Considerably brightening my day today is the NPR 'First Listen' selection from a few weeks ago, which is Givers' life-loving, effervescent debut album, "In Light." I first heard the impossibly cheerful single "Up Up Up" on a mix made for me by my musically attuned pal Chris Cook a few months ago. It was all the more of a stand-out because he'd cleverly nestled it amidst a mix otherwise dominated by a bunch of lo-fi drone pop, and noisy non-chorus-sporting tone poems, so when the good folks of Givers wound up with an "Ohhhhhhhh we up up up up above love. Yeah we down down here on the ground" I gave the old Scooby Doo double take at my speakers.
No secret here that I often like my music cheerful and sing-along-able, sunny, and sort of guileless, so I'm pretty happy to report that the rest of the album, in my opinion, is even better than the kettle-drum tropical shine of the single. Songs become layered with harmony and shimmering guitar riffs, and are devoid of the fuzz and reverb that is drenching and obscuring so much of their peers' music nowadays. Givers aren't afraid to sing it loud and proud.
Listen to the whole album here at NPR while you still can. "In Light" will be available for purchase tomorrow.
As a vinyl nerd, suffice it to say that the annual Record Store Day spate of limited releases is much better than Christmas morning for me. Honestly, who can really compare slicing the shrinkwrap off gleaming discs of aural licorice and smelling the press of the ink on the sleeve to unwrapping yet another gift of socks and Old Navy gift cards while watching my nephew get all the good stuff? Yeah, sure, Christmas is about giving, not getting, but Record Store Day is about both - GETTING myself a bunch of records and GIVING them to my turntable. Magnifique.
This year, as always, I have compiled a list far longer than my wallet can support of things that get my heart ticking. Here are a few items that top the list:
1. Cults: Abducted/Go Outside (remix) 7" I recently saw Cults at a very sweaty outdoor day show at SXSW, and they lived up to and surpassed all I'd hoped to see from them based on the limited songs they have thus far released. "Go Outside" has been a mix CD staple for me for more than a year now, so it's nice to be able to snag it in some version on vinyl finally (because I don't feel like paying 6 of my fingers and an eyeball for the way out of print original version 7").
2. Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues 12" I'm not gonna lie to you, the harmony break in the middle of this song ("If I had an orchard, I'd work till I'm sore...") gives me a lump in my throat every time. It could be, as Stereogum readers seem to assert, that Fleet Foxes isn't "cool." But, personally, I am totally that person that always seeks out that whitebread American vocal harmony in my record collection (Simon & Garfunkel, CSNY) when I've had a little too much to drink and am feeling sentimental for old road trips. So, really, I think this needs to take its place in the queue.
3.Go! Team: Rolling Remixes 12" If you have read much of this blog, you probably know that I don't really love remixes. But in this case, it seems that the Go! Team is ripe for some fun ones. If I can already convince myself to do just 10 more minutes on the elliptical at the gym so I can keep listening to Rolling Blackouts I figure the remixes might get me going for another 15.
4. Growlers: Gay Thoughts 7" Now here's a fun little band that I've recently gotten wind of. I don't know much about them, but I'm game.
5. Javelin: Canyon Candy 10" Javelin crafted this EP as a tribute to a road trip across the Western USA, and all the songs have this amazing cowboy twang meets electro beat that I'm really feeling right now. I love some old time front porch music, and Javelin's spin on it is fresh and fun.
6. Joy Formidable: Whirring/Chwyrlio 7" Whirring, from what I've heard of Joy Formidable's repertoire thus far is the most sing-along-able, poppiest offering by a long shot. It has that big soaring chorus that just makes your ribs ache. I could slay dragons to this song.
7. Shuggie Otis: Inspiration Information - World Psych Classics 2 LP I've long had the cd version of this release from Luaka Bop, and the smooth soul tracks are reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield at his most laconic. Sunday afternoon music for sure, and worth the whole price of admission just for Shuggie's definitive version of "Strawberry Letter 23" made more popular by the Brothers Johnson.
8. Wild Flag: Future Crimes b/w Glass Tambourine 7" Since I missed this quasi super group (Carrie Brownstean of Sleater Kinney collaborates with Mary Timony of Helium) at SXSW, I still have no real notion of what they sound like, and full disclosure - I sort of missed the boat on the Sleater-Kinney/Carrie Brownstein fandom, but the inclusion of one of my 90s ultra-faves Mary Timony will get my money any day. I can't imagine how the relatively straightforward power-chords of Brownstein will meld with the creatively tuned string-bending of Timony, but we'll see.
9. The return of Wake to public consciousness. Since I'm being honest, I'll admit that I'd never heard of this band prior to seeking them out based on the RSD list. Wake is a female-fronted post punk band along the lines of Josef K or Orange Juice, contemporaries of that time period in the UK. Record Store Day via Captured Tracks Records is offering up a 7" combo pack that has three records and and some buttons - featured are the singles "On Our Honeymoon" and "Crush the Flowers." But that's not all - Captured Tracks is also releasing a split 7" of Wake covers by the label's prime movers, Wild Nothing and Beach Fossils.
