For every situation, every instance, there’s a John Lennon quote which sums up nearly the whole gamut of human existence. Catharsis after hubris: “I was feeling insecure; you might not love me anymore.” Dissatisfaction, apathy, and ambivalence: “Living is easy with eyes closed.” The optimism, sometimes blind, which drives dreams: “Imagine all the people, living life in peace…”
What can be written about Lennon which hasn’t been written already? Let us grieve Lennon’s death in equal parts for his family’s loss and the cultural significance. Mired in the wake of JFK’s assassination, The Beatles on Ed Sullivan helped a nation move forward and be happy again. And throughout the political tragedy of the 60’s, The Beatles spearheaded a musical revolution which, in retrospect, is the saving grace of that particular decade.
For as long as I can remember, my dad has told me the mythic story about when he was nineteen and driving around late at night in his ’66 GTO when he heard Strawberry Fields Forever on the radio for the first time. I think everyone who loves Lennon’s music can remember a similar consciousness-expanding moment. For myself, it was Sophomore year of college and my friend James came over to my dorm with his newly purchased vinyl of Plastic Ono Band, and laying across my floor pillows absolutely slayed by the prophetic nature of the album. “Working Class Hero” precipitated Bruce Springsteen’s entire career! The emotional nakedness of “Well Well Well,” the Neitszchean declaration of “God,” the simple plea of “Look At Me,” Lennon’s music teaches us to look into our own souls and uncover the art and the beauty which lies within.
team b3science recently got together with Steven from Brighton, UK duo Blood Red Shoes while the band were in LA to talk about their new LP, Fire Like This, b-side philosophy, Fugazi, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and more… check it out below:
b3sci:Fire Like This is a killer follow-up LP… how would you say Blood Red Shoes artistically evolved on your second album compared with your debut, Box of Secrets?
BRS: Yeah I think we’ve moved forward with it, especially melodically speaking. I think we write better “songs” than before. It’s not a radical jump, it’s just that we’re mining the same kind of sound but hammering out all the details. I’m much happier with the overall feel and atmosphere of this record, I think it has more depth and I certainly think it sounds more personal and honest. I think the biggest improvement we made was in the vocals really. Just forcing ourselves to sing a take that felt right and not hiding behind double tracks and overdubs as much. Our hope is that it feels more emotionally bare because of that.
b3sci: What sort of chemistry with producer Mike Crossey do you attribute to Blood Red Shoes’ sound in the studio?
BRS: Well for one thing Mike is a great engineer, and that’s an art rapidly getting lost in favour of a “let’s throw some mics up and get it into pro-tools as quick as possible and fix it after” kind of attitude. That’s something we respect and value a hell of a lot. Beyond that the biggest thing he brought to us was being hard on us about our singing! He really pushed us as vocalists and I think we absorbed that pressure, especially on the first album, and now we keep pushing ourselves to become better singers. Singing is by far the hardest, most personal, most human, most scary fucking instrument you can learn.
b3sci: Do you have any long-term visions of a specific type of album that you seek to create some day… in the near or distant future?
BRS: I don’t think we have a vision of the type of album we’d like to make. Our band has certain parameters in that there are only 2 members, but beyond that we feel like anything we write together is “Blood Red Shoes”. We’ve been experimenting with piano and keyboard parts recently and writing instrumentals that definitely sit in more of a post-rock kind of universe. I have no idea how these sort of forays will impact on our next record but I feel like we have a lot of other music in us apart from our obvious punk rock side. That being said we’d never feel right making an album full of slow stuff, we’d get bored.
b3sci: Being from Brighton, England, what’s your take on musical regionalism (i.e. bands specifically not from London, NY, LA, major music hubs…)? Do you think it has helped Blood Red Shoes, or has it been an obstacle?
BRS: Well it’s a bit of a myth to start from because most musicians grow up in little shit towns and make their pilgrimage to a bigger town to pursue music. Iggy Pop is from Ann Arbor in Michigan you know? So yeah the focus on those major cities is only founded on the fact that generations of musicians keep moving there. I think Brighton does have a scene and there’s a bit of focus on that, but it’s nothing like if we came from NYC or London where there’s more of a perceived “sound” at a given time. So it’s given us that little bit more freedom to define our identity, that’s for sure.
b3sci: Unlike in the generations of Iggy Pop, today, bands all over the world have the internet. What role do you feel the internet has played in giving exposure to Blood Red Shoes?
