On their latest album Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters Glaswegian quartet The Twilight Sad (maybe unsurprisingly) fuse the sounds of Scottish folk music with the swirling layered guitars of bands like My Bloody Valentine. It is a gloriously melancholy album that envelops you like a dense fog with waves of fuzzy droning guitars and the soft vocals, vivid lyrics, and thick Scottish accent of singer James Graham.
The album doesn't force itself upon you but (rather) it more or less washes over you like crashing waves hitting a rocky shore; slowly building to a crescendo of distortion only to gently recede and repeat. It is melodic and memorable without being in-your-face catchy. It is also too upbeat (despite not really being upbeat) to be called shoegaze. Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters is a folk record paired with the combustible dynamics and huge choruses of bands like the Pixies and mire that all in hazy atmospherics.
All in all, Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters is a fantastic album both lyrically and sonically. It is out now on Fat Cat.
I think it was sometime last year when I said that Maximo Park is "yet another British group that plays that popular-with-the-kids melodic post-punk but this band is one of the best of the lot," and I still stick to my guns on that verdict. Better than Franz, Futureheads, or Kaiser Chiefs.
Maximo Park's latest album Our Earthly Pleasures is a little more cleanly produced than the band's first record, but is still full of great new-wave meets post-punk tunes. The angular guitars and choppy synths are still intact. Singer Paul Smith's sneering vocals and thick Geordie accent seem more sincere than many of his peers' and just add a little unobscured realism to the music.
Maximo Park (unlike say Bloc Party) haven't eschewed the hook-laded guitar rock that made them a household (???) name, but (overall) the album is a bit more mid-tempo than A Certain Trigger. Even so, the band performs no less fiercely than before. Oddly enough (though) it almost sounds as if the Maximo Park isn't always trying that hard and like things come spectacularly easy to these lads from Newcastle Upon Tyne. The scary thing is that the band (IMHO) hasn't hit their stride yet.
Our Earthly Pleasures is out now on Warp Records. Listen to "Our Velocity" and wait for the change at 1:51 mark and (unless you are wearing a neck brace) you'll find it impossible to not nod your head. Good luck resisting.
Awhile back I was asked to contribute to the fourth installment of the Song/Context/Result feature that runs over at the always excellent music blog Music Is Art. The gist of the whole thing was explained as, "Tell me about a moment, a song, and what it meant to you." Here's mine:
Context: It's the summer of 1985. I’m only 7 years old but I already know that my parents are well on their way to separating. I heard this song many times on my father’s boat that summer where my mother was noticeably absent. I can smell the combination of sunscreen, water, and sand. I can feel the warmth of the setting sun and see its red-orange glow. To this day I can’t remember a time when my parents were happy together.
Result: I’ve blocked out a lot of childhood memories. Maybe as a defense mechanism of some sort. I'm not really sure why, but I don’t want my own daughter to have to do the same.
For some reason I've never given the Athens, GA band Of Montreal much of a listen. I don't really know why but I never did. But a month or two ago my wife Amy started going on and on about just how great the new Of Montreal album is. I was like "Yeah, whatever," but she was persistent about it.
Fast forward to last week and she finally corners me and tells me I need to listen to the album and write about it and blah, blah, blah. So I listened to it. Wow.
The album was blessed with the ridiculously long and pretentious-sounding title Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? but is so freakin' irresistible that it doesn't matter. On it Of Montreal kicks out twelve songs of indie-disco post-punk-funk jams that blew me away but not before being lodged deep inside my cranium. I mean what band has song titles that include the words Kongsvinger, Heimdalsgate, and Gronlandic?
Rump-shakin' beats knock around with hyperactive synthesizers and Kevin Barnes' sometimes shrill falsetto to conjure a dark yet sugary sweet psychedelic haze that approximates throwing Abba, The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem, The Bee Gees, and The Shins into a blender and then injecting the mixture into your broken heart. Forget Prozac and all the other anti-depressant drugs and listen to Hissing Fauna instead and dance away your blues.
