Category: Music Reviews
The Lovers Key: ‘Here Today Gone Tomorrow’
I have three Spotify playlists that I feel like I can listen to no matter my mood. The first is a bipolar irrelevance made up of a hodgepodge of genres. The second is dedicated to the soulful sounds of Motown, and the third is filled with 60s rock (minus The Beatles, whose music is “Spotifyless…” Thanks a lot, Paul). If that second and third playlist got together and made a baby, it would be made of bits and bytes and the best MP3 genes available… and it would probably sound a whole lot like The Lovers Key. Comprised of Christopher Moll and Maco Monthervil, The Lovers Key combines retro pop-rock instrumentals with soulful vocals. The band’s debut full-length album, Here Today Gone Tomorrow, is due out in early April, and is a must-listen for any fan of Motown or 60s Rock.
As the album title suggests, The Lovers Key attempts to tap into a bygone era with their 60s style. The album’s 11 tracks are primarily driven by fuzzy guitar and upbeat organ arrangements. Throw in Maco’s soulful, jazzy melodies, and you wind up with an album that seems to be made for head bobbing and finger snapping. Depending on the song, Maco’s voice could draw comparisons to nearly every soul singer from the 60s, but for me his voice falls somewhere between Jimmy Ruffin and Billy Stewart.
One of the things I like most about the album is that it’s not overproduced. There’s a very raw and real sound that coincides with the honest lyrics and the two genres (60s rock and Motown) that the album draws from. That rawness seems to express the band’s heart as much as it does this particular style of music. I listened to the album digitally, but the whole time I felt like it should have been playing on vinyl. If you only listen to one song from the album, I’d recommend “Tell It Like It Is (Don’t Break It To Me Slow).” While this catchy, upbeat track captures the band at their best, “Maybe I’m Not Good Enough,” and “In A Perfect World” are also must-listens.
It’s awesome that this is the band’s debut album. I mean, they’ve only been together since 2012, so if they can manage to avoid the curse of the sophomore album, then it seems like they have a lot of room to grow and become even better, which is pretty exciting for any fan of retro rock and/or Motown. But before we go talking about a follow-up, give this album a listen. Fortunately for us, the Internet has ensured that basically nothing is actually here today and gone tomorrow, so be sure to snag a copy of Here Today Gone Tomorrow and let the music remind you of a time when records ruled and we didn’t have to wonder why The Beatles’ music isn’t on Spotify.
SXSW Recap: Females Shine at House of Vans
Checking the pages upon pages of lineups the morning of March 12th with coffee in hand, I found it. I found the one party that day not to be missed. It was taking place at the historic Mohawk in downtown Austin. Four amazing female acts played, and they were not there to mess around. Below is a short synopsis of each act.
Unfortunately, I was running behind and arrived late to this rising star’s set (in my defense, no one is ever on time during the chaos that is SXSW). But on the positive side, I did get to listen to the last half from behind a protruding wall partially blocking the overflowing room for which she was playing. The number of people willing to pack into that small room was a good indication of the huge amount of talent this petite blond possesses. Her country twang had an infectious edge reminiscent of the rich voice of Stevie Nix. As her set came to a close, I understood why so much hype surrounded this artist coming into the music week of South by, and she sure lived up to it.
Kelela:
Oh, Kelela. I could listen to this songstress’ lovely layered voice for hours on end. She is impressive pre-recorded but even more so live, her voice boasting such a range from full and rich bass notes to beautiful and airy falsettos. Unfortunately her set overlapped slightly with Lydia’s, so I only truly caught the tail end. The uniqueness of her sound, her breathtaking voice layered on top an eclectic mix of bass, drum, and electronic tones, especially rang out on “Cut 4 Me,” the title track of her 2013 LP.
Her avant-garde sound is difficult to pin point, which could be because of her out of place feelings as second generation Ethiopian Immigrant raised in the states. Yet her music reaps amazing benefits from this situation, breaking the confines of any particular genre.
