« 02.18.07 - 02.24.07 | Main | 03.04.07 - 03.10.07 »

Small Sins

(We featured this artist previously; here's a slightly edited reprint of that same entry.)

Small Sins (formerly known as the Ladies and Gentlemen) are the brainchild of one Thomas D'Arcy. And if you're expecting another Canadian supergroup that specializes in walls of sound or drawn-out compositional experiments, you've got another thing coming. The album Small Sins is, as its core, an indie pop album. But it's an indie pop album is filled with warm electronic sounds of keyboards and drum machines that practically shimmers in front of you, like light flowing through gauze, glittering. It's a collection of charming, sincere songs that floats by on a gentle bed of layered synths and Moogs, barely touching the ground. Simple but not simplistic, D'Arcy succeeds in creating sweet, tiny moments with stripped-down choruses and just the right dose of ornamentation.

D'Arcy is blessed with a talent for a great melody, and also the world's softest, prettiest falsetto: so light and airy it threatens to blow away in a gust of wind. The songs are sweet but never quite cross the boundary into twee; don't be fooled by the dreamy exterior, as the content of the songs is much more raw and personal. The music takes a hushed, confessional tone when dealing with ex-girlfriends who are up to no good, and bad decisions in love. "Stay," the album's centerpiece, is a bittersweet gem that flounces and has the perfect setup of circular keyboards, a steady backbeat, girly backup vocals, and a killer snark in the chorus, while "It's Easy" is the summer jam that never was. Recorded and mixed entirely by D'Arcy in his basement studio, Small Sins is bursting at the seams with textured and hushed bedroom pop blostered by the occasional showering of handclaps or chorus of voices.

Small Sins have a welcome, velvety sound garnering comparisons to bands like Grandaddy and The Postal Service, and D'Arcy's naive, quietly wispery vocals go perfectly with the cheery but mellow mood. While this band may never inspire a mosh pit or an audience full of pumped fists, the music is sure to guarantee a few smiles in the crowd and some toes tapping.

The Ladies and Gentlemen - It's Easy
The Ladies and Gentlemen - Stay

Small Sins official site. Buy Small Sins from Amazon or iTunes.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 03.03.07 at 11:51 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Elvis Perkins

Let's just get this out of the way first. Elvis Perkins, the folksinger, has some serious drama in his family tree. His father was actor Anthony Perkins, who sadly perished from complications from AIDS when Elvis was in his teens. His mother was the photographer Berinthia Berenson Perkins, who was a victim of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, as an unlucky passenger of Flight 11. The plane, carrying eighty-one passengers, nine flight attendants and two pilots, crashed into the World Trade Center, killing all aboard.

But you already knew that. You might already have your own mixed feelings about 9/11, your own memories of the pain, the suffering, the anguish, the healing, the aftermath, the mourning, the recovery. Elvis Perkins' music reflects all of these complex emotions, but, mostly important, the feeling of companionship among all humans, the feeling of being family with perfect strangers. Perkins' Ash Wednesday is not filled with tiny violins, whining about misfortunes past. You will not find sad-sack songs of love and loss. What you will find is thoughtfulness, sincerity, and a graceful touch. His music can easily be classified as folk-pop but Perkins doesn't bow down to the obvious; his plaintive folk inclinations are belied by uptempo beats, sly ironies, or boldly personal (Exhibit A: the starkly personal "Ash Wednesday"). Most of these songs were written in the years following his mother's death and you can almost hear him finding his way through the darkness, the leathery scar tissue forming over deep wounds.

I hear traces of Dylan, Cohen and both Buckleys but only faintly as Perkins finds his own path through well-trodden territory. Even better, Elvis Perkins' live performances amp up his delicate, colorful instrumentation, as his band swings on harmonium, upright bass, and marching-band drums. Few other songwriters could get away with having a chorus of voices singing, harmonizing, "On Mayday, Mayday / Can you hear the sound / Of the ambulances singing rounds down the avenue?" Ash Wednesday may be greatly influenced by tragic events, but I read an optimistic, stubborn streak of hope and acceptance within the songs.

