First Impressions: Psapp, Robyn Hitchcock, Beirut, M. Ward

Last Tuesday saw the release of a ton of interesting and/or promising albums. I splurged a bit and got a few I'd had my eye on for a while. A single listen is generally not enough to really "get" any album, but once in a while I do these first impression things and write about my initial thoughts on an album after the first listen.

Psapp-The Camel's Back
Psapp's first album, The Only Thing I Ever Wanted, was a nice little surprise a few years ago. It was one of those albums that I thought would be kind of disposable. I'd listen to it for a few months and then it would sort of disappear into my collection. But I've found myself putting it on pretty consistently since I got it, which is why I picked up their second effort. I would say it's more of the same--lots of fun little songs, with some bells and whistles (literally--they use a lot of toy instruments in their music) to make it interesting. Only time will tell if this album will grow on me like their first. I hope it does.
Psapp - The Monster Song



Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3-Goodnight Oslo
Pretty much the same story for Robyn Hitchcock, except he's been around a lot longer than Psapp. I really enjoyed his debut with the Venus 3 a few years ago, Ole! Tarantula, but like that album, it looks like Goodnight Oslo will be a slow burn. Hitchcock's songwriting is always solid, if a little perverse at times, and this looks like a strong effort.

Beirut-March of the Zapotec/Realpeople Holland
This album is actually two EPs, as opposed to an LP. The first, March of the Zapotec, is straight up Beirut, loaded with horns and the folksy tones of Eastern Europe, and this time, Mexico. I still haven't heard a song to match "Elephant Gun", but this first EP is a nice listen. Realpeople Holland is apparently a side project of Zach Condon's--it's all electronic, contrasting sharply with the first EP. Though I usually find Condon's voice highly tolerable if not downright pleasant, I found it didn't meld well with this style of music. I will say, I hadn't realized how similar to David Byrne he sounded until I heard this second EP. That said, I was ready to never listen to this EP again until I heard the last track, "No Dice," which is a fun techno beat with no vocals. That one's a keeper.

M. Ward-Hold Time
Easily the album I was looking forward to the most of these four, M. Ward didn't let me down. I was unsurprised and quite pleased that Zooey Deschanel lent her vocals to "Never Had Nobody Like You"; I was more surprised by Lucinda Williams' vocals on "Oh Lonesome Me." Having these two guest vocalists on the same album was an odd choice. Deschanel's voice is as sweet as can be, whereas Williams sounds like she's been smoking three packs a day for a few decades. Ward's voice matches well with both, but for different reasons. The cover of "Rave On" is one of Ward's more interesting choices--I have to say I like the original, faster version better, but maybe I'll get used to this take. I'm really more interested in the originals, and I'd say that even after only one listen, M. Ward's songwriting and production is as strong as ever. A must for any M. Ward fan and a decent introduction for any newbie.