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Album Review: Lia Ices – Grown Unknown [Jagjaguwar]

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On 01/26/2011

In album review, mp3, music


Lia Ices is a name that sticks. It’s so unconventional, yet familiar and fascinating that when it’s being bandied about or peppered into conversation that you’re almost driven to find out exactly who this person is. The first time I heard of Lia Ices was when she signed to Jagjaguwar some months ago in preparation for her second album, the freshly released “Grown Unknown”. Generally, Jagjaguwar has a strong stable of artists, which only provided more evidence as to why she is worthy of attention. But essentially it was the name that drew me in, as a good band name also does. I found myself repeating Lia Ices over and over again at random times until listening to her album was no longer an option but rather something I HAD to do. Seeing her live a couple weeks ago only added fuel to that fire, and during her set she played the majority of the new record, which she was also selling that night a couple weeks in advance of the official retail date. Two weeks and a bunch of listens later, here we are. Let’s talk some “Grown Unknown”.

The first thing you come to realize as the opening track “Love Is Won” drifts into your ears is that Lia Ices is most definitely more than a name – she is, above all else, a voice. And what a voice it is: soft but strong, equal parts thrilling and heartbreaking. It’s thanks to those pipes that Ices truly distinguishes herself from her peers, though on occasion she does bring to mind some of the greats – your Tori Amoses, your Leslie Feists, your Chan “Cat Power” Marshalls, and your Joanna Newsoms. Between her range and the ways her singing is utilized, moving from normal to echo-affected to multi-part harmonized with itself, she’s always exceptional even when there might be a little something off in the backing melody. The instruments are all standard fare for a female singer-songwriter sort, ranging from your normal piano/guitar/drums setup through bits of string sections, a bit of brass, and most remarkably – snaps and handclaps. These other instruments are less significant than the woman herself, but without their primarily sparse and careful backing the songs on “Grown Unknown” would certainly lose some emotional heft and eclecticism.

Certainly one of the benefits of being signed to Jagjaguwar has to be some of the resources made available to you. While the production values are probably a little higher than her debut, the biggest score Ices makes for “Grown Unknown” has to be a guest spot from Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame. His backing vocal on the track “Daphne” is a big part of what helps push the lush strings-and-acoustic-guitar track to a higher, more exceptional level. “Little Marriage” is cute just like a small white chapel, mixing organ-keyboard textures with some toy piano/xylophone and the jingle of car keys/finger snaps for percussion. Similarly, the title track begins with only a collection of handclaps and Ices’s somber singing before a gorgeous acoustic guitar takes over for what might amount to a chorus. Some lighter and deftly paced violins combine with the guitar and handclaps for the last minute of the song, bringing it to a rather enticing and gorgeous conclusion. Autoharp and military-style percussion meet for “After Is Always Before”, a song best recognized for its intense vocal harmonies and deep but minimal piano melody. “Ice Wine” and “Lilac” seem to be indebted to Cat Power and Feist respectively, though the strong violin presence helps to distinguish the former and the quiet creeping in of instruments sets the latter apart. Closing track “New Myth” sends the record out on a seriously winning note, with Ices firing on all cylinders. It’s not only one of her best vocal performances, but the horns and woodwinds are the exact right kind of subtle so as to provide a stellar assist rather than running away with the melody. There’s not much of a better way to end an album such as this one.

While there’s a lot of positive things to say about “Grown Unknown” and more than enough logic to determine just what the people at Jagjaguwar saw in her to hand her a deal, the album is not without its faults. The pacing of the record is rather glacial, in that there’s barely anything that reaches the mid-tempo range, and that’s at best. Really it does a lot of slow drifting and sounding gorgeous but not a whole lot beyond that. Lia Ices isn’t exactly looking to become a pop star, but an energetic track or two might do her well to break up the monotony of slow song after slower song. The other small issue is with her voice, which as I’ve already mentioned is pretty much the best thing she has going. There are a couple small moments on the album where either by the way she sings something or just the general phrasing of it, she sounds disingenuous to herself. Either she’s mimicking another artist or her emotional goes from hot to cold. In these couple moments when there’s supposed to be warmth and breadth and honesty, we get disaffection or disconnection instead. Perhaps that’s why her last name is Ices. Interestingly enough as well, “Grown Unknown” is a record best experienced during the coldest months of the year, though its presence is more like a lone blossomed flower poking out from a snow-covered field. If you’re not yet paying attention to Lia Ices, this album is a great place to start. She’s much more than just a cool name.

Lia Ices – Grown Unknown
Lia Ices – Daphne (ft. Justin Vernon)

Buy “Grown Unknown” from Amazon

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 1-26-11

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On 01/26/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

It may be Wednesday, but the way you view it really helps determine whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist. The week is either half full or half empty, only just started or almost done. I’d like to encourage you to look on the brighter side, as there’s only a couple days left before those couple days we all long for, the weekend. Pick Your Poison highlights today include songs from DATAROCK, Earth Girl Helen Brown (which is a side project of Sonny Smith of Sonny & the Sunsets), Hunx and His Punx, Quiet Lights, and U.S. Royalty. Bart Davenport’s cover of the Kings of Convenience’s “Cayman Islands” is solid too. Jimmy Edgar remixes Tahiti 80’s “Darlin'” to good effect as well.

Bart Davenport – Cayman Islands (Kings of Convenience cover)

Buried Beds – Breadcrumb Trail

Cains & Abels – Never Be Alone

DATAROCK – Catcher In the Rye

Earth Girl Helen Brown – Hit After Hit

Hunx and His Punx – Lovers Lane

Jenny O. – Won’t Let You Leave (Spirit Animal Remix)

Michael Meds – Frequency (Moonraker Bootleg Mix)

Oberhofer – Dead Girls Dance (Way Yes Remix)

Quiet Lights – No More Canyons

Robin Bacor – Familiar Road

Tahiti 80 – Darlin’ (Jimmy Edgar Remix)

U.S. Royalty – Monte Carlo

Vancans – What’s A Woman to Do? (ft. Nina Simone)

Pick Your Poison: Tuesday 1-25-11

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On 01/25/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

Happy Oscar nomination Tuesday everyone. I know this is all about music, but for those of us that also have a huge passion for movies, today was kind of a big day. But to connect the two, I’d like to offer up congratulations to Trent Reznor, who earned an Oscar nomination for his score of “The Social Network” with Atticus Ross. Great stuff. Today’s Pick Your Poison isn’t entirely nomination-worthy, but still delightful nonetheless. Highlights include tracks from Cotton Jones, Darwin Deez, Duchess Leo and John Vanderslice. In the Soundcloud section, it’s easy to hate a band like The Vines, but honestly their new song is pretty good. Check it out if you really enjoy some solid alt-rock.

Anchorless – A Step Too Steep

Birds of Avalon – Shadowy End

The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow

Cotton Jones – Egg On A Sea

Darwin Deez – Where’s the Chocolate?

