MUSIC REVIEW - Galactic

Galactic – Ya-Ka-May

I have long been a huge fan of the New Orleans’ style of brass-band and organic funk. From The Dirty Dozen and Rebirth Brass Bands, to Dr. John and Allen Toussaint, the New Orleans style of funk, jazz, and loud brass are things I just can’t get enough of, especially the music produced in the last few decades.

Starting in the 1980’s it became popular to mix R&B into the mix – Galactic emerged in 1996 as a band devoted to furthering and refining this infusion to the greatest extent they could. Their early albums were soulful N.O. jazz, and were very well received as such. But with their last album, From the Corner to the Block, they collaborated more with hip-hop artists, creating a brassy, bassy rap album.

With their new album, Ya-Ka-May, Galactic seems to have taken a bit of time to try and reconcile their New Orleans funk roots with their recent forays into electronic and rap. The first couple songs on the album are EXACTLY what you would expect from a renowned brass and funk artist, helped by a collaboration with Rebirth Brass Band. ‘Cineramascope’ (ft. Trombone Shorty & Corey Henry), and several other tracks are similarly reminiscent of Galactic’s early works – except they feature a lower, meatier bass line and some evidence of digital overdubs, neither of which are a bad thing.

There are also songs that are almost explicitly rap – ‘Katey vs. Nobby’ (ft. Katey Red & Sissy Nobby) and ‘Do It Again’ (ft. Cheeky Blakk) come off as a bayou-reimagining of crunk, and they do it WELL. And then there are tracks like ‘Liquor Pang’ (ft. Josh Cohen & Scully), a slower, New Orleans-style dirge mixed with some heavy beats and raspy-vocals; it’s awesome.

Overall, Ya-Ka-May is more accepting of Galactic’s past than their last album while also expanding what they are capable of recording. It’s my new favorite Galactic record – which is truly saying something.

Will I play it on my show? Yes. RIYL – Um… Galactic? There's not much out there that's like this right now.


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BUY THE VINYL ON AMAZON

MUSIC REVIEW - Von Nelson

Von Nelson – Von Nelson
2007


Von Nelson is a indie band that is clearly influenced by the pop-rock of the 60’s and 70’s, including some psych-rock along the lines of Pink Floyd. The lyrics are highly melodic, and the heavy synth / drums create a poppy feel grounded by the warbling distortion of the guitars.

This 5-track EP follows an UPdownUPdownUP pattern of the songs, with the first third and fifth songs being upbeat and peppy, while the second and fourth songs are a little bit slower and darker in tone. However, all five tracks are good, well-composed, cohesive songs that hold together to make a rather nice little EP.

Of particular note are tracks 3 (“Iron Eyes”) and 5 (“6 in the Morning”). Both rely heavily on the old-school synth, but in two completely different manners. “Iron Eyes” is a saccharin-sweet ‘60’s-style romp through the sunshine, while the bass-heavy “6 in the Morning” is a bluesy-poppy song invoking a dark, noir-styled city. It’s easily my favorite song on the album, and is an excellent way to cap it off.

Now, where to get it: I have no clue. I found it in a stack of CD’s to give away at KMNR, but on a whim added it to the library instead. It’s three-years old, but I can’t find any evidence of the band or album online – it’s a mystery. If you can find any information on this band or album, let me know! I’d like to tell them their album’s being played on the radio, and thank them for sending it to us.

Will I play it on my show? Yes. RIYL – The Ceasars.

LINKS:
NONE! HELP!

BOOK REVIEW - Bone

Bone:

The Complete Cartoon Epic in 1 volume

Cartoon Books Publishing

Jeff Smith

Bone is a sprawling comedic fantasy comic with many darker elements. It was serialized from 1991 - 2004, but also came out as a single (and fairly inexpensive) volume soon after the final installment was released. From the initial description, Bone seemed like a kind of book I would dislike - I'm not a fantasy fan in the least, I usually don't like comics or graphic novels (with a few notable exceptions), and a dark, comic fantasy sounded exactly like something I'd want to avoid.

