It's hard not to love the Barenaked Ladies. I know, I know, they're mainstream to the extreme, but their zaniness is contagious. Keep them as your guilty pleasure if you will, but I'll be up front with my enjoyment of their music. That being said, I was excited to check out their newest album, Snacktime!, which came out earlier this month. It's billed as a children's album, but as with many Disney movies, there's plenty here for listeners of all ages. Take Raisins for example which opens with; Raisins come from grapes / people came from apes / I come from Canada / i came in first place / in a non-existent race / to rebuild the Parthenon / the Parthenon is in Greece / or was it in Grease 2?

Although some tracks clearly appeal to younger ears (the album opener 7 8 9, for example), there are also some tracks here which might escape their attention if they're not close listeners. I spun the disc for my four year old daughter, and her favorite was Popcorn, a very They Might Be Giants'ish track (in fact much of the album feels inspired by TMBG) which musically is very kid-friendly, but again, not all the tracks are, which might make the album more suitable for older children.

You can get the album along with an illustrated book full of stories and illustration inspired by the songs. Head here to check it out and order it (it comes with a copy of the disc).

You're probably familiar with Miami born artist Sean Kingston and his fusion of rap, reggae, pop, and doo-wop through his Ben E. King sampling big hit Beautiful Girls from last year. The song brought him a lot of attention from radio, listeners, and now corporate sponsor Intel. He's penned and performed a new track, Gotta Move Faster, that not only favors his personal style, but also puts out a healthy dose of advertising for Intel. Check out the track (and its video) here and you'll see what I mean.



It's always a conversation starter when an artist allows their song to be used for advertisements of various sorts and whether or not they are selling their soul. So what's to make of this, the seemingly logical next step in corporations trying to connect to a market share? Just a question to ponder as you get ready for the weekend. And of course, some music to enjoy while doing so.


Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls : Sean Kingston

Ben E. King - Stand By Me : Stand By Me Soundtrack

Today's just a sneak peak at the first finished track from The King Blues' new album coming later this year (Octoberish or so) titled Let's Hang the Landlord. You might remember me writing about them earlier this year back here. If you're not familiar with the band, they're a youthfully exuberant mix of punk and ska (Dropkick Murphy style but Brit-dub-reggaeish instead of an Irish front). According to the lead singer Itch, this here track is the story of his childhood, tatoos, red wine, and all. Enjoy.

I'll be honest with you, when I first gave A Memory Of Open Spaces a spin, it didn't immediately hook me. As sometimes happens, I had to set it aside for a little while and come back to it, and when I did, this time it stuck. I think part of it had to do with when I listened to it. It's absolutely a summer sounding album. I found myself listening to it on hot, hazy, humid days and it clicked. Just like that. I've always believed that music we listen to reflects much about us as individuals. Oftentimes it reflects the moods we find ourselves drifting through. Occasionally it has the power to shift us out of one mood and into another. Well, it can also reflect what is around us; in this case, the summer atmosphere which I've found has taken hold.

The album is the second from The Fairline Parkway, and just came out yesterday, six years after their debut. As you might surmise from my musings above about the reflections of music, the album really offers a soft languorous groove that you'll find yourself immersed in. If forced to make a comparison, I would suggest their sound resembles Luna meeting another band which I wrote about around this time last year, The Western States Motel. As the title of the post suggests, and as I've found returning to the album and listening to it in the car, it just begs for you to give it a spin while driving around with the window down and the sun beating down on you. I won't belabor the point, just suggest you try listening for yourself.

"I adore making records. I'd rather do that than most anything else."


Just a quick note about the latest Frank Sinatra release - Nothing But the Best. Although it's 22 tracks of Frank's classic material remastered (and a new rendition of Body and Soul), there should be a little caveat added on to the title: *of the Reprise years*. Don't get me wrong, there are some really smashing tracks here, although a few I might have switched out for a few personal favorites. Missing are Let's Fall In Love, I Get A Kick Out Of You, Pennies From Heaven, I've Got You Under My Skin, The Lady Is A Tramp - I could go on and on, but heck, how can you narrow down his best to 22 tracks?

I guess with a catalog as deep as Frank's, you're never going to hit it dead on for everyone though. That being said, if you're really looking for a more comprehensive collection from this period of his career, go with The Reprise Collection Box Set. Don't want to shell out that much dough or can't imagine listening to four discs of Ol' Blue Eyes? This disc is what you should go with.

It's release on May 14th coincided with the tenth anniversary of his passing and the initial batch of them includes a free United States postage stamp honoring him and bearing a first-day cancellation from Las Vegas, Nevada on May 13.

Although I've admitted before that my very first concert ever was to see Motley Crue, old skool hip-hop was the first music that I discovered and fell in love with on my own (i.e. not in my parents' record collection or on their radio stations). This was back in '85 / '86, right before and as The Beastie Boys broke the barrier to prove that even (some) white boys could rap. I'll be straight up about it - I grew up as a middle class white kid in suburbia U.S.A., and my mom was less than enthusiastic about my musical exploration. Needless to say, we're talking about rap before Gangster rap really hit and most of the songs were tame compared to the rhymes their present day counterparts lay down.

Cut to Saturday night when I checked out what's labeled as The No Profanity Tour. I literally just found out about it Tuesday of last week, and was pumped to see it all week. The tour assembles an entire line-up of early old skool hip hop artists (and a few more recent - meaning 1990'ish) including Kurtis Blow, Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force, Dana Dane, The Force M.D.s, Grandmaster Melle Mel with Grandmaster Caz, Grand Wizard Theodore (credited as one of, if not the, inventors of scratching), Chubb Rock, and Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock. The purpose of the tour was twofold - to reassemble some of the men (sadly, no women on the tour - no Salt-N-Pepa or MC Lyte) who were influential in the creation and development of hip-hop as a musical genre which survived all the nay-sayers, and to try and remind people what the music was all about at its inception - to have fun without all of the masculine, intimidating, violent, and degrading posturing that is associated with much of the music nowadays.

Keeping in mind that some of these guys are pushing 50, it might be simple to dismiss these artists as has-beens who should be sitting at home on the couch making room for the up and comers. That's not the case at all though (especially Melle Mel - who's cut like a shorter version of the Terminator), and even if you don't give them some props for their past accomplishments, they put on a damn fine show. Not all of the acts got the crowd's hands in the air for their whole set (I think Chubb Rock and Kurtis Blow got the strongest reaction that sustained throughout their time on the stage), but if 80's hip-hop is your thing, it was flowin' for about four and a half hours. Kurtis even had some breakers poppin' their moves during his set.

Check out the tour's official website, and head to this article to see the upcoming dates (although I wouldn't completely rely on it - the Hartford, CT show was actually in Agawam, MA). While you're waiting for the tour to get to you, throw on your Kangol, slip on your Addidas (not tied of course), plant that monster boombox on your shoulder, and spin these fresh cuts.


Kurtis Blow - The Breaks : The Breaks 7"

Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rappin' (Part 2) : The Breaks 7"


Afrika Bambaataa - Bambaataa's Theme (Assault on Precinct 13) : Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere)

DJ Grand Wizard Theodore - Military Cut : Wild Style - 25th Anniversary Edition (Original Soundtrack)

Dana Dane - Cinderfella : Hip Hop Essentials 1979 - 1991 Volume Two

Melle Mel - Vice : Miami Vice TV Soundtrack

Grandmaster Caz - South Bronx Subway Rap : Wild Style - 25th Anniversary Edition (Original Soundtrack)

Chubb Rock - Treat 'Em Right : The One

Today’s Sunday Spotlight is something new. Instead of focusing on an artist as I usually do, today I’m focusing on a quasi-new label that has been pumping out some incredible releases lately. I’m talking about the newly re-opened Strut Records. Strut first formed back in 1999, but closed its doors in 2003. Just this year, it has been reactivated and has joined up with German label !k7 to continue its mission: to bring forth dusty gems from the past and share them with new ears.

Strut’s primary focus is on music from the fringes and the dance floors of old (and new in many cases as this music is brought back to life) – disco, funk, old school hip-hop, as well as taking it a step further back and looking at its African roots. Since coming back to life, the diggers at Strut have given us Disco Not Disco, Funky Nassau: The Compass Point Story, Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump, and Going Places: The August Darnell Years 1976-1983 (click on each title to read what I had to say about them). What they’ve got lined up for the near future is just as good, if not better: Disco Italia: Essential Italo Disco Classics 1977-1985 and an as-of-yet unnamed NEW Grandmaster Flash album.

Personally, I really enjoy well done compilation discs like these for several reasons. First, it gives me a chance to listen to some music that I missed the first time around for whatever reason: be it I was listening to something else at the time or I wasn’t even born yet. But these discs represent more than just a trip down memory lane. There is some seminal work here that is too easily forgotten in this day and age of connecting to the internet and downloading the latest buzz. Secondly, reading the well written (both in an informative fashion as well as entertaining) liner notes is like peering into the past. Sitting down, listening to the album, and reading the liner notes just makes my day. It’s an insider’s perspective that makes you feel as if you were sitting in the corner of the recording studio, watching music happen.

That being said, please do yourself a favor and check out Strut’s catalog. Their productions are available digitally via iTunes and eMusic, but consider picking up a physical copy as well, as the liner notes really do go hand in hand with each album’s experience. Keep your eyes open here as well for future reviews of some of their upcoming releases.

To give us an insider's perspective on what is happening at Strut, Quinton Scott was kind enough to take some questions. Questions in black are mine, answers in red are his.


Can you introduce yourself and your role at Strut?

I’m Quinton Scott and I work on the A&R for the label. My role is coming up with the ideas for the releases and working on all aspects of each album up to the finished item.

Were you involved with Strut in its first go-around between 1999 and 2003?

Yes, I originally set the label up in 1999 and ran it during its first incarnation.

What brought about the reorganization of Strut?

