Old Stuff Friday - The Soul Corner - Donny Hathaway

The 70's get a bad rap. Everyone gushes about the great 60's stuff from the British Invasion to soul to garage rock and on and on. The Summer of Love, can you dig it? Sure, yeah.

But the 70's were not just disco and bad prog rock. Soul music became more experimental, more political, and in many ways more musical, certainly less formulaic. We've looked at some great 70's artists here at the Soul Corner - Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, etc.

As one highly informed Soul Corner reader suggested his week, it's time to shine a spotlight on the late Donny Hathaway - extraordinary singer, composer, arranger, keyboardist. Not a lot of soul or rock songwriters cite Stravinsky and Debussy as influences as Hathaway did.

Hathaway is perhaps best known for his duets with college classmate Roberta Flack, including "Where is the Love."

Here's a live version of "Everything is Everything" that shows off his deep soul and musical chops:



And for his gut-wrenching emotional vocals, check out this live cover of the Leon Russell classic "Song for You":



As many of you know, this story did not end well. Hathaway's death in a New York City hotel in 1979 was ruled a suicide. It followed a lifetime struggle with severe depression. But he left behind great work and a powerful musical legacy.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra, free download of "Honey Bee"

If you've been following along, you read Hardy's review of the Unknown Mortal Orchestra's album and live show recently... and hopefully you've already gone and bought it. But if you haven't, here's another taste for you, a free download of the song "Honey Bee" available from their label just for signing up for UMO's mailing list:

I happen to share Hardy's ardor for this band... Here's another song to listen to, "Ffur", complete with links to buy the album digitally at UMO's website. It appears that buying it there gets you three exclusive bonus tracks:

Go check out The American Scene

I have to admit I’m a sucker for a certain type of music that some people reflexively call ‘emo.’ At the same time, most of what we think of as archetypal emo drives me up the fooking wall. I don’t know, it may be some sort of defense mechanism, but there has to be something more than earnestness and vulnerability to get my interest. So I’m finding myself really liking a fairly new Berkeley band called The American Scene, wondering what it is that keeps me clicking on that sideways triangle, because it sounds a hell of a lot like, you know, what I was just talking about. Here’s a tune off their current EP, the 9 song “By Way of Introduction” (Pure Noise Records). See if you can figure it out. Dang, this is a lot of pressure.

Folks, that there is an excellent rock and roll song. I can’t resist loud sheets of guitar noise, and I really appreciate solid, not over-the-top vocals like this. It’s got a self-assured wistfulness to it, rather than a “holy-crap-if-she-doesn’t-come-back-to-me-by-god-I—will-torch-myself-like-that-monk-on-the-cover-of-that-rage-against-the-machine-album” that makes me reach for my Mclusky. Here’s another crunchy pop tune:

Bear Bryant once said, “Sure I’d like to beat Notre Dame, don’t get me wrong, but nothing matters more than beating that cow college on the other side of the state.” Although that has nothing to do with anything except to prompt me to point out that he never did beat Notre Dame, he also taught his players to “act like you’ve been there before.” And I guess the thing that sets The American Scene apart from the thousand other bands trying to do that sound is that these guys don’t seem to have to try too hard to be heard. It’s like they’ve been there before.

The American Scene on Facebook

Pure Noise Records

Cool Video Thursday

There is something about the summer season. We have a lot of good videos to share with you.

This video has plenty of inappropriate behavior, so naturally we thought all of you would enjoy it. The group is Bikini, the song is "A Cheerlaeder", and the video was created by The India Trading Company.

Bikini - ACheerlaeder from The India Trading Company on Vimeo.

"Chorus" from Cool Runnings

COOLRUNNINGS - Chorus from Rafael Bonilla Jr. on Vimeo.

My Grey Horse gives us "Waste of Air". These lads may merit a profile soon.

my grey horse - waste of air from Peter Butler on Vimeo.

Handsome Furs, "What About Us" (NSFW)

Handsome Furs - "What About Us" from stereogum on Vimeo.

I know that we posted the video for "Everything is Dancing" from Fair Ohs in a post about the band, but the video is good enough for a repeat here.

Everything Is Dancing from Fair Ohs on Vimeo.

"The Body" has an affecting juxtaposition of images from a band with the great sound -- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.


Our final video is the spooky presentation of "Go Outside" but Cults.

Go Outside, by Cults from Boing Boing on Vimeo.

New Discovery: Fair Ohs

We bloggers are a hard working, underpaid crew--If it weren't for the money and groupies, we probably wouldn't even do it. So we really love groups that make our job easier. A case in point are Fair Ohs. This band's webpage even has a place for bloggers to click, and it leads them to a "blog tools" page. And from this resource, we learn that Fair Ohs are Eddy Frankel (guitars and vocals), Matt Flag (bass) and Joe Ryan (drums), and they are based in London. The band has a new single, the video for which is below, called "Everything Is Dancing", and it is available free at their website (link below). Fair Ohs are releasing their album in the states the last week of July on Lefserecords; it has been available in the UK since last week on High Honey Records (i.e. the band's own label).

Everything Is Dancing from Fair Ohs on Vimeo.

A think one term applied to Fair Ohs' music is tropical post punk, with a lot of the tropical supplied by African guitar influences. The band started two years ago as Big Fucking Deal, then became known as Thee Fair Ohs, but subsequently dropped the "thee". According to the label, Everything is Dancing "is influenced by West African funk, 60’s Psycheldic Rock, Eritrean Guayla music, hardcore punk and East African guitar music, and a whole heap of Fleetwood Mac". I personally think those influences are absolutely fine, but more to the point, the music is wonderful. We can only hope that the youthful fling with name modification has come to an end, and Fair Ohs will settle down in a stable band relationship to nurture young recordings for our pleasure.

The first track on the album is "Baldessari":



Here is album track "Almost Island":



"Summer Lake", the album closer:



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Summer Soundtrack: The Black Tambourines

SURF'S UP!

