by: Cris O. Ramos, Jr. | July 28, 2009JUNIOR BOYS “Begone Dull Care”
(Domino/Universal)
There’s a double standard in what we want out of the CDs we buy: we want releases with tracks that are cohesive but with variety.
This Junior Boys (comprising Jeremy Greenspan and Matt Didemus) album delivers on the demand in that it balances consistency and innovation.
Much of the lyrics here demonstrate the latter: from relationships (“I see you better when the lights run out”) and solidity (“You can never feel at home/Because you’ve been off and away too long”), to imagination (“I was pacing around…I had nothing to say”)…these are thought-provoking subjects for pop songs.
The music is as good as ever.
It’s a peculiar album. It’s a balancing-act-of-an-album. Something new, something old.
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THE WHITEST BOY ALIVE “Rules”
(Bubbles/Universal)
Erlend Oye supposedly founded The Whitest Boy Alive as a respite from Kings of Convenience's “subdued” electronic dance music.
Yet with “Rules,” the dance aspirations are apparent. Daniel Nentwig's synths and keyboards give a post-disco ethos to the album, even as the rhythm section (Sebastian Maschat on drums and Marcin Oz on bass) exercise a lounge-like restraint throughout.
The result is easy listening with funk sparks. Tracks such as "Timebomb," "Courage," “Gravity,” and "High on the Heels" suggest that the main thing keeping this album together is the gloomy vocals and melodic guitar hooks of its main man, Oye.
The album finale, "Island," is the best track here. With its lengthy but tight build-up thrust, it leaves one wondering why there aren't more dazzlingly danceable songs like it in “Rules.”
Here's the link:
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/213263/linkin-park-digs-exclusive-tracks
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