And Everybody Just Danced
The Saturday Knights - Mingle
My CD collection is somewhere around five or six thousand albums, so it's kind of embarrassing that I'd guess that less than 20 of those fall into the hip hop genre. This is especially shameful because a few years ago my job title included the words "Hip Hop Buyer." Granted, this was in the days when Master P and his No Limit posse ruled the charts, so it was hard to get excited about most of the crap I was selling, but still... Urban music is woefully underrepresented around my apartment, and sometimes this makes me feel very, very white. On the other hand, I have seen Biz Markie spin, and I once witnessed a Shaq freestyle in person (it wasn't nearly as entertaining as the video making the rounds this week), and not everyone can say that.
I bring this up because over the past couple of weeks, I've found an album that has shaken me out of my lazy hip hop deprived doldrums. Mingle, the debut album from Seattle's The Saturday Knights, is the kind of record that even people who aren't huge rap fans can get excited about. The first two songs, "45" and "Count It Off," are so ridiculously fun that it was three days before I laid off the repeat button and got into the rest of the album. Once I did, I discovered eleven more gems that touch on rock, funk, pop, soul and even surf. "Dog Park" has a kind of late 80s/early 90s Madchester feel, while "Mutt" is pure garage rock thump. That kind of genre jumping is probably what you'd expect from an album who's guests include The Dap Kings, Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, and The Muscle Shoals Horns. Lyrically, the rhymes provide a humorous take on subject matter nearly as varied as the music. Over the past couple of weeks, Mingle has become the go-to CD in my car, which probably isn't very good for my hearing. It's the kind of record that is almost impossible to listen to without cranking the volume.
The Saturday Knights - "45" (mp3)
The Saturday Knights - "Dog Park" (mp3)
To hear the album in its entirety, check out My Old Kentucky Blog and the KEXP Blog, who are each hosting half the album for a streaming listening party.
Labels: albums
Widescreen Sound
Mono In VCF - Mono In VCF
There are some things that when put in a certain combination I'm just a total sucker for. Putting a chick singer over dense, dreamy music is one of those things I can't resist. The first time I heard Mono In VCF, the combination of Kim Miller's gorgeous vocals and the band's slightly shoegazer-esque sound immediately had me hooked. Upon hearing their album in its entirety for the first time a few weeks ago, I realized that while they do share a "wall of sound" approach with the shoegazer movement, it's are really closer to late 60's orchestral pop... definitely more Spiritualized than Slowdive. The fact that Poppy Family founder Terry Jacks appears on two tracks is a pretty good indication of where this band's head is at. Several songs have a vibe like what a Cocteau Twins album might sound like if Robin Guthrie had used an orchestra instead of layers of chorused guitar, and "In Los Angeles" sounds like an updated take on a Nancy & Lee duet. It's an incredibly lush album, the kind that sounds equally good on headphones in a darkened room or blaring from stereo speakers. The fact that it's the band's debut makes it all the more impressive.
Mono In VCF - "Masha" (mp3)
Labels: albums
Matthew Ryan Vs. The Silver State
Matthew Ryan Vs. The Silver State
Matthew Ryan writes the kind of songs that seem like they were destined to be used on movie soundtracks. He tells stories of small people and big ideas, set to music that is cinematic in its scope. If there were such a thing as aural widescreen, his albums would come in that format. He's often been cast as a young Bruce Springsteen, so often that he's probably sick of it (although it doesn't stop him from working a sly reference to The Boss' most iconic song into "It Could Have Been Worse"). With his raspy voice, narrative lyrics, and northeastern roots, it's easy to see how that comparison came about. It's even easier listening to songs like "American Dirt," which conjures up images of Springsteen fronting U2. With touches of piano and violin, the album manages to be both driving and atmospheric over the course of it's 11 songs. It touches on punk and country and folk, yet it still feels like a cohesive whole. In a recording career that spans eleven years and as many albums, Matthew Ryan Vs. The Silver State is the highlight of what was already an impressive catalog.
Matthew Ryan - "American Dirt" (mp3)
Matthew Ryan - "They Were Wrong" (mp3)
Matthew Ryan Vs. The Silver State play Saturday, May 17, at The Mercy Lounge in Nashville. Jon Dee Graham opens.
Labels: albums
Directions To See A Ghost
The Black Angels - Directions To See A Ghost
UPDATE: You can win a copy of this album, along with an exclusive four song bonus EP. Get the details here.
