Elbow "Build A Rocket Boys!"

This band has earned the right to be purchased without sampling, so when this record was released in March, it went straight to the cart.  So excited to hear new music after three years, but the previous album, "The Seldom Scene Kid", was going to be a tough act to follow.  Double platinum in the UK, it spawned a live rendition on the BBC which also stayed charted for some time.  This award, that award, top Single, yada yada yada.  So imagine my surprise when upon the initial spin, the notation I made for this post was "Turd."  I almost dreaded it coming back up in the rotation.  But as I've noted before, I give these things three spins minimum before posting anything.  And "Build A Rocket Boys!" is a perfect example why I do so.  This gets better and better with each spin, its tentacles reaching slowly into your brain one track at a time.  I've just finished the fourth spin and I'm unsure if I'll remove it from the changer just yet.  

For those of you who are not privy to the genius of Elbow, some background.  Though together for essentially twenty years, they've only been Elbow since 1997, releasing several EP's which were well accepted in Britain, with their first full-length album coming in 2001.  I recall that CD in my store, but I never heard it.  It was "Cast of Thousands" three years later that did it for me, and I've been a fan since.  The band has said there would be no Elbow if there wasn't Radiohead, and similarities abound, but without the pretentiousness.  They have toured with Coldplay, but they are nowhere near as bombastic.  For those of you who have discovered Snow Patrol, Elbow is more complicated.  The main stated influence is Peter Gabriel-era Genesis.  There is more than just a hint of Classical influence in the music, mainly in the use of volume dynamics, you know, soft passages, repetitive instrumentation, then the sporadic "power chord" followed by a pretty run of notes.  Let me give you an example, though this song doesn't have the power stroke.  This is the track from which the record is titled.  This performance was only last week.  They were here in the US for the Coachella festival about a month ago, and apparently, people were singing along.  Much like the feeling I got at last year's Bonnaroo when I caught the Mumford & Sons set, and boy, have they caught fire here or what!?  There is an Elbow fan base here, but so far there is no tour scheduled.  Maybe that will be what it takes, though Hollywood is already a fan, as Elbow tunes have shown up in movies and other entertainment vehicles.          

"...Rocket..." debuted at #2 in the UK and has had a modicum of chart success here.  Do yourself a favor if you're a fan of any of the aforementioned bands and give Elbow a listen...at least three times. 

Ansley Lister "Tower Sessions"

My music accomplice Bob set me up with this guy by introducing him to me through a YouTube video of a live performance of "Purple Rain".  So my first experience is a Prince cover.  Not just any Prince song, but the iconic power ballad with blistering guitar.  Have to admit that the live version was going quite well until the guitar solo.  Here, Lister dials it back, opting for a quiet, restrained solo.  For my ear, it doesn't work.  The studio cover is contained on "Tower Sessions", and it's the same technique.  So you may guess that I wasn't expecting much when I started spin #1 for this CD. 

Well then BAM!  Here's a live take of the opening track.  Kiss my Stevie Ray Vaughan!  And that's sober SRV, when he added Reese Wynans' organ to the trio.  The rhythm section here conjures up memories of Double Trouble, but I really like how the organ is right up front in the mix.  That fits because Lister isn't anywhere near SRV in either axe-slingin' or singing.  The strength of this record lies in the foundation of these songs and the overall group delivery.  A keeper from start to finish.

But who the hell is this guy?  Turns out he's British and has close to ten records on his resume.  Not all are available stateside, but enough are, so why haven't I heard of him before?  Upon further digging, I found that this record was recorded at the end of his last tour, and that the tracks contained were favorites from the shows, so they've been out on earlier albums.  The difference is the addition of the organ to the tour and record.  So maybe that's why I don't recognize the guy, because without the keys, I would have blown it off as lame. 

If you're a fan of British blues rock, then grab "Tower Sessions".  I pulled up Amazon just to see what was available and the list of names under the "Customers also bought" is impressive; Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Walter Trout, Gov't Mule, Buddy Guy...  So how's that for a RIYL? 

