Friday, May 30, 2008

Review: Title Fight - Kingston


Label: Flightplan Records

Released: January 29, 2008

Some time in the 90s, pop punk generally began placing the pop over the punk in its approach to the point that it might be difficult to tell the difference between A New Found Glory and Avril Lavigne. That's sad, because punk has a long pop tradition that dates back at least to the Ramones' love affair with early 60s AM pop. The passion and anger and edginess of punk shouldn't have to be sacrificed for a hook. The Ramones, the Pistols, the Buzzcocks, and so many others created great music that was fully both pop and punk.

Title Fight understands this. Kingston, their three song 7" is catchy. The melodies are rough ones, but memorable. "Memorial Field" and "Loud and Clear" have some of the best guitar hooks this side of the Descendents and still beat with the heart of punk rock. Good as those tracks are, "Youreyeah" has their heart beating harder still as they delve into a bit of Stiff Little Fingers' raw, but catchy passion.

For those who've given up on pop punk, the time to come back is now and the reason to come back is Title Fight. Their brand of pop punk is every bit as catchy as the rest, but they bring back all the punch and abrasiveness of real, genuine punk rock as well.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Review: Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) - Year of the Rabbit


Label: Count Your Lucky Stars

Released: January 2008

Sometimes there is a very fine line between great and terrible. Great bands stay just on the good side and awful bands may only take a single step over. Queen's bombast pushed right up to the line and they're one of rock's truly great bands. Meat Loaf (or really Jim Steinman) took one more step and he's reviled and written off as mere kitsch. Likewise the Smiths had their toes right up to the edge of mopiness while too many of their lesser followers took that extra step into a maudlin mess.

Emo too has such a line where one side is honest and pure and just a few paces away is a sappy melodrama. Michigan's not-so-concisely-but-very-emo-y named Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) sadly didn't quite know where to stop. Their latest release (and first with a full band), Year of the Rabbit, is two tracks of emo as it was done in the days when it first separated itself from its hardcore roots...but just a step across that line.

Both songs take their raw (over-)emotions on a low-key indie rock ride. "Year of the Rabbit" has a nice mellow progression and bit of sad jangle. "IDK, My BFF Jill" is decidedly uppity next to the title track, but never gets much punch behind it. The reason for the not-so-punchy music is because the punch is supposedly in the heart-felt lyrics, but while Keith Latinen and company may feel what they're singing, it still falls into the common trap. In the days before the genre lost it's edge, I don't know that a band like Rites of Spring would ever sing, "I tied my heart in a knot for you." (I really think Ben Gibbard is about the only guy on the planet that has figured out how to get away with things like that, but he'd find an even cornier way to say it and make it charming and meaningful). What was originally a willingness to open up about emotions in a scene that was increasingly dominated by mindless machismo has become an open door to melodrama that I find increasingly difficult to connect with.

Does this kill the record? No, but it does limit its appeal. Empire! Empire! does manage to be vaguely off-kilter and that gives their songs texture and a few surprises, but for me at least, that isn't quite enough to save it. When I can repress my desire to yell, "Get a hold of yourself! Stop whining!" I can hear the good things Empire! Empire! has done on this record. Sadly, I just can't keep that feeling in check. Perhaps a little bit of that same emotion would serve this record well. For those who can suspend disbelief in the way that I do when I watch a disaster movie, these songs are well-written and somewhat clever. Unfortunately, I can't do that and the overwrought emotionalism of Year of the Rabbit fails to suck me in.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 5/10
Overall: 5/10

Purevolume

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Video: Lourds - Astropop

Another great song about Popsicles! Check out Lourds over at Breaking Records.


Lourds - Astropop
Music Video Codes at Www.roxwel.com

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Thursday, May 29, 2008

Video: Demolition String Band - Wisteria

Check out this one from Americana/indie rockers the Demolition String Band. Their music is in a new Sundance Flick called "Burning the Future: Coal in America." You can pick up their new album, Different Kinds of Love, at Breaking Records.





Demolition String Band - Wisteria
Video Codes at www.yallwire.com

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Win $10,000: The Offspring "Hammerhead" Video Contest Announcement

The Offspring have created a YouTube group as a gathering place for fan created video clips set to the new song "Hammerhead."

"We are excited to see what people will do to add their perspective and talents to 'Hammerhead.'" – Dexter Holland

Be creative. Be current. Be literal. Be abstract. Use your own self-shot/documentary footage. Find the right footage for your voice. Share your experiences. Use this as another way to tell your own story. Whatever makes sense to you to make the best video you can.

