I have found myself lamenting as of late over the state of music. This year has been a disappointment overall in terms of releases. Bands I used to enjoy and respect have put out lackluster albums (Taking Back Sunday, Thrice, Manchester Orchestra, Cursive, Thursday) and the current musical trends (I'm sure you're quite familiar with my mixed feelings about lo-fi, but what is this emotronic shit?) confuse and scare me. I feel like an old man who is afraid to leave his front porch because sinister looking kids are playing hacky sack on the corner.
One of my favourite bands of all time, Brand New, is about to release their fourth album. I am nervous. Obviously I am anxious to hear said album, but I am also concerned that it will be a grand letdown. Based on the first single "At The Bottom," I am alarmed. The lyrics are disappointing. I'm not quite sure why Jesse Lacey is vocally insistent on affirming that he is from the backroads of Tennessee (as opposed to Long Island). The sing-song chorus leaves a bad taste in my mouth—something god-awful and sugary sweet like cream soda. I will wait until I hear the album in full before I make any concrete judgements, however. Also, I will wait until that point before I shell out 30 bucks on a ticket to their November show at Kool Haus.
I recently wrote about Gabe Saporta and his downward spiral into self-aggrandizing pop-hipster irrelevance. As I perused the myspace page of a band I had high hopes for, I was painfully reminded of Saporta.
The fellows in this photograph are Johnny Whitney and Cody Votolato, members of Jaguar Love and former members of another of my favourite bands of all time, Blood Brothers. Jaguar Love started as a project featuring Jay Clark, formerly of Pretty Girls Make Graves, on drums and a touring bassist and keyboardist. Clark departed around the new year and instead of replacing him and venturing on, Whitney and Votolato decided to refine the band's sound to a more electronic one and simply play as a duo.
Interestingly, when I saw the full-band version of Jaguar Love last summer I was rather underwhelmed. They lacked the wit and edge of Blood Brothers and it didn't help that they were playing with The Faint. Not my scene, to say the least. However, the idea of them now touring as an electronic duo and playing songs from the first album "a bit different....almost like we remixed them" makes me sick. Also, look at them. What self-indulgent douchebags.
In more positive news, the other half of Blood Brothers, Past Lives, are nearly done recording an album. If last summer's Strange Symmetry EP was any indication, this album will be just the ticket. Please don't let me down Blilie et al. Please.
