Been kind of enthralled by Kingston, Ontario's PS I Love You since I first came across a video showing Paul Saulnier doing amazing things to a guitar back in 2010. Their heavy guitar rock has been consistently strong and appealing, and we're happy to share a new track in advance of their next album, due in July. Here's a short preview video for the album:
And another:
If you're unfamiliar, well, good for you. You've got the opportunity to catch up on a bunch of good guitar rock. You can learn, hear and see more at their sites below. Saulnier does the tweeting and can be pretty entertaining. He had a bit of an existential crisis when the Canadiens lost to the Rangers earlier this week, even unfollowing Jimmy Fallon. Based on this track and preview, the album promises to be an event. I'm looking forward to it.
Last September we profiled (here) Dublin's hyper-energetic power pop four piece, The #1s and hoped that we'd hear more from them. We've just learned that "the more" comes on August 5 -- ten tracks of more music to be released by Deranged Records. While digesting that happy news, satisfy your ears with album track "Heartsmash".
The #1s are Conor Lumsden, Cian Nugent, Eddie Kenrick and Sean Goucher.
Papercuts is San Francisco singer/songwriter Jason Quever - we've written about him before but it's been a while. The new album is Life Among the Savages and it's a gorgeous affair - I hear echoes of psychedelic rock and pop classics throughout, but like the best of this genre, it doesn't sound exactly like anything else.
The opening track, "Still Knocking at the Door", puts me in mind of Traffic and the Beatles at the outset - it's the use of piano, I think. To be honest, I'm not sure exactly what it is, just an overall feel. Most of the tracks here are pretty laid-back, but very full and extremely melodic. Another artist I'm reminded of is Elliott Smith, and in that comparison I am also reminded of how very difficult it is to describe music like this... once I got a listen to Smith, I recall thinking I had never seen a review that did justice to his music - the way it combined beautiful melodies with quiet intensity. So it is with Quever. Raves from people you trust are the best way into an artist like Smith, or Papercuts. Do you trust us at WYMA?
Here's the video for the title song, a lush, string-filled track with a wistful, at times almost ethereal vocal that kind of fits the lyrics ("out here among the savages life is a gas/but I can hear you calling me... to come back, back to the shore"):
Here's track two, "Still Knocking at the Door" - another beautiful melody. The opening part of the song is built on keyboards and Quever's vocal, then it opens up and really fills with strings, guitars and what sounds like a double-tracked vocal in the chorus:
There's not a weak song on the album - there are only 9 in all, and they flow together well. Though there are common traits to most of the songs (Quever's hushed vocals, piano/strings on top of understated rock instrumentation), there is some variety in song structure and tempo - "Easter Morning" is a beautiful ballad along the lines of Smith's "Waltz #2", while "Family Portrait" is more upbeat and guitar-based. I like Quever's touch in producing all these tracks - he seems to have a good feel when to lay on the more baroque or psychedelic effects, and when to let the more basic components of the songs, be they pianos, guitars or vocals, speak for themselves.
Life Among The Savages is out now on Easy Sound Recordings (released May 6 in US, May 12 in UK).
Geoffrey O'Connor is gracing the world with a new album named Fan Fiction on August 8, but you don't need to wait that long to discover what the pop maestro has in store for us. One of the tracks, the "Her Name On Every Tongue" has been released as a single. Effortlessly sleek and stylish, it hints at very good things come August. The astute listener will be reminded of Joe Jackson and Roxy Music in their prime. You can stream the title track, and watch the accompanying video, below. You can stream all four tracks and pre-order the single at the Bandcamp link below.
The single includes the title track, the excellent B-side "Jacqueline", and two remixes of "Jacqueline". Both the single and the album are released by the Melbourne label Chapter Music.
Great news this week - the new album from David Kilgour & the Heavy Eights, teased some time ago with the track "Christopher Columbus", is nearly here! (Well, August - but given that their last proper release was 2011's Left By Soft, what's another two months?) And he's sharing a video for another track, "Comin' On" - a laid-back, jangly piece of guitar pop perfection that's nearly 5:00 long.
The album's called End Times Undone - and based on the two advance tracks, I'd say Kilgour is at the top of his considerable powers here.
Omnivore Recordings has hit another home run with its release of The Garden Spot Programs, 1950, featuring 24 performances, unheard for 64 years, from the great Hank Williams. It's amazing to think that in 2014 we are getting new material from Hank Williams - but even more amazing, the sound quality is very clear. These aren't moldy discs unearthed in a barn somewhere - they are mastered from tapes shipped from a studio in Nashville to a radio station in Texas, that allowed Williams to appear on "local" radio programs from his home studio in Nashville. The music was restored and mastered from original transcription discs by Grammy Award winning engineer Michael Graves. Here's a short trailer with a bit of background on the project:
And as an example of the quality, here's "Mind Your Own Business". I recall listening to versions of this song vastly inferior to this - for years, and thinking that was as good as we were going to get on material from the 40's and 50's. This sounds great:
The CD packaging contains rare photos and liner notes from the collection of set co-producer and Williams biographer Colin Escott. Escott writes in his notes: “Set the time machine for early morning on KSIB-AM, Creston, Iowa. February 1950. Country radio was beginning its slow transition from live music to DJ shows. Live music and DJ shows were augmented by transcribed shows. After buying 15 minutes of airtime on small-market stations, sponsors would prerecord shows with well known artists, duplicate them, and ship them out on 12 or 16-inch transcribed discs.”
“That’s how Hank Williams came to be on KSIB in February 1950. Sandwiched between the local ‘live’ acts, it was almost as if he were visiting with Skeets and those Radio Rascals. His sponsor was one of the nation’s largest plant nurseries, Naughton Farms, seven hundred miles south in Waxahachie, Texas. Given that Naughton was a big player in the nursery business, Hank’s shows were almost certainly shipped to many small stations, but only KSIB’s copies survived. Those of us who have studied Hank’s life and career had no idea that these recordings existed.”
