Category: Music Reviews
Artist to Watch: Rayland Baxter
After a friend recently saw Rayland Baxter in Atlanta, she convinced me to listen to his most recent EP, SOHO. It’s been four years since Baxter released his debut, full-length album, Feathers & Fishhooks. Most of the tracks on SOHO were previously featured in Baxter’s full-length album, Imaginary Man.
Upon listening to SOHO, it is clear that Baxter finds harmony in simplicity. With a sound that can only be contributed to his musical history in Tennessee, Baxter exhibits subtle, southern guitar riffs and a slight vocal twang. All of these things make up Baxter’s folk-rock persona. It is no surprise that Baxter’s father, known as William Baxter, worked with artists Bob Dylan and Ryan Adams among others. Furthermore, Baxter has come into his own style of feel-good folk albums that seem to embody the spirit of the southeastern mountains.
SOHO opens with “Mr. Rodriguez.” With a fluid acoustic sound, Baxter harmonizes with his equally smooth vocals and soft inflections. His single, “Yellow Eyes” follows; the track previously appeared on Imaginary Man, accompanied with a soft drumbeat and subtle female vocals. However, SOHO focuses strictly on Baxter’s stripped down solo sound. “Oh My Captain” continues the slow, somber style with a an uplifting chorus that allures its listener to match Baxter’s powerful vocals and signature whistle.
Equally as impressive as his sound are Baxter’s lyrics. It is quite obvious that SOHO, or any of Baxter’s albums for that matter, is not strictly about a man and his guitar but about an experience that Baxter wants to poetically share with his listeners. Baxter seems to elicit the story-telling talents of Leonard Cohen. This is especially true in “Freakin Me Out.” SOHO ends with a cover of My Morning Jacket’s “Bermuda Highway.”
My only qualm with SOHO is that it is too short. While the chance to catch Baxter in Georgia has passed, he is scheduled to play at Bonnaroo 2016 in Manchester, Tennessee.
5/5
Artist to Watch: Gideon King & City Blog
All about bringing together musicians that have a passion for jazz, Gideon King & City Blog is straight out of New York City with a modern twist on the classic jazz genre. With elements of jam bands and big band sound, Gideon King & City Blog released a full length album titled City Blog that is a sultry love letter to the city that never sleeps.
More interesting than the name of the band itself are its members. Boasting some of the most diverse talent available, Gideon King & City Blog managed to get together James Genus, the bassist from Daft Punk and the Saturday Night Live band, Carolyn Leonhart, a key member of Steely Dan’s vocal team, and many other notable musicians. With such a wide variety of members, the sound can only be described as a collective.
City Blog grabs you by the hand and drags you onto the dance floor with its creative and smooth style. City Blog is a rainy date night in Manhattan, where your date offers you their umbrella after a delicious meal at an upper scale restaurant. The album as a whole can only be described with scenarios, because it gives off more than just words. The feelings are present in every improvised piano part, while skillfully crafted with a surreal-sounding mash of backing instruments that all get their separate time to shine in solos.
The title track “City Blog” displays the album clearly and honestly: it’s cool to the touch and easy on the ears. The good thing about jam bands and their derivatives are that the music can never get repetitive as long as you have a decent pairing of vocals, which Gideon King & City Blog have excelled at.
“Friendship Cliche” takes on an alternative indie rock spin, if you consider having a horn section and wind instrument section as rock. All the combinations of instruments result in such a visceral experience that can only enhance surroundings. The only criticism on City Blog stems from the slowness of some of the tracks, particularly “What Say You” which drags on for the full four minutes.
Aside from a couple misses like that, the funk is alive and thriving in New York City among lots of different aliases, but Gideon King & City Blog is a name to remember.
Gideon King & City Blog can be found on its Facebook page, here.
Artist to Watch: Idiot Grins
Recent trends in music have revolved around synth pop and overproduced albums, so it is rare to find a big band sound in the mix. Idiot Grins, a five man soul rock band from Oakland, California, has managed the impossible. By getting musical help from Johnnie Bamont, the saxophone player from Huey Lewis and the News, and Mic Gillette, the trumpet player from Tower of Power, Idiot Grins lends a homage to the greats of years ago. Big Man transcends the line between old and new by making a soulful big band swing that sounds like it belongs in the ‘60s, but was made in 2015. The best part, it makes you want to sing along too.
The 11 track album hits all the right notes with each song being reminiscent of the last, without sounding exactly the same. “How To Get To (Baltimore)” is classic and upbeat, with a chorus that sounds almost exactly like the chorus from “Science Fiction Double Feature” in Rocky Horror Picture Show. That isn’t a bad thing, either. The call-and-response element of the music makes the listener want to croon along.
