by Jay Mattson

For the Brooklyn-based band Yeasayer, success is relative. While their 2007 debut album, All Hour Cymbals, garnered critical acclaim from underground-oriented web sites, a few select periodicals and the neo-psychedelic-loving blogosphere, the album failed to receive mainstream success. This fact didn’t stop the album from appearing a number of Top 100 lists for the year, as its introspective, complex and fleshed-out mood connected to its listeners on a variety of levels.  I myself found All Hour Cymbals to be one of the most enjoyable albums from the past decade.  A little over two years later, Yeasayer has “returned” to the indie gammut with their second full-length album, Odd Blood.

While the band’s original sound was more akin to late late 60s to late 70s psychedelia, Odd Blood feels more akin to late 80s nu-wave and electro-pop, which isn’t a bad thing.  The band never totally gives themselves over to glam (as referring to the late ’80s might imply), but they come close.  This album feels like a striking mixture of acid rock and electro-dance.  One one hand, the boys have kept what made All Hour Cymbals so endearing; namely multi-layered instrumentation and Chris Keating’s warbling vocals.  On the far-reaching other hand, they have experimented with more upbeat and groove-based rhythms.  While this might sound like a radical change to Yeasayer fans of old, the new direction actually compliments the band’s style while still marking a growth for their sound in general.

“The Children” acts as the album opener and can be deceiving, as it can lead the listener to believe that this new album is merely an extension from the first record as it sparingly moves forward, an auto-tuned Keating bleating into the microphone as it sounds like electronic sludge slowly seeping down a hill.  Of course, any and all of these aforementioned thoughts are immediately stifled as the second track emerges.  “Ambling Alp” was released as a single in October of last year to frenzied fans and bloggers who had been waiting to hear what the “new Yeasayer” sounded like.  The single was an excellent indicator of Odd Blood‘s tempo, as it sets a demeanor of energy that rarely recedes as the album moves forward.  “Alp” showcases the immense strides this band has made over the past two years; soaring instrumentals, layered electronic manipulation (that never feels overdone) and lyrics that just push through the jumble of sounds.

Keating evokes Plant-esque vocals on “I Remember”, sauntering towards ethereal radiance.  Lines like “You’re stuck in my mind / All the time” compliment the haziness that accompanies minimal electronic manipulation in the background.  Arguably one of the most profound and enjoyable songs on Odd Blood is “ONE”, a dance jam that has an overarching theme of converging ideas between love and lost love.  Lyrics aside, boisterous electro-drums and marimbas (I think?) almost distract from the downtrodden tone of Keating’s words.  Beyond “The Children”, “Love Me Girl” is most reminiscent of All Hour Cymbals as it employs the choir-esque backing evident throughout the first album.  After a solid two-minute build-up, Keating finally comes to the forefront with a minimalistic, lyrics-upon-bouncing-beats rendition.  “Rome” marks the farthest point from Yeasayer’s original moods and trademark psychedelic production, opting instead for clean, sharp beats and a catchy hook that involves everyone’s favorite ancient Italian city.  What’s interesting is that while the song itself leaps forward significantly, Keating’s vocal inflections and movements feel more suited to the band’s older work.

Beginning toward the end, “Strange Reunions” reverts back to grimier, more subtle tones.  “Mondegreen” is one of my personal favorites, an ever-present horn section backing Keating works well with a chorus line of clappers and an oddly appropriate electric guitar thrown in about a minute and a half in to create an absolutely ecstatic dance track. \Odd Blood closes with “Grizelda”, closer to a fable or fairy tale than a love story (which seems to be a recurring theme over the entire ten tracks.)  Sparse pianos lead the song through existential heights that grow and grow to remind the audience that this is Yeasayer and this is their sound.

Being presented with the chance to hear Odd Blood early was exciting.  I received the album almost a month ago, but only in the past two weeks have I experienced some of my musically-inclined friends ask me “Do you know the band Yeasayer?”  It’s hard to hold back the indie-nerd inside me and not rant about their first album, Daytrotter session, inclusion on last year’s incredible Dark Was The Night compilation and so on.  Other online outlets have expressed opinions that with Odd Blood, Yeasayer is set to be 2010’s breakout indie hit, much like the success of Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear and the Dirty Projectors in 2009.  It will be interesting to watch Yeasayer’s climb to fame.  With an album as gorgeous and accessible as this, it is hard to discount these premonitions.  If the band receives as much TV airtime and blog-related fanfare as those three aforementioned bands, there is a possibility they will get bigger than any of them.