You don't generally expect to find a surf band in Falmouth, UK, although if Brooklyn can have surf bands the Cornwall coast should be entitled to one as well. And you don't generally expect to find out about a surf band from a music blog based in Edinburgh (in this case, Matthew Young's Song By Toad). But here we are, discussing The Black Tambourines from Falmouth after I "discovered" them in Matthew's blog. First, a word about the terminology to describe the music. I don't think the music really is "surf music". The band calls their songs "beach punk", and that seems to be a pretty good term. There are indie pop, noise pop, crunchy power pop, buzzy garage and slacker rock elements, as well as a bit of surf. But whether you adopt that term or just call it surf music, it simply is good summer music that deserves exposure to as many ears as possible. (One note about the name, this is a new band, not a resurrection of the 1980s noise pop band, Black Tambourines.)

I've provided a lot of their music here. As far as I know, it is all the music they have released. If you don't have time for all of it right now, listen to "Let Me Down" from the Black Tambourine EP (which is the second of the two EPs below, as it is as fine an indie pop tune as you've heard in a good while. And on the first EP below, "Better Off Dead" is classic powerpop. I hear a bit of Orange Juice (especially with the slight warble in the lead vocals) and The Vaselines, but certainly more disciplined than the latter.

The Hombre EP was uploaded to Soundcloud about six months ago. Press play and keep reading (assuming you can simultaneously read, nod your head and tap your foot; air guitar is optional).

Hombre EP by The Black Tambourines

The band consists of Jake Willbourne, vocalist and bass, Paddy Staccpoole, vocalist and guitar, Jim Sibley, drums, and Josh Spencer, guitar. Apparently the guys met in the Truro College music program, and started gigging around Cornwall. Their first EP was recorded in a week.

The Black Tambourines EP is about a year and a half old.



And just for something chill, here is an acoustic version of their song "Vitamin D", which the band labels as Hawaiian:

Vitamin D (acoustic) by The Black Tambourines

Between the Bandcamp, Soundcloud and Blogger sites, their music is there for the downloading. Since the boys are generous and good, let as many of your friends hear The Black Tambourines this summer. It is the least you can do. Why these kids aren't signed to full tours and recording under contract, I really don't know. Perhaps I should start a label....

One of their surfier songs, "Tommy":



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Screaming Guitar Discovery: Screaming Females

New to me, so you get to read a post about this New Jersey punk band, Screaming Females. Lead singer and guitarist is a female, not really screaming but certainly laying it all out there... Here's a live video of "Mothership"... 58 views, are you kidding me? Tell all your friends to watch this lady play the guitar.



Here's a download of "I Don't Mind It" from their most recent album Castle Talk, available via their website, where you can (should) buy this record. And here's another MP3, "I Do" from an EP called Singles, which also contains a cover of Cortez the Killer. Awesome. Maybe I'll get tired of their sound, but I doubt it. Punk rock with screaming guitars is pretty much the apex of civilization.

Also, here's some art created by the band for you to put in your punk rock cave:

Screaming Females Website

REVIEW: Sons and Daughters - Mirror Mirror

In their 2009 album, The Gift, Glasgow's Sons and Daughters emphatically proved that they could be a kick ass pop/rock band with a dense, danceable sound and soaring vocals from Adele. But what Sons and Daughters have done best, and most distinctly, in their career is the spare, percussive folk punk that built their resume through Love the Cup and The Repulsion Box. To my delight, the new Mirror Mirror (released in the US tomorrow on Domino Records) uses the band's roots as the foundation for an intriguing expansion. Accordingly, we get the driving bass and drums from Ailidh Lennon and David Gow, respectively, Scott Paterson's searing guitar, and the vocals from Scott and Adele Bethel. But that's just the start--the band and the album's producer, JD Twitch (Keith McIvor) of the club Optimo, have deployed vintage synths and sampled sounds (such as, to delightful effect, the sound of typewriter keys). Another noticeable development is an increased sense of space around the sounds to heighten the atmosphere. The effect can be stunning, as in the album's opening track, "Silver Spell":

Sons & Daughters - Silver Spell by DominoRecordCo

As expected, the album boasts melodies and vocal hooks. But at its core, Mirror Mirror is a tapestry of rhythms and space. I've always considered the rhythm section of this band to be excellent, if overshadowed in the past by Scott and Adele; on this album, they are stunningly good. The drumming is aggressive, even insistent, without overpowering the other players. And Ailidh's bass, track after track, powers the songs with a throbbing ebb and flow, becoming the heart of the album. The layers of rhythm continue with the synths and samples, Scott's guitar, and even the vocal performances. If I've got it right, I applaud the band and JD Twitch for the cohesive vision and masterful execution.

I'd love to write a track by track review, but most readers don't seem to want that level of someone else's musings about an art form that needs to be heard to be understood. And this is an album that needs to be felt, as much as heard. So I'll only add that the album is wonderfully dark, spooky, atmospheric and jittery. At this point, it is one of my top five albums of the year to date.

I'll close with two more tracks. "Rose Red" has become one of my favorites. It begins with a pulsing beat and Adele's fine vocals, with punctuation from Scott's guitar. But it builds to breathtaking acid rock climax. It's one of those songs after which you expect the band to rest vocal cords, replace strings and drum skins, towel off, and perhaps have a cuddle and smoke. Lyrics aside, the feel, pure and simple, is X-rated.



"Breaking Fun" is the third track on the album, has been released as a single, and is the subject of this fine video.



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Blitzen Trapper - new song "American Goldwing"

Blitzen Trapper have a new CD, American Goldwing, coming out on Sub Pop later this summer and a free download of the title track is available now.

The band continues to hone its Americana craft, adding warm piano and harmonica playing to its multiple guitars, and the always heartfelt and effective vocals of Eric Earley.

This band has improved every step of the way in its 10 year history, works hard, tours often and seems by all accounts a focused and very centered bunch. I have a strong hunch American Goldwing will be a high water mark for Blitzen Trapper and one of the top releases of 2011.