Another standout from the album is the second track “Poppy Piss”. A swing tune that is simple (Keep It Simple, Stupid) is a good indication for the style of Idiot Grins. The song is two and a half minutes of almost the same beat, which seems repetitive, until you get to the wild vocal ups and downs of lead singer John Hansen. The variation is necessary in a track of the same melody, but Idiot Grins has the whole change game under control.
A complaint would be that the majority of the album is ballad-style, with slower melodies dominating the flow and energy of the initial three tracks. That’s not to say that those songs aren’t good in their own right, seeing as “One Reason” and “Paso Robles” are excellent representations of versatile styles. “Paso Robles” utilizes a country croon while “One Reason” is the stereotypical “down-up” beat from the ‘60s with clean sounding horns that really make the track special. Instead of a slow-down near the end of the album (with an exception for the tangy “Ovaltang”), a much needed pick-me-up would have been a better way to seal the deal on Big Man.
Despite minor issue with maintaining a cohesive flow of energy and rest within the album, Idiot Grins puts a modern spin on classic instruments minus the grainy quality.
Big Man was released on April 6, 2015 and is available for purchase or download at the Idiot Grins website.
Artist to Watch: The Boy From The Crowd
From London, UK, The Boy From The Crowd is made up of Vinny Placa and Vegas Ivy. With Placa on vocals and guitar while Ivy manages drums and percussion, The Boy From The Crowd creates a blues-infused rock sound that walks the line between cult favorite and top 40s, resulting in songs that are eclectic but still make you bob your head to the beat. Their most recent release titled Where the Bees Come to Die introduces the band’s mechanical and lyrical skills, while also allowing room for improvement.
The first track, “Revelator”, showcases The Boy From The Crowd’s London rock flair with bluesy influence. The sound is catchy, upbeat and progressive throughout despite the repetitive lyrics, while the differences in the song are shown through the changing instruments and the evolving bass and guitar riffs. The use of backing vocals is spot on, especially with its use in the chorus as more of a shout and as a quieter, more intimate repetition for lyrics within the rest of the song.
“All I Need” shows a musical style similar to a combination of earlier Kings of Leon, the White Stripes and The Arctic Monkeys but with a scruffier lead singer (if that was even possible with Kings of Leon). Halfway through the song it cuts to silence with the lead singer still singing, allowing a really nice change of pace. Overall it flows very nicely, however for a five minute song some differences in instrumentation and vocals are necessary.
Different than the prior two tracks, “The Road” sounds more drowned out and surf rock-esque, giving much more of a pop sound. An interesting inclusion to the album, “The Road” really showcases the versatility of the band in terms of genre experimentation, but the guitar hero solo about halfway through the song indicates that some further tweaking is needed to perfect a cohesive sound for an album.
The final two tracks are “All I Need (Single Edit)” and “Where the Bees Come to Die”, both of which have issues. “All I Need” is on this album twice, and with only five songs total that is unnecessary repetition without much change between the two versions (although the second “All I Need” cuts out about a minute and a half of useless jamming). “Where the Bees Come to Die” has a bluesy steel guitar introduction that sounds too blues-influenced to be surf rock but still retains intrigue. The entire ending track is an instrumental, which is a strange choice considering there are only three true songs on the album.
Overall, The Boy From The Crowd has the chops to create something exciting and catchy, but falls short in delivery on Where the Bees Come to Die. The lack of cohesiveness on the album indicates some indecision in terms of the style of the band, which can either be a good thing or a bad thing for the future of the band. However, the interesting style of blues and rock is definitely something that holds promise.
The Boy From The Crowd released Where the Bees Come to Die on December 7, 2015 and is currently available for purchase on its Bandcamp, here or on The Boy From The Crowd website, here.
Artist to Watch: Bad Reed
With only one official musical release, Bad Reed is transcending genres. The four piece jack-of-all-trades band from Brantford, Ontario shows their versatile chops on the Bad Reed EP. Over the course of three songs, Bad Reed manages to capture elements of psychedelic funk metal, rhythmic southern blues and synth rock in a way that is reminiscent of the ‘90s.
“Punch It”, the first track off of the EP, introduces refreshingly clear vocals to the hash-mash of instruments going on in the background. The song builds up, gradually including more guitar parts and more synth patterns until the lead vocalist is slowly lost into the mix. Whether or not that effect was intentional is unclear, but if the purpose of the track is to have the listener melt into their surroundings, then it works very well.
A personal favorite, “Slackjaw Romance” creates the perfect balance of calm and cool. It sounds like something you’d hear in a jazz nightclub around 12 a.m., and commands the same attention from listeners (no matter where they are). The combination of dark lyrical content and swanky yet collected vocals results in a track that is both memorable and catchy.
