David Gilmore is not to be confused with the dude from Pink Floyd. This David Gilmore offers music that is just as musical but throws in some jazz as well. It is really a unique form of progressive jazz that offers candy to your ears if you enjoy good musician ship.
The opener 'expansion' of the first movement (#1-4) comes into being with the entry of vocal and a alto sax (Miguel Zenon) unison, and further dialogue w/ the single note licks of the guitar; It's a unique start which will grab most peoples attention from the get-go. The second song 'formation' offers an elaborate melody and the saxist's tastefully paced solo. The pianist is given some time to show off his chops , followed by the bandleader's unique take on #3 'change'. The agitated and percussion-heavy #4 'balance' has a Middle Eastern/Indian theme being further elaborated in Zenon's alto whirls and guitar playing that reminded me of Hendrix. The lively bridge of the impatient #6 'manifestation' turns out to be a unique mesh of African percussionated rhythm guitar and Indian-tinged head bolstered by some dark modern starkness, leading over to the almost 13-minute-long, upbeat closer #7 'dispersion' with a Brazilian bop flair that includes - among other elements - an integrated percussion exchange before the entire composition links up w/ the formless beginning, thereby creating a cyclic effect. This is worth checking out
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Every week we mention a couple of artists that are worth your time to check out that were not featured in our weekly reviews.
Thao and company don't play regular ol' folk rock songs, they have a distinctive sound, and on WE THE COMMON every song finds a way to be interesting. Guitars get in your face on "City" but there's still room for stuff like vibraphones and a cappella singing. "We Don't Call" features honking saxophones. A hillbilly unison singer brings the twang on "Kindness Be Conceived," followed by "The Day Long," with it's noir tone and bouncing bass and snare combo, followed by needling, high register guitar work and Thao singing about not getting "naked enough" on "Every Body."
You get the picture. WE THE COMMON is a patchwork quilt of interesting folk rock and-singer songwriter choices bound together by a unifying theme of simply making creative, personal, and passionate music. With so much variety and so many points of interest in this collection of songs, the album and even the band itself (with its unique and memorable band name) exude a sort of collaborative, joy-of-music persona that's contagious and that makes WE THE COMMON less like a formal "album" and more like a very cool party with some very musical friends. Check these guys out. Whereas Veronica Falls' debut was filled with reverb-drenched, frenetic-yet-haunting songs reminiscent of early Throwing Muses or the C86 "twee" sound of the 80's, only with intricate vocal harmonies, 'Waiting for Something to Happen' features a dreamier, warmer vibe, with its intertwining jangly guitars and clearer vocals resulting in a much fuller sound. While these songs may not have the immediacy of their debut, the beautiful melodies and harmonies more than make up for it. The overall sound here actually shares as much in common with the breezy, beach-y dream-pop of bands like Real Estate or Beach Fossils as it does the eerie post-punk of their debut. The stellar "Teenage" is a good example, with it's fluid rhythms and blissed-out guitars, but those other bands never had the just-plain-gorgeous boy-girl harmonies found here. "If You Still Want Me" has been stuck in my head all day, with it's layered, overlapping vocals riding along on a bouncing rhythm that's nearly impossible to not bob your head to. Two key areas where this album differs from the previous are the clearer, fuller-sounding production, and the drumming, which features a more standard "rock" style, with actual crashing cymbals every few seconds that gives it a more accessible, radio-friendly sound. In no way are these things negatives, imo, as the infectious melodies--this band's strong suit--are more up front now, and are only accentuated by the cymbals. 'Waiting for Something to Happen' maintains it's dreamy, jangle-pop vibe throughout, which can be both a positive and a negative. All the songs here fit together, but the lack of variety means the album can get a bit "samey" when listened to straight through. However, each song is essential listening for fans of this style, and they definitely won't be coming out of my rotation anytime soon.
Clogs have been around since 2000 and have made some impressive records within that time. Lucky for us their latest EP "the sundown song" does not break their consistent winning streak. The songs here are very basic and can feel as if they are being performed to you in a open bedroom and with a nice natural reverb. Padma Newsome is the only player on this album which does no harm to the overall production and feel. He delivers his lyrics with an earnest tranqulity that makes you appreciate his songwriting all the more.
The first song entitled "Hobson's choice" starts with a rather simple, delicate finger picking that is very easy to listen to. In comes Padma with soft vocals and then the chorus is made up of simple "oh's". It is a delightful song that makes me want drink some earl grey tea. The second song entitled "The world loves me" opens with a lightly picked melody. Very fraigle and delicate as if it could break at any moment. The last song introduces some new instruments and choir. They sing together "and the sun goes up, and the sun goes down". It is still a very delicate and soft spoken song which is probably my favorite on the album. If you havent heard of clogs they are worth a listen. You will probably know immediately if this is your type of music. The Bronx have once again given us a raging, pounding, fist-pumping record. I can say, that this is a solid rock record that has its moments. For those that are unacquainted with the band, this is definitely a straightforward rock record, moving quickly through its twelve songs. There are moments of classic rock, nostalgic 80's punkyness (for some reason, his vocals occasionally remind me of Stooges era Iggy Pop in a way, not that he sounds like Iggy, just his delivery can be similar) and 90's rock as well. But to say that this band sounds retro, or like they are mining old bands for their sound, would be incorrect. Over their last three records, The Bronx has definitely honed a particular sound; hard, abrasive, with growling melodies, bright chords, and pop sensibilities when it comes to hooks. For those of you who are already fans, a few words of encouragement...... Those of you who yearn for the hardcore brutality of I and II, you may be disappointed. This album follows the path that III tread in a really great way. The moments of screaming and howling from History's Stranglers or Cobra Lucha are definitely toned down. They've been replaced with a much cleaner, less abrasive singing, which is still fantastic. Matt does a lot of yelling now, not so much screeching. The punk and hardcore sound of the early records has been stripped to a much more groove heavy rock. That's not to say it doesn't rock your socks off! The album still forces a steady nod, and every song makes me want to pick up my guitar to play along. It's a pretty good album-do yourself a favor and give it a spin.
Eels change their musical styles and band members more than most places change weather. I mainly enjoyed albums from from Electro-Shock Blues through Souljacker, and some tracks from earlier efforts, and of course "I Am The Messiah". This album has a blues/country rock feel to it that you can tell Mark Oliver has become incredibly comfortable with. The album opens with "Bombs Away", a strident declaration from E that he is tired of not being heard; he's going to "shake" and "rattle the house" and also stop "being a mouse". He's letting the bombs fall and blowing open the doors. This album as a whole has E back at his best. Quirky, upbeat songwriting. Nice melodies with unusual chord progressions and a variety of songs from quiet, slower tunes to rockers; dynamic moods. Some of the other highlights are "On the Ropes", a pretty heart-felt ballad, The light-hearted(?) "Open Present" although E may be singing about some bad experience when he was young, & "Wonderful, Glorious", which has a nice Beatle-est feel to it. Comparing this record to E's back-catalogue, I would say as its as strong as "Blinking lights..". This is the bands 10th album and from what I hear I don't know if they plan on slowing down anytime soon. Do yourself and give these guys a listen if you haven't before. In fact you should start with their first album and listen to their evolution.
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April 2024
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