Delicate Steve – Butterfly

Duchess Leo – Your Sweet Love

John Brodeur – Confidentially (2011 Version)

John Vanderslice – The Piano Lesson

Leverage Models – Dreaming of Accidents

Paul Collins – Do You Wanna Love Me

Stockholm Syndrome – Apollo

SOUNDCLOUD

Bag Raiders – Sunlight (feat. Dan Black)

The Vines – Gimme Love

Album Review: Destroyer – Kaputt [Merge]

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On 01/25/2011

In album review, BNM, mp3, music


Cheesy things and kitschy things are all about perspective. What’s one man’s treasure is another man’s trash and vice versa, and with this ever-changing world of ours, there’s generational gaps and disconnections that help to support that. As a child of the 80s, I find a particular amount of horror in some of the “mistakes” made during that decade, which includes things like shoulder pads, leg warmers, perms, an AIDS outbreak and some serious crap that some artists tried to pass off as pop music when it was anything but. To this day, synth pop or soft rock done in a certain way still really irks me if it dredges up some bad 80s memories. It’d be nice if bad 80s music were confined strictly to that decade, but with so many artists reaching backwards to find and exploit sounds of the past and adapt them to more modern conventions, now and then somebody goes to that spot and tries to pull it off yet again but with fingers crossed for a different result. Chromeo has been working that angle for a few albums now, and while there’s certainly a market for their brand of exploitation, most of the time it disgusts me. One of the people I would never expect to take a crack at bad 80s music would be Dan Bejar aka Destroyer, but on his new record “Kaputt” he does exactly that. Of course if anybody could pull it off with any sense of legitimacy, Destroyer would also be high up on that list.

Over the course of what’s now nine studio albums, Dan Bejar has proven himself to be a brilliant composer and songwriter, piecing together avant-pop melodies that are obtuse but still work in the exact ways they’re needed to. What was a little troubling about the last Destroyer record, 2008’s “Trouble In Dreams” was that it continued to use the same sorts of influences and approaches as the couple records prior to it, thereby turning an oft-unpredictable project into an utterly predictable one. 2009’s “Bay of Pigs” EP was a huge step back in the right direction. The nearly 14-minute title track was spacey, psychedelic and synth-infused with a large brushstroke of disco for a dance party should you desire one. It was a nice curveball that seemed to suggest the next Destroyer album would be in a similar, equally creative vein. With a shortened-by-two-minutes version titled “Bay of Pigs (Detail)” listed as the closing track on “Kaputt”, there was plenty of reason to believe that a more electro or disco-themed album was on the way. As it turns out, “Bay of Pigs (Detail)” is a standout track on the new album, but less because of how great it is and more because it’s the only one that doesn’t fully gel with everything that came before it. Instead of mixing 70s disco with modern electro tropes, “Kaputt” is Destroyer jumping to the late 70s/early 80s by pushing soft rock with a touch of jazz and a hint of pop. As I wasn’t very aware of much of the styles back in that era given that I was somewhere between infant and toddler, the way I generally define music from that era is via classic film soundtracks. While attempting a more John Hughes movie soundtrack probably would have served Destroyer well, “Kaputt” comes off more of a cross between the dark, brassy jazz of the “Taxi Driver” soundtrack mixed with the synth-pop of the “Scarface” (1983) soundtrack. By equating much of what happens on this record with those two classic films, it makes the whole thing that much more bearable and fascinating to listen to.

Opening track and first single “Chinatown” is a shock to the system from the very start, sputtering for a couple seconds at the open before what’s either electronic drums or a drum machine comes in with a steady but unnatural beat. Mixed with a lushly strummed acoustic guitar, the two fare well together until some heavy synths and wobbly keyboards take over the melody as the first verse begins. By the time the chorus strikes, a lone trumpet is fluttering in and out and around thanks to some echo effects. Bejar also gets some serious backing vocal help courtesy of Sibel Thrasher, and this is just the first of many appearances she’ll make on the album. The second verse welcomes a saxophone to the party for an extra touch of jazz. With a tempo that’s a little faster than a heavy ballad but a little slower than something you can tap your feet to, at its core the song is very much a condensed version of what the rest of the record will sound like. If “Chinatown” doesn’t thrill you, “Kaputt” is probably not going to be your record. On “Blue Eyes”, Bejar may make reference to New Order, but the song sounds very little like that band, though it might serve him well if it did. Instead, similar to how eyes come in pairs, you can pair up the different instruments on the song as each is essential to the other’s success. For example, the thinly plucked electric guitar isn’t as effective without the heavy bass as a counterpoint, just as the trumpet holds back some of the jazzy mood without the saxophone to compliment it. The chorus of female voices backing up and providing harmonies for Bejar are equally important as well, while the synths and percussion have their own thing going too. Among other things, those pairings alone are testament to the impressive and intricate way these songs are composed. But speaking of the last track’s reference to New Order, “Savage Night at the Opera”‘s towering synths and bouncy bass line actually does pay legitimate homage to the band. The electric guitar that comes in at the halfway mark is classic New Order as well, and the lack of any brass along with the solid tempo makes for one of the less interesting songs on the album but one of the easiest to fall in love with.

Two minutes of ambient, shimmering electronic sounds with some light acoustic guitar and piano begins the 8.5 minute “Suicide Demo for Kara Walker”, just before the flute shows up for some smooth jazz action. The flute is gone by the time Bejar starts singing though, as the track morphs into some late 70s funk, with a bass, piano and drum machine combination that works well with the brass section that hangs around for awhile before breaking into full-on free form solo mode for the last two minutes. Lyrically the song is significant as well, given that’s Kara Walker’s contribution to the track. She’s an artist specializing in racial history, and Bejar sings her unconventional words to interesting effect here. The six minutes that make up the title track “Kaputt” are remarkable in how they effortlessly blend some 80s-leaning dancefloor beats with brassy, smooth jazz. Without a doubt it’s challenging to pull off something like that, not to mention while Bejar sings the lines, “Wasting your days, chasing some girls alright/Chasing cocaine through the backrooms of the world all night”. When you really think about it in context with how the music pairs together a sexy saxophone melody with a coke-fueled dancefloor beat, there’s nothing more appropriate both for the song and the album as a whole.

There’s so much about “Kaputt” that absolutely screams corny, cheesy, out of style, and tacky. Pull some of the brass out of this record and you’ve got something much more new wave and on the righter/better side of 80s music. Take out all the synths and leave the brass, and you’ve got something severely soft rock/jazz that’s just about the worst sin you can commit to record (in my humble opinion). When placed together as they are on this album, the natural conclusion to draw is that it falls somewhere in between those two parallels. The thing is, “Kaputt” is not an okay record, or a simply good or bad one. Instead, it’s a miracle of an achievement – one of those rare cases where two separate and unequal parts can combine to create something greater than either could hope or dream to accomplish separately. Perhaps the best way to describe it is by saying that the worst elements present here take a nosedive so far down that they fall into the “so bad it’s good” category. It’s a new found appreciation for camp value, and a gambit that on paper appears to make no sense. Hell, reading about it now probably makes very little sense as well. Yet listening to it feels strangely familiar even though you’ve probably never heard anything like this before. This is not only one of the most original Destroyer albums to date, it’s also one of the most original albums you’ll hear this year – that’s virtually guaranteed. What else can satisfy fans of both Roxy Music and Kenny G in one sitting? Or maybe the better question is, why would anyone even want to attempt such a feat? Only Dan Bejar knows the answer to that one.