But when it made a lot of peoples "best books of the decade" list, and even more "top 10 graphic novels of all time", I thought it'd be worth a look. It opens on three very cartoony cousins fleeing from Boneville after "Phoney" Bone pulled a big scam and gets them run out of town. They get separated and lost in the desert, and end up in different locations around a forest with very normal-looking humans and animals. Sure the animals talk, but the new locale is far more mundane-seeming than the Bone cousins.

The story progresses a bit slowly at first, but is still highly engrossing from the get-go. After a comedic race, ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. It took me a little while to get to this point, but once it I did my free time was completely devoted to reading Bone. The highly stylized characters, and the fact that EVERY character provides comedic relief to the dark script, makes it a very quick, very entertaining read. The plot draws heavily from the other fantasy plots, but there are enough twists to make it fresh.

Alright, screw it. I can analyze this book to death. The point is, it's good. It's fairly cheap for being almost 1400 pages, and it's a quick read. Took me 3 days. It's basically Jeff Smith's life work, and it shows. Bone is extremely well done, and you should read it if it at all sounds interesting to you.

Buy the book on Amazon

BOOK REVIEW - The Devil in the White City

I figured I should read it before they make the movie -

The Devil in the White City:
Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
2003, Crown Publishers
By Erik Larson

The Devil in the White City is the non-fiction historical story of the creators and forces behind the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago and the serial killer Herman Webster Mudgett (a.k.a. Dr. H. H. Holmes). The book is written in an engaging, narrator-based manner that makes it seem like a novel based upon these characters (and Larson does take the time to build each person as a character rather than a static member of the past).

The book is broken up into several sections based on the timelines they encapsulate, but there are only two clear stylistic sections. The first (and the majority of the writing) and is a split-story that follows the development, building, and running of the World’s Fair, while also coving the simultaneous exploits and acts of Mudgett. Larson excels here at capturing the personas of the people he writes about, transforming this historical work into a character-driving drama that travels along several threads at the same time. I was struck how closely this section mirrored the style and tone of Thomas Pynchon’s Against the Day (2006), and Larson’s similar ability to tie together these seemingly disparate stories about people who never actually meet (except for a one bloody exception involving some of the smaller ‘cast’ members).

The second major stylistic area occurs after the World Fair, as a detective trying to track down the evidence necessary to convict Mudgett as the monstrous killer he was. This section flows like a Dragnet-esque detective novel, and succeeds in driving home how completely foreign the nature of these crimes were to the 1890’s mindset, a time when Jack the Ripper was the only true serial killer the public had encountered.

Overall the book is an excellent and fairly quick read - it is easily in my top 10 of the last decade. With a film to come out next year, if you haven’t read (or listened to the audio version), it should definitely be on your list from this winter.

BUY THE BOOK ON AMAZON

MUSIC REVIEW - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Up From below
2009
Community Records

A lot has been made about the make up, formation, theory behind, and lifestyle of the band based around the fictitious musical savior of Edward Sharpe – just see the Huffington Post link at the bottom. I won’t go into those sort of things, because as interesting as all that is, I find their music and concerts to be the better story in this album. I picked up the rereleased version of their self-titled CD, redubbed “Up From Below”.

These guys first came on my radar this summer, when I was planning out my trip out to Monolith Festival at Red Rocks in Colorado, where I was lucky enough to get a press pass to. I went through a lot of bands they had listed and gave each a quick listen, marking out my plans for who to see, and gave a lackadaisical check to this band (based off 20 seconds of ’40 Day Dream’). I got to see them on the stage at the back of the amphitheater, were they performed for a motley crowd of hipsters, hippies, and indie kids. They ignited the audience – the entire rock-and-concrete floor was bouncing in time with the songs.

I only recently got the album for a thorough listen. The largest impact of having 9-12 members recording the songs is that the album is decidedly organic in sound and feel. The rare times a flange or echo is used sticks out noticeably, enhancing the effect. The songs (particularly ‘Janglin,’ ‘Carries On,’ and ‘Black Water’) uses the large group to create choral effects without the need for overdub and reverb. The net result is a poppy, catchy psych-indie-rock album with lots of warmth and heart in it.

The stand out hit is, of course, ‘Home,’ a Johnny Cash/June Carter style duet which has appeared on numerous TV shows and all across the radio. However, I find that the album stands up even without this song, and deserves a listen from any hipster/indie kid that hasn’t already.