Here's two videos from the the 2008 breakout release Furr, the title track and "Black River Killer":

The Hunting Accident - "Hot Drum" from The Hunting Accident

The Hunting Accident, as they will tell you, is a band made out of the parts of other bands that broke up: Arlo and Piebald... Arlo released a couple of good records on Sub Pop, but broke up. I remember wondering what happened, because I thought they were very good and the music was downright catchy. I was not familiar with Piebald, but it looks like they had some tour dates with folks like Dinosaur Jr., so there you go...

And here they are, in 2011, making some really good rock music. Check out the first cut, "Hot Drum": good drumming with piano on the beat, well-timed guitar runs and strong vocals. Here's the video for "Hot Drum":



All the ingredients are there, all they need is listeners. And there's a four-song EP set to be released as a 7" record in August, but you can listen and download currently at Soundcloud. I do recommend that.

Ancient Fish by The Hunting Accident

Midnight World Pop Scout-22: Ronika; Horse Meat Disco; Hermanos Inglesos

Get on your dancing shoes! MWPS edition 22 is an all European electronic dance party. If you've been lying in the sun today, you no doubt need the exercise.



Ronika is a young lady who produces, sings, and remixes at her home in Nottingham, UK. The music is synthpop, but Ronika bases her efforts on a delightfully funky groove, so I guess I'd call it soul house music. Ronika is not signed to a label.

"Wiyoo"



"Forget Yourself"



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Horse Meat Disco is a DJ collective based in London. This week they released Horse Meat Disco III, a two-CD album comprising mixes of disco, boogie, electro and other dance grooves, mostly from the 1980s. According to the blurb from their label, Strut Records, the tracks represent an after-hours type of disco known as Sleaze. The DJs participating in the project are James Hillard, Jim Stanton, Severino and Luke Howard.

Here is a minimix of the album.

Horse Meat Disco III Mini-Mix by Strut

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For the second week in a row, we feature a Belgian act, this one is a DJ duo known as Hermanos Inglesos. In this case, the DJs are brothers Cedric and Didier Engels, who seem very fond of deep, fat basslines. They have released an LP on the PIAS label and a number of EPs, singles and remixes. It seems to me that these boys make music for the sweaty dancefloor, so get on your feet, turn up the speakers and get the neighborhood moving!

"Funky Dandy"

Hermanos Inglesos - Funky Dandy (Original) by Hermanos Inglesos







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Parson Red Heads - "Seven Years Ago"

We can't say enough about the Parson Red Heads and their upcoming release Yearling, which will be out in mid-August. WYMA will have a feature story on them as the release date approaches.

In the meantime, enjoy this video of "Seven Years Ago", a song from Yearling. The video premiered yesterday on Paste Magazine's web page. The song and film captures the Parson Red Heads' beautiful vocal harmonies, melodic guitar sounds, and big-hearted vibe.



The video was filmed all around Oregon City where the Parsons reside. Oregon City is a first-tier suburb of Portland with a rich history, being the first city west of the Rocky Mountains to have been incorporated. Lewis and Clark wrote many journal entries about Oregon City's majestic Willamette Falls pictured here:

New Discovery: Public Dims

I think I've got you lot figured out. You liked Friday's outlaw rockabilly just fine, but today you woke up with bit of a hangover and thought "why isn't there any modern, lo-fi slacker twang? If Rocksteady74 was half the blogger he thinks he is, he'd find us some." Well, never let it be said that I don't crave approval, because here is some stuff from San Juan Capistrano, California that fits the bill.

Meet the Public Dims. Meet them? Hell, stream their entire EP, Vent Somewhere Else, and then download it for free. Public Dims are Shaan and Jesse, a guy who plays a guitar and a woman who plays drums. They recorded the album in March of this year, and released it in April. And because we pride ourselves in being among the most technical of the underground music blogs, we want you to know that Shaan and Jesse label their music "Gutbucket Hick Drone". For us, it is a bit of garage, a bit of rockabilly, a bit of drone and more than a little DIY feel. Oh, and I quite like it.



We also have the video for EP track "Lorimer".


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Honeydrum: Another Free Lo-Fi Single

Last Friday we mentioned that New Jersey's Honeydrum is releasing an EP on Amdiscs, Pleasures of the Sun, later this month. In advance of the EP, they have released two singles. The first, released July 1, is "Cruise Control", and we profiled it last week. The second single, "Skin City", is released today. It seems to me to be dreamy, but a bit darker in tone, and I like it. I think my Honeydrum collection will continue to get a lot of play this summer.

Honeydrum - Skin City from honeydrum on Vimeo.

Download "Skin City" here.

As we noted last week, you can check out the Tumblr and Bandcamp sites lined below for more music and videos.

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REVIEW: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Unknown Mortal Orchestra frontman Ruban Nielson is a freakishly talented guitar player with a musical vision that requires him to exercise a great deal of restraint -- at least in the studio. That discipline has yielded one of this year's unique gems in the form of UMO's debut full-length, released last month on Oxford's Fat Possum Records. It's not that you can't hear his chops on the album. Beautiful guitar work bubbles to the surface repeatedly across the consciously retro, echoless production. My current favorite track is a great example:



If you listened to "Nerve Damage" above, you may be wondering what the hell I mean by "restraint". The best answer I have is that you must see this band live and 'unrestrained' to appreciate it. Nielson, formerly of the New Zealand band Mint Chicks, relocated to Portland and has hooked up with a blast furnace of a rhythm section in bassist Jake Portrait and drummer Julien Ehrlich. I had the unexpected thrill of seeing them at King's in Raleigh a few months ago opening for another band. Nielson, who doesn't play with a pick, launched into some of the most blistering leads I've ever seen. It was the sort of thing that might make you think you were at a Joe Satriani concert, except these leads were tasteful departures from actual songs. And by actual songs, I mean convincing funk and psychedelia that are by turns fresh and nostalgic, like this:



They're touring heavily right now, and probably will be your area at some point. Here's a nice clip from a recent show that'll give you an idea of what UMO can do live:



And here's another track from the album called "Bicycle" that has a groove normal people just cannot resist. Have a good weekend folks.



