Ellen Cherry Charles is not, though the name would imply otherwise, a singer songwriter, but a husband and wife team from Seattle. The husband Paco Jones, has been making his name playing shows amongst the Seattle scene since 2007. Paco wrote the music and the words on Ellen Cherry Charles’ debut The Cherry Orchard, and his wife Lara Jones, provided the vocals. The Cherry Orchard however represents the couple’s first collaborative musical effort, with bass on several tracks provided by Scott Pierce who recorded his bass lines remotely.
Much of The Cherry Orchard has an ambient electronic and rather rhythmic feel to it, with Lara Jones’ vocals coming with hushed and yet crisp delivery. She doesn’t so much sing the lyrics so much as speaks them like lines of poetry. The album's eerie and melodic opener “Truth to Power,” Jones vocals are delivered in breathy whispers, that beckon the listener like a siren's call. Next on “Hollywood” her vocals get a little boost from a bit of reverb or delay that give them a slightly computerized feel. Ellen Cherry Charles take a break from ambience on “Nostalgia is for Losers (I Heart Nostalgia)” a see saw of buzzing synths and Pierces thumping bass lines. Here Jones puts a little anger and power into her vocals, deepening them. Ellen Cherry Charles cite Pink Floyd as an influence and this comes through rather clearly by way of the slow, watery guitars and bits of piano on “Northedge,” and perhaps even more so on the quiet expanse of “Come Home.” This quietness is then interrupted by the short and sweet but sharply loud and electric buzzing guitars of “Perfect” and continues on into the slow and jarring builds of the industrial sounding “6 Sheets of Sound.” The album continues its multi genre swings this time landing in lo-fi folk-fuzz territory on the wonderfully put together “The Days of Mayfield High.” It was this sound that I wanted to hear more of. Perhaps I’m just a traditionalist but I tend to find that albums that flirt with too many different genres end up becoming like a collage that has a few too many pieces pasted into it, or a painter who has painted a few too many strokes onto a canvas. There is much to applaud on The Cherry Orchard, it is sometimes a jarring listen as the songs don’t always flow together very well, and it seems the only thing holding them together is the sound of Lara Jones’ voice. Recommended.
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Tabitha (Vocals) Grant (Guitars) Mike (Guitars) Connor (Drums) and Blake (Bass) are Cool Party. The band from North Carolina released their self-titled LP towards the end of last year. My first thoughts were that they sounded like a female fronted version of The Strokes. This comparison is more evident on some songs than others but think you will hear what I’m talking about if you are a fan of The Strokes.
Tabitha is a great vocalist. She is dynamic, has a lot of emotion in her voice and also happens have a voice that seems tailor made to rock. The musicians are nothing to scoff at either. There are plenty of inventive riffs and the band has the ability to stay in the pocket. Up first is “Vespers” which sounds somewhere between The Strokes and Asobi Seksu. It’s a strong opener with a memorable vocal melody and a lead guitar riff that comes in a close second. The band doesn’t let up with “Diving”. I love bass lines that start and stop and just don't follow the guitar and that's what you have hear. It’s gives the song an unique energy but also makes the chorus more powerful when it comes around. “On Your Mind” is a bit more melancholy and contains jagged guitar riffs that drip with white noise while “20th Century” has a guitar riff that reminded me of “Where Is My Mind?” by The Pixies. That being said the vocal melody has no resemblance to what Frank Black was singing. There is a transitional, ambient piece called “Humidity” which seemed marginal. It doesn't sound like anything on the album besides “56k” which also felt like an unnecessary filler. The closer “Madame B” has a different feel from some of the straight up garage rock that came before it. It has a synth bassline, arpeggiated synth and a more danceable pop feel. I thought about the band Heart. Heart started as a garage rock band some maybe Cool Party will follow a similar path. Cool Party debut is very good album with very few mishaps. They know how to write a song and have obvious chemistry. On their next release I hope to hear them establish an even more distinct sound that can separate them from the pack.
Tin Alien is a singer/songwriter and piano player who recently released a full length EP entitled Reason. The album showcases a lot of different styles including blues, soul, funk, and acid jazz. He also works with a number of other talented artist on this release.
The album kicks off with “Reason (feat. Andrew David Williams)” which sounded like an 80’s pop ballad. It contained some impressive organ playing and a solid vocal performance. There is definitely a single worthy quality from the this song but it just doesn't feel very contemporary. I could say the same thing about the next song entitled “Meaning of Life (feat. Sloppy) “. The music has some of that acid jazz flavor and the sax gave the song a nice touch. Once the talking part starts I have to admit I thought it was funny. I’m not sure if that was the intention but I liked it. “Don’t Ever Look Back (feat. Alice Leonz) features an exceptional vocal performance. Leonz has a great voice and the music was quite festive with the piano being at the center of the mix. My Direction (feat. Figsounds & Mark sharp) is a straight upbeat blues number. The music is kind of generic sounding in a lot of ways but is still a fun jam. It’s the type of song you would want to hear live at a Blues Bar. The song “Hip Hop Jazz Chillout (feat. Sloppy)” sounds exactly like the song indicates while the acoustic version of “Reason” fairs well. He closes with the smooth and sensual “Running Away (feat. Sloppy)” It feels as if Alien is reaching for a hit with this album. He experiments with a number of different genres but never really establishes much of a distinct unique sound in the process. That being said there are a number of good songs but I’m just not sure how they are going to fit into the mainstream landscape of today.
Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly makes one band more appealing than another. In the case of the three piece band Blinds consisting of Case Shannon (vocals/guitar) Malcome Browne (drums) and Garrison Grouse (bass) those were my first thoughts. The band isn’t reinventing the wheel of garage rock but they have that x-factor in there music that makes it memorable and stand out. Somewhere between the production, vocal delivery and guitar chords is a formula that works very well for the band on their self-titled EP.
Take for instance the exceptional song “Animal” which is a catchy song which I enjoyed the first time I heard it. The drums and bass keep the song moving while jangly guitars provide the melody. I was reminded of The Strokes and The Walkmen at times when it came to the music. It didn’t take me anytime to warm up to the vocals of Shannon. That songs transitions into another song that impressed me entitled “Baby Doll”. The song has a dance worthy momentum and a number of inventive guitar riffs. Both songs displayed the band's ability to deliver and not overstay their welcome. That continues to be the case as the EP progresses. The fun, fast-paced “Sorry My Kid” is fantastic. When he screams the line “You’re coming undone” it feels visceral and borderline cathartic. “These Drugs Are Gonna Kill Me” is arguably the most straightforward and commercially viable song on the EP. The song has a number of vocal lines that get stuck in your head the moment you're done listening to it and I say that in a good way. There is a bit of a White Stripes vibes with the track and the ending is epic. “Saturday Morning Blues” is the cherry on top that solidifies the band's talent. Blinds is an unpretentious EP that is a treat to listen to. When you have a three piece band I would argue it’s hard to stand out more than ever these. Lets face it. There is more music than ever and the drums, bass and guitar are still the main instruments utilized in contemporary rock bands. Band’s really have to pay attention to the details because every nuance counts and could be the difference between gaining a fan and someone forgetting your music right after they listen to it. Blinds is one of those bands that fell into the former for me.
Roughly 270 miles due south of Portland Oregon sits the city of Medford, home to Sean Siders, Grayson Phelps, and Andrew Backus known collectively as Bora Bora, the three piece indie world music fusion group whose first self-titled EP is an eclectic and well thought out mess of genres including world music, folk, dance, electronica, pop, and indie rock.
The Bora Bora EP opens with “Flee Thy Muster” a whimsical and xylophonic-led ditty that pumps with excitement from the get go. Jazzy guitar loops and electronic samples swoop and dive sparrows amid eruptions of handclaps and Japanese operatic elements. Suddenly the song builds into a frightening fugue of noise before stopping momentarily and turning into something akin to a child’s first performance in a talent show before returning to its jazzy guitars and psychic electronic from whence it came. Next up is the funky fresh and fun “Lacuna Bridge” which takes its cues from songs on Paul Simon’s island-imbued classic Graceland. Sean Siders sings the opening lines of “Lacuna Bridge” in the South African language of Afrikaans, imbuing them with a lovely poetry in his borderline falsetto “Beweging is die lewe/Alles wat dra ons siele/En darrs ons harte” which translates to “Motion is life/ All that wears on our souls/ and there's our hearts.” As it progresses “Lacuna Bridge” like its predecessor takes on many shapes and forms in terms of tempo and instrumentation. The next island inspired tune is wildly upbeat strange “Banshee Nouveau” which with its odd transitions asks quite a bit from its listeners. It is here that one wants to say “The jig is up,” for as epic as the construction would seem to be the song meanders a bit too much and the harsh and slowed down vocals alert us to the “man behind the curtain” whom we are supposed to ignore. By this time even the dance pop closer “Emerge” is so swollen with the same shtick that one simply yawns. The Bora Bora EP is a fun and vivacious record that mixes multiple genres and does it pretty well. However after a time one notices it lacks the true versatility of its predecessors (Paul Simon via Vampire Weekend) who have famously enough made the genre dangerous territory for anyone to tread, no matter what. Overall Bora Bora EP is a fun record full of catchy tunes, but like everything in life should be taken in moderation.
Have you ever wondered what happened to all of those copies of Dinosaur Jr's Where You Been that were in used CD shops in the late '90s and early '00s? Listening to the self-titled debut of Lancaster, PA's The Gone, it seems that the power pop punk rock trio bought each silver disc, cooked them down into a viscous vat, and have been injecting them into their retinal veins ever since.
It's refreshing to hear some legitimacy being paid to Grunge. In the wake of Nirvana, the radio was riddled with posers affecting a disaffected Seattle pose and slack flannel fashion. These were sheeps in wolves clothing - essentially Arena Rock repackaged to make people feel like they were being edgy. But there was this strange, trippiness to early '90s rock, like the first albums from Blind Melon and Alice In Chains. Punk rock ferocity met metal's chops and a drug-addled sense of humor. The sound of Grunge was like the soundtrack for late night insomnia, watching infomercials because there's nothing else on, that would be a shame to be lost to History. The Gone's vocals have a similar, glistening, tarry quality to those early, great Grunge bands. It's a victory for real underground rock, as we remember that, hey, those first couple Alice In Chains records were really damn good, but Marcy's Playground or Three Days Grace suck. It'd be nice to think the forgettable, consumerist pop would be the one that ends up in the dustbin of history, and not the obscure gems. The Gone perfectly blend the powerful and the pop, even more so than the original Alt-rockers. There's a catchy, melodic spirit, in the shadow of emo/pop punk, showing that The Gone have similarly mined that rather maligned genre of its charms, and ditched the riff-raff. It's rather impressive - The Gone play a handful of styles of what have a tendency to be some of the most annoying musics on the planet. This even includes modern day, middle-of-the-rock Stadium Rock like the Foo Fighters or Queens Of The Stone Age. The Gone seem to be doing something infinitely more interesting with the forms than either of those bands, who simply returned music to its pre-Nirvana state, imo. The Gone show us that you can have an energetic, stripped-down rock 'n roll that is still interesting, with accomplished musicianship and fantastic songwriting instincts. The Gone remind us that small bars on Friday and Saturday nights will always be holy places. There will always be real magic, real passion, real friendship and energy and release beneath the neon, while we catch a buzz and rock the hell out! It's important, goddamit. We're all working for the weekend for a reason. For those that like their rock raw but smart, stripped-down but impressive, you need to hear The Gone's debut
Tony pascucci and Nigel Organ are the two artists behind marker. From the looks of their bandcamp page they have been making music since we reviewed Duality last year. There lastest release simply entitled M is an engaging ten song instrumental album. The music combines a myriad of genres such as rock, post-rock and ambient to name a few.
Their music is often dark, ethereal and also quite melodic. Most of the songs don’t really feel like their is a focal center that drives the song. Your ears bounce from one instrument to another as they grab your attention only to let it go. The songs work well if you want to actively listen with a set of headphones to explore the tone and textures but also has enough energy that it would be fine to play at a party or get together. “Start all over again” is the opener which initially sounds like post-punk 101 between the guitar, bass and drums. A little after the minute mark the reverb of the guitars makes the song sound just as close to post-rock as it does to post-punk. The song is dynamic and contains a good amount of crescendos. “Dirty Beaks” is hard to pinpoint which is a good thing is you ask me. The distorted bass drives the song along with drums while the synths and melodic guitars provide some of the beauty to the song. There are some impressive peaks towards the end of the song which you won’t want to miss. Up next is “Hephaestus” which was a highlight. The song ascends and has danceable vibe. On top of that there is a good amount of white noise and another killer bass line. “A little dark place to hide my disgrace” has forward momentum and reminded me of a Burial at times while “Fuori il cinema e sulla strada” is a contemplative, nostalgic song that is emotionally resonant. They save the best for last with “Peel Away”. I thought the music would have worked well in a dystopian based film like Mad Max. The music is thematic but dark. A great closer anyway you look at it. M isn’t perfect but the majority of the songs not only were enjoyable on their own but worked in context of everything else. The music might be challenging to some but think after a couple spins you will appreciate what I heard.
The Anselmo Project is a solo project of Anthony S. Anselmo who recently released his debut record entitled Uncommon Sense. As I was listening to his album I kept on thinking of the music on the 1981 cult classic Heavy Metal. There is something very 80’s going on with these songs between the synth sounds and brand of metal that Anselmo decides to delve into.
I wasn’t sure what to think half the time listening to this album. It felt nostalgic at points and enjoyed the cheesy synth sounds that are all over these songs. Take for instance the opener “Space Station Ten” which at times sounded like it could be a Joe Satriani song with extra arpeggiated synths. Lead guitars meld with synths into an intoxicating concoction of sound. As the song progresses more sine waves and pads come into the mix and the song gets more intense. The seven plus minute run time was pushing it. I felt like Anselmo could have had just as an effective song at around four minutes. The next track “Destruction” is more or less 80’s inspired cock rock. The be frank the mix doesn't sound nearly as good as on the first sound. It sounds thin when comparing the two songs. This song is one that really could have been trimmed. The song feels redundant by the fourth minute. “Starting Over” fared a bit better but was another change in style with a different vocalist that left me scratching my head as to what to expect next. “Pretty Bird (Happy Reconnaissance)” is an eight plus instrumental song that contains some impressive lead guitar. “Teknikal Diffikulties” has a kinetic energy that is created with a hard hitting drum set while “Get Me through” is a highlight amongst the batch with notable vocals. "Sad Space Opera" is a fourteen plus minute song that is thematic and epic in scope. It contains tons of synths sounds you heard in the 80’s along with a myriad of other sounds. The are some inventive parts and lot of retro sounds throughout. After giving Uncommon Sense a number of listens it's hard not to get a sense that Anselmo seemed to over indulge in some of his ideas. It’s really not easy to listen to this album all the way because of the pure length of some of the songs that don’t feel completely justified. Anselmo does a decent job weaving in ideas and sounds but some of the songs do feel a bit out of place. I love the fact that Uncommon Sense doesn’t feel contemporary. Anselmo is doing hs own thing which is admirable and there were a some solid songs on his album. If Anselmo can trim the fat on his future songs and improve the recording quality I think more people will be receptive to his music.
