MGMT & r & & r & Oracular Spectacular & r & & r & 4 STARS & r & & r & & lt;span class= & quot;dropcap & quot; & I & lt;/span & t is difficult to condense a sense of the experience of listening to the debut album from Brooklyn's latest super-hipster duo. (That's "Management" to you and me.) The difficulty comes not from an inability to find the right words. Dreamy, hallucinatory, ecstatic, discombobulating, and nerdy immediately come to mind in the aural wake of their synth-driven, dance-tastic amalgamations. Couple such otherworldliness with their lyrics, however, and the listener discovers the magic.
Opener "Try to Pretend" sets the tone by starting snarky ("I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life / Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives") and then improving. "The Handshake" explores the dangers of the music industry ("The handshake's stuck on the tip of my tongue / It tastes like death but it looks like fun"), but Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser seem just fine. Buy. Listen. Repeat.
--CAREY MURPHY
Download: "Try to Pretend"
Saviours
Into Abaddon
3 STARS
& lt;span class= & quot;dropcap & quot; & T & lt;/span & hanks in part to bands like Mastodon, the classic "stoner rock" genre has been making a comeback of late. This is wonderful news to those of us who have grown tired of metalcore and indie. Into Abaddon is the second mainstream release from Saviours, and it continues their focused cross-genre blend of hard rock, classic punk and artistic experimentation. All the staples of a good stoner metal album are here: the thick guitar riffs, extended solos, raspy vocals and raw production feel. While the album isn't exactly breaking any new ground, it's a wonderful addition to any Earth fan's collection. Tracks like "Narcotic Sea" take the listener through the psychedelic audio imagery that can only be found in the guitar work of this sort of band. Whether or not you enjoy the green stuff, this genre is pure enjoyment. Saviours are coming through Spokane, March 3 at the Blvd.
-- DUSTIN CARROLL
Download: "Narcotic Sea"
Opener "Try to Pretend" sets the tone by starting snarky ("I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life / Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives") and then improving. "The Handshake" explores the dangers of the music industry ("The handshake's stuck on the tip of my tongue / It tastes like death but it looks like fun"), but Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser seem just fine. Buy. Listen. Repeat.
--CAREY MURPHY
Download: "Try to Pretend"
Saviours
Into Abaddon
3 STARS
& lt;span class= & quot;dropcap & quot; & T & lt;/span & hanks in part to bands like Mastodon, the classic "stoner rock" genre has been making a comeback of late. This is wonderful news to those of us who have grown tired of metalcore and indie. Into Abaddon is the second mainstream release from Saviours, and it continues their focused cross-genre blend of hard rock, classic punk and artistic experimentation. All the staples of a good stoner metal album are here: the thick guitar riffs, extended solos, raspy vocals and raw production feel. While the album isn't exactly breaking any new ground, it's a wonderful addition to any Earth fan's collection. Tracks like "Narcotic Sea" take the listener through the psychedelic audio imagery that can only be found in the guitar work of this sort of band. Whether or not you enjoy the green stuff, this genre is pure enjoyment. Saviours are coming through Spokane, March 3 at the Blvd.
-- DUSTIN CARROLL
Download: "Narcotic Sea"
