New Wax
Brought up in Vermont by a family of folk musicians, the multi-talented Sam Amidon spent most of his childhood perfecting his craft as a violinist and listening to traditional Irish music. Upon moving to New York, Amidon began to delve into other music and he started to hone his folk-singing skills. With his new album All Is Well, Amidon improves tremendously on last year's But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted, which in itself was a wonderfully solid folk album. With help from composer Nico Muhly and Icelandic producer Valgeir Siggurdsson (Bjork, Bonnie Prince Billy, Sigur Ros), Amidon crafts a memorable work consisting of spirited adaptations of traditional folk songs. Considering that most people probably aren't familiar with the reference material, Amidon and company really make the songs sound wholly original. Amidon's got a haunting voice, and his acoustic guitar riffs are accompanied perfectly by Muhly's sparsely effective orchestration. It's hard not to be emotionally effected by songs like "Saro" and "Wild Bill Jones," which sound surprisingly current considering their old-school roots. Released on Valgeir Sigurdsson's Bedroom Community label, All Is Well is a must-have for fans of folk music, and Amidon proves to be a talent to be reckoned with. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Samamidon - Wild Bill Jones
MP3: Samamidon - Wedding Dress
12.31.2007
Samamidon: All Is Well (2008)
12.28.2007
Juno (2007)
Celluloid
Ellen Page owns the screen. I've come to this conclusion after viewing only two of her films: 2005's psychological thriller Hard Candy and her latest effort, Juno. The sophomore effort by Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking) is a quirky and intelligent film which stars Page as a precocious 16-year old who turns up pregnant. Rather than resorting to toilet humor and gross-out visuals, the script is smart and provides enough razor wit for the promising young actress to shine in her role as Juno. Judging by the previews for the film, I figured this would be just another one of those wannabe quirky films in the vein of Rushmore, and while there is enough offbeat comedy to appease you indie kids, there's also enough warmth and realism to appeal to a wide variety of people from different backgrounds and ages (there were teeny boppers, elderly couples, and tattooed dudes in the crowd). The film is perfectly cast, and every performance is commendable. Superbad star Michael Cera is charming as the dorky track star who gets Juno pregnant, and Juno's parents are both hilarious. Even Jennifer Garner, who usually couldn't act her way out of a paper bag, is believable as the baby-obsessed adoptive mother. Jason Bateman rounds off the cast wonderfully as her hesitant husband. Juno is balanced with so much sarcasm, wit, and realism that it never materializes into the cheesy prego-romp that it very easily could have become. Kudos to Jason Reitman for making intelligent decisions with his new film, and kudos to Page for turning in a memorable and award-worthy performance. -- Capt. Obvious
Verdict:
12.27.2007
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007)
Celluloid
Even a bad Tim Burton film holds more creative vision than the majority of high-budget Hollywood-made films and the director's latest effort, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street ranks among his best. A visionary in every sense of the word, Burton achieves new heights visually, using his dark brush to paint the streets of London as foreboding and otherworldly. The film is indeed a musical (judging by the handful of early exits from the theater, it seems that not everyone was aware of this) and the cast performs admirably. While I've read some reviews criticizing Johnny Depp's voice, I thought the accomplished actor was solid both vocally and in inhabiting the role. Helena Bonham Carter turns in a particularly memorable performance as Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney's loyal sidekick and the owner of a, ahem, "special" Meat Pie Shop below his barber shop. A stage-to-screen translation, the film adapts a Stephen Sondheim musical thriller that finds its roots in a mid-19th century gothic tale about a barber/serial-killer named Sweeney Todd, aka Benjamin Barker. While there is an overabundance of gore in the film, all of the violence is highly stylized, and blood spray occurs at a cartoonish rate. That's not to say that Burton's dark vision isn't effectively disturbing. Critics are calling the film impersonal and cold, which seems deliberate to me considering the main character is someone who has lost all faith in mankind, so much so that he holds no value in human life and has no problem taking it. While there is enough twisted humor to provide some much-needed laughter, the film maintains an overwhelmingly macabre mood. The film is a real treat for Burton fans and for those who can stomach its dark content. -- Capt. Obvious
Verdict:
12.24.2007
December Mixtape
SIDE A
1. Tunng - Bullets
2. Angels Of Light - Black River Song
3. Bishop Allen - Like Castanets
4. Bowerbirds - In Our Talons
5. Caribou - She's The One
6. David Karsten Daniels - Jesus & The Devil
7. Dear & The Headlights - Sweet Talk
8. Ed Harcourt - Shadowboxing
1. Eels - Railroad Man
2. Jens Lekman - Your Arms Around Me
3. Page France - All Things, All Right
4. Sam Prekop - Something
5. Timber Timbre - Like A Mountain
6. Seabear - Cat Piano
7. St. Vincent - Your Lips Are Red
8. Thanksgiving - Weeping
12.23.2007
M. Pemulis' Year In Review
You Should Know
One of the most enjoyable and inspiring parts of arts appreciation is witnessing the birth and growth of the artist him/herself. This sort of evolution can come in various forms, most easily in reading, watching or listening to a writer’s, filmmaker’s or band’s oeuvre in chronological order. Levels of growth and subtlety notwithstanding, this method, for all its pluses, has but one glaring minus: it takes so damn long. Reading, say, Pynchon’s works-to-date in a short span (as I actually, and idiotically, advocated a year ago in another blog) can be done, I guess, but the indisputable presence of fatigue ruins the experience. One really doesn’t savor the flavor, so to speak. No, the best way to enjoy the birth of an artist is when a single, discrete work captures the phenomenon uniquely and genuinely.
