Jackson Emmer – The Jackson Emmer Songbook

Pensive guys with acoustic guitars and a flair for mystery have faired well in popular music over the years – just look at the singer/songwriter legacies left behind by luminaries like Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, and Ray LaMontagne.  Jackson Emmer may at first present like one of these tortured souls, churning out deeply wounded biographical stories only slightly muted by a subversive public persona.  In truth though, Emmer’s actually maturation as a performer is more in line with Bon Iver or Wilco than with the assuaging austerity of the aforementioned names.  If you take Justin Vernon’s cabin-in-the-woods motif and fuse it to Jeff Tweedy’s scrappy earnestness, you’re at least in the ballpark.

Armed with only an acoustic guitar, his voice, and a Dylan-esque ability to conjure poetry out of ostensibly mundane storylines, Emmer takes the decades-old folk singer archetype and reinvents it for the modern day – this is a man who’s retreated to the pastoral beauty of rural Vermont but still manages to find poignancy in Jonah Hill movies and the scent of Chinese take-out.

And so goes the Jackson Emmer Songbook, 10 tracks that shine a light on Emmer’s browbeaten guitar work and ace lyrics.  Perhaps most importantly though, the record seems to be wholly untouched by digital production techniques, resulting in the sort of palpable immediacy usually experienced only in intimate live settings.

From the outset, it’s clear that Emmer can do ragged and mercurial temperaments with great aplomb; “Coldwhitewine” fuses loping guitar rhythms and idiosyncratic imagery (“We could boogie, jitterbug, or electric slide / keep me on my feet until the end of time”) with crackling lo-fi ambience and unorthodox vocal phrasing.  As a result, the track exudes exhaustion and anxiety in nearly equal doses.  “Jonah Hill” marries melancholy country blues with a reflective storyline whose gravity – “I miss the days when I was single / and you weren’t here / crying on your shoulder / is no better than just crying in my beard” – is partially masked by Emmer’s conversational cadence.

Though not much more than two minutes long, “Goodtime Today” is one of the album’s most puzzling and yet masterful strokes, a snarky parody (“Let’s watch a movie / or hit the mall / shave our heads in a bathroom stall”) stitched together with reverent melodic quotations that, at one point, even pay homage to Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”  A similarly subtle wit is on display for “Bet on the Farm,” where a bluesy half-step harmonic motion, literary turns of phrase (“You sing like a cloud / rumble so loud / the volume is feelin’ right”), and percussive thwacks translate into one of the LP’s most strident moments.  “The Dead Boys of Vernon” is choice campfire material, a spooky narrative anchored by sparse instrumentation and Emmer’s woozy drawl that chronicles the demise of a pair of hellions after their debauchery gets the best of them.

Admittedly, there’s not much here to latch onto if you remove Emmer’s vocals; his guitar playing has a loveable sloppiness about it, but it’s not enough to sustain more than a half hours’ worth of music.  But as any songwriter worth his Martin D-28 will tell you, the real magic occurs when those simple chords are fused to the author’s words.  With that in mind, the Jackson Emmer Songbook is a vivid and vital record, one in which the ethereal and mollifying atmospheres of the genre’s enigmatic forebears are generally eschewed for sentiments more tarnished and raw.  Deeply personal and yet undeniably humorous at various points too, you can’t help but wonder if perhaps Jackson Emmer finds as much solace in the comedy of Frank Zappa as he does in the resolute solitude of Johnny Cash.  No matter the answer, Emmer’s latest offering does not disappoint – it’s yet another testament to the staying power of a man with a six-string and a story to tell.

Q&A with Inca Gold

Hi guys! I’m thoroughly enjoying your first two EPs, Inca Gold I and Inca Gold II, which are part of a series of three EPs. Who’s in the band and what instruments do you play? How did you all meet up?

We are Ezequiel Claverie (Vocals/Guitars/Keyboards), Ben Chatwin (Guitars/Keyboards), Alex Lewis (Drums) & Chris Howarth (Bass).

Alex: We were mutual friends in London and all in various bands and solo projects at the time, but it felt right to get together as a four-piece and start something new. Wish we had a good Rock ‘n’ Roll story to answer this question, but alas, we don’t… it was pretty natural really.

How did you decide on your band name? It has mysterious and alluring connotations, kind of like your music. Is that what you were going for?

Eze:  In the beginning we really struggled to find a name. You know, it’s quite hard to find something that sounds cool and original but is not silly. We had few bad ones for a while (we actually spent months without a band name) and then someone had the brilliant idea of going through all the Choose Your Own Adventure books and we all agreed we liked one called Chase of the Inca Gold or something like that. There’s another book by Clive Cussler called Inca Gold, but I don’t think any of us has read it or even know what it’s about.

