The Poor Ditching Boy

Day 3 - The Posies

2010-12-06T13:36:00.003-06:00

The Posies, at the height of their early 90s commercial appeal, were one of those bands that I always kind of considered a fine power pop outfit (Who doesn’t like “Dream All Day” or “Solar Sister?”) and nothing more until hearing Ken Stringfellow’s 2001 album, Touched, followed by Jon Auer’s 2006 album, Songs From The Year Of Our Demise, at which point I realized the error of my previously held belief. The Posies’ latest full-length and first in five years, Blood/Candy, is easily their best album out of a twenty-one year recording career…by miles. I love it when a band that I’ve continuously taken for granted over the course of their lifespan comes out and belatedly “WOWS” me with a new recording and boy, oh boy does Blood/Candy wow.

Drawing from such 60s/70s classics like the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (1966), Love’s Forever Changes (1967) and Big Star’s #1 Record/Radio City (1972-74) as well as more contemporary works like R.E.M.’s Life’s Rich Pageant (1986) and Matthew Sweet’s Girlfriend (1991), Blood/Candy is a perfect tapestry of everything Stringfellow and Auer have accomplished musically, on both their solo releases and as the Posies. The perfect crunch of pop tunes like "The Glitter Prize" and "So Caroline" are magnified in their intensity when surrounded by the majestic baroque grandeur of "For the Ashes" and "Accidental Architecture." With a sound this lush and this deep, it’s no wonder that this album sits squarely amongst my Top 5 favorite new releases for the year. Believe me; you will be missing out on something really special if you don’t hear this album.

The Posies “She’s Coming Down Again!” (mp3)

(from the Rykodisc CD, Blood/Candy, 2010)

Day 2 - Fixed Up

2010-12-02T09:08:00.005-06:00

Many years ago, I received in the mail an awesome compilation titled The Violence Inherent in the System that contained 22 killer European garage and punk rock tracks that were compiled by the ever resourceful Steve Gardner of NKVD Records. It’s certainly one of the better compilations that I’ve ever heard and the last I checked Steve was all but giving them away (although in some cases he was doing that as well).

Anyways, out of all the bands contained on the comp., the ones I gravitated towards the most were put out by a French label called Closer Records, a label of which the internet provides precious little information although over the years I’ve been able to obtain some of their record (e.g., Scuba Drivers, Chameleons Day, City Kids). One of their releases and bands I only recently discovered earlier this year was Fixed Up and their absolutely stunner Vital Hours LP.

This power trio plays a mix of 60s RnB and 70s punk with an underlying swing of rockabilly to their songs, miming a fair bit from pub-rock bands like Eddie & The Hot Rods and Dr. Feelgood. There also seems to be an allegiance to the 80s Aussie Rock scene and bands like the Sunnyboys and the Stems which is probably no great stretch as Radio Birdman’s Rob Younger produced a fair bit of Fixed Up’s material, Vital Hours included. This probably explains why the album is meant to be played LOUD which I did all throughout this past summer.

The Vital Hours LP was given the…ahem…expanded treatment a couple of years ago by the folks over at…ahem…Sons of the Dolls by tacking on all of the non-album tracks released around the same time, this song included. While guitarist Francois Lebas’ power chords gives the song its thrust, the real melody that’ll have you humming comes from Mephisto’s intricate basslines. The female backing vocals only add to the fun.

Fixed Up “Who Is Innocent” (mp3)

(from the Closer Records via Sons of the Dolls blog LP, Vital Hours (Expanded), 1987 (2008)

Day 1 - The Carson Mcullers

2010-12-01T12:48:00.005-06:00

In an effort to jump-start the idle activity this blog has seen in recent months, I thought it might be kind of fun to count down daily to Christmas Day some of my favorite musical discoveries that were made throughout 2010 in lieu of doing any kind of “best-of” list. Let’s face it, many of these lists all look the same and since I also discovered a fair number of not-so-current acts in an effort to round out my constantly growing collection, I though it might be worthwhile to include some of those as well. That being said, I have no illusion that I’ll actually get through each and every one of the next 25 days but it’ll be fun to give it a whirl.

The Carson Mcullers, named after the early-to-mid-20th Century author and playwright, are a Chicago collective who specialize in grandiose rock akin to Catherine Wheel’s 1997 LP, Adam & Eve, as well as what The Verve and Spiritualize did throughout their careers; shoegazing without really shoegazing. That being said, these guys come off as being not-so-crisp sounding as those aforementioned groups as there’s a grungier, swamp-sounding element to their music that suggests some 60s Byrds/Pink Floyd/Neil Young inspired folk and psychedelic roots as well. Suffice to say, there’s a lot going on with there latest album, For Esme (see songs such as “10 Best Things,” “Brother” and “Cub Scout”), that I’m still trying to wrap my brain around as I’ve only had it for a couple of weeks but so far this is one of the more inspired new releases I’ve heard this year.