I'm obsessed. For the past week I've only been listening to two albums; the new R.E.M. (reviewed here), and this... the latest from Austin's The Black Angels. Directions To See A Ghost is like the soundtrack for a peyote fueled midnight drive into the desert. The guitars are a molotov cocktail of delay, distortion and tremolo. If Jim Morrison had fronted Mazzy Star, and they turned the amps up to eleven, it would sound something like this (that analogy doesn't work if all you've heard from MZ is "Fade Into You" and "Halah," but if you've heard the rest of their albums, it's quite apt). It's really not the kind of album you'd want to listen to walking around in public, because chances are you're going to get lost in it. It's a brooding, bluesy and utterly fantastic head trip.
The Black Angels - "Doves" (mp3)
The CD won't be in stores until May 13, but you can buy the album starting today. How's that? Visit your nearest participating indie record store (like, say, Grimey's) and purchase a pre-sale card that will allow you to instantly download the album. Then return to the same store after May 13 to pick up the CD, along with an exclusive bonus 4 song EP. For more info on this promotion, go here.
Labels: albums
Future Bolt
Hotpipes - Future Bolt
Some albums are just made for this time of the year, and Hotpipes new CD ranks up there among the best spring albums I've ever heard. It's the perfect soundtrack for rolling down the windows on a sunny day and driving around with the car stereo turned up just a little bit louder than is probably healthy. Clocking in at a succinct 29 minutes, its eight songs alternate seemlessly between guitar driven power pop and keyboard fueled rave ups. I've already mentioned how much I love the album's opener, and it's followed up with this gem, making for a potent 1-2 punch to kick off the proceedings.
Hotpipes - "Future Bolt" (mp3)
Hotpipes will be playing tomorrow night (Saturday, April 12) at The Basement in Nashville, along with And The Relatives and Atlanta's The Howlies. The cover is only five bucks, and a lineup this killer would be a bargain at twice the price.
Full Throttle
R.E.M. - Accelerate
It really is that good. Everything I'd read about this album said that it was great. A return to form. Back to being a rock band. Usually that kind of hype just sets up unrealistic expectations, but R.E.M. deliver the goods, big time. Maybe it was reuniting with Bill Berry for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year that infused them with their old spirit. Maybe it was their career-long emulation of U2 that led them to hire Jacknife Lee, the producer of How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. Whatever it was, the band has rediscovered their vitality. I wouldn't go so far as to say that their last couple of albums sucked, but I don't remember the last time I listened to Up or Reveal, and I never even bought Around The Sun. But listening to Accelerate for the first time reminded me of how it felt when I first got into the band in high school. It just has that kind of energy. It's not only their best album since Berry left the band, it's their best since Document.
R.E.M. - "Living Well Is The Best Revenge" (mp3)
Labels: albums
Post Presidency
The Legal Limits - Hot Pursuit (EP)
Back at the end of January, The Legal Limits and Sad Apartment teamed up for a joint EP release show at the 5 Spot. I reviewed Sad Apartment's EP back in February, and since the two bands are getting together for another evening of "side projectitis" tomorrow night, April 4, at Family Wash, I figured it was a good time to talk about the other CD I took home that night.
For whatever reason, I never quite connected with The Legal Limits the night of their record release. But several weeks ago, my broken car CD player suddenly started working (it's since crapped out again). Hot Pursuit was one of the CDs I happened to have left in the car, so it made it's way into the rotation, and it stayed there for the better part of a month. The band is often referred to as Ryan Ervin's country side project, but apart from the presence of slide guitar, it's really just a more subdued take on the same kind of pop music he makes with The Carter Administration. It's full of the same sly wit and big hooks that have made the Carters one of Nashville's most beloved bands, just played a little slower and with less distortion. The four originals are padded out with two covers, including an ultra lo-fi take on Guided By Voices "Smothered In Hugs" that would make Uncle Bob proud.
