The Cold Cut

Rating: 9/10- A Frenchkiss debut that the duo should be unashamadly proud of.

The Dodos- Red And Purple
The Dodos- The Season

The aim of this blog is not to be totally ahead of the curve; I'm not (and I hope you aren't) counting points. Sometimes, though, I can't help but resist shouting out 'I found them!'. I have been harking on about The Dodos for ages and it is with a sense of joy that we see them reach a pinnacle (an 8.5 from Pitchfork- No shit!). 'Visiter', their second and best album yet, is receiving great reviews across the board and their recent live shows have been nothing short of incredible.

'Visiter' is the first album that clearly illustrates the undiluted talent that The Dodos possess. On 14 varied tracks, Meric Long and Logan Kroeber make a brave rush for victory, recently having mastered their brand of folk-punk. Lets be honest, who needs a bassist when you can write music this wonderfully complex?

Logan Kroeber's drumming is crucial throughout the record, holding the songs together with a rhythmic appreciation far beyond his peers. One of the most skillful drummers in music at the moment, he honed his talent through years in a prog-metal band. Meric Long is a hero for the ages, with a dry lyrical talent and a voice that fits the folky feel, in both the more intense songs ('Red And Purple', 'Winter') and the low key interludes ('Walking', 'Eyelids'). He fluctuates between frantic picking or intense strumming, and both Long and Kroeber are modest in displaying their huge instrumental talents.

The album is long and twisting, with the duo squeezing every last drop of creativity out of their songs. Often extending into four (never boring) minutes, the music is complex and diverse. 'Jodi' is the song that most clearly illustrates this, stretching for 6 minutes, yet switching between keys and moods, and beating 'Fools' as the best song on the album. 'Visiter' was recorded in an unusual fashion, with songs being played as they would live, and the drums, guitar and vocals were taped together, to mimic their now infamous live sound. The resultant album is full of vitality and intensity, and throughout it is blatantly obvious that the duo are enjoying themselves. Admittedly, they are at their best when moving along at a steady pace, and I found myself beginning to lose interest in the lulls.

'Visiter' is one of the albums of the year, and must have Frenchkiss records feeling proud of themselves. Alongside an alumni that includes Les Savy Favs and The Hold Steady, The Dodos don't appear outclassed in the slightest. In fact, those bands might have felt the heat turn up a bit given the quality of 'Visiter'. This is an album that should be cherished, and will no doubt survive rediscovery for many years to come.

As I said before, its about that time when everyone is depressed, and everything seems to come and once. I'm in a massive rush, but I just wanted to get a quick post in before bed (unfortunately, I do need sleep!). Well, my tip for the day is newly signed band The Dodos. I received an email tip today informing me of the fact that the San Fransico based guitar and drum duo have signed to Frenchkiss Records, also home to Les Savy Favs (post on them coming soon) and The Hold Steady. That's not a bad alumni to have, and I think it bodes well for The Dodos. Other than an admittedly painful name, these two guys have everything going for them. Putting together a "country-blues-loving guitarist and a metalhead drummer" (see their website) and this what you get. And what is 'this'? Well, you can't really pinhole them, but its energetic, its folky, its fun and its easy to listen to. Good enough for you? I bloody hope so...

I've been listening to their back catalog all day, and what I've heard has we wondering where they've been... okay, their older songs are far too long and they need focus, but I've seen many horrendous bands unjustifiably making it big. Just goes to show you there's no justice in the music industry... All I can say is, good luck to the duo on their latest album 'Visiter' (out March 2008), and leave me a comment if you like the tracks I've posted: one track from each of their three albums, including their latest single, Fools.

The Dodos- Fools
The Dodos- Nerds
The Dodos- Notes

Update: The links have been re-posted- they should be up for another 2 weeks or so...

"The next Lily Allen"- those are the words that have been following newcomer Kate Nash around since her single Foundations smashed its way onto the charts, swallowing up the rule book and all the while proving that you don't have to have Umbrella beats to make it big. Well, why don't you take a longer look before forcing her to live in Lily's shadow? Where are the parallels in the music? Sure, she's also from London and is equally witty... but if you actually listen to her songs and compare them to Lily's you can see the similarities end there. Foundations oozes charm and wit, but not of the caustic kind (see Allen's 'Smile') and is clearly orchestrated by Nash herself: she's got the whole singer-songwriter thing going on and is competent at both piano and guitar, which are the main components of her songs, something which is mostly missing in Lily Allen's debut Alright, Still. Her real talent, though, lies in making songs accessible to ordinary people; Foundations tells the story of a couple who both hate the little things about each other:

1. Boy hates girls stories- embarresses her in front of her friends
   
2. Girl belittles boy's intelligence
3. Boy calls girl 'bitch', but girl doesn't care
4. Boy says girl's diet must be composed of lemons, because she is so bitter
5. Girl says she prefers to hang out with his male friends because they are much fitter
6. Boy gets wasted, throws up on girl's new trainers.
   
7. Etc...
   

Indeed, taking a look at that I think the major comparison at this point would be to Regina Spektor, someone who on her songs so far Nash has magically managed to clip in the summery-poppy stakes and simplicity.

It's really weird to see someone given such a reference point so early on in their career, and its obviously something that Nash struggles with (it would piss me off to no end in interviews). She's brought the release of her first album forward by a couple of months to the 6th August, probably to distance herself from this requisite line (THE NEXT LILY ALLEN) which you will find in every one of her interviews since 'Foundations' came out. The song itself is an argument between (presumably) Kate and her ex?/boyfriend which has been dressed up into a great summer pop-song- only a sign of things to come. She's no one-trick pony, however: take a look at her first single Caroline's A Victim, a track that lies at the other end of the spectrum to the conversational pop that is Foundations. An intriguing mess of synths and Nash's spoken word, it was a gutsy move to release this as your debut single, and Kate has received huge amounts of flak for it. This was all forgotten once Foundations was released, but I have a weird feeling that her self-titled album will be split down the middle; one half full of Foundation-like pop songs and the other dancehall songs similar to Caroline Is A Victim.

Her debut is currently one of my most anticipated for 2007, not least for being produced by Paul Epworth- whose credits include Bloc Party, The Rakes and Maximo Park to name a few. The slightly weird thing about all her songs is that they sound like demos, something which you wouldn't expect when she's being produced by Epworth: however, this doesn't really detract from her sound. Whatever their plan is, the release of Caroline's A Victim was an interesting move to make, but I haven't heard to enough to judge how her album will pan out. To me, her best songs are the most basic ones like Foundations and The Nicest Thing where her sound is stripped down to the her voice and a piano/guitar backing. But take a look for yourself at the songs below, and I'm sure you will agree with me: Forget the constant Lily Allen comparisons: Kate Nash is set to be a star in her own right.

Kate Nash- Caroline's A Victim
Kate Nash- Foundations
Kate Nash- Birds
Kate Nash- Navy Taxi