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.
This is a vinyl reissue of a rare-ass 1975 private press LP from Baltimore that anyone who digs, say, Michael Yonkers should perk up their ears at. It's that sort of outsider psych obscurity. Guitarist/vocalist George Brigman, a teenager at the time we're pretty sure, was definitely into such underground (back then) influences as The Stooges and the Velvet Underground. This record consists of fierce, fuzz-fueled punk rockers, lo-fi blues, and VU-inspired melancholia -- a downer vibe typified by such songs as "It's Misery", "Worrying", and "I'm Married Too". There's more of the latter so don't get the idea that this is Raw Power part II or anything. But the Stooges moments, like the killer title track, ARE super Stoogey. So imagine an unholy, amateur, low-budget blend of Iggy, Lou Reed, and some Nick Drake too. Sounds good don't it? It is pretty great. Very soon a cd reissue on the Bona Fide label should also be arriving in our shop, but for the vinyl-enabled among you, Anopheles has the goods right now, on clear vinyl, mastered from the original tapes.
Last list we had the deluxe reish of Baltimore guitarist George Brigman's long-lost Jungle Rot album, a self-released obscurity from '75 that seemed to be one man's tribute to The Stooges and the Velvet Underground. Fuzz-punk-blues-psych from way underground. Well, turns out that as a blues guitarist, George Brigman's biggest influence was probably Tony McPhee of British blues rockers The Groundhogs. So his late '70s outfit was called Split for a reason -- it's the name of (imho) the best Groundhogs album. And Brigman's blues bag is bigger on Split's 1977 album for sure. But if you've been diggin' Jungle Rot like we have, you might want to check this out too. We can't say it's quite as good, but it surely has its moments and many fans of Jungle Rot will like it too. The messed up downer punk attitude, and the fuzz, of Jungle Rot is prevalent here as well. At its worst, decent bar band blues rock with a great guitarist. At its best, really freaking awesome and weird bar band blues rock with a great guitarist. 19 tracks, some previously unreleased bonus cuts included.
We've been smitten with these local ladies ever since their first couple 7"s released a few years back. We predicted back then that they should/would end up on Slumberland, and we're happy that our prediction came true, as they really are a band that represents the best aspects of Slumberland's awesome legacy and reemergence as one of the best labels around to trust for indie-pop done right. On Again And Again, Brilliant Colors have created their most free flowing set of songs, each one capable of being a pull-away single, but each track leading right into another with such carefree ease. The kind of album you want blasting in your car as you take to the coast to soak up some sun and dip your feet into the sea. It's got a kind of driving breeze to it that makes for such infectious repeated listening. Still channeling the influence of greats gone by like The Shop Assistants, Heavenly, Velocity Girl and Black Tambourine, as well as groups like Tsunami, Veronica Lake, and Butterglory, but continuing to flex their own vision, and undeniable integrity.
There is such a cool DIY spirit to so much of what Brilliant Colors do. Their handmade flyers, the all-ages shows they play in super unique places, in fact the record release party for this album is going to be held in a tiny hair saloon just a few blocks from our shop. Even though their sound isn't "punk" you can tell that they've got a punk ethos, and that classic post-punk bands really helped influence their sound. If they lived in D.C. rather than SF, they no doubt would be on Dischord. We've been blasting this on repeat ever since it arrived in the store, as its become a major contender for our favorite summer album of the year!
We've been loving everything we've heard from this fairly new Bay Area female trio but we were too slow to snag enough copies of their first 7" to list, but luckily we've got this great new single with two new brand new songs that are sure to show the world that these gals belong in the new league of great garage popsters like the Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls, Thee Oh Sees, etc. There is a really cool early '80s minimalist garage pop aesthetic to Brilliant Colors that reminds us a bit of Young Marble Giants, The Raincoats, the heyday of Flying Nun records or some song by an obscure band on a Messthetics compilation that you would want to play over and over. It's much smarter then run of the mill garage rock, but it's also smart enough not to let their brains get in the way of their simple stripped down songs that sound better and better each time we lay the needle in the groove.
We knew it was only a matter of time before San Francisco's Brilliant Colors broke out of the Bay and into the ears and hearts of listeners across the globe, and it makes such perfect sense that Slumberland is the proud label to get to release their debut full length.
After a couple amazing 7"s, we knew the time was ripe for Brilliant Colors to make a big splash with their energetic, raw and super charged garage pop, gloriously drenched in feedback and soaring amplification. They really are like a modern day version of Black Tambourine (the awesome short-lived early '90s band who just had their Complete Recordings reissued by Slumberland). Part pop, part garage, part punk, all coming together in such perfect alignment. BC belong near the top of the list of awesome bands who have emerged in the last few years very much influenced by the likes of The Vaselines, Shop Assistants, Talulah Gosh, Jesus & Mary Chain, Pastels, etc. Alongside folks like Grass Widow, Dum Dum Girls, Vivian Girls, and Pens, Brilliant Colors have injected a much needed blast of full throttle female energy into the post-punk scene and this debut full length picks up where their great singles left off, adding even more intensity and uncompromising tenacity to their delivery.
