+++MUSIC REVIEWS+++
Other
Reviews
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Half-Handed Cloud
Thy Is a Word & Feet Need Lamps
Asthmatic Kitty
John Ringhofer is a weird dude in the best possible way, and slowly
crowning himself the crown prince of
short, quirky pop songs (we all know Robert Pollard is the king
and no one is even close to challenging that
position). This album is like the holy grail of nutty non-bothersome-to-secular-folk
jesus rock…Ringhofer being
the main man and player of a thousand different instruments, as
well as a part of Sufjan Stevens band; Stevens
plays on the album as well, in a fair bit of turnabout; and the
album was mixed by label mate Daniel “Danielson
Famile” Smith…that’s a lot of god-lovin’ folks, and it would all
creep me the hell out if they weren’t all such damn
great musicians and songwriters. I don’t even know how to describe
the music – think of the quirkiest pop
songs you’ve ever heard, add a half dozen kid’s toy instruments
on top of it, make the lyrics about the old
testament, and you’re kinda close. I like it a lot, but it may
not be for everyone. (SHREDDING PAPER)
Hazard County Girls
Divine Armor
Rev'd Up Records
The prospect of a group of women forming a metal band may seem
laughable to some, but if they rock they
rock regardless of what is or isn’t in their pants – and there
is no questioning the the Hazard County Girls rock.
Their tunes don’t really fit neatly into any of the particular
subcategories that metal has been split into these days,
but if you were forced to pick one you’d have to say they are
a little more stoner metal than anything else. Honestly
I could give or take the vocals, but the music behind them
is consistently great and sludgy and powerful all at the
same time. Anytime you come across some jerk claiming that
women can’t rock out, this would be fine time to
shove this disc in their face. (SHREDDING PAPER)
Thee Heavenly Music
Association
Shaping the Invisible
Rehash Records
Given that it only seems old folks like me listen to it anymore,
and the kids barely even know such a genre exists,
I’m continually surprised at the number of “shoegaze” bands
that pop up in every batch of reviews I do. I’ve heard
bad, I’ve heard good, and then there’s plenty in-between, which
is where I would place Thee Heavenly Music
Association. It’s obvious they have digested a lot of My Bloody
Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain, while
taking pacing and vocal cues from Mazzy Star. There are a couple
of particularly interesting tracks here – “Angelic
Disorder” standing out the most, and a cover of the Kate Bush
song “Running Up That Hill”, but as a whole it’s
nothing worth getting your panties in a twist over. (SHREDDING PAPER)
Heikki
2
Magic Marker Records
This Swedish duo features Maria Eriksson from Thee Concretes
and Jari Haapalainen from The Bear Quartet,
and they play upbeat jangly-pop and indie-folk the sorts of
which will probably be a hit with the kids. As for me
personally, I dunno…something is missing. The first track is
pretty great but I quickly lose interest thereafter for
some reason. The upbeat numbers are certainly the more engaging
ones as far as I can tell; I think it is particularly
the folky numbers that have my mind wandering. That said, the
more I listened to it the better it sounded, so maybe
it’s just one of those records that take a while to come around.
Fans of Viva Voce, The Fruitbats, and probably
even Erikkson’s other band The Concretes would probably enjoy
this the most. (SHREDDING
PAPER)
Hella
The Devil Isn’t Red
5RC Records
Hella are definitely a “love them or hate them” type of band...luckily
I love them and was extremely stoked to get
their new record to review, but I know a number of folks who
either don’t get it or don’t want to. And that’s fine,
because they’re not for everyone; people who only listen to
pop music and require strict song structures from
their music are not going to be pleased when they hear the spazzy
sounds of this Sacramento, CA-based band.
In fact, I would be hard pressed to tell you exactly what they
sound like; made up of two members, Zach Hill on
drums and Spencer Seim on guitar, they play a brand of music
that lands somewhere between improve jazz
and math rock and sounds absolutely nothing like either one.
What I can say for certain is that Zach is the best
drummer I’ve ever seen, equally bewildering and infuriating
with the amount of talent that man has. He’s so good
that I almost want to take friends who have no interest in their
music to see this band live just so they can check
out the clinic takes place on his Frankenstein-version of a
drum kit. Just go to http://www.hellaband.com/ and
download nearly an albums worth of beautiful insanity, and decide
for yourself if you’re a lover or a hater.
(SLAP)
Hillstomp
The Woman That Ended the World
Fuzzmonster Records
I had to look at the back of this CD while I was listening
to it to make sure it wasn’t released on Fat Possum, cause
it definitely would fit in well with that roster of bands.
This is your typical two-piece blues/rock outfit; it has all the
hallmarks you expect from this sort of music – dirty production,
vocals that sound like they were recorded in the
bottom of a well, no bass, etc. nothing here blew me out of
the water, but it’s a good release and these guys are
obviously talented at their chosen craft. They also know and
pay homage to their influences by containing covers
of Mississippi Fred McDowell and Muddy Waters on the album.