Will I play it on my show? Undoubtably. RIYL – Devotchka, the Woodstock lifestyle.

LINKS:
BUY CD / MP3's ON AMAZON
Huff Post background on band
Myspace

MUSIC REVIEW - Those Darlins

Those Darlins – Those Darlins
2009
Thirty Tigers

Those Darlins are a three-piece all girl band that takes the best of garage, pop, and alt-country, puts them in a blender, then throws that away and plays whatever they damn well feel like, thank you very much. Every song is filled with the catchy, simple songwriting that is the hallmark of any great garage album, but they up the ante with some seriously fun lyrics and twangy-harmonizing. Take the refrain from ‘The Whole Damn Thing’, my 2nd favorite song on the album:

“I got drunk and I ate a chicken/
I ate a chicken I found in my kitchen/
Not just the leg and not just a wing/
I’d-like-to-let-you-know I ate the whole damn thing!”

If you’re thinking to yourself, ‘that sounds stupid,’ then congratulations! You just passed the Pretentious Jerknozzle Test. Because you are a pretentious jerknozzle. Everybody else will listen to that song and be powerless against it. They will sing it for the rest of the day and be able to enjoy life it’s fullest.

Any fan of old-school garage rock, rockabilly, or alt-country will treasure this album. It’s filled with wit and heart - there isn’t a bad song on it, and of the 12 tracks, I found a whopping EIGHT to be highly memorable: ‘Red Light Love’ (great single, see link below), ‘Wild One’, ‘Hung Up On Me’ (the pun-iest of the lot, which is saying something) , ‘The Whole Damn Thing’, ‘Who’s That Knocking At My Window’, ‘Snaggle Tooth Mama’ (surprise piano and sax bit I adore), ‘222’ (catchy as hell, accordion makes it), AND ‘Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy’ (a song that sounds like a bit of a throwback that plays out the album).

Give the album a listen. I love it, I play it all the way through each time I start it up. It’s not pop, it’s not synthesizers, it’s not indie – it’s just simple, good rock with a Tennessee twinge that makes you want to drink whiskey and party.

Will I play it on my show? Every last song. RIYL – Joan Jett, the O’ Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack.
BUY THE CD/MP3's ON AMAZON
Red Light Love music video
Their Myspace page

FOOD REVIEW - ROOT Liqueur

A little while ago I stumbled across Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’s new (old?) spirit, ROOT. This video sums up exactly what ROOT is –

The Story of Art In The Age ROOT from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

I had to get some. Usually I’m a bourbon drinker, but something about how ROOT was described, along with its compelling back-story, drew me in. And the fact that it was developed by Steven Grasse, the maker of Hendrick’s Gin, couldn’t hurt. However, the $40 per 750mL bottle price tag kept me from getting ROOT (damn tuition…) – but luckily I got some for Christmas. And now that I have a bottle, I love it.

Art in the Age claims ‘it is not a sickeningly sweet liqueur,’ and they are right. It is a dark, almost bitter spirit that would not appeal to people who prefer to mask the alcohol in their drinks. It smells like a spiked root beer, but the complexity of the 13 separate flavors creates a drastically different taste. The flavors are up-front and vocal. A straight shot brings out mainly the anise (licorice), wintergreen and spearmint, with a strong finish of birch bark and sassafras (root beer). It also bites a lot more than you would expect from an 80-proof liqueur, all of which I enjoyed.

On the ROOT website they have a large number of cocktails and drink recipes already up, partly due to the proliferation of the spirit through Philadelphia bars. Since I’m savoring this, my only bottle, I’ve only tried two of these mixed concoctions.

First I had the New Hampshire Maple Toddy;
1 tbls. Grade A amber maple syrup, 2oz. ROOT [place these in the bottom of a mug], and 6 oz. hot but not boiling water [poured on top, then stirred to dissolve syrup and ROOT]. This was a basically sweetened and diluted flavor of the straight ROOT shot. Still very strong, the hot water caused a release of some of the aromatics and alcohol, resulting in an even more intense initial anise taste, and finishing a bit smoother due to the syrup. Recommended for people who like strong toddies.