Another awesome slab of wax from San Francisco's Brilliant Colors. A bit more poppy than their full length, this is pretty much perfect post-punk with a distinctly lo-fi vibe and a timeless quality that connects the dots between folks like Black Tambourine, Chin Chin and The Vaselines to the present day. Both these songs find these ladies in absolute top form, in fact we think this may be our favorite release from them yet. Finding a way to a more melodic and even jangly feel yet sounding fuzzier and more free then ever. Cool to see that these songs were recorded by their pal Ty Segall who knows a thing or two about bringing together fuzz and melody. One of those amazing 7"s where you won't be able to decide which side is better, as both these songs are smoking!
Ok, make that not one but two new awesome 7"s from San Francisco's Brilliant Colors. Like the other reviewed BC 45 this week, these two new burners were also recorded with their pal Ty Segall and find the band reaching even higher. The band definitely seem to be coming into their own with their songwriting, finding such a great way to combine their lo-fi post punk sensibilities with such great hooks and incredible melodies. We hope it's just a matter of time before these ladies get the widespread attention and praise they deserve as their songs as just as infectious and raw as folks like Dum Dum Girls, Vivian Girls and Golden Triangle.
Make-A-Mess releases tend to disappear quickly so best to snag one of these before it's too late!
Another gem from Spain's psychedelic past! We've been getting some very interesting reissues of Spanish stuff lately (Agamenon, Tapiman, Eduardo Bort, Smash, The Spanish Trip comp, etc.) and this Brincos disc is one to add to that list. From 1970, this is psych-pop with a bit of a prog bent, especially on the album's ambitious lead-off / title track, "Mundo Demonio Carne", which clocks in at over twelve minutes long and is a real psych odyssey. Fuzzed out rockin' morphs into gentle folky melodicism and back into dramatic prog soundscapery. Worth it almost for this track alone, though happily the rest of the album is equally excellent and eclectic, from blues rock workouts to handclapping pop to fake raga ("Kama-Sutra"). There's lots of groove, and lots of lush, infectious melodies -- the kind that make you hit 'play' over and over again.
Some comparisons we could make, which may only make sense to those well versed in the pop/prog/psych obscurities of the era: Los Dug Dug's meets The Millenium? Aphrodites Child + Os Mutantes + Kak?? Well, if you know who some/all of those bands are you're probably the sort of person who would enjoy Brincos -- though that's not to say that if you've never heard of any of 'em you wouldn't like Brincos. Far from it. This is some appealing stuff that anyone with an ear for colorful, poppy psychedelia should dig...
This import from Spain is World Devil Body's offical reissue version and includes both Spanish and English language versions of many of the album's tracks.
Jim O'Rourke has never been shy in announcing who is the primary muse for each of his multi-faceted musical adventures. There was Bad Timing, which pretty much appropriated wholesale John Fahey's idiosyncratic bluegrass style; his Eureka record tapped into the '70s AM radio sounds of Steely Dan and Bread; and then there was the often overlooked Brise-Glace, now reissued. Around the time that he formed the tape-spliced avant-rock project Brise-Glace, O'Rourke released a collaborative album with KK Null entitled A New Kind Of Water, which also happens to be the name of a mighty fine This Heat song. Couple that reference with the name Brise-Glace also being the title of a composition of musique concrete by Luc Ferrari, and you might have a pretty good idea of where O'Rourke's mindset was during the recording of When In Vanitas. Then living in Chicago, O'Rourke gathered together Darin Gray of Dazzling Killmen and Dylan Posa & Thymme Jones of Cheer-Accident in crafting a muscular buzz-saw field of sound that O'Rourke radically cut up (with a razor blade!) into the math-rock structures found on When In Vanitas. So yeah, Brise-Glace does sound a lot like This Heat especially in the tense, angular riffs, balanced with plenty of languid strumming pointing back to Slint; but more often than not, Brise-Glace eeriely predates the jagged art-rock epics of Laddio Bollocko. Originally released back in 1994, When In Vanitas remains the only record from Brise-Glace, although O'Rourke did also produce a similar project with similar people (including members of Zeni Geva) called Yona Kit, again released on Skin Graft and currently out of print as far as we know. But thankfully, Skin Graft have been wise enough to at last reissue this, one of the very best records in their back catalogue.
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British Sea Power's recent Krankenhaus? (their question mark not ours) cdep revealed the band as a musical entity with a scope and prowess far beyond that of its fellow early-'00s dance rock Brits. Sure they can still kick out a right-on rollicking anthem like "Atom", but they can also execute a remarkably epic and grand passage filled with dynamics and nuance that gives Sigur Ros, Radiohead or Godspeed You Black Emperor a run for their money. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the picture, doncha? And they don't stop there. Nope, they go ahead and expertly dish out the smooth dreamy number "Open The Door" that's equal parts The Go-Betweens and Yo La Tengo. Really really good and recommended!