The band will pick their favorite from the top rated videos and award prizes as follows:
Grand Prize Winner: $10,000 (picked by band)
Most Viewed Submission: $3000
Most Favorited Submission: $2000

No rules, except these:
Please do not use any videos/photos of The Offspring in your video.
No length requirement, you can use as little or as much of the song as you like.
Acceptance of the submission agreement required.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER HAMMERHEAD VIDEO CONTEST

PLEASE NOTE: This is a TWO step entry process. 1) Uploading your video to the
group. 2) Registering your video in the contest via the entry web page.

Submissions accepted 5/14/08 – 6/24/08, Open to U.S. residents only.

More information at www.offspring.com.

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Review: Moving Mountains - Pneuma


Label: Deep Elm Records

Released: May 13, 2008

Pneuma is an album that works more in noise than structure. Ambient layers and ambling indie rock rhythms are grounded by a more common vocal approach that alternates between whining and screeching and screaming. There is nothing pretentious about Moving Mountains' deconstruction of rock though. It is experimental, but not simply for the sake of experiment. They haven't spent time forcing complexity so much as simply following a different path to great songs.

They can be stark and thin as the quiet heart-beat, piano and murmurs of "Fourth." They can build layer upon ambient layer in "8105" and occasionally break through the density with horns. They can be more structured in an acoustic ballad like "Sol Solis" and bring soul to a genre that often forgets it. They can be beautifully imperfect in the closing moments of the album. They can be grand without being grandiose. They can be both esoteric and inviting. They can do all of these things, because they focus on the music, not the experiment. They do push the boundaries, but that is only incidental to making great music. Moving Mountains succeeds at what many have failed it. Pneuma is ambient music gone wild.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 7/10

Deep Elm is running a contest to win a copy of Pneuma (plus 22 other CDs). Click below for details.
CLICK HERE to WIN

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Found in the Shuffle: Pink Floyd - "Yet Another Movie / Round and Around"

Song: Yet Another Movie / Round and Around
Artist: Pink Floyd
Album: A Momentary Lapse of Reason

Gah. It's like Phil Collins' drum machine joined Pink Floyd. Fortunately, Gilmour's guitar work isn't terrible. I probably would've loved this when I was 16. Actually, I would've heard this when I was 16 if the album wasn't so awful that I always turned it off before track six.

After further listening, can I retract that thing I said about Gilmour's guitar playing?

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Remove the Veil is breaking up!


After 3 1/2 years together, Facedown Records recording artists Remove the Veil is calling it quits. Another Way Home, an intense and gritty hard rock album, came out last year and showed a lot of potential. The band will play their last show at Summer Side Show VI in Columbus, Georgia on June 7th.

Check their Myspace page for details.

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Review: Love - Forever Changes (2008 Collector's Edition)


Label: Rhino

Released: April 22, 2008

Love is a second rate band, but at perhaps the creative peak of rock music. They existed at a time when the old marriage of R&B and C&W that was rock n roll was experimenting with a lot of new partners. Love was a part of that. At times, the result was brilliant, making it clear why no less than Jim Morrison found them inspirational during their sets on the Sunset Strip. But just as often, they floundered as they tried to push rock music to new levels.

1967's Forever Changes is in many ways a great snapshot of that period, precisely because it struggles. It isn't Sgt Pepper's or The Doors, but those records have become timeless with generation after generation discovering them anew. Forever Changes is an awkward album stuck in awkward time, giving it the appeal of primary source material rather than being reinterpreted over time. Does that make it essential? No, not for the casual listener. However, for those who want a less rosy glimpse of how rock music got from Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry to Led Zeppelin and Queen, this album is perhaps the perfect document.

For every great track, there are a couple more that dabble too heavily in show tunes or force a good idea rather than let it take shape. All in all though, it's messy, but not too difficult to get through once or twice. It's not a classic, but does provide a perspective that the classics can not and therein lies its real value.

The 2008 Collector's Edition of Forever Changes is two disc set that includes the original album as well as an alternate mix and some outtakes. The alternate mix serves no real purpose. The album's value is more historic than artistic, so a new mix only amounts to filler. Some of the outtakes are interesting though, because they show the mindset of a band trying to push the limits.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 5/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 6/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Found in the Shuffle: The Guess Who - "Key"

Song: Key
Artist: The Guess Who
Album: Canned Wheat

A psychedelic take on the Bible, with a seven-minute drum solo. Because there's nothing God digs more than drum solos, right?

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Found in the Shuffle

We've got a new feature here at Rock and Roll and Meandering Nonsense called "Found in the Shuffle."

One really cool thing about storing music on your computer is you can hit the "random shuffle" button and hear songs that you've never heard before, even though you might have owned the album for years. "Found in the Shuffle" highlights the best and worst of what's randomly popped up on our headphones lately.

