L.A.’s No Age returned last month with more noisy ruminations and their latest album, Everything In Between. Whether buzzing, dreamlike, chugging punk, or a twist of each, the record’s simple back and forth, push and pull melodies, result in an air of consistency throughout. See how it makes you feel with a listen to “Glitter“ and “Fever Dreaming”.
Life Prowler
http://www.subpop.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/No-Age/1575394116
http://twitter.com/#!/noagela
Last month The Vaselines returned with their long awaited second album, Sex with an X. While this time around there are no rockstars to carry their crown, Sex with an X is a solid listen and nice addition to their preexisting repertoire. The title track opens with a repetition of the line, “Feels so good it must be bad for me,” letting on that The Vaselines’ mentality remains in tact despite a long break. Elsewhere, there’s talk of having the devil inside, playing the fool, dead destructive relationships, and the passing of the day glo generation, which peculiarly enough has returned in full force. Altogether nice effort from a moniker that seemed lost until a few years back.
“Sex with an X” mp3
“I Hate the 80′s” mp3
Sex with an X
Tera Melos released Patagonian Rats not too long ago, sounding a bit different than before while presenting a cavalcade of hard to pin down twists and turns. Anxious, engaged, subdued, and smoky jazz are just a few of the backdrops one may encounter on Rats, which utilizes often schizophrenic atonal transitions to manage it all. While I could say more, watch the videos below to formulate your own opinion. Salut.
Frozen Zoo
The Skin Surf
http://www.myspace.com/teramelos
http://teramelosmusic.com/
http://teramelos.bandcamp.com/
Last month singer-songwriter José González returned with band and a new album, Fields. González brings so much atmosphere with his vocals and guitar that its easy to get caught up in his work if you’re susceptible at all. While Fields doesn’t have quite the potency of his solo work, the expected vibrant subdued folk is still in tact and should be enough to get fans through the winter.
Always
http://www.junip.net/
http://www.myspace.com/junip
http://www.facebook.com/junipmusic
http://www.mute.com/index.jsp
Hurricane Bells have released a new EP, Down Comes The Rain, featuring a couple new tracks and three covers. It all opens on the high note of a fine take on East River Pipe’s “Make A Dead With The City,” followed by the brighter sun coming out acoustics of original, “The Waiting Song.” Elsewhere there are covers of “Into The Ocean” by Blue October, and “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles. The EP the EP was written, played, recorded, and produced by Hurricane Bells’ main man Steve Schiltz.
The Waiting Song
http://www.myspace.com/hurricanebells
http://www.hurricanebells.com/
http://www.facebook.com/hurricanebells
This Deerhunter album has been a special treat. Like a love I wasn’t looking for, but found me anyway.
Helicopter
The metropolitan and rustic collude on The Apothecary EP and in keeping it short, it works quite well. Harmonicas, banjos, and strutting riffs split time with vocals and phrasing bringing to mine Lou Reed and a little Calvin Johnson. Talk of friends dying, trains, eternal questions, travelling, and drinking with the result being music for the new saloon era. Listen to “Elegy on their site.
My record of the week goes out to The Chapin Sisters and their new album, Two. Slow burning melodies, touching lyrics, and a kind mixture of temperament and variant song are what we have here. Fields of harmonies overlook a mood sifting from the solemn to elsewhere quaint places of release held in place by spare instrumentation. “Digging a hole” is a sun gone down river wade with implied nocturnal spirits conjured by near sole tribal beat. “Palm Tree” is a slow dance request of rejuvenated spirit done up in still wanting and wondering with the feeling its all gonna pass. Play this one at night or in the morning. Very Nice.
Stream the album
“Palm Tree” mp3
Digging A Hole
I had an epiphany while listening to this Innocence Mission album last night. For some time I’ve been turned off by mellow, slow, insular, reflective music. I used to love exactly that, killing myself with things like Ida, Nick Drake, Sophia, my once favorite Red House Painters and anything else that was decent, solitary, and/or obsessed with self-examination. Eventually I realized I enjoyed being depressed and something had to give as I no longer wanted to feel that way. Henceforth I cut all that stuff I loved out, and getting to the point I’m certain there were a couple Innocence Mission records in there.
I’ve had My Room In The Trees around for months and though I knew I’d like it I was reluctant to visit the place I thought it would take me. Much to my pleasure, the album is a mirror lake of beauty with a stunning reflection that far overrides any fear I ever had. Not only am I gonna keep this one near the player, I’m gonna grab me some older Innocence Mission stuff and maybe Ocean Beach while I’m at it. Play it at night with a little buzz to decompress so as to gain a bit of clarity in this dizzying world. God is love; I need to remember that again. Man as idol never worked for me anyway.
“God Is Love”
“The Happy Mondays”
http://theinnocencemission.com/
http://www.myspace.com/theinnocencemissionPA
http://www.facebook.com/pages/innocence-mission/111422858887453
Gwyneth & Monko’s Good Old Horse EP is a sweet little acoustic work of home spun tales often concerned with the rigors of small town life. By way of front porch and fruited plane Good Old Horse casts its lot at everything from escaping westward to the wearing out from the drudgery. The throwback sound charms with a mood of mountain country and rolling landscape.
“Good Old Horse” mp3
“Lexington Ballad” mp3
http://www.gwynethandmonko.com/
http://www.myspace.com/gwynethmoreland
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gwyneth-Monko/101973483187137
Columbus, Ohio band Red Wanting Blue released their eighth album, These Magnificent Miles, over the summer. Called “the hardest working band,” the album is about life on the road and in the end shows the sort of songwriting that comes about from years of refinement and more importantly, life experience. With such a familiar sound one might wonder how they got overlooked and yet we’re still stuck with the pain of knowing Creed ever existed at all.
“Where You Wanna Go”
“The World Is Over”
http://www.myspace.com/redwantingblue
http://www.facebook.com/redwantingblue
Early in the summer I spoke of my excitement about the reissue of Dream Syndicate’s 1984 classic album, Medicine Show. Considering the amount of play its gotten over the last few months its no doubt lived up to my hopes. Furthermore its rejuvenated an old love for an album I hadn’t heard in some years, but once logged heavy time on my player. I’ll skip all the obligatory flavorful adjectives because Medicine Show is a lot of grey shades with no neon to be found anywhere. Steve Wynn states in the liner notes that there are no songs about love, no jangling pop, lots of fuzz and a resulting album that is unique in comparison to any of its contemporaries. In agreeance, what stands out with each listen is the unique head space this album puts me in; leaving me happily impaired by Wynn’s cigarette / alcohol singed delivery and Karl Precoda’s always spot on resonating guitar accompaniment.
