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ALBUM: Live at First Ave. by Mason Jennings + NEW RECORD coming this month!

September 7, 2010 in ALBUM, NEWS by Tobler | No comments

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Well this is exciting: Mason Jennings released a live album two weeks ago AND I HAD NO IDEA. On Sunday I happened to notice a friend’s facebook status about how much he was enjoying “Mason’s new album” and I was like “huh?” So I looked, and there it was – Mason Jennings, Live at First Ave. So naturally I bought it and gave it a giddily thorough listening.

It leans heavily on his newest material (all but one track from Blood of Man shows up here), and much older material (like songs from ‘98 to ‘04). In fact, a beefed-up “Be Here Now” is the only song to show up at all from Mason’s two records between 2004’s Use Your Voice and last year’s Blood of Man. This isn’t too surprising, since he’s playing with the same band he toured with after Use Your Voice: Chris Morrissey and Brian Mcleod (this is the unbeatable incarnation of Mason’s band that was documented on the Use Your Van DVD – a personal favorite). Of the new stuff, it’s genuinely great to hear full-band versions of these more rockin’ tunes, especially songs like “City of Ghosts” and “Lonely Road”. “The Field” is perfect (that song is flat-out made to be played live), and it’s a revelation to hear “Sing Out” without that awful Incubus-like distortion that mars the studio version. I could have traded in some of the newer songs for some older favorites (“Jackson Square” or “The Mountain” perhaps?) – but that’s a small qualm, especially since there are some other great surprises on here. First of all, we finally get a recorded version of “Lonely Computer Screen”, a great song that originally showed up on the aforementioned Use Your Van DVD, and has since disappeared (oddly Mason introduces it here as “never been played live”… maybe he meant since 2004?). Then two really old songs show up, “Born” and “Grow Old With Me” – two favorites of mine from Mason’s old Cave bootlegs that are floating around the internet. To get a taste of how Mason’s live sound has changed over the last 12 years or so, here’s one of those Cave recordings of “Grow Old With Me” along with the version from Live at First Ave.:

mp3: Mason Jennings – Grow Old With Me (live at The Cave circa 1999)
Live bootleg

mp3: Mason Jennings – Grow Old With Me (live at First Ave. 2010)
from the album Live at First Ave. (buy it here)

The disc ends with a bang with “Blood of Man”, “Rebecca Deville” and “Godless” (so great). Sadly, there’s not a ton of improvisation throughout the show – aside from a little slide guitar over some songs and an amazing breakdown on “Blood of Man”, most of these songs sound a lot like their studio versions. But I might just be picking that out because I’ve been listening to a lot of live Zeppelin lately, so take that for what it’s worth. Overall the album is a ton of fun, and a great addition to any Mason fan’s collection.

NOW THE REALLY EXCITING NEWS: Mason’s releasing another new record later this month! It’s going to consist of older material re-recorded by Mason with just his voice and guitar, a la 2002’s Simple Life (one of my all-time favorite Mason records). It’s going to be called The Flood, and it’s going to be awesome. Just wait. You can read some more background on Mason’s website, then check out these old recordings from The Cave around ‘99 or so. It’s a good bet the first song will show up on the album (duh), but the next two are just hopeful on my part…

mp3: Mason Jennings – The Flood (live at The Cave circa 1999)
Live bootleg

mp3: Mason Jennings – Bhikku (live at The Cave circa 1999)
Live bootleg

mp3: Mason Jennings – Flight Path (live at The Cave circa 1999)
Live bootleg

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ALBUM (er, EP): Down Comes the Rain by Hurricane Bells

September 1, 2010 in ALBUM by Tobler | No comments

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Hurricane Bells are following up last year’s album, Tonight is the Ghost, with a new 5-song EP called Down Comes the Rain – made up of two new songs and three covers. Like Tonight is the Ghost, Steve Schiltz wrote and recorded the whole thing in his Brooklyn apartment, but this time he’s assisted on vocals by Ashen Keilyn (of Scout) and will be releasing the EP on his very own Invisible Brigades label. Of the new songs I particularly like “The Waiting Song”, a jangly little number that manages to sound quintessentially Hurricane Bells-y, even with just one album to their name. In addition, the covers of East River Pipe’s “Make a Deal with the City” and Blue October’s “Into the Ocean” are both very good. Other new song “The Deep End” is enjoyable, and his duet with Keilyn on a cover of The Shirelles’ “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” is a quaint closer.