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We are Scientists tour mostly just the states this July during "The American U.S. America Tour"

Having racked up a UK top 15 hit with first single "After Hours" and having sent the album that birthed it, Brain Thrust Mastery, to #11 on the album charts (a position the band like to refer to as "the pole position" owing to "the shape of the numbers"), We Are Scientists were ready to hang up their hats, telling anyone in earshot that they were now "officially bigger than Madonna in terms of height," and that their only professional plans were to "get laid." But after several grueling lectures from management and weeks of 'torture light' administered by the heads of Astralwerks and EMI, the affable pop duo agreed to tour the States this summer.

Brain Thrust Mastery (released last week) follows the New York band’s critically acclaimed 2005 debut, With Love & Squalor, which went gold in the U.K., and about which Spin asserted: "It might take an alchemist to morph lead into gold, but these Scientists can mix punk, funk, and a lil' bit of disco to yield a shiny, metallic bar of infectious, genre-bending rock."

To study more on We Are Scientists, hear songs, watch videos, and read advice, go to Astralwerks.

7/01 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
7/02 San Diego, CA The Casbah
7/03 Pomona, CA Glasshouse
7/05 Sacramento, CA The Blue Lamp
7/06 San Francisco, CA The Independent
7/08 Portland, OR Berbati's Pan
7/09 Seattle, WA Neumos
7/29 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's
7/30 Cambridge, MA The Middle East- Downstairs
7/31 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
8/01 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
8/02 Washington, DC The Black Cat
8/03 Columbus, OH The Basement
8/04 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
8/05 Indianapolis, IN The Music Mill
8/06 Madison, WI The High Noon Saloon
8/07 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
8/08 Chicago, IL The Abbey
8/09 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
8/10 Newport, KY Southgate House

Check out the video for "After Hours":

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Friday, May 23, 2008

Review: Pomegranates - Everything Is Alive


Label: Lujo Records

Released: May 13, 2008

The liner notes of Everything Is Alive sent me into a wonderful daydream. As the opening drum loop circled through my ears, I read the line, "We experienced the hospitality of strangers letting us spend the night on their couches or their floors." I was immediately taken to a pleasant picture of the band curled up in sleeping bags amidst my menagerie of fuzzy dogs, basking in the afterglow of a great show at the Ottobar as we all took turns playing our favorite albums on the crappy little stereo in my living room.

Then the vocals kicked in, and my fantasy fell apart. Even though I listened to their EP, Two Eyes, I forgot about the singer with the really cute voice. My goodness, I really forgot how cute her voice is. Where will she sleep? Does she get my bed? If so, I guess I have to sleep on the floor, and my back gets all wonky when I sleep on the floor. And what if she's dating one of the guys in the band? I don't really want them getting it on in my bed, but I'm not going to be a jerk about it either. Who am I to stand in the way of young love?

And then I remembered. There are only guys in Pomegranates. Great. So Everything Is Alive is a near-perfect indie-pop gem that has me totally questioning my sexuality.

Okay, seriously, I really like this album, but it is a bit disconcerting that one of the singers -- I don't know if it's Isaac Karns or Joey Cook -- has an incredibly cute voice that makes me think of holding hands and running through the park in summertime. Don't get me wrong, he's got a good voice. It just reminds me a lot of Palomar. And that's cool, because I like Palomar, and frankly, getting compared to Palomar is a high compliment coming from me. Palomar knows pop, and Pomegranates know it almost as well. Pomegranates are a little bit heavy sometimes and a little jangly at other times, but at their core, they make fun and upbeat indie pop with the kind of hooks that you don't remember until you put the album on for the second time, and then you sing along with every single song because you remember them all. This is pop, in a way that crappy American Idol wishes it could be pop.

Everything Is Alive is a very good record. It makes me excited for their next album, because these guys just might have a great record in them.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I need to go call my shrink and tell him why I'm having dreams about skipping through Central Park as I'm holding hands with an indie rock boy in a sundress.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Review: Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs


Label: Atlantic

Released: May 13, 2008

You and I are about to engage in the most intimate act that a critic and a reader can share: the record review. But before the door closes behind us and I lift my shirt to reveal four stars tattooed on my chest, you need to know a secret that will color every word of this review.

You need to know that I love Death Cab for Cutie.

If I had to pick the best band of the past decade, Death Cab would probably be my choice. The 2003 album Transatlanticism is a masterpiece that can connect with a troubled 14-year-old boy as effortlessly as it can reach out to a 40-year-old housewife. 2005's Plans doesn't take as many risks musically, but it's a simple and charming gem.

