THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of August 29-Sept. 4
(Back from vacation, Fingertips is going live a few days early, in anticipation of another brief stint out of the office. Things should be back to normal for the Sept. 5-11 edition, and from that point onward into the--yikes--autumn.)
"Forces Regrouping" - the iOs
Resplendent neo-'80s pop with subtle bursts of warmth and charm in just about every line. After an ambiguous opening measure or two of vibrating synthesizer, the song quickly engages me with its sly juxtaposition of garage-like rhythm guitars and new wave-ish electronics in the introduction. This surely isn't your father's '80s music. I'm already won over when guitarist Chris Punsalan brings his agreeably buzzy voice to a neat, playful melody; that he is echoed in the second half of the verse, call-and-response-ishly, by keyboardist Autumn Proemm's dreamy background vocals clinches the deal. I like this. But the best is yet to come, and it's here: when the song goes into a stop-start section bridging the verse and the chorus (beginning with "And I could make it up to you"); the tension builds as melodic synthesizers play against a dark, fuzzed-up guitar; and then (wow) it breaks gloriously wide open as the song's killer hook appears out of left field--the sneaky resolution of the "Look for a sign" section, full-ahead tempo returning with a lovely melody, and Punsalan and Proemm briefly but effectively singing directly together, taking my breath at least somewhat away. Great new pop from a young NYC band. The song is one of three on the iOs' first release, an EP called Center and Stop; the MP3 is on the band's web site.
"Uptight" - Julian Cope
Every musical generation needs its own mad-genius-one-man-band-recluse, and Julian Cope will do nicely for the new wavers who came of age in the late 1970s. Making a name for himself as the leader of The Teardrop Explodes, Cope went on to a certain amount of success in the '80s as a solo artist, but it was all in and around a lot of weirdness, some drug-induced, some just natural for the eclectic Cope. The '90s saw him out of the mainstream pretty much entirely, yet as active as ever on a number of fronts, including writing his memoirs and founding his own mail-order record label. Currently he's spending time in a band called Brain Donor, and any band that can record an album entitled Too Freud to Rock'n'Roll, Too Jung to Die can't be all bad. So, anyway: "Uptight." It's a song from the early '90s that never made it onto any of his albums, and it's a nice if lightweight example of Cope at his most Peter Gabriel-mellow-funky. A brief pastoral-like bit of Chinese music at the outset leads to a relaxed but definitive groove, and when Cope opens his mouth you are his, so much beautiful authority does he carry in that voice. The whistled refrain in the second half saves the enterprise from floating away perhaps a bit too inconsequentially. The MP3 is on Cope's Head Heritage web site, his online musical community/record label. Thanks to Oddio Overplay for the lead.
"Pale Horse" - John Vanderslice
Another rich offering from the magnificent Mr. Vanderslice. Like "They Won't Let Me Run," this one comes from his powerful Cellar Door CD, released in January on Barsuk Records. When I first heard the two songs online in February, I latched onto the other, but after (finally) buying Cellar Door (see? it works!: post high-quality, full-length songs for free on the web and it'll convince me to buy the CD! how about that?), I find myself in thrall to the serious charms of this literally off-beat tune. The lyrics are derived from Shelley's "The Mask of Anarchy," the music is all Vanderslice: assured rhythm, impeccable melody, casually expert producion touches, all wrapped in a glistening 6/4 shuffle. This guy is serious, and yet almost impossibly accessible for such an independent spirit. Check him out, and tell your friends. He really deserves a much much wider audience. The MP3 comes from Vanderslice's web site.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 or $10 a year as an affordable option.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Monday, August 09, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of August 8-14
It's that time of year again: Fingertips will be on vacation for most of the rest of August. "This Week's Finds" will return for the week of August 29-Sept. 4. Actually, Fingertips will be back a few days early, so the Aug. 29 "This Week's Finds" will probably be up by Thursday August 26 or so.
I may personally be on vacation but remember that there is a huge amount of free and legal music waiting to be explored via other pages here on Fingertips. Good places to start are the Music Site Guide and the Artist Index; if you're adventurous, you might check out the Smaller Labels page and the Minor Hubs page as well. All these pages will point you to places on the web where good free and legal music is likely to be found. If you do, in fact, come across anything great along the way, drop me a line. You may discover a future "Find," and the world will be a brighter, more connected place.
Okay, now to this week's songs:
"I'm Happy But You Don't Like Me" - Asobi Seksu
Three minutes and nine seconds of giddy neo-new wave bliss. The melody is Blondie perfect; combine that with the band's capacity to unleash some serious but disciplined guitar noise and I'm all but swooning. Lead singer Yuki's innocent breathiness adds to the glory of a song that sounds to me like the bright flip side of one of the new wave's greatest singles, the bleak but invincible "Enola Gay," from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Asobi Seksu is a NYC-based band that offers songs in both English and Japanese, but prior understanding of Japanese is not required to enjoy this awesome piece of pop. "I'm Happy But..." comes from the band's debut, self-titled CD, which was released on Friendly Fire Recordings in May. You'll find the MP3 on the band's web site.
"Veda's Waltz - Christine Fellows
The label "chamber pop" has been floating around for the better part of a decade, and is typically used to refer to music made by indie bands which have incorporated traditional stringed instruments (e.g. violin or cello) into their sound. Normally the label seems to miss the mark (and often has the air of gimmickry about it) but in the case of Christine Fellows, the shoe fits agreeably: "Veda's Waltz" sounds like nothing so much as a pop song peformed by a small chamber ensemble, if that were something small chamber ensembles usually did. What makes it work, to me, is Fellows' strikingly immediate voice. Stripped of all pretense, her voice is underscored by the same sort of ineffable ache that characterizes the sound of the instruments she is singing with; she blends beautifully, gratifyingly with them--gratifying because I have never believed one has to sing like an opera singer to perform with "classical" instruments, even though that's been the presumption for, oh, a few hundred years or so at this point. Another engaging, idiosyncratic musician from Canada, Fellows was in a couple of bands in the '90s before striking out on her own, first with an album called 2 little birds in 2000 and then The Last One Standing in 2002, on which "Veda's Waltz" is found. The MP3 is on her web site.
"The Long Distance Four" - the Constantines
From the first note, the electric guitar here says "pay attention to this," and yet, how, exactly, is this achieved? I find it difficult to articulate (writing about music remains a basically ridiculous idea), but it's a two-guitar sound that rejects classic-rock, guitar-hero fire for a clipped, urgent riff below, accompanied by open-chorded harmonics above. Bringing Television to mind, it's a sound that puts you on call, and on edge, and then along comes lead singer Bryan Webb, sounding for all the world like Joe Strummer's Canadian cousin, with the late Clash leader's endearingly husky, offhanded capacity to carry a tune and his knack for spitting out startling, unexpected lyrics ("Collect the body of Isadora Duncan"??). Now I'm definitely paying attention, and I'm liking what I hear a lot. "The Long Distance Four" comes from the Constantines' first full-length CD, a self-titled disc released originally in 2001, and just re-issued by Sub Pop.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 or $10 a year as an affordable option.
week of August 8-14
It's that time of year again: Fingertips will be on vacation for most of the rest of August. "This Week's Finds" will return for the week of August 29-Sept. 4. Actually, Fingertips will be back a few days early, so the Aug. 29 "This Week's Finds" will probably be up by Thursday August 26 or so.
I may personally be on vacation but remember that there is a huge amount of free and legal music waiting to be explored via other pages here on Fingertips. Good places to start are the Music Site Guide and the Artist Index; if you're adventurous, you might check out the Smaller Labels page and the Minor Hubs page as well. All these pages will point you to places on the web where good free and legal music is likely to be found. If you do, in fact, come across anything great along the way, drop me a line. You may discover a future "Find," and the world will be a brighter, more connected place.
Okay, now to this week's songs:
"I'm Happy But You Don't Like Me" - Asobi Seksu
Three minutes and nine seconds of giddy neo-new wave bliss. The melody is Blondie perfect; combine that with the band's capacity to unleash some serious but disciplined guitar noise and I'm all but swooning. Lead singer Yuki's innocent breathiness adds to the glory of a song that sounds to me like the bright flip side of one of the new wave's greatest singles, the bleak but invincible "Enola Gay," from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Asobi Seksu is a NYC-based band that offers songs in both English and Japanese, but prior understanding of Japanese is not required to enjoy this awesome piece of pop. "I'm Happy But..." comes from the band's debut, self-titled CD, which was released on Friendly Fire Recordings in May. You'll find the MP3 on the band's web site.
"Veda's Waltz - Christine Fellows
The label "chamber pop" has been floating around for the better part of a decade, and is typically used to refer to music made by indie bands which have incorporated traditional stringed instruments (e.g. violin or cello) into their sound. Normally the label seems to miss the mark (and often has the air of gimmickry about it) but in the case of Christine Fellows, the shoe fits agreeably: "Veda's Waltz" sounds like nothing so much as a pop song peformed by a small chamber ensemble, if that were something small chamber ensembles usually did. What makes it work, to me, is Fellows' strikingly immediate voice. Stripped of all pretense, her voice is underscored by the same sort of ineffable ache that characterizes the sound of the instruments she is singing with; she blends beautifully, gratifyingly with them--gratifying because I have never believed one has to sing like an opera singer to perform with "classical" instruments, even though that's been the presumption for, oh, a few hundred years or so at this point. Another engaging, idiosyncratic musician from Canada, Fellows was in a couple of bands in the '90s before striking out on her own, first with an album called 2 little birds in 2000 and then The Last One Standing in 2002, on which "Veda's Waltz" is found. The MP3 is on her web site.
"The Long Distance Four" - the Constantines
From the first note, the electric guitar here says "pay attention to this," and yet, how, exactly, is this achieved? I find it difficult to articulate (writing about music remains a basically ridiculous idea), but it's a two-guitar sound that rejects classic-rock, guitar-hero fire for a clipped, urgent riff below, accompanied by open-chorded harmonics above. Bringing Television to mind, it's a sound that puts you on call, and on edge, and then along comes lead singer Bryan Webb, sounding for all the world like Joe Strummer's Canadian cousin, with the late Clash leader's endearingly husky, offhanded capacity to carry a tune and his knack for spitting out startling, unexpected lyrics ("Collect the body of Isadora Duncan"??). Now I'm definitely paying attention, and I'm liking what I hear a lot. "The Long Distance Four" comes from the Constantines' first full-length CD, a self-titled disc released originally in 2001, and just re-issued by Sub Pop.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 or $10 a year as an affordable option.
Monday, August 02, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of August 1-7
"Whiskey Tango" - Tanya Donelly
Slinky and acoustic, "Whiskey Tango" shows off Tanya Donelly's rich, elastic voice and subtle facility with melody in a quiet and simplified setting. It's a new direction for the former leader of the band Belly, whose songs have not lacked for crunch, drive, and electricity in the past. On "Whiskey Tango," the under-appreciated Donelly looks for texture in smaller gestures--a slide guitar here, a wood block there--and brings her world-weary lyrics ("Of the art of making waves/I've had my lesson in spades") front and center. The song is as quiet as its implied tango beat, and might float by unnoticed were it not for the aching dignity of its minimal but lovely chorus--Donelly's use of a seventh chord and the elegant progression out of it when she sings "Of the art of speaking plain..." gives "Whiskey Tango" a small but powerful hook. The song is the effectual title track from her just-released Whiskey Tango Ghosts (4AD Records); the MP3 can be found on Insound.
"Gonna Never Have to Die" - Guided By Voices
The air of timeless rock'n'roll hangs brilliantly around this song, from Robert Pollard's Pete Townshend-like vocals to the old-fashioned drive of its big, snare-less beat and simple harmonies, to something at once larger and less definable in its deep and well-crafted ambiance. After a simple, itchy bit of acoustic guitar, the song grabs me instantly with the way each line in the first verse begins with one syllable drawn out over five distinct notes, complete with a wonderful, syncopated sort of hestiation in the middle. Okay, so it's kind of harder to describe in words than to listen to, but it creates an almost transcendent sort of wonder right smack in the middle of the action. There's even a counter-balancing resolution at the end of each line in the chorus, when, again, one syllable is stretched over five distinct notes, this time a simple back-and-forth between two tones. Yeah, like I said, harder to describe than to listen to. "Gonna Never Have to Die" is a song from Guided By Voices' soon-to-be-released CD, entitled Half Smiles of the Decomposed (Matador Records). After 20 some-odd releases spanning 17 years, Half Smiles will be GBV's last album--and therefore something of a momentous event in the indie world. And yet at the same time, leader Pollard has put the band through so many incarnations that it's safe to say that as long as Pollard continues to record, GBV fans will have a lot to look forward to.
"Verandi" - Björk
Mysterious, hypnotic, and bizarrely endearing, as Björk just about always is. "Verandi" combines the exotic ambiance and expansive percussiveness typical of 1997's Homogenic with a hint of the intimate sonic touches and gentle melodicism of 2001's Vespertine. I like how the almost martial regularity of the beat provides unexpected comfort through the aural adventure that unfolds here. Some of the non-Western-ness on display stems from work done on the song by "Bollywood" composer Jolly Mukherjee, but with Björk, a musical universe unto herself, you never know quite from where the unearthliness radiates. And what does it all mean? With Björk, you just don't ask. Bask in the sound of it, thrill to the countless moments of offbeat beauty, and be happy that she, at least, knows what she's doing. "Verandi" was originally released as a B-side to "Hidden Places," from Vespertine; the MP3 is on Bjork's jam-packed web site. Thanks to Fat Planet for the heads up on this one; the Björk site is so overflowing with words and links that I never previously noticed she had any MP3s up there at all.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 or $10 a year as an affordable option.
week of August 1-7
"Whiskey Tango" - Tanya Donelly
Slinky and acoustic, "Whiskey Tango" shows off Tanya Donelly's rich, elastic voice and subtle facility with melody in a quiet and simplified setting. It's a new direction for the former leader of the band Belly, whose songs have not lacked for crunch, drive, and electricity in the past. On "Whiskey Tango," the under-appreciated Donelly looks for texture in smaller gestures--a slide guitar here, a wood block there--and brings her world-weary lyrics ("Of the art of making waves/I've had my lesson in spades") front and center. The song is as quiet as its implied tango beat, and might float by unnoticed were it not for the aching dignity of its minimal but lovely chorus--Donelly's use of a seventh chord and the elegant progression out of it when she sings "Of the art of speaking plain..." gives "Whiskey Tango" a small but powerful hook. The song is the effectual title track from her just-released Whiskey Tango Ghosts (4AD Records); the MP3 can be found on Insound.
