8.30.2009

A.A. Bondy: When The Devil's Loose (2009)


New Wax


A.A. Bondy's rustic 2007 debut American Hearts was the sort of album that left folk fans salivating for more. With a deft understanding of song structure and an understated yet genius knack for image-driven wordplay, not to mention a wonderful voice, the once-member of 90's grunge/rock band Verbena established himself as a songwriting force. On his new album When The Devil's Loose, which is set for release September 1 on Fat Possum, Bondy infuses his already winning formula with the backing of a full band. Recorded mostly in Water Valley, Mississippi, you can feel the essence of the south permeate the album. You can almost hear the animals rustling in the woods; you can almost feel the humid, hot air penetrate your pores. While the full band aesthetic adds a fullness to the material, Bondy and company still mantain a loose, intimate feel throughout. The aptly titled "Slow Parade," which extends some of the apocalyptic imagery exhibited on American Hearts, proceeds at a steady pace set by driving piano, drums, and electric guitar. Ian and James Felice of The Felice Brothers lend a helping hand on the similarly hypnotizing title track and the woozily-intoxicating album closer "The Coal Hits The Fire." The fullness of a backing band gives the album a warmer, more upbeat vibe than American Hearts, but closer inspection of the lyrics reveals more of the same: Bondy is still singing the blues, and he's doing it better than almost anyone. Highly recommended listening. -- Capt. Obvious

at 2:11 PM 2 comments

Colour Revolt: Moses Of The South


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at 2:08 PM 1 comments

8.28.2009

August Mixtape



SIDE A
1. Volcano Choir - Island, IS
2. Grand Archives - Oslo Novelist
3. Ola Podrida - Your Father's Basement
4. Elvis Perkins In Dearland - Slow Doomsday
5. Adam Arcuragi - She Comes To Me
6. Atlas Sound - Walkabout
7. Lightning Dust - I Knew


SIDE B
1. Megafaun - Kaufman's Ballad
2. The Swell Season - In These Arms
3. Langhorne Slim - I Love You, But Goodbye
4. The Dutchess And The Duke - Hands
5. David Bazan - Bless This Mess
6. Times New Viking - Move To California
7. Daniel Johnston - Freedom

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at 3:40 PM 5 comments

Owen: New Leaves (2009)


New Wax


As the title suggests, Mike Kinsella's newest contribution under the Owen moniker is a bit of a departure both musically and thematically. Recorded over the course of two years, New Leaves, which is being released September 22 on Polyvinyl Records, enlists the expertise of multiple engineers such as Tim Iseler (Wilco), Brian Deck (Iron & Wine), and Graeme Gibson (Califone), whereas previous releases were primarily recorded in a makeshift studio in the home of Kinsella's mother. Musically, the arrangements on New Leaves are more elaborate. Kinsella's finger-picked riffs are as pretty as ever, and new layers of sounds add further nuance to the tracks. While New Leaves still exhibits Kinsella's penchant for self-deprecation, there's a newfound focus on clean slates and new beginnings. The now-married Kinsella has veered away from his previous preoccupation with failed relationships. On "Never Been Born," Kinsella sings "These old bones don't feel so old when I'm home with you." "Amnesia And Me" finds Kinsella further musing on his recent domestication: "Now I know who I am, a housebroken one-woman man." It's surely unfamiliar territory for Kinsella, but that's not to say there's a shortage of sardonic wit and self-examination on New Leaves. Kinsella sounds fed up on "Curtain Call." He confesses: "People used to pay to watch me sing and play/ But it seems more and more they come to spit in my face/ I'm tired of speaking up and speaking clearly so the idiots in the back can hear me." While Kinsella seems burdened by the rigors of touring, he finally seems content with his personal life. Past releases felt like a glimpse into the dark rooms of Kinsella's psyche, where New Leaves finds those same rooms a little brighter, as if someone tied back the curtains and cracked the windows, making way for some fresh air and sunlight. -- Capt. Obvious

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8.24.2009

Why?: Eskimo Snow (2009)