DCfC albums take a while to sneak up on me, though, and Narrow Stairs is no exception. Death Cab tends to hide little presents in the dark spaces of their music, which makes it difficult to critique their albums after a few quick listens. Sure, I've made some initial observations, like the fact that the band is taking more musical chances and Chris Walla's production is a bit more urgent than usual. This album is obsessed with the failures of uninspired relationships, and though that's not new territory for Death Cab, lyricist Ben Gibbard delves deeper into the subject than he has before.

Death Cab's greatest strength lies in Gibbard's lyrics. The man can take simple words and use them to paint portraits. He's subtle about it, though. Most lyricists beat you over the head with how smart they are, but Gibbard... he just paints the scene and trusts that you'll see it. It takes a brave artist to do that.

Like I said, DCfC albums take a while to sneak up on me. I haven't had this CD long enough to see all of Gibbard's pictures, but I have a pretty good idea they're there. For now, I'll reservedly give it eight out of ten; it's very good, but it doesn't have the broad appeal of their last two records. But ask me again in a few months, and I may tell you it deserves a perfect 10/10. It all depends how many more gifts are hidden in the dark spaces of Narrow Stairs.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

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Friday, May 16, 2008

Mike Doughty discusses his song "Fort Hood" (plus video)



"Fort Hood" isn't exactly an anti-war song. It's more of a song about my own guilt for living life without thinking of the war every moment. I was invited by the USO to visit Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2006; I went over and gave CDs to wounded guys, most of them in their 20s, most missing limbs. It was tremendously moving. As we left the hospital, I was thinking that I wanted to never lose that feeling I felt, of incredible gratitude for everything in life.

Fort Hood is the base in Texas that's lost the most people in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The first verse is about guilt. That I can go about my daily life without thinking of the violence and the fear in Iraq, and the sacrifice people are making over there.

The first part of the second verse is about frustration with political pissing matches, instead of unity among our elected representatives to serve these guys. The second half is about how the war haunts me; how I see dudes in uniform in airports and wonder what's going on in their heads, what they've witnessed.

The bridge is about lost innocence. The lyrics are about what I wished a guy in his 20s was doing instead of being scarred by a fucked-up war. One line is, "You should blast Young Jeezy with your friends in a parking lot." I changed it from "You should blast Toby Keith with your friends in a parking lot" -- mostly for reasons of singability. But also because I realized everybody would take it as a snobby dis on the soldier. I actually meant it in passionate sympathy; it's better to be a teenage jingoist than to come back with your consciousness or body shattered, knowing the tragic naivete of jingoism. Young guys go over there and come back scarred -- bodily, often, but also psychologically, such that so many of them will have the burden of post-traumatic stress disorder, nightmares, haunting images.

I grew up an Army brat on Army bases -- pretty much all the adult men had been in Vietnam, and looking at their collective bizarre behavior in hindsight, I realize I grew up in a crazy land where every adult man had post-traumatic stress disorder.

My dad never talked about Vietnam to my mom. As -- I think -- a passive-aggressive means of hurting my father, she took us all to see Milos Foreman's film version of Hair (at the military cinema on a NATO base in Belgium!) without telling us what it was about. My dad was upset -- though he laughed, bitterly, when the character Berger got accidentally shipped off to the Vietnam war and killed in action.

The genesis of my song was: I downloaded from WFMU.org an mp3 of the Japanese cast of Hair doing "Sunshine." It was surreal and fun through the verses, which were in Japanese, but when it came to the end, the chorus was in English -- it was chilling, and so apt, and my eyes moistened up on the subway.

I moved to New York when I was 18, and the music everywhere was hip hop and house, and often based on samples and re-jiggered melodies from other songs. It's kind of weird in singer-songwriter land to take a chorus from another song, but it felt really natural to me.

"Foot Hood" video

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Review: The Eruptors - Bad Time to Be Having a Good Time


Label: Maniac Squat Records

Released: March 3, 2008

There are plenty of bands revisiting the 80s, but most stick to post-punk and new wave rather than punk and hardcore. The Eruptors are certainly an exception. They avoid anything refined and go straight for the throat with noisy punk that sounds about as DIY as it can be. The downside is that they borrow from so many bands yet don't seem to find some synthesis of all of these influences. Instead, they flip back and forth, sounding like AOD on one song, Government Issue on another, the Butthole Surfers somewhere else, then Cocksparrer, early Black Flag, the Cramps and so on. The upside is that this erratic ride is about as much fun as can be had on an album. While it's coming apart at the seems, it is that very fact, along with a healthy dose of bratty irreverence, that holds Bad Time to Be Having a Good Time together. Just as the music comes from a school that disowns precision and proficiency, so too does the production. While some of the subtle nuances may be lost (yeah, right), the hands off production allows the energy to flow freely and as the name implies, that's exactly what the Eruptors are about.

