We don’t get much hip-hop here on The List, but I saw Mos Def rockin’ a killer version of ‘Quiet Dog’ on Letterman the other night and just had to pass it along. It was really somthin’ to see him on stage hammering away on two timpani drums, backed up with just a DJ and another drummer…I’m sure you can YouTube it if you’re interested. Anyway, this is off of his new album, The Ecstatic, that dropped this week and if the rest of the album is this cool I just might find myself buying a Mos Def record.
Carbon Leaf, a five-piece based outta Richmond VA, proves that you don’t gotta be young to be indie. They’ve been together since 1992 and over the years have gone from playing backyard parties, mixers, frat and sorority parties to being a mainstay opening act for bigger names like The Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., Jason Mraz, Blues Traveler and Big Head Todd and the Monsters, all the while putting out amazing music, yet remaining completely off the mainstream radar! Well, they just released their seventh studio album, Nothing Rhymes with Woman, and once again seemed poised to crack outta that opening-act mold and headline for a change. I hate to cop out and immediately draw comparisons to other groups, but on “Lake of Silver Bells”, lead singer Barry Privett’s vocal pacing and the way he hits the high register brings Chris Martin to mind and Terry Clark’s howling guitar can get dangerously close to that of The Edge, but it all just makes the whole thing seem comfortingly familiar. If this gets you going, please…head on over to their MySpace page and give ’em a further look.
The gently rambling, Simon & Garfunkel-esque fingerpicking acoustic guitars and beautiful vocal harmonizing folkie Reed Dahlmeier has goin’ on in this song is raising goosebumps on my arms! The slight falsetto in his vocal style and the thoughtful, introspective and poetic lyrics will surely have people thinking of Elliott Smith as well, but without all the dark, tortured drama. His new album, “In Case The Comet Comes”, is a record born out of his adventures traveling across the country while living out of the back of a VW Microbus for the past couple of years and will be released June 9th. Give him a look over on his MySpace page or the Reed KD website
As soon as I heard Scott Levesque chant “…Half of the time I feel I’m clever and half of the time I just haven’t a clue…” I was on board…what a great, honest lyric! The pride of Taunton Mass. have just completed their latest album, White Ink, Black Ink, due out next month…and I see from their MySpace page, they’ll be playing the Mercury Lounge June 27th…I just might hafta venture downtown to check ’em out! If you like what you hear, head on over to their very cool website…lotsa buttons to push (and more songs you can stream, too).
I’m a big fan of both Swervedriver and Interpol, so I was kinda surprised that the news of the side project Adam Franklin (the Capo di tutti Capi of Swervedriver) and Sam Fogarino (Interpol’s drummer) slipped by me earlier this year without any notice! Magnetic Morning is the band and ‘A.M.’ is the album…it’s a fuzzy, drowsy, drone-filled collection of layered guitars on top of pianos on top of strings on top of even more guitars, plodding drums and walls of reverb that delivers some of the most depressing damned songs I’ve heard in ages! I spent the morning listening to the entire album and I think this is the only one I can send out that won’t make you take a header off of the roof! But if you’re into this kinda thing, you can check it out further over on their MySpace page…..
Back in 2001, Nina Persson of The Cardigans and Nicolas Frisk of Atomic Swing collaborated on a little side project called A Camp. They kicked out a really cool album, but unless you were already a card-carrying Cardigans fan, it went pretty much unnoticed, so when I heard they were doing a second go-round, I had to check it out. Unlike the folky vibe of the earlier release, Colonia has a retro-60’s, wonderfully melodramatic, Petulla Clark-backed-by-the-London-Philharmonic thing goin’ on! The album was produced by Persson’s husband, Nathan Larson (soundtrack composer, formerly of Shudder To Think), and had some pretty impressive studio help with Guided By Voices drummer Kevin March, Joan Wasser (aka Joan As Police Woman), Swedish singer-songwriter Nikolai Dunger and former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha all pitching in. The result is a collection of theatrical, lush, well crafted songs that showcase Persson’s distinctive vocals. Check out more of A Camp on MySpace or on the A Camp website
I like 64-track, lavishly produced music as much as the next guy, but when you hear a piece of good old-fashioned, low-fi, grungey garage rock as nicely done as the new EP from The Boy Koan it kinda puts things in perspective. Sure, ‘Write It On A Postcard’ might lack the high priced producer, multi-platinum guest artists and a big label ad budget…but it’s got all the heart and soul and feedback-heavy guitar riffs you need to get dirty! Let’s champion the little guy for a change and head over to their MySpace page and show ’em some love…they’ve only got 146 friends!
