Another victory for androgyny on this record. The songs are slow ballads and mostly really short, and sometimes Mike Hadreas (it’s a one-man band) even does a waltz. “Normal Song” by definition isn’t because of the 3/4 time signature but whatever.
Hadreas and his piano are pretty much all you get in “Dirge.” This is one of the better tracks on the album. The title track is also very similar, with some strings added. It reminds me of Angelo Badalamenti.
All in all this album doesn’t offer a lot of surprises, but you can certainly relax a lot and listen to the poignant lyrics. I’m probably missing the point.
Perfume Genius “Put Your Back N 2 It”
April 29, 2012Speech Debelle “Freedom of Speech”
April 29, 2012Speech Debelle’s a rapper from London. Strings and synths provide the texture behind this MC. “Elephant in the Living Room” has to do with no longer being willing to look the other way at injustice.
Acoustic guitar accompanies Debelle on “Angel Wings.” The neat thing about English rappers are the Briticisms that end up in the flow. “I’m With It” is a breezy number that I really liked. More R&B than rap as well.
If you long for the rap-rock days of Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock, “Collapse” will please you. It’s slightly angry and has very pronounced drums and electric guitar. The last track is “Sun Dog,” a somber one that completes the exhibition of depth that Debelle offers up on “Freedom of Speech.”
In a lot of ways this record is what you would expect, but you’d be remiss if you didn’t give it a listen and get a full understanding of what it’s all about.
Daughter “The Wild Youth EP”
April 29, 2012Another male-female duo playing brooding indie rock. The woman leads the way on the vocals, and the first track is “Home.” Brood. Brood. Brood. “Medicine” is next and slightly noisier. The piano is more pronounced. Really, it’s a focus on singing and piano, like some old Sinead O’Connor work.
Shoegaze fans may prefer “Youth.” It reminds me of Mirah’s “Cold Cold Water.” The last track is “Love,” which has more pronounced percussion and is slightly haunting.
Circle “The Middle”
April 29, 2012This trio is from Sydney and play piano-heavy indie rock. The title track is first and is fitting, in that something in the middle is likely less offensive. Male vocals complement the piano, and female backing vocals garnish the meal.
“Gorgeous” is just that. The female vocals are still not leading, but the la-la’s are infectious and sound like a childlike Cocteau Twins. Even the male falsettos are something else. I absolutely love this one.
The pianos become synths on “Hold” and have a Spandau Ballet feel. The ’80s feel is undeniable, and the result is another winner. “Half Race Girls” is kind of awesome because it is about mixed race women. I guess in Australia they call them that there. The ’80s style continues with bits of Belle and Sebastian and random progginess thrown in. It’s remarkable.
Modern synths infiltrate “Ready to Dance,” but it still has a distinctive retro sound, with Rebecca Shave sounding like Gloria Loring here. This whole album is rather amazing. I hope they tour locally.
Joel’s Hit Show, Episode 149, 25 April 2012 Playlist
April 25, 2012Lost in the Trees, Tall Ceilings
Lisa Gerrard, The Rite
Girl in a Coma, Hope
The Chieftains, The Chieftains in Orbit
Girls, Life in San Francisco
The Godshills, Zoewie
You Say France & I Whistle, Our Spiderweb
Givers, Words
The Gits, Slaughter of Bruce
Fanfarlo, Tunguska
Go Betty Go, Unreal
Giant Value, A Good Thing
Ariane Moffatt, Mons Corp
Giant Drag, Blunt Picket Fence
Gigi, Some Second Best
Palomar, Red
Rachel Goodrich, Fire
Go-Go’s, Vacation
Foxy Shazam, Last Chance at Love
Juliana Hatfield, Evan
Gossip, Men in Love
Hot Toddies, Green and Gold
Nina Gordon, Number One Camera
Great Northern, This Is a Problem
Wild Belle, Keep You
Grand Lake, Louise (I Live in a Fantasy)
Grey Anne, Adelaide
Ani DiFranco, Amendment
Gravy Train!!!!, Ghost Boobs
Grass Widow, Tuesday
Now, Now, Lucie, Too
Go Sailor, Last Year
Ellie Goulding, Lights
AneBrun, Worship
Grouplove, Colours
Gringo Star, Jessica
The Men, Turn It Around
Larkin Grimm, They Were Wrong
Halou, Oceanwide
Pyyramids, Perfect Picture
Haight-Ashbury, Molitof
Petra Haden, Armenia City in the Sky
John & Tom, Lonesome Yodel Blues
PJ Harvey, A Perfect Day Elise
Handsome Furs, I’m Confused
Gemma Hayes, Don’t Forget
Joel’s Hit Show, Episode 148, 18 April 2012 Playlist
April 18, 2012Heartless Bastards, Parted Ways
Fanfarlo, The Walls Are Coming Down
Fading Collection, Antlering
Xiu Xiu, Hi
Fabulous Disaster, No Stars Tonight
Fastbacks, Believe Me Never
Sleigh Bells, Born to Lose
Family of the Year, Living on Love
Feist, Anti-Pioneer
The Magnetic Fields, Andrew in Drag
Fereshta, Motherland
Fever Ray, Dry and Dusty
Sea Lions, I Should Be Sleeping
Fitz & the Tantrums, MoneyGrabber
Firehorse, She’s a River
The Jezabels, Long Highway
Sarah Fimm, Crumbs and Broken Shells
Orenda Fink, Bloodline
Frankie Rose, Interstellar
The Fiery Furnaces, Single Again
Florence & the Machine, Girl With One Eye
Big Deal, Distant Neigborhood
Flashing Red Airplane. It’s a Long Way Down When You Know Your Way
Fonda, Imitation of Life
Sharon Van Etten, All I Can
Fol Chen, In Ruin
Frente!, Labour of Love
Tennis, High Road
Edith Frost, Waiting Room
Free Kitten, Noise Doll
Anya Marina, Hot Button
Eleanor Friedberger, My Mistakes
Fur Cups for Teeth, Edie Idol
Grimes, Genesis
Fuzzy, Lemon Rind
Fun., We Are Young
Memoryhouse, The Kids Were Wrong
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Greenwich Mean Time
Victoria George, Lately I
Loquat, Time Bending
Gem Club, I Heard the Party
Lisa Germano, If I Think of Love
Imperial Teen, Last to Know
The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, Jardin Du Luxembourg
Hannah Georgas, The Deep End
Lost in the Trees “A Church That Fits Our Needs”
April 15, 2012A big folking band. The six-piece sounds like Tilly and the Wall on Prozac, meaning the percussion is distinctive, even if not actual tap dancing, but otherwise the music is pretty slow. “Neither Here Nor There” is a good example of this.
