World beat, reggae, West African and psychedelic are just some of the styles Big Blue World showcases on their third album release Agitate d’Love. Consisting of Connor O’ Brien on vocals, electric and acoustic guitars and melodica, Christ Chitouras on guitars and vocals, Keith Kirkpatrick on bass, stick and vocals and Frank Laurino on drums and percussion, these seasoned veterans with big name experience under their belts pull together many influences into their sound: Paul Simon, Bob Marley, Peter Gabriel, Buena Vista Social Club, Grateful Dead and King Crimson just to name a few.
The album was recorded over one weekend in 2016 and the band set up inside one room and all played together live, as if they were playing at a live gig. This distinction can really be heard well on many of their songs. They also recorded most of the songs in one or two takes, which keeps a fresh energy alive throughout the recording. The main theme on the album centers on the power of love and its healing abilities. “Pictures of Pluto” has that world beat style with great vocal harmonies on the chorus part – a nice upbeat, danceable tune to get things going. “Release” features funky grooves. Again, it feels like a song you would dance to. The guitar parts reminded me a little of Carlos Santana’s style of playing. The bass guitar was thick and funky. “Coco” has a world beat, more in the African style I would say, and the drums are deep, rich and varied. Some parts feel like the band veered off into a free-form jazz style. “Take My Hand” has that Paul Simon “Graceland” sound a la “Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes.” It’s joyful and it feels like summer. I really enjoyed “Khamsin” for its slow moodiness and mystery and for the more traditional Egyptian/Middle Eastern flavor that the band focused on. The chanting vocals after six minutes or so was cool as was the tempo picking up faster at the end. On “Walking Miles” the drums are up front and the beat is in a reggae style. The drums also offer a lot of fills and variations while the guitar fills in with melodic riffs. The reggae style later changes into something that sounds like the Allman Brothers. “Cycles” is a dusty, acoustic folk-rock number which shows yet another side to these veteran artists. Great vocal harmonies and a little vocal chanting can be heard at the end. Music fades in with the beginning of “Out On Your Own.” The bass is full and bright, guitars beautifully layered and working off each other. This one has a soundscape quality to it and at times gets a little funky and trippy with the psychedelic. “Roots” is a ten-minute ride that starts off with lyrics straight from Jefferson Airplane’s classic “White Rabbit” and then after goes into what I can only guess is a Grateful Dead song (sorry lads, not a big fan) and ending with lines from John Coltrane’s masterpiece “A Love Supreme.” This last tune does seem set apart from the band’s other songs but for obvious reasons – it’s a medley of other recording artists’ work. If you’re into varied rhythms, joyful jams and unique arrangements that aren’t your everyday cut and dry songs, give Big Blue World a try.
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The latest project from London producer, DJ and multi-instrumentalist Will Hedges is his first foray into the solo alt-pop world. His record, the four-song EP Be Your Friends seeks to incorporate a slew of multi-genre and multi-decade musicians to come to a finish of what Hedges says is an “amalgamation of these things and not a rip off of any.” The bands which he is referring to here are such big names as the Beatles and Nick Cave, ‘90s club favorites The Chemical Brothers as well as lesser known stars of the ever blurred category of indie rock genre from the last few decades such as The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Spiritualized, bands that don’t necessarily always play music that is easily slotted into a tight categorical slot.
For Be Your Friends Hedges has adopted the moniker El Cid, and under this auspicious nameplate he serves up some delightful ditties that seek to blend all the best from these aforementioned bands and hoping to make something of a blender-record of sorts that plays along the lines of pop and rock with the occasional bit of electronic fervor thrown in for good measure. The result is a short and sweet and also highly listenable EP full of songs that recall the last few decades of Brit pop et al. Be Your Friends opens with the radio friendly “Be Your Friends.” A stripped down electronic beat serves as the bounce and catch as an equally stripped down bass-guitar strum combine to pull the listener in from the very first and keep the feeling going to the end. It’s a classic brit-blues sort of feel to it that Oasis used on their first two records, mixed in with a little bit of the back-slapping clubbiness that Happy Mondays used to secrete their most memorable songs. Next “Round the Bend” employs this same stripped down sound mixture of half-rock and half electronic along with plenty of vocal dubs. Its composition is pretty simple, however the payoff is a catchy pop payoff, one which comes off even more securely on rambling quiet latitudes of sound waves which emanate from “Wake Up Dead.” With his El Cid division Will Hedges continues to do what he always has done, which is to further promote the multi-faceted genres which tend to keep him from getting bored with music. I’m not sure if an entire record based on these formulas would be sustainable, but these four songs are sure to become fast friends to many listening ears.
Rose Oliver is an artist from Boston who recently released a five-song EP entitled Little Morning. Oliver is currently studying music at Berklee and I’m sure this will be the first of many we will hear from her in the upcoming years. On that note there is a lot to appreciate on this release.
