Julie Lamb Outfit, hailing from Wellington, New Zealand, is Julie Lamb (vocals/songwriting) plus eight others. Lamb describes their latest album, How Humans Think, as “a combination of French Quarter walks and funky downtown grooves.” Drenched in horns, tasty bass work and clever lyrics, How Humans Think is that, and more: as the group says, it’s “kick-arse funky pop originals.”
OK, Julie Lamb Outfit, kick my arse, and start with “Born with the Blues.” It’s a mid-tempo, pop number, which features very cool tones under the verses--something like an electric sitar or an effects-pedaled banjo. Pianist Shan Jordan lays down a lovely piano solo here, featuring some surprise changes. (We get another, equally lovely piano solo a little later on “This Time I Won.”) The track is a fine start, though not a kick in the rear in the traditional sense. The arse-kicking begins in earnest on “ThunderFace,” up next. It’s a danceable, in-the-pocket track with some terrific bass work from Chris Fursdon. As the chorus comes up, so do the horns; the band lets it rip a bit on the way out. Now we’re talking! We interrupt this review for a brief note about the album art. It’s spectacular. Each track gets its own “illustration and lyric flip card” (which is pretty much what it says it is). CD buyers get a gatefold cover with popup art. This creativity harkens back to the glory days of album packaging, where the lucky buyer received visual as well as aural treats. Album art is a medium that’s far less important in this digital age, and I’m so glad to see Julie Lamb Outfit carrying on the tradition. Now, back to the music. “Leftovers” is a beautiful, sparse ballad with Lamb’s yearning vocals over a chorused guitar. The atmospheric keyboards are a nice touch; the lyrics are a clever examination of an old relationship. The other ballad “This Time I Won” is piano-driven, and just as good. Julie Lamb Outfit kicks out the funky, bass-driven jams on “Busy is the New Black” and “Volume Control.” The horns are cranking, especially on the outro of “Volume Control.” Bootsy himself would have been proud of Fursdon’s solo on “Busy” and tone on “Volume.” I loved the synth solo on “Volume,” too. Finally, “Hair Power” is a fun breakup song that could be used on Dancing With The Stars. The band works through a number of different feels (including tango and bebop) that will keep you on your toes. It’s impressive how smoothly they’re able to transition among the sections. How Humans Think captures a group at the top of their game. There’s something for everyone to enjoy here--pop, funk, Broadway and sensitive ballads, all wrapped in beautiful album art. Nice work, gang!
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Fendahlene is an Australian rock duo featuring Paul Whiteley (guitar/lead vocals) and Ashley Hurst (bass). For this album they were joined by Matt Ingram on drums and keys, but you never doubt for a moment that they’ve been a performing band for years. Local heroes in Sydney, Fendahlene have already earned success with singles on commercial and indie radio, and had two songs chosen for an ad campaign by the Sharp Corporation.
Relocating to the UK in 2018, Fendahlene spent a year in East London recording High And Low And Back Again, which is available by download or on vinyl. These 12 songs feature vocals reminiscent of Glen Hansard, jangly pop-rock guitars, solid harmony choruses and ace rhythms. While never straying too far from melodic rock, Fendahlene borrows from diverse styles (folkrock, new wave, punk) to drive home their themes of struggle and alienation within our current, Matrix-like existence. Their tunes are not content with a couple great ideas, throwing curveballs just when you think the songs have said all they came to say. The boys come roaring out of the gate with “Burnt Out” which plants their flag against a world in which “everyone seems out to sea.” Jam-packed with hooks, this anthem of techno rebellion is built around a catchy “It’s all zeroes and ones” chorus. “Cookie Cutter Life” continues in this thematic vein with a wall of crunch-guitars and assertive harmonies. The title track “High And Low and Back Again” changes things up with a tentative piano melody leading into a Dire Straits-like mid-tempo rocker: an achingly sweet unrequited love song with almost choir-level backing vocals. “Speak Out” goes the Stones route with blocky, clap-along Keith Richards riffs. Fendahlene’s inexhaustible bag of hooks continue with the highlight tracks “Which Way To Go” and “A New Thread” both featuring fine pop-inflected power strumming and infectious choruses; similar to The Barenaked Ladies minus the snark. One looks in vain for a song that doesn’t work here, and though “Can’t Feel This Way” (another sad love song) is the closest these guys come to leaning too hard on their formula, even this song surprises with a note-perfect backwards guitar break, very difficult to pull off. “Dead And Gone” is a gorgeous Dylan-esque summing-up with gentle guitars and plaintive lap steel, and brings the “zeroes and ones” refrain from the opening track full-circle: broken relationships and a broken society mourned in equal measure. Overall this is a remarkably consistent effort with enough musical surprises and interesting lyrics to engage indie pop fans. Fendahlene’s themes are both of-the-moment and timeless. The cover art reinforces the idea of tech homogenization by first appearing to be an urban skyline, but on closer inspection revealing itself to be towering racks of computer hard drives.
