Miniature Tigers just released their sophomore album Fortress this week; and with the help of Christopher Chu (of the Morning Benders) and Neon Indian, this record has turned out to be one solid collection of acoustics, synth and experimental indie rock; they've come a long way since their debut album.
It's hard to say which track I like the most but I think it could be one of these guys: Japanese Woman Living in My Closet, Bullfighter Jacket, Goldskull or Egyptian Robe.
Test Yourself: Christopher Chu produced all but one song on this record. Can you tell which one Neon Indian produced?
The fan that made this video of Goldskull synced up the sound with the footage pretty well, given the varying pace of the two. Check it out.
Justin Townes Earle: where do I begin with this one? This singer-songwriter's old-time country, blues, rock and folk music holds a permanent spot in my heart. Like a slow dance with that special someone, Justin Townes Earle's music wraps around you, makes you feel like you've known his music forever and warms your heart in ways only a strong embrace can; or, at other times, has the ability to shake you up and get your boots stompin' hard on the barn wood floor.
I have seen him twice now (once in '09 at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, NH; and just recently, at Higher Ground in VT); and both times, I couldn't manage to escape without working up a good sweat during his fast ones or getting goosebumps from his heartfelt slow ones. In addition to his great singing and songwriting, this is one funny man; and he will charm you with his wit, his realness and his blunt honesty, while he tells tales about how each song came to be. He is one of those artists I plan to see again and again; and you should, too, if you're into this kind of music!
Check out some videos of Justin Townes Earle performing live below.
Photo: Kelly Tailer (July 11th, Higher Ground)
This is his Title Track off of his Sophomore album. The part around 2:17 in (and again at 3:10) is so amazing live. I remember being so moved by this; I didn't want it to end...
Mr. Earle expressed how proud he was of himself for getting his two favorite things in the first line of this song — woman and friiiied chicken.
"This one goes out to the great Woody Guthrie."
"Louisiana 1927" off of Harlem River Blues (Release Date: September 14).
He closed with this old one, so I will too. This is a great cover of Can't Hardly Wait by The Replacements. I can listen to this one over and over again...
For more tracks, including The Good Life, Yuma, and the album version of Midnight at the Movies, visit Justin Townes Earle on MySpace or at www.justintownesearle.com
The Best Coast (singer/songwriter Bethany Cosentino) finally delivers a full collection, after leaking out likable lo-fi since '09. The name Best Coast comes from Cosentino's longing for LA while living in New York. This desire of hers to be there (or with a boy friend) is clearly expressed through repetitive lyricism throughout the album. With 'Go Go'-like melodies and a west coast surf/pop feel, Crazy For You has been expected to be one of the best summery records this year.
Last week, I ventured over to the House of Blues (Boston) to listen to Shane Donnelly (aka Many Mansions) stimulate psychic and spiritual possibilities through his use of the synth, keys, samples and relaxing, yet powerful, vocals. When I arrived there, I saw that Many Mansions had evolved from just one man, Shane Donnelly, to a band of four (Orion Russell on drums, Sean Goggins on guitar and David Kadden on oboe). While I sat there, my senses danced as the healing powers of their post-new age/post-world music spanned the room; and I can only imagine what it did for others, as more and more people crowded around.
After the show, I got to talking with these guys and they informed me that they had another show right after—same guys, different band. So I headed over to O'Brians (in Allston) with them to watch them play as Lord Jeff. This time, Sean Goggins lead vocals and guitar, Orion Russell stayed on the drums, David Kadden manned the oboe and organ, Shane Donnelly jumped on the guitar, and a fifth band member, Sam Portrykus, rocked the bass). With the same talent of Many Mansions, these guys equally excited the crowd in this bar as they did the last, only with new rock melodies and medleys. If you're ever in the Boston area, check out both of their bands. They have a split LP coming out on Ecstatic Peace Records. Release date TBD.
