25 posts tagged “review”

Taking a break from the usual live reviews of late, I will be doing some much-ignored reviews this week. Today's theme is all from the same record label.

Suburban Noize Records have been around since the mid-90s, catering to a very certain market of young hip hop, herb culture, and punk fans. We have a few items from them for review.

For starter, SubNoize Souljaz (myspace) is like the all-star supergroup, consisting of 15 or so Suburban Noize artists, including members of Kottonmouth King, Big B, and Jared Gomes (singer of Hed PE).

Their third album, Blast From The Past, just dropped late last August. While I am unfamiliar with some of these titles, I almost knew all the cover songs from hearing them on the radio. Except this album are all done in the style of that only Subnoize can deliver. With the variety of rappers and lead singers - the music is somewhat uneven, but at least the vocals stands out from each other. Particularly, I was impressed with Judge D's cover of LL's "Mama Said Knock You Out" and a funky The Dirtball's cover of RATM's "Microphone Fiend" (the bass is really good on this song) and Slick Rick's "Children's Story" by Daddy X.

It's evident that these guys owe a lot to influential bands that came before them (NWA, 2Pac, Snoop, Dre), so this album is a tribute to them. If you like old-school rap, particularly Death Row Records, as much as anyone that grew up in the 90s, you will definitely do yourself a favor and check out Blast From The Past.

Tour Dates 11/15/09 El Corazon Seattle, WA 11/16/09 Satyricon Portland, OR 11/17/09 DNA Lounge SF, CA 11/18/09 Boardwalk Orangevale, CA 11/20/09 Starline Fresno, CA 11/21/09 Modesto Virtual Modesto, CA 11/22/09 Chain Reaction Anahiem, CA 11/23/09 Karma Victorville, CA 11/24/09 Roxy Los Angeles, CA

Brokencyde, or seemingly nonsense caplock problem, brokeNCYDE (myspace), is also under Subnoize's screamo/punk label, BreakSilence Recordings. This sub-label also houses Eyes Set To Kill and Kill Paradise.

Anyway, Brokencyde is a "crunk"-core band (apparently this genre is a fusion of hip hop and electro, and possibly other genres like punk and rock). The band embrace the brand, and even have a song called "Get Crunk!".

The album actually did chart on the Billboard 200 at #86, which kind of impressed me, considering that many of the artists I hear about, they never chart. I think the high debut might possibly be due to their presence on this year's US Warped Tour. However, despite the success, the album was critically condemned. My favorite is (name redacted) review from NME: "even if I caught Prince Harry and Gary Glitter adorned in Nazi regalia defecating through my grandmother’s letterbox I would still consider making them listen to this album too severe a punishment." Critics who hates them, I don't think they understand that the album was meant for them... certainly the album is not meant for me. I am curious what the band will sound like when they've matured a bit. Although, I will have to confess that I did smile a bit when I heard "pee pee" sung on "Sex Toys" and "let's get retarded" on "Rockstar".

They look and sound very young (hey, FYI, their singer is called Se7en), which makes their debut album I'm Not a Fan... But the Kids Like It even more-so ironic. I did feel that despite their youngness, that some ALL of their songs with messages of drinking and sex, might not appeal to everyone. Then again, perhaps that's why "the kids like it". The real irony is that with all the cursing, you may have to be over 18 to purchase it.

Stronger songs on the album are: "Freaxxx" (with the catchy "let's get freaky" lyrics), and "Yellow Bus" (boasting about sex with groupies like Miley Cyrus??? WTF!).

If you don't mind the naughty messages, some autotune, some screamo, some electronica, check out I'm Not a Fan... But the Kids Like It at amazon.

Tour Dates 11/13/09 Budweiser Event Center* CO 11/14/09 Mid America Center*, IA 11/15/09 Uptown Theater* Kansas City, MO 11/17/09 Val Air Ballroom Des Moines, IA 11/18/09 Aragon Ballroom* Chicago, IL 11/19/09 The Fillmore* Detroit, MI 11/26/09 Grove of Anaheim, CA * with 311

Kottonmouth King (official / myspace) should need no introduction for any fans of Hightimes. The group found success in that "green" niche market, and is the flagship band on Suburban Noize label - possibly due to the record company being started by member Daddy X, and their manager, Kevin Zinger.

Their latest release is Hidden Stash 420, an epic 2-disc album. This is basically a collection of unreleased tracks, b-sides, remixes, demos. The packaging is also nice, it's a fold-out digipak. Hardcore fans will want to purchase the album directly from Subnoize Store or Best Buy stores, as that comes with a bonus DVD called The Lost Adventures of the Kottonmouth Kings.

While it's easy to just dismiss the band as pot smokers, that all their songs about weed, and although it's true, I believe they also deceptively paint a vivid picture of what their lifestyle is like. Check out tracks like "Take a Ride", as it describes California and family, all under a catchy chorus of "west coast is the place for me, never know what you'll see". But it's not all serious, there's a goofy song called "Late Night Call" with cultural reference of "me so horny", "facebook" and "myspace".

The collection is mostly older songs, and it's interesting to see some of their experiments. One song, "Tangerine Sky", seems like it's paying tribute to the Beatles LSD song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". "Tangerine Sky" comes off as being more melodic and slower than most of their songs. The other non-conventional KMK is a poppy song "Let the Music Play". I wish I knew the story behind this song, but what I can tell you that it sounds very happy and 60s love. Perhaps Jackson Five?