Here's a preview of what's to come on British Sea Power's forthcoming 2008 album! Krankenhaus? features a two song peek plus three more and a live video and film! This band has consistently proven themselves to possess a broader scope than many of their early '00s post-post-punk '80s influenced contemporaries, so we were pretty excited when this arrived. happy to report that it doesn't disappoint! Their slouchy yet punchy jangle rock gets anthemic on the opener "Atom". Then, they just keep on unveiling alter egos. The third song "Straight Down The Line" presents an unexpectedly sensitive and prettier side to the band, while "The Pelican" brings out the space rock in them. Can't wait for the full length!
Wow, this band keeps on evolving in wonderful ways! British Sea Power's latest musical outing is a soundtrack for the classic 1934 documentary Man Of Aran by explorer / filmmaker Robert Flaherty. Somberly foreboding, these mostly instrumental passages could easily seem like they were torn from the dramatically atmospheric books of Godspeed You Black Emperor! There are some really gorgeous, gloomily grey stretches that balance cloudy drones with delicate melodies played out on guitar, piano and strings. Nice. The rock band in British Sea Power only really surfaces a few times ever so fleetingly - midway through the proceedings on "Boy Vertiginous", then on the rugged number "Spearing The Sunfish", and on the finale "No Man Is An Archipelago" - but it fits effectively and doesn't seem incongruous. An added bonus: the cd is accompanied by a dvd that features the film with its new score!
For their second album, British Sea Power remain totally 'British', decidedly less 'Sea'-faring (does that make them more landlubbing!?), and we've yet to determine quite where they're at on the 'Power' side of things. They've roamed from their initial sailing theme concept in pursuit of new paths to explore -- a wise move, we think, so as to not slip into mariner schtick-dom. Instead of the predictable 'Open Seas', we get 'Open Season', but who's huntin' whom? Heh heh! Lead singer Yan (nope, still no first names in sight) continues to brood and croon like a cross between David Bowie and Psychedelic Furs' Richard Butler singing for Echo & The Bunnymen. Noble's guitar tone on the lead-off track is a deadringer for the Bunnymen circa "Bring On The Dancing Horses". And as far as the whole band's sound goes, the past comparisons to Interpol certainly still hold true, perhaps even more so than on their last album. Whereas Decline Of British Sea Power was a darkly tumultuous affair, Open Season is much more even (albeit gloomy) tempered. There are plenty of moments on this album that stir mega-twinges of nostalgia for '80s Brit rock. Really, BSP execute this music style amazingly well with such suave aplomb. In fact, while "Please Stand Up" was playing, it had Andee believing he was in Sixteen Candles or Pretty In Pink. Oh Ducky!
What does it mean when Interpol are compared to Joy Division, and you are compared to Interpol (by numerous other reviewers) *and* David Bowie (by me, Cup) and Joy Division (again, by other reviewers)? Hmmm, perhaps it means youïbeam withïthe youthful vigor of the former andïexude a healthy senseïof nostalgia for the glammy drama and aging torment of the latter? Such seems to be the case with this UK band who indeed have beenïheld up to the same light as that of those other artists.ïIndeed, folks who dig Interpol but who are seeking something a little more tense, unstable and aggressive, might wanna give British Sea Power a spin. You mustn't be mislead by the leadoff track "Men Together Today" - a boiling point rocker filled with throbs and spasms that drew instore comparisons to Queens Of The Stone Age - the rest of the album paces itself at a more weighty, brooding British postpunk step. I dig this a lot, especially the lengthy tenth song "Lately" which effectively encapsulates the album as a whole. Heck, the sixth "Fear Of Drowning" is a mighty fine standout too. Already gaining quite a reputation for their live shows in which they do indeed dress as naval officers, British Sea Power - ahem - set sail with an impressive debut filled with stormy charisma. Recommended.
It's been two long years since Broadcast singer Trish Keegan's tragic untimely passing, and we're finally getting to hear some of the material the band was working on before she died. There have long been rumors of a posthumous Broadcast record proper to someday be released, but until that album is ready, we have this soundtrack to a British psychological thriller called Berberian Sound Studio to keep us company. Unlike Broadcast's previous album with the Focus Group, Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age, which played like an imaginary soundtrack for the most incredible horror movie never made, Berberian Sound Studio comes across like a proper soundtrack that follows a visual plot, with repeating themes in various moods that are lilting, atmospheric and tense, but also including creepy foley sound effects of bloodcurdling screams, sinister prayers, as well as short haunting library music cues. The film, about a British sound engineer's devolving mental state while working on a giallo-like exploitation film in the mid '70s at Italy's famed Berberian Sound Studio, harkens back to the days of heralded Italian movie composers Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai working on films by Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. Originally conceived as the soundtrack for the film within the film, called The Equestrian Vortex, director Peter Strickland soon decided to use Broadcast's music cues to underscore what was happening outside of the interior film as well, so that there is a lovely blurring of reality and fantasy, intensified by the various sonic cues included from the film that overall make this soundtrack stand up on its own. Of course adding to the haunting quality of the music is the ghostly but minimal presence of the late Keegan's voice, that appears mostly in near background like famed Morricone singer, Edda Dell'Orso, in lilting sing-song and wordless choruses. The question remains unanswered if that is her voice heard praying or screaming.
