Just as I ramble about the beauty of lo-fi jangle and the absence of orchestral movements in music, an outfit like Lost in the Trees comes around completely deconstructs my current musical taste. To say that the American Folk/Modern Orchestra sound of Lost in the Trees is sweeping would be an understatement, but the power really lies in composer and songwriter Ari Picker’s ability to construct scenery around every bend.
“Walk Around the Lake” is a video and song crooning the classic tale of redemption, but ultimately paints a portrait of a coming winter . . . cold and overwhelming.
Picker is a well-educated, accredited composer in his own right . . . debuting his own original symphony with the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra not long ago. Although Lost in the Trees claims Chapel Hill, North Carolina as their home, record label Anti says that Ari “draws band members from prestigious music schools such as Berklee, Eastman and University of North Carolina”. A hivemind of indie and classically educated musicians, Lost in the Trees has already been lauded by the likes of NPR and Huffington Post.
“Walk Around the Lake” is from the band’s critically-acclaimed All Alone in an Empty House from Anti.
It seems that bands like Best Coast and Girls have really opened the flood-gates for lo-fi, phsycedelic, surf-rock and I’m completely alright with that. Eternal Summers is a two-piece band from Roanoke, VA that plays the simplest of tunes that will immediately lodge themselves into your brain.
“Pogo” is a quick little jaunt through some retro-fuzz that makes me happy. I’m not sure if it’s the throwbacks that really get me, or just the fact that a song so simplistic still sounds more soulful than any overproduced, orchestral movement.
The band has done their share of 7″s and is now releasing their first LP, entitled Silver, through Kanine Records
Released August 10, 2010, Elsinore’s Yes Yes Yes was my introduction to this band from Champlain. Yes Yes Yes was also my reintroduction to summer pop-bliss. This album should have, for all intents and purposes, been released in June so that we could’ve soaked the sunny rays from the handclaps and catchy hooks. The New Pornographers would be proud.
Really, what I know about Elsinore is what I can gleen from the following two tracks which have worked their magic and crept into my daily thought process. Good work from the mates from Champlain and I can’t wait until they roll through Denver. Listen:Elsinore – “Lines” Listen:Elsinore – “Yes Yes Yes”
Glen Hansard is one burly sonofabitch. He could very well age into “the most interesting man in the world”. Like all of us, though, he puts his pants on one leg at a time and loves the hell out of Neutral Milk Hotel.
As part of the A.V. Club’s Undercover Series, Hansard and Marketa Irglova (collectively the Swell Season) picked as song that, surprisingly, hadn’t been chosen by past artists. Furthermore . . . they did an absolutely amazing rendition of Jeff Magnum’s classic. See below.
Skateboarder Josh Harmony has always been portrayed a subtle songwriter, but I’ve never actually gotten the chance to hear anything before this preview that posted today on Facebook. If this trailer is any indication, I can’t wait to hear more from Taller Than Trees.
Skateboarding and music . . . has there ever been a better pairing?
Perhaps I’m the wrong person to write this. I am, at heart, a huge Against Me! fan and probably always will be. Whenever I try to remove myself from this, everything I write about the group comes out like a history of one of the band’s accomplishments. This, however, isn’t the message I want to send, and I don’t really care either way that the band hosted an MTV Cribs on their bus or had New Wave named Best Album of 2007 by Spin because, to me, I don’t think Tom Gabel gives a sh*t either way anyway. In short, I’m ready for the raging comments sections and the cries of anarchist-leftovers and the sneering underground claiming that Tom Gabel sold out for a barrel of tea and Amerikan riches.
. . .
I’ll just say it. White Crosses is a god-damned good rock n roll record. The catchy hooks are there, the anthemic choruses and the spit and grease of a blue-collared everyman. Perhaps the only problem is that the songs ultimately drown in their own overdone production and lack the punch to compliment poignant lyrics. Gabel, trading his Southern Roots for the polished New Jersey trend, came out with a record the revels in anti-authority, introspection, and honest choruses that walk a fine line between sincerity and ambiguity. Middle finger pointed stiffly in the air, Against Me! clearly isn’t the band that we’ve grown to love over the past decade, but aren’t exactly claiming to be, either.
Punk music seems to be having a serious identity crisis as bands are immediately tagged as punk, blogged about, and given the green light to go platinum. The new “system” of internet prodding leaves little room for creativity and quality though, while bands like The Gaslight Anthem struggles and stumbles through Jersey-Mediocrity on American Slang. On White Crosses, Against Me! refines this rock ‘n’ roll formula, adding a touch of the usual piss and vinegar to rub into authoritative wounds.White Crosses’ title track begins to unravel an album of Gabel’s patented anarchist, philosophical poetry, literally crushing religion and modern culture along the way. The playful, plodding rhythm is deceiving enough to beg a mainstream, catholic schoolgirl into believing it’s the next summer hit, only to find a deeper message lurking behind Tom’s polished folk-punk voice.
