July 2006
Record
Primal Scream
Dirty Pretty Things
Freeheat
Sound Team
Darker My Love
Silversun Pickups
Echo and The Bunnymen
The Stills
Small Sins
Oliver Future
Miss Derringer
The Hylozoists
Halou
Patent Pending
Sensations
Colette & DJ Heather
Heterogene
Mew
Thom Yorke
Richard Ashcroft
The Futureheads
Ben Watt
Regina Spektor
Peeping Tom
Charlie Sexton & Shannon McNally
The Morning Benders
Every Move A Picture
The Remote
James Figurine
Breakup Breakdown
Monsters Are Waiting
Art Brut
DVD
Various Artists
Starter Set DVD
Kill Rock Stars
Record
Primal Scream
Riot City Blues
Columbia
I have been looking forward to this one for a long time. I saw Primal Scream
play a few years ago in San Francisco. It was an okay show. The audience was
there to see Underworld. I ran into Bobby Gillespie at a show at the Hollywood
Bowl. I guess he was in town mixing the record with Dave Sardy. This record is
a back to basics. There are no electronics. No Stooges meet Krautrock. No
mixes by Kevin Shields. The lineup of the band is a little different. It's a
little raw and a little like Exile on Main Street. This is in evidence with the
first single "Country Girl." This is country rock in high style. "Nitty
Gritty" is more Stones influenced rock. One of the best songs is "Suicide Sally &
Johnny Guitar." Roots rock meets hard rock. "We're Gonna Boogie" reminds me of
The Kills. Alison Mosshart from the Kills sings on a few songs. "Dolls" is a
real glam rock song. This is a pretty good record. It's a great mix of roots
rock, Stones obsessions, and good old time rock and roll. There is no
electronic weirdness and sound collages. This is a party album. It should go down
well. Bobby Gillespie was sort of obscure a few years ago. But with the help of
the Internet, he is like considered one of the coolest people ever.
Dirty Pretty Things
Waterloo To Anywhere
Interscope
I was hanging out with these guys too all last fall. They were hanging out in
Los Angeles working on this album. They would show up at the Troubadour,
Spaceland, or Vine Bar, totally drunk out of their minds. They were pretty excited
about the new record. I heard "Bang Bang You're Dead" very early on. That is
one of the standout tracks. Another cool one is "Gin & Milk." I have heard
the new Babyshambles CD too. Whereas Pete Doherty and company has went into a
more Clash (London Calling) sounding direction, DPT has become like a hard
rocking Kinks. There are some obvious bitter songs on here like "Blood Thirsty
Bastards." One song "The Gentry Cove" is like a punky reggae party song. "The
Enemy" offers some of the great guitar work of the Libertines. We get some fast
punk sounds in "You Fucking Love It." We get to "Wondering" which is more
like Arctic Monkeys. With Libertines we had some mellow sounds and poetic
moments. Dirty Pretty Things is heavy rocking machine. It's loud and proud. People
should like them a lot because they can tour America.
Freeheat
Back On The Water
Planting Seeds Records
I was hanging in NYC back in 2000. I was at the CMJ festival. I was checking
out this new band called Freeheat. I noticed they sounded a lot like Jesus and
the Mary Chain. The lead singer looked like Jim Reid. Hey! It was he. Later I
was talking to Anton Newcombe of Brian Jonestown Massacre. Apparently he was
at the show too. He felt like that they were too much like JAMC. There were
other bands around like Spiritualized and Lupine Howl who had moved on. Freeheat
is like JAMC JR. There are some live tracks and some studio stuff. This band
has been around for eight years but they haven't released many records. Most
of this material comes from a show in 2004. Some of those live songs like "What
Goes Around" and "Facing Up To The Facts" are excellent. "Get On Home" is
cool studio track. Some songs are doubled. That's okay. It's a schizophrenic
record. Fans of Jim Reid should like this record. It's good to have Freeheat
still around. I am burning up.
Sound Team
Movie Monster
Capitol
I heard this album and was stunned. This is a great album by a totally
unknown band. Why aren't people talking about these guys? I saw them live in San
Francisco and they were a great live band too. All the songs are solid and it's a
unique sounding band. If they were from Toronto maybe people would say this
is the next Radiohead. My favorite song is "Your Eyes Are Liars." Every song
is really great. Sound Team is the band of the future. I really hope that more
people can experience this band live. I hope to see them more. Spread the
word. I guess they already opened for Arcade Fire, and blew them off the stage. So
they have a Next Big Thing vibe. But they are from Texas. Maybe that is
holding them back? This record is somewhere between indie classic and major
blockbuster. It's very hot today.