Mark Palgy aka DE4THRACE decided to take things in a different artistic direction. Palgy explains, “In my life I’ve done so much songwriting and pop, I felt the urgent need to go in the opposite direction. I was so inspired by art films and horror films that I couldn’t take it anymore and only wanted to make dark, meandering psychedelic soundscapes.” That inspiration would eventually become a six- song EP entitled The Michael.
The first song is entitled “Slippery Slope” and is a bit of a slow burn. This song felt like there were two distinct elements - the drums and the atmosphere. As far as the drums go it is a heavy hitting rhythm where the fills as essentially part of the beat. The atmosphere felt like a number of different elements but mainly one lead synth where the pitch is being bent. I thought it was a great introduction. Up next is “I Want to Open Up Your Skull and Crawl Into Your Brain and Change All of Your Thoughts” where the electronic elements felt intensified and aligned with the energy. This felt like a hyperdrive type of wormhole with more alien-like elements. Everything kind of revolves around this consistent 4/4 industrial beat. “Lost TV” felt like a good call to make after the previous song. This is much more subdued. There is static, white noise and a killer sax solo at the end which was fantastic. “We Used to Dance” felt a little more bright than the other tunes and reminded me of the soundtrack from Stranger Things. I also enjoyed the airy elements towards the end which created a captivating juxtaposition. “They Were Right” sounded almost like an extension of “We Used to Dance.” It seemed more cerebral than dark to me. Last up is “After the Flood” which again felt less horror infused and more cerebral. I was actually reminded of M83 on this song. I love a good dark album. Konoyo by Tim Hecker and You Won't Get What You Want by Daughters are right up there for me in my greatest of all time favorites. The Michael is a great EP. It might be by design but it started off dark to me and almost with every sequential track felt lighter. As I mentioned it started to feel more thought provoking and cerebral especially with the last two songs. I would be interested in hearing Palgy going into his darker tendencies even more on his future efforts. Overall, this is a well produced and delivered release. It benefits from being played from beginning to end. I’m looking forward to hearing more. Recommended.
Brothers Jason (singer/songwriter) and Booker (music producer) make up Vladantre. Based out of the San Francisco Bay Area, the band’s new album 2020, encapsulates the highlights that make 2020 a year that is so important.
