girl about town

Spectrals - Bad Penny (Slumberland/Wichita, 2011)

Spectrals - Get A Grip from Slumberland Records on Vimeo.

For someone managing to have distinctive vocals reminiscent of a throaty Housemartins-era Paul Heaton, along with a soupçon of a smooth-sounding Ritchie Valens; Spectrals main-man Louis Jones keeps it casual and real on his Slumberland/Wichita debut, "Bad Penny". Jones' particular recording style (via producer Richard Formby) and the layered harmonies that are let loose through the shiny-jangle of his guitar playing, bring a genuine warmth and sweetness to the album, lending a unique depth to all of the songs here. There is not one that delves too far into the dark-side of pop. Even the slower lounge of "You Don't Have to Tell Me" and "Many Happy Returns" and the melancholia of tracks like "Lockjaw", and "Luck Is There to Be Pushed" make this album more dreamy than dreary (although with the former two; patience in deference to Jones' particular tuning may be a necessity upon first listen--these were 'growers' for us). Opening track, "Get A Grip" and punchier pop numbers like "Big Baby" with its singable lyrics (we love them);

"You crashed into me / When I was seventeen
 Nobody told me / That girls were so mean,"

these songs become the definitive stars in the full lineup showcasing Louis' more near-perfect songwriting sensibilities. After Jones' recording of the songs for Bad Penny in early 2011 (with only his brother Will Jones to accompany him on drums), we're looking forward to a live representation of these songs and others when Spectrals tour the US this Spring (March through April).

Track Listing:

01 Get A Grip
02 Lockjaw
03 You Don't Have To Tell Me
04 Big Baby
05 Many Happy Returns
06 You Can't Live On Alone
07 Doing Time
08 Confetti
09 Luck Is There To Be Pushed
10 Brain Freeze
11 If I Think About The Magic Will It Go Away?

Spectrals - band site / tumblr / Wichita / Slumberland / myspace

The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient (Secretly Canadian) August 2011

 

The War on Drugs - "Baby Missiles" (Official Video)

The War on Drugs are one of those Philly bands who are just everywhere. I have personally been to so many shows where they have been the openers that recently, I had begun to see them as a band that it was permissible to skip. The War on Drug’s most recent release has caused me to repent that attitude.

Slave Ambient (Secretly Canadian) was released August 15, but it’s an album that transitions well into fall weather. Compared to Wagonwheel Blues (War on Drugs previous full length) Slave Ambient is decidedly more layered, giving the band a sound even more like My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. However, Slave Ambient is more than just a copycat in that it takes elements from 90’s shoegaze, sprinklings of synth, a Dylan/Petty influence, and integrates them with front-man Adam Granduciel’s wailing vocals in a refreshing, innovative way.

It seems impossible to talk about the War on Drugs without mentioning former guitarist Kurt Vile, who has made a name for himself with a successful solo career since leaving the band. The similarities between Vile’s recently released Smoke Ring for My Halo (Matador) and the War on Drug’s new album are many. Both Smoke Ring and Slave Ambient share a textured, psychedelic production style and wistful pop lyrics about leaving it all behind. Yet, despite the overlap, I would argue that these similarities are strengths for both Vile and the War on Drugs. Vile and Granduciel, long time friends, have clearly developed together as artists. But as Slave Ambient proves; Granduceil and bandmates are obviously capable of creating a unique album without Vile.  Slave Ambient contains a juxtapositon of layered tracks like “It’s Your Destiny” and more straightforward tracks like “Blackwater”, while still maintaining a strong sense of cohesion that sticks with the listener in a way that Vile’s Smoke Ring does not.

It’s exciting to see what the War on Drugs will do next, and everyone is hoping they avoid leaping into the lo-fi oblivion that Slave Ambient dabbles in just enough for comfort. Either way, this is still one of the best albums released so far this year. 