Ratings
Satriani: 4/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 5/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 6/10

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DVD: The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder: John, Paul, Tom & Ringo


Label: Shout! Factory

Released: April 1, 2008

I've had a bit of a stormy relationship with John Lennon, not that it would matter to John. His greatest public achievement was the band that made rock n roll matter and mine is...well...this website. Besides, John was dead by the time my relationship with him began. I was nine (almost 10) when John was shot. I remember it in the news, but mine was not a musical household and I really wasn't interested in much other than Kiss. However, throughout my teenage years, the Beatles (and John in particular) became increasingly important, transcending my journey from pop to metal to punk. I've never been one for idol worship...except John. He is the only celebrity I've ever wished I could meet. Through those years, I made excuses for John's treatment of Cynthia and Julian. I made excuses for his excesses, for his "Lost Weekend" and for his grandstanding as an "activist" (what did the Bed In do for peace anyway?).

Later, I became increasingly disenchanted with John Lennon. I put more weight on the rotten man that I suspected he really was and less on the public persona under whose spell I'd fallen. The Beatles remain to this day my favorite band and Lennon is the biggest difference between their work and the sappy nonsense that has made up so much of McCartney's career. Still, I believe I'd rather live without all of that if it had meant that one particular kid had had an actual father rather than a sperm donor who claimed his son had come from a whiskey bottle.

All that being said, the truth probably falls somewhere in between the two very different John Lennon's I had built in my head and Tom Snyder's interview with Lennon shows that. John is hardly at his wittiest, but he seems to be as frank and honest as he was capable of being. It's no wonder the interview was replayed, by overwhelming request, just after his death. Unlike other interviews where John is more clever or scathing or jovial, this is an intimate self-portrait at a time when he was regaining control over himself. The additional interviews with Lennon insiders about his passing also give a glimpse into what may have been the true John Lennon.

What wasn't clear to me when I was 9 was that John Lennon's death had a big impact on people. I knew this in reading about it later, but these interviews with John and with his friends just after his death bring a clarity that escapes historical knowledge. None of this completely changed my opinion of John Lennon. I still think I'm a lot closer than all the people who think "Imagine" is a great mantra for peace, but it does show that I am now, just as I was before, only judging part of the man. The strength of Snyder's interview is that it neither glorifies nor disparages John Lennon. It just shows him as he is.

The second disc contains interviews with Paul and Linda McCartney and Ringo Starr that are less exciting than being in a coma.

Rating: 6/10

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Thursday, May 15, 2008

Review: Brass - Set & Drift


Label: self-released

Released: January 25, 2008

I seem to be using the word "angular" an awful lot these days and while that usually means I'm listening to something I enjoy, the post-punk influence is becoming so commonplace that it also begs the question, "What's special about this one?" With Brass, the answer is that they take their mathy angles and smooth them out with fluid bass lines and pleading vocals. Although slightly reminiscent of Michael Stipe at times, the vocals never cross the line into whininess. What's great is that the music is patient. It's agitated but never frantic as if it's coming to a boil, but not quite boiling. It shakes without jarring. The album comes in just under 30 minutes, but seems so much longer, not because it's boring, but because it accomplishes so much in that time. It's so much bigger than what usually comes out of a half hour.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 8/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

Don't forget to check out Brass' new digital EP, A Small Breath.

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Wednesday, May 14, 2008

They and the Children new album!

They and the Children - New Full-Length Available for Pre-Order
  • Order Home now - Ships May 30th
  • Both CD and Vinyl available
  • Official release date - July 01, 2008 on Kill Normal Records

Home, the upcoming full-length from the DIY hardcore juggernaut that is Middletown, Connecticut's They and the Children is now available for pre-order from Kill Normal Records. Go here for more info.

The official release date for Home is July 1st, but pre-orders will ship on May 30th. The eight-song full-length is available in both CD and LP format, with the vinyl version limited to 515 pressed (105 black, 205 translucent orange and 205 clear).

Home is They And The Children's first full-length and the follow-up to the 2005 EP, Thoughts On Becoming A Ghost (Tor Johnson Records). The band has also released 7-inch splits with Daniel Striped Tiger and Towers.

Expanding on TATC's brand of crushing, epic hardcore, Home is even more bombastic and vibrantly dynamic, alternating between thrash-inspired riffage, slowly-churning, ominous grooves and soaring, melodic interludes. The album is a testament to the band's commitment to the DIY community, as well as a call for solidarity between those of us who realize that society is becoming so commercialized that it can barely be considered a "culture" any more. To stream two songs from the record, go here.

