The Shouting Matches "Grownass Man"

 

When I read that Justin Vernon of Bon Iver was a member of this band, I bought it immediately.  Didn't sample it or even know what genre it was, but I wasn't going to let this one slip away.  I first heard a Bon Iver track on a Music Choice channel and another one a day or two later.  Jotted the name down on my "investigate list" where it remained until hearing more several weeks later, but my list had so many proven names added with the big 4th Quarter 2011 release schedule that I couldn't act upon an unknown artist.  Then, bam!...four Grammy nominations and two wins.  So no, procrastination on The Shouting Matches wasn't an option. 

This isn't polished or refined, it's dirty, buzzy, psychedelic blues rock which most reviews I've seen link to Tom Petty.  I can't say that I could make that connection (there is a debut album I will post on soon where I WILL make the TP association), but these are some of the names brought to mind while enjoying this album; Beck, Los Lonely Boys, Rare Earth(!), Lyle Lovett and Lenny Kravitz.  Here are three songs from their Coachella set.  The opener had me yelling "Chuck Prophet" in the car (as did other songs from the record) and the second song here is the album's best, coming off like Wilco...



Love the organ, love the fuzzed harmonica, love the looseness and fun, love this album!  It's made a nice dent on the Blues and Heatseekers charts but it deserves better. 

My only complaint?  Clocking in around 35 minutes, there just ain't enough of it...

Futurebirds "Baba Yaga"

 

I can't recall where I first saw their name, but a sample run across a few tracks proved intriguing enough for the purchase.  The first spin elicited a muted response, neither yea nor neigh, but there was an obvious My Morning Jacket thing working within the mix.  Now that I've completed the required (and then some) spins, I'd venture to say that this is what MMJ would have sounded like if they had hailed from Athens, GA instead of Louisville, KY.  I'm labeling it alt-country-stoner-folk, and yes, it improves with party favours...



A bit of Church chiming going on here, too, or R.E.M. if you want to get regional about it.  Other bands that popped into mind were Wilco, Fleet Foxes, David Lowery aka Cracker aka Camper Van Beethoven. 

I told as many people as possible to go see them at Bonnaroo this year in the smaller tent because down the road they very well could end up headlining the main stage one night.  They had the unenviable task of starting their gig early on the opening day, but from all accounts they had an enthusiastic crowd gathered before them.  They had also performed at the 'Roo  in 2011 following their debut LP, so some festival veterans knew to get there early. 



I found a review of this album on Pitchfork which basically peed all over itself citing how good it was in the site's usual overblown, verbose manner (reviewers must all be creative writing majors and a few may know a little something about music) and still scored it at 7.5 (very proud of themselves using tenths of a point)!  Highest rating I could find on anything was 8.5 (there's that point again).  Anyway, the reviewer happened to be spot on by saying it wasn't all a gem, that three tracks were inferior to the quality of the other ten.  Simple math would score that a 7.7, so deduct .2 for what?  I'm going to take the three songs I felt were a tad flat, convert them into minutes, round it off...divide into...

I give it an 8.1

British Sea Power "Machineries of Joy"

I tried this band's 2008 album based on now unknown criteria, and though I didn't keep it, there was sufficient cause for investigation of this one released in April.  As a long-time sci-fi fan, coping the title from a collection of shorts by Ray Bradbury was a good start, as was the opener and title track of the record...



...(I suppose this is where some of the Joy Division comparisons are based...loosely) and three of the first four, including the newest single...



Damned bizarre videos, don't 'ya think?  Unfortunately, the remainder of the record was all downhill.  Interesting ideas that never seemed to jell, even upon multiple listens.  The album spent a couple of weeks on the British charts but I understand it's the band's live performances that are the draw, and we all know that's how you make money in today's musical environment. 

Guess that means I'll never have the opportunity in Florida to find out...

A Fiver Courtesy of BKP

I've got eight new CDs in the car now and thirteen on the computer yet to be committed to disc.  Allow me the chance to blow through a few of the many BKP has sent my way.  To be honest, these only received one full spin and a cursory follow-up.  There are a couple of others worthy of the full treatment so look for those later. 

Based out of New Orleans, the band started as the Unknown Blues Band and counted one Warren Haynes as a founding member.  One fateful night they opened for a band which included Dickey Betts and the rest is history.  Big Al keeps the regional stew pot cooking on this album produced by Anders Osborne.  Kept three tracks.

Keeping with the blues vein (I've got a few of those...blue veins, that is)

The Most Southern Blues Band provides hints with the cover art that they ain't talkin' 'bout The South as I know it.  They mean South as in Argentina!  They do a few standards, like "Route 66," and some of their own compositions.  The singer reminded both BKP and myself of a Tom Jones overwrought style.  Keep three of their tracks.  The covers were mostly appalling...

 

Two blues and now two more akin to the old Mad Rocker style of yore...

