speed of dark

Catching Up With Fields, Alaska In Winter

2008-07-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Fields

At our very first concert after we started this blog, Indie Mom and I were introduced to Fields, who opened for the Dears at the Troubadour back in October 2006. This post is also notable for our worst concert photo, taken with Indie Mom's cell phone because neither of us thought to bring a camera.

Fields had just released the last of several EPs, 7 From the Village, which was followed last year by a full-length CD, Everything Last Winter. They are now about to complete their second CD and have released the first single. Other delightful demo songs from this album are available for listening on their MySpace page.

Worst Love from unreleased 2008 CD
Sisters from 7 From the Village (2006)

MySpace | Label: Atlantic Records
Buy at Amazon.com and iTunes

Alaska In Winter

Brandon Bethancourt, AKA Alaska In Winter, was also featured in our first few months of blogging (Electronic Anthems From Alaska In Winter), and I was treated to seeing him play and meeting him in person last October (Alaska In Winter In Concert). He is one of the nicest guys you would ever meet.

After signing with Milan Records in January and completing a tour of Europe earlier this year, Bethancourt relocated to Berlin, while his first album, Dance Party in the Balkans, continues to gain recognition. One of the songs from that album, "Your Red Dress," was featured on an episode of Grey's Anatomy last season.

Bethancourt is working on his second album and has a schedule of show dates in Europe and the U.K. in September and October, and hopefully a U.S. tour will follow.

Your Red Dress from Dance Party In the Balkans (2007)
Sega Anthem Remix (unreleased demo)

MySpace | Website | Label: Milan Records
Buy at Regular Beat Store, HMV, Rough Trade, and Amazon-U.K.

finally friday

2008-07-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

We wish Taylor from Music for Kids... happiness for his wedding this weekend. Congratulations!

Zeon Music has a host of covers plus a leaked Lily Allen demo.

You Ain't No Picasso reviews an Elf Power show in a small venue.

Yellow Stereo has the lowdown on the upcoming Of Montreal album, due in November, and a tour plus a Watson Twins contest.

Toad gives Beck's latest a grudgingly good review and gets a little melancholy thinking about the past.

Quarterlife Party reviews two tracks from the upcoming Fields album, their second.

Popdose reviews a Fleet Foxes show and resurrects MC 900 Ft. Jesus (bad joke? sorry).

And finally...in case you haven't already seen it, check out Radiohead's crazy lovely video for "House of Cards", made without the use of cameras.

radiohead: i want none of this [buy]
fields: song for the fields [ewan pierson remix]
fleet foxes: white winter hymnal [buy]
neil young: bad fog of loneliness [live 2007]

The Weeks

2008-07-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, an actual rock band from Mississippi--I guess there are a few! (I'm allowed to say things like that because I grew up there) The five members of the Weeks also look like, if all their ages were added together, they'd have only a few more years than I have by myself. Well, maybe not. I am not actually that close to 90. The point is, they are very young for having so much talent; their average age is 18, which means some of them are younger.

The Weeks' debut album, Comeback Cadillac, recorded by former Squirrel Nut Zipper Jimbo Mathus, was just released July 8. From their several listed influences, Kings of Leon, the Color Revolt, and At the Drive-In feature prominently, but I also hear hints of the Killers in there too.

To help them get to Austin City Limits: follow this link.

From Comeback Cadillac:
Altar Girl
Buttons

MySpace | Label: Esperanza Plantation
Buy at Esperanza Plantation Store, Amazon.com, iTunes, and eMusic

Time Travel Tuesday: Tom Waits' Glitter and Doom

2008-07-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

Uncle T, our Dallas connection, saw Tom Waits in concert a couple of weeks ago, and today shares the experience. Waits, with over 30 years' worth of recordings, provides us with a time-traveling setlist.

Tom Waits at the Palladium, Dallas, 6-23-08

The band:
• Tom Waits: vocals
• Omar Torrez: guitar
• Larry Taylor: upright bass
• Casey Waits: drums, percussion
• Patrick Warren: keyboards, accordion
• Vincent Henry: Saxophones (soprano, alto, tenor), harmonica

The show:

The legendary Tom Waits last played Dallas in 1979 and rarely tours, so when I happened to read the announcement of this concert on his “Glitter and Doom” tour, I bought tickets the evening of the day it went on sale. I half-expected it to be sold-out, but it seems that fans could’ve still bought tickets the day of the show, which usually would be unheard of.

My sister (who I generally credit with turning me on to Tom Waits years ago) and I arrived at the Palladium around 6:30 pm, and saw a long line of people waiting to get in. Not good, I thought. After we parked and made our way to the back of the line, we actually got in very quickly.

While purchasing a pre-show bottle of water at the bar, the bartender said they were going to turn off the A/C during the show though she didn’t say why. I thought this very odd, since it was high summer in Texas and had been 95 degrees that day. I learned from that same bartender, after the show while purchasing an after-show water to get my severely depleted liquid levels back up, that Tom Waits had asked that the A/C be turned off for his voice (huh). At any rate, the lack of A/C made for a sweltering time for much of the show and detracted a bit from enjoying it.

The show didn’t begin until around 8:35 pm, and about 30 minutes prior to show time the A/C was cut off and the perspiration began. Body odor competed with wisps of pot smoke. The hot and cramped conditions made for a testy crowd (mostly in the back), though most of the people around us were nice. During one song I witnessed a shoving match and a quick fight in the crowd to my left. It quickly resolved itself somehow.

Tom Waits was in magnificent form, as was his band. He wore a black bowler hat and a dark suit, and the show was pure theater, not unlike a Vaudeville act. He was very physical, pumping his arms up and down, swaying like a teetering drunk, and even doing a Frankenstein walk. He sang very well throughout the nearly two-hour show, so I guess the lack of A/C did its job there. In short they put on a great show, and the skewed and other-worldly nature of his music along with the wilting heat at times complemented one another. However, it still would have been much more enjoyable without the heat.