Fans of this sort of racket will probably get along
quite nicely with this release, and even casual observers such
as myself can enjoy it as well. (SHREDDING PAPER)
HiM
Lila
Galaxia
Let it be said here and now that Doug Schiarin can do no wrong in my
book. He’s easily one of the best drummers
in rock music today, and witnessing him live, no matter the setting,
is something to behold. HiM is not my favorite
work by this man (I mean, he was in June of 44 and Codeine, 2 of my favorite
bands ever for chrissakes!!!), but it’s
still damn good and a sight better than most bands to play this style
of music. Obvious comparisons to Tortoise may
hold some merit, but there is much more of a jazz/world music/Fela Kuti
vibe to this than most groups that get the
Tortoise comparison thrown at them; this is due in large part to Schiarin’s
interesting choices in percussion layered
with Rob Mazurek’s stellar Coronet playing (would that be Coronetting?).
Add to that some terrific packaging con-
taining photos and designed by the massively talented artist Thomas Campbell
(who co-owns the Galaxia label),
and you’ve got a recipe for winning. (SHREDDING PAPER)
The Hives
Veni Vidi Vicious
Epitaph/Burning
Heart Records
Forget The Strokes, The Hives are the future of rock and roll(and are
already being heralded as such in Europe),
and you can quote me on that. They bring back that great garage
rock feel that was made so popular in the 60s
and 70s by bands such as The Stooges, MC5, and some of the early Who
stuff. While ‘Veni Vidi Vicious’ is their
first big release in the U.S., they’ve been doing this rock thing in
their homeland of Sweden since 1993, and have
released a couple of short players and one full length to add to their
quiver of records. This is not one of those
bands where a lot of flowery language is needed to describe their sound,
because one word sums it up – rock.
If you like good rock music, buy this. If you do not like good
rock music, go buy an O-Town record, or something
similar.
Oh yeah, and if The Hives come to your town to play, whatever you do,
do not miss them. They are on a short list
of bands that I think anyone would enjoy live, even if you’re not crazy
about the music, because they put on such a
good stage show. Their singer, Screamin’ Pelle, is the reincarnation
of Mick Jagger if there ever was one, and
their drummer, Chris Dangerous, is a force to be reckoned with as well.
(SLAP)
Holopaw
S/T
Subpop
Next time you see him, thank Isaac Brock. Thank him for
introducing the folks at Subpop to Holopaw, a great
new addition to my music collection and hopefully yours.
Brock (of Modest Mouse and Ugly Casanova fame)
had the singer of Holopaw, John Orth, help him on his solo project
Ugly Casanova. Orth’s vocal additions on
that album are one of it’s brightest spots, so I was highly
anticipating the release of the Holopaw album - I was
not disappointed with the outcome. Not that the band is
second rate, but Orth’s voice is so mesmerizing that it’s
easy to forget there is any music playing along with it at all.
Something about it’s quality reminds me of long
drives late at night through the country, very haunting and
morose, with a tinge of warble in that country sort of
way. The music fits these moods as well, reminding me
of Lambchop, Palace, and the Radar Brothers, among
others. Give this album a listen, through headphones if
you have them, and discover one of your new favorite
bands. (SLAP)
Hot Hot Heat
Make Up the Breakdown
Sub Pop
If I had written this review when I intended to, it would have
probably gotten a higher rating from me. At
first listen, I thought ‘Make Up the Breakdown’ was great.
A few more listens in, a couple of songs
started bothering me. As of now, about half of the album
could be tossed and we’d end up with a pretty
damn good EP.
From what I understand, Hot Hot Heat (HHH - like the wrestler!
Yeah!) come from some remote part of
British Columbia, which means they overcame two obstacles that
overwhelm many out there - first, they
managed to escape the confines of isolated small town living,
which has a way of stifling creativity in
favor of fitting in with everyone else; and second, they’re
Canadian. Enough Said about that one.
Many of their songs come off sounding like more organic versions
of Faint songs with a little pop-punk
bounce infused into it. It’s not so much that they sound
like the Faint per se, but more like they might be
carrying the burden of similar influences, only HHH also listened
to a bunch of Green Day or something
along those lines. One of their assets (or detractions,
depending on how you look at it) is that within the
given framework, they manage to change their sound from song
to song - Dismemberment Plan on
‘This Town’, the aforementioned Faint on ‘No, Not Now and ‘Talk
To Me, Dance With Me’, any of a million
ska bands on ‘Get In Or Get Out’ and even Dexy’s Midnight Runners
of all people on ‘Aveda’, just to name
a few. Another gripe could be leveled at the production
- it seems a little too heavy handed for a band of
this nature - possibly part of the problem with some of the
songs irritating me is that they sound too slick.
Then Again, I’m a big fan of the lo-fi sound so I might be
a bit biased on this particular point.
To the benefit of HHH, I’ve heard nothing but positive and
good things about their live show - apparently
there is much dancing and thrashing around, and the crowd really
gets into it. And it could possibly be
that I might enjoy all of their songs in a live setting.