2020 gets started with “Slices/Repeat” where sizzling synths zip through this track. The sounds erupt suddenly and with little compromise. Once Jason’s vocals set in, the electro/techno feels are unleashed. Intermittent background vocals are thrown in, adding momentum to the sounds. The band changes things up with the hard rock, metal-enthused “RAZOR.” The bass lines are driven. Hard-hitting guitars also meet the gamut of this track. The group recalls a Linkin’ Park and Korn vibe, as Jason rips through the song semi-rapping and singing with piercing riffs taking the music to whole new levels. Pulverizing rhythms on the bass pulsate on “Empty Streets.” The guitars produce a wall of sound as the airy riffs sound off overhead. The vocals are adamant, seething with anger and rage. This is the first song where we see the first appearance of the pandemic. The track moves from the carefree and playfulness seen in the lyrics previously and to more serious undertones. An announcement about the importance of hand washing adds weight to the graveness of the situation. On “Day 2,” the bass offers up a moody ambience toward the start. The drumming beat closes in on an even pacing. The vocals are touched with auto-tunes. The music consists of a very metal-driven vibe. Jason throws himself into the music, really capturing this moment in time. Guitars build up the ante on “Differing Views.” The instrumentals provide a stormy front to this song. The vocals come through the haze with full-on reverberating notes. The guitars sound gigantic. Meant to be played loud, as the music moves forward, you can feel the immediacy of the lyrics. Full-throttle guitars and bass enliven the atmosphere on “Pandemic Foreseen.” On “Divinity,” guitars and drums provide a moody feel. As the vocals comes in, this felt like the ballad out of the lot. The rock sounds recall a Creed or Collective Soul vibe. The vocals really honed into the aforementioned bands’ sounds. Warbling synths make up the start of “January.” Eventually, vibrant guitars are loosened over the effect. The vibes felt more uplifting here than the darker trajectory that saw the band moving toward in the previous songs. The positive vibes come from knowing that January marks the beginning to a new year and possibly a whole new beginning. This proved to be an inspirational way to close the album. The pandemic isn’t going anywhere soon but as we grow more attuned to ourselves and the world, we record this moment in our lives. This album does just that. Vladantre compiles a bunch of snapshots of events this past year and lays it all out there for us to see. For those of us straining to understand what’s going on out there, the band lays the foundation towards the healing process. Music serves as a universal language that tethers all of us. This album shows that through the power of music we can erase boundaries, cross borders and find connections when there was none before. It also offers us that reprieve from our thoughts and worries. As the world becomes all too real around us, music provides us that vehicle for us to escape with. 2020 will transport you while also reminding us that 2020 was a very vital year. Not just rehashed news, the album is a biting commentary for our times. With a giant sound, the band brings you an album as informative as it is entertaining. Be sure you have a listen today!
Kyle Lukes is an artist from British Columbia, Canada who recently released Gumball. He mentions on his Bandcamp page that he recorded everything and played everything. That’s what you call a complete DIY effort.
This album despite being one guy does sound like a band for the most part. In fact a lot of the songs sound similar to classic and hard rock. In particular I was thinking of bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. There are twelve songs and they have a number of different flavors. Take for instance the opener “Out of the Darkness” which is more metal and hard rock inspired. You can hear the Black Sabbath influence on this song. Then we have “Funktastical” which as the name might imply is a bit funky. That being said there isn’t slap bass but it still felt funky somehow. It reminded me of Queens of the Stone Age but more upbeat somehow. I enjoyed “Polaris” which is a heavy hitting song and felt a little more grunge inspired to me while “Bloodbath” is even heavier with some stellar riffs. These songs don’t have vocals and some of the songs did sound like they were missing a lead instrument because of that. On that note I thought his best songs and the highlights were the songs that did have a more prominent lead. “Nuka's Song,” which is an eight-minute epic, is an example of Lukes at his best. I also enjoyed the badass sounding “Sex Magician” and the organ fueled “Phantasmagoria.” As an engineer and producer did I notice differences between this and a live band? The answer is yes. There is simply a lot more subtlety and nuance I notice in the drums from a live drummer and to a lesser extent the bass. On that note I was thoroughly impressed with how organic these songs sounded. It’s clear to me Lukes understands a lot about songwriting and production. I thought this was a solid album with some good songs. I’d definitely be interested in hearing what Lukes could accomplish with a full band but also think another solo effort with perhaps more experience behind him would be cool as well. Suffice it to say I’m looking forward to where he goes from here.
Back in the early ’90s I picked up my first guitar. I was obsessed and after playing it every day through high school I went to school for composition. All these years having played a lot of bands and having worked on many records I still think there is a lot to explore with the instrument.