Here's the track listing:
1. The Garden Spot Jingle
2. Lovesick Blues
3. A Mansion On The Hill
4. Fiddle Tune
5. I’ve Just Told Mama Goodbye
6. Closing/Oh! Susanna
7. The Garden Spot Jingle
8. Mind Your Own Business
9. Lovesick Blues
10. Fiddle Tune
11. At The First Fall Of Snow
12. Closing/Oh! Susanna
13. The Garden Spot Jingle
14. I Can’t Get You Off Of My Mind
15. I Don’t Care (If Tomorrow Never Comes)
16. Fiddle Tune
17. Farther Along
18. Closing/Oh! Susanna
19. The Garden Spot Jingle
20. I’ll Be A Bachelor ’Til I Die
21. Wedding Bells
22. Fiddle Tune
23. Jesus Remembered Me
24. Closing/Oh! Susanna
As part of the show, you hear the host imploring Hank to play "Lovesick Blues", citing the carload of mail they've received from listeners asking him to play it, as well as Williams' folksy between-song patter. His prowess as a performer is shown not only on his musical performances, but also his humor and exposition. However, as Escott also points out, "the patter was often jarringly at odds with the sepulchral songs that preceded and followed it." I'd also make the observation that the irony of placing "I'll Be a Bachelor 'Til I Die" back to back with the bathos of "Wedding Bells" is probably unintended, but enjoyable nonetheless.
When Keith Richards came back to work with the Stones in 1977 after overcoming his heroin problems ("shutting down the laboratory" as he put it), he began writing songs again, one of which, "Beast of Burden", became one of the Stones' most enduring ballads. Richards has said that while he wasn't completely conscious of it at the time, the song was his thank you to Mick Jagger "for shouldering the burden" while he was incapacitated.
The song is distinguished by Richards and Ron Wood trading off guitar lines, blurring the line between rhythm and lead guitar parts, moving together really well.
The song was released on Some Girls in 1978 and became a top 10 single.
I got back in touch with the song seeing it performed frequently in recent years by one of my favorite artists and live performers, Alejandro Escovedo. Here is Al and his great band the Sensitive Boys performing the song in 2010 at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park NJ with a special guest who is a bit of a regular there:
Of course I'm passionate about music, or I wouldn't be writing for an indie music blog (no, the salary and stock options are not sufficient by themselves). But some genres and bands extract an extra measure of my passion. And in the upper strata is the Close Lobsters. The Paisley, Scotland band issued two albums and an EP of psychedelic/jangle pop in the latter half of the '80s. Their songs were excellent, with a sound that may be described as The Clean/The Bats/R.E.M. gone psychedelic with the addition of big college rock guitar hooks. Although they were considered by many to be a C86 band, their sound was at the more muscular end of that roster, and there is nothing twee about the band or their catalog. For whatever reasons the members couldn't agree to continue, and the production and touring stopped in the late '80s or early '90s. In 2009 the excellent singles compilation Forever Until Victory ! The Singles Collection was released (I listen to it regularly), but otherwise the Close Lobsters remained silent. Then in 2012 they reformed for some festivals and concerts. For us fans, that wasn't the desired new music, but at least the band was back, and we always could hope.
And sometimes good things happen to those that wait. Via the good folks at Shelflife Records, the Close Lobsters are releasing their first new music in over two decades, Kunstwerk in Spacetime. Consisting of the "Now Time" and the jangling "New York City in Space", the record makes clear that the guys haven't lost any of their magic. Buoyed by a driving rhythm and classic guitar hooks, the lead track slides easily into the top tracks ever recorded by the Close Lobsters. B-side "New York City in Space" triumphantly plays in the dreamy, jangle pop playground that this band help define. You listen, you smile, you press repeat. Close Lobsters are still energetic, still melodic, still urgent -- there is nothing about this EP that suggests nostalgic reunion.
The digital downloads are available now, but the vinyl may not be read to ship for another couple of weeks. However, since the physical version is limited to 500 copies, I suggest that you not delay. These songs might be available on an album in the future, but given the 20 plus year wait, do you want to risk it?
Close Lobsters are Andrew Burnett, Stewart McFayden, Tom Donnelly, Graeme Wilmington, and Robert Burnett.
Hey, listen up. I know that many of you are seeking summer tunes with sunny melodies and unchallenging themes (OK, for some of you hooking up may be a challenge, but we'll let that slide for the moment). Yes, I've been looking for that stuff, too. But while I was so engaged my inbox was invaded by Interzone, a really good rock album from a Hobart, Tasmania band named Treehouse. The sound is part punk, but with a resonant post-punk, grunge and alt rock guitar sound that blurs the boundaries of punk. In fact, one of the best things about this lovely nugget is the sound of the guitars. High in the mix and played with purpose, they wash over the listener like waves at the beach (see, maybe it is a summer album after all). And the structure provided by the bass and drums is solid as granite. This is as tight a trio as you are going to hear.
Some of the tracks on Interzone are laid back, albeit with a palpable sense of restrained energy. In the other tracks there is no restraint, just unbridled rock. Two of my favorites are below. I suggest playing them loud. No, louder. That's better ...
Treehouse is Cal, Jon and Will. They originally released Interzone as a self-made, self-released cassette. However, Melbourne label Vacant Valley has stepped up and has released the album in vinyl format, with an accompanying digital download code. The digital download includes some bonuses, including several live tracks. You can stream the entire album at the Bandcamp link below, and acquire the goods at Vacant Valley's Big Cartel page.
