Dum Dum Girls – Only In Dreams

Dum Dum Girls is a female-fronted indie rock group from California. Any preconceived notions about their sound based on these facts, however, should be promptly abrogated. These aren’t sunny, carefree melodies from the likes of contemporaries Best Coast. Rather, these tracks from Dum Dum Girls’ sophomore release are tethered in rebellion and contention, battling life and emotion with a feral grin. Like the vocals of Dee Dee Penny, these tracks contain a tough, brooding rind on the surface. But beneath that layer lies an ossature of vulnerability and yearning, making Only In Dreams an immediate yet textured album and a step in the right direction for the California quartet.

Skepticism regarding the ability of Dee Dee Penny (real name, Kristen Gundred) to be an enigmatic frontwoman are only further abated with this release. Her vocals are best suited for hard rock, as witnessed by the third song, entitled “Just a Creep.” Driven by infectious, psychedelic guitar riffs, Penny attacks the track with the wizened, snarling vocals of a confident rock star. The slow-burning stomp of “Coming Down” showcases Dee Dee Penny’s skillful wail and oozes self-empowerment, but is also fraught with emotion. It is not necessarily ethereal, but is more self-assured in its righteous indignation against one who did her wrong. In fact, this balance of rebelliousness and fragile emotion is a theme throughout much of Only In Dreams. Penny pines for affection and laments loss (“Teardrops on My Pillow”), but does so in a manner that suggests she will ultimately be more than fine without it (see “Wasted Away”).

Clearly, this is not meant to be a feel-good, innocuous record, but is laced with the cynicism that is the trademark of a successful post-punk rock release. Sure, pop songs find their way onto the album here and there (“Bedroom Eyes”), but even those still contain an underlying melancholy to their melody and lyricism. Death is a prevalent subject throughout the record. It is somewhat unclear at times whether Penny is speaking on her recent personal loss or using it as a figurative analogy for the end of a relationship, yet it is this abstract quality to her lyricism that is proof of Penny’s growth and improvement as an artist.

Some of the mid-tempo tracks towards the end of the album may slow the momentum created by the first half, yet Only In Dreams is ultimately a triumphant, self-assured release that proves the Dum Dum Girls are here to stay and will continue to evolve into full-fledged rock stars, a role they seemed destined to fill.

Tunnels – The Blackout

Continuously evolving his sounds, Tunnels has been the moniker for musician Nicholas Bindeman for quite some time now. At first a droning experiment that reached into psychedelia with mixed results, Bindeman was always someone known for chasing a wide-open world of sounds. And now with a pulse on the bass lines in his music and with a varied outlook on pop music and song structure, The Blackout glistens as one of Tunnels’ finest releases to date.

Taking hold of the driving bass Bindeman infiltrates the music with a rugged personality built around 80s influences and synth-driven electronics. Where artists like The Cure step in for much of the impact, Tunnels’ music travels through a space that finds Bindeman venturing into new territory. On “Deux” the snare drum introduction is a slick opening for the pulsating affect of the bass. Bindeman’s vocals are shrouded with effects that paired with the album’s atmospherics, make for a relatively welcome adaptation. Even on “How I Hate You”’s lulling keyboards, Bindeman finds a way to make the vocals sound complete and well-adjusted. The music pushes along with a supportive synth and pressing against the electronic roots make for a realized moment when the siren blares in.

Delving into style that is far more focused on the feel and mood, The Blackout benefits from the album’s scaling electronics. On “Volt 1979,” the song creeps in like a take from The Go! Team’s Thunder, Lightning, Strike before the compelling guitar solo breaks through and later on “Solid Space” Bindeman crafts a swelling mass of keyboards and synthesizer. Again, the bass is relied on heavily – especially on the latter song where it acts as the motor to the song’s ringing transformations. Instead of tackling a singular style or sound Bindeman has opted for a heavy hand at the production style of the 80s, thus allowing Tunnels’ music to prevail on terrific atmosphere.