Anyway, my favorites are usually the faster-constantly rapping songs with a loopy DJ backback, like "Evolution" and "Got It Get It". The later is a new Kingspade (a division of Kottonmouth King's rap duo, Johnny Richter and D-Loc) venture, which may be important for fans, as they haven't released anything under Kingspade in the last two years.

The Lost Adventures of the Kottonmouth Kings

The DVD portion is a Best Buy exclusive. The two hour DVD featuring the band on tour, music videos and various miscellaneous. The audio and video quality can sometime be quite poor (night-time shooting is always an issue) to quite good (see image capture of a great quality), and I think sometime the director overuses the fisheye lens. Still, can't complain too much since it's added value.

Hidden Stash 420 is out now. A perfect Christmas gift for any stoner in your family.

To understand The Slits, we have to take a look at their history. I mean, I have even heard about the Slits about the same time the Riot Grrrls thing started up in the early 90s, and by that time they had already split up. You see, back then, we didn't have the internet, most of the stories and mythology were read in letters and fanzines. Fanzines were important to indie music, because the major publications did not focus into these small niche.

The Slits shocked me when it was announced for their 30^th anniversary forming the band, that they had reformed. I believe only two of the original band members (Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt) makes up the new formation, but this is pretty common as far as reformed bands are concerned (see Guns n Roses, for example).

Most new "girl" band fans should pick up their debut 1979 album, Cut, as sort of a companion to their latest 2009 release Trapped Animal. Despite being thirty years apart, they sound complementary to each other. In some ways, my theory is that Animal is the direct sequel to Cut.

If words like raw, primal, tribal, experimental, doesn't appeal to you, then you probably won't like their music. While I do not generally like the pots & pans music that's so popular today, I do think The Slits are slightly better than most of the modern stuff. They've been doing it for ages, and, unlike modern music, they actually sing and sometime even have catchy melodies.

The other thing The Slits have going for them is that they're always tackling political and human right issues. "Issues" deals with child abuse, while "Ask Ma" deals about women rights. These kind of "freedom"/equality topics are generally associated with reggae music, and there are a few songs, "Babylon", & "Reggae Gypsy", on the new album that sounds a bit like reggae. Although, to be fair, The Slits have always been known to fuse a bit of reggae rhythms and angry female vocals.

My favorite song is "Cry Baby", which sounds more like a 60s girl group pop song than the usual Slits style. And speaking of not in their style, "Be It", sounds like they're singing in Japanese? It's brilliant, even though I have absolutely no idea what they're singing about. They are so different that if these songs randomly comes on the radio, you'd never guess it was the Slits, and I think that's saying something about their diversity and flexibility in the type of music they produce.

So find out why Le Tigre name checked The Slits, among others, in their song "Hot Topic". It's because The Slits are, and is, one of the most influencial and important band. Their latest album is Trapped Animal and available at all online stores. Old fans will welcome the new songs, while new fans will be in for a treat with Trapped Animal.

I’m not going to blame my lack of updates on the swine flu.  That would be wrong, sleazy, and downright unconstitutional.

Now that I got that off my chest, I’m happy to report that my cleaning ventures have been particularly fruitful.  No, I didn’t find that copy of Tremors II: Aftershocks that you claim I never returned (let it go, bro).  I did, however, dig up the following dusty gems:

Wheat – White Ink Black Ink

Americans like short things:  lines, books, hair, conversations, etc.  Sometimes even using full sentences takes too long; it’s why we invented Twitter.  Thankfully, there is a band called Wheat.  Not only is their name economical, but more than half of White Ink Black Ink is under the four minute mark.  You just can’t argue with odds like those.  Each track loyally embraces the simplicities of song craft and the complexities of song experience; meaning, the album will probably appeal to those of us that appreciate music straight up, minus additives like weird stupid metaphors and lengthy experimental escapades.  Of course there are flaws to this logic, the most obvious being 2009’s love affair with electro beats and dance-driven, overproduced indiepop.  The kids want to move and while White Ink has no shortage of catchy hooks and gung ho knocks, the resulting mood does not exactly inspire bods to hula, which is basically a compliment but commercially a loss.  At its best, the album sounds vaguely like the byproduct of a musical three-way:  the cool nonchalance of slacker rock + timeless anthemic sway + a dash of requisite “indie” flair (the indefinable “all spice”).  Suggested tracks:  the first half of the album.
Website / Myspace

UltraChorus – Ultra-Def

Speaking of electro beats:  Minneapolis electronica duo UltraChorus recently released Ultra-Def, a brain cell-shattering smattering of slick robot grooves.  This ain’t music for your grandma (unless grandma gets her freak on).  As I mentioned in my review of Words Kept Talking (7” single), being an electro-lovin’ musician in Minnesota is akin to being a minority in Minnesota:  you’re in the minority.  UltraChorus may very well be a shining fiber optic star in a universe of bland, denim-encased chunks of coal, and the world…of Minnesotans might never know.  Such a shame because Ultra-Def is solid material.  It pumps you up, but not in a Jock Jams sort of way, and warms the innards without leaving a metallic aftertaste.  A distinct rhythmic base connects each track without distorting identity; this attention to continuity gives us simpletons something to hold on to, a sort of symbolic Roller Coaster lap bar.  Suggested tracks:  “Words Kept Talking,” “Houseparty 5” and the super-mixed-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink “Yucatan Peninsula.”
Website / Myspace

