Candy Claws, Paper Diamond, & The Radio Dept.

I first heard Candy Claws in an indie mixtape that I stumbled upon a few months ago. At this point, their album, Hidden Land, had not been released but blogs and review sites were blowing up claiming it was the next most anticipated album since Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion. No. False. Animal Collective is on a platform high above the rest of the music world. Candy Claws' Hidden Land is... well, it's weird. I'm not a fan of this highly acclaimed album. Candy Claws is a group of eight. For me, that's too many people competing for very limited space. Hidden Land is almost entirely the product of synthesizers... a giant no-no unless done properly. The vocals are almost entirely breathy to the point that lyrics are indiscernible. They kind of sound like winds passing through that just happen to be making precise pitches. I don't know, maybe that's your cup of tea, but for me I just can't get into it. It's downright boring. If you do listen though, the most interesting song on the album is definitely The Breathing Fire, and it's rather indicative of the rest of the album.

Paper Diamond's Levitate, on the other hand, is a masterpiece of digitized beats. I'm not sure anything on this album actually originates from a tangible instrument, but it works. This Denver native has a penchant for electronic formulations and seems to thrive off contrived syncopation. The album opens with a mysterious chromatic scale which seems to establish one kind of beat, but then the kick and snare chime in and flip the beat to create something highly dig-able and totally different from what was once perceived. This is where he works his magic. The beats come out of nowhere on this album and catch the listener off guard. But just when you think, "woah, what just happened there?" you're bobbing your head and the all too familiar grin takes shape on your face. I definitely recommend this album. Favorite songs: Snowfall and So Precise. As a note: Paper Diamond is playing at the Fillmore on Miami Beach on March 24th.

I have been listening to The Radio Dept. for years. This Swedish trio specializes in the indie subgenre of dream pop... whatever that means. On first listen of their newest project, Clinging To A Scheme, the subgenre actually starts to take shape, and you realize dream pop is really the best way to characterize what's going on. The first song on the album, Domestic Scene, is beautiful and humbling. It literally forces you to question your place in your domestic scene. Colored with very simple guitar harmonies and a punching yet subdued bass, this song is really a downer if looked at retrospectively, but it sets you up for the jump in the rest of the tracks. The album overall is happy and complacent. Listen to it only if you're in the mood for something background, otherwise you'll be waiting for excitement that never comes. You'll be pleasantly surprised though to find that it grabs your attention more than the stigma of background music suggests; this is probably because the lead singer's voice is unique and gives the album a needed flare. Definitely not one to overlook. Favorite songs: Domestic Scene, Heaven's On Fire, and You Stopped Making Sense.

Best, Jonathan