Music

AUX Top 10 - March 2013

by Nicole Villeneuve

Each month at AUX, our specialists in punk, metal, indie, hip hop, electronic, and pop vouch for their favourite releases of the month and have it out behind the scenes to bring you a trim, alphabetical, genre-representational list of the Top 10 Albums of the Month. So diplomatic, right?

We put on our best Suit and Tie to bring you a look back at our favourites from the past month.

By: Marsha Casselman, Chayne Japal, Tyler Munro, Nicole Villeneuve, and Aaron Zorgel

Brandt Brauer Frick
Miami
(K7)
Clean-cut German trio Brandt Brauer Frick’s latest release on K7 continues their unique brand of techno-sans-technology. Three albums in, and their organic approach to dance music still impresses the most hardened critic, using acoustic instrumentation or even orchestral ensemble instead of electronic fare. Adding interest is that Miami, unlike previous work, isn’t all meant for wiggling on the dancefloor. Many tracks are creepy and dark, particularly the ones referencing Miami. The more palatable ones feature Jamie Lidell on soulful vocals; but a rough edge comes from acclaimed guests: Sa-Ra member and Frank Ocean producer Om’Mas Keith, experimental electronic and punk pioneer Gudrun Gut, Swedish artist Erika Janunger, and Russian house producer Nina Kraviz. (MC)

DJ Koze
Amygdala
(Pampa)
It’s fitting that this German party DJ/producer named this quirky house compilation Amygdala after the most artful part of the brain: the processor of emotional reactions. Unless you’ve got some connections loose, this album should stir up strong sentiments. DJ Koze’s self-made minimal techno tracks are joined by contributions from his experimental electronic friends for everything from drug-induced psychedelic states to easy-listening kitch and dance-floor euphoria. New sounds add a sense of fun to the often-serious genre—listen for DJ Koze’s animal noises, Dan Snaith’s signature thumb piano, Matthew Dear’s water-logged vocals. This is a playground for the minds of deep house and techno lovers. (MC)

In Vain
Ænigma
(Indie Recordings)
In Vain have always played death metal with a melodic, progressive edge, and Ænigma does little to buck the trend, delivering an immediately successful blend of cathartic, hooky-but-heavy metal. Look for the multi-part harmonies of album opener “Against the Grain” to somehow blend seamlessly with the blackened thrash of “Time of Yore,” a testament to their versatility. Ænigma isn’t perfect and it’s certainly longer than it needs to be, but In Vain’s latest is a worthwhile venture into the heavy-metal melting pot, highlighted by instrumental precision and varied, powerful vocals. (TM)

KEN mode
Entrench
(Season of Mist)
More than a decade into their career and KEN mode still can’t settle on a sound, blending different sides of metallic hardcore, noise rock, and sludge. And more than a decade into their career, they’re better for it. Topping 2011’s Venerable couldn’t have been easy, but Entrench succeeds by being the culmination of everything the band’s worked towards. It’s their most consistent, if not heaviest album, but it’s varied enough to keep the edge on with the moody, brooding ambiance of “Romeo Must Never Know” and “Monomyth” balancing the heavier side of tracks like “Secret Vasectomy” and “Your Heartwarming Story Makes Me Sick.” (TM)

Kacey Musgraves
Same Trailer, Different Park
(Mercury Nashville)
At surface value, Kacey Musgraves might not strike you as an unconventional artist, but within the relatively safe realm of the country music industry, she’s a renegade. The Sulphur Springs, Texas native self-released three albums before appearing on the USA Network’s reality singing competition Nashville Star, ultimately coming in seventh place. After joining Lady Antebellum on a UK tour, Musgraves inked a deal with Mercury Nashville, and started prepping the release of Same Trailer, Different Park. But within the strict confines of pop country, Kacey’s lyrics (and yes, she does write them herself – all twelve tracks on Same Trailer, Different Park are co-written by Musgraves) frequently subvert and question the moral norms and sanctions frequently associated with country music in the broadest sense. In “Merry Go Round,” Musgraves dives face first into challenging the system she was raised in: “It don’t matter if you don’t believe / Come Sunday morning, you best be there in the front row like you’re supposed to.” Musically, Musgraves songwriting puts her somewhere in between Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert, but her adventurous, self-deprecating (but not self-pitying) lyrics position her as a Natalie Maines (Dixie Chicks) for a new generation. (AZ)

