Wake Up and Smell The Music

Snob's Music: Islands: "Vapours" (album review)

2009-09-23T11:42:00.000-04:00

Snob's Music: Islands: "Vapours" (album review)

MOVING, VISIT OUR NEW SITE!

2008-11-06T14:13:00.005-05:00

WUASTM is moving to our own web site beginning today. I've had enough posts disappear in the last couple weeks over copyright infringement without any opportunity to remove the offending links. I would have gladly have done that in order to keep my reviews or other content on-line. If you wander the forums at elbo.ws, you'll see I'm not the only one having this trouble lately.

Anway, I'm planning to make this blog bigger and better in the future and I've got to find a home where I have control. So goodbye Blogger, goodbye Wordpress, HELLO...

wakeupandsmellthemusic.com

Please click on the link above and check us out!

Ryan Adams Cardinology Review

2008-10-23T21:06:00.001-04:00

Ryan Adams and The Cardinals at the Murat Theater, 2007.

Ryan Adams is one talented son of a bitch. He's got to be the most prolific musician of this decade given he's released 11 CD's in 8 years. Hell, he released three in 2005 alone, one of them, Cold Roses, was even a double CD. Anyone who has visited his web site knows he has a slew of songs written on the fly covering nearly every genre. I hear he has also wrote a novel about to be published. Where does this guy find the time to do all this?

Work, work, rehab, work again? Ok, when someone produces this much output, you sometimes wonder about quality and even burn out, but Ryan is pretty consistent over the years. I've had a chance to listen to his new one Cardinology, coming out on Oct. 28th and I would have to say it feels like a continuation of EasyTiger (maybe with two new tracks having "easy" in the title reinforces it). This is not bad a bad thing, not at all, Easy Tiger was one of my favorite CD's last year. Besides, that's a long time in Ryan-years.

The first half of Cardinology starts out with a number of uptempo songs highlighted by the easy grooving single "Fix It", and the excellent rocker "Magick". Ryan seems to be channeling vintage Neil Young on many songs, particularly "Natural Ghost". Midway through the CD, things down shift a bit to slower tunes ending with a beautiful piano ballad, probably addressing his personal struggles (and rehab), aptly named "Stop". I'd definitely recommend this CD for those times when you are in the "spirit" to kick back and listen to these "haunting" tunes.

Rating (7 out of 10):

Oh, snap, I think I just gave it away. Well, in honor of next week's album release coinciding with Halloween, I've focused on song titles for the season:

Cardinology (2008)

Easy Tiger (2007)

Follow The Lights (2007 EP)

Down in a Hole

Love Is Hell (2004)

Love Is Hell

I See Monsters

Rock n' Roll (2003)

Note To Self: Don't Die

Enjoy, GB

Discography:

The Highway Stops By For Interview

2008-10-12T11:43:00.001-04:00

The Highway (L-R: Jason Adams, Dominick Cole, Vince Brown, Jon Potter)

The Highway is one of my favorite local bands performing around the Indianapolis area. I had a chance to catch them during a short break before their next gig at Lizard's (Madison and Thompson Avenues) on October 25th. The band's lead guitarist, Vince Brown, sat down with me to talk about their music, live performances, and what they see in their future.

Q. First off, tell me about the guys in the band and how you got together.

A. There's Jason, who sings and plays guitar, Dominick, the bassist, and Jon is the drummer. Jason, Dominick and I have known each other since grade school. Dominick actually lived next door to me growing up in Whiteland. Jon, we've only know for a couple of years, but we've become great friends and now we share a house, which makes it a lot easier to write songs and practice together.

Q. Who are some of your influences?

A. Oh, god, I listen to everything from acoustic to rap. I'd probably say early influences would be The Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, among others.

Q. What about favorite guitarists?

A. Well, there's a lot of them, of course. Lately, I've been listening to Minus The Bear's guitarist, Dave Knudson, who has an interesting neck tapping method which sounds cool. I also have been into Incubus for awhile and I think Michael Einzinger is very talented. I can listen to a lot of different styles and appreciate their talent. Even with older guitarists like Brian May of Queen (he) uses some amazing harmonic effects when playing.