Elvis Perkins - May Day
Elvis Perkins - Ash Wednesday

Elvis Perkins' official site. Buy Ash Wednesday from Amazon or iTunes.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 03.03.07 at 10:31 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Human Giant

(And now for something a little different.)

You've probably heard of Aziz Ansari by now through one of his many video shorts that flow through the indie rock blogosphere: from Clell Tickle: Indie Marketing Guru to the Shittiest Mixtape Ever. His self-deprecating, pop culture-style stand-up has been a hit with hipster audiences around the country. There's also a wonderful masochistic stream running throughout his comedy, whether he's telling you about that time he got so angry over a girl that he punched a wall or purchasing Bod "Really Ripped Abs" Body Spray for comedic purposes.

Up until recently, we New Yorkers were also blessed with his free, weekly shows where up-and-coming stand-up stars (and the occasional big name) would do short sets to packed audiences. Packed crowds salivated at the weekly comedy sampling until the siren song of Hollywood took him away to create a television show, Human Giant.

Human Giant is actually a team of four guys; the team also consists of two other wonderful, fabulously funny men, Best Week Ever regulars Rob Huebel (Inconsiderate Cell Phone Man) and Paul Scheer, both formerly of imfamous Upright Citizens Brigade improv group Respecto Montalban (RIP). The combination of Huebel, Scheer, and Ansari is pure dynamite and we should expect no less from their new series. Director Jason Woliner rounds out the quartet.

I've included an mp3 of an Ansari solo appearance at comedy variety show Invite Them up below.

Aziz Ansari at Invite Them Up

And here's a Human Giant videos to watch (yes, we're relying on slightly pixelated external video, you know, like a real mp3 blog):

Human Giant's official site. The show premieres Thursday, April 5th 10:30 / 9:30c on MTV.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 03.03.07 at 9:02 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Casey Dienel

There's bartender at the Bowery Ballroom, a weary, broken-down musician himself, who asks expressionlessly, "Haven't we run out of bands yet?" Similarly I fear that we'll never get rid of these girls with pianos; or, rather, it's my terribly-selfish inclination to group all of them together, painting with broad strokes: the throaty Fiona Apple, the large-mouthed Regina Spektor, the flighty Tori Amos, or the cabaret-ish Nellie McKay.

But Casey Dienel, while on the surface, sounds just like another girl with a piano, her most important distinguishing factor stems from a love of Pavement. Yes. Pavement. Just close your eyes, listen to the music, slow down the tempo just a little, and then imagine smart-aleck Stephen Malkmus singing instead, backed by Pavement's guitars. Dienel's rambling sentences and playful delivery make her sound like a female Malkmus. Or make Malkmus sound like a female version of Dienel. It's creepy, isn't it, especially for a young songwriter whose background is in classical music (she dropped out of conservatory school).

In any case, the precocious and demure Dienel's fertile imagination serves up a song like "Dr. Monroe" about a crazy, old homeless man who she encountered on the street one day, and for whom she conjured up a wily back-story. Her jazz-inflected playing is full of style, without unnecessary frills, trills, or ostentation. The songs are catchy and memorable, and Dienel's easygoing, unpretentious personality shines through the entire time.

Casey Dienel - Everything
Casey Dienel - Doctor Monroe

Casey Dienel's official site. Buy Wind-Up Canary from Amazon or iTunes.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 03.02.07 at 9:12 AM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Malajube

I have no idea what Malajube are saying in their French Canadian power pop songs, having never been to France, never taken French in high school, and knowing nothing other than what catchphrases the television has taught me. So instead, I give up, give into the music. It's imaginative indie-rock meets fresh-faced French pop to a magnificent result.

Named after an amphibian disease, Malajube rejects indie-rock stereotypes. Despite being "one of those Montreal" bands (see also: The Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene) the band was not well known in the United States until recently. It's hard to blame the language barrier when it's plainly obvious the quality of the songwriting and Malajube's passion in playing music. They're at their best when the songs ride an intoxicating rollercoast of highs and lows -- contrasting restrained, quiet guitar strumming with explosive, giddy, spastic choruses, like in "La Monogamie."

