Friday 5 is neat & pretty!

January 9th 2009 by E..

Doves - “Black And White Town” from Some Cities
With their fourth album on the horizon, it’s only right to feature another gem of indie-Motown, and from England, no less!…Doves could easily be lumped in with countless other Britpop bands if it weren’t for the heavy soul influence in their music…most Britpoppers are all sneer and no heart, but such is not the case with these lads…

Camper Van Beethoven - “Opi Rides Again/Club Med Sucks” from Telephone Free Landslide Victory
Though Cracker was more beer-soaked and down-home, Camper Van Beethoven really were (and are) the great American rock and roll band…few people see past “Take The Skinheads Bowling” to find the worldly influences on David Lowery’s more experimental project…an early track, this song is almost Minutemen-like, with its stop-start rhythm and its middle finger aimed at the middle class…Lowery may be great at sweet and tender songs, but damn if he can’t pen a real rocker, too…

Peter, Bjorn And John - “Nothing To Worry About” from Living Thing
The second track to be released from the Swedish trio’s forthcoming album was leaked onto the internet by none other than Kanye West…if this song is a good indication of the whole album’s sound, it seems like bassist/keyboardist/producer Björn Yttling is taking cues from his work on Lykke Li’s Youth Novels…kids, shouting and electronics are layered over PB&J’s trademark indie pop…regardless of what Kanye says, this is certainly an album to look forward to…

The Black Keys - “The Desperate Man” from Rubber Factory
The blues duo has released a lot of gritty, scuzzy rock and roll over the years, but this song definitely qualifies as Jon Spencer Blues Explosion-style funk…an overdriven guitar is Dan Auerbach’s signature, though he’ll be toning things down just a bit for his forthcoming solo album, Keep It Hid…

Man Man - “Doo Right” from Rabbit Habits
It seems like anything that Philadelphia’s Man Man do is automatically weird in some way…take this doo-wop send-up from last year’s tour de force, and you’ll find that Honus Honus’ growl can make what would otherwise be a prom-ready ballad into a slightly twisted romp…I’m proud that my hometown has such oddballs in its music scene…after all, something has to counter-balance Hall & Oates…