9.0/10.0

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Yeasayer – Ambling Alp

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Yeasayer – The Children

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Yeasayer – Strange Reunions

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Even if it brings necessary experience and helpful recognition, having a lengthy career also ignites some associations that can be highly detrimental to an artist’s frame of mind. Few would prefer anonymity to prominence, but even without the paparazzi there are some consequences to musical fame that prompt some to remain low-key. Though once one accomplishes an objective triumph, it is realized that it is more difficult to run from fame than accomplish it. Grant-Lee Phillips has always been an artist on the verge of both territories. His impressive array of work has stretched over 20 years, with a new project encompassing the three decades of his career. With each one, he has found success that is both unique and durable, at least in a relative sense. The borderline between songwriting genius and instantaneous fame is too small to tread, but Phillips has somehow sat here comfortably throughout his entire career. He is accustomed to critical acclaim and large audiences, but knowing that it is not the type of street-stopping fame that often disrupts artistic legends is perhaps one of the secrets to Phillips’ enduring success. Without the pressures of fame attempting to derail an authentic style or ideology, Phillips has the option of limiting his sources of constructive external knowledge to one of the most reliable and consistent: his own fan base.

If you were one of the few that heard Shiva Burlesque’s 1987 self-titled debut upon its initial release, there is a good chance that you have followed Phillips’ career up to now. That is hard to say for a lot of artists too, as deteriorating with age has occurred so abundantly that we are led to assume it is normative among artists of all kinds. Phillips is the rare breed of songwriter; his ideological talents (songwriting and stylistic intentions) are as consistent as his boastfully powerful voice and stellar sense of production. For an artist to retain any of these throughout a 25-year period is impressive, but for Phillips to maintain all of them while undergoing the transitioning of different eras and stylistic norms serves as indication of his gifted musical intellect. With that in mind, it is hard to believe his first artistic priorities were in film. Before he formed Shiva Burlesque with Jeff Clark, he was a film student attempting to sort out his life in LA. But upon re-acquainting with Clark – a fellow Stockton, California native – Phillips began to view music as his calling again, with he and Clark finding a mutual adoration of local L.A. underground college-rock groups like Rain Parade, Dream Syndicate, and other members of the “Paisley Underground” to be their biggest inspirations.

The “Paisley Underground”, a broad term used to describe a collection of alt-rock groups in ’80s Los Angeles, showed its influence on Phillips early. This term encompassed artists that incorporated psychedelic production into folk-rock and/or power-pop, eventually forming a tight-knit community in the L.A. area due to its aligning sound. The Bangles arguably had the most mainstream success out of this niche. A guitarist since high school, the “Paisley Underground” wave hit Phillips hard and attributed to the sound of Shiva Burlesque’s debut and its 1990 follow-up, Mercury Blues. Despite glowing reviews and a devoted California audience, Shiva Burlesque parted ways shortly after that to pave the way for Phillips’ next project. Great songwriting and performances could simply not hide the fact that their sound was somewhat outdated (at least in regard to L.A.’s music scene in the late ’80s). Along with the drummer and bassist of Shiva Burlesque, Phillips formed Grant Lee Buffalo to begin the ’90s. This project saw four fantastic albums be released from 1993’s Fuzzy to 1998’s Jubilee, all of which drew praise for a matured sound that was more contemporary in its guitar-based interpretation of alternative and folk-rock. Think of them in the vein of other ’90s landmarks like Pearl Jam or Cracker, both of which they opened for at some point, but with more folk and rootsy rock ‘n’ roll.