At some point between songs, a girl in the crowd yelled out: “I’m hot”. To which Tom replied: “I know you’re hot, baby; but not to me. But I know you’re hot to somebody in this world. Perhaps you’ll meet them here tonight.”

The following is the song set list, courtesy of a Tom Waits fan site: Eyeballkid.blogspot. Many of the songs I recognized, but there were a number I didn’t even though I own CDs containing them. He played songs from all over the map from the last 30 years or so. He’s got such a large catalog of work to choose from, and I was generally satisfied with what he played.

Set list (in this general order) and comments:

1. Lucinda (Orphans: Brawlers, Brawlers and Bastards, 2006): Tom came out with both hands raised above his head like a faith healer. The lyrics of this song mention “leaving Texas”, so I thought that may be why he chose it as an opener; otherwise it wasn’t particularly an upbeat number. Starting the show with relatively sedate numbers seemed odd, but as hot as it was that seemed okay.

2. Way Down in the Hole (Franks Wild Years, 1987): This may be one of his better known mid-period songs courtesy of “The Wire” TV show. This was great.

3. Anywhere I lay my Head (Rain Dogs, 1985): Didn’t recognize this slow number, though it sounded familiar. Much better than Scarlett Johansson.

4. November (The Black Rider, 1993): Odd slower number, which again sounded familiar.

5. Chocolate Jesus (Mule Variations, 1999): He brought out a megaphone on this up-beat mutant-gospel number. Very cool.

6. Franks Wild Years (Swordfishtrombones, 1983): Things slowed down again for this jazz-tinged monologue.

7. Singapore (Rain Dogs, 1985): This was a nice old number, with his band cranking out this warped tune. Wonderful.

8. Hoist That Rag (Real Gone, 2004): Tom began the song by shaking a couple of maracas to start the rhythm of this great Latin-sounding song. In concert the song stretched out, with guitar, keyboard, and saxophone solos. It was during this number that a small fight broke out between a couple of people to my left. Just a minor distraction however. My focus quickly got back on this great performance.

9. Get Behind the Mule (Mule Variations, 1999): Great, crazy old song.

10. Such a Scream (Bone Machine, 1992): The Internet set list of this concert listed this song, but I’m not certain he played it.

11. Eyeball Kid (Mule Variations, 1999): This is another one I didn’t recognize at the concert; however, it was done very well. He introduced this number as being about a very small performer, and at first I thought he was going to play “Table Top Joe”.

12. Lucky Day (The Black Rider, 1993): At this point in the concert, Tom sat down at a piano and played a few songs. I was unable to view him because of the crowd in front. Between numbers he cracked a few jokes such as: “Why don’t shrimp make monetary contributions? Because they’re shellfish.” I didn’t even remember this song, but it sounded much nicer in concert than on the original CD (my least favorite of his).

13. Invitation to the Blues (Small Change, 1976): This was the oldest song he played, which I did recognize. Very nice.

14. Lost In The Harbor (Alice, 2002): This was a weird, upbeat number that I had to look up afterwards because I couldn’t place it in concert. It may have been during this song where he swapped his black bowler hat to a matching one with mirrors on it, which spun off light like a disco ball as he twirled around onstage slowly. That was an odd sight along with the music being played.

15. Innocent When You Dream (Franks Wild Years, 1987): Tom got the crowd to sing the chorus on this sentimental grand weeper. I tried singing but my mouth was too dry, so I just enjoyed the moment.

16. 16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six (Swordfishtrombones, 1983): This was a great old stomper. Excellent. He even did a few sharp punctuating whistles (at least I think it was him).

17. Lie to Me (Orphans, 2006): Tom started this song with his own “vocal percussion”, which the band eventually joined in on. This was really cool. Good song.

18. Fannin Street (Orphans, 2006): Tom played guitar on this wonderful grand weeper about a notorious street in Houston, TX. Very nice.

19. Black Market Baby (Mule Variations, 1999): Somebody from the crowd requested he play “Downtown”, but Tom slowly shook his head and said they hadn’t rehearsed that one. He fielded other requests before stating “Here’s one I think you’ll enjoy.” Not my first song choice, but they did a great job with it.

20. Misery Is The River Of The World (Blood Money, 2002): He introduced this song as “Misery”, and did a great job. He may have introduced the band at this point and they left the stage. The crowd clapped for more, and after about five minutes they came back.

Encore:
21. Make It Rain (Real Gone, 2004): This is a great song, and they played it well. Excellent choice.

22. Jesus Gonna Be Here (Bone Machine, 1992): This was another warped gospel number, which the crowd also sang along with.

23. 9th and Hennepin Time (Rain Dogs, 1985): Didn’t recognize this one at all. I think a single light bulb lowered down from the large sculpture of megaphones that hung above the stage while Tom was singing.

24. Time (Rain Dogs, Pt 1, 1985): Tom played guitar on this great old number to end the concert.

Concert afterburn:
“Hotter than blazes and all the long faces” wasn’t just a Tom Waits song lyric, wrote local music critic Thor Christensen in the Dallas News several days later, but “an apt description of Tom Waits’ show at the Palladium Ballroom”. Turns out, there may have been miscommunication between the Palladium staff and Tom Waits’ party about the A/C. Thor’s initial concert review blamed the venue, the venue blamed Tom Waits, and Waits’ party couldn’t confirm. At any rate, lots of people that attended were angry about the heat. I seriously doubt Tom Waits would have subjected the audience to that temperature had he known, so I suspect there had to be a misunderstanding between him and the Palladium staff about the A/C.

MySpace | Official Website | Label: Anti-
Another good TW blog with links to others: Hoist That Rag
Buy at Amazon.com, iTunes

Joseph Arthur - the 2008 EPs

2008-07-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

It's difficult to keep up with Joe Arthur these days. He has released four EPs this year, culminating recently with Foreign Girls. Put these together, and it's the equivalent of a double album. I confess I haven't listened to all of them even though Arthur is worthy of the time.