Ratatouille, Brad Bird’s singularly wonderful film about a young rat whose love for food and the preparation thereof leads him from the French countryside to the fast-paced Parisian gourmet restaurant-world, presents the most enthralling and convincing portrait of a young artist so far this century. Remy, the film’s budding auteur, exhibits all the tell-tale frustrations and joys of the proto-chef: he finds potential ingredients everywhere; when the means to cook said ingredients do not readily present themselves (a big problem for a rat in a human’s world), he innovates; he gets angry when his brother and father refuse to take the time to enjoy the flavors in each bite of their food; most importantly, though, Remy is willing to go to bat for his food and, thus, his philosophy. It is this last point that sets Bird’s film apart from the garden variety coming-of-age tale.
If Remy has a counterpart in the film, it would have to be Auguste Gusteau. The famous French chef’s axiom “Anyone can cook”—a motto too egalitarian, one would believe, for the French literati—inspires young Remy throughout the film. Though Gusteau is dead, his memory and ideas are everywhere in Remy’s world, most visibly in bubbly figments that pop up at opportune moments to urge Remy on his path. The Gusteau/Remy connection is a revelation. In having Gusteau arrive as the proverbial “voice” inside Remy’s head, Brad Bird becomes the first filmmaker I can think of to get right the subjective elements that come part and parcel with the notion of a muse. Remy is the most unique kind of artist—he’s a natural. His abilities are just as unexplainable to other rats as they are to most humans and even himself. Remy’s culinary disposition can be attributed to his acute sense of smell (exploited hilariously in the film’s opening act) or his refined, almost literary tastes (he can read and write and appreciate better than most humans, let alone his fellow rats). But these are just objective ways to describe the indescribable. Can one really do justice in words to the delicious flavor of, say, a great pinot noir? A great writer can get close. But it’s more just an explosion of flavors and senses and emotions. When Remy tastes his food, the world around him disappears and we see only flashes and starbursts of various colors. Like the Gusteau figment that is really only Remy’s own mind, Bird nails the elements that inspire and afflict a budding artist, the elements that form what we know as the muse. The young artist, the “natural” will not be placated, for better or worse. What’s often mislabeled as rebellion is just an artist following his/her beliefs and passions, society (parents, conventions, etc.) be damned. The motivation behind such drive is often frustrating (to both the artist and society at large) because even the young artist cannot adequately describe it. Boy, does the film get this point and illustrate it perfectly!
Any great artist must get an education, and Ratatouille depicts Remy’s introduction to the modern restaurant kitchen in a hilarious fashion that is also the most impressive animation yet produced—Remy’s accidental first jaunt into Gusteau’s kitchen is the most amazing animated sequence ever. Through his human vehicle, the languid yet lovable Linguini, Remy learns the ropes, mostly from the spunky Colette, a talented cook and the film’s welcome feminist addition. But Remy’s creative impulses cannot be quelled even in the by-the-book kitchen. When discouraged from improvising, even when the dish being prepared is awful and could use the help, Remy defies the kitchen hierarchy, with astounding results. It is a credit to Bird’s skills as a storyteller that he ably mixes kitchen politics and issues of artistic integrity into entertaining and well-crafted sequences whose surface entertainment value is enough to keep the viewer on seat’s edge.
What’s sad is that such craftsmanship has and will most likely continue to be qualified with the “animation” label. If ever there has been an American animated-film writer/director worthy of transcending his/her genre’s label, it’s Brad Bird. Like Hayao Miyazaki, Bird’s three feature films each possess his unique stamp, in style and, more importantly, in theme. I would go so far as to put Bird above Miyazaki at the moment—his films are a bit less esoteric and symbol-laden (but this is a great debate worthy of its own forum). They’re works that could be made by no other filmmaker. This is a trait hard enough to come by in live-action films, let alone the world of animation.
And with Ratatouille, Bird comes into his own. He’s made a film worthy of all the superlatives. Best film ever about cooking: check. Best animated film of 2007: check. Best film of 2007: check. More impressively, though, Bird has made a Bildungsroman for the twenty-first century, a story worthy of sitting next to Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Thomas Wolfe’s Look Homeward, Angel (two books I hope the film will encourage viewers to (re-(read). With Remy in particular, Bird has created the most believable and successful filmic treatment of a young artist I can think of. The film’s climax, in which Bird out-Proust’s Proust, is an absolute perfect film moment (the first perfect film moment that I can think of since the final sequence of 2001’s Monster’s Ball). The moment of involuntary memory experienced by Ratatouille’s antagonist, food critic Anton Ego, as a result of Remy’s preparation of the film’s titular dish is beyond words. It’s breathtaking. Just like the movie.
