The Brights - Oyster Rock!

 

Jangling, folky guitar pop can be just what our psychologist prescribe for the weekend. The Brights walk the more folky side of the jangle pop channel, but don't mistake the gentle vibe for a lack of punch. On the newly released Oyster Rock! the melodies are packed with joyous earworms and the arrangements bounce like a happy new puppy. The listener even finds power pop strands and country breaking through with great effect. The effect is blissful and laid back and there are plenty of good musical moments that will have you hitting the replay button. This is a bit of a sleeper album in that if you miss it now, it will surface in the future and you will wish it had been in your life all along.

The Brights are Sunny Blayney (vocals/guitar), Samuel Morris (vocals/bass), Cooper Anderson (drums/backing vocals), Dylan Ferguson (guitar), and Will Maddock (keys/percussion/backing vocals). Oyster Rock! is out now in vinyl and digital formats via Meritorio Records and Stable Label Records.

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"Didn't It Rain Last Night" by First Rodeo

 

It is true that most of our posts focus on pop and rock artists, but we sometimes cross to the country side of the street when appropriately attracted. We recently received a song called "Didn't It Rain Last Night", and we were duly attracted. The creation of Portland/Philadelphia band First Rodeo, the song is classic country/Americana road song replete with affecting vocals and a rich arrangement. First Rodeo consists of Nathan Tucker and Tim Howe. The met in Portland a few years ago and played in each other's bands. Although Nathan has since moved to Philadelphia, their urge to collaborate remains strong, so the do what they can remotely, and then get together to record. Their first album, First Rodeo, will be out August 5 via Forged Artifacts.

Bandcamp for "Didn't It Rain Last Night"

Bandcamp for album

"Who Owns Pain?" by Dag

 

Last week brought another single from the upcoming Pedestrian Life by Dag. "Who Owns Pain?" has an appealing pop vibe with affecting vocal back ups that add a good dose of warmth. It seems to us that this double LP from the Australian trio is going to be packed with many and varied treasures.

The band currently consists of singer songwriter Dusty Anastassiou, who began Dag as a solo project, and Dan Ford and Dave McMillan.

Pedestrian Life is out June 25 via Bedroom Suck Records.

bedroom suck records · Dag - Who Owns Pain?

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Pink Chameleons - Peace & Love

Today we get another fine indie rock album from Finland. The title of the album is Peace & Love, and the band is Pink Chameleons. Just as chameleons can change their hue to match their environment, this Helsinki three-piece adeptly changes genres to match the songwriter's desired mode of expression. Paul McCartney's Wings album was an inspiration for this album specifically because the former Beatle tackled multiple genres. Based on the evidence, Pink Chameleon's ambition has been rewarded with a fine and varied set of songs. In my opinion, "Spacedog" is a perfect update of '60s garage rock/psychedelic nuggets genre. "Slow Me" seems to channel '70s guitar hero psychedelic rock, while "Horsewalk" lets the band give free rein to their country stylings. I also am particularly fond of the robust, but more guitar pop-leaning closer, "Rainy Days", and its twin sibling "Hot Dog". Variety is good, and Peace & Love is very entertaining variety.

Pink Chameleons are Paltsa-Kai Salama (vocals/guitar/keys/songwriter), Antti Sauli (bass), and Kimmo Godtfredsen (drums/percussion). Backing vocals on certain tracks were provided by Tytti Roto ("Run and Hide") and Joni Seppanen ("Hot Dog"). Sax on "Pink Crush" and "Slow Me" was played by Jussi Hurskainen. Peace & Love is out today via Helsinki's Soliti Music.

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H.C. McEntire - Eno Axis

We don't listen to southern/country shaded singer songwriters every day (a failing, we know), but when we do we are likely to choose H.C. McEntire. Her voice is an absolute treasure -- clear, expressive, and endowed with incredible range and a tear-inducing ache. But as amply underscored by her new album, Eno Axis, she also is a formidable songwriter, penning songs with emotional depth and vivid imagery. The way we like to enjoy this album is when relaxing outside on the patio at the end of a summer day. We don't skip any songs. They are all more than worthy and we have embedded a few below. The album closer is a jaw-dropping cover of Led Zeppelin's "Houses of the Holy". We haven't streamed it here as yet a further enticement to click on the Bandcamp link and explore this album in more detail.