The album’s closer, “Moon Bombs,” takes the role of delivering something ominous and open-ended with inspired results. Drifting into a lost world of sounds and spectrums, Bindeman guides the same repetitive melody throughout the explosions happening around him. After an album of songs that are all devoted to the misty feeling of keyboards, there’d be no better way to end it than with a song solely built around the spectral touch of a synth. Taking a knowledgeable view on music and engrossing all of his strengths, The Blackout is an oncoming of outstanding songs. Even with an evolving sound, music is still capable of rousing and for Bindeman, the proof lies now and ahead.

Thrill Jockey

Compilation Benefit album with Calexico, Neko Case, Giant Sand…

Fort Lowell Records has partnered with Music Against Violence for one of the most exciting and rewarding projects of 2011… Luz de Vida: A Compilation to Benefit the Victims of the Tucson Tragedy, scheduled for release: October 18.

http://jamestritten.com/flr007/05%20Recovery%20Mission%20(Radio%20Edit).mp3 – Giant Sand “Recovery Mission (Radio Edit)”

Artist such as Calexico, Giant Sand, Neko Case, Spoon, DeVotchKa, Jimmy Eat World, John Vanderslice, Robyn Hitchcock, along with Tucson locals Tracy Shedd, Dead Western Plains, Lenguas Largas, Sergio Mendoza y La Orkesta, and many others have contributed their music to Luz de Vida, to raise money for the Tucson Together Fund.

As you know, Fort Lowell Records was started less than two years ago as a 7inch label, so we are very proud to introduce as our 7th release our debut 12inch record. Luz de Vida will be available in two formats: 12inch Vinyl: featuring 12 exclusive tracks from Tucson artists; Digital Download: bursting with 37 tracks total.

WEBSITE:
http://musicagainstviolence.org – Public Website

Arckanum – Helvitismyrkr

Let us get our chaos magic grimoires primed to take a headlong plunge into a completely foreign realm.  Welcome to the world of Sweden’s own Arckanum, with their new album Helvitsmyrkr on Season of Mist Records.  Founder and sole member, Shamaatae, who is also a practicing Chaos-Gnostic and the author of 3 books that range from Chaos-Gnosticism, Anti-Cosmic Satanism and Old-Norse religion, makes it clear that Arckanum is in no way a pagan black metal band.  Prepare yourself now for some Chaos-Gnostic face melting black metal embodied in the human form commonly known as Arckanum.

Knowing the back story of Arckanum it seems logical to point out that the riffing patterns almost take on a mysterious shamanic practice as evidenced by the first three ripping tracks, “Helvitt”, “Myrkrin Vinn Hefnt” and “Or Djupum”— which seem to effortlessly bleed into one another and form one giant, auditory monster.  “In Svarta” seems to pick up somewhat disjointed from where the previous 3 tracks left off as it kind of just dwindles at a slow meandering pace.

The riff madness finally continues on “Nifldreki”, another solid lightning bolt to the skull and continues into “Svartr ok pursligr” with it’s start-stop verse dynamic that seems to throw the album off-kilter slightly and signals a minor loss of focus.  By the time one reaches “Prudgelmis Hlaut” the blueprint seems to be smudging a bit and can only be saved by the album’s instrumental closer, “Sisoltin”.  The main riff has an almost punk-like feel akin to when Darkthrone started to pay homage to throwback thrash.  The final moments of Helvitismyrkr end with some grimy feedback and a sinister spoken/shouted chant.

Helvitismyrkr stands out as a solid, slightly disjointed release from a black metal veteran.  Though somewhat similar to Shamaatae’s previous 3 offerings, this album still rises above the horde to shout from a distant mountain; chiding the listener to partake in this metal maelstrom.  With only a few minor flaws, stalls and low points this album still delivers and is worthy of multiple listens.