BRS: A fucking huge role. We’re in the middle of a US tour and the only reason there are people even showing up is 99% because of the internet. We have zero background here so that’s the only real explanation. The internet has enabled bands with a DIY ethos to get even further than before because they can bypass the industry channels far faster, more easily and more cheaply than ever before and that’s a great thing. In the 80s or 90s those punk bands who got through like Fugazi are legends because they had to set up their whole record and touring network using phones and snail mail, and the fact is, there are a lot of great musicians who just don’t have the fucking organizational skills to do that! The internet has made that much more accessible. On the flipside of course, that means there are ten million more half-arsed bands to wade through.
b3sci: Being an established UK act, and from your experience, what are your general observations about this sort of reception of emerging artists from the UK in the states, and the same vice-versa?
BRS: Well so far, as our first time in the states, it’s been much easier and more welcoming than our first few tours of the UK. I think that does have something to do with us being established across europe first of course, but still, there’s a noticeable difference. I think there’s certainly a similar reception when US bands come over the UK, they’re seen as a bit more exotic and cool because they’re from the US! There are bands in england that are amazing and play to very few people and I find myself thinking, man, if they were from the US, they’d be playing to 5 times the crowd each night…
b3sci: “Box of Secrets” was a B-side on the “It’s Getting Boring by the Sea” single, and is also the name of your debut LP. This leads us to believe that BRS have a special take on what b-side’s should mean to an artist’s catalogue?
BRS: Well unless we’re totally fucked for time because we’re touring loads, our policy is that b-sides should be worthwhile songs, not just some crap you put out to pad out a single release. We’ve filled up releases with demo versions and remixes and we regret that, we were pushed into it by a label we now don’t work with, thank god. If we’re really screwed for time and we need a b-side, we’ll do our best to record something new – it might be a bit rushed or a bit half-formed but that’s at least better than a shit remix or a live version. One example was a song called “Carry Knots” which we wrote and recorded in 1 day off in the middle of tour and I really really like it. B-sides are part of your output and if you have standards, you need to keep them up there. Especially since EVERYTHING will be on Spotify now as well….
b3sci: How do you feel having “It’s Getting Boring by the Sea” synched in the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World has (if at all) impacted Blood Red Shoes… especially it being a single from your previous album?
BRS: Well it’s lead to a bunch of new people finding our band in the UK and US for sure. We were a bit worried it was such an old song, and that maybe people would be confused when they hear newer material like “Colours Fade”, but so far nobody’s commented negatively so that’s cool. It’s nice that it was an english director too, I mean, we’re no nationalists but I thought it was cool that he picked a british band on there amongst the other more established US acts.
b3sci: What would you guys like to see music licensing mean to popular culture and emerging artists in the years to come?
BRS: I think there’s a danger that the licensing stuff is becoming THE way to break a band – The XX are massive largely because of it and i’m very suspicious of that because it encourages bands just to write music FOR adverts or TV shows, and encourages them to put themselves in any context just for the exposure. You have to be careful with that because the context really affects the meaning of your art. I don’t want our band to be the one people know from a car advert because that’s not what we’re about at all.
b3sci: You’ve been playing together for a long time. To you, what are the main advantages and disadvantages of working as a duo both live and in the studio?
BRS: Well the chemisty and ability to lock in with each other musically is much more straightforward, it’s two people looking each other in the eye following where the music takes you. That’s a massive advantage. But yeah we also get really sick of each other on tour and fight more than average I think, just because humans who spend that much time together end up like that. A married couple would at least spend their days at separate jobs…we spend all day and all night together ha ha.
b3sci: What in your eyes are some of the popular misnomers about bands and the music industry among the general, casual listening public?
BRS: For a while people seemed to have the impression in England that we were an “Indie” band which we’re certainly not. In England, Indie means The Smiths, The Libertines, Franz Ferdinand…it’s basically lightweight guitar pop. We’re a rock band…for us the guitar riffs come first. I hope we’ve got past that with this album at least. The other thing is that people assume a 2 piece will be a minimalist thing, and that’s never been our intention at all, we want to sound as big as possible. Raw, yes, direct, yes, but not simplistic and minimal.
b3sci: Which song off of Fire Like This are you most proud of? Is there one you’d like to get back in the studio and rework?