Kordan – Fantasy Nation

Wow, Arthur Eisele (Kordan) sure knows how to befuddle a critic.  Is Fantasy Nation a concept album?  Or is it dreamy electro-pop disguised as a concept album?  Maybe it’s a soundtrack to a film not yet written:  something Japanese but inspired by French New Wave—a love story, perhaps, set in the stylish future, where the girls look like Francoise Hardy and the boys busy their arms with battered anthologies of 19^th century existentialism.  Something like that.  Honestly, the effort required to simplify Fantasy Nation­—to break it down, if you will—seems pointless, irreverent even.  The album succeeds as a fluid movement, a continuous aural flow.  What it isn’t (and, incidentally, what may hinder mainstream marketing) is track-driven.  Sure, I’ve picked a favorite (the wispy, Gainsbourg/Birkin-esque “Slouchy Girl”) but that’s just personal preference and an ear for melancholy vocals.  As an objective writer, I’d advise readers to avoid listening to Fantasy on shuffle mode; fight the urge to single-song download, readers (you wouldn’t treat In the Aeroplane over the Sea in such a defiling manner, would you?).  Suggested tracks:  listen to the whole damn EP (EP = short and sweet).
Website / Myspace

Don't worry, there's more Minneapolis reviews coming soon. I thought I'd take a break and put together this 'girl' themed article. Most important is that I wanted to get Girls in Trouble in before its release date.

GIRLS IN TROUBLE
myspace.com/girlsintroublemusic ♥ twitter.com

The sticker on this album read:

What if the girls in the bible started an indie rock band?

And with that, I knew I fall in love with Girls in Trouble.

Girls in Trouble basically centers around singer and violinist Alicia Jo Rabins. Her band consists of upright bassist Aaron Hartman, drummer Tim Monaghan, and keys Jascha Hoffman. Reading their biography, I do get the impression that Alicia is a deeply religious Jewish girl. Listening to her music, you do get a sense of shyness, lonliness, and devotion.

Based on song titles and song subjects, I also get the impression that Alicia is really into the bible. Certainly there's a few stories about lions, deserts, harvest, and camels.

A few of these songs on the self-titled album have combined titles: "Secrets/You're Always Watching", "Snow/Scorpions And Spiders", "Hunter/The Bee Lays Her Honey", and "Mountain/When My Father Came Back". My theory on this is that perhaps they are combinations of several songs ideas into one. Take for instance, my favorite song, "Hunter/The Bee Lays Her Honey", which starts off with gentle plucks, only to ease out to an end with percussions and sweeping melodic violin. To me, those two could easily be two different songs. On "Mountain/When My Father Came Back", you can argue the same thing - a quiet start, and into the 1 minute mark the rest of the band jumps in. Of course, that's just my own theory whenever I see two or more titles for one song.

Although the album is brief (it's only about 30 minutes), every minute of it is joy for my ears. The album was produced by Scott Solter, of Spoon and Mountain Goats fame, so he knows a thing or two about how to produce those clean, crisp organic sound.

Fans of K Records, especially Tender Forever fans, should take note of Girls in Trouble. Their self-titled debut album is out October 27^th, 2009, on the Jewish label, Jdub Records. Alternatively, you can pick up the CD at amazon.

Read More Thievery Corporation http://weheartmus... DJ duo, Rob & Eric, of Thievery Corporation are doing an amazing job on their latest release of R...

SCIENCE FOR GIRLS
scienceforgirls.net ♥ myspace.com

I've been meaning to write about Science For Girls since I heard their R&B-ish, song "Peace Heart". The singer is called Alexandra Slous, and she does a great job with her sassy voice rhyming Beyonce with Beyonce, followed by Kanye, and target.

Let's put on a little Beyonce
Everybody likes Beyonce
Me, I'm kinda like Beyonce
Why couldn't you be a little Beyonce
You're barely makin' it halfway to Kanye
I'm Louis Vuitton, you're so Target

Science for Girls is not exactly a "real" band, they are more like Thievery Corporation, you know DJs & Producers who work with several different singers and collaborators. In the case of Science for Girls, the main person behind it is Darren Solomon.

Each of the song, on his self-titled 2007 album, were written and produced by Solomon contain a guest vocalist. None of the singer repeat, so each song has a different taste in singing style. They are held together by this easy loungey music, but instead of just background music, there's a fresh splash of contemporary electronica in the songs too.

If you like those Verve Remix albums, you'll want to give Science for Girls a chance. It's only $10 on amazon.

Tour Dates 10/21/09 Barfly London, UK 10/24/09 CMJ New York, NY

JESSICA 6
jessica6music.com ♥ myspace.com/jessicasix

I was sent this 9-track EP called "Fun Girl" by Jessica 6. I thought it would have, you know, b-sides, and stuff... no this EP is basically eight different remixes of "Fun Girl" and one "Not Anymore" (which incidentally, was not included on my submission). (Edit: Human error.  I just check my folders, for some reason, "Not Anymore" was not added to  my iTunes library.)

So, all I know about this New York-based band is that they used to be a duo called Hercules and Love Affair. Gaining an extra member, Nomi Ruiz, Andrew Raposo, and Morgan Wiley, formed Jessica 6 - named after a character from the 70s movie "Logan's Run". Although I said there were three band members, based on their booby live pictures, it clearly shows there are four members in the group.

Between all the "Fun Girl" mixes, I'll have to confess they all sort of sound the same to me after a while. Sometime the remix disregard most of the vocals ( "Liv Spencer Remix"), and sometime they sound quite different and stretch out to epic proportions ("Worldwarwalter Remix"). My favorite is the loopy, repetitive, with a dash of cowbell, on the "Whatever Whatever Remix". Overall, they all sound very disco-ey to me.

Well, they are wrapping up their European tour, so if you're in London, it's not too late to catch the band before they head back to the states for CMJ.