The final track “Cassava” sounds like a lost Incubus track, allowing singer Sydney Sollazzo to showcase her range and smooth delivery. About halfway through the track is a mini acoustic session that is a confusing break from the previous progression, but segways nicely into the remaining two minutes. Using acoustic guitar parts and drowned out synth as a build up and the reintroduction of electric guitar and drums is made possible by the consistent nature of the straight-forward vocals, which tie the tracks together where they otherwise would have fallen apart.
Bad Reed released the Bad Reed EP on June 13, 2015 and is currently available for free download (or suggested donation) on its Bandcamp. More information about the band Bad Reed is available on their website, here.
Amsterdam Station: “Stories from the Subtext”
It’s been about a year since the boys of Amsterdam Station released their seven song EP, Stories from the Subtext. The EP came to initiate the band’s plan for a full-length album in the coming new year. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, the band consists of Greg Jarvis, Andy Potash, Schafer Gray, and Chris Connelly.
With an alternative rock style, Amsterdam Station opens their EP with “Warden.” “Warden” exhibits a catchy, sonorous bass melody, balanced with a fluid vocals and stark guitar riffs, “City of the Dead” follows with a classic violin sound and a haunting chorus. Slower songs like, “White Dove” and “Love is a Martyr,” exemplify the band’s flexibility. While they produce heavy hitting rock ballads, AS also knows how to serenade their listeners. Furthermore, Stories from the Subtext offers cohesiveness among the tracks. The EP begins with a post-apocalyptic feel and ends on an optimistic note with “Sons and Daughters of the Revolution.”
Although the band is still developing, and will inevitably make a few changes in the future, they’ve started off on the right foot. Their sound comes together with meaningful lyrics. AS essentially encourages their listeners to hear the story behind the sound.
Don’t be fooled by these guys’ rock style, they have a soft side. In light of the holiday season, Amsterdam Station has graced us with their harmonic rendition of “Happy Xmas (War is Over).
Find more of Amsterdam Station on Soundcloud. Stick around for new material in May 2016.
PALMAS: ‘To The Valley’
If there is a point where future meets past, and east meets west, it’s the new PALMAS album, To The Valley. Coming to headphones near you Friday, November 13, the Philly band has gathered all the metallic sounds of East Coast rock, shipped them across the country to the sandy beaches of California, and time traveled a few decades back to produce a blended sound of old school surf rock.
The album kicks off with a 30-second intro titled “Buzzcut.” The song leads with the a quick drumstick tempo-set and dives straight into the classic guitar slide all surf rock fans know and love. It’s a perfect glimpse into the album but and an even better view into what it feels like to sit in the middle of a PALMAS jam session.
From “Buzzcut,” the album moves seamlessly into the hit single “I Want To Know (Your Love),” a song that was released earlier this year and only left fans wanting more. It’s got a quick start that jumps right into the first verse then glides into a slow and melodic chorus of “I want to know, I want to know your love.” The song switches back and forth from bursts of high pitched, choppy verses to smooth choruses, and it doesn’t take more than a few seconds before there’s nothing left to do but surrender and sway back and forth.
PALMAS sticks with the slow and solid melodies for most of the album, including “Take My Hand,” where they’ve mixed things up with more chops here and there. There’s some added classic beach bash guitar, but the song has a more somber tone than the rest of its precursors. Then, just when we’ve gotten all too comfortable with the easy motion of the ocean, PALMAS surprises us with an upbeat tune that will take anyone right back to the time of dance halls, big hair and poodle skirts, in “Sweet Water.” It’s lighthearted, fun, and impossible to sit still to.
The last two tracks bring us down from the jive of a 1950’s dance hall and back to the laid back rhythm of the California coast line. “Better Guy,” full of “oos” and “ahs,” pines for romantic drives along the shore and dives into the “deep blue sea,” while “San Francisco Bay” “oos” again, this time to with the hopes of bringing a long lost love back home, to the San Francisco Bay.
The album finishes with a personal sign off from the band, which we can only image is exactly what it would feel like to be front and center at a live performance. There’s no doubt PALMAS has mastered what it means to be a 21st century nostalgic surf rock band. In To The Valley, they have found a way to not only rejuvenate the timeless sound that inspired so many before them, but they make it all their own along the way. To The Valley marks a new era for PALMAS and classic rock lovers everywhere, and we’re sure it’s one you won’t want to miss.
Penny Lame: ‘Penny Lame’
Girl-pop is getting a makeover. Athens singer and songwriter Jianna Justice is cultivating a sound that stands entirely on its own, starting with her act Penny Lame. With only two EPs and eleven songs total, Justice hits all the right notes with a sweet voice, minimalistic and upbeat. Penny Lame, released on Nov. 4, 2015, is already a must-listen for those of any age. The tropes of teenage troubles combined with elements of sarcasm and deprecation reflect a very honest image of millennials growing up in a college town surrounded by people that may or may not be growing up with them.