Though I’m more of a movie guy, I wanted to point out some of my favorite material from other genres that saw initial release this year. In the world of rock music (in all its incarnations: alternative, post-, experimental, etc.), I really enjoyed Bloc Party’s A Weekend in the City, Albert Hammond Jr.’s Yours to Keep, Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky, Björk’s Volta, Explosions in the Sky’s All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, and Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible. As I’m also quite partial to power-pop, I recommend Chicago’s own This Is Me Smiling and their self-titled debut, The New Pornographers’ Challengers, and Fountains of Wayne’s Traffic and Weather. As I spent the first half of 2007 finishing my Master’s and the second half catching up on neglected books, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend any of the handful of 2007 books I read, though if you’re an NFL junkie, check out Rich Eisen’s Total Access, it’s a great one-sitting read. As far as past books go, the best novels I read for the first time this year are, in no particular order, Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses, Edith Grossman’s stunning translation of Cervantes’ Don Quixote, and Henry James’s The Aspern Papers. For those with an academic bent, check out Joel Fineman’s Shakespeare’s Perjured Eye. Sadly, Fineman died soon after the 1986 publication of this, his treatise on Shakespeare’s sonnet sequence. If only he was able to complete his book on the plays. Shakespeare’s Perjured Eye is the most thought-provoking and original piece of Shakespeare criticism I’ve ever read—a true wake-up call for those who think we’ve said all there’s to be said regarding the Bard. -- M. Pemulis
12.21.2007
Interview: Samamidon
Conducted by Capt. Obvious
Obvious: The arrangements and orchestration on your upcoming album All Is Well really impressed me. Who was involved in the recording process and how did you hook up with Icelandic record label Bedroom Community?
Samamidon: The orchestral arrangements are by my friend, the composer Nico Muhly - he is also how I got connected to Bedroom Community. He's on the label too, and works very closely in many contexts with Valgeir Siggur∂sson, who runs the label and produced/engineered All Is Well. Iceland is a crazy place. I went there in November of '06 to put down the basic tracks for the songs, and then over the next six months things were added - Nico put down the arrangements in Iceland; I had various friends add things in the US - violist Eyvind Kang who's one of my favorite musicians, Aaron Siegel, who's a wonderful free-jazz drummer I play with a lot and who also works with Anthony Braxton, and my brother Stefan who I've been playing music with since we were kids. Holy shit, I just remembered that I dreamt about Stefan last night. Wow. I dreamt that I had seen into the future to find out how Stefan died. I was talking to his girlfriend Zara, and she reminisced forward into the future, that they were at some cave in the southwest, on a cliff, and Stefan just leaned too far in and was being funny, and just fell down into the cave. And I thought how strange it was that I had seen a glimpse into the future, to my brother's tragic demise, and I wondered if there was a way I could stop it. The dream also involved Owen Wilson. Anyway so then Valgeir worked his magic as a mixing person and emailed me mixes to listen to while I was traveling in Nepal and Bombay.
Obvious: You were something of a child prodigy on fiddle. How did the transformation into a folk singer/songwriter occur, and do you plan on revisiting your violin for any of your future work?
Samamidon: My parents are folksingers and I grew up singing with them and other musicians around Vermont. But in high school I was definitely more interested in fiddle playing, obsessed with traditional Irish tunes. And as a listener at that point my friend Thomas (Doveman) and I were beginning to listen to different stuff (until age 13 we had almost literally only listened to folk music) - Sun Ra, Chris Whitley, Miles Davis, Yo La Tengo, Cat Power etc., all that other wonderful music in the world. But only still playing fiddle music. It wasn't until we came to New York that we started playing other kinds of music. And for some reason, though I had never sung folksongs alone as a kid, just in a harmony singing kind of way with my parents or other people, when I started to learn the guitar a few years ago, singing the folksongs was a good way to do that, and it just kind of grew out of that by accident. But I still play fiddle. All the time. It is my favorite activity.
Obvious: The bulk of your material consists of adaptations of traditional folk songs that a lot of people probably aren't even familiar with. How were you exposed to this music and what made you want to tackle these songs on your albums?
Samamidon: I don't know how to write songs. Some of the songs, my parents sung, others I found on field recording compilations like Alan Lomax' stuff. It's what I felt comfortable singing, and I like how weird and elliptical many of them are. My favorite recording of folksongs is "Come Near My Love" by Bruce Greene and Kore Loy Mcwhirter. Just duo vocals, no instruments, unbearably intense close harmonies, incredible crazy murder ballads, and two songs about outer space!
Obvious: You actually starred in a motion picture entitled American Wake (I'm curious enough to put it in my rental queue). Tell us a little bit about the film and what that experience was like.
Samamidon: It's an indie film that takes place in Cambridge, directed by Maureen Foley. She cast me in the film after seeing my folk band play about 5 years ago, it was a very surreal experience, I had no acting experience and there was no rehearsal. I just wandered on set and spoke these lines for 12 hours a day for a week. I'm not sure that I'm any good in it but it was a fun thing to try to do; it's actually screening on January 5 on channel 13 in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area.
Obvious: Your YouTube videos are damn funny, especially the one of you singing "Leave Your Name" by R. Kelly. If you were to release an EP of similar covers, what would it consist of?
Samamidon: Thank you! The only problem with that video is that Robert trumped me with his youtube video for "Real Talk." Damn. A friend of mine also recounted this quote that he heard Mr. Kelly say at the listening party for the new chapters of trapped in the closet:
"People ask me, Kels, why do you keep on using the same backing track? Why don't you change the backing track?"
"Breathe in. Just take a deep breath [BREATHES IN]. What is that? What is that? That's air. That's the air we're all breathing. Just breathe that in. We need that to survive. That backing track is the air that those characters are breathing. Without it, they would die."
Covers... I have no idea! But I do deeply love R. Kelly. There is no better music for today's world.
