dedicatedears
DecemberDec 2 Wednesday Wed 09
Big Science - The Coast Of Nowhere (ep)
The Coast of Nowhere is awash in classic early 80's post-punk. The addition of insightful lyrics and a wink and nod towards a shoe-gazer vibe make this ep wildly addictive pop music.
"My Career As A Ghost" starts off with subtle howl that gives way to an intermittent bass line and jazz flourishes on the percussion that give this song a depth not often found on pop songs.
As a fellow Chicagoan, it's great to see a Chicago band write "DNC", a song about the 68 Democratic National Convention. To keep the politics low here I will say that this was at the very least an incredibly complex event that shaped many of the things that were to come later in the city much the way the Great Fire did. There are some great 80's new wave flags being waved on this song. The vocals with the slight echo which gives way towards the end of the song to a high register wail . The little chugging guitar riffs and the driving percussion matched equally by the bouncing bass line. 'Everyone always talks off the future,in big block letters and social sutures.'
' You're the last of the world class air conditioning connoisseurs,' opens " World Class AC" set against a simple piano line. Visions of U2's Boy and October are evoked on this simple but lush track. The open spaces on the quieter passes of this song works well as rising action when set against the complete full sound towards the end of the song that is the climax.
The Coast of Nowhere closes out the ep. The driving jazz influenced percussion and soaring vocals make for a high energy track. This is reminiscent of so many early 80's tunes ,by groups like Big Country, that seem to be larger than life. A full production leads to a big sound.
Big Science has balanced their influences of post-punk and new wave to create their own hybrid that has interesting lyrics as well as big hooks. The band is tight and all members are integral to the full sound on The Coast Of Nowhere. There is a vibrant music scene in Chicago at present thanks to bands like Big Science.
Check their site out at Big Science to get their music and concert dates.
Congrats to the guys for signing to AEMMP records!
(via Dedicated Ears)
NovemberNov 4 Wednesday Wed 09
Tune-Yards at The Chopin Theatre, Chicago (10/15/09)
The Tune Yards album Bird Brains is an interesting collage of digital audio recording and samples that make for a great exploration of what is sonically possible on an album. Therefore I was very interested to see how this collection of sound snippets and samples would play out when performed live. I was fortunate to film an interview with Merrill before the show, which will be posted on this blog as a companion piece to this review. She said that she didn't want to just have a DAT machine playing, and instead used relay pedals and used grunts, drumsticks hitting mic stands and anything else that was handy to lay a percussive ground-floor. She built the rest of the musical building up with her vocals and also the ukulele, which takes on a more prominent roll live than on the album. Any questions about how this would all shake out were answered immediately as Merrill created a sound that was different from the album, but actually shined the focus on her songwriting and her amazing unique vocal style.
The Chopin Theatre was a great place to see a show. The sound was really good and owner Lela and the people that worked there were very nice and accommodating for my interview of Merrill as well as throughout the show. Check out their upcoming line-up.
Thanks to Catherine at Beggars for all of the help.
Also thanks to my friend Steve Juras shot the interview on his video camera as well as took the pictures that show up on this blog. Check his wide range of artistic endeavors at swidinst.org.
(via Dedicated Ears)
OctoberOct 26 Monday Mon 09
Pretty Little Empire's album Sweet Sweet Hands now on sale!!!
Head to Pretty Little Empire to buy the mp3's of their stellar new album, Sweet Sweet Hands. You can read a review of the album on my blog posting below. Help support artists who do it all on their own!!!
(via Dedicated Ears)
tUne-yArDs - Bird Brains (Album Review)
tUne-yArDs is Merrill Garbus , a one-woman musical wrecking crew. Bird Brains is a beautifully balanced musical kaleidoscope that uses everything from ukulele to hand-held digital field recordings. It is a D-I-Y album that has imperfections like restarts and red-lighted eq's that add to the overall loose feel. It sounds chaotic at times, but it is an ordered chaos.
The first track, "For You", mixes Merrill's beautiful beautiful vocals and a simple but effective ukulele to create a short, restrained pop song.
The percussion on "Sunlight" is a loose simple jazz beat that augments the catchy pop ukulele hook. Merrill's vocals raise higher and higher as she sings 'I could be the sunlight in your eyes, couldn't I , couldn't I?' The last chorus is a busy sonic landscape with many parts that work well in concert.