The Carson Mcullers “Tom Jones” (mp3)

(from the Rainy Day Collective CD, For Esme, 2010)

This Is Pop!

2010-08-27T10:19:00.004-05:00

I think as far as the majority of those who are actually aware of them, XTC is a “love ‘em” or “hate ‘em” type of band with very few people in-between. Arguments range anywhere from production that comes off as being too slick to just what the hell Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding are going on and singing about, a trait that I’ve always found endearing as it lead to a certain amount of mystery and cache over the song’s subject matter. The fact that the band drew heavily from the mid-to-late 60s British psychedelic and freak-beat scene as well as the pastoral sounds of mid-period Beatles while forging ahead towards something akin to original endear them to a whole army of dedicated followers.

It’s almost as if the band took every nuance and idea from the Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever double A-side and built an entire career from, all the while never repeating themselves from album to album. They come from an England that is almost extinct as it is here in the States of small town living where contemporaries such as Ray Davies, Richard Thompson and Martin Newell reside.

That being said, it’s an obvious sad fact that a majority of XTC’s fans, myself included, have never seen the band perform live which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because over the course of the 20 plus years when the band was releasing albums, XTC managed to keep an aura of mystery over both themselves and their songs intact but a curse because said aura has a tendency to lead to a rabid fan base who not only collect everything the band ever released but who desperately want to see renditions of these songs performed in a live setting.

The Transistor Blast box set, which compiles the band’s BBC Sessions as well as two full concerts from 1978 and 1980, probably rectifies this problem as adequately as possible. I recently ripped the contents to my iPod after having not listened to it in years and was reminded of what a wonderful collection it is, well worth dropping the cash on. The set contains songs that not only match but exceed the performances of those found on the original albums. My only complaint is that the BBC studio sessions found on Discs 1 and 2 aren’t chronologically listed making the band’s evolution difficult to follow but the beauty of iTunes and the iPod in general easily rectifies this.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

XTC - "Jason & The Argonauts" (Live @ BBC) (mp3)

http://www.ezarchive.com/original/wmlkoch/XTCJasonandtheArgonauts.mp3

XTC - "You're The Wish You Are I Had" (Live @ BBC) (mp3)

http://www.ezarchive.com/original/wmlkoch/XTCYouretheWishYouAreIHad.mp3

(from the TVT 4CD Boxset, Transistor Blast: Best of the BBC Sessions, 1998)

Welcome To Hell

2010-07-30T08:56:00.002-05:00

I’ve been going back and blasting the hell out of these guys through the trellises’ speakers for the past several weeks now. Every once in a while you just want some good ole’ fashioned “balls-to-the-wall” rock ‘n’ roll that you can get your fingernails dirty to and these guys have it in spades. The Hellacopters’ earlier albums straddled that fine line between arena-styled metal that veered precariously close to being posture driven and Detroit-fury styled punk which was probably just as equally posture driven. If anything, they remind one of the Dictators: equal parts metal, punk and pop and thus probably bugging the crap out of anyone who happened to be a fan of any of those genres by putting them in the position of forming their own opinion on the group’s validity.

The music itself is derivative as all hell but it rocks the house while simultaneously being a whole lot of fun. Their first three records, Supershitty To The Max (1996), Payin’ The Dues (1997) and Grande Rock (1999), are where it’s at before the band moved on in a more overtly metal direction where they remained before calling it a day in 2007.

RECOMMENDED!

The Hellacopters – “Hey!” (mp3)

(from the Sub Pop CD, Payin’ The Dues, 1997)

Hey, Cana-duh?!?!

2010-07-29T08:24:00.003-05:00

While I’m not one to jump up and down and clap my hands ecstatically when presented with the idea of bands re-recording their earlier work, at the same time I can’t claim that it’s a prospect that completely turns me off either dependent on the situation. In the case of Vancouver’s The Subhumans, taking their debut album, Incorrect Thoughts, plus an EPs worth of extra songs written at the same time for another spin in the studio and releasing it as Same Thoughts Different Day is completely and without a doubt warranted.

While most pundits of the late 70s/early 80s punk movement rate Incorrect Thoughts as one of the greatest punk LPs ever, for years its been widely unavailable and going for what many consider a small mint as far as records go. After the band reformed and started releasing new material in 2005, the prospect of re-releasing their earlier records was planned and, in the case of Incorrect Thoughts, scrapped due to legal issues over the original masters. The only reasonable course of action at this point for the band and their fans was to go back into the studio and re-record the entire album using modern day recording techniques.