Here's a track by Wake to whet your appetite:
So, on April 16, I'll be in Vegas seeking out the best independent record store I can find to cull some of these treasures from the shelves. Where ever you are, don't forget to support your independent record stores every day of the year.
I'm choosing a band that's been around for more than a minute for today's Daily Bomb, because their recently released third album "Rolling Blackouts" continues to evolve their incredibly unique sound into better and better sonic territory.
I first saw The Go! Team play live at South By Southwest 2006, just a few months after their first album, "Thunder, Lightning, Strike!" was released. I'd heard a few tracks from the album before I caught their live show at the Spin Magazine party, and had mixed feelings. I wasn't initially sure that I quite got their music. It felt like what could best be described as high-energy hip hop chanted by a squad of cheerleaders on a sugar high. Only after I saw the translation of that music to a mind-reelingly aerobic live show did I get just what an interesting and singular fusion this music really was. There were classic soul samples (Shirley Ellis seemed to be a favorite to borrow from on this album) mixed in with horns, beats, singing, chanting, rapping...and it all came together in a way that probably inspired a lot of people to rethink their aversion to running for exercise. I'm seriously not kidding. As someone who generally asserts that she is saving all her running for when the zombies start chasing her, I dusted off my trainers, put in my earbuds and attempted (and failed) to run around the block. Probably, there were fist pumps and impromptu jumping jacks involved.
Second album "Proof of Youth" increased the thickness of production, proving that the band was anything but a one-minute-man. There was a more indie-slant, with more sing-songy numbers that nonetheless never sacrificed any of the super-soul-party edginess of the first album. There's a lot to be said for a band that understands inherently all the qualities that makes them one-of-a-kind, valid and unique, and evolves around them rather than away from them.
With the release of "Rolling Blackouts" today, they do more of the same type of evolution, and this time they invite a couple of guests along for the ride. Adding elements of 60s West Coast twang, and throwback AM gold to the mix, the first song previewed a month or so ago was an offering called "Buy Nothing Day" which featured Bethany Cosentino from Best Coast on vocal duty. "Secretary Song," a slanted little popster, features Satomi Matsuzaki of Deerhoof. The other songs alternate between lush,pastoral instrumentals and floorshaking sing-alongs that combine the chant-worthy choruses of classic Go! Team cuts with a surprisingly rich, layered vocal harmony.
Below is the video for "Secretary Song." The band promises a new video each day this week. Most excellent!
Vivian Girls sideprojects seem to be ruling the net nowadays - you can't type "w" three times without hitting one. Vivian Girls...hm...let's talk about this, shall we? The band forms in 2007 to the raves of college music fans all across Brooklyn and some of the other places where lesser humans receive transmissions in "hipster." Two albums and one drummer later, we must assume that the Vivian Girls' creative output is simply not enough for these overacheiving ladies, because that creativity springs a ship-capsizing leak into other bands last year. Original drummer, Frankie Rose, pokes her head out of the scene like an ethereal bang-coiffed groundhog, and casts a jangly springtime shadow in the form of new band Frankie Rose and the Outs. Meanwhile, replacement drummer, Ali Koehler leaves for the pacific pastures of Best Coast. Not to be outdone, however, still-active members Cassie Ramone and Katy Goodman use their free time to record offerings by bands called The Babies and today's Daily Bomb, La Sera, respectively. All this while awaiting the release of Vivian Girls' third hotly anticipated album.
Honestly, Vivian Girls I can take or leave. I feel like they have a solid place at the forefront of lo-fi girl-group-loving return to simple pop that has been trucking along for the last couple of years, but I never really felt terribly connected to their musical output. On the other hand, I feel that these spin-off bands are pushing a few more buttons and expanding the style of the individual members of the band. As such, I'm curious about how this will effect the upcoming Vivian Girls release. Positively, I have to imagine.
But, the nucleus of these side projects aside, both The Babies and La Sera have released some really pleasing singles in 2010 and early 2011. Of the two, La Sera seems to have kept a little more of the bricks and mortar of the Vivian Girls structure, but somehow come off softer, cleaner, and sweeter. The fuzz of the Vivian Girls has cleared away like a fog to reveal something altogether prettier, yet more solid at the same time.
Next week, La Sera's single "Devils Hearts Grow Gold" will be released on Hardly Art in a limited 7"in advance of a full length that will ship in February. Both "Devils..." and the previous single, "Never Come Around" bode well for what's to come from Ms. Katy and crew.
