Jon Garcia. The Lake

Posted on by

Diving into this lake is an exhilarating experience. There are deep waters and strange currents that pull the listener under the surface, almost drowning but certainly enveloped in an almost dream like aquamarine state of mind (if such a thing exists). This is baroque pop with horns, woodwind and strings decorating a very strong set of songs that are melodic in the extreme as Garcia’s handsome vocals dominate proceedings.
Garcia is a 27 year old musician and filmmaker who moved from Austin to Portland a few years ago.  Immersing himself in the artistic scene there he has been making this album with a cast of dozens over the past year and a half. Although there are whiffs of the Buckley’s in Garcia’s vocals and the organic feel of much of the instrumentation is similar to much of the “psych folk” movement there is little to compare this album with without going back to the heyday of Van Dykes Park’s work with the Beach Boys and Harry Nilsson. Ornate, stately, almost orchestral at times there are moments of beauty. The shimmering strings, harp and violins on  “Leaving Me For a Bald Fat Man” are heart stopping. At the heart of the music however is a punchy rhythm section with some great bass playing (on Song for the Siren (not the Buckley song) for example).  At time the propulsion is akin to that of New Order with a side order of Kraut Rock and the closing song “Tram” echoes Wire circa Pink Flag.
In addition to the gothic shade afforded by the instrumentation Garcia as a wordsmith avoids sentimentality The best example of this is the contradiction at the heart of the aforementioned  “Leaving Me For a Bald Fat Man. “ It does tug at the heartstrings but the lyrics are barbed. Losing his love to, yes indeed, a fat man, the singer closes this wonderful “love” song with the words “don’t forget me, bitch.”
Highly recommended.

Tram
Check him out here

The Izzys. Keep Your Powder Dry.

Posted on by

Hailing from New York this crew were afforded the accolade of a John Peel session back in 2003 but apart from that they appear to have flown under the critical radar. This five song EP is their sixth release and it wallows in a fetching slapdash fashion with a homemade feel (and sound) about it. What it does have is a great, at times endearingly shambolic, guitar sound that reminds one of Keef Richard squaring up to Ronnie Wood or the hypnotic lines in The Flamin’ Groovies’ Slow Death.
Whether the country stylings of opening song Tear them Down (a late night bar band playing to the last of the lonely drinkers) or the lazy stroll that is Under The Sun this is music that will help to nurse a beer or two. The strangled guitar on You Are Free and the duelling solos on their cover of Jerry Garcia’s Deal fade far too soon leaving one to wonder what this lot are like live. Lost On The Way is perhaps the standout song, soaked in pedal steel it aches in all the right places.
Highly recommended if you want a superior bar band in your sitting room.

Check them out here

Lost On The Way

April pups.

Posted on by

Brian Molnar & The Naked Hearts. Miss You is a live album recorded one night in Tennessee although apart from the applause you wouldn’t know it. Molnar is a songwriter very much in the mould of late sixties/early seventies folk like Arlo Guthrie. His studio albums have an earthy, country sound with dobro and steel guitar appearing. Here, confined to his five-piece band with keyboards high in the mix, this is smoothed out with no sign of spontaneity or fire in the belly. Probably best left to fans who have been to a gig.

Donna Ulisse’s Holy Waters, on the other hand, positively bristles with jaunty bluegrass dobro, fiddle and banjo. Judging by the lyrics and the extensive liner notes Donna is a fully paid up committed Christian who talks it like she walks it. However this is no evangelical call to arms but a rather excellent collection of devotional songs very much in the vein of The Carter Family that are as fresh as a mountain stream.

In contrast Darcie Miner on Loneliness Anonymous has a bit of a dirty mouth on her with a warning sticker highlighting the potential perils for the unwary deejay. Just as well that eight of the ten songs here are playable on the radio as Ms. Miner slams into the opening song “Vulnerability” and doesn’t let up for the remainder. Miner’s a fine singer and producer Jimmy Patton and the rest of the band shine with a big fat guitar sound and a fully formed pop sensibility. At times reminiscent of Kathleen Edwards Miner’s lyrics for the most part are about the vulnerabilities of young women cast adrift in a dangerous world but she seems tough enough to cope. Overall this is a tremendous listen and the pick of the litter here.

Have a listen here……………………..

Brian Molnar & The Naked Hearts Santa Fe

Donna Ulisse Caney Creek to Canaan land

Darcie Miner Vulnerablility

Woodenbox With A Fistful of Fivers. Album launch

Posted on by

A packed crowd in Mono on Sunday night heard this splendidly named band play all of the songs from their debut album, “Home and the Wildhunt.” Loud and raucous and tight as the proverbial duck at the end of a promotional tour they played with gusto and appeared to be enjoying it as much as the audience. The horn section (and whistling) did at times conjure up the spirit of Morricone and spaghetti westerns (to wit the name) but were also able to add slabs of sound giving the impression of a soul revue from back in the days of Stax. Difficult to call a favourite moment here but the radio friendly Twisted Mile drew cheers and Besides the Point was like seeing The Violent Femmes on a particularly psychotic bend. The closing song My Mule had an almost psychedelic start before the band hammered into the song.

