tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-628761 2009-09-23T18:00:00-07:00 Focusing on new music releases and reviews of individual albums as original, fictional short stories TypePad tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452c1f269e20120a593572f970b 2009-09-23T18:00:00-07:00 2009-09-23T18:00:00-07:00

Clem Snide – Hungry Bird. Download “Me No” (mp3). This album was originally recorded in 2006. As the story goes, the band broke up after writing and recording it. But Eef Barzelay, after releasing two solo albums, has re-formed the band and finally allowed this hidden gem to be unleashed. Barzelay’s voice has a tonal quality reminiscent of John Darnielle but the music is full of lush and beautiful arrangements. The songs are fairly candid, but with a hint of convolution. Thank God the album was finally released from the shelf! M. Ward – Hold Time. Download “Never Had Nobody Like You” (mp3). After five solo albums and his She & Him project with Zooey Deschanel, M. Ward has issued Hold Time. Ward has the extraordinary ability to build and improve his sound with each release while keeping the retro quality and recognizability of his folk-rock intact. Hold Time is another successful step in the progression of M. Ward’s career. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. Download “Come Saturday” (mp3). Download “Everything with You” (mp3). This band puts together fuzzed out pieces of pop music. These are mostly three-minute guitar driven songs with catchy melodies and an upbeat uproar. It is an impressive debut. Heartless Bastards – The Mountain. Download “The Mountain” (mp3). On this album, Erika Wennerstrom finds herself leading a new group of musicians. The original three-piece band broke up after two albums and nearly four years of touring. Relocating to Austin, TX, and working with producer Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Trail of Dead), Wennerstrom is now back with her first batch of songs since 2006’s All This Time. The Mountain keeps the same bombastic blues rock sound as the band’s past releases, but carries more density. Andy Wagner – Those Who Forgive [EP]. Download “Sending My Love” (mp3). For his third, Andy Wagner is given the Rock Proper treatment. The album is available as a free download from new music distribution website. Those Who Forgive is an alt country album recorded at Jay Bennett’s Pieholden Suite Sound studio. So, yes, it has a sound similar to the better days of Wilco, but most like Jay Farrar. Caw! Caw! – Wait Outside. Download “Organisms” (mp3). Caw! Caw! has been together for six years. In that time, the band’s sound has apparently changed genres – punk, luscious, ambient, and experimental. Once they were able to record their debut EP, Wait Outside, all the genres they have explored meshed into an eclectic and wonderful indie rock sound. First Aid Kit – Drunken Trees [EP]. Download “You’re Not Coming Home Tonight” (mp3). First Aid Kit is a duo of sisters from outside of Stockholm. As teenagers, they self-recorded this EP of acoustic artistry. The seven tracks have accomplished folk accompaniments, but it is the harmonies of the Söderberg sisters that solidify these songs. Black Lips – 200 Million Thousand. Download “Short Fuse” (mp3). For their fifth studio album, the Black Lips’ sound is a continuation of the loose, garage rock they have become known for. This raucous, retro-sound band lays out their influences. It’s obvious to hear The Troggs, Velvet Underground, and The Stooges, but this bedraggled album is another fine example of what the band calls “flower punk.” Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid. Download “The Prowl” (mp3). This is the first solo album from the guitar playing half of The Black Keys. This album has a fleshed out sound with more layers and genre-bouncing than The Black Keys are known for. There is the expected blues-rock feel to some tracks, but the album opens with an intimate acoustic track and then ventures into psychedelic and classic rock stylings. This album is not as assertive as The Black Keys’ releases, but it’s more diverse. Fake Problems – It’s Great to Be Alive. This four-piece band has released an eclectic album. These songs are quick punk-influenced indie rock. But the band’s sound is across the board with horns, distorted guitars, and gravelly vocals. If you can imagine a mixture of Green Day, Two Gallants, Gogol Bordello, and Modest Mouse then you’re beginning to get close to the sound this band creates.

The Wheel's Still In Spin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452c1f269e20120a57a94e1970b 2009-09-17T18:00:00-07:00 2009-09-17T12:19:39-07:00

