“He asked me not to go so fast!” wails Brittany Howard, lead singer of Georgia’s Alabama Shakes. When I first dropped the needle on the “Heavy Chevy” 45, I thought maybe I hit 78… the song is classic sounding rave-up that spins fast.
Alabama Shakes – “Heavy Chevy”
Flipping the record over reveals not one, but TWO b-sides.
Alabama Shakes – “Pocket Change”
“Pocket Change” slows it down… sounds like a cover to me, but that is because the whole Alabama Shakes schtick is retro…so I never know when they’re playing an original or covering some forgotten or classic 60s jam.
Alabama Shakes – “Mama”
We turn the energy back up for “Mama.” I love the guitar tones off the top of this song.
This 45 showed up at the Zone today so I thought I’d share the sounds with you.
The title track to fun’s record Some Nights is an interesting song. There is a lot that goes on during this song which admittedly sometimes turns me off. But other times, I really like the positive vibe and pounding drums. Coral thinks it sounds like a marching band or drum line.
Nate Ruess messes around with the auto-tune at one point in the song. That is bizarre considering the rest of the harmonies are very pretty. But then he starts wanking off with the auto-tune. Whatever, he’s the rock star, and its a number 1 record so he must have it figured out.
Lyrically its a very uplifting song and for whatever reason makes me happy.
Bossman Johnny came to our music meeting at the Zone on Wednesday with an artist he was really fired up on. It is hard to say wether a song and style like this will end up on The Zone… but man, I love it.
The artist is Ben Howard. He is a 24-ish folky type from the UK that channels a whole lot of Damien Rice. That was the first thread I pulled out of his style and it immediately gave me a positive vibe toward him.
Trolling his wikipedia I read that his music has shown up on the TV show House (Johnny’s favourite, so now I know where he got idea to jam out some Ben Howard). John said he was going to buy the record and I thought… on Johnny’s excitement, I’d do the same. John played for us the feature song “The Wolves.”
This song has just a little more punch and reminds me a bit of maybe John Butler Trio. The guitars turn up just a little and get a growl in them. Lots of groove and maybe an ounce of swagger.
The record is very much an easy listening experience. And Ben is not rewriting the world of folk. But he is pretty good and the music just sounds nice. Uplifting.
Its schmaltzy… but whatever, I like the positive vibe.
Maybe you’ll find your new favourite singer-songwriter after sampling these songs. I bought the record and so far… I am enjoying it. Time will tell if I go back to this record when I am feeling like falling asleep to music or just settle back on Damien Rice’s 9…. or 0.
Always a fun list at the end of the music year is the “Worst Album Covers” list. I think I have my first contender for 2012.
The artist is called Nash. He is a one man band that plays all the instruments himself and tracks it. I guess he also does his own graphic design? Yikes. I have to believe this is an inside joke that is hilarious to someone. I like the arctic too man, and I love Polar Bears! So we have that Nash, we have that.
Nash – “Taken Away”
The record company describes the suburban Montrealer as Spoon-esque. I’ll believe it. Its a jangly happy tune.
From Montreal we head west and cross the Ottawa River to Ottawatown to hear something kinda neat. French modern rock. The Balconies have a song called “Kill Count.” They cut two versions… one en anglais and one en francais.
The french version is different in that well… most all the music we hear is in English. I wonder how a familiar sound will come across in another language?
The Balconies – “Kill Count”
The beauty of this song is that when I play it in my little work cubicle people wander by and ask “what’s that?” in a positive tone.
Zone copy writer and resident Canucks fan Caleb Kirby turned us on to a song from a California band called The Silent Comedy.
This DIY indie folk band had a song called “Bartholomew” featured in the 2011 video game Dark Souls. It has that Americana turn-of-the-century chain gang vibe. I read one comment on youtube where the listener thought they could hear the rail-spikes being driven in to the beat! I don’t know if that’s true but I want to believe.
Huge beefy riff-rock. Chris Cornell activates his Chris Cornell growl. Plods along with this boogy swagger. Its melodic. For 90s rehash… quality track. I dig it.