The sound of Antipodes, the debut LP from New Zealand's Popstrangers, was characterized by squalling guitars, grunge sensibility and an endearingly idiosyncratic approach. Since then, the trio has shifted their location to London and their sound to something decidedly more pop. Thus, on Fortuna the presentation reflects influences such as Britpop, '60s British invasion and the jangle and drone of the classic New Zealand guitar sound. There are hints of Oasis and Blur in the mix, but in a good way. And happily the personalized little quirks remain, resulting in an album that manages to plow its own path in a well worked field.
Where Popstrangers' growth is most evident to me is in the better understanding of the dynamics of the song -- the placement of the hooks, the building of the atmosphere -- as well as the cleaner sound and tighter performances. The result is an excellent collection of songs. Probably the best is "Country Kill" (provided below as a stream and video). "Don't Be Afraid", "Sandstorm", and (a personal favorite) "Violet". For my money, the first half of the album may be a bit stronger than the second, but all of the tracks hold up to repeated listens. I get the sense that the band truly believes in the merit of these songs, and I think the belief is well-founded. Of course every band wants to avoid the sophomore slump, and that challenge becomes more difficult when moving around the globe and changing up your music. That Popstrangers not only held their ground, but in my view made an even better album than their debut suggests that these guys have what it takes to keep moving forward in the industry.
Popstrangers are Joel Flyger, Adam Page and David Larson. Fortuna is out this week via Carpark Records.
We here at WYMA are all in for Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires. John Hyland penned one of the first articles ever written about the boys from Birmingham Alabama here in March 2012, and their debut album There Is A Bomb In Gilead made a couple of our Best of 2012 lists (mine and John's).
So we've waited with great expectations for their 2nd LP, this one done for the top shelf indie label, Sub Pop Records based in Seattle.
Dereconstructed, quite simply, is the noisiest, most relentlessly rocking 10 song burst of pure adrenalin imaginable. It's a bold statement and a big step forward for the band, which is saying a lot given the strength of There Is A Bomb In Gilead.
Second records are tricky as the term "sophomore slump" didn't appear from out of nowhere. Bands often fall prey to either rehashing their first record with inferior songs, or stretch too hard to have "a hit", or get pushed into the studio too quickly when they have maybe 3 songs ready to go and the rest being done on the fly, compared to the lifetime they had to write the songs for their debut. No such pitfalls on Dereconstructed which sounds like a band just coming into its own, destined for greatness.
This record so goes against the computer-enhanced grain of the day, turning it up literally to the point of distortion and putting the pedal to the floor and not letting up, capturing a very intentionally raw sound.
Here's the brand new (today!) video for kicking ass and taking names opening track "The Company Man":
And here's a particular favorite of mine, and maybe the "slowest" one on Dereconstructed, "The Weeds Downtown":
As both songs linked above demonstrate, Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires have absorbed their rock and roll history well, drawing from the Faces, Ramones, fellow Alabamians The Drive-By Truckers, and an earlier Sub Pop band called Nirvana. But more than anything, the sound here reminds me of the first Clash record and early Sonic Youth with its distortion and sheer 'go for it' abandon.
What I especially admire is how working within very defined idioms - punk rock and Southern rock - Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires avoid every rule and formula. Reminds me of discovering The Replacements' debut Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash, punk rock that sounded nothing like anyone else's punk rock, no mean feat in 1981 and even more noteworthy today.
What sets this band apart and keeps this sort of standard guitar/bass/drums rock'n'roll sounding so fresh is Lee Bains' vocals. The guy is a tremendous rock and roll singer who has more than a little bit of Southern soul shouter in him, as if Wilson Pickett's work up the road from Birmingham at Muscle Shoals somehow seeped into him at birth. Most rock singers, even the great ones like Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart and Bruce Springsteen, have to work hard to effect this, but Bains naturally oozes soul.
And Bains' songwriting, especially lyrically, steps up here too. Every song here has a strong structure, irresistible guitar riffs, and there are killer chorus' abound. And the sonic noise is matched by Bains' populist fury - raging against the decline of the middle class, the stubborn backwards politics of the contemporary South, and Christian hypocrisy, but with panache, intelligence and void of cliche, again much like the first Clash album. Dereconstructed is a terrific title for this 2014 Southern-fried, angry punk mayhem.
Yet, like any good Southern boy, Bains loves the Southland and his family and that comes through strongly, particularly in another gem here "The Kudzu and the Concrete":
There's a thing about All these freight trains' trumpeting sounds That makes hearts like oursHum like struck steel. There's a thing about Being wild and green in this careful, rusted town That makes the dark heavy air Sit sickly still. Most times, hopping on here takes you to Elmwood Cemetery. And I forget which time of day, it'll take you straight to Memphis,Tennessee. In the kudzu and the concrete,I was born at the feet of the city. In the kudzu and the concrete,We learned to love at the feet of the city.
The band's and producer Tim Kerr's approach here was to capture their live sound and they succeeded. The sound here leaps from the speakers with spontaneous energy. The band is finely tuned after spending most of the past two years on the road. Listen to "Kudzu and The Concrete" recorded live in New York City earlier this year here:
The Glory Fires themselves are a crack unit, the perfect Southern punk rock band, The Scorchers to Bains' Jason if you will. The rhythm section of brothers, drummer Blake Williamson and bass player Adam Williamson, is super tight, and guitarist Eric Wallace joins Bains for a blistering twin-pronged nasty guitar assault. Best of all, the quartet are a true band playing as a unit. Dereconstructed is rebel's music, as God, the South and Joe Strummer intended.
Stream the entire CD here from NPR's web page. Buy this record and be sure to see them when they come to your town.
