The Air Force & Whisper House

First Impression Review
(& Album of the Week)

Xiu Xiu - The Air Force A

This is my second Xiu Xiu album and let me tell ya, there is no one else out there like this experimental, melancholy and odd indie rock outfit. Their not for everyone but more people need to hear this band. This is art! We tend to forget that music is an art. Xiu Xiu combines artistry, haunting introspection, hooks, and morose detail on this magnificent if not disturbing tour de Air Force.

First Impression Music Review Duncan Sheik - Whisper House A-

On the opening track of Duncan Sheik's new album he sings "It's good to be a ghost, it's better to be dead". A far cry from the breezy, clean cut, perceptions of 1996's insanely catchy Barely Breathing which put him on the mainstream map and brought him droves of adoring fans.

But nowadays Mr. Sheik is extremely underrated, although he is the current king of musical theater having won a couple Tony's and a Grammy for the Broadway smash, Spring Awakening.

Whisper House is his new studio album and the soundtrack for an upcoming play of the same name. The album is catchy and addictive pop tuneage, a candy coated layer of bittersweet songs over a core of ghosts and darkness. The recording feels at home within his catalog and has grown on me more and more with each listen. It has the potential to be amongst my favorite recordings.

He also has a cover album in the works in which he'll be covering the likes of: The Smiths, The Cure, Tears for Fears, and Depeche Mode. I'm anticipating that release with mixed emotion; on one hand I'm anxious to hear Sheik's take on these songs, but on the other I'm afraid there's no way he can improve on the original recordings... some of which are very near and dear to my heart.