"Lions" is a sound collage of found sounds including birds tweeting and car engine sounds accompanying a ukulele. 'I'm so angry at you goody two shoes punch you in the nose. We could pretend it's Christmas while we're out here in this box, while my brother and all his friends without their tiny teeny trucks. If I scream they'll hear us...' Merrill wails as the fervor of her singing matches the frustration in the lyrics.
The vocal collage opening on "Hatari" gives way to funky ukulele riff. The vocals here are reminiscent of a tribal chant. These elements make for an infectious groove. The bottom of the percussion drives this song with insistence.
Ukulele brings a Hawaiian flavor on "News". The eclectic percussion here and production make this song sound like it's coming from an old phonograph. The harmonies on this song are beautiful.
The overall experimental nature of Bird Brains is impressively balanced with traditional pop hooks. This album is a hybrid of a hybrid. Each one of these unique ukulele based songs have a different shading and the end result is a full color palette of sound. I wish I could be in Merrill's head when the genesis of these songs started running around.
You can purchase this album at 4ad.
Merrill's on tour now, so go check her out. My wife and I loved her show. I'm sure you'll be captivated by her stage presence.
(via Dedicated Ears)
OctoberOct 13 Tuesday Tue 09
Josh Mease - Wilderness (Album Review)
Sometimes the background information on how an album was recorded is pertinent information and sometimes it's not. In the case of Wilderness it is very important. After listening to the subdued and sublime melodic trip of the songs on this album I am not surprised that Josh Mease recorded a good deal of this in a closet in his Brooklyn apartment. He then mixed it in his native Denton, Texas. The title of Wilderness is apt as Josh's songs evoke the wilderness, whether it be NY or Texas.
"You Found Me" has a Beatles-esque rhythm with softly soaring vocals. The change in tempo here is nice and swells at times with a wink to 70's pop production.
The third song, "Neon Ghost" has subtle glockenspiel accents and dreamily whispered vocals. The bedroom closet recording gives this song an intimate feel.
After 12 to 15 listens of Wilderness, "White Diamonds" is the melody that has me humming time and time again. With a swelling, full production in the bridge, it is anchored in 70's production with Josh's vocals keeping a foot in the present.
Beautiful Beach Boys like harmonies start out "Eleanor". 'So time will tell, maybe I'll know you well, you don't have much to say but words just get in the way'.
Electric guitar comes to the front for "On and On". The distorted solo here is a nice change from the sonic texture of the rest of the album. More sweet melodies that build into a crescendo.
The album closer, "Tall Trees" shows more of Josh's inventive nature. On this song the piano is played with an Asian flair. Other backing sounds give you the visual of a Japanese countryside.
Josh has managed to infuse Wilderness with a relative calm. He uses the energy of New York City and not the loudness. He defers from using the larger than life qualities of Texas and instead focuses on the isolation that such a big place can impose on it's residents. Josh separated himself from people while recording this album. This allowed him to devoutly follow the concept of a Wilderness whether it be in New York or Texas. The end result is a singular vision delivered with great melodies.
I can't wait to hear what Josh's next album sounds like.
If you would like to enjoy this album as much as I did, you can get it here: frogstand records, and also at i-tunes and amazon.
Josh is also on tour NOW, so check out his shows on his artist site: josh mease.
(via Dedicated Ears)
OctoberOct 12 Monday Mon 09
Catching Up With Pretty Little Empire
Justin Johnson from Pretty Little Empire was kind enough to answer a few questions about their new album, Sweet Sweet Hands, due out Oct. 26 at pretty little empire. Hailing from St. Louis, MO. they play an infectious brand of alt- folk/pop music that is sprinkled with Western and punk. If you haven't already then check out my album review of Sweet Sweet Hands.
Where did you come up with the name Pretty Little Empire?
I was thinking up names for Will’s other band at the time. We were working together but not playing music together at the time. I did not like their name and was trying to come up with a few new ones. They did not end up using any of the names I came up with. Not too long after that, the band Will was in, and the band Wade and I were in ended. We formed this new group soon after and the name came up again.
The production from song to song give this whole album a sound even if the tempo and instrumentation change. Did you guys do the production yourself? Was there a sound you were aiming for?