Review: The Parlor Mob - And You Were a Crow


Label: Roadrunner Records

Released: May 6, 2008

There is really no shortage of bands out there today who are mining the 70s for the source of its hard rock gems. The Parlor Mob is one such band. They've obviously spent some time with Zeppelin and the Nuge and they've certainly gotten quite a bit out of that. And You Were a Crow has no shortage of great riffs and rolling rhythms. Sure the vocals basically stick to the Robert Plant formula, but they do a good job of it and they have a great sense of when to add just a bit of frenzy. Even when they practically steal "Since I've Been Loving You" on "Tide of Tears," there's something special that identifies it as Parlor Mob rather than their large, looming predecessor.

The best thing about the Parlor Mob though is that, unlike so many of their peers, they have actually found that source that they're looking for...and it's soul. It's something that the Black Crowes found out early on in their explorations of the 70s and it's translated into almost 20 years of great music. Perhaps the Parlor Mob is mining that same vein with just a harder edge. If so, And You Were a Crow won't be the last we hear of them.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008

New Brass EP - Free Download!

BRASS - 3 New Songs for Free Download

Philadelphia's Brass have officially released their new three-song EP, A Small Breath, for free digital download. For more information, go here. For instant gratification, voila!.

The band will also be pressing a very limited run of 100 CDs, which will be available at shows and on their website in a couple of weeks. A Small Breath was recorded by students at Drexel University in January and February as part of an engineering course. Bravo, higher education! These three songs sound amazing, continuing the tradition of beautifully-clashing aesthetics established on Brass' recent eight-song debut, Set & Drift. Both releases masterfully establish a common ground between soaring melodies, heart-stopping crescendos and math-y, post-punk rhythms. A must-listen for fans of The Dismemberment Plan, Sunny Day Real Estate, Jawbox or Circa Survive.

And while we're in a giving mood, you can also download three MP3s from Set & Drift here.
Happy listening!

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Review: Otis Redding - Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (2008 Collector's Edition)


Label: Rhino

Released: April 22, 2008

Otis Blue is a widely accepted soul classic and for good reason. It finds Redding running through some great soul tunes, many made famous by others, yet it never makes you long for the other versions (even Aretha's version of "Respect"). He's just that powerful of a singer. "Satisfaction," one of rock's most overrated songs, even sounds good when Redding does it.

Rhino's new double CD collector's edition includes both the original mono and stereo mixes as well as alternate takes, b-sides and two live shows. Frankly, I'll never understand the appeal to re-issuing a CD with both the stereo and mono mixes. There wouldn't have been a mono release of these albums had the world not been in transition between the formats. Why do we need them re-issued? Otherwise, the bonus material ranges from interesting to awesome. The live cuts are particularly hot and make the re-issue as a whole a very nice package.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 10/10
Overall: 9/10

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Review: History - Ghosts in the City


Label: 24 Hour Service Station

Released: December 7, 2007

What happens when Fugazi meets Black Sabbath? History. Okay, so time will tell if History the band actually makes history, but there's no denying that the potential is there. Their album, Ghosts in the City, isn't just the result of these influences slapped together in some random fashion, but a natural meeting of the former's mathed up passion and the latter's heavy groove (tempered perhaps into a less sludgy though no less compelling hard rock sound). Add to this the airy effects of two keyboards and their sound finds an even more unique voice for itself. What really makes the album great though is that it provides both the frenzied excitement of calculated hardcore and the pumping, thumping heaviness whose legacy is at the root of pretty much any decent hard rock and heavy metal, all with more than a touch of madness.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 8/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Friday, May 09, 2008

Review: Portishead - Third


Label: Mercury

Released: April 29, 2008

Lots of people are complaining that Third doesn't sound like Portishead. These people are smoking crack. In fact, they're probably trying to smoke crack through their ears, which means the crack smoke is blocking out the music.

I don't get the complaints of the crack smokers. Third sounds like Portishead. It is filled with the gorgeous richness and depth that made Portishead famous. No, it's not a repeat of Dummy or Portishead, but it builds upon them. It's the next logical step in a wonderful progression of music.

Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons, and Adrian Utley are exploring new sounds, and they're doing it in a way that stays true to the overarching sound of Portishead. There are beats on this album that are unlike anything the band has ever done before. Many of the arrangements possess the same understated complexity as great movie scores by Ennio Morricone or Bernard Herrmann (who composed for Alfred Hitchcock). "Deep Water" is simply Gibbons voice over a ukulele, yet it possesses all of the emotional vulnerability for which Portishead is known (and it even adds a hearty dash of hopefulness).