Destroyer – Chinatown

Buy “Kaputt” from Amazon

Pick Your Poison: Monday 1-24-11

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On 01/24/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

It’s the last full week in January – does anybody else feel like this month has just flown by? Seems like just the other day we were all out partying for New Years. I guess time flies when you’re having fun. Pick Your Poison today is pretty fun, and highlights include tracks from Aurelio, First Love, Last Rites, Phil Manley and Sleepy Rebels. The band Lifeguards is actually Robert Pollard and Doug Gillard from Guided By Voices. As for remixes, Diplo’s take on Sleigh Bells’ “Tell ‘Em” is amazing, and up-and-coming Mad Decent artist Bosco Delrey gets reworked by the Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock. In the Soundcloud section be sure to check out a new song from True Womanhood.

The Andersen Tapes – Visual Explanations

Aurelio – Laru Beya

Bosco Delrey – Evil Lives (Ad-Rock Remix)

Countfleet – How It Ends

Dolfish – Your Love Is Bummin’ Me Out

Duke Garwood – Summer Gold

First Love, Last Rites – I’m Gone

HotChaCha – Bukarest
HotChaCha – Pleasure Cruise

Lifeguards – Paradise Is Not So Bad

Phil Manley – Life Coach

Sleepy Rebels – You Can Make the Sunrise

Sleigh Bells – Tell ‘Em (Diplo Remix)

Tigersapien – Fools

SOUNDCLOUD

Brown Recluse – Impressions of a City Morning

True Womanhood – MINAJAH

Yasmin – On My Own [Royal-T Remix]

Album Review: Deerhoof – Deerhoof vs. Evil [Polyvinyl]

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On 01/24/2011

In album review, mp3, music


Some bands, particularly the ones that have been around for a really long time, have a tendency to fall by the wayside and draw less attention the more music they release. Okay, so maybe it’s not always less attention, but critical acclaim may be a more accurate word to describe it. You take one look at Spoon, who after last year’s “Transference” found themselves in a place where plenty of people loved their record but not quite enough to earn them a mention at year’s end. The method of thought by some was that Spoon have put out such consistently good albums over the span of several years that we’ve become jaded and less thrilled by it. In other words, Spoon could be as great as they’ve always been, but it’s easier to dismiss it merely as “Spoon being Spoon” and getting more excited over a debut record from some new hot-to-trot band. You’ve been married for 20 years, for some mysterious reason you’re still getting regular (great) sex, but when the young new neighbor tries to seduce you one night while your spouse is out of town, it can be tough to resist. All analogies and metaphors aside, the same concept can be applied to a band like Deerhoof. They’ve been putting out albums consistently since 1997, and their 10th studio effort comes out this week in the form of “Deerhoof vs. Evil”.

One of the things that makes Deerhoof so unique is their unpredictability. There is what you could call the “Deerhoof sound”, and the reason it’s labeled as such is because no other bands make music similar to it. Jagged guitar riffs, percussion that goes from calm to insane at the drop of a hat (or hi-hat), synths or electronic elements that pop up out of nowhere, and Satomi Matsuzaki’s strange vocal tics and lyrics. Experimental rock, to be sure, but over the last 16 or so years the band has grown into a consistency where it’s all you expect from them. The way they keep it interesting is by constantly second guessing and re-arranging themselves in new ways. “Deerhoof vs. Evil” very much continues in that tradition, and once again the result is something fun, funny, weird and remarkably pop-centric. Opening track “Qui Dorn, Només Somia” begins with electronic beats leading into a frantically picked electric guitar and kitchen sink percussion but quickly dives into a much slower, more carefully composed melody for the first verse. After a brief xylophone and acoustic guitar breakdown that might be called a chorus, the second verse comes back with a louder, more instrumentally complicated version of what it was the first time around. The layers continue to build and build in a strange angular direction before finally dropping out in an instant. The entire time Satomi anchors things down with a French language vocal where clearly it’s less about what’s being said and more about the way she’s singing it. At first blush, “Behold A Marvel In the Darkness” is almost a normal-sounding pop song for Deerhoof, with vivid acoustic guitars and very traditional percussion holding steady as a small dose of electric guitar and harpsichord-tuned keyboards shimmer lightly. The acoustic guitars are all but gone or shoved way back in the mix to make room for some power chords on the electric guitars, balanced out by a few in-between moments of only keyboard as Satomi innocently asks, “What is this thing called love?”. A fuzzed out looped bass sample, mixed with some equally fuzzy ZZ Top-esque electric guitars give “The Merry Barracks” a psychedelic, krautrock base. Never content to stay in one place for too long, the track goes upbeat pop towards the end before surrendering to electronic insanity that turns the last 40 seconds of the song into one of the wilder moments on the record. There’s some Spanish acoustic guitars and maracas that craft a gorgeous slow melody for “No One Asked to Dance”, and there’s a hint of romance in the air for the duration. Outside of the emergence of some bass and harpsichord though, everything stays remarkably charming from beginning to end and it’s nice to hear the band maintain that even keel for once.

Don’t kick yourself if you’ve never heard “Let’s Dance the Jet” before, even though it’s a cover. The band picked the instrumental off the soundtrack to an obscure Greek film and decided to try their own rendition of it. High pitched keyboards compete with distorted electric guitars for a thrilling minute and a half of back-and-forths that does feel like it could have been the backing music for an action-packed movie from the 60s or 70s. Speaking of action-packed, if the band is fighting evil as the title of the album suggests, “Super DUper Rescue Heads!” could very well serve as their theme song. Synths sparkle, the bass has a nice buzz to it, and there’s even some Nintendo-like electronic sound effects mixed in for added effect. “Hello, you lucky so-and-so,” Satomi sings with an implied wink and a smile, right before the electric guitars come in and break out a rousing chorus. “Must Fight Current” is interesting in how it blends more Spanish-influenced acoustic guitar with a very bossa nova melody and vocals. and “Secret Mobilization” gets all 1970s courtesy of some funky keyboards before exploding huge with some extremely heavy electric guitars. Between the acoustic guitars, handclaps and light keyboards, “I Did Crimes For You” is about the cheeriest and cutest song about illegal activity you’ll hear so far in 2011. When Satomi says “This is a stickup/smash the windows”, she does so with such innocence that it’s practically like having a a small child pointing a hand in the shape of a gun at you and demanding you reach for the sky. And closing out the record, “Almost Everyone, Almost Always” is a gorgeous synth-washed dreamscape that features just a couple small moments of offbeat percussion and even a touch of programmed violin. It’s just one great final example of how the band continues to evolve and incorporate new sounds into their already robust array of instruments.