Joan as Police Woman "The Deep Field"

 

Caught wind of this girl a few years ago but never found my way into a listen.  Saw this released in January and decided to give it a try in my latest batch of purchased tunes (nine albums, so please be patient with me, I'll get to them eventually).  Well, I really liked the way the record started.  The first two tracks were excellent.  Here is one of them.  The next three tracks were OK, with plenty of things to like but not enough to compare with the openers.  After that, however, was half a record of boring. 

Immediate comparisons were to Imogene Heap, that cerebral headphone studio art that is impressive sober, but benefits greatly from a dimly lit room and a buzz on.  Maybe that's what I was missing from "The Deep Field", the necessary altered state.  Since that's not an option much anymore, I guess I just didn't get it.  The album is fairly lengthy, so after the great start it gets to the "hurry up and finish" stage.  I actually kept a couple of additional tracks with the two openers, recognizing the chance that they will be better in a one-track style and not as a whole album.  Don't get me wrong, this is my type of record with the eclectic perfectionism I've come to enjoy over the years.  Plenty of Hammond B-3 and Wurlitzer organs, strings, horns, and even an autoharp to go along with the standard rock band instrumentation.  I think it's the foundation of it all that throws me, a unique interpretation of classic, old-school R&B. 

While conducting a little research on Ms. Wasser, I found that I already had her in my collection with the band the Dambuilders, a 90's band from New England that featured Joan's impressive violin work.  Actually, that instrument has been her moneymaker over the years as a session hire, for example, lending her talents last year to the recordings of the Scissor Sisters, Lloyd Cole, and David Sylvian.  Not bad, huh?  Her other claim of notoriety was her relationship to Jeff Buckley at the time of his demise in Memphis nearly fourteen years ago.  It doesn't appear that she's over him yet.

Tapes 'n Tapes "Outside"

I recall this band receiving favorable press for their debut EP back in 2004 during my last stint as a "community volunteer" DJ at WPRK.  I probably played a single track one week to satisfy the "new" requirement of the station's format, but it didn't grab me.  But I've seen continued positive reviews for them over the years, so when "Outside" dropped in January, I decided to spring for it, hoping to find a domestic (Minneapolis, MN) indie rock band for me to wonder loudly why I hadn't picked up on them before.  Ah, but it just didn't work out that way.

There was much to like in the music; short, quirky, guitar-based pop songs with a splash of keys and other unique instruments, ie. a glockenspiel and castanets.  In my audio notes I told myself I heard some David Byrne, and then I called it a ying to LCD Soundsystem's yang.  I really don't know what that means, but most reviewers put T'nT in the Shins/Cold War Kids/Broken Social Scene scene, and my sentiment towards those bands is the same as I get here, there's a lot to like but I don't quite get the whole of it.  I am going to mine three tracks from "Outside" for my Snippets folder, one being track 8, "The Saddest of All Keys", which harked of an old Animals & Eric Burdon style, manic drumming and all.  But I offer the official video here for "Freak Out", which hints at the undercurrent of humor I felt while listening to the record (be sure to watch through to the end...I went back to the beginning afterwards to make sure I got it!). 

Finding this video opened up a new chapter to me in the never-ending saga of "free music".  VEVO is an enterprise of three of the big four music companies, and I was unaware of its 16-month existence until today.  If you look at some of the comments on the above video link, not everyone likes the idea of advertising or the big corporate presence on YouTube.  Me?  I was happy to find that the artists are being paid for views.  Remember, I buy most everything I post here, with the occasional exception of someone loaning me a recording they think I may enjoy...yeah, the old-fashioned way.  I don't Torrent, Limewire, Kazaa, etc., and you shouldn't either. 

Angus & Julia Stone "Memories of an Old Friend"

There is an absolutely amazing story surrounding these kids right now.  Well, not here (and it's a damn shame), but in their Australian homeland.  Their previous album, "Down the Way" came out worldwide in March 2010, and was a monster hit Down Under.  A huge single called "Big Jet Plane."  Made it a mission to see them at Bonneroo.  A few people joined me in the tent for this.  Anyway, the siblings are nominated for several ARIA awards (that's Aussie for Grammys).  Early November arrives and the Stones steal the show, winning Album and Single of the Year, as well as Best Adult Alternative Album.  Hoping to capitalize on the stunning coup, this new album is released one month later in mid-December.  And here is where the story turns...