New Wax


Last year's Why? album Alopecia, for lack of better terminology, kicked my ass. It was the first I'd heard of Yoni Wolf and company's hip-hop infused art rock and it worked itself into my top ten albums of the year. Wolf's wordplay, which is, as far as I'm concerned, without comparison, is equal parts genius and untethered absurdity. Wolf still juggles poignant introspection with too-much-information lyricism. On "Into The Shadows Of My Embrace," Wolf goes from musing on the pangs of loneliness to, well, keep reading: "I wish I could feel close to somebody but I don't feel nothing.... Now I think my upstairs neighbor hears me masturbating." It's undoubtedly jarring, but if you can get past Wolf's lack of a filter, you'll find a wealth of solemnity encapsulated between the sardonic one-liners. Musically, the band takes a step away from their hip-hop tag and steps moreso towards the art-pop they established with Alopecia. At its most stripped-down, Eskimo Snow even approaches a folk aesthetic. You'll hear fingerpicked guitar on the title track and what sounds like slide guitar on the end of "Even The Good Wood Gone." It's all a very strange mish-mash of genres, but Why? is a strange band that defies classification. Eskimo Snow is a great album and it's a work of art steeped in both dark humor and genuine pain. Such is life. -- Capt. Obvious

at 11:14 PM 0 comments

The Antlers: Two


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at 4:52 PM 0 comments

Sleeping States


You Should Know


Sleeping States is the moniker of UK musician Markland Starkie, who melds found sounds like chirping birds and hissing tea-kettles with a dreamy lo-fi singer-songwriter aesthetic. On his latest album In The Gardens Of the North, Starkie combines his woozy melodies with layers of hypnotic drums and organic instrumentation. On the particularly noteworthy "Gardens Of The South," Starkie does his best doo-wop impression but it's doo-wop by way of codeine overdose, as if it were some askew musical nod to a scene from American Grafitti, as David Lynch would have directed it. Starkie's voice is oddly haunting and it quivers with ghostly affectation over lush arrangements that invoke images of fog-covered landscapes and vine-entangled cottages. The imagery is fitting. Starkie recorded the album in a Bristol shack in the woods, and you can imagine him toiling away endlessly with found sounds and instruments. The labor has paid off. The Gardens Of The North is an articulate and texturally stunning mish-mash of genres and pushes conventional songwriting into a strange and exciting new realm. -- Capt. Obvious

at 3:59 PM 1 comments

The Cave Singers: Welcome Joy (2009)


New Wax


Sometimes it's nice to have a respite from all the sad-bastard music I embrace, and while Seattle trio The Cave Singers tackle both joy and sorrow on their new album Welcome Joy, the band's energy is enough to put a permanent smile on your face. The band rose from the ashes of Pretty Girls Make Graves when former member Dave Fudesco teamed up with Pete Quirk of Hint Hint and Marty Lund of Cobra High. Welcome Joy refines the already-promising rustic folk sound displayed on 2007's Invitation Songs. Aptly named Peter Quirk has one of those love-it or hate-it voices. In my opinion, his scratchy vocals are a perfect fit for the band's psych-tinged shuffle. The production on Welcome Joy, which was helmed by Colin Stewart of Black Mountain, is fitting: drums sound charmingly primitive, airy guitar riffs pervade the album, and Quirk always sounds like he could be singing from the corner of the room you're in. Guests Amber and Ashley Webber from Lightning Dust supply some well-placed female backing vocals. Welcome Joy is a warm album that's a bit more complex than its easy-going nature might let on. A perfect soundtrack for the changing seasons. -- Capt. Obvious

at 3:24 PM 0 comments

8.23.2009

Modest Mouse: No One's First, And You're Next (2009)


New Wax


While No One's First, And You're Next, the latest release from Modest Mouse, can't be considered a proper follow-up to 2007's We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, it contains enough bright moments in its outtakes and leftovers to merit a listen. The EP contains more polished versions of B-sides from 2004's Good News For People Who Love Bad News and the aforementioned We Were Dead. Musically it's all over the place. From the spacey long-player "Whale Song" to the more straightforward "Satellite Skin" to the banjo-laden "Autumn Beds," the band navigates a broad sonic scape. Sometimes they do so beautifully and sometimes you can see why some of these tracks didn't make the final cut. That being said, there are a couple of strong moments on No One's First. There must be some sort of magic in the coupling of banjo with Brock's voice, because banjo-laden tracks "Autumn Beds" and "King Rat" are obvious highlights. No One's First doesn't compare to any of the band's proper releases and even pales in comparison to Building Nothing Out Of Something, which was in itself a collection of leftovers, but it does serve as a nice respite for fans eagerly awaiting a new Mouse LP. -- Capt. Obvious

at 8:54 PM 2 comments

Johnny Flynn & Laura Marling: Travel Light


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at 8:35 PM 1 comments

The Wooden Sky: If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone (2009)