I made the decision to close down the original company in Summer 2003 – we had hit cashflow problems and it was the right move at the time. I had talked on and off with Juan Vandervoort, one of the main label managers at !K7, about doing something with the label again at some point and !K7 eventually bought up the brand and logo last year.

Where does the inspiration for new projects come from?

From DJs, diggers, chats in the pub and from general hunches about types of music that will work well at a certain point in time.

Where do such diverse ideas come from?

Strut was never really designed as just a soul, funk or collectors’ label. I suppose we’re always trying to be open-minded – there’s a general link to dance music and black music but an idea is often about timing as much as anything. Something like the August Darnell album came about because a few different people had mentioned it and we kept hearing different DJs playing his early music.

As of now, Strut has about a half dozen albums either released or in the pipeline. Is there one in particular that stands out as most enjoyable for you?

They’ve all been great to do – I’d say the Funky Nassau album documenting Chris Blackwell’s Compass Point studios has probably been the most rewarding so far. All of the artists and studio people involved were really helpful and we were lucky to find some incredible unseen archive photos. And, personally, I love the music.

Were there any that were particularly easy or difficult to assemble?

None are particularly quick, mainly because of the work involved in the licensing, sleeve notes and all the archive research. The licensing’s often the trickiest area – the latest Nigeria 70 involved some obscure ones to track down and we have a Caribbean album on the way which has been even more complex. None of the original labels still exist and we have had to track down original artists or producers for most of the tracks.

What are the stand-out tracks that you particularly enjoy from this year’s releases, either already out or upcoming?

Love the rolling funk of Ify Jerry Krusade’s Everybody Likes Something Good on the new Nigeria 70 and, from the new Caribbean comp, Lancelot Layne’s Chant is a belter, a no-nonsense ghetto commentary over a heavyweight percussive groove.

Do you ever find time to listen to current releases and artists, or are you always digging in the past, even on your own time?

Always discovering older records but I listen to a huge variety, both new and old. Of the new stuff, currently really like Mala’s Unexpected, kind of cosmic dubstep, and Daniel Stefanik’s mix of Gregor Tresher’s Break New Soil which is more techno-based but funky as hell.

What’s your own record collection like?

It’s a really mixed bag. A lot of original soul, funk, Afro, disco as you’d expect, pockets where I’ve honed in on particular labels and styles. There’s a large section of ECM label CDs in there, a huge amount of original early ‘80s electro and hip hop. A few dark secrets too – quite a bit of, ahem, old skool hardcore…

Where do you go to find obscure material to listen to?

Definitely spend less time digging since I became a Dad. Still scour second hand shops and collections for sale but check in with online music sources more and more. Dealer sites like Diaspora Records and Casbah, Dusty Groove of course and the deeper blogs like Frank Conakry’s Voodoo Funk are always an education.

Can you name a favorite album that you think everyone should have that almost no one has heard of?

Mr Andrew’s Magic Planet is a recent favourite. Quite dark early electro / new wave on the Base label from ‘82. Slightly better known now since it appeared on the Mutant Sounds blog last year.

Any pet projects or interests percolating in your brain that you’d personally like to eventually work on for the label in the future?

Have been after doing a wide-ranging Giorgio Moroder compilation for a long while with his management but he’s too busy doing music for the Beijing Olympics. One day, hopefully….

With the increasing ease of finding, sharing, and downloading previously hard to find music as it grows increasingly digital, how do you see Strut faring in the future?

Strut will certainly have to adapt but I think it’ll still have a place. The album ideas and all the background info and photos will work digitally – I’m guessing that people who don’t have the time to dig deep to find music will still look to labels like ours to do the dirty work. Digital’s exciting, not as restricted by album formats and the mindset of the modern day record store.

Well, there you have it, a look behind the scenes at Strut records. Not only was Quinton kind enough to take us on a tour, but the label has generously provided a copy of each album they have put out so far this year (Disco Not Disco, Funky Nassau, Kid Creole, Disco Italia, and Nigeria 70) for me to give away. That's right, one lucky winner will walk away with the complete Strut catalog from the first half of this year - all five discs! All you need to do to enter is leave a comment (or e-mail me) with your name, e-mail address, and your vote on which of the 5 comps is the best in your opinion and you'll be in the running. I'll choose a winner randomly Saturdayish and send them the good news via e-mail.

In the meantime, here are some tracks to get you salivating over the 5 albums up for grabs!


Delta 5 - You : Singles And Sessions 1979-1981


Tom Tom Club - Wordy Rappinghood : Tom Tom Club


Kid Creole & The Coconuts - There But For The Grace Of God Go I (12" Mix) : Off The Coast Of Me


Sir Victor Uwaifo - Guitar Boy : Greatest Hits Vol. 1

By now I'm sure you've heard that Portishead finally got around to releasing their fourth album (ironically titled Third) after a ten year hiatus last month. It appeared just as unexpectedly as their disappearance so long ago, but listening to the album one believes that they never really went away. It's got that distinctive discomforting sadness permeating it, but it also feels new in a way that's hard to put a finger on. It's hard to keep your balance while listening to it, with unpredictable shifts occurring from track to track as well as within tracks (in a Fiery Furnaces sort of way).

So if you're diggin' Portishead, I've got another band to send your way: The Atomica Project. TAP is headed up by a female vocalist, Lauren Cheatham, with a voice much like Beth Gibbon's, perhaps a little warmer. They've also got that feeling of cinematic largeness which sometimes spreads wide behind her vocals and at other times dwindles down to a dark note. Taken as a whole, the album (it's titled Grayscale and it's the band's second) feels like the positive inverse of Third. It still has its melancholy moments of tender expression, but in general it employs some brighter instrumental components that lighten it up somewhat.

Both albums are available now, so pick them up and listen to your dark heart's content.

You might not have heard of Robin Danar, and that’s absolutely fine. You can still enjoy his debut Altered States. You won’t hear his voice on the album, but you’ll certainly hear his influence. As the title suggests, it’s an album of alterations, of taking artists that you’re familiar with and giving them a song and a style that’s well outside they’re usual stomping ground, of letting them fly. Of the thirteen tracks on the album, eleven are covers, with the remaining two new songs penned specifically for this collection.

Covers can be a tough territory to travel through. Most either soar or crash and burn. What is interesting about this album is the wide choice of material that is re-interpreted by new artists, some of whom were not even familiar with the original.

It starts with Inara George (one half of The Bird and the Bee) with a very Patsy Cline’esque take on an old Johnny Mathis tune, Chances Are. As with almost all of the material here, Inara is taken away from the sounds you’d normally associate her with and does a marvelous job breathing life into the composition and making it her own. Up next on the album is one of the original numbers, Yell, which is performed by Jesca Hoop. It’s got an almost Middle-Eastern feel to it (listen to it below).

Other highlights of the album include Pete Yorn and Kinky taking Bill Withers’ funky classic Use Me and modernizing its texture with a guitar driven techno-light feel to it that brings it onto the dance floors of today. Then you’ve got Lisa Loeb working with Steve Reynolds on the classic punk track Video Nasty from The Damned. Didn’t see that coming for sure! Another stand out is Julian Corywell’s smooth take on Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (check it out below).

Like I said before, covers can go over like a lead balloon sometimes, and while you might not catch on to every remake here, there’s certainly enough here to pay attention to.






Bill Withers - Use Me : Starsky & Hutch Soundtrack

Tim, Mike and Nate Kinsella make more music under so many bands names, I'm not sure if they know what band they're playing with on what day. Seriously, it's almost as confusticating as a soap-opera. That being said, if you're a fan of the family, then you've got a lot to be happy about right now. The trio have their various hands in a pair of albums that have come out recently.

The first album, which involves Mike and Tim, just came out yesterday and is the new one from Joan Of Arc, titled Boo Human. After the Orchard Vale Soundtrack, this album comes off as hum-drum ordinary top 40 in comparison. The group has returned to the avant-garde experimental style, but this time making it a little more digestible. Not ones to do anything by the book, they invited a whole slew of guest musicians to come in and work with them, or I should say, they posted a sign-up sheet and welcomed in whoever hopped on board. Supposedly the album was recorded in one week, and at times that's clearly evident (take for example the studio chatter that was left on the beginning of Laughter Reflected Back). The album retains a project-in-the-works kind of feel to it while still managing to feel complete.

The other album that Tim and Nate had a hand in, which came out last month, is from their band Make Believe. It's the group's third album, and at one point it seemed that Tim had bowed out for the family life. He didn't remain absent for long though, and you'll find him present on what became his 58th record, Going to the Bone Church. Unlike Joan of Arc, this line-up hits a little harder, and the texture of their material is a little more abrasive. There's still that element of unpredictability (try For Lauri Bird), but in the long run, this album will pump out a few more decibels.

So, chalk two more albums up under the family name. You can catch Mike and Tim together on tour, dates are listed below.











05.28 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
05.29 Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
05.30 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
05.31 Missoula, MT @ The Badlander
06.01 Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
06.02 Vancouver, BC @ Media Club
06.03 Portland, OR @ Holocene
06.05 San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
06.06 @ Los Angeles, CA @ Knitting Factory
06.08 Los Angeles, CA @ Pehrspace
06.09 La Jolla, CA @ Che Cafe Collective
06.10 Phoenix, AZ @ Modified
06.12 Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
06.13 Fort Worth, TX @ Lola's
06.14 Tulsa, OK @ Continental
07.26 Chicago, IL @ Wicker Park
07.27 Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen

OK folks, last minute contest to share a pair of free tics to see Air Traffic play at TT the Bear's Place tomorrow night (Thursday the 22nd) in Cambridge, MA. The rules are simple: first person to e-mail me before 6:00 AM tomorrow gets them (teachbreed [at] yahoo.com). Keeping that in mind, please don't e-mail me if you can't make it. Openers are Senor Happy and The Douglas Fir, show starts at 9:30.

Ready. Set. E-MAIL!