Q. So, what is the music of The Highway like?

A. Oh, we mix in a little of everything from acoustic to heavy rock. We have several songs that go from a softer acoustic sound to a rocker part and back and forth like that. We like to change it up and try different things. Our sound just keeps evolving.

Q. What are your favorite places to perform live?

A. We seem to get a great reception everywhere we go. We had some terrific concerts at Birdy's and U of I this year. We recently played Lizard's and Whit's Inn and had great crowds there. We try to have something for everyone in our setlists by including songs with different styles and tempos. We're always adding our new songs and trying them out live, plus we also play a lot of covers for people to dance to.

Q. Besides the live shows, what else will you guys be up to this year?

A. Record another CD soon, maybe at Upper Room Studios. We have the one (self titled CD) out and we've been getting a lot of response to it. We're hoping to get some more equipment next year and add in some new sounds on the next one.

Q. Where do you see yourself and the band in five years?

A. Well, I would hope to be playing more places outside of Indy. Also, I expect we will be signed with a label by then and have a bigger distribution chain for our CD's. Musically, we will always be changing and experimenting with new ideas, as long as we keep our music accessible for everyone, but not in a totally crappy commerical way. You know what I mean?

Unfortunately, yes, I do. Thanks to Vince for the interview. Their self titled CD The Highway is available at Luna Music in Broad Ripple.

You can listen to their new CD and other songs on their web site. Here's a couple of songs to download:

Where Will You Run To?

Sunday Driving

Enjoy, GB

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's Deliver Extra Helpings

2008-10-09T20:16:00.009-04:00

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's are a local Indianapolis band which has always tried to be a little different. The wierd band name combines a character from the Wes Anderson movie The Royal Tenenbaums with front man Richard Edward's joke on how George W. Bush says "nuclear". Their sound, described as "chamber pop", mixes various genres with a dash of The Arcade Fire, The Decemberists and Bright Eyes. Each track is a little different and should be evaluated on it's own merits. They made Spin magazine's list for breaking new artists of 2008.

Their fans should be delighted this week with the simultaneous release of their CD Not Animal and a slightly different version called Animal! on vinyl and mp3. Apparently, there were some major differences with what the band wanted (Animal!) and what the label wanted to release (Not Animal), which adds seven additional songs on the CD release not chosen by the band. Purists will say you should listen to the band's version, but I'm sure their fans don't mind the extra music.

In fact, the CD release is the only version to include their Indy fan favorite "Broad Ripple Is Burning". I've posted that song and the single "As Tall As Cliffs" below.

Not Animal

Broad Ripple Is Burning

Not Animal and Animal!

As Tall As Cliffs

Enjoy, GB

Tour

October 17th Murat Arabian Room in Indianapolis

October 18th Buskirk Chumley in Bloomington

Discography

Best of Stereophonics CD/DVD Release

2008-10-01T07:28:00.002-04:00

Stereophonics have a compilation coming out October 18th called Decade in the Sun: The Best of Stereophonics. It's a (UK) single laden retrospective of their six album releases, but it also includes two new songs "My Own Worst Enemy" and the new single "You're My Star". It comes with a DVD of 26 music videos.

The CD tracks are weighted more toward the first three releases, 1997's Word Gets Around, 1999's Performance and Cocktails, and 2001's Just Enough Education to Perform (JEEP), totalling 11 of the 18 previously released tracks. I was surprised 2003's You Gotta Go There To Come Back is represented with only one original track, "Maybe Tomorrow" (although later editions of the CD included the bonus single, "Moviestar").

Stereophonics music is somewhat a circular journey starting with a post-punk sound on their first two releases. That grittiness, balanced out with some folksy tunes, captured the hearts of rowdy pint-drinkin' soccer fans everywhere and made them a big draw on british festival circuits. Performance and Cocktails entered the UK charts as number 1 and went platinum within 3 weeks.

In the middle of this retrospective, their sound changed vastly on JEEP and You Gotta Go There To Come Back. The music of this period represents a richer, some would say more mature sound mixing acoustic, folk, blues, rock, and even gospel elements. The music and especially the lyrics expressed a period of transition for singer songwriter Kelly Jones as he ended a long relationship and later became a father. Artists sometimes produce their best work during adversity, and it was this period where Stereophonics crafted songs both beautiful and haunting.