Grant Lee Buffalo disbanded in 1999 due to growing frustrations over lack of recognition. They certainly had a reason to gripe; practically all publications lauded their releases and other groups openly shared their adoration of Grant Lee Buffalo, but they could never attain even a glisten of commercial success. Frustrated but unfazed, Phillips began his solo work at the beginning of the millennium and has not looked back. Similarly to his preceding efforts, his four solo albums thus far has seen a combined fusion of glowing press and mediocre sales. As mature as Phillips is though, he must understand that the bulk of society is neither educated nor patient enough to recognize quality art. His hooks are evolutionary and often require attentive listening, and his attire does not contain glitter or giant sunglasses. Therefore, expecting fame is unrealistic, but to handle an undeserved lack of recognition the graceful way Phillips has is one of the many reasons why he is still going strong. Very strong actually. His fifth solo album, Little Moon, is one of the best releases of his career, which is saying a lot since he has never released a lackluster one out of the dozen or so. It is still distinctively Grant-Lee Phillips at play, but with a versatility that is more abundant among artists like Ryan Adams (as a track like “Nightbirds” can explain) or Beck.

Rolling Stone hailed Shiva Burlesque’s debut with gushing praise over 20 years ago, which was a decade or so before they called Phillips one of the greatest active male vocalists. It simply attests to his durability and how those able to recognize quality are aware of Phillips’ presence. Like Paul Weller, Phillips’ aggressiveness and fury within his work has subsided a bit with age. His songwriting power never lacks though. A track like “Little Moon” would sound uncharacteristic several years ago with its lush keys and plucked acoustics, but a charming piano-pop ballad like this one shows that it is Phillips’ by the songwriting alone. “It all starts with a seed so small for a song, little flower,” he sings, alternating his voice to a ghostly high-pitch before a series of dramatic violins emerge as the bridge. It seems to describe the evolution of personalities among individuals, with character study being a favorite theme among Phillips’ work (particularly in the vein of artistic struggles, like creating an album or song). In his case, he has expanded to styles that complement his songwriting beautifully. He returns to alt-rock theatrics on “Strangest Thing”, which bristles with energy in its swirling keys and concise guitar licks. This is also one of the most radio-friendly tracks of his career, and if anything serves as a potential commercial break-out for Phillips this would be it. This album should do that on its own though. This is such a fantastic work that I hope it exposes Phillips for what he is: one of the best songwriters of the past three decades. Little Moon is simply another testament to that.

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Grant-Lee Phillips – Strangest Thing

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Grant-Lee Phillips – Little Moon

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Grant-Lee Phillips – Nightbirds

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The post Grant-Lee Phillips Plays to a Little Moon appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

In the life of Luke Temple, artistic transitioning nearly seems like a daily routine by now. In several career choices that are not particularly surprising from a multifarious talent, Temple has made a living out of being both a mural painter and a musician. Between painting murals in the grandiose houses of the New York City elite and singing his oddly infectious tunes in smoky barrooms, one could say that Temple likely has a good perception of what it means to struggle as someone who makes a living out of being an artist. Now, Temple appears to be doing just fine for himself, but his growing recognition did not come without any work at all. As he transitioned between considerably different jobs and states (from Boston to Seattle and California to New York), Temple gathered experience that proved beneficial to his talents as both a painter and musician. Perhaps most importantly of all, he learned what it took to alternate between various lifestyles and locales, all while maintaining a consistent focus on the reason why his renown is growing considerably: his art. While mural paintings supported him well enough, Temple’s true calling always seemed to be within the art of music. When he decided to prioritize his music-related pursuits above his respectable work as a mural painter, many wondered whether such a risky move would pay off in the end.

Considering that Temple pursued painting as a student at the School of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, it may strike many as surprising that he chose to pursue music over something that he was well-studied in. After all, why not just study music in school if it were your most ardent passion? The truth is that few people realize their true focused potential upon entering, and even exiting, college, leading onto lives of regret and contradiction. Well, it usually is not that bad, but Temple is a good example of how initial interests can stimulate a latent talent. There is no doubt that Temple is a talented painter, but it is also a skill that can be rendered unavoidably prevalent in childhood. After all, in grade school, a child drawing a picture is a more common and accessible occurrence than one who transcribes music or writes songs in crayon. This interest, along with an easily identifiable talent, likely led Temple to his choice of a career as a painter. This career choice, like many others though, led to something else that eventually resulted in more appropriate circumstances for a songwriter whose lyrical and melodic prowess transcends many of those who have been set on a musical career since their early childhood.