The Legal Limits - "Pretend You're Invisible" (mp3)
Girl From The North Country
All We Seabees - Lady Alaska
I've mentioned before that one of the things I love about All We Seabees is how they manage to combine so many different styles into a cohesive whole. Their new CD, Lady Alaska is a perfect example of that. There's a hint of psychedelia, and a healthy dose of Irish soul. It has the narrative tradition of folk music and the spirit of indie rock. There's enough twang to keep it honest, but not enough to make it country. The album has a slightly more organic feel than their debut (Anne The Snake) did. That might be a side effect of its origins; it apparently began life intended as an acoustic-y side project, but grew into a band effort. The instrumentation is a bit more ecletic, with healthy doses of banjo, fiddle, accordian, and female harmonies. But as great as the arrangements are, the real strength of the band is the songwriting. "Black Girls" is simply one of the most gorgeous songs I've heard from the local rock scene, and "Painter" gets its impact from the juxtaposition of an utterly depressing story set to a jaunty tune. The fact that they've they've gotten this good on just their second album bodes well for their next CD, which they've already started recording.
All We Seabees - "Weepy Willow Hollow" (mp3)
All We Seabees - "Black Girls" (mp3)*
They'll be playing this Friday, April 4, at Wallstreet in Murfreesboro, along with Hammertorch and Cheyenne.
* This is a slightly different mix from the album version, but I didn't feel like burning another MP3. Yeah, I was feeling THAT lazy last night. Besides, alternate versions are fun, yo.
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Sad Apartment - Unisex (EP)
There seems to be a rule in Nashville that you can't be in just one band, you have to be in like five. The members of Sad Apartment certainly ahere to that rule, splitting their time playing with Ole Mossy Face, Duraluxe, and The Carter Administration. This project's sound is more twangy and laid back than any of their main bands, although it's more 70's style country rock than alt-country (their cover of the Eagle's "Take It Easy" is definitely more earnest than ironic). It'd be the perfect soundtrack for a lazy Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and a cigarette... if only I smoked.
Sad Apartment - "Stop Get Ready Go" (mp3)
Since they don't have any sort of online link to purchase the CD, check out The Opening Acts to snag another song from the EP.
Always The Quiet One
Peter Koppes - Misty Heights & Cloudy Memories
Peter Koppes is kind of the George Harrison of The Church. While Steve Kilbey gets most of the accolades, and Marty Willson-Piper most of the attention, Koppes has always been the member least likely to leap about on stage, but in many ways has been the musical glue that has held the group together (more or less) for 27 years. He started as the bands unquestioned lead guitarist, with a style that was often compared to David Gilmour. But in the late eighties, as the band's sound evolved from neo-psychedelic pop to atmospheric space rock, he began ceding more and more of the lead parts to Willson-Piper, and became resonsible for much of the sonic texure that has been the band's trademark over the second half of their existence.
Misty Heights & Cloudy Memories is a two disc compilation culled from two EPs and five albums Koppes recorded over the course of fifteen years. Tracking the evolution of his solo material that in many parallels that of his band, it begins with the "adult love songs" of 2002's Simple Intent and runs in reverse chronological order through the ethereal alt-pop of 1987's Manchild And Myth. The highlights of the collection are the songs he recorded with The Well, and Austrailian super group of sorts that also featured former Church drummer Richard Ploog. All three songs from the excellent (and long out of print) 1991 Iridescense EP are included, as well as six songs from their 1995 album Water Rites (recorded during the brief period in the early nineties that Koppes had left The Church). This new set also includes two previously unreleased tracks, plus "Grasshrooms," a bonus track on some copies of 1997's Love Era/Irony that was hidden at the beginning of the CD rather than the end.
Peter Koppes - "Peak To Peak" (mp3)
Peter Koppes - "Make A Move" (mp3)
The album will be available through Amazon on February 12, but you can get it sooner and cheaper directly from the source at Church Merch. The complete tracklist can be found here.
Labels: albums
Now Strut Those Shoes
Interpol - Live (EP)
If you're like me, you probably spent your December busy with holiday parties and family functions and lazy afternoons watching football. And with all that going on, you might not have had time to make a trip to your favorite local independent record shop. So maybe you missed the fact that just after Thanksgiving, Interpol released a six track live EP, simply titled Live, that is available exclusively through indie record shops.
Recorded at their concert at the London Astoria last July (the same show that produced the "Mammoth" video), the brief set focuses on their most recent album, along with two songs from their debut (Antics gets no love). A couple of the songs get new intro segues, but other than that the arrangements generally stick to the album versions. This truly is a release for the fans. If you like the band, you'll enjoy this. If you don't, it's probably not going to change your mind.