Next I had the ROOTnog;
Simply 6 oz. eggnog (I used 4 oz. eggnog and 2 oz. whole milk – straight eggnog is a bit thick for my liking) and 2 oz. ROOT mixed together. This is AMAZING. It brings out a lot more of the sassafras, nutmeg, and birch, and effectively mellows the anise and overall strength. I felt like I preferred it over a traditional rum-based eggnog, so I performed a head-to-head test. The ROOTnog complements the flavors in the eggnog much better than the rum drink, and provides a more satisfying holiday feel. And it just tastes better.

In the few weeks I’ve had it, ROOT has become one of my favorite spirits, and I plan to keep a bottle of it on hand whenever possible. Hopefully this inaugural year brings them enough success that they might be able to expand production and bring ROOT to stores outside of Pennsylvania – specifically, to stores near me.

MUSIC REVIEW - Arrica Rose & The ...'s

Arrica Rose & The …’s – La La Lost
2008
Christmas Island Music

For some reason it seems like 10,000 Maniacs (and more specifically Natalie Merchant from the 1990’s) heavily influenced a lot of current female indie-singer-songwriters. Arrica Rose & The …’s (The dot-dot-dot’s) definitely fall into this category, but this is not necessarily a bad thing.

“La La Lost” is a slow, meandering album of hushed, melancholy vocals over gentle guitar and sparse percussion. I listened to the album while writing and got lulled into a pleasant work-coma. I woke up several songs into it, wondering what had happened and how I had gotten so much work done – which was awesome. It is excellent for creating a bed of mellow music, coffee shop style, for you to do other things over.

What this also means is that the album itself is not especially memorable, with no stand out hits that will engrain themselves in your subconscious for the rest of the day. But it doesn’t need them. “La La Lost” does exactly what the title implies; it is a sweet, soft album that you can fall into. It won’t appeal to a lot of people, merely because it IS a singer-songwriter album, but for those who like that sort of thing, it is worth a listen.

Will I play it on my show? Probably a track or two. RIYL – Natalie Merchant.

LINKS:
BUY THE CD ON AMAZON
Myspace

My Albums of 2009, O-Z

Well, really O through W. There were no bands I got albums of in 2009 that started with XYZ.

Before I get into there reviews there are some honorable mentions. I ordered three albums using gift cards, but they won't be in for another couple days, so I can't give them reviews. However, they were technically purchased in 2009 and deserve recognition:

Jenny Owen Youngs - Batten the Hatches (2007)

The White Stripes - White Blood Cells (2001)

The Xx - Xx (2009)

Now here is the conclusion of my 10-word reviews of all the albums I collected this year.

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Or, The Whale - Or, the Whale (2009)
Anti folk done well, but pretty slow. 4 good songs.

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)
Another top 5 album of 2009, it’s really quite good.

Port O'Brien - Threadbare (2009) (VINYL)
I liked them a lot live, and followed them since.

The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (2003)
This was on a best of decade list. It’s good.

Spiral Beach - The Only Really Thing (2009) (VINYL)
I really like this band, regardless of what you think.

St. Vincent - Actor (2009)
A pleasant album that pairs well with a sauvignon blanc.

The Submarines - Declare a New State! (2006)
Mellower than their latest album, but still catchy as hell.

The Sugarplastic - Bang, The Earth is round (1996)
I liked their song from Powerpuff Girls. Don’t judge me.

Teddybears - Soft Machine (2006)
One word; “Cobrastyle”. Crap, that wasn’t ten words – oh, wait.

Telekinesis! - Telekinesis! (2009)
Catchy, fun, and recommended. Not as much as others, though.

Those Darlins - Those Darlins (2009)
These girls are awesome. Awesome. Hilarious and great. Garage LIVES!

The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? (2003)
- 2014 [EP] (2004)
A seminal indie pop band. Man, these guys are depressed.

We Landed on the Moon - These Little Wars (2008)
-We Landed On the Moon (2006)
PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS BAND, THEY KICK MAJOR BUTTOCKS. Seriously.

White Rabbits - It's Frightening (2009)
I loved their first album, I like most this one.

Windmill - Epcot Starfields (2009)
Very similar to first. Weird vocals might be a hangup.

The Wooden Birds - Magnolia (2009)
Screw this review, I’m finally done with this damn game!