BRS: You have to draw a line once you’ve recorded it. I’m sure there are elements in every song that we’d go back and tweak infinitely but the way to use those concerns is to channel them into the next record. Finding the flaws in your previous album is the best way to give you clarity about what to do on the next one.
b3sci: Which contemporary musician outside of the rock spectrum would you most like to collaborate with?
BRS: I’d love to work with Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) if that counts as far enough from the “rock spectrum”. Or someone totally pop just to explore that it’s like to try writing a song that half the planet can get into, that world fascinates me.
b3sci: If you weren’t in a band today, what sort of work could you see yourselves doing?
BRS: I kid myself that I’d try being a chef. But really, I’d just work for bands as a roadie so I could get as close to being a band as possible…
Let us get the obvious out of the way first: Allah-Las sound like a group from the ‘60s. This is meant in the best way possible. They know their sound so well—whichever ‘60s sub-category you try to pin them under: garage rock, surf rock, Merseybeat, they pay homage to them all—that at every single second of Worship The Sun, their prodigiously deep second album, to be released on Sept. 16th on Innovative Leisure Records, the listener is transported back to that decade of great dreams and musical experimentation. Listen to Worship The Sun before say, The Kink Kontroversy, or after Camino Parkway, the ? & The Mysterians compilation—they’re musical contemporaries despite being separated by nearly five decades. We often listen to music from the ‘60s within a vacuum, but Allah-Las set to prove that the era’s music is still a living genre, one that is continuously evolving.
Such comparisons are only possible because of the high level of songwriting and musicianship on Worship The Sun. Each band member (Miles Michaud on vox and guitar, Pedrum Siadatian on lead guitar, Spencer Dunham on bass, and Matthew Correia on drums) plays together as a cohesive unit, with each part wholly defined while not upstaging the work of the other three. The fifth instrument, Michaud’s vocals, takes precedence at times, but even this isn’t always the case. Much credit has to be given to singer/guitarist Nick Waterhouse’s production, clear and subtle, musician-approved, for other musicians and music lovers.
Here’s a track-by-track rundown.
“De Vida Voz”: smooth chorus vocal with an intro that reminds me of “Alone Again Or”, the Forever Changes opener
“Had It All”: confident garage backbeat with cool repetition of title lyric
“Artefact”: fuzzy bass with great bridge
“Ferus Gallery”: great instrumental, erudite guitar communication with prominent tambourine
“Recurring”: one of the strongest lyrics on the album, Mersey-style harmonies
“Nothing To Hide”: tongue-in-cheek lyrics which would make the brothers Davies proud
“Buffalo Nickel”: bah-bah-bah vocal intro which leads right into the chorus, first half closes on a sunnier note after the disaffected “Nothing To Hide”
And that’s just the first half! I’ll allow you to listen to the second half and make your own judgments. The consistency persists and matches our expectations set during the first half of the album. Allah-Las proved their merit with their self-titled debut; Worship The Sun cements their position as one of the most relevant West Coast bands here in late 2k14. Check out their free show at Amoeba Records, former place of employment for three members, on Friday, September 5th. From there they shoot off to Europe next week for a full slab of dates which will take the LA natives through the end of October, followed by a return to US dates from mid-November until the end of the year.
LA based folk-rock band Miner is taking stage at the Bootleg Bar in Silver Lake on Monday nights this July as the club’s monthly artist in residence. More than just a celebration of the band’s indie folk style fusion, the residency stint will also be “multi-art” themed, with a variety of arts, food and fashion installations present throughout the month.
On this coming Monday, July 15th B3SCI is pleased to present Miner on Visual Media Night with a bill of stellar buzzing talent that includes Vertical Scratchers, Olin And The Moon, and Guardian Ghost. As if that weren’t enough, Writer / Actor and longtime B3SCI family Chris Geddy will be spinning OBG, Post-Punk, and Jangly goodness between the evening’s sets. Entry for the residency night is FREE (21+) and you can get more information on the show HERE. We’ll see you there!
