Sunday, May 31, 2009

Back to School for You


You know the other day, I thought I would listen to Mercury Rev just to revisit the past. When I was younger, I had some good times while listening to the album "Deserter's Songs." But now...I can't do it. The vocals rub me the wrong way. Putting my irritation aside, I still can hear that the instrumentation on the album is still absolutely fantastic.

So, let's fast forward to 2009, and talk about a band that uses similar guitar techniques, North Elementary. They have just released their new album, "Not For Everyone, Just You". Seriously, this is a well produced album that is musically teeming with lushness and textures. Touches of swirly guitars and feedback make the album somewhat experimental, but these elements are used as accents. Essentially, the experimentation never gets in the way of the accessibility of this album. This is a solid rock-pop album that is right for a good time. How you define a good time is up to you, but there is no doubt that this album will be a good accompaniment. Like I said it's experimental at times, but it also still rocks out.