"Gonna Never Have to Die" - Guided By Voices
The air of timeless rock'n'roll hangs brilliantly around this song, from Robert Pollard's Pete Townshend-like vocals to the old-fashioned drive of its big, snare-less beat and simple harmonies, to something at once larger and less definable in its deep and well-crafted ambiance. After a simple, itchy bit of acoustic guitar, the song grabs me instantly with the way each line in the first verse begins with one syllable drawn out over five distinct notes, complete with a wonderful, syncopated sort of hestiation in the middle. Okay, so it's kind of harder to describe in words than to listen to, but it creates an almost transcendent sort of wonder right smack in the middle of the action. There's even a counter-balancing resolution at the end of each line in the chorus, when, again, one syllable is stretched over five distinct notes, this time a simple back-and-forth between two tones. Yeah, like I said, harder to describe than to listen to. "Gonna Never Have to Die" is a song from Guided By Voices' soon-to-be-released CD, entitled Half Smiles of the Decomposed (Matador Records). After 20 some-odd releases spanning 17 years, Half Smiles will be GBV's last album--and therefore something of a momentous event in the indie world. And yet at the same time, leader Pollard has put the band through so many incarnations that it's safe to say that as long as Pollard continues to record, GBV fans will have a lot to look forward to.
"Verandi" - Björk
Mysterious, hypnotic, and bizarrely endearing, as Björk just about always is. "Verandi" combines the exotic ambiance and expansive percussiveness typical of 1997's Homogenic with a hint of the intimate sonic touches and gentle melodicism of 2001's Vespertine. I like how the almost martial regularity of the beat provides unexpected comfort through the aural adventure that unfolds here. Some of the non-Western-ness on display stems from work done on the song by "Bollywood" composer Jolly Mukherjee, but with Björk, a musical universe unto herself, you never know quite from where the unearthliness radiates. And what does it all mean? With Björk, you just don't ask. Bask in the sound of it, thrill to the countless moments of offbeat beauty, and be happy that she, at least, knows what she's doing. "Verandi" was originally released as a B-side to "Hidden Places," from Vespertine; the MP3 is on Bjork's jam-packed web site. Thanks to Fat Planet for the heads up on this one; the Björk site is so overflowing with words and links that I never previously noticed she had any MP3s up there at all.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 or $10 a year as an affordable option.
Monday, July 26, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of July 25-31
"The Rat" - The Walkmen
Brash and big and all but irresistible right out of the starting gate, from that first, fuzzy, unresolved chord, through the huge drum beats and the minor chord progressions, and that's even before the first verse kicks in. These guys just don't hold anything back, and the sonic result is exhilarating, combining the twitchy rawness of the Strokes with the aching spaciousness of early U2 and the artful drive of New Order. Singer Hamilton Leithauser sings with a hoarse edge, as if he's already overdone it and should be resting his voice already but forget about it, he's got this song to sing first, dammit. The Walkmen are from Washington, D.C. and have apparently been playing in bands together since the fifth grade. "The Rat" comes from their second CD, Bows + Arrows, released in February on the Record Collection imprint, which does its best to look like a quirky, independent label but is actually part of Warner Brothers. But I'm not complaining--more big labels should offer offbeat acts like Record Collection does, along with (heaven forbid!) free and legal MP3s. Back in the day, all we had more or less were the big boys to find our music for us, and they sometimes did a decent job. Times have changed, but good music is still good music.
"London" - Red Pony
While I am not a big fan of overly indie sounds, and am downright suspicious of lo-fi recordings, I find this song oddly endearing. Part of the appeal is the piano motif at the beginning; there's something about its plaintive melodicism that I will gladly follow anywhere. The vocals are simple to the point of naivete, the guitar tinny, the sound garage-y, and yet at the same time I hear in it a vitality and urgency that brings me back to great singles that used to emerge from the U.K. in the late '70s, each its own mini-universe of hopes, dreams, and vision. Red Pony is a bass-less three-piece band from Cardiff, Wales. They are label-less, also; "London" can be found on the band's web site.
"Far End of the Night" - Grant Lee Phillips
And then sometimes this is exactly the sound I want to hear: deep, polished, and timeless. Phillips, the driving force behind the '90s band Grant Lee Buffalo, has a knack for writing new melodies that you're sure you must've heard before, sings them in an arrestingly familiar voice, and wraps them in an exquisite acoustic setting. Phillips is also as skilled as an ancient troubadour at telling a sad tale with a gorgeous tune: while the music is lullaby-gentle, the vague story sketched is a foreboding one, evoking a journey through a dark, enveloping night in which, sings the story's narrator, "Time hangs like a noose before me." "Far End of the Night" can be found on Virginia Creeper, released earlier this year on Zoe Records; the MP3 is located on the SXSW.com site.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 or $10 a year as an affordable option; click here for more information.
week of July 25-31
"The Rat" - The Walkmen
Brash and big and all but irresistible right out of the starting gate, from that first, fuzzy, unresolved chord, through the huge drum beats and the minor chord progressions, and that's even before the first verse kicks in. These guys just don't hold anything back, and the sonic result is exhilarating, combining the twitchy rawness of the Strokes with the aching spaciousness of early U2 and the artful drive of New Order. Singer Hamilton Leithauser sings with a hoarse edge, as if he's already overdone it and should be resting his voice already but forget about it, he's got this song to sing first, dammit. The Walkmen are from Washington, D.C. and have apparently been playing in bands together since the fifth grade. "The Rat" comes from their second CD, Bows + Arrows, released in February on the Record Collection imprint, which does its best to look like a quirky, independent label but is actually part of Warner Brothers. But I'm not complaining--more big labels should offer offbeat acts like Record Collection does, along with (heaven forbid!) free and legal MP3s. Back in the day, all we had more or less were the big boys to find our music for us, and they sometimes did a decent job. Times have changed, but good music is still good music.
"London" - Red Pony
While I am not a big fan of overly indie sounds, and am downright suspicious of lo-fi recordings, I find this song oddly endearing. Part of the appeal is the piano motif at the beginning; there's something about its plaintive melodicism that I will gladly follow anywhere. The vocals are simple to the point of naivete, the guitar tinny, the sound garage-y, and yet at the same time I hear in it a vitality and urgency that brings me back to great singles that used to emerge from the U.K. in the late '70s, each its own mini-universe of hopes, dreams, and vision. Red Pony is a bass-less three-piece band from Cardiff, Wales. They are label-less, also; "London" can be found on the band's web site.
"Far End of the Night" - Grant Lee Phillips
And then sometimes this is exactly the sound I want to hear: deep, polished, and timeless. Phillips, the driving force behind the '90s band Grant Lee Buffalo, has a knack for writing new melodies that you're sure you must've heard before, sings them in an arrestingly familiar voice, and wraps them in an exquisite acoustic setting. Phillips is also as skilled as an ancient troubadour at telling a sad tale with a gorgeous tune: while the music is lullaby-gentle, the vague story sketched is a foreboding one, evoking a journey through a dark, enveloping night in which, sings the story's narrator, "Time hangs like a noose before me." "Far End of the Night" can be found on Virginia Creeper, released earlier this year on Zoe Records; the MP3 is located on the SXSW.com site.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 or $10 a year as an affordable option; click here for more information.
Monday, July 19, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of July 18-24
"The Wait" - the Pieces
I'm beginning to think that every city in the United States has its own version of the Fountains of Wayne, its own smart, history-savvy rock band ready to offer catchy, guitar-based pop to a world rather starved for the stuff. The Pieces appear to be Indianapolis's entry in the game, and a smart, savvy entry they are. While not as giddily brilliant as Fountains of Wayne at their best (e.g. "Mexican Wine," "Red Dragon Tattoo," "Radiation Vibe"), "The Wait" is a fine little tune with any number of nuggets of pleasure to enjoy along the way. Right off I love the tumble of chords that are packed together in the introduction, and how they settle on the actual key through the musical side door. The melody has the inevitable touch of Beatle-ish-ness to it, an effect augmented by guitarist/singer/songwriter Vess (?) Ruhtenberg's quasi-Lennonesque voice. I also like how the band incorporates bassist Heidi Gluck's vocals into the sound, something that stands them apart from forebears such as Big Star and the dBs, not to mention the Beatles; come to think of it, there aren't a whole lot of power pop bands featuring male-female harmonies. The moment in the middle where Gluck comes to the fore on the line "This is the part I hate" is a small but wonderful touch. (Gluck apparently sings lead occasionally as well.) "The Wait" can be found on the band's self-titled debut CD, released last year on Benchmark Records. The MP3 comes from the Benchmark Records web site.
"Silence" - Kate Earl
A little bit Dusty Springfield, a little bit Ricki Lee Jones, newcomer Kate Earl exhibits a good deal of something else all her own on this haunting bit of retro-soul (blue-eyed variety). Earl creates a masterful, unabashed Dusty in Memphis vibe (the strings! the flute!), but infused with an engaging sense of innocence, intimacy, and spontaneity. I fear the MP3 itself is a bit cloudy, sound-wise (although maybe it's just my overtaxed, six-year-old computer), but the song is still worth hearing. Born in Alaska, living now in California, Earl is slated to release a CD on the Santa Monica-based label Record Collection some time in the presumably near future, presumably featuring this song; the MP3 in the meantime can can be found on Earl's web site. Thanks yet again to Largehearted Boy for the lead.
"You Only Move Twice" - Jeniferever
A Swedish band with a penchant for long, spacious songs, Jeniferever appears to be inspired partly by the grand, spacey Icelandic band Sigur Ros and partly by the more structured, instrument-based spaciness of Radiohead or even Wilco. One of only four songs on the 37-minute EP Iris, "You Only Move Twice" is propelled by a harmonic-laced riff, a fractured sense of time and beat, and singer Kristofer's ragged-weary-breathy vocals. The song has a cool enough vibe to keep me engaged for a quite a while, but then really hooks me with an unexpected turn of events about four minutes in, when the vocals drop away, the underlying syncopated beat is stripped down and brought forward, and, then, almost gloriously, an array of real instruments, including horns and strings, are added to the mix, beautifully accentuating the unusual chords and intervals that have characterized the song all along. Then the instruments pull away with a melancholy bit of reverb and the song finishes with another unexpected turn--this time a string coda, which again displays the rather charming musicality of the band in a different setting. Iris was released this month on Big Scary Monster Records, a tiny London-based label. The MP3 comes from the band's site, and can also be found on Drowned in Sound.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option; click here for more information.
week of July 18-24
"The Wait" - the Pieces
I'm beginning to think that every city in the United States has its own version of the Fountains of Wayne, its own smart, history-savvy rock band ready to offer catchy, guitar-based pop to a world rather starved for the stuff. The Pieces appear to be Indianapolis's entry in the game, and a smart, savvy entry they are. While not as giddily brilliant as Fountains of Wayne at their best (e.g. "Mexican Wine," "Red Dragon Tattoo," "Radiation Vibe"), "The Wait" is a fine little tune with any number of nuggets of pleasure to enjoy along the way. Right off I love the tumble of chords that are packed together in the introduction, and how they settle on the actual key through the musical side door. The melody has the inevitable touch of Beatle-ish-ness to it, an effect augmented by guitarist/singer/songwriter Vess (?) Ruhtenberg's quasi-Lennonesque voice. I also like how the band incorporates bassist Heidi Gluck's vocals into the sound, something that stands them apart from forebears such as Big Star and the dBs, not to mention the Beatles; come to think of it, there aren't a whole lot of power pop bands featuring male-female harmonies. The moment in the middle where Gluck comes to the fore on the line "This is the part I hate" is a small but wonderful touch. (Gluck apparently sings lead occasionally as well.) "The Wait" can be found on the band's self-titled debut CD, released last year on Benchmark Records. The MP3 comes from the Benchmark Records web site.
"Silence" - Kate Earl
A little bit Dusty Springfield, a little bit Ricki Lee Jones, newcomer Kate Earl exhibits a good deal of something else all her own on this haunting bit of retro-soul (blue-eyed variety). Earl creates a masterful, unabashed Dusty in Memphis vibe (the strings! the flute!), but infused with an engaging sense of innocence, intimacy, and spontaneity. I fear the MP3 itself is a bit cloudy, sound-wise (although maybe it's just my overtaxed, six-year-old computer), but the song is still worth hearing. Born in Alaska, living now in California, Earl is slated to release a CD on the Santa Monica-based label Record Collection some time in the presumably near future, presumably featuring this song; the MP3 in the meantime can can be found on Earl's web site. Thanks yet again to Largehearted Boy for the lead.
"You Only Move Twice" - Jeniferever
A Swedish band with a penchant for long, spacious songs, Jeniferever appears to be inspired partly by the grand, spacey Icelandic band Sigur Ros and partly by the more structured, instrument-based spaciness of Radiohead or even Wilco. One of only four songs on the 37-minute EP Iris, "You Only Move Twice" is propelled by a harmonic-laced riff, a fractured sense of time and beat, and singer Kristofer's ragged-weary-breathy vocals. The song has a cool enough vibe to keep me engaged for a quite a while, but then really hooks me with an unexpected turn of events about four minutes in, when the vocals drop away, the underlying syncopated beat is stripped down and brought forward, and, then, almost gloriously, an array of real instruments, including horns and strings, are added to the mix, beautifully accentuating the unusual chords and intervals that have characterized the song all along. Then the instruments pull away with a melancholy bit of reverb and the song finishes with another unexpected turn--this time a string coda, which again displays the rather charming musicality of the band in a different setting. Iris was released this month on Big Scary Monster Records, a tiny London-based label. The MP3 comes from the band's site, and can also be found on Drowned in Sound.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option; click here for more information.
Monday, July 12, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of July 11-17
"Nowhere Again" - The Secret Machines
Itchy, driving, and full-bodied, "Nowhere Again" combines the melodrama of the more-influential-than-anyone-realized-they-would-be-at-the-time Echo & the Bunnymen with a 21st-century blast of danceable drone. Okay, so maybe they lifted part of the melody (consciously or not) from the old Kinks nugget "Lola"--what the heck, there are worse starting places, and the song proceeds in other directions before it's through. "Nowhere Again" creates some of its sonic interest by juxtaposing full-speed and half-speed tempos--in particular offering verses at full-speed, the chorus at half-speed, all against a constant, insistent beat. Not a huge innovation, but it does give the impression of texture when the chords aren't changing all that much. Likewise helpful are the half-speed piano and guitar flourishes that arrive in the second verse. Singer and guitarist Ben Curtis has a subtle, appealing rumble to his voice in the lower register, an anthemic edge to his upper register singing, and a knack for highlighting stark lyrical phrases along the way. The Secret Machines were assembled in Dallas but have since generated much buzz in their adopted hometown of New York City. "Nowhere Again" comes from the band's debut CD, Now Here is Nowhere, released in May on Reprise Records (that's how much buzz they generated--they're actually on a major label). The MP3 can be found on Epitonic.
"Sleeping and Tooting" - Rachel Goswell
The highly-regarded but spotlight-avoiding Rachel Goswell gained fans as the voice of the woozily atmospheric Slowdive in the early '90s. When she joined bandmates Neil Halstead and Ian McCutcheon as they morphed into the British-yet-alt-country-ish Mojave 3 in 1996, Goswell retreated to the background, playing bass and singing mostly background vocals as songwriter Halstead took the reins as lead singer. Those who have missed her vocal presence on recent Mojave 3 records will no doubt rejoice at the recent release of her first solo CD, Waves Are Universal (4AD Records), from which this song comes. Although crisp and upbeat, "Sleeping and Tooting" has an engaging air of bittersweetness about it thanks to its repeated use of minor key modulations. Goswell's airy yet well-rounded voice brings to mind the late, great Kirsty MacColl, which is always a plus in my mind. The song is so full of bright-sounding acoustic instruments and engaging production touches that I willingly overlook its lack of a center--there's no meaty chorus here to anchor things musically; I find the song scoots by (it's just three minutes) without completely sinking in. But maybe that's just me; in any case there are plenty of charms here to make it worth a listen. The American arm of the Beggars Group, which distributes 4AD Records, hosts the MP3.
