Reviews

A few more mini-reviews.



Moving Units
Hexes for Exes
RIYL: The Rapture, The Faint, You Are The Drum, Death From Above 1979
"Blood Beats"

A mix of post-punk and dancy indie rock, Hexes for Exes is the next logical step for the band. While it no longer relies on a minimalist charm and is more The Faint than ever, the album still fits right along with everything Moving Units have released since their ThreeOneG debut. To put it bluntly, they're one of the few “dance punk” bands who don't immediately stand out as garbage. Compared to bands like VHS or Beta or Death From Above 1979, Moving Units avoid rock star ripoff status because they aren't a carbon-copy of their influences. That, and they just have so many of them. Sure, there's Gang of Four, ESG, Pixies, The Cure, Daft Punk ad nauseum, but listen closely enough and you can hear a little bit of Can, Wire, and even Captain Beefheart. Moving Units have been a long time favorite of the Southern California scene, but then again Palatka's "The Truth About San Diego" sums it up pretty well.



Jens Lekman
Night Falls Over Kortedala
RIYL: El Perro Del Mar, Belle and Sebastian, Architecture in Helsinki, Morrissey
"The Opposite Of Hallelujah"

Either you like him or you don't, and I doubt that will ever change. Night Falls Over Kortedala is all and more that we've come to expect from Jens Lekman, and like his previous albums, there are small shimmers I can only describe as incredible whereas everything else tries desperately to remain a complete bore. There's some appeal in that, though. It's why people like Belle and Sebastian probably. The difference is that Night Falls Over Kortedala is playful with its depression. Piano, ukulele, wordsmithing—dig it.



Chicago Afrobeat Project
(A) Move to Silent Unrest
RIYL: Fela Kuti, Antibalas, The Budos Band, Nomo
"Superstar Pt. 7"

Afrobeat is working its way closer into the mainstream every year, and 2007 is no exception having seen so many releases. CAbP keep a bright spotlight on their influences while dancing around a lot of obscure genres. Jeff Parker from Tortoise is noted as working with the band frequently, but since they're from Chicago, it's pretty much a given that a Tortoise member is somehow involved. Silly me, thinking that the similarities were a coincidence. Most of the songs have long runtimes, but they transition so much that you'll never feel worn out. (A) Move to Silent Unrest is simply the best orchestrated Afrobeat album of the year.