After making such oddball and unique music for so many years and surviving to the point where they’re even doing relatively well these days, Deerhoof flex their muscles and show no signs of slowing down or holding back on “Deerhoof vs. Evil”. Their continued dedication towards changing things up While still satisfying long-time fans is admirable and highly interesting. To say that the band has stepped away from or at least reduced some of their most avant-garde tendencies isn’t really correct, mostly because no two of their records sound that much alike in the first place. Then again, such a perspective is all relative to the depth of knowledge you have of Deerhoof’s catalogue as well as your tolerance of off-key and experimental music. Most accurately, it could be said that “Deerhoof vs. Evil” does a great job at merging some of the band’s oldest and newest influences into something of a non-greatest hits album that also pushes in new directions. The 70s influence that permeates a handful of tracks on the record isn’t something they’ve really tried in earnest before, and it leads towards a fuller, more cinematic sound in many cases – particularly when compared with their last album “Offend Maggie”. The more liberal use of electronic and digital noises reaches a little farther back in their catalogue too. Much of it is thanks to guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Ed Rodriguez, who joined the band in time for their last record but wasn’t quite used to the best of his abilities. Well, the more time you spend with a person the more you learn about what their capable of, which is why Rodriguez’s presence is much more beneficial than it was two years ago. The band is better balanced and whipsmart as ever, even as they move into darker territory by occasionally implying that sometimes in order to properly fight evil, you need to get a little evil yourself. Those are the methods that comic book superheroes such as The Green Hornet and Batman have used to great success, and in a case of real-life art imitating fictional art, Deerhoof does the same with similar results.

Deerhoof – The Merry Barracks

Buy “Deerhoof vs. Evil” from Amazon

Album Review: Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean [Warner Bros/4AD]

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On 01/21/2011

In album review, BNM, music

When the name Iron & Wine comes up, your first thought should be to Sam Beam. That is to say, the visual picture in your head should go there, not necessarily your sonic memory. Evoking said sonic memory though, your first inclination upon thinking of Iron & Wine may be to recall lush and hushed acoustic folk songs with rich pastoral lyrics that are really worth getting excited about, if only they didn’t make you so sleepy. Yeah, the first two Iron & Wine records, “The Creek Drank the Cradle” and “Our Endless Numbered Days” specialized in such gorgeous minimalism, and that’s largely what helped us to fall in love with Sam Beam, the man who pretty much did it all by himself. Well, on 2007’s “The Shepherd’s Dog”, Iron & Wine became a full-fledged band with auxiliary players. The resulting record was pretty much the exact step forwards that was needed to ensure the life of the band. The much wider array of instruments used really fleshed out what was essentially just a guy and his acoustic guitar into something more vibrant, intricate and gorgeous than most anyone thought possible. Well, now Beam and his cohorts are back at it again for the fourth Iron & Wine full-length, “Kiss Each Other Clean”. This, as the band moves from the indie excellence that is Sub Pop Records and onto the much huger Warner Bros. Records. Would signing to a major label turn the band into much more radio-friendly rock stars? If you think that’s the case, then you don’t know Sam Beam.

There are two big things about “Kiss Each Other Clean” that attract attention almost immediately. The first are Sam Beam’s vocals. Ever so slowly from album to album, Beam has gone from a whisper to a full-bodied singer. His vocals were still mostly hushed on “The Shepherd’s Dog”, but on the new record he sounds like a normal person with strong vocal range. Whether it’s a matter of finding the confidence in his vocal abilities or simply the opportunity to try something different, it’s a welcome change that proves he doesn’t need to resist belting it out to sound distinctive. Speaking of distinctive, amidst the massive array of instruments that appear all over this album are even more impressive than they were last time around, the most notable this time being the saxophone. Whenever it pops up, on tracks such as “Me and Lazarus” and “Big Burned Hand”, it dominates and creates an interesting dynamic that Iron & Wine haven’t really done before.

The band also takes aim at 70s AOR on “Kiss Each Other Clean”, something they’ve never tried before. Between the wah-wah guitar that makes an appearance on a track like “Rabbit Will Run” and the spiky Stevie Wonder-esque organ that permeates “Monkeys Uptown”, they’ve got the sound nailed down pretty good, with just a touch of modernity thrown in so you don’t get too time-disoriented. But you also get moments such as album closer “Your Fake Name Is Good Enough For Me”, which spends the first few minutes sounding like the soundtrack to a lost 70s cop show about two mismatched partners that are tough on crime yet always break the rules and get in trouble with the chief. “Big Burned Hand” sounds straight out of a classic porn made in the era of “Deep Throat”, with maybe a little too much funk for its own good. Opening track “Walking Far From Home” flirts a little bit with gospel, while “Half Moon” shows its country-tinged roots. And for fans of Iron & Wine’s early material, “Godless Brother In Love” is one of the most gorgeous ballads the band has ever created, mixing piano with acoustic guitar and some seriously great vocal harmonies. Those sorts of beautiful harmonies are actually all over the record, either in tandem with Beam’s lead vocal to give it an extra bump, or more separately as backing “oohs”, “aahs” and “whoaas”.

The influences and instruments may have changed a bit in Iron & Wine’s sound, but there are a couple things you can always count on from Sam Beam and Company. Lyrically, Beam’s storytelling is as vivid as its ever been, and his wordplay is second to none. Despite his claims of being an agnostic, Beam also makes a number of Christian and Biblical references on this record, from the titular Lazarus in “Me and Lazarus” to a more general line-by-line bit like taking a “call from the Lord”. Of course his tales of nature and natural things has not been toned down in the least, nor the life lessons learned by characters both good and bad but always reaching some shade of grey. For example, on a song like the remarkably catchy first single “Tree By the River”, the lines “I mean the world/to a potty-mouthed girl/and a pretty pair of blue-eyed birds/’Time isn’t kind or unkind,’/you liked to say” are nothing short of wonderful. No matter what you listen to Iron & Wine for, the band is firing on all cylinders on “Kiss Each Other Clean”. It’s just the sort of forward progress needed to help sustain the group’s lifespan, though few have done quite this well. Fans of the sparse acoustic folk of the first two Iron & Wine records will surely be disappointed by the new album, but for everyone else, this marks yet another great addition to an already great catalogue.