Here are their band website and their Fat Possum site. You can buy their record there, as well as tickets to their shows. Don't miss either.

Old Stuff Friday - The Soul Corner - "Cool Jerk"

Time for the Soul Corner to get its toes tappin' and fingers poppin' with an irresistible dance jam.

The back story here is "the Jerk" had become a popular dance, but in Detroit's clubs, a lewder version of it, called the "Pimp Jerk" had caught on. A fairly obscure Detroit band called the Capitols, who were not affiliated with Motown Records but rather a tiny local label, wrote a song called "Pimp Jerk" in 1966 in the style of dance craze songs of that era.

They realized they had a great song on their hands, changed the name and lyrics to "Cool Jerk" and asked their friends in the Motown house band to moonlight and help them record the song. That recording became a national smash hit and an enduring classic, covered by many - including Todd Rundgren, The Go-Go's, and Bootsy Collins - and used in a Cool Whip commercial.

I am particularly down with Earl Van Dyke's piano playing here, or as it's referred to in the song, on "those 88s".

Now come on everybody, I wanna hear y'all - can you do it, can you do it?

Old Stuff: Rockabilly Punk

The roots of punk may have been in the outlaw fringes of rockabilly. Outsiders' music celebrating the guys and gals who drove and lived fast and didn't care too much for authority. While the nice kids listened to Pat Boone and Ricky Nelson, the pre-punks listened to this stuff. Stuff with serious attitude. If you like this, let me know and we may have a second rockabilly punk edition on another Friday.

Ronnie Dawson, "Rockin' Bones":



Most radio stations in the late '50s wouldn't play John & Jackie singing "Little Girl":



Hank Mizell recorded "Jungle Rock" in 1959. Oddly, it was a hit for him in the UK in 1976:



Jackie Morningstar gave us "Rockin' in the Graveyard":



"Rumble" by Link Wray was a instrumental, but it just sounds bad, in a very good way.



"Domino" was a Roy Orbison recording for Sun Records:



Good girls in the '50s didn't belt out "I Need A Man", did they? Well, Barbara Pittman did just that for Sun Records:

REVIEW: Ty Segall, Goodbye Bread

Ty Segall's latest, Goodbye Bread, starts out with the title track, a little mournful, but with a nice ragged guitar strumming in the background... and it ends with "Fine", which slowly ramps up from a very psychedelic chorus ("Oh, you know I love, loving is what I do") to a raw guitar solo, before fading out with a finger-picked run behind Segall bidding us farewell...until next time.

Here's an acoustic version of the title track "Goodbye Bread":



In between, it travels here and there, with songs that meander and change, but always return to a ragged tunefulness. Honestly, and I may be alone here, Goodbye Bread reminds me of records like Jack Logan's Bulk, Syd Barrett's The Madcap Laughs or Guided by Voices' Bee Thousand: raw pop/rock that eventually, slowly but surely, becomes a record collection stalwart... deceptively lo-fi, but with subtle touches throughout that show a reflectiveness and work ethic you expect from an artist with staying power... somebody like, say, Robert Pollard or Don Van Vliet.

Interestingly, it's a very acoustic guitar-based record (with, certainly, some excellent electric guitar runs and a few fairly scorching solos, including the eventually out-of-control outro to song 9, "I Am With You"). A lot of the texture is supplied by reverb on the vocals. But, again, there is plenty of 60's Sonics-style garage-inspired guitar and anyone drawn to Segall by last year's Melted will find plenty of that good, dirty rock sound here too. It's not easy to try for "accessibility" while still teetering on the brink of pure noise, but it's a task Segall accomplishes here.

While perhaps not as instantly catchy as last year's Melted, this is a better record overall. I expect it to stay with me longer, and with an artist this young (he's 23) with this much work behind him already, that's a great sign.

Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread, at Drag City Records (listen to samples, buy download, vinyl or cd)

Ty-Segall.com (good luck finding anything here)

A quick pleasure: Tennis covers Brenda Lee

The Denver group Tennis covers Brenda Lee's "Is It True?"
Tennis - Is It True (Brenda Lee Cover) by yvynyl

Cool Video Thursday

Kibwe Tavares' Robots Of Brixton - featuring Hiatus-Linton collab Insurrection



A description of the project in his own words:

This was my final project in my Masters degree in Architecture. It was born from me exploring my relationship with race, class and architecture. I am from the area and I see the Brixton riots of 1981 indirectly a key driver into me going too uni and becoming/ an architect. So i wanted to retell the story with a Sci-fi twist without the associated 'baggage' of being a young black Londoner.

Tech wise, I did all the animation, modelling and CGI in 3DSMAX, compositing in After Effects. Filming on a cannon 7D, and tracking with PFtrack. I got help with the sound from the talented Mr Bennacer and DJ Hiatus... And that's it...

"L'age D'or" by Of Montreal.

of Montreal - "L'age D'or" NSFW from Consequence of Sound on Vimeo.

The video for "Gone Again" by Best Coast shows women shooting desserts at men. I don't know why.

Viva Voce - The Future Will Destroy You

I might feel bad writing about yet another Portland band, but my Portland output doesn't come close to WYMA's coverage of the Seattle scene or Scotland pop bands. And there are great bands here in my town, including today's featured artist - Viva Voce.

Viva Voce are a husband-wife duo, Kevin and Anita Robinson, with quite a musically rich geographic history, starting in Muscle Shoals AL, moving to Nashville, then settling in Portland. They are far easier to enjoy listening to than writing about because they are stylistically difficult to pigeonhole, which is just one reason to love them.