2012. It was a year. We made it through the hurricane, we survived the apocalypse, we shined bright like diamonds, etc. As we toast 2012 and look forward to a major 2013, join the b3 crew in popping the cap on all our individual favorite songs and albums of the past year. See y’all in 2013!
B3SCI STAFF TOP 20 ALBUMS LISTS
Mike Clemenza
01. Alt-J – An Awesome Wave
02. Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream
03. Jessie Ware – Devotion
04. Lana Del Rey – Born to Die
05. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
06. Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again
07. Keaton Henson – Sweetheart What Have You Done To Us
08. Two Door Cinema Club – Beacon
09. Usher – Looking 4 Myself
10. DIIV – Oshin
11. Tame Impala – Lonerism
12. The xx – Coexist
13. Tallest Man on Earth – There’s No Leaving Now
14. Spector – Enjoy It While It Lasts
15. The Vaccines – Come of Age
16. Ellie Goulding – Halcyon
17. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light
18. Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes
19. The Maccabees – Given to the Wild
20. Lucy Rose – Like I Used To
Troy Meyer
01. Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream
02. Kendrick Lamar – good kid m.A.A.d. City
03. Jessie Ware – Devotion
04. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
05. Tame Impala – Lonerism
06. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music
07. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel
08. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart, Sweet Light
09. DIIV – Oshin
10. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
11. Cloud Nothings – Attack On Memory
12. El-P – Cancer For Cure
13. Grizzly Bear – Shields
14. Chromatics – Kill For Love
15. Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
16. How to Dress Well – Total Loss
17. John Talabot – fin
18. Actress – R.I.P.
19. Cat Power – Sun
20. Jeremih – Late Nights
Christopher Gedos
01. Bob Dylan – The Tempest
02. The Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan
03. Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again
04. Lianne La Havas – Is Your Love Big Enough?
05. Alt-J – An Awesome Wave
Bruce Rave
01. Django Django—Django Django
02. Muse—The 2nd Law
03. The Vaccines—Come Of Age
04. Jack White—Blunderbuss
05. Silversun Pickups—Neck Of the Woods
06. Howler—America Give Up
07. The Ravonettes—Observator
08. Hot Chip—In Our Heads
09. Madness—Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da
10. Metric—Synthetica
11. Passion Pit—Gossamer
12. The Walkmen—Heaven
13. The Hives—Lex Hives
14. Soft Swells—Soft Swells
15. Bloc Party—Four
16. Divine Fits—A Thing Called Divine Fits
17. Cloud Nothings—Attack on Memory
18. The Royalty—Lovers
19. Reel Big Fish—Candy Coated Fury
20. Father John Misty—Fear Fun
Erin Routson
01. Kendrick Lamar – good kid m.A.A.d. City
02. Prinzhorn Dance School – Clay Class
03. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel
04. 2 Chainz – Based On a T.R.U. Story
05. Ke$ha – Warrior
06. Freddie Gibbs – Baby Face Killa
07. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
08. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light
09. Tanlines – Mixed Emotions
10. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
11. The xx – Co-Exist
12. Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill
13. Tame impala – Lonerism
14. Kendrick Lamar – good kid m.A.A.d. City
15. Kendrick Lamar – good kid m.A.A.d. City
