Barenaked Ladies, “Barenaked Ladies Are Me”
POP|Desperation, released today
Listen to the alt-country addiction of the musical essay “Bank Job” or the subtle beauty of “Adrift” on the new Barenaked Ladies record, and tell me Steven Page and Ed Robertson aren’t new men. There’s a fresh tone to some of their music, and ever since their last record, “Everything to Everyone,” the Ladies seem, dare I say, grown up.
Granted, the silly pop songs are still here, including “Bull in a China Shop” and “Wind It Up.” But they play second fiddle to the more thoughtful songs, which have the band sounding like the elder rock statesmen they actually are. You can’t take away the band’s previous successes, but it goes without saying that the group has always been an acquired taste.
A couple of these songs widen their appeal, from the banjo-and-accordion intoxication of “Everything Had Changed” to the quietly grounded “Adrift.” Most of the record plays to the band’s past successes, but these moments hint at a greater depth, an encouraging turn given their prankster reputation. |Ricardo Baca
TV on the Radio, “Return to Cookie Mountain”
INDIE ROCK/ELECTRONIC|Interscope, released today
Like the Arcade Fire or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, TV on the Radio is an indie buzz band shouldering a mountain of hype. Its 2004 debut, “Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes,” enthralled hipsters everywhere with its murky, dystopian mash of electronics, churning percussion and abused guitars.
The long-delayed “Return to Cookie Mountain,” (available since July as an import) proves TVOTR deserved every shred of positive press. With a big budget and even bigger sonic palette, the quintet embraces gospel, glitch-laden synth-punk and much in between. The spooky, galloping percussion on “Hours” sounds like a mangled David Lynch soundtrack, while the frenetic “Playhouses” mimics the feeling of falling through debris.
But for every challenging, unfamiliar sound there’s the addictive and dance-friendly “Wolf Like Me,” or “Blues from Down Here.” A trio of remixes (including El-P’s boisterous take on “Hours”) rounds out “Cookie Mountain,” easily the most important, adventurous rock album to come out of New York this year. |John Wenzel|TV on the Radio plays the Fox Theatre on Sept. 19.
Xiu Xiu, “The Air Force”
INDIE/EXPERIMENTAL|5RC, released today
If you like your pop songs slathered in melodramatic vocals and random bursts of noise, you’ll love Xiu Xiu. The San Jose, Calif.-based act weaves strains of ’90s lo-fi, ’80s goth, laptop pop and dance rock into its obtuse songs, utterly oblivious to how pretentious it may sound.
“The Air Force” meets casual listeners halfway with tracks like “Boy Soprano” and “Hello from Eau Claire,” weirdly appealing songs that sound better with repeated listens. Like early Magnetic Fields, the melodic flourishes and traditional structures are obscured by left-field instrumentation and fuzz.
Singer/songwriter Jamie Stewart seems to pride himself on icky lines like “a duped bridal hole and a boyhood slipping in blood,” but the intelligence behind them wins in the end. |John Wenzel|Xiu Xiu plays the Larimer Lounge on Sept. 23.
Other releases today:
Justin Timberlake, “FutureSex/LoveSounds” (Jive) Timberlake’s last record was ubiquitous for years, and J.T.’s sophomore record, fronted by the hot single “SexyBack,” could be the pop record in coming months.
John Mayer, “Continuum” (Sony) Mayer’s third full-length album has him adding “producer” to his list of credits. It will be interesting to see how Mayer manages his own skillful guitar work and breathy vocals from behind the boards.