Tour dates here:
Wednesday, June 4 – Birmingham, AL – Bottletree
Thursday, June 5 – Atlanta, GA – The EARL
Friday, June 6 – Chattanooga, TN – Riverbend Festival
Monday, June 9 – Memphis, TN – Hi-Tone Cafe
Tuesday, June 10 – Kansas City, MO – Tank Room
Wednesday, June 11 – Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
Thursday, June 12 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Garage
Friday, June 13 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
Saturday, June 14 – Stanley, ID – Rod and Gun Whitewater Saloon
Monday, June 16 – Missoula, MT – The Palace
Tuesday, June 17 – Seattle, WA – The Tractor
Wednesday, June 18 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
Thursday, June 19 – Eugene, OR – Sam Bond’s Garage
Friday, June 20 – San Francisco, CA – Thee Parkside
Saturday, June 21 – Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg Hi-Fi
Sunday, June 22 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar
Monday, June 23 – Scottsdale, AZ – The Western
Wednesday, June 25 – Dallas, TX – Three Links*
Thursday, June 26 – San Antonio, TX – The Limelight*
Friday, June 27 – Austin, TX – Red 7*
Saturday, June 28 – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s*
Sunday, June 29 – New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jack’s*
Thursday, July 10 - Nashville, TN - The Basement
Friday, July 11 - Louisville, KY - Zanzabar
Saturday, July 12 - Fort Wayne, IN - The Brass Rail
Sunday, July 13 - Bloomington, IN - The Bishop
Monday, July 14 - Cincinnati, OH - MOTR Pub
Tuesday, July 15 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Smiling Moose
Wednesday, July 16 - Boston, MA - Great Scott
Friday, July 18 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
Saturday, July 19 - Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Lanes
Sunday, July 20 - Philadelphia, PA - Ortlieb’s Lounge
Monday, July 21 - Washington, DC - DC9
Tuesday, July 22 - Richmond, VA - Strange Matter
Thursday, July 24 - Charlotte, NC - The Milestone
Friday, July 25 - Raleigh, NC - King’s
Saturday, July 26 - Macon, GA - Bragg Jam
Friday, August 1- Katowice, POLAND - OFF Festival
Saturday, August 2 - Ostersund, SWEDEN - Storsjoyran
Wednesday, August 6 - Oslo, NORWAY - Crossroads
Friday, August 8 - Goteborg, SWEDEN - Way Out West
Saturday, August 9 - Avesta, SWEDEN - Bjurfors Hotel
Sunday, August 10 - Stockholm, SWEDEN - Akkurat
I keep running into Michael Caterer. Not that I've ever met the man. But I've enjoyed his work as guitarist for Scott and Charlene's Wedding (link) and the debut album from Full Ugly (link). He also was the mainstay of a fine Australian band called Love Connection. Now he has popped up with a four-track EP for his own band, Shorts.
The title track is one of the sunniest, sweetest doses of guitar pop you've heard in a long time, and that is without considering the killer line "I'm thinking about getting old with you". We wish Mr. Caterer nothing but happiness, but the fact that he wrote the song while bummed out in Berlin on a day off from touring with S&CW suggests that the sour times can lead to fine music in his hands. The second track, "Happy 10th Birthday", is 1:43 of twisted, atmospheric, instrumental synth pop. "Wonder (I Just Wanna)" builds on track 2 with a more muscular rhythm, more distinct melody, laser-shot effects and indistinct vocals. It reminds me a bit of early tracks from New Zealand's Surf City, and that is a good thing to be like. What is the song about? I have no idea, but it sounds joyfully cathartic. "She Feels the Sting" closes proceedings with a swaggering indie guitar tune. It could be a showcase song on many EPs, but other EPs don't have "Berlin 1971" leading off.
The EP was released in digital form in Australia a few months ago, and by Aloe Music in the US. Now the UK and Europe are included, as the EP is being released in vinyl by Bad Paintings on June 9. Purchase of the vinyl comes with a digital download.
To record his songs, Caterer enlisted John Maurer (Free Time/Titus Andronicus/Real Estate), Dylan Shumaker (Woodsman/Alex Bleeker and the Freaks), and Adrian Tregonning (No Zu).
Our Year, by Texas husband/wife singer songwriters Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis, will be one of the best country records you'll hear this year. They're both strong songwriters and distinctive singers who have years of experience bringing their music to life individually. In the last couple of years, they decided to combine their talents and the results have been wonderful. Their first one together was Cheater's Game (WYMA review here). As on that one, the band on this record is just perfect, with tasteful, sort of understated Texas country rock - and without that, the record would not be as good. But it's Robison's and Willis' singing, specifically the way their individual talents play with and off of one another, that make Our Year as special as it is.
The lead track is "Leaving Louisiana", and it's played fairly upbeat on mostly acoustic instrumentation, with mandolin and a plaintive dobro backing Robison's affecting vocals telling a story about disappointment, family relationships and moving on. "Motor City Man" is one of the covers, and Willis takes the lead, one of several times on this record they change a song just by singing it in a different voice - obviously, she's not a "Man" but also, obviously, she can inhabit the experience of "working night or day", and living on the road - "everybody needs a car in the USA" - in this loving tribute to another Texas original, Walter Hyatt:
On "Carousel", Bruce's vocal, underlaid with a sad, sad pedal steel, is the kind of stuff great country tunes are made of. Kelly's harmony vocal is, of course, perfect here. It's followed by a Willis-led weeper "Lonely For You", with a sort of Buddy Holly drumbeat and Bruce's backup vocal under her terrific, emotionally evocative singing. And her lead on "Harper Valley PTA" breathes new life into that one - a shot of humor by way of a song that's simultaneously dated and timeless, with its references to "a Peyton Place" harking back to a different time, but "Harper Valley hypocrites" ringing as true as ever.
Here they are, playing that one:
The album contains three originals (co-writes with Darden Smith, Monte Warden and Paul Kennedy), as well as some well-done, if non-obvious, covers. The title track, “This Will Be Our Year,” dates back to The Zombies in Abbey Road Studios circa 1968. Its hopeful tone is as perfect here as it was in the original version on psychedelic song cycle Odessey and Oracle (or on an episode of Mad Men earlier this year), though presented very differently.