Stream the whole thing for free on the Hurricane Bells’ website – and if you pre-order the EP over there, you’ll also get a free remix EP called Ghost Stories, featuring remixes of four songs from Tonight is the Ghost and “Monster”, the track Hurricane Bells contributed to the soundtrack of that one movie you loved.

mp3: Hurricane Bells – The Waiting Song
from the album Tonight Is The Ghost (pre-order it here)

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ALBUM: Catching A Tiger by Lissie

August 16, 2010 in ALBUM by Tobler | 2 comments

lissie-catching-a-tiger-408x400You probably already know that I adore Lissie. Her gorgeous debut EP, Why You Runnin’ stopped me dead in my tracks, and then her live show stopped me even deader in my tracks (that’s a saying, right?). In the realm of singer/songwriters she is an out-and-out superior talent, so of course I was excited to hear her debut album, Catching A Tiger. So excited in fact, that I couldn’t even wait for our pre-release review copy to arrive, and I had my sister who was in the UK this summer send it to me (it was released there in June). It’ll be released here in the states tomorrow, and after listening to it for a couple weeks I’m here to tell you that it is a great record. BUT. It’s also a sort of cautionary tale for new artists. Let me explain:

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ALBUM: The Suburbs by Arcade Fire

August 12, 2010 in ALBUM by Tobler | No comments

Arcade-Fire-The-Suburbs

I’m not going to write much about this album, except that you really need to be listening to it. And I mean that. As in you really need to be listening to it. In a year that’s produced some stunning albums, this one might actually be my favorite of the year (and maybe even my favorite of their catalog). I know, I know. Those are lofty claims, and I’ve only had the album for a little over a week – so we’ll just have to wait and see if I’m simply enamored or if this thing holds up over time… but I have a hunch this is gonna last. And trust me. You need to be listening to this.

mp3: Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
from the album The Suburbs (buy it here)

mp3: Arcade Fire – Half Light II (No Celebration)
from the album The Suburbs (buy it here)

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ALBUM: The Reluctant Graveyard by Jeremy Messersmith

August 11, 2010 in ALBUM by Tobler | No comments

reluctant-graveyard

With The Reluctant Graveyard, the third album from Minneapolis native Jeremy Messersmith, not only does he finish his “life cycle trilogy”, but he manages to illuminate his first two albums in a way that they’ve  never been before. His first record, The Alcatraz Kid focused on youthful exuberance, then The Silver City centered around the doldrums of work-a-day living – now The Reluctant Graveyard (which primarily deals with death) adds a dimension of mortality to both of those records, imbuing them with a clarity that only comes with the knowledge that things end. With it, Alcatraz’s songs about youth become somehow more valuable, and Silver City’s tales of dead-end jobs and missed opportunities become even more tragic. In addition to all that, on Graveyard Messersmith has also managed to craft some of his absolute best songs yet.

Messersmith has always flirted with 60’s pop, but here he’s finally mastered it, and on songs like ”Dillinger Eyes” and lead single “Violet!” you can almost hear the Zombies or the Kinks in the studio with him. Apparently he also had a string quartet on hand which helps round out several of the songs nicely (see “Organ Donor” and “Knots”), but at the expense of some of the little bleeps and boops borne of necessity that made his first two records so charming.

The first half of the record is practically perfect – especially when you hit the three-song run of “Toussaint, Grey, First in Life and Death”, “Violet!”, and “Knots”, and although the album slows down a bit on side 2, there are still great songs all the way through, and this is definitely a record worth checking out – especially since you can name your price at his bandcamp page. So yeah. Get on that.

Also if you’re in Indy, Jeremy Messersmith will be stopping by the White Rabbit Cabaret this Friday for just $5, or $7 at the door. You should go.

mp3: Jeremy Messersmith – Toussaint, Grey, First in Life and Death
from the album The Reluctant Graveyard (name-your-price for it here)

mp3: Jeremy Messersmith – Knots
from the album The Reluctant Graveyard (name-your-price for it here)

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ALBUM: High Violet by The National

June 17, 2010 in ALBUM by Tobler | No comments

the-national-high-violet

By now I’ve had quite a while to sit on The National’s new record, High Violet – but due to a crazy month of various other responsibilities I haven’t been able to get my feelings about it down until now. It’s a bit late in internet terms, and doubtless many of you have already fallen for the album, but here’s my thoughts anyway…

It’s been hard to pin down exactly what it is I love about The National – by all accounts they’re a pretty nuts and bolts rock band. There’s Matt Berninger’s rumbling baritone, and then there’s the fact that these guys are undeniably brilliant musicians with an uncanny ability to build and release tension. But it was while listening to High Violet that I realized something special about this band – and it’s the fact that they’re no rock stars. If you look at the bulk of those making this kind of music (today or ever really) it’s overwhelmingly dominated by two kinds of people: the youth and the rock stars. The youth are innovative and often relatable (we’ve all been there), but they’re also often limited by their experience – this love really will last forever! or, breaking up really is the end of the world! The rock star is arguably older and more experienced – but no matter how good they are at expressing their thoughts on life, the fact just is that their life experience is very different from most… and tends to diverge more and more as their rock-stardom increases. But Matt Berninger, throughout The National’s albums, has been able to consistently make music from the everyman’s perspective – singing about toiling at dead-end jobs, working to pay off debts, and living in real relationships (both succeeding and failing). And somehow he imbues these experiences with the kind of dramatic importance we all feel, because it’s our life.

