Greg is having a good day. He won a debate on global warming, wasting his opponent, and will soon gorge himself on all-you-can-eat Chinese. Furthermore, he’s got the chance to tell the whole Internet about Albert Hammond, Jr.: “This is so much pressure… You actually typed that? Well, for lack of better words, Albert Hammond, Jr. is like The Strokes in caffeine-free form. Which makes sense, considering that Albert Hammond, Jr. is, in fact, the lead guitarist for the band mentioned prior. And, you know what, I’m gonna get Guitar Hero for my mom for Christmas.” Thanks, Greg. You rock. Thanks also to AudioExposure, where we noticed that this song was posted.
Hey Hey My My
Every once in a while, something pops up in my inbox and completely catches my eye. In this case it was the music of two Parisian musicians who improbably have same first name and last initial, who have referenced Neil Young in their band name and who make music that is alternately sober and peppy. Even if I didn’t harbor closet francophilia, a tendency toward melancholic-yet-oddly-upbeat music, and and a predilection for bands with “Hey” “My” “Clap” or “Ra” in their titles–they still would have had me at the opening of “Too Much Space”. I hear they will soon be descending upon the states for a tour and that is good news indeed–these guys make me feel like I’m gonna be able to gloat about knowing about them first.
Pet Politics
Magnus Larsson, as Pet Politics, is the Swedish Jeff Mangum. Fortunately for us, Magnus is presently recording music, unlike the reclusive founder of Elephant 6’s Neutral Milk Hotel. I don’t mean to say that Pet Politics is a copycat, but while Magnus’s songs stand on their own, they also share the best traits of NMH, as in haunted, bizarre lyrics, pleasantly-driven pop, and that sturdy, powerful lead vocal with a unique cadence. The song below is a b-side to a limited 7 inch pressing on the London label the Great Pop Supplement. More songs available for download on the myspace page.
Jack Peñate
I run the risk of dating myself, my better half specifically, when I report that upon hearing “Second, Minute Or Hour” she promptly compared Peñate to The Housemartins. An apt comparison. It’s the frantic, breathless delivery, the quick, jangly guitars, they heavy accent, and the playful lyrics, although Peñate lacks the acerbic subtext of many Housemartins’ songs, a fact Peñate is more than comfortable with. In his bio he says, “I like stuff that’s soulful, happy and intelligent—and I don’t like music ironically.” I should mention Ted Leo in an effort to bring a more recent artist to bear on the comparison. Another recent artist (and XL labelmate), RJD2 contributed to the song “Learning Lines.” A fine pairing when you’re working towards a soulful and intelligent sound. Jack Peñate’s making quite a stir in the UK, with the press and the young ladies in particular, but when the masses here in the U. S. of A. consider American Idol to be soulful and intelligent, Jack Peñate may fly undeservedly low, avoiding the radar, when his album touches down here next month.
Pale Young Gentlemen
Orchestral pop is nothing new, but Madison, Wisconsin’s Pale Young Gentlemen manage to have fun with the genre by adding some theatrics and wit without overdosing on irony (though their cellist is, despite the fairly band’s descriptive name, a woman). That’s about all I have to say, as every other reputable music blog has already beat us to the punch.
Band of Horses
We just got this e-mail from Jared and Stacey Schwartz, and they’re doing this neat thing with a new website, AudioExposure. For every song that visitors add — preferably with a free & legal link — the Schwartz crew is donating a dollar ($1.00) to Critical Exposure, “a DC-based non-profit which teaches students to use the power of documentary
photography to advocate for school reform and social change.” How cool is that?
In looking through the 70+ songs that have already been added, I noticed that Jen from Chicago had posted “The Funeral” by Band of Horses, which leads me to today’s B of H update. When last posted, band of Horses was a recent addition to Sub Pop, with a few demo tracks available for download. Today, I can offer “Is There A Ghost,” the opening track for their latest album, Cease to Begin, as well as “The Great Salt Lake,” and the other links are live and well. The band is touring the US and Europe over the next few months, and that’s about it. Check out AudioExposure and have a nice day!
Is There A Ghost [MP3, 2.7MB, 128kbps]
The Great Salt lake [MP3, 5.4MB, 160kbps]
Original post: 09/01/05
These demo tracks from Horses — or is it Band of Horses? Even after digging around on their website, I’m not sure… — are pleasant and pleasantly genre-defying, hence the Pop/Rock catch-all designation. Try “Funeral” and “Bass Song” for an idea of the cross-section of their ’70s and ’80s influences. Led Zepplin? New Order? Maybe I just need more sleep… Anyway, hopefully the Horses found much audience love on their recent tour with Iron and Wine, and will complete their Sub Pop debut soon.
The Mammals
Truth be told, I don’t know any more about The Mammals than what I read on their website. (It tells us that they’re a folk-rock quintet, a string band offering up traditional music sometimes, political rants at other times, and generally having fun traveling around in a van.) There are other downloads available on their website, too, but there’s something in their cover of Richard Thompson’s song about the Vincent that just works for me. Maybe it’s because I’ve been listening to a lot of Woody Guthrie over the last few days, using “Pretty Boy Floyd” to teach about the Great Depression in my U.S. History class, and letting the disc run on with “Jesus Christ,” “Pastures of Plenty,” and “Blowin’ Down the Road.” This take on “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” (Google says Thompson’s version is the most-requested song on NPR) fits perfectly in this series — the overwhelming narrative strength, the focus on the human condition, the crooning and the picking… Maybe later on this week I’ll plug in again, but for now I’m adjusting my audio-carbon footprint and going straight acoustic.
Michael Brook
Michael Brook fits my mood to a T these days. Melancholic, introspective, thoughtful, and downright chill. I first discovered Brook via his work with David Sylvian and Rain Tree Crow (and later with Robert Fripp). This prompted a purchase of his album Cobalt Blue, which I often turn to for a dose of sheer mellow bliss (Do yourself a favor and track down the song “Breakdown” from that album). Brook lures listeners in with his infinite guitar, an instrument of his own making, designed to sustain a note indefinitely. I’m not sure if he uses this instrument on his current album, but his guitar work remains gorgeous nevertheless. The first two tracks come from his newest album, Bell Curve, which is a companion piece to last year’s RockPaperScissors. He also scored the movie An Inconvenient Truth where you can find the song “Election.” His soundtrack to the Michael Mann movie Heat allows deserves investigation. Oh, and I just about forgot his score for Sean Penn’s Into The Wild. Michael Brook is quite possibly your favorite movie composer you never realized you’ve heard. Until now.
The Warlocks
Having started out on BOMP Records, former home of kindred spirits the Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Warlocks made a big jump to a major label. So what happened with that? As expected, the big label boys got all up in the Warlocks business, and after one album, they’re back in indie-land at Tee Pee Records…home of kindred spirits the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Feeling lazy after the holiday, I’ll leave it to the Warlocks themselves to describe their new LP Heavy Deavy Skull Lover: “Eight electric tales moving from space-marooned heavy blues to angelic, opiated dream haze—all propelled via the crud-fuzz of White Light/White Heat Velvets and Jesus and Mary Chain and the sprawling, melted constructions of Spacemen 3 and Red Krayola.”