Tour Dates 10/21/09 Théâtre de L’Alhambra Geneva 10/22/09 El Lokal Zurich 10/24/09 Le Poste à Galène Marseille 11/06/09 City Winery New York 11/27/09 Old Town School  Chicago, Il 11/28/09 Bryant Lake Bowl Minne, Mn 01/12/10 Railway Club Vancouver, BC 01/13/10 Railway Club Vancouver, BC 01/15/10 Triple Door Seattle, WA 01/16/10 Triple Door Seattle, WA 01/17/10 Mississippi Studios Portland, OR 01/19/10 Rickshaw Stop SF, CA 01/20/10 Rickshaw Stop SF, CA 01/22/10 Troubadour Los Angeles, CA 01/23/10 Troubadour Los Angeles, CA Read More Joseph Arthur http://weheartmus... Peter Gabriel saw something in Joseph Arthur, because he signed Arthur on his record label, Real ... 4 comments

JOSEPH ARTHUR
josepharthur.com ♥ myspace.com/josepharthur

I feel kind of bad, but I've had this single, Foreign Girls since August 2008 (I keep a catalogue of everything that's sent in for review at pending.whm), and have always meant to talk about this single and his seventh studio album Temporary People. Of course, you know how things are, you let sometime slip and it just keeps sliding...

Where we last left Joseph Arthur, I had mentioned that he a bit of a Peter Gabriel prodigy. He's long outgrown those shoes, gaining loads of fans through his music and touring. I did see that he's doing two shows (two time slots) in Minneapolis at Bryant Lake Bowl and two nights in Vancouver, San Fran and LA. I suspect hardcore fans will be at both booking!

With Foreign Girls, the last of the 2008 quadrilogy singles, he sings about his observation on "Foreign Girls". He kind of gives off a little disgust on the way they act and behave, despite the fact that "every loves and everybody wants foreign girls".

The rest of the EP goes back rather quickly, songs are about American life, from drinking champagne and dancing on "Lovely Cost" to driving and looking at photos on "Candy and Cars". My favorite song on the EP is "New Satisfaction", which sounds more upbeat than Arthur's usual songs.

You can get Foreign Girls, along with his other releases directly at his official website. What he's doing, that I think is really smart, is bundling his releases with artwork/prints, shirts, and necklaces. I often think these weird merchandises are cool.

Forgive me, but this whole week will be devoted to Minneapolis bands. With my new camera, I've accepted any music assignments that comes my way - so be on the lookout for lots of live show reviews with photos this whole month.

I struggled to actually produce an article for Mercurial Rage's Cascade that came out last week, prior to this Saturday for their release party. Unfortunately, I did not meet the deadline... However, I finally have some quality time to sit down and listen to the album earlier today.

While they are now a  full-fledged band, complete with guitarist, bassist, and drummer, they did start off with very minimalistic settings: singer, laptops, and a keyboard. By 2007, they had gained a few extra band members and released their first EP, The Funeral Sessions, which did catch the attention of BBC's The World for their song/single "Devil Girl".

So, my first impression of this band's debut LP Cascade, is that they seem to have a lot of trouble with the opposite sex. I thought most, if not all, of their songs are about girls and girl troubles. From "looking for love in a topless bar" ("Star") to "I got a girl, she's smoking all my weed" ("Gotta Girl") to "Theresa, Theresa" to "I lost my love on a Saturday night" ("Sad"). It is as if the band's looking for love in all the wrong places.

Musically, the band seems really obsessed with 80s Alternative rock, particularly Depeche Mode and New Order, whom they are often compared to in the local weekly papers. Which is not bad, although I will have to also add that they really like the Cure (there's a sly reference to Robert Smith on "Water Under the Bridge").

If you're already a huge fan of 80s Alt Rock, you definitely want to check out Mercurial Rage. Their brand of music, like the naughty girls in their songs, will "keep you up all night".

Cascade is out now on Susstones Records. You can download their "F.F.F." song from the record label. This song's music, along with "Robot Love", are written by Brandon Dalida (they are my two favorite songs on the album).

El Perro del Mar – Love Is Not Pop

It’s easy to become infatuated with certain songs and albums, thinking of them as “ours” after repeated listening. That’s why people’s knickers get in such a twist when they hear their favorite songs in tampon commercials and One Tree Hill episodes. While this may be nothing more than snobbery, one could argue that it’s also some form of twisted, shallow love. It may not be the healthiest kind of love, but what do you expect? It is only pop music, after all.

On El Perro del Mar’s third (“mini”) album, Love is Not Pop, Sarah Assbring sings indifferently but sweetly about heartbreak, farewells, and prolonged bouts of weeping – all of which are well-worn topics in pop songs. Despite this, there’s a somber, mature tone to the songs that give the somewhat trite lyrics an edge. Besides, the love described in pop songs is often trite and cliché, but it’s usually the singer’s intent and level of sincerity that elevates it to something more. El Perro del Mar’s brand of honesty is simple and clear, and when she morosely sings about lying in someone’s “heavenly arms,” you can’t help but suspend your cynicism and just go with it.

Letting go of any immediate pessimism seems to be a key factor in enjoying Swedish indie pop, and once you do, the world is suddenly a beautiful (albeit still imperfect) place. Opening track, “Gotta Get Smart,” is a prime example of this. Through shimmering melodies and a bird-like “doot doot doot” chorus, El Perro del Mar decides to leave a steady relationship behind for good. As always, the contrast between the cutesy tunes and miserable lyrics is effortlessly done. This disparity is a running theme throughout the album, seen on songs like “Let Me In” and “Heavenly Arms.” She never shies away from slightly formulaic expressions and words, but the melancholy tone implies something deeper hidden among such stock phrases. These are pop songs, and yes, they are about love – but they’re not the kind of fluff you’d find on the local soft rock station.