Tawny Ellis – I To You

It’s always possible to read more into the music and words of a performer than is actually there. When the first song on an album is also its title track, I always experience a moment of expectation, of the anticipation of a song sequence, of a form of musical storytelling: not quite of a concept album (no-one really makes those anymore), but of a cycle of songs, interconnected in their themes, which display a definite beginning and end. Then when I listen to an album such as I To You I soon realise that I am of course projecting concepts of my own onto the words and music of others, particularly when, as with Tawny Ellis and her songs, there isn’t an immediately noticable sense of hidden depth, of ambiguity and mystery within the songwriting and vocals.I To You is a skilfully played and refreshingly down to earth song collection, songs that express themes and ideas which just about anyone hearing them will instantly recognise.

“I To You”, the song, is brightly played, smartly crafted and unapologetically, a love song. It’s also an intricately developed melody, and with backing musicians whose CVs include work alongside artistes as diverse as the Indigo Girls, Jack Johnson, Pink, Dizzy Gillespie and Bob Dylan, it’s also only the first of a sequence of what are very high quality performances from both Tawny Ellis and her band. The musicianship never overwhelms Tawny’s own songs or voice though. Throughout, I To You is a finely produced and committed performance from everyone involved. Tawny herself remains seemingly nonplussed by the array of talents bringing added dimensions to her already luminous, deceptively inventive songwriting. Intruigingly, Tawny Ellis almost entirely avoids slipping into the lyrically involved, fragile confessional that so many of her contemporaries bring to the stage. It’s slightly underplayed, but there’s a combination of both realism and optimism in her words that reveals Tawny as a lady with both feet very firmly on the ground, one whose lyricism is tempered by her everyday experience but also has the ability to bring an added depth to even the most unremarkable events.

So, I made it past the album’s first and title track and realised that, while the world of Tawny Ellis isn’t perhaps a very mysterious or magical one, there’s plenty going on. “Erase You” is a heartfelt and lyrically strident plea for personal independence in the context of a collapsing relationship. “Tonight I Drink Whiskey” is exactly the song its title suggests, a barroom escapade set to a keening slide guitar. “She Stays” has both Tawny and her musicans developing their sound, leaving me to question whether or not I can hear a backwards guitar part amongst the percussion, vibes and cello. “Why Can’t I Be Her” shows Tawny at her most vulnerable, a solo guitar and vocal performance that’s as affecting as it’s uncomplicated, and which also reveals that Tawny Ellis could carry the entire album minus her backing band. It’s the track which very firmly asserts her own presence across the ten tracks of I To You, were that in any doubt, although anyone who has heard this much of the album will already hold both Tawny and her songs in quite some regard by this point. “Dear Muse” is a real highlight though, a softly handled ballad that’s given an added depth by some softly unobtrusive strings. Finally, “I Don’t Want To Fight” is a very different kind of song to much of what has preceded it, folk influenced, its echoing drums and swaying rhythm a notable departure from what are the mainly country sounds of the rest of the album, and it ends the album on a memorably strident note.

There’s an invention and depth to Tawny Ellis’s music that might surprise anyone. Her songs consistently surprise and captivate with their blend of lyrical realism and resonant instrumentation, and Tawny’s voice is that of an accomplished and evocative interpreter of her own words. I To You is an album that does, I’ve decided, contain a story at its centre, and it’s also almost the perfect album for one of those bright, warm late summer days that always end sooner than they should.

www.tawnyellis.com

Debut Album from Borrowed Beams of Light out now

Borrowed Beams of Light Pull a Stellar Hoax
“Half Light”: http://bantermm.com/tracks/BorrowedBeamsofLight-HalfLight.mp3

Delivering on the promise of their self titled CD/EP, Charlottesville, VA’s Borrowed Beams of Light drop the needle on summer with their first full length album, Stellar Hoax.

While the Voynich Manuscript, a centuries old handwritten book with unknown origins provides a thematic foundation for the album, frontmen Adam Brock and Nate Walsh give us ten tracks that burn with their own strange heat.

Careening with imagination and delirious, sun-drunk joy, the album opens with the infectious “Plants.” It gallops towards the rambunctiously poppy “Holy Cow,” and ends on “Stellar Hoax” a bracing ballad with a riptide of melancholy. Album highlight, “Half Light,” is a stop-you-in-your-tracks anthem that strums the chords of brotherhood, love, and loss.

