CD reviews

Pink Mountaintops

Outside Love
(Jagjaguwar)
7.8

Goes well with: The Jesus & Mary Chain, Spiritualized, classic rock

At nearly 40 years old, Vancouver’s Stephen McBean has hit a mid-life artistic stride. Pulling double duty as main songwriter for the epic Black Mountain (whose In the Future was one of last year’s best) and its symbiotic, sex-charged alter-ego Pink Mountaintops, he’s turned out five good-to-great albums in the past six years. With Outside Love, he shows little signs of slowing.

Luckily, the duality suits him well. If Black Mountain’s monolithic riffs and druggy ambiance showcase his inner hesher, then Pink Mountaintops is its graceful counterpart. Where 2006’s Axis of Evol specialized in grinding, drum-machine-driven JAMC workouts (duplicated here with “Execution” and “The Gayest of Sunbeams”), McBean’s latest tames the gnarl with lovely tinges of acoustic rock ’n’ roll gospel.

Even if Pink Mountaintops’ melodramatic tendencies are stretched thin, Outside Love is often breathtaking. One needs only a single listen to the ebullient “Holiday” for proof of how McBean’s initially simple guitar progressions can suddenly turn into rapturous string symphonies on par with acts operating on 10 times the budget. It’s not necessarily new, but he builds upon timeless themes with such enthusiasm that you’ll occasionally feel as if you’re hearing this stuff for the first time.

Chairlift

Does You Inspire You
(Columbia)
6.5

Goes well with: David Bowie, The Knife, MGMT

Nestled nicely between the organic art-rock of Yeasayer and the ersatz art-rock of MGMT, Chairlift are part of a recent batch of Brooklyn bands mixing ’80s revivalism with elements of world music. With the trio’s profile raised via an iPod commercial, their debut is being given the reissue treatment.

Making fine use of a jaunty bass line, ruminative vocals and keyboard riffs embezzled from Disintegration-era Cure, “Bruises,” the album’s apotheosis, has the same breeziness as its iPod commercial predecessors—Feist’s “1234” and Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks.” “Evident Utensil” offers a similar synth-driven sing-along but with slightly diminished returns, while “Planet Health” succeeds solely with atmosphere and theatrics.

After a promising start, Does You Inspire You peters out during its latter half. The songs begin to feel like copies of earlier songs, settling into the regretful genre of Urban Outfitters rock. Chairlift’s un-secret weapon, frontwoman Caroline Polachek, injects charisma and presence into the moody dance tracks but is frequently foiled by the silliness of her lyrics (“the most evident utensil / was none other than a pencil”). While containing enough lively moments to earmark Chairlift as a band to watch, Does You Inspire You is ultimately undernourished and unworthy of higher praise.

Art Brut

Art Brut vs. Satan
(Downtown)
5.6

Goes well with: The Fall, The Hold Steady, Silver Jews

Love great harmonies? Do you anxiously await new episodes of American Idol? If your answer is “yes” to both questions, you may want to steer clear of Art Brut. Lead singer Eddie Argos can hold one tune, and that “tune” is his regular speaking voice. But for those of us who have jumped on the Art Brut bandwagon, Argos’ voice is the primary reason. It’s the icing on the cake to the group’s art-rock onslaught.

Unfortunately, this delivery has grown a bit too relaxed on Art Brut’s third full-length, Art Brut vs. Satan. Their debut, Bang Bang Rock ‘N’ Roll, stormed out of garage-land with sing-along (OK, “talk-along”) anthems such as “Emily Kane” and “Formed a Band,” and even if the follow-up, It’s a Bit Complicated, beefed up the guitars and sacrificed some of the group’s ramshackle charm, “People in Love,” “Nag Nag Nag” and “Direct Hit” still made the album quite memorable.

But despite having Frank Black on board as producer, this one comes across as stale. Even the single, “Alcoholics Unanimous,” can’t live up to its clever title. It’s more bark than bite, setting the tone for most of the album; the guitars wail away but the hooks fail to catch on.

Art Brut vs. Satan isn’t terrible, but it’s certainly a letdown. If you’re a fan of the band—and especially Argos—pick this up on the strength of his lyrics alone. The guy is always entertaining. The only problem is, this time around, the band failed to keep up.