Just never got this guy.  Sounds absolutely the same as he did fifteen years ago.  Try as he might, he'll never be as good as Alice Cooper.  Only keeper is a cover of GFR's "We're An American Band."

New band that REALLY wants to be Black Sabbath (I have their new record waiting in line).  Sonically clean and crisp, but the vocals were just awful.  I'd rather hear cats fight.  Had to wade through 38 minutes of slop to get to the title (and thankfully, instrumental) track for a keeper.  I won't waste my time, and yours, playing any of it here...

This was by far the most interesting of the five, as it should be when you have about 37 albums credited amongst the members.  King's X, Eric Gales Band (duh), Mars Volta.  I had to go all the way back to the first years of Music 4 Less for my one King's X album and the debut from Gales.  Mars Volta is interesting but too self-indulgent.  This was highly recommended by BKP and nearly out of my target window for new releases, so I bumped it up in the rotation and actually gave it a full second spin.  My computer's music player labeled it "heavy blues-rock/psychedelic."  I jotted down "Hendrix-ian" and "Cream-ish" as it played on.  Then damn, about half through the record...



It was the vocals that held me back from getting additional albums from Pinnick & Gales twenty years ago and it still holds true today.  The music, too, seems a bit disconnected, not always melding into cohesion.  But it isn't a total loss as I'll keep approx. 30 of its 72 minutes. 

Thanks again, BKP, for sending these along.  Those previously mentioned two other records will get the full treatment and posted ASAP. 

Southern Hospitality "Easy Livin'"

 

...and this was the other band name to grab mine and BKP's attention. Cover art might have also been a factor based on the title.  Turns out the band was born here in Florida about two years ago in a festivals' post-party jam session.  They were hired on the spot to open for Buddy Guy a month later.  One review said this after the show:  “Southern Hospitality, which after a single gig has significant players in the blues world taking notice.  The hot jazz and funk of New Orleans, classic country, gospel, soul, and blues that became rock ’n’ roll in Memphis and went global by way of a trucker named Elvis.”  That's some serious praise, and he's right because this album is all over the stylistic map.  First tune could have been a lost Little Feat song.  There's a cover of a Latin instrumental made famous by Carlos Santana that should make him smile.  Another song could have been ripped right off a John Hiatt record.  Can I pick 'em or what?  Here is an official intro video for the album and the two featured tracks used are from those I just mentioned...



Now you know it's a three-member core, two guitarists and a piano player, who all sing lead.  I can't tell you who is singing what, but one of them reminds me of the singer in Blue Monday (as if that rings any bells for more than two of you).  It's the piano work that sparks the record for me, and Victor Wainwright was the winner of this year's "Pinetop Perkins Award" given by the Blues Foundation, beating out Chuck Leavell and Mike Finnigan.  Lost in much of the publicity is the fact that the record was produced by Tab Benoit, who also won an award at the same event, taking home this year's Best Male Contemporary Blues Artist.  All that being said, however, the album was a 50/50 affair at best.  I'd like to see them live but they don't get back to Florida until November and Orlando isn't a listed location.  Bummer...

I don't think I'd suggest paying $14 for a physical copy of this album, but it's well worth your $8 for a digital version.

 

The Hillbilly Moon Explosion "Damn Right Honey!"

 

The band's name caught my eye while scanning across the newest releases listed on my favorite website.  Actually, there were two names that did so, and I recall adding them to the "investigate" list but I don't believe I got any further than that.  Lo and behold, about three days later, both arrive in a file from BKP.  Damn, are we on the same wavelength or what?  Anyhoo, where I "investigate," he just "buys."  Had them now for over three months and let's start with The Hillbilly Moon Explosion...

I'll use the umbrella term of "rockabilly" to place a genre on them but this record is much more than that.  Jump jive, swing, reggae, spaghetti western, shuffle, mountain music, etc., with horns and some cool, subtle keys alongside the traditional instrumentation.  The opening track had me thinking Colin James & The Little Big Band.  Follow that with a Blondie "The Tide Is High"-type tune.  There's Elvis, there's Orbison....



My God, there's one that harks of k. d. lang & the Reclines' "Angel With a Lariat."  Dave Edmunds could have a beef with a song called "I Hear You Knockin'." Hell, this one made me think of the B-52's...



The shock of all shocks was discovering their home base.  I'll give you three guesses......nope.......uh uh..........wwrrrooonnnggg........  Zurich, Switzerland!  Who knew there was a rockabilly scene thriving in Europe?  Reading about the two guest vocalists on the album, I kept getting the feeling I should be embarrassed not knowing who they were.  The two gentlemen in the band are actually English.  The guitarist's favorite slingers are Bill Nelson, Adrian Belew and Steve Howe (and he's in a rockabilly band?!).  The bassist favors Tennessee whiskey and Steve Earle.  The chanteuse lists vocal influences as Patsy Cline, Julie London and Billie Holiday with favourite bands being Motorhead and Bon Scott-era AC/DC (WHAT?). 