I’ve slipped on keeping up to date on these monthly lists of best new albums. I’ll start getting caught with this post of The Wheel’s Still In Spin’s list of the best new releases of January 2009. Coconut Records – Davy. Download “Microphone” (mp3). In 2007, the actor and former Phantom Planet drummer Jason Schwartzman released his first solo album under the band name of Coconut Records. He has followed that up with Davy. The ten songs that make up this release have a decided indie pop sound with layers and mixing peppered with Beatles influences. Otis Gibbs – Grandpa Walked the Picket Line. Download “Caroline” (mp3). This album is a batch of acoustic based songs led by Gibb’s poignantly raspy voice. Following in the footsteps of Woody Guthrie, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and Billy Bragg, these songs chronicle the lives of individuals and groups. The subject matter deals with struggles and dreams, regrets and rambles, civil disobedience and unions. The Cotton Jones Basket Ride – Paranoid Cocoon. Download “Gotta Cheer Up” (mp3). This band has a soulful and seraphic sound with vocal pairing of its two members, Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw. The music is rooted in soothing folk rock with hints of psychedelic influences. The production and added reverb make the songs feel as though they were recorded in a celestial garage. Myka9 – 1969. Download “Inner Knowing” (mp3). Myka9 has a melodic, fast paced rapping style with a phrasing that makes for a seamless flow. The backing tracks are full of jazz and soul instrumentations with horns, organs, staccato guitars, and uprights bass. Evening Magazine – The Ride Across Lake Constance [EP]. Download “Apple Eye” (mp3). Download “Eddie” (mp3). This debut EP, which was digitally released, has a multi-layered pop sound. With horns, keyboards, guitars, and prudent percussion, the album has an omnisciently distinctive quality. It may only consist of 5 songs, but each one is well developed and superbly produced. Peasant – On The Ground. Download “The Wind” (mp3). Peasant is the musical cloak of Damien DeRose. This album is, at its core, a sincere singer songwriter with an acoustic guitar. The songs are subtly flushed out with additional guitars and the occasional keyboard or piano part. There is a beautiful intimacy to these songs. Ugly Duckling – Audacity. This hip hop group has an old school sound, similar to De La Soul and Licensed to Ill-era Beastie Boys. The beats on this album, the 4th full-length from the trio, are tight and addictive, and full of a diversity of drum heavy and rock instrument samples. The scratches are well placed and skilled, as are the MCs. Darren Hayman & The Secondary Modern – Pram Town. Download “Losing My Glue” (mp3). Download “Amy and Rachel” (mp3). Download “Big Fish” (mp3). This is a self-described folk opera. The subject matter revolves around a planned community and how it never evolves into its intended vision. As Hayman has described it, “This record is about good ideas gone bad.” All enveloped in an album of indie goodness. Leopold And His Fiction – Ain’t No Surprise. Download “Ain’t No Surprise” (mp3). Download “Come Back (Now That I’m Here)” (mp3). This San Francisco trio plays blues rock music that combines of grit, soul, and intelligence. The album begins with a slow build up – a subtle electric guitar strums, then vocals, then the drums creep in until the song romps its way to its end. That song is a good representation of the ripening strength of this album. Franz Nicolay – Major General. Download “World/Inferno Vs. The End of the Evening” (mp3). Franz Nicolay is the mustachioed keyboardist from The Hold Steady and accordion/piano player for The World/Inferno Friendship Society. The opening track, “Jeff Penalty (with Demander),” has the high energy assault of a Hold Steady song. After that, the album becomes more diverse and eclectic, drifting into some cabaret punk sounds before careening back to Craig Finn-like vocals.

The Wheel's Still In Spin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452c1f269e20120a4d93fc0970b 2009-08-11T01:00:00-07:00 2009-08-11T01:00:00-07:00

I never raised my hand in class because, in public, I stutter when I try to talk. Answering a simple three digit math problem would turn into a recitation of a phone number. “Sev-sev-seven, seven, four, fo-fo-seven, fo-forty, eight.” Privately I have a good sense of humor about it. I just don’t want to talk in public. Someday I’ll get over it. But today it’s embarrassing. When I’d go into the record store, though, it was different. Especially if Hank was working. Henry, that’s what his nametag said, would talk about and know everything about every album or every band. Hendrix originally wanted Stephen Still to be the bass player for The Experience. Bob Dylan’s real name was Robert Allen Zimmerman. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band took over 700 hours in the studio to record, while Kurt Cobain’s vocals on In Utero were recorded in 6 hours. I’d go in there to talk to him even when I knew I didn’t want to but anything. That’s where I spent most of the summer. I was at the record store. I figured out Hank’s hours and showed up only during those times. I remember the first time I bought from his recommendation. It seems like it was just yesterday. Well, it was really at the end of last school year. “This one’s great. ‘Sweet Jane,’ ‘Rock & Roll,’ and ‘Head Held High.’ But my favorite is ‘Cool It Down.’” The he quoted a price and I paid him. “Don’t be a stranger.” “Oak-oh-oh-oak, okay. Th-th-thanks.” Continue reading...

