Tennis

Young & Old

(Fat Possum)

If someone says their album sounds like “Stevie Nicks going through a Motown phase,” the inclination is to stay far, far away from it. But Denver indie-rock trio Tennis – whose 2011 debut Cape Dory came out of a seven-month sailing trip the husband-and-wife frontpersons took after selling off their possessions – are worth sticking around for, even if that description is way off the mark. Produced by the Black Keys’ Patrick Carney, Young & Old has more personality but is less focused than Cape Dory. But the freedom from sticking to a single subject opens up an ocean of possibilities, which singer Aliana Moore, guitarist Patrick Riley, and Carney readily explore. Whether striking out with a soft ’60s shuffle on “It All Feels the Same” or slapping some fuzzy garage tones to the poppy “Origins,” Tennis make their own sort of witchy pop. 

Heartless Bastards

Arrow

(Partisan)

Like so many bluesmen before her, Erika Wennerstrom has got ramblin’ on her mind. The frontwoman for Heartless Bastards – originally from Cincinnati, now based in Austin – has spent four albums crisscrossing the country in search of some peace of mind. On Arrow she aims for a measure of stability and generally hits her targets, with deep howls and growls steering every step of the way. “Came to another fork in the road,” she sings on the opening “Marathon,” a six-minute slow-burner that eventually kicks up like a dust storm in a desert. “That’s where we decided to part.” In the next song, “Parted Ways,” the band slides into an indie-rock groove that pulls at Wennerstrom’s bluesy voice. They never let up. “I’m on my way home,” Wennerstrom sings at the beginning of Arrow. Don’t believe her – this is the start of another journey. 

TOP PICK

The Silence of Our Friends

(First Second)

Just in time for Black History Month comes this great graphic novel by Mark Long, Jim Demonakos, and Nate Powell about two civil rights-era families in Texas. Based partly on Long’s childhood, the story revolves around a white family and a black family that fight a hell of a lot of obstacles to free five black college students accused of killing a policeman in 1967. It’s a moving tale.

DVD/CD

Adele: Live at the Royal Albert Hall

(Columbia/XL)

The 23-year-old British singer caps a humongous year with this concert disc recorded in London last year. The majority of songs come from her breakthrough hit 21, but 2008′s 19 also figures into the set, as do covers of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love,” and the Cure’s “Lovesong.” Funny, warm, and, of course, expertly sung.

VIDEO

Captain Power: The Complete Series

(MVD)

This 1987 TV show ran for only one season, never quite finding its footing. It might have had something to do with its post-apocalyptic setting of an Earth controlled by robots, who took over the planet after a Terminator-style war. Freedom fighter Captain Power and his crew spark a revolution. The mix of live-action and animation is a little choppy, but all 22 episodes zip by like a video game.

VIDEO

Helldriver

(Well Go USA)

From the director of Tokyo Gore Police and Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl comes this anything-goes bloodfest about a high-school girl who takes on an army of hungry zombies with some help from her chainsaw sword. It’s part Mad Max road fantasy, part gonzo Japanese splatter flick, and part girl-power zombie flick with enough blood and guts to make even Walking Dead fans wince.

MUSIC

Elvis Presley: Elvis Country: Legacy Edition

(RCA/Legacy)

Elvis’ 1971 country album celebrates both its 40^th anniversary and the King’s 77^th birthday with a deluxe reissue that tags on his other album from that year, Love Letters From Elvis. Both records get some bonus tracks (three each) plus new liner notes that probe their influences. Following his 1968 comeback, Elvis Country was Presley’s return to the roots music of his youth. It still sounds like it’s from his heart.

ANI DiFRANCO

Which Side Are You On?

(Righteous Babe)

 Ani DiFranco’s 17^th album is both a celebration of getting older and a renewal of faith in protest music. They’re not mutually exclusive on this well-executed but occasionally bland set. While Which Side Are You On? doesn’t specifically mention the Occupy movements, their shadows hang over the dozen songs, especially the title track, a 50-year-old protest number originally made popular by Pete Seeger, who, along with New Orleans musicians, joins DiFranco on the six-minute version here. The 41-year-old singer-songwriter channels different characters in various forms of disrepair who look back on their lives with regret and hope. They’re just as much about DiFranco as they are about the rest of us.