Oliver’s singing style was familiar to me when I heard it. I really loved her voice but her inflection and delivery which tends to feel coy, fragile and innocent seems ubiquitous amongst a lot of female singer/songwriters within the indie community . The EP starts with “Raindrops” which is a great introduction. It’s a sparse song revolving around guitar, piano and well implemented reverb. She sings, “Oh there’s raindrops falling on my head /And June is cool again / All the tiny little plants taking tiny little drinks / From their tiny flowerbeds / Oh there’s raindrops falling on my head.” “Splinter” is sparse consisting of just vocals and piano. “Summer Street” was a melancholy and pensive highlight. This is where she lets loose a little bit in terms of vocals and displays some of her dynamic range. She also sheds the coy, fragility in her voice when she sings, “Silver lights in her eyes, all these Silver lights in her eyes, oh she…” and replaces it with a powerful, confident delivery I found impressive. The orchestral string on this song are also fantastic. The mood changes with “Sea and Sand” which is undeniable infectious and happy. It’s a great song and very catchy. My only issue was that it ended so soon. She closes with “Fade” which jumps to the other end of the emotional spectrum. The song is the most haunting and melancholy in the batch. Oliver is off to a great start and this five-song EP is the proof. I think she showcases different sides to her talent and I am sure there is more ahead. Recommended.
Celogen is the brainchild of Dominic Demierre. Based in Calgary, Canada, Demierre spent time playing in various post-punk/emo bands as well as informal free-improv collectives. In March of 2018, Doveflood was available for listening for the first time. Drawing upon a variety of influences, Doveflood includes elements from industrial, new-wave, synth-pop, and even smooth jazz. The project was influenced by the general attitude of the Calgary scene to do whatever feels right, and to disregard boundaries and labels. Doveflood does a great job of setting an example for how this is done.
“Stareshelter” is the third track on the EP. The lyrics are straight to the point, asking, “Why won’t you stretch out?” The leading synth lines are addictive, and the layered sound created by the drums and the many different synth lines and nuances that they all provide throughout the entirety of the song makes repeat listening a must to ensure that you’ve discovered all that they have to offer. “Dig Yourself Out” is the penultimate track on Doveflood. The feature of the track is the percussion. Different pitches and samples are syncopated and aligned to create a catchy rhythm that provides lots of movement for the track. It is a very unique sound that creates a very unique track. The lyrics also help to create a mood that opens the track up for further understanding, while also remaining mysterious no matter how much can be unraveled. Doveflood is a great listen. The heavily layered sound of the EP creates an atmospheric listening experience. It creates an environment that can be explored through listening, and something as simple as hearing a few notes from the far back of a track can provide a whole new angle for listening. There is a lot to discover while listening, however Doveflood is easily digestible. The length of it is perfect, providing enough to fully understand the concept of the project, as well as leaving enough hidden to leave the listener wanting more. An enjoyable listen all around, anyone with an appreciation for synthesizers or anyone with an open mind will consider themselves a fan of Celogen after listening to Doveflood.
Carling Berkhout, is an accomplished clawhammer banjo player who released Apartment Recordings in March. She recorded the EP in an apartment in New York City. It took her roughly a month and a half to write and complete the six-track EP. She claims, “the songs were all written on the backs of receipts and they're filled with city white noise.”
Upon first listen you can hear a slight lack of polish which is most likely due to the hurry up way it was written and recorded. The missteps don’t detract from her emotive bewitchery and even add to its appeal. A banjo player with a slow rolling voice and playing style reminds me of Sharon Van Etten or the lingering vocals of Laura Marling. Hailing from Vermont, she spent some time in NYC. She writes and sings about urban commonalities of delusion, city blues and rooftop gardens. Berkhout says the songs were designed to "capture the authenticity of emotion.” She does emote on this EP. A country girl living in the city and seems conflicted as to whether she should like this nascent change. “Nightmares” wafts on a wave of melancholia. The array of diverse tones and textues gives this track an ethereal feel to the track. She plays her banjo to great effect on “North Country” evoking a sense of place. It brought to mind a grassy meadow on a breezy late spring afternoon. The one song I wasn't entirely crazy about was "Funny Business.” The track felt as if it was missing an element and was far too slow even for her slow rolling style. The lack of crispness in the vocals made it difficult to comprehend the lyrics. She has a charming social media presence often posting videos of her practicing on her banjo which she clearly revels in playing. She seems to have a curious sense of humor as a playful photo is of her with a banjo stuffed in her shirt, her face shielded by the body. She referred to her style as “influenced by a German actress and singer songwriter, Sibylle Baier,” whom I've never heard of until now. I researched her and it turns out she wrote and recorded several songs in the ‘70s but the LP was only released in 2016. Baier proves an interesting and introspective choice of influence for this multi-talented young lady. Berkhout performs with regularity around the New England area in case you want to catch her live. She also writes and has her work published in Fretboard. She has received a few awards that showcase her abilities including Best Music Video, 2013-2015. Apartment Recordings is an impressive release by Carling Berkhout and I am anxiously awaiting her next move.