Yes we did the album ourselves. Will has a 16 track recorder in his apartment. He produced and recorded the album in our practice space/his living room. When we started it was simply just a few late night recordings after Will and I would get out of work. I would start playing something on acoustic and Will would turn on the recorder. Some of it sounded started sounding pretty cool. We let everybody listen and then started trying to get that intimate late night feel sound for the rest of the record.
Tell us a little about the change in band members for PLE. How is the sound going to change with this new line up?
We have had quite a change in the last few months or so. Hannah who played guitar/vocals wanted to focus more on finishing school. She played her last show with us in July and helped finish the rest of the record in June. We thought about going on as a three piece but ended up getting Evan O Neil to come in as a drummer. Will moved up front on guitar and vocals. Hannah will be missed greatly. She definitely helped in shaping the quiet simplicity of our sound. I do see things changing quickly. We have a much fuller more aggressive sound now , but try to still keep things simple. Evan is also a songwriter, so we are working on a few of his songs right now too. Things have been very busy for us the last few months.
Is there a full scale tour in the works?
At this point we are still getting our bearings with the new lineup. We do plan to do a few out of town shows this year. I think though at this time a full tour will have to wait until we get ourselves more organized, musically and financially.
Now that you have the first record done is there something else you would like do do sonically, new instruments?
We do want to experiment, and add more elements to the sound. Some of our new songs sound different and have a more layered rock and roll feel. We plan to get into a real studio during the winter to record these new songs. Though we love the lo-fi sound of this first record, we would love to try for a bigger sound on this next one.
Tell us how you guys feel about the whole label thing. Interested in signing to one?
Since we are just starting out the idea of labels has not really entered into our minds. We are just working hard right now to get our record out next month and hope people will take a listen.
(via Dedicated Ears)
OctoberOct 6 Tuesday Tue 09
Living Colour Live on Oct.4 at Double Door
One of my favorite bands at one of my favorite venues. I went with my wife and good friend Erik. It turned out to be every bit as good as I thought it would. They blazed through 22 songs with very few breaks. They opened up with "Middle Man" and "Desperate People" from their debut album Vivid. The versions were updated but still had the vibe of the originals.
Next up was "Go Away" from their heavy metal album Stain. A video was beamed onto the screen behind the band throughout the show, but in this song really worked well as they showed starving Africans as lead singer Corey Glover sang 'I see the starving Africans on TV...I feel it has nothing to do with me...I sent my $20 to Live Aid...I paid my guilty conscience to go away.'
"Funny Vibe" (Vivid) followed and bassist Doug Wimbash with the heavy funk bass on this song.
One of the highlights of other Living Colour shows I've been to did not disappoint at this show. "Bi" is a sexually charged tale that has the cautionary tale of be careful what you wish for. Corey puts a lot of suggestive movements with body parts and his eyes and breathes 'My lover told me that she's bi... I wanted to scream...there were tears in my eyes, she said baby, baby don't you cry cause the I am with you've been seeing on the side'.
Will Calhoun's drum solo was an interesting blend of standard drums and also electronic sounds. The rest of the band at this point left to catch a breath. Will has so many influences from so many cultures in his drumming it's impossible to name them all. He is an amazing drummer.
"Open Letter to A Landlord', my favorite track from Vivid is an emotionally charged song that the band was able to bring across well on stage.
Next they played "Burned Bridges", "The Chair", "Decadance", "Young Man", Method" and "Behind the Sun", all from their new album The Chair In The Doorway. (I'll be doing a review of it in another week). The high point in this block of songs was on "Decadance", Vernon broke a guitar string, and Cory had a couple of quips about how this "shit still happens after all these years". These new songs were good, but I haven't had a full chance to digest and break them down. So for now I can say the crowd loved them. All of the LC shows I've been to, the crowd has been informed and there is no silly screaming for "Cult Of Personality". The fans always know and sing along with the band on all songs.
The highlight of the night for the crowd came next as LC slid into "Papa Was A Rollin Stone". I have never seen them play this and the crowd really appreciated this cover of the Temptations classic. Corey turned this into a sing along for the crowd and everyone responded.
Funk laden, "Glamour Boys"(Vivid) has Doug holding down a bouncing bass line. "
After playing a couple of songs from The Chair In The Doorway, they played "Time's Up" at a frantic pace .
Then it was "Cult Of Personality" just before they left the stage. Another sing along.
