Once again, nothing like that personalized, autographed CD cover.

If you caught my last post, I went on about a talented young bassist by the name of Julie Slick who plays bass in the Adrian Belew Power Trio.  For this young lady to be able to handle parts by bassists of such renown as Tony Levin, Les Claypool and others, as well as converting parts played on the Chapman Stick and Warr Guitar, is an ambitious feat in itself.  So it was of little surprise to me that she could conjure up a series of songs to compile a solo disc.  What was surprising was the depth and imaginativeness as well as the maturity and depth of composition this young artist has displayed.  Again, if you are looking for Katy Perry, Lada Yada, or other pop divas of that ilk, this ain’t it.  This is the direction of progressive music of the female gender.  Artists like Tori Amos, Nina Hagen, even some instrumental Laurie Anderson come to mind.  Slick professes not to be a vocalist, but I’d love to comprise this line-up: Amos on keyboards and vocals, Anderson on keyboards, violin, electronics and vocals, Slick on bass and electronics, and Maureen Tucker of Velvet Underground (Anderson’s husband Lou Reed’s former bandmate) on percussion and anything else she wants.

GoGo’s my gluteus maximus (and at my age, it is maximus)…

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On the cusp of summer, I sat in a living room in Lambertville listening to members of High Hearts pick a mandolin, banjo, and acoustic guitar.  Aided by these three unusual instruments, the simple yet resounding chorus of “Gypsy Girl” drifted through the warm air and out the screen door, greeting neighbors with the wistful reminder that “the world is a lonely place/yes, the world is a lonely place.”

Though the lyrics may sound sorrowful, the true feeling of High Hearts isn’t rooted in melancholy, but in the comforting yet confronting attitude of old-time folk music.  Formed by Shaun Ellis and Matt Pillischer in 2005, these local musicians have now released their first album Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of Your Fist, available at the Princeton Record Exchange. Read the rest of this entry »

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JEFF the Brotherhood may awkwardly love your momma’s milk and cookies a bit too much, but their new album is short on the comforting nourishment.  Contrary to the AP’s review of the Brotherhood’s latest release, “We Have Heard the Future and It is JEFF” and despite abundant laser sound effects, We Are the Champions is yet another study in retro revivalism.  While tracks like “Hey Friend,” “Bummer,” and “Health and Strength” are truly unique and hold great promise, the boys delve into the popular punk sounds of the 70s for most of the rest of the album, ultimately shrouding their potential in the (way too familiar) guise of the past.

Who are they emulating?  If I gave you two guesses, you probably wouldn’t need them: it’s the ever-present spectre of The Ramones haunting these two Nashville brothers. Read the rest of this entry »

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Whether Ty Segall suffers from some sad-puppy lovesick syndrome or just the carb-depleted depression of the Atkins diet, the beginning of Goodbye Bread is miles from the San Francisco fuzz rocker’s high-energy 2008 self-titled debut.  Segall’s latest album, his first for Drag City, opens up with the slow title track, composed mostly of laconic strumming and a barely-there downer daydream falsetto.

Of course, Segall doesn’t let sleeping dogs lie.  The rest of the record is a mixed bag of hard-hitting rock tracks, like the punk-rock mini-song “California Commercial,” and more semi-ballads, like the slow-clap support group feel of “I Can’t Feel It.”  But unlike Segall’s previous releases, the distortion is (usually) turned down a notch, and Segall’s formerly hidden voice bleeds through his chords more clearly. Read the rest of this entry »

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Master musician Jack White and redheaded model Karen Elson recently announced their impending divorce with an unusual “Divorce Party” on June 10th.  While the couple, who have been together for six years and have two children, Scarlett and Henry Lee, celebrate their disturbing separation, we shall revel in the fantastic music their union created.

White met Elson on the set of the music video for “Blue Orchid,” the White Stripes’ first single off of Get Behind Me Satan, in 2005.  In a fantastic video for the album’s toughest song, Elson sported unbelievable ballet-style heels and made friends with a white snake (no, not that one).  But more important than this brief moment in White Stripes history is the unexpectedly beautiful solo album Karen Elson released through Jack White’s Third Man Records last year, The Ghost Who Walks. Read the rest of this entry »

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“Psychedelic Moods Part Two – Journey Thru Inner Space With Sunset Love and Inner Sanctum” (Cicadelic Records 976)