Darker My Love
Darker My Love
Dangerbird
Darker My Love is a band that has been hanging in the LA music ghetto for a
few years. Now may be their time. There is a lot of excitement around this
record. I can tell you that all reports are good so far. This is a band that has
recently played with The Fall and The Lyres. But they have transcended any
influences. It's mainly psychedelic rock. But then we have the amazing
hard-hitting rock of "What's A Mans Paris." The excitement continues with "Helium
Heels" and "Post Mortem, Post Boredom." We haven't heard some fresh chord changes
in a decade. The revolution has happened. Darker My Love is at the forefront
of a new exuberant scene. This will be in mind as they take the stage at Sunset
Junction in late August. This street festival is always a milemarker and
taste of good things of the past and to come. One day we will all be dead. Darker
My Love is one of the great things about being alive at this time.
Silversun Pickups
Carnavas
Dangerbird
The Silversun Pickups came out with an EP a while ago that was very good.
They have done a lot of supporting gigs and have got some notice. They supported
BRMC and Elefant and have made many fans in the process. Their first
full-length is very interesting. It's sort of like a mix between the Cure and
Grandaddy. There is plenty of hard rocking glam on tracks like "Well Thought Out
Twinkles." The songwriting is more focused and exciting on this recording. Silversun
Pickups seem like a band on the move. I look forward to the next record and
some shows. This is a band to be on the lookout for. I like the song "Little
Lover's So Polite." This is a great song. The heat is on.
Echo and The Bunnymen
Siberia
Cooking Vinyl
Echo and The Bunnymen are one of the most influential bands of the past
twenty-five years. Their early records were amazing and groundbreaking. They had a
bit more pop inspired albums in the later 1980s. There were a few solo
projects and side projects. I think that there was even one Bunnymen record with Ian
McCulloch. But they are back with another new album, with the ominous title
Siberia. There are only two Bunnymen left. The first impression I have is that
it is good. They have gone back to the sounds of Heaven Up Here. There is much
backward glancing. I like songs like "Parthenon Drive" and "Of A Life." They
remind me of old songs like "Villiers Terrace" and "A Promise." Another
late great one is "Scissors In The Sand." Sometimes four or five great songs
can carry a whole album and make it worthwhile.
The Stills
Without Feathers
Vice Records
Not sure what happened to this band. A few years ago they were one of my
favorite bands. They were linked to the New York scene, with bands like Interpol
and Secret Machines, even though they were from Toronto. There were a few
lineup changes and now the drummer is the lead singer. He wrote all the songs in
the first place but was too shy to front the band. It was like Ringo fronting
the Beatles all of a sudden. Well, it might be good for one song, but all the
time? The band sounds different and maybe more mature? It's doesn't sound
anything like the emotional longings and new wave style of the first record. Some
people may applaud the change and the growth. I find myself scratching my head
and wondering "Why God?"
Small Sins
Small Sins
Astralwerks
If you want the new true spirit of Toronto, you can look no further than
Small Sins. It is sort of an odd title. They are more like an LA band in the vein
of Silversun Pickups and Grandaddy. That is cool. So you have eleven tracks of
oozing synths, aggressive drums, and great melodies. These guys blew through
town with Radio 4 recently. I missed that, but I will see them one day. It's
supposed to be a one-man band, but maybe live it's a real group. I know it's
mostly one dude and his drum machine. Cool.
Oliver Future
The Bear Chronicles V. II
This is a band that has played a lot in Austin, Texas. Now they have been
hanging out in Los Angeles. They are a group of five well-dressed men. It's sort
of like Menswear. Songs like "What Heart?" and "San Francisco Song" remind
us of the heyday of Britpop. They were once named "Best band in Austin" by the
Austin Chronicle. They name check Bukowski in one song. It's more like a
reference to the Bukowski film, than any reference to his writing. The band is
very filmic.
Miss Derringer
Lullabies
Sympathy Records
I usually throw records like this in the trash right away. But I seemed to
like the artwork and the photos that came along with it. This record looked
interesting. And it is on Sympathy Records, and I haven't heard too much on this
notorious label in a while. I am not sure if this is a Goth group or what? The
band is based about Liz McGrath. She is some sort of artist. The music is
really retro sounding. They are compared to Blondie, and even Clem Burke plays on
this record. There are similar sounds to the first Blondie record. Blondie, at
their time, was a sort of arty group, who decided to change the rules. No one
really knew why they were obsessed with the 1960s. They turned out to be a
really expansive group. Most punk rock music is very reductive and backward
looking. When this music comes back, in a new form, it often seems right wing. It
is music that has nothing to do with society and everything to do with one's
record collection. Why Miss Derringer is doing covers of Nick Cave or reviving
different periods of music is unknown. It's not much more than karaoke. This
is no new life in these songs. It's not like the D4, and their versions of
"Pirate Love" and "Invader Ace." Those songs sound exciting. This band simple
limps along.
