Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold (2008, Rhymesayers)

5 out of 5

This is technically the second album that Atmosphere has released this year, after the free-download Strictly Leakage from earlier this year, and upon first comparison, it’s not nearly as much of a party record, but it IS a great, sing-song-y, alternately bouncy and mournful, piano-heavy, mature record, whether it’s the smooth-jazz summer-breeze-y music of the opener, “Like the Rest of Us,” or the revival-tent gospel blues of the second track, “Puppets” (which also features an excellent turn on back up vocals by Channy Casselle of the band Roma di Luna). This album is actually full of experimentation: Slug and Ant also explore Minus the Bear-style indie rock-robot-R&B by way of Prince-ly funk on “Dreamer” and “You,” 80s B-movie sci-fi synths (“The Skinny”), Goblin-meets-TV on the Radio-esque hip-hop (“Your Glasshouse,” “Can’t Break”), slide guitar (“Painting”), and even one song that sounds like G. Love (of the Special Sauce) with a serious chip on his shoulder (“Guarantees”). What works the best in this album’s favor though, is that much like the greatest musical storytellers (like Tom Waits, who beatboxes on “The Waitress”), Slug is at his peak when he’s finding himself and enlightenment in other peoples’ lives and stories. Because the songs on this record are, at Slug’s admission, fiction, that bodes incredibly well for those listening at home.

=james

The Night Marchers - See You in Magic (2008, Vagrant/Swami)

5 out of 5

This right here is perfect garage punk rock & roll. It’s got the swagger and the snarl, it’s got the slash and precision of switchblade-wielding robots, and it’s got lines like “Let’s be best friends on your floor” and tongue-firmly-in-cheek song titles like “I Wanna Deadbeat You,” “Open Your Legs” and “Panther In Crime.” Just like front-man John Reis’s beloved “band who invented Rock n Roll,” Rocket From the Crypt, The Night Marchers owe just as much (if not more) to 50s rockabilly attitude & 60s “Nuggets” sounds as they do to more modern punk pursuers, and this record really actually does sound a lot like RFTC just without the horns. In fact, Reis is even here going by his RFTC handle, Speedo. But where another modern band with a foot firmly planted in the past, the Bronx, are dirty and disheveled, all torn jeans and old punk t-shirts (and maybe still a little drunk from the night before), the Marchers are a James Bond (or an early-Elvis)-like suave: slicked back, sensuous, and never without a drink in hand, though never really drunk. Reis & Co. are also not quite as Euro-perfect as a band like the Hives, and that’s not meant in the slightest as a jab. One of the best tracks on the album, in fact, “Branded,” is pure American West, a gypsy-cowbilly shuffle with a little bit of menace – imagine Yul Brenner’s character in Westworld singing a song of love and devotion. And “Open Your Legs” is a double-Elvis-entendre, with Sullivan Show hip-shaking rhythm amped to skate punk speeds. And “You’ve Got the Nerve,” is Rolling Stones cock-of-the-walk blues rock, but where Jagger sang about having a woman under his thumb, Speedo sings “You’ve got nerve/ Don’t cut me loose/ You’ve got nerve/ And I want the abuse.” Now if only Martin Scorcese would obsess over The Night Marchers…

=james

Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords (2008, Sub Pop)

5 out of 5

This record is phenomenal. It combines humor with great songwriting in a similar way to last year's Dethalbum from Adult Swim's favorite Death Metal sons Dethklok, but instead of amazingly heavy Metal, Flight of the Conchords is White-boy folk-funk for dorks with the deadest of deadpan sense of humor. And, unlike HBO's other acoustic-comedy duo, Tenacious D, one of Flight of the Conchords doesn't take a backseat to the other. In fact, there isn't even a hint of Jack Black's overpowering personality on this record, and that's not a bad thing, though one of the songs sounds like an overly caffeinated Jack Johnson (though nothing about him is overpowering...).

Filled with loving tributes to arists from Serge Gainsbourg and Air ("Foux de Fafa") to the Pet Shop Boys ("Inner City Pressure"), Marvin Gaye ("Think About It"), Barry White ("Business Time"), and David Bowie (um...."Bowie"), these two Kiwis deserve every bit of hype that they're getting right now.

"Inner City Pressure," the aforementioned faux-Pet Shop Boys song, is very reminiscent of the note-perfect series of "Fake" songs off of Liam Lynch's album Fake Songs ("Fake Bjork Song," "Fake David Bowie Song," "Fake Pixies Song," "Fake Talking Heads Song," and the best, "Fake Depeche Mode Song") and features the amazing couplet "You know you're not in high finance, considering second-hand underpants."

"A Kiss Is Not A Contract" is the duo at their folkiest, while "Robots" is them at their most, well, robotic, with a chorus that sounds like it's sung by Ben Gibbard from the Conchords' label-mates the Postal Service, and a "Binary Solo!"

"The Most Beautiful Girl (in the Room)" is the funniest and folkiest song that Prince never wrote (and the best fake Prince song since "Debra" off of Beck's Midnite Vultures), and "Business Time" takes Barry White's "Love Supreme Orchestra" style down to a slightly more realistic tone. It's a first-person account from the male half of a couple who has settled into an hilarious (if not a little depressing) routine, and makes lines like "I remove my clothes very, very clumsily, tripping sensuously over my pants/Now I'm naked except for my socks and you know when I'm down to just my socks what time it is...It's business time," sound oddly sexy. It also gave rise to one of the best t-shirts I've ever seen.

The biggest downside to this album, if you HAVE to find fault is that it doesn't have all of the songs from the first season of the Conchords' show, but if you HAVE to find an upside, that also saves what is an amazing 42 minutes from seeming forcedly long, with songs and greatness getting lost in the shuffle.

It also gives me an excuse to post this clip from the show:

=james