Johnny Otis died this week. Otis was the son of Greek immigrants but self-identified as an African American, and became a major R&B pioneer as a performer, songwriter, producer, record label owner and talent scout (he discovered Etta James among many others). He worked in politics, hosted a music TV show in LA, had a longtime R&B radio program in LA, wrote books and was the father of R&B guitarist Shuggie Otis. And he did quite a bit more.
It's a fascinating story and you should read about Johnny Otis here:
As regular readers know, I'm very much drawn to jangly guitar pop. In one of my early 2011 posts, I profiled Bubblegum Lemonade, the project of Glasgow musician Laz (Lawrence) McCluskey. Last summer I learned that Laz also belongs to a duo called Strawberry Whiplash with a vocalist named Sandra. Laz and Sandra have released a few fine noise pop recordings over the past several year. However, they are on our radar today because they are about to release a new three-track single on California label Matinee Recordings. Here is title track "Stop, Look and Listen" -- Stop, Look And Listen by Strawberry Whiplash
I should point out for those unfamiliar with Laz's Bubblegum Lemonade output, that there is nothing wrong with Laz's vocals. However, I think that joining with Sandra allows Laz to focus on on the fuzz, reverb and jangle that he does so well, and takes the music up a level.
Well, a hell of a lot, that's what. Richmond is a great music town, and if you're a punk rock fan, well, like I said, it's a great music town. Here are a couple of bands that prove the point.
Iron Reagan is a supergroup of sorts, featuring members of the excellent Richmond hardcore crossover band Municipal Waste and DC's Darkest Hour. Earlier this week they put up a 4 song, 5 minute long EP on Bandcamp. True to their name, these songs will take you back to some of the best 80s hardcore, including the best iteration of Suicidal Tendencies and the Cro-mags. It's available for download at the super-low price of whatever you want to pay -- but you ought to throw 'em a few simoleons. This is very tight musically -- just top-shelf stuff.
I came across The Haverchucks months ago, and am remiss in not mentioning them until now. They've got more of a pop vibe to their sound, but they're still loud as hell. They released a terrific 5 song EP at the end of last May with buzzsaw guitars and excellent vocals. It's on their Bandcamp site for that magical price of something/anything/ornothing. I'm partial to the more abrasive tunes, but the third track, "I Won't Try", might be the greatest song the Ramones never wrote.
It's cold, dark, dreary and very wet here in Portland Oregon. But we are lifted up this morning, grinning from ear to ear, with the release of this wonderful new video from our beloved Irish lass, Lisa Hannigan. One of our favorite songs from her stunning CD Passenger.
The Birthday Suit is a self-described side project of Rod Jones of Idlewild, and he's brought along a lot of what's great about Idlewild... and added a female vocalist, Jacqueline Irvine, to help with some harmonies. Big rock guitar riffs and overwhelming harmonies abound.
Check out the guitar intro and the lush choruses throughout the second track, "Hope Me Home":
This song goes big, not only in the guitars but the bass, pounding drumbeats and the harmony vocals as they repeat the chorus over and over. It's a pretty familiar formula, but makes for good listening when done right. "They Say I Love You" is a ballad which starts out with pretty sparse instrumentation but builds throughout with strings, guitar and again, those strong harmony vocals. "On My Own" is pretty much what you'd expect from an Idlewild side project - fast, big guitar sounds, propulsive drumming and plaintive vocals.
I love the guitar tone on this record, and there's also a bit of country rock sound here and there... check out track 6, "Are You Ok?", for one example. The record ends on a very pretty note, a country rock ballad with nicely played piano and male/female vocals. Jones leads the first half, and Irvine leads the second half, and she's got a really nice voice. Pretty unexpected, and nicely-played.
They're going on tour in the UK soon:
February Tour 2012
Friday 10th - Legends Rock Club, Newcastle
Friday 17th - Coast, Arbroath
Saturday 18th - Tunnels, Aberdeen
Sunday 19th - King Tut's, Glasgow
Friday 24th - The Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
Sunday 26th - The End, Birmingham
Monday 27th - The Garage, London
Tuesday 28th - Fibbers, York
Wednesday 29th - The Ruby Lounge, Manchester
We never get tired of excellent Scottish rock. You ought to know that about us by now.
Omaha indie rockers Cursive will have a new record, I Am Gemini, out February 7. Here's the first single, "The Sun And The Moon", a hard-driving rock song. Cursive is singer/songwriter Tim Kasher (vocals, guitar), Matt Maginn (bass), Ted Stevens (guitar, vocals), Patrick Newbery (keys) and Cully Symington (drums). When I have a chance to listen, you may be able to read more about it here. In the meantime, enjoy this as a preview of the upcoming record, and tour.