We would be remiss if we didn't mention that the additional musicians involved in the recording process illustrated McEntire's songs superbly. The players on Eno Axis are H.C McEntire (vocals/guitar), Luke Norton (guitars/keys/backing vocals), Casey Toll (bass), Daniel Faust (drums/percussion), Nathan Bowles (banjo), Allyn Love (pedal steel), Mario Arnez (backing vocals), and Justin Morris (backing vocals).

The album is out now in digital, vinyl and CD formats via Merge Records.









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Various links for Eno Axis

The Foghorns - ... on a Dog's Ass Sometimes

I was thinking today (hence the splitting headache), Seattle is a city on the shore of a body of salt water with a major port and a fair amount of fog and mist, so it really should have a band called The Foghorns.  Then I remembered, Seattle does have a band named The Foghorns.  And while some members are from other places, including New York, exotic Iceland and even more exotic, Wisconsin (as is the writer of this feature), they are ours for now.  However, they seem to be planning to disband, and their new record is meant to be part 2 of their farewell album.  They may change their minds, but in case they don't, this album is a total joy, and the digital is only $5

The Foghorns are a generous band, and when they get a good idea, they give their listeners two shots instead of one.  Hence, there are two songs where the title references a motor vehicle, two songs with 'dirty old man' in the lyrics, two songs with a style of dance in the title, and two songs that reference a foreign location.  They are a bit of a musical Noah's Ark, I suppose.  It is true that only one song title references Jesus, but the band probably figured he could carry the load solo.  The gang has great taste as well -- "Spanish Accusations" is a cover of Jon Rooney's song, that was one of my favorites from the Secret Kids album by his Virgin Of The Birds project last year.  Enjoy a stream below.  But first, a farewell project deserves a full list of credits:

Bart Cameron: vocals, guitars, harmonica 
Jason Kopec: drums, pots and pans 
Ken Nottingham: bass 
Lauren Trew: bass clarinet, vocals 
Colin Nelson: choir-leader, drums, percussion 
Matthew Ploszaj: choir 
Casey Ruff: choir 
Peter Colclasure: piano, accordion 
Paul Beaudry is in the choir, but does not appear on this recording 
Elin (Ella) Cameron: appears at times on the recording 
Recorded by Colin J. Nelson at Her Car Studios. Mastered by Carl Saff.




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The Arborist - Home Burial

 Arborist is an band fronted by Northern Irishman (Co Antrim) Mark McCambridge, a man who infuses power in his music via lyrical content and carefully layered instruments, rather than by volume.  There are people who give such quiet music little attention.  In our view, if that attitude causes people to ignore Arborist's debut LP Home Burial, those people are missing out on some great music.  McCambridge's stories are lucid and flowing with excellent word-smithing.  He has an eye for darkness, but the phrasing and arrangements don't allow the proceedings to become unbearably weighty.  The overarching themes are home and death, with related topics such as ageing, sadness, funerals, and fractured families.  McCambridge is equally comfortable composing in indie pop/alt folk and country veins, and the 11 tracks on Home Burial include both.  One of the most engaging of the country-tinged offerings is "Twisted Arrow", which features Kim Deal.

While never loud, the album is rich in details, from various guitar styles to horns, piano, and strings.  While my preference leans to the tunes with fewer country elements, especially "I Heard Him Leaving" and "A Man Of My Age", there is not a bad song in the set, and "Twisted Arrow" is a gem.  Make note of it, Arborist is a budding star.

In addition to McCambridge, the players on the album are Richard Hill, James Heaney, Ben McAuley, Johnny Ashe, and Luke Bannon.  Home Burial is out today via Kirkinrola Records in CD, LP and digital formats.






