I was starting to think that August and September weren't going to be exciting (with the exception of Blueprint 3) when two surprises fell into my lap. In the span of 2 weeks, I discovered new releases from two of my favorite "why does nobody listen to them?" artists: Richmond Fontaine and Joe Henry (I'll get to him later in the week).
Richmond Fontaine is a Portland, Oregon alt-country band that has managed to stay completely anonymous though nine albums despite critical worship from the few publications that actually write about them. Imagine a singer with the storytelling abilities nearly on par with Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen and a band the plays Being There and Summerteeth era Wilco. With all due respect to the Drive-By Truckers, this is America's greatest alt-country band. And for reasons beyond me, nobody cares. Not even most critics.
This band has four solid masterpieces in a row, including Post To Wire (bar rocking fun), The Fitzgerald (devastatingly stark and spare), and Thirteen Cities (they loosen up and expand in the spirit of Summerteeth). Their latest and maybe best is the brilliantly titled We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River - a record where they explore giving up and going home. It may sound like a sad theme, but the band sounds like they are having more fun than ever - this is their most accessible album.
"You Can Move Back Here" uses bells, jangle pop, and rising harmonies to welcome a lost soul home - this is the kind of song we wish R.E.M. still wrote. "Maybe We Were Both Born Blue" has a sarcastic romanticism that is far removed from the dark character sketches they used to write. "Walking Back To Our Place at 3 A.M." is a gorgeous instrumental that acts as a perfect bridge to the more emotional and drawn out final two tracks, but nothing on this album overstays its welcome.
Where as most alt-county band have trouble keeping momentum for an entire record, this band keeps it mostly fun through 14 tracks and 43 minutes. We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River isn't as literate and complex as the brutally dark Fitzgerald, but it is easier to like and should earn Richmond Fontaine some well-earned new fans. Anybody who has ever loved alt-country should know who these people are.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
The Antler's Hospice
Say what you want about music in the 21st Century: I think it's a beautiful time to be alive when somebody can record a masterpiece with a few bucks and a laptop in their apartment and get it heard on the Internet. Bon Iver did it last year and Panda Bear the year before, and they gave us two of the decades most memorable records for anybody who heard them. Did they sell as many copies as Thriller? Heavens no. Did they change a few lives and give us all reason to believe that there is still musical horizons that are untouched? Yes.
That brings us to this year's latest Internet hype record. Hospice by the Antlers steals from a lot of artists, but it does it in perfect measure in a way I've never heard. Take the Arcade Fire's epic song structure, Sufjan Steven's random instrumental shifts, Panda Bear's droning ambiance and Bon Iver's inverted emotion and you're starting to get somewhere close.
The hazy opening instrumental has tape cracks and distorted piano keys that prepare for the sadness of the lyricism. This record revolves around using a hospital to exemplify loss and parting: the entire album follows the slow passing of a love one. It's a miracle that this album manages to be occasionally joyous, but similar to the Arcade Fire's Funeral, death is used as a reaffirmation of life and acceptance.
The albums highlight (although it is full of them) is the lullaby "Bear". Over light, simple piano chords alternating with upbeat guitar strums, the light vocals explain parting the way you would to a child before assuring that "we're not old at all". As he does several times on the record, the singer gracefully jumps an octave on the last chorus, like he just finally started believing what he is singing.
Another stunning is the epic "Wake", where the hospital imagery is evoked through muffled background choirs and gasping breaths. Five minutes in, the funeral organ occupies the space below his plea "don't ever let anyone tell you you deserve that". This is one of the most gorgeous and emotionally brutal moments you will hear in music this year.
Hospice is another left-field triumph for indie music in a year full of them and demands repeated listens. It's not going to cheer you up with its lyrics, but it will make you proud to be a music lover in 2009.
That brings us to this year's latest Internet hype record. Hospice by the Antlers steals from a lot of artists, but it does it in perfect measure in a way I've never heard. Take the Arcade Fire's epic song structure, Sufjan Steven's random instrumental shifts, Panda Bear's droning ambiance and Bon Iver's inverted emotion and you're starting to get somewhere close.
The hazy opening instrumental has tape cracks and distorted piano keys that prepare for the sadness of the lyricism. This record revolves around using a hospital to exemplify loss and parting: the entire album follows the slow passing of a love one. It's a miracle that this album manages to be occasionally joyous, but similar to the Arcade Fire's Funeral, death is used as a reaffirmation of life and acceptance.
