You get the idea when listening to the Favourite Sons that at least one of them owns a beat-up denim jacket and that at some point in his life he wore that spindly thing even in the dead of winter. The Sons’ rock ‘n’ roll oozes with such self-imposed discomfort. They’re the guys who, rather than pretending to have a life story actually went out and got one. Ken Griffin was tending bar and contemplating his musical future when Matthew Werth and Justin Tripp, both formerly of Aspera, ventured up from Philly to find the former Rollerskate Skinny member and talk him back into the business. Good thing for us. Griffin has the cynically assured swagger of Ian McCulloch and can curve a hook as good as a fisherman. In Werth and Tripp he’s not only found a perfect rhythm section, but some people who care about his unpretentious brand of art rock as much as he does.
The Prids
Sure, this whole 80’s thing is still going on, but let’s just remember there was more to the 80’s than the Clash and the Thompson Twins. There were many European bands who straddled the lines between post-punk and goth/industrial, as in Clan of Xymox, Trisomie 21, the Cassandra Complex, the Legendary Pink Dots, New Order, etc. The Prids update this sound for the new millenium, with a whole boy-girl interplay that provides a freshness to what they’re trying to do. And considering the boy-girl, David Frederickson and Mistina Keith, were married, then divorced, and still play in this band together, well that gives a whole new meaning to sexual tension.
Winechuggers
This is my last Delicious Berries post, using bands from MusicalFamilyTree.com‘s Indiana indie compilation, and this one might be my favorite. Winechuggers have an easy-going rock feel, like all the Pavement or Sebadoh songs I realy like and none of the ones that I can’t stand. Good stuff, and on the MFT site there are about 100 songs from Winechuggers to sift through — “Long Circuitous Path” is just a little piece of candy. Thanks to Jeb Banner for putting together the site, the compilation, and for playing along in this bands as well. Good luck, Indiana!
So Many Dynamos
Finally! I’ve been sitting on So Many Dynamos for a little while now, trying to wait for their new album before posting about them. These St. Louis fellas have recently spent time as Emperor X’s backing band and extensively touring themselves. All that time on the road and all the shows have helped them find, focus, and refine themselves. The goal: to make you dance. The result: crashing drums, frantic vocals, equally frantic guitars, a horn section, a 30 member choir, carnival instruments, and lots of dancing in the living room.
Hot One
All the Catholics who thought The DaVinci Code was an assault on their religion might as well not even bother with Hot One. The opening track on their self-titled album, “Get Your Priest On!”, doesn’t present the clergy in a particularly flattering light. Social and religious conservatives, war hawks and politicians, parents, the timid and shy — none of these groups really fit the Hot One focus group of vulgar, disgusted and distracted fans of filthy glam rock, with a sarcastic political bent. I was blasting the disc while driving with all the windows down in my Saturn Vue recently, and it felt so right to be so wrong.
Lemonheads
(With all the excitement of Steve Martin in The Jerk upon discovering his new phonebooks…) The new Lemonheads is here! The new Lemonheads is here! My goose has been all up in a gander anticipating the new album. Evan Dando recorded it with reigning punk rock producer Bill Stevenson of The Descendents working the boards (and drums). J. Mascis’ guitar geniusly underscores this track. I know Lemonheads fans were hoping for a return to form. Sounds like they got it…
Red Bennies
It appears the Red Bennies couldn’t care less. Their website lists shows from back in April. The only trace of live shows on their myspace page are from comments of other bands, posting flyers for recent shows. What gives? Where y’all at? Would somebody from Salt Lake check in and give us an update? Pretty please. I was slimming down my music collection and came across a couple albums I picked up back from my time in their town. They’ve veered away from their thick, noisy, gain-up-hot, Helmet from hell sound (“Provo Cries” and “Tyler”) and honed in on their lo-fi rock ‘n’ roll soul (“I’m Coming Home” & Shake It Off”). Soul-Fi if you will. To put them in a 3hive context for you, they’d align nicely with Cold War Kid’s improvisational reach for rock’s primacy, and Midlake’s recent take on nostalgia but leaning past the 70s to rough up Smokey Robinson a tad. And no, the Red Bennies were NOT thinned from my collection.
Hands Down Eugene
Hailing from Nashville, uh Indiana, Hands Down Eugene is yet another of the fine acts featured on Delicious Berries, MusicalFamilyTree.com‘s cool compilation of Hoosier bands. MFT had the entire Hands Down Eugene EP Full Blast available for free download, so here it is. With a rotating cast of musicians and a little weirdness thrown into the pop-rock mix, there’s probably something here for everyone.
The Autumn Project
No, summer ain’t over, but the kids are back in school, which means it’s essentially autumn. Des Moines, Iowa’s The Autumn Project and their post-rock sounds, then, provide us with our first assignment of the school year. Their 2003 LP Fable is a case study in the genre, full of monsterous guitar soundscapes and crashing cymbals. Their latest A Burning Light is darker and more focused, as demonstrated by doing a little compare and contrast between “Of Memorium” from Fable and the newer “Between the Smoke & Mirrors.” Five paragraphs, double-spaced. Due tomorrow.
Bel Auburn
Bel Auburn is a quintet from Ashland, an idyllic Ohio town some distance southwest of Cleveland. I say idyllic despite never having been there because the sweeping soundscapes that Bel Auburn have created are anything but ugly and uninspiring. In fact, these tracks, all from the band’s second self-released LP, Lullabies in A & C, are about as anthemic, emotive, and polished as you’ll find from a group of friends living off the cultural grid. It’s reminiscent of Coldplay or early Jimmy Eat World, the latter of which Bel Auburn claim as an influence. The lyrics can drift into codes known only by their author, but once a warm blast of guitar kicks in and Matt the lead singer lets go with a cathartic chorus, you’ll know exactly what Bel Auburn mean even if you have no clue what they’re talking about.
(Selected tracks are linked below; visit the Bel Auburn Website to download the rest of the album.)