The Hylozoists
La Fin Du Monde
Boompa Records
It's another band for Canada. This month it's all about Canada vs. Los
Angeles. Where is the cool place to live? Well, on the basis of this record, Canada
is doing pretty good. There are no lyrics to get in the way. Paul Aucoin
started this band about five years ago, in 2001. He got a bunch of great musicians
to play his songs. It's sounds like a film soundtrack. The songs are solid.
They cool be a bout good times or the end of the world. Bravo. Hopefully France
will win the World Cup and we can all celebrate with this music.
Halou
Wholeness & Separation
Vertebrae
This is a band from San Francisco. They have been around for a while. They
are more like some electronic bands of the late 1990s like Venus Hum and
Hooverphonic. It's no wonder that they have been championed by radio station such as
KEXP and KCRW. They have a cool electronic sound. It's a mix between some folk
and hiphop music. Count has remixed some stuff by Radiohead and New Order.
"Stonefruit" is a little bit like Garbage. This is a quality band and all should
check them out. They are touring with Annie Stela. That should be a good
lineup.
Patent Pending
Save Each Other, The Whales Are Doing Fine
East West
This is some of that emo punk rock. It's energetic music about important
stuff. It's usually songs about girls and a teenage search for meaning in life. No
wonder there is a lot of teenage suicide?
Sensations
Listen To My Shapes
Camera Records
Some oxygen please. Thank you. I like this. This is a band from the Bay Area.
One of the guys used to be in Cake. They sound like The Byrds and similar
harmonizing groups. It's a relief from all those superficial bands that you
always hear. They always have stupid haircuts. They always pretend to be into
Morrissey. The members have nude pictures of themselves on the Internet. But
"Incredible Man" is a lovely song. Some of this is more folky and rootsy. I would
say YES to Sensations. Bay Area groups are known for their bad names (i.e. Cake,
Faith No More). Sensations is a good name, and a good record.
Colette & DJ Heather
House of OM
Om Records
I didn't entirely forget the DJ scene. This is the first review of such a CD
in a while. In SF we are stuck in the rave culture. We are stuck in the period
of 1989-1995. Back then we went to our first club and had our first E. Those
dreams never die. This is the first mix CD by female DJs on Om Records. I like
it because Colette is very nice to look at. I haven't sampled her DJ skills
lately because I am checking out bands like Be Your Own Pet and Sound Team.
This double CD is a heavy house record. So unless you are gay, or like to dance,
you may not like it so much. This sort of music is still the background sound
to all things that happen in West Hollywood. There is a new Oakenfold record.
There is a new Herbert CD. This is a good one too.
Heterogene
AM-PM
Heterogenemusic.com
I get CDs all the time by weird bands. Most of them are really bad.
Heterogene is very interesting stuff. It's a mix of indie rock and prog-rock, and
Krautrock. There are a lot of songs to choose from on this CD. Ryan Holiday and
Aaron Potocny started this band. They have a bunch of interesting styles. There
is great life in these songs. It's a very original sound. Heterogene! Check it
out!
Mew
And The Glass Handed Kites
Columbia
Mew is another UK band that hasn't been tested yet on American shores. We
will be seeing them soon enough with their tour with Bloc Party. So far so good.
They have a dramatic flair in their music that is more like Muse (Mew, Muse,
hmm). The vocals are very pleasant. Mew is very hard to pigeonhole. They are a
very modern sounding band, that reminds me a little of shoegazer bands. Some
people in America don't know what to make of these sorts of bands. They are not
so much a Coldplay type of band, but neither are they like The Subways or
Franz Ferdinand. Mew should be given a chance. I will be seeing them no doubt.
Thom Yorke
The Eraser
XL Recordings
Thom Yorke has been touring with Radiohead for the past month. They don't
have a new record out yet and they are on no record label. Yorke has released
this record in the meantime. Nigel Godrich produces it. It sounds a little like
Amnesiac. It might have been some songs that never had a chance for a proper
Radiohead record over the years. It is mostly just keyboards and drum machines.
There are not a lot of guitars or effects. Probably none. It is the closest
thing Yorke has done that is like a singer songwriter type album. Of course,
this is Yorke, so it's going to be like him playing over some Aphex Twin type
beats. How he dreams of being on the Warp label. "Black Swan" is a clever song.
