LESSER EVIL BY DOLDRUMS

Lesser Evil by Doldrums

Before you listen to Lesser Evil by Doldrums, I highly recommend you take a minute to sit and stare at its corresponding album artwork.  Doing so will tell you quite a bit about what cocktail you're about to swallow.

Under the abstract wash of inky, blue, food coloring-like stains and violet flourishes is a human face.  Let's say the face is equivalent to the concept of familiar and agreeable musicality.  Everything else is a bizarre, sour candy coated, electronic fabric.  Too much of electronic indie rock only gives you the "everything else."  But, sometimes you get the familiar and the agreeable musicality and the everything else together in one double shot.  This combination is quite addictive when it's done really well.  

Releaesed in February 2013, Lesser Evil is done really well.  Almost outstanding! 

If you're going to chill out, you might as well put on some good music and Lesser Evil will more than suffice.  On tracks like "Lesser Evil" and "Lost In Everyone," Doldrums make some of the finest Indie Rock I've heard all year.

Lesser Evil by Doldrums

CLASH THE TRUTH BY BEACH FOSSILS

Clash The Truth By Beach Fossils

While Beach Fossils' eponymous 2010 debut taught us what an Indie version of Surf Rock would sound like if it was played through a tin can—the results were very successful, by the way—2013's Clash The Truth substitutes the surf rock for late 80's post punk textures similar to those by pre-Loveless My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, This Mortal Coil and Jesus & Mary Chain.  The result is a stunning, melancholy, introspective record which could easily serve as the soundtrack for teenage stoners, a kid spending yet another day alone in his attic and girls folding jeans at Urban Outfitters.  That's a wide spectrum, but Clash The Truth has such an addicting sound, the perfect combination of mopey and exuberant, that it will likely move a lot of people—though probably not to the cash registers.

Clocking in at, in my opinion, the perfect album length (just over 35 minutes,) there are not any great songs on Clash The Truth.  That's not a digression, actually—there were not any great songs on their debut, either.  But, Beach Fossils succeed on a variety of good songs like "Careless," "Shallow" and "In Vertigo;" okay songs with lots of muscle and texture like "Generational Synthetic" and the title track; beautiful, acoustic songs like the charming, purposefully out-of-tune "Sleep Apnea" and the few somewhat haunting instrumental passages like "Modern Holiday," "Brighter" and "Ascension."

Do all these sonic changes and 14 new songs make Clash The Truth an improvement on Beach Fossils' debut? No, actually.  Rather, the album shows a new, different side to a band that sounded perfectly fine and comfortable doing what they were doing.  A better question is, do I prefer Clash The Truth to 2010's Beach Fossils.

Yes. 

Clash The Truth By Beach Fossils

And, why not?

Beach Fossils

CLASH THE TRUTH BY BEACH FOSSILS

Clash The Truth By Beach Fossils

While Beach Fossils' eponymous 2010 debut taught us what an Indie version of Surf Rock would sound like if it was played through a tin can—the results were very successful, by the way—2013's Clash The Truth substitutes the surf rock for late 80's post punk textures similar to those by pre-Loveless My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, This Mortal Coil and Jesus & Mary Chain.  The result is a stunning, melancholy, introspective record which could easily serve as the soundtrack for teenage stoners, a kid spending yet another day alone in his attic and girls folding jeans at Urban Outfitters.  That's a wide spectrum, but Clash The Truth has such an addicting sound, the perfect combination of mopey and exuberant, that it will likely move a lot of people—though probably not to the cash registers.

Clocking in at, in my opinion, the perfect album length (just over 35 minutes,) there are not any great songs on Clash The Truth.  That's not a digression, actually—there were not any great songs on their debut, either.  But, Beach Fossils succeed on a variety of good songs like "Careless," "Shallow" and "In Vertigo;" okay songs with lots of muscle and texture like "Generational Synthetic" and the title track; beautiful, acoustic songs like the charming, purposefully out-of-tune "Sleep Apnea" and the few somewhat haunting instrumental passages like "Modern Holiday," "Brighter" and "Ascension."

Do all these sonic changes and 14 new songs make Clash The Truth an improvement on Beach Fossils' debut? No, actually.  Rather, the album shows a new, different side to a band that sounded perfectly fine and comfortable doing what they were doing.  A better question is, do I prefer Clash The Truth to 2010's Beach Fossils.

Yes.  

Clash The Truth By Beach Fossils

And, why not?

Beach Fossils