But as for my home listening needs, I think it’s time to
fire up the CD burner and create myself an EP. (MUSIC SPORK)
Howard Hello
S/T (EP)
Temporary Residence Ltd.
Kenseth Thibideau must be a full-time musician – as a member
of Thingy, Tarentel and Rumah Sakit, he found
the time to start yet another band with Marty Anderson of Dilute
and Okay under the moniker Howard Hello.
While both of these guys’ past forays have been fairly “math-rock”
oriented, they opted for a different approach
with this output – think of the mellower side of M83 with both
male and (guest?) female vocals and plenty of
atmospheric moments. This whole EP is a very laid-back affair,
perfect for an afternoon sitting on your porch
reading the paper or as a come down after a heavy skate.
Especially impressive is the opening track “More
of the Same” - If this song is considered “the same”, I certainly
want more of it. (SLAP)
Hudson Bell
Captain of the Old Girls
Upperworks
Hudson Bell falls into the singer-songwriter category, but is
not defined by it. To generalize, he is a com-
bination of folky country, pop, and indie rock. To me,
his voice and sound are very reminiscent of Jay Farrar
(of Son Volt and Uncle Tupelo fame), but less twangy and a bit
more upbeat. The lyrics are not too terribly
different from the typical singer-songwriter fare - tales of
lover’s past, present, and future, or tales like someone
might tell over a campfire on a warm and humid summer night.
Not a bad song in the lot, but particular favorites
of mine include the rocking ‘Halcyon Days’, the mellow and feedback-laden
‘Expatriate’, and ‘Vials in the
Stump’, which is somewhat reminiscent of Isaac Brock when he
is in his Ugly Cassanova mode. Go to his
website, www.upperworks.com, To check out some samples of his
music along with tour dates and all that
other good stuff you get from music websites. (SLAP)
I Can Make a Mess
Like Nobody’s Business
S/T
Drive-Thru Records
This is the solo debut of Ace Ender, known in certain circles
as the singer for the band Early November.
I wish my mom would have given me a cool name like Ace, but
that’s neither here nor there. Given that this
is on Drive Thru Records, you can sorta guess what it’s going
to sound like – something within the realm of
that dreaded word “emo”. Specifically, it’s acoustic, singer-songwriter-type
emo in the Dashboard Con-
fessional vein but much better (not that that is a tough accomplishment).
But it’s not a terrible record, it just
doesn’t stand up and assert itself very often. The fifth track
“The Best Happiness Money Can Buy” is a good
song, and there is couple of other decent submissions, but
much of this gets lost in too much sub-par
material. Pare this one down to around 30-35 minutes of the
strongest songs and you’d have a much more
effective album in my opinion. (SHREDDING PAPER)
Idlewild
100 Broken Windows
Capitol Records
It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while I will hear
a band that has me grasping at straws when it comes
to describing how they sound. This is one of those bands.
I know that I like it, but I would be hard pressed to tell
you exactly why, or what it sounds like, or who to compare it
to. These lads come from Scotland, and given the
amount of great music that comes from such a small land – Mogwai,
Belle and Sebastian, Ganger, Aereo-
gramme, Snow Patrol, Arab Strap, Boards of Canada, Reindeer
Section, Teenage Fanclub, etc – you expect
good things. And while there may be some similarities
among those other bands listed, Idlewild manages to
sound nothing like any of them. Their sond has been described
as pop-punk, without sounding like either pop
or punk. This adjective is probably the best one to describe
them with though – many of their songs contain the
type of pop hooks that get in your head for days, and they have
moments of rocking out that would surely make
your ears ring if you saw them live.
There are many highlights on this album, including ‘Idea Track’,
‘Actually it’s darkness’, and ‘quiet crown,’ but this
is one of those albums that you usually listen to from start
to finish because it has no weak spots. If there is a
weakness, it’s the production value. On first listen,
it seemed a little over produced, but with each successive
listen I seem to feel that way less and less.
