Lackthereof is comprised of Danny Seim, the drummer of Portland’s fantastic Menomena. The natural reaction would be to assume that Lackthereof is a side project for Seim, but that wasn’t initially the case. Seim began making music under the Lackthereof tag in 1997, three years before Menomena formed. Seim independently released six Lackthereof albums before signing with Menomena’s old label, FILMguerrero. Two more Lackthereof albums would follow before Seim, like Menomena did with 2007’s Friend And Foe, would make the transition to Barsuk Records. His first release for the label and ninth overall is Your Anchor.
In comparison to Menomena’s output, Your Anchor is obviously more straightforward, yet fans of Seim’s other band should enjoy what he has done here. Seim composed and performed Your Anchor entirely on his own and this personal approach is evident. The songs are never too muscular or too skeletal, opting instead for a melodic, mellow sound that lies somewhere in-between. Seim’s vocals have a cool sense of self-consciousness about them. Sometimes his lackadaisical approach dulls down the music, but it fits perfectly on tracks like “Fake Empire,” Seim’s beautiful, hazy take on a song from The National’s Boxer album.
Many listeners will be immediately drawn to “Last November,” the song that probably sounds most like Menomena. While I believe this is a great song and a fitting single if it were chosen as such, my favorite track is actually “Chest Pass,” a song that sums up everything Seim tries to accomplish with Your Anchor. It echoes the hazy vibe that I hinted at earlier while discussing Seim’s version of “Fake Empire.” In fact, much of Your Anchor sounds like the result of numerous 3 A.M. experiments, which is really part of its charm. Some of the late night diversions on Your Anchor aren’t fully realized, but the album shows that Seim is fully capable of running his own outfit. More importantly, it indicates just how much of a vital part of Menomena’s success he truly is.
Paul Westerberg hasn’t released a new album since 2004’s uneven Folker. He hasn’t released new material since contributing a handful of songs to 2006’s soundtrack to the animated film Open Season. Despite this, 2008 has been good to Westerberg fans. In April, The Replacements’ Twin/Tone catalogue was reissued and expanded by Rhino. Last week, it was revealed that Rhino will drop reissues of the Mats’ four major label efforts for Sire on September 23rd. Over the weekend, Westerberg fans received an unexpected surprise that skyrocketed their 2008 from good to great.
As detailed in-depth by Billboard, Paul Westerberg has released a new album digitally on Amazon.com and TuneCore (for non-U.S. listeners). The album is called 49:00 (It is only 43:55 in length though) and it has two twists. The first is that costs $0.49 and the second is that it is a glorious mess contained within a single MP3 file. Westerberg’s manager Darren Hill told Billboard, “He finished it on Monday, sent it to me on Tuesday and it was out this weekend. It’s just wonderful that you can actually do this. The freedom an artist can enjoy these days is fantastic. Can you imagine me pitching this idea to a label?” This is Westerberg on an unrestricted level, ignoring every rule and thriving because of it.
The album does not come with a tracklisting and many of the songs fade in and out of each other or overlap. On albums that skip around or are delivered in a fast pace, reviewers often use an analogy that liken the music to an artist switching stations on a radio. I can’t think of a better analogy to describe 49:00. It even contains a cathartic mash-up of classic rock covers near the end. 49:00 sounds like classic Westerberg, but he comes off as so much more comfortable in this situation where he has decided that the rules simply do not apply. To say the least, it takes Folker to the woodshed. This is the most fun I’ve had as a Westerberg fan in quite some time.
Many critics piled criticism upon Ratatat’s last album (2006’s Classics), but I never fully grasped their reasoning. What they saw as “too mellow” I viewed as a band exploring new, thoughtful depths. Classics made me an avid fan of this electronic duo. Although Classics isn’t a perfect album, several of its tracks are as good as anything they have ever done. On LP3, Ratatat diversify their instrumentation slightly. In comparison to the tight composure of their first two albums, LP3 sounds messy at times, but its loose energy provides a handful of new Ratatat staples.
There are tracks on LP3 that recall Classics stylistically. “Falcon Jab” even samples the wildcat sound from “Wildcat.” However, it is evident that Ratatat are still evolving, as noted on the excellent first single “Shiller.” This and tracks like the enormous “Shempi” bare little resemblance to anything in the Ratatat catalogue. It is refreshing to hear Mike Stroud and Evant Mast unhinged, but the album lacks a central theme or sound and suffers because of it. Their previous efforts were so well-defined, which I never would have guessed if LP3 were my introduction to their music.