16. Kendrick Lamar – good kid m.A.A.d. City
17. Kendrick Lamar – good kid m.A.A.d. City
18. Kendrick Lamar – good kid m.A.A.d. City
19. Kendrick Lamar – good kid m.A.A.d. City
20. Kendrick Lamar – good kid m.A.A.d. City
Jon Herriot
01. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
02. Of Monsters and Men – My Head Is an Animal
03. Mumford and Sons – Babel
04. The Shins – Port of Marrow
05. Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid M.A.A.D City
06. Rah Rah – The Poet’s Dead
07. Said The Whale – Little Mountain
08. Metric – Synthetica
09. The Lumineers – Submarines
10. Lana Del Rey – Born To Die
11. Passion Pit – Gossamer
12. John K Samson – Provincial
13. Bahamas – Barchords
14. Hoodie Allen – All American
15. Macklemore x Ryan Lewis – The Heist
16. Santigold – Master of My Make-Believe
17. Hannah Georgas – Hannah Georgas
18. Grimes – Visions
19. The xx – Coexist
20. Yukon Blonde – Tiger Talk
Nathan Hetherington
01 Alt-J: An Awesome Wave
02 NZCA/LINES: NZCA/LINES
03 Pond: Beard Wives Denim
04 Polica: Give You The Ghost
05 Andrew Bird: Break It Yourself
06 John Talabot: Fin
07 Django Django: Django Django
08 Tame Impala: Lonerism
09 Mac Demarco: 2
10 xxyyxx: xxyyxx
11 Melody’s Echo Chamber: Melody’s Echo Chamber
12 Lower Dens: Nootropics
13 Allah-las: Allah-las
14 Chairlift: Something
15 The Luyas: Animator
16 Yeasayer: Fragrant World
17 Negative Pegasus: Looming
18 Clock Opera: Ways To Forget
19 Daphni: JIAOLONG
20 Dark Dark Dark: Who Needs Who
Brian Litwin
01. Purity ring – Shrines
02. Kendrick Lamar – good kid m.A.A.d. City
03. The Lumineers – The Lumineers
04. Grimes – Visions
05. Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls
06. Poolside – Pacific Central Time
07. Tame Impala – Lonerism
08. Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man
09. Alt-J – An Awesome Wave
10. Death Grips – The Money Store
11. Passion Pit – Gossamer
12. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan
13. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
14. Yeasayer -Fragant World
15. The M Machine – Metropolis Pt. 1
16. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist
17. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
18. The xx – Coexist
19. Jessie Ware – Devotion
20. Grizzly Bear – Shields
Russ Ramos
01. Ellie Goulding – Halcyon
02. Lana Del Rey – Born to Die Paradise Edition
03. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
04. Kitten – Cut It Out
05. Jessie Ware – Devotion
06. Krewella – Play Hard
07. JMSN – Priscilla
08. Meg Myers – Daughter in the Choir
09. Grimes – Visions
10. Zedd – Clarity
11. Kimbra – Vows
12. Sleigh Bells – Reign of Terror
13. Fun. – Some Nights
14. Gotye – Making Mirrors
15. Best Coast – The Only Place
16. Calvin Harris – 18 Months
17. Frank + Derol – Frank + Derol
18. Imagine Dragons – Night Visions
19. Skrillex – Bangarang
20. Alexander Spit – A Breathtaking Trip
B3SCI STAFF TOP 20 SONGS LISTS
Mike Clemenza
01. Yuna – Live Your Life
02. Frank Ocean – Thinking Bout You
03. Big Sean – Clique (Feat. Kanye West & Jay-Z)
04. Tom Odell – Another Love
05. The xx – Angels
06. Muse – Madness
07. Madeon – The City (Feat. Zak Waters)
08. Trails and Ways – Nunca
09. Carly Rae Jepson – Call Me Maybe
10. Rhye – The Fall
11. Schoolboy Q – Hands On The Wheel (Feat. A$ap Rocky)
12. Electric Guest – This Head I Hold
13. The Neighbourhood – Sweater Song
14. The 1975 – You
15. Everything Everything – Cough Cough
16. Jessie Ware – Running
