Mildly rockabilly, the appropriately named the Black Belles sound exactly like you would expect them to. They end up in a bit of a rut, although “Honky Tonk Horror” stands out above the rest. Otherwise it’s a lot of playful rock and roll with keys mixed in, sometimes sounding like Karen O, other times like the Dollyrots. They’re clearly good live.
Not much else to say. This will work best when Wenzdai or Big Al are behind the mic.
Archive for the ‘KSCU’ Category
The Black Belles “The Black Belles”
March 4, 2012Olivia Broadfield “This Beautiful War & Remixes”
March 4, 2012Kind of an interesting thing here. Get the digipak and you get the 10 regular tracks plus 10 remixes, one for each song. In some cases, the originals are better (“Happening,” “Push”). Other times, the remixes are (“Coming for You,” “Doing So Well,” “Miss Me). And in the case of “Over and Over” and “Old Friend,” both versions shine. That’s enough keyword density for now.
In any case, what you have here is another Colbie Caillat/Mirah retread, with a bit more youth and energy here and there. I suppose people will infer that to be a pejorative, but to hell with them. I can listen to this stuff all day. And with a remix of every track at my disposal, I almost can.
These tracks have very high production values and make an excellent choice for a drive in the country with some wine tasting, perhaps. “Happening” is piano-heavy and a pretty ballad. Gilli Moon would be proud. I also really like “Push.”
The remixes in general are like those pseudo-dance remixes you would get on Saturday nights on Top 40 radio 20 years ago, where there is more of a 4:4 beat and some fun random synths. Somewhere Big Audio Dynamite is proud. If you lean toward the purple, lean toward those tracks. “Coming for You” is probably the best remix on here, followed by “Over and Over.”
Palomar “Sense & Antisense”
March 4, 2012This is an early Top 10 nominee for 2012. Palomar is more than a medicore Mexican restaurant in Santa Cruz. It’s also a four-piece from New York that makes great melodic female-fronted indie pop.
“Wouldn’t Release You” provides a good introduction to the band, sounding like a mature Tralala. Tilly and the Wall fans as well as repentant Oakland A’s fans will appreciate “Never Grieve.”
Sadly, “Red” is not a tribute to the KSCU DJ. However, it does provide a smooth sendup of a darker, more contemporary version of the band. Perfect for Barbara Manning fans. This one gets better every time you hear it.
A more twee-centric sound can be found on “Park Lights.” I really like this one, too. “Hooray for Tuesday” is a slow one. It makes me want to check my Chucks and make sure they’re tied, or untied, depending on my mood.
The last track is “When You Stopped Talking to Me.” I was worried it would be some awkwardly dramatic song to close the record, but instead it fits right in with the rest. This album raises my hopes for a good music year in 2012.
Old Monk “Birds of Belize”
March 4, 2012This modern rock band has a lot of energy and plays straightforward edgy rock. “Sacred Birds” reminds me of Silversun Pickups. The tracks really fly by and provide you with some great pseudo-prog rock good times.
There’s a lot to like about “More Peat Moss, Please,” but I wish they had spent more time mixing the vocals. The lead singer sounds a bit like an off-key Paul McCartney, with bonus falsettos where you least expect them. When they play live, there is clearly a lot of beer on stage, and the guitars are cranked up high.
In a lot of ways, this band sounds like OK Go’s younger brother. “Telephone Bones” has a bit of surf jangle that I can also get behind. Old Monk do better when they play with more energy.
“Skullsplitter” has a good roots rock feel to it. Lots of the other tracks have a bit of a progressive sound, but it is strange because they are too short to be true prog rock classics.
Only the Sea Slugs “Street Music”
March 4, 2012It’s just another indie rock band that happens to be from Australia. Skinny hipsters will listen to this while waiting for Muni. “She Said” is the first track and sets the stage for a lot of tinted eyeglasses and slightly unbuttoned collared shirts.
“Big Sky” sounds like Deerhunter to me. It is sunny enough to get me through a Sunday morning. The other track I like is the last one, “Moth.” It’s a little drawn out, but I can handle it.
Some of the other tracks are good, too, but they have all kinds of swearing and whatnot. Oh well.