Arthur created the EPs mostly without his backing band, the Lonely Astronauts. Exceptions are "Rages of Babylon" and "Morning Cup" from Could We Survive, which include Jen Turner. Many are acoustic numbers, while others exhibit the full range of Arthur's production skills. The EPs also include guest artists, like Joan Wasser (Joan As Policewoman, the Dambuilders) on violin and background vocals on Vagabond Skies. Wasser is a long-time friend from their early days of performing.

And of course, this hard-working guy, who somehow has time to paint pictures too, is touring again. He'll be in Los Angeles tomorrow night at the Troubadour. We caught his show last May with the Lonely Astronauts at the Roxy. Unfortunately we will not get to see him this time, which is really disappointing because he is fabulous in concert--a very generous performer who has a lot of respect for his audiences. Don't think that just because he is solo that you'll hear only thin, wimpy versions. Oh no. Arthur can do wonders on stage with a few loops.

Morning Cup, with Jen Turner, from Could We Survive (March)
Killer's Knife from Crazy Rain (April)
She Paints Me Gold from Vagabond Skies (May)
Lovely Cost from Foreign Girls (July)

Website | MySpace | Label: Lonely Astronauts Records
Buy at Joseph Arthur Store, Amazon.com, and eMusic

Show Schedule:
July 15 - Los Angeles, CA at the Troubadour
July 16 - San Diego, CA at Anthology*
July 18 - San Francisco, CA at Great American Music Hall
July 20 - Eugene, OR at WOW Hall
July 21 - Portland, OR at Doug Fir
July 22 - Seattle, WA at Triple Door
July 24 - Vancouver, BC at The Media Club*
July 26 - Guelph, ON at Hillside Festival

Songs For the Birds

2008-07-12T10:17:00.001-07:00

I have to get out of the habit of looking out the window. The little house is empty now. The family moved out yesterday. I watched them, and I was happy for them. But I have gotten so used in the past two months to watching them come and go and spying on their little birdie business.

It's a long story, way too long for this blog, but I'm talking about a pair of Bewick's wrens that built a nest and raised their chicks in the birdhouse we mounted outside our bedroom window. In May we had to remove the nest they had made in our main electrical box, and they were pretty ticked off about that. We weren't sure they would accept the birdhouse as a substitute, but they did.

I watched them bring nest materials, then I watched the male bird bring food for the female incubating the eggs, then I watched both parents bring food when the eggs hatched. I heard the chicks peeping whenever they sensed that the parents were near.

Early yesterday morning, the peeping was loud. The parents were near, but they weren't bringing food. They perched a few feet away from the birdhouse and sang. Occasionally they would fly up to the hole and look in and then return to a near perch and sing some more. The chicks protested indignantly. For the first time, I could see their little heads through the hole.

The first chick ventured from the hole and fluttered to the ground. It was a small, round, fluffy version of the parents. The second chick came out, then went back in! Then popped back out and fluttered down to the ground. The parents flitted about and called encouragement, leading the two chicks away toward our biggest tree, with its branches that reach down to the ground. There they could find food and safety while they gained strength and learned about the big, new world.

I could see a third chick just inside the hole, alone and abandoned. Perhaps it was the youngest, and it didn't feel ready, but it couldn't stay there by itself. After much hesitation it finally pulled itself up and sat in the hole. It lowered one little foot down to the perch like a swimmer testing the water with a toe. Then it slipped, tried to fly back into the hole, but fell to the ground. One of the adults returned immediately to guide it to the rest of the family.

I saw them again in the afternoon in some leaves next to a brushpile. The babies still couldn't fly on their weak little wings, but they were hopping and fluttering around. They opened their little yellow mouths and the parents fed them. A little while later they had moved on.

I miss them. But they aren't really gone. I hear them out in the chaparral on the slopes near our house. I hear the familiar little chirps they make when they're looking for bugs and their longer, trilling songs. Hopefully a pair will come back to the little house next spring.

Neil Young: Birds from After the Gold Rush (1970)

Lover there will be another one
who'll hover over you beneath the sun
tomorrow see the things that never come today
when you see me fly away with out you
shadow on the things you know
feathers fall around you and show you the way to go
its over, its over
nestled in your wings my little one
is special morning brings another sun
tomorrow see the things that never come
today
when you see me fly away with you
shadow on the things you know
feathers fall around you and show
you the way to go
its over, its over

Shearwater: Sing Little Birdie from Palo Santo (2007)

Goldfrapp: Little Bird from Seventh Tree (2007)

The Weepies: Little Bird from Hideaway (2008)

Grand Drive: Birdsong from Everyone (2007)

Nina Nastasia: Bird of Cuzco from On Leaving (2006)

finally friday

2008-07-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

And finally...my personal life has allowed me to return to this blog to bring Alt-gramma a well-deserved break and bring you this week's Finally Friday, which has been on hiatus with me. I'm glad to be back to co-writing this blog, but I'm waaaay out of the loop, since I haven't been listening to much music lately nor attending any shows. I'll count on my fellow bloggers to fill me in on what I've missed, and I'm sure I'll be back up to speed with their help.

B(oot)log has some live Iron & Wine from 2007 (which is about where I feel I am right now, in a time warp).

Check out the video for Beck's latest single, "Gamma Ray" at Count Me Out. The little that I have heard of his new album, Modern Guilt sounds amazing.

Visit the two newest additions to our blogroll, Culture Spill and mp3hugger.

Muzzle of Bees revisits Cracker, posts some AMAZING shots of Haley Bonar, and reviews Wolf Parade's show at the House of Blues, widely known as the worst venue for music bloggers the world over.

Quarterlife Party has the link to NPR's stream of Fleet Foxes live and an interview with the band.

Fellow L.A. blogger Rawkblog reviews the Constantine's show at the Troubadour, my favorite venue that we haven't actually been to at all this year. We'll cross paths later this month at the Wolf Parade show at the Henry Fonda.

