Cymbals Eat Guitars - "Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)"

At just over eight and a half minutes, "Rifle Eyesight" is the longest song released as of yet by the Staten Island indie-rock outfit. It begins with a 90 second intro that carelessly bounds from fast to slow with no real explanation for any of it's spasms. This isn't the first time Cymbals Eat Guitars has sounded so aggressive, but the staggering randomness along with Joe D'Agostino's otherwise pitchy vocals is almost grating to listen to. I understand what they're doing here: Like in their phenomenal 2009 debut, Cymbals takes what would otherwise be discarded Pavement guitar riffs and juices it up with some steroids. Here, however, it comes across as a contrived mess that has no attention span.

The song does get a second wind though: powered by it's descending feedback jam (which calls back to the likes of the monumental opener found in "...And the Hazy Sea"), "Rifle Eyesight" returns with a deranged guitar riff that soon blossoms into another Modest Mouse-esque, feedback riddled frenzy that improves upon the intro riff. There's no callback offered to what had just happened (I'm not complaining) but the succint affair quickly fizzles down into the song's distressed outro.

The "coming out of a breakdown with a triumphant crescendo" gag is starting to get old here folks, but the good news is that the outro finally breathes life into an otherwise lengthy disappointment. By being held down by a lethargically pulsing bass drum and piano line, the song finally gets a sense of direction as D'Agostino softly sings over an array of beckoning strings and arbitrary guitar licks. Yes, yet another climax occurs after the brief (and appreciated) rest period, but the key difference here is that this short-lived emotional release is about the only climax that means something.

What's to be noted here is that, after only three short paragraphs, I was already starting to run out of synonyms for the world "brief". The whole jumping from movement to movement concept is starting to certify itself as an overused cliche, and the band's once unrepressed nostalgia now sounds like the tormented baby of Pavement and Tera Melos. Ultimately, "Rifle Eyesight" is far too lengthy and a bit disappointing, which is a shame really, because with a bit of rarranging here and there this band can do wonders.

2.5/5

You can listen to "Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)" here

Doomstarks - Victory Laps (Madvillainz Remix)

DoomStarks is a collaboration between MF Doom and Wu-Tang master Ghostface Killah. The two guys have a lot in common apparently; they both love comic books and represent the great city of New York -- Oh, and they're accomplished and versatile rappers if you didn't know. Joking aside, "Victory Laps" marks as an unofficial announcement of a future relationship between the two veteran emcees. Backed by a sample teeming with soul, the two guys do what they do best and lay down a track packed with lyrical wordplay and notable quotables. It's an exciting teaser that's glowing with the vintage feel that makes artists like MF Doom or Ghostface memorable; but at a short two and a half minutes, it'll leave the fanboys begging for more.

3.5/5

You can listen to "Victory Laps (Madvillainz Remix)" here

Blanck Mass - s/t

The sonic landscape ruled by Fuck Buttons is a realm of harsh frequencies and lavish bodies of sound. Their venture into the electronic genre has proven to be one of the more innovative statements made for avant-garde enthusiasts. Sophomore LP Tarot Sport strayed from the obscure improvisation found on Street Horrrsing to an organized, almost post-rockish sound that built upon it's frequent loops until they eventually celebrated into furious crescendos. What Tarot Sport became wasn't so much experimental sound, but rather a look at orchestraic movements of the 24th century.

With Blanck Mass, John Power (exactly 1/2 of Fuck Buttons) detonates a nuke on Tarot Sport's expansive, developmental epics. The result is a sprawling work that incorporates Fuck Buttons' well documented use of looping samples along with their improvisational roots. At moments, it's raucously pleasant. Album standout "Land Disasters" buzzes like it's in the midst of a cartoonish hornet invasion while concurrently evolving in the background. It's marquee synth, oh so prevalent in Fuck Buttons lore, flutters throughout the mix, somehow giving the song an even greater apocalyptic feel.

It's a lot to digest -- and yes, I understand that most drone albums tend to fall under the categories of "growers" -- however Blanck Mass wastes no opportunity in wrapping itself around your head with it's raptured swirls and spontaneous revelry. Over time the rolling hills that make up it's emotional stature peak with walls of noise and even out during brief periods of rest. "Chernobyl" softly churns over in comparison to the cacophonous track in "Sundowner" that precedes it, but the contrast between the two songs displays the obvious evolution in sound that makes this album great. By the time you recover, you'll realize that you've already traveled this dimensionless world inhabited by Blanck Mass, and you're only option will be putting the CD back in and traveling once more.

4/5

Recommended Tracks: "Land Disasters", "Chernobyl", "Fuckers", "Sub Serious"

Washed Out - Within and Without

In a genre that's been beaten to death by hundreds of uninspired Fruiy Loops projects, it's downright unbelievable that there are artists out there who are still trying to revolutionize the painfully simple fad most bloggers have come to identify as "chillwave". Look no further than Toro Y Moi, an artist who's shift in musical direction has landed him a proponent of some bizarre french-disco-meets-Neon-Indian freaky deaky shit. He's not the only one this year evidently: with the latest LP by Washed Out, we meet a musician recreating the genre on steroids, and the result is a satisfying album with occasional strokes of brilliance.

It's not that Within and Without is made up of completely different musical themes, rather, Ernest Greene cranks up the dial on all the qualities that make the genre original. The synths sharply twinkle in the foreground and sustain in the back, the bass shows off streaks of funk as it trudges along in the mix, and Greene himself comes up big delivering a modest yet commendable vocal performance. All of these details can be found in any chillwave act, but Greene succeeds in producing an album that amplifies these strengths while additionally downplaying the seldom blemishes.