Track Listing:

1.	"Best Night"	Adam Granduciel	5:30
2.	"Brothers"	David Hartley	4:28
3.	"I Was There"	Granduciel	3:49
4.	"Your Love Is Calling My Name"	Granduciel	6:01
5.	"The Animator"	Granduciel	2:16
6.	"Come to the City"	Hartley	4:31
7.	"Come for It"	Granduciel	0:27
8.	"It's Your Destiny"		4:49
9.	"City Reprise #12"	Granduciel	3:05
10.	"Baby Missiles"	Granduciel	3:33
11.	"Original Slave"	Granduciel	3:11
12.	"Black Water Falls"

War on Drugs - band site / myspace / twitter / label

The Joy Formidable: The Big Roar (Canvasback/Atlantic Records) - March 2011

 

The Joy Formidable's debut is no forced entry; but they are breaking down doors one by one--and it is an emotional high. The group's first full-length album, The Big Roar, has been mastered to deliver a full one-two punch. You can hear a definite difference in the sound quality from Joy Formidable's first EP (A Balloon Called Moaning) which also holds a handful of the diverse current material available by the group, on this full length. However, the newer versions of the material's raw, and full sound, checks the older (and, more, 'demo') versions of their songs at the door, literally. For the album's first track, "The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie" we hear what sound like balloons popping: is this the sound of leaving their past behind for a better, fuller, and fresh-faced start? Ritzy Bryan IS "rock's new heroine" (proclaimed by The NME) by being twice the measure of what every stage goddess should possess only not from time to time: but all at once. This is: raw talent, coupled with the ability to ROAR, channeled through an absolutely passionate stage presence. {review}

On "The Big Roar": the group hits the new material so hard that when the first track fuzzes out into radio nowhere, you get slammed back by the ferocity of track number two; "The Magnifying Glass". The result of this is an album that has a bit of 'hunt and chase' happening, read: a driving rhythm, and passionate songwriting skill, that bridges the listener easily from song to song as well. The group could easily stand somewhere between mid-to-late '90s band Scheer, early Catherine Wheel, and the undercurrents of a band such as Muse, i.e. showing off often VERY heavy, almost slick, hard rock overtones; a sound that you can't help but want to shake your fist in the air to, and openly swoon over. This does not, however, protect Joy Formidable from not being balladeers from time to time--as in the quiet, and simple power, of the track "Llaw = Wall", which we love. Ritzy gives the rest of the band a chance to shine here, and the album a chance to wind down, and sink in. And with this 'wind down' on the repeated verse of final track, "The Greatest Light Is the Greatest Shade" (another closely held EP memory), we can definitely say that we are "happy for you", The Joy Formidable. Fierce work, on a striking debut, that definitely begins and ends with a 'Big Roar.' 

See TJF (The Joy Formidable) tonight, Wednesday March 30th, with The Lonely Forest, and Mona, at Johnny Brenda's.

The Big Roar, tracklisting:
1. The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie (prev. on ABCM EP)
2. The Magnifying Glass
3. I Don't Want To See You Like This
4. Austere (prev. on ABCM EP)
5. A Heavy Abacus
6. Winning
7. Buoy
8. Maruyama
9. Cradle (prev. on ABCM EP)
10. Llaw = Wall
11. Chapter 2
12. The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade (prev. on ABCM EP)

The Joy Formidable - band site / black bell records / canvasback / myspace 

Magic Bullets (Mon Amie Records) - new album out June 15th, 2010!

One of the most exciting albums to come out this summer for us will be the new album by San Francisco's The Magic Bullets. With a leg in a cast last year for San Francisco's Pop Festival, even lead singer Philip Benson couldn't sit down for the group's exhilarating live performance. Corey Cunningham (lead guitar, songwriter) and Benson have been working together since 2004 with their group, which technically doesn't make them new by any means; but with their unmistakable influences (cross The Smiths with The Bodines), and strong songwriting, the hard-work they put into their Mon Amie label debut should put them squarely onto your radar for upcoming releases to keep an eye out for.

Benson; in situations like these, a sense of humor is mandatory...  

The five-member group (formerly six) has a poignant guitar jangle to match Benson's high-pitched vocal style that brings to mind playful and intense leads like David Byrne or Kevin Rowland (Dexys), while their song-to-song style is varying enough to show off their full talent as a group (the album is still on replay for us long after we first put it in). On songs like "Lying Around" emotively sang lyrics ring through nicely with an up-tempo rhythm guitar, as Benson sings in his most earnest falsetto, (maybe, telling off a lover?) "So don't act like I'm untrue when I'm saying these things because, well, it breaks my heart in two," This great track also acts as the 7" single to promote their new album. Other songs, like the album track "On Top Of The World" which has an accentuating 80s splash beat bringing to mind Style Council-era class, and "They Wrote A Song About You" (a fitting upbeat pairing for a track like "Reel Around the Fountain" by The Smiths) are just the beginning when it comes to new music that you will love from this exciting San Francisco group. Other standouts include "Red Room" and also, "Millions of People Running In Circles" with its air-organ pumping in the background over a catchy-as-Hell recurring chorus build-up that should definitely get people dancing in the aisles live. 