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Terry Allen - Juarez

Audacious, ambitious, and outlaw, Terry Allen's Juarez stands out in any time period.  In fact, it was released in 1975, and its song cycle of of the road, featuring unreliable "facts", fringe characters, sex, violence, and a touch of Mexican history realized the young Texan art student's eccentric vision.  It was accompanied by a series of lithographs, and eventually a screenplay and sculptural and video presentation.  But at its core, it is a special set of connected songs, well written and sincerely performed.  The primary instrumentation is Allen's piano, underpinning Allen's Texas twang delivering lyrics that are gritty but poetic.

Hailing from small-town Texas, Allen is better known as an painter, sculptor and performance artist, and his work in those areas has drawn praise and awards.  But Juarez deserves to live again, and to delight those that were unaware of its existence.  It now has been reissued by Paradise of Bachelors, and for the first time since the '70s is available with Allen's artwork.  The release is in vinyl, CD and digital formats.

I've tried to provide a flavor for the tale, and the quality of the music, with the streams below.  But the only way to truly appreciate this album is to go to the Bandcamp link and play it start to finish.  It is worth your time.











Bandcamp for Juarez
Paradise of Bachelors

Lil Bobby Jr And The Horsey House Band & Friends - We Don't Belong Together

This is our second feature this week for an album released by Arizona label Emotional Response, but this album is so good, so very sweet, that we wanted everyone to have a chance to grab a download as the weekend begins.  We Don't Belong Together is the work of Lil Bobby Jr and The Horsey House Band & Friends.  It is a delicious collection of country style, punk infused singer songwriter compositions that will make you sigh, make you smile, and probably give you a defensible excuse to filling your glass for another round before retiring for the evening.  Nostalgic stories, tales of regret, and stories of the road, sung in male and female voices and accompanied by twanging guitars and gentle hooks.  You may be tempted to sing along to a few of the tracks such as "My Heart Beats For Love" and "I Don't Mind", and that is fine, but depending on your voice please consider the state of your environment and your relationship with your neighbors.  Lil Bobby doesn't want to be an ancillary party to a noise complaint.  And in any case, the overall vibe is gentle and reflective.  This is perfect stuff for your back patio under the stars,  but I suspect we'll all find ourselves playing it other times as well.

The players (who is in the 'band' and who is a 'friend' sometimes isn't clear, but I doubt it matters) are, of course, Bobby Carlson (aka 'Lil Bobby'), who also is a member of Victorian Slang, which we featured last week (link), Matt Wlser, Ann Seletos, Lonna Kelley, Jay Hufman, Tony Ballz (also in Victorian Slang), and Owen Evans.

Oh, one very important additional point is that a digital download of the eleven song LP only cost $5, although you can order it in CD format as well.  Skip a latte, raid the liquor cabinet, and buy We Don't Belong Together.










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Link for CD purchase

"On My Mind" by The Outdoor Type

Zack Buchanan is The Outdoor Type.  It's true -- it says so on his Facebook page.  But more important than his implied rugged demeanor and skill in building a fire in the wilderness, Zack is an excellent songwriter and musician.  We first featured his music a year ago (link) to feature his shimmering "Are You Happy", a wonderful tune with a '70s country rock vibe.  Last April we featured "When The Sun Goes Down" (link), an equally good post punk song, and a month later featured his debut EP (link).  So I guess you could say we favor the outdoor type.

Zack is back again with "On My Mind", which takes a scrappy, bouncy, but thoroughly engaging song with hints of Lou Reed (not completely an original thought on my part) and a bit of The Clean.



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Introducing: Yea-Ming and The Rumours

Long-time member of Bay Area band Dreamdate, Yea-Ming Chen now fronts the precious Yea-Ming and The Rumours.  Why should you care?  Perhaps because the following two songs, which provide a preview of their upcoming December release are wonderful.  With elements of folk, jangle pop and country, sweet vocals and angelic harmonies, Yea-Ming, Eoin, Anna, and Sonia make your day sound so much better.  I've also embedded their previous single below.








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Kent Eugene Goolsby - Minor Wear EP

Less than four months after celebrating Kent Eugene Goolsby's No Substitute For Handsome (review here), the country boy has delivered the Minor Wear EP.  Comprised of four tracks of KEG's introspective country/folk gems, it is available for the even popular 'name your price' at the Bandcamp link below.  Stream the entire EP at the Bandcamp link.  The skeptical can test drive two tracks below.

