Lullaton - The Bedtime Beat

Lullatone
The Bedtime Beat
(03.2008, Someone Good)
Verdict = Visions of indie Japanese children’s pop

I can’t help but find Lullatone’s latest minimalist glitch/pop outing, The Bedtime Beat, absolutely hilarious. That may come off as negative, but I assure you that it is an absolutely positive effect of what has turned out to be one of the most awesome, surprising releases of 2008. When I initially scanned through the album earlier this year I hastily passed over it as a novelty, but upon returning to The Bedtime Beat it has become glaringly obvious how wrong my first impression was. I think what caught me off guard initially and what now has revealed itself as the genius of the album is the innocent nature that pervades it. The Bedtime Beat sounds like songs made for toddlers (I actually have not ruled out this as a serious demographic for the album), which at first glance may seem to be a demeaning description, but in reality this honest, simple approach to pop music is gloriously appropriate, revealing endless charm and sincerely terrific tunes. I don’t know if I am doing Lullatone any justice in this explination, but this is also why The Bedtime Beat can be dually hilarious and precious. The opening track, “The Bathtime Beat,” is a perfect example of everything that is great about the album. The song finds the duo exploring sparse, tiny beats coupled with literal water splashing to back the hushed vocals of Japanese songstress Yoshimi Tomida as she sings about…duh, bathtime! I tell you what, if Sesame Street was rocking these type of songs I would still be watching today (in honest admission, I still YouTube some of the music from the show that was broadcast in its early years). The album continues simply incorporating snoring samples for songs about bedtime and a cappella beats for lyrics about dreaming of Biz Markie. It is perfect really; super twee extremely brief for those short childish attention spans (just over twenty minutes!). I guess a good amalgamation of the band (if you’ll let me mention Sesame Street again) would be something like the aforementioned childrens television show mixed with early Architecture In Helsinki and Deerhoof. How can you argue with that?

-Mr. Thistle

Lullatone on virb

The Rational Academy - A Heart Against Your Own

The Rational Academy
A Heart Against Your Own
(03.2008, Someone Good)
Verdict = Delicate Lovesick Pop

The Rational Academy is bringing back the forlorn love and indie pop of my high school career in a big way on their debut, A Heart Against Your Own. For those awaiting what exactly that means as far as a critic, rest assured, it is a good thing. Beyond the pure pop nostalgia, The Rational Acedemy have created a seamless album that I can’t really penetrate with anything but appreciation. With both male and female vocals in the mix, the band sounds something like Death Cab For Cutie if they teamed with Maria Taylor in their heyday. The album flows wonderfully through the first three songs’ undeniably hook filled pleasantries before the album is split into two (there are only seven tracks total). “2004,” along with the two songs following it, extends the album a bit further than the first three sings did in both song length (particularly "Squid & Whale" which surpasses the 12 minute mark) and aesthetic. In the second half The Rational Academy becomes a bit dreamy in some spots, a bit fuzzier in others, but in the end they retain the same pop spirit that can be found on the album throughout. The capstone is album closer, “Airport Nation,” which may as well be a lost Death Cab B-side hearkening that band’s best moments in a short two minute foray. The album should really be kind of cringe worthy seeing as how we are not quite fully detached from that period when Tim Kasher and Ben Gibbard were successfully wearing their hearts on their sleeves, yet it is somehow endearing and as wonderful sounding as it would’ve been in Y2K. To put it another way (even this is going to sound dated now); if you couldn’t help but like The Postal Service, A Heart Against Your Own is an album for you.

-Mr. Thistle

The Rational Academy - "Deer"