On "Montreal -40C," Malajube constructs a warm mixture of "ba ba ba"s, lighthearted synths and infectious melodies. Malajube take a myriad of influences and create a quirky mix that reminds me of The Beatles, The Flaming Lips, or the Super Furry Animals at times. The fact that they sing all their lyrics in French (their banter at a New York City show last month was spoken entirely in painstakingly broken English) only adds to the mystery of Malajube for me.

Malajube - Montreal -40C
Malajube - La Monogamie

Malajube's official site. Buy Trompe l'Oeil from Amazon or iTunes.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 03.01.07 at 6:45 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

The Theatre Fire

"Somebody is coming down the road / He's kicking up the darkness with his load / Should I block the gates or line the street? / Should we crush his head or kiss his feet?" These are words sung by Don Feagin in a world-weary, deep voice. Behind him, we hear morose trumpet, the shuffling of drums, a sweet steel guitar, and delicate chimes. What is this? Where did it come from? "Kicking Up the Darkness" sounds like an anachronism, or something unearthed from the national archives, lacking the self awareness and tenseness that other bands wear on their sleeves.

The Theatre Fire make banjo-picking, mariachi-horn Americana with a touch of the weird that's refreshingly cliche-free but warm and comforting. The seven piece-band possess a quiet, lush stateliness that's hard to fake, that reminds me of Lambchop or the more serene moments of Okkervil River. But even with a closet full of instruments at their disposal, the band deliberately adds them sparingly, creating an atmosphere of airiness, so that the songs feel strong but delicate.

With arrangements that swing and sway, Everybody has a Dark Side a friendly looseness that probably stems from the fact that the band's been together since 1995. It's true roots music that's a blend of "zydeco, bluegrass, mariachi, country, gospel and rock and roll," but filtered through a twisted Texas lens.

The Theatre Fire - Kicking Up The Darkness
The Theatre Fire - Members Of The Show 'em How It's Done (Centro-matic cover)

The Theatre Fire's official site. Buy Everybody Has a Dark Side from iTunes.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 03.01.07 at 8:28 AM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Office

A band named Office sounds like it should be perfectly aligned pop with sterile, pristine structures or supremely boring, blank guitar rock designed for an afterlife as hold music. After all, even the word "office" causes visions of the corporate rat race, filled with seas of identical gray cubicles, each containing one person attempting to do as little work as possible without getting caught, and visions of endless briefs, paperwork, and memos, with copy machines monotonously grinding, and rows of chattering bobble-heads on headset phones.

But the band Office? Office's music is cool, confident, and cosmopolitan, filled with exuberant hooks, playful multi-part vocals intermingling, and sexy electro keyboards. Office's sound is more than a little reminiscent of The Cars and Talking Heads, particularly in singer Masson's vocals. His nonchalant speak-sing sounds often like David Byrne as Masson rattles off objects and images of everyday life. The insanely catchy "Q&A" bubbles and bounces, as a bass guitar chugs along with the infectious melody and jangly guitars swim above. The song undulates, swinging between soothing instrumental moments and thrilling walls of sound.

Unsurprisingly, frontman Scott Masson has first hand experience with the drag of having a day job. He works by day as an office manager, while also finding time to record and self-release albums in his copious amounts of free time. While we may never get away from the white-collar world but, lucky for us, you can easily make Office's Q&A your own clandestine sonic background to the banalities of business life.

(The following songs are from the Q&A demo CD which is no longer available for purchase; however, the band's first real album, The Ritz, will be out on Scratchie Records in 2007.)

Office - Q&A
Office - Big Bang Jump!

Office's official site.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 02.28.07 at 5:36 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Land of Talk

It's always difficult to judge a band by a single release; even more so when that single release is an acclaimed seven song EP. For Land of Talk, the power of the Applause Cheer Boo Hiss EP, out in the USA on March 20, signifies not that the band is capable of fully realizing their sound in the near future, but rather, Land of Talk has already arrived, and are just waiting for the rest of us to catch up.