Interpol - "The Heinrich Maneuver (Live)" (mp3)
Labels: albums
Albums of the Year 2007
For the past two years it's been my goal to have my "best of" posts written and posted during the week between Christmas and New Years. And for two years I've failed miserably at that goal. Last year I blamed holiday traveling for the delay. This year I've got no legitimate excuse. I actually started this post on December 29, but it's sat largely untouched since then. Maybe next year I'll start this bugger in November. Better late than never though, so here 'tis... Page 300's Albums of the Year for 2007.
1. Cortney Tidwell - Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up
Even if I had listened to a million albums this year, this one would still top my list. Everything I said about it in February still holds true. It's stunning, gorgeous, ethereal, otherworldly, majestic, understated, cryptic, catchy, quirky, and just plain beautiful. That's a lot of adjectives, and some of them contradict each other, but I stand by every one of them. Cortney's voice is the star of the show, but it's surrounded by a dazzling array of musical textures provided an all star cast from Nashville's indie scene. I absolutely love this album, and the fact that is was made by a local gal is the icing on the cake.
Cortney Tidwell - "Eyes Are At The Billions" (mp3)
2. Radiohead - In Rainbows
Most of the press about In Rainbows has centered on the band's "pay what you want" pricing strategy when the album was available for download on their website. And while that was a novel concept (especially for a band of their stature), the most amazing thing about it is that they turned release day into a communal experience again. The age of internet leaks has made people forget that it wasn't that long ago people would still line up at midnight at their local record store, so they could be the first to hear their favorite band's new album. By releasing this online just a week after it was finished, Radiohead ensured that everyone would be experiencing for the first time together. None of that would have mattered though if the album didn't deliver, and it does. Thom Yorke seemed to be returning towards writing actual songs (rather than just singing random phrases over the music) on his solo album, The Eraser, and that approach continues here. As much as I liked the band's last three albums, this is easily their best since OK Computer.
Radiohead - "Bodysnatchers" (mp3)
3. Interpol - Our Love To Admire
I'm not sure I really want to call this a return to form, but it's a return to something. Turn On The Bright Lights is probably my favorite album of the last ten years, and while I listened to Antics a lot, and like it, there was something missing on it that I've never been able to put my finger on. Call it the sophomore slump, but it was just less... special. Whatever it was though, the magic is back here in spades. Interpol took their new major label budget and managed to flesh out their sound while still sounding quintessentially like themselves.
Interpol - "Mammoth" (mp3)
4. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
In reading other people's end of the year best of lists, it was kind of surprising to me how this album fell off so many people's radar. It was easily one of the 2007's most anticipated albums, and the prerelease hype for it was huge. And maybe that's the problem. The album leaked early, and by the time it was released in March, many bloggers we're already "over it" in their rush to hype the next big thing. Don't feel too bad for Arcade Fire though... Neon Bible debuted at number 2 in both the US and the UK, and made them arguably the most important indie band out there. The album expanded on the already lush sound they introduced on their debut, Funeral, and served as another sign that Bruce Springsteen is the new indie icon.
Arcade Fire - "No Cars Go" (mp3)
5. The Blakes - The Blakes
This album entered my universe just before Thanksgiving (when I originally reviewed it), and one of the best things I can say about it is that it managed to break through the never ending parade of Christmas music that is my usual December listening habit. It's probably the best debut album I've heard since The Stone Roses. The Blakes remind me a bit of Oasis, not only because they often wear their influences on their sleeves, but also because they write kick-ass, fun, and instantly memorable pop songs. I missed seeing them in Nashville in November, ironically because I was on my way to Seattle, both my hometown and theirs. Hopefully I'll get a chance to remedy that in 2008.
The Blakes - "Don't Bother Me" (mp3)
1. Cortney Tidwell - Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up
Even if I had listened to a million albums this year, this one would still top my list. Everything I said about it in February still holds true. It's stunning, gorgeous, ethereal, otherworldly, majestic, understated, cryptic, catchy, quirky, and just plain beautiful. That's a lot of adjectives, and some of them contradict each other, but I stand by every one of them. Cortney's voice is the star of the show, but it's surrounded by a dazzling array of musical textures provided an all star cast from Nashville's indie scene. I absolutely love this album, and the fact that is was made by a local gal is the icing on the cake.