At this current decade’s beginning, as Temple was preparing to try out his hand at visual art, he began to develop an interest in music. He had enjoyed listening to music for the majority of his life, but it was not until then that he took a deep interest in songwriting, production, and the inner-workings of the art. An artist his entire life, the transitioning seemed nearly seamless as he released his debut, a four-track EP, in 2004. His full-length debut, Hold a Match for a Gasoline World, followed in 2005 and it was a fantastic display of the Massachusetts native’s songwriting ability. One thing that he kept the same was his commitment to striking visuals, an aspect that he accomplished through excellent lyrical imagery. For a former painter, I suppose it was not surprising. What was unexpected was Temple’s melodic virtuosity, a feat that was heavily accomplished despite the bare workings of finger-picked acoustics and folky ballads. The songs were not breathtakingly innovative or structurally unpredictable, but they were appealing and accessible enough for Temple’s words to flow with an emotional vigor that is essential in quality folk music. He found his first glimpse of mainstream success in 2006 after one of the album’s tracks, “Make Right with You”, appeared on Grey’s Anatomy, setting the stage for the release of his second album, Snowbeast, in 2007.

Snowbeast was a breakthrough for Temple on several levels. In addition to gathering the acclaim of both fans and musicians (Sufjan Stevens, Ben Gibbard) alike, it found Temple expanding upon his previous material without reverting to new styles of play or methods of production. Recorded in his Brooklyn apartment, the use of lo-fi folk was still prominent but the songs themselves benefitted from a more organized flow and a stylistic addition that saw some aspects of electronica being incorporated into Temple’s works. The structures were also noticeably more ambitious, with most of the tracks apart from the opening “Saturday People” taking unpredictable twists and turns that often resulted in an ingeniously engineered success. After the release of this, it was clear that Hold a Match for a Gasoline World was setting the stage for Snowbeast in showcasing Temple’s wildly impressive growth as a songwriter within only two years. And just like that evolution, Snowbeast has accomplished in preparing listeners for Temple’s newest release, a new project altogether that he entitles Here We Go Magic.

What Here We Go Magic’s self-titled debut does so well is that it takes the ambitiousness and electro-folk tinges of Snowbeast and combines them with unchartered territory that is not like anything Temple has done before. Half psychedelic-pop and half electro-folk, Here We Go Magic is yet another redeeming example of Temple’s growth as a songwriter. While a wide assortment of synthesizers, guitars, bass, percussion, and samples push him out of the lo-fi category, the songs here are more depictive of minimalistic experimentation than the structural ambitiousness found on Snowbeast. In fact, many of the tracks on Here We Go Magic like “I Just Want to See You Underwater” and “Tunnelvision” benefit from a repetitive riff or sample that remains somewhat consistent throughout the song. “Tunnelvision” sports an acoustic progression and a basic 4/4 drum beat that is not altered even once; the beauty of the track instead comes in the effectiveness of the warbling production and Temple’s high-pitched voice. The tone is ethereal and calming, a stark contrast from the synthesized arpeggios of “I Just Want to See You Underwater”. But this contrast is what makes Here We Go Magic so extraordinary. From the accessibly tropical pop sensibilities of “Fangela” and the use of Afro-pop in “Only Pieces” to the droning ambience of “Ghost List” and “Nat’s Alien”, this album is full of wonderful surprises. This especially applies to the concluding “Everything’s Big”, a track unlike anything else on the album with its naturalistic lo-fi sentiments involving acoustic guitars, keys, and a slight touch of strings. When this ends the album with its genuine flair of romance, it is difficult to even envision Temple pursuing a different art form. This is clearly his true calling.

