One of my favorite albums of all time is The Con by Tegan and Sara, and though I didn't like their followup entitled Sainthood, I still get excited for new music. It's probably mostly due to my subscription to Rdio, but more on that later. The only song I'd heard off Heartthrob previous to its release was "Closer," and it's a catchy electronic tune. It really set up what the album would sound like -- and it's pretty good. I have some issues with some of the songs - there's a few sounds I cringe at (particularly the intro to one song) and some lyrics are quite plain and seem uninspired in comparison to what I know these two brilliant women are capable of. The beats are fun though, and I did some cleaning tonight with them as my soundtrack. My current favorite track is "Drove Me Wild." After a few days of listening, I'd give Heartthrob a solid B.
Has anybody else listened? Thoughts?
In other music-related news...
>> She & Him announced their album will be released May 7th! And they will have a summer tour! HOORAY! Thanks to Emily from NeverBeenHeard for letting me know at the same moment that I got the She & Him newsletter in my inbox! (Also, her music blog is rad.)
>> Jason Tate, founder of AbsolutePunk.net, wrote about why he prefers Rdio to Spotify and I have to agree with him on all counts. For myself (unlike Tate, my job is not 'music'), I think Rdio has piqued my interest in music again; I might not have checked out Tegan and Sara's new album on release day had it not been available to stream on Rdio. I know for a fact I never would have checked out the Nashville soundtrack without it. By the way, Rdio sends me e-mails whenever a new song by the Nashville cast is added to streaming - these are great e-mails to receive.
>> How convenient, Rdio is currently offering up to six months of their service for free. Go forth and check it out. Thanks to Erica for giving me my own free subscription for three months originally!
>> Speaking of AbsolutePunk.net, I signed in today and realized next month I will have been a member of that site for ten years. Dude, I feel old. I remember when I first signed up as a sophomore in college, it was to read stories about Midtown, Dashboard Confessional, Drive-Thru records (and their owners), Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, etc. OLD. Yet, the site is still relevant, and that makes me happy.
>> Besides Tegan and Sara, I'm also listening to The Lone Bellow's new self-titled album. They are great at harmonizing, something I witnessed last Monday night when I saw them play a live acoustic set at the Union Square Barnes & Noble. Talent! Check check.
What are you listening to? I'm always looking for recommendations!
I don't like the new Tegan and Sara - I feel like the only one! But, I just can't get into it, so I stopped trying.
ReplyDeleteI've been pretty much listening to old favorites and Vinnie Caruana, who has a new EP.
Ok I gave it one more listen! And some of the songs are fun. Perhaps it's catchier today because it's Friday.
ReplyDeleteI knew you'd come around at some point -- I just have to think of it differently, without expectations. If I think I'm about to listen to a pop dance album, I'm good. It's great, even. When I think about The Con, I just get bummed when the album starts. I have to concede that T&S have never made albums that sound alike. They started up as straight-up folk. I appreciate anybody that can try new things, at least this was good. So many people usually fail.
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