Brock, who cites the Kinks and Fleetwood Mac as influences, does justice to these songs with his infectious vocals. The album is shot through with high pitched harmonies sure to lift your heart while you crank down the car window.

It may be called Stellar Hoax, but these tracks speak the universal truth of rock and roll. The album is out now via speakertree/World Recs (LP/CD/digital).

Official site: http://www.borrowedbeams.com/

Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know

It’s hard not to feel both twinges of cynical suspicion and mild concern when it comes to Laura Marling’s rapidly rising starlet status.  Already shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize twice, signed to a major label with plenty of marketing muscle power and encumbered by gossip-friendly side-stories of past relationships with members of Noah & The Whale and Mumford & Sons, the intense focus on someone so young could potentially be Marling’s premature personal and artistic undoing.  Certainly to her credit though, Marling seems to be striving to dodge such distractions, to sharpen the focus on making music on her own still-to-be fully defined terms.  With the newly-released A Creature I Don’t Know therefore, Marling takes an assertive – if still work-in-progress – step forward.

Picking-up where last year’s acclaimed I Speak Because I Can left off, this new long-player finds Marling taking greater control in presenting her compositions through earthier, warmer and less static arrangements, even if sometimes her songwriting doesn’t quite keep up the same new pace.  In the former respect, A Creature I Don’t Know undoubtedly leaves its mark memorably and alluringly.  Crucially, there are fewer Britfolk clichés to keep Marling as easily pigeon-holed as before, with more global influences in the mix throughout.  Thus, the opening gypsy-jazz trappings of “The Muse” make a playful nod towards Django Reinhardt; the banjo-scuffling and rhythmic gallop of “My Friends” holds a bluegrass-meets-mariachi vibe; the multi-part “Sophia” suggests an intertwined affection for Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris; the startling menace of “The Beast” builds to a discordant desert-rock crescendo that might even spike the interest of 16 Horsepower fans; and the soaring closer “All My Rage” reaches up loftily with rapturous gospel-slanted sea shanty swelling.  There’s still room for some sparse acoustic intimacy however, with the dainty “Night After Night” being a blatant but well-executed homage to Leonard Cohen’s Songs From A Room. 

Whilst the overall the artistic advancement is decidedly impressive for such a fledgling talent, Marling does at times sell herself a little short on the lyrical and vocal front.  With the former element, a bit more self-editing could have weeded-out jarring rhyming couplets such as “Oh, I have been wandering/Where I have been pondering” and “There lies a man of my heart/A fine and complete work of art.”  Moreover, Marling’s pipes sometimes strain with forced or slurred transatlantic accents in trying to fit the newer wider arrangements; revealing that her increasing penchant for role-playing isn’t yet as seamless and uncontrived as it needs to be. But such minor gripes ultimately don’t distract too much from the richness and infectiousness of the gathered recordings. However, it’s far better for Marling to learn from her own mistakes in future than to have them forcibly polished-out by a more pushy producer.

So overall, A Creature I Don’t Know is a substantial and commendable creative success that is destined to propel Laura Marling even further onwards.  Let’s just hope that she can hold her nerve enough to mature with a tighter focus on her penmanship and vocal technique, without self-defeating shortcuts or too much extraneous pressure.

Virgin Records / Ribbon Music

Nevermind Live: A Benefit Show For Susie Tennant at the EMP Museum – Seattle, WA. 9/20/11

September 24, 2011 marked the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s Nevermind. Their landmark album will see 3 separate deluxe edition re-issues, along with a full concert DVD on September 27th (26th in the UK). To coincide with this epic endeavor, the Experience Music Project Museum in Seattle, WA. held a star studded benefit concert for Susie Tennant on September 20th. Tennant, who was recently diagnosed with cancer is a long time figurehead of the Seattle music scene. The concert was broadcast via Livestream which is where, from 1 to 4:30am, I watched in horror at this downright appalling tribute to an album that changed my life.

