This is the cd reissue of a very hard to find collection of early recordings of this infamous SF band. It was originally released as a limited-to-500 vinyl pressing back in 1993, then on cd in '96. So, who's behind this album's re-surfacing? Why it's none other than the Committee To Keep Music Evil label run by Brian Jonestown Massacre's kingpin Mr. Anton Newcombe. Over the years, BJM have gone through many different incarnations both member-wise (seriously, they defined the phrase "revolving door of musicians") and sound-wise (frequently making complete stylistic 180's from dreamy Brit showgazerness to druggy trippiness to volatile blues rawk), but they've always kept a hand on the psychedelic knob. This is BJM in their softer, hazy, droning rock mode a bit more folky too. Sort of like the Stone Roses tripping out with Guided By Voices. We've had a few customers positively swoon when this has been played in the store. C'mon don't ya wanna space out with Spacegirl too. And hey, BJM sweeten the deal even more with a half dozen bonus songs!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Since 1991, BJM has offered the public a rock soap opera of sorts. Sideburns, Drugs & Rock 'n Roll, yeah. Providing songs to do drugs to for over a decade now, BJM's label has brought forth a heavy 2 disc retrospective obviously to coincide with the Sundance-acclaimed documentary by Ondi Timoner, "Dig!" Could only a clueless megalomaniac warrant such shameless media attention? You decide. Regardless, Tepid Peppermint Wonderland bequeaths 44 tracks of steady, mid-tempo Notorious Byrd Brothers-meets-Ride/Stone Roses glassy-eyed sonic numbness, including some previously unreleased studio and live songs.
Man, it's been a while since we heard the name Brick Layer Cake. Ten, twelve years maybe? Brick Layer Cake is Todd Trainer, drummer for Shellac, and while he is definitely partially responsible for the huge racket that Shellac kicks up, BLC is a much
More No-Wave spasticity and vocal caterwauling from former Scissor Girl A.Z. and her compadres.
Sometimes you just gotta get down and dirty, sleazy and rocking, and we have to say it's been hard to find bands doing that sort of thing right these days. So thank the stars for Bridez, a San Francisco band who make sounds made reckless nights on the dancefloor, beer soaked chaos, reminding us that rock n roll is supposed to be trashy and wild and impassioned!
There is definitely a '90s vibe happening on Evilroad that reminds us of all those great records by bands like L7, Babes In Toyland, 7 Year Bitch, Hole, Mudhoney, The Gits, Royal Trux, etc. that we've recently been revisiting, reveling in how damn good they still are. For their debut full length Bridez teamed up with Greg Ashley of Gris Gris fame producing and he definitely brings his keen sense of melody and atmosphere to the Bridez' high energy infectious rock assault. While we're sure lead singer Liza Thorn is sick of the Courtney Love comparisons, there is no denying that her voice and energy conjures images of the Courtney we used to go crazy for circa Pretty On The Inside and Live Through This. But while she commands plenty of attention the rest of the band have some serious chops as well and a truly relentless spirit which helps make Bridez a full on band to take notice of.
While much of their reputation surrounds their reckless and chaotic live shows, it's awesome to hear that behind all the commotion and mayhem, this band has some seriously great songs running happening too. So fucking good!
Bridez front woman, and the cover star of this here 7" single, is none other then Liza Thorn, who was responsible for unleashing a thrilling and damaging whirlwind of fierce energy here in the Bay Area with her previous band So So Many White White Tigers. While Bridez is a much more song based endeavor, there is still that reckless energy and dirty quality to their songs that makes this such a fun, fiery and righteously sleazy debut. We hear healthy doses of Pussy Galore, early Hole and the early recordings of The Runaways. Bringing a much needed element of danger and drunken passion to fucked up rock n' roll. So good!
