Albums: The Little Ones, Light FM, Hearts of Palm
Kevin Bronson on
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[Catching up with recent album releases, starting with three by L.A. bands:]
The Little Ones, “Morning Tide” (Chop Shop/Atlantic) — Sometimes it’s all about context. The nation’s economy is collapsing; the upcoming election has unearthed hatred and vitriol we prayed was buried forever; natural disasters are followed by more natural disasters; our heroes give up; we celebrate excess even as it smothers us; and, oh yeah, I’m unemployed. Then the Little Ones — a full two years of label woes after the L.A. quintet’s debut “Sing Song” EP — come along like Rhymin’ Simon on Adderol and deliver a guileless pop album about nature and family and risin’-and-shinin’ and farms and white sandy beaches. Somebody will hate this record because it’s not original enough, or they think the doses of Afro-beats are too trend-conscious, or they find Ed Reyes’ vocals a little precious. But it’s not going to be me.
||| Live: The Little Ones play the Echo on Nov. 14 and the Detroit Bar the next night.
||| Download: “Morning Tide”
Light FM, “Black Magic Marker” (Devil in the Woods) — Parked uncomfortably in a compact space between the luxury vehicles that are Weezer and the Cars, the latest from this L.A. quartet struggles mightily to squeeze out the passenger door. Airtight production, monster hooks and big dollops of fuzz- and candy-coated noise from guitarist Josiah Mazzaschi and keyboardist Kim Haden make this a great freeway album — listen to “The High” with the windows down — but the electro sheen gets awfully thick in places.
||| Live: Light FM celebrates its album release with a show Tuesday at Boardner’s.
||| Download: “The High.”
Hearts of Palm UK, “For Life” (Hypnote) — Twinkle, twinkle, little stars; how thine fingers heal the scars. No, HOPUK frontwoman Erica Electra had no part in that cheesy couplet, other than inspiring me to react to her trio’s airy, keyboard-driven romp through her diary entries. The leaden bass lines and twitchy beats keep this debut album from being just another waif-with-a-piano, and the fresh production puts an almost postmodern spin on the crimes against Electra’s heart. It’s nice to hear she spent her contest winnings well.
||| Live: HOPUK celebrates its album release with a show tonight at El Cid.
||| Download: “I Flow”
[…] UPDATE: Bronson at Buzzbands has heard the entire album, check out his review. […]
hey kevin , sometimes i get the impression that you like the band more as a friend than a record reviewer. the little ones had a good song two years ago. thats all. new record is too late.
Hey John — Well, I’ve been accused of that before. But I’m not sure what you mean by “too late.” Too late to capture the momentum they had from the EP? Too late for the music to be fashionable? Too late because Vampire Weekend donned pretty vests and blew up channeling much the same aesthetic as “Sing Song”? The catchy pop elements of the record would have been there had it come out in 2007, or 1997, for that matter.