Omaha, Nebraska quintet Landing On The Moon offer a well concocted blend of rock and other stroke of pop on new album, We Make History Now. Harmonies, builds, and other solid constructions lend to a final appetizing work for all those inclined. Tune in below to see if this fits your bill.
“She Wants” mp3
“Bleeding Hearts” mp3
http://www.facebook.com/landingonthemoonmusic
http://www.myspace.com/landingonthemoon
Against a dry and dusty Midwestern backdrop amidst the vein of Americana, country/folk, and acoustic rock exists Wilson’s Reservoir and their self-titled album released earlier in the summer. Take in “Bullets” and the video below.
Too Too Bad
http://www.myspace.com/wilsonsreservoir
http://wilsonsreservoir.com/
Lissie’s full-length follow up to her well regarded Why You Runnin’ EP, is out today on Fat Possum. With three of the EP’s songs on the album there is good comparison to show at some point Lissie in part abandoned the rustic country and wild of the open sky for other notions. There’s a Stevie Nicks edge that first appears on second track “When I’m Alone,” and follows seamlessly into “In Sleep.” Elsewhere, “Stranger” stands out with its spiffied up and twitching to get mental at the malt shop atmosphere. And while I like Stevie as well as many of the new tracks, reappearing EP songs like “Little Lovin’” still stand at the top.
Why You Runnin’ made us marvel at how Lissie came off wise beyond her years, whereas certain spots betray her on Catching A Tiger. “Cuckoo” and “Loosen the Knot” are appealing in an empowering MTV coming of age sort of way with quick frills that are cheap amidst Lissie’s top shelf stuff.
Having said all that, Catching A Tiger has more songwise than most current releases and in good fashion closes with the hymn “Oh Mississippi” taking us back to the old church where she is perhaps enjoyed most.
When I’m Alone
Little Lovin’ (Luxury Wafers Sessions)
http://www.myspace.com/lissiemusic
http://www.lissie.com/
Last month Crowded House released their sixth full length album, Intriguer, recorded at Roundhead Studios in Auckland, New Zealand, during the spring and summer of 2009. Produced by Jim Scott (Wilco), Intriguer is melodically less withdrawn than Neil Finn’s solo endeavors and ultimately feels like the first real Crowded House album in ages. Finn is still a master of hook and emotion whether it be the straight forward talk of Van Gogh on “Amsterdam”, the breezy reflective island feel of “Either Side of the World”, or the back to basics solitude and expansion of “Falling Down.” Nice.
Saturday Sun
Amsterdam (Later With Jools Holland)
http://www.crowdedhouse.com
http://www.facebook.com/crowdedhouse
http://www.myspace.com/crowdedhouse
West African-born New York City-based Lachi released her debut self-titled album a couple of weeks back. The legally blind songstress builds her music by way of colorful piano, homespun lyrics, and easygoing catchy melodies. Overall a good listen that bottles realism, uplift, joy, and some new sun to permeate the ever abundant growing dread.
http://www.ulachi.com
http://www.facebook.com/lachimusic
http://www.myspace.com/lachimusic
http://www.twitter.com/ulachi
Singer / songwriter Anna Rose’s debut album, Nomad, was inspired in part by southern California’s musical golden age of the late sixties and early seventies. Sliding guitar and slinky rhythm occupy “I’ll Be Gone” to give it a down home coastal flair, whereas the cyclical acoustic riff on “Done” shows an appeal of floating reflection. Elsewhere there is talk of morning dew, internal memoirs, getting over it, moving on, and putting the pieces back together. All in a life, rarely in a day.
http://www.facebook.com/annarosemusic
http://www.myspace.com/annarosemusic
http://twitter.com/annarosemusic
NYC’s Viva DeConcini brings a nine track tale of rejuvenation and transformation on new album Rock & Roll Lover. Even including takes on Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” and Carole King’s “Natural Woman,” Rock & Roll Lover shows itself with slinky city rhythms done up in brass, guitar flourishes, and Viva’s stylish vocals. Viva has been playing guitar since first grade and has jammed with the likes of Medeski, Martin and Wood and Trey Anastasio.
http://www.myspace.com/vivadeconcini
With vocals perhaps informed by the wind and other illusive natures comes Brighton UK duo Peggy Sue’s debut album, Fossils. Throughout there’s a sense of trudging on through the dampness and darkness of lost loves and other forms of incompleteness. Overall, an entertaining work of songs cast with tales of decay, a bit of dread, and the elsewhere grime of life. The below track “Watchman” is taken from the album.
