Music shorts for Oct. 8

Birds and Arrows
Starmaker

Folk/pop

4 of 5 stars

It’s only fitting that Birds and Arrows should draw comparisons to the winged animal in their name. On husband and wife duo Andrea and Pete Connolly’s first full-length, Starmaker, the blend of vocals and elegant instrumentation forms an album that’s as pure and melodic as a songbird’s tune.

The vocal pairings of the Connollys are the band’s greatest asset. Whether it’s the result of marriage or musical prowess, the pair’s vocals blend seamlessly, as startling and vibrant as the sight of fall’s first leaves. “Honeymoon Song” epitomizes the Connollys’ adept harmonization as its builds slowly and climactically, culminating in a sweeping chorus.

Though the album contains a bevy of heartfelt, moving songs, the lyrics on several tracks are enigmatic to the point of inaccessibility. On “Ripe and Ruptured,” Pete sings, “I mirrored your breath, a candy cigarette, strawberry heart ripe and ruptured, I softly bled your velvet cake flesh.”

While the words occasionally border on abstraction, the balance of vocals and backing music never falters. The delicate strains of piano and cello on songs such as “Picnic in the Graveyard” and “Company Keep” give the album an air of contemplation.

Starmaker might be puzzling at times, but the combination of the Connollys’ vocals and the crisp instrumentation makes it anything but contrived. This sincere debut proves that for Birds and Arrows, music is part of their nature.

Linnie Greene
 

The xx
xx

Dream pop

4 of 5 stars

When it comes to sex, most musicians don’t get it right, filling songs with graphic depictions of emotionless fornication instead of tastefully nuanced sensuality.

The xx has created an album that oozes with subtle undertones, exchanging graphic depictions of sex for something softer and more personal.

Comprised of four young Brits who seem to be experienced with the subject, The xx proves quite mature on its debut L.P. Laden with bass and whispery vocals, the album relies on subtly intimate performances.

The combination of singer-guitarist Romy Madley Croft’s innocent voice and Oliver Sim’s rough, dissonant responses unfold like an intimate conversation between lovers.

With these elements blending together, the dueling singers increase the passion on songs such as “Basic Space,” a simple yet catchy track, with  lyrics like “Breathin’ out and in, I think I’m losin’ where you end and I begin,” that epitomize the romantic interpretation of sex that pervades this album.

Although The xx remains relatively consistent, its lack of diversity works in its favor, creating a solid album defined by pleasing vocals that ultimately reel in the listener.

The craft of this album is nothing less than beautiful, as The xx have successfully discovered the value of describing love-making as an intimate whisper rather than a yell.

Elizabeth Byrum

Katastrophe
The Worst Amazing

Backpacker hip-hop

4 of 5 stars

​If your roommate doesn’t already hate you, he will after you blast a few minutes of The Worst Amazing the night before his big biology midterm. Brimming with thunderous bass, bright snares and tight high-hats, Katastrophe has created an album that hits with enough volume to wake up even the heaviest sleeper.

​Katastrophe is the vehicle of Rocco Kayiatos, a California producer and self-proclaimed beat poet. On his third full album under the moniker, Kayiatos is living up to the self-aggrandized personality he describes in the song “Big Deal.”

​When the album blasts off with “Till It’s Gone,” Kayiatos’ voice immediately takes the fore on top of dazzling, subtly syncopated beats. Reminiscent of Flobots’ Jonny 5, Kayiatos sounds like a Linkin Park that doesn’t suck.

​But it’s also a dynamic release. On “Sigh,” Kayiatos takes a break from hip-hop, dropping his aggressive beats to sing along with female back-up on a smooth bit of laid-back R&B — and it’s executed brilliantly.

And he’s as good a producer as he is a performer.

Even on the instrumental “Tickled Sick,” the listener can identify Katastrophe by the forceful but upbeat mix of crunchy synth and bass.

​In a world filled to the brim with underground hip-hop artists desperately trying to promote their mix-tapes, Katastrophe has given us something inimitable.

​The lyrics are oddly self-aware, dark and acerbic like a hip-hop version of Steely Dan. Coupled with his invigorating production, Katastrophe puts on a couple of different masks, but static is never one of them.

Joseph Chapman