What was the motivation behind the plan to release three successive EPs, instead of a full-length debut?

 Chris:  We wanted to just start getting our stuff out there, but in a way that wasn’t just haphazard. We’ve tried to release material in a structured way so each EP feels like a work in its own right and not throwaway. It’s come about that it’s sort of documented our sound evolving and coming together throughout the year, and we’re really looking forward to EP III as we think it’s our best stuff yet and we’re achieving something unique to us.

Does each EP have its own distinct identity or is it part of the whole, with similar themes and instrumentation?

 Chris:  We didn’t plan anything to separate each EP and thought that once all 3 are out they would work together as a whole. But, as above, each has sounded different as we’ve developed naturally.

It sounds like you were influenced by Radiohead and Sigur Ros, at least to my ears, but I also read in your press release that “Turkish Psych” also figures into your sound. How so?

We’ve just been listening to a lot recently and some of of our newer stuff is definitely sounding a bit more psychedelic.

Been listening a lot to this woman Selda, she’s great:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YofAzLcIU8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiqIMm93n0c&feature=fvwrel

You recorded demos first and then created your EPs. What are the differences between the demos and the finished material? How does the demo recording help in your creative process?

Eze:  Demos are a good platform to experiment and try different things. You can print your ideas and take your time to listen back and see what works and what doesn’t. We are all able to record at home, so it’s very easy to send ideas around and collect them back into demos.

I did some reading online about Inca Gold and found out that Ben, you are also simultaneously in Talvihorros (well, you *are* Talvihorros) and you released an album, Descent Into Delta, last August on Hibernate Records. How are doing with juggling the bands?

Ben:  So far it’s been pretty easy and I really enjoy being involved in both projects – it’s a nice contrast from working primarily at home and by myself to getting in a room or on stage and playing with a group. It’s live where I really appreciate being in the band – when there is a chemistry, there is nothing better than those moments when in the middle of playing, where there seems to be some sort of connection, and the music is elevated to somewhere it’s never been before, it’s a wonderful feeling.

Are you signed to a record label or are you self-releasing the EPs? Where can we find your EPs?

Self releasing at the moment via our website:  http://incagold.bandcamp.com/

You can stream and download everything there.

Have you played any gigs and if so, what’s the vibe like?

 Good. We’ve played gigs in London. Our first ones were quiet, but we weren’t telling anyone about them as we wanted to keep on the down-low to begin with. Now more people are coming to see us which is nice.

New EP from 65Daysofstatic out now

65daysofstatic – We Were Exploding Anyway + Heavy Sky EP (deluxe edition) Long awaited North American release of latest album featuring guest vocals by Robert Smith of The Cure

 

British electronic-infused post-rock faves 65daysofstatic recently premiered a new track that features guest vocals by Robert Smith of The Cure. The song “Come To Me“ is available to stream/download HERE.The song is culled from the forthcoming North American release of 65daysofstatic‘s latest album We Were Exploding Anyway in a special deluxe edition that also features the recent Heavy Sky EP. The expanded set will only be released in North America and hits stores on 2xCD, LP and Download on November 8th, 2011 via Monotreme Records. Check out additional MP3s for tracks from the deluxe edition: “Crash Tactics” from We Were Exploding Anyway download/stream HERE and “PX3” from Heavy Sky download/stream HERE. 65daysofstatic – the name still shrouded in inspirational ambiguity, the band still one of the most arresting live acts on the circuit – arrive at album four reborn. Following years of incessant touring, and three albums in as many years, a break in momentum has given them the breathing space necessary to revaluate their artistry, to focus on fresh ambitions and reach for them. From the underground, over; out of the basements and into the light: this is the Sheffield quartet as you’ve never heard them before. The quintet — Joe Shrewsbury, Paul Wolinski, Rob Jones and Simon Wright — scored an unlikely hit in 2004 with their debut album, The Fall Of Math. A critical success, it launched the band into a new league of recognition; here, they would hone their sound, transforming from studio operatives crafting rave music for rockers into a rock band impossible not to rave to. Live, they excelled. Audiences swelled. Album two, 2005′s One Time For All Time, furthered their already enviable reputation. Audiences got larger still. In 2007 they released The Destruction Of Small Ideas — album three was supported not only by domestic treks up motorways, but also by worldwide touring alongside The Cure. The ante had been upped. But then, silence. A pause. Stasis for the ‘static. Rediscovery of music that passed them by before — Daft Punk, house music, hedonism over IDM headaches — and a prolonged period of writing where new ideas could exert substantial pressure on the old. Audacious, disregarding of former glories, We Were Exploding Anyway is 65days anew. This is not a rock band with a bit of glitch on the side, all guitars with the slightest semblance of high-BPM beat-craft as underlay; it’s a not-so-distant dance party, the purest euphoria as earworms that dig deep and nestle tight. It’s an arms-aloft salute to the thrill of letting yourself go in the tide, and riding that rush ’til it leaves you breathless but so prepared to go around again. We Were Exploding Anyway is a game-changer from a band that has only ever followed its own rules, and now they’re broken. Don’t pick up the pieces. Leave them. Dance over them. This time, and for all time. The deluxe 2-CD edition includes bonus 7-track Heavy Sky CD EP. Vinyl edition is heavyweight 180 gm vinyl (dark blue and white versions) and includes a free copy of the album CD, poster and digital download coupon for the Heavy Sky EP.