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Here We Go Magic – Fangela

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Here We Go Magic – Everything’s Big*

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Here We Go Magic – Tunnelvision

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*”Everything’s Big” removed at the request of Western Vinyl

The post Here We Go Magic appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

When listening to music, whether you are an amateur or an apparent know-it-all, it is usually easy to recognize when an artist is on the verge of mainstream success. Providing a sense of both instant accessibility and amiability, the genre of pop (when done right) has been the most common output for this type of success. Well, due to the recent failures over the past few years of many one-hit pop wonders, it is entirely realistic to say that Evan Johansen is perhaps too good for mainstream pop. While it is common to discover a sound of guiltless radio-friendly accessibility in Johansen’s impressive arsenal of expansive pop songs, his array of executional methods in devising a brilliant hook is too original to classify him within the realm of mainstream hopefuls. Going under the name of Magnet, this does not seem to be what he is striving for either; I mean that entirely as a compliment, as most artists with conventional intentions fall flat on their faces. While Sweden has taken the crown for having arguably the largest number of underrated indie-pop artists, Norway also makes a strong case. Though the small European country does not have as large of number making a global impact, the quality of these Norwegian artists who actually do break out is nothing short of remarkable.

Born in Bergen, Norway, Johansen is one of the many aspiring Norwegian songwriters looking to make it big. Apart from the recently featured Pleasure (Fred Ball), some other names you may be familiar with include Röyksopp, Serena Maneesh, Annie, and Sondre Lerche. Apart from electronic music vets Röyksopp, all these artists are just beginning to make a name for themselves outside of their native Norway. Johansen could join this talented club with ease and, along with Annie’s catchy fusion of dance and pop, he is one of the Norwegian artists most likely to garner some serious national airplay. The foreign music critics have already started calling as well; NME has compared his musical presence to that of Jeff Buckley and Coldplay, two artists who I had never imagined would end up in the same sentence. It has been a long time coming though, as Johansen has been musically active since early childhood. His father used to tour the world as a guitarist for a Norwegian band specializing in jazz and swing, introducing Johansen to the world of music and, most importantly, rock ‘n’ roll. Though he is just beginning to break out Stateside, his first album, Quiet & Still, was released way back in 2000 under his birth name. He has released three more since; The Simple Life was the fourth of his career when it dropped in the US on September 18th. Produced by Johansen and Jørgen Træen, it is undoubtedly my favorite of his career. Johansen has finally blended his irresistible elements of pop sensibility with a sense of instrumental diversity, crafting a force that appears unstoppable.

Listening several times through to The Simple Life, it should not be hard to distinguish why it quickly debuted #1 on the charts in Norway when it first released there in March. This is a collection of alluring pop songs that combine Johansen’s raw talent with an impressive instrumental display that displays his musicianship in a richly expansive light. From the dramatic strings on the beautiful “Count” to the horns on the breezy “You Got Me”, each song is a pleasant surprise in regard to which instrument Johansen will tackle next. With this, he manages to be a dying breed in the classification of pop music songwriters. The Simple Life is not a collection of mindless fillers scattered around 1 or 2 tracks that are striving for a spot on the singles chart. This is an album where cohesiveness is just as important as singularity. Each song blends seamlessly into one another, with Johansen’s consistent comprehension of melodic eminence taking front seat. Even in his cover of Bob Marley’s classic “She’s Gone”, Johansen manages to affably incorporate the vital aspects of reggae with a croon so refined that even Marley would have likely grinned with delight at Johansen’s effort. With the relaxed twang of a guitar underlying a leading melodic whistle and stylistically appropriate percussion, it is entirely worthwhile. Who ever said that a white boy could not cover reggae?

Throughout the album, there are many gems to be found. However, upon first listen, it will not take long to discover its irresistibility. The first track, “The Gospel Song”, is one of the best pop songs of the year. While the only aspect of the song that would possible be deemed as “gospel” is the backing vocal repetition following each verse, this pop gem serves to be a nice summation of Johansen’s style. The verse thrives off a continuously plucked acoustic guitar, backed by the aforementioned backing vocal melodies. However, when the chorus is exposed, Johansen’s talents are shown more apparent. As he uses an increasingly dramatized vocal delivery, a flurry of exotic strings take course over a swift change in key that is executed without flaw. “So you say you’ll be sorry if it’s gonna help me,” he proclaims in the chorus before the apt use of a harmonica serves as the bridge, “Help myself out of this mess.” While it would be conventional to assume that “The Gospel Song” is the best Johansen has to offer, other similarly molded tracks in the vein of “Lonely No More” and “Slice of Heaven” are just as rewarding. Check out “Slice of Heaven” for some outstanding string arrangements. The collaboration of pop music and orchestral composition has most recently been exposed by the recent surge of Van Dyke Parks collaborations, though Johansen could likely become prominent for his work in this aspect alone. It makes sense too, as from an artistic perspective, a conventional thought process often results in failure. With Johansen’s colorfully enlivening pop songs, The Simple Life is a resounding success.