Coincidentally, we've recently become obsessed with a similar sounding soundtrack by Polish composer Andrzej Korzynski for the eighties cult horror film, Possession (something, we are hopefully going to be able to list one of these days!) and the two have been interweaving a strange musically cinematic and terrifying spell throughout the store. Highly Recommended!
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
At last, the highly anticipated follow-up to The Noise Made By People has arrived!
Cup totally adored their pre-album Pendulum cdep, and after giving the HaHa Sound a first listen she feared that this sophomore effort's brightest highlights might've been packed onto that lil' ep. For instance, the ep's title track bursts forth as the second song on the album and is clearly one of its standouts. It's undeniably irresistible! Thoroughly taken with that song as well as the gloriously obtuse, bloopy electronic instrumentals, she initially found herself somewhat disoriented with the rest that followed (as you might be able to tell 'cause she's speaking about it in the third person), but then she gave it a second spin... and the album blossomed before her very eyes/ears!
Vocalist Trish Keenan murmurs and sings in her wistful, lullaby-perfect voice that nears the clarity and sweetness of Karen Carpenter or Julee Cruise. It's the perfect foil for the fizzing and churning backdrop of analog synths, guitars, bass and percussion created by Roj Stevens, Tim Felton, James Cargill and Steve Perkins - tipping their collective hat to '60s Brill Building girl groups, the grand sentimental lovey-dovey-ness of Bacharach, and Esquivelian space age bachelor pads everywhere. Broadcast skillfully craft glistening, starry-eyed music that swirls and creaks like an old carousel, but just as ably veer off into more eccentric, trippy territory a la Bruce Haack, Raymond Scott and Joe Meek (psst, this contrast is perfectly exemplified at the meeting between songs 7 and 8 - "Lunch Hour Pops" and "Black Umbrellas" - check 'em out!). Perhaps the time has come that the occlusive "Stereolab Jr." tag they've been saddled with (granted, quite aptly so) may be tossed in the trash. Very recommended!
At last, the highly anticipated follow-up to The Noise People Make has arrived and in two different packaging selections! If you're a big Broadcast fan you might wanna scoop up this special (very Radiohead-ish) book edition. Making its appearance slightly in advance of the regular ol' jewelcase version, it's not really a book at all, but more of a cd-sized hardback book cover with lyrics and liner notes printed on 2 fold-out cardstock pages.
Okay, now that we've got the packaging commentary out of the way, onwards to the music...
Cup totally adored their pre-album Pendulum cdep, and after giving the HaHa Sound a first listen she feared that this sophomore effort's brightest highlights might've been packed onto that lil' ep. For instance, the ep's title track bursts forth as the second song on the album and is clearly one of its standouts. It's undeniably irresistible! Thoroughly taken with that song as well as the gloriously obtuse, bloopy electronic instrumentals, she initially found herself somewhat disoriented with the rest that followed (as you might be able to tell 'cause she's speaking about it in the third person), but then she gave it a second spin... and the album blossomed before her very eyes/ears!
Vocalist Trish Keenan murmurs and sings in her wistful, lullaby-perfect voice that nears the clarity and sweetness of Karen Carpenter or Julee Cruise. It's the perfect foil for the fizzing and churning backdrop of analog synths, guitars, bass and percussion created by Roj Stevens, Tim Felton, James Cargill and Steve Perkins - tipping their collective hat to '60s Brill Building girl groups, the grand sentimental lovey-dovey-ness of Bacharach, and Esquivelian space age bachelor pads everywhere. Broadcast skillfully craft glistening, starry-eyed music that swirls and creaks like an old carousel, but just as ably veer off into more eccentric, trippy territory a la Bruce Haack, Raymond Scott and Joe Meek (psst, this contrast is perfectly exemplified at the meeting between songs 7 and 8 - "Lunch Hour Pops" and "Black Umbrellas" - check 'em out!). Perhaps the time has come that the occlusive "Stereolab Jr." tag they've been saddled with (granted, quite aptly so) may be tossed in the trash. Very recommended!
At last, the highly anticipated follow-up to The Noise People Make has arrived!