Godzilla (Criterion)

Giant-monster-caused-by-nuclear-fallout movies begin and end with Godzilla. Originally released in Japan in 1954, the movie was recut in the U.S. and padded with new scenes starring Raymond Burr a couple of years later. Both versions are on this excellent set, and both are worth watching. But it’s the original Gojira that will stay with you long after the king of the monsters has demolished Tokyo. Extras include a bunch of interviews with the people who made the movie and in-depth looks at the revolutionary special effects. The historical commentary is smart and scholarly – the type usually reserved for Bergman characters, not gigantic fire-breathing lizards.

50/50 (Summit)

What would you do if your best friend was just diagnosed with cancer? If you’re anything like Seth Rogen, you’d haul your sick buddy out to the bars so you can get laid. This funny cancer movie scores with a sharp (true) story and terrific cast.

Lethal Ladies Collection, Vol. 2 (Shout! Factory)

The centerpiece of this three-movie collection is the 1974 slugfest The Arena, in which Pam Grier and other foxy babes fight to the death, old-school Roman style. It was later reissued as Naked Warriors, in case you need more incentive.

Real Steel (Walt Disney)

The only way Hugh Jackman can bond with his 11-year-old son is by assembling a giant robot to kick some metal ass in the ring. It’s better than you’d think, with both the boxing action and family drama punching away at all the right places.

The Fray

Scars & Stories

(Epic)

You can’t say the Fray aren’t committed to their cause, whatever that may be. Whether the Denver quartet is lifting the spirits of down-in-the-dumps fans or guiding viewers through another tear-stained episode of Grey’s Anatomy, they’ve done it with an unshakeable belief in the healing qualities of their faceless but catchy piano pop. Their third album doesn’t budge from the hit-making formula, laying out heavyhearted support with equal doses of earnestness and urgency. On Scars & Stories‘ opening song andfirst single “Heartbeat,” they shoot for Coldplay territory, somewhere between basketball arenas and heaven, as Isaac Slade sings about kerosene, desire, and “trying to start a flame in the heart of the night.” He’s every bit as grandiose on “Run for Your Life” and “Be Still,” where he still gets in way over his head trying to save a life or two. 

Of Montreal

Paralytic Stalks

(Polyvinyl)

Kevin Barnes is one freaky dude. After a dozen years and almost as many albums, he led his carnivalesque indie-pop group deep into funky R&B territory on 2010′s False Priest, even enlisting Janelle Monáe and Beyoncé‘s little sister for help. On their 11^th album, Paralytic Stalks, Of Montreal slip and slide in a number of directions until they crash somewhere in the middle of progville. The last four songs all clock in at more than seven minutes, with the closing “Authentic Pyrrhic Remission” hitting the 13-minute mark. From the start, Paralytic Stalks is building to this moment (the sonic freakout that launches opener “Gelid Ascent” is a tip-off of things to come). By the time the lyrically relentless Barnes leads his crew through the orchestral sound collage of “Wintered Debts,” you’re ready for any trip his spaced-out mind fancies.

Finding that one little sliver of something that distinguishes one blog-blessed indie-rock band from the next is getting tougher and tougher these days. Good luck explaining the differences between Dirty Projectors and Deerhoof to someone who doesn’t spend at least 15 hours a week reading Pitchfork. Or the fine line in musical minutiae that separates Wavves from No Age from Best Coast.

Real Estate is one of those bands. If you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to confuse them with any number of pop-leaning indie groups, like, say, Surfer Blood or the Drums. Listen to their albums – 2009′s self-titled debut or last year’s Days – and you may tap your feet or nod your head. But seconds after you press “play” in another artist’s library, you’ll probably forget everything that passed through your ears during the past 45 minutes.

It’s an easy thing to do – to get wrapped up in a song when it’s filling the silence. The hard thing is to recall a single note, lyric, phrase, or musical hook once it’s over. That’s where most indie rock resides in 2012: someplace between casual inspiration and barely distinguishable.

Real Estate is a good band. Days is a good album. But with so much faceless indie rock vying for attention, you may not recognize them. And if you do, you may not remember them. Don’t worry about it, though; the group’s singer and songwriter Martin Courtney used to feel that way too. “I didn’t know what our identity was,” he says. “Most bands have a distinct style. I couldn’t see that in us.”