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Magnet – The Gospel Song

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Magnet – She’s Gone (Bob Marley cover)

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Magnet – Lonely No More

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The post This Magnet Attracts appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

Any rock historian could easily stress the importance of The Jesus and Mary Chain. Though the influential band from Scotland did not receive such deserved recognition or sales during their active years, critics and fans have finally been beginning to realize the band’s influence on all types of contemporary music. The Jesus and Mary Chain’s lack of mainstream success can largely be attributed to their creative sound and innovative presentation, consisting of feedback experimentation, excessive reverb, droning vocals, and live sets that could sometimes consist of twenty minutes of pure noise; though with brothers Jim and William Reid leading the way, the band always pulled it off. Their 1985 debut Psychocandy is considered a classic for good reason, mixing together memorable melodies with an aggressive guitar attack that was one of the first to implement the “shoegaze” aspect. Even with that in mind, The Jesus and Mary Chain were not a shoegaze band. They were generally alternative but they still were cited as a large influence by other bands when the shoegaze genre started to rise in the late 80s and early 90s. After releasing their sixth and final album, Munki, in 1998, founder William Reid left the band and The Jesus and Mary Chain saw their demise. Their legacy still carried on strong though, influencing a vast amount number of bands ranging from Nirvana to My Bloody Valentine. Through the next several years, even though the Reid brothers were no longer working together, they were still active in music. William went on to form a solo career under the name of Lazycame and Jim formed Freeheat with Ben Lurie, who also was a member of The Jesus and Mary Chain during the peak years. To round out the lineup, the two enlisted the help bassist Romi Mori and drummer Nick Sanderson, both formerly of the Los Angeles-based The Gun Club (the band with Jeffrey Lee Pierce and his tragic story). Even though Jim and William Reid both announced plans to reform and play at Coachella this year, I believe that Freeheat is some great material to get hyped up for The Jesus and Mary Chain’s live reunion on April 27th. Though the Reid brothers are over twenty years older since their explosive debut of Psychocandy, both appear to have the same intensity and passion that they did as youthful musicians. It’s nice to see that experience hasn’t gone to their heads. Concerning Freeheat, their debut came in the year 2000 when they released the EP, Don’t Worry Be Happy. After another EP two years later, The Retox, they collaborated on the compilation Sunsets And Silhouettes along with William Reid and his younger sister Linda, also known as Sister Vanilla. This marked the first time the brothers were appearing on the same release since Munki.

While it appears clear that both of the Reid brothers are now dedicating their time to The Jesus and Mary Chain, taking a look at Freeheat’s debut full-length Back On The Water is certainly worth it for fans of both Reids. After a numerous amount of delays, the album was finally released last June. Consisting of seventeen tracks, ten of them are live while the other seven are brand new studio tracks. The live tracks were recorded live at The Paradiso in Amsterdam, demonstrating Freeheat’s live quality concisely. I would even go as far to say that it is comparable to The Jesus and Mary Chain’s vintage performances. Not the actual songs, but the performances themselves. All of the live tracks are extremely tight, with only the crowd’s excitement often giving away the fact that it is an actual live show. “Down” is one of the seven studio versions on the track, being a song that the band calls “the most airwave friendly ear candy with a delight that shimmers down your spine and dares you to sing”. Sure, Freeheat is more accessible than The Jesus and Mary Chain but I don’t see “Down” hitting any major radio stations besides those of college alternative radio stations. That being said, it’s an enjoyable song and hearing Jim Reid’s accustomed vocals are refreshing, even if the generic chorus will only cause spine tingling to those in love with simplicity. The opener “Keep On Truckin'” is hypnotic and entirely worthwhile, with Reid’s vocals again making their mark over a set of distinguished guitar effects and droned amplification. “Keep on truckin’, keep on suckin’, and keep on fuckin’,” is perhaps a line comparable to The Jesus and Mary Chain, who were always known for their quick remarks on sex, drugs, and anything that seemed morally shocking, even if it was a bit more in-depth than “Keep On Truckin'”. With the useless lyrics aside, the song is melodically comparable to Reid’s better days. In addition, I came away impressed with the live rendition of “The Two Of Us”. Being one of my favorite live songs on the album, primarily due to the backing vocals that Romi Mori lends during the chorus and second verse. Paired with Jim Reid’s relaxed vocal style, their duet in the chorus is worth a listen. The song also proves as a great example of how interconnected Freeheat seems to be when playing live. The fact that I enjoy the majority of the live songs on Back On The Water more than the studio recordings tells me that Freebird is perhaps one of those bands who just sounds better live. Even though studio tracks like “Down” and “Everything” are presentable, they can hardly hold a candle to the live versions of “The Two Of Us” or “What Goes Around”. In addition to the Freeheat songs, I put up three great songs from The Jesus and Mary Chain’s greatest album, Psychocandy. As you can see, their rough-edged sound of distorton and guitar experimentation may have turned off listeners in a year of decorated synth-pop, though anyone can recognize that The Jesus and Mary Chain were truly ahead of their time. I am looking forward to their reunion at Coachella.

