Photos by Bobby Lilly [W]ith so many amazing bands and solo acts coming out of Sweden, particularly in the last 15 years, one wonders if there’s something in the water. The country is widely known for cultivating and encouraging its talented citizens, and art of all kinds has become one of its most valuable exports as a result. This Friday, a pair of Sweden’s most recent gifts to the music scene made their way to Portland. The two sisters of First Aid Kit, born near Stockholm in 1990 and 1993, respectively, form a folk-pop duo that channels great musicians of…
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Ben Gibbard – Something’s Rattling (Cowpoke)
[F]or an artist who has had so many successes as part of a variety of bands and side projects, it’s hard to place solo projects. Is this a direction the artist is headed? Or some combination of a few different projects? But Ben Gibbard has made it easy for us to figure out. His latest album, Former Lives, is not a new direction or forgotten Death Cab tunes. With these 12 tracks, Gibbard is closing the door on the last 8 years of his life by finally putting the bits and pieces of old relationships and travels into song.
Anybody who has ever traveled, missed or regretted an opportunity in some point in their life will find something in this collection of songs. It really is a diverse and varied collection, from the mariachi-tinged Something’s Rattling (Cowpoke) to the sadly effervescent duet with Aimee Mann, Bigger than Love. On the opening minute-long Shepherd’s Bush Lullaby, Gibbard narrates a drizzly walk through London as a “melancholy whimsical tune,” he sings. It’s just enough hook you in on one fifty-second snapshop of a day in his life while traveling.
The Aimee Mann duet is another standout from the album. There’s actually a similarity in Ben and Aimee’s voices that works surprisingly well. A track about Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald’s tumultuous relationship, the two have made the ages old story relevant for 2012. One of the biggest surprises of the album is the mariachi-backed Something’s Rattling (Cowpoke) that’s an old cowboy tune. But when Ben sings it, it suits his voice and personality perfectly. “It’s always summer, in the southern state and it’s a comfortable life and a beautiful place.”
Broken Yolk in Western Sky is a alt-country track that soothes with its smooth pedal steel accents. One of the oldest tracks, Broken Yolk used to be a staple in his set when he played solo acoustic shows back in the early 2000s.
With such an eclectic collection, Gibbard has kept the theme of this album tight and succinct. And it completely works. Definitely check out this album, as you’re sure to find something (or many things) you love. Ben Gibbard
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will be out on tour to support this album, dates are below!
2 Comments[L]ondon’s The Jim Jones Revue have made a name for themselves as a high octane rockabilly thrill ride, often described as “teeth chattering,” and not unlike Jerry Lee Lewis’ Great Balls of Fire shot through a particle accelerator at Dr. Feelgood’s Milk and Alcohol. The band’s previous records have spent enough time in the red to make the Stooges sound tame, but their third album, the Savage Heart, exhibits a new found sense of restraint that transforms the band from garage rock novelty to full on rock & roll powerhouse. The familiar sounds of hard-charging rockabilly are certainly present and…
2 Comments[J]emez Mountain Hawkz have released their debut EP, Hey-Mez, just as New Englanders contemplate the passing of summer and fill with dread at the thought of the coming winter. What can we do to prepare for the dark and cold besides hoarding whiskey and purchasing a sun lamp? Fear not music lovers, the answer lies in the soothing sounds of the 5-song EP delivered with love, and a shot of south-western sunshine, to help us make it through. The opening track, “CA-2,” is filled with harmonica, jangly-guitars, and ends in a chorus of “ba-ba-bahs,” all of which will make any…
3 Commentsphotos by @bosconcertphoto [L]ast week we were treated to a nice show at Great Scott. It seems as though a lot of people were excited to see this show, as I arrived at the venue to see a line out the door, even on a cold night in Allston, everyone was excited to see this one. The night was highlighted by Emily Wells’ standout set. She mans the stage entirely alone, creating loops based off of the many instruments she plays while on stage, looping them all together with heavy bassy beats. It’s really something to hear, the elegance of…
2 Comments[M]ix two parts smooth Southern California style and one part bluesy-britpop, with a dash of 60’s soul, and you have a refreshing, rock-n-roll cocktail called Terraplane Sun to enjoy. Formed in 2009 by singer/guitarist Ben Rothbard and bassist Chris Campanaro, Venice Beach band Terreplane Sun have soaked up a good amount of publicity, by way of song placements in Showtime and FX shows, along with all that warm Cali sunshine. Their self-titled, debut album, was released in June of that year to critical praise and the band became well known for their intense live performances. Terraplane Sun then went into…
5 CommentsPhotos by Bobby Lilly [T]here are moments in life that pulsate with possibilities – moments you know will blossom into incredible stories you will happily retell for years. So when someone offers you the opportunity to cover a local opener plus an Australian headliner who are playing aboard a sternwheeler on the Willamette River in a nautical steampunk-themed celebration, you do not refuse. You rearrange your schedule, work out the logistics, and you get on that boat. The aforementioned party was the third of four Music Experiment events scattered throughout the U.S. this year. This was the result of a…
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There are few bands these days that can pull off concept albums. Even fewer that can manage the feat on their debut album with great success. Lord Huron’s debut album, Lonesome Dreams has managed to do both. A debut album that chronicles the tales of a lonesome cowboy traversing the west, the L.A.-based band’s debut is one of 2012’s strongest. Sure, these songs are about starry skies on prairie plains, but the sound that each and every song encompasses is a new sound of indie folk: cowboy dream folk.