Charli XCX:
Punk pop princess of the UK Charli XCX was next on the bill at the House of Vans – the performance I had been waiting for all day. Bounding onto the stage, she immediately began strutting around the stage like she owned it, throwing her wild black locks around as she danced. Known for her synthy pop beats with a dark side, the 21-year-old shined on slower track “Black Roses” and fist pumping crowd favorite “SuperLove.”
Not only did she sound fabulous, she looked the part as well donning a lovely vintage plaid dress and stunning the crowd with her intense stare and sassy red lips. She ended her high energy set with an appropriate cover of the famous tune “I Want Candy.” Needless to say, Charli XCX did not disappoint.
Dum Dum Girls:
If you are looking for a powerhouse all female rock band, then go see Dum Dum Girls live. In their 40 minute set, the four-woman group managed to kill all guys rock harder stereotypes. Dee Dee’s voice soared high above the dreamy psychedelic guitars, sounding especially ethereal on tracks “Coming Down” and “Lord Knows.” All four wore all black, fitting for the slight melancholy that melds into their music. Addictive 80s melodies are sprinkled into certain tracks, especially those off their 2014 album Too True such as “Rimbaud Eyes” that captivated the crowd. Although the Dum Dum Girls went last for the females that day at the Mohawk, they certainly weren’t the least.
The Mike Benign Compulsion: ‘Here’s How it Works’
I received a vinyl copy of The Mike Benign Compulsion’s third album, Here’s How it Works. The record is a timeless medium and is slowly recovering. The cover of The Mike Benign Compulsion’s album is minimal. It is clean and completely white except for the title and a bald man standing on the right side. He’s watching you pull the record out; I think his face emotes something like approval. The record is as clean as the cover, but black. I’ve never seen a new record, most of the time they are used and deeply grooved. This one is smooth and classy, much like Mike Benign’s persona.
Benign’s recent release of the video for “Haley Daley” (check it out below) shares a similar style. The members are presented in front of a white canvas wearing mostly black, except for the Mike Benign’s fun-colored burgundy pants. I guess it’s true you that should never judge a book – or a record – by its cover. I thought The Mike Benign Compulsion would feature soft rock or something close to classical. I was wrong, and I’m sorry.
The album opens with “Mrs. Kean”, and I feel shallow. How could I have been so quick to judge? The Mike Benign Compulsion is way more lively than classical; in fact, they have a more pop-rock sound, which makes sense considering the members are pop-rock veterans from The Woolridge Brothers, The Yell Leaders, Blue in the Face, Arms & Legs & Feet, and Dorian Gray. At times, especially in “Haley Daley,” the harmonization has a Beach Boys feel.
Let’s talk about Haley. She follows “Mrs. Keane” and “You Say It’s Over” with a bubbly and poppy attitude. I know immediately that this is the song that will inevitably get stuck in my head. Benign’s melodic voices pairs nicely with the rhythmic, quick guitar strums, as he sings, “I’ve got a feeling you’re gonna crumble Haley Daley.” Then there are slower songs, similar to a lullaby, like “Bay Window”. The Mike Benign Compulsion doesn’t have to do much to change their tempo. They show that a band doesn’t have to be “experimental” to be talented.
Sometimes simple can be just as beautiful.
Foster the People: ‘Supermodel’
With their second studio album, Supermodel (released March 14th on Columbia Records), Foster the People has departed from the light, upbeat sound of Torches, replacing techno beats and airy vocals with a much more stripped down, heavier, instrumental, resulting in a raw and very real album. And it totally works.
Supermodel is an angrier follow-up to its predecessor and proves that Foster the People is not in a sophomore slump—this second album is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Supermodel is angry, brash, bold, unafraid, and raw, with cryptic lyrics alluding to growing up and coming to terms with unforgiving fame in a greedy world.
Many of the songs, such as “A Beginner’s Guide to Destroying the Moon” urge the listener to “think freely” and “smash the wall of apathy”, breaking free from the world which they have discovered to be petty and fake.
