An artsy, lo-fi offering of indie displaying tasty influences ranging from Lou Reed to Thurston Moore to Elliott Smith to Kurt Cobain and beyond.

16 MP3 Songs in this album (48:16) !
Related styles: ROCK: Lo-Fi, ROCK: Garage Rock

People who are interested in The Velvet Underground Sonic Youth Spoon should consider this download.


Details:
The God Star Social (aka Jason Trout) has come full circle with its new release This Is Our Time To Be Alive. The most focused and definitive release of the bandâs 6 year career has Trout flexing his ability to make simple structures interesting and complex ideas intimate while bombarding us with a bevy of influences ranging from The Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth to Syd Barrett and Kurt Cobain.
Trout performs everything on this album himself â the first time heâs done so on record since The God Star Socialâs critically acclaimed, fan favorite debut, 2002âs Jam Econo EP. Unlike the debut, however, This Is Our Time To Be Alive has the sound of a full band recording with drums, bass and layers of guitars decorating a majority of the tracks, but still, thereâs no mistaking that this piece of art is the work of an individual, a unique individual at that.
The album begins and ends with two different experimental instrumentals both entitled âAshes,â no doubt a play on the albumâs title and concept of both life and death (ashes to ashes) which is Trout showing off his prowess to be clever without being pretentious. The CD cover is an actual ultrasound of Troutâs (and his wifeâs) unborn first child due in February â09, made more relevant (and adorable) with the inclusion of the song âBabiesâ which has Trout singing âI found a girl I want to have babies with.â
Weâre treated to two âpianoâ songs on this record, something Troutâs never delved into before. They come across beautiful, interesting, and successful in bridging the sounds of the other 11 of the albumâs 16 tracks, which range from simple garage rock gems i.e. âTripped Is All,â âThe Local Scene,â and âThe Summer Of Love & Warâ to indie rock intensity via the albumâs first single âSecond Stage,â an ode to counter-culture coolness that the likes of Thurston Moore would be proud of to the stripped down acoustic sound of Trout getting in touch with his inner Elliott Smith with the song âIt Doesnât Get Any Easier.â
What shines the most on this record are (#1)Troutâs voice, which can go from a velvet-like Nick Drake whisper to an angsty rasp harkening Mr. Cobain, (#2)the production, which I dare say might be even more lo-fi and definitely more organic than the cult classic God Star Social debut full-length Decidedly Lo-Fi/Revolution And Static Sky and (#3)the songwriting, which proves Trout to be an equal to his contemporary counterparts a la Daniel, OâBerst, Gibbard and the like. The guy has always had a knack for painting poetry and melody over barre chords, and this album shows signs of mastery without losing his ever-present vulnerability and charm.
This Is Our Time To Be Alive gets its official release on October 7th (2008) via hard copy on The God Star Socialâs new label Second Plane Records as well as through CD Baby. It will also be available in MP3 form through all major outlets on Oct. 28th. With its tasty mix of garage, folk, punk, and art rock, the album continues to prove Trout to be an artistâs artist. Treat yourself by picking it up or loading it down.