The albums highlight (although it is full of them) is the lullaby "Bear". Over light, simple piano chords alternating with upbeat guitar strums, the light vocals explain parting the way you would to a child before assuring that "we're not old at all". As he does several times on the record, the singer gracefully jumps an octave on the last chorus, like he just finally started believing what he is singing.
Another stunning is the epic "Wake", where the hospital imagery is evoked through muffled background choirs and gasping breaths. Five minutes in, the funeral organ occupies the space below his plea "don't ever let anyone tell you you deserve that". This is one of the most gorgeous and emotionally brutal moments you will hear in music this year.
Hospice is another left-field triumph for indie music in a year full of them and demands repeated listens. It's not going to cheer you up with its lyrics, but it will make you proud to be a music lover in 2009.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Taking a break
I can't blog for a few days because my computer has a ridiculous number of viruses on it. This is my fault due to my recent obsession with bootlegged music. I'll be back in a few days...
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Great Forgotten Albums from the Late 1990s
The late 90s were a confusing time for music. Grunge music was devastated by the death of Kurt Cobain. Rap music was devastated by the death of 2Pac and Notorious BIG. There really was no dominant trend in music - which opened the door for anything. Ska. Electronic. Industrial. Swing. White rappers. Rap metal. Teen pop. ANYTHING.
In 1998, lovers of rock music were absolutely terrified of electronic music. It was unstoppable and it was about to take over everything. We were absolutely sure that by 2005, all music will be made by machines and guitars will be obsolete. There is no way electronic and rock can ever peacefully coexist - I remind you, we were still two years removed from Kid A.
That year, after selling 10 million copies of the bi-polar epic Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and then firing their drummer for drug use - the Smashing Pumpkins released Adore. To say this album was confusing at the time is an understatement.
The lead single, "Ava Adore", was everything we'd been waiting for: loud guitars, cruel snarling lyrics, a catchy chorus - but what was going on with the drum? A machine replaced Jimmy Chamberlain? How can they do this? Are they a rock band anymore?
It got more perplexing from there. Many of the songs didn't even need a backbone from a drummer - they were so drenched in synths that the songs floated without it. What you got instead is some of Billy Corgan's best songwriting. "Once Upon A Time" is a gorgeous waltz ballad with beautiful harmonies. "The Tale Of Dusty And Pistol Pete" is so gracefully sung that it doesn't matter that nobody can make sense of the lyrics. "Annie Dog" proves that Billy could have had a great career as a barroom piano singer. And the closing trio of "Behold! The Nightmare", "For Martha", and "Blank Page" is more emotional and powerful than anything they attempted on Mellon Collie.
Eleven years later, this album still holds up as a brilliant late-night listen that I feel like has some context in the greater picture of rock music now. If you don't like pretentious music with overwrought lyrics, you probably shouldn't be a Pumpkins fan anyway. Dust this one off - you'll be glad you did.
A lot of other great albums came out in the late 90s that I would like to eventually write about. If we have another bad month for new releases like we did in July, I'll have plenty of time.
In 1998, lovers of rock music were absolutely terrified of electronic music. It was unstoppable and it was about to take over everything. We were absolutely sure that by 2005, all music will be made by machines and guitars will be obsolete. There is no way electronic and rock can ever peacefully coexist - I remind you, we were still two years removed from Kid A.
That year, after selling 10 million copies of the bi-polar epic Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and then firing their drummer for drug use - the Smashing Pumpkins released Adore. To say this album was confusing at the time is an understatement.
The lead single, "Ava Adore", was everything we'd been waiting for: loud guitars, cruel snarling lyrics, a catchy chorus - but what was going on with the drum? A machine replaced Jimmy Chamberlain? How can they do this? Are they a rock band anymore?
It got more perplexing from there. Many of the songs didn't even need a backbone from a drummer - they were so drenched in synths that the songs floated without it. What you got instead is some of Billy Corgan's best songwriting. "Once Upon A Time" is a gorgeous waltz ballad with beautiful harmonies. "The Tale Of Dusty And Pistol Pete" is so gracefully sung that it doesn't matter that nobody can make sense of the lyrics. "Annie Dog" proves that Billy could have had a great career as a barroom piano singer. And the closing trio of "Behold! The Nightmare", "For Martha", and "Blank Page" is more emotional and powerful than anything they attempted on Mellon Collie.
Eleven years later, this album still holds up as a brilliant late-night listen that I feel like has some context in the greater picture of rock music now. If you don't like pretentious music with overwrought lyrics, you probably shouldn't be a Pumpkins fan anyway. Dust this one off - you'll be glad you did.