Our Year is full of standouts... also notable is their take on T-Bone Burnett's "Shake Yourself Loose", where they share/alternate lead vocals beautifully. I think it's a mark of their strength as songwriters, and their skill as performers, that the covers and originals flow together magnificently. And, I swear, you can hear them smiling. This is their second duets album - out this week (May 27) on Thirty Tigers. Now, they still have extremely successful solo careers going, so there is no telling when or even whether there will be a third installment in this series. So be sure to enjoy this one and see them if you have a chance this summer:
Sat., May 31 FREDRICKSBURG, TX Pioneer Roots Music Series
Thurs., June 5 RICHMOND, VA Ashland Coffee and Tea
Fri., June 6 ALEXANDRIA, VA The Birchmere
Sat., June 7 SELLERSVILLE, PA Sellersville, PA
Sun., June 8 NEW YORK, NY Joe's Pub
Tues., June 10 RIDGEFIELD, CT Ballard Park
Sat., June 28 CHICAGO, IL City Winery Chicago
Sun., June 29 MINNEAPOLIS, MN Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
Fri., July 18 TELLURIDE, CO The Sheridan Opera House
Sat., July 19 DENIVER, CO Daniels Hall
Wed., July 23 SANTA FE, NM Santa Fe Bandstand
Fri., July 25 DURANGO, CO Durango Mt Resort
Melted Toys makes the kind of psychedelic pop that reminds of of the times when I am not fully awake and not actually asleep. Colors are bright, but lines indistinct. Seemingly brilliant ideas float into focus but retreat to some elusive plane when I am fully awake. It is intimate, familiar and very satisfying. The only complaint I can have is that Melted Toys hasn't been very active of late. Happily, that flaw will be rectified on July 15, when the San Francisco quartet releases their self-titled debut album via Underwater Peoples. You can sample its delights with the dreamy summer jam "Observations".
Melted Toys are Daniel Rosado, Steven Harkins, Brian Wakefield, and Ole Haarstad.
We are devoted Joe Henry fans here at WYMA, with deep respect for his records and the stellar production he has provided so many others (including Bonnie Raitt, Solomon Burke, Aaron Neville, Bettye LaVette, Billy Bragg, Over The Rhine, and far too many to list). So it's especially exciting to see Mr. Henry release a new CD as satisfying as Invisible Hour, his 13th full length recording, and certainly one of the very best of his distinguished, albeit criminally under the radar, career.
Invisible Hour embodies every good idea and musical instinct Henry has ever had, providing both a step forward and a link back to his earlier beloved "Americana" period (Short Man's Room, Kindness of The World). This is the warmest and most accessible record Henry has made in a long time if not ever.
And that warmth stems directly from Henry tapping into what matters most to him - family. The songs deal with topics long explored by Henry -- faith, sorrow, longing, redemption -- but ultimately they focus on love and belonging. Henry reveals in the liner notes that the record addresses marriage "as a verb, not a noun.... Married describing what it means to truly live (not necessarily unfailingly) and abide within the moving frame of commitment: commitment to love, to forgiveness, to eternal doubt, to the courage of awareness."
Invisible Hour was made in a mere 4 days in the basement of Henry's house in South Pasadena with help from his horn playing son Levon Henry and a host of musicians and close friends with whom Joe has worked in the past. Joe's wife was upstairs hosting the guests in their home. And at the risk of sounding corny, I have to say you can literally feel the love in the music.
The record starts dramatically: "It wasn't peace I wanted," Henry quietly but firmly declares to begin "Sparrow", Invisible Hour's gorgeous seven minute opening track, "so it wasn't peace I found." "Sparrow", like all 11 songs on Invisible Hour unfolds with grace, and doesn't rush or beat you over the head. Like every track here, "Sparrow" uses space extremely well, more of it available than usual due to the complete absence of piano and keyboards which have been up front on recent Joe Henry records. The other new approach Henry takes on Invisible Hour is the prominent use of background singers, mainly Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale (Milk Carton Kids), plus the sublime Lisa Hannigan (Henry having produced the most recent records by both artists). Also, for most songs here, Henry uses strictly acoustic string instruments (guitars and mandolin by Henry, Greg Leisz and British folk artist John Smith). But he foregoes the acoustic bass he has been employing and brings back Jennifer Condos whose electric bass brings a stronger bottom and a steady groove that everyone else can breathe into. Add the gorgeous, spacious and at times even playful saxophone and clarinet work by Levon Henry, and Joe Henry achieves a new sound for himself, the richest of any record he's ever created.
Here's "Lead Me On", featuring Lisa Hannigan:
"Lead Me On" is the quietest song on Invisible Hour, just acoustic guitars and the soft harmonies of Henry and Hannigan. The entire record embodies this kind of understated beauty. There is a subtly seductive quality to Invisible Hour, much like Henry speaks to more literally in the song "Swayed" (previewed here at WYMA earlier), and the listener should lean into the record to experience that seduction.
Two songs here especially bowl me over - "Grave Angels" which dances along like a great Simon and Garfunkel song while Levon Henry's horn lines recall vintage Van Morrison records, and "Plainspeak", which has one of the biggest chorus' of Henry's career, a wonderful mandolin interlude by Greg Leisz, and the warm background vocals of Ryan and Pettengale. Both songs, like every one here except "Lead Me On", showcase the unique and stunning drumming style of Jay Bellerose, whose cymbals cascade and shimmy while the big drums march with drama and dignity, favoring well spaced deep sounds, nary a hi-hat or small tom tom to be heard. Bellerose adds so much texture to each song, reinventing how drums are used on what is essentially a folk music record.
