Album of the Week 5/1 - 5/7: "Before the World Was Big" by Girlpool

     Feminist-flavored, girl-empowering Rock music has been around since the "Riot Grrrl" movement in the 90s. However, in recent years, the Rock and Indie scenes have seen some very rad, very talented female-fronted bands come to fruition once again. One of these bands is Girlpool. Have you heard of them? Listened, maybe? If not, find a computer or phone fast--you don't want to miss these girls. This all-female duo from LA is here to demand your attention with what has been dubbed as "Folk Punk". The group has been known for tackling gender-based issues in the past, especially with tracks like "Slutmouth", where both ladies harmonize, "I go to school everyday/ Just to be made a housewife one day." With scathing societal commentary and a raw sound that is ever-so-pleasing to the ear (via uber-catchy riffs involving simple Folk-esque guitar), Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad alternate instruments and turns singing. The album has a melancholy tone, which seems to yearn for past, simpler times. With an album title like "Before the World Was Big" and album artwork that features innocent-looking children playing with toys, one can't help but feel a sense of nostalgia evoked from music that tackles societal, as well as emotional, issues--an odd mixture. 

     Girlpool is bad-ass band trying to get their message across in every song, but don't surmise that they lack sensitivity or emotional depth. Tracks like "Chinatown" perfectly encapsulate the soft, sensitive side of Girlpool. As the song laments about what seems to be a lost lover, inner demons are illustrated via dark lyrics. The second verse says, at one point, "I am nervous for tomorrow and today," as well as, "If I loved myself,/ Would I take it the wrong way?" Girlpool tackles everything in their lyrics from gender roles in modern society to lost love to issues with self-acceptance. And, all this is done with a simple, folksy, DIY-sounding form of Punk that keeps your foot tapping the entire way through the album. Girpool is going to be huge! Pick up/listen to their music now! We love them here at Multi-Fret. Check out our top 5 tracks from the album below:

Pretty

Before the World Was Big

Chinatown

Cherry Picking

Ideal World

We give this albuma 4.5/5! What do you give it? Let us know! Stream the album below via a YouTube playlist:

Before the World Was Big Full Album YouTube Playlist

     

Album of the Week 4/24 - 4/30: "Portamento" by The Drums

     Looking for a modern twist on stereotypical retro Surfer Rock?  Well, look no further than the 2011 LP release "Portamento" by a Brooklyn duo known as The Drums!  Though we usually review and write about relatively new music or musical news, there seems to be a bit of a buzz about this 5-year-old audio candy, which has already become a classic, in our circle of peeps.  The Drums are classified as "Indie Pop", but leaving their genre categorization at that would be unfair to the versatility and intricacy of the music. There are certainly themes of both Indie and Pop within The Drums' catalog, but they add a twist of what feels like Surfer Rock or New Wave, at many times. This delicately-crafted musical formula was perfected on "Portamento"; every track on the album has a catchy vibe that makes for easy listening, all while the lyrics hold a certain angsty weight. For instance, on "Money", which is arguably the band's most popular single to date (and appears on the album), lead singer Jonathan Pierce laments his monetary struggles in the chorus by repeating, "I want to buy you something,/ But I don't have money."  Lines like these make up most of The Drums' music.  Still, the band isn't afraid to take songs to dark places with their lyrics. On the track "I Need A Doctor", a couple lines sing, "That night you put your lipstick on me,/ I felt so stupid, so I drank to get dizzy./ And when you fell asleep,/ I threw a tambourine at your face."  From the everyday norm to the off-the-wall bizarre, The Drums have you covered with retro-eqsue and catchy music.
     "Portamento" is a masterpiece for a number of reasons, but one reason is certainly tied in with the fact that every track on the album is disarming. There is always something comforting about soft guitar riffs made of repetitive notes, accompanied by passionate, melancholic vocals.  This is easily an album you could play around your grandparents--there is nothing aggressive or profane on this album.  The Drums just want to take you on a journey, while sharing all the audio candy they have to offer with you.  If you haven't heard this gem yet, give your ears a present next time you get a chance with "Portamento"!  Check out our 5 top fav tracks below:

Hard To Love
Money
Days
Book of Revelation
I Need A Doctor

We give this album a 5/5 and have it on rotation all the time, especially the single "Money"! What do you think of it? Let us know! Stream the album below:

Portamento Full Album via YouTube
   

Album of the Week 4/17 - 4/23: "All of Something" by Sports

     Are you a fan of DIY-sounding, Indie-tinged Punk with female vocals? Or, did you not even know that such a musical concoction existed? Either way, if you like any music influenced by Punk or Indie styles, the Ohio-based band Sports (also written as SPORTS, at times) is something you should most definitely look into! With their newest LP release, "All of Something", Sports have recently poked their heads into the mainstream. However, the band is still a bit of a contradiction--they seem to be a band floating through the mainstream, all while evoking a sense of an "underground" sentiment.  This is reinforced, in part, by the fact that the band has been written about in Rolling Stone while their official band site is still on Bandcamp.com (a site for underground bands with almost no money). The album itself is a cohesive, catchy one: the songs are quick in length, as well as quick in tempo, and the lyrics usually center around break-ups.  The Surfer Rock-esque chords that make up this 10-track album make it a perfect album to pick up/download in time for summer. However, the angsty lyrics from Sports juxtapose their lighthearted musical composition. 