I'm not really sure what earlier Of Montreal albums sound like, but I'll soon be looking back to find out. Hissing Fauna is such an incredible and invigorating album that I've probably played it a half-dozen times or more during what was a busy Holiday weekend. The album is out now on the fantastically awesome Polyvinyl Records.
Meat And Potatoes is one of the country's finest design firms. They've done design work for Cabo Wabo Tequila, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, and just about every major record label you can name. Well, what happens when designers of this caliber decide to venture into the realm of fashion?
You get t-shirts. Not just any old "designer" tees, but (rather) hand-screened VERY limited edition t-shirts that come packaged in (you guessed it) a shrink wrapped Styrofoam carton or wrapped in deli paper like they were straight from the butcher shop. The packages also include hand-numbered art prints of the images on the shirt so that your walls don't feel slighted.
The coolest part of the whole deal (well, aside from the killer shirts) is that a portion of every shirt you buy goes to Meals on Wheels so you can feel good about what you're wearing. These shirts are like Threadless tees but way cooler and way more limited. Get your Meat & Potatoes t-shirts here. They are excellent.
The polarizing alt-country pretty boy Ryan Adams is set to release his 9th album Easy Tiger on June 26th via Lost Highway Records. The Cardinals (again) joined him as a backing band which is good since I liked Jacksonville City Nights more than virtually all of his post-Heartbreaker output. Easy Tiger (however) sounds like it could be a return to form.
Even though what I've heard of Easy Tiger sounds promising, my favorite Ryan Adams stuff is still probably Whiskeytown. Way back in 1996 before he went solo, Ryan Adams and drummer Skillet Gilmore (both of Whiskeytown at that point) formed the short-lived indie alt-country band Freightwhaler and (to the best of my knowledge) the songs below (known as The Freightwhaler Sessions) are all that was documented.
It's cloudy and a bit cool this morning here in Chicagoland and I need a little something to get me going. This mix/playlist taken directly from the ol' iPod (along with a maniacal 19 month old little girl dancing and yelling along to Happy Feet) has gotten me just about there. All I need now is a nice cup of coffee.
The Shapes We Make is Mary Timony's fourth solo album since she spent time in indie rockers Helium. It is (overall) a dark and moody record that oftentimes sounds like a back alley drug deal between Sebadoh and Sleater-Kinney. A proggy post-rock wet dream.
Timony's husky and Kim Gordon-esqe alto pipes are well-suited for the baroque and downright medieval tone that permeates through much of the album. I love the frolicking guitar melodies and the lilting bass, but it is the rock solid polyrhythmic drumming of Devin Ocampo that really anchors Timony's unusual and off kilter tunes.
I was actually all set to write this, but as I kept listening to The Shapes We Make I kept liking it more and more. I kept picturing the European countryside littered with drum kits and Marshall stacks with dragons flying overhead. That just proves I'm a little crazy, but (seriously) this is really a great and (surprisingly) warm album that really rocks (but only slightly). The Shapes We Make is out now on Kill Rock Stars.
Here is the second of the two reunion shows that The Dismemberment Plan played about a month ago at The Black Cat in Washington, DC. The first one is two posts down. The shows were both put together to raise money for Callum Robbins. The exact date of this one was Saturday, April 28th, 2007.
Cary Brothers (first name Cary, last name Brothers) is probably best known for his song "Blue Eyes" which was included by Zach Braff on the Garden State OST but what I really want to say is that he has a new album called Who You Are ready to be released next Tuesday.
The truth of the matter is (is) that Who You Are is a polished and radio friendly album that is the perfect vehicle to showcase Brothers' crystalline vocals. I really don't know what it is that draws me into this album since I liken it to what I would normally call "wussified pop rock" but I think that Zach Braff got it right. This is music that would be perfect on a movie soundtrack during some sentimental montage or simply perfect playing from your stereo on a Saturday afternoon as the soundtrack to your life.