The the first encore was "Love Rears It's Ugly Head" (Time's Up). Corey and Vernon went all out on this one. Then the last song, their cover of Hendrix "Crosstown Traffic". Somehow they managed to inject even more swing than the original.
Living Colour have been together, with this line-up, for over 15 years. They are a tight unit live that always manages to have a few tricks up their sleeve. If you get a chance I would highly suggest that you go see Living Colour.
(via Dedicated Ears)
SeptemberSep 30 Wednesday Wed 09
Sweet Sweet Hands by: Pretty Little Empire (Album Review )
Pretty Little Empire has crafted an album that vacillates between alt-folk and western music with campfire storytelling underpinnings. Justin Johnson handles most of the guitar and lead vocals. William Godfred plays drums and guitar as well as lead vocals on a couple of songs. Wade Durbin plays bass and adds vocals. Hannah Maxwell pitches in too with some instruments as well as beautiful background vocals. All of the vocals dovetail nicely. Their harmonies range from sweet and easy to loose and off kilter depending upon the tone they are going for. Glockenspiel, saw, upright bass, xylophone and trumpet are all used on Sweet Sweet Hands in small amounts that make the album a complete sound.
The wandering guitar line that starts"Piercing Blue Eyes", the album opener, sets the stage for a campfire sing along. The layered vocals add an extra depth and insistence to the subject matter, a broken heart. The refrain states 'staring me down with those piercing blue eyes you beat me down again, oh you beat me down again'.
"Good Morning Early Riser" features lonely trumpet flourishes, played by Andy Laisher, echoes the wistful nature of someone admitting they were wrong. 'How places change and faces change for us. And our loyalty is always at a loss...and I had it wrong".
"Never Said Much" is a punk charged sing along with a call and response that evokes big band swing jazz.
"Give It Time To Turn Around" features beautifully restrained vocals. Hannah sings background vocals that are sweet and soft. The lyrics are delivered with the emphasis on the last syllable that is repeated to good effect, ' I have nothing left to show -ow-ow-ow'.
An eerie warble from a saw ,played by Andy Laisher, gives "Baby Boy Killer" a dream like feel. This emphasizes the surreal subject matter of a child who grows up as a killer.
The tempo quickens on "Get Up and Go". The far away sound of the backing vocals gives this an urgent and displaced feel.
"A Long Time For Laughter" is a plaintive love song. The smart lyrics reveal the story between two lovers. 'You wanted babies, I wanted a war, now our bodies are meant for nothing but chores'. In this song a few words go a long way.
The sum of all the parts on Sweet Sweet Hands leaves the listener humming more than one of the melodies. There is an overall bright and dreamy feel that the music, vocals, and production have an equal part in creating. Pretty Little Empire understands the best way to tell a good story musically is to use a little restraint and leave a little to the listener's imagination. I often review just the "highlight" tracks but I found that this album is deep with beautifully crafted songs.
Sweet Sweet Hands available in on Oct.26 at Pretty Little Empire.
(via Dedicated Ears)
SeptemberSep 22 Tuesday Tue 09
The Night Undoes The Work Of The Day by oh my god (Album Review)
On their new album, The Night Undoes The Work Of The Day, oh my god presents infectious pop hooks. On first listen their sound is reminiscent of Ben Folds but after delving into the whole album the electronic elements make this more than just a piano led pop album. What also separates it from an average pop album is the influence of all the members can be heard and there is a full balanced sound.
On "My Prayer" the minimal organ and Billy O'Neill's layered vocals make for a full sound in this existential number.
On the playful side is "Baby There's Nothin' Wrong". Billy pleads, "baby you just got to go to work".
The cover of the Fixx's "One Thing Leads To Another" is a rocker with bounce. The electro sounds shine brightly here. How can you go wrong with the break in that song?
"My Juliet" offers a breather from the full sonic sound-scape. Some minimal piano and reverb makes a somber outline that allows O'Neill to sing with restraint and frame the lyrics nicely.
oh my god are a Chicago band known for their high energy shows. The band is on tour now. They will be having a record release party at Double Door in Chicago on Sat. Sept. 26 http://www.doubledoor.com/shows.php. See them live and help support local musicians.