The love El Perro del Mar sings about is not the kind of love often seen in commercials or One Tree Hill. It’s depressing and ends in soul-crushing despair. In other words, it’s probably too realistic for TV. On the forlorn track, “It Is Something,” she cheers herself up with a good cry when suddenly, the song blooms into a quietly cheerful, synth-infused celebration of the perks of heartbreak. It’s one of the few hopeful outbursts in the album, and a nice reminder of what kind of love with which we’re dealing. It’s not pop. It’s not happy. But it’s something.

National Geographic's Music have been on my mind lately. First off, I got some free songs from Gabon People and Bibi Tanga et le professeur inlassable, via PNY's National Geographic Bonus Offer because I had recently purchased a 8 gig SanDisk for my Olympus Camera.

DEPEDRO
depedro.net ♥ myspace.com

While searching for shows coming to Minneapolis, I noticed that Jairo Zaval, aka DePedro, will be playing here with Federico Aubele, in early November. He's probably most famous for being the touring guitarist for Calexico, but in the Spanish world, he'll probably be known for being the frontsman for the rock group Vacazul, blues band 3000 Hombres, and surf group Los Coronas. Well, his self-titled debut album was released last August via the National Geographic Music Label.

Since I only have basic high school Spanish, I really couldn't tell you what many of the songs mean. There are a few English songs that I did understand (and enjoyed, particularly "Two Parts in One"), but the majority of his songs are written and sung in Spanish.

There are some welcomed surprises, including incredibly poppy song "Te sigo soñando", a latin-bluesy "¿Qué puedo hacer por ti?", and a partial duet on "Llorona".

His single and radio song that they seem to like is "La Memoria" (the Memory), which, if you can understand Spanish, it might convey how he felt about poverty and injustice when he visited Mexico. The song was a free giveaway on natgeomusic.net, but I couldn't figure out where on their website.

PUTUMAYO PRESENTS ESPAÑA
www.putumayo.com

Read More Putumayo Presents: Brazilian Café http://weheartmus... 08/01/09 JOHNNY BREGAR Seattle, WA • Woodland Park Zoo 08/02/09 JOHNNY BREGAR Portland, OR • Oreg...

When it comes to World Music, I think Putumayo's the label for these type of music. Each release is gorgeous, always including a gorgeous booklet with each artist's biography (in English, Spanish, and French). This is one of those company that doesn't really release their music on iTunes - which is fine, because the real experience is in its physical package. These releases are made to be on display on your bookshelves.

Beyond DePedro, of course I did not recognize any of these Spanish artist on this release. But that's okay, I trust Putumayo to do a great job compiling the best of the best, as they say. After all, they've been doing this since 1993.

Most of these songs are on the upbeat side. Sometime I feel these songs are mixture of traditional with modern mix. The stand-out tracks that does that traditional/modern thing is "Cumbia Caimanera" by El Combolinga, a band from Madrid. Judging from the translated lyrics, they are singing about "real life" of the state of things in Cuba.

From the other side of the river, where there are no streetlights
Foundtains are dry and we don't put foot to ball
That's where we the caimans live
Without a job or glamor
We have big mouths and our eyes are looking south
That's why we sing looking towards the south

The lone woman singer on this whole compilation, Uxía, certain stood out for me. According to her biography, she grew up very close to Portugal, so she's long felt kinship with the Portuguese culture. Her song, "Danza Ritual" (Dance Ritual) sings about a dance, describing it as a spider spinning the web of fate.

While I did mention that most of these songs are very Flamenco/Spanish, there is a surprisingly vaguely reggae song on the album called "Te Estás Equivocando" (You Are Getting it All Wrong) by Gecko Turner. I believe the chorus music might be stolen from "The Tide is High" by the Paragons (who was made famous by Blondie), by the way.

Also, this must be a reoccurring feature, but in addition to music, there's a few recipes for Bread Pudding and Torrijas de Natillas, by chef Eva Arguinaño. And as always, buying Putumayo means they will donate a portion of their profit to a charity. This release proceeds will go to Intermón Oxfam.

Look for their two upcoming release in late October, A Family Christmas and Jazz Around The World.

Where we last left the British folk band, Noah And The Whale, I had noted that this band was very new, based on the fact that their name was taken from the 2005 film, Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale. I also felt that their songwriters are based on things in life: love, happiness, and death.

So let's catch up to see how far they've come since that Saturn car commercial. Since their release of their debut album, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down, after a string of hit singles. The band found themselves doing all the festival gigs (Leeds, Glasto, V), which probably help boost their record to #5 on the UK album charts. Let's just put it this way, 2008's been a fantastic year for Noah and the Whale.

Unfortunately, their promotional push did not carry over to the states when they released this announcement:

It is with no little remorse and disappointment that we are compelled to cancel these dates. These words are being typed in the studio as we make progress on the next Noah and the Whale album.

Instead, the band headed back into the studio to work on their sophomore, (appropriately at the time) named The First Days of Spring. Which really brings us to the album being officially release in the US, this Tuesday, October 6^th on Cherrytree Records. I got a chance to listen to the album over the weekend in my car.

Immediately, you'll notice the first thing that free download song, "The First Days Of Spring", brings in a sense of wide open space. The lyrics sounds more like reading a book, trying to describe this feeling of nature and life.

