Yesterday, several anticipated indie records came out. Most of these have been available in the dark corners of the internet since October 06. This is a new feature that I hope to keep up whenever a new album that interests me is released to retail. This week saw several, so off we go.
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
The Shins won't be "changing your life" this time around. While Wincing is a solid follow up, it lacks a bit of the charm the previous albums shared. The Shins have always been the perfect intro-indie band, but with the genre's ever-growing popularity, it's not all that necessary anymore. Wincing is not a bad album, it's just too little, too late. While the first half of the album will keep Shins fans happy, it's the second half that you'll start to loose interest. An average album, from an above average band. 7.0
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
Deerhoof just keeps making great records, it's pretty unbelievable. Their last record The Runner's Four was 20 tracks of experimental prog-rock. Friend Opportunity is only 10 tracks, yet it feels just as epic. This time the Hoof tackle dance pop, similar to their work on the Green Cosmos EP. It may not be the best Deerhoof record (Milkman), it's still a blast of musical chaos that makes Deerhoof so different from other indie bands. Fans will enjoy, the others won't be won-over. 8.0
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are you the Destroyer?
After two intelligent and poppy records, Kevin Barnes releases his dark opus. Written while going through a divorce, Hissing Fauna is extremely cynical and pouty. Barnes even comes off a bit arrogant on some tracks, which may influence your opinion of the record. While the music remains poppy as ever, it's dragged down a bit by Barnes own lyrics. This is not a party record like his last two records, which may turn some recent fans off. It's seems a bit too whiny to be truely enjoyable on all levels. 7.8
Menomena - Friend and Foe
After a very minimal instrumental record, Menomena comes back with an epic post-rock album. Their amazing instrumentation is here in spades, along with some hit or miss lyrics. Not all of Friend and Foe works, but the tracks that do, are golden. It may take a few listens, but the overall scope of this record can't be denied. It's their best record to date, and probably the best album released in January. 8.4
That's all for this week.