Analog Birds - 'No-Knock' CD EP Review (Brooklyn Psych-Pop)

Earlier this year, Analog Birds, a three piece psychedelic rock band from Brooklyn, released their first new music since 2007’s Music Concrete. As the “psychedelic rock” tag could be applied to everything from early Pink Floyd to The Dwarves, to give a bit more of a description - Analog Bird sounds like a bunch of multi-instrumentalist Berklee types, with Beach Boys-like harmonies, tripping on acid. The band’s brand of psych-pop is full of twists and turns which take repeated listens to reveal the multiple layers and subtle complexities of each of their songs.

“No-Knock” is the debut single from the forthcoming 2013 Analog Birds album The First One Follows. This three track EP contains “No-Knock (single mix)”, “Infidel$$$” (from Music Concrete) and “No-Knock (Master Breacher Mix)”. “No-Knock (single mix)” is a brilliantly twisted, eclectic psych-pop number with soaring guitar lines and a shuffling beat that is complemented by an organic sound and multi-part (including falsetto) vocal harmonies. Almost completely switching gears, “Infidel$$$” starts with a minimalist, electronica sound before kicking into a lo-fi pop gem which adds horns, handclaps and more. “No-Knock (Master Breacher Mix)” sounds nothing like the (similarly named) first track. This last track is a 90 second, instrumental romp through 70’s bass-funk before finishing up with a formal chamber outro.



There are a number of free download from both Analog Birds and its member’s solo projects posted on the band’s website (link below).

Links:
Analog Birds

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Michale Graves - 'The Lost Skeleton Returns' CD Review (x-Misfits)

Michale Graves’ newest disc, The Lost Skeleton Return, was released last month and this is the second disc that Graves funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign. This new disc is also Graves’ second release this year as he released the “rock/folk/pop” disc, Vagabond, in late February. I found Vagabond to be a mixed bag, as much of Graves’ recent output has been, but The Lost Skeleton Returns is a nice return to the sound of The Misfits, Gotham Road and Graves’ early solo work.

The Lost Skeleton Returns is being billed as Graves’ “first anthology Monster Rock CD” and the disc contains new recordings of seven Misfits songs and three songs from Punk Rock is Dead (Graves’ last disc before going off to the Marine Corps) along with 6 brand new songs. A video for “Lost Skeleton” was included as a Kickstarter reward for certain pledge levels and the video was described as a “mini movie spectacle...shot in old school black and white...[with] a ‘low budget’ look and feel”. Videos have also been posted for "Zombie" and “Night of the Living Dead”, both of which feature horror hostess Skel-pira.





The Lost Skeleton Returns Track List
· Lost Skeleton (new)
· American Psycho (originally recorded for The Misfits’ American Psycho)
· Forbidden Planet (new - featuring Chris Motionless, from Motionless in White)
· Dig up Her Bones (originally recorded for The Misfits’ American Psycho)
· Dawn of The Dead (originally recorded for Michale Graves’ Punk Rock is Dead)
· Scream (originally recorded for The Misfits’ Famous Monsters)
· Crying on Saturday Night (originally recorded for The Misfits’ Famous Monsters)
· Die Monster Die (originally recorded for The Misfits’ Famous Monsters)
· Fiend Without A Face (originally recorded for The Misfits’ Cuts from the Crypt)
· Godzilla (originally recorded for Michale Graves’ Punk Rock is Dead)
· Fiend Club (originally recorded for The Misfits’ Famous Monsters)
· Earth Vs. Spider (originally recorded for Michale Graves’ Punk Rock is Dead)
· Zombie (new )
· Night of the Living Dead (new)
· Last Man on Earth (new)
· Something Wicked (new)

Graves’ new cuts are all stylistically similar to his work with The Misfits – all of the songs have big hooks, anthemic, sing-along chorus and Graves’ distinctive vocals are a centerpiece. While the songs on The Misfits’ discs with Graves are credited to all members, it seems pretty obvious that Graves had a major role in the songwriting. As a (sad) point of comparison, Jerry Only butchers a handful of songs from this disc on The Misfits’ Dead Alive! disc so one can quickly hear how much Michale’s vocals are an integral part of these songs.

