The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium

Rating: 10
Links:
- Official Website
- Last.fm
- Storybook of De-Loused In the Comatorium

The siren-like sound opens up to the world, it's perfectly symmetrical high pitched pulsation accompanied by all too foreign crypticism and codes. Powerfully charged words lead further into powerfully charged arrangements, and the wailing begins, desperate and desolate at its core. The melting pot that is "De-Loused" is composed of bouncing, jazzarific guitar taps, the emanated Latin American sounds of struck bongos, havoc wrought by cataclysmic and alternating snare hits and kicks, and an air of anguished cries from metaphysically-withdrawn drug addicts. The keys aim to please and the skitchy electronica hums, layering itself between sound and sound, between all musical motion, an all but abrasive complement. "De-Loused" is a concept album about a friend of The Mars Volta who committed suicide after possibly realizing he did not want to accept his reality, and found himself disgusted by it; at least, that's a guess, and the very basis of the album's story. "De-Loused" is an amazingly horrific blend of fantasy and reality. I've come across many a review that did not exactly praise this album, but when it comes down to it, as stubborn as I am about my musical taste and certain bands... about this band, I've got to leave it to the principle of "to each their own." It's in many ways a love-hate thing... and I can't help but love it. I couldn't really tell you why, to be honest. At least, for the most part, you need to listen to it for yourself.

Album Highlights: Just go listen to the album all in one sitting.

Giant Skyflower Band - Blood of the Sunworm

Rating: 8
Links:
- Last.fm

If the forest made music, this is what it would sound like. At the heart of "Blood of the Sunworm" lies a simplistic and earnest penchant for folk metres and ancient tones. Donaldson croons over heartfelt mixes of domestic and foreign sounds, acoustic guitars and sitars blending together all too well. Songs like "Bitter Wild Rabbit / Builds the Bone" contain enough essence of pop to attract those who stray from the New Weird America roots of the tree, while the 11 minute folk-epic "Meditations on Christ and the Magi" satisfies any of us who are looking for "the sounds of the universe." This music could very well accompany you on an bright and sunny day. The lo-fi quality is a staple of folk like this, and whereas some may not pull it off as well, the Giant Skyflower Band seems to. There's a song or two that isn't as comparable to some of the other songs on the album, so it feels like filler, although I acknowledge the attempt of these songs to satisfy the listener wholeheartedly. Still, even with it's minor flaws, "Blood of the Sunworm" is a magnificiently written album; those looking for a pseudo-spiritual experience should surely check it out.

Album Highlights: "Bitter Wild Rabbit / Builds the Bone", "Meditations on Christ and the Magi", "The Arcangel (Hurray for the Beast)"

National Skyline - Bliss & Death

Rating: 9
Links:
- Official Website
- Last.fm

National Skyline is the kind of music you'd stare off into the distance to, but at the same time, remain blissfully aware of your surroundings, for fear of an impending attack. I barely have any idea what I'm talking about, really. To put it in not-crazy-terms, beautifully mixed shoegazing guitars, eccentric electronics and surrealist lyricism are the result of National Skyline's newest effort, "Bliss & Death." I hadn't heard of National Skyline before this, but from what I gathered, they came off as a normal "indie rock" band. I was serendipitously wrong, my expectations crushed. Of a far higher quality than anything I had expected, "Bliss & Death" from beginning to end never failed to impress me. From the catchy, Radioheadesque "Revenge" to the acoustic strumming against ranging, varied soundscapes of "Kingdom" to the album's very last song & instrumental fit for a king, "The Ghost II," National Skyline prove themselves to be a hell of a band and certainly earn my respect. Not many artists can consistently get better, and since I've, from first hearing this album, looked up reviews for previous albums and saw only good things, I must congratulate them on a job well done. My minor problems with the album stem only from "Bloom", a 7 minute song whose instrumental passages, as much as I loved them, could stand to be less lengthy; they lead into a rather abrupt ending for the song, and what seems to come off as a build-up reveals itself to be rather consistent playing. Other than that, bravo to National Skyline.

Album Highlights: Everything, especially "The Ghost II", "Solid Cold", "Driving Down", and "Kingdom".

Five O'Clock Heroes - Speak Your Language

Rating: 6
Links:
- Official Website
- Last.fm

Arguably one of the poppier records I've ever come across (my library's full of stupid ambient bullshit), Speak Your Language by British indie rockers Five O'Clock Heroes is something I've found I can't stop listening to. The album irritatingly dominates the "Recently Played" list on my last.fm account, but not without good reason. It's a guilty pleasure, really. Solid, although there are a few tracks that tend to get on my nerves. The chorus of "Alive" is bothersome so much so that I can't focus on anything I'm doing, but the almost dub-pop feel of "Don't Say Don't"s chorus seems to make everything better. The title track "Speak Your Language" is a whole lot of catchy in a good 2 minutes and 57 seconds. The lyrics are random indie cliches ("What was love that truly desire / There is nothin’ that I really want") but I guess you can't really expect anything less. The singing can be a bit much at times as well, but they're British so I guess they're allowed to get away with it. Overall, Speak Your Language is filled with attractive riffs, fetching drums and falsettos you can both chuckle at and appreciate.

Album Highlights: "Radio Lover" (catchy as fukk), "Don't Say Don't", "God & Country" (he yells and it sounds nice)