Gibbard crooning as honestly as ever over
piano. The sadness and introspection continues through tracks like "Hold No
Guns" and "You've Haunted Me All of My
Life." But Gibbard and company don't let
this album sink too low – instead they
find plenty of energy and sonic diversity
in songs like the more upbeat "El Dorado,"
the almost danceable "Good Help (Is So
Hard to Find)," and the sweeping
"Ingenue." A couple of the tracks do seem
to meander too long, but by the end, the
band weaves a beautiful tapestry of emotion and honesty. So their loss proves to be
our gain.
– Carter Moss
CLOSE LOBSTERS
Firestation Towers:
1986-1989
8
A special compilation released on
Record Store Day in the UK is being
released in mid-May in the US as a boxset
assembling 3 classic albums. Firestation
collects Close Lobsters' albums Foxheads
Stalk This Land, Headache Rhetoric, and for
the first time on vinyl, Forever, Until
Victory! The Singles Collection into a comprehensive retrospective. Despite their
inclusion on NME's legendary C86 cassette compilation, Close Lobsters possessed songwriting and craftsmanship
that far outdistanced many of their contemporaries. The cumulative effect of listening to Firestation reveals this amazing
talent; track after track just ripples with
cascading hooks, splashing melodies, and
deliciously droll lyrics. Good luck ridding
the irrepressible pop magic of "Just Too
Bloody Stupid," "Gulp" "and "My Days
Are Numbered" from your head. If you've
been missing out, here's your chance to
right that wrong.
– Patrick Conlan
9
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
Kintsugi
(Atlantic)
Dealing with loss is never easy, and in
the case of Washington natives Death Cab
for Cutie, they chose to process it musically. The result is their eighth studio album,
Kintsugi, their first effort without founding guitarist/keyboardist/producer Chris
Walla. The album title refers to the
Japanese art of fixing broken pottery, so
fittingly this theme of fixing and brokenness permeates the record. Lead single
"Black Sun" has the same eerie draw of
their last hit "I Will Possess Your Heart."
"Binary Sea" kicks things off in the deep
end emotionally with frontman Ben
TOTO
TOTO XIV
(Frontiers)
Ten years since its last studio album,
Toto's finding just how much it's been
missed as TOTO XIV debuted in the top
ten throughout nine countries and
marked the first US and UK chart landing
since 1988. Aside from having rabid fans
all the world over, perhaps much of the
appeal comes from the group's intention
for this to be the stylistic follow-up to
TOTO IV (the radio dominator responsible for "Rosanna" and "Africa," amongst
others). Indeed, the 11 new tunes continue
in that infectious, melodic pop tradition
played by some of the most prodigious
musicians to ever walk the planet, and
even though they tip their hat to the ‘80s,
nothing ever comes across as dated.
However, at least as far as the download
edition goes, the overall sound levels are
inconsistent and come across a little halfbaked in spots, which is especially surprising given these normally perfectionist
players. Nonetheless, there's no mistaking
the rocker "Running Out Of Time," the
prog-tipped "Burn" and the jazzy
"Chinatown" in particular are the latest in
Toto's relatively consistent tradition of
quality songwriting that's sure to leap to
further life on this summer's co-headlining tour with Yes.
Appearing: 08/16/15 at FirstMerit Bank
Pavilion at Northerly Island
– Andy Argyrakis
7
GANG OF FOUR
What Happens Next
(Metropolis)
Almost three decades removed since
its debut, it's far easier to say what today's
Gang of Four isn't than what it is. But with
guitarist/songwriter Andy Gill the sole
remaining original member and a revolving guest cast of lead singers sprinkled
through the 10 cuts, GoF circa 2015 is definitely not the same taut but funk, postpunk