With a line-up consisting of current, and legendary Seattle musicians such as The Fastbacks, Jack Endino, Tom Price of U-Men fame, Campfire OK, Tacocat, Pidgeonhead, and of course Krist Novoselic, all playing Nevermind in it’s entirety. The benefit concert had all the makings of a truly memorable event, but sadly this was not the case.

Back together after a 10 year hiatus were The Fastbacks performing “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Kim Warnick cleverly referring to it as “that song”. Formed in 1979, The Fastbacks have really aged and it showed with this gut wrenching cover. Guitarist Kurt Bloch and crew completely annihilated the song that made Nirvana famous. “In Bloom” went down the same way, performed by Valis (members of TAD, among others). I found it quite hard watching Kurt from TAD struggle with the bass line. Valis’ timing was jumpy and scattered, as if they’d learned the song hours before their performance.

On “Come As You Are”, producing legend and former member of Skin Yard Jack Endino took part in crushing all hope of a proper rendition of track three off of Nevermind. Seattle’s own Ravenna Woods tore through, as well as tore up track four, “Breed”. One thing I noticed up to this point was how hard all the musicians tried to match Kurt Cobain. In an effort to pay tribute, they put more effort into their polished Rock ‘N’ Roll bravado. Another disappointing part of the live stream was how much time lapsed between songs. I’m curious as to whether these artists realized that they’re playing just one song. If Nirvana was one thing it was a punk rock band at heart. It may not of come through in some of their music, but it was definitely present in their attitude and ethics. I don’t feel either trait was properly represented during this concert.

Duff McKagen’s Loaded, one of the more commercially successful musicians of the night thus far, took a shot at “Lithium”. All in all the performance was not too bad, or the least bad up to this point. McKagen’s Seattle roots stem as far back as 1979. Before joining Guns N’ Roses, McKagen played in The Fastbacks, and the post-Fartz band 10 Minute Warning. McKagen and Cobain sat next to each other on a Seattle bound plane just days before Cobain died. Next was track six from Nevermind, “Polly”. Although an acoustic song on the album, on this particular night the five piece Seattle band Campfire Ok gave us a truly unique rendition which was one of the few highlights of the evening. Visqueen’s rendition of “Territorial Pissings” isn’t really worth mentioning.

Announced as a super secret guest, Dave Grohl appeared live via satellite from Cleveland, where the Foo Fighters were performing that night. The incoming audio was so low, that I cannot divulge with any clarity the contents of what it was Grohl said, yet another disappointment in the long line of “planned” surprises for the sold-out crowd inside EMP’s Sky Church.

Coming in at track eight, Champagne Champagne’s cover of “Drain You” will forever be remembered in the minds of all present as downright shameful. Joined by a lone guitar and drum machine, Champagne Champagne chose to rap during the songs quiet/loud middle section. Brass knuckles in hand, detestable at best, Krist Novoselic at this point, may have been questioning this venture and his decision to take part.

Low-fi queens (except for the drummer), Tacocat followed suit where Champagne Champagne left off. Parading in the steps of Bratmobile, proficiency was lost with their take on “Lounge Act”. “Stay Away” marked the return of Vendetta Red. No doubt half man, half velociraptor, vocalist Zach Davidson barely screeched his way through this number. At one point he asked the crowd, “how you doing tonight?, I fucking love this song!”, then proceeded to slide across the stage on his knees, only to get back up and eek out a shrilling end to an already embarrassing debacle. The Presidents Of The United States featuring Krist Novoselic on bass rocked the stage with “On A Plain”. The only downfall was singer Chris Bellew’s constant stage diving, making his vocals almost unintelligible. The Long Winters rounded out the album with a stunning performance of “Something In The Way”. Their moving rendition made sitting through all the other swill worth it. Vocalist/guitarist John Roderick’s gravel tingled vocals brought this benefit to an all time high, one that hadn’t been seen yet.

Last but not least, we have Crypts with their shocking, ridiculous, and flat-out disrespectful version of Nevermind’s hidden track, “Endless, Nameless”. Based on their performance, apparently the band were ejected from EMP just moments after they finished. I realize that the track is a noise jam, yet Crypts somehow managed to destroy the song, as well as any credibility they may have been able to muster during their crazed performance.