High Violet not only touches on all these things again, but it does it with a confidence that they haven’t attained before. Not only is this one of The National’s best albums, but it is simply one of the best records I’ve heard all year.

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ALBUM: Rabbit Songs by Hem

June 6, 2010 in ALBUM by Logg | 1 comment

hem

A little over a year ago my oldest brother Ty started sending me music. Most of these gifts were no doubt the result of his frequent trips to the nearby thrift store. I imagine that he has duplicates of what he sends me and that perhaps since we’re brothers we share the trait of not being able to see a favorite album languishing in a used bin. The albums Ty sent me were rarely anything too modern, most are between 5, 10, 15, and even 30 years old, but each was something special. Most have been absolute eye-openers to me. Moments in music that I’d forgotten, never heard, or never really appreciated. Ever since writing about one of these albums, I’ve been throwing around the idea of writing about the rest, not as some cheesy homage to my brother Ty, but because its good music.

So I’ll start at the beginning with the first album Ty ever sent me, Hem’s Rabbit Songs released in 2002.

Ty sent me this album after we talked about Leslie Feist (who had just released The Reminder) and how we both loved good female vocals. About a month later I got this CD in the mail along with this note:

Logan, (Notable because no one in my family actually calls me this. Weird.)

This CD is one that I’ve listened to a thousand times – I just love the voice. Maybe you won’t like it – pretty mellow late night or Sunday morning music and maybe it takes a few listens to grow on ya. Beautiful music though.

This is music that fits a mood perfectly. Its about 1 AM as I write this, I’ve spent the day researching and getting virtually nowhere on a paper I’m writing and I just felt like I needed some time to cool down before going to bed. Hem is some perfect unwind music for the end of a stressful day. The music itself is a gentle union of folk with pop and bluegrass elements and Sally Ellyson’s vocals are strong, but soft. For me this album is the musical equivalent of comfort food and a warm bed.

mp3: Hem – Halfacre
from the album Rabbit Songs (buy it here)

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ALBUM: True Love Cast Out All Evil by Roky Erickson w/ Okkervil River

May 13, 2010 in ALBUM by Logg | No comments

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There is a lot of back-story behind this album. A lot of press about Roky Erickson, his past, and now his triumphant return to music with True Love Cast Out All Evil. However, if we were to ignore everything that went before this album, not allow Roky’s story to skew our thoughts, this album would still be sensational. There is no denying the beauty of the music and Roky’s voice sparkles with sincerity.

But when you know the history, the dark and heartbreaking history, this album becomes something else entirely.

A simple collection of songs becomes the autobiography of a man, the destruction of his life, being brought down by unbearable burdens, and then his final redemption. Ultimately, this is a story of redemption where the album you’re listening to is the climax. The album doesn’t just tell the story, it’s part of the story, and its the happiest part of the story. So even when this album is at its darkest, it still shines just because you’re listening to it. Does that make sense?

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ALBUM: So Runs The World Away by Josh Ritter

May 3, 2010 in ALBUM by Tobler | 3 comments

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One thing’s for sure: Josh Ritter knows how to kick off a record. In 2006 he opened his fourth album, The Animal Years, with “Girl In The War” – the perfect introduction to the sepia-toned world of quiet desperation the characters of that album inhabited. A little over a year later the romping and ultra-literate “To The Dogs Or Whoever” set the pace for the beefier but equally affecting The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter. Both “Girl” and “Dogs” stand strong by themselves (”Girl In The War” remains one of my all-time favorite songs), but they’re even stronger as the thesis for what’s about to follow them – two strong records, each with a distinct vision and aesthetic.

Well once again Josh has captured the entire spirit of his record in a single song, “Change of Time“. It opens So Runs The World Away with the lines, “I had a dream last night/I dreamt that I was swimming/And the stars up above/Directionless and drifting” – introducing us to the wistful and dreamlike air that permeates this album, right from the ambient electric guitar intro to the twilight melodies of the closing track “Long Shadows”. In between are Josh’s most fleshed out and fully realized songs ever, both lyrically and sonically, woven together to create a complex and beautiful record.