"I’m not sure that there’s any other kind, but the songs I write are love songs. Some are literal, about specific events, people and relationships in my life; a form of therapy, self-help for the flowers and the shit along the road of life. Others come from a place far more mysterious. Either way, I’m in it to capture the feeling, the truth of an emotion, changing only names and events to protect the innocent.

This collection of songs represents our most comfortable, cohesive and soul-shaking music to date. It has been a great pleasure for me working with Sam, Malachi and Paul on this. And after all the good, bad and not so pretty all I can say is—please enjoy.

If you've been enjoying Langhorne Slim's self-titled album, he's practically giving up his entire summer to bring it to you live. And if you've really been enjoying his album, here's a chance for you to win a vinyl copy of his new 7" single for Rebel Side of Heaven (b/w Sometimes), a sticker, and a poster. All you need to do is leave a comment (or e-mail me) with your name and e-mail address, let me know if you want to be added to the Langhorne Slim e-mailing list, and you'll be in the running (US residents only, sorry). The contest will run through Saturday and I'll choose a winner Saturday eveningish and send Ed McMahon and the Prize Patrol to their door (or maybe just e-mail them).








May 22 2008 Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, Utah
May 23 2008 Hi-Dive Denver, Colorado
May 24 2008 Replay Lounge - Outdoor Stage Lawrence, Kansas
May 25 2008 400 Bar Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 26 2008 High Noon Saloon Madison, Wisconsin
May 27 2008 Mad Planet Milwaukee, Wisconsin
May 28 2008 Schubas Tavern Chicago, Illinois
May 29 2008 The Hideout Chicago, Illinois
May 30 2008 Club Cafe Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
May 31 2008 Music Hall of Williamsburg - Headline Show!!! Brooklyn, New York
Jun 4 2008 NPR’s World Cafe with David Dye Radio or Internet
Jun 5 2008 WTMD Summer Concert Series - West Mt. Vernon Park Baltimore, Maryland
Jun 6 2008 World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jun 7 2008 TT The Bears Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jun 17 2008 Le Divian Orange Montreal, Quebec
Jun 18 2008 The Horseshoe Toronto, Ontario
Jun 19 2008 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Jun 20 2008 Pike Room @ Crofoot Pontiac, Michigan
Jun 21 2008 Ruby Tuesday Columbus, Ohio
Jun 22 2008 Off Broadway St. Louis, Missouri
Jun 24 2008 The Aquarium (Dempsey’s Upstairs) Fargo, North Dakota
Jun 26 2008 Sled Island Music Festival Calgary, Alberta
Jul 3 2008 High Sierra Festival - Day 1 Quincy, California
Jul 4 2008 High Sierra Festival - Day 2 Quincy, California
Aug 1 2008 Pickathon - Pendarvis Farms Happy Valley, Oregon
Aug 2 2008 Pickathon - Pendarvis Farms Happy Valley, Oregon
Sep 19 2008 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Bristol, Tennessee
Sep 20 2008 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Bristol, Tennessee

Lately, it seems that piano driven power-pop is all the rage. The latest tasty dose I'm listening to now is from a Denver based quartet named Fiance. They're putting out their second EP, Please Ambitious, Please, which is a quick jolt of five songs headed up by the vocals of Patrick McGuire (whose voice at times reminds me of Michael Nau of Page France). The affair starts with a piano pulsating rocker, Super-Soft Knife, but before jamming themselves into a corner, the group is quick to show their soft, contemplative side on the next song, Pretty Model's Hands (which strangely, for a power piano ballad on a 5 track EP, is over 7 minutes long).

The EP's tempo goes up and down quicker than a roller-coaster in its 5 songs. That being said, you kind of need to be in a funky mood to listen through it and connect with every song. It would be interesting to see of the band could extend it out to an LP, where the change in emotions wouldn't feel so abrupt. There are 5 solid songs here though, which you might visit individually depending on your day; here's one of the more depressing ones (if your day hasn't been so bad, save it for a downer).

No new music to share right now, instead I'm going to share how excited I am to be seeing two great shows taking place this summer. Not to rub it in or anything but...

The first show I've already made plans to see is in mid July to see a triple decker of a summer tour: John Mayer, Brett Dennen, and Colbie Caillat. Yea, you read that right. You've got an accomplished guitarist who's tackled everyone from Radiohead to classic blues men (whose last album Continuum was just re-issued with an additional track, Say - stream it here), a young folksey pop singer with wisdom beyond his years (and who I've seen and enjoyed before - albeit in a MUCH smaller club - hopefully he won't lose his personality in such a big venue), and a guilty pleasure that's hard to resist. All of this wrapped up in one tight package that spells summertime fun. Check out dates for the tour below, and look for me in Mansfield on the 12th.

John Mayer - Gravity : Continuum

Brett Dennen - The One Who Loves You The Most : So Much More

Colbie Caillat - Bubbly : Coco

Tour Dates:
7/2 Milwaukee , WI Marcus Amphitheater (Summerfest)
7/3 Maryland Heights , MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7/5 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center
7/6 Rothbury , MI Rothbury Music Festival
7/7 Toronto , ON Molson Amphitheatre
7/9 Wantagh , NY Nikon @ Jones Beach Theater
7/10 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
7/12 Mansfield , MA Tweeter Center
7/13 Columbia , MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
7/15 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
7/17 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
7/18 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
7/20 Denver, CO Soccer Fields @ Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
7/21 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
7/23 Paso Robles, CA Mid-State Fair
7/25 Marysville , CA Sleep Train Amphitheater
7/26 Mountain View , CA Shoreline Amphitheater
7/27 Irvine , CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7/29 Chula Vista , CA Coors Amphitheatre
7/30 Phoenix , AZ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
8/1 Dallas , TX Superpages.com Center
8/2 Houston , TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion


The second is a weekend festival, the Green River Festival, which takes place at Greenfield Community College in Massachusetts shortly after on July 17-19. It's an Earthy-crunchy sort of weekend with all sorts of activities for kids and adults alike. In addition, there's some eclectically wide music playing all weekend including Jimmie Vaughn (older brother of Stevie Ray Vaughn), Forro in the Dark, Los Straitjackets, Eilen Jewell, Lucinda Williams, and the artist I'm most excited to see, Mavis Staples, former member of the legendary Staple Singers and accomplished singer in her own right. I got a weekend pass to see all these acts (plus a few more) for the insane price of $35! I'm already crossing my finger hoping the weather will be perfect that weekend.

Mavis Staples - Down In Mississippi : We'll Never Turn Back

Lucinda Williams - Main Road : Sweet Relief

“The whole decor of the place, the furniture, the light switches, it was like something out of a James Bond movie.”
There are tons of DJs out there, but Dimitri From Paris stands out as something unique. Born in Turkey, grew up in France (hence his stage name), Dimitri does an incredible job of spinning new cuts with tracks dug up from who-knows-where while keeping the flow as smooth as a baby's bottom. He's been spinning vinyl since the mid 80's, and his well of music runs deeper (and wider) than many of his cohort.

Last month, he put out the double disc release Return to the Playboy Mansion, a follow-up to his 2000 album A Night at the Playboy Mansion and the 2002 After the Playboy Mansion. Similar to what he did with the 2002 release, the first disc is titled Partytime, and as the name suggests, it's designed to get you moving on the floor, with nineteen tracks of retro booty-shaking goodness. The second disc is titled Sexytime, and as you might guess, things get smoother with a downtempo mix designed for you to get some of that booty that was shaking from listening to the first disc. The entire disc isn't entirely Barry White type material (although he does make an appearance early with the second track), but things do get a little more sensual.

As one could expect, although there a few names here you'll recognize (Jamiroquai, Teddy Pendergrass, Marvin Gaye, etc...), there are even more that will be unknowns to all but the deepest crate diggers. These discs are exactly what they look like - collections of cuts that can be thrown on to play straight through that you don't have to worry about skipping tracks to get to a good song.



and one from his debut

Dimitri From Paris - Love Love Mode : Sacrebleu

Today I have a super special early-bird look at The Watson Twins' new album Fire Songs, which is coming out next month on the 24th. Normally I wouldn't post about something coming out so far away, but I was really excited to check this album out and to share it with all of you. I've been consistently listening to it for the last couple of weeks.

Chandra and Leigh Watson were kind enough to share their thoughts and ideas on Old Ways, the tenth track on the album, reveal why the new album is titled Fire Songs even though there's no track by the same name, and admitted wearing matching poodle skirts. As always, text in red is theirs, questions in black are mine.



This song was one of the first written for our new record, Fire Songs (Vanguard Records, June 2008). It actually started forming on the road when we were on tour opening for Matt Costa In comparison to writing at home, there is a different kind of inspiration found out in the world, playing shows, meeting new folks, long late night drives and a whole lotta bars. Traveling in a van with your band mates, eating together, sharing hotel rooms, sound checking, let’s just say there isn’t a lot of "alone time"… so when writing this song I’d often sneak away to a back hallway of a club as we were waiting for the doors to open and just play the song and sing the lyrics over and over… committing each line to memory as it formed, building each verse slowly day by day.

Once it was done, the vocal harmonies that Leigh (my sis) and Russ Pollard (drummer/producer) brought to the table just immediately solidified the vibe… as well as the sorghum sweet lead on the instrumental verse from J. Soda (Guitarist/Producer) and the solid/soulful bass line of Matt Fitzell. It just naturally fell in to place and that always brings a special attachment to a song.

Old Ways was originally titled Fire Song because of the chorus "you’re always on fire, your old ways being wild"… as we started working on the record the title of the song changed, but we still liked the visual imagery of the words Fire Songs and since it was the first written it only seemed fitting to title the record this, marking the beginning of our writing adventure.

And a few questions for the twins (C=Chandra, L=Leigh):

1.) You do a beautiful job of taking The Cure's Just Like Heaven [it's the fourth track on the new album] and making it your own, although it takes on an almost wistfully melancholic tone to it. What inspired you to cover the song?

