CD reviews

Dan Black's ((Un))

Dan Black
((Un))
(Universal)
*5.0*
Goes well with: Patrick Wolf, Owl City, Postal Service

I’m that music critic you love to hate—the one whose fickle nature often relies solely on whether something is indie and underground enough, only to completely abandon and disparage it once sorority chicks and sddialedin.com catches wind of it. Simply, once a song reaches a certain saturation point, where everyone seems to love it, I’ll abandon it. Yeah, I’m a snob. Deal with it.

That said, while I’m not in the habit of explaining, literally, what the numerical rating of my reviews mean, I feel somewhat bound to do so in the case of Dan Black’s debut. It’s at exactly 5.0, right in the middle, because, right now, I really like his smooth white-boy electro-soul and would have probably given it an 8.0 or better. But wait until the KCRW lemmings start tweeting about the ridiculously catchy, Verve-inspired single “Symphonies,” which will be followed by corporate alternative radio, followed by an iPod commercial. Suddenly, the entire Wal-Mart-shopping, Taylor Swift-listening public is ga-ga-ga, ra-ra-ra, oh-la-la for Dan Black.

You see, it’s all about timing with a music dick like me. Still, I really like Black’s album right now. But now that you’ve read this, you’ll probably go check it out, and as soon as you like it, it sucks.

—Seth Combs

Dan Black plays 710 Beach Club on Monday, Feb. 22.

Moon Duo
Escape
(Woodsist)
*7.8*
Goes well with: Suicide, Loop, Neu!, the Doors

As the catalyst for enigmatic San Francisco quartet Wooden Shjips, Ripley Johnson is clearly of the belief that repetition is a key factor in the quest to open one’s third eye. And anyone privy to that band’s swathes of guitar crackle, phantom vocals and primitive drum throb will find themselves right at home with his other project, Moon Duo.

Despite there being few distinguishable characteristics between the two groups, Johnson has figured out a way to mainline the California mystique directly into his bloodstream. This record is book-ended by its highlights—“Motorcycle, I Love You” channeling negative vibes on par with the Stones’ Altamont debacle and the title track offering what it promises, serving up gentle drum machine pulses and phased guitars that ebb and flow like the Pacific tides.

Escape should be required listening for long, lonely drives in the middle of the night, should one happen to take them. At four songs and just under half-an-hour long, it doesn’t require close scrutiny; but, if left on repeat, its insistent rhythms and subversively sinister vibrations should inspire even the most upstanding of citizens to break a few speed laws.

—Todd Kroviak

The Soundtrack of Our Lives
Communion
(Yep Roc)
*6.9*
Goes well with: The Who, Led Zeppelin, Nick Drake

If you’re a disciple of ’70s classic-rock FM radio, The Soundtrack of Our Lives may be the soundtrack to your life. This ambitious double-disc feels more akin to an afternoon spent with Dr. Johnny Fever than the product of a Swedish rock ’n’ roll juggernaut.

And it certainly doesn’t focus on any single act of yesteryear, either. This album is all over the place, and many of the songs, such as “RA 88,” sound like a mix of Meddle-era Pink Floyd mashed up with a little Led Zep. Some of the experiments fall flat, but when the winners hit, they hit hard and stick with you.

Case in point—a pair of key tracks from the second disc: “Flipside” sounds like a lost sing-along gem, driven by acoustic guitars, syrupy harmonies and handclaps. It’s practically screaming to be in a car commercial. The follow-up, “Los Prophets in Vain,” is another winner, albeit in a completely different light. It’s a dark anthem that hints at a Blue Oyster Cult fetish. And there’s the fantastic cover of Nick Drake’s “Fly,” which transforms the quiet original into a soaring anthem with a few key tweaks.

My only gripe is that The Soundtrack of Our Lives are such adept shape-shifters that, somewhere along the way, they lose their own identity. The band proves its worth in the chops and taste departments, but they aren’t gonna score too high in the originality category.

—Dryw Keltz