Hailing from Liverpool, Colin Close is a dreamy acoustic duo who released their debut EP at the end of September. Evidently, neither member is named Colin.* Their label, Fruit Soup, sent me an e-mail in late October with Colin Close’s self-titled EP attached. Thank goodness I downloaded it.Rob Hamer and Jan Staunton’s music feels less like an intricately constructed score and more like the natural weaving together of two guitars. Think of a more lyrically sparse and abstract Simon and Garfunkel and you’ll be on the right track.
Colin Close - Play Circles
Colin Close - Folk 2
Buy their self-titled EP
Colin Close's website/**
*...but you wouldn't know that from their lack of promo photos (just a hint).
**get a myspace, now
P.S. - Do you like the new banner?
Labels: artist profile, colin close
Andy Swan’s Ottawa is one of the more charming flying-under-the-radar releases I’ve heard this year. I’ve always thought that my favorite albums and pieces of music sound like the soundtrack to a movie I’d rather imagine than see, and this is no exception. Swan adds charm to his already-sweet songwriting with lulling folk and old-time country instrumentation.I’d been falling (no, it was more like diving) in love with the (I hesitate to say) glorious “Can I pay you with sunshine?” (I think we were introduced by Quick, Before It Melts) when Ottawa snuck into my mailbox back in Virginia. When I arrived home from Ohio for Thanksgiving break it was sitting on my desk and oh, was I excited. I hope you are too.
Should I mention he's Canadian, or is it obvious?
Andy Swan - Starfucker
Andy Swan - Can I pay you with sunshine? [download or die]
(my answer: yes, Andy Swan, you can.)
Andy Swan's website/myspace
Buy Ottawa from Kelp Records
Labels: andy swan, artist profile
The Maccabees "Toothpaste Kisses"
0 Comments Published by Kate on Wednesday at 12/05/2007 08:09:00 PM.
The Maccabees - Toothpaste Kisses [highly rec'd!]Buy Toothpaste Kisses EP (released Oct. 22) from Sister Ray
I am addicted to lies, smiling sweetly back across the table, catching your eye. It could be worse; at least I don't do it with words. November came and made me cold, raw skinned and forlorn, but I'm keeping it quiet, hoping you'll see through me and unfog the glass in my window with a swipe of your hand. I live in fear of the light falling out of your eyes, but I can't tell you that.
One great thing about this song: the whistling. And by the way - most of the time, the Maccabees sound like a love-struck British pop punk band.
The Maccabees - About Your Dress
Buy Colour It In from Amazon.com
The Maccabees' Website/Myspace
Labels: artist profile, maccabees, song piece
The Alarmists - Light A Smoke [highly rec'd!]Let's run down dark alleys holding hands, through the smell that lingers around restaurant kitchen doors, through the steam arising from the sewers. The night is ours, we're ignorant and unafraid.
Tomorrow morning the daylight will return to these streets, the wet asphalt will sparkle with rain to replace the winking stars. We'll be free of this city, riding in cars, on airplanes and trains. We'll have escaped, and the smoke will trail behind us like a cloak.
...And we'll celebrate with power chords. Fans of Bloc Party, watch out.
The Alarmists - Hired Gun
Buy the Ghost and the Hired Gun at Amazon.com (also iTunes)
The Alarmists' Website/Myspace
Labels: artist profile, song piece, the alarmists
John Bustine - Miss Amputee, West Culver County [alt link] [highly rec'd!]Like the best of unhappy folk singers, John Bustine's rough-hewn voice wages war against the cheerful tones of his guitar strings, who love nothing more than the feel of his fingers and pick. I can imagine him somewhere in DC, sitting in a bar, drink in hand, his back against the wall, ignoring the yuppies and saying nothing.
You took your heels, your stitched up sleeves,John Bustine - This Guitar Says I'm Drunk [alt link]
and your phantom pains on an unpaid leave;
but whatever led you to believe
there was more to life than this?
So go on, god speed:
go sail the mountains or climb the seas;
go be everything you deserve to be
as a statewide finalist.
Buy Waltzes and Pleas from Gypsy Eyes Records
John Bustine's Myspace
(Note for John Bustine: You don't have to be made of money to have a website...)
