Pop Music Matters

Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care

Junior Boys
Begone Dull Care
Domino, 2009
Grade: B-
by Kenny S. McGuane

Sigh.

It just seemed so damn unlikely that the Canadian synth duo known as Junior Boys would be able to follow up 2006’s genius and critically acclaimed sophomore album So This Is Goodbye with anything remotely close to its subtleties and visionary electro-funk perfection. This is a shitty way to begin a review of a new album, I know. I just want to get it out there that I in no way whatsoever expected the Junior Boys’ follow up to So This Is Goodbye to be anywhere near as good.

Which is why Begone Dull Care is a perfectly satisfying album; I had low expectations from the get go. It’s everything I knew it would be. READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Written for THE DAILY VAULT

www.juniorboys.net

Begone Dull Care - Junior Boys

Pet Shop Boys - Yes

Pet Shop Boys
Yes
Parlophone, 2009
Grade: B+
by Kenny S. McGuane

There’s a great synth-pop legend that says upon first hearing New Order’s seminal single “Blue Monday,” Neil Tennant actually wept because he felt like New Order had beat the Pet Shop Boys to the artistic punch. In other words, “Blue Monday” was musically and aesthetically everything that Tennant, along with Chris Lowe, had hoped to achieve with the Pet Shop Boys. The jury’s still out on whether or not the story is true; it’s hard to get a straight answer from Tennant. If it is true, it hardly matters now. The Pet Shop Boys are still together and despite two slight missteps in their catalog (1999’s Nightlife and 2002’s Release), they have remained a vital and continuously relevant pop act, whereas New Order were simply unable to keep things together. READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Written for THE DAILY VAULT

www.petshopboys.co.uk

"Love etc."

Love etc. - Pet Shop Boys

BEST NEW TRACKS of 2009: so far.

It's kinda been a slow start to the year for pop music, don't ya think? Eh, I suppose that depends mostly on who you ask. Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion was released early this year to universal acclaim; I suspect it will find its way into the top 5 of most year-end "best of" lists. Then again, it's only April and there's still tons to look forward to. Next week brings the new Junior Boys album, Begone Dull Care, while April 21st will bring with it the new Depeche Mode record, Sounds Of The Universe. Other albums still to come are new ones from Camera Obscura, Bob Dylan and the highly anticpated new album from France's Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

Not that January through April have been totally shitty. Quite the contrary. It just hasn't been all that exciting. The playlist that follows is a short collection of some of 2009's strongest tracks, so far that is. Enjoy and please feel free to leave comments. - Kenny S. McGuane

The Best Tracks of 2009: So Fa...

TOP 10 TRACKS OF 2008 - Sorry So Late

My apologies for the delay. It's just that I've only recently discovered lala...and holy hell am I having some fun with it. Late last year Pop Music Matters and the Daily Vault published my picks for the Top 10 Albums of 2008. Now having discovered the capabilities of lala, I thought it best to publish a playlist that includes the Top 10 Tracks from the Top 10 Albums of 2008. Better late than never.

CLICK HERE for the original article. - Kenny S. McGuane

And here's the lala playlist for you to enjoy:

Selections From Pop Music Matt...

Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP

Bon Iver
Blood Bank EP
Jagjaguwar, 2009
Grade: B
by Kenny S. McGuane

Bon Iver’s critically acclaimed 2008 album For Emma, Forever Ago has done a fine job of solidifying the band’s mastermind Justin Vernon as one of the most exciting, mysterious and universally admired American songwriters making music today. Vernon’s poetry, restrained guitar playing, hauntingly intimate production and extraordinarily beautiful voice all joined forces on For Emma, Forever Ago and the end result was a record more striking and gorgeous than any in recent memory. READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Selected Track: "Blood Bank"

Blood Bank - Bon Iver

www.boniver.org

Written for THE DAILY VAULT

Belle & Sebastian - The BBC Sessions

Belle & Sebastian
The BBC Sessions
Matador, 2008
Grade: B
by Kenny S. McGuane

Unanimously hailed in late 2008 as one of the year’s best releases, Belle & Sebastian’s The BBC Sessions documents some of the adored Scottish indie bubblegum-pop group’s live in-studio performances from 1996-2001. Indeed the double album, which features a second disc of Belle & Sebastian’s 2001 concert in Belfast, serves as a welcomed artifact of the ever-popular group during their heyday as one of the last decade’s most important bands. READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Written for THE DAILY VAULT

www.belleandsebastian.com

Morrissey - Years Of Refusal

 
Morrissey
Years Of Refusal
Lost Highway, 2009
Grade: B
by Kenny S. McGuane

Former Smiths frontman Steven Patrick Morrissey has repeatedly exceeded expectations of fans and critics alike. It seemed unlikely that, post-Smiths, there was any way for Morrissey to go but down. Not the case. The charismatic performer has an excellent body of quality solo work and although--like any other artist--there are some low points, overall, Morrissey, who turns 50 in May, has done a fine job of maintaining his image and his relevance. This is particularly true if one considers his last two albums: both 2004’s You Are The Quarry and 2006’s Ringleader Of The Tormentors reinforced the notion that Morrissey is one of pop’s most distinctive and vital performers.

Morrissey’s latest, Years Of Refusal, has extended his artistic renaissance through 2009. READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Written for THE DAILY VAULT

www.itsmorrisseysworld.com

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Self Titled

 
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
Slumberland Records, 2009
Grade: B+
by Kenny S. McGuane

I accidentally got drunk last night.

The kind of drunk where you look at yourself in the mirror just before you pass out and even though you’re all alone, you feel ashamed and kind of embarrassed. But I wasn’t drinking because I was sad or anything; I was just so very much into the album that was flowing out of my speakers that I couldn’t stop guzzling beer. I was having my own little party right there in my living room. Dancing around, thinking about how I wished I'd been a teenager when The Smiths were still together, wondering if The Cure would be better off splitting up. You know…important stuff like that. READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Written for THE DAILY VAULT

www.thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com

Andrew Bird - Noble Beast

Andrew Bird
Noble Beast
Fat Possum, 2009
Grade: C+
by Kenny S. McGuane

Pay no attention to that letter grade; it doesn’t matter. Andrew Bird’s newest album Noble Beast has been assigned a grade because the Daily Vault requires it and they require it because every other critical outlet does. At least the Vault has the decency to place the grades at the bottom of the review so readers are encouraged to read before seeing the sometimes deceptive or misleading grades.

Make no mistake; Noble Beast is a good record. READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Written for THE DAILY VAULT

www.andrewbird.net

Antony & The Johnsons - The Crying Light

Antony & The Johnsons
The Crying Light
Secretly Canadian, 2009
Grade: B+
by Kenny S. McGuane

Already lauded as one of the year’s best releases -- premature as those claims might be -- the newest album from New York-based Antony & The Johnsons, The Crying Light, will be difficult to top in terms of sincerity, raw emotion, and sparseness of production. It comes at a perfect time for ringleader Antony Hegarty, too, who lent his fascinating and frighteningly unique vocals to the best album of 2008: Hercules & Love Affair’s self-titled disco-bash debut.

Turns out our beloved Hegarty can do both self-reflective, piano-driven, mope-pop and ball-busting, synth-driven disco with equal authenticity and class. READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Written for THE DAILY VAULT

www.antonyandthejohnsons.com