Piper's Single Reviews: Issue 3

This is the third installment of Piper's Single Reviews. Each post, I will review six songs by various indie and/or alternative bands (or artists that you might chance upon when listening to an American college or modern rock station) and rate them on a scale from 1 to 10.

Sonic Youth - Sacred Trickster
Buzzing along in just over two minutes (it does begin with some guitar dissonance), and sounding just barely like the band's masterpiece "Teen Age Riot", "Sacred Trickster" is a preview track (and possibly the new single from) the band's upcoming record The Eternal (to be released on Matador and is their first indie label release since Daydream Nation). Like many of my favorite SY songs (of course, excluding the Thurston Moore-sung "Teen Age Riot"), its sung by bassist Kim Gordon. It's got a good guitar riff, but its over far too quickly for me to make much sense of it. Good track, though.
7.5/10

P.O.S. - Optimist (We Are Not For Them)
Stefon Alexander, the punk-influenced alternative rapper, has finally had his breakthrough after two overlooked albums with Never Better. Of course, the hip-hop mainstream will never accept P.O.S. or his ilk (Why?, Atmosphere, the entire Definitve Jux roster) becuase alternative rap is often seen as apart of alternative rock (and alternative rock fans do make up most of the genre's fanbase). "Optimist", with its odd time signature, mellow tempo and what seems to be a sample of cup stacking as its main beat source, is not going to end this generalization. It's too damn weird for hip-hop radio, who mostly want to play the same gangsta and dance rap to no end. However, it sounds just at home on college radio, where P.O.S. has flourished. That cup stacking sample is really what makes this track great, along with P.O.S.' rapping as you know just what you're getting into with "Optimist". P.O.S. includes his trademark Fugazi-influenced screams at the end of the track, but surprisingly he doesn't sound as emo here as some of his detractors claim to be. All-in-all a good track that should find a home on anyone's hard drive
10/10

Doves - Kingdom of Rust
The title track of British indie rock stalwarts Doves new record Kingdom of Rust is mostly dominated by acoustic guitar, which pushes it towards an expansive chorus and one of Jimi Goodwin's best vocal performances. This song alone proves that the long wait for a new Doves album has been worth it. The song is easily one of the best songs of this year, and it definitely deserves to stand along side Doves' other high quality singles like "There Goes the Fear" and "Black and White Town"
9.5/10

The Low Anthem - The Horizon is a Beltway
Not alot of people outside of New England have heard of the Rhode Island folk rock band The Low Anthem, but their recent signing to Nonesuch Records, their performance at Coachella and their upcoming appearences at Lollapalooza and the Newport Folk Festival are going the change that. The trio - multi-instrumentalists Ben Knox Miller, Jeff Prystowsky and Jocie Adams - released their third album Oh My God, Charlie Darwin in September 2008 (it will be rereleased by Nonesuch later this year). The highlight from that record is "The Horizon is a Beltway" a song that mixes the acoustic sound of Fleet Foxes with the rollicking alt-bar band sound of The Hold Steady. The track's chorus, dominated by the line "the skyline's on fire" is soaring and its a shame that the song isn't longer.
8.5/10

Peter Bjorn and John - Nothing to Worry About
After conquering the world with "Young Folks" - easily the most popular indie rock song since "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service - Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John are back with "Nothing to Worry About" which features a chorus of children singing along with Peter Moren on the chorus. It is nowhere as good as "Young Folks", but its still an OK indie song. It really could've been better, though
6.5/10

Dogs Die in Hot Cars - Pop Nonsense
Back in 2004, a Scottish band called Dogs Die in Hot Cars released an album called Please Describe Yourself, a fun alternative pop album featuring three fantastic singles - "I Love You 'Cause I Have You" (if you remember DDiHC at all, chances are its for this song), "Godhopping" and "Lounger". It was moderatly successful in the UK and the band developed a small cult following in the US. Then shortly after, the band disappeared: they announced their breakup in 2006, midway through their second album. Flash foward to late 2008, where singer Craig MacIntosh and keyboardist Ruth Quigley re-emerged, announcing that the Dogs were back. The band released the 17 demos from their second album on their website urging fans to remix the songs, add their own instrumentation, vocals, whatever. Several people have said that the demos are already good as is, and one in particular - "Pop Nonsense" - truly stands out from the crowd. While its nowhere as good as "I Love You 'Cause I Have To", its still a good song. The chorus is a little doofy and so are most of the lyrics in general, but that's kind of the charm of it: it's really stupid but really fun. However, that's not what the Dogs were about in 2004; they were a pop group for smart kids. They're still a great band and many of the demos are good as they are, but maybe DDiHC lost their way on their second album (which is not a reason to abandon it). Here's hoping that the band continues after the project. I'm waiting for a full Dogs Die in Hot Cars reunion.
7.0/10