Zach Condon has the loveliest voice in the music industry. Period. The multi talented musician/singer/songwriter/producer has countlessly impressed his fans with his folk/pop music and more recently, with his electronic EP "Holland," that was released last year alongside his "March of The Zapotec" EP. Zach is my favourite person in music. It was his classic "Elephant Gun" found on 2007's "Elephant Gun" EP that tossed me out from the shallow end of the mainstream into the deep waters of the indie scene. I've been contentedly drowning ever since.
"Scenic World," off his first proper LP, "The Gulag Orkestar" is the only song on the album where Zach showcases his formidable ability to produce electronic music. On an album that uses grandiose use of various instruments, "Scenic World," stands out because it combines Zach's electronic roots with the full orchestra sound that he is known for. There is a more Beirut sounding version of the song on 2006's "Lon Gisland EP" for those who simply can't stand to hear Zach without a ukelele in his hand. If you are not aware of his works, please do yourself a favour and check out his myspace. http://www.myspace.com/beruit
For a group that's released 2 LPs and 5 EPs, they have a countless amount of crowd pleasers. Like the Hand of Midas, everything Zach has touched has undoubtedly turned into pure musical gold.
The tale of Neutral Milk Hotel is a tragic one. Frontman Jeff Mangum, who is viewed today as a God in the indie society, had a meltdown of sorts after their second pivotal album, "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea." The album is a concept album based on Anne Frank's life during the holocaust. Mangum revealed during live shows how he had reoccurring dreams of a Jewish family during WWII which inspired him to write the desolate, emotionally charged lyrics for the album. Though it wasn't a huge success when it was first released in 1998, it has been received with open arms by the indie community and had continued to gain attention by critics. This lead to offers for shows and an even a chance to open for R.E.M. But Mangum and his band had broken up, refused all offers and went on a "hiatus" that has yet to end.
As the years went by, fans and critics alike posted all the info on Mangum that was available, but there were no new NMH recordings to be discovered. The album today is considered one of the best albums of the nineties and an inspiration to indie musicians like Beirut and Arcade Fire. "The King Of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1" speaks for itself. "Your mom would stick a fork right into daddy's shoulders/And dad would throw the garbage all across the floor/As we would lay and learn what each other's bodies were for." The song is a poetic masterpiece; one that offers a glimpse of Mangum's poor emotional state. The acoustics, the horns, the lyrics for "King Of Carrots Flowers Pt 1", and "Parts 2 & 3", were enough to prove how remarkable this band was. Twelve years have passed, and diehard fans are still waiting for Neutral Milk Hotel to rise from the ashes.
"New Wave," released in 2007 by Florida punk band "Against Me!" basically withdrew all the essentials of why I liked them so much. It was slower, it was poppy, it was designed for a younger audience: it was terrible. Though it got commercial success and radio airtime, which is what the band was obviously going for, it was no longer the underground punk Kings that people had known to love. Their debut LP, 2002's "Reinventing Axl Rose," was a punk masterpiece. It was high strung, fast paced, and invoked one to bang one's head and mosh immediately upon listening. The percussion was wonderful, the lyrics were anti-authoritative (listen to "Baby, I'm an Anarchist") and Tom Gabel's yelling/singing was different from other punk artists at the time; it was not scream-o, it was not emo, it was not pop. The title track illustrates these many talents in a short 2:25. Gabel's energetic voice, the urgency of the guitars and drums; it's a primo example of why this record showcases some of the best punk this decade has seen. I really had high hopes for the band but it seemed that everything they followed it with just got slower, and less aggressive. I purposely haven't even heard this year's "White Crosses;" I prefer to pretend they haven't come out with anything since "Reinventing Axl Rose." Ignorance is bliss.
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