Kenny Goliff is beginning his journey. He first picked up a guitar in 2019 and just released a couple of his first recordings. His latest release is entitled I Was the Storm. The music is a mix between emotive melancholy sad singer/songwriter material similar to Bright Eyes and more rock oriented material. The music is composed of mostly major and minor chords and 4/4 time. It’s not exactly technically difficult or very deep when it comes to theory but given he started making music recently I thought this was a great start. The first couple of songs are strummed chords and sad sounding vocals. It moves slowly and drips with lamenting sadness. The lyrics really are depressing. That’s just no way around it. The song “Tell Me It's Gonna Be OK” tells the account of a young woman driving off a cliff and drowning. Goliff sings, “well, she drove off a cliff on the first of her bad days, and she begged to Jesus, ‘please tell me it's gonna be ok’ / as she sinks in the sea, she releases guarantee, falling deep into the trenches in an ocean of hypocrisy.” I thought Goliff was at his best with “Better Now.” The song is catchy, really catchy. I loved his vocals here and it sounds better in my opinion with this type of affectation. It sounded more natural to me and also more accessible. The other highlight was “The Runaway.” I’d love to hear Goliff with a full band at one point. I think getting rid of the programmed drums and working with a bassist and drummer would be a big plus. The more rock oriented songs really seemed to be his strength to me and working with other musicians will certainly raise the bar. This is a solid start and certainly points to an artist with some potential. I hope to hear more soon and wish him luck on his evolution.
Reserfiction is the recording project of multi-instrumentalist musician Joe Usher. Coming from Brighton, UK, Usher writes and produces all the music heard on his first full-length project Apollo. He draws inspiration from influences such as Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem and My Bloody Valentine. The album was all recorded in Logic Pro X, although live drums were played on a couple of tracks. Others are a bit more traditional using looped and/or programmed drums. Usher states that he tries to avoid using too much compression and to let sounds "breathe" by leaving some of the mistakes in. This he defines as the old definition to "lo-fi" where the poor recording quality and “humanity of the recordings” give the sounds character and life, which in his view, a lot of music is missing today.
While the recording is instrumental in nature, Usher used his voice as an instrument on many of the tracks. He states that he wanted to focus on crafting the tracks and producing them, getting familiar with this aspect of the recording, so when he implements more vocals in later albums, he’ll feel more comfortable doing so. The recording happened over a couple of months, but it was only in the last three weeks of the process that he decided to complete the project. This short collection of songs begins with “Magenta Sky” a just under two-minute track, filled with lo-fi “chill” beats, repeating acoustic melodies and haunting background echoes, all recorded on an iPhone. One of the first songs written is “Thunderstorms” which was done using live drums. The beginning is humming and mellow, somewhat garbled, while the drums have a shoegaze style to them. Usher adds more of those ethereal and “haunting-like” melodies, giving the song more textures and space. The outro ends the song with a few acoustic chords. Giving the album a more “spontaneous” appeal is “Constellations” – a track filled with edgier lo-fi beats, a nice, light piano melody and “choir-like” vocals that Usher layered and “chopped up differently” creating a rich texture of sounds. Encouraged by the artist to listen to this one with headphones on, “Surround” is one of the shorter songs on the album and, according to Usher, his most abstract. His guitar work blends very well, becoming more of echoing a “wall of sound” rather than resembling the sound of a guitar. There isn’t much to this one overall, and I’d agree. It’s pretty trippy and floats along like undulating clouds. More live drum work can be heard on “Rainfall” which according to the musician, “was a pain, but fun.” It also happens to be the only song on the album with lyrics, albeit very few. The beginning starts slow and rather moody, but not in a dark way – meaning there are no minor chords played here. The track does feel like it swells into louder sounds, more alive and climatic, and just when you think a chord change will happen, the song ends. Next up is “Serenity” – another take on the artists’ lo-fi/bedroom pop and shoegaze style. This one had a romantic feel about it. The bass and guitar/synths sounds were rich and full. The song evoked images as if one were floating in space. Very atmospheric, in other words. Rounding out the album is “Applewater,” what Usher calls his “most ambitious track” which took him a lot of time to compose as this was a song primarily written on the piano. Sounds of thunder can be heard in the background with additional keyboards adding some accompaniment. It’s a nice ending track, and it seemed an appropriate place for it here. On the whole, I enjoyed Reserfiction’s Apollo. It reminds me of the soundscape instrumental stuff the DJ hosts play on radio shows Echoes and Hearts of Space. So, if you’re into that, I think you’ll like Joe Usher’s work.