Watchman
http://peggywho.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Sue/21092209148
http://twitter.com/peggysueband
http://www.myspace.com/peggywho
I’ve had a hard time taking Perch Patchwork out of the rotation. The new album from Chicago’s Maps & Atlases is very likeable, not sounding like everything else and more importantly not boring. What else do you need to know? Some of the asymmetrical lines and other melodic creativity remind me of what has drawn me to the more remarkable hardcore and punk acts from the last decade, though this is neither. These songs are little machines; a sonic Mousetrap game of sorts.
Daytrotter Session
“Solid Ground” mp3
A couple years back Oxford, UK quintet Foals brought us Antidotes, a worthy piece of music that had its time. Even more compelling is Total Life Forever, an album that injects an immediate sense of travel and exploration along with an aural spectacle of dance, chaos, darkness, reflection and immeasurable distance. The title track is twitchy nouveau disco done up in intrigue, while single “Spanish Sahara” is subdued and yearning – part Sade and half expecting Mick Hucknall to show up before the glowing lead at the end. “This Orient” is upstart multi layered propulsion done in full colored fourth dimensional feeling. Elsewhere, “Afterglow’s” melody reminds me of “Sanity” and the future now world Killing Joke illustrated on Brighter Than a Thousand Suns. Here stands a work that brings thoughts of a past when musicians and artists didn’t so mindlessly suck up the vacuous recitations of politicians, kings, and queens. Very nice.
“Spanish Sahara (Deadboy Remix)” mp3
“Balloons” mp3
Miami
This Orient
Spanish Sahara
http://www.subpop.com
http://www.myspace.com/foals
http://www.foals.co.uk
Out of Evansivlle, Indiana comes Ellipse Elkshow and I Cut People, aka GiTAr, with a new album titled Stuffed out on Negativland’s Seeland Records. Easily one of the most discombobulating works you’ll hear in a while, the listener is presented with two choices: either cease all other activity or turn the album off immediately. These sonic cut and pasters are fully committed to a complete vomit culture rehash.
Hell, anyone who pays attention at all knows that the politicians, Hollywood, a suck-up media, and the sheep who follow are what makes it all so messed up. Seen the reports on the oil spill lately? We’ve heard nothing but environment, environment, environment for years and when there’s a real verifiable environmental disaster we get the most inept, incomprehensible response possible. Isn’t it of concern that no media are allowed to fly over the area of the spill? Most transparent administration in history my ass. This album won’t help anything but it will get you away from the toxicity of who knows what is going on for a while.
GiTAr
http://www.negativland.com
http://www.myspace.com/gitarmusac
http://gitaraudio.com
Another one of my favorites of late is Pearly Gate Music, the work of Seattle based Zach Tillman, brother to Josh Tillman of Fleet Foxes. The album sees Tillman’s folk and earth melodies drawn with new visions of Jesus and takes on the day. It opens with the near a cappella “Golden Funeral,” giving the feeling of waking up from a foggy head forced to experience before the mind gives the ok. The vocals do much to anchor it all, placed front and center and even coming with the occasional reminder of a less stricken Mark Kozelek on tunes like the sunnier mid-sixties sounds of “Big Escape.” There’s some whistles and psychedelic guitar swirls in there too, but appreciation is better found first hand.
“Big Escape” mp3
Daytrotter Session
http://www.barsuk.com
http://www.myspace.com/pearlygatemusic