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/samamidon
Listen:
MP3: Samamidon - Saro
12.19.2007
The Decemberists: Live From Soho (2007)
Rarities
Oh Apple, with your ingenious marketing campaigns and undeniably sexy computers and mp3 players. I once fought the wave of trendiness surrounding your products tooth and nail, but now... now that I have my very own jam-packed black 80-gig video iPod and a luminous 20" iMac from which I run this blog... I must profess the intensity of love I have for your products... an intensity only rivaled by the love I have for my record collection, dogs, and morningstar vegetarian chicken nuggets (yes, you read that right)... a love only surpassed by my love for the mystery woman we'll call "Mistress Conspicuous." And oh, how I want to hate iTunes and your stupid m4a compression format, yet can't deny the program's ease of use, superiority, and bountiful selection. And yes, how I covet your "iTunes Exclusive" live EP's, such as the one you released earlier this year containing a live set from indie-royalty The Decemberists. You rat bastards. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: The Decemberists - We Both Go Down Together
MP3: The Decemberists - O Valencia!
12.18.2007
The Silent Years Offers Debut LP FREE
You Should Know
The excitement of getting stuff for free is commonly surpassed by the fact that it's usually lame, but that's definitely not the case with The Silent Years' self-titled debut album, which is being offered by the band for free download this holiday season (click the link at the bottom of this post to secure your very own digital copy). The band hails from Detroit and makes really engaging pop-infused indie rock that almost has a British flair. Lead singer Josh Epstein has one of those voices that sounds really familiar yet doesn't blatantly lend itself to any particular comparisons. His range really works perfectly with the band's straight-forward brand of indie rock, which contains its fair share of distorted and driving guitar along with some quieter moments. While the efficient "This Town" sounds a bit like a lost Ted Leo & The Pharmacists track, "Lost At Sea" culminates the album as a simplistic acoustic ballad. The Silent Years is hard at work on their follow-up album, so if you've never heard their music, now is the chance to check them out. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: The Silent Years - Someone To Keep Us Warm
MP3: The Silent Years - This Town
FREE DOWNLOAD: The Silent Years - The Silent Years
12.17.2007
Tyler Ramsey: A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea (2008)
New Wax
Surrounded by the majestic Blue Ridge mountains, there's a North Carolina town by the name of Asheville that has become quite the cultural hotspot. It's one of my favorite destinations and if you've never been there, I strongly recommend that you visit... especially if you're into drum circles. Hailing from Asheville is singer/songwriter Tyler Ramsey, whose debut album A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea is scheduled to be released January 15th on Echo Mountain Records. If Tyler's name sounds vaguely familiar, you may have heard that he was recently recruited to play guitar in uber-popular indie band Band Of Horses. Sweet gig. Many have been comparing Ramsey's sound to Mark Kozelek, who happens to be one of my favorite songwriters, and while there is a definite similarity, I wouldn't go as far as to call it uncanny. In the same way that Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon material may not be overwhelmingly striking upon an initial lazy listen, Ramsey's material tends to yield its subtle brilliance after multiple listens. Ramsey's impressive guitar-work is on full display on the instrumental "Birdwings," yet he shows perfect restraint on the rest of the album. The intimate "Please Stop Time" works brilliantly with only acoustic guitar and Ramsey's warm vocals, while other tracks benefit from gentle touches of piano, vibraphone, and a various assortment of other sparsely placed instruments. Ramsey even turns in a wonderful interpretation of "These Days," a song originally penned by Jackson Browne for Nico (queue the green line bus scene from The Royal Tenenbaums). A Long Dream is definitely a great start to 2008, and it's an album worth spending an extended amount of time with. It's the kind of music you listen to in your car when you're driving just to drive. It's the kind of album you buy on vinyl and listen to on headphones while you stare at the ceiling fan. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Tyler Ramsey - No One Goes Out
MP3: Tyler Ramsey - Please Stop Time
12.16.2007
The Xmas Mixtape
SIDE A
1. The Pixies - Holiday Song
2. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Cold White Christmas
3. Adam Acuragi - The Christmas Song
4. The Get Up Kids - Holiday
5. Jesse Malin - Xmas
6. Kevin Devine - Splitting Up Christmas
7. Brand New - Oh Holy Night
8. Ryan Adams - Hey Parker, It's Christmas
1. Mogwai - Christmas Song
2. Snowden - Christmas Time Is Here
3. Jimmy Eat World - Christmas Card
4. Up Up Down Down - Christmas Eve 1993
5. Idaho - Santa Claus Is Weird
6. Broken Social Scene - Handjobs For The Holidays
7. Kind Of Like Spitting - Tyco Racing Set & A Christmas Story Fifteen Times
8. Denison Witmer - Christmas Song
The Everybodyfields
You Should Know
Perfect. Alt-Country. Music. My description of The Everybodyfields is that simple, and honestly, there's no real point in expounding any more than that. But I'm going to. I've known about The Everybodyfields for a good while now, and since my buddy John from Johnson City, Tennessee (the band's hometown as well) mentioned them, I've been quite curious. While I liked the handful of mp3's that I found floating around the blogosphere, I withheld from any final judgement until I could get my hands on a full album. Well, what can I say, there's so little time and so much music, but now that I've finally been able to spend some time with the band's newest album Nothing Is Okay, I sure do wish I would've listened to it sooner. It's another album that very well could have been one of my favorites of the year. The Everybodyfields consists of two members, Sam Quinn and Jill Andrews. Each member of the duo has a distinct voice, and while they are very different, they mend together to form wonderful melodies. Andrews' voice is flat-out pretty, and belongs amongst the ranks of Hem's Sally Ellyson and Over The Rhine's Karin Bergquist, while Quinn's country-twang is hard-edged and confident. Topping off the band's considerable instrumental and vocal talent is their songwriting, which consists of sorrowful and melancholic human tales. Like I mentioned before... Perfect. Alt-Country. Music. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: The Everybodyfields - Lonely Anywhere
MP3: The Everybodyfields - Don't Turn Around
Lucky Fonz III: Life Is Short (2007)
New Wax