October 1966 saw the arrival of “Psychedelic Moods,” an album by the Deep depicting different phases of an acid trip. Glazed with weird sound effects and far out lyrics, the disc was indeed a daring statement and praised in certain quarters, but flopped on a commercial level. Shortly after the album hit the shops, Mark Barkan, who along with Rusty Evans, guided the Deep, set about laying down tracks for a subsequent effort in a similar vein. Mark recruited a Greenwich Village band, Inner Sanctum, and although a handful of tunes were recorded, they were unable to find a label to support their cause, prompting the material to remain in the can. Better late than never, as they say, so here’s the goods. Fueled by jagged, choppy licks and sneering vocals, “Little Tin Soldier” is an anti-war sentiment, where “The Man Who Shot Your Mother” also contains rather cryptic verse and carries a rugged garage rock band sound. A catchy melody washes over “The House Of Yesterday,” while “Snow Petals” opts for a drowsy, dreamy ambience. Armed with a philosophy and vision akin to groups like the Electric Prunes and the Thirteenth Floor Elevators, Inner Sanctum clearly resided on the strangely wonderful side of the fence. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Avett Brothers are the folksy, rocking, alt/country with a tinge of bluegrass band from North Carolina.  With such a diverse pedigree, is it any wonder the Rick Rubin took notice, signed them to his label, and produced their major label debut “I and Love and You”?

As mentioned, I and Love and You is the major label debut but actually finds The Avett Brothers in the double digits for their release total. They have released numerous albums as well as EP’s and live albums. Read the rest of this entry »

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Damon Albarn is on a creative high right now (notwithstanding a Blur reunion album!). Anyone who saw the Gorillaz at Madison Square Garden last year could see he was having the time of his life, and probably has to pinch himself that he managed to put together the multi talented supergroup that he did for that tour, and that even Lou Reed came out to play that night. As has been well publicised already, Albarn had a mini studio set up backstage and with the aid of his new toy iPad was able to record each night as and when the mood took him.

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Joe Pug is a singer/songwriter who originally hails from Maryland but began his unique musical career in Chicago.  He has toured at length since 2008, has opened for Steve Earle, M. Ward, and Josh Ritter and has also played the New Port Folk Festival and Lollapalooza.  Nothing in the short career of Joe Pug has followed the normal trajectory of a musician. 

His path to music was not as direct as other artists; he began playing guitar in grade school and formed a band in the 6^th grade.   Firmly believing the mark of a band was original writing, he began writing songs. This was coupled with early ambitions of being a playwright. He left home and attended the University of North Carolina for several years and abruptly left to continue his pursuit of music.  His ideas for a play ultimately were flushed out in his first EP “Nation of Heat”.  The songs were surreptitiously recorded in a Chicago studio with the aid of a friend who permitted him late night access to the cancelled studio sessions of other musicians. Read the rest of this entry »

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You may have to wait until June 7th to get your hands on the new Black Lips album, Arabia Mountain, but at least your ears don’t have to be patient.  The album is currently streaming on Grooveshark as a special preview for die-hard Lips fans and curious newcomers.

The Black Lips have a good bad (not evil) reputation as modern punk rockers, but with their frequent hand clapping and 70s-tinged vocals, the Lips cross over to fans of vintage sounds as well.  On Arabia Mountain, the boys’ production is possibly the cleanest it has ever been, thanks in part to a first-time collaboration with producer Mark Ronson, who’s also worked with definitely not punk (yet similarly throw-back) acts like Adele and Amy Winehouse. Read the rest of this entry »

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Redundancy strikes deep in our constant observance and cyclical critique of  American entertainment. We love, we laud, we loathe, we praise and then down comes the proverbial hammer and we destroy. We pick apart every piece of the soul, spirit and sense of artistic creativity our artists give us. We tear into their works with teeth gnashing against their souls laid bare, we ravage each aspect constantly devouring their works we can relate to but turning their works in which we cannot relate to into refuse, we spit it back at the artist and devalue them in such a way that they become distant and reluctant to expose themselves to us again. They attempt to connect and to love their audience and we are fickle lovers that throw them out over the most trivial reason possible. This is our dynamic and this is why we look to them for guidance both parties lost we look for ourselves in each other. Read the rest of this entry »

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Greetings music lovers,

Today’s blog is about 25 albums you should own and has the following parameters: 

• Album must have been recorded/released prior to 1990
• No duplication of artist
• No live albums or greatest hits (kind of an all encompassing copout to include either)
• Listing of my favorite track from said album (This is not so much a parameter but a mere bonus for your reading pleasure)

Twenty Five albums you should own! (In no particular order): 

So, there you have it, another list of musical bliss.  Take your time, check them out and let me know what you think.

Great music awaits!

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Editor’s note: We are very pleased to welcome our newest blogger Kerri O’Malley.  She has submitted some excellent sample posts and we are eager to see what she brings to the table.  So, without further ado, here’s her first…

Not since “Lithium” has insanity been this celebratory.  Screws Get Loose, Those Darlin’s sophomore album, opens with a jangling cascade of guitar wails, piano keys and bells, creating a carnival at the edge of reason, temporarily assaulting the ears before ripping into the album’s title track.  Although Those Darlins — a vintage rock foursome that’s 3/4 female and grew up in Tennessee — are a far cry from Nirvana, the quartet echoes a similar unwashed-hair garage band vibe, breathing life and true ‘tude into the new vintage rock revivalism.

