This oughtta give you an idea of what Norfolk & Western are about: they drag a century-old Victrola around with them on the road and Adam Selzer, vocalist and band leader, will sing through it on stage. That, and they’re liberal with the banjo and violin. And one more thing, Selzer and drummer, Rachel Blumberg have been musically involved with M. Ward and The Decemberists. That should be enough clues. Now get listening. The stand out track is “A Gilded Age,” and its timeless melody, pierced with shimmering guitars, reflecting our own newly-gilded century.
Cinemechanica
Twitchy time signatures, fiercely intricate drum patterns, dualing guitars, and speak/shouting about things not quite right in the world…just what you’ve come to expect from Dischord. Only it’s from Athens, GA’s Hello Sir Records. The band’s called Cinemechanica. I don’t want to say they’re a breath of fresh air…more like a swift punch to the gut that knocks the wind out of you and pauses life for a second and THEN is followed by a breath of fresh air that fills your lungs that makes you choke and sputter but glad to be breathing again.
As an aside, Cinemechanica’s dummer Mike (he of the fiercely intricate rhythms) sent me and I’m sure a number of other bloggers an email from the road back in early April stating honestly and openly that he loves the record they just put out called Martial Arts and he knows it won’t be the next big indie hipster phenomenon but it’s everything he hoped it would be and if I’d just listen to it and give feedback good or bad he’d feel validated because, at the time, no one seemed to be paying much attention and they were touring and working their butts off to get the word out and he was running out of ideas. I’m paraphrasing because it was a well written email and I don’t want any other bands out there who might have the same sentiment to bite his lines. So there, Mike, is your feedback: good email, even better music.
Maritime
I know I’m supposed to write about Maritime from Milwaukee — their latest album, We, the Vehicles, was just released, they’re made up of former members of The Promise Ring and The Dismemberment Plan, and everyone else is giving them some serious press time. But the Flameshovel website’s story about the band is so affected, pretentious and self-indulgent that I kind of want to write about Maritime from Belfast and Brighton instead. The thing is, they have an annoying bio page too, and their “life-affirming folk-soul,” as exemplified by “Like a Firefly” (click here if you want to listen to it) doesn’t do it for me like the other Maritime’s excellent track “Calm,” available below. I’m not sure if the idea that “Maritime remains solidly tethered to pop perfection, but has taken space to let that pop cycle through all its permutations” helps, or even what that means really, but “Calm” is a sweet tune. Enjoy!
Play it As It Lays #236
Think About Life
Montreal’s Think About Life is more than that. The debut album, Think About Life, out yesterday, May 2nd, is more than that. Think About Life is a way of life. As they sing on “Paul Cries”, “Put on your shoes and your clothes, get set, get set for life, get set, get set for life.†And with the feverish backing dance beat and shrill pounding drones that cause spontaneous body convulsions/dancing, how can you not?
Mr. Comicstore
We’re closer to the ’10s than we are to the ’90s. And guess what happens when we hit 2010? The twenty-year flashback happens in music. It’s a theory I have. Popular music recycles itself every twenty years. What’s the “now” sound? We’re re-living the ’80s right? Started off with the electro-clash thing and it’s morphed into this Talking Heads/The Cure vibe. Back in the ’90s we were dealing with a re-hash of the ’70s—everything from grunge’s revival of hippie-rock, to the resurgence of punk. It’s not a perfect theory by any means, but you can always find some interesting examples of this. Along comes Mr. Comicstore, a reminder that the DJ was king/queen of the ’90s. Party DJs like Fatboy Slim were all that and a bag of chips. Whether Mr. Comicstore is early on the DJ revival, or late to the party is your call. Either way, he’ll get your booty moving. (Thanks to Samantha for the tip. By the way, these aren’t complete tracks, but I’ll let it slide this time since they’re long enough to mix into and out of on your “two [iPods] and a microphone.”)
John Hughes
Let’s get his pedigree out of the way. Yes, John Hughes is related to that John Hughes (Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller). It’s a father/son relationship. The younger Hughes (the third actually) runs Hefty Records out of Chicago. Ten years ago he started the label as a way to get his own music out back when he was recording under the moniker Bill Ding (his other nom de beat is Slicker). Hefty has released some amazing albums, including the new Eliot Lipp, Telefon Tel Aviv, and essential re-issues and remixes from trombonist/Motown player, Phil Ranelin. Back to Hughes’ music… “Gull” is featured on the new IA-Tunes EP, a digital version of Hefty’s Immediate Action series. This track has a great xylophone riff that sounds not unlike a riff in Kraftwerk’s “Tour de France.” In fact, “Gull” sounds as if “Tour de France” somehow broke and Hughes came across the pieces and put them back together to form a completely new song. In fact Hughes composed pretty much the entire song with his sick collection of modular synths. If you’re new to this world of Hefty, I suggest you jump in now, and jump in deep. If you’re already a fan, share your favorite Hefty moments with us in the comments.
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The Black Heart Procession
It might be strange to think of The Black Heart Procession as offering up a summer song, but “Not Just Words” feels like that kind of anthem, one that will bring a little light to the breezy summer nights. But if you’re not going for that and you just want to listen to them in your bedroom with nobody else around, just be sure to put on your headphones—BHP songs are still meant to feel bigger than their surroundings, and they still do.
Cut Chemist
After a dozen years of being a team player for LA hip-hop legends Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli, turntable maestro Cut Chemist is about to follow in the footsteps of his cratedigging buddy, DJ Shadow, and drop his major label solo opus. If these two tastes are any indication, this joint’s gonna have both range and flavor. “The Garden” features deft cuts, lush instrumentation, and lilting Brazilian vocals. “Storm” is classic Chemist: a wicked b-boy playground wherein top-shelf underground MCs Edan and Mr. Lif run amok like schoolkids. In fact, Mr. Lif drops the line our eight-digit 3hiver Sean has been waiting his whole life to hear: “opposable thumbs don’t mean you can get dumb” — WORD! The Audience’s Listening hits June 13 . Meanwhile, fiends like me will have to wear these tracks out and seek the occasional comfort of my Brainfreeze bootleg.