Looking back at this review, it has come to my attention that
I have put together quite possibly one of the vaguest
record reviews ever(do I get a prize for this?). So to
further clarify my overall sentiment, which is ‘this is a good
album,’ take heed of the following as well: the music
magazine Magnet had nothing but good words for this
release. Pitchfork (www.pitchforkmedia.com) stated
that the album was some odd mix of REM and Superchunk,
which they meant as a good thing(although I’m not sure what
they’re talking about really). And if those indie
stalwarts don’t convince you, even Rolling Stone, when not espousing
the virtues of every teen pop and rap metal
act out there, gave this album a good review. So go check
it out if it interests you, and enjoy. (SLAP)
IfiHadAHiFi
Ones and Zeroes
No Karma Recordings
The first phrase that comes to my mind to describe these guys
is ‘spazz rock’. I’m not sure if that will be taken as
an insult, because it’s not meant to be. More than anything,
this quartet of mid-westerners reminds me of the early
albums of The Dismemberment Plan – the main difference being
that where the D-Plan would get a little too funky
for my tastes, these guys get a little more punk(in a Devo/Talking
Heads kinda way). And that was always my
complaint about the early D-Plan stuff – too much funk in the
trunk; of course, they don’t sound like that now, but
that has nothing to do with IfiHadAHiFi, so I’ll get back on
topic. The topic at hand is this album ‘ones and zeroes’
and it’s makers. Essentially, take a bunch of samples,
keyboards, regular organic instruments, noise and punk –
throw it in a blender – and you get this. It could have
been a mess, and I’ve heard others try it to much less suc-
cess – but these lads have done good. If this interests
you, check them out on the web at
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/141/ifihadahifi.html, and hear
a couple of songs from this album as well as some
older self-released stuff; and if you like what you hear,
check out the rest of the album, because it ain’t too
shabby either. (SLAP)
Ill Lit
I Need You
Badman Recording Co
Ill Lit may be creating their very own genre right before our
collective eyes – blending ambient, sound-
scape-style electronica with country for a new hybrid I’d like
to call electro-country. No, how about
countronica? OK, I’m still working out the name part,
get off my back already. Rome wasn’t built in a
day.
This release follows the same basic formula as Ill Lit’s debut
release on Badman, but right off the bat
I can say that I like this quite a bit more than the first
record they put out. Not that it was a bad record,
but I felt that there were only a couple of strong tracks and
a lot of mediocre ones. Moreover, the sound
and pacing on that album stayed the same for the whole album,
making it hard to sit through in one listen.
“I Need You” is not plagued with these problems nearly as often
– there might be one or two missteps,
but it is much more listenable. They do a good job of
mixing their mellow, ambient led numbers between
more upbeat tracks so they don’t all pile up together on the
same spot in the record. The thing with these
mellower songs is that their affect is the greatest when paired
next to more upbeat tracks, but too many
all together has a tendency to make your attention wander elsewhere,
at least for me (and this was the
main problem with the first record).
The bottom line – this is a good sophomore effort by this up-and-coming
LA group, and who knows?
They could be starting a whole new genre or movement with their
“Electrontry” music. No wait, how
about twang beat? No that’s just stupid. You can
go to www.badmanrecordingco.com and check out
what they sound like for yourself, and try to come up with
a better name than I can. It's not easy!
(MUSIC SPORK)
I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness
Fear Is On Our Side
Secretly Canadian
At this point many of you may have heard at this band and laughed
at their name – I too found it quite humorous the
first few times I saw or heard it mentioned (although not as
humorous as the band name “I Hate You When You’re
Pregnant” that I saw listed playing a local club not too long
ago). With a name like that, I don’t think you would be
wrong-minded to expect the group to be some sort of novelty
rock act; but it turns out they are damn good, enter-
taining indie rock group with a penchant for keyboards.
Yes, it’s true that these Texas lads do have a bit of the 80’s
synth-rock rehash in them, but this is one of the few groups
I can stomach that from – they make it sound like it’s the
real deal, that if you played this band on 120 minutes back
in the day they would have fit in nicely with the Cure,
Siouxie and the Banshees, the Church, etc. the only thing
standing between this group and stardom is luck – they
have the look and the sounds to go over big, but like all talented
acts it takes getting the right people to hear them
(in other words, when they get played on “The OC” things will
be looking up for these lads). (SLAP)
Infinite August
A Loss So Dear
Minor League Music
This is a decent short player of folky-pop from this duo of lads out
of Ohio. If you think along the lines of The Shins,
The Kinks, The Beach Boys, The Moore Bros., or Papas Fritas (one of the
vocalists particularly sounds like Miles
from Beulah), you’ll get a general idea of what this band sounds like.
Very catchy, enjoyable songs, especially the
opener ‘Loved Ones’ and ‘Sarah’s Got a Headache Again’, and the addition
violin and female vocals on ‘Secret
Service’ is a nice touch as well. Certainly worth picking up if you happen
across it, but may be hard to find outside
of their hometown area. Check the website for any further info on acquiring
this release. (SHREDDING
PAPER)
The (International)
Noise Conspiracy
New Morning, Changing Weather
Epitaph/Burning Heart Records
All of the sudden, it seems like rock and roll music is popular again,
and I’m not talking about crap like Lint Bis-
cuit or Puddle of Muddle, or whatever they are called. Lately there
seems to be a movement where sounding
like you’re making music from the 60’s is the cool thing to do.