Having never heard the original recording of these songs until last night, I’m in the unique (although not uncommon based on the original’s availability) situation of hearing Same Thoughts Different Day with completely fresh and unbiased ears and the idea that Incorrect Thoughts could be any more ferocious, sizzling and downright extraordinary is an opinion I find incomprehensible. I would have no problem placing Same Thoughts Different Day alongside other personal punk favorites like The Clash’s Give ‘Em Enough Rope and The Saints’ (I’m) Stranded as well as more contemporary records such as Leatherface’s Mush and Jawbox’s For Your Own Special Sweetheart. Catchy yet raw at the same time, this album absolutely smokes.

HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

The Subhumans – “The Scheme” (mp3)

(from the Alternative Tentacles LP, Same Thoughts Different Day, 2010)

Better Than This...

2010-07-28T08:35:00.004-05:00

No new musical territory being discovered on this one but if you like Sell Out-era The Who…if you like The Kink Kontroversy-styled Kinks…if you like The Jam’s best album, The Modern World as well as lesser known groups who play in a similar vein like The Attack, The Move, The Jolt and The Chords then there’s no way you don’t end up liking something about the Len Price 3’s third album, Pictures. While I enjoyed this Medway, U.K. trio’s previous albums, it all seemed to come together this time around with Pictures’ driving energy and catchy hooks. This album rips and slashes in all of the right places and after listening to it for the better part of two months, I find it hard to believe that something else will come out during the remainder of this year and knock it off of my Top 5 Best Of list for 2010.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The Len Price 3 – “I Don’t Believe You” (mp3)

(from the Wicked Cool Records CD, Pictures, 2010)

So Let's Just Stay Here...

2010-05-19T13:51:00.004-05:00

The spectacular weather us Chicagoans currently have going for ourselves until at least next Tuesday, as well as the fact that I’ve been on my annual late-Spring, early-Summer Flying Nun Records kick, seemed like nice motivation to break out this one from Andrew Brough’s post-Straitjacket Fits outfit, Bike. Their debut full-length, Take In The Sun, was all this unassuming band left behind which is a huge shame as nowhere could it be suggested that Brough was finished making quality, swirling guitar-styled pop music not unlike what the Velvet Crush did.

One of the only complaints regarding the record is that, unlike the gorgeous compositions that he penned for Straitjacket Fits (e.g., “Down In Splendour,” “Sparkle That Shines”) which only seemed to benefit from Shayne Carter’s more bitingly aggressive material, is that the overall feel of what’s found on Take In The Sun comes off as a little "same-y" from one song to the next. That being said, if this type of late 60s sunshine-flavored rock that stops just short of becoming overbearing glossy pop is your thing, then one would be well-advised to immediately head straight towards this album.

RECOMMENDED!!!

Bike – “Take In The Sun” (mp3)

(from the March Records/IODA CD, Take In The Sun, 1999)

I'm On A Blood Buzz...Yes I am...

2010-05-12T15:01:00.005-05:00

At the expense of running with the majority, you can chalk me up as yet another who really, really enjoys the National’s new album, High Violet. It’s like this epic, solid record that comes off like what records used to be; the kind where you sit in-front of the stereo pouring over the sleeve and its linear notes while the vinyl itself spins on the turn-table. The National’s music as a whole has a very classic rock feel to it; music that reminds one of Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, the Stones’ Let It Bleed and Van Morrisson’s Astral Weeks. Music that’s void of any trends or clichés and thus not dooming it as a byproduct of its time for future generations.

That being said, many critics (and there are many) are bemoaning the fact that High Violet doesn’t display any type of great artistic leap forward and that the band are almost in fear of treading water. And while I can agree with the opinions that the distance from Alligator to Boxer to High Violet isn’t necessarily far and strenuous, in the case of the National and their music, I’m not really too terribly bothered with such concerns as there are just some bands whom you prefer to remain consistent at the expense of any album-to-album diversity. I’m ok with the path the National are choosing to tread.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

This is a review only as there are already plenty of mp3s floating around that place we know as the world-wide-web.

The Joke's On You

2010-05-05T09:29:00.003-05:00

An album that’s sure to get lost amongst the excitement of yesterday’s highly anticipated release of Broken Social Scene’s Forgiveness Rock Record and the New Pornographers’ Together is the just as anticipated for ourselves release of the second full-length album, Aquatic, from Lancaster, PA’s Highspire. You’re probably not gonna read about this one on Pitchfork, no.

The band’s previous album, Your Everything, was not only one hell of a hot record that faithfully mined the swirling atmospheric rock of such dreampop/shoegaze bands like Ride and Swervedriver, but it also was one of our surprise favorites of 2003 that came out of nowhere. And while the new album shares the same qualities as its predecessor, many of the compositions contained within come off as being, dare I say, more lush and prettier in sound.

Highspire are still just as influenced by groups such as The Pale Saints and Chapterhouse as the previously blogged about The Sleepover Disaster. However, the latter tends to acknowledge their love of some of the more hard-hitting acts from the early 90s shoegazer scene while Highspire walks the more precarious line paved by groups such as My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive as does other current groups like Airiel and Pia Fraus; bands who didn’t, and don’t, make the distinction between melody and feedback quite so obvious.