My Albums of 2009, F-N

Forgot to say in the first post, but the albums I got as vinyl LP's have (VINYL) after them, the others I have as CD's.

Here's post 2 of 3, letters F through N:

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Fatboy Slim - Better Living Through Chemistry (1996)
- Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars (2001)
- Palookaville (2004)
Take all your electro crap, just give me Fatboy Slim.

Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009)
Very catchy album. If you like Franz Ferdinand, get it.

Fun. - Aim and Ignite (2009) (VINYL)
One of my top 5 albums of the year. Awesome.

The Grates - Gravity Won't Get You High (2006)
- Teeth Lost Hearts Won (2009) (VINYL)
I love The Grates. Awesome people with two great albums.

Gliss - Devotion Implosion (2009)
Got this through my job, it’s good but not great.

Jenny Owen Youngs - Transmitter Failure (2009)
On my top 5 of 2009, I love this album.

Joe Gideon & the Shark - Harum Scarum (2009) (VINYL)
Interesting band story, a good indie garage blues rock album.

Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young (2009)
A great pop album from the Strokes front man, homes.

Man or Astroman - Made from Technetium (1997) (VINYL)
Wonderful surf rock. These guys did the MST3K theme song.

Matt & Kim - Grand (2009)
- Matt & Kim (2006)
Grand is on my top 5 of 2009. Both recommended.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane over the Sea (1998) (VINYL)
If you like indie, but don’t know this, you suck.

Northern State - Can I Keep This Pen (2007)
Got this, then they performed at KMNR’s Freaker’s Ball concert.

Now Now Every Children - Cars (2008) (VINYL)
I loved this in 2008, and needed the vinyl rerelease.

My Albums of 2009, A-D

Last year I listed as many of the albums I collected in 2008 as I could, and determined that I spent way too much on music. While compiling my list for 2009, I realized that if I took all that I spent on music this year, and asked for money instead of albums on major gift-giving days, I'd could pay 3 months rent.

Ouch.

But the good news is I got a metric crap-ton of great music. Below is the first of probably 3 installments of the albums I received physical copies of this year. There are a lot of bands that I found out about while working as music director at 89.7 FM KMNR-Rolla, a couple of which I got CD's of through that job. The rest I collected on my own, meaning that I liked the album enough to spend actual US currency on, despite the recession. As such, if you see it on the list, you can take that as my recommendation.

To make things a bit more interesting, I will also include a review that is EXACTLY 10-words long for each album. If I go over 10 words, call me out via email and I'll send you a KMNR prize pack with over TWO gifts in it!

Without further ado, here's A through D of the albums I got this year and their 10-word reviews!

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A.C. Newman - Get Guilty (2009)
Like his first album, very New Pornographers-esque. I like it.

Anathallo - Floating World (2006)
Well crafted indie pop, one of the guys from Fun.

Apples in Stereo - Let's Go! [EP] (2001)
- Look Away + 4 [EP] (2000)
Two EP’s from one of my favorite bands, both good.

Beats Antique - Contraption [EP Vol 1] (2009)
Interviewed them. Great live show, good, unique band – click here.

Beck - Midnite Vultures (1999)
My second favorite Beck Album. I love me that hippy.

The Bird & The Bee - The Bird & The Bee (2006)
- Ray Guns are Not Just The future (2008)
Got the latter after listening to it, then the former.

The Black Keys - Attack & Release (2008)
- Magic Potion (2006)
- Rubber Factory (2004)
“Bought some Black Keys albums….”
“Who?”
“We’re no longer friends.”

Brent Adair - Ostrich (2008)
Haven’t given it a thorough listen, but came highly recommended.

Creature - No Sleep At All (2008)
Searched for this for a year, got it, love it.

Dan Auerbach - Keep it Hid (2009)
Black Keys’ front man, a great album of bluesy rock.

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Angles (2008)
One of the better albums of 2008, great indie rap.

Drive By Truckers – The Dirty South (2007) (VINYL)
One of the top 25 albums of the decade. Yo.