Buy “Kiss Each Other Clean” from Amazon

Pick Your Poison: Friday 1-21-11

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On 01/21/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

We’ve made it to Friday, and that’s always a good thing. The weekend is upon us, some chill time is ahead both weather-wise and work-wise. Personally I’m looking forward to some playoff football, with the big game between the Bears and the Packers set to be one for the ages. Today’s Pick Your Poison might not be of that legendary pedigree, but there’s a bunch of good tracks today, even for a Friday. Be sure to check out tracks from Alex Winston, Amanda Palmer covering Nick Cave, Balmorhea gets remixed by Prefuse 73, Mike Skinner aka The Streets remixes a Spark track, and Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices shares a demo version of a classic GBV track.

Alex Winston – Sister Wife

Algodon Egipcio – El Ingenio Humano

Amanda Palmer – The Ship Song (Nick Cave cover)

Antony Ablan – Gypsy Crow II

Balmorhea – Clamor (Prefuse 73 Remix)

Candi and the Strangers – Moving In Stereo

La Resistance – Understanding

No Monster Club – The Last Bottle in the World

Olafur Arnalds – Thau Hafa Sloppid Undan Thunga Myrkursins

Robert Pollard – Official Ironman Rally Song (Demo)

Savoir Adore – Loveliest Creature (Infernal Devices Remix)

Spark – Revolving (Mike Skinner Remix)

SOUNDCLOUD

Matt Wertz – Feels So Right

The Pierces – We are stars

Pick Your Poison: Thursday 1-20-11

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On 01/20/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

Tomorrow in Chicago is set to be one of the coldest days in years, with temperatures with combined wind chills reaching somewhere between -20 to -30 degrees outside. Yeah, we’re talking degrees Fahrenheit. Seriously dangerous stuff. If you’re living in or around such a dangerous tundra, stay safe. Take some mp3s to keep you warm. Highlights on today’s Pick Your Poison include songs from Akron/Family, The Great Valley, and Hotels. The couple of Lindstrom-related tracks are great too, including his remix of Glasser’s “Mirrorage”. In the Soundcloud section you might also want to listen to the track from Benjamin Francis Leftwich.

Akron/Family – Silly Bears

Brown Paper Bag – The Elephant Song

The Brute Chorus – Birdman (Bright Light Bright Light Freefall Remix)

Emily Arin – When You Knew Me When

Glasser – Mirrorage (Lindstrom Remix)

The Great Valley – Tall Smoke

Hotels – The Bat Watusi

Lindstrom – Baby Can’t Stop (Aeroplane Remix)

Luke Rathborne – Dog Years

Sean Wheeler and Zander Schloss – Retablo

SOUNDCLOUD

Benjamin Francis Leftwich – Pictures

Casey Spooner – Spanish Teenager (Derrick Carter Remix)

Album Review: Smith Westerns – Dye It Blonde [Fat Possum]

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On 01/19/2011

In album review, music


When Smith Westerns burst into a gigantic wave of hype back in 2009, they were just a group of goofy teenagers that kept getting in trouble for sneaking beers at shows when they were underage. Well, that was part of it. They also were very much an “of the time” band, showing up with immense hooks amid an extremely lo-fi sound that was the rage what seems like nearly a lifetime ago. They had faint echoes of 60s pop and in particular The Beatles, though a much scruffier and beat-to-hell version of them. It was rather impressive, the chops of guys so young. Upon signing with Fat Possum not too long ago they were handed an actual recording budget for their sophmore album, which meant more freedom and the chance to actually walk away with a record that didn’t sound like it was slapped together with a microphone inside a bedroom closet. That second record is out this week, is titled “Dye It Blonde”, and winds up improving more than just the muddled sonic quality of their debut.

Kids grow up so fast, blink and suddenly they’re full-blown adults. The guys in Smith Westerns are still young by most standards, and the music they make still has that same youthful energy to it, but the way it’s put together on “Dye It Blonde” shows a certain maturity and smarts well beyond what we’ve heard from them previously. The melodies are clearer, the guitars crisper, the hooks sharper and the whole thing just feels fun-er (note: fully aware this is not a real word, used as a malapropism my friends). Opening track “Weekend” is anchored in by a fuzz-strewn guitar wobbly guitar riff that’s interesting and exciting in and of itself. It also pairs itself quite well with the lyrics, which are upbeat and drenched in the throes of passion and possibility over what girls and entertainment might be waiting in the open days ahead. “Still New” is another love song, but is best for how it’s instrumentally textured. The lightly strummed guitar that takes up much of the song is pleasant, but is practically dominated by a hard-edged bass line. When the chorus strikes though, a loud, high-pitched electric guitar wails in and mows down everything in its path. It’s what you’ll remember about the song, because it’s there and gone and back again just like a great hook should be. And after releasing it as a standalone single last year, there’s a fresher, more sped up version “Imagine, Pt. 3” that pops up like an old friend you haven’t heard from in awhile but you’re left wondering exactly why you let it go so long.

As far as ballads go, you can’t do much better than “All Die Young”. Starting with some organ and developing into a psychedelic torch song, the guitars build and swirl slowly at first before the chorus finally arrives after a couple minutes and picks up the pace to head bobbing status. It’s the strong repetition of the song’s title ad nauseum through the end that solidifies its staying power even as you move on to other catchy cuts. Tracks like “Fallen In Love” and “End of the Night” are satisfying mid-tempo rock songs that once again hold down the already familiar territory of love, but they do so with such upbeat tendencies that they’re wholly enjoyable no matter if they are a slight bit cliched. And for fans of the high energy, goofier side of the band, “Dance Away” is a late album home run that’s there primarily to show they’re not going out gently but instead with plenty of fanfare.

With their first album reaching back towards a lot of 60s British Invasion/Beatles-type influences, Smith Westerns have said their aim with “Dye It Blonde” was to evoke a lot of the great 90s British rock bands such as Oasis and Blur. The funny thing is that though the sound is essentially updated, a band like Oasis originally started in the hopes of emulating the Beatles’ sound. That was true when Oasis began and it was true still on their last album. And while Oasis never really picked up that Beatles mantle, Smith Westerns are able to pick up Oasis’ sound with relative ease. The key difference though (outside of heritage), is the way that Smith Westerns put their songs together. They retain the bombast and explosiveness of those 90s British bands, but the guitars buzz a certain unique way and the equal footing an instrument like the organ gets much of the time is interesting in and of itself. There’s a number of times on “Dye It Blonde” where it feels like there’s so much noise because all the various instruments are competing for your attention at the same audio level that you’re nearly overwhelmed. Instead of steamrolling over you though, it plays with you like a tiger would a large rubber ball. It’s just another one of the more unexpected twists this band brings to their sophmore record that thrills and innovates relative to what they did last time. The best part is that once it’s all over you’re left wondering where it is they can go and what it is they will try next. When you’re a band as young and nubile as the Smith Westerns are, the world is your oyster. On “Dye It Blonde”, they make sure to take as much as they can grab.