Who You Are (with the proper promotional push) and the strength of the lead single "Jealousy" should propel Cary Brothers into mainstream consciousness. Pleasant for your ears but with just enough substance to keep you interested, he (for me at least) recalls a smoother version of Joe Pernice or maybe Snow Patrol. See what the hype is about and peep the tracks below.
So I've been sad for almost four years now. That's how long the wonderfully quirky D.C. band The Dismemberment Plan has been broken up. I've been really sad since April, 27th 2007. That's when The Plan played the first of two reunion shows at The Black Cat in Washington, DC that I was (super unfortunately unable to attend). Damn I loved The Dismemberment Plan.
The shows were concocted to benefit Callum Robbins (son of producer extraordinarie J. Robbins). He suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy and although I won't go into details here (for that go here) he is a little guy that needs your help. You can make a donation or buy this 2xCD of which 100% of the proceeds go to Callum's care fund. We bought the CD and hope that you will show the same love that The Dismemberment Plan plan did just about a month ago.
The MP3's below make up The Plan's set from the first night (4/27). I'll have the second show (4/28) up in the next few days.
I really haven't paid much attention to American Idol this year, but I think that Jordin Sparks is gonna win over Blake Lewis. Blake's beatboxin' tonight was killer, but I heard a rumor that Jordin got 45 million of the 75 million votes. We'll see... I kinda wish it was Sanjaya instead.
Australia is a bit of a mystery for most of us Americans. They've got marsupials, Foster's, and now they've got Augie March. Augie March is an Australian indie rock band that has garnered such awards as the Australian Music Prize (the Aussie equivalent of the prestigious UK Mercury Prize) and who's single "One Crowded Hour" was called the #1 song of the year by the Australian Alternative Radio Network.
While I wouldn't necessarily heap that much praise on the band just yet, the band's album Moo, You Bloody Choir (which will hit US shores on August 7th) is full of pleasantly literate pop that recalls Coldplay and bands of that ilk. My two favorite songs off Augie March's Moo, You bloody Choir are posted below.
So The Beach Boys have another compilation called The Warmth Of The Sun that is out now just in time for the summer heat wave that is currently descending on Chicagoland. It is billed as "the perfect companion" to the band's greatest hits collection Sounds Of Summer. I'd have to agree.
Growing up, one of my childhood friends (Nick) was pretty obsessed with The Beach Boys early surf-inspired rock and roll greatness and (thus) I soaked it all up as well. And as I got older I found out just how great the band really was. While The Warmth Of The Sun isn't the band's greatest hits (and it surely isn't Pet Sounds) the 28 tracks on this album showcase the incredible talent and output of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys.
Yeah, it might be superfluous for hardcore fans but there are a few new stereo mixes on this CD as well as classic tracks like "409" and "Little Honda" (to name a few) that make it a worthy addition to your collection unless you own all the albums from which these tunes are taken. Surf's up dude!
Is it just me or did Dear And The Headlights seem to come out of nowhere? They play a spazzy and highly addictive brand of emo folk-rock that just won't get outta my head as of late. "Sweet Talk" is sooooo good. The rest of their debut full-length Small Steps, Heavy Hooves is equally impressive.
Reminding me a some strange amalgamation of The Cure, Brand New, and Bright Eyes, Dear And The Headlights has (in their brief time as a band) already secured a spot at this year's Lollapalooza festival where I'll be sure to catch their set. Small Steps... is a dynamic record that is best when it is raw and coming apart at the seams (as it often seems it is). It is moments of head nodding and gentle folk rhythms punctuated by bursts of anthemic rock fury.
Dear And The Headlights' Small Steps, Heavy Hooves is out now on Equal Vision Records.