Labels: artist profile, DC street cred, john bustine
Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra - Old People Don't WhisperWith its understated, playful use of the conventions of swing music, “Old People Don’t Whisper” is a song that pokes fun at itself with undeniably charming results. The line “we’ll just talk louder year after year” is followed by an articulation of the bass and brass section that edges on perfection. Just wait until you catch your reflection in the mirror, wielding an ear trumpet and a smile.
Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra - Bossy Man
Buy Mr. Softy from CD Baby
Ethan Lipton's Website/Myspace
BONUS: Louis Armstrong - Willie the Weeper
Labels: artist profile, Ethan Lipton, swing
Expecting Rain - Birthday Girl [highly rec'd!]Lately it seems all good things folk- and country-related on TGH come out of Ohio. Expecting Rain, hailing from Columbus [correction: Cleveland], is no exception. "Birthday Girl" begins with a simple strummed chord on an acoustic guitar and I teeter on the edge of "oh no, not another Creedence Clearwater-wannabe" until the good-naturedly pop-py piano enters in, soon to be joined by Nick Tolar's simple, warm tenor. The country instrumentation develops ever so carefully, and the refrain of "Birthday Girl" is ever-so-slightly sweet without delving into bubblegum cliches.
Expecting Rain - Not Otherwise Specified [highly rec'd!]
download Saint Cecilia Sound System as a zip file
Expecting Rain's Website/Myspace
By the way: Happy Thanksgiving! Just think, the turkey could have been our national bird...
1776 Original Soundtrack - The Egg (and the Eaglet)
Labels: artist profile, expecting rain
I reach over to deal with an unruly eyelash. Oh shit. Out falls my contact. I can sense it more than see it, the vision in my right eye blurred.The song begins warmly, an invitation to sit in the corner and rest your tired feet, close your blinking eyes. Justin Jones' voice never tells you what to think, but by the end you'll know how to feel. It's - I won't hesitate to say - beautiful, and tense, standing on the edge of something so terrifying you can't help but ache for it.
Passing through MississippiJustin Jones is a fellow Virginian, hailing from the Shenandoah Valley; currently, he's based out of DC. He'll be floating around Virginia through November and December, playing at JMU on November 14th. More dates here. Fans of Ryan Adams will find solace in Justin Jones' music.
Swerving like a whirling gypsy
The calm in me I have not felt before
There was something on that summer breeze
It held me close and kissed the trees
Tell you I will never know for sure
Justin Jones & the Driving Rain - Let's Stay Together [download or die]
Justin Jones & the Driving Rain - Long way down
Buy ...and I am the song of the drunkards
Justin Jones' Website/Myspace
Labels: artist profile, justin jones, song piece
I'm sure it's old news that the Silver Seas (formerly the Bees U.S., not to be confused with the Bees UK, who I've posted on previously) are really rather brilliant, but I'm hopping on the train late anyhow. The band's latest album, High Society, was released on October 9th and I think I'm in love again...Despite having the opposite problem of Daniel Tashian in terms of city versus country, I've been enjoying "The Country Life." The Silver Seas' music is pure '70s nostalgia, and I'm sold. Popity Pop Pop Pop.
I should also note that this is one of those situations where it's worth buying the whole album, because the more low-key tracks have the better lyrics, and the upbeat and catchy tracks are just that.
The Silver Seas - The Country Life [highly rec'd!]
The Silver Seas - Ms. November
Buy High Society (eMusic and iTunes also have it)
The Silver Seas' Website/Myspace
Labels: artist profile, silver seas
I’m on fall break this week, which would explain the frequency of posts. I’ve been trying to get ahead on schoolwork, which hopefully will give me more time to do TGH updates in the coming weeks.
I’m not sure what takes "New Paltz Waltz" from just okay to wow: the overlay of old-school country instrumentation or Roberts’ deep, unhurried vocals. If there wasn’t so much cold fog outside, this song would peak my desire to hang out on the porch, sit in a rocking chair, and watch the river flow. "Where We've Been" sees Roberts' trying on the coat of a lonely bluesman (example: Bob Dylan's most recent albums). Fortunately, Roberts has got the voice for it, and his finger-picked guitar gets half the work done. Somewhere in the song a brass section comes in, and there’s a moment – it’s Hootie and the Blowfish!
Then the moment's gone.