The many unknown (to us, that is, for the most part) '60s psych rock reissues from labels like Akarma, Gear Fab, Sundazed, and Shadoks tend to be hit or miss affairs, with some truly being unearthed gems (Dreamies, Arzachel, Mad River) but quite a few being duds. Unfortunately, Brigade doesn't qualify as a gem, though it's not entirely the latter either. Garage psych pop (with lotsa pretty pre-prog keyboards) from Portland, Oregon that's nice and inoffensive and has a certain appeal to connoisseurs of the era no doubt, but lacks the x-factor (pop genius, heaviness, weirdness?) that would pique our interest. (More fuzz, please!) Recommended for collectors only. Probably the coolest thing about this band is that they won a KLSN Radio Portland Teen Fair Battle Of The Bands in 1968 and got a 1954 custom purple Cadillac hearse as the prize!
Thankfully the current batch of Shadoks reissues includes a much better West Coast rock entry (SoCal's Peacepipe, reviewed elsewhere) and a bonafide gem (British folkies Tony, Caro & John, also reviewed elsewhere), so they're still batting over .500.
When we first saw this, we were excited that perhaps more lost recordings of UK folk singer Anne Briggs had been discovered, but this is actually the first vinyl release of Sing A Song For You, Briggs' final recording from 1973 that wasn't properly released until 1996 on The Fledg'ling label. Why this has a new title and new artwork is curious, but the record's liner notes give some insight to the singer's ambivalence about this recording and why she retired at such an early age. She was pregnant with her second child at the time and wasn't satisfied with the quality of her singing. Plus playing the bouzouki with its convex back against her pregnant belly was difficult! When the original photo session for the album cover didn't work out and she was asked to do it again while she was preparing for a move to Scotland, it pretty much sealed the final rejection of the project. She finally allowed it to be reissued in 1996 and now we have the 180 gram vinyl version with much better artwork than the cd! As much as we love Anne Briggs, we never paid much attention to that cd, thinking it was older recordings of more traditional material, never really knowing the back-story. But after listening to this, we were wrong to dismiss it! It's definitely a continuation of the much fuller sound from her last officially released record, The Time Has Come. Ten songs here, half she wrote, half traditional interpretations played mostly with Ragged Robin as the back-up band, the only time she has ever worked with a full band, and it really sounds amazing, like a true lost folk record should!
Finally this British Folk classic becomes both widely available and affordable! In a lot of ways Anne Briggs is the British equivalent of Karen Dalton, both were distinctive and influential interpreters of traditional folk songs, and both adamantly hated recording. While Briggs' fate is less tragic than Dalton's, her self-imposed retirement from singing at 27 and long willful reclusion has left fans with a similarly slim catalog of recordings to pore over. Yet Briggs is no obscure figure. Discovered by Ewan MacColl in the early sixties, Brigg's pure yet untutored vocal delivery had tremendous influence on many of the key figures of the British folk revival, namely, Sandy Denny, Maddy Prior, June Tabor and Linda Thompson. By the time of her retirement, she was legendary. The Time Has Come is her second (and in our opinion, best) album, originally released in 1971. Here for the first time she records some of her own songs, a few of them popularized by other artists, like the title track previously covered by her former boyfriend, Bert Jansch. But perhaps influenced by the emergence of rock elements in the folk scene, she also updates the arrangements of her guitar and bouzouki accompaniments so that even the traditional tracks are handled with a warm but modernly melancholic pastoral grace. An artist at what now has to stand as her peak. Perfect for Spring!
There are few voices as pure and natural as Anne Briggs, an untrained but highly influential figure of the British Folk Tradition. This is a fine reissue of Briggs' first album from 1971 comprised mostly of traditional material that has only been previously available as expensive imports. While a few songs are backed by her guitar playing, a large number of them are sung a cappella. But with a voice like hers, the songs don't need much accompaniment. "Go Your Way" is one of our all time favorite songs period and well worth the price of admission. If fans of Shirley Collins or of all portents of magical folk music haven't already discovered and devoured Anne Briggs' scant but essential discography (she only recorded 30 songs before her self-imposed retirement at age 29!), the time has come!!
Not sure why I always thought this band was English. Maybe the name? Maybe the labels that have released their records? Maybe the music? It must just be me. On second thought actually, it could be the music. This American duo weave lush, blissed out, dreamy,
AQ-friend B. Goldberg's handy description: "Krautrocky pop with psych overtones... Delay on guitar and vocals... Improvised songs with lots of overdubs..."
The title tells the story here: Bright Eyes recordings spanning three years. Twenty songs in all. Varied in sound quality and style. Actually much more pop oriented than their more recent more acoustic folky releases. The highly amusing review printed on the cd itself reflects the latter side of the empassioned love them/hate them response this band seems to draw.
Conor Oberst sure keeps his legions and legions of adoring Bright Eyes fans happy... that is, contentedly weepy'n'wallowin' in a steady stream of his unmistakable melancholia. He follows up his two 2005 Bright Eyes albums and a sprawling 2006 rarities collection with something considerably more concise and accessible. Oberst opens Cassadaga with a swirling collage of orchestral strains which borrow a thing (or two or three) from The Beatles' "Revolution 9". Singing in an unexpectedly restrained, low register, Oberst's voice is almost unrecognizable. So much more muted and soft than usual, he could almost be mistaken for Dean Wareham. From there he sweeps into more familiarly Bright Eyes-ian folk pop territory with rollicking fiddle and his voice receding back to the withered weepy range you know and love. With this his sixth album, Oberst fully sheds his well worn indie folk cover boy beginnings as he assumes a more broadly appealing veteran Americana singer/songwriter stature. He does so with absolute ease and composure, and some very welcome support from M. Ward and Gillian Welch. Solidly onwards and upwards!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Aw heck, these two new Bright Eyes albums probably need no introduction... folks have been askin' for them for weeks! However, in case you've been snoozing, there are TWO new Bright Eyes full lengths. And for those of you raising your eyebrows wondering how each stands up, let's just say right up front that there's nary a bit of filler nor padding in sight. Mr. Conor Oberst has become one darn prolific and consistent music man. With two such solid offerings, let's watch the legions of B.E. fans grow and grow and grow!
As the title suggests, this Bright Eyes album encorporates instrumentation of the digital kind into his usually earthy acoustic folk pop assembly. And although the programmed drums can be a bit intrusive and jarring at times, they're tempered by the inclusion of a string quartet, as well as some harp and flute. Actually many of these songs sound more like they've been plucked from a recent Flaming Lips album than one you'd expect from Bright Eyes. Much like on his other current album I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, Conor Oberst's performance comes across as much more aggressive and empassioned than on past recordings... particularly on one of the album's highlights, the seventh song "I Believe In Symmetry". Guests include Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Jimmy Tamborello (Postal Service, Dntel), and Clark Baechle (The Faint).
NOTE: this has a street date of 1/25/05 so that means we can't sell it 'til Tuesday, but go ahead and order it now if you like.
An impressive 5-song ep from this Omaha-based indie rock act that has enjoyed not unwarranted comparisons to the Elephant 6 pop collective, especially Neutral Milk Hotel. With urgent, warbling vocals literally pushed to the brink of manic depressive outbursts, singer/songwriter Conor Oberst sounds like a cross between Jeff Mangum, Daniel Johnston, and Jandek (and maybe even some David Gedge [Wedding Present] to boot). And he's only, like, 19.
Fevers and Mirrors begins with a lone guitar and the spoken words of a child, rather reminiscent of 'Dear God' by XTC, but don't let that first taste send you down the wrong path. Certainly this is music of disappointment and dismay, but far from the melodramatic. Mournful, searching melodies fleshed out with the sounds of accordion, piano, mellotron, pedal steel, vibraphone, and the fragile, hoarse voice of Conor Oberst, who sings as if there were a gun held up to his head. This is perfect for slumping on a bar stool when life's dealt you a bad hand... that is, until track 3 when you decide to launch your pint straight at the wall or someone's head. Quite possibly Bright Eyes best work to date complete with beautiful mirror cover art. "Like a dream they came to cure the fever of my brain, and sooth my burning throat." A lovely downer of an album. For fans of the more stripped down side of Built to Spill.
With this generous six-song ep, Conor Oberst dangles a little samplin' of what's to come on his next Bright Eyes album! The title track will reappear on the full length due out in April (with guest stars Gillian Welch and M. Ward among others), but the other five songs are dandy exclusive 'B-sides'! Not ones to scrimp on their label's crown jewel, Saddle Creek has pressed these records on primo 180 gram vinyl!
Aw heck, these two new Bright Eyes albums probably need no introduction... folks have been askin' for them for weeks! However, in case you were snoozing, there are TWO new Bright Eyes full lengths. And for those of you raising your eyebrows wondering how each stands up, let's just say right up front that there's nary a bit of filler nor padding in sight. Mr. Conor Oberst has become one darn prolific and consistent music man. With two such solid offerings, watch the legions of B.E. fans grow and grow and grow.
The way this album starts -- with Oberst tellin' a story -- you'd almost think you were listening to an old King Missile album (not a bad thing, by the way!), his hesitant storytelling here resembles that of John S. Hall quite a bit.
Anyways, aside from that minor musing, the first thing we noticed when we gave this album a spin was just how robust and feisty Oberst's voice sounds. It's so much more so than we've come to expect, but never fear, his trademark brittle warble (that you may or may not know and love) is very much still present. Plus, he's got quite an assembly of skilled musicians backing him up. Together they weave super lush and often rollicking rootsy folk arrangements that somehow don't overshadow or crowd his voice. A surprising guest appearance on this album is that of Emmylou Harris (other guests include The Faint's Clark Baechle and My Morning Jacket's Jim James). She sings on three songs (with varying degrees of prominence) and we only wish she were on more! Her presence as well as Oberst's own growing performance composure and songwriting refinement push this album beyond the mopey indie borderlines that have bound Bright Eyes' past releases. In closing, we'd venture to say that this is the stronger of the two new albums. Recommended.
NOTE: this has a street date of 1/25/05 so that means we can't sell it 'til Tuesday, but go ahead and order it now if you like.
A full length from 1998. Fragile, personal music. Ripe with emotion. Fans of Cat Power and Vic Chesnutt take note.
If you're partial to music that stirs from beyond the point of one's deepest melancholia - clawing at the walls in despair, drowning in a sea of tear-soaked handkerchiefs, clinging to the last sliver of hope... get the picture? - Nebraska's Bright Eyes may be for you. Primarily the work of Mr. Conor Oberst, B.E. already has an ever-growing flock of admirers for his previous two full lengths on which his frail warble of a voice threatened to collapse under the weight of his words. Much more fleshed out than on past recordings, B.E.'s lush musical backdrop on many songs seems to bolster Oberst (check out "False Advertising" or the absolutely beautiful "Nothing Gets Crossed Out" with its the sweet female vocal backups - heartbreaking!), and it's this support that seems to propel him forth as he weaves his earnest, raw, folky tales. It also serves to make the impact that much greater when the grand strings and horns are stripped away for the more minimal, acoustic moments ("Don't Know When But A Day Is Gonna Come"), not to mention how it expands the music's overall appeal. Tormented and introspective, the emotions flow from him in torrents almost beyond his control. Similar to, but still much more bare bones than the Microphones and less lyrically surreal than Neutral Milk Hotel, it also brings to mind Tom Waits or the Pogues in the carnivalesque or minstrel tones. I'd have to say my favorite songs here are the aforementioned "Nothing Gets...." and "From A Balance Beam". They're perhaps the most fully realized of the bunch, the latter was also the first song on the cdep that preceded the album. There's a hefty list of participants on this album filling out B.E.'s choirs, horn and string sections, and drum corps including folks from The Faint. Recommended.
Are you prepared for the imminent Conor Oberst onslaught? Huh, what are we talkin' about? Y'mean you didn't know that there's two full Bright Eyes albums comin' out in a couple of months? Well, to get your feet wet, here's two new eps that serve as sort of a sneak peek at each new full length. This one is "Lua" and the respective upcoming B.E. album that it's from is the characteristically brittle emo-folk I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. To sweeten the deal further, there's three non-album songs that'll surely draw a few more tears from your melacholic warbly pop-lovin' eyes.
Two more sadsack songs from Omaha, Nebraska's Conor Oberst and co. Songwriting of the bleak and despairing kind. On a swirly storm cloud of grey vinyl.
Yes, half of this album's title is accurate. This is Conor Oberst and company in concert. They sound great. Although these tracks were recorded during the 2005 I'm Wide Awake It's Morning tour in front of massive hordes of rabid B.E. fans, the crowd noise is surprisingly unobtrusive. Fifteen tracks including a couple covers of Feist and Elliott Smith songs ("Mushaboom" and "The Biggest Lie" respectively)! Rest assured, you won't be experiencing an ounce of nausea or dizziness... unless you're just not a Bright Eyes fan!
You get a little bit of everything on this new Bright Eyes rarities collection -- singles, b-sides, unreleased stuff, a Spoon cover ("Spent On Rainy Days")-- but you especially get Conor Oberst's trademark most heartfelt of heartfelt indie boy poetics sung in those endearingly wimpery, near breathless vocals. Seriously folks, we've said it before but we'll say it again, he sounds like he's either being dangled by a thread over a cliff or he's got someone with a gun to his head or he got caught in a chilly downpour without an umbrella. Definitely an acquired taste! The second song "I Will Be Grateful For This Day" brings blasts of thick distortion that interrupt the delicate electronics laced indie folk pop melody. Other tunes are more straightforward folk singer/songwriter numbers, of which he become increasingly adept at writing. Total heart string tuggin', pit of your stomach sentiments. So Bright Eyes fans, consider this a little something to tide you over 'til Oberst hits the studio for his next album!
And yes Bright Eyes fans, we do have this release on double LP too! This vinyl version includes five bonus tracks not on the CD!
Here's what we said about the CD version... You get a little bit of everything on this new Bright Eyes rarities collection -- singles, b-sides, unreleased stuff, a Spoon cover ("Spent On Rainy Days")-- but you especially get Conor Oberst's trademark most heartfelt of heartfelt indie boy poetics sung in those endearingly wimpery, near breathless vocals. Seriously folks, we've said it before but we'll say it again, he sounds like he's either being dangled by a thread over a cliff or he's got someone with a gun to his head or he got caught in a chilly downpour without an umbrella. Definitely an acquired taste! The second song "I Will Be Grateful For This Day" brings blasts of thick distortion that interrupt the delicate electronics laced indie folk pop melody. Other tunes are more straightforward folk singer/songwriter numbers, of which he become increasingly adept at writing. Total heart string tuggin', pit of your stomach sentiments. So Bright Eyes fans, consider this a little something to tide you over 'til Oberst hits the studio for his next album!
Are you prepared for the imminent Conor Oberst onslaught? Huh, what are we talkin' about? Y'mean you didn't know that there's two full Bright Eyes albums comin' out in a couple of months? Well, to get your feet wet, here's two new eps that serve as sort of a sneak peek at each new full length. This one is "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" and the respective upcoming B.E. album that it's from is the startlingly non-folk oriented Digital Ash In A Digital Urn (that, if this ep is any indication, will be both somewhat more aligned with the sound of his other harder-hitting band Desparecidos and also a venturing out into as yet unchartered B.E. territory). To sweeten the deal further, there's two non-album tracks that'll surely surprise fans (one is a cover of the Simon Joyner song "Burn Rubber").
Just under twenty minutes of new music from Omaha, Nebraska's favorite heavyhearted combo Bright Eyes! Don't mean to bum out any of their ultra-mope-core fans, but... Conor Oberst seems - dare we say it? - much more energetic and spirited than usual. Perhaps it was the feisty emo pop influence of his other group Desaparecidos that put the tiger in his tank? We're not sure, but one thing we don't have to worry about is that his songwriting hasn't suffered a bit in this subtle transformation.
Raw emotion continues to flow from each of folkish numbers. These new songs just might appeal to fans of the lush, bittersweet pop of The Microphones or The Weakerthans. Features musical input from Simon Joyner, as well as a few of his Saddle Creek labelmates and Nebraska pals Todd and Clark Baechle (of The Faint) among others. Please note that the lead-off track will also be included on the forthcoming full length, but there's three others that won't so if you're a particularly impatient Bright Eyes fan, you won't wanna miss this.
By the time you read this, adoring fans of Mr. Conor 'Bright Eyes' Oberst will undoubtably have already scooped up a copy (or two) of this seven record set.
If you count yourself among those legions, but are also a cardcarrying member of the slowpoke club then... guess what?! There's a seven record box set of Bright Eyes! It includes five of his albums (many of which have been out of print for some time) plus other rare goodies. Here's the lowdown: A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997 (pressed on 2 lps, first time on vinyl!), Letting off the Happiness (with its original cover art and a Japanese import bonus song), the Every Day and Every Night ep, the excellent Fevers and Mirrors (remastered on 2 lps and including two Japanese import bonus songs), Don't Be Frightened of Turning the Page (aka the four B.E. songs from Oh Holy Fools - The Music of Son, Ambulance and Bright Eyes plus two bonus songs). If you're not familiar with the woeful, trembling indie folk sounds of B.E. yet, this might not be the place to start (unless you're also a vinyl nut and an extreme completist to boot). Maybe first check out his most recent full length Lifted Or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground.
Back in print! We had this very fleetingly a couple of years ago. Since then, the popularity of both fellows' respective musical endeavours has ballooned. For those of you who missed out the first time around, the cd's been reissued. Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and and Spoon's Britt Daniel got together a whiles back and collaborated on a number of songs. These four songs are the result -- Oberst wrote the first and third and Daniel penned the second and fourth. Sure to please fans of both artists!
When we first put this disc on for a spin, many here recognized the indie folk sound of Bright Eyes right away (without seeing the artists' and cd's names), but the vocals seemed unfamiliar. Either Conor Oberst has swiftly become a very mature, composed singer or someone else is handling some of the vocal duties. Well, to reassure those who adore Oberst's woebegone voice, it's the latter. Yup, hot on the heels of the Bright Eyes/Britt Daniel reissued split EP comes another Oberst pairing -- this time with fellow Omaha, Nebraskans Neva Dinova. You can certainly take the title as a tip-off that these two parties got together to drown their sorrows in wine and song. The six songs are warm and casual including bits of chitchat in the opening tune. On the non-Oberst-sung songs, things tend towards a lush, countrified Coldplay sound (check out the third song "Poison"). This may not win Bright Eyes many new admirers, but it surely should pique interest in Neva Dinova.
This is a split release featuring Omaha-based indie popsters Bright Eyes and related band Son, Ambulance, who each do four songs. Bright Eyes member Joe Knapp is the mastermind behind Son, Ambulance who, despite sounding super lo-fi and sort of patched together, aspire to the lofty heights of sophistico Brit pop, complete with orchestrated bits and surprisingly good arrangements that nonetheless sound like you've already heard them in a Bacharach or Squeeze song or something. Very quiet, introspective, and not super exciting.
Bright Eyes are headed by the trembly-voiced mouse Conor Oberst whose hold-nothing-back style lays his emotions bare right out there on the floor for everyone to see -- his only peer in the break your heart with his voice category is Jeff Mangum of Netural Milk Hotel. You'll either love it or hate it. The last song was written for AQ-pal Kathy w/a K!
We liked what we heard on the first few outings by The Bright Grey Wing, but with this record it feels like Jaime Borschuk has really come into her own. Such beautiful sketches of songs with no wasted moments and such tender and delicate delivery. Like the soft breeze of the Tenniscoats or Durutti Column with an undercurrent of twee influences and a soft touch similar to folks like Tara Jane O'Neil, Mirah, Rose Melberg, Eddie Marcon and Mary Timony. Such perfect sounds for an early morning or those times when you just want to get lost in a soft Summerbreeze. So nice.
Here's the second full length from this lo-fi solo honey-sweet popster (aka Jaime Borchuk who is also in Plan To Pink). Last time, we noticed that occasionally some of the vocals drifted away from 'in tune'. Well, that's the case on Homecoming too -- it seems she's created her very own key to sing in and often a guitar seems to follow suit as well. The problem is actually more pronounced this time out 'cause the rest of the music that surrounds the vocals is much more polished than last time. Really, when she hits her mark it's like the warmest hug! This could've been a totally soft'n'cozy pop confection, but it falls short on a few occasions. Sort of like an unintentional Shaggs tribute band in its total wide-eyed earnestness. Includes a cover of Daniel Johnston's "Speeding Motorcycle".
The Bright Grey Wing make music just like in the good ol' early '90s days in Olympia, WA when lo-fi twee pop and K Records were king. That is, heart-on-your-sleeve, cardigan sweater tunes with earnest sing-song gal vocals that do the hokey-pokey with the tuning fork every now and again. Seventeen (!) intimate, bare bones, bedroom-y songs ranging in length from a mere 21 seconds to three and half minutes. Ever so marshmallow soft 'n' sweet, I closes with a 32-second rendition of Jim Morrison's "The End".
Wonderful! BrightBlack weave the gentlest, languid country folk music around with drawled male and murmurred female vocals. They sure used their largest ladle when they poured on the reverb. Everything is drenched in it like a blanket of gravy -- especially the gorgeous pedal steel. Really, this is the perfect heavily-lidded album to soothe and drift you off into the land of dreams. They even kindly end the cd with the sound of whispery cricket chirps.
FYI: bassist Paul Oldham just happens to be the brethren of Mr. Bonnie Prince Billy, and Brother Will slips in for a mysterious "high ghost sing".
Picking up so nicely where their Matador debut left off a couple years back, Brightblack Morning Light are back with a new set of dreamy hippie hymnals that sway and melt with ease and affection. Adding subtle horns and gospel-like back up vocals to their slow and beautiful songs, they've made a record that after constant listens has seeped into out souls wrapping our psyches in warm and woozy sound. With rich connections to the land and the sky Brightblack are able to make music that feels natural and ethereal and unlike so many others polluting the world with overly forced takes on psych-folk. There is something undeniably sincere and for real about the tender and textured sounds that BBML create. Their stunning opening set last year for Vashti Bunyan showed that even when the pressure is on these are people whose music and presence is always so relaxed and tranquil and dreamily psychedelic, their bodies and spirits so at peace. Make sure to spend some serious time with this record as it's one that really benefits from deep listening, and will reward you with its deep melting glow.
Ok so this record doesn't officially come out until June but because they have already launched their tour, Matador has let a few copies out into the world and we were lucky enough to get our hands on this early batch. With its custom packaging which includes amazing "tripping" rainbow glasses that you can wear and see stars and colors all summer long, this is a record you are gonna want to get your hands on as soon as you can. You often hear people talking about a record that has warmth. But you don't always really melt in that supposed warmth. With their new full length and first outing for Matador. Brightblack Morning Light (we think they might slightly change their name on everything they put out) have made a record that makes you melt in all the best possible ways. With the morning light added to their moniker, Brightblack have made one of the most perfect morning records we've heard in ages. This is the kind of record you put on right when you get up, sun is shining through the windows, slight breeze caressing your neck as Brightblack's Rabob and Nabob let their laid back, trance inducing southern charm seep deep into your pores. There is an overall ambiance to this recording that allows their soothing vocals and rich instrumentation to come together so perfectly as one. You can hear the influence of South American psychedelia, all warm and seductive, you can also hear bits of Americana transmitted with all the right haze and glaze. This is THE summer record, to serenade you as you while away the long warm days in bed all summer long. Highly recommended!
We're sure getting our fill of UK sweet pop this month! For more shining examples, be sure to check out the new albums from Camera Obscura and Joanna Newsom. In the meantime though, what about this Brighter singles retrospective? Spanning just four years, this cd follows Brighter's path from buoyant janglin' twee melodies with shy boy vocals to more atmospheric and moody shoegazer songs with shy boy vocals!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
"Necrose Evangelicum" is a bleak 'death ambient' album from the founder of the Swedish label Cold Meat Industries. Ghastly sounds from beyond the grave wallow through the bass-heavy drones in the best Lustmord tradition of dark ambience.