Q: What happens when indie rock kids decide to play country and bluegrass music? A: Axton Kincaid
Axton Kincaid is a band (not a person) that calls San Francisco, CA home. Armed with gritty female vocal harmonies, soaring pedal-steel guitar, and a sassy mandolin, their songs about love, loss, and drinking drip ever so sweetly into your ears. They serve as a perfect accompaniment for beer, whiskey, or whatever you prefer.
The band's wonderful "indiegrass" sound begs me to ask the questions that I've been asking for a few years now: "Why am I drawn to roots music in the same way that I am to punk rock? What do they have in common?" Whatever the answer, Axton Kincaid's recently released debut album Songs From The Pine Room is definitely worth your time. It is out now on Free Dirt Records.
Seymore Saves The World is a band outta Minneapolis, Minnesota that features ex-Tapes 'n Tapes bassist Sean Neary. They play nostalgic sounding piano-based power-pop that had me, my wife, and my daughter all bouncing around the living room yesterday. The band has a self-titled album out now that I'd recommended to fans of Ben Folds, Brendan Benson, Something Corporate, etc...
Chicagoan Chris McCaughan has been a staple in bands around Chicago for as long as I can remember. He's done time in bands like Tricky Dick, The Broadways, and (currently) The Lawrence Arms, but has recently released his first solo album as Sundowner. Instead of gruff and melodic punk rock, Sundowner spits fire in a much quieter way. Armed with only his voice, an acoustic guitar, and a little help from some friends, Chris bares his soul and exorcises his demons.
The album is called Four One Five Two and its rough-but-charming folk-rock is perfect for late nights with friends and reminiscing about the good old days. There is a distinct feeling of longing that weaves its way throughout the album's twelve songs and although Chris doesn't have the strongest voice he's honest, poetic, and utterly captivating. Like a cross between Blake Schwarzenbach and Bob Dylan, he's something of an urban folk troubadour and (to me at least) his songs sound just like Chicago at night.
You can catch Sundowner tonight at Chicago's Abbey Pub with Limbeck or (if you can't make it out) you can pick up a copy of Four One Five Two from Red Scare Records.
A few days ago I saw The Avett Brothers on late night TV and totally dug it. Comprised of two actual brothers and a bass player, the Avett's new album is called Emotionalism and it is infectious. The band is a trio consisting of acoustic guitar, banjo, and upright bass that (despite the instrumentation) is only slightly bluegrassish. It is more like bittersweet rootsy pop alt-country pop-rock that touches references like The Beatles and the Burrito Bros.
Emotionalism at times sounds like it could have been written 60+ years ago and at other times sounds like it could have been last week. The Greenville, NC trio's classic ragtime inspired acoustic pop wears its heart on its sleeve and somewhere deep inside has a little punk in it. RIYL: Pernice Brothers, Ryan Adams, Soggy Bottom Boys, etc...
Emotionalism is out now and those of you in Chicago should catch 'em at the House of Blues on 5/30. Cheers.
So a little over a month ago Wilco's Jeff Tweedy (as he does from time to time) played a sold-out solo show at Chicago's Vic Theater. I unfortunately didn't make it to the show (thanks to the $100 ticket price) but it was for a good cause (a benefit for the Montessori school his kids attend) and I still have my memories from his solo outing at the Vic back in March 2005.
With Sky Blue Sky out this past Tuesday, this offers a few of those songs presented in a different and stripped-down fashion as well as older Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, and Golden Smog material along with a few covers. Plus his stage banter is hilarious. Grab all the songs in a .zip file or pick your poison below. Enjoy.
Chicago's excellent Cracklin Moth has an excellent new EP titled My Heart Is Leaking out now. The band seems to fly a little under the radar here in Chicago, but (I can only guess) probably not for long. Led by singer/guitarist Matt Ammerman's gravelly voice and some incredibly weightless pedal steel guitar, the band is back with another batch of sun-soaked tunes. This is (however) less twangy that their Red Bird EP and is a bit more sprightly. I'd still probably call it urban alt-country, but with a big classic golden pop influence. Recommended for fans of The Jayhawks and Summerteeth-era Wilco, Brendan Benson, etc...