The only flaw I can find is that the compositions occasionally wander too close to the generic minor-key tension that has become a goth cliché. It's a flaw that musicians of this calibre should have recognized, but on an album this good, it's completely forgivable.

Ratings
Satriani: 9/10
Zappa: 9/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

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Friday, May 02, 2008

Review: Trever Keith - Melancholics Anonymous


Label: self-released (digital only)

Released: February 2008

In the mid-90s, Trever Keith's band Face to Face was releasing some of the best pop punk around. Big Choice still finds itself in at least my semi-regular rotation. However, they lost me with Ignorance is Bliss at the end of the decade and I never really came back. Now I find myself with Keith's latest work, the solo Melancholics Anonymous.

While Legion of Doom, Keith's mash up project, was, like most mash ups, a mixed bag at best, the benefits of his work on that as well as in production are pretty clear on this new album. His production and remix experience lead to an album that smoothly mixes the synthetic and the natural, using effects, but in proper doses and never gratuitously. Keith will drive a song with artificial rhythms and then use the bumps and lumps in his own voice to humanize the music.

At times, he draws on U2's delay-drenched guitar work and simple rhythms. At others, he dips into 90s Brit Pop. While it seldom even hints at his Face to Face days, Melancholics Anonymous does have one thing in common with that past: The recognition that songs don't have to be profound to make real connections. The album doesn't go down the shadowy roads of post-this or post-that, but instead is very good in the here and now. Unlike maudlin emo, this melancholy pop record has something that rings true.

Keith has a collection of good songs and good performances, but the album as a whole is better than just that. His ability to use the synthetic to enhance the album's emotional truths rather than hide its rough edges makes Melancholics Anonymous a subtle bit of honesty.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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Thursday, May 01, 2008

Interview: Jon and Mimi Fee of Parks & Records



Every indie label has its niche, but Parks & Records also has a mission. They've combined a commitment to great music with the broader purpose of making the world a better (and greener) place. Having just made their first release, the self-titled Carcrashlander album, earlier this year, Parks & Records is now poised for the release of the debut of Shuteye Unison, featuring label-owner Jon Fee and other alumni of the great but often overlooked Rum Diary. In addition to his time in Rum Diary, Jon also released on of the great compilations series of all time: Translation Music. He has now formed Parks & Records with his wife Mimi and they recently welcomed the latest member of the Parks & Records family, their son Charlie River. In addition to using cardboard sleeves rather than plastic jewel cases, Parks & Records also made donations to the National Arbor Day Foundation, National Forest Foundation and Friends of the Urban Forest. Theirs will hopefully become a model of a successful and ethical business strategy for other like-minded labels. I recently had the chance to get some insight into Parks & Records from Jon and Mimi:


RnRnMN: Parks and Records seems to be unique in its focus. There have been plenty of labels where community took precedence over profit, but your particular focus on the environment seems like a new angle. How did you come up with the idea?

Jon: Our focus didn't come to play until we started to model our business plan. I was actually in business school at the time pursuing my MBA. From previous experience and interaction with labels while playing in The Rum Diary, I knew two things were certain about indie labels; 1.) they don't last and, 2.) the cash outflow always leads to the demise. With that in mind, Mimi and I set hard defined budget constraints and then backed in our business model. The following steps involved a lot of "what if" scenarios and questioning what it really means to be a label and how we could add the most value to our bands. Anyway, when all was said and done we had developed a model that worked within our budget constraints and the output was a very eco-friendly product. We like to think we found the balance between planet and profit.

Interestingly enough, I recently read a quote from Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon) that said something like, the lack of resources breeds innovation. Although Parks and Records would never claim to be an innovative label, we would agree that the lack of cash flow forced us to think out of the box. Just think about how much great music came from the lack of resources – instruments, recording equipment, etc.

Last but not least, we always wanted to give back and it just made sense to work with non-profit organizations like the National Forest Foundation or Friends of the Urban Forest. Both Mimi and I love to be outside, hike, and explore national parks. Fortunately this is something we also have in common with a lot of musicians - probably because touring is a lot like camping.


RnRnMN: Are there any labels that have inspired you in your vision for Parks and Records?

Mimi: Lots of labels have been inspirational. Especially those that consistently release great albums while staying true to their bands and fans. If you want specifics, I would say our greatest inspiration comes from the courage of K, the brains of Dischord, and the heart of Merge.


RnRnMN: What effect do you think your environmental goals have on the music you release?