Taking a page out of The Ramones’ book, the girls of Those Darlins have all adopted the last name “Darlin.”  There’s lead singer Jessi Darlin, who sings with a nasally edge reminiscent of The Shangri-Las’ Mary Weiss, bassist Kelley Darlin, and lead guitarist Nikki Darlin.  Their new member, and the first to possess a Y chromosome, drummer Linwood Regensburg, has so far kept his not-so-cute last name, but his addition to the band marks a new stage in Those Darlins’ music. Read the rest of this entry »

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“Psychedelic Moods” – the Deep (Cicadelic Records 977)

Originally released on the Cameo-Parkway label in the fall of 1966, “Psychedelic Moods” not only wins a gold medal for being the first recording to employ the phrase psychedelic in its title, but it also holds court as a truly innovative experiment. The main brains behind the project were Rusty Evans, who boasted a background in rockabilly and folk music, and Mark Barkan, who penned tunes for the likes of Lesley Gore and Dusty Springfield. As the Deep, the duo’s goal was to create something of a concept album where each song focused on a select stage of an acid trip. Due to weak distribution, the disc slipped through the cracks, but has since become a much sought after collectors item. Although “Psychedelic Moods” has been reissued on a couple of different occasions, this record marks the first legitimate release, complete with bonus tracks and extensive liner notes and interviews. Read the rest of this entry »

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Editors note: We have been backed up with quality posts and this one slipped through the cracks hence the dated references to some of the titles which have already been released. So, without further ado, back to Butler…

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Another year has come and gone and we are in the early stages of a new year.  Out with the old and in with the new!  Today, I give you a sneak peak at some of the highly anticipated releases of 2011.  So sit back and let your music pants go crazy as you peruse this fine list of music to come. Read the rest of this entry »

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As the saying goes, there must be something in the water!  There is something about the Texas music scene that defies typical musical conventions.  This, of course, comes as no surprise to the millions of Texas music fans.  The variety of music that hails from the great state is as expansive as the West Texas plains.  While Austin is known as the “Live Music Capital” of the world, there are plenty of fertile musical breeding grounds in Texas. 

Today, I will WOW you with some of the musical greatness that came from or had ties to Texas in 2010. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, it is just a few of the albums that I have had in heavy rotation over the course of the last year.

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Who the hell are these guys?

That was Ringo Starr’s reported response upon hearing the Vanilla Fudge’s explosive cover of “Ticket to Ride.”

Ringo wasn’t the only Beatle blown away by the Fudge’s symphonic interpretations of “Ticket” and “Eleanor Rigby” on the group’s 1967 debut album. George Harrison reportedly played the album to anyone who would listen. Considering that the Beatles had just released “Sgt. Pepper,” that was no small compliment. Read the rest of this entry »

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Hangover of the surreal. Waking up way too early on a Sunday morning driving through traffic. I see headlights in the distance, each set of lights passing me by, flashing, blinking, red, green and yellow lights, sitting in silence trying to wipe the fatigue from my eyes and shake the bleak from the break of day. Cars pull into a parking lot in unison, people like machines one by one empty their cars and huddle into groups to ride elevators to different floors. Walk into offices with rows of cubicles with blank faced people staring wildly into the screens in front of them. I sit down and as the world and room is spinning around me I ask myself is this all we are meant to be? A listless mass of people falling through time, spending endless hours doing everything and nothing all at once, we move, walk, drive, sit, breathe and eat all in sync like robotic animals that we are slowly becoming. The ant like people toil and move to rhythms unheard to them but only to I, and I can hear the words and rhythms of The XX reverberating in my head as they all move in time lapse. Read the rest of this entry »

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TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS “Mojo” (Reprise Records)

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Well, 2010 was quite the year!  Everyone got a little older but ladies, you don’t look it!  In spite of continued political divide, the yet to rebound economy, and little oil spill in the Gulf, 2010 was a pretty great year in music.  Not for the industry as a whole (canceled tours, decline in both digital and CD sales, etc…), but in terms of the output from various artists it was a pretty fine year.  Hell, the Beatles finally capitulated to the masses and released their catalog on iTunes!  Back the Brinks truck up boys, we are cashing in!

Here is my annual review of what I thought, and thereby, was good in the world of music in 2010.  If it did not make the list, it means I did not get a chance to listen to it, or it sucked.  It is entirely possible that some music got by me this year.  It is more likely that the music I did not listen to was not listenable and therefore sucked. Read the rest of this entry »

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