After the release of You Gotta Go There To Come Back drummer Stuart Cable, who named the band after his father's record player maker, stopped touring and then left the group. As alluded to by that CD title, the band came full circle back to their rocker roots on the next album, 2005's Language. Sex. Violence. Other?, and also on last year's Pull The Pin.

Because of this turn around, Stereophonics may have missed the chance to achieve a bigger audience in the US. "Maybe Tomorrow" was getting a fair amount of airplay here and on soundtracks of TV shows (Charmed, One Hill Tree) and movies (Crash, Wicker Park). Americans were just getting familiar with the "mature" Stereophonics, when they changed directions with Language.

This collection is a good starting point for anyone who's a novice to Stereophonics. The DVD may be more of a lure for hardcore fans. Either way, it's a lot of music for the cost. Here is the CD track list:

"Dakota"
"The Bartender and the Thief"
"Have a Nice Day"
"Handbags and Gladrags"
"Local Boy in the Photograph"
"Maybe Tomorrow"
"Superman"
"A Thousand Trees"
"Just Looking"
"Moviestar"
"It Means Nothing"
"Pick a Part That's New"
"Hurry Up and Wait"
"Devil"
"Rewind"
"Mr. Writer"
"Step On My Old Size Nines"
"Traffic"
"My Own Worst Enemy"
"You're My Star"

I'd highly recommend picking up both JEEP and You Gotta Go There To Come Back, if you don't already have them. They are those rare CD's good from start to finish. I've posted some of my favorites from those CD's below.

Just Enough Education to Perform

Mr. Writer

Have A Nice Day

You Gotta Go There To Come Back

Maybe Tomorrow

Also, here's the video for the new single "You're My Star"

Enjoy, GB

Catching Up With Conor Oberst's Latest CD

2008-09-25T22:20:00.001-04:00

I swear they said the car was in lot FU...

Conor Oberst released a self-titled album back in early August when yours truly was on a much needed vacation. I feel I'd be remiss if I didn't get a chance to review it, even belatedly. Conor recorded it in Mexico with his newest project The Mystic Valley Band which includes Jason Boesel, drummer for Rilo Kiley (and also his band The Elected). Jason has also drummed for Bright Eyes on tour and did some work on one of my favorite albums of 2007 Cassadaga.

For such a young career Conor has been with more musicians than Pamela Anderson. Back in 1995, he started the band Commander Venus with Tim Kasher who later launched The Good Life on Conor's Saddle Creek Records label. Tom Fink, also in the Commander Venus, started another band with Conor named Norman Bailer which later became The Faint. In 1996, Conor was also in a band called Park Ave which included Neely Jenkins and Jamie Williams, both now with Tilly and The Wall. Late last year Conor spoke of starting a side project with M. Ward of She and Him although that has yet to materialize. His main band, Bright Eyes is a loose group of who's who indie musicians and friends from around his hometown of Omaha.

So, now that we're up to speed, let's review his new self titled record. First of all, if you like Conor or Bright Eyes, you should definitely like this. The music styles are varied enough on this album that it should have something for everyone. His insightful and honest lyrics are top notch here and fit the musical styles. For example, in "Danny Callahan" he implores us to believe in yourself and not everything people tell us:

So stop reading the weather charts.

Stop counting the playing cards.
There's no system, there's no guarantee

That the love you feel and carry inside can be passed

and later he reminds of our vulnerabilities:

But even Western medicine,

it couldn't save Danny Callahan.

Bad bone marrow, a bald little boy.

But the love he feels he carries inside can be passed.

He lay still,

his mother kissed him goodbye, said 'comeback.'

Where are you going to, alone?

Where are you going off...alone!!

Musically, there is a nice variety, such as the high pitched guitar driven "Souled Out", the alt-country neo-Dylan imitation (without the snarl) "Get Well Cards", the Tom Petty meets Grateful Dead travelogue "Moab" or the rollicking uptempo "Sausalito" where he casually flirts with getting away from it all:

we should move to Sausalito
living's easy on a house boat
let the ocean rock us back and forth to sleep

as if heaven has been laid there at our feet.
in the morning with the sunrise
look in the water see the blue sky

Rating (7.5/10)

Here's some cuts from the new CD and some recent songs from his pals:

Conor Oberst

Danny Callahan

Sausalito

Bright Eyes from Cassadaga

Four Winds

Hot Knives

The Faint from Fasciinatiion

The Geeks Were Right

The Elected from Sun, Sun, Sun

Not Going Home

The Good Life from Help Wanted Nights

Keely Aimee

She and Him from Volume One

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

Tilly and The Wall from o

Pot Kettle Black

Enjoy, GB.

Cold War Kids To Release Sophomore CD

2008-09-18T16:15:00.003-04:00

Excuse us, we're looking for pecans...lots and lots of pecans,

any idea where we can find some?

The Cold War Kids are releasing their sophomore album Loyalty To Loyalty on September 23rd. I've had high expectations from the Kids after their great debut Robbers and Cowards, one of my favorites of 2006. When Rolling Stone previewed it back in August, they described the new album as a "darker sound" for the Kids. After the first few listens, I might not disagree, but I thought their debut was a pretty dark work anyway.

If darker is meant to mean different, I'm not so sure I'd agree. I think these new songs sound like they could have recorded at the same time (and perhaps in the same garage) as the first one. I could even theorize these songs have been sitting in a box on a shelf in said garage covered with cobwebs and totally forgotten about, until now. Or... closer to the truth, maybe these tracks simply couldn't make the cut the first time. This recording feels bare and disconsolate and lacks the hooks which grabbed me on the first outing. I always thought the first album was a dark and grungy affair anyway, but at least it sounded like the Kids were having a good time.

I did find a couple of tracks I instantly liked, which I posted below. You can decide for yourself by streaming the entire album on MTV Leaks. I also included a couple of my favorites from their debut below.

Rating: 6/10:

Local Tour Info:

The Cold War Kids will be performing around the Midwest in October with shows at the Vic Theater in Chicago on the 11th and at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville on the 21st.

Loyalty to Loyalty

Something Is Not Right With Me

Enjoy, GB.

Kings of Leon To Release Fourth CD

2008-09-16T21:14:00.000-04:00

Long hair, check. Jackets, check. Underwear....

oh, damn, not again.

The Followill family, aka the Kings of Leon, are releasing their fourth album Only By The Night on September 23th and I've had a chance to preview all the tracks. I can't say at first listen, I would rank it up there with their earlier works such as Youth and Young Manhood, which established them as the "southern fried Strokes". Certainly, it is not their masterpiece, Aha Shake Heartbreak, one of my favorite albums of 2004. This effort is probably more on par with their uneven, overly polished 2006 release Because Of The Times.

"Closer", which actually is the opener for the CD, has a nice polysynth effect and a great beat, but it never breaks out like you're expecting it to. "Crawl" begins with an awesome intro full of distorted bass and guitars and hangs on for the most enjoyable song on the CD. "Sex on Fire" is a good standard rocker reminiscent of their Heartbreak days with the Kings gushing literally about their favorite subject matter until the chorus of "You, your sex on fire, and so were the words to transpire" just becomes a silly half-hearted attempt to rhyme. From there on out the Kings seem too restrained to ever find the payoff. "I Want You" is a good example with the potential to be a great song, starting with an interesting drum and cowbell beat accompanyed by a solid bass line, but it just never develops much beyond that. It seems to me the Kings have been playing it too safe on the last two releases and simply unwilling to take any chances. They have refined their sound to the point where the urgency has been lost. That urgency on their earlier releases was what made them great to begin with.

I've posted some of my favorites from all four releases below. Compare their earlier work and you can be the judge.

Rating: 5/10

The Kings are on tour with We Are Scientists, but you'll need to a take a short road trip from Indy. They are going to be in Chicago at the Aragon Ballroom on Halloween night and in Nashville at the Municipal Auditorium on November 19th.

Only By The Night
Crawl
Sex On Fire

I Want You

Because of the Times
Knocked Up
On Call

Aha Shake Heartbreak
Four Kicks
Taper Jean Girl

Youth & Young Manhood
Molly's Chambers
California Waiting

Enjoy, GB

Peter Bjorn and John To Release Instrumental CD

2008-09-15T09:17:00.010-04:00

What! You mean all the time we were recording...

the microphone was turned off!

Peter Morén, Björn Yttling and John Eriksson, better known on a first name basis as Peter Bjorn and John, release their new album Seaside Rockon September 23rd. The album is an instrumental soundtrack of their childhood memories in Scandinavia. There are some voices sprinkled in the mix, but they are monologues from native residents. Some songs feature African and Brazilian musical styles, some are more romantic and dreamy, but very little whistling to be found this time.

This CD could be a bummer for fans expecting something along the lines of their excellant indie rock breakthrough and one of my favorite albums of the 2007 Writer's Block. Actually, according to Billboard magazine PB&J are already at work recording the rightful follow-up to Writer's which is expected to drop next year.

Until then, we have this musical interlude to tide us over. The good news is it has some very nice sonic landscapes to it and enjoyable as background music. I've selected a couple of my favorite tracks along with some cuts from their previous efforts and Peter Morén's solo release earlier this year.

Rating: 6/10

Seaside Rock

Say Something (Mukiya)

Collect, Select, Reflect

Peter Morén from The Last Tycoon

Social Competence

Twisted

Enjoy, GB

Up To Speed With Bombay Bicycle Club

2008-09-12T06:07:00.005-04:00

"Ha ha, ha, we seriously thought those were tic tacs, dude, ha ha ha ha..."

The Bombay Bicycle Club may be made up of 18 year olds, but their music is mature well beyond their years. These Londoners just finished a 23 date UK tour where they have established a rep as a terrific live band. Last year, England's music bible, NME, described them "as the hottest band to come from North London for quite some time", but their 2007 EP's were mostly overlooked here in the States. The second EP How We Are was recorded at Konk Studios where the Kooks recorded (and named) their last CD. With the August 4th EP release Evening/Morning featuring a great single of the same name, they are beginning to get more attention here.

Bombay Bicycle Club reminds me of the "wow factor" I felt when I first heard the Strokes Is This It. At times, I can also hear the influences of the Pixies, Sex Pistols and Kings of Leon especially on the track "Open House", which has a similar chord structure to the King's "Taper Jean Girl". Jack Steadman sounds like a young Conor Oberst with even more quiver in his voice. The rest of the band members are Jamie MacColl on guitar, Ed Nash on bass, and Suren de Saram on drums.

It's a good bet that when these guys produce a full length album, they may finally break it big here. In the meantime, check out the new single and these songs from their EP's:

Evening/Morning from Evening/Morning

Ghost from How We Are

Open House from The Boy I Used To Be

Also, here's the video for the single:

Enjoy, GB

Okkervil River Releases Sequel CD

2008-09-09T10:45:00.001-04:00

The band doesn't hunt much, but they do live near a busy deer crossing.

Okkervil River is releasing their new album The Stand Ins today. This is their fifth full length release on the Bloomington, IN based record label Jagjaguwar (Bon Iver, Ladyhawk).

The album is the second part of what was intended as a double CD with 2007's The Stage Names, which was #22 on Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums of 2007 and featured one of my favorite songs last year "Our Life Is Not A Movie or Maybe". There are direct connections between the albums besides the acting references in the titles. The Stand Ins track "(Shannon Wilsey on the) Starry Stairs" is a sequel to Names "Savannah Smiles" about the porn actress Savannah who committed suicide in 1994 after becoming disfigured in a car accident. The William Schaff album covers can be put together to form the completed artwork as follows:

There has been some personnel changes since the last album. In May, the multi-instrumental Jonathan Melburg left to tour with Shearwater, the band founded by him and Okkervil's front man Will Sheff, to support the June release of Rook. Melburg makes guest appearances on the new album along with Charles Bissell of the Wrens. Brian Beattie and Spoon drummer Jim Eno return for production and mixing duties.

If you liked The Stage Names, you should like this sequel. Two of the strongest tracks include the single "Lost Coastlines" and "Pop Lie", an 80's REM sounding track. Here are those tracks and a few past favorites:

Rating: 7/10

Our Life Is Not A Movie or Maybe

Unless It's Kicks

Black Sheep Boy (Definitive Edition)

For Real

Black

Okkervil River has begun an extensive fall tour with the closest scheduled stop in Chicago on October 14th at the Metro.

Enjoy, GB

TV On The Radio New CD and Tour

2008-09-05T14:16:00.001-04:00

TVOTR on tour in support of new album,

realizing their instruments are still on the plane.

TV On The Radio has its newest release Dear Science set for take off on Sept. 23th. Rolling Stone has already previewed it, and given it a big thumbs up, describing it as a "big, beautiful art-rock symphony".

The new album is produced by TVOTR's Dave Sitek and features some help from their friends Antibalas on horns on “Red Dress” and Katrina Ford of Celebration with harmonies on "Lover's Day". This one should expand upon one of my favorites of 2006 Return To Cookie Mountain with more of a multi-instrumental approach.

TV On The Radio will be at the Vogue in Indy on Oct. 19th and I'm sure they'll be playing plenty of their new tracks. I can't wait to hear them, but until then:

Golden Age from Dear Science
Dancing Choose from Dear Science
Wolf Like Me from Return to Cookie Mountain (with Bonus Tracks)
Things You Can Do from Wolf Like Me EP
Staring at the Sun from Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

Enjoy, GB.

Birdmonster Eyes Success With New CD

2008-09-01T15:29:00.000-04:00

Birdmonster (Peter Arcuni, David Klein, Justin Tinuto, and Zach Winter)

wins staring contest, record label will release new CD.

Birdmonster releases From the Mountain to the Sea on CD today. The album is produced by Tom Schick, who has worked with Ryan Adams, Norah Jones, and Rufus Wainwright. This is their second full length release.

Peter Arcuni, a former editorial assistant with Wired, formed the band in 2004 with some Bay Area neighbors and began to built an indie following. Birdmonster may be "the worst-named band in San Francisco", but they believe it captures "the cuddliness and the ferociousness of what they're trying to do." That year they financed and self-released the 3 song EP Birdmonster which caught the attention of the bloggers for "Resurrection Song". In 2006, they released their first full length CD No Midnightwith the help of producer Bradley Cook (Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age) which garnered mostly glowing reviews from the critics.

Birdmonster's music has been described as everything from Tom Petty, Clash-ish, Goo Goo Dolls and, most often, early Modest Mouse circa Lonesome Crowded West. The Tripwire once said to “imagine Modest Mouse in a mosh pit intermittently bashing listeners over the head with a banjo”. About the repeating Modest Mouse reference, Peter said in an early interview "we have one song on our EP that had like a bendy guitar note and it was one of the songs where I go for a little more vocals in terms of screaming, and all of a sudden, people heard that, were like, Ok, there's a bendy guitar note and a scream, Modest Mouse!" Perhaps guitarist David Klein summed up their music best saying "our main goal is to rock so hard one of us faints."

On the new release you can hear a maturity in terms of songwriting and arrangements with the band employing more acoustics such as the mandolin, banjo, and cello. Birdmonster and producer Schick may have toned it down a bit this time, but they still have a powerful passion evident in the single "Born To Be Your Man". It's a great song and picking up some airplay, which may help Birdmonster finally take flight into the public consciousness.

If you want to catch them on tour, you'll have to travel from Indy a bit. They are in Chicago October 24th at The Abbey Pub and Newport, KY near Cincinnati on October 27th at the Southgate House. The rest of their tour is available on their web site Birdmonstermusic.com.

From the Mountain to the Sea
Born To Be Your Man
New Country

No Midnight
Cause You Can
Balcony

Birdmonster
Resurrection Song

Also, check out the video for The Iditarod:

Enjoy, GB

Wake Up and Smell The Music

Snob's Music: Islands: "Vapours" (album review)

***MOVING, VISIT OUR NEW SITE!***

Ryan Adams Cardinology Review

The Highway Stops By For Interview

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's Deliver Extra Helpings

Best of Stereophonics CD/DVD Release

Catching Up With Conor Oberst's Latest CD

Cold War Kids To Release Sophomore CD

Kings of Leon To Release Fourth CD

Peter Bjorn and John To Release Instrumental CD

Up To Speed With Bombay Bicycle Club

Okkervil River Releases Sequel CD

TV On The Radio New CD and Tour

Birdmonster Eyes Success With New CD

MOVING, VISIT OUR NEW SITE!