Ex-Rival Schools guitarist Ian Love sheds his post-hardcore skin and in favor of a gentle, earnest folk skin, in part to celebrate his new life as sober husband and father. Maybe I’m a sappy sucker for sober husbands and fathers, but I think “The Only Night” is a beautiful love song (get it? love song?). Simple plucked chords lap up against unassuming vocals, capturing that sense that the world has retreated for a moment so two people can be alone:
“And I stay quiet
And we’re so patient
As the stars jump side to side
And this feels like the only night”.
Western Addiction
Man, I love me some good old-fashioned punk rock. Western Addiction hit the spot. Ask a 14-year-old kid today where to turn for punk rock and you’re liable to get a dose of anything from NOFX to Taking Back Sunday and plenty of stuff in between. Different strokes for different folks. Punk’s never been about one sound anyway. But when I was 14 some of the best punk rock sounded a lot like Western Addiction. And it’s good that that sound has held up for years because every generation deserves their very own Black Flag and Minor Threat.
Faux Pas
A week ago I posted Gotye. If I hadn’t been in such a serious carb coma on the heels of Thanksgiving I probably would have posted an Australian two-fer including Gotye’s friend and countryman, Faux Pas (aka Tim Shiel). These two take great care to make their quirky, sampleriffic musical explorations feel warm, organic, and spontaneous. Faux Pas even goes as far as to eliminate vocal samples lest we get lured into the obsessive spotting exercise that Gotye’s tracks inspired. The frenzied big beat sound of “Cup of Wonder” provides instant gratification but “White Light” definitely steals the show. I am now convinced that spacey theramin, Asian dulcimer, and R&B horn riffs were always meant for each other; all they needed was a tumbling drumbeat to rally around… As a bonus, it turns out Tim’s also a bit of an MP3 blogger himself. Check out the Blog section of his site to get a good sense of his musical reference points.
Climber
Right near the top of my list of “Reasons to Love Postal Service” is that they disposed of the pedantic audiophilia that torments many a knob-twister and opted for the red-blooded choice: to make songs. Climber have taken notice. The Portland, Oregon group holed themselves up for two years to refine a sound steeped in the boutique ambience of post-electronica pop and informed by the rainy-day-every-day melancholy of Radiohead (the similarities are almost too close…almost) and the aforementioned Seattle side project. Officially, these tracks are demos. Sonically, they’re a blissful walk down a bittersweet path.
Ehroehed
Ehroehed is Lonny Potter, who records music in British Columbia, apparently to give away to his friends. Erik Ratcliffe is a nice person from somewhere, wherever, who dropped Ehroehed in our Suggestion Box. If I knew Lonny Potter personally, I’d tell him to burn a disc of his music to give to Erik Ratcliffe because, you know, that whole sharing the sharing thing. Plus, it’s gonna be the holidays, so let’s all be Lonny’s friends, yeah? Like Will Oldham in the Palace days, Ehroehed reminds me that there are plenty of weirdos out there making beautifully strange songs just for the hell of it (and for that I’ll count my blessings).
Machine Go Boom
Columbus? Yes, twice. Cincinnati? Yes. Cleveland? Never been. But now Jason’s little note to the Suggestion Box has got me wondering when I’m going to be in Ohio next. Machine Go Boom (from Cleveland) is one Mikey Machine, with friends, really just doing whatever they want. The frenzied, frantic pop of “Captain Obvious” is dance-inducing fun, a real gem. As for “The Kazoo Star,” there’s really kazoo, the best use of a kazoo I’ve heard since 5th grade. And “This Song Is a Secret?” I’ll never tell…
New King of France MP3 Available Now
Jets Overhead
And now some of Canada’s — actually, I’ll go out on a limb and say America’s (North, Central, and South included) — finest arena rock. With influences ranging from The Mamas and the Papas to Pink Floyd, Jets Overhead’s majestic sound gets me in the mood to grab a lighter, seat cushion, and cash to burn and cuddle up in my nearest sports stadium for a full-on rock show. Trouble is, only a minute number of today’s record and concert ticket buying public are muscially adventurous enough to put Jets Overhead in that position.
The Go! Team
The Go! Team cook up an infectious blend of double-dutch hip hop, horns-a-blazing cop show themes, and raw garage pop. But you probably already knew that. These MP3s are from their 2003 Junior Kickstart EP, which had yet to incorporate the pep squad vocals. But you probably already know that, too. However, unless you’re responsible for one of the 548 plays tallied on MySpace as I write this, you probably haven’t yet heard The Go! Team vs. Kevin Shields, which takes the yummy bits of “Ladyflash” and “Huddle Formation” and puts the proverbial cherry on top. Say G-O…T-E-A-M!