17. Dan Croll – From Nowhere
18. Purity Ring – Odebear
19. Blondfire – Where The Kids Are
20. Chris Malinchak – So Good To Me
Troy Meyer
01. Usher – Climax
02. Frank Ocean – Pyramids
03. Jessie Ware – Running
04. Kanye West – Clique (Feat. Jay-Z & Big Sean)
05. Jai Paul – Jasmine
06. Solange Knowles – Losing You
07. Miguel – Adorn
08. Kendrick Lamar – Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe (Feat. Lady Gaga)
09. Lana Del Rey – Ride
10. Rihanna – Diamonds
11. Yuna – Live Your Life
12. Ke$ha – Die Young
13. Purity Ring – Obedear
14. Rhye – The Fall
15. The xx – Sunset
16. Meek Mill – Amen (Feat. Drake)
17. The Neighbourhood – Sweater Weather
18. Nicki Minaj – Beez in the Trap (Feat. 2 Chainz)
19. Peace – Follow Baby
20. Father John Misty – Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
Bruce Rave
01. Foxy Shazam—I like It
02. Django Django—Default
03. Gold Fields—Moves
04. The Vaccines—Teenage Icon
05. Passion Pit—Take A Walk
06. Fun—Be Calm
07. The Presets—Ghosts
08. The Vaccines—Bad Mood
09. Tilly and the Wall—Heavy Mood
10. Diamond Rings—I’m Just Me
11. Bloc Party—Octapus
12. Battle Tapes—Sweatshop Boys
13. Dirty Projectors—Gun Has No Trigger
14. Beach House—On the Sea
15. Citizens!–True Romance
16. Crocodiles—Endless Flowers
17. The Walkmen—We Can’t Be Beat
18. Citizens!–(I’m In Love With Your) Girlfriend
19. Father John Misty—Nancy From Now On
20. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros—Dear Believer
Trevor Meyer
1. Peace – California Daze
2. Gabriel Bruce – Sleep Paralysis
3. George Barnett – Lone Rose
4. Kendrick Lamar – Enjoy
5. Saint Motel – 1997
6. Big Boi – Lines
7. The Record Company – This Crooked City
8. Natural Child – Derek’s Blues
9. The #1s – He’s Too Good For Everyone Else, But He’s Not Good Enough For You
10. Fast Years – Young Hearts
11. Porcelain Raft – Something In Between
12. Tayyib Ali – I Ain’t Scared
13. Sam Sparro – Happiness
14. Wild Nothing – Only Heather
15. Triptides- Bright Sky
16. Azealia Banks – Fuck Up The Fun
17. Tame Impala – Mind Mischief
18. Mike Higbee – The Waltz of Dead Love
19. Go Back To The Zoo – Weekend America
20. Dan Croll – From Nowhere
Erin Routson
01. Solange – Losing You
02. A$AP Rocky – Fuckin’ Problems (Feat. 2 Chainz, Drake & Kendrick Lamar)
03. Meek Mill – Amen (Feat. Drake)
04. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
05. Kitty Pryde – Okay Cupid
06. HAIM – Hold Me
07. YN Rich Kids – Hot Cheetos & Takis
08. Pac Div – Cross Trainers
09. Chief Keef – I Don’t Like
10. Santigold – Disparate Youth
11. MIA – Bad Girls
12. Fun – Some Nights
13. Kindness – Swingin’ Party
14. Big Boi – Higher Res (Feat. Little Dragon and Jai Paul)
15. Taylor Swift – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
16. Blur – Under the Westway
17. Danny Brown – Grown Up
18. The Hood Internet – These Things Are Nice
19. Kanye West – Clique (Feat. Jay-Z and Big Sean)
20. Sinkane – Runnin
Jon Herriot
01. Santigold – Disparate Youth
02. Frank Ocean – Pyramids
03. Capital Cities – Kangaroo Court
04. The Royal Concept – D-D-Dance
05. Passion Pit – Carried Away
06. The Shins – Simple Song
07. Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks
08. The Tallest Man on Earth – 1904
09. The Lumineers – Ho Hey
10. Everything Everything – Kemosabe
11. RAC – Hollywood (Feat. Penguin Prison)
12. Azealia Banks – 212
13. Joey Bada$$ – Survival Tactics
14. Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools (Drank)