I recommend purchasing their album The Night Undoes The Work Of The Day here http://www.splitredrecords.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=2
(via Dedicated Ears)
SeptemberSep 2 Wednesday Wed 09
An Interview With Learning Music...There's Still Hope ...
The more musicians that make their own unique business models, compliments of the net, the more I think that the music industry will warp into something that is more affordable for music lovers and allows the artist to have complete control while retaining the ability to sell their music.
I have known about a musical collective called Learning Music, fronted by John Wood (played keyboard for Sebastian Tellier, Mike Andrews, and Anni Rossi) for a couple of months after coming across some of their music on the Free Music Archive. I then went to their site, Learning Music Monthly, and saw that they have a tiered approach to selling their music. This collective of sometimes upwards of 25 musicians, pumps out a full album a month and then sells this music on cd for a flat rate of $9 for 1 release and up to $59 for 12 releases, which also gets one of a kind stickers, a song written for your birthday, and unlimited access to the Learning Music Monthly archives. For $5000 you get all of the music as well as a concert performed by John Wood anywhere in the world. They also have a a digital option that allows you to determine the amount you will pay for a 12 month subscription of 12 albums along with a one year access to the previous albums. As a teaser to their site the band releases some songs here and there for free on sites like Free Music Archive.
As if all of that weren't enough, there's more. The site has a 'contribute' section that allows you to print and that has the sheet music and lyrics for the Learning Music releases. Also fans can cover the music or send in their own sounds for John to possibly use, and the covers get posted on Learning Music Monthly.
I sent some questions to John Wood, the main cog of the Learning Music collective, and he was gracious enough to answer them.
Q: On the musical end: How exactly do you describe what Learning Music does as a musical act?
A:It feels like there are really two Learning Musics; one being the albums and one being the live band. The role of the band is in a transition right now.Learning Music started out as a recording project. Then I got the idea to create a band that could include any number of people and could perform with little or no rehearsal, with music that was specifically written or arranged for that setting. We played a bunch of shows that way, usually with around twelve to fifteen musicians each time. Once there were over twenty of us. I would make very simple charts for everybody; usually just a one-sentence description or a couple chords for each song. That version of the band was all about communal creativity and experience, and folk ceremony.But Learning Music was never meant to be one thing. The new band is much different, much much smaller, which is allowing us to play all new songs that are much more technical. The large band was a great experiment, and I'm sure we will perform again like that. Right now, however, I'm more interested in arranging music that is more defined and sounds big with a small group.
Q: Can tell us about some of the musicians in Learning Music?
A:I am really lucky to know a lot of extremely excellent musicians. Everyone who has played with us has their own creative projects and also works professionally as a musician. They play in bands including Bird & the Bee, Beck, and Cryptacize. They write award-winning scores for major motion pictures. They teach college music classes. But most importantly they are all attentive and creative individuals. There are really too many members to talk about all of them.
Q: How does touring work with the way the band is set up having so many musicians?
A: We haven't really traveled very far at all with the large band. I've done out-of-town shows
just by myself. This will be one benefit of having a smaller group. Of course, someday, I
would love to be able to support a large band on the road. Logistically we're not there yet.
Q: My personal favorite, for right now, is Travel with the Readers, can you tell us about the Readers and the way you came up with the album?
A:I'm glad you like that one. It's probably my favorite too. Readers is my wife Lisa and me. Most of the songs on Travel were written on a trip we took to Oregon, where my van broke down and we had to leave it behind for good. When we got home we started compiling all these samples from weird records we had. When we go on road trips we always come home with a huge stack of vinyl that we scoured from small-town thrift shops along the way (Lisa is a dj and I love looking for samples). Most of the percussion on that record is the sound of a pinball machine or a freight elevator or chanting Japanese monks.
Q: How did you come up with this business model of the different levels of payment for the music? Was there a music act's website that you looked at and said "That's a good idea" or did you have a light-bulb moment where it came clear to you how you wanted to make the Learning Music Monthly site?
A:The most credit here goes to Karl Blau, who's had a fabulous subscription-based series for several years. When I started making an album a month, there was no intention of selling any of it. For the first year, I was just making CDrs and giving them to friends. When Vosotros (now our label) expressed interest in handling the catalog, I brought up the idea of selling subscriptions. I had definitely seen Karl's site by this time; he sells subscriptions in 3/6/12 month tiers. The development of the digital donation option was sort of gradual. We knew we should offer a digital-only subscription. At first there was a set price for that. We were in a meeting with Cameron Parkins at Creative Commons when (surely inspired by the CC spirit) I decided that the digital 'script should be pay-what-you-want.