Self-fulfillment and satisfaction with personal success are also recurring themes that run rampant in Supermodel, with such tracks as “Are You What You Want to Be?” and “Ask Yourself” in which they inquire, “is this the life you’ve been waiting for?” They offer their own experiences by reflecting, “Well I find the more I want, the less I’ve got.” The evolution of the band as a mid-level act coming to terms with not just indie stardom, but shooting to the top of the pop music charts, is obvious and clearly drives the music on this second album.
However, the upbeat rhythms and unbelievably bright melodies juxtaposed with dark lyrics that we have come to associate with FTP have certainly not fallen by the wayside. Tracks such as “Pseudologia Fantasia” (which is a term used to describe pathological lying) and “Best Friend” are reminiscent of Torches, with danceable grooves and surprisingly grave lyrics. Yet these songs are composed with heavier undertones and even darker, more cryptic lyrics.
The 30-second, vocal only track, “The Angelic Welcome of Mr. Jones” provides a nice intermission for the rest of the album, and the acoustic and very introspective track “Goats in Trees” breaks up the impassioned guitar-heavy tracks with a thoughtful, lyrical piece in which they bear their souls and refuse to shy away from such contradictions as “Don’t give up on me now, and I’m on the outside, but it’s warm on the outside. That’s a lie, I don’t wanna fall apart,” revealing inner struggles all humans face.
Songs like “The Truth” and “Nevermind” evoke thoughts of Radiohead and continue to deal with such issues as love and loss in the face of modern philosophy. The album ends with a quiet, acoustic number (“Fire Escape”) leaving us to reflect upon the album and our own lives.
Foster the People burst onto the music scene with “Pumped Up Kicks” in 2011, and while the tune was unbelievably catchy, it was easy to brush them off as a one-hit-wonder. However, Supermodel proves the doubters wrong and guarantees the band a lasting place in indie and pop music history. Heavier, weighty lyrics and instrumentals bring the band down to earth as they explore universally relatable worldly issues from the perspective of a band coming to terms with newfound fame. I want to listen to it again and again and again.
Children of the Stones: ‘The Stars and the Silence’
Extended Play, the first EP released by the collaboration of Mark Van Hoen (of Black Hearted Brother, Seefeel, Locust, Scala) and Martin Maeers, has proved only to be a tease- the best is still yet to come.
Children of the Stones is the new project from Van Hoen and Maeers, and they will release their upcoming LP, The Stars And The Silence, on March 25th. Joining them on this album are Rachel Davies (Esben & The Witch), Neil Halstead (Slowdive, Black Hearted Brother, Mojave 3, solo) and Al Forrester, plus Angus Finlayson, amongst other friends. For over 30 years, Van Hoen has been creating and innovating the electronic music genre. With the help of vocalist Maeers, it seems that The Stars And The Silence is the next step in the right direction and perhaps just what electronic music needs.
Where the EP, Extended Play, displayed a bleak sadness, The Stars And The Silence explores a lightness that can be found within the shadows of love’s darkness. “Love’s Last Loss” is a subdued and humbled testament of what was and a realization of a love and life that will no longer be. The composition of this first track is somewhat a cut and paste of appropriate sound bits, bleak glitchy transitions, oceanic dream, and mournful raw emotion. “Love’s Last Loss” is an appropriate choice as the start of this album as it introduces the listener to Van Hoens’ use of technology as a catalyst for creativity and expression.
The Stars And The Silence takes an upbeat turn with “Out of Reach.” As one of the more uptempo compositions of the album, this track is reminiscent of songs found on The Postal Service’s 2003 album, Give Up. The title track, “The Stars & The Silence” follows and maintains the form of a mystic lullaby that hypnotizes the listener into a dreamlike state which was first introduced on Extended Play.
“Just Like Coming Down” is a seductively somber track with heavier downtempo wobble. It is easy to immerse oneself into this track and, as the title of the song suggests, allow the vibrations to bring the mind, body, and soul completely down. The eight track on the LP, “Every Word You Say,” has similar vocal and musical composition to the song “Guiding Light,” found on Extended Play. Where as “Guiding Light” is disjointed with low monotonous vocals and overpowering electro beats, “Every Word You Say” is is more united and cohesive.
