Every Man And Woman Was A Star

Tarwater “When Love Was The Law In Los Angeles” – The laws have changed, and now benign indifference is the law in Los Angeles, just as it is here in New York City. Tarwater’s song is both wistful and deadpan, and the stark contrast of Ronald Lippock’s low monotone and the bright keyboard tones is like a black and white figure wandering through a backdrop shot on washed-out yet vibrant color film. (Click here to pre-order it from Dotshop.)

Deerhoof “Choco Fight” – There’s something about the timbre of Satomi Matsuzaki’s voice that I find very difficult to love, and that holds me back from liking Deerhoof’s Friend Opportunity as much as, hmmm, well, definitely not as much as this guy, but I can get over that sort of thing when the tracks feature a sweet melody backed up by a variety of pleasurable and evocative instrumental sounds, and a structure more akin to dream logic than traditional song forms. “Choco Fight” starts off strong with a firm beat and a keyboard tone so wet that it seems to pour out of the speakers, and though that’s the textural highlight of the composition, there’s still quite a bit there to hold your attention. (Click here to buy it from Buy Olympia.)

Elsewhere: My new Hit Refresh column is up on the ASAP site. This week has an American Idol theme, and features mp3s from the New Pornographers, Jamie Lidell, and the Songs In The Key Of Z compilation.