Two-piece garage/blues rock bands weren’t all that popular prior The White Stripes. Since then bands like Japandroids and The Black Keys to name a few have risen to success. This has spawned a copious amount of bands attempting a similar style. Enter Jonathan Granger and the Lost Souls who is comprised of Jonathan Granger and David Ray. The band's first release Never Alone is back to basic blues/rock hybrid that Jack White already perfected over a decade ago. To argue that it’s anything much more than that would untrue. Loud, distorted guitars over just as loud drums are the formula they impose on the three songs.
The songs on Never Alone aren’t badly written or executed but the band’s similarities to both The White Stripes and The Black Keys are undisputable. At the end of the day not many bands will want to compete with either of those bands. Jack White is one of the best rock singers since Robert Plant; if you’re going to compare apples to apples you will lose. In their own right Jonathan Granger and the Lost Souls are solid musicians. That being said it was unfortunate the recordings veered on the raw side of lo-fi. I know exactly the sound they were going for but they weren't able to achieve it with their recording equipment. The songs have little separation, and Granger vocals sounded like he was singing in the room next to you rather than in the room with you. The first song “Waste dump” which feeds the blues/garage tropes the most of the three is overall a damn good song. It took a couple of spins but I thought the vocals were catchy and infectious. “Overboard” is a decent song but ends up being a distorted mess because of the recording quality. I could barely hear or more importantly feel the drums even with my low-end subs in full effect. The most original song of the three songs was “Diamonds and fire.” It’s more subdued than the other songs but also more effective in a number of ways. Jonathan Granger and the Lost Souls have some skill; they just need some tweaking. There is nothing wrong with being a garage blues/rock band. That being said you have to bring an X-factor to the table, which listeners can grasp onto and remember. If you don’t your music will most likely be swept into the ether. There is some type of music that works with lo-fi; garage/blues rock isn’t one of them. You need to feel the hit of the bass drum and pick scrap against the guitar string. My advice is to save up your pennies to hit up a professional studio or befriend an engineer who will record you for free.
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If you missed out on Hot For a Heathen by Rebel in the Morning last year then you might want to start there. However, the recent release Satanicolor is just as good. Rebel in the Morning happens to be one guy named Jon Searles and he writes, records and produces his own music. Amongst a sea of indie musicians vying to be noticed Searles is one of the rare undiscovered anomalies that is superior to the vast majority of his peers.
It’s not one thing that really sets him apart - it’s a number of smaller things that add up to an original, unique artist that isn’t attached to a genre or expectation. Between the lyrics, mind blowing timing changes and infectious melodies, Searles plays his own version of art rock that is unpretentious yet prolific. The album opens with “Satanicolor” which initially starts with a wall of horns and cryptic guitar picking. As the horns subside Searles starts singing and he might remind you of Grizzly Bear in some ways. The first change is sudden and dissonant but the cascading vocal harmonies make the transition sound natural. It isn't until the last minute of so that you start to hear the unexpected places Searles can take his songs. “How?” is one of the catchiest songs on the album, which refuses to follow any clichés while “Song About Integrity” has a bouncy, spaghetti western vibe that has a number of transitions that are a testament to the originality of Searles. I enjoyed the phased, funk vibe on “Kid Kidder” and “Lady Thunder.” “Lazy Bones” has some of the most impressive time changes that sound like prog rock meets a travelling circus. Searles slows it down on “Adam” which is arguably the most emotionally resonant, melancholy on the album. The last two songs “Old Buddy Of Mine” and “A Normal Man” were exceptional. “Old Buddy Of Mine” is an atmospheric, folk song that puts Searles’ vocals front and center but also comes with a surprise ending I won’t spoil. “A Normal Man” has hints of old school Beck via Mutations era. The mix of sustained instrumentation and the build towards the three-minute mark is not to be missed. I have no idea why Rebel in the Morning isn’t as well known as some of today's most celebrated indie artists because his musicianship is on that level. Take a listen and you should understand what I’m talking about. Highly Recommended.