Michale has been playing a few one-off shows over the last few months but has posted to Facebook that “the lost skeleton returns on tour...in October!”. At a show earlier this year, Michale’s touring band was Johnny B. Morbid on bass, Tony “Bones” Baptist on drums and Emilio Menze on guitar.



Links:
Michale Graves

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Whitesnake Skips NYC Area on Current US Tour / 'Made in Japan' CD Review

Whitesnake tours the US and skips NYC. Well, what else is new? It seems like too many bands are skipping the City these days…

I’ve got the latest (6th) Whitesnake live album, Made in Britain/World Record, in my review queue but, before getting into this disc, thought I’d back up and finally review the band’s previous live album. Whitesnake released Made in Japan (wonder where David thought of that title?) earlier this spring and Disc One of this 2CD set was recorded on October 15, 2011 at Saitama Super Arena in Japan during the Loud Park Festival. The second disc contains eight tracks which were recorded during sound checks on the band’s Japanese tour.

The 12-song/74 minute main show is exactly what you would expect from a live Whitesnake album. The band’s set list goes back as far as 1984’s Slide It In and most of the tracks are pulled from the band's self-titled 1987 album, their 2008’s ‘comeback’ disc Good to be Bad and the band’s then current disc, Fovermore. Coverdale sounds in good form as the more recent material doesn’t require the vocal histrionics of his early days. Of course, Coverdale is backed by a pair of guitar heroes and this role is an obligatory part of every Whitesnake lineup.  The lineups gels well as current guitarists Reb Beach and Doug Aldrich have the longest tenure of any of Whitesnake’s guitar slingers. The rhythm section of Brian Tichy (drums) and Michael Devin (bass) I can take or leave as I don’t think anyone can compete with the 80’s rhythm section of Neil Murray, Rudy Sarzo, Cozy Powell and Tommy Aldridge (who is now back in the band).

The set list starts out strong with Good to be Bad’s “Best Years” and then the band pulls the audience deep into the fold by playing cuts from Slide It In, 1987’s self-titled album and Slip of the Tongue before moving over to the new material from Forevermore. As to be expected at a Whitesnake show in Japan, there are plenty of audience sing-along moments on the classic songs from the 80’s. The songs from Forevermore are split up by a wild guitar duel between Beach and Aldrich and a overtly long drum solo from Brian Tichy (who appears to have seen Keith Emerson’s California Jam performance too many times). The band ends the show with a trio of hits – “Fool For Your Loving”, “Here I Go Again” and a 10+ minute version of “Still of the Night”.





The 8 song / 42 minute bonus disc is a real gem as it shows a loose and relaxed ‘snake playing a mix of electric and acoustic tracks which includes some tracks that weren’t part of the main concert. The electric versions of ”Love Will Set You Free” and “Steal Your Heart Away” almost sound better than the versions on the main concert, primarily because the guitars sound cleaner and there is more separation in sound between the two guitars. “Lay Down Your Love” and “Evil Ways” are both great hard rockers that easily could have been part of the main set and the four acoustic numbers show that the ‘snake is due for a follow-up to Starkers in Tokyo. In addition to solid playing, there is also a lot of amusing banter between the band members (which includes a few dirty words) as they work the live version of these songs. All-in-all, this is a great set so I’m now very curious how Made in Britain/World Record compares.

Whitesnake – US Tour Dates
06 August 2013 Tucson, AZ @ AVA Amphitheatre
07 August 2013 Scottsdale, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort
09 August 2013 San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
10 August 2013 Roseburg, OR @ Douglas County Fair
12 August 2013 Aberdeen, WA @ D and R Theater
14 August 2013 Coquitlam, BC @ Red Robinson Theater
15 August 2013 Snoqualmie, WA @ Snoqualmie Casino
17 August 2013 Wendover, NV @ Peppermill Casino
18 August 2013 Jackpot, NV @ Cactus Petes
21 August 2013 Lancaster, CA @ Antelope Valley Fair
23 August 2013 Kennewick, WA@ Benton-Franklin County Fair