One of my favorite tracks on this album was the triumphantly dark “Toward the Umbra.” Similar to the undertones conceived in many MUSE songs, the composition of this song sets the tone of go forth and conquer, Musically I found this track to be the most commercial of all the tracks found on The Stars And The Silence.
Overall, The Stars And The Silence was a pleasant surprise. The variation and play of technology keeps this LP interesting and entertaining and I look forward to more releases from this collaboration of artists.
The Stars and The Silence will be released on March 25th.
Craig Bicknell: “Hymmmn”
Craig Bicknell’s new single “Hymmmn” is meditative and soothing. The track starts with a simple humming. I wait for lyrics but none come. The track is composed of layers of “hums”, “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” and seamlessly grows.
This is the beginning of Bicknell’s “Hymmmntronica”, a new style composed of intermingling sounds. The track begins to grow with more harmonizing “hum’s” but becomes lighter. Electronics are present, but not to the point of overpowering the main attraction. The piece reaches highs and lows and even combines the two. Bicknell can layer soft on soulful to create a beautiful melody of “hums.”
It’s odd quoting a sound rather than a lyric, but for Bicknell it works. More layers create more depth, and the listener becomes totally relaxed, and I can’t help imagining the movement of mouths. The track carries an airy, southern feel, like a hymn. The track is that of a contemporary composition; it ends with the same, simple humming to complete a piece with an opening and a closing.
Yet, I wish it would go on. In fact, after listening to the track several times, the melody stuck in my head like lyrics, and I continued to repeat the humming cycle even after the track had ended.
Lakker: ‘Containing a Thousand’ EP
Digital audio workstations meet the end of the world on Dublin duo Lakker’s new EP Containing A Thousand out on R&S March 11.
This EP takes the listener on a journey through a post-apocalyptic wasteland where music is made from the grinding of machines left to continue manufacturing hunks of metal without a human in sight. Dark, almost foreboding melodies swirl around hard, industrial beats, creating a sound that could only be described as coming from a cosmos with only the faint memory of human existence.
Although it is their first album released on esteemed electronic label, R&S, this techno duo is certainly not an amateur act. They have been creating electronica beats for a decade, even having the honor of being spun by Richard D James (Aphex Twin) in his live sets—a distinction coveted by much of the electronic music world.
Complex, but intense beats begin the journey through a robotic wasteland with “Counting a Thousand.” Techno vibes from a satellite far from Earth circulate the air, as machines grind and churn perpetually, having continued their course despite the absence of humanity. Perhaps, the human race has jetted off to inhabit a new planet, and left only the remnants of parties and discos floating noisily over the crackling radio waves on a used-up earth.
“Mausoleum” continues with more metal-crunching, mechanical beats. Lakker’s roots in punk, metal, and broken beats can be clearly heard, mingling with the distinctive techno sounds they have become known for. Sounds that evoke images of machines humming through long plastic tubes elicit ominous, almost eerie feelings.
The EP gets a bit more tribal with “K’antu.” This track is curious sounding, like exploring the home of a person you have never met from a culture you have yet to experience. A little bit brighter and more optimistic sounding than the preceding tracks, “K’antu” feels as if it would make the perfect background music for Alice, had she fallen down the rabbit hole in outer space.
“Thermohaline” hits the listener like a meteor, from the moment the song begins. Powerful beats boomerang as the melody builds intensity in the background. This track has the horsepower of a Ferrari, but takes quiet moments for the listener to catch their breath before pulling them back into the music—hard.
Containing a Thousand certainly distinguishes itself from all other electronic bands out there. It takes the intensity of Excision minus the screeching sounds and dub step scratches and fuses them with the spacey after-world beats of Mimosa, taken to a whole new level of brooding intensity. While the album is rather dark and ominous, techno fans will certainly be swept away to another land by this EP.