Matt Cattie started writing songs at the age of eleven and by the age of eighteen somehow accumulated over three hundred songs. After taking a couple years off he is back at it with his first release entitled Pin Cushion.
The EP revolves his acoustic guitar, vocals and not much else. Cattie utilizes basic chord progressions as his voice drips with melancholy. It’s a tried and true formula that has been done countless times before and will be done plenty of times in the future. At his best I was reminded of The Microphones. The EP starts with “If Winter Ends”. There really isn’t much to say about the song. Cattie has a decent voice as he sings “How I wait for the winds to pass How I long to be found, laying down in the grass How I wait for the snow to melt How I wait for a hand to hold when it’s cold, who understands how I felt”. A synth comes out of nowhere in the song which feels a little too bright and prevalent in the mix. His best song is the title track which utilizes very simple melodies but has a fragile quality that work wells. It also happens to be Cattie’s best vocal performance. The song really doesn't have much of a chorus but still works. He sings “And every year Through every tear I will be by your side Through every year and every tear I’ll be by your side” Next up is “Your Favorite Dream” which is another melancholy track that just stays melancholy. There are too many instances of Cattie getting off key in this song. Despite that the song is still decent. He closes with “Old Oak Tree” which feels like an extension of the previous song in mood and feel. When you look at the top echelon of what artists can do with an acoustic guitar these days it gets intimidating. The latest album by Sufjan Stevens or many of the previous album by The Tallest Man on Earth are a testament to that. At this point Cattie has his work cut out for him if he hopes to be in the league as those artists. There are some good ideas here but the songs don’t feel fleshed out. It’s seems as if he has an idea and doesn’t really know what else to do with it. I think a couple of songs within the four to five minute range would be advantageous. Pin Cushion feels like a appetizer. Hopefully Cattie can build on the foundation he built here and give us something a bit more to bite on next time around.
What a breath of fresh air, what a shaft of warm sunshine it is, when a band knows how to keep it short and sweet, leaving you curious and hungry for more. It shows a sense of style and a considered delivery. It shows a band knows what they're going for, shooting for, driving at. Which is certainly the case with Honed, one of the most aptly titled EPs I've come across in recent memories.
Midcity are a young band out of the UK, just getting started. There's not a lot of info to be had. just this one lone Bandcamp/Soundcloud document, with its out-of-focus depiction some retro shopping centre. There's no member names - seemingly unimportant, secondary to the sound. Being cryptic forces the listener to lean in and try and find out more. These guys aren't screaming in your face; they're intimidating, suggesting. They don't need to go for the hard sell, as is evident in the first groovy, throbbing seconds of album opener and title track "Honed". Fast, funky, fingerpicked guitar meets a drop dead slinky bassline, while a vampiric elegant croon strikes a detached pose above the sheet of sound. You could define Midcity by the sum of their influences - I'd bet dollars for pounds they've listened extensively to The Strokes and Weezer (another reviewer mentioned the Arctic Monkeys and The Editors, but I've never listened to either much), plus perhaps a dosing of Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine, Tool/A Perfect Circle, or something equally thick and heavy. But it doesn't matter. Even coming out of the gate, these guys seem to be owning their sounds, making something distinctive and unique. Which, personally, is my only requirement for great music/art. They're blending the force and fury of distorted rock with the catchiness of power pop, breaking up the pyroclastic flow and making it a bit more relatable. Meanwhile, it's all delivered with a well-ironed, in the singer's perfectly-delivered poise. There's furious solos galore; memorable bass lines all over the place; perfectly synchronized, syncopated drumming, and great, moving lyrics. It's a little crazy they pack it all into less than 15 minutes. Like I said at the beginning, leaving you hungry for more. As the singer sings on final track "Slugger", "Don't forget me." I won't. I don't think I could.
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