That being said, Highspire still has a little bit of early Swervedriver in them but their rock is a lot more subtle than that Oxford, England powerhouse. That being said, I can’t see anyone who’s a fan of any of those aforementioned bands not liking this; one of the best dreampop/shoegaze influenced bands currently going.

RECOMMENDED!

Highspire – “Dusted” (mp3)

(from the Reverse Reverb CD, Aquatic, 2010)

Make You Sing

2010-04-29T11:30:00.006-05:00

Holy shit, does this one take me back to 1992 but in oh-so many good ways. Many people fail to remember that concurrent to the rise here in the States of Nirvana and grunge in general, many of the early 90s greatest guitar records came out from bands on the other side of the Atlantic.

Think about it: Ride’s Nowhere was released in 1990 and the following year, 1991, saw the release of the mighty Swervedriver’s Raise, My Bloody Valentine’s immortal Loveless, Chapterhouse’s Whirlpool and Breathless’ Between Happiness & Heartache as well as Kitchen of Distinction’s phenomenal Strange Free World.

Things got even better in 1992 when we got Catherine Wheel’s “best-album-of-the-year” Ferment along with the Pale Saints’ In Ribbons followed in 1993 by Adorable’s terrific Against Perfection as well as another “best-album-of-the-year” for Swervedriver’s Mezcal Head. And, without mentioning the House of Love’s self-titled Butterfly album, Slowdive’s Just For A Day as well as Spooky by Lush, these are really just the tip of the iceberg as far as the U.K. is concerned.

Anyways, Fresno, California’s Sleepover Disaster and their most recent album, Hover, share qualities with each and every one of the records listed above as well as some others not named. While many albums nowadays that contain the “shoegaze” moniker in their descriptions name check many of the artists listed above, more often than not the same melodies that wash over the listener found in those above records are completely absent from today’s band of shoegaze artists who opt for feedback for the sake of generating feedback.

And while the Sleepover Disaster are able to produce high-volume decibel levels that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any of the genre’s heaviest hitters, they never lose site of those warm melodies and choruses that make songs like Adorable’s "Sunshine Smile" or Swervedriver’s "Duel" as special as they truly are.

Anyone that is a fan of any one of these albums needs to own this record as it easily sits admirably, head-held-high, alongside any one of them. If I had taken the advice of my musical brethren over at the Big Takeover, who did and always have championed all of the acts named above, then this album easily would have made my Top 10 of 2009.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

The Sleepover Disaster – Funnel Cloud (mp3)

(from the Devil In The Woods CD, Hover, 2009)

C'mon, Lets Do The Method

2010-04-28T09:55:00.003-05:00

Treading the same “postpunk/powerpop/messthetics” water as our friends over at Hyped2Death Records, Washington D.C.’s Acute Records released earlier last month the 1980-81 recorded output of Athens, GA’s much loved and underappreciated Method Actors whom some guy named Peter Buck states as “a kind of secret history of the Athens’ scene.” This Is Still It compiles the band’s early singles as well as selected tracks from their full-length double LP, Little Figures.

No amount of accolades could properly lay tribute to the amount of influence David Gamble and Vic Varney had on future bands who chose, and still choose, to present their music via the simplistic setting of a guitar and drum-kit only.

That being said, the thing that really gets me is just how powerful the Method Actors sounded with hook-after-hook-after-hook-laden songs consisting of staccato-style guitar playing the occasional slashes and drums that came off like a hurricane, no doubt due to the size of David Gamble (pictured above) who probably towered over any size drum-kit put in front of him. But the band also had a funky side not unlike anything Gang of Four did, whom the Method Actors would probably compare the closest to should one be looking for immediate comparisons.

Go here to listen to arguably the Method Actors’s greatest song, the herky-jerky twist of “Do The Method,” a song that was my only impression of the band for many years before finally receiving This Is Still It in the mail last week. Words alone cannot say how HIGHLY RECOMMENDED this compilation truly is!!!

(from the Acute Records CD, This Is Still It, 2010)

All I Ever Wanted To See...

2010-04-22T13:29:00.006-05:00

I went and saw Echo & the Bunnymen last night here in Chicago and afterwards I walked away kinda wishing I hadn’t. What’s the saying, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me? This was the second time I’d seen them play since they reformed in the late 90s and this gig was only slightly better than the last time. And while I didn’t start this site to slag anyone off (a task I consider far easier than writing about how or why you actually love something), let’s just say that while I’ll never stop playing my Echo & The Bunnymen records, I don’t foresee continuing to hand over my hard-earned cash to a group who permeate a noticeable disinterest towards performing live.