Various Artists “Tunes for Baboons: Live Sessions from CJSW”
January 29, 2012CJSW is a radio station in Canada. This two-CD compilation has a country record and a rock record. How thoughtful. Here are some highlights:
- Matt Masters sounds like Lou Reed on “Candle Flame”
- Eamon McGrath sounds like John Cougar Mellencamp in “Cut Knife City Blues”
- Rural Alberta Advantage musically sounds like Kacy Crowley’s “Nickel to the Stone” on “Barnes Yard” except of course a dude is singing
- The Sumner Brothers give a faithful rendition of “Big Rock Candy Mountain”
- Woodpigeon are slightly dreamy with the backing vocals in the titanic “… And as the Ship Went Down You’d Never Looked Finer”
- BJ Snowden sounds like Brak a little bit while singing “In Canada”
- Foon Yap is a rare female voice on the comp and shines brightly, Rasputina style, on “THE FUN MACHINE”
- The Pygmies pay homage to similarly named ’60s rock bands with “She Lied”
- Inquisition sound like your standard punk-pop band from the mid-’90s on “Pine”
- SSRIs do noisy grrl art punk on “Clay Faced, Meat Boots”
- Tetrix isn’t very original when channeling the Clash, but “Wipeout” is still a good song
- Bonjay gives us female-fronted synthpop on “Stumble”
Jessica Jalbert “Brother Loyola”
January 29, 2012Finally, music the whole family can agree on. Jessica Jalbert has a voice that doesn’t rely on gimmicks to be enjoyed. “Necromancy” gets the album off to a great start with fantastic harmony in the backing vocals and strings. It is a cello, which is a shame, because I wanted to say I liked the viola in “Brother Loyola.”
“Daniels” has what must be trumpet. Even with my tin ear I can identify quality of this caliber when I hear it. Waltz fans can rejoice with the relatively tame “Wild One.” This track downplays the vocals, which is unnecessary, but the song still holds up well.
I’m a big fan of “Stupid Hollow.” It has a girl-group charm about it, and the drums make me want to march my butt down to the Kwik-E-Mart to get some chips and a beer. The other track I like is “Aubrey de Grey.” It’s not about former Detroit Lions wide receiver Aubrey Matthews, but that’s OK.
The Kabbs “The Kabbs EP”
January 29, 2012I don’t remember why I grabbed this one, but that’s OK. It’s slightly heavier power pop with some fierce surflike jangle on “Never Knew.” It sounds like what would happen if the Hi-Fives weren’t a punk band.
“Golden and Blue” is a bit more rockabilly/alt-country. Bob Dylan comes to mind when I hear “Down This Road.” The Kabbs seem to be auditioning different sounds. That’s what they do in San Diego, you know.
If you remember early Rolling Stones, you’re old. You’d also like “Mixed Up.” The stronger ’60s sound only misses the pops and cracks that vinyl would provide. The last track is “Love Race.” It also has the same jangle sound. These are always fun to play live, and I’m sure they enjoy doing just that.
Darkness Falls “Alive in Us”
January 29, 2012Darkness Falls focuses on the ’60s-style sensitivity with the musical talent of Hope Sandoval. You would never guess they were from Denmark. But these Danes are great. “Noise on the Line” has the same tambourine as Mazzy Star’s “Flowers in December,” which really doesn’t say much because lots of songs have tambourine, but that’s the one that came to mind, so suck it.
“The Void” has good synths to piece the verses and chorus together. The backing vocals are also quite nice. A little bit somber and darker is “Josephine.” It’s also a very long track so maybe play this one before you go to sleep at night.
There is a “Paradise Trilogy II” and a “Paradise Trilogy III,” but the first one is a lot better. It’s nearly an instrumental. Are they still considered backing vocals if they’re just singing like in the theme to the original “Star Trek” TV show? And, no, I don’t know why there isn’t a “Paradise Trilogy.”
If you want something a little spookier, you have to go with “Hey!” This is probably the most complete song on the record.
Cherri Bomb “Stark”
January 29, 2012It sounds exactly like you would expect it to. It’s rock enough that Naked Rob could play it on his show. “Mirror Mirror” is as LA-sounding as it gets. The guitar in “Already Dead” reminds me of Damone when they didn’t suck.
“Let It Go” isn’t about farting. This track is a bit more anthemic, like My Morning Jacket, only with a woman singing. The singing is better than Picture Me Broken, but it’s still in that Joan Jett/Pat Benatar vein.
If you want a straight-ahead leather pants rock song, “Spin” is what you want. The last track is “The Pretender,” yes a Foo Fighters cover. It’s very true to the original, which is fine by me. I really enjoy this one.
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