April has arrived, but before you all nip off to buy The Burning Hell's new album (out today), here's a quick look back at the music I was listening to in March:
1. New Friends - Pinegrove
(from Cardinal)
This cracking song is basically a resolution to forget the past, embrace the present, and generally make more of an effort, which is exactly what Pinegrove should have done with their album artwork.
My first impressions of Is The Is Are by DIIV (or 'DIV', as my girlfriend Vicky calls them) were uncertain. There were clearly some very strong tunes in there somewhere, but the album's washy, reverb-heavy production initially made it hard for me to really enjoy those cool riffs and insistent motorik beats. I longed for a rawer, more live-sounding version of the album, with fewer guitar effects and a more rough 'n' ready mix that might allow me to hear Zachary Cole Smith's lyrics properly.
That title is rubbish, too. A nonsensical string of stopwords with an awkward glottal stop wodged uncomfortably in the middle doesn't exactly endear me to your creative vision, Mr Smith.
I was almost ready to give up on ITIA, but last night, I read the album's Wikipedia entry and it gave those 17 tracks a bit of context. DIIV, and Smith in particular, seemingly had a hell of a time whilst making this record; tour dates were cancelled due to exhaustion, sessions in San Francisco were abandoned, and Smith was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, which led to a stint in rehab. The bassist briefly found himself at the centre of a minor maelstrom after allegedly posting an assortment of bigoted messages on 4chan. Oh, and the drummer quit the band.