The album itself is a bit of a tour de force. With twelve songs delivered in the space of 40 minutes there is hardly time to draw breath. There are the radio friendly hooks of Twisted Mile and the Calexico stylings of Hang the Noose but the baroque pop of Heart Attack, sounding like something Mark Mulcahey might have written, is a gem while the segue from the harmonies on the opening Intro to the horns on Life From Above is excellent.


Gathering a reputation as a hot band live and radio plays from the likes of Marc Riley and Radcliffe and Maconie the album only cements the possibility that Woodenbox are set for greater things. The album’s released on Electric Honey and is another feather in the cap for this label based at Stow College.
“ Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers – Besides The Point by Triad Publicity “>

Check them out and buy the album here

Raina Rose. When May Came.

Posted on by

Fourth release from this songwriter from Portland, Oregon, this took some time to come to terms with. Initially it seemed to be a fairly lightweight confection very much in the general female singer/songwriter mode. Repeated listening (one in particular, late at night with some wine to accompany it )offered a greater insight into what is a warm, embracing and comforting album.
The primary problem here was the jauntier songs including the opener, Sun Comes Back which is pleasant but innocuous and Desdemona which trots along at a brisk pace but failed to engage me. The meat of the album is in the slower songs which dominate the latter half of the album. Rose sounds more comfortable on these, her voice assumes a sultry tone missing in the more upbeat numbers. Stone Around my Neck is a particularly effective song with discontented rumblings creeping in on keyboards at one point reflecting the discontented state of the relationship she is singing about. The musicians (a select bunch of Austin players) excel on the following What Do You Bury which is sumptuous and beguiling on an obituary for a drunkard partner with a lyrical tour de force. The mood continues on Heart Broken Open with warm bass notes and a vulnerable vocal performance with great alliterative wordplay.
So overall a grower, an album to sink into, really rather nice.
Have a listen here

Sleepy Driver. Steady Now.

Posted on by

It seems that nowadays a fair proportion of albums that arrive for review are Canadian in origin. Canadiana anyone? To be sure many of the touchstones in the alt country/Americana scene were Canadians, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, The Band, to name a few. More recently Blue Rodeo and Blacky and the Rodeo Kings would be the names most likely to pop up in conversation.
Well, here’s another band to talk about instead of the Mounties and Northern Exposure. Sleepy Driver are a band with a sound that is in the same vein as some of the eighties so called Paisley Underground crew. In particular there are moments that are very akin to the great Steve Wynn both in his Dream Syndicate days and more latterly from his “desert trilogy”.
With a big guitar sound, great dynamics and at times a great pop thrust, leader Peter Hicks hits on the darker side of life including a great murder ballad (Drowning In My Dreams). While able to utilise an acoustic base in songs such as “Where You Are” and “North Dakota” (where some pedal steel leavens the sound) it’s the surge of guitar and organ on “When the Lights Come On” and the chunky slice of a song that is “Architects” that standout. Opening song “Like a Weapon” should be a radio hit at least if there’s any justice. Best of all is “Watch You Sleep” which has a fantastic, trippy guitar outro which is reminiscent of the Rain Parade.
For a debut album this is very assured and very, very listenable. Have a peek here

Matt Keating. Between Customers.

Posted on by

Matt Keating is new to me but this CD hit the carpet along with news that Mr. Keating is playing two local gigs in May (Laurie’s Bar and Kilbarchan if you ask). So what else to do but give it a spin and see what happens.
Keating certainly comes highly recommended when you check his bio. Essentially he’s a singer songwriter who gets mentioned in the same breath as Elliot Smith and Ron Sexsmith, praise indeed. Normally one reads these blurbs with a sense of detached amusement as according to the majority of them you are about to hear the aural equivalent of the great American novel. I don’t think Keating is in the same league as Smith but he certainly gives Sexsmith a run for his money.
This is his eighth album and is generally a very nice, very laid back affair. Warm and comfortable, late night listening with Keating’s vocals sounding so easy, at times reminiscent of Willie Nelson, at others, Lou Reed. This is indeed mentioned in his press and surprisingly enough it’s true. At times this makes for an odd listening experience but the end result is a heart-warmingly vulnerable voice, no more so than on “The Place” which is a beautiful song, like looking at snow through a window. Elswhere Keating’s songs remind me of Hobotalk. There is an aching at the heart of them which is bolstered by the inclusion of strings giving a song like “Better than That” a timeless quality, it could easily be from an early Neil Young album.
On the strength of this a night at one of the gigs looks like an interesting proposition.

Tour dates and music samples here

New Heathens. Hello Disaster. Avenue A Records.