Sweden’s Mårten Lärka describes himself as a “semi-acoustic indie troubadour.” His latest release Allez Allez uses entirely French lyrics, and is a fun, well-crafted garage/pop-punk set.
The nine-track album kicks off with “Dors Bien” which is a….lullaby? Huh? Lärka sings against his strummed acoustic guitar with a tinkling music box sprinkled throughout. The lyrics were simple enough for even this poor French student to follow. It’s a beautiful song, and an unusual way to start an album. Once we hear more of Allez Allez, the reason for starting with a lullaby comes into focus. The songs recount a day with his lover, starting at the end of the day and working backwards. In this context, the lullaby’s lyrics (“don’t regret anything … you did your best”) make a lot more sense. Would you sing this to your baby? Probably not, but you might after you caught your girlfriend dancing with someone else. Up next is “Parfum de Nuit” which pairs a softly-mixed Motown drum feel with saxophones lines. The production here is worth noting--there are lots of subtle parts throughout that reveal themselves through repeated listenings. Lärka shows great restraint, taste and skill, which you’ll want to keep in mind for the later tracks. As the album unspools, it takes on a rawer, almost garage-rock feel. For instance, “J’etais Ou” offers an old-school recording feel, almost as if they put an overhead mic in a room and had the band bash out a few takes. But this is carefully-constructed lo-fi with dreamy backing vocals, a clap-along section and some nice keyboards underneath. Lärka is fully in control of his art here; he’s making this sound exactly the way he wants it as he asks his wayward lover, “where was I?” The track is a ton of fun, and one of my favorites on Allez, Allez. The raw, garage-rock feel continues on “La Vie Est Une Chanson.” It's a ‘60s-feel blues progression with fuzzy guitar and vintage keyboard sounds, but it feels more exotic because of the French lyrics. The music carries the jungle feel of “Etre Tarzan” in any language; don’t miss the terrific flute parts! This works nicely into the drum-and-bass spoken-word groove of “Monsieur Marcel.” “Allez Au Diable” could be a lost Aftermath-era Rolling Stones track. It’s crank-it-up, fun guitar rock. Again, Lärka shows restraint here, giving the song just what it needs to deliver its raw message (“go to hell!”). This, plus “J’etais Ou,” would have made a dynamite double-A-Side single in an earlier era. We close, before the drama of the day unfolds with “Ma Bien Aimee,” which is a pop song crossed with some hymn-like passages. Moa Holmsten’s vocals here are beautiful, and blend well with Lärka’s. Allez, Allez is a well-crafted set of songs, and the emotion is clear no matter your native tongue. I didn’t want the album to end, so I’m playing it again right now.
mAdlyDs is a solo project from Lydia Kime based in North Carolina. As a composer, vocalist, guitarist and pianist, she combines her talents in evoking her resonant debut album Like a Tree.