Labels like psychedelic, indie pop, folk, soul, noisy, ethereal and more all get thrown at them and all fit at some point. Even though there are just two of them, they play so many different instruments, they are able to constantly change it up and let the sound serve the songs. While very careful in their craft, and deeply steeped in musical history, the Robinsons don't take themselves too seriously either. Their sheer joy in making music comes screaming through the recordings and live performances.

Viva Voce's latest release The Future Will Destroy You, is as good a place as any to start. Every song seems to have its own completely unique sound and style. I can't say enough about Anita Robinson's beautiful singing, which sets them apart from the standard guitar-drums noise rock duo. Her guitar sounds are wonderfully at odds with her harmonious voice - noisy, clangy, harsh then melodic.

The title track is one of my favorite songs of this year. Here's the studio version in a wacky video done by one of their friends:



Here's a live in-studio version:



And an older song "Octavio":



And if all this weren't enough, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson have another band, Blue Giant. One might be tempted to call them the full rock band, as there are 4 members and they do kick up a racket. But they are just as likely to go acoustic and play a gem like this (dig Anita's slide guitar work):



Viva Voce Band web page: http://www.vivavoce.com/

New Discovery: Ceremony

Ceremony is new to me, although the former band of Ceremony's members, Skywave, was a noise pop/shoegaze band from a few years ago that, to my disappointment, dropped off the radar. The sound of the band boasts fuzzy, reverb-heavy guitars that remind this listener of My Bloody Valentine, A Place to Bury Strangers, and, not surprisingly, Skywave. In my view, the band is a welcome addition to the rock music landscape.

The members of the band are John Fedowitz, formerly of Skywave, and Paul Baker, and they are based in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Ceremony released a four track EP Not Tonight earlier this year on the Custom Made Music label. Here is the track "Take You Down":


And "Dreams Stripped Away":


"Stars Fall" was on the album Rocket Fire, released in April 2010.


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Recommended Concert DVD: Stax/Volt Revue Live In Norway

I don't usually get excited about concert DVDs. Typically, they don't provide the feel of a live show, and don't have the production quality of a video. Generally they remind me of watching fireworks through a darkly tinted window with earplugs blocking sound. However, there are exceptions, and a prime example of the exceptions is Stax/Volt Revue Live In Norway. Many believe this concert was one of the best multi-artist soul concerts ever delivered. What makes this DVD so special is the collection of top '60s Memphis R&B talent performing on the same stage in one evening. And this is talent that most of you did not, and never will, have a chance to see live.

In early 1967 the Memphis labels Stax and Volt sent top talent to Europe for a three week tour. The subject DVD captures the concert in Oslo, Norway on April 7, 1967, near the end of the tour. Original master tapes were used to render the 75 minute concert for the DVD.

The concert begins with the foundation--Booker T. and the M.G.s--performing "Red Beans And Rice" and their big hit, "Green Onion".


After Booker and company finish their solo portion of the concert, The Mar-Keys and their horns join Booker T. and the M.G.s on stage for three tunes. With the backing band now comprised of The Mar-Keys and the M.G.s, the vocalists take turns thrilling the crowd. First is Arthur Conley, followed by Eddie Floyd. Both of them are fine performers and their efforts are well worth your time. But the next two acts take the concert to a whole new level.

Sam and Dave were top performers and the DVD fittingly showcases five of their songs from the concert. As much as I like all of the other artists on the bill, Sam and Dave's set is my favorite of the concert.


The concert closes with five numbers from the great Otis Redding:



The DVD has been available since 2007, but I don't think it has received the recognition that it deserves.

It is available from the Concord Music Group

New Music/Art Discovery: René Breton - Asleep in Green

René Breton is a project of Nashville residents Ryan Hurtgen (Lead Vocals, Piano) and Tobin Sio (Drums, Percussion), and in addition to the music, they've added art and the written word as part of the package. From their website: Asleep In Green is a composite, conceptual experience of insight and sound. Twelve songs, twelve short stories, and twelve drawings meld to take us on a modern, surrealist journey, which represents the subconscious mind during sleep. Visualized by René Breton’s Ryan Hurtgen, Asleep In Green inspires us to delve into the depths of self-reflection without an intended agenda. It invites each of us to get lost in its fantastical ideas of abstract fiction and subjectively experience its creative body as a personalized, waking dream.

I'm sorry, I really don't qualify as an art critic (hell, I'm not even a music critic), but the music is very good.

Here's "Botswana":



And here is the video for "Song For an Ancestral Alien". I really like the steel guitar in this one:



It's unusual and definitely rewards repeated listening... for example, check out the guitars when they get going on "Fifth Ace of Anchors" at René Breton Page at Iconic Music, layering in some keyboards and violins on the outro. You can listen to the whole thing, and if you like it, check out their website, they have several ways for you to buy:

René Breton Website

New Sounds of Scotland-Part 18: Plastic Animals; Seafieldroad

For a nice summer day (at least here in Seattle), we have some quieter stuff from Edinburgh for your consideration.


Plastic Animals is an Edinburgh act that describes its music as "noise pop and "alternative atmospheric punk sludge". I hear the noise pop, alternative and atmospheric, and the vocals are rendered in a haunting, somewhat distorted or damaged delivery that works very well with the music. I'm not sure what sludge means, so I won't offer an opinion on the applicability of that term.

The members are Mario Cruzado, James Lynch, and Dave Wark. The band was formed in 2006, but hasn't produce a lot of recorded music to date. However, Plastic Animals just released an EP, A Dark Spring, on July 1. Other recordings can be streamed and downloaded via Bandcamp.


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Seafieldroad is Andrew Eaton-Lewis, a singer with the band Swimmer One. The Edinburgh-based musician records his solo efforts under the name Seafieldroad. The music is emotive, atmospheric piano songs that convey euphoria or melancholy, and is inspired by other singer songwriters such as Mark Eitzel, Momus, Jane Siberry, Suzanne Vega and Steve Reich. If you want hard rocking music, this isn't your artist. But if you want some thoughtful pop with a heart, you're home now.

