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In which an irrelevant blogger reviews an obscure and sold-out cassette.

Thesis

If I've had an "off" day this summer, today was it. At work, I fumbled over words and generally misrepresented myself as myself five years younger. Once home, I watched the end of Home Alone and the beginning of Wayne's World. I ate a Tibetan rice dish, birthday cake, and Ben & Jerry's ice cream for dinner. While watching The Holy Mountain in my bedroom, my peripheral vision kept confusing the oscillating fan with ghosts or cats or something else. I've decided to take the next two days off work, to work on me and read X-Men comics. I also plan on having fun with my best friends.

Until then, I'll chill out with a new record I've happily stumbled across (read: found on the forum).

Summer Music Review (01)

Days Of Heaven [2011]

by Remote Islands

(Stunned Records)

Certainly a tape worth blogging about, and quickly becoming one of my favorites of the year. Background: a bunch of smart Philly-area musicians gathered around and made a smart pop record. This manifests itself in tight, memorable melodies and lush (strings), confident instrumentals.

All of this is vague (for specifics, check out above link), and there are several reference points I could and should use, if I weren't so sleepy. The label itself lists "everything that's been effective, uncompromised, and lasting about pop & rock music" as a reference. So that's good. Maybe Olivia Tremor Control, with less Beatles/psychedelia-mentality? I name OTC because it's hard not to hear the work of many minds (and instruments) at work on this record, and because of Remote Islands' "classic" sound. I dislike that descriptor, but what else am I to do with the bluesy-rock of "There's A Cost Associated"? They definitely listened to The Rolling Stones. Or maybe the singer just sounds like Jagger on that song. A little bit of Nurses, too. Um.

Why this record is special: stellar songwriting, warm production, and well-balanced sequencing. Really, it has all the makings of a typical Great Record. The opener sounds like an exciting and catchy single, the closer sounds like an emotional big finish. But there's a weirdness and a restraint that makes this record something special, that elevates it. What could be overbearing (strings, again) are well-placed, and what could be cloying ("classic" sound), sounds tasteful when recontextualized. Like Ford & Lopatin before them (but unlike Ford & Lopatin in every other way), Remote Islands' innovative, fun, and irony-free reclamation of vintage structures and sounds sets Days Of Heaven apart from the multitudes of indie experimental pop-rock. They're making it all sound new again!

Did I mention how talented everyone is in this band? I probably did. Or how immediate and brazen so many of these songs sound? For all y'all hating on my other jams, Remote Islands is accessible and hella cool. This is a band and a recording to remember. Say it with me: REMOTE ISLANDS.

Conclusions

I should stop blogging after midnight, with low battery. On the other hand, my blog count for June may hit the double digits. If all goes according to plan, each will be titled a number. Guess what the number will be on my birthday! By the way, it's Bro's birthday today! Happy Birthday Bro! Did I mention that I was able to use "fam" as a direct address several times at his graduation party? Anyway:

Goodnight, fam.

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