Buy “Dye It Blonde” from Amazon

Smith Westerns – Weekend

Smith Westerns – “All Die Young”

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 1-19-11

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On 01/19/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

Alright: brass tax – let’s get straight to it. Today’s Pick Your Poison “choice cuts” come from A Classic Education, Fergus and Geronimo, Little Scream, One Hundred Flowers and Chicago’s own Tiger Bones. For those interested, Tim Heidecker (of “Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” fame) has an album coming out with the show’s music composer Davin Wood. Together they are Heidecker and Wood, and you can download a new song from that upcoming album below. Also, there’s a new Best Coast song in the Soundcloud section as part of a split 7″ single with Jeff the Brotherhood.

A Classic Education – I Lost Time

The Booze – Kick Me Where It Hurts

The Caulfield Sisters – Caterwauling

Chromeo – Needy Girl (El Chico Chico Remix)

Fergus and Geronimo – Baby Don’t You Cry

Heidecker and Wood – Wedding Song

High Highs – Flowers Bloom

Little Scream – The Heron and the Fox

One Hundred Flowers – Middle of the Road

Tiger Bones – Kill Them

Wild Vibes – Oedipal Love

SOUNDCLOUD

Best Coast – Sunny Adventure

Pick Your Poison: Tuesday 1-18-11

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On 01/18/2011

In mp3, music, pick your poison

Alright friends, time for the Tuesday edition of Pick Your Poison. Highlights today include tracks from All Tiny Creatures (ft. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver), …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Balkans, Creeping Weeds and Modern Skirts.

The Albertans – The Wake

All Tiny Creatures – An Iris (ft. Justin Vernon)

…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead – Weight of the Sun

Balkans – Edita V

Bodi Bill – Hotel

Creeping Weeds – Outsiders

Cruel Cassette – Lion

Jerry Leger – The Truth Is All Around You

Modern Skirts – Happy 81

Phineas and the Lonely Leaves – The Kids We Used to Be

Thank You – 1-2-3 Bad

Trophy Wife – The Quiet Earth (James Yuill Remix)

SOUNDCLOUD

Harrys Gym – Old Man (Chad Valley Remix)

Album Review: Tennis – Cape Dory [Fat Possum]

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On 01/18/2011

In album review, BNM, mp3, music


Every band or artist has a story about how things came together and began to make music in earnest. Oftentimes those stories are boring, or at the very least have a lot of the same elements to them. The group of guys that met in high school or college. The band whose members all live in the same neighborhood and it’s a proximity thing. There’s also the couples, two people dating or married that decide to make beautiful music together. Mates of State, Handsome Furs and Beach House are all fair examples of pretty good “relationship duos”. The White Stripes are really interesting because while they’re a duo, they’re also divorced. Sometimes the bond of music really can be stronger than love. The one pairing you’ll want to be paying close attention to in 2011 is that of Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore. They call themselves Tennis, and have a surprisingly interesting formation story. Both had spent time making music with various bands, none of which attracted much of any attention. Despite their backgrounds, music was the last thing on their minds when Riley and Moore met in college, began dating and eventually married. She didn’t realize that he played the guitar and he didn’t realize she could sing. All they really wanted to do was take an adventure. After severely sacrificing and saving as much money as they could over the course of a few years, the couple had enough to buy a boat. With said boat they made the decision to take a two-year journey down the Atlantic coastline. They joked around for a bit during their voyage about starting a band, but didn’t begin to take it seriously until one night at a bar in Florida. They heard the Shirelles song “Baby It’s You”, and Riley said that if he was ever in a band again, he’d want it to sound exactly like that. From that point forward, they worked out all the details, including the exact instruments and recording equipment they wanted to use. The two-year trip was cut short at eight months, taken off course so they could focus their time and efforts on Tennis. Their original idea was to write songs about the trip as a way to remember those fun times, but it was also therapeutic after they left said trip unfinished. After a couple songs made their way online, the hype for the duo accelerated very quickly. Two seven-inch singles released on Firetalk and Underwater Peoples Records last summer only built up the band’s reuptation further, and they played their first-ever live shows around that time as well. This past fall they signed with Fat Possum for their debut full-length “Cape Dory”, which is out now.

What’s attracted so many people to Tennis, and why even more will come on board once they hear “Cape Dory”, are the sunny pop melodies and winning hooks that emerge at every turn. They’re constantly compared to Best Coast and Surfer Blood for that exact reason, and apt though it may be, they’re a bit more than that. Given that a Shirelles song was the inspiration for them to start the band in the first place, Tennis’ sound has a very 1950s-60s girl group vibe to it, but with a small modern twist. Pay close attention to Patrick Riley’s guitar work and you may catch some chord progression similar to artists like The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly or Chuck Berry. At times there are also very obvious surf rock vibes being thrown around, all part of holding down a very relaxed, summery vibe. Bits of organ have their place in a majority of the songs as well, and with that added shimmer you might be reminded of a sped up, catchier version of Beach House. What really helps sink that in are Alaina Moore’s vocals, which come across as both classic and overtly dramatic. Thanks to overdubs and harmonies, there are many points where Moore sounds like her own girl group and it’s all very lush and lovely. If there’s a complaint to be had regarding her vocals, it’s that the emotion doesn’t always project through her voice. Too often she sounds like a friend telling you an amazing story that happened to her instead of placing you inside the experience herself. In other words, she’s telling of all these places and adventures she’s been on while sailing, when the best and most satisfying way of hearing about them is to simply go see for yourself. Some singers have the emotional resonance to put you there, and others do not. With Moore at the vocal helm, she comes very close but doesn’t quite reach that sweet spot. You’re not taken to the beach, but are instead shown a photo of a beach and wish you could go. Perhaps what’s coming through then in Moore’s singing is that longing for the sea once again. Their two-year trip was cut dramatically short, and she’s stuck at a crossroads between the adventure that was and the adventure that could have been.