Bands such as The Strokes and The White Stripes
are breaking into the mainstream and catching the ear of the kids out
there. It is my contention that one of the
bands responsible for this movement is The (International) Noise Conspiracy
(TINC). Dennis, the singer for TINC,
was once the singer for the legendary band Refused, who were known for
always breaking new ground in the
stagnant scene of hardcore music. After Refused broke up, he formed
this group, creating a new sound, a
sound so new that it sounded...old. Not unlike the garage rock
of the 60’s and early 70’s popularized by early
Rolling Stones, MC5, Iggy and The Stooges, and many others. Continuing
down the path set forth by Refused,
one of the things that sets TINC apart from the others playing this style
of music is the amount of political rhetoric
in the lyrics of their songs. As self proclaimed Marxists, many
of their songs talk about the evils of capitalism
and western society. These are a smart group of kids, and a big
part of the reason they are playing their brand
of music is to bring their message to the people. But whether you
agree with them or not, the music is still damn
good.
As for their new album, it picks up where their last one, ‘Survival Sickness,’
left off. In some ways they seem to
be taking some small steps from the garage rock feel towards that of
a richer, fuller sound, incorporating varied
instrumentation and production into this record. Highlights include
the songs ‘Capitalism Stole My Virginity’ and
‘Bigger Cages Longer Chains.’ I definitely recommend this album
if you dig this type of sound. Even if you’re not
into this type of music, go see them live. This isn’t a phrase
that I use that often, but their singer is one bad ass
dancer. It’s really entertaining to watch him go nuts on the stage.
And if you are indeed into their message, they
back up what they sing about by having books and materials on hand for
sale at their shows to help educate the
masses. (SLAP)
Interpol
Antics
Matador Records
Like many folks who enjoy “indie rock” or whatever it’s called
nowadays, I was a bit put back (and put off) by all of
the hype that Interpol received after the release of their first
album. Not that it was a bad record, but other than the
track “NYC” there was nothing overwhelmingly gratifying about
“Turn on the Bright Lights” other than that it re-
minded most folks of Joy Division. I figured I would just
rather listen to Joy Division themselves, and skip the
middle man - no fuss, no muss. I even saw Interpol live
a year or so after the record came out, and felt the exact
same way – a decent band, not really worthy of the hype being
heaped upon them, but it’s still better than most of
the garbage that the mall crowd buys. They did have a
great light show though, but that’s neither here nor there.
So fast forward a couple of years, to the fall of 2004 and the
release of Interpol’s sophomore release, “Antics”.
Now, I’m not sure what happened – maybe my listening tastes
changed a bit since the last record was released,
or perhaps the band switched up their sound significantly (I’m
thinking it was a little of both), but I have been
listening to this new record a lot. A whole lot really
– not quite obsessively, but nearing that. The first thing that
sticks out on this release is the pace of it – there are many
more upbeat tracks here, much less plodding along
through mid-tempo numbers, which is probably the biggest reason
why I find this album so interesting. Perhaps
it is also that same upbeat, almost poppy (gasp) sound that
makes the album seem a lot less morose and dark
than its predecessor. This is instantly obvious when you
hear “Evil”, the second track and a song in which my
friend though the band was trying to imitate REM. My personal
favorite on the album is “Slow Hands”, which has
nothing to do with Eric Clapton as far as I can tell, but still
makes me want to go dancing at the local bar during
goth night and make out with some pasty faced ladies in black
velvet dresses (not that I don’t normally feel like
making out with goth girls anyways, but that’s another story
all together). The bottom line is that Interpol has not
only avoided the dreaded sophomore jinx, but they’ve actually
managed to one-up their previous record, and
even have me thinking about giving the old one a second shot. (SLAP)
Invisible
The Invisible EP
Self-Released
The little press sheet I got with this claims “Invisible compose
semi-instrumental music along with
accompanying/synched digital video pieces…” I guess I’ll
just have to take their word on the video
part – their music certainly seems like it might work well
in such an arrangement, particularly the
instrumental bits.
Although just their debut EP, I hear good things in this short
release. Some of the material might
be a bit forgettable, but it all sounds good when you’re listening
to it. I struggled for quite a while
to come up with a comparison to this band, and the best I could
come up with was older Sea and
Cake (you know, before John McEntire got wacky with all the
bleeps and bloops and electronic
gadgetry), or maybe Aloha (that could just be the glockenspiel
talking).
It’s always a little difficult to get a handle on young bands
from an EP only, but if I were a betting
man I think it would be possible to win a little loot on this
horse. The only real key here is getting
their sound out to the masses, but they made it easy by putting
a couple of their tracks (and my
favorite song from the release “Calia”) available for download
on their website –
www.invisible-music.com. Now all you have to do is listen.
(MUSIC SPORK)
Invitation
The Skin of Light
Helio/Form Records
This Invitation, who I could find nearly no information about, is
a two piece out of New York City playing mellow
indie rock, or at least I guess that’s how you would classify it.
It reminds me of bits of the Rachels and bits of
Glenn Branca with whispery, delicate vocals on top. Not bad, not
great, just kinda there…good background
music for me, but it seems tobe of good quality and I’m sure there
are folks out there who will love this.