The Wheel's Still In Spin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452c1f269e20120a4d918a2970b 2009-08-09T01:00:00-07:00 2009-08-09T01:00:00-07:00

When Bob Dylan released his most recent album, Together Through Life, I enjoyed it. I recommended it. It’s a good album, but not as strong as his last few studio releases. The last three albums – Modern Times, Love and Theft, and Time Out of Mind – form a trilogy of modern greatness for the ever-changing musician. There’s something about Together Through Life that can fit in with those three previous records. But there’s also something that makes the album seem different. To this listener, Together Through Life is rooted in Dylan’s current style of old tyme rock, if you will, but with hints that he is altering, skewing, or becoming bored with this most recent style of his career. With the production, songwriting, and instrumentation, he was making some subtle shifts. What does Dylan do when he wants to make a change but hasn’t fully developed what that change will be? Well, he releases an album that frustrates or confuses his fans. I’m thinking about Self Portrait, Dylan, and most of his albums of the ’80s. Come December, we may be able to add a Christmas album to those ranks. That’s right, Billboard has confirmed that the iconic musician has recorded at least four songs – “Must Be Santa,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem” – for this festive album. The man who announced that “The Times They Are A-Changin’” is making sure we understand that “Things Have Changed.” Even if Dylan does release this yuletide album, it will not change my attitude towards Christmas albums. I believe Norm MacDonald summed it up best on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update some 15 years ago when he reported, “Kenny G has a Christmas album out this year. Hey, happy birthday, Jesus! Hope you like crap!”

The Wheel's Still In Spin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452c1f269e201157117bc4c970c 2009-07-15T23:30:00-07:00 2009-07-15T23:32:33-07:00

Here are The Wheel’s Still In Spin’s suggested new releases. The Dead Weather – Horehound. “Treat Me Like Your Mother” (video). This is a Zeppelin infused album from a “supergroup” consisting Jack White, Alison Mosshart, Dean Fertita, and Jack Lawrence. These songs have an eruption of blues rock. This album is a continuation of a blistering and powerful classic rock legacy. Watch Jack White and Alison Mosshart assault each other in the video for “Treat Me Like Your Mother” below. The Most Serene Republic - …And the Ever Expanding Universe. Download “Phi” (mp3). This Canadian septet returns for the third full-length release. As the album title suggest, The Most Serene Republic create an expansive indie pop sound. While the band is capable of bombastic layers, the album is crafted with dynamic diversity that gives the album both a crafty sensibility and an appeasing range. Watch the video for The Dead Weather’s “Treat Me Like Your Mother” from Horehound. After the jump, there is a list of more new releases from this week. Continue reading...

The Wheel's Still In Spin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452c1f269e2011571f3bc28970b 2009-07-11T02:00:00-07:00 2009-07-11T02:00:00-07:00

After taking a vacation last week, it took a little while to catch up to the new releases. Here are The Wheel’s Still In Spin's suggested new releases. Bowerbirds – Upper Air. Download "Northern Lights" (mp3). This album has a strong resemblance to Bowerbirds' debut release, Hymns for a Dark Horse. But Upper Air sounds fuller without fleshing out the sound too much. There is more instrumental diversity on this new release, but each song still displays a great modern folk quality. This album masterfully adds the perfectly slight amount of production to the band’s minimal folk sound. Lushlife – Cassette City. Download "Bottle Rocket" (mp3). Best known for his mixing of Kanye West's The College Dropout with The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, Lushlife has offered a diverse and meticulously remarkable new hip-hop album. Cassette City has a foundation of classic hip-hop, but it uses an eclectic amount of samples and styles. It takes the energy and lyricism of '90s rap and adds beats and instrumentations that are built upon chamber pop references. The Rural Alberta Advantage – Hometowns. Download "Don’t Haunt This Place" (mp3). Download "Frank, AB" (mp3). After this Toronto album ended up self-releasing this album, they have signed with Saddle Creek Records, which gives The Rural Albert Advantage's debut a proper release. This is a high energy, indie pop album. These catchy songs mix acoustic guitar and keyboards with rapid percussion. Son Volt – American Central Dust. Download "Down to the Wire" (mp3). The new Son Volt album matches Jay Farrar's subdued drawl with the bands' classic, straightforward Americana rock instrumentation. The songs are primarily supported with guitars, pianos, and the occasional organ. There are no tricks to the album’s production, but like most of Farrar's albums, this batch of songs stands up on its own. After the jump, there is a list of more new releases from this week.

The Wheel's Still In Spin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452c1f269e2011570940326970c 2009-06-30T01:00:00-07:00 2009-06-30T01:00:00-07:00

There is a short list of releases this week, which leads to a short list of recommended album. Here is The Wheel’s Still In Spin’s suggested new release. All Smiles – Oh For the Getting and Not Letting Go. Download “Our Final Roles As Birds” (mp3). All Smiles is Jim Fairchild’s band. This is the band’s second release since Fairchild’s previous band, Grandaddy, broke up and the first that is being self-released. Like 2007’s Ten Readings of a Warning, the music has a shimmering indie pop that fans of Grandaddy should appreciate. After the jump, there is a list of more new releases from this week. Continue reading...