Bellerose has elevated the many recordings he and Henry have created together, the two seeming to understand each other's approach to their craft exceptionally well. But the other secret weapon here is Levon Henry who enjoys somewhat of a coming out party on Invisible Hour. What I find particularly interesting is that even as a young guy, fresh out of college, he has such a distinctive style - not jazz exactly, not tried and true R&B horn lines, but swingin', adventurous and at times just plain fun. Bursting with talent, young Levon's creative playing adds personality to the record, truly lights things up.
And yet, despite all the wonderful music and singing, the elder Henry's vocal phrasing impeccable as always, ultimately Invisible Hour stands so tall because Joe Henry has such a remarkable gift with words. His work owes as much to his literary heroes like Alice Munro (for whom he wrote the song "Alice" here) and Colum McCann (who co-wrote "Signs" here) as it does his musical heroes like Bob Dylan and Duke Ellington.
So let's close here with a look at one song's lyrics in their entirety, "Sparrow", though these words, this poetry, are so much more fully heard in song -- you can and should listen to "Sparrow" here via a recent NPR feature:
It wasn’t peace I wanted So it wasn’t peace I found, I wouldn’t stand for reason And it never would sit down. The bird upon my shoulder Has not one kind word to say— My eye is on the sparrow, But she looks the other way REFRAIN Carry on, and me away, Hey, look alive— the end of days And our very blood Tastes like honey now There upon the mountain Is the shadow of a hand Tugging at the stubborn mule Now standing like a man, And twitching like the phantom limb Of this whole countryside— Disappearing at the knee And breaking now our stride (RF) I want time and bread and wine, Sugar and a spoon, I want for the hungry years To be swallowed by this room. I wait out your memory Now singing in the trees— I wait for one grave angel And I know she waits for me Invisible Hour is a beautiful and flawlessly executed record. I can't recommend it highly enough. And you can now stream it in its entirety at the First Listen feature at NPR's radio page, link here. But no one can digest something this deep and majestic via a stream or two, so please be sure to go buy this one.
The AV Club is running a series featuring bands covering pioneering artists associated with specific cities - the latest installation has to do with Los Angeles, and has psychedelic garage rockers White Fence playing Gram Parson's psychedelic country rock anthem "Lazy Days":
I'm a sucker for Gram covers - Dinosaur Jr's "Hot Burrito #2" is a gem, hidden as a bonus track on a 3-track single that came along with a 2006 re-release of Green Mind:
And the entirety of the tribute album Return of the Grievous Angel is a gold mine. This track reminds me of Wilco's take on "One Hundred Years From Now" - a tribute, sure, but not bogged down by reverence. It rocks hard.
Here's some background on how it came together:
Be on the lookout for a new White Fence album this summer.
Brooklyn's Tomboy is pretty high on my band-to-watch list. Their latest release is the fine "Hang Out", a sweet synth pop tune with buoyed by a bubbling rhythm. That song alone would earn them a place on the list, but coupled with the tribal dance rock of the preceding "Roll Out", I'm hooked. Check out both tracks below.
The band is Sarah Aument and Will McIntyre. They will be releasing an EP via Captured Tracks this summer. Hooray!
Hard Rubbish, the second LP from Melbourne's Lower Plenty was critically acclaimed in Australia upon its release by Bedroom Suck in 2012, and I ranked it in my top albums of 2013 (#23) when it received its deserved world-wide release from Fire Records. Their follow-up album is Life/Thrills, and it will be released on June 20 by Bedroom Suck. The first available track is "On the Beach".
Lower Plenty is Al Monfort (guitar/vocals), Daniel Twomey (percussion), Sarah Heyward (percussion/vocals), and Jensen Tjhung (guitar/vocals), all of whom play for other bands, including Deaf Wish, UV Race, Dick Diver, Total Control and The Focus. This project takes a different tack than those other bands, using space and a languid pace to reveal their melancholy, and sometimes bitter, charms.
There are a lot of Texas singer/songwriters, and some of them are pretty good. Then there are some that are sort of transcendent. Guys like Willie Nelson, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely - and currently guys like Will Johnson and Rhett Miller. You get Texas in their sound, sure. Some well-placed pedal steel, a twang or cry in the voice, but there's more - you feel like everybody could get this, no matter where they live. I feel that way about Collin Herring now. His sound is distinctive: in his vocals I'm reminded of favorites like Steve Earle, Joseph Arthur, Ryan Adams, maybe Jeff Tweedy a little bit, and the playing calls to mind the lonesome guitar-centric country rock of Centro-matic and Jason Molina's Magnolia Electric Company.
Here's "Kicked Around":
That's Centro-matic's Matt Pence on drums and producing. That's Collin's dad, Ben Roi Herring on pedal steel. Herring plays the guitars and they brought in Jeremy Hull on bass. Herring, on their approach: "I like that the credits on this album are short. I like small groups. There was no 'that sounded good' and then re-recording it at a later date. We all just played our parts."
Here's "Psychopaths":
Herring has a way with a casual phrase, making his lyrics sound immediate, not labored-over - even though it's widely known what hard work good songwriting is, you get the sense that Herring is just throwing these things out there, because he's just that good. You know who else I used to feel that way about? Jackson Browne. And Herring reminds me of him, too.
Gosh, I hope I haven't oversold it. This album is terrific and it would be a shame if I overburdened the young man with expectations borne of my enthusiastic praise. Go check it out. Some Knives is out now (May 13).
I have several reasons to love the Friends From Rio Project from Far Out Recordings. First, I've long been fond of music from Brazil. I love the tropical rhythms, intricate jazz-influenced melodies and tunes that translate well to the beach and the dance floor. Second, Brazil is hosting the World Cup next month, and as long as our eyes will be turned to Brazil, it seems appropriate to devote our ears as well. Finally, this collection is superbly curated. Joe Davis' London label Far Out knows Brazilian music and for two decades has devoted itself to bringing it to the world. This collection saves you from having to research the quality of numerous releases to get your fix of Brazilian music. Let the experts serve it up to you.