Better to spend that aforementioned hard earned cash on another thirty-plus year old group, namely The Church who, on a spur-of-the-moment decision, I went and saw last week with probably the same crowd as last night’s Bunnymen gig. This show was not only 180 degrees different and better that last night’s lackluster one, but the band themselves seemed one-hundred percent genuinely thankful for their fans who have and did come out to see them play as part of their 30th Anniversary An Intimate Space tour.

This is a band who not only are making some of the most creative and innovative (not to mention gorgeous) atmospheric guitar music of their long career, but who are also doing exactly what they want to be doing both musically and professionally. And for those of you whose only familiarity with The Church come from either 1988’s Starfish or any of the other equally wonderful albums that preceded it, I charge you to go and listen to any of the records they’ve released since 1998’s Hologram of Baal right up to last years incredible Untitled #23. And while the mold isn’t necessarily be broken and made anew with any of these releases, what you do find is a band artistically reinvested after having spent most of the 90s unsure of both themselves and their craft.

The Church – Anchorage (mp3)

(from the eMusic download, Untitled #23, Second Motion Records, 2009)

Currently Making Me Swoon...

2010-04-01T13:16:00.006-05:00

...is the electro-jangle pop of Here We Go Magic's "Collector," the first pre-release track from the band's upcoming second album, Pigeons, which will see the light of day on June 8th via a release from Secretly Canadian.

This is a terrific song that more than adequately channels the glorious weather Chicago is currently experiencing on this fine April Fool's Day. It's as if someone like the Feelies or the Bongos or Speed The Plough found themselves locked in a recording studio with, say, Kraftwerk or LCD Soundsystem. Much better than "Drunk Girls," the pre-release from the upcoming album from aforementioned blogger-favorites, LCD Soundsystem.

It's amazing how an album that wasn't really on one's radar can subsequently skyrocket to "much anticiapted" after hearing one song; I had this same reaction several weeks ago when listening to Broken Social Scene's awesome, "World Sick," which will show up on the band's upcoming Forgiveness Rock Record out May 4th.

Here We Go Magic - Collector (mp3)

(from the upcoming Secretly Canadian LP, Pigoens, 2010)

Never Give Up Hope

2010-03-09T09:42:00.007-06:00

After a 6-year hiatus, Sunderland, U.K.’s favorite band, Leatherface, return with a brand new full-length, The Stormy Petrel, that mixes all of frontman Frankie Stubb’s favorite styles of punk, hardcore and folk music into one delicious package. And while the new album, the first to be released on the band’s own Big Ugly Fish Recordings label, will probably be seen as more of a down-tempo effort than 2000’s incredible Horsebox, there are a lot more hooks and melodies present than there were on 2004’s rather disappointing Dog Disco; an album that overall came off as flat. With The Stormy Petrel, the bite and slashing guitar parts are still present as well as Frankie’s guttural impassioned vocals and the production on this album is both crystal clear and absolutely amazing.

If anything, I suppose one could call The Stormy Petrel a more inviting and almost soothing melodic punk rock album; qualities that really haven’t been present in any Leatherface album before. Where previous albums have immediately pummeled the listener over the head from the get-go, this time around there’s almost more of a balance in place in which the band are aware that it’s been 18 years since the release of Mush (one of the greatest punk albums of all time) and that things sometimes have to change in order for both the artist and listener to gain a new perspective on the music. If anything, comforting is probably the best word to use when describing The Stormy Petrel.

With new releases from both Leatherface and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, whose new album arrives today, March 2010 is gonna be a good month for late 70s U.K. inspired styles of punk. If only more bands would release music like this. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Leatherface - "Never Say Goodbye" (mp3)

Leatherface – “Belly Dancing Stoat” (mp3)

(from the Big Ugly Fish Recordings CD, The Stormy Petrel, 2010)

I'm In Heaven Again...

2010-03-05T10:29:00.005-06:00

The cover of the Lizard Train’s 1987 mini-LP, Thirteen Hour Daydream, as well as a cursory spin of the first track, "Seventh Heaven," would suggest a nice collection of flower-pop type tracks contained within. Not so. Many distinctive styles come into play throughout the span of this record, ranging from introspective, melodic pop to downright, almost violent, catharsis; most evident by guitarist and lead vocalist Chris Willard whose style goes from sweet to snarling in a heartbeat.

And while the band did fit in nicely with the then crop of seemingly endless Australian rock acts of the time who channeled The MC5 and Stooges via Radio Birdman and the Saints (e.g., Died Pretty, feedtime, Exploding White Mice), the Lizard Train were able to adequately carve out a niche of their own which sustained them through several EPs and a couple of LPs. A stunner of a record that's well worth tracking down.

