The Playwrights – English Self Storage

The prospect of a young British band with angular guitars, danceable rhythms, hooks, and the almost cliched Gang of Four name-drop is less than appetizing. The Playwrights, however, seem to be offering a little more if the listener takes the time to take a look beneath the surface.

While the Gang of Four and Bloc Party comparisons are certainly valid, the Playwrights are more than just a dancey post-punk band. English Self Storage is first and foremost a pop album. Rather than simply relying on dancey beats and noodly guitar, the guitars take a more melodic, musical approach.

Opener “Why We’ve Become Invisible” sets the tone for the entire album with its syncopated beats and jangly guitars. There are several chord phrasings and other musical devices that remind one of Bloc Party throughout the album, but no track more so than “Fear of Open Spaces.” “Central Heating in the Summer Season” starts out sounding like a fairly standard post-punk tune, but about midway through there is an interesting horn and flute section before coming back to the original format with a little more of a heavy-handed groove.

While a majority of English Self Storage is fairly standard fare, there are enough twists and turns thrown in to make it worth a few listens if you are into that sort of thing. For the average listener, however, those few twists and turns probably aren’t going to be enough to make this a must-have album.

Martha Wainwright – Philadelphia – Trocadero, PA – 2006-04-08

The first time I saw Neko Case in concert, it was more than mildly disappointing. I had waited so long for her tour to come nearby, and I ended up traveling from Philadelphia to Washington, DC to see her perform. The show that night wasn’t a total bust, but it still left a lot to be desired. Neko seemed off that night, with technical problems compounding whatever else may have been going wrong. She seemed unfocused, uninterested, and frustrated enough with the tech issues to stop and start a number of songs more than once. To top it off, she didn’t play much of anything from her studio albums, and most of the songs were unfamiliar gospel numbers.

When a friend mentioned she was playing two nights in New York City, I said I’d pass, as traveling to see Neko Case again was out of the question and the high prices in NYC weren’t worth it to me should the show prove a disappointment. However, when a date in Philadelphia was added for April 8th in my stomping ground, my husband and I couldn’t pass it up. Everyone deserves a second chance, right?

We arrived at the Trocadero just as opening act Martha Wainwright was finishing her set. It was an unfortunate combination of bad timing and horrible parking in Chinatown that caused us to miss her performance, which was a shame because I’ve heard good things about Martha.

Neko and her current band were pretty quick about getting their gear setup after that, and the main event arrived quickly. The last time I saw Neko Case perform, she was touring with the Sadies who also acted as her backup band, but this time around the band consisted of a group of musicians I’m unfamiliar with. I don’t know if they are permanent fixtures or simply a touring group, but the musicians (drummer, guitarist, stand-up bass player, backup singer, and lapsteel/pedal steel/banjo player) were absolutely fabulous and suited Neko’s music perfectly. Neko played guitar for some songs but mostly sang – with that beautiful, beautiful voice that sets her apart from so many other singers.

By the end of her first song of the night, I was hooked. This is the Neko Case I had hoped to see perform back in DC! Not only was this band the best possible accompaniment to Neko’s music, she played an incredible selection of songs from her various albums, including a few from her recent release Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. Other highlights included “Deep Red Bells” and a riveting performance of the title track from Furnace Room Lullaby as well as “I Wish I Was the Moon,” “Outro With Bees,” and “Look For Me (I’ll Be Around)” from Blacklisted. Neko even played a few songs she recorded with the Sadies, including “If You Only Knew” and the title track from The Tigers Have Spoken.

In addition to an all-around great show, Neko seemed much more at ease this night despite needing a bathroom break in the middle of her set as well as telling the crowd she’s been sick and has a hole in her throat. Regardless of it all, Ms. Case wowed the audience with a stellar show that includes two encores! Without a doubt, this will be one of the best shows I see in 2006. Although Neko doesn’t have tons of dates left on this tour, catch her live show if you can because there’s nothing but great music to be had.

Some By Sea – On Fire! (Igloo)

I’ve made no secret of my affection for the music of indie-popsters Some By Sea. From Chris Du Bray’s addictive and perfect voice to Rachel Bowman’s lovely accompaniment (some vocals but mostly the perfectly incorporated cello), to the endearing instrumentation that takes pop in all sorts of directions, the band won me over on its debut, Get Off the Ground if You’re Scared, sated me with the EP The Saddest Christmas, and owned my heart now with On Fire! (Igloo), its first on SideCho Records.