I'm being completely honest when I tell you that if I'd heard the 15 tracks of crunchy, jangly, 60s-style garage, psyche rock that comprise Golden Chains, it would have been in my top 20 albums of the year. I didn't, so it wasn't. But that doesn't mean that I can't set the record right by highlighting the album now. Here are the video version and the Soundcloud version of the title track --
Former Bullies are a Manchester group that has been in existence since 2003. Apparently, there have been a lot of line-up changes, but the constants are Nick Ainsworth (guitar and vocals) and Tom Settle (drums). The current bassist is Matthew Taylor. The music has a relaxed, lo-fi vibe. But listening to the tracks, you get the sense that these guys know exactly what they want to deliver, and how to deliver it. This is the complete package of garage psych, bursting with melody and fuzz. I couldn't find a track on the album that I didn't like and didn't want to repeat.
Now, here is the bad, or good (if you are a vinyl collector), news about sourcing Golden Chains. It is available in vinyl (if you like, MP3s can be purchased) and is super limited to 250 records. Apparently it isn't available in CD or from on-line services. The label is CF Records, and the link for purchase is here. The label seems like nice people. Maybe if everyone demands that they make and ship a load of CDs, they'll do it.
As I've written before, I have a fondness for indie music with a genuine DIY feel to it. Probably prime examples are local icons Beat Happening and the beloved Glasgow bands, The Vaselines and The Pastels. So I was quite happy to explore the new EP of demos, Cry Along With the Babies, by Brooklyn band The Babies. The six tracks, amounting to twenty minutes of music, reveal a band working on ideas, taking risks, and learning what they can do well. While a few of the tracks were re-recorded and re-worked to appear on other recordings, the versions on this EP remain in their raw and vulnerable form.
The first song is "Big Mercedes", a charming acoustic song that would fit proudly in a K Records compilation. "Trouble" features probably my favorite guitar accompaniment of the album, and may be my favorite song of the set at this point.
"My Tears" takes the set back to the acoustic side, and serves as a sweet 1:37 bridge to the aching Americana of "More Stage". "Hey Mama" features an catchy blues riff over a shimmering pseudo bass rhythm, and is "number 2 with a bullet" for me on this album. "That Boy" closes the album out on an appealing electro-folk note.
This album is what I call a grower. At first listen, the reaction is "nice". Second time through it is "I really enjoyed that". Third time through you start noticing delightful little details you missed in earlier sessions. It is a heady mix of Americana and dusty, trip-worn DIY, and we all want more if it.
The Babies are Kevin Morby (also in Woods), Cassie Ramone (also in Vivian Girls), Justin Sullivan, and Brian Schleyer. Their prior releases include the 7" Meet Me in the City on Make a Mess Records, All Things Come to Pass on Wild World, a self-titled album on Shrimper, the 7" Here Comes Trouble on Teenage Teardrops, and a cassette entitled Live at the Smell on Kill/Hurt. Cry Along With the Babies is released on New York label New Images, which is run by Matt Mondanile of Real Estate and Ducktails. The connection goes a bit deeper as The Babies are touring this month with Real Estate.
"Spacejunk" is one of the many wonderful songs on the 2011 LP from The Bats, Free All the Monsters (WYMA review for the album here). Since I liked the album well enough to rate in my # 1 for the year (see list), I'm always happy to have another opportunity to plug it. Yesterday, when I checked my messages after my birthday party (yes, dear readers, I am very old), John had sent me a message alerting me to the new video for "Spacejunk". The song is great, and the video is the interesting result of filming a live performance with five simultaneous cameras. Enjoy.
King Post Kitsch, the recording name for Charlie Ward, released an album last year (review here) that I rated # 11 on my year end list. His majesty has just released the three song EP which he is offering for the introductory low, low price of 0 (in dollars, Euros, pounds, yen, marks or whatever). If you somehow missed The Party's Over, or one of the other EPs from KPK that I promoted here last year, this is a good way to start your collection.
The three tracks well illustrate why it is difficult to categorize Charlie's music. The title track, "Nocturnal Wandering", is an appealing instrumental. Track #2, "They Make the Same Faces Whether Fuck or Fight" is a rousing punk stomper. The final song, "Movies and Magazines" closes the proceedings in graceful folk fashion.
And there you are, six minutes of quality pop music at a price even you (yes, you) can afford. And if you don't like it, Charlie will refund your purchase price.
Charlie is a Glasgow native, but he works in London as a sound engineer.
Music played a key role in the freedom movement. And the great Mavis Staples and her family were right in the thick of it.