The Lizard Train – “Seventh Heaven” (mp3)

(from the Greasy Pop mini-LP, Thirteen Hour Daydream, 1987)

Looking Back: The Saints "A Little Madness to Be Free"

2010-03-04T11:06:00.004-06:00

While I’ll always adore the Saints’ debut album, (I’m) Stranded, and in particular the title track it spawned (one of the top 25 singles of all time), it was the band’s 1978 follow-up, Eternally Yours, which proved to be the Saints’ true masterpiece. Adopting a more R&B approach to the music which incorporated elements of jazz by way of an infused brass section, Chris Bailey would further utilize and hone this approach on subsequent Saints’ records following the departure of founding members Ed Kuepper (guitar) and Ivor Hay (drums), culminating with the band’s 1984 album, A Little Madness to Be Free.

Anyone who had been following the career trajectory of the Saints with each of their releases since Eternally Yours would probably view A Little Madness to Be Free as the obvious conclusion for Bailey’s vision up to that time. It’s a perfect melodic pop record that harkens back to the days of Abbey Road and Let It Bleed; for a time when pop records didn’t entirely consists of bleeps and bloops that, arguably, lack real fire and any type of emotion. A Little Madness to Be Free permeates feelings and requires devout attention.

You can tell that Bailey had some money to spend on this record as many of the songs contain carefully constructed layers of string and brass arrangements as well as tasteful hints of Caribbean steel drums; all of which sound huge and absolutely gorgeous. That being said, nothing on this album would work if it weren’t for Bailey’s voice, one of the best ever in rock, and the incredible performance he gives. While the punk band that was is nowhere to be seen on this album, the same energy and power the music displays is just as evident as it was on those first two albums.

The Saints – Ghost Ships (mp3)

The Saints - Wrapped Up & Blue (b-side to Ghost Ships) (mp3)

(from the Cadiz 4-CD Box set, A Little Madness to Be Free (Disc 3), 2006)

Looking Back (in brief): The Chills "Submarine Bells"

2010-03-01T15:20:00.005-06:00

Go here on eMusic to read an article from one of our favorite music writers regarding our absolute favorite album of the 90s and then, while you happen to be over there, go here to download it.

Twenty years and it still sounds as good as ever.

New Music Friday

2010-02-26T09:35:00.005-06:00

Here are a couple of new songs for your weekend listening pleasure.

Following in the footsteps of early 90s UK bands such as Mega City 4, China Drum and Ash who in turn followed the trail blazed by late 70s groups like the Buzzcocks, Vibrators and Adverts, comes the Nottingham foursome, Lovvers, who will be bringing their take on the raw-garage meets pop-punk genre to the west coast before settling in Austin for South by Southwest this March. Taken from their late 2009 debut full-length, OCD Go Go Go Girls, the album’s title track just plain rips for those with an admiration for the bands named above. That being said, the vocals probably could have been brought up a bit in the mix but overall this is a terrific song.

Lovvers – “OCD Go Go Girls” (mp3)

(from the Wichita Records CD, OCD Go Go Go Girls, 2009)

And if the next epic of a song is even a half-way decent representation of what the Red Sparowes upcoming third album, The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer, will sound like then I can already tell you that it’ll find a comfortable place on my Top 10 Albums of 2010 list next December. Coming off as the soundtrack to some spaghetti-styled western movie, the Red Sparowes seem to have crafted an album that sits squarely between the landscape ambience of Explosions In the Sky and the sludge-metal drone of Pelican. I anticipate a future dilemma as the band will be playing at the Lincoln Hall here in Chicago on April 21st, the same night as Echo & the Bunnymen who will be holding court over at the Metro. Grrrr…

Red Sparowes – “Giving Birth To Imagined Saviors” (MP3)

(from the upcoming Sargent House CD, The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer, 2010)

Destructive Atmospherics

2010-02-25T10:21:00.004-06:00

Oh my, is this band really good. Being touted as Chicago’s very own shoegaze collective, Apteka creates intense dream pop atmospherics that permeate in a wall of swirling guitars which somehow manage an ethereal quality while simultaneously smashing you over the head. Our friends at Crash-Avenue were kind enough to send us both the band’s previously released EP, which is stunningly-great, as well as their equally-as-stunning current 45, Traitors. I was totally unprepared to be bowled over the way I was after hitting play.

There are hints of Ride and My Bloody Valentine in the music, sure, but there also seems to be more of a slight bluesy quality to the guitars which drone on in a way that’s almost akin to what Spaceman 3 and first EP/A Storm In Heaven-era Verve were trying to accomplish. The music builds up a towering wall of guitars before subsequently tearing it all down with a force so destructive that you almost can’t believe it remains as subtle as it is. This is really heavy stuff that has an early 90s nostalgia to it that surprisingly comes off as fresh; I can’t believe I haven’t discovered these guys until now. Both of these releases are incredible and I can’t recommend either of them, especially the EP, enough. Stunning!