On my time off of the blog, I listened most often to my husband's music selections, since we went on a couple of long car rides where my iPod is banished and I have no say over what music we listen to in the car unless I am driving. His music tastes range from classic rock to rap to classical music to college fight songs and to rock, rarely reaching into the usual music that we cover on this blog, with the exception of the Time Travel Tuesdays, for the most part.

While I would call Alt-gramma the queen of the mixtape, since she painstakingly crafts them so that each song leads almost seamlessly into the next, my husband's mixtapes are a mishmash of whatever he feels like putting on them, which means you can have Mozart next to Ludacris, followed by the Ballad of the Green Berets. He also names his mixtapes (and by mixtape, I mean CD) extremely descriptive names like "X" or "C". Helpful when I am trying to find something good to listen to.

Here are a few that we could agree on:

matthew sweet: girlfriend [buy]
al green: love and happiness [buy]
bob marley and the wailers: no woman no cry [buy]
jay-z: i just wanna love you [buy]

Catching Up With HOPUK and Herman Jolly

2008-07-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am always thrilled to hear when we've found an artist just starting out, and then they begin to move up the ladder of success. It makes me feel kind of smug and validated, like, hey! I know what I'm talking about here! Let's catch up with two of them:

Hearts of Palm UK

Their name in lights! From left: Billy Kaye, Erica Elektra, and Frankie Rose

Last September, I introduced the fresh, light sound of Hearts of Palm UK in this post. At the time the band consisted of the two "dames," Erica Elektra and her childhood friend Frankie Rose (AKA Ambi D--glockenspiel, keyboard, percussion), who had just won prize money for best "undiscovered" female music talent in America in a contest sponsored by GenArt & Biore Skin Care. They used that prize money to hire Dan Horne to co-produce with Erica the album they wanted to make. In February, I saw them open for the Helio Sequence at Spaceland. They knew at that time they would be adding at least one new member.

Fast forward to this week, and Hearts of Palm UK has grown to a three-piece with the addition of Billy Kaye on cello, autoharp, keyboard. Furthermore, the little band has just been signed by Hypnote Recording Concern, and their full-length album titled For Life is set for release October 15. It was mastered by Henrik Jonsson, who seems like a perfect fit for their electronica-with-heart style, since his other clients include Peter Bjorn and John, Robyn, The Knife, The Concretes, Camera Obscura, and Lykke Li.

The cherry on top of the sundae is that they are headlining for the first time tonight at the Echo. What a long way to go in just one year! This is the brand-new, dressed-up-and-ready-for-anything version of "People and Logistics," which first appeared on their self-released EP.

Hearts of Palm UK: People and Logistics from For Life

MySpace | Website | Label: Hypnote
See also: Soundboard (formerly L.A. Buzz Bands)

Herman Jolly

A late addition to last night's show at the Echo was Little Pieces, the new project by Seattle's Herman Jolly (center in the photo below), who I featured here back in June 2007 when he had just released his second solo album, Bunker Life. Jolly has also been a member of Hazelwood Motel, who are a fine band too.

Little Pieces released their first album, self-titled, in June, a fine, solid bunch of rockers with the playfulness of XTC and Guided By Voices and the edge of the Pixies. It includes "Candy Stairs," which Jolly also recorded on his 2007 solo album Bunker Life. I wish I could be at the Echo both nights because I would like to see these two bands, but sometimes I can't do everything I'd like to do.

Hey guys, I hope you left those jackets at home

Little Pieces: The Skier from Little Pieces (2008)
Herman Jolly: Candy Stairs from Bunker Life (2007)

MySpace | Website | Label: One Eleven Records
Buy at Amazon.com, iTunes

Time Travel Tuesday: Introducing Frank Fairfield

2008-07-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

This week's Time Travel Tuesday features an unusual combination of very, very old music and a young musician who brings it to life for today's audiences.

I heard from another member of the audience that Frank Fairfield, the young man who opened the Fleet Foxes' two Los Angeles-area shows at the end of June, arrived at our show at the Echo on his bike with his wooden chair and his instruments strapped onto his back, no doubt having just come from an afternoon of busking at a Hollywood farmer's market.

Fairfield, a street musician who plays banjo, fiddle, and guitar and sings traditional folk songs as you would imagine they were sung when they were first written, is only just getting used to the idea of playing music venues alongside rock musicians. He is also an avid collector of 78 rpm recordings of American folk and mountain music and is working on plans to build his own spring motor gramophones. On Saturdays he hosts a radio show of rare, early recorded tunes for The Pathway of the Gramophone.

Fairfield is not only unsigned, he hasn’t even recorded an mp3 yet, but he gives an absolutely amazing live performance. He is skilled at acoustic guitar, fiddle, and the clawhammer style of banjo; and when he performs it’s as if he channels some old mountain man or backporch country blues singer from the early 1900’s.

Luckily, a wonderful person has made two videos of Fairfield's performances so you can see himfor yourself. Here he is on fiddle, playing "Log Cabin In the Rain." The other video is a banjo performance of "East Virginia" that you can view on his MySpace page.

I asked Fairfield what were the songs he played for our show, and these are his own words below. Since he has no recordings of his own, I have looked up some of the songs that he mentions. This old-timey music is my personal favorite in the country genre. My husband, who picks a little bit of banjo himself, is even more into it and has a collection of mp3s.