Lucky Fonz III is Amsterdam singer/songwriter Otto Wichers, whose songs seem influenced by American folk yet they still show subtle glimpses of his homeland. There seems to be an abundance of quality European artists who delve into folk-tinged fare... Thomas Denver Jonsson and Christian Kjellvander are two that come to mind, along with the great success of Jose Gonzalez. Wichers belongs somewhere on that list amongst a surprisingly rich talent pool of European folk musicians. Self-releasing his debut in 2006, Wichers writes songs that don't exhibit as much of a country vibe as those of Jonnson and Kjellvander. At times his voice sounds a bit like Zach Condon of Beirut yet less operatic, while musically, Wichers material is a lot less Balkan gypsy and a lot more traditional folk with hints of pop. With gentle acoustics, an array of keyboard sounds, and the occasional horn serving as the foundation to most of most tracks, Wichers' newest release Life Is Short is a bit of a slow burner, although it does have a few uptempo moments. For the most part, the songs inch by at a deliberate pace, and most of them clock in at less than 4 minutes yet seem much longer, but not in a bad way. It's the kind of album that is perfect as background music but also holds up to careful scrutiny as an expertly crafted work. Life Is Short is only available digitally here in the United States, so if you'd like to purchase it, head over to iTunes. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Lucky Fonz III - Draw Me A River
MP3: Lucky Fonz III - Christmas Lights In A Cave
12.14.2007
Blog Roundup 12.14.07
Props
Speed Of Dark has a great live show review of J. Tillman along with some mp3s to listen to. Tillman is definitely one of my favorite music finds in recent memory.
Great new blog over at brontosaur.us, not to mention the best web address ever. Nice range of music including an interesting band named The Dodos.
Who doesn't like Christmas mixes? Me, actually. But I do like penguins. Six Eyes is mix galore, and they've got tons of music to check out.
Sound As Language is one of my favorite blogs and is one of the reasons I started my own. Check the site out and read top ten album lists from pretty much everybody and their mom.
Run by Eric, a former member of pop punk band Allister, Can You See The Sunset From The Southside is another amazing source for great music running the gamut of genre.
Tags: Blog Roundup, Captain Obvious
Alela Diane
You Should Know
Seems like any musician who dresses like a hippie and sings about nature is being called Freak-folk or Psych-folk these days.. and while I'm really not entirely sure what all the labels mean, I do know that about 10 seconds into her song "Rifle," 24-year old singer/songwriter Alela Diane had already wowed me with her delicate brand of folk. Hailing from California and now operating out of Portland, Diane's music is built on stark and sparse finger-picked acoustic guitar riffs, which makes her sound quite different from oft-cited folkie Joanna Newsome. While all the instrumentation on her 2006 release The Pirate's Gospel is admirable, it's Diane's rich voice that seeps into your bones like rain into a cracked window sill. On "Sister Self," Diane flaunts her ability to inhabit bluesy lows while also exhibiting the capability to hit a high note. Over the song's slide guitar, Diane's voice is hypnotic and endlessly commanding. A relative newcomer, Diane has already opened for bands like The Decemberists and Akron/Family, and she'll undoubtedly prove that she deserves to be headlining. It's only a matter of being heard. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Alela Diane - Rifle
MP3: Alela Diane - Pieces Of String
Monitor And The Merrimac: Grandma's Old Couch (2007)
New Wax
Besides being a Civil War reference, Monitor And The Merrimac also serves as the moniker for Dave Grazinski's one-man banjo project. One listen to his new album Grandma's Old Couch, and you'd expect Grazinski to be about 30 years older and 100 pounds heavier. In actuality, Grazinski is from Connecticut rather than the deep south, and he's merely a 20-something rather than a world-weary old man in a tobacco-stained flannel shirt and worn overalls. That doesn't mean that Grazinski is incapable of creating timeless front-porch ditties built on intermingling banjo and rootsy acoustic guitar strums. In fact, he does so rather convincingly. With an unabashedly bluegrass sound and enough of a punk rock aesthetic thrown in to keep all the indie kids intrigued, one spin of Grandma's Old Couch is effectively like stepping into a time-warp that transports you straight to a middle-of-nowhere-mountain-town where the townspeople find their entertainment by gathering around the local tunes-man and listening to him pluck away at his banjo and sing at the top of his lungs. Production-wise, the album is rough enough around the edges to ring authentic, while being polished enough to impress. As a matter of fact, Grazinski recorded the tracks with equipment belonging to his friends in Mates of State. The resulting album is ironically refreshing considering its throwback roots. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Monitor And The Merrimac - Grandma's Old Couch
MP3: Monitor And The Merrimac - Where Are You Now, James Durden
12.13.2007
Okkervil River: Golden Opportunities Mixtape (2007)
Rarities
With The Stage Names, Austin band Okkervil River abandoned their more folksy roots for a broader, more appealing brand of indie rock. While lead singer Will Sheff chose a more accessible sound, the album's subject matter was as thematically complex as ever and the record is sure to find its way onto some "best of" lists, including our very own where we placed it at #5 overall. Christmas arrives early for fans of the band because Okkervil River is offering a mixtape of covers for FREE over at their website. The album was recorded live while the band was on tour from 2006 to 2007 and it contains a collection of covers that span the gamut from Randy Newman to Joni Mitchell along with a reworking of "Listening To Otis Redding During Christmas" which originally appeared on Don't Fall In Love With Everyone You See. You can even download printable artwork and liner notes from the website. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Okkervil River - Do What You Gotta Do
FREE DOWNLOAD: Okkervil River - Golden Opportunities Mixtape
12.12.2007
The Good VS. Evil Mixtape
GOOD
1. Roy - Jesus Drives A Trans Am
2. Clem Snide - God Answers Back
3. Christian Kjellvander - Jesus
4. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
5. Richard Buckner - Cradle To The Angel
6. Fire Theft - Heaven
7. The Veils - Jesus For The Jugular
8. Aaron Roche - The Savior's Will
9. Right Away, Great Captain! - Sacred Heart
1. Magnolia Electric Co. - Talk To Me Devil, Again
2. Blitzen Trapper - Devil's A-Go-Go
3. Menomena - Rotten Hell
4. Jason Isbell - The Devil Is My Running Mate
5. Will Oldham - Some Say (I Got Devil)
6. Nyles Lannon - Demons
7. Elliott Smith - Son Of Sam
8. Willy Mason - Sold My Soul
12.11.2007
Interview: David Wingo of Ola Podrida
Conducted by Capt. Obvious
Obvious: So what's in the name Ola Podrida? Where did it come from and what does it mean?