The collection includes contributions from established artists such as Hyldon, Carlos Dafe, Robertinho Silva, Alex Malheiros and Sabrina Malheiros, but saves room for emerging talents as well. A wide range of Rio's underground dance styles are represented here, and all are original compositions prepared for this album except for "Mas Que Nada", Jorge Ben's composition which has become universally known via Sergio Mendes & Brazill 66. Everyone will have their favorites among the other tracks, "Vam' Bora (Suonho Remix)" is one of mine. If I were DJ for a dance party in the near future, I'd be particularly happy to have "Porta", "Veneno" and "Fogo No Chao". For a World Cup game watch I'd reach for "Casino Bangu" and "Leite De Pedra", as well as "Mas Que Nada".
The party has already started in Rio, and this is your chance to catch up. Friends from Rio is available in CD, vinyl and digital formats.
"Monkey Man", from Let It Bleed (1969) is a Keith Richards' triumph -- he played the electric and slide guitars throughout and they snarl, kick and scream with a whole lotta nasty attitude.
Let's just get right to it, shall we:
The song is widely believed to reference either a bad heroin or LSD experience.
Here's a much more recent and still fairly ripping live version recorded in New York City in 2003:
Of course the idea to go with this track came from our Soul Corner entry today... (insert bad monkey pun here).
Every once in awhile, we stumble on a soul song we missed in 2012-13 on the Soul Corner. And listening to the "Little Steven's Garage" Sirius satellite radio station this week, we heard a great one we never presented. And what better time to bring it out than this holiday weekend?
"One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" is a song title that has a couple songs attached to it, starting with one by Stick McGhee in 1950, later redone by Big Maybelle, Joe Tex, The Animals, and others, and more recently completely reinterpreted by Gillian Welch ("One Monkey" on Soul Journey) .
But we're leading with The Honey Cone's 1972 version, recorded for Hot Wax Records, started by Holland-Dozier-Holland in Los Angeles when they left Motown. The Honey Cone were an all girl trio, led by Edna Wright, younger sister of Darlene Love.
Not surprisingly, it has a strong Motown feel, and was popular in the UK during the Northern Soul era. It bears little if any resemblance to earlier versions of "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show".
Great video here:
Here's the Stick McGhee R&B original:
And since so many of our readers are Gillian Welch fans (and really, who isn't?), let's toss that in too for good measure, leaving with you a trifecta this Friday:
WYMA hopes to start a trend of dropping the phrase "one monkey don't stop no show" into conversation whenever possible. So the next time one piece of your presentation at work doesn't come together, or one person can't make your dinner party, or you hear your spouse complain that they they can't find a piece of their intended outfit, you now know exactly what to say. As they might put it here in Portland, "No worries bro. One monkey don't stop no show."
Plus, don't miss our regularly scheduled Rolling Stones Friday bearing an all too obvious link to today's Soul Corner.
PUJOL is a band, and it's Daniel Pujol, a Nashville-based singer/songwriter. On their latest album, KLUDGE, the band is playing a post-90's take on a very 70's sound. It's sort of an amalgam of Bowie, Bolan, Kiss, ELO and Queen (he even says Freddie's name a bunch in "No Words") filtered through our knowledge that, since then, there have been whole waves of punk, post-punk and post-post-punk. So, retro-glam-scuzz? Listen and develop your own moniker for it. Or don't develop one - but definitely listen. Opening track "Judas Booth" is a good example of PUJOL's sound - raw, honest singing over heavily tracked guitar tones that in places remind me of Thin Lizzy's sort of dark-night heroic sound.
Bands these days operate on so many levels it's hard to keep up, hard to tell when they mean what they say or just the opposite. That's not a problem with this band - I find it best to assume it's all sincerity, as in "Post Grad" when Daniel intones: "Tonight we're going to use our rock n roll powers for GOOD, instead of complacent, negligent, self-hating evil!"
As he's done previously on United States of Being (WYMA review here), Pujol carries on an extended monologue addressing all the crazy stuff we're learning to take for granted: alienation bordering on universal solipsism, drones, the absurdity of carrying the world's accumulated knowledge on a device in your pocket, 3-D printing - and wonders if we even have a choice anymore to use them for good or evil? After all, as stated in "Manufactured Crisis Control", the bracing second track, the new him and the old him are in a fist fight - a state that can certainly be writ large to speak about humanity and the issues we're struggling with (when we can be forced to contemplate them).
Here is a video of the band playing "Manufactured Crisis Control" in Nashville:
Here's a link to an interview with Daniel, also featuring a download of the album's single, "Pitch Black" - a real singalong track. As a description of his take on the artistic process and how it informs his music, the interview is really a terrific read.
To his credit, all this social commentary and honest philosophizing is done without ever forgetting to rock out. More to his credit, if all you want to do is rock out, that's easy to do with this album... so he's got you either way. KLUDGE was made by Daniel Pujol with help from producer/drummer Doni Shroader, assistant engineer Travis Atkinson, bassist Clayton Parker and lead guitarist Brett Rosenberg. The record is out now (released May 20) on Saddle Creek.
Of course I don't know Katy Goodman, so I can only offer my impressions based on her music. But her new album Hour of the Dawn seems to me to mark the time in her career as La Sera that it is evident that Goodman is having a blast as a rock musician. That isn't to suggest that Goodman wasn't having fun before, or that her prior work was morose. It's just that the enthusiasm, energy and unbridled joy jump out of the speakers with this album The result is the best album of her solo career and I highly recommend it.