New Wax


I love folk music, but let's be honest, the indie-folk genre has been flooded by mediocrity in recent years. Luckily, Toronto's The Wooden Sky doesn't fall into that category of derivative hacks. I praised their 2007 debut album When Lost At Sea, which was released under the band name Friday Morning's Regret. The band has since wisely changed their name to The Wooden Sky and they are back with a brand new LP entitled If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone. Lead singer Gavin Gardner, who was actually my first interview victim here on CO, dials it down a notch on If I Don't Come Home. Where When Lost At Sea moved at a brisk, up-tempo pace, the new album lives in moments of quiet beauty. Take for example the standout track "Something Hiding For Us In The Night," which somehow manages to sound shorter than its five-and-a-half minutes with its hypnotic drums and deftly placed pedal steel guitar. The harmonies on If I Don't Come Home are perhaps the most notable improvement. Whether its the chorus of voices on the jangly "The Late King Henry" or the female backing vocals on the scaled-down "Oslo," you'll find yourself unabashedly singing along. If I Don't Come Home sounds like a band hitting their stride. Hopefully it will bring them the attention they deserve. -- Capt. Obvious

at 7:51 PM 0 comments

8.22.2009

The Covers Mixtape XX



SIDE A
1. J. Tillman - My Proud Mountains (Townes Van Zandt Cover)
2. She & Him - Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want (The Smiths Cover)
3. Band Of Horses - Your Love Is Forever (George Harrison Cover)
4. M. Ward - Let My Love Open The Door (Pete Townshend Cover)
5. Jeff Tweedy - I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan Cover)
6. Robin Pecknold - Two-Headed Boy (Neutral Milk Hotel Cover)
7. Atlas Sound - Walk A Thin Line (Fleetwood Mac Cover)


SIDE B
1. A.A. Bondy - I'm On Fire (Bruce Springsteen Cover)
2. Deer Tick - Dead Flowers (Rolling Stones Cover)
3. Radiohead - On The Beach (Neil Young Cover)
4. Broken Social Scene - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division Cover)
5. Ruby Weapon - Two Weeks (Grizzly Bear Cover)
6. Rufus Wainwright - Across The Universe (The Beatles Cover)
7. Greg Laswell - Your Ghost (Kristin Hersh Cover)

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at 10:49 PM 6 comments

J. Tillman: Year In The Kingdom (2009)


New Wax


The ill-informed may confuse J. Tillman's solo material as a side project, but alas, Tillman was a solo artist long before he was the drummer for it-band Fleet Foxes. Tillman's hypnotic, deep lull of a voice is quite different when contrasted with the sweeping pastoral harmonies of his other band. Throwing his name in the hat of uber-prolific singer/songwriters, Tillman returns with his second album in a year entitled Year In The Kingdom. Whereas most of Tillman's previous material owed much of its charm to a decidedly self-produced sound, Year In The Kingdom sounds as immaculate as anything he's done. As we all know, too much polish can be a detriment. Sometimes music resonates in its imperfection rather than its lack thereof. In the case of Year In The Kingdom, the improvement in fidelity is less of a hindrance and more of a welcome evolution. Tillman's voice is crystal clear, and while the instrumentation sounds as crisp as ever, the arrangements on Year In The Kingdom still exhibit the same stripped-down aesthetic Tillman fans have come to love. That's not to say Tillman hasn't expanded his soundscape a bit. You'll notice some unfamiliar sounds on Year In The Kingdom. For example, the gorgeous hammered dulcimer on "Crosswinds" and "Howling Light" adds a dramatic element. It's ironic that through his involvement with Fleet Foxes, Tillman has only now started to cultivate a well-deserved following. If you take into account all his solo material, Tillman's no less than a veteran songwriter at this point. If Year In The Kingdom isn't the best album he's released, it sure as hell is in the running. -- Capt. Obvious

at 9:55 PM 1 comments

Grand Archives: Miniature Birds & Dig That Crazy Grave


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at 9:47 PM 0 comments

The Roadside Graves: My Son's Home (2009)


New Wax


New Jersey's The Roadside Graves have a name fit for a death-metal band, but they deal out jangly folk-rock as effortlessly as anyone. Taking a page from Bob Dylan and The Band (what folk-rock band isn't?), The Roadside Graves turn in a sprawling collection of narrative-rich songs on their new album My Son's Home. Lead singer John Gleason's vocals warble with wit and flair and he's backed by an onslaught of accordion, piano, and loosely strummed guitars. The band shines in the stripped-down intimacy of "Wooden Walls" but they are even more adept at turning in whiskey-soaked full-band bravado on tracks like "Far And Wide" and "Ruby." As you'd expect from a band named The Roadside Graves, much of the lyrical content deals with mortality, and this collection of songs approaches that subject matter from a variety of angles. They can pull off the raucous and humorous but can just as easily break your heart. For example, the title track paints a haunting tableau of a family waiting for their son's return from war, and it's not entirely clear whether he's alive or being shipped home in a coffin. Gleason sings over moody fingerpicked acoustic guitar: "To hell with the fighting, my son's home." It's one of the more powerful moments on My Son's Home, an album that doesn't reinvent the wheel but explores familiar ground in a fresh way. Highly recommended, especially for fans of The Felice Brothers and Two Gallants. -- Capt. Obvious

at 9:14 PM 0 comments

8.06.2009

The Silent Years: Let Go EP (2009)