"Habite Em Mim" - Arto Lindsay
Once a prominent figure on New York's so-called "No Wave" scene of the late '70s, guitarist/producer Arto Lindsay here issues an alluring bit of Brazilian-tinged, jazz-inflected, street-wise pop. Lindsay's voice is smooth and seductive enough to distract your ear from the vibrant grab-bag of rhythms, competing tones, and sly sonic effects that are going on throughout the song, even as the effects are ultimately what give "Habite Em Mim" its oomph. Heck, I barely notice that he's slipping back and forth from English to Portuguese, which is a pretty captivating effect itself. "Habite Em Mim" is found on Salt, released in May on Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe Records; the MP3 comes from Indie Workshop.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
week of July 11-17
"Nowhere Again" - The Secret Machines
Itchy, driving, and full-bodied, "Nowhere Again" combines the melodrama of the more-influential-than-anyone-realized-they-would-be-at-the-time Echo & the Bunnymen with a 21st-century blast of danceable drone. Okay, so maybe they lifted part of the melody (consciously or not) from the old Kinks nugget "Lola"--what the heck, there are worse starting places, and the song proceeds in other directions before it's through. "Nowhere Again" creates some of its sonic interest by juxtaposing full-speed and half-speed tempos--in particular offering verses at full-speed, the chorus at half-speed, all against a constant, insistent beat. Not a huge innovation, but it does give the impression of texture when the chords aren't changing all that much. Likewise helpful are the half-speed piano and guitar flourishes that arrive in the second verse. Singer and guitarist Ben Curtis has a subtle, appealing rumble to his voice in the lower register, an anthemic edge to his upper register singing, and a knack for highlighting stark lyrical phrases along the way. The Secret Machines were assembled in Dallas but have since generated much buzz in their adopted hometown of New York City. "Nowhere Again" comes from the band's debut CD, Now Here is Nowhere, released in May on Reprise Records (that's how much buzz they generated--they're actually on a major label). The MP3 can be found on Epitonic.
"Sleeping and Tooting" - Rachel Goswell
The highly-regarded but spotlight-avoiding Rachel Goswell gained fans as the voice of the woozily atmospheric Slowdive in the early '90s. When she joined bandmates Neil Halstead and Ian McCutcheon as they morphed into the British-yet-alt-country-ish Mojave 3 in 1996, Goswell retreated to the background, playing bass and singing mostly background vocals as songwriter Halstead took the reins as lead singer. Those who have missed her vocal presence on recent Mojave 3 records will no doubt rejoice at the recent release of her first solo CD, Waves Are Universal (4AD Records), from which this song comes. Although crisp and upbeat, "Sleeping and Tooting" has an engaging air of bittersweetness about it thanks to its repeated use of minor key modulations. Goswell's airy yet well-rounded voice brings to mind the late, great Kirsty MacColl, which is always a plus in my mind. The song is so full of bright-sounding acoustic instruments and engaging production touches that I willingly overlook its lack of a center--there's no meaty chorus here to anchor things musically; I find the song scoots by (it's just three minutes) without completely sinking in. But maybe that's just me; in any case there are plenty of charms here to make it worth a listen. The American arm of the Beggars Group, which distributes 4AD Records, hosts the MP3.
"Habite Em Mim" - Arto Lindsay
Once a prominent figure on New York's so-called "No Wave" scene of the late '70s, guitarist/producer Arto Lindsay here issues an alluring bit of Brazilian-tinged, jazz-inflected, street-wise pop. Lindsay's voice is smooth and seductive enough to distract your ear from the vibrant grab-bag of rhythms, competing tones, and sly sonic effects that are going on throughout the song, even as the effects are ultimately what give "Habite Em Mim" its oomph. Heck, I barely notice that he's slipping back and forth from English to Portuguese, which is a pretty captivating effect itself. "Habite Em Mim" is found on Salt, released in May on Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe Records; the MP3 comes from Indie Workshop.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
Monday, July 05, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of July 4-10
"When the Day is Short" - Martha Wainwright
Brother of Rufus, daughter of Kate (McGarrigle) and Loudon (III), 28-year-old Martha Wainwright has played largely to the side and behind the scenes over the years, singing background vocals on albums by her better-known family members--starting with an appearance as a child on Kate & Anna McGarrigle's 1983 CD Love Over and Over. As it turns out, however, Martha is a singer/songwriter of spirit and intensity in her own right. While her voice has an appealing McGarrigle-ish waver to it, she sings way closer to the edge than her mother and aunt do, sometimes leaving me breathless at the aural risks she takes. I've been waiting to hear more since being captivated by her haunting "Year of the Dragon" on the family-filled McGarrigle Hour CD, released back in 1998. "When the Day is Short" has a lilting beat that belies Wainwright's not fully restrained vocal and lyrical furiosity. The song comes from a recently-released five-song EP (her third) with the eye-opening, R-rated title (which I will partially disguise, in case anyone might be reading this in a setting where such words might be less than appropriate) Bloody Moth--f--king As--ole; the MP3 is located on Wainwright's web site. I should note that the title track, called simply "BMFA," is well worth hearing, and is also available as an MP3; I chose "When the Day is Short" largely to avoid putting Fingertips visitors in an uncomfortable position should they be playing this page in a less than private setting.
"Seems to Me" - Surefire
While the production values are indie through and through, the resilient pop virtues of the songwriting here give this one a gratifying sheen and powerful presence. After a few measures of ringing arpeggios, the song hits upon a simple but memorable guitar riff; combine that with the minor-key twist of the Byrds-like melody and I feel gripped and ready for a big melodic payoff. But even as the verse drives forward, the apparent chorus doesn't quite resolve before the song pulls back. Rather than a payoff the song creates a sneaky sort tension, which is extended after the second verse and chorus by a short instrumental break, followed by a restrained bridge, and then, finally, and well worth the wait, the release: a series of wordless, syncopated, interwoven "oh-oh"s arrive to echo the opening guitar riff. While I'm not always a fan of falsetto singing, the way lead singer Ben Stapelman flits in and out of falsetto as the wordless section repeats against increasingly insistent instrumentation is what gives this assured piece of pop its heart, soul, and dynamic core. Surefire is a NYC-based band; "Seems to Me" comes from its debut EP, Solution. The MP3 can be found on the band's web site. Thanks to Largehearted Boy for finding this one.
"On Your Way" - the Album Leaf
I like how this song manages to sound both dreamy and grounded at the same time. Part of the effect is achieved through the use of octave harmonies--ah, yes, more falsetto vocals (did I say I didn't like them?); when paired with lower-register vocals singing the same notes, the result is captivating. Then there's the way the tinkly, almost desultory bell-like sounds at the aural top of the song work together with a determined and likable drumbeat below. Finally, note how Jimmy LaValle, the multi-instrumentalist who records as the Album Leaf, mixes an extremely reverb-y synthesizer and melodic bassline into the middle of the sound, out of which both the vocals and percussion emerge, dreamily. And yet grounded. "On Your Way" can be found on the Album Leaf's recently released CD, In a Safe Place. This is LaValle's second Album Leaf record, but the first one with any vocals--his previous effort was all instrumental. Although from Southern California, LaValle went to Iceland to record the CD, employing musicians from Sigur Rós and other Icelandic bands to help him achieve his atmospheric sound. The MP3 can be found on the Sub Pop Records site.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
week of July 4-10
"When the Day is Short" - Martha Wainwright
Brother of Rufus, daughter of Kate (McGarrigle) and Loudon (III), 28-year-old Martha Wainwright has played largely to the side and behind the scenes over the years, singing background vocals on albums by her better-known family members--starting with an appearance as a child on Kate & Anna McGarrigle's 1983 CD Love Over and Over. As it turns out, however, Martha is a singer/songwriter of spirit and intensity in her own right. While her voice has an appealing McGarrigle-ish waver to it, she sings way closer to the edge than her mother and aunt do, sometimes leaving me breathless at the aural risks she takes. I've been waiting to hear more since being captivated by her haunting "Year of the Dragon" on the family-filled McGarrigle Hour CD, released back in 1998. "When the Day is Short" has a lilting beat that belies Wainwright's not fully restrained vocal and lyrical furiosity. The song comes from a recently-released five-song EP (her third) with the eye-opening, R-rated title (which I will partially disguise, in case anyone might be reading this in a setting where such words might be less than appropriate) Bloody Moth--f--king As--ole; the MP3 is located on Wainwright's web site. I should note that the title track, called simply "BMFA," is well worth hearing, and is also available as an MP3; I chose "When the Day is Short" largely to avoid putting Fingertips visitors in an uncomfortable position should they be playing this page in a less than private setting.
"Seems to Me" - Surefire
While the production values are indie through and through, the resilient pop virtues of the songwriting here give this one a gratifying sheen and powerful presence. After a few measures of ringing arpeggios, the song hits upon a simple but memorable guitar riff; combine that with the minor-key twist of the Byrds-like melody and I feel gripped and ready for a big melodic payoff. But even as the verse drives forward, the apparent chorus doesn't quite resolve before the song pulls back. Rather than a payoff the song creates a sneaky sort tension, which is extended after the second verse and chorus by a short instrumental break, followed by a restrained bridge, and then, finally, and well worth the wait, the release: a series of wordless, syncopated, interwoven "oh-oh"s arrive to echo the opening guitar riff. While I'm not always a fan of falsetto singing, the way lead singer Ben Stapelman flits in and out of falsetto as the wordless section repeats against increasingly insistent instrumentation is what gives this assured piece of pop its heart, soul, and dynamic core. Surefire is a NYC-based band; "Seems to Me" comes from its debut EP, Solution. The MP3 can be found on the band's web site. Thanks to Largehearted Boy for finding this one.
"On Your Way" - the Album Leaf
I like how this song manages to sound both dreamy and grounded at the same time. Part of the effect is achieved through the use of octave harmonies--ah, yes, more falsetto vocals (did I say I didn't like them?); when paired with lower-register vocals singing the same notes, the result is captivating. Then there's the way the tinkly, almost desultory bell-like sounds at the aural top of the song work together with a determined and likable drumbeat below. Finally, note how Jimmy LaValle, the multi-instrumentalist who records as the Album Leaf, mixes an extremely reverb-y synthesizer and melodic bassline into the middle of the sound, out of which both the vocals and percussion emerge, dreamily. And yet grounded. "On Your Way" can be found on the Album Leaf's recently released CD, In a Safe Place. This is LaValle's second Album Leaf record, but the first one with any vocals--his previous effort was all instrumental. Although from Southern California, LaValle went to Iceland to record the CD, employing musicians from Sigur Rós and other Icelandic bands to help him achieve his atmospheric sound. The MP3 can be found on the Sub Pop Records site.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
Monday, June 28, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of June 27-July 3
"It Doesn't Really Matter" - For Stars
A simple piano refrain over a racing heart-like beat starts "It Doesn't Really Matter" with a thematically appropriate sense of unresolved tension. I mean, the whole idea of singing about something that doesn't really matter is a sort of paradox, if you're inclined to think in that direction. So, okay, the piano, the vague tension, and then comes Carlos Foster's distinctively fragile tenor, punctuated by crisp, vaguely dissonant electric guitar bursts; the tension accumulates even lyrically, as the first verse culminates with a thought-provoking line--"It doesn't really matter who you think you are"--that resolves neither melodically nor psychologically. The payoff comes in the chorus, as the guitar becomes a wash of noise under gratifying harmonies and a perfectly resolved melody. A trumpet arrives to add a gentle edge to the restrained instrumental break, then we're back to a quick verse, this time fleshed out with harmonies, still over the heartbeat beat. One more exultant chorus, a second trumpet solo, and we're done. Nice stuff. And I'm glad to see For Stars are still around; it's been long enough since their last CD that I'd been wondering if they existed any more. The song comes from the CD ...It Falls Apart, due out June 29 on the label known as Future Farmer Recordings. The MP3 can be found on Insound.
"Welcome to the Middle Ages" - the Playwrights
As hard and fast and angry and assured as an old Jam song, "Welcome to the Middle Ages" finds a new generation pondering the trade-offs of adulthood, with intelligence and venom. The introduction is simply a fade-in on a fuzzy electric din; then with a curt "one-two," the Playwrights dive in: vocals with declarative authority burst on top of a hard-driving, bass-heavy beat. The song rocks hard, instantly, but the 6/4 time keeps things jittery, and the unexpected instrumentation--hey, another trumpet in this one--and subtle changes keep your ear engaged. The lyrics are charmingly wordy; again the Jam come to mind when I hear singer Aaron Dewey spitting out more syllables than the line theoretically wants to have ("As I get older my conditions get better/But my expectations get lower..."). Located in Bristol, England, the Playwrights have one full-length CD to their name so far--Good Beneath the Radar, which was released in June 2003 by the Bristol-based Sink and Stove Records. "Welcome to the Middle Ages" comes from a Sink and Stove compilation CD called The Hospital Radio Request List Volume 2, which came out in the beginning of June 2004. The MP3 can be found on the band's site, as well as on the Sink and Stove site.
"Hungry Heart" - Jesse Malin
There's a good song from Jesse Malin's new CD that I've heard a few times on the radio. So of course I went hunting for a free and legal from the album, which alas don't appear to exist. While looking on his site, however, I found "Hungry Heart," and at the risk of turning this into Fragile-Sounding Tenors Week here (see For Stars, above), I could not resist featuring this one as well. Yes it's the old Bruce Springsteen song, but Malin grabs it by the throat (or maybe that's his own throat he's grabbing; he sounds like he's nearly strangling with odd pronunciations every now and then) and makes it his own. To begin with, he reins in the big, bashing, irresistible beat of the original, stretching it taut and slowing it down against a fuzzed-out guitar. Then Malin takes the aw-shucks, Everyman ache of Springsteen's version and gives us a Neil Young-meets-Brian-Wilson-at-Tom-Waits'-house vibe. With Springsteen, it was sloppy-goofy; Malin makes it weird-goofy, but I'm not complaining. Perhaps I'm rather too easily impressed when someone takes a familiar song and adds an edge of unfamiliarity to it, but I'm enjoying this. The song was released on a Bruce Springsteen tribute CD compiled by the British magazine Uncut in April 2003.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 or $10 a year as an affordable option.
week of June 27-July 3
"It Doesn't Really Matter" - For Stars
A simple piano refrain over a racing heart-like beat starts "It Doesn't Really Matter" with a thematically appropriate sense of unresolved tension. I mean, the whole idea of singing about something that doesn't really matter is a sort of paradox, if you're inclined to think in that direction. So, okay, the piano, the vague tension, and then comes Carlos Foster's distinctively fragile tenor, punctuated by crisp, vaguely dissonant electric guitar bursts; the tension accumulates even lyrically, as the first verse culminates with a thought-provoking line--"It doesn't really matter who you think you are"--that resolves neither melodically nor psychologically. The payoff comes in the chorus, as the guitar becomes a wash of noise under gratifying harmonies and a perfectly resolved melody. A trumpet arrives to add a gentle edge to the restrained instrumental break, then we're back to a quick verse, this time fleshed out with harmonies, still over the heartbeat beat. One more exultant chorus, a second trumpet solo, and we're done. Nice stuff. And I'm glad to see For Stars are still around; it's been long enough since their last CD that I'd been wondering if they existed any more. The song comes from the CD ...It Falls Apart, due out June 29 on the label known as Future Farmer Recordings. The MP3 can be found on Insound.
