Hey Mother Death<\/em><\/p>\n (Divorce Records)<\/p>\n 2.5\/5<\/p>\n The first release by Halifax\/Paris-based duo Hey Mother Death is a dark, atmospheric soundscape. But Hey Mother Death are largely inaccessible and far too on-the-fringe for most listeners.<\/p>\n The EP begins with the compelling and moody instrumental \u201cYou Left Me.<\/em>\u201d Dark, eerie synths, a slow, resonant, almost reggae bass line, and spidery guitar arrangements make this track a masterpiece of ambient music.<\/p>\n The second track is an unfortunate shift into more sprawling, sparse, and ultimately more pretentious territory. \u201cBlack Monday\u201d is a bloated, boring piece that has none of the charm of the previous track. The experimental guitars are completely abandoned, as is all sense of melody. Smatterings of French spoken word are peppered throughout, which instead of adding to the atmosphere give the impression that this song is nothing more than entry-level, art-school garbage.<\/p>\n -James Down<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Miike Snow<\/strong><\/p>\n Happy to You<\/em><\/p>\n (Universal Music)<\/p>\n 4.5\/5<\/p>\n Swedish indie pop trio Miike Snow\u2019s latest album, Happy to You<\/em>, makes me want to run barefoot through a misty, overgrown garden with friends, laughing and eating candies. It\u2019s cinematic. It\u2019s happy-go-lucky danceable. And it just sounds good.<\/p>\n Happy to You<\/em> is full of synths, piano, marching band-style percussion, and effect-laden vocals. The beat carries most songs. Heavy piano, bass drum, and bass balance well with delicate snare, vocals, and synth lines.<\/p>\n Highlights include \u201cBavarian #1 (Say You Will),\u201d which builds from charming whistles and snare drum to a lush, layered conclusion, and album opener \u201cEnter the Joker\u2019s Lair,\u201d an upbeat, fairy-tale-esque tune with an almost Caribbean sound.<\/p>\n The antidote to grey skies and long study nights is here: Happy to You<\/em> is the perfect album with which to welcome spring.<\/p>\n -Rose Jang<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Simone Felice<\/strong><\/p>\n Simone Felice<\/em><\/p>\n (Dine Alone Records)<\/p>\n 4\/5<\/p>\n Simone Felice is a dreamer, a lover. He\u2019s a musician from the Catskill Mountains of New York who escaped death twice (brain aneurysm as a child; emergency open-heart surgery as an adult) before creating this debut album.<\/p>\n Because of this, Felice has a true understanding of the fragility of life; it shows in songs like \u201cNew York Times,\u201d where he expresses that he never wants to see anyone he loves as a headline for the biggest newspaper in the world. Really, the theme of life in the spotlight is all over the album: Felice\u2019s ability to empathize with a rock star is highlighted in \u201cCourtney Love,\u201d while he laments a slain movie star in \u201cSharon Tate.\u201d<\/p>\n At the heart of Felice\u2019s music is a perverse honesty in the lyrics and a haunting beauty, which resonates throughout this album.<\/p>\n Felice has shown death the door twice with his love of life. Now he\u2019s sharing his love of life with the world with this album.<\/p>\n -Dan Darling<\/p>\n <\/p>\n West My Friend<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/2877089196-1.jpg\" "\\"2877089196-1\\"")
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