As compared to the prior La Sera albums, Hour of the Dawn is born of California power pop sensibilities with a good dose of punk attitude. The songwriting is bold and packed with ideas. You'll hear influences from the '60s to current times, but is is all bound together with spirit and clever hooks. While La Sera's confident vocals sell the songs, Tod Wisenbaker's guitar adds swagger, muscle and a bit of glam to the proceedings. As compared to prior La Sera work, there is less reliance on reverb and retro garage haze and more willingness, in fact, insistence, on guitar hero flourishes and clarity of sound. And perhaps that element added to Goodman's more confident songwriting is the most tangible evidence that this record is the birth of the new La Sera. Although the fast-paced tunes carry the album for me, the ballads are well-constructed and affecting.
Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit seems to have a restless muse. In addition to his composing and touring with his main band, he recently drew pictures of bicycles for a charity event. Now he is launching a side project called Owl John. In addition to Hutchison, the members are Andy Monaghan (also of Frabbit) and Simon Liddell. Despite the connections, Owl John does not sound like Frightened Rabbit, but rather something you might hear in an American roadhouse from a bunch of well traveled and well worn musicians working with a bottle of Jack Daniels at their feet. However, it sounds good and I'm interested in hearing more.
Burlington, Vermont's talented and prolific Colin Clary has released solo work under his own name and The Part-Time Losers, and has worked with a number of bands, including Madelines and The Smittens. He also has taken a turn at label boss for his Sudden Shame Records. However, he is on these pages today because the tasteful indie pop label WeePOP! has released Colin's latest album, Twee Blues Vol.1, and we think you should know about it.
His voice is excellent, but what impresses me the most about Colin is the quality of his songwriting. It has the sound and pacing of great '60s guitar pop, or more recently, Math and Physics Club. The songs are breezy, fun and clever. And in a quiet, completely nonviolent fashion, they take up residence in your head and refuse to leave. But they pay for their keep by delivering great joy. You can sample the album with the start to finish greatness of "Half A Cookie" (which is one of my favorite earworms of the year), the delightfully building "Come Back From The Wilderness", and the cute video for "I Didn't Know You Were A Wizard". There are 15 tracks, and they all are keepers.
This is a vinyl release with a very limited run of 300 copies. Sadly, WeePOP! is closing up shop, but they are going out in style with three final releases, the first of which is Twee Blues Vol.1. "Half A Cookie" and "Come Back From The Wilderness" are available to download free from WeePOP!'s website. But I assure you that your summer will be better with the entire album.
I hate when my favorite bands break up. Dolorean, one of the finest Americana bands of the past decade, have announced they will play their final show on May 31. Hopefully, singer-songwriter Al James, blessed with such a strong writer's voice, will continue with others though I have a lot of trouble picturing him with musicians who would suit his songs better than the boys in Dolorean.
Dolorean made 5 terrific CDs, played a lot of shows all over the US and Europe, and were critical favorites. What will now be their final full length release, The Unfazed, now 3 years old, is a huge favorite of mine and got a glowing review here at WYMA, and was on our best of the year list (JD Best of 2011).
In "Book of Love", Melbourne's Fraser Gorman has written an outstanding song -- melodic, bluesy, and witty. But the video is pretty damn great, as well. It may be the only music video you watch this year in which the protagonist's sidekick is a pet chicken named Detective Greggs. But as the chicken aids Fraser in finding a deeper understanding of love, we also are treated to assists from Fraser's band, the director of the video, and members of other Melbourne bands, including Courtney Barnett and her band.
The song is taken from Fraser's upcoming album, but it also is available as a digital download at the Bandcamp link below. Yes folks, for one Australian dollar this infectious tune can inhabit your computer and mobile devices. Can you resist? Not if you are alive.
Chris Devotion & The Expectations play muscular, swaggering, soul-influenced rock and roll. They will be releasing a new album, Break Out, via Armellodie Records next month, but are offering one of the tracks as a free download today. Stream "When the Girl Comes to Town" below, and download it at the Soundcloud link near the bottom of the post. This is high energy rock and roll, and a great boost for your Monday.
You know how it is, everyone needs a sex tape these days. If you don't have one, do you even exist? This is the dilemma faced by the label bosses at Fuzzkill Records. How can you compete with Kim K, R Kelly and the others if there isn't at least a rumor of a sex tape? Well, you won't be surprised to learn that the Fuzzkill boys decided that they needed a sex tape. But being busy executives and wanting to keep their reputations clear for an eventual run at being Scotland's Prime Minister if independence is gained (and wanting to be able to face their mothers around the holidays), they arrived at the brilliant solution of having someone else make a sex tape and having Fuzzkill sell it. So here we have a spanking new SexxXx Tape from bands Asian Babes and Future Glue.
SexxXx Tape is a cassette release, but purchase includes digital download and access to Bandcamp mobile app. The tape includes four concise punk/garage nuggets from Asian Babes, and one delicious nearly 8-minute atmospheric, lo-fi, surfy contribution from Future Glue. The contributions from Asian Babes have all of the immediacy and excitement of well executed garage punk, with a good dose of fun, while Future Glue is the perfect ending - channeling Link Wray after a handful of uppers and a few shots of stock bourbon. I've provided several songs below, but you can stream the entire sordid affair at the Bandcamp link below.
I realize that you've come to expect a bit of background about the bands, but you don't really think I'm going to put "asian babes" into a search engine on a work computer, do you? All I can tell you is that the lead singer of Asian Babes is Kate Thorburn of Glasgow band Charles of the Ritz. Future Glue is a less scary proposition: They are a five-piece from Glasgow that would appear to have a bright future.
This week's Rolling Stones song, "Dandelion", has a killer chorus and overall great psychedelic sound. While it was released in 1967 originally as the B side to "We Love You", it became the far more successful single and essentially seized the A side status, landing on various singles compilations such as Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits, Vol. 2).
The song's first appearance was in a 1966 on a demo called "Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Blue", with Keith Richards singing, leading to some belief that "Dandelion"was written by Keith, though that's never been documented. Here's that rough draft early version:
