CATEGORY: MP3

Between his former Waxwing duties and his current solo career, Seattle singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato has been releasing a steady stream of records since the late 1990s. Last year’s Makers was both a fifth and a first for the musician; it was his fifth overall record and his first for hometown label Barsuk.

The album was also his most successful to date- it spawned the powerful, O.C. approved single ‘White Daisy Passing’- but, if we may expose our bias, we still have a secret preference for 2004’s rougher offering, Suicide Medicine. Makers still managed to make good on the Votolato name though and the recent announcement that his next record, The Brag & Cuss, will be released by Barsuk on June 19th is something we look forward to.

There hasn’t been an official mp3 released yet but here is that 2006 single, ‘White Daisy Passing’, for those who live under a big mass of cooled lava.

[mp3] Rocky Votolato - White Daisy Passing

CATEGORY: Editor's Pick - Music Reviews

Aqueduct
Or Give Me Death
Barsuk Records

David Terry and his musical alias Aqueduct may not be household names but they have been in your living room. Quickly after the release of his debut full length, I Sold Gold, Terry took his keyboard and hit the late night talk show circuit, performing on NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Last Call with Carson Daly. The single performed was Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights, a stand out track made popular by its simple, repetitive melody and some juxtaposed white gangster posturing (”Don’t ever ask me where I’m from…because if you start asking/I’ll pull this heat I’m packing”). The track was also selected for mixtape #4 of the O.C., appearing alongside hits from big players like Imogen Heap, Beck, Sufjan Stevens, and Modest Mouse. For a new band on an independent label, the exposure was momentous. Now, two years later, Terry is back with a new record, Or Give Me Death, and trying to capitalize on this early success.

The most noticeable difference between Or Give Me Death and I Sold Gold is the expanded use of electric guitar and grand piano. On I Sold Gold Terry was the definition of the bedroom pop artist, relying on heavy drum loops, synth-blips, and a strict electronic pallette of instruments to convey his song ideas. Here, however, the songwriter shifts his arsenal to include more organic instruments (piano, horns, strings) with a much heavier focus on vocal melody. The result is a solid album that avoids the claustrophobic qualities of its predecessor while exploring it’s newfound freedom with both excitement and passion.

Even so, on the much grander scale, Or Give Me Death might not be the right vehicle to propel its songwriter to mainstream stardom. It is devoid of any radio ready singles, which is surprising considering the momentum coming into its release. The most upbeat track and the closest to matching the mainstream appeal of Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights is Broken Records. With the opening line “You are so over the top, I’m so over it now, like a backwards hat you better turn it around” and its light, bouncy rhythm, I can see it being performed live on a Conan or Letterman. There are other tracks such as As You Wish and Keep It Together that show FM friendly promise with their distinct keyboard and vocal hooks but their slow bridges and break downs might leave them better off as bright spots on an evenly solid album than isolated singles.

The final verdict is that while Or Give Me Death is a very rewarding and entertaining independent release, it would have been interesting to see what Terry could have done with more accessible sound. Judging by the material and growth present, it’s not a stretch to imagine he could create something both successful and worthwhile with the mainstream format. Maybe next time?

[mp3] As You Wish
[mp3] Living a Lie
[full album stream] Aqueduct -Or Give Me Death stream

CATEGORY: Music Reviews

Alasdair Roberts
The Amber Gatherers
Drag City

You know when you are living in a brave new world when one of the biggest young bands in America, the Decemberists, handpick an unassuming Scotsman who plays plaintive folk music as the opening act for their victory lap tour of the States. It stands to reason considering Colin Meloy’s unabashed love of the folk idiom, but considering the number of “folk” artists twisting the genre to their own ends (Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom), it is a lovely gesture to have Meloy embrace a traditionalist like Roberts.

As he showcased on his last album, No Earthly Man, Roberts is a scholar of traditional folk ballads. On that disc, he took eight of his favorites and, with the help of friends like Will Oldham and Isobel Campbell, made them his own, adding a psychedelic tint to the songs’ pastoral visions. On his latest endeavor, all the songs are originals of Roberts’ but both the mood and lyrics hearken back to folk ballads of years long gone, rich with imagery and language that Meloy only scratches the surface of in Decemberists songs.

This isn’t to say that this album isn’t rooted in the here and now. There is Roberts’ backing group (featuring longtime cohort Gareth Eggie on guitar and erstwhile Teenage Fanclub member Gerard Love playing bass) who give even the most ancient-sounding rime a modern edge as well as those songs that appear to be touching on current affairs. One can’t help but think that Roberts is singing of either our head of state or England’s prime minister when, on “I Have A Charm,” he sings of “the very sire of Hell himself/rallying his bloody commonwealth.”

There will most likely not be a revival of the folk music explosion of the ’60s in our cynical modern era, but if there were, Roberts would surely stand at the head of the pack. As evidenced on this amazing and spotless album, he is a master musical craftsman whose lovely voice and guitar playing could very easily break down the hardest of spirits.

CATEGORY: MP3 - Randoms

Our friend Tim Young has just posted the latest edition of his Contrast Podcast and it wouldn’t be a party if we didn’t join in on that action. Invisible Limb’s contribution to this week’s theme (Alternate Versions) is the original acoustic version of Nada Surf’s ‘Concrete Bed’ from their 2005 record the Weight is a Gift.

And not to toot our own horn but we open the podcast! If you’re not first, you’re last!

Click here to download or stream Contrast Podcast #47: Alternate Versions.

CATEGORY: While You Wait

While Richard sits in his sound proof reviewing chamber listening to this month’s newest releases on his $1,000 headphones, he would like to send a warm President’s Day hello to all the readers of Invisible Limb. In a rare handwritten message he writes:

I have been listening to several new releases over the past week, writing notes, eating nachos, and basically trying to soak in the music like a indie sponge. Soon I will emerge from my cell and share my notes with you, the adoring fans of rock and roll. Oh, on a side note, President’s Day is coming soon I hear. Does anyone really celebrate that holiday? I wish I had access to Wikipedia so I could find out. I bet Zooey Deschanel sings Christmas songs on President’s Day…

The rest of the letter devolves into a series of comments about the extreme sexiness of the aforementioned actress. I have edited those parts out for adult content. Anyway, while you wait for Richard to post his next update here is a charming video to keep you happy.

CATEGORY: Invisible Links - MP3

+  Myspace hacker gets totally busted!
+  Lobster Records band Park calls it quits after 10 years, 3 albums, 1 terrible experience on Warped Tour.
+  Clap Your Hands, Say…Unimpressed?
+  Lose Weight with Body Fusion!
+  Michael Scott is an American hero.

The best songs we stumbled across in mp3 blogs this week.

Darla Rose - Number One
Dustin Kensrue - I Knew You Before
downloaded from Can You See the Sunset

Le Chevre - Played like a Record
downloaded from Hits in the Car

Church of the Red Museum - The Bay
downloaded from I Rock Cleveland

Midlake - We Gathered in Spring
Maps and Atlases - Every Place is a House
downloaded from Music for Kids Who Can’t Read Good

Harlem Shakes - Sickos
downloaded from *SixEyes

CATEGORY: MP3 - Undiscovered

After the overwhelming response to our first Undiscovered post, Richard decided to come back to town with a new installment in his cap.  This time he brings you three more artists who are ready and willing to infiltrate your trendy iPods.  Get ready to roll like a hustler!

The Glass Set are a four piece new wave/post-punk band, wonderfully fronted by the voice of Leah Callahan (Turkish Delight, Betwixt).  The Boston Herald describes the band as ‘Joy Division fronted by a female Morrissey’, which is a fair comparison in my opinion.  Their eleven song debut, Something Unknown, is scheduled for release in late February but you can download four tracks on the band’s Myspace page, including the beautifully fragile Telescope which I’ve included for download below.

The bottom line:  Serious fix for modern day fans of new wave.

[mp3]  The Glass Set - Telescope

Something you’d shout when spotting a D-list celebrity at a Wal-Mart or stumbling across an ex-friend who owes you 500 dollars, That’s Him! That’s the Guy! are an accoustic folk duo from the great state of Michigan.  Their debut EP, Help Me, I’m on Fire, is a pleasant little trip through the minds & hearts of its songwriters Joe Scott and David Martin, who both openly confess to loving Popeye’s Chicken.  The short player is also a precursor to the Army Life, the band’s debut full length which is due for release sometime in the near future.

The bottom line:  Folk duo’s EP shows promise, interesting preview of things to come.

[mp3]  That’s Him!  That’s the Guy! - For the Learned

Not much else is known about folk band Whale Songs other than what can be heard on their self released album From Below and Beyond.  The nine songs on the record are a mixed bag of oddly plucked guitars and psychadelic rock, sitting somewhere between Southern americana and open mic at the Old Colonel Cafe.  For further proof check out the track ‘Merely Man’, which was probably the song playing on your stoned-out, long-haired older brother Ronnie’s stereo the first time your mom caught him smoking his funny smelling cigarettes.

The bottom line:  Raw, backyard folk songs for the Southerner in all of us.

[mp3] Whale Songs - Merely Man

CATEGORY: Music Reviews

The Shins
Wincing The Night Away
SubPop Records

Expectations are a funny thing. The critical notices that have greeted the Shins’ third album are almost dripping with a feeling of being let down. Robert Christgau’s lucid assessment of the album in a recent issue of Rolling Stone is especially filled with an air of regret at a band that was supposed to be the American saviour of the three minute pop song (the Canadians have cornered the market on that in their neck of the woods thanks, in no small part, to Carl Newman, thank you very much).

I have never been one of those to buy into the notion of this group being one to shout about. Each of the two albums that have preceded this one left me with no impression whatsoever. Each song felt like a flat, vertical surface covered with a thin sheen of oil, leaving me with nothing to grasp on to for some kind of purchase. Needless to say, I had no preconceived life changing notions when I was asked to review the Shins’ latest release, Wincing the Night Away.

I’m not saying that this affords me any better of an idea about how to approach this record. In fact, now that the record hit #2 on the Billboard charts in the first week of its release, I’m wondering if I’m not missing something. Yet, try as I might, I’m still left wanting by what the group is trying to accomplish on this album. And what are they trying to accomplish? From the unassuming and tentative sound of the 11 songs on this new disc, nothing more than to give a young hipster couple something to half-talk about while trying to not look each other in the eyes.

That nervous tension emanates from almost every moment on Wincing. None of the songs move faster than a gentle gallop and each is imbued with an air of melancholy that weighs even the sunniest sounding melodies down.

What the band showcases throughout this album is their almost reflexive use of restraint when it comes to their playing and songcraft. No instrument dares to take a lead role, but settles in to a quiet lockgroove, especially in the case of drummer Jesse Sandoval whose has become a master at bare minimum beats. When someone attempts something resembling a solo (usually keyboardist Marty Crandall), it appears in an unsure fashion and disappears as quickly as it arrived.

It is then up to front man James Mercer to use his voice and his lyrics to mold the songs into divisions of verse, chorus, and bridge. Even there, the group runs into trouble. Mercer’s vocals have a quiet distinction, but their wavering quality turns even their best melodies into a warm mush. The saving grace could have been some bold lyrical content to open the songs up even a crack, but Mercer tosses imagery around in a haphazard fashion, leaving the listener picking up the pieces and wondering just what he’s getting at.

Maybe the world wasn’t anticipating an insular pop record from the Shins but it feels like Mercer wasn’t capable of anything more grandiose than this. It hasn’t felt like that from the start of this band’s career. If nothing else, Wincing is a showcase for a band settling comfortably into their self-appointed niche. And it sounds as if it would take a wrecking ball to break them out of it. Until someone does just that, the Shins will forever remain an enigma to me, buzzing in the background of the music world, giving off nothing to make me break my stride or change my life.

[mp3] The Shins - Phantom Limb

CATEGORY: MP3 - Undiscovered

In a gripping new feature called Undiscovered, Richard explores the world of underground rock music and sheds light on some select samples from various ‘undiscovered’ releases.  Let’s look on, shall we?

Dark, wordy, and theatrical, The Televangelist and the Architect’s sophomore album Diaries of the Intelligentsia is a record loaded with message.  ‘The Unconscious Collective’ shows glimpses of Cursive and Bright Eyes while the lyrics focus on the search for fame and the obsession of belonging through fake rebellion.  Listen!

[mp3] The Televangelist and the Architect - The Unconscious Collective (A Tale from Williamsburg)

Seattle pop band Patience Please are fast, fun, and they are gone before you realized they were there- not that it is a bad thing.  Their five song Parallel Plots EP is a much needed break for any music listener tired of deep, layered ‘art’ music.  The band’s upbeat melodies are happy just to entertain for their short stay, never demanding more than your ears.  You won’t have to sit though any two minute piano intros or wrap your mind around some experimental noise fusion.  Just fast pop with fun male/female vocals.

[mp3]  Patience Please - The Velveteen Rabbit

Tenki is an interesting rock band from Chicago, IL.  Their down and dirty rock swagger is best exemplified on the track ‘Involution’ from their recent EP We’re Not Talking About the Universe, Are We?.  There are jazzy guitars, tumpets, keyboards, and vocalist Jamie Toal shouting over it all.  Try to sit still while listening, it won’t happen.

[mp3] Tenki - Involution

CATEGORY: MP3

After collaborating last year with Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim for the first volume, Stones Throw are back with another edition of Chrome Children. Vol. 2, presented by their very own Peanut Butter Wolf, is sixteen tracks deep with cuts from artists such as Madlip, M.E.D., Oh No, and others. It is also free to download from the Stones Throw site- for a limited time, of course, so head over quick before its gone.

These hip hop jams are sounding pretty good right now.

[free compilation] Stones Throw presents Chrome Children Vol. 2

In related news, the new trailer for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie is up at the Adult Swim website.  Get ready for randomness.

[trailer]  Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie