PeerValidated Byte Size Reviews are short and sweet introductions to albums. A new one almost everyday gives you some basic info, opinions and an mp3 to let you decide what you think. These reviews are compiled into a list for two weeks, then we throw them into the Byte Size Archive and start a new one. Check back often!

 

Cults – Cults

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The story of Cults is either delightful or frustrating. The NY duo of Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion were film students just over a year ago when they decided to start tinkering with 60s pop music. And tinkering is appropriate. A few online songs meant to be heard just by friends turned out to be mega-hits played on radio, TV shows, movies, commercials, etc. The boy-girl team just released its highly-anticipated self-titled full-length, complete with the now familiar singles and a group of new hits that are as sweetly satisfying as we expected. – Andy (June 11, 2011)

 

Alina Simone – Make Your Own Danger

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For being texturally sparse and 2:48 long, Alina Simones’s “Glitterati,” is a surprisingly full and varied experience. Part of the reason for this is the characteristically arresting vocal performance. Her delivery ranges from tone mutilating affectation to full throated operatic bellow, all of which she delivers with a compelling mixture of rawness and precision. This is a taste of Simone’s new record, Make Your Own Danger. Personally, my paycheck doesn’t arrive for a few more days so my curiosity will have to wait until then. Buy or stream for free here. – Caleb (June 10, 2011)

 

Phil Cook and His Feat – Hungry Mother Blues

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The world of media is fast changing and over-stimulating. Hungry Mother Blues is too understated to cut through the buzz. Each and every note speaks of quiet deliberation, and the album is best enjoyed in that same spirit. Megafaun member Phil Cook highlights a different instrument, allowing its unique character to stand out against a delicate arrangement of supporting voices. In this way the record is like a work of small-scale theater. The subject of the play is a small community, and its theme consists of casting different lights on the sympathies and tensions that exist between each member. – Caleb (June 8, 2011)

 

Digital Leather – Infinite Sun

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Is Digital Leather frontman Shawn Foree portraying the illusory self-aggrandizing mania that accompanies the relapse into bad habit? Or is he articulating a competent adult’s decision to self destruct? Whatever the singer’s attitude towards addiction it lacks two things: apologetics and self-pity. “Blackness,” a preview track off of Digital Leather’s forthcoming LP “Infinite Sun,” begins as low-key slacker pop and ends a fuzzed out grunge anthem. While it’s not a tune I’d recommend to someone in a vulnerable state of mind, the song does have bite – a quality too often lacking on today’s musical front. – Caleb (June 4, 2011)

 

Emot – TBA CD

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St. Paul-based electro/folk band Emot is soon releasing a follow-up to their debut album, Two Drunks. In anticipation they’ve posted two free tracks on their website. They’ve termed the tracks “precursors,” so it’s unclear if they’ll be on the LP, but if they’re any indication of the quality of the upcoming full length, there’s definitely something to be excited about. “Ancients” is a gradual, contemplative jam that slowly unfolds underneath a delicate melodic motif sung with convincing solemnity by lead songwriter Matt Leavitt. – Caleb (June 1, 2011)

 

Man Man – Life Fantastic

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Reportedly written by frontman Ryan Kattner (aka Honus Honus) in the midst of several itinerant, binge-ridden years kickin’ it on the downward spiral, Life Fantastic is rife with hedonistic excess, self-loathing, and feelings of overwhelming dread.  And it’s an absolute blast to listen to.  There’s enough over-the-top imagery to the lyrics (and enough retro-campy-ness to the music) that the dark themes – while indubitably disquieting at times – ultimately take on the form of quirky caricatures dancing in the jungle of honky-tonk psycho-surfer hyper-lounge that is and has been the providence of Man Man. – Caleb (May 30, 2011)

 

Sonny & the Sunsets

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Sonny Smith writes an excessive amount of incredibly catchy music. The frontman for Sonny & the Sunsets has reportedly churned out over 200 songs in the past few years. His band’s latest album, Hit After Hit, is a collection of tracks heavily mirroring the surf-rock craze of the 60’s and 70’s. Everything from guitar riffs to song titles to lyrics seem borrowed from radio hits of the past. Though it may not be the most important release of the year, it is one of the catchiest, sunniest albums thus far. – Andy (May 29, 2011)