Should you have collected all the Tennis tracks from their two 7″ singles last year, you’ve already heard five of “Cape Dory”‘s ten songs. The great news is that those five songs are all great and very addictive and re-recorded with much higher fidelity than before. The initial plan was to record the songs on some beat-up tape to both dirty the songs up a bit and give them that much more of a vintage feel. Whether it was being given an actual recording budget or at the request of the label or some other reason altogether, everything on the album is crisper and clearer with just a tiny touch of fuzz – and is much better for it. You can now understand all the lyrics, the harmonies are just a little more prominent, the guitars ripple just a little bit more, and the hooks are just a little bit sharper. That said, those five previously released songs (“South Carolina”, “Marathon”, “Cape Dory”, “Bimini Bay” and “Baltimore”) remain the five best songs in Tennis’ catalogue so far. They don’t do any better with the five new cuts, but also don’t do any worse. “Take Me Somewhere” is a delightful way to start the record, all fun, excitement and anticipation for what’s looking to be a grand trip on a sailboat. The jangly guitar, surf rock drums and lightly shimmering 60s organ pick up the pace after the first verse, just after Moore sings, “make fast the lines, please don’t waste any time/oh i feel the wind blowing”. It’s almost as if that first 1:15 is a sailboat picking up anchor from the dock and creeping towards open sea when a huge gust of wind hits at just the right moment to let you know the trip has officially begun. Things hit a small standstill when “Long Boat Pass” shows up next, but it’s a storyline thing and not a pace thing. Our couple on this trip have spent some time at Longboat Pass in Florida, and as much fun as they’ve had there, she wants to keep going while he wants to stay longer. “Please let me through, we must return to sea”, she pleads near the very end of the song. Along the way there’s a toe-tapping melody that begins with some arpeggio guitar that eventually develops out into chords of the same thing, much like waves slowly getting bigger and bigger on the beach as the tide rolls in. So despite the not-exactly-cheery lyrics, the song itself is a delight, settling into such a groove that a legitimate chorus and hook aren’t even necessary to keep us interested in what’s going on. Moore’s vocals sound absolutely classic on the track too, more 1950s sugary sweet than most anything else on the album. Similar things could be said about how she handles “Pigeon”, a swaying ballad about devotion to your partner. “I Will be there, I promise to take good care of you”, Moore sings over a pulsating organ and sparsely plucked guitar. The urgency with whic she sings it and keeps repeating it, you can’t help but believe her. “Seafarer” is the first single from “Cape Dory”, and it’s an upbeat pop song with some seriously old school guitar chords and drum fills that only make it more compelling. The hook is what sells it though, along with those “oh ohs”. And as an album closer, “Waterbirds” serves its purpose perfectly, maintaining a relatively slow and quiet pace for the first minute and a half before surging to a loud and thrilling finish unlike anything else on the album. Moore spends the entire time reminiscing about all the wonderful little things she misses about their boat trip, including “sleeping deep in the brush” and “the insects chirping underneath the leaves”. She still dreams about it today, soaring in the chorus with, “Did we ever really leave?/This is all that we need”. Clearly the band has learned two things from their eight-month trek down the Atlantic coastline: 1) Home is where the heart is and 2) Memories last a lifetime.

Plenty of people will find “Cape Dory” to be a very “cutesy” and overly sweet record. That’s one way of looking at it, though it may be a bit superficial. The way these songs are constructed, built largely on classic-style melodies and vocals with just a hint of modern influence, says a lot more about the band than their back story does. Yes, how the album came into existence and what the lyrics are based on is important, but style holds court over substance in this case because Tennis might not have gotten our attention otherwise. FOr the most part, 2010 brought forth a whole lot of buzz bands that worked on the same sort of summer fun/beach, surf and sand-type levels, but in slightly different ways. We’re talking Best Coast, Magic Kids, Surfer Blood, Wavves and The Morning Benders all reaping the benefit of such a trend. Now Tennis are taking those same elements and making them over with a 50s girl group twist that satisfies as well if not better than the aforementioned artists. Every song on “Cape Dory” is nothing short of wonderful, and at only 30 minutes long the album is really easy to play over and over and over again. Spending eight months cruising around on a boat and visiting random places sounds like a lot of fun (unless you’re the seasick type), and in turn the record they made to help remember it brings to us a lot of those good times. I wonder if they have enough material for a follow-up.

Tennis – Seafarer
Tennis – Baltimore (7″ version)

Buy “Cape Dory” from Amazon

Pick Your Poison: Monday 1-17-11

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On 01/17/2011

In mp3, music

Blah, I hate winter. The cold, the snow, the ice, the general inability to spend too much time outdoors. I should probably move someplace warmer, but Chicago is such a wonderful city outside of the weather. Hope things aren’t too crazy where you live. Let’s talk the week-starting Pick Your Poison. There’s always some good to come out of that, and today I can recommend tracks from The Builders and The Butchers, Junk Culture, Obits, Parts & Labor, and Solvents. Also be sure to listen to the Water Borders remix of the Weekend track in the Soundcloud section. It’s remarkably great.

Annabel – The Forgetting of Names and Faces

Broadcaster – Passerby

The Builders and The Butchers – Lullaby

The Felts – The Connoisseur

Dustin Edge – Calm

Ghost Heart – No Canticle
Ghost Heart – Little Vampires

Hi Ho Silver Oh – Showers Without Warning

Jef Barbara – Sebastien

Junk Culture – Weird Teenage Vibes

Lockerbie – Sumarintro
Lockerbie – Laut

Obits – You Gotta Lose

Parts & Labor – Constant Future

Solvents – We Were Guests Here

Still Flyin’ – Victory Walker (2AM)
Still Flyin’ – Victory Walker (2AM) (Papercuts Remix)

Sum – Prayer for Glitch

Tigersapien – Touch. Move. Feel. (ft. Kolt13)

SOUNDCLOUD

Miles Kane – Come Closer (ft. Daisy Lowe)

Weekend – Monday Morning/Monongah, WV (Water Borders remix)

Show Review: Mister Heavenly + Screaming Females [Lincoln Hall; Chicago; 1/14/11]

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On 01/17/2011

In live music, mp3, music, photos, show review

It takes a lot of courage to buy a ticket to a show from a band that you haven’t heard one note from. Of course the comfort level is automatically increased if you know the band is comprised of members whose musical talents you trust. In the fall of 2009, I willingly purchased a ticket to see a little band now known as Them Crooked Vultures at their very first show ever. Nobody knew what kind of product the combination of Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones would produce, but it turned out to be the start of something great. It was with that same shaky confidence that I made the decision to go see Mister Heavenly on Friday night. Unlike Them Crooked Vultures though, Mister Heavenly have already played a small handful of shows, all of which resulted in a whole lot of press coverage thanks to their very special guest on bass, the perennial awkward teen known as Michael Cera. But Cera had nothing to do with the formation of Mister Heavenly, nor is he an “official” member of the band. What makes this band attention worthy even without a celebrity presence is the collaboration between three great indie talents that are already well known in their own rights. Nick Diamonds is best known for his work as part of the band Islands and, formerly, The Unicorns. Honus Honus is better known as the frontman for the wild group Man Man. Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer helps to make this trio complete. The original intention was to just put together a one-off 7-inch instrumental single, but once the creative juices got flowing, an entire album poured out. As it was revealed at the show on Friday, that album will be released by Sub Pop this September (tentatively). Coincidentally though, Mister Heavenly chose to release their first two songs ever just hours before they were set to take the stage in Chicago. Outside of some rough YouTube videos filmed on some earlier tour dates, this was the first legitimate glimpse into the band’s material, which up until then bore only the description of a new genre called “doom-wop”. In a nutshell, it is intended to combine the classic doo-wop melodies with the tragic tales that are doomed love songs. More on that and the show in a minute, but first let’s talk opening bands.