In Time to Run, this lonesome cowboy is ready to skip town. “It’s time to run, they’ll string me up for all that I’ve done,” but not before he pays one last visit to his girl: ” I did it all for you, I hope you know the lengths I’ve gone through.” Songwriter and vocalist Ben Schneider said the band’s sound is influenced by movie soundtracks, which is why this tune sounds like it’s straight out of a western. The bad boy strolls into town, topples over the counter in a bar fight and has to flee but manages to plant one on his gal before disappearing into the sunset. But what’s more impressive is that at no point is this the least bit cheesy, which is due largely to the sound that Lord Huron has crafted, that perfectly suits their stellar songwriting.
The entire album features an assortment of organs and strings plus chanting, whistling and plenty of jangle. Yet each song soars through harmonies and choruses. If the Wild West is your cathedral, then this is your worship music. In the title track, Schneider describes the landscape of his dreams, “I land on an island coast where the only souls I see are ghosts. I run through the wooded isle, and chase the sunset mile after mile.” But the dream isn’t about this magical land, but about the freedom of being alone: the true tennet of a lonesome cowboy. “I’ve been dreaming again of a lonesome road. Where I’m lost and I’m on my own.” Sure, being lonely is not new to folk music. But the lonesome days in these songs are not sad or depressing, but exciting and freeing. Lord Huron has perfected the dreamy folk that perfectly captures desert sunsets and endless starry skies, viewed without a soul in sight for miles and miles.
On The Man Who Lives Forever, the track opens with a jangle and faint forest sounds, before opening with the ever-optimistic, “I said that we’re all going to die,” before continuing on with words that when sung, seem true: “but I’ll never believe it. I love this world
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and I don’t want to leave it.” It seems Lord Huron could turn anything into a song, and it would not only be beautiful, but as every song sounds like its spoke with well-earned wisdom, we’d believe it to be true in a heartbeat.
The band is currently out on tour in support of Lonesome Dreams and it should be an amazing set to catch live. In fact, they’ll be at the Great Scott on Thursday and tickets are $10. ONLY TEN DOLLARS! No excuses, I better see you there!
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[G]one are the ghost stories. Freelance Whales’ new album Diluvia, out today, is — according to the band — “a record about the possibly survival, or peril, of space-faring humans and other arguable fantastical scenarios.” But don’t let that deter you. It sounds a lot more serious than the record actually is. Afterall, the only peril these astronauts could run into would be forgetting to bring
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their banjos and xylophones along for the ride. If Weathervanes was a homecoming, Diluvia is an escape.
In 2009 Freelance Whales released their debut album Weathervanes, an album that sounded like it was recorded in an old, worn house, with tracks that grew louder and louder until they warmed and filled the entire home. The Brooklyn quintet has managed to hold onto this ability to build and layer music, which is undoubtably one of their strengths. What’s different on this album, is the expansive and atmospheric sound, due mostly to the prominence of synthesizers on every track. Of course, there was plenty of synthy pop on their last album. But for every track or chorus that featured synths and electronic sounds, a banjo, glockenspiel, xylophone or clapping answered back. On Diluvia, there’s hardly a track that doesn’t bring the electronic sounds to the front.
Follow Through, starts off with the usual building of ambient noises. Then Judah Dadone’s vocals come in and the synthesizers build around him to a chorus that sounds like it’s straight out of the 80s. Though in their defense, I believe that is a bit of banjo I can hear tinkering in the background. But somehow this all works — as most Freelance Whales tracks do — and captures both the unknown and the fantastic.
Another new feature of Diluvia is that there are more tracks with Doris Cellar exclusively on lead vocals. Splitting Image puts Cellar’s vocals on display, with a chorus of ‘hoo-hoo’-ing harmonies. And then again on Winter Seeds, which is a much slower track, it is the banjo and accompanying harmonies that balance out Cellar’s airy vocals. In fact, it seems quite a shame that we didn’t get much of Doris’ lead vocals before this point. Judah’s back for the floating Red Star, and quite frankly, his vocals sound better than ever on Diluvia. It sounds like he’s toned down the ‘cute’, which is definitely a good thing.
In the end, Freelance Whales have swapped their clatter for a more atmospheric sound, and if you’re up for 53 minutes of soaring tunes about light beams and rations to go anywhere, this album is a success. The band is out touring in support of their new album, and will stop by Boston in early November. Check out the rest of the tour dates below:
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