It certainly doesn’t help that Real Estate are originally from the moneyed town of Ridgewood, New Jersey, where the core trio grew up together as friends, but relocated to the hipster hotspot of Brooklyn, where they all now live in the same neighborhood, presumably with dozens of other blog-blessed indie-rock bands.

It also doesn’t help much that Courtney’s songs – as tuneful and as pleasant as “Green Aisles” and “It’s Real” are – don’t really rattle your brain much. This probably has something to do with the way he works: The music always comes first and easier than the words. “When I’m writing, the meaning of the song comes together about halfway through,” he says. “Sometimes I’ll finish writing an entire song and I won’t have an idea what it’s about.”

Still, there has to be one thing about Real Estate that will lead you straight to them instead of Neon Indian or whoever when you’re in the mood for some new indie music. Maybe that they don’t lean on their guitars like so many of their peers do? Or how about the nostalgic and affectionate way they sing about growing up, like high school didn’t totally suck? Or how they never really seem to force themselves or their music on you? “We’re more mellow than a lot of other bands,” Courtney offers. “But it’s not like we go out of our way to not rock too hard. That’s just us.”

TOP PICK

Talking Heads Chronology

(Eagle Rock)

This great DVD features more than a dozen live performances by the artsy NYC band, including some very early ones before keyboardist Jerry Harrison joined. Watching the jerky quartet slowly expand to a multinational funk party onstage is a kick, but it’s the songs themselves – from a sketchy “Psycho Killer” with different lyrics to a tight “Burning Down the House” from David Letterman’s show – that sell it.

VIDEO

Around the World Under the Sea

(Warner Archive)

This campy adventure movie from 1966 stars Lloyd Bridges (father of The Big Lebowski‘s Jeff) as a scientist who’s part of a submarine crew setting up underwater sensors that detect earthquakes. It’s filled with plenty of groovy period sets, as well as a Bond girl and some cool action sequences. It’s the best release from the latest batch of manufacture-on-demand DVDs available at wbshop.com.

BOOK

Best Music Writing 2011

(Da Capo)

One of our favorite annual compilations has gotten a little familiar and dull over the past few years, tapping the same writers again and again. This year’s volume breaks from the pack a little, including material from online sources like Tumblr and Stereogum. Of course The New York Times and Rolling Stone also check in. Together they look at Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and their own standings as rock critics in the 21^st century.

BOOK

Luck and Circumstance: A Coming of Age in Hollywood, New York, and Points Beyond

(Knopf)

Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s memoir looks back on his life as the director of the Beatles’ Let It Be and The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. But the big news here is behind the camera: Turns out Orson Welles is his dad. Lindsay-Hogg weaves this revelation throughout his book, tying his personal life to his professional one. It can be a bit heavy-handed at times, but it’s a fascinating read nonetheless.

MUSIC

The Very Best of Neil Diamond – The Original Studio Recordings

(Columbia/Legacy)

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has been making records for 45 years, and this excellent 23-song compilation spans his career – from the hand-clap-fueled “Cherry, Cherry” to “Hell Yeah” from 2005′s 12 Songs album produced by Rick Rubin. In between are a few misses (“Song Sung Blue” is soft-rock at its most cloying) and plenty of hits (“Cracklin’ Rosie” is one of the best-ever songs written to a bottle of booze).

Imperial Teen

Feel the Sound

(Merge)

Ever since their 1996 debut, Imperial Teen have stuck to a schedule that seems more catered to what members have going on in their personal lives than to a pressing need to make music with any sort of regularity. Their fifth album, and first since 2007′s The Hair the TV the Baby and the Band, takes a stroll through the indie-pop landscape they helped forge and finds a type of peace within the everyday turmoil of being moms, dads, husbands, and wives. But none of these grown-up responsibilities has made Imperial Teen’s music any less cheery. From the opening sugar rush of “Runaway,” they inflate Feel the Sound with new-wave drums, boy-girl vocals, soaring synths, and killer hooks. It doesn’t all fall into place (they forgot to finish the plodding “Hanging About”), but it’s still surprisingly focused for what amounts to a part-time band.