Jon: From a business perspective, our environmental goals set interesting boundaries for the label - especially when it comes to packaging. The whole existence of Parks and Records relies on the quality of each releases - quality in terms of song writing, musicianship, recording. At the end of the day we are selling music and if we compromise the quality, we compromise the label. Because of our size and commitment to eco-friendly packaging, every release must be solid.

From a community perspective, any artist we work with is going to be passionate about the great outdoors and their carbon footprint. Working with bands is much more enjoyable when you get along on multiple levels, not just music. So, anything we release will come from like minded artists who share our environmental perspective.

Along the way we have noticed that a lot of bands are quite resourceful and eco-friendly. My favorite example is when Cory from Carcrashlander has to recycle all of his beer cans so he can gas up his van to head out on tour. It's no wonder Carcrashlander was our first release!


RnRnMN: What do you look for in a band when you consider releasing their music?

Mimi: Well, we are an eco-friendly label with an emphasis on friendly. The band must share the ethos of the label, be good friendly people, passionate, and great song writers. It is very important to us to build a community amongst our roster so we like to make sure the current roster approves the new addition - kinda like an indie Board of Directors. Unlike other labels, we could careless about how much you tour, who you know, and how cool you look.

Jon: It's much more important for us to work with artists who are capable of writing and recording great songs versus doing whatever is hot at the moment. People love good music and love their alone time with good music. As a label, we are really targeting the headphone brigade first and show goers second. I really want us to release those songs that people really hold on to for their own reasons.


RnRnMN: If you could have five bands, past or present, on your dream roster, who would they be?

Jon: (Mimi's list would be all classic rock: Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Stones, etc.)

American Analog Set - It's hard to believe that such a gentle and brilliant Farfisa driven indie pop band was spawned from the same state as W. I guess it's big enough to have both heaven and hell.

Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime! Need I say more?

Fugazi - Own all their releases and have only seen them once. The show was unbelievable. Ironically, Anthony Keidis was watching from the side of the stage and the next Chili Peppers album started sounding like Fugazi! At least to me.

Superchunk - I recently met their drummer. He was a very nice guy. I should have asked when the Chunk is going to return with a new album and tour, but I didn't. Superchunk has always been a staple in our music collection.

The Wrens – Love these guys. Just a bunch of old indie rockers playing every note like their life depended on it.


RnRnMN: Who is the greenest candidate running for president in 2008?

Jon: Who knows? There's a lot of motion on various green topics, but it's just hot air if it doesn't turn to action. I think all candidates right now are telling Joe Public exactly what he wants to hear and since "green" is red hot, a lot of promissory statements are being made.


RnRnMN: What are five easy ways that the average person can be more eco-friendly?

Mimi: Without regurgitating the most common tips like recycle and don't use plastic bags, the following five are still just as easy.
  1. Get involved with a non-profit like Friends of the Urban Forest and donate your time. It's not going to cost you a cent, you're going to meet some really great people, you're going to learn something, and you're going to make a difference.
  2. Plan your days to ensure you drive less and still manage to get everywhere you need to go.
  3. Consume less. Think about stuff before you buy it. Do you really need it? Can you make do with the old one in the back of the closet? Can you borrow one from a friend? Can you just go without?
  4. Shop at thrift stores. Goodwill not Landfill!
  5. Support Parks and Records. All of our releases are eco-friendly, affordable, and of the highest quality!



RnRnMN: Congratulations on the recent birth of your son. Does becoming a parent change anything about the way you view the label as well the label's broader goals?

Jon: Thank you. A parent? (lol!) That one can still catch us both off guard. Believe it or not, the birth of Charlie River has really encouraged us to work harder at growing Parks and Records into a viable business. It's something we are both really proud of and would like to see our son participate in.


RnRnMN: Right now, you have the Carcrashlander out and Shuteye Unison is coming soon. What else is on the horizon for the label?

Mimi: A Christmas/Holiday Compilation is on the horizon! We are currently accepting songs for consideration. Thus far we have a healthy handful of great artist committing songs from the US and the UK. Compilations are a little tricky because they are like herding cats so we both have our fingers crossed on a successful 2008 release. Other than the compilation, we are always looking for bands and if time permits we may make our way into the studio and record a Mijuanito album.


RnRnMN: How do you measure success for Parks and Records?

Mimi: Hopefully we always measure success based on how much fun we are having. Of course Jon monitors the metrics of the business, but that is all secondary to having fun. Our current goal is to make sure every new release either raises the bar of the previous release or at least meets the bar. We are also looking to build a core fan base of 100 like minded individuals. Maybe you would like to be one?


Thanks to Jon and Mimi for the interview. Check out the Parks & Records website and befriend them on Myspace.

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