Links:
Whitesnake

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Simple Minds - 'Celebrate' CD Review / Show at Roseland Ballroom on October

DOWNLOAD: Simple Minds – “The American” Live at Sands Centre Carlisle, 5/29/13
{Note: RIAA wackjobs – link is posted on SimpleMinds.Com – no bootlegging/piracy here so...move along}

Simple Minds was last in NYC for a show at Beacon Theatre (with INXS) in June of 2002 so it is a pretty big deal that the band is returning to the US for the first time in over a decade. This is probably the longest that Simple Minds has had a consistent line-up as, 4/5 of the 2002 lineup are still in the band - Jim Kerr (Vocals), Charlie Burchill (Guitar), Mel Gaynor (Drums) and Andy Gillespie (Keyboards) are joined by newcomer Ged Grimes (bass).

The band is playing a seven-date mini-tour in October and which includes stops at Roseland Ballroom on October 24th (ticket prices range from $59.50 - $79.75 and Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey on October 17th.

Simple Minds are touring behind a new 3CD / 50-song greatest hits collection, Celebrate, and had been playing 25 of these songs (with no variations) each night during the UK leg of the Celebrate tour which took place earlier in the spring.

Simple Minds – Celebrate Tour - Spring 2013 Set List

Set One:
Broken Glass Park
Waterfront
Once Upon A Time
Up On The Catwalk
Let There Be Love
All The Things She Said
War Babies
Glittering Prize
I Travel

Set Two:
Book Of Brilliant Things
Neon Lights (Kraftwerk cover)
Someone Somewhere (In Summertime)
She's A River
This Is Your Land
Blood Diamonds
The American
Love Song
See The Lights
Don't You (Forget About Me)
Promised You A Miracle

Encore:
New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)
Sanctify Yourself
Space
Alive And Kicking

Celebrate is an interesting and enjoyable listen as the thress discs trace the band’s evolution from the jittery ‘art school’ punk of the band’s first recording to the experimental, minimalistic post-punk sounds of the following albums to a brief sojourn through New Romantic, finally breaking big in the US with bombastic stadium rock.  This evolution of the band's sound is full captured on Disc One this disc ends with the band shaking off the last bits of new wave.

In an interview last year with The Guardian UK, Jim Kerr talked about the band's move to stadium rock:

Does he regret that? "Regret is a strong word because it implies that you carry it around, and I wouldn't say I do. I'd hate to seem begrudging of success, but at the same time I'd like to be honest enough to say maybe we shouldn't have cashed in all the chips. It's a bit overwhelming when your band is no longer your own, you become an industry within an industry, but I'm very wary of going 'poor us'. C'mon, it's what you dream of. We wanted to be a great band and take it around the world, that's still what we work for."

Disc Two starts with “Don’t You Forget About Me” and, after getting past the radio hits of Once Upon a Time, the band seemingly tries to follow Bono, Mike Peters (The Alarm) and others down a path of bombastic activism. Simple Minds lost their mojo with Street Fighting Years (along with long-time keyboardist Mick MacNeil) and Disc Two ends with two tracks from 1991’s snooze fest Real Life.

Disc Three is a great compilation as it pulls out the best tracks from Simple Minds’ somewhat hit and miss early 90’s – mid 00’s releases. This disc ends on a strong note as Simple Minds seemed to hit a second wind with albums like 2005’s Black and White 050505 and 2009’s Graffiti Soul. [Q Magazine said that Graffiti Soul “…might be the best album Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill have put together since 1984's "Sparkle In The Rain."] The final two tracks on the disc, “Blood Diamonds” and “Broken Glass Park”, are new and follow in the spirit and sound of Graffiti Soul.





Given the recent flood of Simple Minds’ box sets and compilations, I think the real question with this release is whether the world needs yet another ‘best of’ compilation as the two new tracks can be purchased individually from iTunes. As points of comparison: this CD is available for $22.82 on Amazon, last year’s X5 release (the first five [best] Simple Minds albums + some non-LP singles] is on Amazon for $33.99, Live 5x5 documents the band’s 2012 tour with five songs from each of the band’s first five albums (essentially a live greatest hits compilation). This 2CD set is available on Amazon for $17.21. Lastly, there is the 2CD + DVD set, The Best of Simple Minds, which is available from Amazon.UK for £8.43 (which shouldn’t be more than $16, with shipping). The DVD included with this set is the “Live in Verona” show, which include 13 songs recorded in Paris in 1989 and 6 songs recorded in Newcastle in 1982.