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Folk Songs EP by singer/songwriter Ian Steinberg is an interesting collection of some folk-influenced songs that drift off into jam band sensibilities. The songwriting and the mix is very unique for the style and makes for an interesting listen.
“Western Ghost Tale” opens the album with very dry snare rolls up front in the mix, some country tinged acoustic guitar and bass, and a Phish like melody and vocal inflection. The mix has an abrupt change in the vocal break, and back when the lyrics return which is a bit jarring, but otherwise the mix is unique and interesting. It gives a sense of being in the room with the band, and the overall dryness makes it a very intimate listening experience. “Test The Air” introduces an electric guitar to the vibe complete with a Neil Young-esque searching solo. The vocal harmonies work very well as does the auxiliary percussion that locks into the groove with the drums very well. The tightness of the band playing together translates very well on the recording, the acoustic guitar pattern syncs with the drums very well and the bass pushes the groove along. “Letters” is stripped down to acoustic guitar and a harmony vocal from Michelle Rosnack. The male/female vocal blend is very effective, and it would be interesting to hear this choice on more songs on the EP. “Philosophy” continues the Neil Young vibe again with a “Down By The River” type of groove and vocal inflection. There are some great electric guitar volume swells in the chorus that help the song’s build and sonic structure and some pseudo James Brown band hits and stops. At the end of the song, the band moves to a double time country stomp, which is a nice development before moving back to the initial groove and showcasing some acoustic guitar runs. “Lonely Killer Blues” moves through several feel changes touching on a chugging train shuffle, an upbeat rock groove, some half-time stoner grooves and some breakdowns. There’s a trippy trumpet that has the most reverb to it giving it a dreamy distant sense. In general, the vocal is a bit flat in emotion in contrast to the builds in the band, so when Steinberg really starts screaming numbers it’s a bit jarring. Overall, the songs have many interesting sections to them, though it would be nice to hear some more transitional developments to the songs instead of always steering the wheel into a new feel, groove or section. The mix is fairly unique for the genre, but works quite well and makes for an intriguing listen.
Wail Bone is a new band that formed in 2014 and is currently comprised of Matt Hudnall, Lee Ryan, Chris Huckabay and Danny Furlong. The band got to work quickly and released a six- song self-titled EP Wail Bone. Wail Bone unequivocally plays southern blues rock that aligns with ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd and a whole host of other like-minded bands. It’s the type of music you can picture playing at a biker bar in the south where the clientele likes to get rowdy past the evening hours.
The songs are delivered with technical and creative prowess but also feed the clichés of the genre where nothing unexpected happens. Suffice it to say if you are looking for a straightforward no frills southern blues rock album you will very much enjoy this EP. Up first is “The Low Beholds” which starts off with a steady kick drum, vocals and guitar riffs that immediately establish the band’s southern flavor. The song launches into a power chord progression that it holds onto for the remainder of the song. Hudnall gives a solid vocal performance that is one of his most dynamic on the EP. “Boredom” is a hard-hitting song that revolves around heavily distorted guitar while “Charles Had A Hammer” contains inspired percussion elements that gives the song a kinetic energy that is hard to ignore. The highlight on the EP was “Talking Tall Lights Blues.” I thoroughly enjoyed the epic ending where the vocalist coats some reverb on his voice and the band rocks out to oblivion. The fact that the band has been around for about a year and was able to write, record and release this EP in that amount of time is impressive. I can’t complain about the singing, lyrics, production of techniques, etc. That being said the issue that plagues Wail Bone is almost ubiquitous amongst bands that are still in the embryonic stage of their development - namely that they haven't found their own niche which is bound to get more attention. The songs sound like a homage to the southern rock/blues style and while fun to listen to doesn’t do much to etch their name within the reservoirs of your mind. Overall, Wail Bone is off to a good start that hints at a boatload of potential. Hopefully, this is just the start and their most inspired, original work lies ahead.