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Freeheat – Down

Freeheat – Keep On Truckin’

Freeheat – The Two Of Us (live)

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The Jesus and Mary Chain – The Living End

The Jesus and Mary Chain – Taste the Floor

The Jesus and Mary Chain – The Hardest Walk

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Official Web Site: Freeheat, The Jesus and Mary Chain

BUY: Freeheat, The Jesus and Mary Chain

The post Freeheat: An Appetizer to The Jesus and Mary Chain appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

I find it interesting how often the synth fad fades in and out over the years. A few years ago, any band using it as a main component of their songs were labeled as “stuck in the past” or “cheap”. Currently, it seems to be acceptable and I’m all for it. Actually, anyone who labels anything musically “cheap” really has a great lack of knowledge. As long as it isn’t plagiarism, there is nothing wrong with embracing the past. Tigercity are following the mold of all these up and coming bands associating Devo and Gary Numan with slick and colorful guitars. Tigercity formed in the fall of 2004 in Northampton, Massachusetts and moved to Brooklyn, New York in late 2005. The four members of the band clearly have a fondness for dance music and synth-pop. Lead vocalist Bill Gillim has a very acceptable range and he can reach very high points in his vocals when it adds flavor. They have already found some success in releasing their first EP and playing shows with the likes of M.I.A. and Jamie Lidell.

An example of his odd but unique vocal delivery can be found in the dazzling ‘Solitary Man’. Gillim begins the song in a regular tone, though the melody is reminiscent of something Devo would come up. When the bridge kicks in, Gillim shows off his high vocals that would fit nicely in any glam hair band. The song travels in a consistent form for the first several minutes, but the last two minutes of ‘Solitary Man’ see almost a new song entirely. Though the key is still in tact, Gillim goes back to his deeper side as the band starts to sound a bit more like The Killers than Devo, though the part of the song reminds me of Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Walk Away’ for more reasons than lyrical. ‘Dark Water’ will most likely find wider mainstream success, though it is significantly simpler. The ingeminate structure of the song will easily capture the listener, who shouldn’t be surprised to know the song by heart the second or third time around. ‘Timecard’ is a frantic bass push eventually kicked in by a few chords, while the song is similar to the previous ‘Dark Water’ in utilizing a more acceptable approach than the complexing but creatively fun ‘Solitary Man’, which centered around synths and keys. The song does contain a slight alternating synth in the chorus, but it is nothing significant. Tigercity are fun, plain and simple. ‘Solitary Man’ and ‘Dark Water’ are both recent demos, while ‘Timecard’ is off of their previous EP. I am more impressed with their more recent work (the demos, which is a good sign) and I am fond of ‘Solitary Man’ quite a bit. Their EP can be purchased off of their web site, which is certainly worth it if you enjoy these tracks.

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Tigercity – Solitary Man

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Tigercity – Dark Water

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Tigercity – Timecard

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Official Web Site

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