Through a mixture of what once were separate and distinct ideas-musical phrases, songs and words, Kime goes on to shape her experiences into the making of this album. Consisting of songs that evolved from her young teens to her early twenties, the record felt very coming-of-age as it tells a journey through fear, pain and hope chronicling her adolescence to adulthood. Kime reimagines her youth and history with these full-on poignant renderings that evoke both sadness and yearning through brutally honest lyrics, compelling vocals and stirring music. Like a Tree rolls in with “When Our Minds Died.” The piano distills a haunting soundscape. Eventually, Kime’s vocals arrive. With crystalline notes, her vocals are disarming. As she belts out on the track, you can feel the emotions surfacing, deeply moving you in the process. The mood of the music evoked a dreamy vibe. A meandering piano melody adds a pensive mood to the entirety of “Slaughter In the Streets.” As the melody grows in groove, you can see the guitar get introduced into this album. The sounds are stellar with the instrumentals fleshing out the movement to the music. Kime’s vocals are rich and pleasing to the ears. The mood builds on the piano tune on “Dark Pen.” You can really feel her vocals sets the mood on this introspective number. Noodling on the guitar brings about the sound of “Catastrophics.” The vibe felt very minimalistic as Kime picks a tune on the guitar all the while hailing her strong vocals on this track. The sound of strings adds another layer to the song. The sounds orchestrated with a symphonic finish felt very polished. I could feel the abundance of emotions layered underneath the vocals. Rolling piano melodious pervade on “Natural Addict.” Once Kime’s vocals comes in, the vibe felt very natural. The music ascends with dramatic chord progressions and elevating vocal harmonies. I felt very much transported by the style and sounds. Monotonous piano chords get implemented toward the start of “Mad Land.” As Kime’s vocals arrive, the monotony drones on. Kime’s vocal style is very delicate sounding, as the soft and lush sounds get unharnessed. I felt deeply moved by her journey. Gradually, the music builds and we get theatrical vocals very much in the vein of Fiona Apple. On the title track, more guitar fills build here. As overlapping vocal harmonies are layered in, I could really feel the music grow on me. The quiet energy on her vocal delivery here reminded me of Feist. On “Fresh World” the strings lean into an atmospheric backdrop. Eventually, the guitar sounds in, washing over the vibes with melodious undertones. This track felt very mood building as the melody meanders into wild and distinctive territories. Once Kime’s vocals comes in, the vibe really sets the tone to this beautifully layered song. Airy guitar riffs sound off over “From Grace To Grace.” Kime’s vocals hail on the forefront, embracing an emotionally powered stance. You can feel that the tracks on Like a Tree come from a deep place within Kime as they evoke ideas and experiences from her past. The soundscapes on this album felt very much akin to soundtracks coming from a Tim Burton film. With the depth and honesty of a singer/songwriter and the craft of a well-seasoned composer, Kime’s songs carry the ambience of a carefully construed mood, atmosphere and melodic offering. All are components that go on to mold this record. This album proves that this is only the beginning for the artist. I greatly enjoyed this record and hope to see more from her soon. Be sure you have a listen today!
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Dan Mudge founded Loathsome Wind to combine rock music and comedy. He rounded out the band with Chris Bauer (guitar/vocals), Brian Chafin (bass/vocals), and Gokhan Oldugugibi (drums). The six-track Loathsome Wind EP is their debut release.
“Messages on Dating Apps” starts the disc, with a spoken intro that tells us what’s coming, so to speak. The band kicks into a funky, danceable track with just enough chorused guitar to evoke a ‘70s porno. The lyrics--delivered straight--reminded me of a game my friend Christian used to play in college. He and his roommates would read passages from Penthouse Letters to each other, deadpan, and see how long it took for someone to crack up. It was sophomoric (they were sophomores, after all), but it was good for a few laughs then. Dating-app denizens should chuckle here. Comedy records are a tough genre. To me, the gold standard for comedy albums is Weird Al. His lyrics are deliberately over-the-top, and lampoon his subjects. The music underneath adds to the humor with odd instrumentation and funny percussion sounds. Further, many of his songs are parodies of well-known tunes, giving him a big leg up with the audience. Loathsome Wind, however, takes a tougher path. They play it straight all the way through. Their music--all original--is regular guitar/bass/drums rock, competently executed. The band touches on a few different feels (James Brown, Blues Traveler and Wild Cherry are clear influences), and each track features a nice guitar solo. Oldugugibi has some nice drum breaks as well. That leaves a lot of comedy weight for the lyrics to lift--the words have to provide all of the humor. Mudge talks a lot about payloads, but do we get the payoff? In many cases, yes. For instance, there’s a few good zingers in “Boy of the Week:” “We didn’t even last as long / as the flavor in your gum,” or “Our courtship died faster / than my phone’s battery.” Double bonus points for rhyming “bourbon” with “sermon.” And my kids got a real kick out of “Don’t Touch My Butt.” There are some misses, too: “Connoisseur” as an example loses its lyrical shock value fairly quickly. It’s not easy being funny! Loathsome Wind gave themselves quite a number of challenges on their debut, and they met many of them. I look forward to them honing their craft further. |
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