15. Rah Rah – Prairie Girl
16. Calvin Harris – Sweet Nothing (Feat. Florence Welch)
17. Grimes – Oblivion
18. Wiz Khalifa – Remember You (Feat. The Weeknd)
19. Carousel – Where Have You Gone?
20. Alabama Shakes – Hold On
Erin Feathers
01. Yuna – Lve Your Life
02. Usher – Climax
03. The Lumineers – Ho Hey
04. Jai Paul – Jasmine
05. Grimes – Oblivion
06. Miguel- Adorn
07. Alabama Shakes – Hold On
08. Alt-J – Breezeblocks
09. Kendrick Lamar- Swimming Pools (Drank)
10. Frank Ocean – Pyramids
11. Big Boi – Lines (Feat. A$AP Rocky & Phantogram)
12. Death Grips – The Fever (Aye Aye)
13. Tame Impala – Elephant
14. Schoolboy Q – There He Go
15. PS I Love You – Sentimental Dishes
16. Purity Ring – Obedear
17. RZA – Baddest Man Alive (Feat. The Black Keys)
18. Beach House – Myth
19. The Artic Monkeys – RU Mine
20. Spiritualized – Hey Jane
Nathan Hetherington
01 Grizzly Bear: Yet Again
02 Everything Everything: Cough Cough
03 Purity Ring: Obedear
04 Four Tet: Lion (Jamie xx Remix)
05 Major Lazer: Get Free (Feat. Amber Coffman)
06 Savages: Husbands
07 Bat For Lashes: Laura
08 Jacques Greene, Koreless: Arrow
09 Liars: No. 1 Against The Rush
10 Odd Future: Oldie
11 The 1975: You
12 Daughter: Medicine
13 Porcelain Raft: Is It Too Deep For You
14 Nicolas Jaar: And I Say (With Just One Glance) (Feat. Scout LaRue and Will Epstein)
15 The xx: Angels
16 Splashh: Vacation
17 Foxygen: Shuggie
18 El-P: $Vic/FTL (Me And You)
19 Fear of Men: Green Sea
20 Egyptian Hip Hop: Yoro Diallo
Brian Litwin
01 – Frank Ocean – Pyramids
02 – Alt-J – Fitzpleasure
03 – Grimes – Oblivion
04 – Dirty Projectors – About To Die
05 – Bat For Lashes – Laura
06 – Purity Ring – Fineshrine
07 – Japandroids – The House That Heaven Built
08 – Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pool (Drank)
09 – Alabama Shakes – Hold On
10 – Disclosure – Latch (Feat. Sam Smith)
11 – Santigold – Disparate Youth
12 – Death Grips – Get Got
13 – Yeasayer – Longevity
14 – AlunaGeorge – Your Drums, Your Love
15 – Tame Impala – Elephant
16 – The xx – Angels
17 – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Thrift Shop (Feat. Wanz)
18 – Chris Malinchak – So Good To Me
19 – HAIM – Send Me Down
20 – The Soft Pack – Bobby Brown
Russ Ramos
01. Ellie Goulding – Don’t Say a Word
02. Lana Del Rey – Gods & Monsters
03. Frank Ocean – Pink Matter (Feat. Andre 3000)
04. Kitten – G#
05. Jessie Ware – Night Light
06. Krewella – Alive
07. JMSN – Love & Pain
08. Meg Myers – Curbstomp
09. Shlohmo – Changes (Shlomo Remix)
10. Santigold – Disparate Youth
11. Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools (Drank)
12. Zedd – Clarity (Aylen Remix)
13. Flinch Light It Up (Feat. Heather Bright)
14. Yuna – Lullabies (Adventure Club Remix)
15. Alexander Spit – B.N.E. (Feat. C.B.G.)
16. Knife Party – Fire Hive (Krewella Remix)
17. Kavinsky – Nightcall
18. Iggy Azaelea – My World
19. The Weeknd – Gone
20. Nero – Must Be The Feeling (Delta Heavy Remix)
Multi-instrumentalist Jeff Widner and singer Steve Ortega team up on HP EP, the debut EP from Happy People. There’s a lot of acts which try to sound like these guys but with only a fraction of the same success. ‘Apt’ sounds like wall-of-sound Feist or stripped-down Broken Social Scene, depending on how you look at it. Fans of fellow Jerseyites The Wrens will find much to love here, including a similarly eclectic range on the rest of the EP. Contributed by Christopher Gedos
Works of great critical acclaim often suffer from a backlash against their popularity, not through any fault of the creative enterprise but rather the whims and caprices of the general public. For example, we’ve become sick of hearing that The Beatles released five of arguably the top ten albums of all time (Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s, White Album, Abbey Road), or that Dylan released three of the top twenty over a period of less than eighteen months (Bringing it All Back Home, Highway 61, Blonde on Blonde). Especially with the proliferation of information, hearsay via the opinions of others provides a sustainable mode of expression. Why restate the opinion of 1,000 others to change an adjective or preposition?
