It’s a silly band name, and my first impression was an alt-folk indie band from the Appalachian Mountains. And yes, after listening to the first seconds of their self-titled debut, I knew I couldn’t be further from the truth.

I probably should have read a little about the band, and then I would have taken a clue that the two New York underground club DJs would follow more along the lines of fellow New York electronic disco band Hercules And Love Affair.

But to be fair The Phenomenal Handclap Band is less house and more pseudo-experimental electronic pop à la Black Moth Super Rainbow, and even then that’s sort of a stretch considering how much of a classic rock vibe permeates TPHB’s sound. I couldn’t help but recall the first time I had heard Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water” when listening to the slow body-moving “Give It A Rest” with images of scantily clad women dancing alone in a haze of smoke.

Rewinding song and repeating imagination track.

“The Journey To Serra da Estrela” opens as a retro funk number with a synth beat that’s one part science fiction, one part video game, and two parts blaxploitation (think Shaft). There’s a little more sexual energy in the soulful “Testimony” and the psychedelic “The Martyr” relishes in its throwback to the folksy sixties.

Numerous guests like Calla’s Aurelio Valle and TV On The Radio’s Jaleel Bunton unite with Collas, Marquand, and the other six TPHB members (Patrick Wood — drums, Nicholas Movshon — bass, Luke O’Malley — guitar, Laura Marin — percussion, Bing Ji Ling — guitar, and Joan Tick — percussion) for some interesting mixes. None more so than the infectious dance track “15 To 20″ where L’Trim’s Lady Tigra joins in the fun.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band’s debut is a pleasant album. It isn’t so appropriate for a club outing, but definitely should be played in the back ground as you’re enjoying a little 4:20 action.

[photo (top) via Meaghan Montagano | photos (middle + bottom) via FotonovaNYC/AlexSolmssen]
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Track list:

1. The Journey To Serra da Estrela
2. All Of The Above
3. Testimony
4. Give It A Rest
5. You’ll Disappear
6. 15 To 20
7. Dim The Lights
8. I Been Born Again
9. The Martyr
10. Tears
11. Baby
12. The Circle Is Broken

Sarah Palin is stepping down as Alakasa governor on July 26, 2009. Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will take over as governor in her place.

In all honesty, she seems the perfect fit for the old Republican guard (2012 Republican presidential nominee) and not the new one.

Olive takes a somewhat different approach with his self-titled debut. While not having the same raw flavor as his previous efforts, Olive does step back a bit to recreate the imaginative sixties by blending the psychedelic and the soulful.

The result is an energetic, yet mellow album that combines the spontaneity of a jam session with the fervor of a never-ending twilight. And it’s easy to see why given that Olive recorded his eponymous debut in a basement vault of a former Cincinnati pawnshop with a whole host of guests — from Jared McKinney and Craig Fox (The Greenhornes), Mike Weinel (ex-Heartless Bastards), and Dan Allaire (ex-Brian Jonestown Massacre) — to join in the fun.

The throwback “Ida Red” starts off with a bang ahead of the twangier “The Day Is Coming (Sainte-Marie’s Dream)” that screams ‘play me’ in a packed dive bar. But oddly though, it’s the more laid-back tracks like the pseudo-boss nova number “Echoing Light” and the folksy ballad “There Is Love” that actually evoke the most memories of a life better enjoyed without a single care in the world. The same goes for the R&B pop of “Jubilee Line” and the strangely seductive jazz offering in “High Low.”

Brian Olive is an extremely diverse album that maximizes the use of simplicity with not a whole lot of fluff and excess. If “Stealin’” sounds rough as if it were recorded live, then you’re partially correct. The Ohio-native Brian Olive used analog tape for the sessions and the natural and cool atmosphere is definitely preserved in his brisk, yet filling debut.

[photos via Pirate! Promotion]
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Track list:

1. Ida Red
2. The Day Is Coming (Sainte-Marie’s Dream)
3. Echoing Light
4. There Is Love
5. Stealin’
6. Jubilee Line
7. Killing Stone
8. High Low
9. See Me Mariona
10. Calling All Around

But only the love for music could explain how a baseball, jazz, and American history scholar (Prystowsky), a NASA technician (Adams), and a painter (Miller) got together to make their brand of blues and folk — which a long way from their classical music roots.

The Low Anthem’s third album Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is consistent in its introspective approach to remind the world there remains beauty and serenity. Part of this success comes from the album being recorded in a distant cabin on Block Island, Rhode Island.

You could easily get lost in the trio’s melancholy with songs like the opening “Charlie Darwin” and the lover’s lamenting “To Ohio,” but they refuse to stay quiet for long on more rowdy numbers like the cover of “Home I’ll Never Be” (Jack Kerouac and Tom Waits) and “The Horizon Is A Beltway.”

As versatile as it is, the band triumphs more on the slow quiet minimalist folk songs like the haunting “Ticket Taker” and the Jakob Dylan-like “To The Ghosts Who Write History Books.” The latter is depressing, if not tragic, with a melody that fills the cracks of loss and sadness with feelings of hope: “Please take along all the best of my luck and come back unchanged / Your demons all tamed / Your flowers uncut.”

Much of the band’s success stems from their down-to-earth sensibility. Acting as their own agent to book shows, the band maintains a strong work ethic to keep them grounded, which Miller recounts, “we learned from all that grassroots sweat how the business side works. So we never had to rely on anyone but the community to come out. It’s been natural and very human” (press release).

The Low Anthem’s Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is a lovely album that yearns to be played while on the porch as the sun sets.

[photo via Sneak Attack Media]
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Track list:

1. Charlie Darwin
2. To Ohio
3. Ticket Taker
4. The Horizon Is A Beltway
5. Home I’ll Never Be
6. Cage The Songbird
7. [Don't] Tremble
8. Music Box
9. Champion Angel
10. To The Ghosts Who Write History Books
11. Omgcd
12. To Ohio (Reprise)