My wife and I have been big Rocky Votolato fans from the first time we saw him perform at Chicago's Fireside Bowl back in 2003 when we were instantly drawn to his earnest working-class brand of country-tinged acoustic rock. Now about to release his fifth solo album ,The Brag & Cuss, Votolato has (if anything) added a little more twang what was already a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.
Now recently Dodge from My Old Kentucky Blog referred to Votolato's music as "Whiskeytown light" and "diet Ryan Adams." I don't think that anything could be farther from the truth. Where Ryan Adams has embraced his celebrity (and his music suffered as a result) Votolato is the guy living in the shadows who is making a living but barely scraping by. He is a hard-working father of two whose earnest and whiskey-soaked voice has the ability to tear right through you. It is also hard to imagine that his words (which can cut straight to the bone) can be so poetic.
On The Brag & Cuss, Rocky Votolato's acoustic guitar and vocals are joined by harmonica, organ, and banjos in what is a fuller sounding album than his last. The additional instrumentation doesn't detract from the sincerity and honesty of his music. He still plays with the attitude and heart of a punk-rocker. Before going it alone, Votolato honed his skills fronting the Seattle post-hardcore band Waxwing in which his brother Cody also played until he joined The Blood Brothers.
I highly recommend picking up any Rocky Votolato albums you can get your hands on including The Brag & Cuss. It is due out June 19th on Barsuk Records.
A week or so ago Everything Last Winter from Fields arrived in my mailbox. What looked to be an ordinary compact disc has turned out to be a quite a nice surprise. After a few listens, I'm a little disappointed that I won't be able to catch the band tomorrow night at Chicago's Empty Bottle. I do (however) suggest that you head out to one of my favorite venues tomorrow (Wednesday, 5/16) night to check out this British/Icelandic quartet that takes what might be simple folk-rock songs and add gorgeous male/female vocal harmonies and huge swells of fuzzed-out atmospheric guitars to the mix. I quite like it, but I'm a sucker for noise.
Many folks have commented that Everything Last Winter is a dark album but I just don't hear it. The melodies are shimmering, the backbeat is driving, and there may be some minor key rockin' going on, but its not full of doom and gloom. There are lovely and quiet acoustic moments, but (as with most good noisy bands) Fields isn't afraid to get their hands, feet, and effects pedals dirty.
I can even envision the band on stage at some huge festival and thousands of people standing barefoot in the grass with their eyes closed taking it all in. I can hear the drums reverberating off whatever will have them and the guitar haze swirling in the summer breeze. If you can't manage that setting, headphones should be just fine. Everything Last Winter is out now on Atlantic Records.
RIYL: The Bends, Serena Maneesh, Isn't Anything, etc...
Scissors For Lefty is from San Francisco? Seriously? They have all the leanings of a less blatant version of Arctic Monkeys that isn't afraid to give you a little sass. Like the aforementioned Monkeys, SFL plays spastic and melodic indie rock that you can shimmy, shake, and sweat along to in the summer heat. Their debut full-length is called Underhanded Romance and even though it mines the same musical territory as many others, it still manages to sound fun and fresh.
The tunes on Underhanded Romance are loose and sloppy jams that straddle that line between synthy dance-punk and angular indie-rock and (surprisingly) make it work. Catchy without being saccharine, SFL's songs have just enough atmosphere and edge to set them apart. This record will most likely make Scissors For Lefty a buzz band here in the states. Underhanded Romance will be out in June on Eeenie Meenie Records.
RIYL: Arctic Monkeys, Maximo Park, The Strokes, etc...
So the new Wilco album Sky Blue Sky comes out on Tuesday (that's tomorrow for those who are still asleep) and I expect that all of you will be making a stop to pick up a copy. I'll see you there.