Wingo: There was a crafts-mall/puppet-show theater near where I grew up in Dallas called "Olla Podrida", but being white people we all pronounced it "Ola Podrida"... it was the first place I ever had a job (dressing up as a mouse at Christmas-time when I was 14 to promote some book by a local author), and it was the first place I ever had a beer (when I was waiting for my dad to pick me up in the parking lot after work and some guys drove past and threw it at me). It closed when I was in junior high and I just kind of liked the idea of naming the band after something very time and place specific that only existed in my youth. Not for any real reason, I just liked the idea. But as much as that, I also just like the way Ola Podrida sounds.
Obvious: Aside from the wonderful debut album, you've provided the soundtrack for some great films in George Washington, All The Real Girls, and Snow Angels. How did you meet David Gordon Green, and did you expect his films to garner such critical praise when you began working with him?
Wingo: Back to my youth... David and I have been best friends since 3rd grade (his mom actually hooked me up with the mouse job... he and I both). We were both pretty movie-obsessed in elementary school and immediately bonded over it, so it only made sense once he started making films in film-school that he get me to try my hand at doing the music, and that's where the working relationship started. I also boom mic'd (poorly) on George Washington, and it's interesting... I think at the time we all thought that us and all our friends were going to love the hell out of the movie but beyond that a lot of us were just sort of hoping it might have a good festival run and that some strangers would see it. We were all pretty young (early 20's) and having just graduated from college, real success still seemed like a somewhat foreign, unattainable thing. All it takes is seeing one person you know or project you've worked on receiving some acclaim to make it suddenly seem like a realistic possibility and George Washington was that project for all of us, but while we were making it, it was really difficult to imagine a world where people we didn't know would watch and enjoy this odd little movie we were making on a widespread level. But I think David was pretty forward-thinking... I don't know if he was expecting it to receive all the acclaim it did (I can't imagine he was anticipating a Criterion Collection release...) but I think he was certainly HOPING for more than just a good festival run. But that wasn't necessarily his goal, and that's one of the great things about the movie... there's a real innocence to it where you can tell that this guy is just really psyched to be shooting a movie in Scope and is gonna shoot exactly what he wants to see in case he never gets the chance to do it again. I think that really comes through when I watch it now, and I think it's pretty rare to see something that's that clear in its vision.
Obvious: Correct me if I'm wrong, but I recall reading that All The Real Girls was actually named after one of your compositions. What meaning does the phrase "All The Real Girls" carry for you?
Wingo: Yeah, it was the name of a song I wrote when we were 19 or 20. It was just about being in love with a character in a movie while not being able to relate to "all the real girls living in the real world". Nerd alert...
Obvious: The song "Cindy" is very cinematic in its own right. How do you think your experience scoring films has effected the way you approach your songwriting?
Wingo: I'm not sure if it has affected my songwriting in terms of my lyrics... if it has, it's been on a more subconscious level. But musically it's had a huge effect I think. I had really taken a long time off from writing songs when I started working on the album, and once I really buckled down and started focusing on it I tried really hard to bring everything I learned about atmosphere and ambiance and creating a mood to the table as I was working on the songs. I learn more and more on every movie I work on because, of course, every movie requires a completely different perspective to be coming at it from, so I would hope that I'm keeping all the little subtleties I learn from every project and am able to apply them to whatever I'm working on, whether it be another film or my own music.
Obvious: I see that you've got American Analog Set singer/guitarist Andrew Kenny playing bass for the band, how did that come about?
Wingo: Kenny and Mark and Lee are 3 of my oldest friends from Austin, and actually, when we parted ways with our initial bassist in Austin and I was still on the fence about staying in Austin or moving back to NYC, Lee (who played bass in AmAnSet) was going to play bass for us. But when I told him that we were heading to NYC, he suggested that I ask Kenny to play bass. So although I felt that was probably not something he would actually be interested in, I got a text from him later that week telling me that he'd been listening to the album a lot, so I figured why the hell not and asked him. He's a great musician and a great guy and I feel really fortunate that I get to play with him, it's been really great... I've actually known each of the guys in the band for over 10 years, so I feel really lucky that I've been able to get all these old friends to play all these songs with me, it's really cool.