"Welcome to the Middle Ages" - the Playwrights
As hard and fast and angry and assured as an old Jam song, "Welcome to the Middle Ages" finds a new generation pondering the trade-offs of adulthood, with intelligence and venom. The introduction is simply a fade-in on a fuzzy electric din; then with a curt "one-two," the Playwrights dive in: vocals with declarative authority burst on top of a hard-driving, bass-heavy beat. The song rocks hard, instantly, but the 6/4 time keeps things jittery, and the unexpected instrumentation--hey, another trumpet in this one--and subtle changes keep your ear engaged. The lyrics are charmingly wordy; again the Jam come to mind when I hear singer Aaron Dewey spitting out more syllables than the line theoretically wants to have ("As I get older my conditions get better/But my expectations get lower..."). Located in Bristol, England, the Playwrights have one full-length CD to their name so far--Good Beneath the Radar, which was released in June 2003 by the Bristol-based Sink and Stove Records. "Welcome to the Middle Ages" comes from a Sink and Stove compilation CD called The Hospital Radio Request List Volume 2, which came out in the beginning of June 2004. The MP3 can be found on the band's site, as well as on the Sink and Stove site.
"Hungry Heart" - Jesse Malin
There's a good song from Jesse Malin's new CD that I've heard a few times on the radio. So of course I went hunting for a free and legal from the album, which alas don't appear to exist. While looking on his site, however, I found "Hungry Heart," and at the risk of turning this into Fragile-Sounding Tenors Week here (see For Stars, above), I could not resist featuring this one as well. Yes it's the old Bruce Springsteen song, but Malin grabs it by the throat (or maybe that's his own throat he's grabbing; he sounds like he's nearly strangling with odd pronunciations every now and then) and makes it his own. To begin with, he reins in the big, bashing, irresistible beat of the original, stretching it taut and slowing it down against a fuzzed-out guitar. Then Malin takes the aw-shucks, Everyman ache of Springsteen's version and gives us a Neil Young-meets-Brian-Wilson-at-Tom-Waits'-house vibe. With Springsteen, it was sloppy-goofy; Malin makes it weird-goofy, but I'm not complaining. Perhaps I'm rather too easily impressed when someone takes a familiar song and adds an edge of unfamiliarity to it, but I'm enjoying this. The song was released on a Bruce Springsteen tribute CD compiled by the British magazine Uncut in April 2003.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 or $10 a year as an affordable option.
Monday, June 21, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of June 20-26
"Year of the Rat" - Badly Drawn Boy
Woolly-hatted one-man-band Damon Gough returns to the do-it-yourself orchestral style that lent his first CD, The Hour of Bewilderbeast, its distinctive allure. Not that this sound doesn't have its share of potential pitfalls. I mean, add kettle drums to anyone this earnest and he runs the risk of sounding, shall we say, bombastic. And let's not even talk about the children's choir in the chorus. But BDB wins out here, I think, through sheer force of good will. Good will counts for a lot these days, as there is so blessed little of it to go around--or, more accurately, the people who have it are so rarely given a voice in popular culture. So, yeah, the tune is pretty simple, and the sentiments are pretty corny, but it sticks in my head, and I don't mind it hanging out there. Plus, I get the sense, like with Bewilderbeast, that this song is going to be an idiosyncratic part of an idiosyncratic whole, so much so that taking it out of context probably involves missing a certain amount of its effect. According to the Chinese zodiac, by the way, it is not the actual year of the rat, so I'm thinking he's making a political statement, telling us hey, buck up, stick together, we'll get through ("One plus one is one," he sings; and that's the name of the CD as well). So the slacker dude in the hat turns out to be one big Harry Nilsson-ish cornball, and I say good for him. The CD, on BDB's own Twisted Nerve label, released through XL Recordings and Astralwerks, is due out June 21. The MP3 comes from BDB's web site.
"On the Green" - I Love Math"
The song opens with a fuzzy, automated-sounding rhythm sound that goes on perhaps a little too long--I'm thinking "all right already" when I first hear it--and then, bang, the drum enters off the beat of the automated-sounding rhythm thing, incorporating it in an unanticipated manner. Soon enter guitar, bass, and harmonica, and we're suddenly in the middle of a home-spun, alt-country-tinged indie pop-rocker. What gives the song such presence, to me, are the extra melodic steps the music takes both in the verse and the chorus. Listen to how the verse doesn't just stick with the simple, repeated melody from the first two lines (as many songs might) but adds an asymmetrical line that gives the verse a chance to explore a few extra chords before heading back to the beginning. A similar moment of spiffy modulation happens towards the end of the chorus as well--and don't miss how the band extends this moment the second time the chorus comes around. We're not talking profound accomplishment here, but the great good melodic energy and vocal charm on display here make this song a keeper. I can find little proof of this group's existence except on the SXSW.com web site, where you'll find this MP3. There it says: "I Love Math is John and Jason from The Deathray Davies, Philip Peoples from the Old 97's and Aaron Kelly who is just a badass."
"Miracle Drug" - A. C. Newman
Okay, so speaking of Ray Davies (sort of), my goodness, Carl Newman could've been understudy for Mr. Davies on the Sleepwalker sessions. Only I don't imagine Newman was even alive in 1977, when the Kinks released that album. Minor detail. In any case, not only does Newman's appealingly nasal upper-register singing pay deep homage to Davies, the staccato crunch of the guitar has its own sort of Kink-iness to it as well. "Miracle Drug" isn't actually that much of a song; the chorus is just one line long (interestingly enough, he sounds rather a lot like John Lennon during this part), and the verses succeed more on the jumpy charm of the guitar-vocal interplay (and of course Newman's Ray Davies-ness) than on the breadth or depth of the songwriting, but hey it's summertime--short and catchy is just fine. And, as previously noted here, current rock'n'rollers who love and respect the Kinks gain a fair amount of love and respect on Fingertips from the get-go. "Miracle Drug" is found on Newman's first solo CD, Slow Wonder, released earlier this month on Matador Records. Newman is otherwise known for being the leader of the Canadian band the New Pornographers. The MP3 comes from the Matador Records web site.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
week of June 20-26
"Year of the Rat" - Badly Drawn Boy
Woolly-hatted one-man-band Damon Gough returns to the do-it-yourself orchestral style that lent his first CD, The Hour of Bewilderbeast, its distinctive allure. Not that this sound doesn't have its share of potential pitfalls. I mean, add kettle drums to anyone this earnest and he runs the risk of sounding, shall we say, bombastic. And let's not even talk about the children's choir in the chorus. But BDB wins out here, I think, through sheer force of good will. Good will counts for a lot these days, as there is so blessed little of it to go around--or, more accurately, the people who have it are so rarely given a voice in popular culture. So, yeah, the tune is pretty simple, and the sentiments are pretty corny, but it sticks in my head, and I don't mind it hanging out there. Plus, I get the sense, like with Bewilderbeast, that this song is going to be an idiosyncratic part of an idiosyncratic whole, so much so that taking it out of context probably involves missing a certain amount of its effect. According to the Chinese zodiac, by the way, it is not the actual year of the rat, so I'm thinking he's making a political statement, telling us hey, buck up, stick together, we'll get through ("One plus one is one," he sings; and that's the name of the CD as well). So the slacker dude in the hat turns out to be one big Harry Nilsson-ish cornball, and I say good for him. The CD, on BDB's own Twisted Nerve label, released through XL Recordings and Astralwerks, is due out June 21. The MP3 comes from BDB's web site.
"On the Green" - I Love Math"
The song opens with a fuzzy, automated-sounding rhythm sound that goes on perhaps a little too long--I'm thinking "all right already" when I first hear it--and then, bang, the drum enters off the beat of the automated-sounding rhythm thing, incorporating it in an unanticipated manner. Soon enter guitar, bass, and harmonica, and we're suddenly in the middle of a home-spun, alt-country-tinged indie pop-rocker. What gives the song such presence, to me, are the extra melodic steps the music takes both in the verse and the chorus. Listen to how the verse doesn't just stick with the simple, repeated melody from the first two lines (as many songs might) but adds an asymmetrical line that gives the verse a chance to explore a few extra chords before heading back to the beginning. A similar moment of spiffy modulation happens towards the end of the chorus as well--and don't miss how the band extends this moment the second time the chorus comes around. We're not talking profound accomplishment here, but the great good melodic energy and vocal charm on display here make this song a keeper. I can find little proof of this group's existence except on the SXSW.com web site, where you'll find this MP3. There it says: "I Love Math is John and Jason from The Deathray Davies, Philip Peoples from the Old 97's and Aaron Kelly who is just a badass."
"Miracle Drug" - A. C. Newman
Okay, so speaking of Ray Davies (sort of), my goodness, Carl Newman could've been understudy for Mr. Davies on the Sleepwalker sessions. Only I don't imagine Newman was even alive in 1977, when the Kinks released that album. Minor detail. In any case, not only does Newman's appealingly nasal upper-register singing pay deep homage to Davies, the staccato crunch of the guitar has its own sort of Kink-iness to it as well. "Miracle Drug" isn't actually that much of a song; the chorus is just one line long (interestingly enough, he sounds rather a lot like John Lennon during this part), and the verses succeed more on the jumpy charm of the guitar-vocal interplay (and of course Newman's Ray Davies-ness) than on the breadth or depth of the songwriting, but hey it's summertime--short and catchy is just fine. And, as previously noted here, current rock'n'rollers who love and respect the Kinks gain a fair amount of love and respect on Fingertips from the get-go. "Miracle Drug" is found on Newman's first solo CD, Slow Wonder, released earlier this month on Matador Records. Newman is otherwise known for being the leader of the Canadian band the New Pornographers. The MP3 comes from the Matador Records web site.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
Monday, June 14, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of June 13-19
"Discretion" - Pedro the Lion
David Bazan, Pedro the Lion's mastermind (on some albums he's the whole band), has a brilliant rock'n'roll voice, burnished by what sounds like an unalleviatable ache. This is a voice that says, "I'm going to tell you a sad story and you're going to listen." Here, an incisive, bell-like guitar line propels a tragedy I can't completely decipher--but any song that starts with the line "Having no idea that his youngest son was dead/The farmer and his sweet young wife slept soundly in his bed" is not heading to a happy place. And yet the song has such presence and verve--Bazan writes long melodies, offers gratifying chord changes, and sings from his soul--that it feels stirring and heroic nonetheless. "Discretion" can be found on Pedro the Lion's recently released fifth CD, Achilles Heel (Jade Tree). The MP3 is available on the band's site.
"Captain" - Shapes of Race Cars
You could do worse than blast this song from your car's sound system with the top down all summer long. Provided it doesn't rain. And provided you have a convertible. But you get the idea: this here is a big, bashing dollop of tuneful, hard-driving, summer-anthemy energy. Shapes of Race Cars may be a new band, but the fact that they describe themselves as a "power trio" tells me what I need to know. It takes a certain amount of heart and guts to hit the rock scene with just guitar, bass, and drums: there's no room to hide, no aural space for mushiness or lack of clarity. What's more, these guys take what could've been an effective two and a half minute ditty and open it skillfully into an engaging four and a half minute mini-epic, thanks largely to an instrumental break that starts about two minutes in. Sailing out of chorus harmonies at that point, the song pulls back instrumentally, singer/guitarist Dylan Callaghan turns a high note into a thoughtful couple of "doo-ooo"s which are are mimicked on the guitar, launching a well-crafted, melodic solo that evokes nameless, bygone moments in rock history through both sound and gusto. "Captain" is one of six songs on a new, self-released EP called Apocalypse Hurts; the MP3 is on the band's web site. Thanks to Largehearted Boy for the heads up.
"Airstream" - Low-Beam
Vaguely off-key keyboards (off-keyboards?) lend an appealing goofiness at the outset, but when the joint male/female lead vocals kick in, "Airstream" takes off, steadily acquiring an unexpected sort of classic majesty, like some great lost late '70s nugget--"Roadrunner" meets "I Zimbra" meets four 21st-century believers from New London, Connecticut. The repetitive, circular melody works in tandem with the driving rhythm and fuzzy-around-the-edges soundscape to create an inexplicably catchy song--its own sort of cruising with the top down summer song, come to think of it. And fans of unexpected instrumental entrances will no doubt appreciate the muted trumpet that wanders in during the last 50 seconds of this one. The band aims for an admirable sense of cohesiveness both musically and thematically; I like this explanation of the name, from the band's web site: "Low-beaming is night-driving along the river road on the long way there, navigating by moonlight, almost into the river sometimes. Or out to the lake in a traveling party and shutting the lights off behind the lead car. And full moon motorcycling through the woods, the visual soundtrack equivalent to a CCR song or maybe Elvis in the ghetto." "Airstream" was first released on a vinyl single in September 2003, then emerged on a six-song EP called Every Other Moment in March of this year; the MP3 is on the band's site. A full-length CD is in the works.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
week of June 13-19
"Discretion" - Pedro the Lion
David Bazan, Pedro the Lion's mastermind (on some albums he's the whole band), has a brilliant rock'n'roll voice, burnished by what sounds like an unalleviatable ache. This is a voice that says, "I'm going to tell you a sad story and you're going to listen." Here, an incisive, bell-like guitar line propels a tragedy I can't completely decipher--but any song that starts with the line "Having no idea that his youngest son was dead/The farmer and his sweet young wife slept soundly in his bed" is not heading to a happy place. And yet the song has such presence and verve--Bazan writes long melodies, offers gratifying chord changes, and sings from his soul--that it feels stirring and heroic nonetheless. "Discretion" can be found on Pedro the Lion's recently released fifth CD, Achilles Heel (Jade Tree). The MP3 is available on the band's site.