For more information on these guys and other forms of artistic inspiration and creation, check out their record label/house/collective at www.whitehausfamilyrecord.com
"The Whitehaus is a community of people in Jamaica Plain, MA who make music, poetry, art and happenings. The Whitehaus Family Record is a record of some happenings which have happened. With our online store you can purchase/download/listen to records of those records which we have decided to make available. We spread the yes wave and perform all over the globe."
To view an older post on Many Mansions click here.
James Friley from Lexington, Kentucky has a Cass McCombs, George Michael, Jens Lekman and Barber Shop Quartet thing going on – I dig it. His interesting style of a'cappella, doo wop, dub, pop and soul has made for one great EP. Listen to his self-titled EP below.
Watch James Friley shine in this cover of Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine below.
The best way to describe what George Lewis Jr. has done here is with one word: fluorescent. His music is bright, it grabs your attention and it highlights 80's synthpop with a blinding array of melodies; it is certainly hard to ignore. And why would you want to ignore it when these songs suggest hints of The Spoons (not to be confused with Spoon), Cut Copy (circa '04/'06) and The Police (during Floating Vibes); and, I'm not going to lie, I even picked up on some 'background' vocals in Slow that sounded a lot like Michale Graves of The Misfits. Watch this sweet video of Slow by Twin Shadow below. Then listen to more of Twin Shadow below that.
Photo: Andrew Strasser
Bonus: download Bear in Heaven's – "Lovesick Teenagers (Twin Shadow's Twins in Heaven Remix) here
Yummy Shoegaze / Electro that makes you growl. GRRRRRRRR. Just kidding, this music makes me slip into a very chill relaxed state of mind. John Jagos' blurry synthpop and somber dreamy vocals sound similar to that of Washed Out and Small Black (two of my favorites). Give Vision Tunnels and Wind At My Back a listen below.
WOW. Heartless Bastards, The Builders And The Butchers and Peter Wolf Crier played at The Middle East in Cambridge, MA this past Saturday. This show was amazing! I am still sore from rockin', groovin' and drummin' my hands hard on the speaker in front of me. Peter Pisano, from Peter Wolf Crier, was right in congratulating us on the purchase of our tickets; this show was something wildly special! I can easily say this has been my favorite show this year! More on the bands below...
PETER WOLF CRIER
This Minneapolis duo works so well together! Brian Moen confidently thunders melodically at percussion and singer-songwriter Peter Pisano intimately and expressively wails himself red on stage while playing the guitar. They are sharp, sweet and thrilling. Their debut album Inter-Be is a record I want to spend all of my time with (and have been). They're catchy like The Morning Benders, lyrically and sonically strong like Dr. Dog and warm and inviting like M. Ward. I fell in love with these guys as soon as I heard them. This duo's musical language is something to be experienced.
HEARTLESS BASTARDS
There's always something so amazing when a band you've been listening to for a while, walks out and performs for you, and TOTALLY BLOWS YOUR MIND! My face was already numb from smiling all night; I couldn't tell what I was doing when I was staring up at these guys. Was my mouth open? Was I drooling? I had no idea but I was in AWE and loving it! Erika's strength, power and radiance soared through the room while the equally powerful and impressive talents of the other band members (bassist Jesse Ebaugh, guitarist Mark Nathan and drummer Dave Colvin) rocked the Middle East. If you don't know these guys, check them out; and be prepared to be amazed!
Listen to Heartless Bastards on MySpace or on Amazon
THE BUILDERS AND THE BUTCHERS
I listened to these guys a while back and remember thinking that they were lyrically pretty dark. Normally, I don't listen to dark music but sonically I was interested in this band because they countered the darkness with an upbeat tempo. It was hard for me to focus on lyrics Saturday night, so I wasn't thinking about how dark the music was/is but I was enjoying the rockin', bluesy, boot-stomping, hand-slapping, mind-blowing experimental raw power this band has! Their performance was incredible! I can't even believe how much talent this band has! I really hope they come out with an album that is lyrically a little lighter.
Listen to The Builders And The Butchers on MySpace or on Amazon
This music makes me feel weak, hot and sticky, or maybe that's because I already am? I'm sitting here feeling just that but I keep letting my mind wander to a place where I'm laying on an old cloth couch, feeling the fan blow and watching the wallpaper droop from the humidity. You know those days where it's just too hot to move, it's too hot to eat and it's even too hot to put your bathing suit on and go for a swim, so you just lay there motionless? Yes, I'm having one of those days. Will someone please pass me a cold drink or throw me into a lake? But FIRST, listen to these awesomely hazy and gazey summer tracks by Evenings and Sultan below.
The ethereal howling of Casey Dienel's voice combined with the lovely pulsing beats that flow through the album, Kairos, create the perfect gateway for one's imagination to cross over into the dreamworld—at least that's where I am happily stuck, anyway.
Listen to Icarus, the first track off the album, then enter the imaginative world of Huron, as seen from the point of view of Shea Greene (in the second fan-made video below).
For more info or to hear more, visit them at myspace or at amazon.
It's so easy to LOVE the Love Language! Libraries is such a great sophomore album by Stuart Mclamb. And although there is some debate on whether or not this album can top his very impressive self-titled debut album, I believe 'Libraries' to be sonically and lyrically a pleasure and VERY worth the listen! Visit myspace or amazon to sample tracks and hear the album.
The Spirit Song 3 by Many Mansions truly charmed its way into my heart this morning—only leading me to seek out more of this so-very-talented artist's recordings.
Jamaica Plain resident, Shane M. Donelly performs his ambient and experimental post-new age/post-world music often in the Boston area (and with three shows in Boston this month, I NEED to see him). View a 2009 WMBR, 88.1 ten minute clip of him in Cambridge, MA below.
Listen to more by Many Mansions (including the Spirit Song 3, Oneness and Bright Bliss) here.
I want these Dominant Legs (Hannah Hunt & Ryan William Lynch) to walk right over to me! They're so good!
Sorry this isn't a moving picture show but may I suggest taking this opportunity to get up and move your own dominant legs, in ways only this track can truly inspire!
For more info, and to hear more by these guys, visit them on myspace here.
Kisses has proven (once again!) that people can, indeed, do the most amazing things—this track is one of those amazing things. It seems as though, anything Jesse Kivel and Zinzi Edmundson produce, I fall in love with. Since April, I have had Bermuda on repeat; and now this. What next? They always leave me wanting more—kind of like a good kiss, I guess...
For more info on these guys AND the new Active Child Remix of Bermuda, visit them on myspace here.
This debut album is full of rhythm and dreamy energy. I am enjoying the getting-ready-for-work process this morning, as these woozy beat-filled tracks float around my apartment. At times, I am picking up hints of Passion Pit, Dilla and Toro y Moi—a good blend, if you ask me. Will Weisenfeld has done a good job. Listen here (on myspace)
or here.
Simplicity at its finest. This debut album by the musically minimalistic duo, Sara Magenheimer and Eban Portnoy, is perfect for this time of the evening. It's gentle, calming and cooling—even on this hot night when my thermostat has maxed out at 90º.
I have been in a real electronic mood lately. Here is Deastro's latest EP—straight from Randolph Chabot Jr's Detroit basement to yours. I have been pretty fond of the track 'Mowgli the Lynx' for a couple months now; I would start there.......here.
This interactive click and drag site is fun to explore; and at times, maybe too creepy, but it's great from a design standpoint and it also allows you to sample tracks off the new album 'Dark Night of the Soul' by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse with David Lynch. Check it out.
This album also includes appearances by other artists such as "The Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy and Admiral Radley, Frank Black of Pixies, Nina Persson of The Cardigans, Suzanne Vega, Vic Chesnutt, David Lynch and Scott Spillane of Neutral Milk Hotel, and The Gerbils"