 

The new album, which will be released on new label Mon Amie Records will be out on June 15th, 2010, and their first single for the album--the aforementioned "Lying Around", was released on April 27th (on 7") on Mon Amie as well (backed by a non-album track, "Thoughts of You"). The group's songs are also currently available on their myspace and on iTunes. The band hopes to tour this summer for their new album as well....stay tuned!

Magic Bullets Album Track Listing:

1/ A Day Not So Far Off
2/ They Wrote a Song About You
3/ Pretend and Descend
4/ Lying Around
5/ Young Shoulders
6/ Red Room
7/ On Top of the World
8/ A Name Sits Heaviest On My Heart
9/ Millions of People Running In Circles
10/ China Beach
11/ Sigh the Day Away

While you wait for the new album release, we absolutely love the video for their song "Yesterday's Seen Better Days" from original LP release, 2007's "a CHILD but in life yet a DOCTOR in love".

Magic Bullets - band site / mon amie / myspace

Lone Wolf - new single Keep Your Eyes On the Road: video pays homage to Peter Gabriel's groundbreaking "Sledgehammer" video

Lone Wolf is the recent signing of Yep Roc's sister label Bella Union (The Acorn, Fleet Foxes, John Grant). The debut single from LW's upcoming album (The Devil And I) is called Keep Your Eyes On the Road. The song itself is a dark, and brooding affair that is at its most brilliant: a cascade of melody, and at its lowest--a tunnel that winds upon itself, lyrically. Although the new single is impressive, it will forever be Lone Wolf's unusual accompanying video that will hold your attention long after the song dwindles. 

A near perfect homage to Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" video, the song holds true to the original in technique and sequence but adds in it's own touches and flair (a doll version of Lone Wolf's Paul Marshall dancing with a chicken on stage versus a double-chicken dance, friends in place of Gabriel's backup singers for what we'll call the 'shiny happy people' sequence; well--you might have to watch both to make up your mind!). We'll leave it to you, though. We know the original can't be beat--and Paul and innovative director Ashley Dean will be the first to tell you this as well.

"This was a project that had been brewing in my head for some time. I have been a huge fan of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” video since seeing it as a boy on the ITV Chart Show in 1986. It is a whirlwind experience, with a constant barrage of new ideas hitting the screen every single second.

The project was hard, with so many elements to bring together and with only a small team and a few weeks to work with. We built a coffin, a puppet sized Paul, a full sized plasticine Paul, we made an approximation of the set used 24 years ago by Aardman, gathered a room full of extras (including many luminaries from the Leeds Music Scene), animated a (free range) chicken and a face made from petals, referenced ‘Labyrinth’ and ‘Indiana Jones’ and almost blinded Paul with an errant blob of Latex.

I am pleased with how the project turned out. There were times when I thought things couldn’t be done, but determination, innovation and a lot of 15 hour working days saw us through. It was a pleasure to work with Lone Wolf, he has an amazing talent for sitting still hours at a time and has contributed ideas and effort beyond the call of duty, even when his fingers turned blue and his legs had stopped working.

I hope this film is a fitting tribute to the original video, and a complimentary visual accompaniment to Lone Wolf’s excellent first single." (Ashley Dean, www.brokenpixel.co.uk)

Lone Wolf's new album "The Devil And I" will be out on Bella Union on July 13th, 2010.

Lone Wolf - bella union / myspace

The Beachniks - from the Love Is All headline show at Maxwell's, NJ, 3.27.10

New York's six-piece act The Beachniks played a cacophonous mixture of twee pop in the vein of early- Pastels this past Saturday night at Maxwell's in New Jersey. They opened for friends The Crystal Stilts (members of which have also played in Beachniks) and Gothenberg, Sweden's highly anticipated headliner, Love Is All. The group's songs have both bitter and fun sensibilities that fit together like ice cream and chocolate cake (the perfect pairing for the bubblegum pop lover)! If you enjoy cute lyrics, and a bit of off-tune instrumentation, then this is the group to make you dance around and shout along! 