"Captain" - Shapes of Race Cars
You could do worse than blast this song from your car's sound system with the top down all summer long. Provided it doesn't rain. And provided you have a convertible. But you get the idea: this here is a big, bashing dollop of tuneful, hard-driving, summer-anthemy energy. Shapes of Race Cars may be a new band, but the fact that they describe themselves as a "power trio" tells me what I need to know. It takes a certain amount of heart and guts to hit the rock scene with just guitar, bass, and drums: there's no room to hide, no aural space for mushiness or lack of clarity. What's more, these guys take what could've been an effective two and a half minute ditty and open it skillfully into an engaging four and a half minute mini-epic, thanks largely to an instrumental break that starts about two minutes in. Sailing out of chorus harmonies at that point, the song pulls back instrumentally, singer/guitarist Dylan Callaghan turns a high note into a thoughtful couple of "doo-ooo"s which are are mimicked on the guitar, launching a well-crafted, melodic solo that evokes nameless, bygone moments in rock history through both sound and gusto. "Captain" is one of six songs on a new, self-released EP called Apocalypse Hurts; the MP3 is on the band's web site. Thanks to Largehearted Boy for the heads up.
"Airstream" - Low-Beam
Vaguely off-key keyboards (off-keyboards?) lend an appealing goofiness at the outset, but when the joint male/female lead vocals kick in, "Airstream" takes off, steadily acquiring an unexpected sort of classic majesty, like some great lost late '70s nugget--"Roadrunner" meets "I Zimbra" meets four 21st-century believers from New London, Connecticut. The repetitive, circular melody works in tandem with the driving rhythm and fuzzy-around-the-edges soundscape to create an inexplicably catchy song--its own sort of cruising with the top down summer song, come to think of it. And fans of unexpected instrumental entrances will no doubt appreciate the muted trumpet that wanders in during the last 50 seconds of this one. The band aims for an admirable sense of cohesiveness both musically and thematically; I like this explanation of the name, from the band's web site: "Low-beaming is night-driving along the river road on the long way there, navigating by moonlight, almost into the river sometimes. Or out to the lake in a traveling party and shutting the lights off behind the lead car. And full moon motorcycling through the woods, the visual soundtrack equivalent to a CCR song or maybe Elvis in the ghetto." "Airstream" was first released on a vinyl single in September 2003, then emerged on a six-song EP called Every Other Moment in March of this year; the MP3 is on the band's site. A full-length CD is in the works.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
Monday, June 07, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of June 6-12
"The Letter" - PJ Harvey
Energized by its ragged, syncopated beat, "The Letter" shows me within a measure or two that maybe, just maybe, I've been listening to a bit too much indie rock of late. Harvey's raw yet radiant assurance enlivens the music with a rich texture unlikely to be encountered in the lo-fi indie world. One of the most critically acclaimed singer/songwriters to come of age in the the midst of the "alternative rock" eruption of the early '90s, Harvey is back with her seventh CD, the just-released Uh Huh Her, on Island Records. The deep, fuzzy guitar that lends the song its arresting groove all but hypnotizes me even as Harvey's words--emerging in bursts between the guitar's funky drive--snap me to attention, as she effortlessly charges the act of letter-writing with brash eroticism, before resolving into cathartic wailing in the wordless chorus section. Listen to how she enriches the sound in the second verse, as the guitar is supplemented by a mysterious-sounding low-register vocal below and a judiciously added synthesizer above. Unfortunately the song is available through the creaky, ad-crazed Artist Direct site. The link above should take you to a page that allows you access to the download, rather than directly to the song; this is one of those that gives you a license allowing for a limited number of plays.
"You Are Not A Song" - Come Down
This NYC band is going to have to get used to being compared to Radiohead, as both the dreamy, melodic ambiance it creates and singer Mark Pernice's slurry, emotive voice rather quickly bring the great British band to mind. But sounding like another band is not a bad thing--I mean, "Beatlesque" is not an insult; neither is "Radioheadesque" (although maybe we need a better coinage). To begin with, there are far worse bands to embrace as a major influence. Second, if rock'n'roll is to remain vital in the 21st century, it's important for sounds to establish themselves independently of any one band--too much fragmentation and there are too many islands, no mainland. Plus, when the band itself has talent, the more one listens, the more the apparently derivative work emerges with its own attributes and charms. I like the engaging interplay between acoustic and electric guitars here, and am particularly enamored of the droning guitar that accompanies much of the way through, adding a subtle ache to an already wistful song. Check out how the drone stutters and reverberates with added intensity in the second verse, but never (quite) overwhelms the melody. "You Are Not A Song" can be found on the band's self-released Happy Hunting EP; the MP3 is available on the band's web site.
"Waiting for October" - Polaris
A bouncy slice of good-natured rock'n'roll originally featured on the mid-'90s Nickelodeon show, "The Adventures of Pete & Pete." I hear a big dose ofSteve Wynn in this track, for you Steve Wynn fans, both in the tone of singer Mark Mulcahy's friendly voice and in the goofy good energy of the whole thing. One particularly endearing element here for me is the echoey background harmonies in the chorus, recalling another bunch of good-natured rock'n'roll goofballs, Jonathan Richman's Modern Lovers. Polaris was "Pete & Pete"'s "house band," more or less; the band sprang from the core of a Connecticut-based band called Miracle Legion, which featured Mulcahy as singer and songwriter. Mulcahy, in turn, began his career in the mid-'80s as a Michael Stipe-inspired jangly-guitar indie-rocker, but transformed over the years into more of an emotionally forward singer/songwriter type and is said to have inspired none other than Radiohead's Thom Yorke (him again) somewhere along the way. "Pete & Pete" was one of those shows that acquired a devoted cult following (many fans consider it the best TV show ever, in fact) while operating just below the pop cultural radar screen. The music was a definite part of the show, and "Waiting for October" is apparently a fan favorite. The song can be found on a CD released in 1999 called, simply enough, "Music From The Adventures of Pete & Pete" (Mezzotint Records).
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
week of June 6-12
"The Letter" - PJ Harvey
Energized by its ragged, syncopated beat, "The Letter" shows me within a measure or two that maybe, just maybe, I've been listening to a bit too much indie rock of late. Harvey's raw yet radiant assurance enlivens the music with a rich texture unlikely to be encountered in the lo-fi indie world. One of the most critically acclaimed singer/songwriters to come of age in the the midst of the "alternative rock" eruption of the early '90s, Harvey is back with her seventh CD, the just-released Uh Huh Her, on Island Records. The deep, fuzzy guitar that lends the song its arresting groove all but hypnotizes me even as Harvey's words--emerging in bursts between the guitar's funky drive--snap me to attention, as she effortlessly charges the act of letter-writing with brash eroticism, before resolving into cathartic wailing in the wordless chorus section. Listen to how she enriches the sound in the second verse, as the guitar is supplemented by a mysterious-sounding low-register vocal below and a judiciously added synthesizer above. Unfortunately the song is available through the creaky, ad-crazed Artist Direct site. The link above should take you to a page that allows you access to the download, rather than directly to the song; this is one of those that gives you a license allowing for a limited number of plays.
"You Are Not A Song" - Come Down
This NYC band is going to have to get used to being compared to Radiohead, as both the dreamy, melodic ambiance it creates and singer Mark Pernice's slurry, emotive voice rather quickly bring the great British band to mind. But sounding like another band is not a bad thing--I mean, "Beatlesque" is not an insult; neither is "Radioheadesque" (although maybe we need a better coinage). To begin with, there are far worse bands to embrace as a major influence. Second, if rock'n'roll is to remain vital in the 21st century, it's important for sounds to establish themselves independently of any one band--too much fragmentation and there are too many islands, no mainland. Plus, when the band itself has talent, the more one listens, the more the apparently derivative work emerges with its own attributes and charms. I like the engaging interplay between acoustic and electric guitars here, and am particularly enamored of the droning guitar that accompanies much of the way through, adding a subtle ache to an already wistful song. Check out how the drone stutters and reverberates with added intensity in the second verse, but never (quite) overwhelms the melody. "You Are Not A Song" can be found on the band's self-released Happy Hunting EP; the MP3 is available on the band's web site.
"Waiting for October" - Polaris
A bouncy slice of good-natured rock'n'roll originally featured on the mid-'90s Nickelodeon show, "The Adventures of Pete & Pete." I hear a big dose ofSteve Wynn in this track, for you Steve Wynn fans, both in the tone of singer Mark Mulcahy's friendly voice and in the goofy good energy of the whole thing. One particularly endearing element here for me is the echoey background harmonies in the chorus, recalling another bunch of good-natured rock'n'roll goofballs, Jonathan Richman's Modern Lovers. Polaris was "Pete & Pete"'s "house band," more or less; the band sprang from the core of a Connecticut-based band called Miracle Legion, which featured Mulcahy as singer and songwriter. Mulcahy, in turn, began his career in the mid-'80s as a Michael Stipe-inspired jangly-guitar indie-rocker, but transformed over the years into more of an emotionally forward singer/songwriter type and is said to have inspired none other than Radiohead's Thom Yorke (him again) somewhere along the way. "Pete & Pete" was one of those shows that acquired a devoted cult following (many fans consider it the best TV show ever, in fact) while operating just below the pop cultural radar screen. The music was a definite part of the show, and "Waiting for October" is apparently a fan favorite. The song can be found on a CD released in 1999 called, simply enough, "Music From The Adventures of Pete & Pete" (Mezzotint Records).
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
Monday, May 31, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of May 30-June 5
"Balloon Maker" - Midlake
Here's a band from Denton, Texas that's channeling a veritable history of British rock in one great, swirling package. I hear Salty Dog-era Procol Harum in here, a dash of Robyn Hitchcock, some Beatles of course, and even a touch of Radiohead, majestically and more than a little psychedelically mixed together. (I for one never realized how much Thom Yorke owes to Procol's Gary Brooker until these guys linked the two so clearly together.) "Balloon Maker" places you immediately in the middle of a fuzzy, orchestral wash of sound, and unfolds with quirky hesitations through the verse before unwrapping into a memorable chorus. Horns and chimes lend extra texture as the song develops, and before things get too stodgy, the synthesizer offers a dizzy solo three and a half minutes in. This song comes from the band's first full-length CD, Bamnan and Slivercork, to be released June 8th on Bella Union. The MP3 is located on the vast SXSW web site.
"Coin-Operated Boy" - the Dresden Dolls
The White Stripes have their guitar-and-drum, Led Zeppelin meets a couple of geeks from Detroit act; now we have the Dresden Dolls with their piano-and-drum, Kurt Weill meets a couple of punks from Boston act. It's hard to know what kind of shelf life this sort of duo will have, but the music ("Brechtian Punk Cabaret," as they label it themselves) certainly stands out in a crowd. And there are hints at a simmering sort of brilliance beneath what might at first glance seem like shtick. To begin with, there's the band's seemingly effortless knack for melody--the verse, for instance, is an extended line rather than a repeated phrase; the descending twist at the point when pianist/singer/songwriter Amanda Palmer sings "But I turn him on" is a great moment. The lyrics likewise reveal a sneaky capability, despite the pitfall of tromping through somewhat well-worn territory (lonely outsider imagining life with an artificial lover). Like here: "Coin-operated boy/All the other real ones that I destroy/Cannot hold a candle to my new boy and I'll/Never let him go..." Or, in particular, as the bridge starts, here: "This bridge was written to make you feel smittener/With my sad picture of girl getting bitterer." Note too that the narrator wants the robot not because she can't find a lover otherwise but because she's tired of how she easily chews up her real ones. Could be a band to pay close attention to. The song is found on the Dresden Dolls' self-titled CD, their first studio release, which came out in April; the MP3 comes from SXSW again.
"When I Wake Up" - the Fontaine Toups
I do like songs with "do-do-do-do"s in the them, I guess. Here's an appealingly straightforward rocker from the oddly-named band the Fontaine Toups--oddly named because the leader herself is, apparently, named Fontaine Toups. She used to be in a popular NYC-based band called Versus, which recorded five CDs through the '90s. "When I Wake Up" has a loose-limbed energy to it that plays well off Toups' Chrissie Hynde-like swagger. The song comes from the band's debut CD, released earlier this month on Teenbeat Records; the MP3 is located on the band's web site.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
week of May 30-June 5
"Balloon Maker" - Midlake
Here's a band from Denton, Texas that's channeling a veritable history of British rock in one great, swirling package. I hear Salty Dog-era Procol Harum in here, a dash of Robyn Hitchcock, some Beatles of course, and even a touch of Radiohead, majestically and more than a little psychedelically mixed together. (I for one never realized how much Thom Yorke owes to Procol's Gary Brooker until these guys linked the two so clearly together.) "Balloon Maker" places you immediately in the middle of a fuzzy, orchestral wash of sound, and unfolds with quirky hesitations through the verse before unwrapping into a memorable chorus. Horns and chimes lend extra texture as the song develops, and before things get too stodgy, the synthesizer offers a dizzy solo three and a half minutes in. This song comes from the band's first full-length CD, Bamnan and Slivercork, to be released June 8th on Bella Union. The MP3 is located on the vast SXSW web site.
"Coin-Operated Boy" - the Dresden Dolls
The White Stripes have their guitar-and-drum, Led Zeppelin meets a couple of geeks from Detroit act; now we have the Dresden Dolls with their piano-and-drum, Kurt Weill meets a couple of punks from Boston act. It's hard to know what kind of shelf life this sort of duo will have, but the music ("Brechtian Punk Cabaret," as they label it themselves) certainly stands out in a crowd. And there are hints at a simmering sort of brilliance beneath what might at first glance seem like shtick. To begin with, there's the band's seemingly effortless knack for melody--the verse, for instance, is an extended line rather than a repeated phrase; the descending twist at the point when pianist/singer/songwriter Amanda Palmer sings "But I turn him on" is a great moment. The lyrics likewise reveal a sneaky capability, despite the pitfall of tromping through somewhat well-worn territory (lonely outsider imagining life with an artificial lover). Like here: "Coin-operated boy/All the other real ones that I destroy/Cannot hold a candle to my new boy and I'll/Never let him go..." Or, in particular, as the bridge starts, here: "This bridge was written to make you feel smittener/With my sad picture of girl getting bitterer." Note too that the narrator wants the robot not because she can't find a lover otherwise but because she's tired of how she easily chews up her real ones. Could be a band to pay close attention to. The song is found on the Dresden Dolls' self-titled CD, their first studio release, which came out in April; the MP3 comes from SXSW again.
"When I Wake Up" - the Fontaine Toups
I do like songs with "do-do-do-do"s in the them, I guess. Here's an appealingly straightforward rocker from the oddly-named band the Fontaine Toups--oddly named because the leader herself is, apparently, named Fontaine Toups. She used to be in a popular NYC-based band called Versus, which recorded five CDs through the '90s. "When I Wake Up" has a loose-limbed energy to it that plays well off Toups' Chrissie Hynde-like swagger. The song comes from the band's debut CD, released earlier this month on Teenbeat Records; the MP3 is located on the band's web site.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
Monday, May 24, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of May 23-29
"Their Biggest Win" - Robert Pollard
A quirky blend of the difficult and the catchy, "Their Biggest Win" starts with a series of unadorned electric guitar chords that don't quite mesh with a time signature; when the drums kick in, the beat appears to regularize, but hold on--when the bass, now, comes aboard the song shifts into yet another beat. Soon it's time for Pollard's voice, and even this is cause for a less-than-straightforward listening experience, as he starts off with a lower register sort of growl--I swear he sounds like Ian Dury for a moment or two here. The verse, such as it is, is an interesting series of semi-audible three- and four-syllable phrases that build melodically, rather than repeat. Just as I'm about to throw my hands up at how nothing ties together, suddenly everything ties together as the song bursts forth with a crunchy, sing-along-ish chorus. This time I can hear the words but I still don't know what he's saying. But hey, I'll admit I can't begin to explain Robert Pollard, long-time mastermind of legendary indie-rock band Guided By Voices. The guy has released about a hundred thousand records over the last 15 years or so, most as GBV, but sometimes as a solo artist. This song comes from a new solo CD called Fiction Man, part of something called the "Fading Captain" series (I have no idea what that's about). I do know that this is the first CD Pollard has put out since announcing last month that GBV will be splitting up by the end of the year. Which means there's probably a good three or four GBV CDs to come before then.