Two song EP Cramond Island Causeway, available free and Bandcamp.


There Are No Maps for this Part of the City, the 2010 LP from Seafieldroad.


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REVIEW: The Wooden Birds - Two Matchsticks

Former American Analog Set frontman Andrew Kenny has made his second full-length as leader of The Wooden Birds, Two Matchsticks. He never sang this much on American Analog records, but the vibe is fairly similar: surfy, understated guitar lines and easygoing song structure. Some of the songs are very catchy, some grow a little more slowly, but they're all well-done.

The first two tracks, "Folly Cub" and "Two Matchsticks" set the tone... chugging acoustic guitar over insistent percussion, and softly sung lyrics about being together and being alone, which is probably as close to a theme as the album comes:

I wrote another about two matchsticks holding hands
each saying to the other you won't burn alone anymore

Here's the video for "Two Matchsticks", recently premiered on IFC.com:



Kenny is joined on vocals by Matt Pond and Leslie Sisson, and they're a good match for one another and for this style of music. In the end, it's the guitars that carry the music, and in that sense, it's not far removed from Kenny's work with American Analog Set. Check out the guitar solo that starts at about 1:40 of "Company Time". It's a perfect encapsulation of what's going on here, and a perfect reason to enjoy this record.

They're on tour supporting the record, here are the balance of their tour dates:

7/08 - Chicago, IL @ The Hideout (21+)
7/09 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Founders Brewery (21+)
7/10 - Toronto, ON @ The Drake (all ages)
7/11 - Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo (all ages)
7/12 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott (18+)
7/14 - New York, NY @ Mercury (21+, 8pm)
7/15 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rock Shop (21+)
7/16 - Washington, DC @ DC9 (all ages)
7/17 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl (21+)
7/20 - Austin, TX @ The Mohawk (all ages)

Wooden Birds at Barsuk Records

Midnight World Pop Scout-21: Masquer; Underground Railroad; Shindu

Tonight's Midnight World Pop Scout feature bands from Sweden, France/UK, and, for the first time ever, Belgium.



Masquer is a Swedish duo consisting or Kicki Halmos and Pelle Lundqvist. They record on MSQR Records.
"Happiness"

Happiness from Masquer on Vimeo.

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Underground Railroad is a French band living in the UK. The band consists of Raphael Mura (vocals/drums), Marion Andrau (guitar/vocals), and JB Ganivet (bass), and they record on the UK label One Little Indian. Underground Railroad's 2011 album is an intense work about London and its characters from the view of non-natives.

"Russian Doll"

Underground Railroad - Russian Doll from underground railroad on Vimeo.

"Rude Awakening"

Underground Railroad Rude Awakening from underground railroad on Vimeo.

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Shindu are two guys and a girl from Belgium and they play upbeat synthpop. The band records on the Kitune label. The music is perfect for the dance floor, a summer drive or a beach party.

"Happy House"



"Dreams"



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Henry Clay People: This Is a Desert, New EP out now

Glad to see some new music from this California band. They've put out two of my favorite records of the last couple of years: For Cheap Or For Free and Somewhere On the Golden Coast, and their ability to walk the line between a laid-back slacker ethos and rocking out is rare and delightful.

If you aren't familiar, give this a listen and go check out their first two records too... very highly recommended by the whole team at WYMA, if I recall correctly.

Here's a video featuring what looks like a real fistfight between the brothers in the band, set to one of their new songs, "The Winter Song":

The Henry Clay People - THE WINTER SONG from vbkid on Vimeo.

And here's an opportunity to hear and download "California Wildfire":

Factoid for today: Did you know that HCP are on the same record label as Radiohead?

Henry Clay People Website (Links to Facebook, Twitter and online store)

TBD Records Website

Emerging Northwest Band: SEACATS

SEACATS are from Kelso, Washington, which is between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. Their sound is indie guitar pop/crunchy power pop. But there are synth grooves and plenty of varied backing vocals fleshing out the songs. The band has released two previous EPs, and in May released their first LP, Metal Music. For the most part, the songs are irrepressibly upbeat.

SEACATS consists of Mike Davis, Josh Davis, Cody Graves, Joey Britten, and Julian Ledgerwood. The Davis brothers and Graves produced the LP themselves, and the band acts as its own manager. Thus far, they have eschewed the old fashioned burden of a record label.

Stream Metal Music


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Old Stuff -- Stone Roses

By 1989, when the Stone Roses began gaining traction in the States after the release of their self-titled first full length, the word 'groovy' had long since been banished from the vernacular. But let's be honest with ourselves, when you strip away the cornyness, is there another word that comes close to describing the Stone Roses? It is the very essence of groovy. The psychedelic bass lines created a perfect foundation for the alternatingly bluesy -then- new wavy guitar, all covered by Ian Brown's effortlessly cool vocals (he's the Mancunian Lou Reed, dontcha know?). Check out the video of "I Wanna Be Adored" (sorry if there's an ad involved -- it'll be worth it).



Here's "Waterfall", another of the best songs off that classic album.



For me, that first Stone Roses album was the high point of the Madchester scene. Exhibit C in support:



Alas, the Stone Roses suffered a bitter, and bitterly early, split, but were good enough to leave us another very fine album, even if they made us wait 5 years for it. Here's my favorite tune off that one.

Honeydrum: Another Free Lo-Fi Delight

We featured New Jersey's Honeydrum earlier this year in a post that contained a number of free lo-fi downloads. The band recently advised us that it is releasing an EP on Amdiscs, Pleasures of the Sun, later this month. In advance of the EP, they are releasing two singles, and the first, "Cruise Control" is now available. It is a good summer tune, with the woozy, slightly distorted approach I appreciate from Honeydrum.

Here is the video for the track:

Honeydrum - Cruise Control from honeydrum on Vimeo.

If you prefer to just listen to "Cruise Control", here is your chance. And if you like it download it free at Bandcamp:



If, like me, you like what you here, check out the Tumblr and Bandcamp sites for more music and videos.