The Beachkins live at Maxwell's, 3.27.09

The Beachniks - captured tracks / myspace

Power Animal / Toro Y Moi - Kung Fu Necktie, 3/25/10

Power Animal photos by Sam Gurry

Philly has been reppin' it so hard lately, it's ridiculous. Power Animal, who just kicked off their North American tour, is no exception proven by how they killed it last Thursday at Kung Fu Necktie. First off, it's refreshing to see a band that can actually play their instruments, which almost seems like an oxymoron. They stand out amid a sea of Macbook musicians that's getting bigger and bigger each week. Nearly every member of PA switched up instruments at some point, ranging from guitar to electronics to toy piano. The violin even made an appearance, a fact that makes the former Dor-kestra nerd in me very happy. Even with such dexterous members, Power Animal still provides a voice for everyone involved. Their live sound was especially, and pleasantly, surprising considering their strong electronic sound on their recorded tracks. A lot of what I thought was electronic was actually performed live using their varied trove of instruments. Their performance was a first-class balance between electronics and performance, giving the audience not only something to look at but also enjoy.

This abundance of musical prowess is reflected very basically in their sound. Their influences seem to be all over the board, ranging from twee-pop to anti-folk. It’s a clear result of all the creativity the members are bringing to the table. Even amid the wash of influences, they are still able to keep themselves from diving too far into one to the point of stagnation. Power Animal will be part of your summer soundtrack. Put it on during your road trip montage complete with hands weaving out the window and laughter torn smiles half cut-off on camera.

Toro Y Moi was faced with the difficult task of following Power Animal and failed to deliver the necessary energy. As soon as he took the stage, the crowd swelled around closer and tighter. This was clearly the act they all came to see. The energy level was brought down and a heavy soundscape started up.  He succeeds in creating his own atmosphere and you can feel the beats pad your face. It's the music that sticks to your ears when you're drunk. The sound that plays in slow motion an hour into a Lifetime movie. It's simplistic and well executed but still remains static. Toro is one of the posterchildren for the much blogged about 'Chillwave' explosion. Unfortunatly, it seems like he's limited by its own definition. He's very 'of' his genre, but fails to bring anything new to the game. Give him time to marinate on tour and let's see what happens.

Power Animal - myspace / Waaga Records

Toro Y Moi - myspace / Blog / Carpark Records

LOVE IS ALL release new album on Polyvinyl Records! Tour dates to follow. F@#! YES!

Love Is All. L to R: Nicholaus Sparding, Josephine Olausson, James Ausfahrt, Markus Görsch, Johan Lindwall. Photo by Fredrick Johnson

"Here comes the future," sings Love Is All's Josephine Olaussen on the floating verse in "Never Now", their third track on brand new album "Two Thousand And Ten Injuries" released March 23rd, on Polyvinyl Records. This is a brand new future for the band indeed, this album being the first superb new studio release debuting on a new label as 2005's "Nine Times That Same Song" and "Ten Things That Keep Me Up At Night" (2008) and a collection of EPs and singles were all notably released on the Brooklyn-based What's Your Rupture?.

Josephine Olaussen's high-spirited and girlish vocals are still here, and so are the group's signature time breaks, and saxophonic bursts--the group also seems to have a love of numbers judging from the past and present full-album titles as well. Regardless of any roots-, punk-rock, new wave, or electro-punk ("dance-scronk"?) comparisons; Love Is All can stand firmly on their own two feet, and even more so with each new release....adventuring into the cross-genre, and somehow not looking like the giant four organ arms of Sparks while doing so has to be unusual (and not that this would be a bad thing). "Two Thousand And Ten Injuries" is a testament to the particularly uncomplicated and leisurely way in which the band was able to approach this recording. By taking time and patiently putting it together in a home studio with no label to produce for during the process, and band members coming and going as they pleased; the recordings themselves feel relaxed even in the usual extreme pace that sometimes make up the b.p.m. of a typical Love Is All track.

We are going to dare, and say: this may just be the band's most accessible album yet--with songs that wouldn't be out of place in the broken-but-loved cassette deck of a John Cusack vehicle; it's quickly becoming our first-of-the-year favorite. "A Side In A Bed", our new 'car-jamming' track, especially fits this description when the lyrics "I want someone to be put under my spell" are sang: everyone wants a stable something or someone, right? Love Is All will split your heart in two with this track. Other favorites include the aforementioned "Never Now", as well as "False Pretense" ("woah-oh-oh-oh" punctuates throughout), "Kungen" (for the overlapping choral vocals that make us think of the kids who made music oh-so-lovable in the Langley Schools Project or last year's Brill-iant Gigi release) and the on-course, and toned-up "Less Than Thrilled".