Cup totally adored their pre-album Pendulum cdep, and after giving the HaHa Sound a first listen she feared that this sophomore effort's brightest highlights might've been packed onto that lil' ep. For instance, the ep's title track bursts forth as the second song on the album and is clearly one of its standouts. It's undeniably irresistible! Thoroughly taken with that song as well as the gloriously obtuse, bloopy electronic instrumentals, she initially found herself somewhat disoriented with the rest that followed (as you might be able to tell 'cause she's speaking about it in the third person), but then she gave it a second spin... and the album blossomed before her very eyes/ears!
Vocalist Trish Keenan murmurs and sings in her wistful, lullaby-perfect voice that nears the clarity and sweetness of Karen Carpenter or Julee Cruise. It's the perfect foil for the fizzing and churning backdrop of analog synths, guitars, bass and percussion created by Roj Stevens, Tim Felton, James Cargill and Steve Perkins - tipping their collective hat to '60s Brill Building girl groups, the grand sentimental lovey-dovey-ness of Bacharach, and Esquivelian space age bachelor pads everywhere. Broadcast skillfully craft glistening, starry-eyed music that swirls and creaks like an old carousel, but just as ably veer off into more eccentric, trippy territory a la Bruce Haack, Raymond Scott and Joe Meek (psst, this contrast is perfectly exemplified at the meeting between songs 7 and 8 - "Lunch Hour Pops" and "Black Umbrellas" - check 'em out!). Perhaps the time has come that the occlusive "Stereolab Jr." tag they've been saddled with (granted, quite aptly so) may be tossed in the trash. Very recommended!
Presenting a much more feisty, energetic Broadcast than on their last album The Noise People Make. There's only six songs here, but they're mighty fine ones. Mighty, indeed! Four of them ring with that familiar dreamy Broadcast sound - shades of their Cardigans/Stereolab leanings still linger but only faintly. They're definitely more fired up these days. Just check out that tight, harder-hit drumming and heavier overall sound. Actually this brings their recorded work more in line with their rockin' live performances. And what about those other two songs? Well, they deserve their own mention that's for sure: the wonderfully incongruous third track "One Hour Empire" and the sixth "Minus Two". It truly sounds like they hopped a time machine back to the '70s and hijacked the BBC Radiophonic Workshop! The former's an eccentric jazzy bleep-bloop exotica number that's plenty entertaining all by itself. The latter begins as a spaced-out robotic spazz-fit that's eventually muscled over by more frantic drumming and melodic female sighs. Actually if the last few Add N To (X) albums have left you rather disgruntled and disappointed (as they have us) and if this new EP is any indication, you might want to switch over to the Broadcast team! Recommended.
Ooooh soooo gooood! As seems to be the case with each new Broadcast album, a couple of listens is all it takes to get Tender Buttons hooks into ya! The effects of Broadcast's pop intoxicants aren't as immediate nor as obvious here as those of 2003's The HaHa Sound, but they're no less potent. Broadcast continue to melt their sound into the ultra-pretty sounds of '60s girl groups. In doing so, they perfectly showcase lead vocalist Trish Keenan's unbelievably lovely vocals which occasionally take on a more somber tone here than they did on the airier HaHa Sound. Despite the undeniable sweetness of Keenan's voice, the band always gracefully sidestep excessive syrupiness with the counterbalance of heavier guitars, a propulsive groovy rhythm section and a broad spectrum of hefty analog synth melodies and textures. A luminous dreamboat with a tiger in its tank. Swoon!
An absolute delight from start to finish! Like a big ol' box of Crayolas, The Future Crayon is a collection of Broadcast rarities. The eighteen tracks are compiled from singles, eps, and compilations dating back to 1998. They effectively remind us that while this UK band is perhaps best known for their plush synth-driven pop, their musical spectrum stretches far beyond that into jazz, space age, exotica, krautrock, prog, and the science fair even! Needless to say, your ears will surely find that they're so much more delicious than those waxy coloring implements. They're more like the aural equivalent of a fifty scoop sundae -- towering in dream pop yumminess comprised of soft creamy sherbet (Trish Keenan vocals! sigh!), occasional bloops of marshmallow cream and hot fudge (their analog synthesizers!), a sprinkling of nuts and sugary bits (the snappy often jazzy percussion as well as those synths again!). It's all perfectly summed up in the cd's sixteenth and seventeenth numbers "Minus Two" and "Violent Playground", both taken from their 2003 EP Pendulum. Fantastic! Yes, recommended!
Yes! The Broadcast vinyl reissues are finally here and it can't be overstated how much we love this band and everything they ever released, especially since as a band they are no longer with us with singer Trish Keegan's untimely death in 2011. We won't go into our usual fan-gush prose and write paragraphs about how wonderful these albums are (we mean we can go on and on about them!) since we just got a handful of each one, apart from the first singles compilation, Work And Non-Work, which is already awaiting a repress. In fact all of these might be being repressed, we think they sold out on preorder, but we have a few, come in this weekend and try and grab 'em!