First mistake---one doesn't release anything but a greatest hits package in December, especially only a week before Christmas.  The second "problem" is the new record is essentially "Part 2" of the first, the only noticeable difference being the absence of any tracks over the six minute mark in length.  The third issue is the underestimation of the initial penetration of the first record in the market prior to the Awards.  "Memories..." charted for a brief period (that's how I found out about it) and then disappeared, only to have a resurgence of "Down the Way" stampede the charts again, today remaining in the Top 5 of the Aussie Album charts and "BJP" still hanging at #10 on the Singles chart, each over a year from the release date! 

Another twist to the story came as a surprise to me.  It appears that the Australian version of MTV actually programs and supports music (what a novel idea) and stages a series of concerts by some of the bigger ARIA nominees during the week preceding the actual awards show.  As luck would have it, the Stone siblings contracted a six-song, 30-minute iTunes exclusive from their set, releasing it just 24 hours after winning the two biggest awards at the ceremony!  Un-freaking-believable...  Four of the six tracks were from "Down the Way", but didn't include BJP, so here it is...

The only song from "Memories..." is the final track of the album, and it actually opens the iTunes sampler...go figure.  I am so happy that the domestic iTunes has scheduled the concert sampler to be made available today (April 19).  I don't anticipate Nettwerk Productions to drop "Memories..." on the domestic market until they see if they can squeeze success out of this scenario in the US.  Maybelline Cosmetics has put BJP in a television ad campaign, a brilliant move if you ask me.  A good friend of mine's 30-something daughter heard it for the first time in said commercial and researched it, posting her "find" for all her Facebook followers.  Yep, it has that kind of power.  

I know it's weird to many of you that I sometimes write about music not traditionally available to the US market, but this is a tale unlike anything that has played out in the music biz in ages.  "Memories of an Old Friend" is just that, another completely satisfying group of acoustically accompanied arrangements; a lone piano, an acoustic guitar, brushes on drums, etc..  The subtle songs grow on you with each play.  In last year's post, I quickly placed the Ray LaMontagne tag for a RIYL.  That certainly is still the case here for Angus' leads, and now I get a She & Him vibe for Julia's songs, with maybe a touch of a Macy Gray warble. 

If you are a fan of the singer/songwriter genre, you owe these kids a shot at your ears...please!

 

Updated April 20:  So now I feel like a complete idiot (hey, I heard that).  Last night, a friend told me about the SoundHound app and I tried to stump it, knowing this album wasn't out here in the States.  Sure enough, it worked and named the tracks I played to it, BUT it didn't list this album as reference.  It brought up names that sounded familiar...and then it hit me, they were the EP titles I had seen on iTunes.  Well, kiss my ass, I had not done enough research to discover that "Memories..." is a compilation of previously released singles and EP tracks from 2007-2009, before the success of last year.  Sort of makes the above post and story a wasted effort, but instead of deleting it, I'll own up to the lack of knowledge and leave it out there to hang.  I still feel like an idiot, though...

The Decemberists "The King is Dead"

The Decemberists Go Country!  Hey, that could have been the title if they wanted to be humorous.  "The King is Dead" led me to believe the record trotted the earlier paths of British-styled storytelling, like encountering a foe in the belly of a whale, or marrying a bird...but, NO!  This is actually a Midwestern band via Portland, making music of their native country for the first time.  They've morphed from The Waterboys into REM.  When I heard the first single, I was moved to yell/sing "Fire!" from REM's "The One I Love", not knowing how close I really was.  You see, I buy these things digitally without the benefit of liner notes and credits, and don't usually research that kind of info unless necessary.  So, little did I know that the chiming guitar that mimicked Peter Buck's was actually Peter Buck!  He appears on three tracks.  Also guesting is Gillian Welch, the West-Coast chanteuse who was born on the wrong side of the Mississippi, and she and Colin Meloy's vocals together are mesmerizing.  Ah heck, I've mentioned the first single and Welch so why not link the two to the Conan appearance. 