Without Warren Oakes behind the drumkit, Against Me! has lost a defining part of their sound, replacing him with percussive machine gun George Rebelo following his departure from Hot Water Music last June. White Crosses, unfortunately enough, is a very accessible album that moves the band further from their anarcho-punk roots and will alienate many a listener. “I Was A Teenage Anarchist” is a brutal farewell to the scene that Tom and Against Me! grew out of in FL and will no doubt breed some hatred. Gabel recently explained the lyrics behind the song on antimusic.com, explaining his roots in radical politics and his departure from the scene as “trends and fashion emerged”, claiming, in his final lines, “I have no need to supplement my identity through belonging to a scene or exclusively endorsing any brand of political thought. And if anyone is offended by that I feel like it only reaffirms my conviction. For if it’s heresy for an Anarchist to say “F*CK Anarchy” then Anarchism is truly just another flag, and I say burn it along with the rest of them.”
To be completely honest, I didn’t even want to listen to a second of the album, expecting to be as disheartened as I was with first listens of New Wave. While White Crosses definitely has it’s shockingly mediocre/departure moments, including Gabel’s ode to Bob Dylan, the album still has some firecracker glimpses that reclaim a bit of punk sneer and make me want to revisit their catalog, INCLUDING New Wave. Lurking behind a generic radio rock veneer, White Crosses is a record that still explores some lyrical ground and political issues. I only wish that the band has strived for a low-fi return to their roots and I can only wholeheartedly agree with a commenter on another blog . . . “We will NEVER see another Reinventing Axl Rose or Eternal Cowboy” . . .
Am I telling you to rush out and buy this album? No. Definitely not. Bottom line, if you don’t want to drop a penny on a band that used to claim anarchy, then don’t. I only ask that if you are a fan of Against Me! To listen to the 35-minute sonnet that Tom has put together and give it an earnest once-through. If you still hate it, do the old albums some justice and give it the finger and a firm “F*ck you”. At least then Against Me! will still be evoking SOME sort of punk rock renaissance in the modern day. While Joe Strummer he’s not, it’s unquestionable that Tom Gabel continues churning out music that challenges authority while conveniently wrapping it into a pretty, polished package that gets neatly lodged in your frontal lobe. White Crosses is an enigma, to say the least.
The New Pornographers aren’t really so new these days . . . after being around since 1997, perhaps the band should just think about being “The Pornographers”. No matter though . . . after four albums of complete indie-pop bliss, the Pornographers have settled comfortably into their stride; a race of epic pop rock that follows the hook guide properly. Every bit of Together reeks of the Pornographers simple, yet broad sound, and is a 90′s rock joy to listen to.
From the very outset, you can all but feel the campfire futures of songs like “Crash Years”, where the acoustic guitar settles nicely into a groove with female vocals leading the charge. Bright and bouncy, songs like “Moves” and “Up In The Dark” are where The New Pornographers have really honed this whole dreamy-pop thing that we all love so much. Take a second and step back from the record for just a second, though, and you’ll find there’s more than meets the ear . . . the vast orchestration of the leading single “Your Hands (Together)” give a vast, open-room feel to the pop music that makes it oh so epic. Honestly, at times, I feel like either George Lucas or Rocky Balboa could be lurking behind the grins of the Pornographers.
All in all, Together is a record that settles as a summer classic for me. Despite all of the horns and harmonizing, there’s nothing that grandiose, but at the same time, Together is a relaxing record for your summer lounging. It’s not without its noticeable catchiness, yet it’s not without its complete cheesiness. I suppose this is what the nineties were made of, though, and from a decade that spawned college rock in all of its glory, I could ask no more. The New Pornographers have created a guilty pleasure for anyone with a decent car stereo and rolled-down windows . . . I’m proud to say that I’m among them.
I first saw Bad Rabbits open for Foxy Shazam and their energy absolutely blew the audience away and had everyone steady-groovin’ by the end of their set. The Boston band brings a very refreshing high energy style of music with it. The “New Crack Swing” genre gives you a vibe of late 80s/ early 90s dance music mixed with some hard hitting funk/soul vocals and their live show is very in your face, with all the members dancing around and creating an interactive experience for the audience. If you’re looking to have a good time and get down then you need to for sure see Bad Rabbits on their next tour, hopefully as a headliner.
Their seven song EP, “Stick Up Kids”, is free for download on their website and is a must have. Throw it on your iPod or burn it on a CD and blast it in your car and prepare to have the songs stuck in your head for a couple days.
April 20 marked the release of Blue Sky Noise, the third full-length album from Philly-born Circa Survive. The pre-release of the track “Get Out” and the You-Tube bootleg of “Frozen Creek” gave fans a good preview of what was to come as the band took a more aggressive and, arguably, more conservative approach in their writing for this album. This is not to say that Circa Survive has become anything remotely close to “mainstream”, but, in comparison to earlier recordings, they have adapted some new sounds. Read more
The first new track from London royalty Blur, “Fool’s Day” was released as a Record Store Day exclusive that was limited to 1,000 copies. The single is Blur’s first in nearly seven years.
”We want independent record stores to continue — they’re an important part of our musical culture.”
Damon Albarn told the Sun the above, despite the single only being released in London record shops and not in the States. The band has, however, decided to release the single as a free download for the price of an email address at Blur.co.uk.
The single is pretty mellow and pretty repetitive but I, for one, am excited to hear what follows in the coming months as Blur go back into the studio according to NME.
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