MUSIC REVIEW - Lord T & Eloise

Lord T & Eloise – Chairman of the Bored

The promotional material for Chairman of the Bored included the following description:

“... the world's first purveyors of 'aristocrunk', combining
the traditional crunk Memphis sound with elements of
baroque to create a new and unique sound…”

This is the second album by the duo, and was produced and features some guest rapping from MysterE. Overall the album strays somewhat from its ‘baroque’ trappings and becomes party and crunk rap. There are notable exceptions – “Coup d’Etat” and “High Horse” are catchy and unusual rap songs featuring at least samples of orchestral music, if not the structure. Lord T also shows a great amount of virtuosity in his rhymes, and his style (imitating? an old-school northeastern snob) blends well with the music. The music itself is well mixed and has a fair amount of variety, even within one song. However, while the music and rhymes are relatively innovative, the themes are not unique at all – the entire album can be summarized by ‘we’re rich’.

Some other highlights: “Dance Move” – a good party song; “The Yacht” – play immediately before “I’m On A Boat”; “Chemicals” – purposefully jarring song about, um, chemicals; “Le Connoisseur” – sampling a slow jazz piece, I like it.

There are also some notable low points – “Palm Beach” and “Kinky” are repetitive and not very catchy at all. But, the majority of the 20 songs on the album are decent or good rap. While there are more original artists out there, Lord T & Eloise are definitely a welcome duo, mainly for their attempts to expand the genre.

Will I play it on my show? Probably. RIYL - A pop lock and dropping aristocracy.

BUY THE CD ON AMAZON

MUSIC REVIEW - Creature

Creature – No Sleep At All

This is an incredibly poppy band. I’ve actually been trying to get this CD ever since I read a 6-word review of their song “Bridgette Bardot”, but have not been able to find it in stock ANYWHERE. I received a copy for my birthday and was quite pleased – I’d forgotten why I’d asked for it, but one go through made me remember in full. The album is chocked full of infectious pop music with a decidedly retro vibe. The first song (“Who’s Hot Who’s Not”) will undoubtedly turn some people off, as it is channeling Blondie’s ‘rap’ song “Rapture”, but it picks up from there, veering more towards dance-pop. No Sleep At All follows in the band’s stated ethos, described in their liner notes, of “dancing like nobody’s watching”. After the first track the album spends most of it’s time finding fun little synth and guitar hooks that work incredibly well, then blasting the hell out of them before moving on to the next set. However, the last song (“Star”), shows a slower, more introspective side of Creature, but it comes off poorly following the intensity of the rest of the album.

As much as I enjoy the album, it is definitely the product of a killer live band rather than a studio group. It’s well recorded and produced for an initial release from a smaller band, but it sounds as though the songs were crafted before a live audience and would more suited to it. Whether this will trip up other listeners I can’t say, but I for one will do exactly what the liner notes say: put this album on, dance around while getting ready for school, work whatever, and celebrate exactly how I look. After all, ‘that zit on my nose is PERFECT. It puts the pimp in pimple’.

Will I play it on my show? Repeatedly. RIYL – The GO! Team, Tilly and the Wall.


BUY THE CD ON AMAZON
http://creatureband.com/ (the French version is complete, with audio and video samples)
www.myspace.com/creaturecreature

MUSIC REVIEW - Telekinesis!

Telekinesis! – Self titled

This is very much decent indie-rock. Tracks 2 (“Coast of Carolina”) and 3 (“Tokyo”) are by far the highlights of the album, mainly because they drop the drifting whisper present on later tracks in favor of a more hook-laden pop-rock beat. It serves these two songs very well – “Tokyo” has already become something of a small hit. Despite peaking rather early on these two tracks, the rest of the album carries its own weight as a solid B-level indie-rock album, while showing a fair amount of diversity - Track 5, “Awkward Kisser”, shows a ‘60’s-inspired track, while track 9, “All of a Sudden”, is a playful garage-pop tune, if that is such a genre. Telekinesis! the album will not be propelling the band into the upper echelons of stardom, but it is a very decent showing from a younger band.

Will I play it on my show? I’ve played “Tokyo” already, and will again. RIYL – Apples in Stereo, Death Cab for Cutie.