Apteka – “Aragon Sound” (mp3)

(from the self-released 45, Traitors, 2010)

Apteka – “The Sheet” (mp3)

Apteka - "Indigenous" (mp3)

(from the self-released EP, Tour, 2009)

If You Want Me

2010-02-24T11:03:00.004-06:00

In an attempt to climb back on the blogging horse, I must admit my confusion regarding today’s announcement that Chapterhouse will be playing at the Lincoln Hall here in Chicago on May 5th as the band will be in the midst of a Japan/U.S. tour. Basically, what my confusion boils down to is why?

Not why as in why would the band get back together? That’s easy to answer as the band members probably have all kinds of bills and mortgages to pay as well as various adult responsibilities. No, it’s more that Chapterhouse isn’t necessarily the first band to spring to mind when thinking about which shoegaze-era group will reform. Not that I’m complaining or anything but I hadn’t really considered there being much demand for a group that not only didn’t release a whole lot of material but one who also kind of played second fiddle back in the day to groups such as Ride, My Bloody Valentine and, arguably, the Pale Saints.

Whatever the case may be, here’s hoping they play a fair bit of their debut album, Whirlpool, which not only is seen as one of the high points of the shoegaze era but whose company I have enjoyed many times over the years as well. The guitars found on the single, "Pearl", swirl and wash all around while listening to it and "Breather", one of my top 10 tracks from that era, still remains a monster of a song that all but jumps right out of the speakers.

Chapterhouse – Breather (mp3)

(from the Cherry Red Records CD, Whirlpool, 1991)

Monday Memories

2010-01-25T13:53:00.002-06:00

Matthew Berlyant over at the Big Takeover reminded me of this criminally overlooked record as I was reading through his list of Top Ten Albums of the Decade (2000 – 2009). Released and purchased as an import in the waning days of 2000, Idlewild’s 100 Broken Windows is one of those albums which, upon its releases, took over the stereo and received countless playing time from yours-truly as I pretty much went completely ga-ga over it while simultaneously annoying the complete s#%t out of my roommates.

This record has everything I like about rock music: big guitar hooks, fat melodies, and soaring choruses wrapped up in a clean sounding, precise production that never once sounds contrived or uniform to any specific genre. Mix in the fact that vocalist Roddy Woomble is 100% dedicated to the lyrics of each and every song makes this album easily one of the best from the past 10 years. It really is a phenomenal pop rock album that, for the first half of the decade, was listened to incessantly. That being said, subsequent records the band released never quite managed to capture the same overall magic as one will find on 100 Broken Windows although little bits and pieces would continue to be found right up to the release of their latest album, last year’s Post Electric Blues.

I remember dragging some coworkers to see the band perform to a relatively sparse crowd at the Double Door sometime in March of 2001 while Idlewild were in the midst of their first US tour and they went down like gangbusters to those of us lucky enough to have been there. I say lucky because, to my knowledge, Chicago hasn’t seen a hair or heard a peep of this Scottish-quintet since. I specifically remember, like all bands whom I’m incredibly excited to finally be seeing live, moving up to the front of the stage and pumping my fists and dancing around like a lunatic while simultaneously shouting out the lyrics to this song.

Idlewild – “Actually It’s Darkness” (mp3)

(from the Capitol CD, 100 Broken Windows, 2000)

Never Been

2010-01-07T11:21:00.005-06:00

It’s hard to believe, after twenty-five years, eight full-length albums, three 7” singles and one 10” EP, that this Lincoln, NE threesome not only still exists yet have somehow managed to sound as stimulating as they did on their debut single, the utterly fantastic "Autocrat / It’s A Lie" 7-inch released in 1985. For Against still remain completely devoted to the post-punk / Factory Records aesthetic which has impacted their trademark sound of weaving, yet jagged, feedback and guitar stabs backed by hypnotically transcendent basslines and drums.

Honest to goodness, this is a band that, when all the overlooked American groups of the past 25, 50, 100 years are one day reviewed and pondered upon, will be acknowledged as being as great as their present day rabid fan base proclaim them to be. You will not find many groups whose careers have been as consistently high caliber-sounding with nary a bad release, regardless of format. How someone with a love of brooding, atmospheric guitar music akin to the Comast Angels or Echo & The Bunneymen doesn't own, much less be informed of, anything by For Against is beyond me.

Accolades and fawning aside, I’m proud to say that For Against’s latest full-length, Never Been, can proudly sit on the shelf next to the band’s previous seven albums without a hint of shame. For Against continues to display the depth of their sonic palate by taking their inspirations of Joy Division and early Cure and putting a new spin on the music by adding elaborately lush piano-based compositions invoked with warm melodies, all the while retaining as they always have the atmosphere of middle-America that is found on all of their releases.