This power trio from Montreal somehow finds a way to create dense post-punk songs with driving rhythms and textured guitars with Sonic Youth and PJ Harvey influences. Guitarist Elizabeth Powell, bassist Chris McCarron, and drummer Bucky Wheaton have undeniable chemistry. Most of the time, it seems like the band has got the bull by the horns, a hulking beast of hooks and catchy melodies.

The real lynch pin in Land of Talk's intense sound is singer Elizabeth Powell's voice: she manages to sound confident, yearning, damaged, and haunted all at once, like a post-punk Chan Marshall. Even when wailing about girls "piss[ing] their pants," she sounds gorgeous, never harsh, especially against Wheaton's sonic heft and the point-counterpoint of guitar and bass below. The hypnotic, obtuse lyrics fit like a glove and Land of Talk succeed best when the complex harmonies mesh with Powell's operatics, the ebb and flow of their aggressive but intoxicating, scintillating guitar pop.

Land of Talk - Magnetic Hill
Land of Talk - Speak to Me Bones

Land of Talk's official site. Buy Applause Boo Cheer Hiss from Amazon or iTunes.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 02.28.07 at 9:25 AM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Peter and the Wolf

The first time I ever saw Red Hunter of Peter and the Wolf play a show, I found myself sitting in a derelict World War II Navy Rescue boat, in the middle of summer, afloat on the Gowanus Canal, somewhere in Brooklyn, New York. Hunter entered the boat, quietly sat down on the floor, and began to sing his wanderer's songs on an acoustic guitar, surrounded by eager devotees as a slow summer breeze trickled through the cracks of the walls.

As the boat slowly rocked back and forth, Peter and the Wolf's quiet, reverent folk music reverberated through the air: the audio equivalent of faded photographs. And his vagabond's lifestyle filters through the songs as well, conjuring images of rumbling midnight trains and highway signs flashing by. Hunter is master dreamer and mysterious storyteller, who tells his tales with a steady charisma and a sly wit.

Suffice it to say, Hunter has never been content to take a conventional approach to music. He might be the closest thing to a legend that the blogosphere has to offer up. You might remember his name from this past summer's sailboat tour; national media news outlets were tickled by the idea of a bunch of indie musicians traveling from city to city via boat, ostensibly to save on gasoline expenses. But for someone who claims to never feel quite comfortable in a "real apartment," the mystique of the open sea and unexpected surprises of such a journey seemed like the real driving factors.

Peter and the Wolf live shows are infamous affairs. The mysterious Hunter (I believe the "Red" part is a stage name) has performed in graveyards, under bridges, abandoned buses and even an island only accessible by canoe, as his audience commits acts of trespass to even be present. And Hunter recruits his friends -- both musicians and non-musicians -- to serve as his self-styled "junk orchestra" back-up band. Even on the road, a group of volunteers climbs up on stage and chimes in with a chorus of rowdy voices, along with loose change, tin cans, glass bottles, or whatever random piece of debris happens to be at hand. His self-released album, Experiments in Sound, relied entirely upon experimentation with non-musicians; Hunter claims a list of over a hundred collaborators over the years.

With an emphasis on the odd, extraordinary and nearly-forgotten, Red Hunter's musical ambitions are grandiose and romantic, breathing life into nostalgic sounds. What exactly Peter and the Wolf's next show will bring, I can't tell, but I'm sure it will be a memorable experience no matter what.

Peter and the Wolf - Silent Movies
Peter and the Wolf - Strange Machines
Peter and the Wolf - Brother (Live on KVRX)

Peter and the Wolf's official site. Buy Lightness from Amazon or iTunes.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 02.28.07 at 1:43 AM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Rock Plaza Central

Seven person folk-orchestra Rock Plaza Central's last release, Are We Not Horses, is a concept album about the "apocalyptic daydreams of six-legged robotic horses," who believe they are in fact real flesh-and-blood horses. These delusional, machine-horses somehow find themselves caught in a war between humanity and an army of angels. It sounds odd but somehow works given the band's unique chemistry, ending up in music that is unique, inventive, but accessible and familiar.