Over four full lengths and two single collections, Broadcast has traversed a dreamy retro-futurist sound that may have started from the same kaleidoscopic pop spark as bands like Stereolab and Pram, but has since become something fully their own. We will eventually relist all of them as soon as we get enough copies to list.
Broadcast's debut full length, The Noise Made By People, released in conjunction with Tommy Boy back in 2000, was a dark and cinematically dreamy departure only hinted at from the early singles. Early and lazy mis-characterizations of the band just being another Stereolab copy (which we might have though ourselves), couldn't be farther from the truth. Keegan's thoughtful and psychically focussed lyrics and delivery were a far cry from Sterolab's vocals as rhythm instrument approach. Instead, typified by the opener "Long Was The Year" much of the sound was largely and selectively lifted from electric psychedelic bands from the '60s like United States of America and White Noise where ring modulators and synthesizers transport female voices into environments of psycho-acoustic dream states with an infectious pop moodiness. While their albums like Tender Buttons and The Ha Ha Sound have a more popular following and rightfully so since each album is its own particular gem, we believe their debut is equally potent, underrated and probably the best place to start for the uninitiated. Highest Recommendation!!
Yes! The Broadcast vinyl reissues are finally here and it can't be overstated how much we love this band and everything they ever released, especially since sadly as a band they are no longer with us due to singer Trish Keegan's untimely death in 2011.
Work and Non-Work was the first introduction of the group to a larger audience, collecting their first two singles and an ep previously released on the labels Wurlitzer Jukebox and Stereolab's Duophonic imprint between 1995 and 1996. Their songcraft, which would be honed and evolve over their next four albums, arrived nearly fully formed, though they do wear their influences most outwardly on this collection than any other release. Staking a firm spot between Stereolab's retrofuturism and Portishead's emotively sonic trip-hop formalism, while also mining altered-consciousness music from the margins of sixties psychedelia, like United States of America, White Noise and Elephants Memory. In fact, "The World Backwards" is nearly a remake of Elephants Memory's "Old Man Willow", a song most famously heard in the druggy party scene in the movie Midnight Cowboy. But Broadcast never tried to hide their influences always exposing a narrow-trodden path for listeners to find little known treasures from the past. Leading the way for bands like Death and Vanilla, The Sound Carriers and Jane Weaver to carry the torch into the future. A perfect place to start for the uninitiated.
Crystal balls, dark mirrors, Ouija boards, seances, creepy knocking, music boxes that play themselves, creaking doors, and distorted kaleidoscopes are just a few of the fascinating hauntological associations mined in the latest collaborative effort by long time aQ faves, Broadcast, and new to us electronic outfit, The Focus Group, run by Ghost Box label head Julian House (who also designed all of Broadcast's record covers). We've been trying to carry the Ghost Box label stuff for years but haven't found a feasible distributor, and with this release, it has become quite clear what we've been missing out on.
Billed as a mini-album (23 tracks across 50 minutes), Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of The Radio Age is all at once a mesmerizing sound collage, a mind-warping concept album, a reimagined soundtrack to some chilling psychological cinema (we're thinking of films like Dead of Night, Secret Ceremony, The Ballad of Tam Lin, Persona, Angel, Angel Down We Go, or Simon, King of The Witches), as well as an homage to the obscure left-field psychedelic electronic music and sounds of the sixties and seventies that have influenced Broadcast over the years. Bands like White Noise, The Animated Egg, Basil Kirchin, United States of America, British Library Music and of course the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
So as you probably guessed from the description above, this is not a typical Broadcast release, but a experimental detour while we await for their next official full length. Fans of their full lengths may be less immediately satisfied by this, as it's not designed to be enjoyed as a pop record. It often requires either deep listening, or having it on while working on a solitary activity, such as painting or knitting, or better yet tarot card reading. While Trish Keenan's lush and dreamy singing is heard through out, there is only one typical Broadcast song, opener "The Be Colony", a woozy lullaby that hearkens back to the dreamy melodies from the HaHa Sound album, and even that is thrown in the delirious blender of The Focus Group, who took recordings made by Broadcast for this project and cut them up in a method to suggest automatic writing under a deep hypnosis. Disembodied voices, blowing wind, flashes of jazz drumming, eerie squeeches and electronic bloops, radio dials shifting, whining puppies, crows cawing, mysterious choirs and echo-y playground rhymes. Very ghostly, and sometimes beautifully creepy. It's the kind of strategy that may sound like it could get tedious after awhile, but the collage is so delicately and carefully constructed with just enough structured melodies that it wonderfully forms an intriguing narrative, of course aided by suggestive song titles like "Reception/ Group Therapy" , "Ritual/ Looking In", "Libra, The Mirror's Minor Self..." and "Drug Party". We think that people who are less inclined towards Broadcast's pop albums and into spectral sounds, occult music compilations, electric voice phenomenon, experimental electronic music or music on the Type or Miasmah labels should definitely give this a listen. We haven't been so spellbound by a record in quite a while. Fantastic!