The album's highlight is the mid-album track "Soft". Following the brief ambient swirls, the song is soon accompanied by a delicious bassline that turns an otherwise straightforward effort into a vibrant shindig further improved by a relentless dance beat and reverbed-to-hell vocals. In the distance, synths rise and fall, adding to the mysterious nostalgic atmosphere that Within and Without practically breathes. When put together, "Soft" is everything chillwave should be; not a transparent single built by sampled drums from 1980's workout mixtapes, but genuinely laid-back music that combines our childish sentimentality with pop-hooks that'll last for the ages. There are several songs that essentially reek with this 21st century jubilation (See: any of the latter mentioned Recommended Tracks) and others that pass off as decent songs that you could probably squeeze into any indie-electronic release ("Before", "You and I" ), but looking past the few cases of filler, you have an album that's alive and impressively so.

3.5/5

Recommended Tracks: "Soft", "Amor Fati", "Eyes Be Closes", "Far Away"

BEST NEW MUSIC: Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver

"I am my mother's only one / It's enough"

Bon Iver's self-released debut, For Emma, Forever Ago, was a cogitative look at a man's deteriorating life. That man, Justin Vernon, "hibernated" in a log cabin for three months, pouring his personal heartaches of the past decade into song form. His widespread success critically and with a mainstream audience is a testament to his relatable desperation. We've all been there: depressed and fed up with life; but whereas most people bite their lower lip and move on, Bon Iver purged his negativity into one of the greatest introspective folk-albums of our generation.

The beauty here is that Vernon's zero-to-hero story hasn't changed the man's image at all. This is a guy who, around this time last year, had flown down to Hawaii to work with Kanye West on the sensational 2010 LP My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. There was a lot of head-scratching when news broke of Kanye's friendly relationship with Vernon. On one hand you had hip-hop's most well known egomaniac, and on the other, an introverted indie-rock legend; but it made sense really: Kanye, like all of us, connected with Bon Iver's passionate harmonies. By using Vernon's voice, he was simply conquering another step of his own healing process.

"I'm up in the woods / I'm down on my mind / I'm building a still / to slow down the time"

Vernon's affair into the hip-hop world was initially inspired by Kanye's request to sample "Woods", the closing song on Bon Iver's 2009 Blood Bank EP. Weirdly enough, "Woods" makes use of the ever-controversial autotune feature - a first for Vernon, and, for that matter, any folk rock musician ever - and as such, it remains to this day the most divisive in Vernon's catalog. The way I see it, "Woods" was an outreach of experimentation that was more of a statement than anything else. Yes, Vernon at his roots is a simple folk rock musician, but give him some time and the right equipment, and he'll be sure to raise some eyebrows.

"I'm tearing up / across your face / move dust through the light / to find your face"

At its heart, Bon Iver is as emotionally intimate as Vernon's previous releases. The key difference here is that dice of experimentation seen on Blood Bank. Look no further than album opener "Perth"; Vernon softly strums a clean riff that's seemingly innocent, but he's soon joined by a building choir in the background and a marching snare in the foreground. When the chorus hits, the guitar harshly wails and horns pander through in the mix. The build up reminds of the likes of Sufjan Stevens; it's an all around different man already, and we're only four minutes into the album.

"Minnesota, WI" follows shortly after, further promoting Vernon's new-found taste of using his band rather than remaining solo. There's slide guitar, distorted effects, and a rambling, plucked banjo that swiftly moves throughout the song. Bon Iver is jam packed with cute flairs and experimental whispers. "Lisbon, OH" is nothing more than a brief ambient interlude with beeping samples, but it somehow transcends into a heartfelt, Steve Winwood-1980s-slow-dance that has absolutely no direct comparison to the rest of the album. It's romantically cheesy and almost downright ridiculous, but Vernon's mature approach to the complete absurdity of this situation makes it work in the most bizarre way possible.

"Danger has been stolen away / This is us"

Despite all of these added nooks and crannies, Bon Iver sounds just as welcoming as he did on past releases. For Emma branched off as an intimate one-on-one conversation, but on Bon Iver, the same, tireless passion is shown wandering in an entirely different direction. The path is dense with surprises and a repertoire of bells and whistles played by his talented and equally modest band. Is this an improved Justin Vernon? Time will be a factor here, but the consistent melodies and overwhelming creativity are a good indicator that it just might be.

Confession: I typed the first half of this review almost two months ago. My brief hiatus from my blog was disappointing (mostly to myself) but my love for this album has stayed and arguably grown. One thing that hasn't changed, however, is my view on Vernon himself. Bon Iver shows an evolved Vernon, an experienced Vernon, a man that hasn't forgotten his humble beginnings. All of our past loves and our repressed doubts for the guy are somehow packaged into a 39 minute product that flies by in the best way possible. It's apparent briefness and it's lack of imperfection constructs a piece of work that is career defining. Maybe this is an evolution in Vernon's still-infant discography. Maybe this is a one-off experiment that will yet again be challenged by a future release. Maybe, just maybe, Vernon will move back into his log cabin and never record another album. I wouldn't be surprised; honestly, Vernon is just a simple-minded man with a gifted talent. But what separates Vernon from most other musicians is the connection made between him and the listener. He's genuine and upfront, and I like that. Such clarity on an album so left-field for a folk musician is rare, but instead of questioning this I'll just hit play, over and over again.

4.5/5

Reccomended Tracks: "Perth", "Minnesota, WI", "Wash.", "Holocene", "Calgary"