The Wheel's Still In Spin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-68435629 2009-06-24T01:00:00-07:00 2009-06-24T01:00:00-07:00

Here are The Wheel’s Still In Spin’s suggested new releases. The Bats – The Guilty Office. Download “Countersign” (mp3). Download “Castle Lights” (mp3). This album, the New Zealand band’s seventh in twenty-some years, is an indie pop record. The guitars are the prominent instrument, but with the spacious jangle of Luna or the mellower, pop side of the Velvet Underground. Deer Tick – Born on Flag Day. Download “Easy” (mp3). This is a strong album from a rock band that draws equally from country and indie roots. The four-piece band plays guitar driven country rock with John MacCauley’s raspy drawl leading the charge. Michael Dean Damron & Thee Loyal Bastards – Father’s Day. Michael Dean Damron was best known as the man behind the moniker I Can Lick Any S.O.B. in the House. For his third post-SOB album, Damron offers a handful of covers – Drag The River, Thin Lizzy, and Townes Van Zant. As with his previous releases, his southern rock sound is best when with a dark tone to match the gruff vocals. Dinosaur Jr. – Farm. Download “I Want You to Know” (mp3). As the second release since reuniting, Farm proves that the original members can still offer the same energetic intensity as they did over twenty years ago. The band can still capture the bombastic and catchy alternative rock sound that made their earlier albums memorable – from Mascis’s crunched and distorted guitar to Murph’s crisply thumping drums, from Barlow’s solid bass to Mascis’s subdued vocals. After the jump, there is a list of more new releases from this week. Continue reading

The Wheel's Still In Spin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-68266481 2009-06-18T18:30:00-07:00 2009-06-18T18:30:00-07:00

Here are The Wheel’s Still In Spin’s suggested new releases. Among the Oak & Ash – Among the Oak & Ash. Of the 12 songs on this album, 2 are original compositions. The remaining tracks are traditional folk songs. The band makes these songs their own with modern indie folk production. However, it is the pairing of Josh Joplin and Garrison Starr’s vocals that carries this album, especially on the tracks on which they both sing lead with each singer panned hard to a different speaker. The Builders and the Butchers – Salvation is a Deep Dark Well. Download “Golden and Green” (mp3). Download “Barcelona” (mp3). Each member of this Portland band is originally from Alaska. Salvation is a Deep Dark Well is produced by the Decemberists’ Chris Funk. The album upholds the rousing and gritty elements of the band’s concerts while borrowing some production qualities similar to the Decemberists’ brand of lyrical based chamber folk. Phil Lee – So Long, It’s Been Good To Know You. Download “25 Mexicans” (mp3). This countrified album, Lee has a weathered voice that sounds like a tender version of Jason Ringenberg of Jason and the Scorchers. The songs are well written and the production is never overdone. Rock Plaza Central - …at the Moment of our Most Needing. Download “(Don’t You Believe the Words of) Handsome Men” (mp3). Rock Plaza Central’s last album, 2006’s Are We Not Horses?, was one of my favorite albums of 2006. Chris Eaton, the creative crux of the band, has written two novels. His albums consist of a broad narrative. This album was inspired by a William Faulkner novel and contains an eclectic chamber folk sound. After the jump, there is a list of more new releases from this week. Continue reading...

The Wheel's Still In Spin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-67956277 2009-06-10T14:00:00-07:00 2009-06-10T14:00:00-07:00

Here are The Wheel’s Still In Spin’s suggested new releases. Mos Def – The Ecstatic. Download “Life in Marvelous Times” (mp3) from RCRD LBL. Download “Quiet Dog” (mp3) from RCRD LBL. Download “Casa Bey” (mp3) from RCRD LBL. This album is an example of what a good hip-hop/rap album should be. There are a few guest spots, but they’re logical (Talib Kweli) and worthy (Slick Rick). The lyrics are political and poetic. It has a conscience, message, and deliberate purpose. The production is original and unrepetitive. The tracks are supported by uniquely appealing beats. Sonic Youth – The Eternal. Download “Scared Trickster” (mp3). This album is full of a combination of what makes Sonic Youth great. There are succinct tracks of alternative rock anthems. There are some brash punk songs. There are also some longer songs that delve into the experimental noise. Kathryn Williams and Neill MacColl – Two. Download “Come with Me” (mp3). This folk-based album is both intimate and smoothly surreal. There is minimal production or instrumentation added to the songs. The duo rely on the miraculous pairing of their voices, the deceptive simple musical performances, and traditional folk melodies. After the jump, there is a list of more new releases from this week. Continue reading...

The Wheel's Still In Spin