Rolling Stones Friday: Miss You

I am traveling to New York City today so I had to go with one of The Stones' New York City songs. We'll overlook the fact it was recorded in Paris.

So as I touch down at JFK Airport, I give you "Shattered", with its makeshift lyrics (claimed by Jagger to have been written in the back of a New York City cab), punk rock sneer, and falling right in that transition of New York music from disco to rap. Yes kids, the Stones hit all the hot spots of 1977-78. "Shattered" from Some Girls:

My favorite part of the song has always been the rockin' bass line, which I only learned now in researching this entry was played by Ron Wood not Bill Wyman.

Here's an even more sped up and really fine live version from somewhere in Texas in 1978:

And I found a most unusual cover, so surprising I don't want say much so you can just discover it for yourselves:

"Bluff" from Babaganouj

I love to suggest bands for you to keep your eye on.  Keep in mind that I make no pretense at accountability.  If you never hear of one of my recommendations again, at least you'll have heard a good song or two.  Not everyone has a career like the Rolling Stones where people pay to see your concerts after you've died ... Oops!  An intern just slipped me a note that the Stones are not, in fact, officially dead yet.  My mistake, but the point is that a band doesn't need to be famous, hooked up with a big label, or in the Hall of Fame to provide some joy for our lives.

With that preliminary business out of the way, I'd like to introduce you to a very promising guitar pop band from Brisbane, Australia.  They call themselves Babaganouj, and consist of two men and two women.  Their sound includes twee elements of classic C86 pop and a good measure of  '90s fuzz, but I hear a bit more sunshine from this band.  They previously have released an EP and a two-track 7", both of which are available to stream at the Bandcamp link below.  This is a convenient time to check out Babaganouj because they have just released "Bluff".  The song builds in a very satisfying fashion, and you may well agree with me that a lament about unrequited love never sounded quite this good before.



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REVIEW: The #1s - The #1s

Anyone interested in powerpop with great guitar licks, punk energy and a refreshing dose of brattyness?  Excellent -- a big show of hands!  I am all in for it myself.  And today it comes to us via Dublin's The #1s, who not only have delivered ten well crafted songs, but they have thoughtfully suggested a ranking for themselves in their name and their album title.  Of course, with a name like that one can't help but wonder whether they can live up to it.  After listening to The #1s a number of times over the last couple of weeks I will assure you that it lives up to my high standards.  The songs are fluid, with catchy hooks, plenty of bounce and lyrics that include the touchstones of quality writing from young songwriters: Humor; sentimentality; lust; and bravado.

You'll hear a bit of the Buzzcocks, The Undertones and The Exploding Hearts.  But to my ears The #1s seem more devoted to melody than those bands.  The result is songs that you are quite willing to play over and over as the hooks sink deeper into your brain.  The first four tracks all hit hard and fast, including single "Heartsmash" (stream below), but the boys show the ability to deliver a convincing slow song with "Girl", in the number five spot.  Then we are off to the races again with standout track "Sharon Shouldn't", and there is nothing close to a rest stop until the mid-tempo closer "Tell Me Why".  You likely will find yourself energized, alert, perhaps with an elevated heartbeat.  This is normal; you now have The #1s fever.  Get a drink of water, wipe your brow, and press repeat.  This one isn't leaving your player for a long time.





The #1s are Conor Lumsden (drums), Cian Nugent (bass), Eddie Kenrick (guitar) and Sean Goucher (guitar).  While they also play in other bands, I've grown fond of this one so I hope it continues to be a priority.

The #1s is released by Deranged Records.

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Preview: "Bitter Tears Revisited" (various artists)

Cover of original 1964 Johnny Cash album

We are waiting anxiously for the August 19 release of Look Again to the Wind: Johnny Cash's Bitter Tears Revisited, a re-creation of Johnny Cash's classic 1964 album Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian, Mr. Cash' compelling and unflinching look at the history of Native Americans in the United States. 

While we count the days, Sony posted an audio of the opening track from the record, "As Long As The Grass Shall Grow" by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Link here.  

If it's all this good, we're in for quite a treat, and given that the project was overseen and produced by Joe Henry, we have every reason to believe it will be.

Here's the track and artist listing:

1. As Long as the Grass Shall Grow Gillian Welch;David Rawlings
2. Apache Tears Emmylou Harris; The Milk Carton Kids
3. Custer Steve Earle; The Milk Carton Kids
4. The Talking Leaves Nancy Blake; Emmylou Harris; Gillian Welch; The Milk Carton Kids
5. The Ballad of Ira Hayes Kris Kristofferson; Gillian Welch; David Rawlings
6. Drums     Norman Blake; Gillian Welch; David Rawlings; Nancy Blake; Emmylou Harris
7. Apache Tears (Reprise) Gillian Welch; David Rawlings
8. White Girl The Milk Carton Kids
9. The Vanishing Race Rhiannon Giddens; Gillian Welch; David Rawlings
10. As Long as the Grass Shall Grow (Reprise) Gillian Welch; David Rawlings; Nancy Blake
11. Look Again to the Wind Bill Miller


Pre-order here at Amazon or iTunes

Update: Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas

Quick update:
USA Today posted an audio of "Sorry I Stole Your Man" from Secret Evil, a song we highlighted in our recent review.
Great song, well worth a listen. See the updated review here with link to the new audio.
Simple fact here: More available Jessica Hernandez music is better.
Pre-Order that CD and thank me later.

REVIEW: David Kilgour and the Heavy Eights - End Times Undone

End Times Undone is the new album by The Clean co-founder David Kilgour & the Heavy Eights. We've gone on endless rants here at WYMA about Kilgour, his band, his guitar sound, The Clean and the Dunedin Sound. Merge Records released The Clean's Anthology recently (more about that soon from us at WYMA), and on the heels of that stellar collection comes a new release from Kilgour's current band. End Times Undone is certainly connected to the Clean's sound - how could it be otherwise? - but it carries its own set of joys even beyond that wonderful, hypnotic sound. As on the previous albums, The Heavy Eights are Taane Tokona on drums, Tony de Raad on guitar and keyboards, and Thomas Bell on bass and keyboards. David plays guitar and keyboards.

We've previously shared "Comin' On":





The album opener “Like Rain” is equal parts psych and jangle, as has been the case with the best of Kilgour's music. He's a visual artist as well, and to anyone who becomes immersed in the chromatic sound of this music, that won't be a surprise. Like his music, his art combines elements of the overwhelming beauty and mystery of the world, with the result that you are overwhelmed but completely unable to pull away. I'm speaking for myself, of course. Kilgour albums get stuck in the stereo, in the best way possible.

“Christopher Columbus”, another track we featured about a year ago when we first heard about the plans for this album, is perhaps the highlight of the album. It certainly features the best guitar playing on the record - a few country-sounding licks, plenty of subtle interplay between Kilgour and de Raad.



I think the best things about Kilgour's work are the melodies and the subtle changes. Neither are easy to do well, and in fact, Kilgour doesn't claim to have figured this out. He credits his muse - in fact, explicitly in the song "Comin' On", calling himself a "pagan punk hippie". And on this album, perhaps a little bit more than on previous ones, the punk influence is apparent in the noise level and barely-controlled chaos of songs like "Crow" and "Down the Tubes". But always, this music comes back to melody - and few do that better than Kilgour.

If you'd like to listen before you buy, check out the stream and a nice short interview with Kilgour at Wondering Sound.

David Kilgour website
End Times Undone at Merge Records

Introducing: Aldous Harding

I expect that not many outside of New Zealand have heard of Aldous Harding, the recording/performing name of Hanna Claynails Harding, or of Lyttelton Records, the label that released her recent debut LP Stop Your Tears.  But if "Hunter" is an example of Harding's art, the anonymity is a greater loss to the world than it is to the artist or label.  The daughter of two musicians, young Hannah was discovered by New Zealand country artists Ben and Delaney Davidson, and also received assistance from Anika Moa.  Harding tells gothic stories as folk songs.  Harding's stories are captivating, but I think the real star is her vocals -- well measured, mature and with the perfect emotional tones.  She can deliver a multi-textured musical experience with only her voice and acoustic guitar.  Further adorned with a fiddle and other instruments, and you have magic.  Let the haunting video for album track "Hunter" be your introduction to Aldous Harding, and then be on the lookout for more.






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"If You Let Me Hold You" from The Solicitors

The Solicitors are the sound of the modern mods.  What does that mean?  It means that you'll hear influences of The Jam, Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson.  But this Melbourne-based international collective isn't aiming for pastiche.  This just that their version of today's guitar pop includes an emphasis on infectious rhythms equal to a buzzing guitar and clever lyrics.  Their releases to date have earned them praise (including on these pages) and a following.  And I think they'll be a lot bigger by the end of the year, because their debut album will be released in October via Popboomerang Records.  You can sample the upcoming LP via album track "If You Let Me Hold You".



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"Let You In" from Terry Malts; new EP in September

If there is a reason to not herald a new release from the Bay Area's garage/powerpopers Terry Malts, I haven't heard it yet.  In fact, if someone asked me whether I thought the new Terry Malts release was any good, I think I'd answer "yes" even if I hadn't heard it.  And I wouldn't be worried in the least that I could be wrong.  So, I am happy to write that the band is releasing the Insides EP via Slumberland in September.  For now, I'll tell you that it is very good.  I'll have a bit more to write when I actually hear it, but for now, just know that it is good.

In all honesty, I can also tell you that the EP will be released in digital and vinyl formats, and that band will be on a mini-West Coast tour later this month with dates in Washington, Oregon California.  I can also share with you a little more evidence as to its quality: The EP track "Let You In".



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"My Only Friend" from Bad//Dreems

I find the music of Adelaide's Bad//Dreems to be thoroughly engaging.  It is melodic, unpretentious, aggressively energetic and a bit beer-soaked and sweat-stained (At least some of that reminds me of my undergraduate days, which is fine because the statute of limitations has run on all of that).  In September and October the band is playing dates in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide before traveling to the United States in October to preform at CMJ in New York and Culture Collide LA in California.  In advance of that adventure, they have released "My Only Friend" via Ivy League Records.  With hints of the brand of guitar pop for which their New Zealand neighbors are justifiably famous, the track is a fine introduction to the joys of Bad//Dreems.

Bad/Dreems are Ben Marwe (vocals, guitar), Alex Cameron (guitar), James Bartold (bass) and Miles Wilson (drums).





Bad//Dreems previously released their Badlands EP on Mirador Records.  To help you evaluate the band, I've provided three of the tracks below.  "Too Old" includes some footage of that gentle brand of Australian football.






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"New Born" by Sounds of Sputnik (Featuring Ummagma)

Here's something new and different, but pleasingly familiar: Moscow-based shoegaze artist Roma Kalitkin, recording as Sounds of Sputnik, featuring a lush, full, guitar and keyboard-based sound. They call to mind influences like Mogwai and Twilight Sad, but claim inspiration in a more shoegaze sound (Swervedriver, Slowdive, etc). The female lead vocals are purposely ethereal and somewhat majestic, too. I'll let you listen and work it all out, as they have entrusted WYMA with the premiere of the streaming advance track, "New Born":





As well, here's another track - kind of returning the favor, a reworking by Sounds of Sputnik of Ummagma's "Lama":



It's a small world, indeed. This is in advance of a full album due out later in August - for more details, see the sites below:

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"Data" from Proton Beast

New Zealand's Proton Beast specialize in noise, and in particular it feedback that fills the spaces between and wraps around notes.  It may is a bit different than our normal fare, and perhaps outside your usual playlist content.  But I think it is valuable to challenge yourself to widen your musical horizons.  And I find "Data" to be a very interesting track.  Apparently the theme is based on the alienation and group control concepts from Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.  The single is out now, and is taken from Digitizer -- the band's forthcoming album on Muzai Records.

Proton Beast, formerly a duo, now consist of Westley Hodsworth, Stuart Hardwood and Vaughan Williams.



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New Discovery: Denver "Rowdy Love"

If the band named Phoenix can be from Versailles France, then I suppose a band named Denver can be from Portland (OR). But can a trio of Portlandia hipsters make authentic outlaw country music? One listen to Denver's second CD, Rowdy Love, and the answer comes back an emphatic hell yes.

This CD has barely left my CD player since I got it, 10 very well played and sung songs of heartache, loss, drinking, and trying to get over, recalling Waylon Jennings, John Prince, and from a more contemporary angle, Shovels and Rope (who have this to say: "When we BBQ in our driveway, we prefer to do it listening to Denver, the band.").

Let's get right into it, with the second track on the record, "Carry On", a great example of the ensemble playing and terrific vocal harmonies here :

https://soundcloud.com/mamabirdrecordingco/denver-carry-on

The lead vocal on "Carry On" is by Mike Elias, with harmonies from his two fellow songwriters Birger Olsen and Tom Bevitori who each take the lead on other songs here. The three switch off effortlessly and the record is surprisingly seamless for a band with three lead singers and songwriters. They compliment each other well and the quality of the songwriting is elevated by having 3 writers giving their best and playing off each other. They are backed by some of Portland's best players, drummer Sean MacNeil, bassist Billy Slater (Grails) and Lewi Longmire on lead guitar.

Rowdy Love is produced by like minded Portlander Eric Earley from Blitzen Trapper, who gets a rich and powerful sound.

This is the band's second CD, following a self-titled debut from a couple years ago. Here's a video of "The Way It Is" from that record:


This is the best kind of country music, as George Jones said, "Ragged but right."

If you click the Music section in the band's web page, you can stream 2 other songs from Rowdy Love, though you'd be far better advised to simply buy Rowdy Love there and get it all.

http://denvertheband.com/

Rolling Stones Friday: Play With Fire

Phil Spector (2nd from L) with the Rolling Stones

Late one night at the RCA Studios in Los Angeles in early 1965, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards did a very quick recording of the song "Play With Fire". Phil Spector produced and played bass, and Jack Nitzsche played harpsichord. The collective members of the Rolling Stones are credited as songwriters, though curiously none of them but Mick and Keith were present for the recording.

I've always greatly admired the very direct sound of the song, in particular the vocal, which Mick once aptly described as "in-your-face". There's a great deal of power in the simplicity of the song and its production. Nitzsche's harpsichord as the sole embellishment to the song works perfectly.

The Stones have not played "Play With Fire" live a great deal, but it does pop up from time to time. Here's a terrific version, with full band, recorded in Montreal in 1989:

There's a few cool covers out there, including one by WYMA favorites Dum Dum Girls, but the best cover I located was by Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star), certainly a singer with the chops to do the song justice. This was recored live in Paris in 2002: 

REVIEW: Flashlights - Bummer Summer

Flashlights are a delightful indie guitar rock band from Brevard County, Florida, playing an uptempo style that is simultaneously nervous and relaxing, fast and slow, quiet and loud... qualities that define the best of the lo-fi indie rock inspired by 90's bands like Sebadoh and Guided by Voices. The band began as a solo acoustic project for 24-year-old singer/guitarist Terry Caudill in 2007, and since has added various members from the local punk scene before settling on their current lineup of Ian Turner-Sanders on guitar, Will Powell on bass and Melissa Hopkins on drums. They call to mind such WYMA favorites as The Henry Clay People and (fellow Floridians) Human Television, what with Caudill's cracking voice, the simple arrangements and the urgently strummed, often jangly electric guitars.

Here's a video they made of "Failure":





It's a great-sounding song about some very sad stuff - heartbreak, a bad relationship gone even worse:

"...Your nails are made
of glass, cutting up my heart into pieces. Talking to myself
when yesterday's repeating. I can't go on like this.

Fall apart just to recollect that I'm a failure.
All the moments I spent with you, what was it all for?
I break my fucking back day after day and that's what hurts.
You got me on my knees."

Here's a video for the second track, a previously-released single, "Don't Take Me Seriously":



And I think the flourish of guitars on "All Cats Are Beautiful" is just terrific - beautiful in itself:



The album was produced by Scott Hutchison and Andy Monaghan of Frightened Rabbit and among the influences they claim are Archers of Loaf, Superchunk and Built to Spill. I hear bits of all those, as well as Frightened Rabbit. It's certainly an interesting intersection of sounds, but you should know that it's much easier on the ears than all that sad-sack lyrical content might suggest. That's not unusual, really, but it seemed worth mentioning. The guitars, especially, have a diaphanous, sort of jewel-like quality to them - something that's prettier the more you listen.

Bummer Summer is out now (June 24th) on Hard Rock Records and they're on tour throughout August and into the fall - dates (as well as a free MP3) available at their website. This is one of the nicest surprises I've had this summer - it came out of nowhere and in an unassuming way just sort of took over my stereo for a while.

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"Don't Marry the One You Love" from Laura Jean

"Don't Marry the One You Love" is the next single (and a public service announcement) from the upcoming self-titled album from Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Laura Jean.  The album, her fourth, will be released via Chapter Music on August 22, but this song is available now via the Bandcamp link below.  I think that Laura Jean's notable attributes include a wonderful voice, excellent songwriting and perfectly nuanced delivery, and this song is perfect example.



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"3AM Coke Dream" from Teardrop Factory, album in September

Tina  Muat and Andy Ward, who record and perform as Teardrop Factory, caught our attention last year with their excellent Topshop EP (review here).  The Brighton-based duo will be releasing their debut LP. Thrash in the Heart, September 15 on the Faux Discx label.  Our first taste is available now in the form of "3AM Coke Dream".  The track reveals the band's lo-fi, DIY ethic (recorded in the bathroom) coupled with a good ear for an infectious melody and well-placed hook.  This is '90s guitar and drum explosions with a subversively pop core.  Enjoy!