Started as a solo project in Seattle, it wouldn’t surprise me if Get Off the Ground was mostly Du Bray’s work. His bandmates proved their mettle, however, and subsequent releases feel more diverse, with On Fire! surely the band’s best effort yet. The songs are rich and melodic, upbeat at the right moments, gentle and melancholy at others, and Du Bray proves adept at each of those styles. Perfect production gives each song a rich depth that never overwhelmes the tracks themselves.

After a gentle introduction whose title is nearly as long as the song length, the band kicks into gear with “It’s a Night Without a Cinaplex.” Head-bobbing and catchy, Du Bray’s vocals are perfect, and Bowman’s cello is rich and startling. And just when you’re caught up in its flow, it drifts into a mellow and moody interlude, flowing along so effortlessly that you’ll barely notice the song is more than six minutes long.

The band proves diverse as it drifts effortlessly through a country-tinged pop song hinged on lap steel (from talented guitarist David Bilbrey) and cello with “This Song is Not About You, So Don’t Ask” (clever titles abound on this band’s releases) and then flowing into the lush and layered “One More Day Goes By,” which adds synths for a stirring backdrop to the acoustic guitar and upbeat rhythm. On “The Things We All Carry Around,” the (organic) beats give the song a Postal Service type of feel at times, while the chorus is one of the album’s most grandiose moments. Tracks like “The Beginning of the World Often Comes” are heartfelt and moody, the cello providing the song’s lush, rich accompaniment to Du Bray’s emotive voice and lyrics. By contrast, “Look What I Made Without Your Heart Getting in the Way” is an upbeat and playful-feeling song with perhaps the most poppy use of cello I’ve yet to hear. The bass and what almost sounds like harmonica lead “Fables (Kentucky Social),” and there’s hints of banjo to this somewhat slower but no-less-playful song.

The end of the album seems to take a more melancholy bent, starting with “Darling, Here’s the Best Part,” which has moments of intensity but mostly quieter, moodier moments, Du Bray’s repeated “You send me away” reaching its emotional depth. Wonderful rhythm (courtesy of drummer Daniel Disparte and bassist Blake Johnson) leads the vibrant “Under the Cyclone,” and Du Bray’s lyrics take on greater intensity as he sings lyrics like “If there’s a scar then push it deeper. Just learn to hide yourself inside a secret. Back down to the intersection, the fine lines of contradiction. We push for a photograph and just end up with dust.” Album closer “Only One Bullet” is the album’s epic, a 12-minute track that features brilliant use of piano, strings, intricate drumming, and effects-laden electric guitar. The long instrumental period is brilliant, featuring some of the best guitarwork I’ve heard all year. And Du Bray’s never more intense, as he finishes the track singing, almost poppily, “We’ve come too far to just give up. There’s only one bullet left to finish the job.”

I won’t apologize for heaping praise upon a band as endearing as Some By Sea. These songs are catchy at their upbeat moments, moving at their more mellow and melancholy, and the diversity of styles never stray too far from indie-pop to be jarring but provide a fresh take on the genre. I am smitten with Some By Sea, and I’m sure any fan of lush and sweet pop songs will feel the same.

Glissandro 70 – Glissandro 70

How long can you tap your foot? I sure hope it’s at least a solid half an hour (I use “at least” because repeat listens are completely expected). If not, you might find yourself in a bind with the self-titled release from Toronto-based experimentators Glissandro 70. When the band takes advantage of its indelible rhythmic base, the result is so dancey and so funky, in fact, that even the most hardened snobs and hipsters are going to have a hard time keeping themselves from resorting to the ubiquitous “indie sway” to keep the groove from going to ruin.

The best songs on the album are made up of taut, timbral activity delivered by guitars that could have easily been lifted straight off of a Talking Heads record (just listen to “Analogue Shantytown”). Much like those post-punk eccentrics and David Byrne, Glissandro 70 takes a considerable amount of influence from world music and filters it all through the familiar post-rock leanings everyone has grown to expect from a band on Constellation. The songs unfurl at their own pace, and it’s positively delightful to hear a scattered percussive section backing up calm guitar noodling as they repeat, intertwine, and then fade off as another gentle sound pattern gives way to the next song.