Originally released in 2008 by the always impressive Type Records, Peter Broderick's debut album gets a deserved reissue, and sonic update, courtesy of the post-classical imprint Erased Tapes. Broderick has recently gone on to some rather quirky albums of indie-minded songwriting laced with classical idioms and charming bits of electronics. We first came across his work through a collaboration with Machinefabriek, although the dark grandiosity of that album is a considerable detour within Broderick's oeuvre. Entirely instrumental and mostly scored on piano, Float could very well be an ersatz soundtrack to any number of IFC produced films for bittersweet whimsy steeped in unresolved tragedy. There is a lush sentimentality to Broderick's motifs which are occasionally jaunty but often lilting with subtle augmentation from various strings and electronics. At times, he exhibits the orchestrated spaciousness found in the more celebratory hymns of Godspeed! You Black Emperor; but often, there is a hushed delicacy like that found in library music anthologies and '70s film scores alike.
Newest solo offering from Stephen Brodsky, otherwise known as the front man for Radiohead-obsessed metalheads Cave In. While his last solo record was intimate, personal and darkly acoustic, this new one doesn't fare so well. This time around it's a sort of
It's been a weird wild ride for Cave In. But admittedly a ride all of their own making. They began life as a crushing post-metalcore behemoth, easily holding their own alongside such other sonically likeminded bruisers as Cavity, Coalesce and Deadguy. Then the band morphed into a strange arena pop band, ditching much of the heaviness for hooks, much of the downtuned pummel for radio friendly bombast. Metalheads were stunned and seemed to have written off the band completely, but some of us actually dug the new direction. And it really wasn't that big a surprise as the band was often described as Slayer meets Radiohead, so they were just leaning toward the latter, a part of their sound that was present anyway. Sure we missed the Cave-In of old, but heck, who were we to argue with another kick ass pop band? Then after dabbling with a major label, the band returned to their old label with a sound, which while retaining some of their new found poppiness, was definitely a return to form in terms of heaviness.
Now while all this was going on, Cave In frontman Stephen Brodsky was constantly recording on his own, forming side projects, releasing all sorts of distinctly unheavy records, solo and acoustic, poppy and pretty, ostensibly all the stuff he wasn't able to explore in Cave In. And just like with Cave In, we pretty much dug most of what we heard (minus a misstep here and there) so we were pretty excited to hear this disc from Brodsky's new band Stephen Brodsky's Octave Museum. But we weren't prepared for THIS, or to be as totally blown away as we were.
Brodsky's sound here with his Octave Museum is definitely pop, an ultra catchy mix of understated Beatles-esque poppiness and big heavy catchy power pop. Like some strange mix of Radiohead / Muse / Queen / Jellyfish / Big Star / Redd Kross / the Posies... Bombastic and orchestral, epic and expansive at one moment, stripped down and jangly the next. Every song is a pop gem. Brodsky's voice often slips up into a gorgeous falsetto soaring above glorious tangles of crunchy riffs, dense complicated drumming, little flurries of new wave-y FX, wild keening leads, the vocals and the lead guitar often getting all wrapped up in amazing harmonies. There's definitely a sixties vibe, and more specifically some serious Beatles worship, but it seems to be filtered through the brainy quirkiness of XTC, and then sometimes supercharged, the guy was responsible for Until Your Heart Stops after all!
That said, this is NOT metal at all, not really ever HEAVY, it's pure, nearly perfect pop. At it's heaviest, it's a hefty chunk of kick ass power pop, but this record's not really about heavy, it's all about mood and melodies, hooks and harmony...
Fans of old school jangle pop as well as lovers of more modern metallic poppy crush will for sure freak out for this, and any one who digs any of above mentioned bands as well as groups like Sloan, Silver Sun, Ryan Adams, the Jayhawks and other AQ pop faves should definitely check this out... it took us a while to get around to reviewing it but we're so glad we did, it's awesome!
Chris Brokaw's newest full length, his first ever film score, marks a departure from most of the traditional melody and song structures of his past releases, the most recent of which was the rocked up and folked down My Confidante ep. I Was Born But... drifts and swells with Godspeed You Black Emperor style drones punctuated by distortion grit, meditative pauses and loosely unravelling reverbed guitar pluckery. For those curious to see the film for which this music was written, it was made by Brokaw's avant-garde filmmaking friend Roddy Bogawa.