All I can tell you is I like it.  Twelve tracks clock in at 37 minutes, exactly what one should expect.  Can't seem to find it physically in the US, but it's a $9 download. 

The two descriptors I found repeated on my notes?  Neat and fun...

The Cat Empire "Steal The Light"

 

It's one thing to be disappointed with a record you take a chance on (Birds Of Tokyo), another when you've been given a record and it sucks (Molly Ringwald, Eric Clapton), but it really pisses me off to make a purchase of an album and find it to be as derisory as "Steal The Light."  Should be called "Steal My Money."  After labeling the band as "...one of my favorite finds of 2010," even taking the extremely rare trip backwards in a new discovery's catalog, stating that "...whenever the next Cat Empire record drops, I will get it without delay, no sampling required," I have been humbled by this crappy release.  I usually pass on trash like this, saving me the time, you the effort, and both our cash.  Well, here goes...



Man, that is lame...   I can't quite put my finger on the reason the album sucks so bad.  The basics are all still there, some musical hooks emerge but never capitalize on the momentum.  By the time I hit the third spin, I found myself unable to fully listen to ten of the twelve tracks, hitting the skip button roughly halfway through.  The two remaining songs which sustained my interest also happen to be two of the shortest...not a good sign.  I will keep only one, and it's the briefest @ 181 seconds...



Hmmm, maybe that's it.  This is the only song that prominently features the secondary vocalist, the guy who's a dead ringer for Tim Finn.  Anyway, I didn't see the first negative review for this album and it has charted outside their home country, even cracking Billboard's Heatseekers domestically.  There is evidence, however, that suggests my opinion may not be the only one pissing into the wind.  The record has already dropped off the Australian chart, spending barely half the time its predecessor did.  Uh oh...  

JJ Grey & Mofro "This River"

 

I got comped to see Mofro maybe a dozen years ago at a small club in downtown Orlando.  Hot, sweaty, funky motherf*#@er......me and the band!  Made sure I listened to the album the next day.  "Wait a minute?  This can't be the same band I saw last night..."   And that's been pretty much my take on every release since.  There are two, or maybe three, killer tunes on each album but the majority are just OK, nothing to write home about.  It's blues, R&B, funk, roots, "front-porch soul."  In the initial days when their name was just Mofro, the band was cancelled by a black club in London when they found out JJ was white.  There, you should have an idea now...



That's the lead track and first official video.  If you found it to be wonderful, then this album is for you.  It is not one of my three (of ten) keepers.  Album's opener is good.  Found some live clips online but the quality wasn't good enough to show you.  It was half the record later before a second keeper arrived.  Again, you'll have to search yourself.  It's a funky little number à la Prince & The Revolution called "Florabama."  The final keeper is a concert staple over the years that finally gets a studio treatment. 

I highly recommend seeing these guys live.  I believe they just played a small stage at Glastonbury and they'll be back stateside in two weeks, playing dates all over North America through early November (it's a nightmare of a travel schedule). 

"This River" is the highest charting release for the band.  They are here to stay.  Please investigate them for yourself.  They are certainly worthy of your effort.  Just not my cup o' sweet tea...

Steve Martin & Edie Brickell "Love Has Come For You"

 

I was intrigued by this pairing, enough so to stay up late and catch them on a late night show.  Martin has made his living on being flakey, Brickell just comes off as such.  It was a chance meeting at a party when Martin asked Brickell to listen to a melody he'd written but couldn't find words suitable for lyrics.  She began improvising lines and it became their first official collaboration.  A few months later and a complete album comes to fruition...a short album (13 songs @ 36 minutes) but an album, nonetheless.  I had it on my "investigate" list when BKP dropped it on me two months ago.  Though it took a while to get to my vehicle, I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the project was.  I had curiosity as prime motivation...never in a million years did I dream I'd keep it all...but I am.



So the opening track contains the line, "send me an email."  That's right, don't expect all traditional bluegrass lyrics and songs from this album, though there are plenty.  I like the not-so-normal ones...



Mrs. Simon sure appears to be having fun.  The concerts have lots of laughs, both verbal and musical.  The Steep Canyon Rangers are a fine troop of musicians and one of the remaining twenty dates over the next three or so months will include an orchestra.  Now that will probably kick ass because there are numerous strings on the album, not just fiddle.  Guests on the studio recording include Matt Rollings (whose keyboards grace hundreds of records since the mid-80's), Esperanza Spalding,  Waddy Wachtel, and the Watkins siblings of Nickel Creek.  While playing some of this in the car with Mrs. Rocker, she remarked at how clean and clear the recording was.  I tried to tie in the producer for her using Brickell's husbands' Simon & Garfunkel pairing along with fellow 60's-era duo Peter & Gordon.  Nothing.  "Well, his name is Peter Asher," and wifey blurted out, "James Taylor!"  Sometimes, she scares me. 

"Love Has Come For You" is the Surprise Of The Year, so far...