"Ventilaor R–80" - Ojos de Brujo
And now for something completely different. I will admit to being someone who appreciates the impact that hip-hop has on other music more than I enjoy the actual hip-hop I've heard, at least so far. This may be the melody thing, to begin with--I respond much more deeply to songs that have melodies and musical structure rather than rhythmic structure and a collage-y approach to sound. That said, the rhythmic and sonic innovation introduced to music by hip-hop is clearly a huge reservoir of inspiration for musicians around the world. Perhaps I simply have to get in the back door like this--stumbling upon a band from Barcelona that produces an exotic amalgam of hip-hop, flamenco, dance, and folk. Yeah so I'm really in over my head here, as flamenco is its own universe, full of its own rules and regulations; apparently Ojos de Brujo (which translates, I think, to Wizard Eyes, or something like that) flouts all sorts of conventions in creating their sound. In any case, I'm loving how the musical elements that are so overtly Spanish--the style and substance of the acoustic guitar, the precise flamenco rhythms--manage to work so exuberantly with the elements that derive from hip-hop (the rap-inflected vocals, the so-called "turntablism" effects). "Ventilaor R-80" is a song on the band's CD Bari, released in Spain in 2002; as released in this country this month, the song has been called "Ventilaor Rhumba." The MP3 comes from the Flamenco World web site.
"Kelly Grand Forks" - Joel R. L. Phelps & the Downer Trio
Joel R. L. Phelps has an unusual name and a down-to-earth electric guitar sound that's one part Neil Young, one part...well, someone else. My mind's not working too effectively this morning. "Kelly Grand Forks" chugs along with an urgent rhythm section tension that helps expand this song beyond the confines of a typical roots-rocker. Another independent singer/songwriter laboring in relative obscurity (it's big, big world out there of independent singer/songwriters laboring in relative obscurity), Phelps is gifted with a strong, throaty voice that pulls you in when he sings in the middle ranges, then just slays you when he goes for the higher notes. For what appears to be another jilted lover's tale, this song shows me an unexpected lyrical depth, enhanced by Phelps' delivery, and the accumlating force of the guitar work. "Kelly Grand Forks" is found on Phelps' new CD, Customs (12xU/Moneyshot Records). The MP3 comes via the 12xU label site.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
week of May 23-29
"Their Biggest Win" - Robert Pollard
A quirky blend of the difficult and the catchy, "Their Biggest Win" starts with a series of unadorned electric guitar chords that don't quite mesh with a time signature; when the drums kick in, the beat appears to regularize, but hold on--when the bass, now, comes aboard the song shifts into yet another beat. Soon it's time for Pollard's voice, and even this is cause for a less-than-straightforward listening experience, as he starts off with a lower register sort of growl--I swear he sounds like Ian Dury for a moment or two here. The verse, such as it is, is an interesting series of semi-audible three- and four-syllable phrases that build melodically, rather than repeat. Just as I'm about to throw my hands up at how nothing ties together, suddenly everything ties together as the song bursts forth with a crunchy, sing-along-ish chorus. This time I can hear the words but I still don't know what he's saying. But hey, I'll admit I can't begin to explain Robert Pollard, long-time mastermind of legendary indie-rock band Guided By Voices. The guy has released about a hundred thousand records over the last 15 years or so, most as GBV, but sometimes as a solo artist. This song comes from a new solo CD called Fiction Man, part of something called the "Fading Captain" series (I have no idea what that's about). I do know that this is the first CD Pollard has put out since announcing last month that GBV will be splitting up by the end of the year. Which means there's probably a good three or four GBV CDs to come before then.
"Ventilaor R–80" - Ojos de Brujo
And now for something completely different. I will admit to being someone who appreciates the impact that hip-hop has on other music more than I enjoy the actual hip-hop I've heard, at least so far. This may be the melody thing, to begin with--I respond much more deeply to songs that have melodies and musical structure rather than rhythmic structure and a collage-y approach to sound. That said, the rhythmic and sonic innovation introduced to music by hip-hop is clearly a huge reservoir of inspiration for musicians around the world. Perhaps I simply have to get in the back door like this--stumbling upon a band from Barcelona that produces an exotic amalgam of hip-hop, flamenco, dance, and folk. Yeah so I'm really in over my head here, as flamenco is its own universe, full of its own rules and regulations; apparently Ojos de Brujo (which translates, I think, to Wizard Eyes, or something like that) flouts all sorts of conventions in creating their sound. In any case, I'm loving how the musical elements that are so overtly Spanish--the style and substance of the acoustic guitar, the precise flamenco rhythms--manage to work so exuberantly with the elements that derive from hip-hop (the rap-inflected vocals, the so-called "turntablism" effects). "Ventilaor R-80" is a song on the band's CD Bari, released in Spain in 2002; as released in this country this month, the song has been called "Ventilaor Rhumba." The MP3 comes from the Flamenco World web site.
"Kelly Grand Forks" - Joel R. L. Phelps & the Downer Trio
Joel R. L. Phelps has an unusual name and a down-to-earth electric guitar sound that's one part Neil Young, one part...well, someone else. My mind's not working too effectively this morning. "Kelly Grand Forks" chugs along with an urgent rhythm section tension that helps expand this song beyond the confines of a typical roots-rocker. Another independent singer/songwriter laboring in relative obscurity (it's big, big world out there of independent singer/songwriters laboring in relative obscurity), Phelps is gifted with a strong, throaty voice that pulls you in when he sings in the middle ranges, then just slays you when he goes for the higher notes. For what appears to be another jilted lover's tale, this song shows me an unexpected lyrical depth, enhanced by Phelps' delivery, and the accumlating force of the guitar work. "Kelly Grand Forks" is found on Phelps' new CD, Customs (12xU/Moneyshot Records). The MP3 comes via the 12xU label site.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
Monday, May 10, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of May 9-15
"Primitive (The Way I Treat You)" - Ambulance LTD
The same young NYC band behind the gorgeous, spacey "Stay Where You Are" reveals a gratifying versatility as they've come forward with their first full-length CD. In place of the ringing melodicism of "Stay Where You Are," "Primitive" arrives with a down-and-dirty groove, complete with a stomping keyboard riff and squonky guitars. Singer Marcus Congelton alternates fetchingly between a blase, Lou Reed-i-ness in the spoken-sung verses and a sweeter, yearning vocal in the chorus. Here is one new band fully comfortable with the length and breadth of rock'n'roll history, a fact further revealed by what they've chosen to call their CD: LP. Gotta love that. The MP3 can be accessed through the TVT Records web site, but you will need to provide an email address and postal code to get it.
"Slung-lo" - Erin McKeown
Before there was Nelly McKay, on her teenaged rampage to become the next fresh face of pop, there was Erin McKeown, mining some of the same territory from a twenty-something perspective, but unfortunately (or not?) lacking McKay's publicity machine. This song has an old-fashioned, finger-snapping jauntiness to it (much like McKay's "David," which came later) that charms me enough to overlook the lyrical theme, which appears to be writer's block. I don't really like hearing from writers--be they book authors or songwriters--about writer's block. Either write, or don't; writing about having trouble writing is a cheap dodge (unless you're Charlie Kaufman), and usually boring as hell (unless you're Charlie Kaufman). But, heck, at least the vibrant McKeown doesn't belabor the point (the song's only 2:47). The MP3 can be found on SXSW.com's elusive but worthwhile MP3 storehouse (soon to be written up in the Music Site Guide). The song can be found on her 2003 CD Grand, released on Nettwerk Records.
"Grave's Disease" - Matt Pond PA
Another accomplished, nuanced, and engaging song from Matt Pond PA. While continually associated with the so-called "chamber pop" movement, for its use of cello and violin, the band is more instructively associated, to my ears, with '80s bands like the Cure (in its radio-friendly phase) and the Smiths--the Cure for its easy way with driving pop (not to mention a tone in Pond's voice that brings Robert Smith to mind), the Smiths for that band's idiosyncratic way of using upbeat but minor-key acoustic rhythms to drive their unusual yet accessible songs. Propelled by clipped, enigmatic vocal phrases, "Grave's Disease" unfolds with a gentle sort of urgency and a subtle acquisition of musical themes over the course of the song. It will be found on the band's new CD, Emblems, which is scheduled to be released next week on Altitude Records; the MP3 can be found on Insound.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
week of May 9-15
"Primitive (The Way I Treat You)" - Ambulance LTD
The same young NYC band behind the gorgeous, spacey "Stay Where You Are" reveals a gratifying versatility as they've come forward with their first full-length CD. In place of the ringing melodicism of "Stay Where You Are," "Primitive" arrives with a down-and-dirty groove, complete with a stomping keyboard riff and squonky guitars. Singer Marcus Congelton alternates fetchingly between a blase, Lou Reed-i-ness in the spoken-sung verses and a sweeter, yearning vocal in the chorus. Here is one new band fully comfortable with the length and breadth of rock'n'roll history, a fact further revealed by what they've chosen to call their CD: LP. Gotta love that. The MP3 can be accessed through the TVT Records web site, but you will need to provide an email address and postal code to get it.
"Slung-lo" - Erin McKeown
Before there was Nelly McKay, on her teenaged rampage to become the next fresh face of pop, there was Erin McKeown, mining some of the same territory from a twenty-something perspective, but unfortunately (or not?) lacking McKay's publicity machine. This song has an old-fashioned, finger-snapping jauntiness to it (much like McKay's "David," which came later) that charms me enough to overlook the lyrical theme, which appears to be writer's block. I don't really like hearing from writers--be they book authors or songwriters--about writer's block. Either write, or don't; writing about having trouble writing is a cheap dodge (unless you're Charlie Kaufman), and usually boring as hell (unless you're Charlie Kaufman). But, heck, at least the vibrant McKeown doesn't belabor the point (the song's only 2:47). The MP3 can be found on SXSW.com's elusive but worthwhile MP3 storehouse (soon to be written up in the Music Site Guide). The song can be found on her 2003 CD Grand, released on Nettwerk Records.
"Grave's Disease" - Matt Pond PA
Another accomplished, nuanced, and engaging song from Matt Pond PA. While continually associated with the so-called "chamber pop" movement, for its use of cello and violin, the band is more instructively associated, to my ears, with '80s bands like the Cure (in its radio-friendly phase) and the Smiths--the Cure for its easy way with driving pop (not to mention a tone in Pond's voice that brings Robert Smith to mind), the Smiths for that band's idiosyncratic way of using upbeat but minor-key acoustic rhythms to drive their unusual yet accessible songs. Propelled by clipped, enigmatic vocal phrases, "Grave's Disease" unfolds with a gentle sort of urgency and a subtle acquisition of musical themes over the course of the song. It will be found on the band's new CD, Emblems, which is scheduled to be released next week on Altitude Records; the MP3 can be found on Insound.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
Monday, May 03, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of May 2-8
"Of Course It Is" - Clann Zú
I am immediately engaged by the way musical elements accumulate through the course of this song's unhurried introduction: first a warm, deep guitar and a spare bass; then the drum kit, cymbally and intriguingly off the beat; as the drums settle on firmer ground, the guitar moves up in register, and clarifies the riff; a rolling snare opens up both space and tension, the music gains in intensity, and then, at the moment of greatest frenzy, in comes something that sounds at first like a voice singing in another room. Actually it's a violin. Fully two and a half minutes thus pass before we hear the singer, a Bono-like lad from Australia named Declan de Barra. His entry galvanizes the rest of the piece, which has dynamics aplenty to offer during its second half, including some inspired drumming, dramatic violin colors, and a simple but unexpectedly poetic lyric that infuses the music with depth and grandeur, even as the music does the same for the words. The band comes from Melbourne; "Of Course It Is" can be found on an EP released in 2001. A full-length CD, entitled Rúa, came out in the fall of 2003, on G7 Welcoming Committee Records.
"Motel Sex" - Danny Cohen
With a musical history dating back to the early '60s, Danny Cohen is something of an underground legend, about which not much is known and a fair amount has been invented. But along the way he acquired some impressive fans--including Tom Waits and Ray Davies--and is about to re-emerge after decades on the fringe with a release on a semi-major label, entitled Dannyland. Cohen's voice may be quirky and unpolished but the overall musical package is anything but--the playing is beautiful and nuanced, the setting extraordinarily well-crafted, oozing with a full-bodied knowledge of rock history, and yet full of neat little surprises, particularly in the skewed edges of the guitar work. In a touch apparently indicative of his subversive humor, the song is really about Motel 6, but of course he couldn't use a company name like that so altered it by one letter. Dannyland is due out later this month, on Anti Records.
"Fashion Party" - Daniele Luppi
And when the aggressive harshness of human life in 2004 becomes too much for me, I have now a wondrous musical escape hatch. Daniele Luppi is an Italian composer who has written, produced, and arranged an album that is a living homage to the indelible sound of late '60s and early '70s Italian film scores. Inspired by composers such as Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota, Luppi has himself written music that equally evokes (to quote the precise and effective description on his web site) "a glorious, color-saturated world of zippy sports cars, plastic pop-art furniture, luxurious villas and all-night discotheques." And here's the thing: Luppi isn't some young, mad computer genius alone in a room with a 32-track digital recorder. Rather, he knew he could not legitimately recreate the music without employing the musicians who themselves had made it. And so he hired the three surviving members of Marc 4 to play his new compositions (Marc 4 was the name of the quartet that played on literally hundreds of '60s and '70s Italian film soundtracks, much the way the Funk Brothers played on so many Motown records). He even recorded everything in the studio of Marc 4 bassist Maurizio Majorana, where much of the original music was produced. The resulting sound leaps from the speakers: sprightly guitars strumming against a dark, slithery bass line, setting the stage for--of course!--a whistle. (Luppi, true to form, hired the same whistler employed famously for Sergio Leone's spaghetti-weseterns.) Much of the atmosphere and charm of the song, to me, emerges from the whistled melody's snarky intervals--that is, the musical distance between adjacent notes: half-steps here, minor-sixth leaps there, and many other sly twists. The whole thing is driven by an assured, funky beat, colored by a bit of Hammond organ below and a sexy trumpet up on top. The CD is called The Italian Story, and was released on Rhino Records in February.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
week of May 2-8
"Of Course It Is" - Clann Zú
I am immediately engaged by the way musical elements accumulate through the course of this song's unhurried introduction: first a warm, deep guitar and a spare bass; then the drum kit, cymbally and intriguingly off the beat; as the drums settle on firmer ground, the guitar moves up in register, and clarifies the riff; a rolling snare opens up both space and tension, the music gains in intensity, and then, at the moment of greatest frenzy, in comes something that sounds at first like a voice singing in another room. Actually it's a violin. Fully two and a half minutes thus pass before we hear the singer, a Bono-like lad from Australia named Declan de Barra. His entry galvanizes the rest of the piece, which has dynamics aplenty to offer during its second half, including some inspired drumming, dramatic violin colors, and a simple but unexpectedly poetic lyric that infuses the music with depth and grandeur, even as the music does the same for the words. The band comes from Melbourne; "Of Course It Is" can be found on an EP released in 2001. A full-length CD, entitled Rúa, came out in the fall of 2003, on G7 Welcoming Committee Records.