C: We were at home in Kentucky for Christmas and WFPK, the local station there, was doing a count down... top "1000 songs of all time"..."Just Like Heaven" came on and Leigh and I were singing along with the radio, talking about what a great song it was and Leigh suggested that we try and cover it. After we got back to LA, Leigh learned it on the guitar and brought it in to rehearsal giving it her own spin. We started playing it with the band and it just all came together. We played it a handful of times live and the crowd was in to it, so we decided to put in on our new record "Fire Songs".
L: It was pretty cool how it all came together. I always loved the original version of the song, and covers are definitely dangerous, but this one just came so easily it seemed like the right thing.


2a.) Working with Jenny Lewis on Rabbit Fur Coat obviously helped bring your own music into a larger listening public’s ear and brought you more recognition. Did you find while working on this new album that you were affected musically by working with Jenny?

C: Of course, I think every musical collaboration affects you, it becomes a part of your creative life and that's where each song begins.
L: Agreed, its all part of your own personal history. You are always learning, absorbing, growing. I think experiences like what we had with Lewis and RFC changed us not only as songwriters, but just as people. You spend a year on the road traveling and going to amazing places you find inspiration and you evolve.

2b.) Do you think the sound of this album would have been different if you had not collaborated with her?

C: The sounds on our album "Fire Songs" come from the music that has influenced us... country, indie, classic rock, jazz, R&B, soul... and I would say Jenny, my sis and I have similar records in our collections and get inspired by those, so the fact that we share a similar taste in music probably has more to do with our sound than our specific collaboration on RFC.
L: For sure. The sound comes from a pretty specific place, it's something we have been moving towards for years. It's a reflection of all of our musical experiences.

2c.) Any future plans to record another album together?

C: Not currently, we all have a lot on our plates but the future is full of possibilities and we do have a lot of fun singing together.
L: Never say never.

3.) Growing up as identical twins, you must have some great stories. Can you share one that stands out as either particularly funny or embarrassing (for one or both of you!)?

C: wow... that's a tough one... Leigh?
L: Funny and embarrassing...we performed It's My Party (...and I'll cry if I want to) for our middle school talent show in poodle skirts that our mom hand made with choreographed dance moves. If only we had made it to Star Search. hahhaha.



The album opens up with How Am I To Be, a track that will serve as a bridge for those listeners who caught on to the twins through their work with Jenny Lewis. It's got a feel to it that would have blended right in with Rabbit Fur Coat. The sisters don't just try to copy what they did with Lewis though, and on the second track, Lady Love Me, they quickly head off on their own direction, staking claim to musical ground that is distinctly theirs.

It's clear once you listen to their own work what the influence the Watson Twins had on Jenny Lewis and Rabbit Fur Coat, an album that is quite far away from her work with Rilo Kiley, and much closer to what you'll find on Fire Songs. Most immediately evident will be the sisters' voices, at times warmly welcoming and at others displaying that distant melancholy I mentioned on their cover of Just Like Heaven. Regardless of the tone though, their two voices work together seamlessly and beautifully, and carry a depth to them that will pull you in.

I've really been enjoying the album, and am eager to check out the twins on the supporting tour (although dates haven't been announced). I think that this album is going to prove that the sisters can make music of their own that is equally deserving of your ears' attention. Enjoy the following early peek and start counting down to June 24th, when the album will be available.

Just a quick track to share. Give it a spin and tell me it doesn't have Fiery Furnaces written all over it? (that's a good thing by the way) It's from an artist named Rose Kemp (no, I don't know a single thing about her), and is being released as a single next month (on the 30th). Head here to check out her previous releases.


Rose Kemp - Nanny's World : Unholy Majesty

So last night I checked out Uh Huh Her at Pearl Street in Northampton, MA, and the highlight of the night actually happened before the show even started (no offense to the fine musicians who played - I loved the show, honest!). It went down like this. The show was supposed to start at 8:30, so I got to the venue around 8:15 only to find the doors hadn't been opened yet and there was a much bigger line than I anticipated. Not only was the line bigger than I anticipated, but it's make-up was somewhat unexpected, but I'll get back to that in a minute.

So I'm waiting in line, and one of the guys who works for the venue drifts over to me (if you've been to Pearl Street or the Iron Horse, I'm talking about biker-Santa Claus) and says to me, "Let me tell you something - I think we're outnumbered tonight." Honest, those were his exact words! This is where the composition of the line comes in. Let me put it this way, there were more guys at the last Indigo Girls concert I attended. I just sort of chuckled (as quietly as possible) and looked around to make sure there weren't any eyes glaring at me due to my unwilling complicity. "I think we're outnumbered tonight." Absolutely classic! 'Nuff said about that though.

Come to find out, there was massive amounts of traffic, causing the bands to arrive late, but when the show finally got rolling, opening for the evening was Angie Mattson (MySpace). She played some original tunes (which I wasn't familiar with) on her guitar, and a killer cover of The Black Crowes' song She Talks to Angels.

The Black Crowes - She Talks to Angels (live) : Freak 'N' Roll...Into The Fog (Live - The Fillmore, San Francisco)


The big draw of the night though was Uh Huh Her, whose newest album's (Common Reaction) release date has been pushed back to August. If you're not familiar with the quartet, they play an peppy electro-80's, synth-dance fiesta that feels like it should be the soundtrack for a remake of a Brat-pack film. I was only familiar with the five tracks off of their debut I See Red EP, so much of the material they played during the evening was unknown to me, and presumably off of the upcoming album. Suffice to say, if you enjoyed the EP, the new material carried on in the same tradition.

Thankfully, even though I was in fact outnumbered and one of the minority, I made it out alive in order to share this post with you. they have a few shows left before the end of the month, and I would assume will be hitting the road again during the summer in preparation for the release of the album in August.


Uh Huh Her - Say So (Thom Russo Mix) : I See Red EP

I've simply fallen in love with Laura Gibson and her new six song EP Six White Horses: Blues & Traditionals, Vol. 1. It's quiet. It's haunting. It's full of covers and reinterpretations. But it's also wonderfully original. And I love it.

I'd like to just stop here and let my brevity stay the course, as it does on the EP, but I'll add a little more to try and get you to love it, too.

The texture of Gibson's guitar work stays fairly true to the original blues compositions, but she does an incredible job of playing around with the timing, drawing it out, and somehow making it more haunting and powerful in a different sort of way than the originals. When it was recorded, Gibson's voice and guitar were projected and recorded through the speaker of an old-record player, adding that other-worldly feel to it. Accompanying her is Jason Leonard, who adds a washbucket, newpaper drums, porch stomping, bells, whistling, vibraphone and glockenspiels to support her vocals and guitar. The six tracks on the EP include the following:

1. All The Pretty Horses (Traditional)
2. One Dime Blues (Blind Lemon Jefferson)
3. Freight Train (Elizabeth Cotten)
4. One Thin Dime (Mance Lipscomb)
5. Black Is The Color of My True Love's Hair (Traditional)
6. Dry Land Blues (Furry Lewis)

Laura really does an incredible job of taking these timeless songs and making them her own, while still retaining links to the past. You can listen to the first track, All the Pretty Horses, below. I've also added some of the originals for the other tracks so once you pick up the disc (which I'm very much hoping you will), you'll be able to compare and see how Laura has reinterpreted them.

And finally, you can also check out some video of Laura playing four live songs for NPR here, in the first of their "Tiny Desk Concert" series.






Blind Lemon Jefferson - One Dime Blues : Complete Classic Sides Remastered (Disc B)

Elizabeth Cotten - Freight Train : Freight Train and Other North Carolina Folk Songs and Tunes

Mance Lipscomb - One Thin Dime : Texas Songster

Right about now, I wish I was living in the City of Brotherly Love. Check out the insane line-up above and you'll see why. The Roots just put out their 10th album, Rising Down, and they're hitting the road hard in support of it.

Before I even get to the music, I want to take a look at the title, which comes from William T. Vollmann's tome on violence entitled Rising Up and Rising Down (it's not the first time they've named an album after a book - 1999's Things Fall Apart was named for the Chinua Achebe novel). I actually went to the library and picked up the book myself when I realized the link. The book is a brick - over 750 pages of it (and we're not talking summer beach blanket reading), and it's only an abridgment of the seven volume, 3,500 page version. Vollmann's stance is an interesting one; in the book he posits that violence can be rationalized and justified, and that by careful analysis (what he calls "moral calculus"), we can determine how and why governments come to perform acts of violence. I've just cracked open the book myself, so I won't pretend to be an expert on it, but the premise is an eye-arching one.

The reason I start by talking about the title is because I think it's a clear indication of why The Roots have been around for so long, continue to make music that is warmly received, and continue to receive such positive feedback in a genre known for one hit wonders where singles are king and albums typically full of filler. There is a lot more meat on a Roots' song compared to a lot of entire hip-hop albums out there today.

The stand out track for me (and it may be because I've been listening to Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump a lot lately) is I Will Not Apologize, which is a total throw-back Fela Kuti track. It hits you the first time you listen to it and I'm always finding myself looking forward to getting to it when I've been throwing the album in. The rest of the album is just as good, although to me it feels a little darker when stacking it up against their last release, Game Theory.

If you're in Philly on June 7th, you gotta check out the show. If not, check out the other tour dates below.