     For example, the lead singer (whose full name is still unknown) says un-apologetically on the track "Reality TV", "I heard you say you're broken-hearted/ Is there any other way to be?" However, don't be fooled--Sports is not a group that merely pumps out break-up laments with a Surfer Rock sound. The band manages to shift their focal point from song to song, inhibiting any stagnancy or redundancy. In addition, the album even holds Sports' first acoustic ballad: "Clean Socks". Not only can you bob your head to this band, you can give a serious nod towards your stereo as you savor their sensitivity that practically oozes out of the speakers. Keep following Sports, because you are going to be hearing a hell of a lot more about them in the near future! Check out our top 5 fav tracks off of the album below:

The Washing Machine

Saturday

Reality TV

Clean Socks

Get Bummed Out

Here at Multi-Fret, we give "All of Something" a 4/5! The album isn't out in its entirety on YouTube yet. But, you can still listen to some select singles, whose links are provided below:

"Reality TV"

"Get Bummed Out"

"The Washing Machine"

   

Album of the Week 3/27 - 4/2: "Strangers to Ourselves" by Modest Mouse

     Most people know Modest Mouse for one of two reasons: they heard the band's early-2000s hit "Float On", or they are Indie fans. Regardless of why you know of Modest Mouse, let us introduce you to another album that is essential to a complete collection of Indie goodness: "Strangers to Ourselves". Though this album came out in March of 2015, it still has everyone at Multi-Fret bobbing their heads and tapping pens on their desks to the ear candy. Whether it's singer/guitarist Isaac Brock's bizarre, head-scratch-inducing lyrics or the odd composition of MM songs, no one has quite yet deciphered what makes Modest Mouse stand out. We argue that it is their ability to produce brilliant music that sticks in your head for days. Whether Brock is lamenting about how "mankind is acting like serial killers" to the environment on the beautiful and tactful acoustic track "Coyotes" or apologizing for a "late package" (which could be symbolic of just about anything) on the trance-like track "Sh*t in Your Cut", the sincerity is always too blatant to miss.  

     This album grabbed everyone and their mama's attention with its initial single: "Lampshades on Fire", which followed the overarching theme of how poorly humans treat the Earth and its resources, while incorporating hooks you can't shake out of your head. But, there is more to offer than a flashy single and its video. The band has over five members. So, it's hard to figure out how the group manages to keep pumping out albums that have so much substance. Luckily for all of us, they seem to have that under control. If you're looking for something soft on the ears, but chewy for the mind, check this album out ASAP!  We have our 5 fav songs off the album below:

The Best Room

Lampshades on Fire

Wicked Campaign

Coyotes 

Sh*t in Your Cut

We give this album a 5/5! What do you give it? Stream it below:

Strangers to Ourselves Full Album via YouTube

Album of the Week 2/7 - 2/14: Tell Me I'm Pretty by Cage the Elephant

     For all of you Indie Rock fans out there that have been chomping at the bit for a new favorite album, look no further! Kentucky-based Indie band Cage the Elephant sent 2015 packing with a bang, as they released this newest LP in mid-December. The staff here at The Multi-Fret Gazette have had the album streaming non-stop lately, and it's an all-around favorite in the office. Hell, it's not hard to see why! The album, whose title in itself is a brilliant work of societal satire, kicks off with the catchy, off-the-wall first chords of "Cry Baby". Following the cynical tone of the album title, this first track even has an embedded line that declares,"We all have something important to say/But talking's a waste of time." The track is followed by the swift-tempo'd chorus and guitar riff of the latest Rock radio staple "Mess Around".  The album is killer throughout all ten tracks, but, as music lovers and critics, we narrowed down some favorites that we recommend you check out.  The Multi-Fret favs are below:

Mess Around
Sweetie Little Jean
Cold, Cold, Cold
Punchin' Bag
Portuguese Knife Fight

Check out this album, which is sure to rack up some awards this year! We give it a 5/5! Stream the entire album below:

Tell Me I'm Pretty (Full Album) via YouTube