Dylan Willows came to me and said “this is what modern rock needs! more heavy riffs!” But he said it to me in a way that suggested I could do something about it. Don’t look to me man, I just fuzz out to Japandroids in the corner.
Its not really anything you can say… what modern rock needs. The people say. If you like riff rock, jam it loud. If Gotye’s your bag, jam it quieter.
I will say, as a fan of album cover art… his one is more an advertisement than any statement or pleasant bit of graphic work.
***
I got a tweet from my homegirl @klancashire alerting me to a new Kickstarter from a Seattle based video game designer.
Jordan Weisman founded the FASA gaming company in the 80s and they developed the role-playing game Shadowrun.
Shadowrun is an urban, futuristic fantasy game that pits technology and magic against the evil Mega Corporations that dominate future society.
Lots of machine guns, fast cars, seedy bars and Harry Potter all-growed up and with a Meth problem. Good times. There are also Orcs. Neat.
There were a few Shadowrun games, but nothing great. Jordan is going to try and fix that… but first he needs to raise $400,000 to get started. Cue: Kickstarter.
Already, Jordan and Harebrained Schemes (the video game deign firm partnering with Jordan) are at over $100,000!
I am so broke Jordan, or I’d give too… but all I got is there here blog, and maintaining costs me money, does not generate any! Zoinks. So you get a link and some time from me.
Read more about the project here… then wait till he actually makes it! I will try and buy the game.
The answer is sometimes simple. Watching Shameless and the music as always…very good. Do I think it fits the show? No. I read an interview with the music supervisor once and rolled my eyes with a “c’mon man!” The music is good…but almost too good. Its over thought. Which works for me, and works for Coral…but don’t pretend.
“Kline says she is able to expand on its characters — and seeing as the Gallaghers are not a mainstream family, the music isn’t either.”
I don’t really feel Fiona Gallagher reading a whole lot of Pitchfork. I’m just nit-picking, the music is awesome.
Coral watched a couple episodes last night and a few songs stuck out for her. At the time, watching the show, it was hard to place. But she went to bed and I was bored so to the internet I went. One was Josh Radin’s “Winter.” Damn, we even have that record!
The other was hard to place then a quick internet search and of course I remember… the Snow Patrol guy’s “other” project Tired Pony. I listen to the song away from the TV and it sounds like Snow Patrol’s “Set Fire to the Third Bar.”
Tired Pony – “Get on the Road”
On Friday, Cait Fraser at the Veneto had me download a song that she loves. She says its her “get ready to go out song.”
The band is from Melbourne, Victoria and they’re called Little Red. Neat pop-rock sound. It appears they’ve had a few minor Aussie hits…the song “Rock It” is friendly enough. Give it a spin.
Little Red – “Rock It”
I remember in the summer of 1995, my friend Bob got tape or compact disc of the record of Let Your Dim Light Shine by Soul Asylum. We jammed that album heavy and it remains to this day one of my favourite albums. I can still throw it on and I get that gnarly deja vu feeling. I didn’t know too much about Soul Asylum at the time. There was no wikipedia and I was too 15 to care… but when I got older and started at CiTR, I was picking through the records in the vinyl closet and discovered a massive hoard of old Twin/Tone and A&M recordings from the 80s. Like what-the-fuck…because in 1998 we actually said all the word, what, the, fuck. So for a few weeks at 4AM, I dropped the needle on all sorts of weird jams from David Pirner and company. Long before I loved the Replacements, I loved Soul Asylum.
OK, back to 1995, this story doesn’t really have a point so you can stop reading. But in 1995, Bob and I played Soul Asylum heavy rotation style like kids do. That and we had limited funds so we probably only had like this album, maybe G&R’s Spaghetti Incident and a handful of Megadeth records and tapes.
So you’re 15 and emo as fuck and Soul Asylum is depressing and emo and it all just works.
Fast forward to today (or maybe yesterday? or maybe the weekend?) and I am tired. Like tired to my bones. I am so tired that I am also tired of being tired. And that thought swirled around my brain. So clear, so fuzzy. I was tired of being tired. I could not get no rest… I knew it was Soul Asylum, I knew it… and it HAD to be from Dim Light… and sure enough, track 14. Eureka. You won’t believe how happy rediscovering this song has made me.