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Old Stuff Friday - The Soul Corner - Arthur Conley (and Clarence Clemons) "Sweet Soul Music"

We're headed into the July 4 holiday weekend. Confession: July 4 is my favorite holiday of the year. British readers fear not, it is not some jingoistic "USA! USA!" nonsense. No, I like it because it is a holiday without the stress or strain of gift buying, anyone dying for my sins, bland turkey dinners, people dying in wars long before my lifetime, none of that heavy stuff.

The weather is good, I get to sleep late, BBQ and spend the day drinking great Oregon beer and listening to American music. There will be no Who, Stones, Smiths or Jesus and Mary Chain played around my house this weekend. It'll be CCR, James Brown, R.E.M., Replacements, Jayhawks, Ray Charles and many more.

So the day deserves a fitting Soul Corner selection, one we've been holding in our hip pocket for awhile, patiently waiting for just the right moment. And here it is: Arthur Conley from Atlanta GA with his great name-dropping 1967 classic, "Sweet Soul Music", which was produced by and co-written with Otis Redding. The tune was lifted from a Sam Cooke song called "Yeah Man".

It's all great, every second of this song, but pay particular attention to the bass lines, among my favorite ever.



And in honor of the beloved and very sadly departed Clarence Clemons, we're also sending out this live version showing a very fit Bruce Springsteen and the Big Man.

To our US readers- Happy 4th of July! To our friends overseas, thanks for reading and we leave you with one just one simple question: Do you like good music?

REVIEW: Admiral Fallow -- Boots Met My Face

In early April, I profiled Admiral Fallow in the 8th edition of our New Sounds of Scotland series. I am writing about them again because their very good album, Boots Met My Face, which was released in the UK in 2010, was released in the United States and worldwide on June 28. The wonderfully titled album was produced by one of the best producers in the game in the UK, Paul Savage of Chem19 (formerly drummer of The Delgados).

The music is orchestral folk rock, and to my ears, it is superior to similar albums that received more press such as the 2010 release from the Mumford gang. The "ear worms" in the tracks never seem contrived, and the vocals are strong and heartfelt. The album balances nicely between slower tempo songs and stompers. But it also extends beyond the folk rock idiom to travel in territory in which you find Arcade Fire or Fanfarlo. The result is a very satisfying album that begs to be replayed because of its varied gifts. However, you don't have to guess at whether I'm correct in my assessment (or the assessment of the reviewer for the BBC who called it "the best album of folk-goes-indie-with-a-Scottish-accent since The Great Eastern" -- you can stream the album below to evaluate it. "Squealing Pigs", "Subbuteo", "These Barren Years", "Taste the Coast" and "Four Bulbs" are among the highlight tracks.


The band is fronted by singer-songwriter Louis Abbott and also includes Kevin Brolly, Phillip Hague, Sarah Hayes, and Joseph Rattray. Instrumentation includes guitars, piano, clarinet, flute, and upright bass. The band formerly were known as the Brother Louis Collective, but acquired their new name last year.

If you don't have time to stream the album, enjoy a couple of tracks.

"Squealing Pigs"


"Subbuteo"


Boots Met My Face is a self release. In addition to record stores (remember them?), the album is available from Amazon or the Lo-Five site linked below.

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Fucked Up -- Live @ King's - Raleigh - 6/28

I like pulling for the good guys. I swear that as a kid, when a western would be on TV, I'd pull for the Indians. Sure, this made me a loser, but it was formative as well, so stay with me. I never drafted Albert Belle or Barry Bonds on any of my fantasy baseball teams. If I ever were to have the choice forced on me of drafting Barry Bonds or Wil Cordero, I would ask, respectfully, if Chad Curtis was still available. Chad Curtis was better than Wil Cordero anyway.

I remember when I was a lot younger I once went out on a date with a beautiful girl. Because I was not good at talking about much else, the conversation drifted to music. My date, in a rapturous voice, related to me the time she had front row seats to see Billy Idol. The highlight for her, at least to hear her tell it, was when Billy Idol hawked up a big loog and spat on her. I may be making up the loogie part of it; it may have been a Roberto Alomar special, but the point stands that Billy Idol considered it acceptable behavior, as a soon to be forgotten overrated leaking bag o'douche, to expectorate on this fetching young lass. My thought was that if this had happened to me, I'd have jumped up on that stage and killed his scrawny ass. The salient point for me, though, was that I didn't want to go out anymore with this person. Understand, good reader, that at that age I was too naive and innocent to ponder the possibilities inherent in dating a person for whom being spat upon was -- just a second please while someone redirects the narrative.

You know, Fucked Up is about the least fucked up looking band you could imagine. They almost all have collared shirts, for goodness sakes, and until Damian Abraham removed his shirt before the third or fourth song of the set, there was not a tattoo to be seen. And yet, these are the people responsible for some of the most powerful and abrasive critically acclaimed music to hit the scene in the past half decade. "The Chemistry of Common Life", released in 2008, was at the top of most of the credible 'best of year' lists, as well as some less credible, including being number one on my own 2008 list.



The recently released follow-up, "David Comes to Life", is a self-proclaimed rock opera. I must admit that after several times through, I haven't yet picked up the thematic aspects, but that might be because I'm too caught up in its overall brilliance to even care. The album's 18 songs stand on their own. The layered guitars are dense, beautiful and loud, such that I’m still hearing new things weeks after buying the album. The production is excellent (maybe a little more drum noise) but, again, it's the songs themselves that really put this on a level with some of the timeless albums we keep going back to. It's almost like they know it, too. The beginning of "Ship of Fools", sounds like a dead-on nod to "Pride" from Husker Du's "Zen Arcade". Check it out:



And I actually had a point with those first paragraphs. This band is the good guys. I knew before going that the group included a bunch of serious-minded, thoughtful folks. Damian, who has been taken to task for citing Ian Stuart of Skrewdriver as an influence, recently offered a convincing and impressively antiquarian explanation of the roots and extent of that influence. The guy's clearly put a lot of thought and passion into his creative efforts, and yet, when you walk up the stairs at Kings, there he is greeting everyone with a huge smile, as if he's surprised anyone even showed up.

