Sleigh Bells "Treats"

I'm not late to the hype, just late to the bandwagon. I heard about these guys early this year... probably around SXSW. Except I found their sound to be abrasive and didn't understand how people were classifying them as "pop". The only song I heard that I liked was "Rill Rill" which is sort of the black sheep of the album.

What really turned me onto these guys was a mashup album created by DJ O-Face called Jay Bells. That's right, Jay-Z and Sleigh Bells. I had never considered the "abrasive" beats they sang their "pop" songs over are like hip-hop beats. The best mashup on the record is "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" rapped over "Crown On The Ground". It absolutely owned my soul for a couple weeks.

So I went back to Treats and that's when it all fell into place. The songs made sense and it was a fun listen. Impossible not to get into.

Must hear: Rill Rill (& Dirt Off Your Crown by DJ O-Face [#6])

(Release date: 5/11/10)



DJ O-Face Presents: Jay Bells (Jay​-​Z vs. Sleigh Bells) by Hypetrak

Weezer "Hurley" (ADVANCE)

Ladies and gentlemen, I have good news. Hurley is better than the album cover would make you think. Reports of the forthcoming apocalypse seem to be unfounded, as Hurley takes Weezer back to where they were before the 2 very wrong turns of The Red Album and Raditude.

The Red Album was a challenging concept that didn't lend itself to mainstream acceptance. Raditude was much too sophomoric for the now 40 year old Rivers Cuomo to get away with. As a matter of fact, Rivers seems to be through his mid-life crisis and is finally acknowledging his age; this record is bookended by the songs "Memories" and "Time Flies".

It sounds like Rivers has found his voice again. These new songs harken back to Weezer's heyday. It is a brand of enjoyable, intuitive power pop-rock. Even the 4 bonus tracks on the Deluxe Edition (including a cover of Coldplay's "Viva la Vida") are top notch.

Must hear: Ruling Me

(Release Date: 9/14/10)

Brandon Flowers "Flamingo" (ADVANCE)

Much like Julian Casablancas and (to a lesser extent) Dan Auerbach last year, the lead singer of a reputable rock band has decided to release a solo album. Brandon Flowers, if you don't know, is the frontman of The Killers. Flowers is a showman, first and foremost, and with the Killers he usually knocks it out of the park. But without having to listen to input from other band members it can really let an ego run wild and prevent the best possible song from being made.

These were my thoughts going into it. Most lead singers fail solo. It's the Beyonces that are the rare cases. Casablancas' solo turn was a complete 180 from the Strokes. They're garage rock and he went electronic. Flowers also went in the opposite direction of his main band. The Killers are heavy synthpop so Flowers went for a more straightforward rock sound.

It's actually not bad. A little preachy at points but he does well to stay away from anything that would make you think "this is a Killers song." The biggest issue I have is that he buried the lead single "Crossfire" as the 8th track on this 10 song set. You want to grab the listener quickly with something they are familiar with and presumably like. Now, it's a rookie move making it the first track but it needs to fall between songs 2-4. A petty point sure but something that is awkwardly noticeable.

Must hear: Crossfire

(Release Date: 9/14/10)