Wednesday, October 3, 2012
New Music Hear a track from Le Weekend's third album, the magic y/ear
Posted by Jordan Lawrence @JordanLawrence on Wed, Oct 3, 2012 at 4:42 PM
The music of Chapel Hill's Le Weekend is marked by stark contrast: moments of catchiest pop abandon give way to noisy freak outs. To this point, it's been a balance that the trio has struggled to maintain. The transitions between its disparate elements sometimes get a bit too jarring. But the magic y/ear—the group's third album, which will be unveiled at an Oct. 19 CD release party at Durham's Pinhook—smooths the edges, allowing Le Weekend's parts to add up to their optimum sum.
This time out, moments of polite tunefulness build gradually to aggressive conclusions. These catharses cover an exciting range, from psych-blasted distortion to prog-inspired polyrhythms. The build from instrumental intro "Ask me about my weekend" to "Heroic cutlets" is particularly effective. An ethereal mix of synthesizers and spacey sound effects opens things up before an elegant guitar riff emerges. By the end of the intro, the guitar has shifted into a tenacious indie rock lick akin to Archers of Loaf. The song balances these moments of aggressive bravado with fetching melodies.
Defying the odds, Le Weekend nails every transition. Below, you can check out "Your past lies," another highlight from the magic y/ear.
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