Don't let the description I just gave mislead you: Owen Roberts is a folkster, all the way. He's from San Francisco and based out of New York (like all those other aspiring singer-songwriters I get e-mails from). Clearly the message here is: move to DC, people.
Back to Owen Roberts: Bay to Maples is his debut, and if this is what he sounds like now, I can't wait to hear more. He's also been really nice, as I've been going through submissions very slowly lately. If this bothers you, please remember, I am not THE MAN who's keeping you down. That would be Columbia/Sony.
Owen Roberts - New Paltz Waltz [highly rec'd!]
Owen Roberts - Where We've Been
Buy Bay to Maples from...iTunes, wherever
Owen Roberts' Website/Myspace/Blog!
Bonus: Canned Heat - Rollin' & Tumblin'
I’m not sure what takes "New Paltz Waltz" from just okay to wow: the overlay of old-school country instrumentation or Roberts’ deep, unhurried vocals. If there wasn’t so much cold fog outside, this song would peak my desire to hang out on the porch, sit in a rocking chair, and watch the river flow. "Where We've Been" sees Roberts' trying on the coat of a lonely bluesman (example: Bob Dylan's most recent albums). Fortunately, Roberts has got the voice for it, and his finger-picked guitar gets half the work done. Somewhere in the song a brass section comes in, and there’s a moment – it’s Hootie and the Blowfish!Then the moment's gone.
Don't let the description I just gave mislead you: Owen Roberts is a folkster, all the way. He's from San Francisco and based out of New York (like all those other aspiring singer-songwriters I get e-mails from). Clearly the message here is: move to DC, people.
Back to Owen Roberts: Bay to Maples is his debut, and if this is what he sounds like now, I can't wait to hear more. He's also been really nice, as I've been going through submissions very slowly lately. If this bothers you, please remember, I am not THE MAN who's keeping you down. That would be Columbia/Sony.
Owen Roberts - New Paltz Waltz [highly rec'd!]
Owen Roberts - Where We've Been
Buy Bay to Maples from...iTunes, wherever
Owen Roberts' Website/Myspace/Blog!
Bonus: Canned Heat - Rollin' & Tumblin'
Labels: artist profile, owen roberts
The Special Pillow "I Love Your Smile"
2 Comments Published by Kate on Sunday at 9/30/2007 12:17:00 AM.
I lost my sense of humor a few hours ago. It'll come back eventually - it always does. There wasn't any particular reason for my most recent misplacement; in fact, I've been having a good, albeit hectic, week. But this song, which really should be titled "I Totally Love Your Smile," is a good pick-me-up, breezy and sly, pop with a tongue-in-cheek...dare I say it? sense of humor.The rest of the songs that make up Sleeping Beauty don't quite fit in the same category, but are still enjoyable. "Your Dead City" makes me giggle a little inside with the line: "You could call your website: Counting Sheep."
The Special Pillow - I Love Your Smile [highly rec'd]
The Special Pillow - Your Dead City
Buy Sleeping Beauty at CD Baby
The Special Pillow's Website/Myspace
Labels: artist profile, the special pillow
Strange, the aquatic trends at TGH over the past month: Sea Wolf (Leaves in the River is being released on Tuesday); Right Away, Great Captain; Noah & the Whale...there are others I'm forgetting.Seabear - I Sing I Swim [download or die]
I've been lured into the sparkling net of Seabear, a pretty fish for the catching. But the song aims to mourn and throws me overboard, and so I'm saved.
The first snow of the winter won't come for another 2 months or so, and I'm left to imagine its arrival. Leaves, windblown, circle in a soft vortex, coated with white dust. I try to taste snow flakes, they melt with human contact. I take a long walk after the sun sets, the moon is bright and my toes are cold. I remember I won't tell you what, except that it's cause for a sad smile, not nearly a grimace. Such is the end of the fall.
Somewhere in here I should mention the fluttering piano, the understated guitar, the dainty xylophone, and Sindri Sigfœsson's hushed, understated vocals. Seabear hails from Iceland, and The Ghost that Carried Us Away was released in August.
