Haley Bonar first appeared on these pages almost four years. I’m not so into acoustic guitars, but seeing her live almost four years, I was completely blown away by the power of her voice. Her albums, a thoughtful mixture of folk and delicate tunes, don’t seem to be able to fully capture that voice; they give just a little picture of what she’s got. The new album, Big Star, no doubt named after one of her influences, is out June 10.
The Lodger
Has it really been a year since The Lodger released their first album Grown-Ups? Here they are again with their new LP Life is Sweet, not even twelve months later, turning it up a notch with crisp production to further refine their Yorkshire pop sensibilities. Let’s just hope that they can keep up this pace!
Original Post 6/17/2007:
I’m starting to worry. Maybe cause it was my birthday recently I’m getting all nostalgic. Yes, I know things go in cycles, and the past few years of music have been heavily borrowing from the 80’s, but that was my decade. I would hold a tape recorder up to the radio to record Wang Cheung. I bought Tears for Fears on tape, Joy Division on vinyl, the Smiths on CD, Camper van Beathoven on a t-shirt, and the Cure on a poster. I saw the Descendents live and Dance Craze and Athens, Ga, Inside/Out on VHS. The 80’s were good to me. But it’s the next cycle that’s starting to worry me. Don’t tell me you haven’t seen the kids starting to sport long stringy hair and flannel shirts. We’re on a fine line between the next “scene” going hippie or retro Pearl Jam. Let’s just get it out of the way before my kids hit their teenage years.
The Lodger and their fine Yorkshire guitar pop, though, ain’t going down without a fight. While influenced and even motivated by the songwriting of such guitar pop stalwarts as the Wedding Present and the Housemartins, this Leeds band’s debut album Grown-ups, adds their own personal touch and a host of modern sensibilities, like crisp melodies, high-energy honesty and reverb-free drums, all evidenced in the outstanding “Let Her Go.” Just what an old fella needs to feel young again.
Mass Solo Revolt
Time to hit Athens again with the indie rock of Mass Solo Revolt. Other reviewers, publicists, and music sources bring up the apparent 90’s indie rock influences of MSR, listing off the obvious suspects, but what else would one expect of a band that grew up on said influences? MSR, though, aren’t content with just mimicing; they have an earnestness that shows they’re doing what they want to do. The Flaming Lips, Dinosaur, Jr., Superchunk, The Wedding Present, and (personal fave) the Grifters have been known to have that effect on impressionable young ears.
Soccer Team
Must admit, I’ve always wanted to have a 3hive soccer team. Many years ago, I scored over Jon’s head straight from a kickoff while he was in goal. And my most vivid memory of playing against Sam is blocking one of his shots with my face, only for the ball to drop right back onto his foot so he could slam it into the back of the net anyway, leaving me with a red face (due, in part, to a bloody nose). So maybe it would be better to have 3hive sponsor a soccer team, you know with our logo plastered on the front of the team’s jerseys.
Ryan and Melissa, both employees of Dischord at one point, included this little gem on their 2006 LP ‘Volunteered’ Civility and Professionalism. Yes, it’s a bit old, but it’s new to me and I’m kicking myself for missing it until now. The LP displays their very clever, lo-fi pop, moving from fuzzy and effects-laden guitar, to pounding drums, strumming acoustic guitars, and everywhere in between, recorded to 8- and 4-track tape. That resulting tape hiss? I think they wanted us to hear it.
Shy Child
The artistic interpretation of a wiring diagram of the band’s setup found on their website sure tells a lot about Shy Child. It lists “Lead Synth 1”. And “Lead Synth 2”. And “Lead Synth 3.” No “Non-Lead Synth” shown. No “Just Plain Ol’ Synth” either. The three lead synths, undoubtably fighting for that “Lead Lead Synth” position, give a glimpse into the electronic frenzy that is Shy Child. Their story: the band was a side project that somehow found legs, made an album on the cheap, played SXSW, and got picked up by a bigwig producer, in this case Paul Epworth of Bloc Party and The Rapture, resulting in their new album Noise Won’t Stop.
Twin Tiger
I recently caught the last hour or so of the classic documentary Athens, Georgia Inside/Out. That LP was probably the most used vinyl of the summer between high school graduation and my freshman year of college, Love Tractor and Pylon being two of my faves at the time.
Athens has continued to be an almost non-stop source of bands over the years, of all types and sounds, so it’s natural that the pysch-tinged, shoegaze-influenced rock of Twin Tigers would hail from the capital of alterna-rock, forming, playing, putting out an EP and touring from Georgia to Texas to Michigan, all in about 6 months. Ah, the innocence of youth, making music the way they want to, and seeing what happens. That’s Athens for you.
Alibi Tom
Another day, another Swedish band changing its name (see The LK). Now it’s
Out Of Clouds changing their name to Alibi Tom, with a change in members and a change in style. In my previous post, I described Out Of Clouds as being influenced by ABBA and 70’s AM radio. Let me also change that, dropping the ABBA reference (hey now, it was true, not just because they’re Swedish) to say their smart, hook-throwing indie rock is influenced by 70’s AM radio. So here’s to new beginnings, and their debut LP Scrapbook out May 4.
We Were The States
Murfreesboro, Tennessee’s We Were The States have taken their childhood influences, dozens of them from 70’s punk to 90’s indie rock and beyond, thrown them into the blender of their collective spirit, and come out with a version of post-punk/garage-punk rock that’s original and entirely their own. Brash, energetic, and no-fuss, their songs must make for a heckuva live show. Their debut LP Believe the Thieves is out now.
Sarandon
Sarandon’s new LP is titled KIll Twee Pop!, out April 22nd on Slumberland. And after listening to their feisty pop, you’ll actually hope they will.
Original post 10/8/2007:
My documented love affair with Slumberland Records continues with Sarandon, the South London pop, post-pop, post-punk noise outfit and not the American actress. Led by sole remaining founding member Crayola, Sarandon are irrepressibly catchy with slightly bizarre lyrics. They’re simple and possibly quite mad, to use the British meaning of the word, which explains why my seven year old says “The Linguist” makes her feel like wiggling.
Bunnygrunt
A few months back while at my brother’s, I picked up his bass guitar and started absent-mindedly playing it. At one point I suddenly realized I was playing the bassline from a Bunnygrunt song, “Macho Beagle” from their Standing Hampton 7″ from 1994. Which lead me to wonder whatever happened to Bunnygrunt. The good news: Matt Harnish and Karen Reid, the brains behind this outfit, are still going strong. The bad news: “Me & My Vampire Friends” (in MP3 below) is too criminally short to give more than just a taste of their light-hearted, quirky, funny pop, but here you go anyway.