It’s been a long time (3+ years) since Portland-based renaissance woman Tara Jane ONeill has graced The List, but after a quick scan of the ‘net this morning I see she’s just dropped her eighth album and I couldn’t resist. I’ve been listening to it for a couple of hours now and her beautiful, fragile vocals and the dirge-like quality of the music has washed over me…kinda what I needed after the past couple of days. See, I had to say goodbye to an old friend…the oldest of our cats, Baby, left us yesterday after 21 years. They say misery loves company and I guess I just wanted to hear something that sort of matches my mood. You can hear more from Ms. ONeill on her MySpace page.
Just in time for summer, everybody’s favorite freaky dirty girl, Peaches, dropped her fourth album, I Feel Cream, and while it’s hardly a surprise that it’s all about sex, who knew Merrill could push out a track so completely danceable as ‘Talk To Me’…?!! The thumping bass riff that drives this song almost makes me wish I liked going to the kinda clubs that will undoubtedly have this thing on heavy rotation…just so that I could experience slinking among a sweaty crowd of hot 20-somethings! Check out Peaches Rocks or her MySpace page for more slippery fun!
Whenever I hear a Liechtenstein song I always think these are the kinda girls who should have hooked up with the Ramones. Their raggedly raw, unfussy, slightly apathetic, Bananarama-on-drugs pop songs worm their way into my brain and I can’t help but find myself humming along like a dumb monkey…but in a good way! I was kinda bummed to find out that they played Don Hills last week and I missed it, but they’re gonna be back in Brooklyn at Bruar Falls tomorrow night. ‘Roses In The Park’ is off of their new album, Survival Strategies In A Modern World and you can listen to more on MySpace
I’m deskbound today, retouching…retouching…retouching…and in desperate need of something to wake my ass up, so I was heartened see that the oldest men in indie rock, J Mascis, Murph and Lou Barlow, better known as Dinosaur Jr., are primed and ready to drop their first album on Jagjaguwar next month. The first leak off the new disc, ‘I Want You To Know’, is chocked full of the feedback, fuzzy distortion and Crazy Horse-era Neil Young guitar flourishes you want (and expect) from a Dinosaur Jr. song and just what I needed to give me a mid-afternoon kick in the pants. Farm drops June 23rd, but you can head over to MySpace or their website for more info…
Today I’m posting a new song…from 1981! Back in that long-ago time there was once a Belgian quartet going by the name AA (“Anarchists Anonymous”) that played only five shows, put their music to tape only twice (the first time being their first rehearsal) and then like so many young bands, blew up, never to be heard from again. Well…not exactly…..somebody at the Brooklyn indie label Softspot Music stumbled across the recordings from that rehearsal and a second, 4-hour session, and decided to reissue their one and only record. Originally pressed as a copy 900 seven-inch on “Sexy Robot Records” (that’s what the band called their made-up label), the resulting record had all the appeal of kids just learning the music as they were going along and their stripped-down, strangely hypnotic sound borrows from other ‘No Wave’ bands of the time like Joy Division, The Bush Tetras, DNA and Television. So even though they really didn’t know where a tune should start or stop and with lyrics cobbled together from bits and pieces written by everyone in the group, the surprising thing was the EP was getting good reviews and airplay on pirate radio stations…they were in danger of becoming a “real” band…so they did the obvious thing and packed it in! But almost three decades later, like all the kids, they’ve got a MySpace Page where you can hear more from the Essential Entertainment EP…..
I haven’t heard anything from the Easy Star All-Stars, the New York collective who specialize in covering popular albums in a reggae/dub style, since their 2006 release of Radiodread, a ‘re-envisioning’ of Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’, but I found out today they’ve returned with Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band…a reggae retelling of The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band! This time round they’ve invited reggae, dancehall and dub superstars such as Steel Pulse, Matisyahu, Michael Rose of Black Uhuru, Luciano, U-Roy, Bunny Rugs from Third World, Ranking Roger of The English Beat, Sugar Minott, Max Romeo, The Mighty Diamonds and the guest vocalist on this track, Frankie Paul, to pay homage to one of the greatest records in Rock & Roll. I guess if you’re gonna take on a Beatles classic, you had better load up with that kinda talent. If you like this, you might wanna check out an even earlier re-do…Dub Side of the Moon…their dub reggae tribute to Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, and of course, you can always head on over to MySpace to listen to more!
Minneapolis is starting to look like a new breeding ground for edgy indie bands and one of the better ones that has suddenly become a must-see act if you find yourself in the greater Twin Cities area, Story of the Sea, caught my ear this morning with a couple of cuts off of their second album, Lunar Co. I wonder, is it too soon to coin the phrase, ”90’s revival”?!! ‘Cuz that’s kinda the feeling I get when I listen to Own Devices, with it’s slightly Pixies-esque arrangements complete with perky guitar riffs, thumpy bass runs and I-don’t-give-a-shit lyrical phrasings. I’m not sayin’ a 90’s revival is a bad thing, but the thought of it just kinda makes me feel old. But I’m diggin’ this regardless, and you can check ’em out on MySpace for some more.