Axxa/Abraxas: ‘Axxa/Abraxas’
Sometimes, you have to learn to be happy exactly where you are. And, thankfully, once in a blue moon, musical acts like Axxa/Abraxas emerge and remind me again why I’m so proud to be living in Athens, Georgia. The project of University of Georgia alum Ben Asbury is a unique blend of music and art that never ceases to inspire with its melting pot of 60s pop, 70s psych and post-punk. On March 4, all of this wonderment culminates in the release of Axxa / Abraxas’ self-titled debut album.
I suggest starting with the album’s first two singles (below), “I Almost Fell” and “On The Run”, especially if you’re a little weary of heavy psychedelia. Their sound is quite different from the rest of the album, yet still fits ideally between the other eight tracks. “I Almost Fell” is what would happen if A Flock of Seagulls was transported to the 70s, while “On The Run” dips deeper into straight rock n’ roll. This track is simultaneously reminiscent of the Doors and today’s surf punk bands – an odd but strangely satisfying combination.
The rest of the record proves to be much more expectedly 70s, a lot more lyrically inclined. “Ryan Michalak (Is Coming To Town)” opens the album in an instrumental haze of violin before jumping into a fuzzy-voiced tale about – what else – an old friend returning. Harder tracks like “So Far Away” make me feel like I’ve turned on an old Cream record, while more thoughtful tunes like “Painted Blue” tell me, “Close your eyes so your mind can see.” Groovy, no?
If at all possible, try to pick up a physical copy of the album – Asbury was in part picked up by the Captured Tracks label because of his demos’ stunning D.I.Y. silkscreen art. But don’t take too long eyeing this inevitably gorgeous cover art. You’ll want to get to listening to this psych masterpiece, stat.
Holychild: ‘Mindspeak’ EP
“Everytime I Fall” is a new single by holychild off their upcoming Mindspeak EP due out on March 4th via Glassnote. LA indie-electronic-pop duo consisting of liz nistico and louie diller describe themselves as “making brat pop.” And this is exactly what this single sounds like. Bratty.
Angelic vocals lead off the track and the drums and melody kick off shortly after. It is rather difficult at first to hop on the unpredictable beat that seems at times to not quite keep up with the playful vocals. Lyrics such as “everytime I fall, fall away, I don’t even have to say, I know the story’s not the same with you” are whimsical and fun but seem to be more preoccupied with rhyming than relaying a message.
This single is a departure from other singles by holychild, such as “Playboy Girl” and “Best Friends” that have a more indie-rock, girl power vibe to them. However, “Everytime I Fall” evokes memories of a 90s pool party in a chick flick; it makes for a cheerful and sprightly dance tune, but feels like it just may be missing something. The melody is unique and has potential for greatness, but the distorted vocals are distracting and almost whiny, and take away from the rest of the song.
“I’ll never give it all to you,” holychild sings, and it feels as if they truly haven’t.
James Supercave: “The Right Thing”
James Supercave of LA are to release their most recent EP in late March. “The Right Thing” is their newest single. James Supercave utilizes various styles in this single and creates an epic poetry of sorts. The single starts with synthesizer sounds combined with twangy vocals (but not too much as to sound similar to vocals like Mumford & Sons, don’t worry). The combination of the synthesizers and the raw vocals is somewhat experimental, and this modern sound is specific to this generation of artists. The vocals grow high-pitched and mimic the futuristic sound. There is a one second pause and a powerful guitar boost at 1:08, similar to a metal beat. Almost at the same time, the track slows down. Violins replace the guitar, and harmony replaces the synthesizer. Everything becomes soft. The vocals get deeper, almost opera like. At 3:00, the sound takes on a revelatory mood and finishes out with distorted synthesizer sounds and clean-cut guitar riffs.
“The Right Thing” is proof of James Supercave’s versatility. As an English major, I’m inclined to say that it resembles an epic poem in song form. Its up’s and down’s create a journey of emotions and sounds.
Keep James Supercave on your radar. There is a possibility that James Supercave will tour with War Paint in the spring and will make a few appearances at SXSW. You’ll want to be there.