2011, whilst being incredibly gloomy in all its other endeavours, was a tremendous year for music where the common theme of the day appeared to be in the guise of a post-blues sound, which is where we found ourselves completely immersed in this 3rd offering from New Orlean’s band Mutemath. A band so hard to define in its very nature, they pushed themselves once more to further add to their impressive musical palette with this delightful, blues-tinged album. At its peak, ‘Odd Soul’ stands magestically as a very testatment to their talent and conscientiousness to drive and evolve their sound which is why ‘Odd Soul’ was IndiePoint’s album of the year for 2011. Have a great new year and see you all in 2012!
Rest Of The Top 5: 2.City and Colour (Little Hell), 3.The Antlers (Burst Apart), 4.Death Cab For Cutie (Codes and Keys), 5.The Black Keys (El Camino)
A Very Merry Alternative Christmas: Death Cab For Cutie - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
With the day finally upon us, I thought i’d let you in on some alternative christmas songs for those of you growing tired of the tiresome and overplayed songs in the mainstream. Merry Christmas!
Lead single from ‘Codes and Keys’, check out a review of the album and more music news at http://indiepoint.tumblr.com
Album Review: Death Cab For Cutie - Codes And Keys
Score: 4.4/5
I’ve always been interested in power and the way in which people attempt to hold onto it and Death Cab For Cutie certainly plays into an exclusive and elite group of bands such as Modest Mouse, Jimmy Eat World and Brand New that, release after release of new material, still manage to remain relevant and demand an authority within the musical scene that countless imitators can only dream of ever attaining. To the casual onlooker or to the more serious observer, such as myself, the key attribute that connects these unique bands together appears to be that of reinvention - as Brand New with ‘Deja Entendu’ and Jimmy Eat World with ‘Futures’ quite aptly show. However on the release of their seventh album, ‘Codes and Keys’, Death Cab For Cutie have quite literally thrown out the rule book, leaving my own conclusions on the phenomenon so emphatically premature that I can’t help but appreciate what they have created here with every listen. At a time where many think the era of mainstream indie, that was witnessed during the 00’s, has come to pass, Death Cab For Cutie choose not to adapt or reinvent themselves, but rather, to construct an album that magnificently captures the very essences of each previous release and weaves them together into a rewarding whole. It’s almost as if the band had planted a gigantic photo album (apologies for the obvious pun) in front of us, triumphantly showing off their countless achievements to account for their undoubted credentials to top tier indie music and demanding immediate respect from their audience at every corner.
Lead single ‘You Are A Tourist’ starts off the defence of their elite standing with immaculate guitar work and relentless drumming that parallels the proud march of a triumphant group, while single ‘Codes and Keys’ provides the undoubted highlight of the album with clever instrumentalization and powerful, life-affirming lyrics that demands countless play back. Throughout the album, Death Cab For Cutie have defended their position so emphatically that by the time we have reached the final song ‘Stay Young, Go Dancing’ the single seems to glide past us with an unstoppable vigour reminiscent of ‘The Photo Album’ that concludes to affirm the band’s brilliance, if they somehow hadn’t persuaded you of it earlier. It’s perhaps that same brilliance that has led Death Cab For Cutie into remaining so unique and non-mainstream, despite what their previous successes would dictate, and in Codes and Keys, the band sends out a resounding message of relevance at a time where some were prematurely questioning it, with “the code” to their sucess here appearing in the form of simple nostalgia and unquestionable talent.
Recommended Songs: ‘Codes And Keys’, ‘You Are A Tourist’, ‘Monday Morning’, ‘Portable Television’, ‘Stay Young, Go Dancing’.
Overview: Death Cab For Cutie return in pure nostalgic form to successfully retain both relevancy and their standing as one of the top bands in the indie scene.
Reviewed By Nima Alagha
An attempt to talk about and review music and all other things musical using as few words as possible. Its not lazy, its just efficient.
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