The easiest point of reference for Glissandro 70 would be the rhythmic goodness of Fly Pan Am’s N’ecoutez Pas, minus the bothersome would-be musique concrète that marred an otherwise exceptional experience. Luckily, Glissandro 70 keeps things relatively in the lines. But, dear reader, have no worries: the disc radiates fun, especially with little flashes of the unexpected tossed in for good measure. Take, for instance, the persistent, boorish vocal loop on the first section of “Portugal Rua Rua” or the creeping guitars backed up by serene chanting in “Bolan Muppets.” Then, on the album’s closing (and longest) track, a sudden bombastic quality storms into and overcomes the Afro-flavored song in an entrancing exercise of sonic repetition.

As stated above, everything is over in an abrupt 35 minutes, so it at least escapes the annoying precept that post-rock is guaranteed to be bloated and lengthy. I’ll be honest: this is possibly the most fun to be had on Constellation Records. While their labelmates are busy predicting the apocalypse, Glissandro 70 are summoning the gods of rhythm and dance, and the results are phenomenal.

Smoking Popes – At Metro

Chicago’s Smoking Popes are a Chicago institution, blending pop, punk, and sickly sweet lyrics into a sound that has inspired a rabid fan base that continued to hold the band close to its collective busom over the seven-plus years since the Popes announced an abrupt hiatus. This live CD/DVD set captures last year’s reunion at their hometown’s Metro, which was intended as a one-off event but has since spawned a national headlining tour and forthcoming new studio record.

This record’s packaging and its accompanying press materials trip all over themselves attempting to mythologize the Smoking Popes and draw lines of correlation between the Chicago four-piece and today’s emo/pop scene. Following in the recent tradition of Victory Records, the praise is dubious and perhaps poorly considered – a sticker on the shrinkwrap has Fallout Boy’s Pete Wentz explaining that without the Popes, his band would likely not exist. Hmm. For those with more discerning musical minds, there are also quotes from Matt Skiba and Morrissey (whoa) hyping these dudes up.

The Popes were certainly before my time, and they have largely flown under my radar until this disc arrived in my hands. So from an outsider’s point of view, without the lenses of fandom and nostalgia tinting the coloration, how is it? It certainly feels a little dated, and though there are some nice tracks here and there, most of the music is fairly nondescript mid-90s pop-rock, along the lines of Weezer or Nerf Herder but without the sense of fun. For the uninitiated, the 19-song set runs a little long. These songs may be long on sweetness and spiky guitars, but they largely lack the payoff moments and big choruses one expects from a band often tagged as pop-punk.

Some of the vocal melodies and octave-laden guitar parts reveal these guys as a serious inspiration on Skiba and Alkaline Trio, though I’m afraid I can’t comment on any debts Fallout Boy may owe these guys. As a first impression of this band, this set is underwhelming. It sounds like a bunch of older rock dudes cranking out passable poppy rock songs with workmanlike precision but without much that’s novel or exciting. Of course, the band’s legions of fans will be totally stoked for this, and that’s really what counts in the end.

John Dufilho – S/T

John Dufilho’s self-titled debut album is an occasionally enjoyable but frequently frustrating listen because of its uneven mix of just a few developed songs and so many lo-fi style brief, wandering filler tracks. Throughout the record – hardly a “long-player” at under 29 minutes – there is a sense that Dufilho tried too hard to sound like other indie-pop darlings; Stephen Merritt and Ben Gibbard come to mind. Swallowing the microphone, dropping his words with a certain sneer and deliberate style, it’s tough to figure out who John Dufilho is.

The Deathray Davies’ lead singer’s first solo outing opens with the quiet, simple “I’m Gonna Stay Under These Covers Today,” sounding like a B-side of The Postal Service. Other brief tracks here that act as interludes and mimic the duo of Gibbard and Tamborello in title and/or style include the multi-layered “The Bridge of Stolen Bicycles,” the dull “I Can Be Nothing but Trouble,” and forgettable songs that annoyingly repeat the same one or two lines, like “Nate and Gray’s Theme” and “I’m Outside.”

After five releases with The Deathray Davies, one figures Dufilho could conceive something more sophisticated than spending almost two minutes saying “I won’t take a bath / I won’t take a bath / I’m dirty and I like it that way / Oh yeah / I figured it out.” Is this adult indie rock or Sesame Street?