It’s been almost two years since The Morning Stars have been featured on The List when I sent out ‘Don’t Waste Time’ off of their amazing debut album You Can’t Change The World, but the other day Michael Ivic sent me a leak off of their new release, Radiation. As with the earlier album, there are elements here that bring to mind bands like Oasis, Love and Rockets and even The Beatles…especially the way the vocals & airy psychedelic guitars are layered together in the voluptuous mix. This song has a lot more of an easy-going, shoegazey vibe than anything off of the earlier album, but there’s also a level of sophistication and worldliness that is drawing me in. No news on when the album drops, but you can head on over to their MySpace page for updates.
So yesterday, on the hottest day of the year, I took Audrye Sessions up on a rooftop in Brooklyn for an impromptu photo shoot on one of their few days off while crisscrossing the country on the tour for their album. I hooked up with the band through a series of cool coincidences when I made ‘Turn Me Off’ the Song of the Day a month ago. After my post, a friend of mine saw that Black Seal Records had linked Damn Ugly Photography on their own blog…and a few e-mails later we were up on the roof cooking our asses off!
And before you all chime in to point out the obvious, yes…the above photo is an homage to the famous Art Kane shot of The Who…..
‘Where You’ll Find Me’ is another gem off of their self-titled album and another example of just how amazing lead singer Ryan Karazija’s voice really is. The song starts off with him softly leading you into what sounds like just another ballad, but about a minute in the orchestral flourishes and glorious harmonics take you to a much grander place and his soaring vocals, trembling with hurt, rising to a beautiful falsetto, will give you shivers. If you didn’t take my advice the first time, do it now…buy this album! It’s only $5.99 on iTunes…that’s not even a sandwich…and it’ll make you feel a lot better.
I’ll give up a few more shots from the day later on, but for now why dont’cha head on over to MySpace and show the band some love?!! They’re playing a sold-out show tonight at Bowery Ballroom and are on tour through June (with Manchester Orchestra) so if they’re playing where you live, give ’em a look…and tell ’em you’re friends Of Damn Ugly Photography!
Knob-twiddling, super-groovy reggae dubmeisters Diplo and Switch had one of the most talked-about sets at SXSW with their new ‘group’, Major Lazer, when they set off an impromptu rave complete with a dancer who looked like a shredded chicken and a stage full of guys tossing out swag. This song caught my ear this morning…if nothing else, you can add it to your workout mix and if it gets you interested further, the album, Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do, drops June 16th. The Grammy-nominated Diplo explains the concept for Major Lazer thusly: “It’s like digital reggae and dancehall from Mars in the future….pop culture run through a Jamaican filter!” OK then! You can check ’em out at MySpace
Oh My God! Did we just take a trip in the WayBack Machine and land in 1991?!! Is this one of the fabled long-lost cuts off of Nevermind?!! Hailing from Leeds, Dinosaur Pile-Up have just planted a juicy wet kiss on the memory of Nirvana with the release of their new EP, My Rock & Roll, even if they insist they’re not trying to revive grunge as we once knew it! But lets take a peek at the similarities, OK? Both bands are trios…both lead singers have a distinct quietly mumbled vocal style and both follow a formula of smart lyrics sung with quiet vocals backed up with driving, chorused guitar work, culminating in a gloriously loud hardcore-inspired finish! I just hope frontman Matt Bigland has his head on straight and doesn’t push the comparisons too far. But let’s face it…as formulas go, they could do a lot worse…and the repeated chorus chant of “My Rock & Roll” is destined to become the festival anthem of Summer 2009…just a few listens this morning and I’m sold, but then I’m a nostalgic suck! Why don’t y’all head over to MySpace and check ’em out further? I’m sure they’d appreciate the traffic.
I’ve got some good old fashioned Rock & Roll for you guys today. Rick Froberg and his cult band Hot Snakes packed it in back in 2005 and D.C. power-punks Edsel have been gone even longer, but up from their ashes we have Obits…a blend of the best from both bands featuring Rick Froberg, Sohrab Habibion, Greg Simpson and Scott Gursky. Froberg still reminds me of a punked-out Mick Jagger with his pissed-off-at-everything vocals and Habibion’s surf-riff guitar work backed up by Gursky’s hammering drum beats has me thinkin’ this is what the Beach Boys might sound like if you gave ’em enough meth. ‘Pine On’ is from their latest album, I Blame You, and you can check ’em out on MySpace
It’s cold and dark and rainy here in the city today…..so how ’bout a nice love song?!! 17 year-old Ariel Abshire’s album, Exclamation Love, has been out since last October, but it was her knock out performances at this year’s SXSW that really got people noticing the Austin native. Her shimmering falsetto kinda reminds me of a happy Neko Case, but with a bit of Patsy Cline thrown in for country cred…and I know some of you are gonna cry this is just a sappy love song, but give those lyrics a closer listen…for 17 the girl has mad songwriting skills! Give her a look over on MySpace
Damn Ugly Photography 