Songs like "Atoms For Peace" just remind us more what the next Radiohead
record will be like.
Richard Ashcroft
Keys To The World
Virgin/Parlophone
It's the third record from the dude from the Verve. I thought the first two
were great. I still have them in my collection. It's sort of more like Motown
than shoegazer music. The last one didn't get so many good reviews. There was
some good singles. This one came out pretty fast. Ashcroft had a big appearance
last summer playing Live 8 with Coldplay. It was one of the highlights. This
album seems simpler and more direct. "Why Not Nothing?" is a Lou Reed like
two chord song. Some songs are simple statements as in "Music Is Power" and
"Words Just Get In The Way." Ashcroft gets a good sound out of the harpsichord on
"Break The Night With Colour." One song "Keys To The World" is built around
a sample. Some other songs are more voice and guitar. It's almost like a Cat
Stevens type album at the end of the day. Ashcroft tries to make political and
philosophical statements about the world. He is reporting about this time on
the planet. He is a medium for the madness. This record also comes with a DVD.
On part of it, Ashcroft explains the ideas behind his songs. Then you have
three songs in live performance. Of course the Live 8 performance would have
been nice. Then there is a video for "Break The Night With Colour." On a lot of
these British artists, they all seem to come with a DVD. Great.
The Futureheads
News and Tributes
Vagrant
I have seen Futureheads play a few times. I was really into them at first,
and then got into other bands like Art Brut and Maximo Park. Now they have a
second record and a new tour. I saw a show that was filmed for a TV show. The
first album was produced by Andy Gill, so all the Gang of Four comparisons came
with them I always liked the vocals. The new album seems solid. Better songs.
No songs like "Hound Of Love" but good songs nonetheless. Some favorites are
"Skip To The End" and "Back To The Sea." This record seems more like a great
mod record. There is even a song called "Face" which recalls Quadrophenia. The
Futureheads are a pretty talented bunch. I read a new interview with one of
the guy from Futureheads, and Colin Newman, from Wire. It made me more
interested in the band. The Futureheads are worthy of all our attention.
Ben Watt
Buzzing Fly Volume Three
Buzzing Fly Records
I have been following these releases. The others ones were a mix of house
music and cool acts. I was surprised by some of the choices. Ben Watt has been
involved in dance music and production for many years now. This third selection
of music is very new stuff. It's very raw tracks. Watt bridges the gap between
electro and deep house. Music has to evolve, and this is a testament of that.
Dance music is always vital.
Regina Spektor
Begin To Hope
Sire Records
I saw Regina Spektor play recently in Los Angeles. It was at the El Rey
Theater. It was sold out. There was an excitement in the air, which you imagine
there was for the Beatles. Regina Spektor has a lot of young female fans. Maybe
it was some girls who saw her play a few years ago opening for the Strokes or
Kings of Leon? Anyway I have seen her play a few times now, and the audiences
are getting bigger and more enthusiastic. This is the sort of audience that you
get for Bjork or Joanna Newsom. Everyone is quiet and on the edge of their
seats. They hang on to every word. The first album was quirky and sort of fit in
with the anti-folk thing. This record is a more planned out thing. It's a
better-produced record. There are some really poppy songs like "Better." This
sounds like a hit for anyone else. This record has more experience behind it,
and Regina has grown up a little bit. She sounds really good. Not a weak moment
on here. Even Nick Valensi of the Strokes appears on a song.
Peeping Tom
Peeping Tom
Ipecac
One of my favorite films of all time is Peeping Tom. Michael Powell is one of
the great directors of all time. It's funny that the closely named Mike
Patton has used this name for his new project. It is a big collaboration with many
people that Patton has never met. The first track "Five Seconds" is much like
Faith No More and features Odd Nosdam. Other people who show up on this are
Dan The Automator and Amon Tobin. I am a big Kool Keith fan. So the song
"Getaway" reminds me a little of Black Elvis and Prodigy. Good stuff. I also like
"Kill The DJ" with Massive Attack. It's a little like some stuff off of 100th
Window. Other people who show up on this are Kid Koala, Bebel Gilberto, and
even Norah Jones. It's a sort of record that shows who are Patton's friends.
It's all pretty good, but unlike some of his recent material. It's a valid
statement.
Charlie Sexton & Shannon McNally
Southside Sessions
Backporch Records
I have been a fan of the music of Charlie Sexton and also Shannon McNally. It
was odd to see them hook up and work on an album together. Sexton had been
touring with Bob Dylan for a while. He released a album last year himself. They
were on the same label and they toured together. So some new collaboration was
bound to happen. Here it is. In a year with a bunch of musical crossed stars,
with Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, here is another quality album. It's
short. Only seven songs. "Nothing Mysterious" is an old Sexton song where they
both sing together. McNally sings solo on "Old Cypress Tree." They do a cover
of a song by Townes Van Zandt. This is a very good record. I look forward to
more from these artists.