If there were more songs on LP3 as good as “Mumtaz Khan,” I’d be singing a different tune. This track showcases new influences (gypsies obsessed with Robert Fripp?) while providing an intense nod to the spastic guitar sound that has become such a trademark of Ratatat’s music. My gripe about LP3’s identity crisis isn’t helped by its over-generous helping of 13 tracks. There’s some definite filler here and it kills me to hear something like “Gipsy Threat” when I know how much more Stroud and Mast are capable of. Ratatat are already rumored to be nearing completion on LP4. I hope that album offers a more cohesive vision of where Stroud and Mast are taking Ratatat next.
Shade Side, Sunny Side is the 7th LP from Lincoln, Nebraska’s For Against and first effort since 2002’s Coalesced. More importantly, it sees the return of guitarist Harry Dingman, who hasn’t played with the band on record since 1988’s pivotal December. Dingman’s return brings with it a muscular guitar sound that was sorely missed on the mellow Coalesced. This is best displayed on opening track “Glamour,” a song that will take older listeners back to a time when the dimensions of indie rock seemed endless.
Although the return of Dingman is cause for celebration, Jeffrey Runnings is still the driving force behind this trio that is in its 24th year of existence. It is fascinating to track how Runnings’ songwriting has evolved. Early releases by For Against were known for their intense, angular songs that were emotionally complex. On Shade, that sound is still present, but Runnings has also established himself as a songwriter that is capable of writing an effective ballad. The lyrics of standout track “Why Are You So Angry?” may be simplistic, but it is hard not to relate to the song’s final plead of “You used to be such fun.”
Many of the album’s songs slide into the six to seven minute range. At times, this tested my patience, but on tracks like the aforementioned “Glamour,” the duration is absolutely necessary. It is quite remarkable that For Against are able to make an album so consistent at this point. They, along with artists such as Wire, are proving that you can make worthwhile music no matter what point you are at in your career. On the piano-led ballad “Game Over,” Runnings declares “Game over, I’m done.” Something tells me that we haven’t heard the last from this underrated Nebraska act that still deserves much more attention than they’ve received.
If you want to be technical, Hello, Old Cloud is songwriter Lincoln Barr’s third full length under the Red Jacket Mine name. Barr’s first two albums were recorded via four-track and self released. When I reviewed The Daylight Moon (Barr’s 2nd effort) in 2004, a promising foundation was hinted at. That promise continued to build when Barr moved from Missouri to Seattle and acquired a full band for 2006’s Starboard Meets The Sound EP. The improved production values of that release take an even bigger step forward on Hello, Old Cloud. This is the true birth of Red Jacket Mine.
Hello, Old Cloud reveals how much Barr has grown as a songwriter in the last five years. His band, which consists of Ryan Chapman, Patrick Porter, and Andy Salzman (who has been playing with Barr since The Daylight Moon) deserve a share of the credit. They have helped bring out Barr’s broad influences, all of which are on display. Prior to writing this review, I learned that Ken Stringfellow of The Posies and Big Star would be co-producing their next record. This seems like a perfect fit when taking into consideration that I can hear the spirit and energy of both those artists on Hello, Old Cloud.
I’ve always appreciated Barr’s vocals and they are in strong form throughout the record. Bandmate Patrick Porter steps up on backing vocals, providing some excellent harmonies, especially on “Jesus’ House” and “22 Rose Petal Place.” An early version of the latter song appeared on Starboard Meets The Sound, but it sounds even better here. I also appreciate “Don’t (Settle Your Debts On The Phone),” a stripped-down track that recalls Barr’s early work. The confidence and general consistency of Hello, Old Cloud overshadows its missteps, of which there are surprisingly few. Although I believe that this is a very solid record, I am confident that Red Jacket Mine are just getting started.
In comparison to Menomena’s output, Your Anchor is obviously more straightforward, yet fans of Seim’s other band should enjoy what he has done here. Seim composed and performed Your Anchor entirely on his own and this personal approach is evident. The songs are never too muscular or too skeletal, opting instead for a melodic, mellow sound that lies somewhere in-between. Seim’s vocals have a cool sense of self-consciousness about them. Sometimes his lackadaisical approach dulls down the music, but it fits perfectly on tracks like “Fake Empire,” Seim’s beautiful, hazy take on a song from The National’s Boxer album.
As detailed in-depth by 