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ALBUM: Come What Will by Patrick Park

April 12, 2010 in ALBUM by Logg | 1 comment

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I’ve always said that if I could write and play music, I think it would come out sounding like Patrick Park.

Something about his music has always resonated with me. It feels personal and honest. A genuine singer-songwriter creating elegant and simple music that can swell to something complex and beautiful.

His newest album, Come What Will, is all of those things.

It sounds insulting to say, “Patrick Park is back with more of the same.” But those of you familiar with Patrick’s music will know this is not a bad thing. Patrick has craved out a nice little place for himself as an artist. He has a sound all his own and I wouldn’t be surprised to find his albums tucked away in the personal collections of some of my favorite artists.

stream: Patrick Park – You’ll Get Over
from the album Come What Will (buy it here)

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ALBUM: Go by Jónsi

March 29, 2010 in ALBUM by Tobler | 1 comment

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Every now and then there comes a record that I just can’t turn off.

It doesn’t happen quite as often since we started this blog – mostly because we constantly have new music pouring in and we try to listen to as much of it as we can. That’s both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because there’s so much more exposure for smaller artists, and so much more ability to find and define your own musical taste. Bad because I’ve felt my musical attention span getting shorter and shorter over the last few years, and I spend far less time with a single record now than I did, say, five years ago. I’ll be honest, I think about it fairly often – and it makes me pretty sad sometimes. I think it’s one of the symptoms of a general information-overload – where too much is available and too little is valuable (or even valued). And I’m not even talking about illegal downloading – I’m just talking about how much there is to be exposed to online. You could go online for fifteen minutes and listen to maybe 100 different artists from around the world without downloading a single track. But how many of those artists can really touch us in the fraction of a second we give them?

I could go on, but I’ll spare you. The point I started out making was that even with all my worrying there are still some records that break through the haze and force me to pay attention. Go, the new album from Jónsi (the singer and guitarist for Sigur Rós), is one of those records.

Put most simply, this record is beautiful. Fans of Sigur Rós won’t be surprised at that. In fact, on first listen it might be hard to distinguish much difference between Jónsi’s work here and his work with his usual band-mates. There’s still the grandiosity, the instrumental and vocal swells, Jónsi’s gorgeous voice, the same impeccable quality of work. But there are some very poignant differences. An obvious one is that Jónsi sings in english here. Another is that indie darling Nico Muhly took over the string arrangements (listen for his signature flourishes all over the track below). But there’s a more significant difference between Go and most of Jónsi’s other work. As much as I love Sigur Rós, it’s true that most of their music, beautiful as it is, tends toward the melancholy. With the exception of songs like “Gobbledigook” on 2008’s Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, most of Sigur Rós’s catalog can be pretty blue overall. Not so here. Not only is Go not particularly melancholy, it’s downright exuberant. There’s a sort of childlike mirth that permeates most of these tracks, the kind that makes you feel like everything’s right with the world.

This song is a perfect example. It’s the lead track from the record, and it’s kind of a cross between Sigur Rós’s dramatics and Shugo Tokumaru’s pocket-orchestrating, with Nico Muhly’s arrangements filling out all of the cracks. Listen to it, and I dare you not to smile.

Go is out April 6, 2010.

mp3: Jónsi – Go Do
from the album Go (buy it here)

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ALBUM: Odd Blood by Yeasayer

February 22, 2010 in ALBUM by Logg | No comments

yeasayerI’m currently in the throws of some diabolical sickness that I’m sure originated in the very deepest depths of Hell. (The same depths reserved for adulterers, liars, and Poly Sci majors)

I related in a past post that I try to make the best of sickness by setting my entire library on ’shuffle’ and then waiting for death to come. However, this time, that was not the case. I’ve listened to Yeasayer’s Odd Blood eleven times in row and I still can’t get enough. Its incredible.

So incredible in fact that I’ve pulled myself out of bed to type this short exhortation to all of you to listen to this album.  I’m not going to try to hide the fact that the whole things starts off with the weirdest song of the bunch, but don’t let that dissuade you, its solid, and hopefully it just makes you all the more eager to listen to what else lies ahead . We got a taste of how good this album could be when we got ‘Ambling Alp’ last Fall and it delivers on the promises made by that song.  My favorites so far are the more frenzied offerings like ‘Love Me Girl’ and ‘Mondegreen’.

But I know what you’re all asking: What if we don’t have a high fever, will it still be as amazing as you say? More than likely.

And as a sidenote, I love that when you pre-order the CD or vinyl you’re given an electronic version for download immediately. Seriously, genius.

mp3: Yeasayer – Ambling Alp
from the album Odd Blood (buy it here)

mp3: Yeasayer – Love Me Girl
from the album Odd Blood (seriously, buy it)

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