Shotgun Jimmie
Everything, Everything
(You’ve Changed Records)
In the past, we may or may not have referred to Shotgun Jimmie as a “prince charming of Canadian indie rock,” and his latest album Everything, Everything isn’t going to change how we feel. This quick-running, 16-track effort showcases equally Jimmie’s enthusiastic lo-fi punk leanings (first single “Standing In A Line”) and his quirky, earnest charm (“Skype Date”). It also showcases his love of Vancouver’s Ladyhawk; the song of the same name also references Guided By Voices, which is an easy touchpoint for this hissy collection that feels both substantial and really digestable. He’s just living life and singing about it. Ol’ joyful Jimmie. (NV)

Marnie Stern
The Chronicles of Marnia
(Kill Rock Stars)
Marnie Stern’s heart is always right there on her sleeve no matter how much noise she tries to put on top of it. On The Chronicles of Marnia (BEST NAME), the guitar hero’s fourth full-length, she worked with a producer (Nicolas Vernhes) for the first time, who worked to push vocals and melodies over furious fretwork. The result is something prettier than we’ve previously heard (though not so pretty to validate Stern’s claim to AUX that it sounds like Taylor Swift), but Stern’s doubt and worry prevail, and we still just want to be her best friend.
(NV)

Justin Timberlake
The 20/20 Experience
(RCA)
When JT announced that he was coming back with a new album, resurrecting the notion that he’s a musician, he said he was “inspired” in June of 2012. Judging by the timeframe, it could be speculated that the inspiration he spoke of was Frank Ocean’s ten-minute, two-part wonder “Pyramids,” and The 20/20 Experience confirms that theory. While he’d flirted with suite-like transitions and flips on his previous record, Timberlake and his tight-knit task force, comprising of trusted producer Timbaland, co-producer J-Roc, and songwriter James Fauntleroy, go big on this one, crafting epic numbers that average out at seven minutes per track. First, they put together a batch of simple, nice pop songs. Then, they tricked them out to the nines and juiced them up with beautifully melodramatic breakdowns turning them into behemoths that still maintain the humble charm of their lyrics; this is what takes the album, or rather, experience, over the top. Whether or not they’re past their prime is besides the point; 20/20 is an excellently executed project by a team of professionals who are great at what they do, when they do it. (CJ)

Waxahatchee
Cerulean Salt
(Don Giovanni Records)
Twin sisters Katie and Allison Crutchfield started playing music together as teenagers in Birmingham, Alabama, first in a four-piece called The Ackleys, and later in a ‘90s-influenced indie-rock band with roots firmly planted in the D.I.Y. punk community. When P.S. Eliot disbanded in 2011, the Crutchfield twins embarked on the adventure of playing music independently from one another for the first time, with Allison starting a Rentals-esque four-piece called Swearin’, and Katie getting her solo project, Waxahatchee, off the ground. Waxahatchee’s sweet and sleepy brand of indie-pop stays true to the brutally honest and self-aware songs Katie was writing for P.S. Eliot, with sparser instrumentation, making the project feel a lot more vulnerable and intimate than her previous output. Ceruelean Salt follows Waxahatchee’s 2012 debut American Weekend, and while it’s considerably less lo-fi than her debut, it doesn’t lose any of the raw emotion we’ve come to count on from the Crutchfield twins. (AZ)

Yelawolf
Trunk Muzik Returns
(Independent)
This mixtape is another example of Yelawolf realizing his potential. He’s been firing on all cylinders for a while now, enough to catch the attention of Eminem’s Shady imprint and release his debut Radioactive to moderate success. Similar to featured guest A$AP Rocky, who gave the Alabama native a career jolt by including him on his instant classic of a posse-cut “1 Train,” Yelawolf is a Frankenstein of a rapper that reinforces his freakish talents with unique style and broad appeal. It’s just that Yelawolf gained quiet approval from a largely satisfied audience instead of cashing in on his early buzz. It might be because there’s nothing gimmicky about Yela—he refuses to play up his gold teeth or his mullet and instead keeps his music at the forefront. His efforts with go-to producer WillPower generally hit the spot and their chemistry is further established on this project. These ten tracks offer ten more reasons to talk about Yelawolf. Hopefully, the conversation comes up. (CJ)