The players on Minor Wear are Goolsby (vocals/guitar), Mark Sloan (guitar/pedal steel), Spencer Duncan (bass), Tyler Coppage (drums), and Anna Leigh Goolsby (vocals).  The record was recorded, mixed and mastered by Joey Kneiser.





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Video for Fraser A. Gorman's "Never Gonna Hold You (Like I Do)"

In June we featured Slow Gum, the debut LP from Melbourne's carpenter/troubadour Fraser A. Gorman (link).  Fraser has released a video for one of the great songs, "Never Gonna Hold You (Like I Do)".  Depicting a brief change of career as an ice cream truck driver and a carjacking, it is an excellent excuse to listen to the song again.



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The Wanda Junes - Hi-Fi Record Album

Sunday mornings demand something special, and we have a really good one.  American psychedelic country from The Wanda Junes.  TWJs hail from the Southwest desert town of Tucson, Arizona, and the location seems to have seeped into their psyches and emanates from their fingers and voices.   On Hi-Fi Record Album, their new record for Emotional Response, the melodies tend to b relaxed and the instrumentation generally restrained, although album opener "Grand River Saloon" rocks with full effect.  But the emotions are really and ably expressed.  And as Allison warns a lover who treated her badly in "Two Birds", she can't wait to piss on his grave.

Of course, this music would best be experienced in a roadhouse with a strong beverage and your own memories for company, but I can't make that happen for you.  But you can supply the beverage and the memories won't go away, so if you send a meager $6.50 to Emotional Response, label bosses Stew and Jen will send you a soundtrack to your tears.  And that will make you happy.








The Wanda Junes are Jeff Henderson, Thom Plasse, Bobby Carlson, Adam Frumhoff, Karima Walker, Nathan Fenoglio, and Allison McGillivray.

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Bandcamp for prior releases
Emotional Response page for album

Kent Goolsby & The Gold Standard - No Substitute For Handsome

Kent Goolsby and I both understand that there is no substitute for handsome.  And in a parallel fashion, I'm sure we've both enjoyed the fruits of our random good genetic fortune.  Our paths diverge, however, because Kent and friends, under the banner Kent Goolsby & The Gold Standard, also can write and perform a set of songs that will make you smile, make you sigh, make you and your loved one want to hug each other, and clear up your seasonal allergies.  On the other hand, if I fronted The Gold Standard the product would be listenable only if the product consisted of instrumentals with no instrument allocated to my hands,  Oh, and your allergies would be untouched.  Accordingly, the remainder of this post will focus on Handsome Kent's No Substitute For Handsome.

The hallmarks here are excellent songwriting -- good stories with clever but efficient phrasing, and a great sense of fun.  Goolsby's vocals, as others have noted, have a hint of Roger Miller, but more importantly they have an everyman accessibility that makes it easy to warm up to whatever he is singing about.

The album begins with teasing guitar riff while Kent explains his mother's advice for grooming and its likely affect on his future happiness.  Pay attention guys, this is important advice.



The old time country "Rags to Rags" contains two lessons -- the possibility that life may not be an upward economic spiral, and that there may be a silver lining in not trying.  By the third song, the wonderful,"This Daddy (Has Run Out of Strut)", our storytellers are admitting that work and pleasing the little missus have left them with an energy deficit.



"Natural Disaster" addresses an different economic fact, that being how fast one's daddy can fill up the family 'swear jar'.  Yes, some lessons are learned close to home.



The gang slows it down a bit for the bluesy "Outskirts of Love", which has a subversively strutting arrangement.  "Beast of Bourbon" tells of a working man's craving for the titular nectar as the weekend approaches.

Other highlights are the tributes to the narrator's true love -- "Leading Lady" and "Hitched".





This album is made for the hot days of the summer.  Put it on the outdoor speakers for the afternoon picnic, or for drinking under the stars later.  Everyone will feel better as they compete to prove whose daddy was the biggest natural disaster, and who was luckiest, or unluckiest, in getting hitched.