Thirstlands is a new band from Brisbane, Australia, and is made up of lifelong mates Simon Watson (vocals/piano), Phil Hirvela (guitar), Craig Kickbush (bass) and Darran Muller (drums). Their recent release Patience lies somewhere between mainstream pop (going as far back as the ‘80s) and hipster laced indie rock. As I was listening to their songs, between the vocal delivery and the song structure, I was reminded of ‘80s pop not unlike that of Bryan Adams and The Scorpions. This is a point that is arguable but I think it’s noticeable to anyone with a wide palette of musical exposure.
The first song “Cold” sounds a bit like a motivational ‘80s pop song mix that you might hear during a montage mixed with contemporary indie rock sensibility. Something about the production makes the song feel refined and clean. I would have liked to hear some more intensity at points but overall that is subjective. The band’s best moment comes before the three-minute mark where they pull off some inventive musical segues that display some creativity. The second song “She Dances” was the track that had the most overt ‘80s influence from lyrics to music. “She Dances” starts with a lone piano and vocals that are a mix between motivational and cheesy. That’s fine by me – it’s like ninety percent of the songs by Journey. Watson sings, “Put away your light / For she shines like the sun / Give up all your fight, for the war’s already won / And she takes a hold, she grips you like a vice.” The band goes epic in a U2/Cold Play kind of way at points. The highlight for me was “Patience.” I was immediately attracted to the melancholy and drum beat. On top of that I thought the vocal delivery was inspired. The mix of the guitars and piano is atmospheric. Thirstlands’ style is hard to pinpoint and I’m not exactly sure what demographic this music will appeal to since it has disparate genres but hopefully that will work towards the band’s benefit. The band is off to a decent start. I would take a listen to see if this is your cup of tea.
Three Thousand Rivers formed in 2013 and released an EP entitled Like a What? which we happened to review. The band is back with their best work yet entitled Body Aha. Three Thousand Rivers has enough of original elements and stellar delivery that they could compete with some of the more notable, ubiquitous bands that tend to get lumped in with the indie circuit. The music explodes with a visceral emotional intensity that is comparable to Arcade Fire (the band has other similarities to Arcade Fire, more on that later) while having percussion elements that are reminiscent of bands like Animal Collective and The Dodos. At the end of the day these are very well written songs that are delivered in creative and unique ways that carve out their own space alongside these bands.
The band is currently comprised of Noam Hassenfeld, Nick Demirjian, Jack Cashion, Warren Loegering and Zoe Aqua. I loved the way the band implemented violin and saxophone and while the concept is nothing new in the indie world the music feels fresh. That being said every element such as the guitar, bass and drums feels necessary to the whole and any more would probably feel overboard. The first song “Body Aha” is no warm up. It starts with the full band intact finding a groove for your ears to enjoy. The verse is immediately enjoyable and infectious but it’s the little things that start to separate the band. It builds up with multiple overlapping vocal parts and the whole band singing a single measure, which are a testament to the band’s attention to detail. The vocal harmonies on this song and a couple of others will unequivocally draw some comparison to Arcade Fire. That’s not a bad thing but it is certainly something people will notice. The second track “Between Two Stones” (see video below) is fantastic any way you look at it and a personal highlight. Between the string work, percussive elements and bursting chorus the song is not one to be missed. I have don’t have anything else to say but go listen to it now. Luckily, the band continues to hit it out of the park with consistently above average writing. “The Shakes” is a hard hitting rocker with distorted bass and a notable music interlude that starts around the two-minute mark. They close with “Gut” which reminded me of “No Cars Go” by Arcade Fire at times. Either way the song is still a great way to end the EP. Three Thousand Rivers is on a roll and I can only imagine good things to come for the band. Body Aha is good enough where people will take notice. Highly Recommended
All you have to see is look at a picture the band Pyromance on their Bandcamp page to figure out what type of music they play. One guy has a Gene Simmons tattoo; the other has an AC/DC t-shirt and all of them look they could be in the movie Detroit Rock City. On their release Carnal Carnage the band plays music, which feels like one big tip of the hat to Dinosaur, stadium bands from Guns N’ Roses to AC/DC and everywhere in between. The band is currently composed of Jake Blatchly (vocals), Chris Fleming (guitars/backing vocals), Dan Nembach (bass/backing vocals) and Anthony Trudgett (drums/backing vocals).