The Roots - The Show (Doug E. Fresh cover) : In Tha Beginning...There Was Rap

The Roots (Feat. Cody Chesnutt) - The Seed : Live From Bonnaroo 2003


May
15 Washington, DC- Constitution Hall*
16 Norfolk, VA- Chrysler Hall*
17 Richmond, VA- Landmark Theater*
20 Boca Raton, FL- Mizner Park*
23 Atlanta, GA- Fox Theater*
24 Chillicothe, IL- Summer Camp Music Festival
25 Los Angeles, CA- UCLA Jazz and Reggae Festival
27 Nashville, TN- Ryman Auditorium*
29 St. Louis, MO- Fox Theater*
30 Chicago, IL- Chicago Theater*
31 Chicago, IL- Chicago Theater*

June
2 Denver, CO- The Fillmore*
4 Eugene, OR- Cuthbert Amphitheater
5 Seattle, WA- Marymoor Park*
7 Philadelphia, PA- The Roots Picnic @ Festival Pier
8 Oakland, CA- Paramount Theater*
10 San Diego, CA- Humphrey's*
12 Los Angeles, CA- Greek Theater*
13 Birmingham, AL- City Stages Festival
14 Phoenix, AZ- Mesa Amphitheatre*
17 Houston, TX- Verizon Wireless Theater
18 Dallas, TX- Nokia Theater
19 New Orleans, LA- House of Blues
22 Rochester, NY- Rochester International Jazz Festival

July
4 Milwaukee, WI- Summerfest 2008
20 Commerce City, CO- Dick's Sporting Goods Park

Aug
8 Jersey City, NJ- All Points West Festival @ Liberty State Park

* w/ Erykah Badu

I've shared this before, but for newer readers I'll repeat myself. As a child growing up, I can remember playing my dad's vinyl, and at one point, Neil Diamond was my favorite artist out of his selections. Looking back, I don't know if it was his name, the album covers, or the music, but the memory stuck with me of loving Neil. Eventually my musical tastes turned onto new pathways, but a piece of me always enjoyed Neil's music.

Now that we've got that out of the way, I'll continue my post in the semi-present tense (or at least more present than when I was a wee-young one). I only recently found out that Neil is now working with Rick Rubin, and has been since his last album, 12 Songs. It terms of producers active in music today, Rick Rubin probably tops my list, or at least comes close, of musical masterminds that I respect. When you look back at what he's accomplished, and in such diverse genres, it's hard not to give him some props. I mean if you can take 3 white guys and make them into respected hip-hop artists, you must be doing something right.

Then you have to think about what he did working with Johnny Cash. I'm not going to thumb my nose at all you and say that I was listening to Johnny before American Recordings came out (I was), simply point out that Rick was able to get A LOT of listeners to realize that Johnny still had music in him that wanted to come out and be appreciated. It seems that Neil is hoping for some of that same magic: getting a younger generation of listeners to hear what's coming out of his mouth and soul. With today's generation, unfortunately the only cultural currency I think Diamond holds is Sweet Caroline and his cameo in Saving Silverman.

If my opinion is worth 2 cents, this album proves that he wasn't just a glitzy 70's star that should be relegated to kitschy movie roles. Honestly, I think this album is going to be one of my top 5 favorites of the year. Call me a sentimentalist if you want, but I'll still stick with this album. As he did with Cash, Rubin has stripped down Diamond's sound, although not as much. Diamond's voice is nearly as spent as Johnny's was either (not putting down Johnny, the scratch was part of the draw - that lived hard and played harder mythos that he carried with him), but is certainly carries a somber tone that he hasn't always displayed in his work.

I'd love to give you most of this album to listen to to prove you should be paying attention, but I'm going to limit it to one: One More Bite Of the Apple. It's a great track that on the surface is about not giving up on love, about giving it another go. I listen to it and I hear Neil singing like this is one more chance to make the music that he's loved for decades, one more chance to connect with a new generation. I for one am rooting for him.




Urge Overkill - Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon (Neil Diamond cover) : Pulp Fiction Soundtrack


May

24 Rotterdam Ahoy Arena
25 Rotterdam Ahoy Arena
27 Munich Olympiahalle
29 Antwerp Sportpalais
31 Cologne Cologne Arena

June

2 Hamberg Colorline Arena
5 Glasgow Hampden Park
7 Manchester MEN Arena
8 Manchester MEN Arena
10 Birmingham The NIA
11 Birmingham The NIA
14 Dublin Croke Park
17 South Hampton Rose Bowl
19 Cardiff , Wales Millienium Stadium
21 London O2 Arena
23 London O2 Arena
24 London O2 Arena
27 London Wembley Arena

July

19 St. Paul , MN Xcel Energy Center
22 Sioux City , IA Tyson Events Center
24 Omaha , NE Qwest Center Omaha
26 Chicago , IL United Center
29 Indianapolis , IN Conseco Fieldhouse
31 Detroit , MI The Palace of Auburn Hills

August

3 Cleveland , OH Quicken Loans Arena
5 Washington , DC Verizon Center
7 Hartford , CT XL Center
9 Philadelphia , PA Wachovia Center
12 New York , NY Madison Square Garden
14 New York , NY Madison Square Garden
18 Pittsburgh , PA Mellon Arena
20 Albany , NY Times Union Center
23 Boston , MA Fenway Park
25 Columbus , OH Value City Arena at The Schottenstein Center
27 Green Bay , WI Resch Center
29 St. Louis , MO Scottrade Center

September

14 Winnipeg , MB MTS Center
16 Edmonton , AB Rexall Place
18 Calgary , AB Pengrowth Saddledome
20 Vancouver , BC General Motors Place
22 Portland , OR Rose Garden
24 Seattle , WA KeyArena at Seattle Center
26 Sacramento , CA ARCO Arena
28 San Jose , CA HP Pavilion

October

1 Los Angeles , CA Hollywood Bowl
7 San Diego , CA San Diego Sports Arena
10 Phoenix , AZ Jobing.com Arena
12 San Antonio , TX AT&T Center
14 Houston , TX Toyota Center
17 Dallas , TX American Airlines Center
19 Oklahoma City , OK Ford Center
21 Tulsa , OK BOK Center
24 Tampa , FL St. Pete Times Forum
26 Ft. Lauderdale , FL BankAtlantic Center
28 Orlando , FL Amway Arena Orlando
30 Jacksonville , FL Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena

You might remember me posting a track by 65DaysofStatic a few months ago. I just found out that they were hand picked by Robert Smith to open for The Cure on their current tour. Unfortunately for me, I found out the very day they were playing Boston (yesterday) and therefor lost my chance to check out the show. Fortunately for you, I've got the rest of the dates below and hopefully you'll be luckier than me.

In addition to sporting tunes from their two albums, they've got a new four track EP out entitled The Distant and Mechanized Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties. Try saying that five times fast. It's got two remixes of the track of the same name from their last album The Destruction of Small Ideas and two brand new songs: Goodbye, 2007 (hear it below) and Antique Hyper Mall.



65DaysofStatic - Goodbye, 2007 : The Distant and Mechanized Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties EP



May 14 2008 Bell Centre w/The Cure Montreal, Quebec
May 15 2008 Air Canada Centre - w/The Cure Toronto, Canada, Ontario
May 17 2008 Allstate Arena w/The Cure Chicago, IL, Illinois
May 17 2008 Subterranean *65HEADLINE SHOW* Chicago, Illinois
May 18 2008 2 Cents Plain *65HEADLINE SHOW* St Louis, Missouri
May 19 2008 Starlight Theatre - w/TheCure Kansas City, KS, Kansas
May 21 2008 Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/The Cure Denver, CO, Colorado
May 22 2008 The Falcon *65HEADLINE SHOW* Englewood, Colorado
May 23 2008 E Center w/The Cure Salt Lake City, UT, Utah
May 24 2008 The Venue *65HEADLINE SHOW* Boise, Idaho
May 25 2008 Gorge Ampitheatre @ The Sasquatch Festival George, Washington
May 26 2008 General Motors Place - w/The Cure Vancouver,, British Columbia
May 28 2008 HP Pavillion San Jose, California
May 29 2008 Santa Barbara Bowl - w/The Cure Santa Barbara, CA, California
May 31 2008 Hollywood Bowl w/The Cure Los Angeles, CA, California
Jun 1 2008 Shrine Auditorium - w/The Cure Los Angeles, California
Jun 2 2008 Chain Reaction *65HEADLINE SHOW* Anaheim, California
Jun 3 2008 Cox Arena - w/The Cure San Diego, CA, California
Jun 4 2008 Dodge Theatre - w/The Cure Phoenix, AZ, Arizona
Jun 4 2008 Modified Arts *65HEADLINE SHOW* Phoenix, Arizona
Jun 6 2008 American Airlines Center - w/The Cure Dallas, TX, Texas
Jun 7 2008 Rock Bottom *65HEADLINE SHOW* San Antonio, Texas
Jun 8 2008 Emos *65HEADLINE SHOW* Austin, Texas
Jun 8 2008 Austin Music Hall - w/The Cure Austin, TX, Texas
Jun 9 2008 Toyota Center - w/The Cure Houston, TX, Texas
Jun 11 2008 St Pete Times Forum - w/The Cure Tampa, FL, Florida
Jun 12 2008 The Social *65HEADLINE SHOW* Orlando, Florida
Jun 13 2008 Bank Atlantic Center - w/The Cure Ft Lauderdale, FL, Florida
Jun 14 2008 The Atlantic Gainsville, Florida
Jun 15 2008 Gwinnet Civic and Cultural Centre - w/The Cure Dulath, Georgia
Jun 16 2008 Charlotte Bobcats Arena - w/The Cure Charlotte, NC, North Carolina
Jun 18 2008 Cleveland State University - w/The Cure Cleveland, OH, Ohio
Jun 19 2008 Mercury Lounge *65HEADLINE SHOW* New York, New York
Jun 20 2008 Madison Square Garden - w/The Cure New York, NY, New York
Jun 21 2008 Radio City Hall - w/The Cure New York, New York

"We strive to expose people to new music through the cello; support local musicians and give them the opportunity to work with an orchestral accompaniment; and to make Portland, Oregon the cello capital of the world, perhaps one day changing its name to Celloland."
Well, if there is ever a national referendum on the topic, you've got my vote Doug. Although Finnish cello-metal quartet Apocalyptica might argue the point with you.

What are the odds of getting not one, but two albums dedicated to cello music in the same week? Amazingly, it happened to me, and I was tempted to call the folks over at Ripley's. The first disc that appeared was The Portland Cello Project, which is a loose confederation of any and all cello players that want to contribute in the Portland area. Although I've not seen them myself, I hear that they play a mean combination of covers, both classical as well as modern, and their disc represents that. Some tracks have a very classical feel to them (try Robing Hood Changes His Oil), while others are obviously very contemporary (Toxic, of course!).