The album can be downloaded directly from Polyvinyl Records' web site, along with either a CD, 180g LP, or limited edition white vinyl LP that is still available. It's a steal at low, low, (at-the-gig-itself) album price: so we highly advise you to pick it up soon if you can! Tour dates for Love Is All were of course imminent with the release of the new album, so without much further ado....

Love Is All Upcoming Tour Dates: 

03/27/10 @ Maxwell's // Hoboken NJ
03/28/10 @ Knitting Factory // Brooklyn NY
03/29/10 @ The Rock and Roll Hotel // Washington DC w/ Japandroids
03/30/10 @ The Barbary // Philadelphia PA w/ Japandroids
03/31/10 @ The Middle East // Cambridge MA w/ Japandroids

and more here....see you at the show(s)!

Love Is All - band site / polyvinyl records / myspace

Eye Candy # 61: The National with Buke and Gass, live at The Bell House - 3/12/10

Openers, Buke and Gass.

 
Being a first-timer, there was immediate concern put towards being lulled to sleep over the vocal stylings of The National's lead singer Matt Berninger (ever so similar to the gauzy-male baritone deliveries of the Stuart Staples and Kurt Wagners of the world that we adore) and the general softness of certain tracks. There was no need for this worry, however, because the live show from this group was one of the most liveliest and sweatiest that we had seen in a while. With a horn section, a very packed and excited crowd, and a large grouping of musicians set together on a medium stage; the feeling was intimate and energized rather than pushy. The Bell House is the perfect place to see and hear live music in New York without feeling lost, nebulous, or packed in like cattle among other concert goers. 

Playing songs from their forthcoming album "High Violet", The National played a full set that also encompassed a lot of their older material including crowd favorites "Mr. November", "Secret Meeting", and "All the Wine". During the encore, the track "Terrible Love" was played in dedication for Berninger's wife who stood to the back of the room near the DJ booth, to which he playfully joked of the freudian slip also noting that he would likely be sleeping on the couch that night. Although, our guess is that he's still in her good books these days! Brooklyn locals and openers Buke & Gass were interesting: falling somewhere between Joan As Police Woman, and a wigged out progressive two-piece (we imagined them at home working alongside musicians in The Musical Box, for instance). Kudos to the DJ, by the way, who got us started between sets playing tracks like "Jackie Onassis" by Human Sexual Response; you made our night! Check out the photo album or listen (thanks to D. O'Toole!) to their show by clicking on the links below:

View the photo album by clicking here.

  The National, live at The Bell House - 3/12/10

The National - band site / myspace

The Silence Kit - Dislocations CD release, live at The Khyber 2/27/10

The Silence Kit's Pat McCay, photo by Angelique Buckley.

The Silence Kit's new album "Dislocations" brings together the hooky bass, post-punk song formation, and vocals that have clearly defined the band since inception. With McCay's signature vocals which bring to mind a darker version of Catherine Wheel's Rob Dickinson (especially as heard on "Five Seconds") the group's post-wave sound is occasionally intimidating. Although there is certainly something here that pulls the shades down on this production compared to the group's 2008 release; we'll be damned if "Dislocations" isn't a fine listen when it comes down to the layering of guitar melodies (especially when heard on rad opener "Let There Be No Hurt"), and we love the light they brought in on the songwriting for "The Magician".

You can really hear the styles that The Silence Kit are trying to work into the mix from synth (we have to gush over the ending on "Five Seconds") and new wave, to the inspiration that comes from a darker and more brooding sound that edges along the lines of a true Factory release. We get where Pat McCay and co. want to take these songs--and we like that you can really lean in and grab hold. 

"Dislocations" is the third full-length for the group and although this album seems like the darker half to 2008's "A Strange Labor", we're digging in. We look forward to seeing these tracks performed live at the group's Philadelphia CD release party on February 27th at The Khyber (56 S. 2nd Street) in Philadelphia, along with sets featuring The Standard Model ("the band’s tight, dynamic rhythms and chiming guitar tones drive the tracks dominated by Franco Franus’ vocals") from NYC, and serving up the punch are locals' Tina Kaffeyah and also Party Photographers, with their satisfying velveteen garage crunch. Can't wait!

The Silence Kit - band site / myspace