(SHREDDING PAPER)
Iron & Wine
The Creek Drank The Cradle
Subpop
Iron & Wine is the work of one man, Samuel Beam - get to
know that name, because if his output
continues down the same path as this album, we’ll have the
makings of the Nick Drake for this
generation. Well, either Beam or Damien Jurado - perhaps
we can have some sort of wrestling
or boxing match to decide the true bearer of the title.
But that is another story altogether, and not
really relevant to this review.
Iron & Wine come from Miami, Florida, where Beam is a cinematography
teacher at a local college
by day, creator of hauntingly beautiful music by night.
This album was written, performed, produced,
and recorded entirely by Beam in his house. Apparently,
there was two albums worth of stuff sent
into SubPop, which was then whittled down to this release of
11 tracks. The only instruments used
are his voice, guitar, and a little slide and banjo.
What’s missing here? No drums. I can’t tell you
the last time I listened to a record with no drums on it and
actually liked it, much less loved it as I do
this one.
Beam’s voice comes across as the Americanized version of Gary
Lightbody, known for his work with
Snow Patrol and The Reindeer Section. But the music falls
much more in line with something done
by Lou Barlow, be that Sebadoh or Sentridoh or whatever.
And the whole affair lends a nod of the
head towards the patron saint of this type of music, Nick Drake,
who has influenced a countless
number of men to become singer-songwriters, and even a few
of them to actually be good at it such
as Iron & Wine here.
Hopefully this is just the beginning for Iron & Wine, and
many more great things will follow. I personally
would like to hear the rest of those songs not released by
SubPop, because if they are anywhere near
as good, they will certainly be worth hearing. (MUSIC SPORK)
Iron & Wine
Our Endless Numbered Days
Sub Pop Records
Iron & Wine is Sam Beam, film school professor in Florida
by day and amazing singer and performer by night.
To call him this generation’s Cat Stevens might be somewhat
apt, and a good basis on which to draw com-
parisons of this man and his ridiculously beautiful voice.
Plenty or other comparisons are floating around out
there - from Nick Drake to CSN&Y to Palace to Lou Barlow
– and each of these have probably had a hand in
influencing the songwriting of Beam. His songs are beautiful
in their simplicity, where equal importance is
placed just as much on the lack of instruments at times than
an overabundance of them. His first album, “The
Creek Drank the Cradle”, was a very even-paced affair, but this
record finds Beam branching out a little – some
drums and percussion here and there to speed the tempo up in
places, but not enough so that it would alienate
his already established fan base. Beam has more than proved
that his first record was not just a fluke, a one-off
by an unknown artist that sent those educated in his sound rushing
to the store to purchase his album; instead,
with his triumphant return and sophomore effort he’s telling
everyone that he’s in it for the long haul, and for that
I am extremely happy. (SLAP)
Iron & Wine
Woman King
Sub Pop Records
More hushed folksy music from the new Cat Stevens of our generation,
Sam Beam. If you are at all familiar
with his recordings, especially his last full-length “Our Endless
Numbered Days”, then you have a good idea as
to what this sounds like. Although not physically a continuation
of those recording sessions, they certainly are in
spirit, utilizing much of the same staff (specifically, Sam’s sister
Sarah returns for her beautiful backing vocal
duties). If you like those recordings them you will not be disappointed
here, or at least I wasn’t.
(SHREDDING PAPER)
Irving
Death in the Garden, Blood on the Flowers
Eenie Meenie Records
Be it music blogs, local weeklies, or whatever, perhaps it’s
just me but it seems like this LA-via-SF band of merry
popsters known as Irving has been touted as the “Next Big Thing”
for some time now. It’s not surprising really – they
are deft songwriters, competent musicians, and most importantly
in this day and age, they are a handsome lot of
lads. Yet despite this, they still languish in the underground
to the befuddlement of many, including myself. Now I’m
no super fan of the band, but I like them well enough that
it wouldn’t hurt my feelings to hear them getting played on
the radio more than most of the dreck that gets airtime nowdays.
Sadly, this isn’t their strongest outing – both their previously
released “I Hope You’re Feeling Better Now” EP from
2003 and the 2002 full-length “Good Morning Beautiful” were
catchier, more engaging outings. But that’s not to say
this one is bad –mostly, it finds the group in a seemingly
more subdued & pensive state. It has its bubblegum Beulah-
like moments and sneers like the Dandy Warhols on occasion,
but it is the laid back pop that defines the album, a
sound I can’t pin to any one group but is very reminiscent
of the non-ironic 80’s pop that most of us grew up on.
Despite not being their best record it’s still an album worthy
of checking out if you are at all a fan of quality pop
music – check out some of the songs from this album over at
their myspace page http://www.myspace.com/irving ...
it won’t hurt you to take a break from instant messaging with
horny old men posing as cute teenage girls to listen to
some good music. (SLAP)
Je Ne Sais Quoi
We Make Beginnings
Coalition Records
Cue Jerry Seinfeld voice – what is the deal with Sweden?
Most of the time, you’d think they have an institute set
up to try and replicate our bands to the best of their ability.