The Morning Benders
Loose Change
Portia Records
This is a new band from Berkeley. They sound a little like early Weezer and
even like The Pleased. They released this record themselves. Now this is a new
version of that original demo. The songs are solid. It's melodic soft pop
music. The Morning Benders are one of the bright lights of the new Bay Area scene.
Every Move A Picture
Heart=Weapon
V2
This is a band that we have been hearing about for months. They actually
opened for Art Brut recently. Eddie Argos has become a fan. They have toured
heavily for the past year. They are a little like the punk funk music of the past
five years. That genre is getting old as mesh trucker hats. But songs like
"Signs Of Life" have some excitement about them. They add a little electronic
sounds and synths to the mix. One song that I really like is "Outlaw" which is a
little more like the first U2 record. There is a really good pop sound to this
band. They could be the biggest thing this year. It would be good. Anything
that is moving away from Panic At The Disco is appealing to me. Every Move A
Picture Has a lot of promise. -
The Remote
Too Low To Miss
Global Underground
I always get some new music. Some of it falls through the cracks. This
sounded like an interesting record. The Remote is an electronic group that is also
into stuff like Depeche Mode and Joy Division. It's an interesting experiment.
Some songs like "Creeps" are pretty cool. The Remote may be a band to check
out.
James Figurine
Mistake
Plug Research
This is a new side project by Jimmy Tamborello who is in The Postal Service.
He also has toured with Lali Puna. So it's a little mix between those two
worlds. So we have a bunch cool electronic tracks, much like Notwist and Postal
Service. Most of the vocals are this spoken Kraftwerk type of singing. The beats
on "Ruining To Sundays" are amazing. The song "You Again" features Jenny
Lewis. She has an ability to turn everything to gold. This is a pretty good
record for Plug Research. I dig it.
Breakup Breakdown
Breakup Breakdown
Cordless Recording
This is a cool punk band from the east coast that I have been listening to
lately. "Tonight" reminds me of the Dirtbombs. They have a punk / new wave
sound that reminds me a few bands from the early 1980s. This is good.
Monsters Are Waiting
Fascination
Retone Recordings
Monsters Are Waiting may be one of the biggest bands to come out of Los
Angeles this year. They have been touring heavily on the west coast. They have
become regulars at Spaceland, the Troubadour, and Popscene in San Francisco. I
recently saw them at Popscene and they totally wowed the audience. This record is
an expanded version of a self-released EP from last year. There are three
extra songs. This is a great album from a band that I expect to be really big
very soon. Monsters Are Waiting are a combination of glamour, new wave, and
intelligent pop music. They only have to do more tours of the East Coast and the
UK, and let more people find out about them. If this band went to the UK, things
would explode. Monsters Are Waiting are a band to get into.
Art Brut
Bang Bang Rock & Roll
Downtown Records
I heard this band last year and have loved them since I heard "Formed A
Band." I have seen them play several times. It was one of the most exciting shows I
have witnessed. I even saw them when they were on Jimmy Kimmel. This band,
along with The Cribs, are among my favorite new UK bands. This record has been
out a while in the UK, and is only coming out now in America in July 2006. All
the songs are clever stories. "My Little Brother" is about a young person's
discovery of music. "Emily Kane" is about lost love. "Rusted Guns Of Milan"
is about bad sex. "Modern Art" reminds me of Bongwater. "Good Weekend" is a
song about new love. "Bang Bang Rock & Roll" is a song against all these bands
trying to be the Velvet Underground. "Moving To LA" is a funny song about
dreaming of better places. I was there when Art Brut first played this song in
Los Angeles. It was hilarious. All these songs have evolved overtime too. "Bad
Weekend" has the great line "Popular culture no longer applies to me." The
song "18,000 Lire" is a song about a robbery. This album is more like a set of
short stories than a record. The American version of this great album has
three more songs. They are a little like Pulp and a little like Bongwater. This is
a great album. It has lost none of its power.
DVD
Various Artists
Starter Set DVD
Kill Rock Stars
This is a pretty cool DVD. It's like a lot of indie dance. I used to go to
college at Long Beach State. They had a big dance department there. Watching
this DVD reminds me of those days when I watched some school recitals. There is
some music from the arty bands Young People and Liars. Modern dance needs a
re-evaluation!
Alexander Laurence