While the Portland Cello Project reaches wide for diverse source material with cellos as the primary form of instrumentation, Apocalyptica takes the cello and adds a fair dose of other harder rocking instruments as well to make a more modern sound that alternates between soothing your nerves to encouraging you to thrash (all in the same song)

Although both consider themselves cello groups, they are quite unalike from one another, as you can probably guess from the above descriptions. Get both though - one for the dinner party, and one for the late night party.

When it comes to my knowledge of Nigerian music, it can be summed up in three words: Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat. I’ll surmise that the same can be said of most Western listeners. That being said, listening to Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump was a refreshing dose of new music for me. It’s the newest title from Strut Records that I’ve been listening to lately. Instead of me going on and on with my love of the label, just keep reading.

Like I said above, I know next to nothing about the development of music in Nigeria in the last 50 years, and won’t pretend otherwise here. I did however learn quite a bit from reading the extensive and informative (as typical for Strut’s releases) liner notes that accompanied this compilation. Not surprisingly, the only musician’s name I recognized in the track list or in the notes was Fela Kuti, but his is a name, and contribution, that only builds on preceding artists. As I always do, I’d suggest picking up a physical copy of the album when it comes out for the liner notes alone. From reading the notes, I learned much of the following information.

Without getting into the history and development of the music too much, I’ll say that the tracks here represent many musical movements that took place within Nigeria. The basis for much of the music on the album comes from two contrasting musical styles: Highlife dance band music which revolved around big bands that initially mimicked and then built off of American Swing music, and Juju music which was more of an organic traditional music.

The popularity and prominence of these two very unlike styles waxed and waned as the country went through political strife, but with the infusion of western pop music in the 60’s, things would change - permanently. Rock and Roll, ska, soul, and funk made inroads with young musicians who started incorporating these western styles into their own music, beginning the development of Afro-pop, then Afro-jazz, and of course Afrobeat (which Fela Kuti is celebrated for pioneering and why his name is indelibly branded in musical history). The sixteen tracks on this disc are an audible expression of how African musicians took in outside music, played with it, adopted parts of it, and created a fusion of styles of their own.

This disc is in some ways a follow-up to another release that Strut put out in 2001 their first time around titled simply Nigeria 70 (a 3 CD set that goes for insane prices now - if you can find it that is). Whereas the previous release included many established names such as Kuti and others, Lagos Jump focuses on other relatively unknown artists. It's coming out later this month on the 27th, but in the meantime, enjoy the opening track by Sir Shina Peters below.








Fela Kuti - No Agreement : No Agreement

So when I found out that Matthew Sweet was working with and producing a group of comparative youngins named The Bridges, my curiosity was piqued. Although Matthew dropped off my radar screen after 100% Fun in 1995 (I wish I still had that tour shirt), I reacquainted myself with his work when he teamed up with ex-Bangle Susanna Hoffs for Under the Covers, Vol. 1 in 2006.

The Bridges consists of five members, four siblings (whose last name is Byrd – I guess The Byrds is already taken though, isn’t it?) and a cousin, and actually formed back in 2002. Their big break though was when they signed with VerveRecords at the end of last year, and then soon after started working with Sweet at his own studio. Although I’m not entirely positive about this, the group might have got connected with him via the Hoff-Sweet connection after opening for The Bangles earlier in 2007.

(Somewhat completely unrelated fun fact side-note: Did you know that Hoff and Sweet, along with Mike Myers, made up the fictitious rock group Ming Tea in the Austin Powers movie?)

Anyway, as you can imagine, with Sweet’s name involved, I jumped to some assumptions about what the group would sound like. As it turns out, I was pretty much completely wrong.

Unlike Sweet’s work (at least his older material which I’m more familiar with) which really is guitar driven, The Bridges’ strength lies in the three part sunshine harmonies sung by its three sisters. Behind them is a scaled back, bordering on the edge of country twang, and a sound which connects back to the group’s stated influences: Fleetwood Mac and The Mamas and the Papas. Put simply, they’re not here to hit you over the head with their sound.

The album, Limits of the Sky, which is their big league debut, is set to hit shelves on June 10th. Also, in July, look for Matthew Sweet’s new album, Sunshine Lies.






Matthew Sweet - Theme From Camp Burlesque : Camp Burlesque

Matthew Sweet And Susanna Hoffs - Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young cover) : Under The Covers Vol. 1

Who can resist a song titled galoshes on a rainy day like today?


The Box Social - Galoshes : Get Going

Some albums hold a mythical place in our cultural consciousness. Tapestry, released in 1971 and quite possibly the pinnacle of Carole King’s career, is one such album. From the people involved in helping Carole make the album (James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, who both added supporting vocals), to the monumental success gained in record sales (over 24 million copies sold worldwide), to the artistic recognition the album garnered (winning Grammies for Record of the Year for It’s Too Late, Album of the year, Best Female Pop Vocal, and Song of the Year – James Taylor’s version of You’ve Got A Friend), Tapestry is an album that will probably never fade into the past.

A few weeks ago, Sony released what they call a Legacy Edition of the album. It’s a deluxe double disc release which not only acknowledges the impact the album made on the musical world, but also celebrates Carole’s 50th year as a recording artist. 50 years. Disc one is the original album remastered. Twelve classic cuts including It’s Too Late, I feel the Earth Move, (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman, You’ve Got A Friend, etc… Disc two is where the magic happens. On this disc the album is captured and recreated in the original order from live performances Carole gave of the songs in 1973 in Boston, Columbia, and NYC and in 1976 in San Francisco. These tracks, previously unreleased, are Carole and a piano. The only track missing from the second disc is Where You Lead, as there were no live recordings at that time of her playing that song.

Not only does the Legacy Edition include the extra disc of live material, it also contains liner notes penned by music journalist Harvey Kubernik, track-by-track annotations by Lou Adler, who worked as Carole’s manager and publishing rep for many years, and unpublished color pictures of the album’s 1971 recording session.

For those of you still spinning Tapestry on vinyl or clicking through the 8-track, here’s your chance to get it on CD with plenty of additional incentive.

You might remember me writing about Lykke Li a few weeks ago (back here). I had wanted to see her play the Middle East tomorrow night in Boston, but will have to settle letting you all know about it so hopefully one of you can check it out and report back. She's touring with El Perro Del Mar to make the evening an all-out Swede double play, and I'm sure it will be interesting to see if the two perform together at all.




And speaking of shows to check out in Boston, I've got a pair of tickets to see Uh Huh Her next Saturday at the Paradise. Make sure to enter.


05.09.08 - Boston, MA - Middle East
05.10.08 - Montreal, QUE - Lambi
05.11.08 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club
05.12.08 - Chicago, IL - Shuba’s
05.14.08 - Vancouver, BC - Red Room
05.15.08 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door
05.16.08 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
05.18.08 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo’s
05.19.08 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre

Indie / electro band Uh Huh Her is finally back, and this time they're packing a full length album as ammo! For those not familiar with the girls, they're a duo which includes Leisha Hailey (who played Alice Pieszecki on The L Word as well as played musically in the Murmers) and Camila Grey (from Mellowdrone) who teamed up last year to release their entirely too short 5 track I See Red EP. They found inspiration for their name from the PJ Harvey album of the same title (and title track that actually didn't make the album). Their sound is a more upbeat, more pop-friendly version of someone like Ladytron - electronic, but still a little suny!

Although the album won't be released for several more months, here's your chance to catch them live at the Paradise in Boston on May 17th (next Saturday), where it will be likely you'll hear some of their new stuff. That's right, I have a pair of tickets to give away to a lucky winner. All you need to do is leave a comment (or e-mail me) your name and e-mail address it's best to contact you at and you'll be in the running. I'll pick a winner at random on Tuesday and notify them pronto so they can plan their schedule accordingly. In the meantime, here's a link to check out three songs from the new album to stream, and an old one from their I See Red EP.






9 May Social Orlando FL
10 May Studio A Miami FL
11 May Orpheum Tampa FL
12 May Vinyl Atlanta GA
14 May 9:30 Club Washington DC
15 May North Star Philadelphia PA
16 May Pearl Street Northampton MA
20 May Highline Ballroom New York NY
21 May Cafe Campus Montreal QC
23 May Mod Club Toronto ON
31 May The Roxy Los Angeles CA

By now I'm sure you're all familiar with or have heard about the Bob Dylan movie I'm Not There and it's double disc soundtrack full of contemporary artists covering some of Dylan's finest material. If you've heard the music but didn't make it into the theaters to catch the film, it came out yesterday on DVD. Order it here at Amazon, or rent it and check it out. And of course, here are a few songs to prod you in that direction.

I know what you’re thinking. Do we really need another female singer/songwriter from the UK? Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Sia, Kate Nash, Kate Bush. The answer is yes, and it’s another Kate: Kate Walsh.

Her second album, which she originally released on her MySpace page and then persuaded iTunes to sell it, is named Tim’s House. Where does the title come from you might ask? Well, it was recorded at Tim’s house, of course (her friend Tim Bidwell that is). After selling phenomenally, it was picked up by Mercury Records, and eventually it’s made its way across the Atlantic to us here in the States on a label that I've been seeing a lot of good music from lately, Verve Forecast.

To describe the album as sparse would almost be an overstatement. You have some extremely light instrumentation (sometimes only a guitar), and Kate’s vocals. Arrangement and production magic are very minimal, and in this case, that’s an outstanding choice to make, and I’ll tell you why. The real draw on these ten tracks is Kate. All ten tracks were written by Kate, and when she sings them, she sings with a tragic forlornness that really tugs at your heart (which isn’t necessarily surprising when you consider she wrote much of the album dealing with a break-up). I’m not talking throw up in your mouth sickly-sweet here either, there’s a genuineness that doesn’t feel forced or fabricated.