Q: Musical acts are dropping the major labels and starting up innovative sites like yours which is making major labels less influential in the musical marketplace, then where do you think the newly independent artists are headed? Do you think that at some point they will band together and have 1 site where artists doing things similar to you can sell their music?
A:I think independence is a really great thing for creativity. Hopefully it will mean that more people become artists instead of just musicians. Thanks to expanding consumer technology, it's now so easy to record music or make a movie or design a website or publish a story or essay. Why should any artist necessarily limit herself to one medium? I think we can already see a handful of examples of artists, having left the major-label tent, who are exploring more diverse/ creative possibilities (including Radiohead). In this sense, I think it's better for artists to NOT band together. Competition is not as big a factor. I think we don't have to worry about uniting to compete with major labels. If everyone housed their music on one website or in one format, that would be like taking this wonderful gift of independence and saying "no thanks."
Q: Lastly, you allow people to pay whatever they are comfortable with for the mp3's on Learning Music Monthly. For the people who are ready to buy but are unsure how much they should pay, can you help them with how you look at it? This is a new luxury that us music collectors get to pay what we feel we can afford or think it's worth, and there is no blueprint for what to pay. Are you finding that the average amount people pay is more or less than you originally thought?
A:Thank you for bringing this up. The way we look at is: we would rather someone hear and have this music than not. So if someone doesn't feel comfortable spending, or simply can't spend more, then we really want them to pay that penny, just so they have access to the catalog. In fact, it's probably the people who can only afford a penny who need it the most. It's fine for us, because the cost of administering an online subscription is small. Some people pay a little and some people, who really help us keep making the music and sharing it with everyone, pay much more. I think the average donation is probably around what we've expected. In the end, I have no doubt that there are many more subscribers because of the option.
John Wood gets it when it comes to taking care of his fans/customers. He allows the fans to decide the price and cut the big labels out of the equation. As for me, I purchased mp3's of Learning Music Monthly, and named my own price. I love them and highly recommend supporting these worthy artists.
(via Dedicated Ears)
AugustAug 25 Tuesday Tue 09
"Real Fan?"
I try to keep my posts positive. There is so much music to try to write about so it would be silly if I did a review of Celine Dion, and gave it the treatment it deserved. That would accomplish nothing as I have never been a fan of hers. But, I will write from time to time about bands that I love that later make me say, "say it ain't so."
One such case is Pearl Jam. I got a listen to an advance copy of Ten by a good friend of mine. I was hooked and showed up at the Music Warehouse to buy my cassette copy the day it was released. I delivered pizzas at the time and was in my car 40 hrs a week and played nothing but that album for a few months. I physically destroyed two copies of the tape from playing it so much. I subsequently was at the music store to purchase both Vs. and Vitalogy. I saw them play at Lollapalooza and saw them at Soldier Field off Vitalogy. I bought a bootleg box set of 5 cd's called Hallucinogenic Recipe for $125.00. I knew all the arcane trivia (pre -internet) from reading every interview possible.
Then came Merkinball with Neil Young in 1995 and Eddies vocals and the bands sound has never been the same. I am not a Neil Young fan and like his effect on other musicians even less. After this album Eddie's vocals and the Pearl Jam sound changed. The ensuing album, No Code is the lowest point of Pearl Jams sound. It is a straight forward classic rock tinged pedestrian sound. The band was way too young to be turning into a classic rock band. I bought the following album, Yield , hoping the previous one was a mirage. I can't tell you how many people said it was "better than No Code". Well, that's saying something.
Now I hear everyone say how great Pearl Jam is. Maybe they are one of the few 90's Seattle bands left so people are giving them a wide berth. As I often have people tell me, that's what "real fans" do, they support whatever the band does. Wow, I couldn't disagree more. The reason you got into the band in the first place is because the music moved you so much.
It seems to me that the band may have been given an ultimatum and Eddie ended up with way more say to the finished product than he should. Maybe he learned how to co-opt a band with a power play, from Neil Young who was deft at elbowing his way into other bands (Crazy Horse, Peter Paul and Mary).