The spring song is followed by "Our Window", with the same nature theme, about looking at the stars through a window. This is such a departure from their themes from the first album. Another departure seems to be in the backup singers department - there are not any on the new album.

I thought I read somewhere that The First Days Of Spring is "more electric", I don't really think is the case. There are electric guitars, as heard on such song as "My Broken Heart", but I wouldn't exactly put this against any rock album. This is a folky album, especially with some acoustics and fiddles andsuch mild and gentle vocals.  In fact, what rock album features a very nice instrumental break?

The most upbeat (and possibly will make a great single), is "Love Of An Orchestra". It doesn't sound anything like the rest of the album, but I think that's why people might be drawn to the song.

Personally, I think the band's grown in the short time they've been together. It should be interesting to see where they band is at, in say, "five years time".

PS, just prior to the album's release in the UK, drummer and brother Doug Fink, announced that he will be leaving the band to pursue a career in medicine. Good for him. I suspect if the music-thing doesn't work out for, Charlie Fink, he can always pursue film, as he's made the film version of "The First Days Of Spring". If you were thinking it's a documentary or maybe a "live" concert, it's not, it looks vibrant and artsy. You can check out the trailer on vimeo yourself.

I believe the film is made available on DVD on the first limited pressing of The First Days of Spring, which is selling for only $10 on amazon (or $12 on insound.com).

All Leather - I Don't Hate Fags, God Does All Leather 10/30/09 Slims San Francisco, CA 11/01/09 Black Lodge Seattle, WA 11/02/09 Satyricon Portland, OR 11/03/09 3 Parkside San Francisco, CA 11/06/09 Black Market El Paso, TX 11/07/09 Fun Fun Fun Fest Austin, TX 11/08/09 Rock Bottom San Antonio, TX 11/09/09 Lounge on Elm St Dallas, TX 11/12/09 Modified Phoenix, AZ 11/13/09 Che Cafe San Diego, CA 11/14/09 Club 1979 Baja CA 11/15/09 Smell Los Angeles, CA Discography [Aug 2009] Hung Like A Horse EP [Aug 2009] Hung Like A Donut - Remix Album

Here is the latest collection of Singles and Extended Plays that's come across my desk. Reviewing EPs is simple, as usually it's focused on the main song, but it's also very hard to write about. You can only write so much about one song, which is why I've stopped accepting single songs (we get a lot of these), remixes, edited, videos, streams, or demos. I am also not uploading every song for streaming, just my main song of choice (mostly for hypemachine audiences).  Read more EZ EPs articles.

ALL LEATHER
allleather.org ♥ myspace.com/allleather

All Leather's origin is from the ashes of the California punk band Some Girls (not to be confused with the less-than-punk band Juliana Hatfield's Some Girls), where two of the band members (bassist Justin Pearson and guitarist Nathan Joyner) came from.

The band recently featured on rcrdlbl and Alt Press Magazine. The later gives a glimpse of what All Leather sounds like: "[dance music] had cool elements, but was always ruined by lame lyrics, poor vocals and not enough balls. Ironically enough, the balls I wanted came from my exposure to it while working at a gay bar."

What he's referring to is probably their songs "Please Jesus, Send Me Someone To F*ck" and "I Don't Hate Fags, God Does" from their EP Hung Like a Horse, released in August on Dim Mak Records. The title alone is sort of controversial, but since I cannot, for the life of me, understand what Pearson is singing about, I don't know how I should feel about the songs.

I wouldn't exactly classify All Leather as "dance music" as described in Alt Press, this is more like experimental DIY noise - especially with the first two head trauma songs, "As The Hog Pisseth" and "We're Skrewed". Both songs seems to want to drill holes in my head.

Based on the songs and reading about the band, All Leather's fan base will be best built on their live performances. Usually these kind of high-energy sound just translate better on stage. Fortunately, it looks like they're doing a ton of dates in the south-west.