New Wax


I mentioned The Silent Years a few years back when they offered their self-titled album for free. The band has since released a follow-up album entitled The Globe and they're back with a brand new EP entitled Let Go. The mini-album was recorded in the span of a week in a variety of Detroit locales: from lead-singer Josh Epstein's bedroom studio to an empty health department building. While Detroit doesn't exactly conjure up the rosiest of images, the band has created a vibrant EP with Let Go. The Silent Years' music is pop-heavy, but lead singer Josh Epstein juxtaposes the sunny instrumentation with a flair for dark wordplay. On the addictive "Forest Fires," Epstein warns: "Your favorite day just might have been part of someone's worst weekend." The band has a real flair for arrangement. Take the wonderful strings on "Madame Shocking" or the infectious full-band harmonies on "Taking Drugs At The Amusement Park." Let Go is perfect indie-pop for those who like to sing along to lyrics that actually means something. -- Capt. Obvious

at 1:16 PM 2 comments

8.04.2009

Trainwreck Riders: The Perch (2009)


New Wax


On their new album The Perch, San Francisco's Trainwreck Riders, who have been labeled "cowpunk", meld a wide variety of genres and sounds. A track like "Three To The Clouds" seems like it could easily serve as a backtrack to Jay Farrar's vocals, which is understandable considering the band is often compared to Uncle Tupelo. There is certainly a familiarity about Trainwreck Riders' sound, who have cited the Meat Puppets and Dinosaur Jr. as influences, but it's a good familiarity comparable to the smell of your childhood home or the feel of your favorite t-shirt. Rather than being blatantly derivative, the band draws from the past to create their own brand of country-tinged indie-rock. The guitars and airy vocals on "Don't You Know" are reminiscent of Band Of Horses. "Chug Along" could easily be a Modest Mouse b-side. While the band may navigate familiar soundscapes, they infuse their own sense of originality on The Perch. This is an impressive sophomore release from an evolving young band. -- Capt. Obvious

at 4:31 PM 0 comments

8.02.2009

Doug Burr: Slow Southern Home


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at 6:42 PM 4 comments

Alasdair Roberts


You Should Know


How out of the loop I've been on Alasdair Roberts. Roberts has some well-known supporters including Will Oldham and Magnolia Electric Co.'s Jason Molina. Roberts, who is sometimes described as a Scottish version of Will Oldham, actually collaborated with the two songwriters on the Almagated Sons of Rest EP and has been releasing material for 14 years (earlier material under the moniker Appendix Out). Since I've only just stumbled on Roberts' work, I'm not equipped to contrast and compare his new album Spoils with his previous material, but I'm startled by the complexity of Roberts' songs. Spoils is the kind of album that seeps into your being, that begs for multiple listens and reveals new nuggets of genius each time you spin it. Be warned, Roberts' language can be a bit demanding. For example, on "So Bored was I (Dark Triad)," Roberts sings in his spell-inducing timbre: "I was bilious and saturnine, as I walked from shrine to wayside shrine." While Spoils might require more than a few flips through a table-side dictionary, the payoff is well worth it. -- Capt. Obvious

at 5:47 PM 1 comments

Moon (2009)


Celluloid


With his first feature film, Moon, director Duncan Jones, who happens to be the son of none other than David Bowie, has created an intelligent, cerebral film whose thematic content is elevated even moreso by what is arguably Sam Rockwell's most stirring performance. Moon is a tough film to review without spoiling some of its surprises, but the basic premise is as follows: Astronaut Sam Bell is completing a three-year contract on a moon base called "Sarang" for a company known as Lunar Industries. The company mines for Helium-3, which has become the Earth's primary energy source. When we are introduced to Bell, his time on the moon is nearing its end, and he fully expects to be reunited with his wife, Tess, and their three-year-old daughter Eve. Suffering from headaches and hallucinations after years of isolation, our protagonist is involved in a near-fatal accident while performing a routine task. What follows is an existential crisis of astronomical proportions that allows Rockwell to shine in the lead role. In addition to director Jones' deft storytelling and Rockwell's fine performance, Moon's aesthetic, which was created with model-based special effects, is just as impressive. The film was shot in a puny 33 days and made on a relatively miniscule budget of 5 million dollars. Moon is an impressive feat of filmmaking and Jones proves to be a young auteur worth watching. -- Capt. Obvious

Verdict:




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