New Wax
Elephant Micah: Louder Than Thou (2012)
01/29/2012
Bloomington, Indiana’s Elephant Micah, whose revolving cast of musicians is spearheaded by principle songwriter Joseph O’Connell, is set to release Louder Than Thou on O’Connell’s own Product of Palmyra label on January 31. O’Connell’s prolific output, which includes an eclectic assortment of limited edition, home-produced, and hard-to-find recordings, has garnered him a modest yet devoted following. Deservedly so. O’Connell’s obviously well-versed in classic songwriters, but he builds on this foundation by exhibiting a zest for experimentation. Shades of Jackson Browne and Neil Young pepper the varied canvas of Louder Than Thou, but O’Connell is unafraid to supplement his work with flashes of avante-garde. For example, slow-burner “Won These Wings” hypnotizes with its use of unexpected horns and flurries of noise. Elsewhere, “Tin Foil Continent” and “My Cousin’s King” proudly exhibit O’Connell’s penchant for 70′s-hued strummers. While much of O’Connell’s older material held its charm beneath a rough-hewn, lo-fi veneer, Louder Than Thou sounds more meticulous but never overdone to the point of detriment. It’s crisp and expertly mixed. One particularly chill-inducing moment: when the female backing vocals enter the mix on moody single “If I Were A Surfer.” Louder Than Thou marks a fine release from a consistently impressive songwriter with a wealth of material well worth delving into. — Capt. Obvious
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Kurt Vile: So Outta Reach EP (2011)
11/14/2011
Philadelphia song-maestro Kurt Vile is now offering up a deluxe edition of the masterful Smoke Ring For My Halo. It includes a new six-song EP entitled So Outta Reach. The songs on the EP were recorded during the Smoke Ring sessions and, like most of Vile’s output, occupy a similar headspace. Heck, there’s even two variations of the same song on the EP, the more rocking “Life’s A Beach” and the more acoustic-oriented “(so outta reach).” Not many artists can manage to sound so samey yet still engage their listeners, but Vile’s unique blend of deft guitar-playing and self-deprecating lyrics has gained a burgeoning amount of fanfare. The finger-picking on EP opener “The Creature” almost sounds like an alternate version of “Baby’s Arms,” but Vile still makes the song worthwhile with his patented brand of slacker-enlightenment. Elsewhere, “It’s Alright” rolls along on a wall of feedback, the tongue-in-cheek “Life’s A Beach” offers the upbeat strum of a Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers song while Vile muses “I’m so outta reach, life’s a beach.” Then there’s Vile’s grimy interpretation of Springsteen’s “Downbound Train,” whose hard-luck lyrics seem tailor-made for Vile’s patented slur. It’s probably the highlight of So Outta Reach, which serves as a fitting extension to Smoke Ring For My Halo, which still holds up as one of the year’s best albums. – Capt. Obvious
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Carter Tanton: Freeclouds (2011)
11/14/2011
When I first heard the infectious “Murderous Joy” from Carter Tanton’s Freeclouds, his voice sounded very familiar. Turns out I had heard that voice before on Tulsa’s overlooked yet noteworthy 2007 EP I Was Submerged. After some difficulties with their label the band split and Tanton went on to play guitar for Marissa Nadler. His experience playing and arranging on Nadler’s recent self-titled album served as a catalyst for his recent solo effort Freeclouds. Tanton’s base sensibilities are decidedly singer-songwriter, but his brand of Americana is accented by an array of genres from lo-fi to psychedelia to dream pop. Album opener “Murderous Joy” is a hazy Alt. Country strummer sure to appeal to listeners who used to like Ryan Adams (emphasis on “used to”). While the genre shift from “Murderous Joy” to the haze-pop of “Fake Pretend,” which features the aforementioned Nadler, may seem a bit abrupt for sticklers dead-set on cohesiveness, it’s Tanton’s willingness to take chances that makes Freeclouds so endearing. Tanton also fittingly tackles Sparklehorse classic “Saturday.” The late Mark Linkous, who was known for his genre-hopping, seems like an obvious influence on Freeclouds, which finds Tanton dabbling with everything from garage-rock on “Horrorscope” to finger-picked folk on album closer “Pitch Bent Flute.” Now the newest member of Captain Obvious-favorite Lower Dens, Tanton establishes himself as a unique voice with Freeclouds. It’s all over the place in the best possible sense. — Capt. Obvious
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Real Estate: Days (2011)
10/12/2011
While New Jersey’s Real Estate might get lumped in with the current trend of surf-inflected indie rock, their hypnotic guitar interplay and nostalgic musings on lost youth seem better suited for wind-beaten autumn and winter shorelines rather than sunny climes. The likable lo-fi shimmer of their 2008 self-titled debut carries over somewhat to Days, but there’s a noticeable increase in polish. Sometimes higher production value can betray a band, but here the extra glimmer is an asset rather than a hindrance. Days kicks off with “Easy,” a charming midtempo number about the sobering realizations of growing up. This sense of suburban ennui, which more or less pervades the entire album, is extended on “Green Aisles,” on which Martin Courtney understatedly sings “All those wasted miles/All those aimless drives through green aisles/Our careless lifestyles/It was not so unwise.” Next is the addictive “It’s Real,” the album’s most uptempo tune, which manages to be both accessible and introspective. Elsewhere, bassist Alex Bleeker lends his lower-register vocals to lost-love ditty “Wonder Years,” on which he proclaims “No, I’m not okay, but I guess I’m doing fine.” Then there’s the Fleetwood Mac-reminiscent lushness of previously-released 7-inch “Out Of Tune,” which remains one of the band’s strongest songs. The aforementioned Courtney and Matthew Mondanile (also known by his solo moniker Ducktails) seem to have an unspoken understanding of what needs to be played. Their symbiotic guitar riffs are even further enhanced by Bleeker’s driving basslines. Many writers struggle to adequately categorize a band’s sound. Assign whatever genre buzzword you’d like to Real Estate’s music: psychedelic surf-pop, chillwave.. whatever. I’ll just call it one of my favorite albums of 2011. — Capt. Obvious
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