This sort of sci-fi subject material would be heady stuff for any other folk-pop band, but band-leader Chris Eaton happens to be a novelist on the side, and two other band members are also working on PhD's. Eaton's emotive warble is off-kilter with a slight hint of the deranged; its timbre may remind fans of Neutral Milk Hotel and The Decemberists, particularly in light of the literary connection. Yet, Eaton maintains a certain joy in the farfetched and weighty subject matter, never becoming too clever or smug for his own good, even if he is singing lyrics from the first-hand perspective of a robotic horse. The rest of the band responds accordingly, with the result landing somewhere between a rag-tag orchestra and campfire singalong.

Their ambitious, epic rock mini-series approach to music would probably fall flat were it not for textured and rich arrangements, drawing from violins, banjos, trumpets, accordions and more. Their dense, poetic indie rock takes time to digest. It's a sort of barely restrained chaos with layers bubbling beneath the surface. And the horses? Says Eaton:

"They are used by the humans to fight and kill the angels, and then begin to wonder if they fought for the wrong side, as the humans keep trying to tell them they aren’t real. Then, one horse (there are no flesh horses left to compare themselves to) falls in love with an angel who managed to avoid being killed, and the two who should be enemies go off to find a place where they can be who they want to be without persecution. They've heard of a place off in the distance, and they can see the lights, so they run towards them. Only, the lights are just stars, and they keep running forever."

Indeed.

Rock Plaza Central - My Children, Be Joyful
Rock Plaza Central - I Am An Excellent Steel Horse

Rock Plaza Central's official site. Buy Are We Not Horses from Amazon.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 02.27.07 at 3:15 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Shearwater

It's year three for Shearwater on See You In The Pit, and we couldn't be happier to tell you what's up with the band in 2007. After releasing the critically acclaimed Palo Santo in 2006 and weathering a shift in label management at Misra, Shearwater have landed butter side-up on the newly revamped Matador roster.

There are plans to re-release a rerecorded and expanded (and prettified, thanks to some new album art) version of Palo Santo, a concept album that's half the chronicle of lead singer Jonathan Meiburg's treks to the Galapagos Islands on scientific ventures and half a valentine to the late Christa Päffgen (better known to the world as Nico, as in The Velvet Underground and...)

***

"When I hear recordings of us playing live recently, it sounds to me like we're heading for something, aiming at someplace, somewhere otherworldly and lovely and a little bit evil, and that we're closer now than before." -- Jonathan Meiburg, 2004

Otherworldy. Lovely. Evil. Those are the words of Jonathan Meiburg -- frontman, multi-instrumentalist, and ornithologist -- that perfectly describe the music of his band, Shearwater. I'm a little hesitant to quote his words here, but I feel that in order to describe the band to you, some input from a primary source -- besides the songs themselves -- is imperative.

Shearwater's music is intensely intimate and personal, but not self-absorbed. And when belted out by Mr. Meiburg in his clear, reedy tenor, the band's songs swoop organically -- from whispered, sinister moments to bombastic, triumphant melodic passages and back again -- like a predatory bird in flight, circling its quarry and going in for the kill.

For a long time, it seemed that Shearwater was a kind of hidden treasure of the Austin music scene -- just a little side project of members of the more well-known outfit, the eclectic Okkervil River. But they've settled, after some personnel changes (including the departure of Okkervil River's Will Sheff, who shared lead vocal duties with Mr. Meiburg, and temporary fiddler Travis Weller), into a more or less into a stable lineup that includes (in addition to Mr. Meiburg on vocals, keyboards, guitar, banjo, and occasionally, the accordion) Kim Burke on the upright and electric bass, Howard Draper on keyboards, lap steel, and occasional bass, and multi-percussionist Thor Harris.