Try Your Song below to see what I mean about her quiet but tragic feeling anguish. Then listen to French Song, the closest thing to an upbeat track on the album and one that will make you feel like you're in a Parisian cafe if you close your eyes. Kate's on tour now and playing some select dates across the country. Check below for dates.






5/12 - Douglas Fir - Portland, OR
5/13 - Tractor Tavern - Seattle, WA
5/15 - Cafe Du Nord - San Francisco, CA
5/16 - Roxy - Los Angeles, CA
5/20 - Club Deville - Austin, TX
5/22 - Eddies Attic - Decatur, GA
5/24 - Iota - Arlington, VA
5/25 - Johnny Brendas - Philadelphia, PA
5/27 - Middle East - Cambridge, MA
5/29 - Club Café - Pittsburgh, PA
5/30 - Schubas - Chicago, IL
5/31 - Café Montmarte - Madison, WI
6/01 - Duck Room - St. Louis, MO
6/03 - Soiled Dove - Denver, CO

Just looking at Kat Kihler above should tell you she means business, never mind the two tough guys flanking her. The three of them make up Hello Tokyo, a Brooklyn band who just released their first full length album, Sell the Stars (they've released several EPs and singles before this year, which you can find on their website). It came out a couple of weeks ago, and it's pure, unadulterated power-pop (in case you didn't get enough with last night's song from Paging Grace). With spring firmly here, this album has been in my car and played loud with the windows finally down. Kat's voice really carries the day, even over her band mates. They've got the frenetic driving title track at one end (do your best Guitar Hero imitation to it below), the the chill-out grooved I Spy at the other, and more power pop than you can shake a stick at in between.







5.07.08 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
5.08.08 - Seneca, PA - Brother Bean Global Coffee House
5.12.08 - New London, CT - Oasis
5.16.08 - Philadelphia, PA - Dr. Watson’s Pub
5.28.08 - New York, NY - ReHab
7.06.08 - New York, NY - Knitting Factory
7.19.08 - New York, NY - Piano’s

In terms of musical influences, it would be hard to hold a candle to Jann Klose. Try to follow this path: born in Germany, moved to Nairobi, Kenya with his family, then to Johannesburg, South Africa, back to his home country of Germany, across the Atlantic to Ohio (Ohio??? not exactly a hot spot for world travellers), back to Germany, again, then back to Ohio, again, and then to NYC. And now for the extra credit question - how many miles did Jann travel and at what time did the train pull into the station.

You can imagine that along with so many addresses, Jann gained some diverse listening and singing experiences as well. He's sang in the Cleveland Opera Chorus and Broadway productions of Jekyll & Hyde and Jesus Christ Superstar, and his songs have appeared in movies and compilation discs around the world. And now, he's released his latest album, Reverie.

Jann's vocal training really comes across on the album. His voice, which is part of the draw of the album, is strong, clear, and flows noticeably smooth through the lyrics. His experience with world music also makes itself evident (most obvious in some of the percussion parts - try All These Rivers below), adding an element that sets it apart from other singer/songwriters.



Jann Klose - Hold Me Down : Reverie


Jann Klose - All These Rivers : Reverie

Spring is here, it's time to roll down the windows in the car, turn up the volume on the radio, and play some rockin' power pop. Since you can only play Kenny Loggins' Danger Zone so many times, and let's face it - cranking Belle & Sebastian just doesn't do it, I present to you Paging Grace. They're a foursome from NYC, and they're here to rock your socks off (assuming you wear socks while you're driving). They're on tour now, one of their tracks is on MTV, and here's the title track off their EP:


Paging Grace - All You're Made Of : All You're Made Of

The ladies of Ladytron are back with their fourth studio album, Velocifero. Ever since they showed up on the scene in 2001, the girls have been helping to define the synth-rock movement, and this album unquestionably continues in that tradition. It's certainly electronic, its bass lines buzz hard (try Black Cat, the opening track on the album, below, which also by the way features vocals sung in Bulgarian by Mira Aroyo), and it's darkness conveys an alluringly cold emotion that has sparked plenty of imitators (Client comes to mind).

The album is what it is, take it or leave it. If you're into that cold, synthetic driving dance beat, you'll find it here. Not your thing? Ladytron probably isn't what you should be spinning. Velocifero veers a little from the path Witching Hour (their last album) took; there aren't any slower, guitar led or balledesque tracks a la Beauty*2 here, and on a whole I think they return to a less organic sound here. That's not to say there isn't beauty to be found in these tracks, just of a different nature. The complete album doesn't come out until June 3rd. but the first single off the album is Ghosts, and a digital version of it is already available on eMusic and iTunes. It includes a single edit of the album track and three remixes (one of which you can hear below).

Want to see the ladies playing their new material on a vast array of synthesizers right before your very eyes? They're on tour for the next few months with retro-electro-danco-spazo-nauts Datarock. Check out dates below.







Datarock - Bulldozer : Datarock Datarock


May
20 Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room
21 Calgary, AB - The Warehouse
23 Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
24 Seattle, WA - Showbox
25 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
27 San Francisco, CA - Fillmore
29 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda
30 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda
31 San Diego, CA - The Belly Up

June
2 Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue
3 Denver, CO - The Gothic
5 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
6 Austin, TX - Stubbs
7 Houston, TX - Meridian
8 New Orleans, LA - House Of Blues
10 Orlando, FL - Club Firestone
11 Tampa, FL - Czar
12 Miami, FL - Studio A
13 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
15 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Festival (* without Datarock)
16 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
17 Chicago, IL - Vic Theater
18 Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall
25 New York, NY - Terminal 5
26 Philadelphia, PA - Theater of Living Arts
27 Baltimore, MD - Sonar
28 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
30 Boston, MA - Paradise

You might remember me mentioning UK act The Rosie Taylor Project back in March. Their debut was supposed to come out last month, but due to the rising value of the Yen, Miley Cyrus' shocking Vanity Fair photo spread, and other factors beyond the group's control, it's coming out tomorrow. I still whole-heartedly recommend it!

Sylvia - Pillow Talk : Pillow Talk 7"

Sylvia - My Thing : Pillow Talk 7" B-side


Two fun facts about Sylvia and this song:
1.) She had originally hoped Al Green would sing it.
2.) Sylvia would later go on to co-found Sugar Hill Records and personally organize The Sugarhill Gang.

So just the other week, I was writing about the newly minted Swedish Invasion which seems to be steadily and stealthily creeping in. And what do you know, here's another Swede to add to the list: Tobias Froberg. Tobias has released his third album (but only the 2nd to be seen here in the States), Turn Heads, digitally and later this month on the 13th physically. He was kind enough to take some time to tell me about Just Behind A Brick Wall, the fourth track on the album, which features Peter Morén (of Peter Bjorn and John). As always, text in red is his, questions in red are mine.


I've had the melody in my head for years, but never really did anything with it. Now, when I was about to make my third album, I really wanted to use it. So I started working on the lyrics. I don´t know how many times I tried, and it never worked, but everything solved itself when the words, "Just behind a brick wall, in the middle of a big hall, you need someone to call, cause you need somewhere to fall, and you don't wanna crawl you just wanna do something" came up. They came in one breath. The first sentence doesn't really mean anything, does it, but it sounds pretty good. The thing is that the more I wrote, after this first verse, the more I understood that this song was about myself, and my life situation. When I finished the song, it turned out to be one of the most personal I've ever written.

First time I played it to someone else was sitting by my American label Cheap Lullaby's grand piano in Venice Beach, CA, together with my managers. The lyrics weren't done yet but I played them the melody.

– "That's it! It's a single", Christian and Sam - my managers - said. Finish it.

So I did. I don't think about songs in terms of singles or not, but this was anyhow a good start for that song. Since I recorded and produced Turn Heads myself, I realized that I wanted someone else to sing with me on Just behind.... So I called my good friend Peter Morén. I knew that his voice would be perfect. Being out on the road all the time with Peter Bjorn and John, and for myself, touring a lot on my own, we didn't have much time. But one summer's day we were both in Stockholm, and during one afternoon we cut the track.

The video for the song was made by my girlfriend, video director, Sandra. We shot it during one afternoon, and it´s about me and Peter playing a game of chess. Peter is singing to me in a way that makes you think that he is my inner voice - which is exactly what the song is all about.

And now a few questions for Tobias:

1.) The chorus of the song goes "I wonder if you'll ever grow - no no no no no, you're not a child you know." The song seems very introspective and soul-searching. You mentioned that it directly reflects your inner voice - does the song express doubts about your becoming a musician? Something else?

It's the better part of me that expresses doubts about the worse part of me drinking too much, doing things that never leads nowhere, doubting and other bad things. I used to live that life. Nowadays, I don't drink very often and right now, when I'm on tour, I don't stay up late just because there's beer backstage or whatever. That's basically what that song is about. Me reflecting on my earlier behaviour.

2.) About a week ago, I personally dubbed the last 5 years or so the Swedish Invasion years. It seems like there are a lot of talented artists making the leap across the Atlantic. What's your take on why this is happening?

Well, I gotta say that Sweden has always produced good pop music, from Abba – and before - up until now. The thing you call the invasion is probably because the world has shrunk, you're always just a couple of mouse clicks from hearing new music. And, because of the fact that we have done well for a couple of years now, we have the spotlights on us.


3.) I know you made your debut here in the States last here, including a pair of shows at SXSW. What's it like playing here compared to back at home?

The distances, I would say. Once you´re inside of a venue there is no bigger difference.



Listen to the whole album, and you'll realize that Tobias sports a mix of Belle & Sebastian's delicate, playful, almost precious, melodies and some of fellow countryman Jens Lekman's quirkiness. In addition, you'll find a guest appearance by fellow Scandinavian, Ane Brun, who Tobias has worked with fairly regularly. Below is a song from his last album, Love and Misery, which she also had appeared in. Listen and enjoy!