BUY THE CD ON AMAZON
myspace

MUSIC REVIEW - Dan Auerbach

Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid

Dan Auerbach is undoubtedly most well known as the singer-guitarist from the Black Keys. After five albums with the band (and hopefully many more), Auerbach has written, produced, and mixed a own solo album in his almost entirely vintage private studio. And it’s spectacular. Auerbach has almost always defined himself as a bluesman, and this album showcases that side of him; along with his abilities to create beautiful yet subtly complex melodies while kicking ass and taking names.

The entire album is incredibly worthwhile. Interesting sound tricks and playful audio asides are thrown about at random intervals, but are carefully placed so as to not detract from the songs. As musicians tend to do on solo albums, Keep It Hid is mellower overall in tone compared to a Black Keys album, but that is not a criticism – the soft points have an earnestness which forbears the doldrums, and serve to make the albums’ thicker moments all the more savory.

Starting off on a little experiment in acoustics, the first track is incredibly bare. It then drops into a rich delta blues jam (“I Want Some More”) with some funk to it – heavy fuzz and some whirling guitars are layered on a guitar and synth backbone. Song 3, “Heartbroken in Disrepair”, replaces the delta for call-and-response, keeping the heavy bass-lines intact. Next few songs tone it down again, but in a good way – for example, track 5 “Whispered Words” for takes it’s time building up a gorgeous melody that draws you in to the highly emotive singing. He lets loose again on track 8, aptly named “Mean Monsoon”. It’s followed immediately with “The Prowl”, a song defined by it’s simplistic and beat-centric – I love it.

I would love to continue a song-by-song review, but I feel I must congratulate those who’ve read this far, and apologize for rambling on. Suffice to say that the remaining five tracks build upon those mentioned, while continuing to develop individual sounds for each. It’s actually a little difficult to believe this album is the work of one man, given the variety and depth achieved.

Will I play it on my show? Yes, it’s going on twice this Saturday. RIYL – The Black Keys, Heavy Trash, early White Stripes.

BUY THE CD/MP3's ON AMAZON
http://www.nonesuch.com/artists/dan-auerbach
http://www.myspace.com/danauerbachmusic

MUSIC REVIEW - Lily Allen

Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You

A short three years after Lily Allen was thrust somewhat unceremoniously into the spotlight with the release of her first album, her second full LP has finally come out. While the first album showcased a girl who had been working hard for years to get famous, and the tracks showcased a lot of that work. They might have been based on a life that was partially created to garner more media attention, but the songs were undeniably fun (for the most part).

This album is a little different. Ms. Allen has been claiming for months to be headed in a different direction, and in doing so has lost some of what defined her first album. The songs have the same basic vibe (synth, drum machine, boys are smelly), but the songs don’t match the pure entertainment from Alright, Still. It seems like she’s gotten a bit full of herself, to be quite honest. The songs are still going to have the crap played out of them, though, because she’s popular and they aren’t really bad, per se. They just aren’t as good as you’d hope.

Will I play it on my show? Probably, begrudgingly. RIYL – Kate Nash, The Bird and The Bee.

BUY THE CD/MP3's ON AMAZON
http://www.lilyallenmusic.com/lily/
http://www.myspace.com/lilymusic

MUSIC REVIEW - M. Ward

M. Ward – Hold Time

M. Ward first came to my attention with his 2005 album Transistor Radio, but I’m m most familiar with him as the “Him” from She & Him, the collaboration between M. Ward and actress / singer Zooey Deschanel. This album, Hold Time, continues his pattern of ethereal excellence. Ward has a classic coffeehouse voice (makes sense, as he’s from Portland), and his compositions are light and pleasant.

The album as a whole will appeal mainly to people who enjoy soft pop. If you like that kind of music, this is crack. If you don’t, this will be horrible – pay close attention to the RIYL in this case. Regardless, on tracks like “To Save Me” and “Hold Time”, it’s had not to be impressed with his abilities as a songwriter and producer. “Hold Time” is the highlight of the album for me. I usually dislike overly whispery, wafting tunes, but the violin backing on this song helps to congeal it more than many songs of this sort. I also enjoy “Epistemology”, a garage-band blues track that has the unique combination of peach-fuzz distortion, violins, and banjo.

Will I play it on my show? Likely. RIYL – Rilo Kiley, She & Him, Bright Eyes, Tom Waits.