And goodness gracious, over the past few years, Shearwater have finally come into their own -- wonderfully otherworldly, lovely and yes, just a little bit evil -- and are poised to reach a wider audience than ever. And it's about damn time.

Shearwater - Red Sea, Black Sea (New)
Shearwater - Mountain Laurel

Shearwater's official site. Sit tight and buy the new version of Palo Santo from Matador on April 10. Shearwater's back catalog is available from Misra Records on iTunes and Amazon.

Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll on 02.27.07 at 8:00 AM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Beirut

What else can I say about Beirut that hasn't already been said by countless others, from indie music powerhouse Pitchfork to scores of ravenous hypemongers, all hypnotized by the precocious Zach Condon's love letters to another time, another country?

Beirut pushes all of my buttons and suddenly, I'm a believer. These buttons are the ones labeled: bright military-erect drums flashing, bold klezmer interludes at sunset, old fashioned radios turned too loud, bumbling young men smoking in Parisian street cafes, noisy traveling Gypsy festivals, the overacted drama of silent movies, and little girls practicing violins in tiny apartments. Authenticity and cultural appropriation discussions aside, it's like I can't help but be drawn in by the music, like dreams of old Europe or soundscapes to dreams I didn't know I was having.

As a New Yorker, I've had the distinct pleasure of watching Beirut grow as a live act, from a nervous three-piece to the lush mini-orchestra they are today. For a man who created an album without guitars, it sort of makes sense that Condon now leads a mounting assault of mandolins, ukuleles, violins and a brass section. Constant touring and practicing has transformed Beirut from a single man's daydream to a well-oiled, cohesive machine, instrument changes and ukelele tunings be damned. When Beirut is operating at full power, it's all arms and smiles and orchestral swells. The band sounds damn near triumphant and the sound seeps into your pores. Each individual player's personality shines through in the new Lon Gisland EP, and Beirut is now a unified chorus of voices, singing songs as they were meant to be sung, glistening and born anew.

My ancestors aren't even from Eastern Europe but these songs make me miss cities I've never known, never visited. And if Beirut's music is all about escapism, that's fine by me, as I'll be on my way by gondola into the magical world of Gulag Orkestar.

Beirut - Elephant Gun
Beirut - Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)

Official web site. Buy from Amazon or iTunes.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 02.26.07 at 6:05 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

White Rabbits

It's a panicky moment whenever I'm hard-pressed to describe a band, especially since I'm listening to (or thinking about) music for a good part of each day. You know how it goes: someone asks, What are you listening to? And you say, I've found this new great band. And they sound like X without Y and with Z instead.

But for the White Rabbits, from Brooklyn, NY via Columbia, MO? Dressed in picture-perfect buttoned-down dress shirts and mod-ish V-necked sweaters, the band radiates coolness. Live, they're a six-headed monster of sound, momentum, and impressive coordination. But musicially, if you asked me what they sound like, only a mere trickle of words flows out. The closest touchpoints I can even think to give are Cold War Kids, but sans chug and Nathan Willett's constant bellowing, or even old-school Walkmen, given the reliance on piano, sonic atmospherics, and a strong comparability to Hamilton Leithauser's infamous snarl. But even those comparisons seem shallow in relationship to the band's creativity and passion.

It's been while since I've felt confident in pointing out a young band's hunger and ambition. Well, folks, this is it. The White Rabbits are hungry. They will chase after you. They will kidnap your children. (Probably not, but it sure feels like it.)

The sound is jangly rock with frantic intensity, driving basslines, sultry vocals, a swaggering organ that adds a hint of calypso, and the occasional ska flare when the saxophone appears. (The band even namechecks the Specials in their bio.) Not to mention the crowning achievement: double drummers and double vocalists, somehow in perfect harmony. Even with a myriad of parts, the White Rabbits manage an impressive, infectious lockstep groove that I could listen to all day. White Rabbits are pitch perfect blue-eyed indie soul crammed into rock'n'roll musical firecrackers.

(Apparently the songs I am about to post below are possibly the unmastered versions from several months back and won't appear on the album in this state.)