The first thing that needs to be discussed is the vocals. I think it is more than fair to say that people will have an ambivalent relationship with the singing. If you want to be nice you can say Blatchly sounds somewhere between Axl Rose and Brian Johnson from AC/DC. The reality is the vocals can be extremely shrill and high-pitched at times (also sometimes off-key). I didn’t mind it for the most part but there are points that were too much for my ears to endure. Suffice it to say there is still some work that can be done for the vocalist to have a bit more of a palatable delivery. The band opens with “Tear The Sky” which takes its cues from every AC/DC song you have ever heard. Most of the lyrics lean heavily towards tropes you heard in ‘80s hair metal, for example lyrics like, “Girl your body is a temple and I'll worship you right now / Girl your body is a temple and I'll tear it to the ground.” “Touch My Body” melds arena rock/ ‘80s rock with guitar solos and pounding drums. I swear the talking interlude they have on “Friends & Fiends” is a salute to the song “Get In The Ring” by Guns N’ Roses. Although much shorter, it’s very similar. They close with a solid song entitled “Seduction & Destruction” which continues with lyrics that hail the wild nights of stereotypical glorified rock star. Pyromance feeds the clichés of rock (especially ‘80s arena rock and hair metal) to such an extent it almost feels like a parody. Sort of like Spinal Tap. I hope they take that with the spirit in which it’s intended because it could be a good thing. I’ll put it this way. If they have a hard time finding success with originals they can surely pay the bills playing parties, weddings, etc. by dressing up as they already do and doing a set of songs like “Sweet Child O' Mine,” “Highway To Hell,” “Sweet Emotion” and “Talk Dirty To Me.”
Nick Waters is one of those solo artists whose music sounds like a four-piece band. On his recent release Dream State the instrumentation isn’t only all organic but sounds live. I guess we can thank digital recording for Waters to be able to do this in a day and age when you can have as many takes or overdubs that you can imagine.
Dream State contains twelve songs, which fit under the umbrella of garage rock. For anyone even remotely familiar with the band The Strokes you will hear a number of similarities. Waters often sounds like Julian Casablancas and even sometimes covers his vocals in a similar type of distortion. That being said Waters does have a number of songs that deviate from the fun, garage rock sound. The production on Dream State is decent and I'm willing to bet it is a complete DIY effort. It lacks the gloss you would expect from a professional studio. Overall, Waters does a pretty good job using sounds although a couple of tracks needed some obvious work. The album starts off with some of Waters’ best songs. “Clouds” is a memorable tune revolving around infectious melodies and memorable lyrics. It also happens to be one of Waters’ best sounding songs from an aesthetic perspective as well. Waters sounds good singing when he sings within his range. He occasionally tries to hit higher notes and the result isn’t always flattering. Despite the occasional off-key note he still does a good job overall. “Broken” is another solid song with an inventive lead guitar riff and it has an upbeat almost reggae feel. The cascading interesting vocals are also a nice touch. ”Low Touch” has a couple of decent moments while “On My Way” is overly distorted. Waters takes an engaging turn with “The Last Time” which revolves around electronic drums and warm synths. It was an unexpected vibe. Waters has some success with “Absolutely” and the exceptional “Starfish.” Waters will want to ramp up the recording quality at some point if he wants to compete with the big boys. He will also want to try and distance himself from sounding too similar to The Strokes which he does on some songs but on others seems like they could be B-sides for the band. Waters has some talent and potential.
Dissolution by Deadbeat Villain is a great EP that contains six songs destined for soundtracks. The use of synthesizers is ingenious and there is an agile blend of ‘60s orchestral pop with modern indie rock sensibilities.