Starting off with the light “Party Song”, Justice says all the things that everyone has been thinking but not saying out loud. The combination of simple pop guitar riffs and lyrics like “I’m the saddest girl at this party” set the tone for the rest of the album: sad acceptance for how things are, with resilient optimism for better things to come.
“Boys & Girls” shows playful comparisons between girls and boys, that create interesting back and forth dialogue between expectations and cold realities of young romance (or lack thereof), while being put down by the even harder reality: “that’s just how it is, cause boys and girls are just kids”.
Sounding like a stripped down Radiator Hospital, Justice is a venus of the avenue with “Penny Lame”, a personal favorite from the EP. With soft backing vocals accompanying the initial lyrics, “Penny Lame” stands out for the growing genre of girl-pop.
“Night Swimming” brings a slower and darker angle towards the pop, then “Slushies In a Target Parking Lot” picks up the pace and offers flutters of the ‘what if’s. To end the EP, “Scumbag City” is refreshing and honest. Billy and Joey do sound like scumbags, and are pretty much relatable to most of the ex-partners we’ve all had.
Without gushing on too much about how great this release is, a quick summary: Penny Lame shows the best and worst of being a teenager or young adult, while navigating that line between growing up and staying young. Penny Lame strikes a chord not just because it’s catchy as hell, but because it’s chronicling a place we’ve all been.
Penny Lame can be found on Bandcamp here: http://pennylame.bandcamp.com/releases
Foxing: ‘Dealer’
Calling the St. Louis band Foxing an indie band doesn’t even begin to do them justice. Starting from humble beginnings in 2010, Foxing released their first album The Albatross in 2013 and was immediately put on artist radar. The Albatross was a success, with notable favorites from the album being “The Medic” and “Rory”. Their sound can be described as many different things, but I like to group them in with what I call “New Wave Emo”, which combines elements of math rock, emo and post-rock with additional instruments that aren’t the typical guitar and drums. Foxing fits right in with the likes of The World Is A Beautiful Place, Algernon Cadwallader and The Hotelier, all of which have claimed stakes in the Emo Revival of the 2000s.
Dealer, the second studio album by Foxing, is bound to follow the same standard set by The Albatross, meaning more punches of emotion and more lyric confessionals. Dealer also brings forth a heavier, darker sound than prior recordings. The album carries a weight that guarantees the listener will remember it afterwards.
“The Magdalene” was released ahead of the album, and it was met with praise. Foxing tackles the intricacies and difficulties of balancing religion and human impulses. Conor Murphy elevates his falsetto to higher heights and keeps it bouncing up and down with the bopping guitar riffs. For such a pretty voice, it’s ironic that the lyrical content is so dark. Met about halfway through the track with soft choruses in the background, guitars and drums take over allowing a harsher, more in-your-face tone for the remainder of the track.
“The Magdalene” can be used to summarize Dealer in the best of ways: it starts off with smooth and concrete vocals with instruments slowly inkling into the mix, but never diluting what Murphy has to express. Although the album starts off sounding similar to The Albatross, it changes about halfway into something completely new. With more ballads and less filler songs, Foxing is blending into an all-consuming sound that hits home runs more than it strikes out. The changing sound allows Foxing to explore a new territory with Dealer that it hasn’t done before: a surreal, existential side. While still retaining the heart-breaking depths shown in The Albatross, Dealer manages to have moments of tenderness, self-revelations and gut-wrenching pain.
Dealer was released on Oct. 30, 2015 and is available for $8 download on Bandcamp.
Grimes: “Flesh Without Blood” and “SCREAM”
Vancouver’s Claire Boucher performs under the alias of Grimes. Since her start in 2011 with a split EP alongside D’Eon, who’s known for his experimental electronic style, Boucher has evolved into her own electronic pop style. One of Grimes’ most popular albums, Visions (2012), gave us contemporary electronic melodies like “Genesis” and “Oblivion.” With flawless baby bangs and an equally flawless and baby-like voice, Boucher has graced us with yet another upcoming album in December, Art Angels.
Her two newest singles “Flesh Without Blood” and “SCREAM” exhibit two very different sounds, possibly hinting at the new album’s diversity and evolution from her signature style. “Flesh Without Blood” stays consistent with that familiar electronic dance style that has a way of attaching itself to the listener. With metallic beats and subtle punk riffs, Boucher’s ethereal “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” offer a complex balance between sharp and soft sounds.
“SCREAM” moves away from the familiar spacey sounds to an industrial style. The track features Aristophanes, a Taiwanese rapper. The vocals still adhere to Boucher’s high-pitched style and seem to resemble the eerie sweetness of Die Antwoord.
Boucher is a pioneer of the new age sound, and we can’t deny her fashion sense is just as vibrant and unique as her music. Catch her at the Buckhead Theater, November 11th.
4/5