A few weeks ago I had a brief conversation with Ryan from the (Wilco-inspired) Muzzle of Bees blog and we both agreed that initially neither of us was really all that impressed with Sky Blue Sky and its warm 70's rock sound. We both commented that while the bands sounds tighter and more together than ever, most of the songs don't have those "reel you in" hooks that much (ok all) of Jeff Tweedy and Wilco's previous material had.
I'm not sure about Ryan, but I have had a change of heart. After listening to Sky Blue Sky a number of times since then, I've come to the conclusion that it might be the biggest leap forward that Wilco has made yet. It is an subtly adventurous album that eschews many of the alt-country and pop-rock tendencies that made Wilco the band we all love. They throw so much of sound that fans know right out the window and (for that reason) have made a bold statement.
For example, my wife Amy is a huge Wilco fan and (while she hasn't listened to Sky Blue Sky all that many times) her cursory reaction to the record was a negative one. I think many people will react just as she did.
Think about it carefully though and don't be so quick to judge. From A.M. to Being There to Summerteeth to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot to A Ghost Is Born to Sky Blue Sky Tweedy and company haven't been afraid to take chances and make the music they want to make. I really respect that. Yes, the songs and hooks on Sky Blue Sky are less-obvious than "She's A Jar" or "Misunderstood," but that doesn't mean they aren't good.
This is a video of my daughter yesterday and it is pretty funny. She is just over one-and-a-half, but note the tone of her voice when she says "hey." Then watch her expression after she says "punk." Then watch her in destructive action as she knocks a toy car off the ottoman. She thinks its pretty "funny." I can't stop laughing.
A cool breeze in the air. The sun beaming down. Toys all over the floor. Baseball on the television. A cool drink within arms reach. Yes, it seems that summer is just about upon us and I couldn't be happier.
Now have you ever wondered what a hazy lazy afternoon sounds like? Perhaps (at least in my world) it sounds something like this. Laid back but a little revved up.
Here are a few of the songs that have played on this morning's iPod shuffle in our house. Sure beats listening to songs from Blues Clues, Little Einsteins, or any of the other Playhouse Disney shows that Hailey watches. It's never too early to start your kids on good music.
So yesterday I sent my computer back to Dell because a broken heat sink was causing it to get hotter than the surface of the sun. Because of this I am forced to find alternate means of blogging which means my work laptop which (for some reason or another) won't connect to our wireless network and so I'm writing this from the depths of the basement. Anyhow, luckily I have some great music to keep me calm through all of this.
So a week or two ago I found a truly wonderful song posted by Amy on her fantastic blog Shake Your Fist. It was a sprawling minimal techno track called "Daddaughter" by Frenchman Nicolas Matuszczak who (simply) goes by Matzak. For one reason or another the song really moved me. His entire debut album Life Beginnings was created during the nine months that his new daughter was in-utero and it is "pregnant" with meaning and growing love. That alone would be enough to draw me to this music, but the music itself is gorgeous. It is warm and playful IDM electronica that is slightly glitchy with simple gliding melodies. Very rare is it that electronic music (especially minimal techno) sounds this alive. Like waking up just early enough to catch the sunrise Life Beginnings is inspiring and invigorating and alive.
The Gaslight Anthem is a band from New Jersey and their new album is called Sink Or Swim. Open it up and you'll find raw and ragged punk rock with a slightly rootsy feel. Lucero meets Good Riddance if you will. Gruff like a cheap bottle of whiskey but catchy enough to warrant a second shot. It makes you warm inside but might leave you regretting it in the morning.
I'm going to classify it as a brand new genre called honky-tonk hardcore. The guitars ferociously rip and shred but retain just enough twang and jangle that you can envision dusty old boots kicking open a saloon door somewhere while the gritty vocals reek of cigarettes and alcohol. It sounded perfect during my 3 mile sunset jog this evening. I've got a feeling that you might like it too.
RIYL: Against Me!, Murder By Death, The Forecast, etc...
| Insound | eMusic