 

On the Web: www.65daysofstatic.com www.facebook.com/pages/65daysofstatic

Last Harbour – Your Heart, It Carries The Sound

Having found a renewed sense of intimacy and focus on 2011’s impressive low-key Lights mini-album, this new Last Harbour long-player comes with a greater sense anticipation than 2010’s Volo prequel.  And although Lights came more consciously bound in a stand-alone and simplified approach, there is certainly a sense of continuity on Your Heart, It Carries The Sound, which unveils itself as both an ornate and understated affair.

Recorded in a Manchester church, Your Heart… channels a sense of devotional warmth and incorporeal space that even the religiously ambivalent can find in ecclesiastical environments.  Combined with core line-up changes, new guest players and some instrument re-tooling, the record retains trademark Last Harbour traits but presents subtle and inventive new variations.

Certainly the opening quartet of compositions could be the strongest suite of songs to have opened a Last Harbour LP up to this point.  The slow-burning title-track inaugurates the collection with a smouldering swelling hymnal resonance that stirringly summons-up the ghosts of Dead Can Dance’s The Serpent’s Egg, Joy Division’s Closer and Nico’s The Marble Index, albeit without any dated-production parodying.  Even better is the ensuing “Never,” a sublime spine-tingling orchestral ballad – with underlying shades of both early-Spiritualized and Tindersticks circa Curtains – which could be an alternative lovers’ torch-song were it not for the sometimes bleak lyrical barbs.  The gorgeous string and woodwind twining across the subsequent wintriness of “The Heath” cleverly changes the album’s direction from mood-setting towards mood-capturing, allowing the prowling “Narrow Hearts” to unapologetically recall the atmospheric passages within Gallon Drunk’s From The Heart Of Town, replete with Terry Edwards-style baritone sax and subterranean Mike Delanian-like bass skulking.  Quite contentedly, Last Harbour could have made an exemplary EP with the first four stand-out cuts – especially given how well the band is often served by short-form releases – yet Your Heart… continues on with further shifts in musical personas.

Hence, the mid-point twosome of “Annabel” and “Catherine Rising” offer peeled-back rustic closeness; with the former being a sparse unplugged baroque serenade and the latter being a twinkling all-too-short medievalist folk reverie.  After the half-time tranquillity comes perhaps the long-player’s most raucous amplified epic in the shape of “Replacements,” which perhaps might have sounded better at home on the band’s more live-centric 2008 album, Dead Fires & The Lonely Spark.  In its wake, for the almost-waltzing “Open Up And Rust,” Craig is joined at the microphone by keyboard-player Gina Murphy for an effective but slightly under-fulfilling broken lovers duet. However, greater interest comes from the closing trio of tracks.  Thus, “The Stars Look Down” unfurls a whispery dark tale through eerie nocturnal acoustic layers; the delightfully dank “If You Mean To Be Lost” stirs vintage synths, stalking drums and treated electric guitars into an arrestingly claustrophobic stew; and the closing slow-motion “This Is How We Disappeared” skilfully sets child-like percussion against whirring electronics and languorous guitars.

Dissecting Your Heart, It Carries The Sound in its prescribed sequence reveals that it’s not quite as straightforward to sum up as it first appears.  Ultimately, it might have made more sense as two or even three separate EPs; to divvy-up its alluring romantic grandness, its sonic explorations and its backwards glances.  Yet at a time when albums should also be striving to gather-up eclectic thoughts into combined statements, the divergent characters at play here are certainly welcome under one roof.  Encouragingly too, for a group with well over a decade on the clock, there is little sign of Last Harbour’s creativity winding-down.  Quite the contrary in fact, for although Your Heart, It Carries The Sound isn’t perfect, it does point in several promising directions for future accomplishments.  Taken ‘as is’ though, the album has much for long-serving trackers of Last Harbour’s ongoing journey to embrace and hold close.