A lot of other great albums came out in the late 90s that I would like to eventually write about. If we have another bad month for new releases like we did in July, I'll have plenty of time.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
2009 In Hip-Hop
2009 is turning out to be an outstanding year for hip-hop. We still have the great lost Q-Tip album finally coming out next month, Jay-Z is giving us Blueprint 3, and the Beastie Boys and Dr. Dre could still give us new records by the end of the year. The Dream and Eminem are on the radio all summer and P.O.S kept indie hip-hop on the radar. It has been a good summer.
There are already two others out worth noting. First, Jay Stay Paid is the new release by the late Detroit DJ J Dilla. As you would expect, it is a little disjointed since it is a mix of his instrumentals with an array of guest MCs. However, the instrumentals make it worth it. The ambient loop of "King" is both soothing and driving (I wish it would have lasted a few more minutes). "On Stilts" is another quality minute-and-a-half to throw on your next party mix (I wish he would have given these instrumentals more room to breathe). The guest vocalists usually work; in fact, Black Though sounds more at home on "Reality TV" than he does on most Roots songs. This album will temp you to dig in to the catalog of J Dilla - a brilliant talent who died to soon.
If there is one hip-hop album you need this year so far, it is The Ecstatic by Mos Def. He hasn't been recording productively in years, but when he does he always delivers. The rapping is brilliant as always, like a day hasn't passed since his timeless 1999 solo debut Black On Both Sides, but he brings the kitchen sink of sounds this time. "Supermagic" starts the album with driving guitars and middle eastern vocals. "Auditorium" features smooth orchestral samples while Mos Def tells the story of an American soldier in Iraq. "Priority" mixes piano loops, horns, and lyrics like "Peace before everything, God before anything" into a driving mission statement - it's amazing how much he can put into a track that lasts 1:23. The ideas keep coming and 16 tracks whip past you in 45 minutes. But like all his albums, you have to hear it 10 more times.
J Dilla's Jay Stay Paid is a great album for those interested in party mixes and instrumental hip-hop. Mos Def's The Ecstatic is an album anybody who cares about any form of hip-hop should have and will probably be the years best hip-hop record. Unless Blueprint 3 has anything to say about it...
There are already two others out worth noting. First, Jay Stay Paid is the new release by the late Detroit DJ J Dilla. As you would expect, it is a little disjointed since it is a mix of his instrumentals with an array of guest MCs. However, the instrumentals make it worth it. The ambient loop of "King" is both soothing and driving (I wish it would have lasted a few more minutes). "On Stilts" is another quality minute-and-a-half to throw on your next party mix (I wish he would have given these instrumentals more room to breathe). The guest vocalists usually work; in fact, Black Though sounds more at home on "Reality TV" than he does on most Roots songs. This album will temp you to dig in to the catalog of J Dilla - a brilliant talent who died to soon.
If there is one hip-hop album you need this year so far, it is The Ecstatic by Mos Def. He hasn't been recording productively in years, but when he does he always delivers. The rapping is brilliant as always, like a day hasn't passed since his timeless 1999 solo debut Black On Both Sides, but he brings the kitchen sink of sounds this time. "Supermagic" starts the album with driving guitars and middle eastern vocals. "Auditorium" features smooth orchestral samples while Mos Def tells the story of an American soldier in Iraq. "Priority" mixes piano loops, horns, and lyrics like "Peace before everything, God before anything" into a driving mission statement - it's amazing how much he can put into a track that lasts 1:23. The ideas keep coming and 16 tracks whip past you in 45 minutes. But like all his albums, you have to hear it 10 more times.
J Dilla's Jay Stay Paid is a great album for those interested in party mixes and instrumental hip-hop. Mos Def's The Ecstatic is an album anybody who cares about any form of hip-hop should have and will probably be the years best hip-hop record. Unless Blueprint 3 has anything to say about it...
Monday, August 3, 2009
All Points West
The Beastie Boys were expected to be the headliners of All Points West this year, but sadly had to pull out when Adam Yauch was diagnosed with cancer. There were two brilliant tributes to the Beastie Boys at this show I had to share with you.
Coldplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw0VVRqlf3U
Jay-Z
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6HOyJFeeEI
You are in our prayers Adam.
Coldplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw0VVRqlf3U
Jay-Z
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6HOyJFeeEI
You are in our prayers Adam.
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