If you like strings with character, “Golden Eyelids” really bugs out. Most of the time it’s a serious song, but during the chorus it is just silly enough to make you notice. The vocals are also quite strong.
A faster track, “Tall Ceilings” has a melody that works with well-mixed strings that know their place — right underneath the vocals. It all comes together well here and sounds even better loud.
Lisa Germano fans will enjoy “This Dead Bird Is Beautiful.” It might be too much to assume this wasn’t at least inspired by her. The vocals on “Villain (I’ll Stick Around)” sound like Grace Slick.
The last track is “Vines.” It’s the slowest of the slow. This album is more a collection of tracks than any type of story. In this day and age of Spotify and whatnot, it’s probably for the best.
Usurper Vong “Vong Songs Vol. 1: Humans Make Me Nervous”
April 15, 2012They’re from San Jose so maybe I’ve sat next to them at Camera 12 when watching a movie. I bet they’re not the type who texts during movies. Anyway, I picked this up because the drummer is a woman with a pun in her name.
Speaking of puns, I like “Amputea Time.” The mixing is kind of strange, in that there are backing vocals, but you can’t tell whether you’re supposed to be listing to them. It’s like a badly folded burrito, where you get some bites that are all rice, while others are all pico de gallo. Still, it’s nice to at least have all the parts there. The other notable thing here is that lead singer Derek Gomez ends lines on an upswing, the way Johnny Rotten does. He kind of does that everywhere, but it’s especially noticeable here.
Like a lot of local acts, these guys tell entertaining songs about stuff that happens to them, and I have to think they’re a lot of fun live. I’d say they should play a Nickel City show, but I bet they’ve already done one, and I probably just missed it because I’m irresponsible like that. It comes to mind when I hear “Degenerate Genius,” a song perhaps inspired by their respective parents’ record collections.
“Peeping Tomkat” is kind of creepy, but that’s OK. Nothing beats a song that makes you feel guilty when you sing along with the chorus. The other song I like is “Wrong Guy,” which is good eating music when you’re having a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios.
Various Artists “Communicating Vessels Vol. 1”
April 15, 2012Two tracks each from six different acts. Here’s a rundown:
- Preston Lovinggood is a talented singer/songwriter who reminds me of Peter Murphy on “Duncan” and “No Baby”
- The Green Seed is a storytelling hip-hop outfit on “Crack Kills” and “Preservation,” which samples like M.I.A. would
- The Grenadines are a smooth sometimes-dance rock group with breathy male-female vocals on “Shake” and “Colourblind,” which is the best song on here even if too short
- The Great Book of John sound a little like Echo and the Bunnymen on “Let Me Slide” and “On and On”
- Sanders Bohlke is another folk singer on “Quiet Ye Voices” and “The Weight of Us,” although the female backing vocals really help the songs get to the end
- Duquette Johnston and the Rebel Kings do Monkees-style ’60s pop, replete with handclaps, on “Roll Baby Roll” and “Rise Up Children”
Go Back to the Zoo “Benny Blisto”
April 15, 2012They’re Dutch so they’re more than much. I thought one of the dudes on the cover art was a woman so I grabbed this CD to review. My mistake. But it’s not all bad because their sound is accessible enough to me that I can still appreciate it.
“Electric” is the first track and sounds like a Killers/Franz Ferdinand throwback. Fans of Bang! Bang! Eche! will recognize the style of “Hey DJ.” This is probably the song that would break them. I say “would” because I don’t think there is enough that distinguishes this band.
For those that miss the mid-’80s rock songs that would show up in movies everywhere, “Nicer” is a trip down memory lane. “Oh No (We Stayed)” is another good track, especially the chorus.
There are a couple extra tracks, but it reminds me of those blasters of Topps baseball cards you buy at Target, which read something like “10 packs plus one extra pack.” But they’re all the same. Just say there are 11 packs. In any case, “Smoking on the Balcony” is an extra track, but it sounds good to me. This is another Bang! Bang! Eche! soundalike, with hints of the Farm as well.
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