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"Mary Jane" from Iggy & The German Kids

"Mary Jane" is an infectious summer jam that will find its way on to a number of seasonal and party playlists.  The source is Iggy & The German Kids, which is comprised of New Yorker Iggy (Ignacio Uriarte or Marshall, depending on whether one believes the website or Facebook) and production duo DTC Music Productions.  DTC are Hubertus Dahlem and Freddy Todenhofer, who are from Germany and apparently met Iggy at Munich's Oktoberfest.  Thus, the collaboration is Iggy & The German Kids.  The synergy between the producers and Iggy, who trained as an opera singer as well as mastering several instruments, seems to have found a pop music sweet spot.  A debut album is being prepared, and based on the evidence of the several tracks I've heard, I expect it to be good.

For the single, "Mary Jane" is paired with the more straightforward electro-pop song "Follow the Sun".  Both are available singly or together on Amazon and iTunes.





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REVIEW: Slow Club - Complete Surrender

Slow Club is a British soul duo consisting of Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor. Both are excellent vocalists and each play a variety of instruments. Since forming in Sheffield in 2006, they have released two EPs and two albums, the latest and current one being the delightfully soulful and wide-ranging Complete Surrender. From the opener, "Tears of Joy", which sounds a bit like a cross between the modern dance rock of Arcade Fire and classic 70's folk rock, to "The Pieces", a swinging, soulful combination of rock instrumentation, horns and lush vocal harmonies, the album is a joy to listen to all the way through.

Complete Surrender is, in essence, an exploration of five or six decades of radio-friendly sounds with a refreshing willingness to embrace modern (or post-modern?) production techniques that somehow makes the whole thing even better - anchored in classic soul and pop, but a few degrees off from the often-heard "retro soul" sound. Those horns, those vocal harmonies, the insistent drumbeats, it's all of a piece and makes for one of the best records you'll hear in 2014.





The vocals and guitar lines on the ballad “Not Mine To Love” are extremely well-done, classic guitar pop - nothing new, but a classic sound that is presented just about perfectly. As it should be, the song is a showcase for Rebecca Taylor's vocals. Her range and just the variety in presentation are impressive. As slow and evocative as this track is, she switches to a quicker, poppier sound on the title track and the contrast between the quickened drumbeat and the lush strings throughout the track, as well as her multi-tracked vocals in the chorus, are terrific touches.



There's a big, Motown-meets-British-soul feel to "Suffering You, Suffering Me".



Watson has a few impressive vocal turns as well, and his quiet ballad "Paraguay and Panama" provides a nice counterpoint to the lush, full pop stuff.

Giving a bit of background to what drives their sound, Watson says: “We really didn’t want it to sound ‘retro,’ but we wanted it to have that grace and sort of respect for itself. I think it’s in the playing really. A lot of those old records they’re not coated in reverb and that’s what people tend to go for. It tends to just be really amazing players that have practiced and locked in. We just tried to practice the best we could.” And that, to me, is the point of Complete Surrender and where Slow Club have succeeded. They have clearly practiced, and certainly locked in. Like so much of the big radio rock we loved in days gone by (Fleetwood Mac, Hall & Oates, to name a few), these two are able to combine reverence and creativity in a delightful way. Take note of this record and these two musicians. They're at a very high level. The album is out now (released July 15) on Wichita Recordings.

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REVIEW: Pale Lights - Before There Were Pictures

Before There Were Pictures is one of the best jangle pop albums of the year.  Yes, I wrote that about an album released in May to very little fanfare and, as near as I can tell, very little support from my fellow bloggers.  But after playing the album through four times after discovering it a few days ago, I don't think the opinion should be the least bit controversial.  On this album you can have a bit of Byrdsian California rock, a bit of the '80s New Zealand sound, some Rattlesnakes-era Lloyd Cole and the Commotions and Cattle and Cain-era Go-Betweens.  The product of Brooklyn's Pale Lights, which consists of Philip Sutton (guitar/vocals), formerly of Comet Gain and Soft City, Andrew Adler (lead guitar) of Crystal Stilts, Lisa Goldstein (drums/vocals) and Maria Pace (bass), it follows their fine May 2012 EP.  The jangle, rhythm, tones and vocals are all just what jangle pop fans dream of.  But you don't need to dream about it, you can have it for your very own.

Try a few my favorite tracks from the album below.  If you want to stream the entire album, you can do so at the Soundcloud or Bandcamp links.  Bandcamp also is your friend for the reasonably priced digital download.  A vinyl version also is available for those who collect such artifacts.









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