White Rabbits - The Plot
White Rabbits - Kid On My Shoulders

Official web site. Fort Nightly will be out on Say Hey Records on May 22.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 02.26.07 at 12:35 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness

(We featured this artist previously; here's a slightly edited reprint of that same entry.)

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness are blessed not only with an awesome (and appropriate) name but lots of high hat and hypnotic bass, tempered by echoing vocals, swirling guitars, and anguished keyboards. Their dark-wave rock may be influenced by Joy Division, but they're got a lot more life in them than other similar bands and I could lose myself in "When You Go Out" for hours at a time, with my eyes closed, lying on my bedroom floor, half-dreaming. As Last Girl to the Party says, it's hard not to drop the I-bomb ("Interpol") when talking about this band, who have become one of Austin's finest, but ILYBICD (as the kids are wont to call 'em) are more than just an Interpol clone.

Their brooding, atmospheric rock slides and grooves across the dance floor and between crowded rooms of well dressed hipsters; in their self-titled EP I complained that the songs weren't allowed to breathe and the band was focused on not overstaying their catchy hooks, steady backbeats, and mesmerizing guitar lines. Well, as it turned out, all of my worrying was for naught, as their spine-tingling debut album, Fear Is On Our Side is all I could have asked for, and more.

Some albums are tailor-made for cross-country roadtrips or dance parties or painting the town red. Fear Is On Our Side is another beast entirely. On Fear Is On Our Side the songs stretch and breathe, and rush to fill up all available space, seeping in like a beautiful, poisonous gas. It recalls eerie dark nights and cloud-filled skies: intimate, poignant, and elegiac; it's an album I would hesitate to listen to in bright sunlight. The delicacy and beauty of the songs demand a careful eye, a steady hand, and hush tones of voice, as we are peering at all of the intricate nooks and crannies under museum glass. The melancholy throb of "According to Plan" seems like something out of a dream with its velvety soft vocals and lilting melodies, almost too familiar, while lead singer Christian Goyer croons like he and I the only two people in the room. And it's not all gloom and doom from here on out. Although the band's stock in trade is "dark, darker, darkest" with nods to the Cure and Echo and the Bunnyment, I should also note that the five-piece band put on an amazing live show, with musicianship that stands well above the indie rock pack. Live, the songs rise and expand from moody, touching rock to an all out wall of sound; ILYBICD are masters of the slow burn and the eventual, perfectly executed, gorgeous, white-hot rush of a backdraft.

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - According to Plan
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - When You Go Out

Official web site of I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness. Buy Fear Is On Our Side from Amazon or iTunes.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 02.25.07 at 11:05 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

The 1900s

The first thing that hits you about the 1900s is the bouncy, vintage keyboards: sassy, cool, and confident. Then you hear the jet-set, sweet collected vocals of Jeanine O'Toole and Caroline Donovan against the backbeat. Their sound is an effortless melding of dusty psychedelic albums, fun-loving garage rock, Fleetwood Mac-era country rock, and boisterous contemporary indie music with a bittersweet undercurrent of nostalgia. More than just charming throw-back 60s rock, the 1900s are full of surprises, with unexpected flourishes like an jaunty violin or jangly tambourine, or the sudden insertion of near-weightless "ahhh"s.

The band melds wistful harmonies with memorable melodies in an irresistible package that reminds me of well-loved, dusty LPs from decades ago, collected in attics and rec rooms; they certainly live up to their name, don't they? The band would fit right along a bill with The Essex Green, The Magic Numbers, or even Belle and Sebastian, as guitarist and singer Edward Anderson bares more than a passing resemblance to Mr. Murdoch. If the Plume Delivery EP, released in the spring of 2006, is any indication, the 1900s have the ability to bring classic sounds into the present without losing an ounce of lushness, or mystique.

The 1900s - Whole of the Law
The 1900s - Bring the Good Boys Home

The 1900s' official site. Get the Plume Delivery EP from from Amazon or iTunes.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 02.25.07 at 10:25 AM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)