Some bands merely mimic their contemporaries that came before them; For Against continues to look for new and exciting ways that can only expand upon their music. And if you’re unfamiliar with any of the band’s releases, line up each of the album’s names on a wall, put a blindfold on before throwing a dart and purchase the album on which it lands…

For Against – Sameness (mp3)

For Against – Antidote (mp3)

(from the Words On Music CD, Never Been, 2009)

Note: Never Been just missed out on my Top 10 of 2009 only because I had just received the album prior to posting my list. That being said, I could easily recommend it in place of any of the aforementioned albums.

Hatcham Social

2010-01-04T13:44:00.003-06:00

One of the things I love most about those first couple of days at the beginning of each and every new year, as I’m bandying about on the internet, is reading all of the best-of lists and discovering records I happened to have missed out on upon their initial release the year prior. This is one such album. Hatcham Social’s debut full-length, You Dig the Tunnel, I’ll Hide the Soul acts as a really nice yang to the ying found on the Wild Beasts’ Two Dancers, talked about on these pages a couple of weeks ago.

The same influences of Orange Juice, The Smiths and Josef K as well as slight nods towards The Jesus & Mary Chain are all still evident save for singer/guitarist Toby Kidd’s more conventional singing style. That, and all of the songs on You Dig the Tunnel, I’ll Hide the Soul sound absolute and complete in that the band seemed to know exactly what they wanted when recording them.

That being said, where the Wild Beasts’ took a more reserved approach with the recording and production of Two Dancers, Hatcham Social goes for broke with their hook-laden and incredibly catchy indie guitar pop reminiscent of that coming out of the UK in the mid-80s. The album doesn’t necessarily hit you over the head but its certainly not subtle, either. And at just over 32-minutes, it never once feels like it has overstayed its welcome.

My recommendation: Burn It with an option to Buy.

Hatcham Social – “So So Happy Making” (mp3)

Hatcham Social – “Sidewalk” (mp3)

(from the Fierce Panda CD, You Dig The Tunnel, I’ll Hide The Soul, 2009)

Top 10 Albums of 2009

2009-12-31T10:43:00.025-06:00

A quick Top 10 Albums of 2009 list. These are the records out of all the records I heard this year that I can without a doubt recommend you to spend your hard-earned dollars or downloads on. In no discernable order except that in which the date of which they were released.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – s/t (Slumberland Records)
Painfully entertaining record that faithfully mines for all those wonderful treasures buried almost 25 years ago by such acts as The Pastels, Close Lobsters and the Wedding Present.

Tommy Keene – In the Late Bright (Second Motion Records)
Just another wonderful album in a 25 year long line of wonderful albums that remain criminally overlooked to this day.

Vee Dee – Public Mental Health System (Criminal IQ Records)
These Chicago rockers worship in the same way as the Original Sins did at the altars of garage rock, psychedelia and, at times, classic heavy metal. Shades of the 13th Floor Elevators, Sun Ra and early Black Sabbath/Hawkwind all abound.

The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love (Capital Records)
Many of their fans seem to be split right down the middle in regards to the Decemberists’ latest offering, with some bombasting it as a complete bore and others reveling in its remarkable beauty and wit. I fall in the latter. The Hazards of Love takes everything that folk acts such as Fairport Convention did so well and successfully adds the bottom heavy drone found in the genre of heavy metal.

Bob Mould – Life & Times (Anit Records)
I said it 7 months ago and it still holds true today; Life & Times is Bob’s best solo album since 1989’s Workbook, only being succeeded in the interim by Sugar’s Copper Blue and Beaster.

David Kilgour & Sam Hunt – Falling Debris (Arch Hill Records)
Every once in awhile an album of immense beauty falls into your lap. David Kilgour has long penned some of my favorite musical moments found on this earth but this time he does it to the lyrics penned by poet Sam Hunt thus making the ingredients found on this record completely inseparable, not to mention irresistable.

Polvo – In Prism (Merge Records)
This is the comeback album that came out of nowhere. One would have a very strong argument if they were to state that In Prism far surpasses most of the band’s mid-90s output.

Wild Beasts – Two Dancers (Domino Records)
Another WTF!?!? moment that occurred when first listening to the Wild Beasts’ Two Dancers. I have no idea where this came from but Two Dancers is a streamlined, minimal produced and eccentrically charming indie pop record likened to acts such as The Smiths and Orange Juice.

Baroness – Blue Record (Relapse Records)
In no way did I think, after hearing Baroness’ Red Album 9 months ago, that the band would be able to craft something superior. The Blue Record doesn’t quite surpass its predecessor but it certainly stands shoulder-to-shoulder with it and with anything else I heard this year.

Pelican – What We All Come To Need (Southern Lord Records)
As hinted at on their previous albums, City of Echoes and The Fire In Our Throats, Pelican continue to move outward and away from their lumbering drone-metal origins, crafting an album that is one of, at many times, immense beauty.

And last, but certainly not least, a happy new year to all of you and well wishes for an even brighter 2010.