Frank Fairfield, on his setlist:

1. The set I played that night at the Echo started with a fiddle tune which I tend to call "The Drunkards' Steps" a variation of the tune "Drunken Hiccups"
Mrs. Etta Baker Family and Friends: Drunken Hiccups

2. ...and continuing on fiddle with the regional tune, "Sugar Hill".
Dad Crockett: Sugar Hill from Mountain Frolic: Rare Old Timey Classics

3. Next, on banjo, was a variation on the tune that is commonly referred to as
"I Wish I was a Mole in the Ground" which that particular lyrical arrangement is accredited to Bascom Lamar Lunsford
Bascom Lamar Lunsford: Mole In the Ground
(Find Bascom Lamar Lumsford on eMusic)

4. Then I played "The Mournin' Blues" on git-fiddle (guitar), once recorded by Uncle Dave Macon, which he learned from the black blues singers busking on the streets of Tennessee, the tune being filled with regionalisms and common rural stanzas.
(Find Uncle Dave Macon on eMusic)

5. Then I played "The New Prisoner's Blues" on the banjo, an old traditional tune with couplets dating back to Britain that was devoted to wax by the great interpreter Dock Boggs.
Dock Boggs: New Prisoner's Song
(Find Dock Boggs on eMusic)

6. After that was "Mashing That Thing" a hokum (bawdy) blues on guitar common to the barrelhouses and jook joints of Mississippi, this specific version accredited to the great Bo Carter.
Bo Carter: Mashing That Thing from Banana In Your Fruitbasket
(Find Bo Carter on eMusic)

7. Then I suppose I played "Little Margaret", another ancient British ballad, again on banjo.

8. Last, was that great ol' cowboy ballad "Goodbye, Old Paint" on fiddle.

That last one was my favorite of all. I have never heard a version of that old cowboy song about driving the "dogies" to Wyoming done in the same style that Fairfield played it. The audience, who were so awestruck they didn't even clap in time to the music, exploded with cheers and applause. Hopefully we will see a lot more of him around.

Fairfield's next scheduled show is July 24 at 8 Stories above LA, a monthly event held every third Thursday in a Los Angeles apartment, featuring three performers playing three songs each. The cost is your donation.

Visit Frank Fairfield on MySpace

A Piece of Teddy Thompson

2008-07-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

A Piece of What You Need is Teddy Thompson's fourth album, released June 17. He has worked with both of his famous parents, Richard and Linda Thompson, opening shows for Richard and singing on recordings for both. Besides having inherited a great voice that reminds me a little bit of Jackson Browne's, Teddy has a strong pop songwriting style similar to that of Rufus Wainwright, also the product of famous singing parents, for whom he opened a recent show in London. He can also sound a lot like Lyle Lovett, as on his 2007 album, Up Front and Down Low.

Thompson is currently touring, with a few dates in the U.S. but mostly in the U.K. Los Angeles readers should check his MySpace for updates--a show may be added in our area in September.

In My Arms from A Piece of What You Need (2008)
Shine So Bright from Separate Ways (2006)
Love Her For That from Teddy Thompson (2000)

MySpace | Website | Label: Verve Records
To buy follow links on Teddy Thompson Store

The Dutchess and the Duke

2008-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Dutchess, the Duke and Donnie

Seattle three-piece The Dutchess and the Duke have been opening shows for the Fleet Foxes on their current tour. These photos are from their show with Fleet Foxes at the Echo on June 28. Kimberly Morrison and Jesse Lortz are the two title characters, with Donnie Hilsdat assisting on percussion.

The band draws its song structures from some of the best early 1960s rock like Bob Dylan, girl-groups like the Ronettes, folkies like Peter, Paul, and Mary, and taking guitar chords from the British invasion that brought the Beatles, Hollies, and Zombies to the U.S. The Dutchess and the Duke take this mixed bag of influences and mold something entirely their own from it, with Kim's sweet harmonies contrasting with Jesse's raspy lead vocals.

Most of the songs in the set are from the band's current CD, She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke. The official release date is July 8, but the band is selling the CDs at their shows now.

Setlist:
1. Never Had a Chance
2. Out of Time
3. Ship Made of Stone
4. Strangers
5. Mary
6. Reservoir Park
7. Scorpio
8. Living this Life
9. Back to Me
10. Armageddon Song

MySpace | Website | Label: Hardly Art

Show Schedule:
The current tour continues with Fleet Foxes until the end of the month. Check their MySpace page for dates and venues.

Buffetlibre: Remixing the 80's

2008-07-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

Chanel Anger Happy Funk from sexymess.com

Check out the 80’s cover project by Buffetlibre, a Spanish website dedicated to the promotion of pop and electronic music in legal mp3 format. Rewind is a non-commercial project intended as a unique tribute to music of the 1980's.

The first project, 58 covers and remixes of songs from the great 1980s, was made available on July 1, with the next installment due September 1. The artists include interesting unknowns as well as those whose names are getting to be familiar, like Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and Ruby Isle.

Check out a few of my favorites then look for more for yourself.

Saint Bernadette: Owner Things,
A clever combination of Yes's "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and Howard Jones "Things Can Only Get Better"

Hello Tokyo: Girls - Beastie Boys cover

RAC feat. Karl Kling: Take On Me, a snappy, synthy cover of Norwegian band A-Ha's hit song

I don't remember the original of this song, but this Swedish band has done something really nice with it. They are worth checking out for their own songs as well.
Lucknow Pact: A Flash In the Night - Secret Service cover

Saucy dance-diva Cannonball Jane takes this old, familiar crush to the fantastic.
Cannonball Jane: Crush On You - The Jets cover

Earlimart: Hymn and Her

2008-07-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

Aaron Espinoza
Less than a year after releasing their previous album Mentor Tormentor, Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray of Earlimart are back with another, Hymn and Her, released July 1. The band has not released two albums this close together since their first, Filthy Doorways (1999), and second, Kingdom of Champions (2000), and it was three years between their fourth full-length, the brilliant Treble and Tremble (2004), in which they seemed to nail down their style, and last year's Mentor Tormentor. This sudden burst of creativity is said to come from Espinoza and Murray making a vow to release a record every year for the next ten years. Unless they don't want to.

Earlimart seems in several of the songs on this album to be questioning themselves and reaching out in new musical directions. The result is a much more diverse group of songs than Mentor Tormentor that shows the band breaking out of a song formula that I think had started to be predictable and restrictive.