Unlike former Come and Codeine member Chris Brokaw's early solo recordings that were sans singing, on Incredible Love he's opened his mouth to sing his angstful heart right out, including only one instrumental amid his ten vocal songs. That's fine with us, as he's mighty well versed with voice and without. Also although this is far less postrock-y than his past work, and considerably more country rock oriented, he's stacked his decks with many of his old postrock comrades. Bedhead's Matt Kadane, Jeff Godard formerly of Karate, Rodan's Kevin Coultas to name just three. Extra treats includes a cover of Suicide's "I Remember" and a thick insert booklet containing lyrics and accompanying photos for each song which allows you to more thoroughly appreciate Brokaw's skillful way with words (check out the aching tale of "The Information Age").
Someone's got a bee in his bonnet, and we think it's Chris Brokaw! On this fleeting four song EP, he kicks things off with a blood-pumpin' title track. Fired up and angstful emo-style with electric guitars a-blazing, he charges along at the same pace into the second song "1000 MPH", but then turns all contemplative for the ep's second half with two heavyhearted folk numbers. So you can be both 'up' and 'down' with Mr. Brokaw in less than thirteen minutes!
A new solo instrumental album from this former member of not one but two highly lauded and loved indie rock bands Codeine and Come. Oh and we don't wanna overlook the groups he's currently in - The New Year, Consonant, Pullman as well as performing on the road with Evan Dando. Whew, busy guy! Proficient on both guitar and percussion, Mr. Brokaw plays it all on Red Cities. With many layers of guitars - some sinking deep in reverb, others more sparsely raw and crunchy, and others warmly acoustic - the overall sound is a sort of western-tinged post-rock complete with chimes. It frequently brought to mind the wonderful dusty twang of Calexico, but perhaps more rockin' and gritty. And lastly, he covers the Burt Bacharach soft-lovin' hit "The Look Of Love" to boot.
Greetings! This is installment #42 in the Return To Sender series from Germany's Normal Records. A spartan and intimate solo work, Wandering As Water features Mr. Chris Brokaw accompanying himself on just acoustic guitar and tambourine. Along with his originals, he covers songs by Jorma Kaukonen, Fred Neil and his former band Come (fyi: he was also in Codeine), but the fifteen song long album flows seamlessly.
Andee thought it sounded a bit like acoustic Goo Goo Dolls. You'll have to ask him whether that's a good or bad thing.
Limited pressing of 2000.
The Sea And Cake's new album and now Brokeback? Is it just me or does it seem Chicago bands are shifting towards a more European suaveness? Brokeback's new album is much less low-key jazz that their past releases - although they do give a nod to their brethren Tortoise with a rendition of "The Suspension Bridge At Iguazu Falls". Looks At The Bird is an ultra-soothing affair filled with smooth jetsetter film music a la Morricone's Danger Diabolik, but perhaps more earthy. It evokes expansive desert scenes with glimmering mirages melting in and out of view. Furthering the filmic mood, they close the album with a cover of "Pearl's Dream" from the movie The Night Of The Hunter. The languid atmosphere's graced with the ethereal vocals of the late Mary Hansen and Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab. Each time we've played this in the store, someone's scooped up a copy! Very nice!
What started as a Diet Tortoise solo project from Doug McCombs has mutated into a much more substantial endeavour on this second full-length. McCombs is joined by about a dozen friends (including members of Yo La Tengo, Stereolab, and The Chicago Underground Quartet) and backed beautifully by Calexico to create a barren, drifting landscape of gentle melodies and stark percussive flares. By far one of the most interesting offerings from the Tortoise alum. As an added bonus, the CD comes with two new short films from Braden King (Dutch Harbor), each backed by tracks from Brokeback.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Doug McCombs (Tortoise/Eleventh Dream Day) solo, with help from Archer Prewitt (Coctails/Sea & Cake). One song is a Capt. Beefheart cover.
Dangermouse and James Mercer of the Shins...
This is one of the coolest, weirdest takes on the metalcore sound we've heard. Broken Promises are from Belgium, and their sound is equal parts full on metalcore mayhem, and dynamic restraint (read: space). The first song is epic, with a repeating, muted
Hot on the heels of the reissue of Broken Social Scene's debut album comes this collection of nine assorted outtakes, UK import songs and early stuff. Bee Hives actually makes for a pleasing segue between their debut and their highly lauded You Forgot It In People. Super pretty wistfulness is captured in both the electronic and acoustic instruments of the pop songs and soundscapes. Check out the swirling, female-sung fifth song "Backyards" -- a definite highlight of the BSS's repertoire (psst, the minute and a half soundclip doesn't really do the full eight minute long song justice!). Very nice!
NOW ON VINYL!
Here is the much anticipated reissue of Broken Social Scene's debut album. It's a much more stylistically even-keeled work than their highly acclaimed You Forgot It In People. More moody and post-rocky than its shimmery and poppy follow up. The atmosphere is mysterious and vaporous with interwoven electronic down tempo grooviness, shimmering guitar string plucking, and slinking basslines. A perfect late night drive album if your vehicle just happens to be a hovercraft that can handle the freeways as well as the ocean.