"Motel Sex" - Danny Cohen
With a musical history dating back to the early '60s, Danny Cohen is something of an underground legend, about which not much is known and a fair amount has been invented. But along the way he acquired some impressive fans--including Tom Waits and Ray Davies--and is about to re-emerge after decades on the fringe with a release on a semi-major label, entitled Dannyland. Cohen's voice may be quirky and unpolished but the overall musical package is anything but--the playing is beautiful and nuanced, the setting extraordinarily well-crafted, oozing with a full-bodied knowledge of rock history, and yet full of neat little surprises, particularly in the skewed edges of the guitar work. In a touch apparently indicative of his subversive humor, the song is really about Motel 6, but of course he couldn't use a company name like that so altered it by one letter. Dannyland is due out later this month, on Anti Records.
"Fashion Party" - Daniele Luppi
And when the aggressive harshness of human life in 2004 becomes too much for me, I have now a wondrous musical escape hatch. Daniele Luppi is an Italian composer who has written, produced, and arranged an album that is a living homage to the indelible sound of late '60s and early '70s Italian film scores. Inspired by composers such as Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota, Luppi has himself written music that equally evokes (to quote the precise and effective description on his web site) "a glorious, color-saturated world of zippy sports cars, plastic pop-art furniture, luxurious villas and all-night discotheques." And here's the thing: Luppi isn't some young, mad computer genius alone in a room with a 32-track digital recorder. Rather, he knew he could not legitimately recreate the music without employing the musicians who themselves had made it. And so he hired the three surviving members of Marc 4 to play his new compositions (Marc 4 was the name of the quartet that played on literally hundreds of '60s and '70s Italian film soundtracks, much the way the Funk Brothers played on so many Motown records). He even recorded everything in the studio of Marc 4 bassist Maurizio Majorana, where much of the original music was produced. The resulting sound leaps from the speakers: sprightly guitars strumming against a dark, slithery bass line, setting the stage for--of course!--a whistle. (Luppi, true to form, hired the same whistler employed famously for Sergio Leone's spaghetti-weseterns.) Much of the atmosphere and charm of the song, to me, emerges from the whistled melody's snarky intervals--that is, the musical distance between adjacent notes: half-steps here, minor-sixth leaps there, and many other sly twists. The whole thing is driven by an assured, funky beat, colored by a bit of Hammond organ below and a sexy trumpet up on top. The CD is called The Italian Story, and was released on Rhino Records in February.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option.
Monday, April 26, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of Apr. 25-May 1
"Fall or Stumble" - Lying in States
Simultaneously thumpy and smooth, discordant and musical, "Fall or Stumble" is a shot of intense 21st-century rock'n'roll--complicated, smart, edgy, and well-produced. I knew I was in good hands from the start, when the big-beated groove established by the drums was joined first by a gentle, subtly off-kilter bit of keyboard vamping and then by a couple of buzzy, offbeat blurts from the electric guitar. Pay attention to the guitar all the way through here--the band has two guitarists, in fact, and they work together to inform the song with a searing buzz underneath and a razor-like brassiness above. Singer/guitarist Ben Clarke's voice sounds electronically compressed--a la Julian Casablancas in the Strokes--but the effect isn't in your face as much because of the gratifying musical texture that exists around him. And while Clarke sings in the same range as Casablancas, I find his ability to sing powerfully both with and without restraint to be more reminiscent of Radiohead's Thom Yorke than anyone else I can think of. Lying in States is a Chicago-based band that has been playing live to much acclaim since 1999; "Fall or Stumble" comes from their first full-length CD, Most Every Night, released earlier this year on Flameshovel Records.
"One More Time" - the French Kicks
Notwithstanding the itchy dance beat and drummer/singer Nick Stumpf's vocal resemblance to Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's Andy McCluskey, "One More Time" emerges with repeated listens as far more than an '80s retread. The synthesizer that cascades down as if from heaven in the first verse is actually more of a hip-retro sound (trip-hoppy, perhaps) than something from, say, Depeche Mode; the shining electric guitar brought in to mirror the synthesizer line in the second verse is also not an '80s sound. Then there's the strange, momentum-shifting chorus, which consists more or less of one repeated note, in what sounds like three-part harmony. This brings 10cc to mind, oddly enough, the second time in particular, when the voices are accompanied by the pounding of an insistent keyboard beneath the surface. So we've got a lot of generations of rock'n'roll at work here, to shimmering effect. The French Kicks are based in NYC; "One More Time" will be found on Trial of the Century, due out in May on Startime International.
"On Parade" - Electrelane
After releasing an all-instrumental debut, the British band Electrelane has opened itself up to a bit of vocalizing on its second CD, The Power Out. Keyboardist/guitarist Verity Susman's singing is idiosyncratic to say the least, alternating between gruffly spat, largely inaudible phrases and wordless whoops, but the chugging energy--part ska, part surf, part punk--of the two-chord riff keeps me engaged throughout this short song. The shortness itself is interesting, as the band's first CD, Rock It to the Moon, was notable for a number of extended, noodly instrumentals (including one that clocked in at 22 minutes). The Power Out was released in February on the fiercely arty British label, Too Pure Records.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option. Go here to learn more.
week of Apr. 25-May 1
"Fall or Stumble" - Lying in States
Simultaneously thumpy and smooth, discordant and musical, "Fall or Stumble" is a shot of intense 21st-century rock'n'roll--complicated, smart, edgy, and well-produced. I knew I was in good hands from the start, when the big-beated groove established by the drums was joined first by a gentle, subtly off-kilter bit of keyboard vamping and then by a couple of buzzy, offbeat blurts from the electric guitar. Pay attention to the guitar all the way through here--the band has two guitarists, in fact, and they work together to inform the song with a searing buzz underneath and a razor-like brassiness above. Singer/guitarist Ben Clarke's voice sounds electronically compressed--a la Julian Casablancas in the Strokes--but the effect isn't in your face as much because of the gratifying musical texture that exists around him. And while Clarke sings in the same range as Casablancas, I find his ability to sing powerfully both with and without restraint to be more reminiscent of Radiohead's Thom Yorke than anyone else I can think of. Lying in States is a Chicago-based band that has been playing live to much acclaim since 1999; "Fall or Stumble" comes from their first full-length CD, Most Every Night, released earlier this year on Flameshovel Records.
"One More Time" - the French Kicks
Notwithstanding the itchy dance beat and drummer/singer Nick Stumpf's vocal resemblance to Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's Andy McCluskey, "One More Time" emerges with repeated listens as far more than an '80s retread. The synthesizer that cascades down as if from heaven in the first verse is actually more of a hip-retro sound (trip-hoppy, perhaps) than something from, say, Depeche Mode; the shining electric guitar brought in to mirror the synthesizer line in the second verse is also not an '80s sound. Then there's the strange, momentum-shifting chorus, which consists more or less of one repeated note, in what sounds like three-part harmony. This brings 10cc to mind, oddly enough, the second time in particular, when the voices are accompanied by the pounding of an insistent keyboard beneath the surface. So we've got a lot of generations of rock'n'roll at work here, to shimmering effect. The French Kicks are based in NYC; "One More Time" will be found on Trial of the Century, due out in May on Startime International.
"On Parade" - Electrelane
After releasing an all-instrumental debut, the British band Electrelane has opened itself up to a bit of vocalizing on its second CD, The Power Out. Keyboardist/guitarist Verity Susman's singing is idiosyncratic to say the least, alternating between gruffly spat, largely inaudible phrases and wordless whoops, but the chugging energy--part ska, part surf, part punk--of the two-chord riff keeps me engaged throughout this short song. The shortness itself is interesting, as the band's first CD, Rock It to the Moon, was notable for a number of extended, noodly instrumentals (including one that clocked in at 22 minutes). The Power Out was released in February on the fiercely arty British label, Too Pure Records.
Fingertips gratefully accepts donations, and suggests $5 a year as an affordable option. Go here to learn more.
Monday, April 19, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of Apr. 18-24
"2nd Gun" - Volcano, I'm Still Excited!!
The excessively punctutated, impenetrably silly name may not even be the strangest thing about this group--I vote instead for the fact that the band is a trio featuring guitar, drum, and a $10 Casio keyboard. Now that's strange. What emerges from the combination is a little strange too, but urgent and oddly compelling nonetheless. For a short song, "2nd Gun" covers a lot of ground, its twitchy intro and nervous chord progressions giving way to a cathartically catchy chorus. For me, this music recalls the effect Talking Heads:77 had, the way the songs were both over-the-top quirky and yet somehow, underneath it all, comforting and familiar. Time will tell if VISE has Talking Heads-like substance and innovation to offer us, but today's diffuse and insular rock scene could sure use a strange-pure blast like that. The song comes from the band's eponymous debut CD, released in January on Polyvinyl Records. There are 16 songs on the record, most between two and three minutes in length; the one I'm most curious about is the last one, which is called "Two Exclamation Points." Perhaps the name is explained? At least a hint or two?
"Alone Again Or" - Calexico
This is all but irresistible--on the one hand because of the power of the original song but on the other hand for how giddily well this '60s nugget works when run through Calexico's Southwestern blender. "Alone Again Or" opened Forever Changes, the 1967 masterpiece from the West Coast band Love; here it is brilliantly re-conceived as a Mexican-style rave-up, from the precision of the acoustic rhythm and lead guitars to the hand-clap accompaniment and, best of all, the poignant, incisive trumpet solo. This is one of those songs that brings an involuntary smile to my face as I listen; music (as opposed to lyrics) that prompts smiling or laughing is often some of the best there is. The song comes from Convict Pool, a six-song EP--featuring three covers--released this month on Quarterstick Records.
"When I Laugh" - the Glands
The Athens, Georgia-based Glands mix a lot of influences in their sonic stew, but it's the Kinks in particular who haunt this chugging little number. Fading in on a distorted guitar riff, the song hits the ground running when singer/songwriter/guitarist Ross Shapiro gives us his best Ray Davies-ish drawl (listen in particular to his delivery of the words "laugh" or "everybody") over a deceptively tight beat; the background "doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo"s drive home the Kinks homage, along with a Dave Davies-like guitar break two-thirds of the way through. Me, I like to champion the overlooked Kinks whenever I can, and particularly enjoy discovering younger musicians who have studied the monumental Davies songbook. "When I Laugh" can be found on the band's second CD, simply called The Glands, released on Velocette Records in 2000; the MP3 comes courtesy of Epitonic.
week of Apr. 18-24
"2nd Gun" - Volcano, I'm Still Excited!!
The excessively punctutated, impenetrably silly name may not even be the strangest thing about this group--I vote instead for the fact that the band is a trio featuring guitar, drum, and a $10 Casio keyboard. Now that's strange. What emerges from the combination is a little strange too, but urgent and oddly compelling nonetheless. For a short song, "2nd Gun" covers a lot of ground, its twitchy intro and nervous chord progressions giving way to a cathartically catchy chorus. For me, this music recalls the effect Talking Heads:77 had, the way the songs were both over-the-top quirky and yet somehow, underneath it all, comforting and familiar. Time will tell if VISE has Talking Heads-like substance and innovation to offer us, but today's diffuse and insular rock scene could sure use a strange-pure blast like that. The song comes from the band's eponymous debut CD, released in January on Polyvinyl Records. There are 16 songs on the record, most between two and three minutes in length; the one I'm most curious about is the last one, which is called "Two Exclamation Points." Perhaps the name is explained? At least a hint or two?
"Alone Again Or" - Calexico
This is all but irresistible--on the one hand because of the power of the original song but on the other hand for how giddily well this '60s nugget works when run through Calexico's Southwestern blender. "Alone Again Or" opened Forever Changes, the 1967 masterpiece from the West Coast band Love; here it is brilliantly re-conceived as a Mexican-style rave-up, from the precision of the acoustic rhythm and lead guitars to the hand-clap accompaniment and, best of all, the poignant, incisive trumpet solo. This is one of those songs that brings an involuntary smile to my face as I listen; music (as opposed to lyrics) that prompts smiling or laughing is often some of the best there is. The song comes from Convict Pool, a six-song EP--featuring three covers--released this month on Quarterstick Records.
"When I Laugh" - the Glands
The Athens, Georgia-based Glands mix a lot of influences in their sonic stew, but it's the Kinks in particular who haunt this chugging little number. Fading in on a distorted guitar riff, the song hits the ground running when singer/songwriter/guitarist Ross Shapiro gives us his best Ray Davies-ish drawl (listen in particular to his delivery of the words "laugh" or "everybody") over a deceptively tight beat; the background "doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo"s drive home the Kinks homage, along with a Dave Davies-like guitar break two-thirds of the way through. Me, I like to champion the overlooked Kinks whenever I can, and particularly enjoy discovering younger musicians who have studied the monumental Davies songbook. "When I Laugh" can be found on the band's second CD, simply called The Glands, released on Velocette Records in 2000; the MP3 comes courtesy of Epitonic.
Monday, April 12, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of Apr. 11-17
"Underdog Victorious" - Jill Sobule
Jill Sobule has an uncanny gift for putting big, memorable melodies into her offbeat songs, where I kind of least expect them. From the piano-driven opening stomp to the beautiful modulation in the second half of the verse (that is, the mysteriously gratifying chords she shifts into with the words "Four o'clock when he got home...") to the seriously anthemic chorus, "Underdog Victorious" blazes with confidence from beginning to end. With sonic heft and lyrical grit, Sobule consistently undermines my expectations of what a singer/songwriter can sound like; her large and polished sound likewise runs counter to what one typically hears from musicians who record independently. Warren Zevon once called her "a cross between Tolstoy and the tomahawk thrower at the Cheyenne rodeo." Not sure what that means, but what the heck, it's a good quote, and indicative if nothing else of Sobule's depth, talent, and wacky artistic courage. This song is new, not yet released on an album, but available on her web site.
"Lie in the Sound" - Trespassers William
With a big, melancholic tip of the hat towards bands like Mazzy Star and the Cowboy Junkies, the California band Trespassers William serves up a fetching and affecting version of that sort of sad, deep, and distant dream pop. The key to this song's success, to my ears, is the strength of the melody in the chorus. Too often bands on this path bog down in their own dreaminess; Mazzy Star's well-known "Fade Into You," offered little more than four- or five-note melodic phrases, repeated. "Lie in the Sound" gives us both the dreamy vibe and the extra lift of an honest, beautiful melody anchoring the song at its center. "Lie in the Sound" can be found on Different Stars, released in 2002 on Bella Union Records.