Not all of Dufilho’s tracks reach such lows. There are a few strong but brief pop songs here. “What are You Waiting For?” pounds with razor-sharp guitars and attractive keyboard flourishes, and “When Madness Strikes Again” instantly brings to mind several British electronic pop songs from the early 80s with its innocent tones and buoyant melody. Dufilho’s combination of classical strings and serious lyrical imagery on “Check the Engine” is a fresh approach that captivates the listener from start to finish. On a quieter note, “Nobody’s Right-Nobody’s Wrong” is half aquatic tranquility and half reflective acoustic folk.

Dufilho demonstrates some appealing playing and singing abilities on his debut album, and he has a knack, however inconsistent, for memorable riffs. Unfortunately, much of the record is mired in obscure instrumentals and studio experimentation that weakens some of the vocal elements. Dufilho’s half-hour musical offering isn’t as fulfilling as his talent would lead listeners to anticipate.

Mole Harness – In a Strange Sea

I was planning on posting some hot, Islands-esque summery pop/rock song that, in a far corner of my mind, I thought would actually become the soundtrack to your next long drive with the windows down and the warm weather humming all about. Maybe the sun would be going down and this year’s equivalent of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – miraculously discovered by my humble little self and introduced to you, oh lucky reader – would be playing through your speakers at a nice volume and you’d be thinking, “Damn, these guys sure are good, I’m glad that guy found them and spread the word and gained all that indie-journalist clout. I guess he’s pretty much the man.”

But then I came across Mole Harness. The whole “electro-acoustic instrumental music” tagline totally went against my quest to find a new Tapes ‘n Tapes, and so I was about as prejudiced and skeptical as you could get when I started in on “In a Strange Sea.” Even though what I heard wasn’t summery or trendy by any conventional standards, it was stop-you-in-your-tracks beautiful and just the right amount of sad. An effects-laden keyboard brought the song’s stunning melody in first before dual guitars took it from there and gracefully carried it into the hands of gentle, warm keyboard swells, which after a short while brought it back to those pretty acoustics and quietly finished the song. Needless to say, my delusions of indie-guy grandeur were smashed and I was left with a new favorite song – a real song too, not some contrived flavor of the week tune.

Mole Harness, the moniker of James Brewster, is not in this for anything but making music. Through the simple setup of guitar and sampler and not much else, he grabs you and sits you down and forces you to take a short, quiet, much-needed break from the grind. His music wordlessly speaks to anyone who listens and will leave them with goosebumps on their arms and necks.

Rahim – Ideal Lives

We live in the age of the single. Even the most desired indie darlings have at best one or two songs that stand out more than the rest of their album. Long past are the days of the complete album. Although it is easy to get caught up in the buzz of a band with that one hit, you have to look a little extra harder to find a band with the complete package. For some, that might take keeping track with what a particular label is doing. Another way is scope the websites of producers and engineers who have a track record of working with bands with potential. Word of mouth is ok if you have someone who does those previous two jobs for you. Or you can get lucky and happen to have something fall into your lap. The last two happened for me with Rahim’s latest, Ideal Lives.

Rahim is a trio that had gotten the opportunity to work with producer extraordinaire J Robbins. As a result of listening to this album, you get the feeling that the band and Robbins feed off each other by creating an eclectic album that flows from beginning to end, leaving a path of sweet harmonies mixed with some DC-influenced post-punk. Robbins’ production work gives the album a raw sound that seems to work as well live as it does through my headphones.

The album opener, “KlangKlangKlang,” has a little bit of everything going on. From some trumpet sounds, some really slick and sly, but subdued punk-derived drumming, and a brilliant, playful relationship between the bass and guitar, much like Robbins’ old band Jawbox. “Something From an Amputee” continues this trend, but with lyrics that are considerably catchy to the point where you will find yourself lip synching to the chorus. Another favorite on this album would have to be “Forever Love” with its subtle math-rock tribute to 60s British Beatle-esque bands.

Throughout the album, Philip Sutton’s drumming is just amazing. Instead of playing to the vocals and the feel of the song, Sutton seems to have somehow managed to make the feel of the song come from the drums. Ryan McCoy’s bass and Michael Friedrich’s guitar together sound like an over-active 2-year-old, sometimes quickly stopping for the other to pick up speed, only to stop again, then all three members seem to pick up with each other musically and vocally, a trick that has gotten me hook, line, and sinker.