Hymn and Her most obviously stand for Aaron and Ariana and their band relationship (they are not in a romantic relationship), or an imaginary man and woman trying to negotiate their relationship through rough times and separations. It works on both levels.

Ariana Murray
Ariana's songwriting and vocal contribution to Mentor Tormentor, "Happy Alone," started Earlimart off on an interesting new path last year. This time around, Ariana's role is further expanded, and she rises to the challenge with three of the best songs on the album: "Before It Gets Better," "Time For Yourself" (possibly my favorite on the whole CD), and the much too short "Tell Me."

"Song For" is the first of the dozen, very much in the Earlimart style with Aaron's soft, echoey vocals, but with a tighter, faster pace, more like the best tracks on Treble and Tremble. It would be good to see the band incorporate more of that. The lyrics seem to question why goals have not been reached, and this continues in the next song, "Face Down In the Right Town." It's like Earlimart are wondering why they are not further along than they are.

"Song For":

There's a right way
It's a long way to come down
Took the wrong way
Cause you don't want to wait around.

"Face Down In the Right Town":

The people you counted on
Let you down one by one
So be sure what you're asking for
The telephone don't ring no more

But then Ariana steps in with both encouragement and realism on "Before It Gets Better":

Don't leave soon
Don't leave this room
We'll be on top of the moon
But till then it's a bloodbath
And it's gonna get worse.

"For the Birds" returns to the band's formula, bearing the heavy mark of Elliott Smith, who was their friend and inspiration, but it incorporates some new twangy guitar sounds.

With "God Loves You the Best," Aaron and Ariana experiment with a slower pace and different musical undercurrents, particularly with the churchy organ accompaniment. "Great Heron Gates" is very slow and somber with a pretty acoustic intro. The lyrics of both represent hitting the bottom but still having hope.

Fell down a deep hole
Selling off your soul
But nobody's buying
So keep it close to your chest
Cause God loves you the best

"Cigarettes and Kerosene" is a big departure, sonically and thematically. It begins with a sharp, thwacking beat and has harsher guitar parts. The subject goes back to younger days when it seemed easier to take risks. This is followed by the excellent "Teeth," which bears a musical kinship to "Song For" in its tighter, more controlled feel while keeping intact the melodic qualities that are one of Earlimart's best features.

Then "Time For Yourself" lifts the album and your heart with a beautiful melody carried on Ariana's warm keys and soft vocals. The girl really shows her skills off here, with several different layers of rich synths, including an especially nice piano. Furthermore, this song shows some of the best lyrics I've heard in any Earlimart song, ever.

We didn't see the problems
Up until the point that we solved them
Maybe if we hadn't looked out on the ocean
We wouldn't have fallen in
Now there's a letter on the shelf
Baby, you need time for yourself
I'll give it to you
All the rest seems to logically follow

The title song and the one following, "Town Where You Belong," put the band, its imaginary couple, and the album on a homeward path, binding together the youthful feel of Earlimart's first albums, the mellow calm of its previous two, and a renewed sense of direction. This musical change is emphasized by the last song, Ariana's beautiful "Tell Me," which is more like a dreamy French Kicks sample than anything I've heard Earlimart do in recent years. I only wish the band had worked this into a more extended version. But all in all, I am very happy with this album and thrilled that Earlimart seem so re-inspired and invigorated.

Time For Yourself from Hymn and Her (2008)
Caruthers Boy - B-side of the Answers and Questions single (2006)

MySpace | Website | Label: Majordomo Records
Buy at Electric Fetus (includes bonus 7"), Amazon.com, iTunes, and eMusic
At selected locations, with CD purchase you also receive a bonus 7" single with "Song For" and a B-side "originally sung by a Beatle." In southern California, three of those locations are Amoeba Records in Hollywood, Rhino Records in Claremont, and Mad Platter in Riverside.

Show Schedule:
Earlimart has concert dates and record store appearances beginning next week throught the first week of August to support the new album.
See Earlimart at the Echoplex and An Elegant Evening With Earlimart for our reviews of Earlimart live.

Time Travel Tuesday: More Great Guitar

2008-07-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last several Tuesdays on the subject of the cover article of Issue 1054 (June 12) of Rolling Stone, 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time compiled by writers David Fricke, Brian Hiatt, Evan Serpick, and Douglas Wolk. Last week I posted a few of my own favorite guitar songs that did not make this list, and I'll add a couple more today.

Over a dozen years ago I recorded a live version of the Smashing Pumpkins performing "Siva" that became a much-played favorite. It's still around here somewhere on some scratchy cassette tape. I don't know which concert it was, and although there are many live versions out there on the Internet, I have not found exactly the one that I love. It was much longer than the greatest hits version I'm offering here. I just love how Billy alternately caresses the song lovingly and then shreds the dickens out of it.

Smashing Pumpkins: Siva, originally from Gish (1991)
Smashing Pumpkins' Official Website

Jackson Browne's Late For the Sky was one of my very favorite albums of the 70's. Part of that was that Browne's soulsearching lyrics that gave words to my own yearnings, but the other was the spellbinding beauty of David Lindley's slide. This one is the best example of both.

Heaven is no closer than it was yesterday
And the angels are older
They know not to wait up for the sun
They look over my shoulder
At the maps and the drawings
Of the journey I've begun

Jackson Browne: Farther On from Late For the Sky (1974)
David Lindley's Website

"The Draize Train" is my favorite Johnny Marr song because, as much as I love Mozz, he isn't in it! I usually find instrumentals kind of boring, but this one is just so full of sound and action.

The Smiths: The Draize Train live, from Rank (1988)
Johnny Marr's Website

I could post any one of a dozen Tobin Sprout songs as a favorite, but somehow this little tune from an album of demos and outtakes is a standout for me. Something about his tuning and chords just hits my sweet spot dead-center.