Little Red Rabbit Records

Yeti Lane – The Echo Show

I’ve always had an affinity for shoegaze/psych-pop; striking melodies and vocals are complemented with experimental, somewhat avant-garde production, culminating in fascinating and moving music. On its second LP, The Echo Show, Yeti Lane achieve this perfectly. Each listen reveals more nuances, and the songs etch themselves in your mind.

The follow-up to their 2010 self titled debut, the Perisian duo consists of Ben Pleng (vocals, guitar, bass, and keyboards) and Charlie B (drums, keyboards, programming). After founding member LoAc Carron left last year, Yeti Lane revised its sound to “…dig the kraut/spacerock side of our music…we now take the time to elaborate the moods as well as walls of sound.” However they describe it, their sound is spectacular.

“Analog Wheel” opens the record with surreal loops and ethereal sounds. The dreamy qualities of no-man come to mind as Pleng lets his voice swim into the music. It’s not the most exciting starter, but it sets the stage nicely. “The Echo Show” is much more moving as the collage of timbres creates affective crescendos, and “Warning Sensations” is instantly catchy and free-spirited. Radio-friendly “Strange Call” possesses the immediacy of The Dear Hunter’s Yellow EP (from The Color Spectrum).

The best song on The Echo Show is “Alba.” Beginning with casual guitar strumming and a silky smooth melody, its chorus is simply exquisite. While every track on the album offers something special, this track is truly an example of great songwriting. “Faded Spectrum” closes the album with a sublime contrast of hectic ambience and soaring vocals. Finally, The Echo Show features four brief and beautiful interludes between the actual songs, which helps give the album a sense of conceptuality and cohesion; it flows effortlessly.

Yeti Lane has crafted a masterful album with The Echo Show. While many similar artists focus more on odd sounds than on craft and composition, Pleng and B prove that the genre can be exciting and inspiring when both are given equal attention. All in all, The Echo Show is a wonderful experience that will stay with you long after its done playing.

Savaging Spires – new When The Devil Says He’s Dead video

Still secretive acid-folkers Savaging Spires shed a light on their shadowy ruralised microcosm with a startling new video for “When The Devil Says He’s Dead,” the stand-out track from last year’s excellent eponymous debut album and its equally essential follow-up EP.

Watch sales of purple lipstick and eyeliner rocket, along with those for Wicker Man costumes.

Savaging Spires – When The Devil Says He’s Dead from CRITICAL HEIGHTS on Vimeo.

Critical Heights

New Single from Space Capone

SPACE CAPONE SIGNS TO AVJ RECORDS

SELF-TITLED, DEBUT ALBUM OUT EARLY 2012

STREAM THE SINGLE: I JUST WANNA DANCE

[Space Capone] takes songwriting cues from the ’70s, by way of the neo-soul artists who reintroduced audiences to the classics – Giorgio Moroder’s disco, Philly soul and Detroit funk.” – The Tennessean

A traveling preacher of partying, Space Capone (a.k.a. Aaron Winters) will release his self-titled debut album on AVJ Records in early 2012. Featuring horn-laden soul-funk dance floor rockers and silky r&b jams Space Capone is produced by Calvin Turner (Rafael Saadiq) and features horn arrangements by Jerry Hey (who arranged horns on Off the Wall and Thriller) and JR Robinson (Michael Jackson, Chaka Khan, Earth Wind & Fire, Eric Clapton) on drums.

Unabashedly influenced by Winters’ musical heroes Rick James, Earth Wind & Fire, and early Michael Jackson, the album also holds its own among Winters’ musical contemporaries like the Scissor Sisters and Chromeo. Space Capone’s first single I Just Wanna Dance - a shimmering, falsetto disco anthem – was released digitally November 15^th and is available to stream here.

“I’m thrilled to put this album on out AVJ,” says Winters. “All I’ve ever wanted to do was music and this is my opportunity to do it right.”

Over the past few years the thrift store loving Indiana native has made a name for himself in his adopted hometown of Nashville TN, helping to put the city on the map as an up-and-coming indie music destination. The local press is smitten with Capone’s highly danceable, ’70s-style grooves and retro style and the national media is starting to catch the vapors too. Space Capone has been featured on TBS’ entertainment program Sound Check and Mark Mays of The Tennessean says “Capone sounds like the real deal. His malleable voice can fall into a rumble or rise to a tingly falsetto, though he’s best when gettin’ his baritone on. He takes his songwriting cues from the ’70s, by way of the neo-soul artists who reintroduced audiences to the classics – Giorgio Moroder’s disco, Philly soul and Detroit funk.”

