Review: New Records Round-up

Released a few weeks ago, Chan Marshall's (aka Cat Power's) Jukebox is her second collection of covers. Unlike its predecessor, 2000's The Covers Record, Jukebox is a full-bodied set of songs, backed by her touring band The Dirty Delta Blues. Her previous versions stripped back the originals to bare, raw sketches that allowed her voice and emotion to overtake the source material. Here, Marshall's sound is refined and fleshed out, but at times she fails to take full control of the compositions. Of course, she's come a long way since her first cover project, releasing You Are Free and the amazing The Greatest in the interim. Her takes on "Ramblin' (Wo)Man" and "Silver Stallion" bear the marks of the artistic growth she's undergone with her past two records, while others like the stylish "New York" merely display her newfound skill as a blues frontwoman without really going anywhere. After an excellent start, the record gets a bit lackluster around the middle, before picking up again with the decent Dylan cover "I Believe In You" and a heartfelt closing trio. While not her best album by any means (for that look to her last two), it is a worthwhile listen even for modest Cat Power fans. That said, the deluxe edition is a must-buy, as the five songs on the included bonus disc rival and at times surpass the main album's covers. Her version of "I Feel" is interesting, while her re-recording of past cover version "Naked, If I Want To" is pure fun. "Angelitos Negros," a nearly eight-minute Spanish cover, is beautiful, as is her cover of Nick Cave's "Breathless," making this reviewer wonder why they weren't on the proper album in place of some of the less exciting versions included there.

Note: Links to Cat Power have been removed by request. To listen to tracks from Jukebox, check out Cat Power on Hype Machine. Buy the new record from Matador Records here.

Vampire Weekend seem to be the darlings of just about every blog on the face of the earth right now. Luckily, I hadn't gotten caught up in the hype at all, and didn't hear them until this past weekend while browsing Virgin. Based on maybe a minute at the listening station, I made an impulse buy and definitely do not regret it! Their self-titled debut album is a refreshing, unique slice of indie rock with a broad appeal and easily personalized lyrics. Though a bit repetitive on some of the tracks, the record's brevity and crisp rhythms work in its favor. "Mansard Roof" gets things off to a catchy start, nicely followed by the snarky "Oxford Comma." From there on, it's hard to pinpoint favorites, as it becomes extremely difficult to not listen to the entire thing through (which is far from a bad thing). "Campus" sticks out as a perfect anthem for those caught somewhere in between their carefree youth and impending adult responsibility. "I Stand Corrected" is the album's thoughtful midtempo ballad, and fits any disappointing situation like a glove. Alongside the jaunty "Walcott," it creates yet another near-perfect moment in an album full of pleasant surprises. This is a record that needs to be heard, and needs to be heard in its entirety for full effect. All the pre-release hype was right, so get listening now!

Vampire Weekend, "I Stand Corrected" [YSI] (from the album Vampire Weekend)
Vampire Weekend, "Walcott" [YSI] (from the album Vampire Weekend)

Also culled from my trip to Virgin was Hot Chip's new record, released just last week. Their third proper album, Made In The Dark is a bit of a mixed bag. In an effort to progress their sound, Hot Chip expand on all of their varied influences at once, making for a record that jumps from upbeat electro numbers to downbeat r&b grooves without much transition. Upon first listen, this unfocused tendency makes for an underwhelming listen. Repeated listens, however, reveal the individual tracks to be up there with Hot Chip's best, like "Hold On"'s twisted beats and tongue-in-cheek lyrics ("I'm only going to heaven if it feels like hell / I'm only going to heaven if it tastes like caramel") and the glitchy breakdowns of "Bendable Poseable" and "Don't Dance." The ballads prove a bit jarring, but with time "We're Looking For A Lot Of Love" manages to stand out, even if the others don't. Made In The Dark ends up being one of those records that is somehow less than the sum of its parts, but contains enough amazing tracks to vouch for the increasing greatness of Hot Chip.

Hot Chip, "Touch Too Much" [YSI] (from the album Made In The Dark)
Hot Chip, "Hold On" [YSI] (from the album Made In The Dark)

***Note: Links removed***

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