| July Fresh Tracks |
| Tuesday, 27 July 2010 10:21 |
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Story by Curt Devine; photos provided to INsite The Line up July 6 July 13 July 20 July 27
To The Sea *** If you’re stressed, be careful checking out this album. Jack Johnson’s laid-back beach vibes will tempt you to quit your job, buy a surfboard and move to Hawaii overnight. Living in a world of white-capped waves, yellow sunrays, pretty girls and Piña Coladas, Johnson continually makes music that flows like a sunny vacation, and on To The Sea, that hasn’t changed. On the opening track, “You and Your Heart,” Johnson makes the complications of a relationship seem like the downs of a bad surf day—nothing to stress over. Although he throws more electric guitars into the mix this time around, the usual chilled-out vibes dominate the album, like on “From the Clouds,” which could easily make for another hit. To his credit, there may be more existential musing in these tracks than fans are used to. On “Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology,” Johnson sings “Everybody is made of clay/That's what they used to say/Until the truth stepped on us all/We're just little crying robots.” But Johnson’s organic soft-rock tones drive this album just like all his others, nice and easy. Download: “You and Your Heart”
Thank Me Later **** Up there with the iPhone 4, Glee and Universal’s Harry Potter theme park, Drake has had a flurry of summer hype, much of which has hinged on the release of his first LP. The 23-year-old actor turned rapper is now a brand by himself, big enough to top charts without sitting beneath superstars like Lil Wayne. But is his debut album a success? Jumping from somber R&B grooves that flow like Kanye’s 808’s And Heart Breaks to quick-paced, beat-stomping thrashers like those on his mix tape, Thank Me Later gives fans exactly what they want. The hit “Over” shows Drake throwing out rhymes like punches in a MMA fight, full of fire and aggression. Yet this side of the album is nothing new and sounds much like the 2009’s hit “Forever.” Drake’s true novelty comes out on “Fireworks,” a classy hymn carried by Alicia Key’s guest melody and smooth piano, and on “Light Up,” featuring Jay-Z’s mentoring advice to Drake. Download: “Fireworks”
The Drums **** Had Brian Wilson been born 50 years later as a modern Brooklyn hipster, this is probably the album he would have written. That’s not to say The Drums are a Beach Boys rip off. Rather, they capture the mood of beachside romance and youthful carelessness in a way that hasn’t been done much since 1966’s Pet Sounds. This makes The Drums a refreshing dose of surf-rock fun and the must-have album for Florida’s hot summer. The warbling guitar lick on “Let’s Go Surfing” mixed with light whistling and an effortless melody make the track infectiously catchy (wait for it to pop up on commercials, movies, etc.) “Best Friend” feels like a Vampire Weekend hit if it were processed through 1980s mixers and synths, giving it fun retro appeal. What makes The Drums such a fresh relief to today’s bloated industry is their reliance on simple melodies and steady beats, devoid of over-ambitious production and technicality. “We Tried,” for example, moves to a hand-clapping rhythm and a twangy guitar that might be a pinch out of tune. This album packs the same surf-rock energy enjoyed half a century ago into a new, yet timeless, dose of fun. Download: “Let’s Go Surfing”
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