When the birds are sleeping that’s when the trees singSeabear - Libraries
You left your winter clothes in the deep marks in my skin
So shake the leaves off the trees, watching them fall down on the street
Your son, your daughter, swimming in the water
Seabear's Website/Myspace/Label
Buy The Ghost that Carried Us Away from Boomkat/Amazon.de
Bonus: Iron & Wine - Communion Cups and Someone's Coat [highly rec'd!]
(see previous post: The Shepherd's Dog preview)
Labels: artist profile, seabear, song piece
It’s a strange state of mind I find myself in. No matter how I try to push forward - living in the now, planning for the future – I’m always mentally looking on my shoulder to see how far I’ve come, and what I’ve left behind. A little like Orpheus, but the stakes are nonexistent.I’ve been listening to “Vice Rag” on repeat for a couple of days now; since the first time I heard it I knew I had to post on it. But tonight I found myself listening to another AA Bondy song, “There’s A Reason,” which reminds me of Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” for inexplicable reasons.
And I gave my hand to the fatesAnd the feeling I’ve had lately of looking over my shoulder is suddenly illuminated. Behind I can see where I’ve been, and I know not where I go. A strange state of mind indeed.
and they took me around
and they showed me the seven wonders
the sights and the sounds
There was a man with cinders for eyes
There was a girl with a dress made of flies
And there’s a reason…
AA Bondy - There's A Reason [highly rec'd!]
AA Bondy - Vice Rag
Buy American Hearts (released September 18th)
AA Bondy's Myspace/Label page
Labels: aa bondy, artist profile, song piece
(photo courtesy of Ben Rowland, please credit him if you use it)Psychedelic pop* rarely seems to live in the real world, and that’s often part of its appeal. But “Time to Pretend” seems determined to turn this notion on its head, with cynical lyrics such as “Let’s make some music, make some money, find some models for wives” set to a soundtrack of steady drum beats, synths, and trippy vocals. MGMT is touring with Of Montreal, and of course will be opening for them when they come to Oberlin. They’re based out of Brooklyn, and I think this could be the beginning of the end of my Canadian obsession…but we’ll see. I'm having a hard time pinning down when their debut album, Oracular Spectacular, can be bought / will be released (supposedly this month?), but I'm working on it. (Update: it was released on October 2nd, and you can get it on iTunes.)
What else can we do?MGMT - Time to Pretend [download or die]
get jobs in offices
and wake up for the morning commute.
Forget about our mothers and our friends,
We’re fated to pretend.
MGMT's Myspace
Tour dates with Of Montreal
*They seem to take issue with their music being described as “synth pop,” but Surf/Jungle/Country just makes me go WTG? (I just made that up, it stands for “What The Genre?” and I think it’ll be making regular appearances on the blog now…)
Bonus: Of Montreal - No Conclusion
Labels: artist profile, mgmt
Hailing from LA, the trio will be releasing their second album, Hexes for Exes, on October 9th. Their music is indie rock with a darker feel, sort of a non-electronica Junior Boys with stronger beats and better lyrics; both bands' music seems to reside in dark alleys and empty city streets. "Blood Beats" rhymes its lyrics into catchy cynicism and, along with "Wrong Again", is one of my favorite songs to head-bob to of late.Moving Units - Blood Beats [highly rec'd!]
Moving Units - Wrong Again
Pre-order Hexes for Exes from Amazon.com
Moving Units' Myspace
Labels: artist profile, moving units
Occasionally I get a submission and the first thing that comes to mind is: radio. I went through my early teenage years listening to DC101 and eventually grew to hate it. But Bloodshot Revival? Too cool for el radio, too much like a good 70's punk band updated with a darker feel. They've made their 3-song demo available for download on their myspace, and they're incredibly sign-able. Anyway, if you live in NYC you can probably catch them live somehow...Bloodshot Revival - King of the Casios
Bloodshot Revival - Naive Allure
Buy their 3-song demo from CD Baby
Bloodshot Revival's Myspace
Bonus: The Buzzcocks - Wish I Never Loved You
Labels: artist profile, bloodshot revival
Zookeeper "I Live in the Mess Your Are"
0 Comments Published by Kate on Wednesday at 9/12/2007 11:42:00 PM.
Zookeeper - I Live in The Mess Your Are [download or die]Zookeeper - Tax Collector
Chaos has overtaken not any physical space so much as my life, and my roommate / bff has had to put up with the mess the most. The phone rings, the hill-billy country takes over with jingles and jangles and a thumping baseline, accompanied by drums. "I live in the mess you are" has become something of an anthem for me lately: sharing someone's craziness is part of what makes sharing your life (or room) with them worth it. Though sometimes it can become a bit overwhelming...