Cortney Tidwell - "Eyes Are At The Billions" (mp3)
2. Radiohead - In Rainbows
Most of the press about In Rainbows has centered on the band's "pay what you want" pricing strategy when the album was available for download on their website. And while that was a novel concept (especially for a band of their stature), the most amazing thing about it is that they turned release day into a communal experience again. The age of internet leaks has made people forget that it wasn't that long ago people would still line up at midnight at their local record store, so they could be the first to hear their favorite band's new album. By releasing this online just a week after it was finished, Radiohead ensured that everyone would be experiencing for the first time together. None of that would have mattered though if the album didn't deliver, and it does. Thom Yorke seemed to be returning towards writing actual songs (rather than just singing random phrases over the music) on his solo album, The Eraser, and that approach continues here. As much as I liked the band's last three albums, this is easily their best since OK Computer.
Radiohead - "Bodysnatchers" (mp3)
3. Interpol - Our Love To Admire
I'm not sure I really want to call this a return to form, but it's a return to something. Turn On The Bright Lights is probably my favorite album of the last ten years, and while I listened to Antics a lot, and like it, there was something missing on it that I've never been able to put my finger on. Call it the sophomore slump, but it was just less... special. Whatever it was though, the magic is back here in spades. Interpol took their new major label budget and managed to flesh out their sound while still sounding quintessentially like themselves.
Interpol - "Mammoth" (mp3)
4. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
In reading other people's end of the year best of lists, it was kind of surprising to me how this album fell off so many people's radar. It was easily one of the 2007's most anticipated albums, and the prerelease hype for it was huge. And maybe that's the problem. The album leaked early, and by the time it was released in March, many bloggers we're already "over it" in their rush to hype the next big thing. Don't feel too bad for Arcade Fire though... Neon Bible debuted at number 2 in both the US and the UK, and made them arguably the most important indie band out there. The album expanded on the already lush sound they introduced on their debut, Funeral, and served as another sign that Bruce Springsteen is the new indie icon.
Arcade Fire - "No Cars Go" (mp3)
5. The Blakes - The Blakes
This album entered my universe just before Thanksgiving (when I originally reviewed it), and one of the best things I can say about it is that it managed to break through the never ending parade of Christmas music that is my usual December listening habit. It's probably the best debut album I've heard since The Stone Roses. The Blakes remind me a bit of Oasis, not only because they often wear their influences on their sleeves, but also because they write kick-ass, fun, and instantly memorable pop songs. I missed seeing them in Nashville in November, ironically because I was on my way to Seattle, both my hometown and theirs. Hopefully I'll get a chance to remedy that in 2008.
The Blakes - "Don't Bother Me" (mp3)
Beasts
Your Black Star - Beasts
A few months ago (July to be exact), Your Black Star released their fourth CD, the mini LP Beasts. After the year and a half wait it took between recording and the stateside release of their last album, Sound From The Ground (reviewed here), it had to be a relief for them to put out their latest a mere six months after recording it. Musically, the album has a similar urgency. They still have the same sonic trademarks they've always had, with heavily effected guitars anchored by a driving and unshakable rhythm section. But somehow the songs seem more direct... less atmospheric and more grounded. Whether that is the result of their seemingly constant touring or the hand of producer Erik Wofford (who has previously worked with Explosions In The Sky, Snowden, and The Black Angels), the result is a strong six song addition to their already impressive body of work.
Your Black Star - "Fight" (mp3)
You can hear two other tracks from the album, "The Break" and "Skyjacketing," on their myspace page.
Labels: albums
Puget Sound
The Blakes - The Blakes
It's hard to describe the debut album from Seattle's The Blakes in one fell swoop. It opens with the swampy blues stomp of "Two Times," and you think you're getting a Pacific Northwest version of AC/DC. But that's immediately followed up with the propulsive beat of the Jesus and Mary Chain-like "Don't Bother Me," and a few songs later approaches Belle and Sebastian style chamber pop on "Lint Walk." It continues swinging between the yin and yang of flat out rock and pure pop over the course of its thirteen songs (fifteen if you snag it on iTunes). The common denominator throughout the album is that the songs are consistently great and catchy as hell. It's one of the strongest debut albums I've heard in a long time.
The Blakes - "Pistol Grip" (mp3)
The Blakes - "Two Times" (mp3)
The Blakes play a free in-strore at Grimey's in Nashville this Saturday, November 17 at 5 pm. It's a safe bet that it'll be awesome.