The Decemberists have been throwing curveballs with the last two records, changing up the styles but not the involved instrumentation.  There is a preponderance of harmonica across the album and a heavy pedal steel on a track or two, with the typical dose of acoustics and Hammond B-3.  The high-brow lyrics are still there (who else can you name who would use "A panoply of song" in a chorus), but they've been dumbed down slightly, more fitting for the Americana/folk setting.  

I think I was taken by surprise on my first listen, wondering what the hell had happened.  But that's why I give all these records three spins before forming a post.  Once I had gotten over the shock of the change, the genius of Meloy and mates came shining through on each additional spin, albeit in a different package.  The band is certainly one of America's most respected and appreciated, now landing A-listers as guests and reaching #1 on Billboard's Top Albums.  If you've never been a fan before and you like records by Tom Petty, or let's say the Traveling Wilburys, then you need to get over the bias and give this a try. 

Black Mountain "Wilderness Heart"

I heard good things about this band when the record was released last September, but I never seemed to be motivated enough to investigate further.  Second track released, more positive vibes, still didn't bother to sample.  Kept it on my list, though, waiting for a soft spot in the new releases.  So when the yearly "dead zone" for new music hit in early December, I picked it up, then promptly relegated it to back-of-the-line status once again.  Two more months pass and it's time in the changer finally arrives...what the hell was I waiting for?!  This is vintage Mad Rocker music!  Let's run down the obvious influences; Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, early Scorpions w/ Uli John Roth, UFO, and Rainbow.  Now factor in the male and female lead vocals and you get one track that easily could have been a lost song from early Jefferson Airplane.  I was also reminded of Atlanta's great Swimming Pool Q's, some of the Zutons where the cute little saxophonist got to sing (bummer, I guess they've called it quits), and the last couple of Decemberists records which feature guest female vocalists.   

Impressed enough to dig into the band's background, I learned a couple of things.  One, they are Canadian (who am I kidding, they're too good to be American), and two, I already had a connection to them.  Seems that band leader Stephen McBean has another project called Pink Mountaintops, which I became a fan of during my "community volunteer" stint at WPRK a few years ago.  Sonofabitch, now I'll have to try to find what I have in the archives.  Let me link a couple of the new videos for you.  They are the first two tracks on the record.   

So all you old-timers like me out there bitchin' that there's no good old school Rock 'n Roll anymore, you're wrong...

The Cat Empire "Live on Earth"

Highly unusual at this stage of my musical appreciation/collection for me to go backwards in a new discovery's catalog.  That calls for some seriously impressive tunes, and honestly, I can't recall the last time I did so.  I stated in the post about their ARIA nominated "Cinema" that I was going to get this 2009 live record instead of previous studio LP's.  Well, I finally pulled the trigger a couple of months ago and recently settled in for several spins.  "Live on Earth" is available in the States and well worth the $10 price tag.  As a double CD, there's over 120 minutes of music, all of which was new to me (except for a version of "Hotel California" in French, which I guess is new to me as well).  On the initial spin, I thought the horn section might have been overused somewhat, but subsequent listens calmed that fear.  As the record played, I found myself drawn to about 75 minutes worth of tunes, perfect for a Mad Rocker single CD edit.  And believe me, my edit is a full-blown smile maker, a head-bobbing/shaking hour plus of unconditional joy!  My music program labels it Hip-Hop, but there's no reasonable explanation for that.  The music is eclectically rhythm-based, with electric piano and keyboards dominating, along with the previously mentioned horns.  At one point I thought it could be a Jamaican Supertramp, another an Indian one.  With the occasional white-boy rapping and the employ of a scratchin' DJ, the playful banter from the stage and the joyous audience reaction, another comparison could be an Australian Barenaked Ladies. 

It's safe to say that whenever the next Cat Empire record drops, I will get it without delay.  No sampling required.  I hope they return to America for another tour and stop in Florida.  I would be their oldest field marketer...