Links:
Simple Minds

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Oliva - 'Raising The Curtain' CD Review (AFM Records) [Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra]

Three years ago, I reviewed Jon Oliva’s last outing, Festival, (released as Jon Oliva’s Pain) and compared the disc to Alice Cooper’s mid-70’s work. That same comparison still stands with the follow-up to that disc, Raise the Curtain, which was released earlier this month on AFM Records. This time out, in addition to the Alice Cooper influences, Raise the Curtain touches on 70’s prog rock (Yes comes immediately to mind), jazz/fusion and roots-rock of John Lennon. This is an eclectic disc but fans of Jon Oliva’s past work will surely enjoy it.

This new disc is being billed as Oliva’s first solo disc and the impetus behind the ‘hiatus’ of Jon Oliva’s Pain (JOP) was the death of JOP guitarist Matt LaPorte. In an interview with Dan Fasciano of Metalholic.com, Oliva said: "After the passing of my dear friend Matt LaPorte, I felt very confused about the future of Jon Oliva's Pain. A week or so after Matt's service, I was speaking to my friend Dan Fasciano about what I wanted to do. He suggested that I come by his home where he has a full studio and we just hang out and record whatever I had that I wanted to demo." Making this a real solo disc, Oliva plays most of the instruments (which includes playing drums on three tracks) and other musicians include Fasciano on keyboards and piano and Chris Kinder (JOP) on drums.

This new disc starts with the title track, “Raise The Curtain”, which sounds like a classic Yes (the band) number and Oliva’s guitar lines could easily be interchanged with Steve Howe’s. Completely shifting gears on the next number, “Soul Chaser”, has a similar sound to the melodic hard rock of JOP. Not staying in one place for too long, this is followed by “Ten Years”, which has a swinging roadhouse groove and a classic rock chorus. One of the standout numbers on the disc is “Father Time”, which combines jazz/fusion instrumentals with a memorable keyboard solo, proggy guitar riffs and clean vocals. In addition to these numbers, there are the expected power ballads (“Soldier” and the dark and uneasy “I Know”) and the disc wraps up with two ‘John Lennonish’ cuts (“Can’t Get Away” and “The Truth”).



Like the classic 70’s prog-rock albums, most of the songs are multi-layered and the multiple guitar parts, keyboard and piano (along with non-traditional rock instruments like flute and harpsichord) are all intertwined. The interplay between these instruments and Oliva’s vocals makes for great headphone listening.

Many of Oliva’s recent discs have included music recorded by Criss Oliva (Jon’s brother and Savatage guitarist, who passed away in a car accident 20 years ago) and Raise the Curtain includes the last of Criss’ music. Oliva pays an unspoken tribute to Criss by including his white guitar on the front of the album.

Links:
Jon Oliva

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Dio - 'Finding the Sacred Heart: Live in Philly 1986' CD Review (Eagle Rock)

Another archival live album from the vaults...this 2CD set captures Dio on the second leg of the Sacred Heart tour, headlining a sold-out show at Philadelphia Spectrum. Portions of this show were originally released as a 60 minute VHS entitled "Sacred Heart 'The Video'" - this new 16-track release runs 96 minutes.

This release marks Dio's fifth live album and the second from the Sacred Heart tour, as 1986's "Intermission" EP captured the first leg of the tour with original guitarist Vivian Campbell, prior to his falling-out with Dio.

This is a solidly recorded album (clear sound from the mixing board) but there are good and bad points to the show. To start with the good points, Dio was at his commercial peaks on this tour (he played smaller halls on each successive tour) and he and the band feed off the energy of the crowd.  While this is a CD review, one needs to see the live video for "Sacred Heart" to appreciate Dio's sword and sorcery stage show. For anyone who missed the arena tours of the 80's, this may seem a bit like Spinal Tap but this show goes back to a time when rock bands traveled with mammoth concert sets and the theatrics were just as important as the music. (For anyone who is curious - check out any live footage from Pink Floyd's The Wall tour, any Alice Cooper or Iron Maiden tour, etc.)