The players are Kent Goolsby (guitar/vocals), Steve Daly (guitar/mandolin), Dan Eubanks (upright bass), Roy Agee (trombone), Chris Housman (fiddle), and Anna Goolsby (vocals).  No Substitute for Handsome is out now -- see the Bandcamp link below.

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"Twisted Arrow" from Arborist

Belfast's Mark McCambridge records and performs as Arborist.  An adept songwriter of country/folk, he has created a wonderful tune in "Twisted Arrow".  And it is made even more special by the guest harmonies of Kim Deal (Pixies and The Breeders).  "Twisted Arrow" is a dark, but beautiful sounding tale, and the vocals by Mark and Kim are well-matched.  The single gets its limited edition release on May 4, but for me the song has that 'great weekend music' vibe, so I wanted to bring it to your ears today.


The other players in Arborist are Richard Hill, James Heaney, Ben McAuley, Johnny Ashe, and Luke Bannon.

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"Broken Hands" from Fraser A. Gorman

Fraser A. Gorman takes his own damn time.  His debut LP is to be released this year, but he drips a delicious track on us every now and then to let us know what we aren't getting until he is good and ready.  We've previously featured the wonderful "Book of Love" and demo for "Darkness is Coming" here (link), and now we have the video for "Broken Hands", in which our intrepid hero discovers the world via the magical properties of his new rug, and discovers and immutable fact about the limits of magic when pitted against hungry goats.



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New single and free download from Fraser A. Gorman

Fraser Gorman's "Book of Love" has been floating around the internet for a while, and we have featured it here in the past.  I don't need to have much of an excuse to post it again, because I love the song and the video.  However, I have a good reason to post it now, as (1) if you hit the Soundcloud link near the bottom of the post you can have a free download of the song, and (2) the song is getting a vinyl release via House Anxiety/Marathon Artists labels.  For the 7", "Book of Love" will be paired with the demo for "Darkness Is Coming On".  The latter track shows another side to Gorman's songwriting, with a spare arrangement and slower tempo.  And note that in early 2015  Fraser will be releasing an album on Milk Records in Australia and Marathon Artists in the rest of the galaxy.





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REVIEW: The Holy Ghost Electric Show - The Great American Holy Ghost Electric Show

The Holy Ghost Electric Show have one of those sounds.  The kind of sound that if you hear it while walking through the grounds of a music festival, you stop at their stage and listen until they are done.  The kind of sound that makes you stay on a radio station when spinning the dial.  The kind of sound that makes you click "like" on an online curated playlist from Songza and then open a browser to find out more about the band.  The kind of sound that when it comes on the speakers in a party you realize that you gradually have stopped listening to the conversation and are paying attention to the songs.

The band is from Corinth in the Mississippi hill country.  The members are Cody Rogers (songwriter, lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Jake Rogers (guitar and banjo), Will Shirley (guitar), Conner Wroten (bass), Austin Wheeler (drums) and Jesse James (trombone and keys).  The Rogers brothers, sons of a southern preacher, and their mates assembled the band in the college town of Oxford, Mississippi, and created a musical collage from rock, folk, country, soul and California pop influences.  The band performs with professional competence and flair, but often just on the edge of the raggedy, ramshackle territory that reminds you of musician friends deciding to go to their car in the parking lot, bring in their instruments and jam until closing in the local tavern.  But there is something more as well  -- a current of almost unsettling emotion, a nearly desperate need to touch the listener.  While musically satisfying, this ain't good time background music.

The boys have packaged twelve tracks of their southern Gothic brew in The Great American Holy Ghost Electric Show, which is out now via Atlanta label This Is American Music.  As hard as it is to choose tracks (or more precisely, to eliminate tracks) to use to illustrate the album, the first three tracks and the seventh will provide an excellent snapshot of the range and power of The Holy Ghost Electric Show.  But you don't have to live just with my choices.  The Website link below will allow you to stream the entire album.  Put on your earphones and listen tonight under the stars.  If not sooner, by the time you hit "Kerosene Heater Blues" and "Elizabeth", you will be hauled in hook, line and sinker.











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REVIEW: Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis - Our Year

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

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