Where bloggers were once extolling the virtues of the Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls, and Best Coast for bringing back a distinct Brill Building, 60s girl group sound filled with happy harmonies and sweeping reverb, they are now pooh-poohing the derivative nature of the bands' follow ups and followers. So, which is it? You, bloggers who keep telling me how Weezer's new (and still terrible horrible trite) output is the best thing since Pinkerton (an album all of you loathed at the time of release). You bloggers who did backflips over the stripped down Goffin-King-like redux of 2008. Do you now hate what you used to love? Love what you used to hate? You're so confusing! Up is down, down is up...
Ah fuck it. I'm not afraid to say that I still like the stuff. As far as I'm concerned, if the world of indie music were to pattern itself eternally on a history coming out of girl groups, 60s soul and R&B, and California Sunshine Psych music, and learn to do it really WELL, I'd be just as happy as any kid who accidentally found mom's stash of GHB.
But, alas, this isn't a rant, this is a celebration. This is a celebration of me catching the fever on a rainy Sunday in Amoeba Records and spending more money than I should have, on more music than I should have gotten for that price. Yeah, so the double vinyl copy of Portishead's third album that I got had one pretty good scratch on one song. But, still, it cost $1.99, so who am I turn that kind of deal down? REO Speedwagon for a buck? Yeah, sure. There'll be a time in my living room when I'm drunk and there are people over that "Keep on Loving You" will sound like a hail of sonic gold. But, better still, I found an advance CD copy of Gigi's first and only album "Maintentant" for less than $5.
I sought it out, because my girlfriend who normally refuses to sing out loud in front of me, belted out their song "Alone at the Pier" and deemed it to be one of her favorite sing-alongs on the collection of mix CDs I've foisted upon her. Well, since we were jumping up and down on the bed in our room at the Maritime Hotel in Chelsea at the time, beery and bleary after a seemingly endless wait for a room after a punishing red-eye - her inhibitions may have been shot. But she sang for me, and I wanted more.
As for the actual album, "Maintentant" is filled with sparkling gems and a rotating cast of Canadian talent that you've probably never heard of, but might hope to hear again. 15 songs of alternating girl and boy singers guarantee you'll get your money's worth. I could pick out at least 8 of them that I love, and each makes that maligned 60s throwback sound fresh and vital as though the decade was only just taking its first breath.
It's been a long and busy absence from posting here on The Daily Bomb, making the blog title look like blatant false advertising to say the least. Writing, editing, photo acquisition, and promotion of a book I just wrote, made me want to punch the written word right in the gerunds. Were it possible, I would have only communicated via sign language for months to give myself a rest.
But, I just couldn't stay away forever. The persistence of The Love Language's song "Heart to Tell" made me return. I don't even remember where I first heard this song. It was just one of those things that kind of reached up behind me and put the chloroform over my mouth and said, "You will submit to my lilting beat...shhh...think about Summertime and dancing like a marionette in your living room..." And I was out like a sack of sweet potatoes.
Months later, this song has infiltrated my afternoons like you wouldn't believe. I suddenly realize that I've been singing it in my head for hours, and whenever it comes into rotation on a mix, I react like I've just snorted a line of Fun Dip. I love it like I love cotton candy at a baseball game. Like I love sneaking booze into a matinee. Like I love a brand new pair of socks.
Okay, I'm gonna do something I have never done and will never do ever ever again. I am going to hand you this band via the words of Pitchfork. Normally speaking, though I'm not one of the supreme haters of that site, I'd still prefer not to namecheck it in my own blog. But in this case, frankly, there's really nothing more apt and perfect that I could really tell you about Gauntlet Hair that they didn't already. I will only add that I really really really like the song of which they write, and that while you may not be able to snag the Cults 7" that I mentioned yesterday anymore, you can keep your eyes on the very same label for Guantlet Hair's up and coming release of this song as an A side. Preorder info not yet available, but it will likely be posted soon, and will likely follow a quick dash to buy what limited copies they make available. Will one be yours? Not if I beat you to it, jive turkey.
And the Worst Bandname of the Week award goes to... these guys! I don't know what Gauntlet Hair is, but it sounds like something people used to get diagnosed with in the 1820s when the docs were more creative. Not a big deal-- hey, you'll remember it. What matters is that "I Was Thinking..." is a delirious, fire-spewing stomper from this Denver-based avant-pop duo affiliated with Rhinoceropolis, the Denver DIY space which local heroes Pictureplane and Hollagramz call home.
The song's central figure is a hyper-rhythmic guitar that repeatedly slides up, then snaps like a rubberband into starbursts of perfect chordness. You might also enjoy the firecracker-loud handclaps, trunk-rattling bass hits, and battle-cry shoutsinging. Whoever mixed this thing is-- to steal a phrase from my Pitchfork penpal Joe Tangari-- definitely a soldier in the loudness war. But at the song's center is an unstoppable melodic heart that beats like it just ran an Alaskan winter mile in short-shorts, and all you want to do is douse that fucker in Gatorade when it breaks through the finish line."
