You Left The Window Open

My new Hit Refresh column is up on the ASAP site. This week: Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas, Shapes and Sizes, and a new song from James Rabbit. Speaking of whom…

James Rabbit “Birds Rush In” – It hasn’t even been close to a year since the previous James Rabbit record, and the new one, Cavalier, sounds like this huge leap forward. All the charm of their previous gems carry over to the new tunes, but there’s a greater sophistication in the harmonies and arrangements. Strings suit Tyler Martin well, as do strange extended metaphors about weather conditions. “Birds Rush In” sounds like an underground hit to me, definitely well ahead of the unfocused banality of some of the more popular purveyors of strummy blandness on the indie circuit at the moment. Nothing’s boring about these birds rushing in!(Click here to get a free copy of the album from the band.)

J.R. Writer “Zoolander” – I owe this guy something or other for turning me on to Writer, who may not be a tremendously consistent rapper, but can turn in some brilliant work when inspiration strikes. This isn’t quite on the level of my favorite, “Jamaican Diplomacracy,” but Writer’s tendency for composing rhymes thick with alliteration and assonance for percussive effect is on full display in this track, which surprisingly lacks any direct shout outs to Owen Wilson or Ben Stiller. At this point, he may be latching on to it as a bit of a gimmick, but it works for him if just because it sounds like he takes such incredible pleasure in popping those repetitive consonants. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)