Obvious: If you had the chance to score a film for any director, who would you choose?
Wingo: Oh wow... it's an obvious choice, but I'd have to say Terrence Malick. That would would be beyond unreal. Besides him though, definitely P.T. Anderson, but considering that not only has Jon Brion scored all his films but now Johnny Greenwood is on board too, I think the pressure might be a little much! That'd be some serious stuff to have to live up to... Jon Brion is one of my favorite working film composers, and I can't wait to hear what Johnny Greenwood did for him. I'm actually seeing a sneak preview of There Will Be Blood tonight, I can't wait.
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/olapodrida
Listen:
MP3: Ola Podrida - Cindy
MP3: Ola Podrida - Photo Booth
12.10.2007
Spoorloos (1988)
Films Revisited
Hollywood seems to have an insatiable need to create inferior remakes of foreign films that would be better suited untouched and unscathed by shallow attempts to reinvigorate their stories. A film by the name of The Vanishing, which starred Kiefer Sutherland and Jeff Bridges, and came out in 1993 was one of those inferior Hollywood remakes. The original, and much more gripping film was entitled Spoorloos (which translates to The Vanishing). The film tells the story of Rex and Saskia, a young couple who are on vacation. After having a small argument and making up, the two stop at a gas station. After going inside to grab some drinks, Saskia mysteriously disappears. Rex spends the next three years overcome by the obsession of finding her, or at least finding out what happened to her. While we are aware of Rex's plight, we also know from the beginning of the film that a mild-mannered professor and family man by the name of Raymond Lemorne is indeed the psychopath responsible for Saskia's disappearance. Aware of Rex's public outcries, Lemorne contacts Rex with a unique offer: The truth will be revealed to you, but you have to go through the exact same thing she did in order to find out. Without exposing the memorable ending, I'll just say that the film's study of obsession as well as sociopathic behavior is chilling to say the least. What makes the film so powerfully disturbing is the fact that it approaches both characters in such a raw and mundane way. There is no Hollywood glitz or gore involved, just an existential psychological portrait of the two main characters. And it's about a million times scarier than anything Eli Roth could ever hope to create. -- Capt. Obvious
12.08.2007
Doug Burr: On Promenade (2007)
New Wax
There really are a lot of great songwriters out there and it's really been a treat running this blog and having the unique opportunity to expand my knowledge of quality music. With the release of On Promenade, Denton songwriter Doug Burr definitely deserves to have his name thrown into the hat. Burr's music fits nicely into the alt. country category, and he's had the luxury of opening for such established acts as The Great Lake Swimmers and former Vigilantes of Love lead singer Bill Mallonee. With a subtle and soothing sound, Burr's songs exhibit a familiarity while never sounding too derivative. With just the right amount of country twang, Burr navigates through a songscape with confident precision and an unwavering command of his subject matter. One particularly memorable song is "Graniteville," which tells the story of a train filled with poison crashing into a small town. Burr extends his lyrical prowess over the quiet finger-picking of "Come To My Senses," where Burr sings: "The train it snakes through the stormy land/ The devil knows it like the back of his hand/ There's werewolves standing on Jordan's shores/ If I come to my senses, will you come to yours?" On the uber-creative "How Can The Lark (My Dear Theo)," Burr tackles even more intriguing subject matter, as the song reads like a correspondence between legendary artist Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Theo. The Van Gogh references make sense considering that the material on On Promenade was recorded with the delicacy of an artist's brushtroke. The album paints a breathtaking picture of love and loss. If alt. country/folk is your cup of tea, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better example of it. Highly Recommended. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Doug Burr - Slow Southern Home
MP3: Doug Burr - Come To My Senses
12.07.2007
Ola Podrida
You Should Know
I feel quite ridiculous for waiting until now to mention Ola Podrida, which is the alias that songwriter David Wingo goes by. Admittedly, I just recently purchased his formidable self-titled debut, and had I gotten my hands on it when it was released earlier in the year, it very easily could have been one of my favorite albums of 2007. Compounding my regrettable lack of indie awareness is the fact that Wingo has scored soundtracks for films like George Washington, All The Real Girls, and Snow Angels, all of which were directed by Capt. Obvious favorite David Gordon Green. Wingo's music as Ola Podrida lends itself nicely as soundtrack music, but it stands on its own merit as a memorable debut. Wingo's subtle and hushed voice draws obvious comparisons to Sam Beam, and while the majority of the songs are rooted in quiet acoustics, there is an occasional outburst of full-band folk rock that serves as a respite to all the hushed intimacy. On a storytelling level, Wingo's craft is never more apparent than on "Cindy," in which the song concludes with the protagonist walking into a burning building. Awesome. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Ola Podrida - Cindy
MP3: Ola Podrida - Photo Booth
12.06.2007
Mono In VCF (2007)
New Wax
