Sometimes a little sincerity really works. Eric Bachmann avoids irony and anything cute on his recently released album To the Races, and it makes me believe he means every word he sings. Excessively sentimental? Who cares? Think Springsteen’s Nebraska or The Sunset Tree by the Mountain Goats and you’re in the right neighborhood. If you don’t buy the record — and you should, if solid and unapologetically sincere songwriting is your thing — at least shell out a buck for the opening track, “Man O’ War,” which is sadly unavailable for free and legal download.
Sprites
It’s been a good two and a half years since I checked in with Sprites and what do you know, they’re on a new label and just popped out a new album, Modern Gameplay, this week. They have a bunch of great songs on their site, so I thought they deserved a new posting. If you’re familiar with Jason’s music you know to expect a sweet, nostalgic take on the Breakfast Club Generation. No change this time around (except for his return to riffing out sweet licks on the keyboard), even when he sings about zombies and the end of the world in his tribute to horror-masters George Romero, Sam Raimi, et al. It’s a twisted take on Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten complete with Korzen’s uncanny ability to write these epic hooks. I’ve listened to that song like thirty times in a row now. Alisa’s ready to put a brick through the computer right about now. Don’t write off Sprites as a band stuck in the past. They’re intimately familiar with contemporary culture. This song, just one example, captures the heartbreak of Generation Blog with deft aplomb.
Apples in Stereo to Release New Album
Royce
Taking pop cues from fellow Chicagoans, The Sea and Cake, and tapping into hip-hop’s rhythms (courtesy of DJ White Lightning, whose desert island discs by the way are Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors and Daft Punk’s Homework) Royce delivers up a second dose of everything from introspective campfire songs to bouncy romps praising girls on bikes (one of my favorite songs this year!). They frequently put Chicago’s underground MCs on mic duty to keep things fresh and now. Royce forges music of the future, a pastiche of pop past, present, and tomorrow, launching from where the Slabco family left off. Now if they’d just get out of the Windy City more often…
Fury of the Headteachers
Just imagine it: a bunch of headteachers from Yorkshire, seeking an outlet from the stress of education and teenage students, gathering late at night in a corner of a school cafeteria, plugging in their instruments and unleashing a torrent of sound rooted in the Animals, the Buzzcocks, and early Sonic Youth. Although in this case, it’s actually a group of six lads from Sheffield flailing away. Fury of the Headteachers, indeed.
Diminished Men
The day’s just too damn nice to be sitting in front of a computer. I’m going to the beach. Come with me. If not physically, then in spirit with the sounds of Diminished Men!
King of Prussia
My sister-in-law’s family live in one of those farm suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Whenever we visit them we need to drive to a larger suburb called King of Prussia for our “big city” amenities (i.e., first-run movies or non-Wal-Mart shopping). The running joke is, “Come on kids, we’re off to see the King of Prussia!” You can imagine their disappointment when they learn there is no castle, no king — only a mall just like the one they have back home. I mention all this to contrast with the band King of Prussia (from Athens, GA, ironically), recommended by 3hive reader James A.. Unlike the aforementioned mall, King of Prussia live up to the promise of their name with lush, romantic, and, yes, regal pop. In fact, the only disappointment you’ll experience is figuring out how to get your hands on their debut CD, Save the Scene. (Hey KofP, shed some light if you’re reading this.)
Evan Duby
If you’ll afford me a moment of cheerful codgerism: There was a time when you got a self-recorded release and you could tell. The guitar was flat and muffled. The vocals sounded like they were filtered through cellophane. There was no such thing as “layering†– you could barely get in what you needed on the four tracks you had to work with. There’s still plenty of room for such DIY ethics. But thank goodness for ever-improving technology too, because now songwriters like Evan Duby can create tracks that are appropriately multidimensional. The strings on “Words†bathe Duby’s soft vocals in warmth. “Separate Ways†and “Pale†surround themselves in the subtle ambience of an old-style organ, so that they’re acoustic with a little something extra. And his cover of Springsteen’s “State Trooper†has a sublime sonic kick. Of course, the best equipment in the world can’t hide something that was never meant to sound good. Fortunately, Evan Duby has nothing to hide.