Every week we mention a couple of artists that are worth your time to check out that were not featured in our weekly reviews.
Artist Album Rating Half Asking Tte 3.6 Return of Brodozer Rolling with Witches 3.4 Salt Wizard Creature Sounds 3.7 Vellochord Sideways Garden 3.5 Kelvin Candela Goose EP 3.7 The Snobs A Life Aglow 3.9 Matt Hannigan Bad Penny 3.4 The Final Age The Final Age 3.8
The New York based singer/songwriter Brady O'Keefe has traveled a pretty long and rough path on his way to making the record he has wanted to make since the ripe old age of sixteen. A native of Massachusetts, O’Keefe moved to Long Island to study the music business and after about two years realized that this was a dead end and he’d likely be better off making music on his own. So he took that route, however in order to stay in proximity of New York City proper he had to share a house with six other friends, a house which was often noisy which made it difficult to find time to record a hushed, folk album. So O”Keefe began a long process of recording his record Violins during the most quiet times he could find which were the wee hours of the morning.
These mornings and their quiet emptiness pervade every note on this little bedroom recording of acoustic folk that falls into the area of the more pop-oriented stylings yet the lyrics tend to deal with the less than ideal aspects of coming of age and realizing that the past cannot be changed and the future still looks a bit bleak, so there one is stuck in the middle of this and trying to make some sort of sense of it all. Violins opens with “Kidding” a field recording of sorts that pairs background acoustic instrumentals with tape hiss and some bits and pieces of vocal cutouts from various odds and ends. It becomes a bit overdone as an opening offering, as well as a closing one. Wasting no more time, O’Keefe slips into the first real song on the record, “Wings” which keeps some of this background noise (perhaps an old television program) and puts his acoustic folk musings to work. The guitar at once draws one in to its dark and melodic realm. One feels the early morning hours during which this was recorded, hears the tiredness, the hushed vocal tones. The tone of folk is given to a bit of alt country twang later on “Where We Lost the Wheels.” After another found-sound instrumental, “The Dirty Hemp” O’Keefe pulls out “Houdini” a slow moving and haunting bit of acoustic folk that eventually builds into some-sort of proto-pop that has its roots in Simon & Garfunkel but for a new generation. One finds here more depth than one usually finds in the coming of age folk artist. It is without a doubt the most magical song on the record. The closer “Por Qué” much like Violins opening track, sounds staged, a required bookend perhaps he thought, needed to give some semblance of order. Violins exhibits a folk musician with immense potential. The ideas one can tell, even though not fully fleshed yet, are there in the musical compositions. With a quieter space and perhaps more time to concentrate, I believe O’Keefe could do amazing things.
The Jolly Pops is apparently a dad supergroup from Minnesota who make children’s songs. They recently released We Are Happy Dads which they say will appeal to preschool and elementary-aged kids. I thought about this while listening and asked what about it might appeal more to a young kid and in all honestly it was a tricky question.
The hooks aren’t much different than a “regular song” and the lyrics are arguably a little more apt for kids as it sometimes describes some of their daily activities and sometimes not. Either way the album is all over the place stylistically. Some styles were more enjoyable than others for me as I was trying to vicariously listen with younger ears. I suggest they don’t attempt hip-hop ever again. That being said I found the country/swing vibes of “Triangle Texas Swing” delightful. Almost all of the songs feel slightly cheesy in that “Disney” and “Barney the purple dinosaur” type of way which I suppose is quite common and maybe even standard for some reason in children's songs. The album starts with “Bouncy House” which felt like a certified kid’s song and a highlight. It felt like theatrical performances could go along with “Bouncy House” and I could picture kids going kind of nuts on this song. Up next is “Picnic Place” which is about having a picnic. It’s a catchy song with lyrics which I guess are more interesting to kids. Let’s just say I was getting perturbed while going slightly mad with every passing minute of “Coo Coo Crazy Nutz.” I didn’t even know what this song was about. “Spinning Rims on the Minivan” felt odd for a number of reasons. They attempt an early Beck Odelay era type of style. The subject seemed a bit obscure for really young kids to care or even sing about. “I Brush My Teeth” is basically a cover of “I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers while “Please Put Your Shoes On” decides to approach the angle of the frustrated dad who can’t make his kid do what he wants to and goes “bonkers” because he doesn't have good control over his emotions. “Candy Grammy” was one of the highlights. The song is easier to appreciate as an adult. The violin sounds great and is actually one of the better written songs and a style that the musicians excel at. As the album progresses there are some styles which stood out. “Voy a Comerte,” “No More Cookies” and “I’ll Carry You” were standouts. The style of each song is so distinct that there is very little foundation to the music besides it's all supposed to be geared for kids. I’m not sure if that's a good or bad thing and in this case maybe it's neither. We Are Happy Dads is an album that I think a lot of younger children would appreciate. On that note my kids also love Led Zeppelin. They could love both.