I was waiting for a chain reaction with the missing link Waiting for that trickle-down forever circling the sink I was tired of being tired I could not get no rest So I kept sleep-walking and talking in my sleep Yes I did my best
Soul Asylum – “I Did My Best”
The whole record is so spot on. I wouldn’t say the above song is my favourite, I just really feel it today. But you might remember “Misery” or “Just Like Anyone” from the 90s. That second song’s video I remember getting played on Much all the time. And holy moly, is that a young Claire Danes? Why yes it is… and she is getting taunted by those mean girls! i hope she doesn’t go all Carrie on them at the school prom!… oh what’s that? you’ll just grow majestic wings? Atta girl!
Hey Japandroids… you guys are alright. First single off their up coming album Celebration Rock, “The House That Heaven Built” is available digitally today on on the vinyl record May 15th. B-side? Its a cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. I can always, ALWAYS go for more Japandroids, and seeing how this my blog… I subject you to it too. Isn’t that what BOMFAs are for? (BOMFA = Best of mates for always… I was listening to BBC1 today)
Right. I forgot to talk about Record Club last week at Smiths! So many fun times with other music lovers in the pub drinking a pint and eating curried poutine. Next month’s show-and-tell project… its High Fidelity Night!
It is a week of the returns…. Anchorman 2 (Will It Be Musical?), it better be! and earlier this week… new D!
How much do I need to write? I guess I could link to THIS…. then…
Tenacious D – “Rize of Fenix”
Neat.
*** A new character that I am working on… Hipsterman! I had the idea for a little sketch… then felt it needed a cartoon representation so I asked Casey Snow to draw something and this is what she came up with! And when she sent me the pic she said, “Hipsterman… Hipsterman, does whatever a Hipster can…” and the theme song was born.
Wintersleep – “In Came The Flood”
(durrrrr…. please take down the stream says band manager)
Exciting! Here is the news from the record label press release… as the band ain’t too keen on updating their own website… but hey, Dave Sawchuk needs to earn his keep at EMI right?
Late in the summer of 2011, the group fleshed out these new ideas with Scottish producer/friend Tony Doogan (Belle & Sebastian, Mogwai) and Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, MGMT) at the legendary Tarbox Road Studios in upstate New York. Secluded in the same woods that had already seen the creation of so much amazing work, the group committed themselves to long, focused recording sessions…and the occasional badminton match. Doogan can crush a bird. Who knew?
“Hello hum. I am the dying lung of the town you left. I was beginning to fear, beginning to fear that you would never come back.”
These words open the album’s first track, “Hum.” The song sits like a layer of mist that the speeding car of “In Came the Flood” comes bursting through. It’s a two-part introduction to the diverse layers of Hello Hum. As the record progresses, glowing melodies are backed by rhythms that can stand as the skeletons of songs or be studied for their subtle complexities. Guitars and keyboards weave together in fits of sonic weirdness that somehow shine with pop charm. Hello Hum is the new record out on June 12th.
***
We know and love Aussie indie-rockers the Temper Trap from their songs “Sweet Disposition” and “Fader.”
Pretty easy, repetitive pop song. Not really changing my world like maybe “Sweet Disposition” or… you know I really liked “Fader” too. That whole first record was pretty strong actually.
New album is self-titled and will be out on May 18th.
Their record label hypes it thusly:
“The Temper Trap return with “Need Your Love” from their self-titled follow up to their commercially and critically successful debut album “Conditions” which spawned the hit singles “Sweet Disposition” & “Fader.” With “Need Your Love,” they’ve ditched the slow burn anthems for something more immediate, and it suits them wonderfully. Over big squelchy synths and pounding drums, “Need Your Love” is a festival-ready anthem that seems joyful on the surface but is about the painful disintegration of singer Dougy Mandagi’s relationship, it’s sky high chorus sure to be fairly ubiquitous come the summer.”
Even they admit in their corp-speak… uh, pretty basic punchy pop song. Not really too similar to their earlier hits.
If you got some thoughts, leave a comment and if you don’t… then, don’t?
The Morning After 