Labels: albums
These Blues Will Help Us All
Mark Olson - The Salvation Blues
It's kind of a misnomer to call Mark Olson's new CD a comeback. His albums as a Creekdipper had plenty of good material on them, although they certainly had a more lo-fi, organic feel. It'd be more accurate to call this a homecoming. It's a return to the lush, full sound that made the Jayhawks arguably the most important and influential band to come out of the alt-country movement. It's also easily Mark's best work since Tomorrow The Green Grass, his last album with the Jayhawks. The songs, informed by the breakup of his marriage to Victoria Williams and the loss of his band and his home, are both mournful and hopeful. They have a gravity to them, but they never wallow in self-pity. And the presence of Gary Louris' harmonies on three tracks is a reminder that the two of them together are one of the all time great vocal pairings (and it whets the appetite for their planned album together next year). If you're an old Jayhawks fan who's lost track of what Mark's been doing over the past decade, this album will remind you of why you loved his music in the first place.
Mark Olson - "Clifton Bridge" (mp3)
Mark Olson - "National Express" (mp3)
Labels: albums
Come Together
The Healthy Home & Bad Friend - Bad Friend Love's The Healthy Home
West meets Middle Tennessee on this split album/double EP of Guided By Voice's inspired lo-fi rock. Dyersburg's The Healthy Home kicks off the procedings sounding like a more palatable version of Stephen Merritt fronting the late model GBV lineup. Their half of the CD is bookended by two upbeat rockers, with a couple of mellow acoustic numbers sandwiched in between. If you're one of those that think Bob Pollard sold out after Alien Lanes, than the second half of the split will probably be more your speed, at least sonically. I'm pretty sure Nashville's Bad Friend started more as a drinking club than a band, and that kind of loose, relaxed vibe informs their music throughout. With three singer/songwriters, it can sound a bit schizophrenic at times, but that chaos breeds a perfect gem of a pop song in "Taco." Taking the concept of a shared CD to it's logical conclusion, the CD concludes with two songs recorded as a collaboration between the bands, and the resulting "Staying Up All Night" is one of the album's highlights.
The Healthy Home - "Starting Anew" (mp3)
Bad Friend - "Taco" (mp3)
Bad Friend will be celebrating the release of the EP on Wednesday, October 17, at the Basement in Nashville, along with Paris Street, who also have a brand new EP they'll be welcoming into the world (which I am unqualified to review, having played on it). Chicago's The Saps will be rounding out the bill. For more on the show, check out the article in this week's Nashville Scene.
The Truth In One Free Afternoon
The New Pornographers - Challengers
Based on my experience with their last album, I really shouldn't be writing about the latest New Pornographers the first week it's out. My connection with their sophmore disc, Electric Version, was deep and immediate, but it took me a while to really bond with Twin Cinema. Honestly, it wasn't until after seeing them live that those songs really hit home, but once they did, the impact was every bit as heavy as their previous albums.
In the five days I've been listening to it, Challengers is proving to be another grower, not a shower. Nothing really jumped out at me on first listen (though I was listening at work, so I wasn't really focusing on it), but since then every time I play it, it reveals another charm. Most of the blogs (like fellow Nashville scribe Caleb) seem to be favoring Dan Bejar's "Myriad Harbour," but personally I'm partial to A.C. Newman's "Unguided," which seems to be this albums answer to Twin Cinema's "Bleeding Heart Show" as the quasi-epic emotional center.
One of the frequent complaints I've heard about this album is that the band is somehow going soft. The way some of the reviews have read, you'd think Newman's initials stood for "Adult Contemporary." Sure there are some slower numbers on the album, but there were mellow songs on Twin Cinema too. I'd argue that "All The Things That Make Heaven and Earth" and "Mutiny, I Promise You" rock as hard as anything they've ever done. You'd think that music listeners have become more sophisticated over the years, and the classic indie-rock whinery of "I liked them better before they changed" everytime a band tried to incorporate some new ideas and arrangements would have died long ago. I can't help but think these would be the same people complaining if they made Mass Romantic four times in a row.