Earth Telephone is based in Philadelphia. Their line-up includes Biff Swenson (drums), Eric James Guy Freidman (bass/backing vocals), Max Stern (lead guitar/backing vocals) and Chris Diehm (lead vocals/guitar). In October of 2017, Earth Telephone released Loss. The EP examines the feelings and reasons behind both the comfort and the distress that comes with experiencing loss. As the meaning of the word is unpacked, Loss will guide you through the band’s own interpretation of the experience.
“Shores” is a powerful track that includes violins in addition to the usual line-up. The leads that the guitar plays over the rhythm guitar and the bass are precise, as well as emotional. They yearn to be heard, and carry a thirst to be understood. They are as much of a statement as the lyrics are, raising the emotional stakes between the lines of the story being told. Immediately following “Shores” is the energetic “Pops.” A faster song with more focus on the drumming than the previous tracks, “Pops” is a masterpiece of crash cymbals and overdriven guitars. “Loss” is the closing track. It is started with a build up of volume and tempo. It finishes by exploding into a chorus that is called out with authentic emotion. The strings that were also included help to make the track as haunting as it is enjoyable. A fresh take on the sound popularized by bands like Dashboard Confessional and Yellowcard, Earth Telephone brings us a new angle on these classics of the style. The length of the songs is almost perfect with enough time to get the message across, but not so much that it starts to become boring. Despite the songs that make up Loss sharing the titular theme, it doesn’t get repetitive. Every song is a new window to look through at the word and its meaning. The lyrics aren’t the only thing that make this album special. The sound created by the harmonies and unstated nuances of both the guitars and the bass is remarkable, to say the least. The energy is increased by the drums with excellent timing and tempo. Despite its downtrodden theme, I found that Loss was fun to listen to. I grew up being a fan of bands that had this sound, and hearing a new take on it showed that it was authentic. If you have that nostalgia for listening to your favorite bands on Myspace while chatting with your friends on an instant messenger service, this EP is for you.
Christopher G. Brown has worked in several different roles and mediums. Recently he has begun to step out on his own as a solo act and he is carving a new path for himself in Boston's local music scene which he already knows so well. His latest project is an album called Seven Months at Chimney Rock. Where Brown usually grounds his work in more synthetic roots, all tracks on this album come from a more bare bones arena. Everything started with vocals and acoustic guitar before adding electronic overlays and extra touches. I'm also intrigued by the non-musical influences which included movies like The Witch, The Hateful Eight and The Blair Witch Project. He's also heavily drawn to Agatha Christie's novel And Then There Were None. One of his goals with this novel influence is to illustrate the moods through the music, and in this aspect, Brown was very successful.
To me, Seven Months at Chimney Rock sounds like a very dank and dark indie rock album. Considering its influences it all makes a lot of sense. When I hear Chimney Rock, I think of the state park in North Carolina, I can't say if this is the place he is speaking of, but the music fit well with the visual I personally had. Chimney Rock is thick woods, gorgeous, but ominous and vast. The lush green can be overwhelming. It's a great place to get cut off from what we know as humans, especially a city rat like me living in Chicago. This is not a warm and fuzzy kind of indie album. It's dark and unnerving, kinda like the woods at night. The album started with a cool instrumental intro that started off rough and rocky and then simmered into a more traditional sounding indie riff. The core of what makes this album great are the organic acoustic guitar riffs. As we go through the songs, which are primarily slow builds, the riffs are the driving force. There's a charm to his guitar work that illustrates the wildness and unpredictability of nature. A lot of the songs features a pattern of building these riffs up and then they vanish only to be rebuilt from scratch. Again, I can sense the presence of nature in the work. The eerie factor often comes in the silence. He's very good at building tension, much like that of a good horror film. The creep factor comes out in the electronic elements with synth. I was intrigued by the vocals which are utilized more as another electric element, so it's held back, but I thought it was done very well. I enjoyed this romp through the dark, creepy woods with Brown. This is not a mass appeal album, but there are plenty of people in certain niches who I know would love it. There may have been moments where the music would hang in the air almost too long for me, but I think discomfort is part of the experience. I'm curious where Brown tends to go with his solo work, I would be interested hear it. |
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