The Mister Heavenly show was yet another part of the 5-night festival called Tomorrow Never Knows. Earlier in the week I saw a bill that included Lia Ices, Frankie Rose and the Outs, and The Besnard Lakes. The idea behind the shows, which take place at a couple different venues around Chicago, is to give exposure to a number of up-and-coming artists. Aside from Mister Heavenly headlining on Friday night, the bill was also shared by New York band The Dig, former Q and Not U/Georgie James member John Davis performing under the name Title Tracks, and New Jersey underground female-fronted punk band Screaming Females. As I was spending time with friends, I missed the first two sets of the night, though I have heard and can recommend both The Dig and Title Tracks as bands worth checking out if you haven’t yet. But speaking exclusively about Screaming Females, whose set I saw all of, if you’re not aware of this trio, you need to jump on them quick. Frontwoman Marissa Paternoster is a one person wrecking ball, and all of us are standing in her way. If she doesn’t take you down with her immensely skilled guitar playing, she’ll do so with a scream so intense that a microphone isn’t needed to hear it across a crowded room. Mike Abbate’s bass work is almost equally as good, strongly recalling the highly melodic work of Green Day’s Mike Dirnt. He might consider that comparison to be insulting, but personally I think that Dirnt is among the top 10 bass players active today. Then there’s drummer Jarrett Dougherty, who completely wails on his kit with little regard for common decency. Put these three powerhouses together and it makes sense as to why Screaming Females are a band very much on the rise. That they’ve done so almost entirely on their own terms without much support save from their tiny label Don Giovanni Records is even more impressive. They don’t need a marketing team – the music and the live shows speak for themselves. Sonically, the band holds strong ties to Sleater-Kinney, as Paternoster’s guitar and vocals are remarkably Carrie Brownstein-esque. The energy, the outrage and the pure, unadultrated guitar solos have the ability to send shivers down your spine. That was the case right from the beginning of their set at Lincoln Hall, as the large crowd went from a state of calm to a fever pitch in a matter of minutes. There may not have been any mosh pits, as with the punk rock there certainly could have been, but the reaction in pure applause and cheering was testimony enough as to how well they were doing. To put it another way, Mister Heavenly had their work cut out for them after such an inspired set by Screaming Females.

A high degree of “jockeying for position” happened once Screaming Females walked off the stage. People were looking for the best vantage points, most likely in which to see Michael Cera, so there was a bit of pushing and shoving and mean looks being thrown around at the sheer annoyance of it all. Looking around at the crowd demographics, it was close to a 50-50 male/female spread. Given that most indie bands draw a much higher percentage of men over women, you kind of knew what everyone had shown up for: the bass player in Mister Heavenly. The crowd cheered wildly as all four guys walked out on stage, though there was a rather funny moment right before they launched into their first song where a small group of people gave a shout-out to Honus Honus. Earlier show reviews seemed to emphasize the distracting nature of having Michael Cera on stage with the rest of the band, saying that the crowds kept yelling quotes from his movies before, during, and between songs. While that did happen once or twice, including a, “Let Michael tell us a story!”, for the most part people were respectful of the music and cheered appropriately for the songs themselves and not any one thing in particular (the cameras, however, were an entirely different matter). Speaking of the songs, the band opened with their self-titled track “Mister Heavenly”, which was one of the two songs they had released for free earlier in the day. I was unable to download and listen to them prior to going to the show, but apparently a lot of people were, to the point where they already had the lyrics memorized. There were at least three people I saw surrounding me that sang along for all of that and the other just-released song “Pineapple Girl” later in the set. Celebrity influence or not, hopefully this band is going to make an impact. Their “doom-wop” sound is interesting to say the least, largely coming off as what it’d sound like if one guy from Islands and one guy from Man Man got together and had a 1950’s-era musical baby. So there’s a hook-riddled pop edge to the songs courtesy of Nick Diamonds that’s balanced out by the experimental and odd quirks Honus Honus brings to the table. It’s all held together by Joe Plummer’s almost equally strong presence behind the drum kit. Cera is a capable bass player, but given he’s not an official member of the band and didn’t record the debut album with them, most anybody with strong knowledge of the instrument could have jumped in and done an equally excellent job. Of course not anybody can deliver an awkward punchline quite the way Cera can, which meant that some stage banter revealed some extra amusing moments. A sample:
Nick Diamonds: Hey Mike, what’s your favorite cheese?
Michael Cera: My favorite cheese? Oh, well I’d have to go with Havarti. Does anybody here love Havarti cheese?
(crowd cheers loudly)
The band then plays another song. After the song…
Nick Diamonds: Hey Mike, what’s your favorite cheese?
Michael Cera: I Havarti told you once.
(cue rimshot)
Jokes don’t get much cleaner than that. Nicely played. But beyond corny jokes like that one, Both Nick Diamonds and Honus Honus tried to give the crowd some insight as to how they came up with certain song titles and lyrics. For example, the song “Diddy Eyes” is apparently about the basketball player Rolando Blackman and how, in a photo they saw of him, his eyes looked just like Diddy’s (or P. Diddy or Puff Daddy or Sean Combs or whatever name he’s going by these days). That’s a weird and funny thing to write a song about, though it does leave me wondering if they were just kidding when telling that story. Another song was written in reaction to a series of sniper shootings that were happening around New York at the time they were writing the album. “The shootings happened on a night just like this. In a room just like this. From very high up, just like the balcony in here,” Diamonds said, messing with us. Outside of playing most (if not all) the songs slated to appear on the Mister Heavenly debut album, the band also brought out a cover or two. They did “Bad Man” by The Oblivions about halfway through the set, and for their encore totally rocked out to The Misfits’ “Hybrid Moments”. That legitimately started a mosh pit courtesy of about 5-6 people, leaving everyone else annoyed at all the intense pushing and shoving going on. But it was a fun way to end the night, which was also Honus’ birthday, as revealed at the start of said encore. He was wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey too, so more power to him for that, as well as coming out and talking to people after the show. The same goes for Nick Diamonds, who I was able to chat with briefly before finally giving up thanks to so many people jumping in and interrupting. Among the information I was able to extract was that A) Honus and Diamonds shared songwriting duties on the Mister Heavenly debut album, tentatively scheduled for release in September and B) Diamonds returns to his main band Islands next month when they’ve got some studio time booked to make a new record. He’s got about 35 songs written and they plan on picking the best ones for the album before doing an Islands tour in the late summer/early fall. No official word on future Mister Heavenly tour plans, but it can be assumed they’ll be back on the road together around the album’s September release.

So overall it was a very fun night, with the wild and technically impressive Screaming Females playing alongside the highly amusing and pleasantly catchy throwback style of Mister Heavenly. Both were great for entirely different reasons, and both are absolutely worth seeing, though they’ll never play together again methinks. Separately though, check them out. The biggest hope that I have from the night is that it inspired some people just showing up to see Michael Cera in person to actually become invested in either Mister Heavenly or indie rock in general. If it takes a Hollywood star to get you into this type of music, then so be it. The more people we have listening to challenging artists and bands, the better off we’ll be as a society. Now then, check out more photos, the set list, and download two songs from Mister Heavenly after the jump (click on a photo to view a slightly larger version).

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