Linked here is a clip of Mavis talking about the first time she saw Dr. King in person (the second clip in the box below "Meeting MLK"):
Here's a tremendous live recording of "Why Am I Treated So Bad", the song that Mavis says was Dr. King's favorite. In addition to everything else the great man accomplished, looks like he had good taste in music as well:
Discovered these guys last year - a Tennessee/Florida duo (Nick Roberts and Josh Morris) making languid pop music with some nice guitar lines and hushed vocals. Here's a video they made for "Underground Love" which was my favorite track:
You can still download this record "name your price" at their Bandcamp site:
I'm still not sure how Blitzen Trapper's fine 2011 CD American Goldwing did not make my top 20 list. I should have been like Rocksteady and just picked more CDs! It's a terrific record from a band on the way up, working very hard and getting even better every time I see them.
Here's their latest video, "Takin' It Easy Too Long", one of my favorite songs on American Goldwing, more gentle than most of their stuff, very pretty.
Blitzen Trapper has also announced a March tour across the Western US with WYMA favorites the Parson Red Heads. Both bands are excellent live performers, and this is not to be missed. Make your plans now.
March 4 – Arcata, Calif. @ Humboldt Brews
March 5 – Sacramento, Calif. @ Harlow’s
March 6 – Visalia, Calif. @ The Cellar Door
March 7 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Troubadour
March 9 – Santa Barbara, Calif. @ SOhO Restaurant and Music Club
March 10 – Long Beach, Calif. @ Alex’s Bar
March 11 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ The Crescent Ballroom March 12 – Tucson, Ariz. @ Club Congress
March 14-17 - Austin, Texas @ SXSW March 19 - Albuquerque, N.M. @ Launchpad
March 20 - Telluride, Co. @ Sheridan Opera House
March 22 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ The State Room March 23 - Boise, Idaho @ Neurolux (Treefort Music Festival)
Tonight we have two groups from Sweden who have a discernible American feel to their music
Johanna and Klara Söderberg, sisters from Stockholm, comprise First Aid Kit. However, if you didn't know they were from Sweden, you'd guess--just based on the sound--that they were from the southern United States. And to my ears, the sound isn't a glossy Scandinavian cover of the Americana/country genre, but an authentic and warm presentation of our roots music. And I'll admit to a fondness for bands that list snowball fights as a band interest.
Johanna and Klara released The Big Black & the Blue in 2010, and now they are releasing The Lion's Roar. Here is the title track --
Hhappiness is an lo-fi, experimental pop rock group from Stockholm--so experimental that they even have an extra "h" in their name. The group was formed three years ago but they are just now releasing their debut recording, the three-track bananas EP, on the French label, Almost Musique. The track here, "All Kinds of Trouble" seems to me to be a Swedish-Americana stomp. I know that may sound weird, but it actually is a nice track. hhappiness - all kinds of trouble by AlmostMusique
Alright, I'll admit that a key factor in my decision to check out the music of Laurence and the Slab Boys was the name. Another factor was commentary by persons whose musical opinion I value. But neither of those factors would have been enough to result in a profile here. As always, it comes down to the music. Try "Space Dream #2" -- Space Dream #2 by Laurence and the SlabBoys
Laurence and the Slab Boys consists of Larry Reid, Josh Brady, Matt Smithson and Lee Walsh. They are based in Glasgow, although Reid spends his time shuttling between Glasgow and Berlin, where he DJs. They describe their music as a noisy form of dream-pop and "post-apocalyptic folk". I don't have any problem with those descriptions, but I will point out that there is a very dance-oriented aspect to the demos to which I've listened. I'll also note that the band seems to eschew loops, laptops and other technical wizardry, and just relies on its core instruments and Larry's voice to paint the picture. What a concept!
Larry has advised me that the group is assembling an album, so I'll leave more detailed discussion of the music to a proper review of the album. However, I wanted our readers to get a chance to listen to a few tracks and, I hope, look forward to the album.
There are two triggers for this as today's choice.
I took a clumsy spill and hurt my head the other day. Feeling good now though. So the joke's on me here. From the great Sam and Dave:
And I learned about the original version by Sam and Dave from the supercharged cover by Elvis Costello on his 1980 rock'n'soul masterpiece Get Happy!. This video is a fantastic period piece. Whether this video was tongue in cheek as I assume, or not, I love everything about it:
Which brings me to my second trigger -- Important note to our Portland readers:
Tickets to the Elvis Costello singing songbook show at the Schnitzer Theater go on sale today. If you have seen him before, I know you'll be there. If you haven't, now's your chance. Not many better performers out there.
Radio Moscow's The Great Escape Of Leslie Magnafuzz was one of the coolest things I heard in 2011 - Parker Griggs' crazy hard rock guitar is terrific.