Despite the French name, Je Ne Sais Quoi are yet
another group of retro rockers coming out of Sweden, but at
least they manage to keep it fairly interesting and
entertaining most of the time. They play a dancey new-wave/post
punk thing, with a tinge of soul thrown in. For
comparisons, you have to look no further than their home shores
and The (International) Noise Conspiracy, but
without the heavy political discourse and socialist leanings
(as much as anyone Swedish can not have socialist
leanings, which is probably pretty hard given the setup of their
government, but that’s a discussion for a different
day). Other musical touchstones or “recommend if you like” might
be Les Savy Fav, Pretty Girls Make Graves,
and maybe even a little Fugazi for good measure. They
aren’t breaking any new ground, but it’s still a pretty damn
entertaining record full of catchy hooks and highly danceable
if you are into that sort of thing. When I dance I tend
to look like Bill Cosby so it might be best if I skipped that
part though. (SLAP)
Jennifer Gentle
Valende
Sub Pop Records
This Italian duo not only decided to name their band after a
Syd Barrett song, but figured they might as well go
ahead and sound quite a bit like him as well. And if you’re
going for comparisons, might as well throw in some
13th Floor Elevators, Skip Spence and maybe even a touch of
Elf Power/Elephant 6 influence. The record has
that great quality that seems hard to find these days, where
it is weird and screwy but still retains a certain level
of pop sensibility…too many bands and performers can’t seem
to find this balance and go too overboard on the
weird or make the music too safe and tepid. Their third
release and first for Sub Pop, this is a pretty damn good
record that just gets stronger with age like old gym socks.
Except they don’t make me vomit like the thought of
old gym socks do, they make me get happy. And if you are
one of those fetishists who get happy from vomiting
or old gym socks or any combination thereof, I don’t wanna hear
about it, you weirdo. (SLAP)
Jet Black Crayon
Experiments in the Space Metal Time Signature
Galaxia
Tommy Guerrero keeps himself a busy man – besides being one of the most
influential skateboarders ever, he man-
ages to also help run a skateboard company and perform in numerous musical
outfits as well. Jet Black Crayon is a
jazz/funk/noise outfit that mostly plays improv-type of stuff with a
heavy leaning towards the atmospherics, or as it’s
referred to in the sleeve of the disc, “drunken meandering”. A nice mellow
listen, this isn’t going to change the world
but I like it; what’s more, I think the fact that it’s short and to the
point really helps it out – I’m not sure if my attention
could be held for a full length. (SHREDDING PAPER)
Jettie
Heading for Mornings
Astro Magnetics
Try and imagine a combination of the Red House Painters' morose,
somber sentiment coupled with instrumentation
that floats somewhere near the universe of the Appleseed Cast,
and you've got a decent idea what Jettie brings to
the table. Coming straight outta Sweden, these lads have released
a beautiful debut full-length in "Headings for
Mornings" after a couple of equally impressive EPs. It's accessible
but not simplistic meloncholy pop music - it has
the ability to appeal to both fans of mainstream work like
Coldplay or underground fans of bands such as Idaho or
Acetone (in particular their more laid-back tracks). You can
swing by their Pure Volume site at
http://www.purevolume.com/jettie if you need verification that
this band is headed in a nice direction. (SLAP)
Julian Fane
Special Forces
Planet Mu
There is something of an electronic Phillip Glass-meets-M83 thing
going on here, and it’s really quite good. When
there are vocals, they are very Thom Yorke-like, so a comparison
to Radiohead’s Kid A/Amnesiac forays into
electronic music would not be unfounded either. This is yet further
proof that Canada is kicking our ass when it
comes to producing great music. (SHREDDING PAPER)
Damien Jurado
On My Way to Absence
Secretly Canadian
I’m assuming that since this is Damien Jurado’s sixth proper album
(plus numerous EPs and whatnot), you’re
already familiar with his music and have probably already made
up your mind as to whether you like the guy
or not (if you’ve never actually heard him, MP3s can be found on
the Sub Pop and Secretly Canadian web-
sites…golden voiced folkie goodness at it’s best). Me, I’m a pretty
big fan, never miss a chance to see that
gentle giant play a live show if I can help it, and love pretty
much every album he’s put out. This is no exception;
and while not the strongest material he’s released, it still stands
up as a fine record. In some ways it resembles
the “rock” album he did a couple of years back called “I Break
Chairs” with the band Gathered in Song, but
there are also a few acoustic dirges scattered in there (these
always end up being my favorites of his catalog).
In typical Jurado fashion, there’s a duet with Rosie Thomas, but
there are also a couple of tracks where Eric
Bachman of Crooked Fingers/Archers of Loaf lends a helping hand
and random other indie-music glitterati.
