May the Fourth be with you! (i.e. blisteringly short music reviews)

[starlady]

Low, C'mon (2011)
I really like Low a lot (I'm going to see them in September, I hope, finally!)--they're usually a three-piece from Duluth, and their music, which gets typecast as slowcore but doesn't, I think, quite fit that mold, really appeals to me. That said, it took me a couple of listens to realize that this album is unusual both for being shorter than most and for having most of its songs in a major key. My favorites are still Drums and Guns and The Great Destroyer, but this album's pretty great too.

The Decemberists, Live at Bull Moose (2011)
A live EP released for National Record Store Day, it's mostly songs off the new album The King Is Dead, but if you like The Decemberists live, you'll like this.

Patrick Stump, Truant Wave (2011)
This is a six-track EP of outtakes from his upcoming album Soul Punk, and if it is a trifle overproduced, it's still completely awesome. I'm still blown away by the man's sheer musicianship, and talent.

Sunset Rubdown, Shut Up I Am Dreaming (2006)
I love Sunset Rubdown and their art rock, and if this record isn't quite as good as Dragonslayer, which was amazing, it's still pretty darn good. Indeed, it's interesting to listen to this album and hear at least one song off Dragonslayer in embryonic form.

Daft Punk, Tron Legacy: Reconfigured (2011)
The original soundtrack to the movie was great, but holy shit, this one is a hundred times better. If you liked the movie music, go out and get this album now.

Comments

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool! I have heard Low mentioned a lot but haven't listened to a lot of their stuff (or at least not much that stuck with me.) I also have a little trouble remembering they're a different band than "Low Anthem". Is it just me or do a lot of bands these days seem to be trying to construct their names from the same small set of words?

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

Hmm, not sure--Low have been around for nearly 20 years at this point, so if anything I suspect Low Anthem came later.

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, it's not so much a question of sequence or influence as of critical mass. . .