And now comes news of the Target deal with Pearl Jam. Can't wait to see those commercials. Shades of Bono's news conference from K Mart or Metallica's Versace get up and videos and blues-stomp rock for The Black Album. Sometimes a band can disappoint you so much that you know you will never make your way back.
Say it ain't so.
(via Dedicated Ears)
Album Review- Perishers - Let There Be Morning (Nettwerk 2005)
From the beginning of the piano chords on the opening track "Weekend"the simple melodies of this album suck you in. This Swedish group fronted by Ola Kluft's at once whisper quiet and the next moment soaring vocals are reminiscent of the likes of Coldplay, Travis and Snow Patrol. They are certainly their own band though as they have been making music for over 10 years.
Blurts of bright sounding guitar "My Heart" is used selectively throughout the album to good effect. The sleepy strings on "Still Here" brings this group close to the formula that one too many groups use with the piano lead with the lush strings that has been overdone for some time now, but they skirt this line nicely as each of the band members has input, like bass player Pehr Astrom on"Sill Here" and makes them sound like a band and not a one man project.
With a group like the Perishers one of the most important facets is the songwriting which is very strong on Let There Be Morning. On "Pills" Ola slyly sings 'I hope my smile can distract you I hope my fists can fight for two'. At times the lyrics are winsome and at others are a mellow, hazy and happy like on the title track.
At first listen this band is similar to a lot of bands, the piano lead, whispered vocals and strings. What separates this band is that they are a band. You can hear the influence of each member. Nice little surprises like the trumpet and the hint of a organ on the title track keep the listener from falling into a rut. The melodies here are spot on the songwriting very strong.
(via Dedicated Ears)
AugustAug 18 Tuesday Tue 09
My iTunes Wishlist
I tunes is a great service. It allows you to archive all of your music for free. It has the genius and dj modes to mix your own music. It is very intuitive and expandable in many ways. It has become the brand name of the mp3 like Jello is to gelatin. But, like everything, it could use some improving. It is amazing to think it has not evolved more since it has the cash backing of Apple and all of the overpriced music it sells there.
My gripes are as follows:
1) you should be able to change the genre description to something that makes sense to you. When I uploaded my collection of Bebel Gilberto it put her music into 3 different categories, where I would only put it in 1. I would love to be able to call a grouping "Net Music" or "Jamendo", because in my mind I don't think of the music by style as much as by where I found it.
2) You should be able to get a complete list of your albums on iTunes the same way you can get a list of songs.
3)Also when you backup your music it only allows you to back all the music up or music since the last backup. Well then if you are backing up to a dvd it's hard to tell exactly how much music you've added since the last back-up. It should have either a list of those songs or at least a mb/gig number. I have over 1700 albums, so it's hard to keep track of.
There are more right things about iTunes than wrong, but I would really love it if I could do these few things. Maybe some of these are frowned upon by the record labels and their dwindling influence still has sway on iTunes. Can't wait until the big labels are completely neutralized.
If you have any thoughts on this, or if I can already do some of these things I'm complaining about and just don't know it, please leave a comment.
(via Dedicated Ears)
Concert review : Trashcan Sinatras at Schubas in Chicago
I recently was turned on to the Scottish pop band the Trashcan Sinatras by a good friend. Unfortunately I did not get to listen to all of their stuff before seeing the concert, so I didn't know it by heart. I did listen enough to know the melodies though and really enjoyed them live. The Sinatras have a full sound that reminds me a little bit of Crowded House. Both bands craft songs that feature well written and heartfelt songs that are accompanied by killer melodies and all band members chip in which leads to the "full" sound I spoke of.
Schubas is my favorite place to see shows in Chicago. The sound is very even and the sound carries thanks to the gratuitous amount of wood in the room. About 150 people fill the room so it's cozy. The crowd at the Sinatras show was filled with many fans who have seen the band all over the world. I talked to people who had seen them in Japan and Ireland. After watching the band perform both passionately and professionally, I could see why fans travel to see this band. They connected well with the audience and played off one another well.
If you get a chance to see them I highlt recommend it.
(via Dedicated Ears)
I'm Back
It's been a little while since i've posted. I have moved for the 7th time in ten years and am just coming out of the end of fixing the place up. Lots of painting and woodworking and shopping. Now i'm ready to start posting again.
(via Dedicated Ears)