THE STATES thestatesonline.com ♥ myspace.com I've said this before, and I'll say this again: bands really need to pick better names. It's impossible to search for 'states' without having to put 'music' or 'band' in the search box. I'm sure this is the number one complaint whenever someone write about them and/or doing research. Still, that didn't stop the rock trio from being heard on national television on Fox's Fearless Music Show last night. I guess I don't really watch television (do I even have Fox on my TV?), I didn't know there were even music shows! I'm kind of excited about that, knowing that traditional media is still interested in music promotion. Well, We Are The Erasers, released September 22nd, is the third release from this band. With the exception of the ballad-ish "The Fight", the rest of the five-track sounds pretty much solid rock music. I think the best song on the EP is "Erasers", with Chris Snyder singing its catchy lyrics of "we will be erased", followed by "you have been erased". The State are currently on tour, I'm sure they'll get some better exposure with their official CMJ showcase coming up! 10/03/09 Rusty Rudder Dewey Beach, DE 10/15/09 Fusion 5 Night Club Foxboro, MA 10/16/09 TT The Bears Cambridge, MA 10/17/09 Rack N’ Roll Cafe Stamford, CT 10/18/09 Vibe Lounge Rockville Centre, NY 10/21/09 CMJ Showcase New York, NY 10/23/09 Stone Church Newmarket, NH 11/05/09 Puck Doylestown, Pennsylvania		THE WOLFMEN thewolfmen.net ♥ myspace.com/thewolfmen I've never heard of The Wolfmen before this promo single, Jackie, Is It My Birthday?, to be released on October 5th on their label, Howl Records, but their two main band members singer/bassist Chris Constantinou and guitarist Marco Pirroni have been in the industries for ages. I know that the two of them worked for Adam Ant, and Pirroni's been associated with Siouxsie & the Banshees and Sinéad O'Connor. It is with the O'Connor connection is that she sings duet with Constantinou on their new single. While the press release quoted this "For thirty years Fairytale of New York has dominated the Christmas playlists and festive radio for anyone looking for hardcore Christmas whimsey. But Jackie, is it my Birthday? is a worthy contender to The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl's throne." to describe the song - I'll have to politely disagree. While I did love both the A-Side ("Jackie, Is It My Birthday?") and B-Side ("Blushing God"), "Jackie" doesn't really hit the same sad note as with "Fairytale of New York". Surely, I can think of some better O'Connor duets (just look at "Visions of You" with Jah Wobble or her album Collaborations featuring nothing but duets with O'Connor). Still, the song is championed by a variety of British DJs and musicians, among them Dandy Warholler, Courtney Taylor-Taylor, calling the band "f*cking brilliant... I guess The Wolfmen just sound like heavy weights because they are." You can hear the song for yourself on their myspace, along with "Jackie Says", which I hear is their breakthrough hit song.
MIKA mikasounds.com ♥ myspace.com/mikamyspace Mika isn't really the sort of musician that I normally listen to. It's not like because of my street cred, but generally once an artist reach a certain status, the PR companies stops answering our calls. Which is why it was weird that I was sent his latest single, We Are Golden by his record label, Universal Records. The single comes with essentially the same song - a radio edit and the full song. The radio edit cuts the song three and a half minutes from its original four minutes epic. I'll have to admit that the song is pretty catchy and inspiring with its uplifting piano. It's a youth song, it sends out the message that old geezer like me would never understand it. Having just appeared on "Later...with Jools Holland", it's a good indication that he'll be heading out on his tour - heading into 2010! 10/12/09 Toronto, ON Sound Academy 10/13/09 Montreal, QC Place de Arts 10/15/09 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre 10/16/09 New York, NY United Palace 10/18/09 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory 10/20/09 Chicago, IL Riviera 10/23/09 Los Angeles, CA Palladium 10/24/09 Oakland, CA Fox Theatre 10/25/09 Seattle, WA The Moore 10/27/09 Vancouver, BC Orpheum Theatre 03/12/10 Antwerp Sportpaleis 03/13/10 Amsterdam Heineken Hall 03/15/10 Copenhagen KB Hallen 03/17/10 Oslo Spektrum 03/18/10 Stockholm Annexet 03/20/10 Dusseldorf Phillipshalle 03/21/10 Frankfurt Jahrhunderthalle 03/23/10 Hamburg Color Line Arena 03/26/10 Leipzig Haus Auensee 03/27/10 Munich Zenith 03/29/10 Vienna Gasometer 03/30/10 Stuttgart Schleyerhalle 04/01/10 Basel St. Jakobshalle 04/02/10 Luxembourg City Rockhall 04/16/10 Lisbon Coliseum 04/18/10 Barcelona Palau Sant Jordi 04/19/10 Madrid Palacios Deportes 04/21/10 Milan Mediolanum Forum 04/23/10 Marseille Le Dome 04/24/10 Lyon Halle Tony Garnier 04/26/10 Paris Bercy 04/29/10 Nantes Zenith 04/30/10 Toulouse Zenith 05/01/10 Nice Palais Nikaia 05/03/10 Strasbourg Zenith		NANCY NEWLIS nancynewlis.com ♥ myspace.com/nancynewlis Nancy Newlis is a New York singer/songwriter. Yes, we get a lot of these sort of submissions, especially of the singer/songwriter variety. What makes Newlis stand out is that she's from Moscow, originally studying under composer Irina Vladimirovna. A bit of a prodigy, she found herself studying jazz with a full scholarship in the University of Miami. Her recording break came with the release of Universidad Navidena, featuring the University music orchestra. Bitten by the recording bug, she went on to release Moments last year, and her latest release is Dreamers 2009 EP, released last May. I think what she's trying to do on the EP is a mixture of traditional jazz and pop music. Generally, the way I look at jazz is that it's usually an instrumental form, usually with improvisation (especially played by a veteran). In order for traditional jazz to be accepted by the mainstream audience, it has to have catchy lyrics or pop sensibility. Songs like "Dreamers", "Social Standing" and "What Is It?" on Newlis' EP does a good job fusing the two genre, featuring some acoustics, pianos, and Newlis' unique Russian-esque vocals. If you want to hear her for yourself, check out her free download of "Dreamers" at last.fm.
PUZZLE myspace.com/puzzlepuzzle OH MY! I think I am in love Puzzle. They have this indiepop sound, sort of feels like they are all old school friends in a small, small town, obsessing over their favorite bands. As it turns out, according to their biography, this is a "female-fronted" band from Liverpoool who started in 2007. Their debut album, Sometimes, all of the time, released the same year, is sold out... however their latest MiniCD (the first 30 features a holographic cover, limited to 100), is called We Left, released September 28th on Lightning Heart Records. I don't know what else I can add to this, except that I really like the way Lucy sings her songs. It reminds me of a bit of Tanya Donelly. If I were to live in Liverpool, you know what I'll be doing on October 13th (stalking): 10/13/09 Bumper - with Cats and Cats and Cats & maybeshewill		TOTAL BABE myspace.com/totalbabeband A little closer to home, is Minneapolis' Total Babe. Generally whenever I see band names like this, I think "they must mean the opposite, I'll bet they're heavy metal dudes ... with beards!" Well perception kept me away until I added this EP to my work queue. Guess what? They're alright! In fact, having just looked over all their cheesy photography collection, including the hilarious OMG picture, I'll have to say they are cute/dorky normal. The six song Heatwave EP, is full of indieness. My favorite is "Shape Up", featuring some whistling action. Since they are from around here, I'll try and catch them play after their CMJ debut. 10/04/09 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, Minnesota 10/20/09 CMJ FESTIVAL New York, New York 10/21/09 CMJ FESTIVAL Public Assembly Brooklyn, NY 10/22/09 CMJ FESTIVAL Spike Hill Brooklyn, New York 10/23/09 CMJ FESTIVAL New York, New York 10/24/09 CMJ FESTIVAL New York, New York 10/30/09 PERSONAL BEST RECORDS Minneapolis, MN 11/14/09 Kitty Cat Klub, Minneapolis, MN