The Seattle Times describes Tacoma, Washington band Mono In VCF's sound as "Drifting leisurely in space somewhere between psychedelic Beatles and Massive Attack." So considering my own musical tastes, which do not include either the Beatles (I respect them, but I'm not a "fan".... Blasphemy, I know) or Massive Attack, or anything remotely "psychedelic," I wasn't expecting to react in any way to Mono In VCF's music. After receiving an email from the band's bassist, Jordan Luckman, and listening to the album a few times, I must say that I'm impressed. The band exhibits the wall of sound aesthetic of the 60's, and has created a brand of indie-pop that perfectly accompanies lead singer Kim Miller's haunting vocals (which actually sort of remind me of Madonna's... like if Madonna was actually cool and in a good band). With the help of British producer Martin Feveyear, who has worked with R.E.M. and Queens of the Stone Age, the band's new self-titled debut actually incorporates long abandoned recording techniques to give it an airy vintage feel. It's all strangely enjoyable and poppy while still maintaining a dark veneer. Huh, who knew? You can purchase the band's new album as a digital download now, or you can wait until January 2008 to get your grubby little hands on the CD. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Mono In VCF - Masha
12.04.2007
Punch Drunk Love (2002)
Films Revisited
I'm a Paul Thomas Anderson fan, and I thought Hard Eight and Boogie Nights were really solid films that established him as an intriguing director. It was his sprawling Altman-esque character ensemble Magnolia that really put him on my short list of favorite directors. The thing that I love about P.T.'s films is that they are ridiculously polarizing, and his 2002 romantic comedy (if that's what you want to call it) Punch Drunk Love definitely fits into that category of love-it-or-hate-it cinema. I happen to love it. I'll be honest, before this film was released and I heard Adam Sandler's name attached, I cringed and thought to myself.. why would P.T. risk an impressive resume by doing THAT. But the fact of the matter is that many actors who are typecast into particular roles are capable of much more than they've been given the opportunity to exhibit. Bill Murray and Tom Hanks are strong examples of actors who escaped their zany pasts to establish themselves as strong actors more than capable of portraying a variety of complex emotions. Now, I'm not saying that Sandler will ever soar to those heights, but I think he performs admirably in this quirky little film. In Punch Drunk Love, Sandler plays Barry Egan, a socially retarded business owner with seven sisters who constantly tease him. He deals with his anger with strange and violent outbursts that involve the destruction of restrooms and sliding glass doors. He passes most of his time sitting in his warehouse and collecting healthy choice UPC's that can be redeemed for frequent flyer miles. One night, out of his loneliness, he calls a phone sex line which turns out to be a scam and he is eventually blackmailed out of money by a slimeball mattress salesman (the sublime Phillip Seymour Hoffman). It isn't until he meets and falls in love with Lena (Emily Watson), who somehow overlooks his lack of interpersonal skills, that Barry gains the courage to stand up for himself and to defend the woman he loves. Memorable quote:
Lena: "Your cheek is so cute, I just want to bite it."
Barry: "I'm lookin' at your face and I just wanna smash it. I just wanna fuckin' smash it with a sledgehammer and squeeze it. You're so pretty." -- Capt. Obvious
12.03.2007
Simon Moore: Twenty Five Hour Day (2007)
New Wax
Last Year Australian Simon Moore traveled to Los Angeles to record his debut album Twenty Five Hour Day at New Monkey studio, which happens to be where the late Elliott Smith recorded a wealth of his material. The album was released earlier this year and the music video for the solid single "The Army Of The Soldier Crabs" was a finalist at the Portable Film Festival. Since the release, Moore has picked up a band and has made the transition from solo artist to the lead singer of a full band that carries the same name of his debut album, Twenty Five Hour Day. The songs on Moore's debut are a mixture of catchy pop songs reminiscent of Belle and Sebastian and acoustic folk reminiscent of, well, the aforementioned Elliott Smith. "How Do I Know" is good enough to be an Elliott Smith song as far as I'm concerned. Moore's voice is interesting, and while his Melbourne, Victoria roots aren't glaringly obvious, the subtleness of his accent definitely enhances the overall feel of his music. Twenty Five Hour Day is an enjoyable introduction to Moore's songwriting, and I'm looking forward to hearing new material from his newly formed band. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Simon Moore - How Do I Know
MP3: Simon Moore - The Army Of The Solider Crabs
12.01.2007
Division Day: Beartrap Island (2007)
New Wax
California's Division Day has quickly become one of the most buzzworthy bands on the indie circuit and one of the most written about bands gracing the cyber pages of the music blog community (thanks in part to a remarkable string of web-released cover songs). The story behind Beartrap Island is interesting considering that it was self-released by the band back in 2006, and even found its way on its share of "Best of 2006" lists. The album has now been officially released on Eenie Meenie Records and is available at fine record stores as well as on iTunes. While the band's name is a direct reference to an Elliott Smith song, their music is more in the indie-rock vein and it contains a surplus of distorted guitars, feedback, and soaring vocals. While the music on Beartrap Island is always solid, it's Division Day's lyrics that really pulled me in. With subject matter like blood and insects, you'd think their music would be depressing, but the harmonies, airy guitars, and bouncy piano lines save the material from every being overly gloomy. "Hand To The Sound" jumps out as an instant favorite with its catchy melody and vague yet intriguing lyrics like: "The adders curled around her/ Slithering through the window/ Singing 'Serpentina, we are your only cover now/ Put your hand to the sound/ These are the scales you'll call your own/ We'll come back in August, after the fall/ It turns all this red'." There is enough lyrical artistry on the album to keep English Majors busy, while the music is catchy and melodic. Definitely a band to expect great things from in the future. -- Capt. Obvious
Listen:
MP3: Division Day - Hurricane
MP3: Division Day - Hand To The Sound