BUY THE CD/MP3's ON AMAZON
BUY THE VINYL ON AMAZON
http://mwardmusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/mward

MUSIC REVIEW - Horatio Lee Jenkins

Horatio Lee Jenkins – Drunker Than Satan

From the liner notes:

The legendary musical hero, Horatio Lee Jenkins, humiliated Satan in a drinking contest and composed the gloriously brilliant song “Drunker Than Satan” about the experience. He followed that work of genius with the emotionally devastating masterpiece “OH SHIT! I Don’t Feel So Good” and with the most romantic song ever made “Girl, This Bed Is Too Big Without All 12 Of You”. Horatio Lee Jenkins, the world’s most potent heterosexual, then brought us a new uplifting anthem of hope, acceptance, and unconditional Christian love: “It’s Okay To be Gay”.

This album is loltastic. It’s 4 country tracks fully embrace the melodrama inherent in the genre and turns them into songs we all can relate too. Songs about drinking Satan under the table then going back for more beer. Songs about feeling like shit after drinking Satan under the table, then deciding the only cure is more whiskey. Songs about missing the 12th girl in your 13-way. Songs about born-again Christian heterosexuals accepting gays. Truly universal themes.

And just when you think the album is as good as it could possibly get, his brother, friends, and band mates put out 3 EPIC bonus tracks. EVEN BETTER, his brother’s name is my FAVORITE WORD IN THE WORD, so much my favorite that it is my religion on Facebook – Trafalgar. True story.

So, in the words of Horatio Lee Jenkins, HELL YEAH.

Will I play it on my show? MoDef. RIYL – A little country with your comedy.

Listen to his songs here:
http://drunkerthansatan.com/
http://www.myspace.com/drunkerthansatan

MUSIC REVIEW - Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand – Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

If you like Franz Ferdinand, you’ll like this album – however, I don’t think it’ll persuade any non-believers to change their opinions. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is the product of a very good band that is fully aware they have reached most definitions of success that one can realistically hope for. But they don’t really seem to care; the music still features the yearning and intensity of their previous releases, fueled primarily by thumping bass lines and their trademark Talking Heads-esque harmonizing.

However, where this album fails, in some sense, is that it lacks any really stand-out singles. There’s no individual song that you can point to and say, “Yes, THAT is awesome.” There’s not a defining track to the CD for Franz Ferdinand. As far as possible shortcomings for an album, that is a very minor one, particularly in this case. Every song featured is well conceived, written, and mixed. The overall quality, both in terms of musicality and production, is extremely high, as one would expect from such a band. Because of these factors, if you like Franz Ferdinand, you’ll like this album, but there’s nothing here to convert new fans.

I like “Ulysses”, the single from the album, “Send him away”, and “Bite Hard”.

Will I play it on my show? Yes. RIYL – Umm, Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads, The Talking Heads.


http://www.franzferdinand.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/franzferdinand

MUSIC REVIEW - The Bird and The Bee

The Bird and The Bee – Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future

If you haven’t heard of these guys yet, you’ve been missing out. This self-dubbed “jazz-influenced electro pop” band’s second full length album continues the high level of musical excellence their followers have come to expect, featuring a variety of sounds within their rather uniquely defined genre: For example, two of the tracks, “Diamond Dave” and “Witch“, are highly reminiscent of James Bond title songs in the most awesome of senses, “You’re A Cad” is synth heavy and almost elctro-polka, while “Ray Gun” follows a slower, more lounge-y tune.

I particularly am partial to “Love Letter To Japan” and “Polite Dance Song”, though all the tracks are highly enjoyable in their own ways. “Love Letter To Japan” has a fairly repetitive vocal and lyrical pattern, over which is laid a simple beat. But the song begins to experiment with the sounds, creating a playful and experimental vibe which leaves the song feeling like it ends far too early at four minutes. “Polit Dance Song” is a song geared entirely to sweet-action dance parties, but takes a rather supplicatory approach to the genre (“Give it up for me, please”, “I beg of you to dance, it’s such a crazy kick-ass beat”).

If you like playful but quite beautiful jazz-influenced electro pop, this is most definitely your album.

Will I play it on my show? Yes. RIYL – Lily Allen, Pizzicato 5, Rilo Kiley.

http://www.thebirdandthebee.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thebirdandthebee