Apparently the 2011 incarnation of Radio Moscow disintegrated onstage just the other night, with Parker Griggs being taken to the hospital to sew up his head after he and his drummer threw an electric guitar back and forth in anger. With a new rhythm section, Griggs is continuing the tour. Your guess as to how long this incarnation will last - judging by the comments on the YouTube video of the incident, Griggs ain't the easiest guy to work with.
Radio Moscow is on the label Alive/Naturalsound Records, from which came some of our favorite discoveries of 2011... and they just keep coming. Here's a previously unreleased Radio Moscow track "The Stranger":
Here's a previously unreleased track from labelmates Lee Bains III And The Glory Fires - which is available on the Alive/Naturalsound label compilation Where Is Parker Griggs? A full length from Bains is due out in April - more on that when we get to hear it, but hopes are high.
Pretty good soul music-- and on this label (and compilation) are acts ranging from heavy rockers Radio Moscow, Welsh blues punk duo Henry's Funeral Shoe, Detroit punk rockers Gardens, and California punk screamers The Bloody Hollies (all reviewed on WYMA in 2011), not to mention Bains, the retro- Crazy Horse-meets-Jack Bruce stylings of The Buffalo Killers, Texas garage/beach/soul from Hacienda, and the Howling Wolf-inspired stomp and growl of The Black Diamond Heavies. Enough variety and quality to keep you tapping your feet, shaking your butt and/or banging your head for days... really. Most of the tracks on this compilation are exclusive to this record, but give a good sense of the various artists' body of work.
This is a terrific compilation. I am mighty impressed with the quality of every band I've heard on here, and everything we've gotten from Patrick Boissel's label. Going back a ways, it was the original label for the Black Keys (The Big Come-Up) and the first time I heard of it was fellow WYMABlogger Hardy's ardent recommendation for the Bloody Hollies.
Some towns are known for music (such as Memphis, Detroit, Austin, Seattle). And often towns that are recognized on a music map are known for a specific style of music. Lately, Fredericksburg, Virginia is becoming known for its emerging shoegaze scene. A few years ago my attention was drawn to Skywave, which produced a dense, heavy, but melodic sound. That band transitioned into Ceremony, which we profiled in 2011. The new kids on the Fredericksburg block are the trio Raw Feels, who have just released their seven-track debut, Raw Feels on Bad Friend Records.
Raw Feels' sound boasts a guitar-focused sound that may remind the listener of My Bloody Valentine, or of Skywave or Ceremony, and probably is best described as post-punk, shoegaze or space rock. Here is standout album track "Isolation" -- Raw Feels - Isolation by BadFriendRecords
If you prefer, here is the track on Bandcamp:
While there is variety among the tracks on Raw Feels, the constants are the deadpan vocal delivery and commitment to a dense soundscape of distorted guitar. While the band is not equal to Ceremony at this point in time, it is a welcome and promising addition to the scene for those of us who appreciate this genre.
"Much More" is one of the more accessible tracks on the album:
The songs on the album were written by frontman Ben Wood, or by Ben and guitarist Chris Carr, and recorded by Ben Wood, Chris Carr, and John Fedowitz of Ceremony and Skywave (in John's basement). John also produced the album. Making it a musical family affair, Ben also plays drums for Ceremony, and Chris plays bass for Ceremony. And mentioned only because it is a cool name, one of Ben's former bands was called Carlos, I'm Pregnant
And here is a live performance of the track "Raw Feels" captured at The Dunes in Washington, D.C. --
The Pharmacy are a New Orleans-by way of Seattle pop/punk band with a keyboard out front (Farfisa, almost) and a singer who sounds like a pretty upbeat Richard Hell.
Intrigued? Check out:
And here's a recent video "What Are You Doing With Your Life" or "WAYDWYL" (your choice):
They're headed out on a long tour soon, with a full length album to be released later this year.
Intelligent pop, with hooks, melody and careful craftsmanship characterize the music of France's Mondrian. The group was formed in 2007, and released an EPs in 2010 and 2011. To begin 2012, they have released a new album entitled The Flood of Kool. And the first single, "Paris", is available for free download: MONDRIAN - Paris by MONDRIAN
If that little taste is interesting, and I certainly think it is, you can stream the entire album here:
The two constant members of Mondrian are Roman Oswald and Morning Crash, and they are listed as the songwriters for the band. It appears that other performers contribute from time to time.
While the principal reason for writing about the band today is to alert our readers to The Flood of Kool, we would be doing a disservice if we were not to include a couple of the videos inspired by songs on the band's first release.
Here is the funny, and a bit shocking, "Last Breakfast on Planet Surf"--