Lovers of “alternative rock music” are understandably sick of hearing about In the Aeroplane over the Sea, which has been lauded unconditionally for as long as there’s been rock journalism on the internet. We’ve grown to take the combo of feedback and irony for granted, but Jeff Magnum is one of the best exporters of the style, on full display during all 39 minutes of his 1998 magnum opus. Become best friends with that tortured writer across the hall if you live in Boston and they have tickets to Magnum’s concert at Jordan Hall on Sept. 10th. Tracks 1-4 of In the Aeroplane are sublime, but the rest of the album is the glue which gives the LP its infinite replay value. Contributed by Christopher Gedos – Chris performs tonight @ The Comedy Store in Hollywood, CA. 7pm.
Neutral Milk Hotel – Holland, 1945Neutral Milk Hotel – The Two Headed Boy Pt. 2Neutral Milk Hotel – Untitled
Check out this video from MTV’s 120 Minutes of lo-fi prodigy Dean Wareham and his band Luna playing “California (All The Way)” from the 1994 album, Bewitched. The show, which ran from 1986 until 2000 on MTV and until 2003 on MTV2, has been recently revived with Matt Pinfield as its host. Indie’s current preponderance on late night TV is nothing short of phenomenal given its marginal status even ten years ago. We simply wouldn’t have Fleet Foxes playing SNL if it weren’t for Dean Wareham fighting the good fight 20 years ago. Luna never really escaped from the shadow of Galaxie 500, Wareham’s previous band, but “California (All The Way)” is one of the sweetest songs in all of nerd rock. “And now I realize I’m livin’ like a trucker does, although I haven’t got the belly” = pure brilliance. Now let’s get James Franco to act, write and direct the biopic! Contributed by Christopher Gedos
I’ve had Girls’ 2nd LP, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, on repeat since last weekend. I knew after hearing the single, ‘Vomit’, that it wouldn’t be a sophomore slump, but I wasn’t expecting all eleven cuts to be of a similarly uniform quality. Father, Son, Holy Ghost doesn’t have the extreme polarity of Album, their debut, but a devotion to songwriting and slightly warmer production values make for an equal if not superior listening experience.
If the sonic point of reference on Album was Joe Strummer, the muse on Father, Son, Holy Ghost has to be Elvis Costello. Lead singer Christopher Owens’ highly publicized upbringing in the Children of God facilitates an influence that’s ostentatious but not heavy-handed. He retains a 1950’s moral compass, grasping onto those last vestiges of innocence. Like Costello, Owens plays 50’s rock with proto-punk panache.
Owens is a master amalgamator and takes the best from his other primary influences, Neil Young, Eric Carmen and Alex Chilton, all of whom, like Costello and Strummer, also hit their creative peak during the 1970’s. ‘How Can I Say I Love You’ and ‘Magic’ are deep cuts that shine through on this album of deep cuts. Probably my favorite American band right now. Catch them at the FYF Fest in LA on September 3rd; they’ll be touring a smattering of American cities from September 14th until October 9th. Contributed by Christopher Gedos
What a genius! Has there ever been more of a musical chameleon than Don Van Vliet? Well, maybe his longtime frenemy, Frank Zappa, which almost could’ve been the Lennon/McCartney of weird. I’m Glad proves that 60’s psychedelic rock never forsook the innocence of the first half of the decade. Rich production juxtaposed with economic instrumentation allows Vliet’s emotionally naked vocal to shine. Every listen of I’m Glad feels like the first time. If anything, the first two Beefheart albums are underrated. Contributed by Christopher Gedos
Consider this review a work in progress, for information is scant on “I Will Never Love Another”, the only Motown A-side from FIVE SMOOTH STONES, released in 1969. I think they were a Philly gospel group – I wouldn’t be surprised if this had been written several years before – it recalls a more innocent time, before the irreparable political realities of The Sixties had done their damage. So many of the lost singles could be inserted into the OBG master Rolodex without radio listeners blinking twice. In the ministry, The Five Smooth Stones are faith, obedience, service, prayer, and the holy ghost! The B-side, Love Unto Me, is more standard pop despite the title’s more spiritual syntax. Contributed by Christopher Gedos
Raucous offering from Minneapolis five-piece Sleeping in the Aviary. The sound is so effortless it could’ve been captured in a single take. With a couple albums already under their belt, they’ve honed in on their sound – they don’t need to rely on third-party speculation to catapult them onto ITunes playlists. Check out their recent daytrotter sesh or their myspace page – their website is hilariously terrifying as well. Would pay a cool shilling to see these cats in the City of Angels.
