Hangin' Out In 100b

Wow, September was like new release mayhem! There’s a lot of stuff to cover this month, so we better just jump right in.

The release with the most attention on it was probably Kings Of Leon‘s fourth album, Only By The Night. This one sees our Kings sounding much more Achtung Baby and a little less hillbilly – not as sleazy as they used to be, but way more sultry. I’ll admit that, although I liked “Sex On Fire” when I first heard it, I was a little dubious about this new album. But I shouldn’t have worried – Only By The Night didn’t grab me immediately the way that Kings Of Leon’s first albums did, but it’s grown on me enormously over the last two weeks. If you’re not convinced, check out “Crawl”, “Manhattan”, and “Notion” and see if they don’t win you over.

Next up is the lovely Peter, Bjorn & John with their latest, Seaside Rock. My opinion of this album kind of depends on how we’re supposed to take it: is this the real next Peter, Bjorn & John album, follow-up to the glorious Writer’s Block, or is it an experimental interlude? Seaside Rock is definitely interesting, and has some great music on it, but it doesn’t feel like an album. And although the odd Swedish stories (which may not be odd if I actually knew what they were telling me) are kind of charming at first, and set a certain mood, I can see where they could get a little annoying after a while – like skits on rap albums, only not dumb. In general, I suspect that Seaside Rock will be great for making mix CDs and playlists (“Saying Something (Mukiya)”, for example, would sound great on a mix), but I doubt it’ll be one of my most often played albums ever.

The always fun Spinto Band released their second LP, Moonwink last month and although it’s quite nice indeed, it’s doesn’t stray too far from where they left off on Nice And Nicely Done. That’s not a criticism, more of a taste test: if you loved “Oh Mandy”, go get yourself a copy of Moonwink right away. If you didn’t, this new album probably isn’t going to change your mind.

Fujiya & Miyagi haven’t changed much up on their third album, Lightbulbs, either, but I do feel like they’ve gotten even better at what they do. “Knickerbocker” has got to be one of the best singles of the year, and “Uh” (below) makes the world’s best use of ‘sock it to me’. I wasn’t sure that the slower songs (“Goosebumps”, “Dishwasher”) quite fit at first, but now I’m thinking that the slight variations on this album give it a little extra something that Transparent Things lacked.

Speaking of lacking: anyone who, like me, felt that the only problem with the otherwise spectacular Casino Royale was the rather weak Chris Cornell Bond theme (“You Know My Name”) will be glad to hear the Jack White / Alicia Keys collaboration for Quantum Of Solace (if you somehow haven’t already). Sounding old and new at the same time, “Another Way To Die” is a much more fitting Bond theme.

Sadly, The Streets‘ Everything Is Borrowed is not such a triumph. Although it sounds more like a party than Mike Skinner’s previous albums, it doesn’t have nearly the same weight that his first two albums had. The title track does indeed make for a pretty catchy single, but it’s got an ordinary-ness that “Fit But You Know It” could crush with its pinky. Having said all of that, I should add as a disclaimer that I’ve only really listened to this album once properly, and Skinner’s greatest skill is most often found in his lyrics, so I’ll definitely give this more of a chance over time.

My beloved Raveonettes, continuing their EP spree, released the “Sometimes They Drop By” EP, much to my delight. I’ll never get tired of these guys and their motorcycle gang fuzz. These four songs aren’t a drastic change to anything that came before, but they do sound like they’ve been spending some time down at the drive-in watching martian movies. With every thing they do, The Raveonettes just keep getting a tiny bit better and I’m always anxious to hear what will come next.

Of course, I’ve saved the best for last. Well, depending on who you ask. Cold War Kids seem to be a seriously polarizing band, based on various comments I’ve seen around the internets lately. You either love ‘em or you hate ‘em and there’s nothing in between. I guess I could see how their sound isn’t for everyone, but I’m in the love ‘em camp and I can’t imagine anything changing my mind. Loyalty To Loyalty was much anticipated at here 100b and it doesn’t disappoint. True, it’s much less structured than Robbers & Cowards, and that might be disconcerting for some. It feels more like a great live band (which they are, by the way, one of the best we’ve ever seen) doing their thing than an orderly album – it’s funkier, more beat-driven (an underrated aspect of Cold War Kids has always been their drums), both more rowdy and more subtle than their first. This is the kind of album that sticks around for a long time, and keeps getting better and better the more it’s played.

   Fujiya & Miyagi – Uh
   Cold War Kids – Dreams Old Men Dream