As the night wore on we saw performances by Pidgeonhead (“Heart Shaped Box”), Young Fresh Fellows (“About A Girl”), PUSA with Krist Novoselic (“Sliver”), and Cali Giraffes with “You Know You’re Right”. Their performance of the last recorded Nirvana song had me hanging my head in shame. What I found to be the most shocking was the bands entire lack of commitment in learning the lyrics, and they chose the song!

The number of viewers dropped to a staggering 1,600  by the end of the performance, which started out at almost 4,000 online attendees. We even saw the crowd slowly dispersing from the venue as the night progressed. In the end, the performance as a whole was one of the most unprofessional displays of lackluster, over the hill dudes/ladies (with a few newbies thrown in) trying desperately to re-capture their heydays while stumbling their way through unrehearsed, heinous renditions of Nirvana songs.

Album from Cuckoo Chaos out now

Cuckoo Chaos “Jamb Song” video link: http://vimeo.com/29021193
Cuckoo Chaos “Jamb Song”: http://lefserecords.com/tracks/CuckooChaos-JambSong.mp3

September 13th marked the release of Cuckoo Chaos‘ debut album Woman.  In celebration of the release, Cuckoo Chaos released their brand spankin’ new video for “Jamb Song” (link above).

Cuckoo Chaos has created a kind of hybrid sound, one part super hip, polyrythmic pop and another part rooted in a musical education with hippies at the helm. You might say, “the message is in the groove,” and the thing that unites these parts in perfect harmony, is that you won’t be able to stop moving your feet and shaking your hips, hours after the show has ended.

P.G. Six – Starry Mind

Direction and a change of scenery can always make for interestingly new facets and focuses. For Pat Gubler’s P.G. Six, taking four years off and beefing up their scenery with an arsenal of veteran musicians has taken on a developing twist to a greater sound. On Starry Mind Gubler re-tools his band with steady musicians that allow Gubler to give in to elevated new compositions; instead of delving into a folk sound with bits of booming rock sprinkled in, Gubler has presented an album that refines his singer-songwriter roots with Crazyhorse-like rock for a solid release.

Immediately taking a new turn, the opening strums to “January,” a traditional Irish song, are filled with a biting guitar and an evident nod to Rush-like spectacles. Gubler takes the main basics of the song and warps them around the idea of welcoming the repetitive nature of it. Building off the addition of instruments and layers, the sounds grow into an immense swell. There’s a distinct standing ground that Gubler has taken advantage of and the music on Starry Mind relishes in all-encompassing mass. The downtrodden roll of “Talk Me Down” appears at first to be a country-lulling ditty but Gubler balances the strolling feel with a sparkling guitar melody. Many of the songs directly showcase a finer element of songwriting and in turn, the sounds are always complimentary and never overwhelming.

Six-string musician Tara Key is featured on the slow stomp of “Letter” and she provides a mellow skill of gelling flow. Gubler’s vocals sound assuredly confident and the ebb of the song is a masterful delivery where the sounds collide around each other. Singing “I don’t miss a thing from those days…I just try and make my way,” Gubler is moving on and the psychedelic influence is a fitting accompaniment. The album’s closer, “This Song,” composes of back-dropped drums and the lonely grit of a guitar: the emotional pull of the song makes for one of the album’s most dramatic moments. Crafting a towering wake of guitar solos and organ-inspired harmonies, the song marries all of Gubler’s strengths with sublime results.

There’s a diverse amount of sounds on Starry Mind and many of them infiltrate the album’s varied styles but Gubler has showcased a stronger set of chops with a developed progression. Although the songs shift into different moods and styles during recurring settings, Gubler enables the music to possess the prevailing theme of singer/songwriter-driven music. Even something as deceptively country as “Palace” makes way for even-keeled rock that pulses with an even-tempered display of pounding drums. Though there were hints of branching out before, none were ever as intrepid as the songs presented on Starry Mind, making Gubler’s music something to surely take note of.

Drag City

Next Page »