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!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
1/14/11 - La Sera
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.
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.
Monday, October 18, 2010
10/17 - Gigi
Oh the fickle finger of fame...
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.
Here's the one that makes my lady sing along:
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.
Here's the one that makes my lady sing along:
Monday, October 11, 2010
10/11/10 - The Love Language
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.
Yes, it's THAT good. And you're welcome.
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.
Yes, it's THAT good. And you're welcome.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
4/15 - Gauntlet Hair
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.
Take it away, Pitchfork:
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."
Use the Pitchfork link to listen to the song.
Take it away, Pitchfork:
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."
Use the Pitchfork link to listen to the song.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
4/14 - Cults
Well, needless to say, it's been a while since I've bothered to update this blog. There are a few reasons for that. The pertinent one is that I really haven't heard too many bands that are curling my toes, and therefore have just simply lacked the fire to put fingers to keyboard. But over the months, I've collected a few in my pockets that I'd like to share, so I'll see if I can get them up here in the next few weeks.
I'll start off with a lovely little band called Cults. Two weeks ago, the band released a 7" through Forest Family Records, a new label collaboration by the Gorilla vs. Bear guys and Weekly Tape Deck. And in a turn of events that proves beyond argument that, if you are a collector of the vinyl, you'd better be a quick motherfucker when it comes to snatching it up. The 7" sold out faster than hashish hotcakes. Luckily, you can still download all the songs for free on Bandcamp.
The A side, "Go Outside," is proof positive that we're entering another indie rock spring. This sweet, jangly, tinkling little confection that follows in the tradition of other recent retro-inspired pop acts like Best Coast, is bound to end up on a whole lotta sing-along road trip mixtapes. I've already road tested it on a trip down to San Diego and can say with confidence that it totally deserves a slot in the playlist. The song is turning up on a lot of blog lists, so I'm hoping demand will prompt a new issue of that 7".
I'll start off with a lovely little band called Cults. Two weeks ago, the band released a 7" through Forest Family Records, a new label collaboration by the Gorilla vs. Bear guys and Weekly Tape Deck. And in a turn of events that proves beyond argument that, if you are a collector of the vinyl, you'd better be a quick motherfucker when it comes to snatching it up. The 7" sold out faster than hashish hotcakes. Luckily, you can still download all the songs for free on Bandcamp.
The A side, "Go Outside," is proof positive that we're entering another indie rock spring. This sweet, jangly, tinkling little confection that follows in the tradition of other recent retro-inspired pop acts like Best Coast, is bound to end up on a whole lotta sing-along road trip mixtapes. I've already road tested it on a trip down to San Diego and can say with confidence that it totally deserves a slot in the playlist. The song is turning up on a lot of blog lists, so I'm hoping demand will prompt a new issue of that 7".
Thursday, January 7, 2010
1/7/10 - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Here's two things I'd like to get goddamn straight right now: I don't like hippies. And I don't like Ugly Betty. So, when you take a band that looks like a convoy straight out of Jonestown via Woodstock, and factor in the fact that I heard their most popular single when I accidentally fell asleep on the couch and woke up to the horror of Betty la Fea on my tv.
And on further research evidence, it turns out that the band was founded by Alex Ebert, late of the grating band Ima Robot, after he apparently lost his girlfriend and lost his damn mind in A.A. "Edward Sharpe" is a "messianic figure" he invented that was apparently sent to earth to save mankind, but got distracted by girls. One can only hope, considering all this grade-A hooey, that this is not his attempt at misunderstood autobiography.
But, there's a sliding scale for everything, and apparently, you can't always judge a hippie by the smell of his patchouli, a kind of creepy quasi-crazy by his rhetoric, or a good band by the crappy tv show or retarded car commercial they've been inclined to sell their song to in order to make at least one or two dimes a piece in this fucked economy. And you don't always have to like the mind to like the music. Fact is, my very thoughtful girlfriend made me a sweet little "hey, I like you!" style mix CD this Christmas, and "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is one of the first songs on it. It makes me feel all fluttery like a 13 year old at her first dance. And, you know? The rest of their music is pretty terrific as well.
It brings to mind, for me, one part Antonioni's failed psychadelic political opus "Zabriskie Point" and another part Polyphonic Spree (minus the colossal repetition, and plus actual structured songs). The comparisons with the latter are a little inevitable, given that the group dresses like a cult and has seemingly about 6000 members playing various instruments and providing lush choral vocal backing. They also fit snugly in that vast multi-cultural cinematic sweep that bands such as Arcade Fire and Beirut are bringing to the musical table. However, ES&TMZs pitch in a handful of caked-on desert playa and blistering dry heat. They are able to wrap their arms around you and bring you in, but are just as easily able to strand you in endless space without an oasis in sight. And it's all beautiful to me.
And on further research evidence, it turns out that the band was founded by Alex Ebert, late of the grating band Ima Robot, after he apparently lost his girlfriend and lost his damn mind in A.A. "Edward Sharpe" is a "messianic figure" he invented that was apparently sent to earth to save mankind, but got distracted by girls. One can only hope, considering all this grade-A hooey, that this is not his attempt at misunderstood autobiography.
But, there's a sliding scale for everything, and apparently, you can't always judge a hippie by the smell of his patchouli, a kind of creepy quasi-crazy by his rhetoric, or a good band by the crappy tv show or retarded car commercial they've been inclined to sell their song to in order to make at least one or two dimes a piece in this fucked economy. And you don't always have to like the mind to like the music. Fact is, my very thoughtful girlfriend made me a sweet little "hey, I like you!" style mix CD this Christmas, and "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is one of the first songs on it. It makes me feel all fluttery like a 13 year old at her first dance. And, you know? The rest of their music is pretty terrific as well.
It brings to mind, for me, one part Antonioni's failed psychadelic political opus "Zabriskie Point" and another part Polyphonic Spree (minus the colossal repetition, and plus actual structured songs). The comparisons with the latter are a little inevitable, given that the group dresses like a cult and has seemingly about 6000 members playing various instruments and providing lush choral vocal backing. They also fit snugly in that vast multi-cultural cinematic sweep that bands such as Arcade Fire and Beirut are bringing to the musical table. However, ES&TMZs pitch in a handful of caked-on desert playa and blistering dry heat. They are able to wrap their arms around you and bring you in, but are just as easily able to strand you in endless space without an oasis in sight. And it's all beautiful to me.
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