Tobin Sprout: Indian Ink
from Lost Planets & Phantom Voices (2003)

And because once I get started on Tobin Sprout, it's like potato chips--I can't stop--here is another. I just love this guy and can't figure out why Robert Pollard gets so much more glory.

Tobin Sprout: Paper Cut from Moonflower Plastic (1997)

More Tobin Sprout love on Speed of Dark
Photo by Leah Pryde, 2004

Fleet Foxes at the Echo - 06.28.08

2008-06-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

From left: Wargo, Pecknold, and Skjelset
At one point I wasn't planning to go to this show because I knew I would have to go alone, and that's kind of a hassle due to the distance and traffic. But as I was enjoying listening Fleet Foxes' CD and writing my review, I suddenly thought, "WHY am I not seeing these people???" I bought my ticket right then, which turned out to be a good thing. Fleet Foxes sold out all three of their southern California shows, and other dates on their U.S. tour are also sold out.

If you're even considering seeing them, don't hesitate another second to buy your ticket. The current tour is perhaps the last time for Average Joe Concertgoer to see Fleet Foxes in an intimate setting. In the future you will be standing in a crowd at a festival or, if they play a small venue, you'll have to know someone to get a ticket.

Many of those who did hesitate and arrived without a ticket at Saturday night's show at the Echo were disappointed to find they wouldn't get in. However, those who were at the front of the line without tickets got an unexpected reprieve. I don't know how Robin Pecknold (the creative center around which Fleet Foxes revolves) found out there were people without tickets outside, but he appeared on the sidewalk with the band's guest list in hand and put the first five people in line in the empty slots. Then he somehow wangled the next ten ticketless people in as well. I'm not saying this to encourage anyone to try to crash sold-out shows, only to illustrate the generosity of Pecknold's character. It's that same sweetness of spirit that shines through in his songs.

Although the five-member band appeared a bit cramped on the tiny stage (I think I heard keyboardist Casey Wescott say that he wished he could get his feet on the stage) and the room was stiflingly hot, the closeness perfectly showcased all the warmth and hominess that are some of the best characteristics of Fleet Foxes. You could see Pecknold practically blush with pleasure at the enthusiastic applause. Drummer Josh Tillman kept throwing out humorous asides.

Click to enlarge:

Left: Fleet Foxes; Right: J. Tillman

And the sound--oh the sound! It was the best I've heard yet at the Echo. Everything you hear on the record was there, and if anything it was even better. Pecknold has an incredible voice by himself, but the four-part harmonies with Chris Wargo (bass), Wescott, and Tillman were full, on-target, and exhilarating. Lead guitarist Skye Skjelset is the only one who doesn't sing, but he supports more than ably on guitar and mandolin.

The setlist consisted of songs from their Sun Giant EP and their brilliant self-titled full-length, both released this year. They opened with "Sun Giant," the four-part a capella harmonies bringing to mind either a Baptist church choir or a barber-shop quartet. Fleet Foxes have the precision to make either an accurate comparison. On "Drops In the River," which sounded even stronger than the recorded version, Skjelset bows the guitar strings to make that moaning sound.

After "Your Protector," Robin said, "The first half of this next song is a Judee Sill cover." This turned out to be "Crayon Angels," after which he segued directly into "Oliver James" without a pause. The main set ended with one of my many favorites, "Mykonos," from Sun Giant. The last part always makes me think of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young singing "Ohio."

Setlist:
1. Sun Giant
2. Sun It Rises
3. Drops in the River
4. English House
5. White Winter Hymnal
6. Your Protector
7. Judee Sill cover: "Crayon Angels" (lyrics)
8. Oliver James
9. He Doesn't Know Why
(At Tillman's suggestion, Wargo doodled a jazz bit while Robin retuned his guitar to compensate for a broken string)
10. Mykonos

Encore
10. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song -- Robin played this solo on electric guitar while his bandmates restrung his acoustic guitar offstage.
11. Blue Ridge Mountains - gorgeous ending!

Attention vinyl-lovers: LPs are for sale at the merch table.
Shout-outs to all the nice people I met (and remet!) in line and in the audience!

MySpace | Website | Label: SubPop Records/Bella Union | Lyrics
Buy: SubPop Store, iTunes, and Amazon.com

Show Schedule:
Check Fleet Foxes MySpace for dates and venues. Wilco ticketholders in Salt Lake City, Boise, Spokane, and Bend will see Fleet Foxes opening those shows.

Anthem In Debut

2008-06-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn-based Anthem In fits very nicely in the Rogue Wave/Pinback niche while putting their own mark on their infectious, guitar-rich, layered dance-rock.

Allen Orr provides the soft vocals and lashing guitar, with Ashley Proffitt playing some sweet synths. Keith Vogelsong (bass) and Paul Petitto (drums) complete the rest of the sound. Add that to catchy tunes and lyrics that invite a sing-along, and you have an excellent record, which describes their self-titled full-length debut, just released this past week.

From Anthem In (2008):
Hold Onto Me
Down

MySpace | Website | Label: Quiet/Loud Records
Buy: Quiet/Loud Store, Amazon, iTunes, and eMusic

Hot Summer Nights Cooldown Mix

2008-06-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

The heatwave has blessedly relented, but that is no reason for the music to cool down. Here are more hot-weather tunes for your weekend.

Jon Spencer (Yes, that Jon Spencer, of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) goes retro on this smokin' rockabilly number.
Heavy Trash: Kissy Baby from Going Way Out With Heavy Trash (2007)
MySpace | Website | Label: Yep Roc Records
Buy at Yep Roc, Amazon, and eMusic

If you liked the Lilofee song I posted in Monday's Hot Summer Nights mix, then here is another one with lots of attitude! So Katy Perry kissed a girl? Big deal!

Hey mister, hey mister
I kissed your kid sister
Watcha gonna do?
Watcha gonna do?