What do you get when you take a half recorded record from Chicago and finish it up in L.A.? Ask Shelley Short, and she'll say Water For the Day, of course! It's her third album, and it includes eleven tracks of dreamy-folk goodness that will float you along like there's no tomorrow. Ask her about the songs, and she'll say,“Most of the songs were influenced by strings or webs that seems to tie everything together, and every so often you can get a glimpse of them and try to see how they work, where they go, and why they cling to the things they do.” That being said, listen for a lot of introspective and extrospective lyrics laid over light instrumentation that dallies along and provides a wonderful canvas for her voice. And speaking of her voice, it very much reminds me of Tanya Donelly's with both its pacing as well as tone.

The lyrics above come from the first song below, Swimming, quite possibly my favorite song from the album. It's the second track and displays some wonderfully beautiful guitar playing. Listen to the percolating notes right after the one minute mark. The next song, 4 Legs & Light, comes near the end of the album and uses its guitar a little more traditionally, with a hint of country thrown in.





Belly - Someone To Die For : Star

If nothing else, The Kooks have got one of the coolest names. Not only that, but they just released their sophomore album Konk (maybe not the coolest album name) last month. If you're not familiar with them, well here they are. Think Arctic Monkeys with more standard song structures and family friendly lyrics. Not to say they're blah, just solid honest-to-goodness indie Brit-pop.

They're in the midst of a MASSIVE worldwide tour right now (check out the dates below) with The Morning Benders. Here are a few tracks from the album.









May 3 2008 Plymouth Pavillion SOLD OUT Plymouth, Southwest
May 5 2008 Dublin Castle SOLD OUT Dublin, Dublin
May 11 2008 Maidstone Radio 1’s big weekend Maidstone, London and South East
May 11 2008 Radio 1 Big Weekend Kent, London and South East
May 18 2008 San Diego House of Blues San Diego, California
May 19 2008 Los Angeles The Wiltern *SOLD OUT* Los Angeles, California
May 24 2008 Vancouver Commodore Ballroom 19+ SOLD OUT Vancouver, British Columbia
May 25 2008 George Sasquatch Festival George, Washington
May 26 2008 Portland Wonder Ballroom SOLD OUT Portland, Oregon
May 29 2008 Denver Ogden Theatre 16+ Denver, Colorado
May 31 2008 Minneapolis Fine Line Music Café 18 + Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jun 1 2008 Milwaukee Turner Hall Ballroom Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Jun 2 2008 Chicago Vic Theatre Chicago, Illinois
Jun 4 2008 Toronto Kool Haus Toronto, Ontario
Jun 5 2008 Philadelphia The Fillmore @ TLA Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jun 9 2008 Boston Paradise Rock Club 18+ Boston, Massachusetts
Jun 10 2008 New York Terminal 5 New York, New York
Jun 11 2008 New York Terminal 5 SOLD OUT New York, New York
Jun 15 2008 Isle Of Wight SOLD OUT Isle Of Wight, South
Jun 17 2008 Palladium SOLD OUT Cologne
Jun 18 2008 Columbiahalle Berlin, Berlin
Jun 20 2008 Southside Festival Stuttgart, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Jun 22 2008 Hurricane Festival Hamberg
Jun 24 2008 HOVE FESTIVAL Arendal, Troms
Jul 5 2008 Main Square Festival Arras
Jul 6 2008 Rock Werchter Werchter
Jul 12 2008 T in the Park SOLD OUT Kinross, Scotland
Jul 18 2008 Summercase Boadilla del Monte Madrid
Jul 19 2008 Summercase Festival Parc del Fórum Barcelona
Aug 9 2008 Summer Sonic Osaka
Aug 10 2008 Summer Sonic Tokyo
Aug 16 2008 V Festival Hylands Park Chelmsford
Aug 17 2008 V Festival Weston Park Stafford

There are a bunch of great labels out there which have sprung up recently (last 5 years or so) that do an incredible job of digging through the crates to find music that’s accumulated dust and otherwise been lost to present day ears. Probably my favorite is Numero Group, the Chicago based label that is responsible for, among other equally worthwhile projects, the Eccentric Soul series that I can’t get enough of. Another name which has recently resurfaced that I’ve only been turned onto recently but is quickly attracting my attention is Strut Records.

UK label Strut Records formed back in 1999, but then closed shop in 2003. Just this year the label has been reincarnated, and is back at it, digging up now obscure dance tracks, including funk, underground disco, original breaks, Nigerian Afrobeat, and old school hip-hop (speaking of which, keep your eyes open for a Grandmaster Flash album they'll be dropping soon). Since opening shop once more, they've put out Disco Not Disco and Funky Nassau: The Compass Point Story 1980-1986.

Their latest dusty gem dug up to be examined and enjoyed: August Darnell, A.K.A. Kid Creole. I would love to tell you all about August, but the pages and pages of thorough and thoroughly enjoyable liner notes included with Going Places: The August Darnell Years 1974-1983 do a more than comprehensive job of telling his story. Let me cover the basics for you here though.

Darnell’s initial foray into the world of big league music was in 1974, when with older half-brother Stony Browder, he formed Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band. The band was a big band / disco / tropical music mix and had a few dance floor hits in the late 70’s, and their song Sunshower (listen to it below), from their debut album has been sampled by a handful of more recent artists including A Tribe Called Quest, M.I.A., Ghostface Killah, De La Soul, and Doug E. Fresh.

Sibling difficulties, aspirations, and the desire for creative freedom eventually caused Darnell, then going by the name Kid Creole (adapted from the Elvis Presley movie of the same name), to leave the band and form one of his own: Kid Creole & the Coconuts, the Coconuts being a trio of lovely back-up singers who figured prominently in the group’s music with their interplay with the Kid in his songs. There’s a whole story here about this back-up cast and their involvement with the Kid (platonic and otherwise) which would make a fine USA made-for-TV movie, but as a teaser I’ll leave it at that and suggest you read the liner notes once you get the album.

Besides recording under his band’s name, Darnell also worked with several other musicians, including the Aural Exciters (a sort of house band that Kid created in spare time at the studio), Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band (try I’m An Indian, Too below), production work with Machine, and perhaps most uniquely, Christina. Christina was a Harvard student taking some time off who happened to be dating Michael Zilkha, founder of ZE Records, one of the numerous labels that Kid worked with.

Regardless of whom he was working with, or what he was called, Kid Creole fronted a Cab Calloway-esque image and played Latin tinged disco that was, and still is, a refreshing break from the Saturday Night Feverish music that preceded it at the end of the 70’s. Long before the swing revival in the early 90’s, Darnell was creating fresh big band music to dance to.

If you’re completely befuddled at this point, I’m not surprised. The liner notes, written by Vivien Goldman (British journalist, writer and musician who used to work with Island Records, whose founder Chris Blackwell helped get ZE Records off the ground, and who coincidentally, has a song that appears on Disco Not Disco - the first release when Strut reopened) do a much better job of laying out the ins and outs of Darnell’s creative loop-de-loops. While you’re trying to piece together my muddled mess, enjoy the following tracks!



And here's one you can take with you from Kid's first album with the Coconuts:

KaiserCartel - Okay : Okay (and other things we feel)

Anyone out there remember the Ultra Lounge series that Capitol put out back in the 90’s? With titles like the Vegas Baby!, Mondo Exotica, Mambo Fever, Bachelor Pad Royale, Organs In Orbit, and the Tiki Sampler, you get an idea of what sounds were being propagated. I only had maybe a half dozen of the twenty-eight albums, but the ones I had certainly were quite different than the rest of my collection. What brings this to mind is Silent Movie, the debut release from Joel Martin and Matt Edwards, A.K.A. Quiet Village. The duo got their name from one of Martin Denny’s exotica masterpieces, an artist who figures prominently in the Ultra Lounge series, hence the connection.

The name Martin Denny might sound familiar (no, no association with the all-night eatery), as he’s considered the father of exotica and was almost single handedly responsible for developing the sound which would travel around the world and become a completely new genre. Following in the footsteps of Les Baxter (who started heading in this particular direction a few years prior, although not to the extent that Denny took it), Denny started with familiar tunes, added authentic ethnic instruments from around the world, and gave them a tropical flair, all in an effort to make the familiar exotic. And so, Exotica was born. Quiet Village was a song originally composed by Baxter which Denny took and transformed, and which appeared on his debut album Exotica (from which the name of the new genre was taken). Several years later Denny would take the song and include it on an album of the same name. And now, Martin and Edwards have taken it again, to make the now familiar sounds of Denny exotic once again.

Instead of performing music to listen to while sipping umbrella drinks at tiki bars though, the pair makes midtempo tracks designed for the dance floor. Their sound has been described as Balearic, which for those not familiar is a style of club music which developed in the mid 80’s on Ibiza, one of the Balearic Islands off the east coast of Spain in the Mediterranean. One of the cornerstones of the sound is its broad range of source and mixing styles brought together with a relatively heavy and slow beat. Martin describes their take on it as “spiritual, unusual, and warm,” and as “sophisticated adult exotica.”

Listen to Victoria’s Secret below and you’ll immediately pick up on the Denny influence as it's a song that could have been lifted right off of one of his albums from the 50's. The album rapidly accelerates through time though, leaving the 50's behind and evolving into a sound that retains links to the exotica of the past, while incorporating a modern chill groove you could pick up on in the present. Experience that transition begin to take place in the second track, Circus Of Horror. Eventually the album comes full circle, ending with Keep On Rolling, a track that reminisces back to the resplendent sounds of sea gulls and ocean waves from the opening song, but with an updated feel that typifies Quiet Village's modern-discotheque version of the style and sounds Martin Denny was playing with fifty years ago.







Martin Denny - Quiet Village : The Exotic Sounds Of Martin Denny

Les Baxter - Voodoo Dreams / Voodoo : Ultra Lounge Sampler

Sam Butera & The Witnesses - The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams/Fever : Ultra Lounge, Vol.4: Bachelor Pad Royale