I revel in the fact that Ideal Lives is only the first full-length from Rahim. Even though the band has released an EP before this album, I feel this is a start to what is the potential to being the foundation to an interesting Rahim library. These guys deserve credit for not only keeping the sound that influenced them in the first place, but for also having the sense to expand on that one-dimensional train of thought and build on it to the point where the listener begins to wonder how the song will finish and the next will begin. That is not to say this album is full of trickery and random slight-of-hand tricks. Rahim just picks up where bands of the past have left off and where bands of the present can never seem to genuinely pick up. While I am sure J Robbins gave the band invaluable guidance, the chemistry between the members of Rahim is quite apparent from the beginning to the end of the album.

Bouncing Souls – Live

If you are wanting an elaborate review on the new Bouncing Souls’ live album, look elsewhere. If you are looking for elaborate music, look elsewhere as well. This is the Bouncing Souls. You know what you are getting yourself into here. And it’s live, so you also know what to expect there. Why waste your time reading when you could be rocking?

What can be said about Bouncing Souls that hasn’t already been said in the band’s 17-plus years of existence? Not a lot, and especially not from someone who has only heard the band in passing. If you aren’t at least vaguely familiar with the Bouncing Souls, it is tempting to ask, “Do you listen to music?” or “Do you have friends?” because there is no way you could possibly listen to music and have friends that listen to music and not have a clue who these guys are.

What can be said, however, is that this live album captures the guys in top form and really harnesses some of that live energy. And with two discs containing 29 songs, there is plenty of material for anyone. The recording is not bad at all for a live album, and as stated above, some of the band’s natural energy and character shines through.

The Bouncing Souls are an energetic, fun, and melodic punk-rock band that play simple songs with the sole purpose of rocking you. This album is a perfect example of what the Bouncing Souls are all about, and with 29 songs, it has a lot of material for old fans as well as newbies trying to become initiated.

Black Heart Procession – The Spell

Four years after the release of Amore Del Tropico, San Diego’s darkest sons return with album number five. Aptly titled, The Spell had me under its sway from the first notes. After waiting so long for this record to come out, I was pleasantly surprised that time had not taken its toll on the group. The results are just as good as any previous Black Heart Procession release. Just as Amore Del Tropico succeeded in bringing new life to the group’s dreary country style with those tropical murder ballads, The Spell also takes another surprising turn, one towards rock.

Much of the Black Heart sound is retained on this record. You’ll still hear the minor-key piano ballads, the descriptive storytelling, and another “Waiter” song. The most striking addition to the Black Heart repretoire would be all the post-prog guitar noodling found on tracks like “Gps” and “The Fix.” Other than that, there is a warm, hollow distortion to many of the guitars themselves not seen since the days of Pall Jenkins’ old band Three Mile Pilot. In fact, those familiar with that group would be quick to point out the similarities in overall tonal quality between Another Desert, Another Sea and this album.

After Jenkins donated some vocal tracks to the Album Leaf’s In a Safe Place last year, it seems that Album Leaf main man Jimmy Lavelle has jumped aboard the good ship Black Heart, as he plays bass in this incarnation of the band. Joining him along with Black Heart mainstays Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel are Album Leaf violinist Matt Resovich and ex-Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer (who also played on Amore Del Tropico). The addition of these talents adds more texture to the group and a strong, rhythmic backbone.

“Tangled” begins the record with a signature piano line much like other Black Heart Procession releases. “The Spell” moves itself along with some of the best drumming in the band’s catalog. “Not Just Words” is slightly pastoral in its unfolding beauty. Near the end of the record, “Places” reminds me of driving at night with the lines “we come crashing through the dark, we don’t know where we are, and something is just not the same.” Despite the relative excellency of these tracks, the real stand outs are the rockers that I mentioned previously.

As a long-time Black Heart Procession fan, it’s difficult to try and offer perspective when critically assessing this record. As much as I loved Amore Del Tropico, The Spell comes across even more striking. I place it along with Three as the best album so far in a long-winding career. With the addition of Lavelle and Resovich, nearly making the band a super group, The Black Heart Procession has delivered another exceptional album that might even win over any previous naysayers.

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