About Space Capone

Space Capone is Aaron Winters. The Nashville-based musician will release his self-titled debut album – a collection of horn-laden soul-funk dance floor rockers and silky r&b jams on AVJ Records in early 2012 and is currently on tour. www.spacecapone.com www.facebook.com/spacecaponemusic

Thy Catafalque – Rengeteg

So it seems that the new year will begin much like it ended; reviewing albums crafted by a one man band.  Thy Catafalque are an avant-garde metal band that hail from Hungary.  The year 2011AD brought the release of their fifth full length album Rengeteg on Season of Mist records.  Let’s see what mastermind and sole member, Tamas Katai has in store this time.

Rengeteg opens with a gargantuan 9 minute epic by the name of “Fekete Mezok”.  In addition to the groove factor it is extremely heavy and goads the listener to dive further into this musical portal.  Delving further, you will encounter “Holdkomp” which begins with an atmospheric intro and transitions into what could be dubbed as a metal trance like song.  Songs like “Kel Keleti Szel” just plain rip as they get into the groove and lock in tight.

The avant-garde tag may do this album a disservice due to the fact that most songs are straightforward with some synthesizers and atmosphere thrown into the mix.  Avant-garde seems to conjure up negative connotations and while some elements are present, it should not detract a potential listener from a unique listening experience.  If what you’ve read so far doesn’t grab you, songs also take on a progressive/jam element as evidenced on “Az Eso, Az Eso, Az Eso”.

Rengeteg’s closer “Minden Test Fu” starts out as a blasting, snarling beast that morphs into a stellar prog-esque climax.  All lyrics are sung in Hungarian and themes deal with time and space.  The only low point of the album is the rather monotone delivery and lack of depth of the vocals, which still does not detract from the the album itself as the music is never overshadowed by the vocals.

Rengeteg was definitely a surprise find.  It’s safe to say that most if not all metal fans should have no problem rallying around this hidden gem.  All the bases are covered from progressive to heavy to atmospheric, Rengeteg is massive in its scope and execution.  If you swore off metal for the new year, do yourself a favor and rediscover everything that it can be.

Little Boots – “Shake”

Little Boots, AKA Victoria Hesketh, will be releasing her highly-anticipated sophomore electro-dance-pop album sometime this year and “Shake” is the first cut to make it out to the public.  It first appeared in remix form as part of the 39-minute-long “Shake Until Your Heart Breaks” (Who can resist a song title like that?), where Victoria remixed dance classics (including “Get Into the Groove” by Madonna) of the past and then tacked on the blissfully scintillating end half of her new tune to the whole kit ‘n’ caboodle.  Now an abbreviated (Well, 6 minutes and 19 seconds) single is available for purchase and is simply titled “Shake”.

The single takes a while to reach its peak, with the first two-thirds laying down an up-tempo clacking beat, airy, enticing, Kylie-like vocals from Victoria, and a catchy, but standard verse-chorus-verse structure.  Around the 4-minute-mark the song reaches its zenith, as Victoria breaks it down old-school style with a dreamy, shimmery film of synths and continually pumping beat.  Victoria’s sweetly wistful, short-phrase refrains mesh with her delightfully infectious “la-la-las” and a man’s voice intoning “Shake.”

“Shake” – official single: http://soundcloud.com/littleboots/little-boots-shake-single

For just the icing on the cake, here is the ending of “Shake”.  Repetitive, sure, but catchy as all get out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agViLimFXXw

New EP from Narrow Sparrow

Listen to Narrow Sparrow’s “Joe Meek’s Dream”
“Joe Meek’s Dream” mp3 link: http://tinyurl.com/3rtl3eu

“The song, an ode to the 60’s writer/producer of strange, often space-themed songs [Joe Meek]…his influence is present throughout” -pops and robbers

Influenced by early electronic music and experimental pop, and has been described as ‘Bizzaro Pop’, Narrow Sparrow are a new band that hail from Chicago, Illinois.

Narrow Sparrow released their debut EP, Synthworks on November 15, 2011. They will be giving it away for free online via their blog. The 4-song ep will also be released on 7” vinyl on December 21st, 2011. It is available for pre-order now at hyperreality.bigcartel.com.

Narrow Sparrow on Facebook

« Previous Page — Next Page »