"Perfect Weapon" - Communique
A big, brash homage to the so-called "New Romantic" movement of the early '80s, "Perfect Weapon" comes at us like an ABC reunion, complete with a re-use of the phrase "poison arrows" (the British band ABC had a hit song called "Poison Arrow") and a lead singer who sounds vaguely British, even as the band hails from Oakland. The dance beat is pure '80s; the minor-key urgency of the synthesizer riff will have you glancing over your shoulder for Midge Ure (the emotive singer who fronted Ultravox at the height of their hit single career phase). And yet for all the echoes from a bygone era, the song has a here-and-now chutzpah to it. Communique's debut CD, Poison Arrows, will be released in June on Lookout Records.
week of Apr. 11-17
"Underdog Victorious" - Jill Sobule
Jill Sobule has an uncanny gift for putting big, memorable melodies into her offbeat songs, where I kind of least expect them. From the piano-driven opening stomp to the beautiful modulation in the second half of the verse (that is, the mysteriously gratifying chords she shifts into with the words "Four o'clock when he got home...") to the seriously anthemic chorus, "Underdog Victorious" blazes with confidence from beginning to end. With sonic heft and lyrical grit, Sobule consistently undermines my expectations of what a singer/songwriter can sound like; her large and polished sound likewise runs counter to what one typically hears from musicians who record independently. Warren Zevon once called her "a cross between Tolstoy and the tomahawk thrower at the Cheyenne rodeo." Not sure what that means, but what the heck, it's a good quote, and indicative if nothing else of Sobule's depth, talent, and wacky artistic courage. This song is new, not yet released on an album, but available on her web site.
"Lie in the Sound" - Trespassers William
With a big, melancholic tip of the hat towards bands like Mazzy Star and the Cowboy Junkies, the California band Trespassers William serves up a fetching and affecting version of that sort of sad, deep, and distant dream pop. The key to this song's success, to my ears, is the strength of the melody in the chorus. Too often bands on this path bog down in their own dreaminess; Mazzy Star's well-known "Fade Into You," offered little more than four- or five-note melodic phrases, repeated. "Lie in the Sound" gives us both the dreamy vibe and the extra lift of an honest, beautiful melody anchoring the song at its center. "Lie in the Sound" can be found on Different Stars, released in 2002 on Bella Union Records.
"Perfect Weapon" - Communique
A big, brash homage to the so-called "New Romantic" movement of the early '80s, "Perfect Weapon" comes at us like an ABC reunion, complete with a re-use of the phrase "poison arrows" (the British band ABC had a hit song called "Poison Arrow") and a lead singer who sounds vaguely British, even as the band hails from Oakland. The dance beat is pure '80s; the minor-key urgency of the synthesizer riff will have you glancing over your shoulder for Midge Ure (the emotive singer who fronted Ultravox at the height of their hit single career phase). And yet for all the echoes from a bygone era, the song has a here-and-now chutzpah to it. Communique's debut CD, Poison Arrows, will be released in June on Lookout Records.
Monday, April 05, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of Apr. 4-10
"Cloud Room" - Laura Veirs
Hang in there through the up-front, wavering, slightly out of tune vocals at the outset of this one--the pay-off is deep and moving. Laura Veirs may well be one of the most accomplished of America's unknown singer/songwriters; "Cloud Room" hits a groove quickly, snaking into my consciousness with its assured beat, astute instrumentation, and some wonderful chords. For a performer with a somewhat geeky presentation (according to one British critic, she resembles a young Woody Allen, of all people), Veirs has an unexpectedly commanding presence. The music floats in a dream-like place straddling the familiar and the entirely fresh; a few listens to "Cloud Room" has me realizing once and for all that the 21st century has fully arrived. Indicative of her tendency to perform frequently in Europe, her new CD, Carbon Glacier, where this song comes from, has been released overseas but not in the U.S. at this point.
"The Dream is Over" - MK Ultra
Time to dip back into the rich John Vanderslice MP3 trove, this time to point you in the direction of his unheralded work with the band MK Ultra. "The Dream Is Over" opens with an itchy, insistent acoustic guitar, on top of which arrive some lush but unresolved harmonies (they sound like suspended fourths; so okay this must be great chord week here), and now he's got you set up, the subtle musical tension extending through a repetition of the words "It's unbelievably sad"; on the second "sad," the music glides into unabashed gorgeousness, with melodies and harmonies straight from the Simon & Garfunkel songbook. And yet there's still a keen skewedness about the song, both lyrically--"I was relieved/As a broken sweat"--and instrumentally (listen for a great duet between distorted fuzz guitars about halfway through). MK Ultra recorded between 1993 and 2000; Vanderslice has been on his own since then, and is really worth looking into. In case you're curious, the band's name came from a secret (and rather terrible) series of mind control experiments apparently performed by the CIA in the 1950s. Now you know.
"Believe" - Earl Slick (with Robert Smith)
How almost foolishly tickled I sometimes feel to hear an old familiar voice, after a long time, singing something new. This can happen even when I don't remember being a particular fan of the voice in the first place. So here's yet another '80s icon (watch out, they're popping up all over the place these days), the Cure's Robert Smith, lending his distinctive style of fragile solidity to a dreamy piece of space-guitar pop from Earl Slick. It's fun to hear Smith slowed down, a bit more vocally naked than I recall him from those Cure hits he spun out back in the day. Slick is himself a reappearing icon, although a background variety; he was David Bowie's guitarist in the mid-'70s, on both Young Americans and the great Station to Station. This song doesn't strike me as any sort of classic, but putting Smith's voice against that arching, swelling guitar creates a pleasant few minutes that rewards some repeat listens. "Believe" can be found on Slick's CD Zig Zag, released at the end of 2003 on Sanctuary Records.
week of Apr. 4-10
"Cloud Room" - Laura Veirs
Hang in there through the up-front, wavering, slightly out of tune vocals at the outset of this one--the pay-off is deep and moving. Laura Veirs may well be one of the most accomplished of America's unknown singer/songwriters; "Cloud Room" hits a groove quickly, snaking into my consciousness with its assured beat, astute instrumentation, and some wonderful chords. For a performer with a somewhat geeky presentation (according to one British critic, she resembles a young Woody Allen, of all people), Veirs has an unexpectedly commanding presence. The music floats in a dream-like place straddling the familiar and the entirely fresh; a few listens to "Cloud Room" has me realizing once and for all that the 21st century has fully arrived. Indicative of her tendency to perform frequently in Europe, her new CD, Carbon Glacier, where this song comes from, has been released overseas but not in the U.S. at this point.
"The Dream is Over" - MK Ultra
Time to dip back into the rich John Vanderslice MP3 trove, this time to point you in the direction of his unheralded work with the band MK Ultra. "The Dream Is Over" opens with an itchy, insistent acoustic guitar, on top of which arrive some lush but unresolved harmonies (they sound like suspended fourths; so okay this must be great chord week here), and now he's got you set up, the subtle musical tension extending through a repetition of the words "It's unbelievably sad"; on the second "sad," the music glides into unabashed gorgeousness, with melodies and harmonies straight from the Simon & Garfunkel songbook. And yet there's still a keen skewedness about the song, both lyrically--"I was relieved/As a broken sweat"--and instrumentally (listen for a great duet between distorted fuzz guitars about halfway through). MK Ultra recorded between 1993 and 2000; Vanderslice has been on his own since then, and is really worth looking into. In case you're curious, the band's name came from a secret (and rather terrible) series of mind control experiments apparently performed by the CIA in the 1950s. Now you know.
"Believe" - Earl Slick (with Robert Smith)
How almost foolishly tickled I sometimes feel to hear an old familiar voice, after a long time, singing something new. This can happen even when I don't remember being a particular fan of the voice in the first place. So here's yet another '80s icon (watch out, they're popping up all over the place these days), the Cure's Robert Smith, lending his distinctive style of fragile solidity to a dreamy piece of space-guitar pop from Earl Slick. It's fun to hear Smith slowed down, a bit more vocally naked than I recall him from those Cure hits he spun out back in the day. Slick is himself a reappearing icon, although a background variety; he was David Bowie's guitarist in the mid-'70s, on both Young Americans and the great Station to Station. This song doesn't strike me as any sort of classic, but putting Smith's voice against that arching, swelling guitar creates a pleasant few minutes that rewards some repeat listens. "Believe" can be found on Slick's CD Zig Zag, released at the end of 2003 on Sanctuary Records.
Monday, March 29, 2004
THIS WEEK'S FINDS
week of Mar. 28-Apr. 3
"Good Luck" - Eszter Balint
A potent melting pot of scratchy avant-funk and boho folk, "Good Luck" comes from a new CD by the world's only (I think!) Hungarian-born, NYC-based singer/songwriter/violinist/actress. From the opening syncopation of the brush-tinged drumbeat, I feel myself in good hands here, even as I'm never really sure what's going on. There's a bit of Suzanne Vega in Balint's deadpan spoken-sung delivery in the verses, and a touch of latter-day Tom Waits floating around the fringes of the production, particularly in the odd aural space created by the somewhat dissonant, squonky guitar work, the wash of vibraphone in the background, and the intermittent oddity (alarm clocks?). Whereas today's music scene encourages the often gratuitous tossing together of sounds, Balint appears to have earned the right to her idiosyncratic mish-mash, given her unusual background as the daughter of Central European avant garde theater artists. Balint's recently-released second CD, Mud, is available on Bar/None Records.
"Cars Can't Escape" - Wilco
While Wilco fans await A Ghost is Born (the next CD, due out in June), here comes a nugget left from the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot sessions. While this may not grab your attention if you don't already love this seriously great band (okay, I already love them), there's a lot to hear here if you relax with it. To begin with, there's Jeff Tweedy's gift for meandering melody, and his perfectly matched lazy-but-insistent voice. (Has enough been made of Tweedy's unexpected but gratifying resemblance to the Kinks' Ray Davies?) This song is also a showcase for the band's unparalleled capacity to blend the acoustic and the electric, here most effectively embodied by the way a recurring melodic theme is passed from one sound to another. Based on the opening acoustic chords, the theme is developed into a melody by an unstable penny-whistle-ish synthesizer break, then handed to a banjo, which proceeds to pick it out against an increasingly cacophonous background of swirling, unidentifiable noises. In and around the musical nuances, lyrical phrases emerge here and there, hinting at hidden emotions and untold stories ("In my sleepless head our love's been dead a week or two"). Me, I'm looking forward to the new CD a whole lot. (Thanks to our friends at Glorious Noise for the heads up on this one.)
"Just Another Number" - the Cribs
In less than three minutes, this trio of brothers from West Yorkshire has done something subtly magical, uniting past and present sounds so seamlessly as to concoct something solid and memorable out of the union. While the song is driven by a high-pitched, crinkly guitar sound that brings the Strokes obviously and immediately to mind, the Cribs have done the brilliant service here of taking the Strokes' sound out of the well-worn Velvet Underground-Television family tree and cross-fertilizing it with less obvious influences, adding in particular a welcome dose of new wave pop (I'm thinking a band like the Teardrop Explodes) into the mix. You know this song is going in an interesting direction when the lead singer breaks into some good old "ooh-oohs" during the bridge-like chorus. And then there's the unexpected shift into unresolved, open chords as the guitar heads down into a normal register during the chorus-like bridge, and that wonderful point where the harmonies go into alluring octaves ("I disappear for hours/Over the smallest things, yeah"), followed by even more unanticipated "ba-da-ba-da-da"s, and okay at this point it's probably better to hear it than to have me describe it but it's pretty cool. This comes from the band's eponymous debut CD, released this month on Wichita Recordings, a small London-based label.
week of Mar. 28-Apr. 3
"Good Luck" - Eszter Balint
A potent melting pot of scratchy avant-funk and boho folk, "Good Luck" comes from a new CD by the world's only (I think!) Hungarian-born, NYC-based singer/songwriter/violinist/actress. From the opening syncopation of the brush-tinged drumbeat, I feel myself in good hands here, even as I'm never really sure what's going on. There's a bit of Suzanne Vega in Balint's deadpan spoken-sung delivery in the verses, and a touch of latter-day Tom Waits floating around the fringes of the production, particularly in the odd aural space created by the somewhat dissonant, squonky guitar work, the wash of vibraphone in the background, and the intermittent oddity (alarm clocks?). Whereas today's music scene encourages the often gratuitous tossing together of sounds, Balint appears to have earned the right to her idiosyncratic mish-mash, given her unusual background as the daughter of Central European avant garde theater artists. Balint's recently-released second CD, Mud, is available on Bar/None Records.
"Cars Can't Escape" - Wilco
While Wilco fans await A Ghost is Born (the next CD, due out in June), here comes a nugget left from the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot sessions. While this may not grab your attention if you don't already love this seriously great band (okay, I already love them), there's a lot to hear here if you relax with it. To begin with, there's Jeff Tweedy's gift for meandering melody, and his perfectly matched lazy-but-insistent voice. (Has enough been made of Tweedy's unexpected but gratifying resemblance to the Kinks' Ray Davies?) This song is also a showcase for the band's unparalleled capacity to blend the acoustic and the electric, here most effectively embodied by the way a recurring melodic theme is passed from one sound to another. Based on the opening acoustic chords, the theme is developed into a melody by an unstable penny-whistle-ish synthesizer break, then handed to a banjo, which proceeds to pick it out against an increasingly cacophonous background of swirling, unidentifiable noises. In and around the musical nuances, lyrical phrases emerge here and there, hinting at hidden emotions and untold stories ("In my sleepless head our love's been dead a week or two"). Me, I'm looking forward to the new CD a whole lot. (Thanks to our friends at Glorious Noise for the heads up on this one.)
"Just Another Number" - the Cribs
In less than three minutes, this trio of brothers from West Yorkshire has done something subtly magical, uniting past and present sounds so seamlessly as to concoct something solid and memorable out of the union. While the song is driven by a high-pitched, crinkly guitar sound that brings the Strokes obviously and immediately to mind, the Cribs have done the brilliant service here of taking the Strokes' sound out of the well-worn Velvet Underground-Television family tree and cross-fertilizing it with less obvious influences, adding in particular a welcome dose of new wave pop (I'm thinking a band like the Teardrop Explodes) into the mix. You know this song is going in an interesting direction when the lead singer breaks into some good old "ooh-oohs" during the bridge-like chorus. And then there's the unexpected shift into unresolved, open chords as the guitar heads down into a normal register during the chorus-like bridge, and that wonderful point where the harmonies go into alluring octaves ("I disappear for hours/Over the smallest things, yeah"), followed by even more unanticipated "ba-da-ba-da-da"s, and okay at this point it's probably better to hear it than to have me describe it but it's pretty cool. This comes from the band's eponymous debut CD, released this month on Wichita Recordings, a small London-based label.
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