Their set was about 75 minutes long, and included significant chunks of the current and last albums, but also a nice window into the past. The band was incredibly tight, and although the mix was not perfect, in the songs I knew I could pretty much hear most of the guitar parts. Not that that mattered in the larger scheme of whether it was a great show. It certainly was, and the playing was excellent. The drummer, Jonah Falco, was incendiary.

Damian, who hasn't the most subtle delivery, led the charge, with forays into the audience and even a full trip to the back of the club, where he climbed on top of the bar and screamed his lungs out (not to be distinguished from his other efforts) while the rest of the band dutifully kicked out the jams from 40 feet away. On the way to the bar, he hugged or high-fived pretty much every person in the place (I confess some misgivings at being happy that I was only high-fived). His repartee with the audience was both incredibly humble (a thousand thank yous) and hilarious (noting North Carolina's status as the home of Ric Flair, he concluded by saying, 'fuck irony, I love wrestling'). Here's another tune off the new album, which you need to buy.



I'll mention the opener, Double Negative, a hardcore band from Raleigh, only to say that I'll need to do a separate post about them because they were unreal. Think 7 Seconds with some speedmetal thrown in. This ought to do for now:



Folks, take a good, long listen to Fucked Up, because they're going to be cited as a major influence by the best bands twenty years from now.

Here's one of the best songs off "The Chemistry of Common Life".



Fucked Up myspace page

Double Negative myspace page

Cool Video Thursday

I've featured Dirty Beaches on the Midnight World Pop Scout page, but I'm happy to find another way to put this artist in front of our readers. Here is his video for the single "God Speed".

DIRTY BEACHES "God Speed" from la station radar on Vimeo.

"Lofty Ambitions" by Discopolis, that hot young Scottish electro-rock band I've featured several times this spring.



Since an album of Buddy Holly covers has been released, let's celebrate by playing "Rave On", as covered by M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel.



From Young Jesus, an unsigned four piece from Chicago, "Chicago Alone Pt. 2".

Chicago Alone Pt. 2 from The Visualistas on Vimeo.

The new video for "Perfect Day", by Cassettes Won't Listen.

Boston Spaceships: Let It Beard, out August 2

Robert Pollard's music descriptions and song titles are more entertaining than most people's actual music... and then there's the anticipation of hearing Pollard's power trio (Chris Slusarenko and John Moen plus Pollard) fronted by guest guitarists Colin Newman (Bob playing with the guitarist from Wire!), J Mascis, Steve Wynn, Mick Collins, Dave Rick and Mitch Mitchell.

Here's the announcement: "A 75-minute thrill ride through the many forms Pollard has mastered in his three decades of writing and recording, Let It Beard is the White Album meets Quadrophenia meets Jesus Christ Superstar meets Same Place The Fly Got Smashed.

Robert Pollard has called the epic double-LP 'a subconscious concept album about the sorry state of rock and roll.'

LET IT BEARD
1. Blind 20-20
2. Juggernaut Vs. Monolith
3. Tourist U.F.O.
4. Minefield Searcher
5. Make A Record For Lo-life
6. Let More Light In The House
7. You Just Can't Tell
8. Chevy Marigold
9. Earmarked For Collision
10. Toppings Take The Cake
11. Tabby And Lucy
12. (I'll Make It) Strong For You
13. A Hair In Every Square Inch Of The House
14. The Ballad Of Bad Whiskey
15. I Took On The London Guys
16. Red Bodies
17. A Dozen Blue Overcoats
18. Pincushion
19. Christmas Girl
20. Let It Beard
21. The Vicelords
22. German Field Of Shadows
23. Speed Bumps
24. No Steamboats
25. You In My Prayer
26. Inspiration Points
A. Shove Thy Neighbor
B. Human Amusements At Hourly Rates
C. Man Of A 1000 Worlds
D. Inspiration Point"

Link to Factory of Raw Essentials for pre-order.

Bring it on...

REVIEW: Saints of Valory - Neon Eyes

I expect that most readers of this, or any other US-based music blog, are aware that Austin, Texas is a great music town. And one of the things that makes it great is the fact that the music scene there provides fertile ground for a stream of emerging acts. One of the new bands that has attracted our attention is Saints of Valory. Consisting of Gavin Jasper (lead vocals and bass, from Brazil), Godfrey Thomson (guitars, from California), Gerard Bouvier (drums, from France), and Stephen Buckle (keyboards, from Canada), the band has been compared to Coldplay, The Killers and Kings of Leon. Although I agree that Saints of Valory shares qualities with each of those band, I think their melodies are more playful and uplifting.

In the fall of 2010, the band recorded a six track EP, Neon Eyes, in Austin. The album begins with the engaging "Cover Girl", which bounces along on a hooky melody and a catchy sing-along chorus. The album trends toward the rock side after the opener, showcasing the band's range. Overall, the tunes on the album impress me in two important respects. First, and most importantly, they simply are very good, well crafted songs. Second, the quality of the delivery is top notch. Gavin has a major alt-rock voice, distinctive and emotive, and the instrumental performances are unhesitatingly ready for prime time. If you see this band soon, you'll probably see them in a small venue, and be happy that you did. But I think these songs will easily transfer to bigger venues. And this band may get the chance to prove it.

"The Bright Lights" is one of my favorite tracks, and here is a live version:



By way of contrast, here is an acoustic version of the album's first track, "Cover Girl".



Here is a stream of the Neon Eyes (please ignore the fact that two of the songs are labeled "demo", as I am assured by the band that they are the final versions).

Saints Of Valory by ozonemm

The band is playing a few gigs in the northeast, Florida and Texas this summer. Check out their Facebook page for details.

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