Posted on by

Roots rock doesn’t get any rootsier than some of the stuff on this second album from New York band The New Heathens. Their debut “Heathens Like Me” sizzled and burned with an energy borrowed from the likes of The Stones, The Faces and Graham Parker. On this outing they have moved to a more classic Americana rock vein, due in part perhaps to having Eric “Roscoe” Ambel in the producer’s seat.
Anyhoo, Crybaby is a blistering opener that would not be out of place on the new Jason and the Scorchers release. Other stompers include Pig Pen, a muscular celebration of a night on the town and Proud Highway, a classic driving song the title of which alludes to the late and great Hunter S Thompson (who was also referenced in their first album).
Able to rock with the best then , The Heathens have a mellower side which is also evidenced here. I Thought You Were My Friend is a chunky country ballad while Don’t think I Can’t stop has a ringing Byrds’ like guitar chiming throughout it. They top it all on the closing song, Bastard Like Me which is a simple, short confessional with singer Nat Scheber, accompanied by acoustic guitar and accordion, admitting to past failures in a heartstopping fashion.
All in all this is a great little album, a step up from their first and a joy to listen to.
Check them out here
And listen to them here

Grant Langston. Stand Up Man

Posted on by

Grant Langston’s Stand Up Man places him firmly in the Bakersfield tradition of country music as exemplified by the likes of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard and latterly Dwight Yoakam, a tough guitar driven sound. In this tradition Langston and his band The Supermodels are a crack outfit with fine guitar and vocals that hiccup with the best of them and for this reason alone the disc is well worth listening to. With songs about mixing liquor and painkillers (“Shiner Bock and Vicodin) and an extended bender following a break up (30 Days) Langston shows that he can write heartbreak songs in the best tradition of his forebears. “Just Pretend You Love Me Tonight” is a stand out here, a song that utilises clichés about true love over a swooning pedal steel that tugs at the heartstrings and could easily become a country staple in the right hands. Although such songs are firmly ensconced in familiar territory there is a sly humour which runs throughout the album (and perhaps explains the band’s name) as Langston states that he wanted “to make an album steeped in its country roots but with a sound and lyrical content that’s equal parts irreverence and homage.” Played loud and (preferably liquored up) it’s a swell listen. Check his page here.

Listen here

The Wynntown Marshals. Westerner.

Posted on by

Westerner

Can white men sing the blues? Can Scotsmen play Americana? Well you can argue the first question till the end of time but if anyone asks you the latter just thrust this disc into their hand, end of argument. This is the Marshals’ debut album following an excellent EP and single released over the past 18 months. If either of those whetted your appetite then here is the main course.
“You can have My Heart” welcomes you in to Wyntown territory. Chunky guitar and hoarse vocals are backed by what sounds like the Glimmer twins “whoo whooin’” in the background. A thumping great piece of guitar then whips up a storm before singer Keith Benzie comes back in with the title refrain. This is followed by their celebrated cover of the LA Guns song “Ballad of Jayne.” Originally recorded for a tribute album to “hair bands” and then released as a single, it fits right in here. Done as a ballad laced with sweet pedal steel and stinging lead guitar it is excellent. The interplay between guitarist Iain Barbour and pedal steel player Iain Sloan is exquisite and exhilarating. “Snowflake” is a country-tinged romp with a dark story in the lyrics. “48 Hours” almost literally revs up the twang guitar with organ and a clipped guitar solo on a song about a picaresque greyhound bus ride.

On their first release The Marshals unveiled a song called 11:15, an epic retelling of a historical flood. On a brace of songs here they again stretch out with impressive results. “Thunder in the Valley” slouches along, slow, deliberate, at times majestic with stately piano. “Gil” is another historical tale, the story of Gil Elvgren, an American illustrator which captures the age of innocence when classic pin up girls (such as those enjoyed by WW2 service men) were not seen as sleazy. The song seems to contrast his artistic worth with the eventual debasement of advertisers using his talent to sell tyres and beer. All this in a very attractive country waltz setting that like other songs here has a bittersweet sense of joy and sadness. “All That I Want” is a plaintive love song with some tasty tortured guitar work at the end of another 6 minute song. .
The band romp towards the finishing line with “Nelly My Love,” a sunny love song with jaunty guitar duelling. It segues into “Divine Compassion,” an apocalyptic anti war song with heavy martial drumming from Keith Jones and moody guitar, told from the perspective of a traumatised veteran.
“Two is Company” ends the album on a brighter (although bittersweet) note with cracking (almost power pop) guitar solos and a driving rhythm.

Overall this is a stunning album with guitarists Barbour and Sloan shining throughout while Benzie’s vocals are impassioned and heartfelt. Drawing from the likes of The Drive By Truckers, Wilco and Neil Young, The Marshals manage to forge a sound of their own. I’d recommend that you buy this album and go see them at the earliest opportunity.

Ballad of Jayne

Buy it here – Wynntown Marshals Myspace