Lilofee are currently mixing their first full-length album, to be titled The Only Years, due for release at the end of this summer.
Lilofee: Lock and Key
MySpace | Buy: direct from Lilofee
Photo: Kimi Recor of Lilofee

When I first heard this song by State Bird, I scribbled a note to myself: "Get more." The ukelele and accordion at the beginning make you think of Beirut. And then something totally unexpected starts happening: a hot horn section starts twining around a sinuous Far Eastern melody. Folk, country, and totally tribal.
State Bird: The Golden Glowing Mask from Mostly Ghostly (2008)
MySpace | Website | Label: The Record Machine
Buy Direct from State Bird, The Record Store Merch, Amazon, and eMusic

Oliver and Chris Wood, the Wood Brothers, may be considered country, but in truth they can't be pinned down to one style. Folk-blues "Walkaway" is like a nice stroll in the shade. Try also acoustic-flavored "Postcard From Hell," while "Pray Enough" is electric blues-soul that will remind you of Dr. John. This album also includes a duet with Amos Lee on Lee's "Angel."
The Wood Brothers: Walkaway from Loaded (2008)
MySpace | Website | Label: Blue Note Records
Buy: iTunes and Amazon

Lucy Michelle sounds a little like Billy Holiday and a little like Maria Muldaur in "Osbick Bird," a song from a poem by Edward Gorey. She and her Twin Cities band the Velvet Lapelles have just celebrated a CD release party for their first album Orange Peels and Rattlesnakes. It will be available in stores around Minneapolis, and hopefully the rest of us will find it on iTunes soon.
Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles: Osbick Bird from Orange Peels and Rattlesnakes (2008)
MySpace | Label: Unsigned--snap her up!

Bronwen Exeter's vocals give a little Bebel Gilberto flavor to Science For Girls' "14 Days." Although the lyrics mention rainy September, I can also imagine a gentle samba on the beach under palm trees and stars. A perfect ending to a hot summer night.

Never a dull moment
Life is a game of chance,
Wrinkly and inconvenient...
And even the stars are alive
Even the stars at night
Even a star like you can be looking for something

Science For Girls: 14 Days from Science For Girls (2007)
MySpace | Buy: eMusic

Wolf Parade: At Mount Zoomer

2008-06-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

Poster by Spencer’s sister, Zoë Krug Sather
Indie Mom said to me last weekend, "I've been listening to the new Wolf Parade album (At Mount Zoomer), and I just....don't...like it. Maybe I need more time with it."

Of the two of us, she has been much more a fan of that album than I am, although I like several of the songs on it very much. Apologies also had more songs--12--than At Mount Zoomer's 9 tracks, so there were more possibilities to like. I do think she will like it better the more she listens to it. I know I do.

On Apologies, I was generally attracted to the Dan Boeckner tracks more than the Spencer Krug tracks. After I got to know the band well enough to tell their styles apart, it's kind of like Lennon and McCartney. While I think Krug is an inspired keyboardist, I think he needs reining in because he tends to go a bit overboard. Of the several side projects these guys sprouted in the last three years, only Boeckner's Handsome Furs was attractive to me. I'm just not a big fan of the dischordant progressions and broken falsettos that Krug seems to favor.

I understand the band's reason for taking time off away from each other. They needed to forge new and different musical connections and attitudes so as not to make the same album again. In my opinion, they accomplished that mission, with Boeckner's more straightforward, less yelping singing style one of the best improvements to me. Clearly Wolf Parade came back together here with the goal of combining their assests rather than distinguishing their differences. From the first deedle-deedle of Krug's keys on "Soldier's Grin," there is a solid, new assurance, if not the immediate catchiness of earlier songs like "Disco Sheets" and "Modern World"--although "The Grey Estates" comes as close as anything to capturing that.

Krug strengths are sufficiently under control to show them off, especially when he's on the synths, while not getting too carried away. I like the dark and lovely "California Dreamer," "Call It a Ritual" and "Bang Your Drum," and I like his vocals when he's singing "Fire in the hole!" on "Kissing the Beehive." "An Animal In Your Care" grew out of a song that was called "Chinese Way" in last year's concerts, and that is the one song on this CD that I don't care for very much.

While the band may have searched for different sonic inspirations, thematically, WP are still in battle against the perils and shallowness of modern life.

"Soldier's Grin": "...there is a city in my mind...but this place is no friend of mine"

"Language City": all the ringing telephones/there's no one around/We are not at home/Ignore the telephone!"

"The Grey Estates": "out the window the neons sing/a place of telegraphs that don't mean a thing""

"Kissing the Beehive": "You put your face on the glass/And you called it good cinema/As if you didn't know that it would sting"

I have not found a lyrics site for this album, so it's possible that these lyrics here are not perfect. Photo: this is why I love Dan.

I'm not sure at this point if At Mount Zoomer will be among my top albums at the end of 2008, but it's very likely that one of the songs will be on my list. The main contenders are "California Dreamer" (which evolved from "Stevie" a song they performed during last year's concerts), "Fine Young Cannibals," and especially the lengthy and powerful "Kissing the Beehive" (a shorter version was performed as "Crazy Horse" last year). Those three, especially "Beehive," show the fusion of Boeckner's and Krug's talents at their best, which creates the essence of Wolf Parade that makes the band far more than the sum of its parts.

Fine Young Cannibals from At Mount Zoomer (2008)
Crazy Horse (early live version of "Kissing the Beehive,"
recorded at Download Festival, Tweeter Center, Mansfield, MA, August 18, 2007)
I'll Believe In Anything (acoustic piano version),
original version on Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005)

MySpace | Label: Sub Pop Records
Buy at Sub PopX and receive the poster above until they run out. I love Dante as a bunny.
iTunes, and Amazon.com

Show Schedule:
Wolf Parade kicks off a comprehensive tour of the U.S. on July 7 in Pontiac, MI. They are amazing to see live. See Wolf Parade at the Glass House for our review and photos of an excellent show. We're seeing them again next month!

Photos of Spencer Krug and Dan Boekner by alt-gramma, Speed of Dark.