The New Pornographers - "My Rights Versus Yours" (mp3)
Labels: albums
A Family Affair
Sister Vanilla - Little Pop Rock
If you listen to Sister Vanilla and think it sounds a lot like The Jesus And Mary Chain, that's because it is... sorta. Although the band is fronted by little sister Linda, she wrote and recorded the album with her brothers Jim and William Reid, along with their JAMC bandmate Ben Lurie. So it's basically The Mary Chain with a chick singer (think "Mo Tucker" from Munki, which featured Linda on lead vocals). And that is a very good thing.
The album is full of everything you heard on the last couple of Mary Chain albums; a fuzzed out mix of feedback fueled rockers and countrified acoustic numbers. The constant JAMC comparisons might seem lazy, but that's really what it sounds like. Jim and William take lead vocals on a song each as well, so it's hard not to think of this as a Mary Chain side project. The most surprising thing about Little Pop Rock is that it came out two years ago in Japan, but has never seen a release anywhere else in the world until this week. It's hard to believe that a record this good was allowed to sit on the shelf for so long.
Sister Vanilla - "Can't Stop The Rock" (mp3)
Sister Vanilla - "The Two Of Us" (mp3)
post title by Sly & The Family Stone
Labels: albums
The Joshua Tree turns 20
U2 has always been a BIG band. Big sound. Big ideas. Big ambitions. It's one of the reasons they've always been so polarizing. Even before they became the biggest band in the world in the late 80s (a position that they've held pretty much ever since), people either loved them or hated them. It seems like for every brilliant artistic statement they've made (The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby), they've followed it up with misstep (Rattle And Hum, Pop). But you've got to give them credit that they've never been afraid to take risks. And in 1987, they shot for the moon and hit it.
Today mark's the 20th anniversary of the release of their landmark album The Joshua Tree. Building on both the commercial and artistic success they'd had with The Unforgettable Fire, it managed to sound both grander and rootsier than its predecessor. It balanced themes both personal ("I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," "One Tree Hill") and political ("Bullet The Blue Sky," "Mothers Of The Disappeared"). It has appeared near the top of just about every list of the best rock albums since its release, and has sold over 20 million copies worldwide (according to their label, Universal). And borrowing an idea from the Beatles, it spawned one of the most iconic music videos of all time.
I was a junior in high school when it came out, and it seemed to be one of those albums that everybody owned. Even the people who had previously dissed the band weren't immune to its appeal. It is one of those rare albums that doesn't seem to have a weak moment. Listening to it again today, I was struck by how timeless it sounds. The records released by their contemporaries that same year (INXS' Kick, Prince's Sign O' The Times, Bruce Springsteen's Tunnel Of Love) all sound much more of the age they were recorded in. The production on The Joshua Tree seems just as fresh today as it did twenty years ago.
It would be silly to post a track from the album. Even your parents have probably heard every song on it at least twenty times. Instead, here is one of the two b-sides from the era that didn't make it onto The Best Of 1980-1990 bonus disc. This one was released on the I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For single.
U2 - "Deep In The Heart" (mp3)
photo by Anton Corbin
Labels: albums
Ethereal Message
Cortney Tidwell - Don't Let The Stars Keep Us Tangled Up
January just ended, and I think I've already got my favorite album of the year. Cortney Tidwell's debut full length album was released last year across the pond, and on February 20 it finally gets a domestic release. Aided by members of Lambchop and Hands Off Cuba, Tidwell builds on the relative minimalism of her self titled EP to create a spacy folk/pop gem. Initially tagged as "gothic country," she adds a quite a bit more electronics and layered harmonies to the mix this time, and the result sounds like a cross between The Sundays and Sigur Ros. Regardless of whether the instrumentation is guitar, synth, organ, steel guitar, banjo, piano or pecolating electronic drum beats, the focus is always on her amazing voice. Comparisons to Bjork are probably inevitable, mostly because of her versatility. She can go from a whisper to a shout, sometimes within the same song, and is never anything less than captivating. Nashville artists have produced some fantastic albums over the last couple of years, and this CD is certainly one of the best.
Cortney Tidwell - "Eyes Are At The Billions" (mp3)
Cortney Tidwell - "The Tide" (mp3)
"Missing Link" video (at youtube)
She has three hometown shows in February, so folks in Nashville have several chances to catch her, starting tonight.
Thursday, February 1, The Basement with Erin McKeown
Friday, February 2, Mercy Lounge with Forget Cassettes and Umbrella Tree
Saturday, February 17, Grimey's instore peformance, 5 pm
post title by Hex