I would certainly recommend this to fans and most other folks wouldn’t
be disappointed either…but if you’re
looking for a good starting point on this fine singer-songwriter
check out “Rehearsals for Departure”, one of
my favorite records of all time. Still, even a “B” album by Jurado
is better than pretty much everyone else’s
“A” game. (SLAP)
Karmella’s Game
What He Doesn’t Know Won’t Hurt Him
Speedbump Recordings
About half a track into this EP I realized that Karmella’s
Game sounds just like the Anniversary’s first record with
a bit more crunchy, overproduced guitars. It’s the sort of
thing I would have been nuts for 10 years ago when I was
listening to Ashes and Split Lip and The Get Up Kids all the
time, but right now it isn’t doing so much for me. I bet
the kids where these guys are from go nuts for them though,
and the shows are probably pretty fun. So while I can’t
personally recommend as I don’t think I would listen to it,
anyone into the synth-pop type of emo would probably
really enjoy this. (SHREDDING PAPER)
Kit!
S/T
??? Records
Kids playing pop-punk goes together almost as well and almost
as often as a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.
This time around we have a Florida outfit called Kit!...3 dudes
and a lady singer, they sound like an upbeat and
less interesting version of Ashes, or something like that.
Man, I really loved that Ashes CD back in 95 or so
when it came out, and I would have probably liked this some
too, but not so much now. But I bet the kids in their
town go crazy for them, probably writing their name on their
backpacks in white-out and wearing homemade Kit!
Patches on the jean jacket they bought at Hot Topic. (SHREDDING PAPER)
Kite Operations
Dandelion Day
K.O.A. Records
Something about this record doesn’t add up to me…one moment
it sounds great and the next, not so much. I
have a sneaking suspicion that it is the vocals, as they’re
a little overdramatic for my tastes. The instrumentation,
especially the guitars, sounds great though – they really understand
the shoegazer’s credo of a “wall of sound”
and display a remarkable affinity of creating this sound with
ease. But those vocals, they gotta go. (SHREDDING
PAPER)
Konono No.1
Congotronics
Crammed Discs
Now I’m not a person who usually promotes or even listens to
“world” music, but this is a disc that must be heard.
Hailing from Kinshasa, the capital of The Democratic Republic
of Congo (formerly known as Zaire), the band has
been in existence for more than 25 years. They play a
mutated form of the traditional “Bazombo trance music”,
which reflects the changes of the people that they are a part
of. After leaving the countryside and moving to the
city, they wanted to hold on to their traditional music but
had to adapt it to fit their urban environment. They began
fashioning speakers, microphones and amplifiers from junk found
on the street, and in the typical “when there’s a
will there’s a way”, they ended up with these Frankenstein instruments
that were able to produce truly remarkable
sounds.
The key instrument to the sound of Konono No.1 is the likembe
– which is very similar to a thumb piano like you
might have played in music class as a kid. They play 3
different versions, giving off treble, middle and bass tones,
and accompany them with lots of percussion, multiple vocalists,
and dancers when performing live. It’s a pretty
mesmerizing sound, and not like anything you would expect to
come out of Africa representing tribal sounds…if
you like Tortoise-style post-rock and that school of music then
this is a must-get. This seems to be their first studio
recording outside of a live disc released a few years back;
but even as a studio recording, it sounds very much as
if you were seeing them perform live. I can’t recommend
this CD enough…it may be tough to come by, as US
distribution is limited, but if you go to www.aquariusrecords.org
and search for the band name you can not only
hear some sound samples, but you can order the album as well. (SLAP)
Ben Kweller
On My Way
ATO Records
A more mature Kweller? I dunno, sounds about the same, although he’s
toned down the glossy pop sheen
that shined on much of his last album in place of a number of mellower
singer/songwriter type songs, many
of which sound like they could have been plucked from a Jackson Browne
album (especially “Living Life”,
which is probably the best song on the album to boot). The Weezer comparison
is still there, but less so in
song structure now and more just because Kweller’s voice sounds quite
a bit like Rivers Cuomo. Honestly,
I think this guy is very talented, and expect big things from him. He’s
not there yet, but this is another step
closer to being a really fabulous song writer. (SHREDDING PAPER)
Ben Kweller
Sha Sha
ATO Records
From what I’ve been reading, big things were once expected
from this 20-year old kid. Once upon a
blue moon, some four years ago when he was but a mere 16,
Ben fronted a band called Radish that was
hailed as the next coming of Silverchair (yes, that Australian
grunge band that wasn’t very good). For
some reason, things didn’t work out, grunge ceased to be a
popular form of music and was replace by
rap-metal on the airwaves, and everything changed for little
Ben. Well, the proverbial phoenix has risen
from the ashes, and this times he brings tidings of pop music
instead of grunge. He wears his influences
on his sleeves. Shades of the Beatles, Weezer, Ben Folds,
and others shine through in his music. That
is to say, it may not be the most original music put out,
but it’s damn enjoyable. These are well-crafted
pop songs that will have you singing along to them in no time.
Particular highlights include ‘walk on me’
and ‘wasted & ready’, but there isn’t really a bad song
in the bunch. This is good pop music for good
times, and if Ben keeps this up, big things will probably
be expected of him again in the future. (SLAP)