’s first song ever recorded in 2005 – “Arms Against Atrophy.”

Local Business was produced and engineered by Kevin McMahon along with the band at New Paltz, New York’s Marcata Recording back in April and May of 2012. Special guests included serial collaborator and violinist Owen Pallett and long-time Titus session keyboardist Elio DeLuca. On Tuesday night, the band kicked off a 39-city national tour with a show at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia. The cross-country tour will wrap up on Dec. 2nd with a performance at Brooklyn‘s Webster Hall.