Zookeeper hails from Austin, TX and the band will be releasing its debut album, Becoming All Things, on November 6.
Buy Zookeeper EP from Bellecitypop
Zookeeper's Website/Myspace
On a similar vein, I saw Rock Plaza Central when they came to the 'Sco at Oberlin last week. Live, they're fucking crazy! (in a good way)
Rock Plaza Central - Anthem for the Already Defeated
Rock Plaza Central's Website/Myspace
Labels: artist profile, rock plaza central, zookeeper
The Main Drag "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter"
2 Comments Published by Kate on Monday at 9/10/2007 11:59:00 PM.
Exactly what makes this song rather brilliant is a bit of mystery, to me at least. The winter steals from you, it’s true – days, and the song’s refrain is, “Nights filled with longer hours.” It begins with a whispered phrase, and the upbeat kids take over from there, shouting “Hey!” while voices sing the aforementioned refrain. There’s a pause, the potential for a bit of a pretentious schizophrenic quiet moment, which is happily circumvented. There’s even a section towards the end with the same potential, which is again avoided. It’s like The Main Drag took a dose of some good advice: taking risks doesn’t mean being stupid. Or, if you’re talking about music, simply awful.Just the facts: The Main Drag hails from Boston, and makes electro-rock, or something of the sort. Being able to make up words here is a relief, I already have papers to write.
The Main Drag - A Jagged Gorgeous Winter [highly rec'd!]
The Main Drag - Love During Wartime
The Main Drag's Myspace
(I'm pretty sure you can buy the album on iTunes, and I'm telling you this despite my hatred for iTunes)
Labels: artist profile, the main drag
Since Joe and Jason have been doing such a good job making up for my slack lately, I feel a need to state what's usually the obvious...It's Kate. I've been a little overwhelmed with the onslaught of school work, and will be back to posting more consistently once I get into a routine.Lately I can think of a band I've spent more time obsessing over than the Triangles, who hail from Australia and make truly delicious bubblegum pop. "Will It Float?", from their newest release, Seventy-Five Year Plan, has gotten a little bit of blog attention, but the song I've found myself listening to is "I've Had Eyes for You" which imitates a dialogue that goes something like this:
I've had eyes for you for most of the yearAnyway......
...Well actually that explains a bit
You never know
...I am oh so oh so slow
The Triangles - I've Had Eyes for You [alt link] [highly rec'd!]
The Triangles - Will it Float? [alt link] [highly rec'd!]
Buy Seventy-Five Year Plan
The Triangles' Website/Myspace
older:
The Triangles - Applejack [alt link] [highly rec'd!]
(this song is disgustingly cheerful, but I'm pathetically in love with it.)
Bonus: Modest Mouse - Long Distance Drunk
Labels: artist profile, triangles
It's Kate.“No blog tracks found for: we're, about and 9 :(“
I arrived at the Cat in the Cream with my usual set of expectations: better than average means better than mediocre, and I go to as many of their free concerts as I can, so I'm not making this up. I was blown away by We’re about 9 almost as soon as they’d arrived on stage; both Katie Graybeal and Brian Gundersdorf have great voices for folk music, their songs are incredibly vibrant, and their lyrics are funny and smart. Not to mention the fact that they kept the audience laughing with banter between songs. Why had I never heard of this band before? The first set came and went, I bought an album, I came back for the second set. The folk music became more personal, more low-key, and the appeal remained the same.
Anyway, after the show I went up and talked to Brian for what ended up being a good half hour. The band has been playing together for 7 years and is releasing their newest album this month. They played a bunch of songs from it at the show, and all of them were excellent. I don’t have an mp3s from it to give you at the moment, but hopefully that will change sometime the near future. The ones below are from their some of their older albums, and hopefully will make you fall in love with them.
We're About 9 - Brooklyn [highly rec'd!]
We're About 9 - I Stopped Listening [highly rec'd!]
Buy I Stopped Listening from CD Baby
We're About 9's Website/Myspace
Labels: artist profile, we're about 9