The Beatles. Really, a giant of rock giants. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Apple Records/EMI recently re-released all of the Beatles albums re-mastered this past 9/9/09 (a reference to their "song", "Revolution 9".)

What I have always found fascinating of Beatles (and, of course, Rolling Stones), were that they were heavily influenced by US rock and blues. However, the cover songs and original music that these British bands were playing had their own style to them, making their music their own unique take.

All of us grew up with The Beatles, and we all love them. However, for every "Love Me Do" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" hit song, The Beatles had at least ten lesser or unknown songs.... and it's these unknown songs that I think only true fans will know and appreciate.

Still, the band's musical output of Paul McCartney and John Lennon (and let's not forget producer George Martin) is legendary: thirteen albums in ten years, for a total of over 200 songs (600 minutes - yep, all of their songs are about three minutes).

Since I actually own many of these albums from their reissue in the 90s (with The Beatles Anthology), I didn't need to get the all of recent 9/9 release. I bought a few, mostly for collecting reasons or filling in a missing discography, and a few were sent in for review.

Overall, each remastered edition comes with a movie file on the disc, with the exception of Past Masters. The often brief video talks about the respective album, with voiceovers of the people involved (including McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Martin). While that's probably not going to be a deal breaker for most people, it's still a very nice bonus.

As for recommendation, if you are a casual fan and/or just looking to get a compilation, look no further than the two-disc Past Masters remastered. These were originally released in 1988 as parts one and two, but with this reissue, they are now one package. The album collects some of the Beatles' best-known singles, including "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Love Me Do", "Day Tripper", and "Revolution". Plus, I got a kick out of hearing some of their hits in Germany.

What's interesting about "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" (I Want to Hold Your Hand), was that the German vocals were basically overdubs over "I Want to Hold Your Hand" instrumental. I don't speak German, but Paul sounds pretty convincing to me.

The big draw for fans is that the audio's been remixed in stereo. I think sometime the remaster team of Guy Massey, Steve Rooke, Sam Okell with Paul Hicks and Sean Magee, goes overboard - especially with some of the drums (it's hard to explain, but sometime the instruments sounds like it's in 3D, in four quadrant). The stereo mix does sound especially clear and organic... but for the purists, they are making the original mono editions as part of a boxset.

Also, I should point out that the packaging is gorgeous, all in digipack, with a big 32-page lyric booklet. The booklet has an introduction article about the album, a ton of rare Beatles photos, lyrics, and, also, the original album sleeve notes.

PS, all of these releases follows the UK track listing (hello, Rubber Soul).

BEATLES FOR SALE (1964) Beatles For Sale This is one of the few Beatles album that I was missing in my collection, partly because the album was never released in the US (ironic for its title, no?). Technically, the album was re-released in America as Beatles '65 and Beatles VI, but for the full release, I was happy to pick up Beatles for Sale and hearing it for the first time. My favorite song off this album is probably "Eight Days a Week", a song that took only minutes to compose and write in the studio (this was often the case for many of the Beatles' masterpieces!)		SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND (1967) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Back in high school, in my PASCAL programming class (this should date me), our teacher was obsessed with this album. He played it constantly in the computer class. I think the reason why he loved this album so much, is that, as a conceptual album, it's very different from the Beatles you were used to. Part of this was probably because the band had an idea of "an alter-ego" band. So, you started hearing more orchestral music, more experimenting (Indian sitars!), and just making this a very interesting work than standard rock and roll fair. Most people will probably know "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "When I'm Sixty-Four" from this album.
THE WHITE ALBUM (1968) The White Album After Pepper's very complicated album sleeve, we have the simple "white album". Technically, the album is self-titled and, personally, I don't consider Magical Mystery Tour a "real Beatles album". The Beatles came back to "basic" music, recording a giant treasure trove of songs. They had so much music that the album was, for the first time, issued on double LPs. Some famous songs on the double album are "Dear Prudence" and "Revolution". Personally, I love the all-out rock song "Helter Skelter" - which I'll have to admit the song was tainted after Charles Manson.		LET IT BE (1970) Let It Be Although this is the last Beatles record (see Abbey Road below), it was put together without much Paul or John's input. In fact, legends has it that Paul hated the Phil Spector mixes so much that they eventually released Let it Be...Naked a few years ago. Not a blow to Phil, but I felt that much of this album's recording shows off that the Beatles were a "live" band, and the songs feels like they were played live. Trying to make the album into a "studio" sound didn't help. Some gems off the album, "Let it Be", "I've Got a Feeling", "The Long and Winding Road" and of course "Get Back" (which feels like it the recording was lifted from the infamous rooftop concert.

ABBEY ROAD (1969)