The best song on the EP is “Violence In Your Eyes,” which is based around synthesized celeste/mallet percussion and plaintive acoustic guitar. There are some heavenly backing “oohs” and some fun call and response vocals that though they induce a grin work effectively melodically. The song blends elements of the folky parts of REM and the John Cale baroque pop era of Velvet Underground all sung with some Rufus Wainwright inflections. All of this combined with an engaging melody, excellent pop chord changes, a great use of dynamics and a fantastic layering and stripping away of instrumentation makes for an excellent pop gem. Other great songs on the album include “Rattle Your Cage,” which has an early ‘60s vibe to the groove and chord progressions. There are some great synth brass entrances and a keyboard-guitar or bass solo that would find its way into a Zappa album or even some lounge-y grindcore. The addition of the female singer in the bridge and throughout the rest of the song is very effective and adds a Phil Spector-ish element to what’s going on. The two voices blend very well together, and the lyrics are very well written on this track. “Brainfreeze” moves from radio dial scans to a melody that sounds almost Brian Wilson-esque though with more of an indie pop inflection. Again, the backing vocals add a wonderful layer to what’s going on and the guitar squeaks are a clever callback to the radio scanning from the intro. The guitar solo is powerful both in tone and melodic content and makes for a nice transition. “What Have You Done?” moves from an acoustic dirge to a circus-infused Harry Nilsson-ish swirl of chirpy keyboards, synth strings and drum rolls. The contrast between the folk-song melody and the epic orchestral backing track is very clever and quite catchy. Not all of the songs are as successful. The opener “Signs” starts with a synth orchestral flourish before diving into Franz Ferdinand-esque dance groove filtered through a soundtrack to a zombie film. Musically there are some interesting things happening with some piano filling out the low end, buzzy synthesizers, a pulsing electric piano and some synth string breaks. The main vocal melody has some quirky scansion to the lyrics and the energy and emotion of the vocal never quite reaches the power of the instrumental. “Woodin Dr” closes the album and moves from a large cathedral-like organ and synthesized trombones playing a chorale to a smaller setting of electric piano, acoustic guitar and rolling drums. There is an anthem-like quality to the song when the trombones and organ join back in at the chorus. Deadbeat Villain uses technology well, enhancing good songwriting rather than relying on it as a crutch. The reverence for their influences is evident and they honor those influences well.
It was only a couple of months ago that we were impressed by System VII by IX. The duo’s latest release 7302 establishes that their first release wasn’t a fluke. 7302 is an eclectic instrumental album that is thematic, dynamic and inventive. The music veers towards the dark side and as I pointed out in my first review I have no problem reiterating that their music is perfect for a science fiction LA noir film that takes place in the year 2532. Here's looking at you inspiring young directors and screenwriters.
The album opens with “No More Forevers” and has a vibe that feels like a close cousin to “Tubular Bells” by Michael Oldfield. It’s not too often that the opener is the longest track on the album but that's the case with ““No More Forevers.” At almost seven-minutes-long it’s a sprawling track that is a roller coaster ride of lulls and highs. The song more or less is held together by a hypnotic four-note progression that is the backbone of the song. Towards the end of the song it goes into dramatic territory that feels like the climactic, closing sequence. I really enjoyed the dark, jazzy noir vibe on “Railway Nights” which has vocal parts that sound ghosts from the past. The live drum sound and upright bass was a good aesthetic choice. This is one song that I could imagine someone singing over - someone like Róisín Marie Murphy would be perfect. The next track is one of the more experimental tracks that revolve around vocal samples, percussive elements that sound like they are moving backwards, piano and eerie synths. ”Doubt” is all about atmosphere. The song implements impressive long drones that are layered with other pads. “Glass House” has a good amount of energy and is the most dance worthy track of the batch and arguably the most accessible. The minute-and-a-half closer “Nothing” contains dark, psychedelic sounds which make you like you're riding a haunted carousel. 7302 is another solid collection of textures, tones and sounds that unequivocally needs to be used at the very least in someone’s indie movie. The music does stand on its own so even if the visual stimulus isn’t present I encourage you to take a listen. |
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