The show kicks off with "King of Rock and Roll" and "Like the Beat of a Heart", which are two of the stronger rockers from Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart album though had a few songs that drifted into AOR territory and the heavy keyboards on "Hungry for Heaven" and "Time to Burn" sound very dated (...and too much like 80's Heart or Def Leppard). Looking at other parts of the set, almost 20 minutes of the show are taken by each member soloing which again seems rather dated and self-indulgent. The six minute keyboard solo which is immediately followed by a 7+ minute guitar solo will likely have most listeners skipping over these tracks on their CD players. Lastly, while most of Dio's live medleys generally sound on-point, the Rainbow songs "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" and "Man of the Silver Mountain" are butchered by too fast of a tempo. Coming out of these soft spots, the disc ends on a strong note with strong versions of "Stand Up and Shout", Rainbow in the Dark" and "We Rock".

I'm sort of hit-and-miss on this release but hope that the archival releases will eventually extend into Dio's time with Black Sabbath (a Dehumanizer-era live album would be a nice thing).

Links:
Ronnie James Dio

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Paul McCartney and Wings - 'Wings Over America' CD Review (Hear Music / Concord Music Group)

On May 28th, the deluxe edition of Paul McCartney and Wings’ 1976 3x LP concert album, Wings Over America, was released as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection reissue series. In addition to this disc being one of the greatest live albums of all time (in my humble opinion), Wings Over America showcases McCartney at his creative best. The last comment isn’t to disparage Macca’s more recent output but rather to point out that Wings Over America could easily serve as a greatest hits collection.

Wings Over America was the last of five consecutive Wings’ albums to reach #1 in America and the addition of drummer Joe English and lead guitarist Jimmy McCulloch (both of whom joined with 1975’s Venus and Mars) seemed to add a spark to the band. Listening to the band perform live, Wings sounds like a tightly integrated unit (as opposed to Macca’s current backing band of faceless hired guns) with each of the members establishing their own identity by making distinct contributions to the live show. Multi-instrumentalist Denny Laine (x-Moody Blues) is a veteran performer, Jimmy McCulloch is probably the best of McCartney’s guitarists and Joe English, in addition to being a great drummer, looks like he is having the time of his life in the accompanying DVD.

Wings Over America’s 28 tracks reflect the band’s setlist from their 1976 North American tour but the individual tracks were compiled from a number of different stops on the tour. The set list pulls from all of the Wings’ albums, with an emphasis on Venus and Mars (9 of the 13 tracks are performed live) along with five Beatles song, which was a big deal for the fans as Macca had refused to play Beatles numbers on his earlier UK tours. The set list also includes a cover of the Moody Blues’ chestnut “Go Now”, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Richard Corey” (both sung by Laine) and the (then) unreleased Wings’ track “Soily”, which first surfaced during the Band on the Run sessions.



With the standard edition of this reissue, the original three albums are now spread across 2 CDs, with Sides 1 -3 on the first CD and Sides 4 – 6 on the second CD.

Wings Over America Track List
1. "Venus and Mars/Rock Show/Jet" – Recorded 5/27/76
2. "Let Me Roll It" – Recorded 5/27/76
3. "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" – Recorded 6/10/76
4. "Medicine Jar” – Recorded 5/27/76
5. "Maybe I'm Amazed" - Recorded 5/29/76
6. "Call Me Back Again" – Recorded 5/27/76
7. "Lady Madonna” - Recorded 5/7/76
8. "The Long and Winding Road" – Recorded 5/29/76
9. "Live and Let Die" – Recorded 5/22/76
10. "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" – Recorded 5/22/76
11. "Richard Cory" - Recorded 6/23/76
12. "Bluebird" – Recorded 5/27/76
13. "I've Just Seen a Face" - Recorded 6/23/76
14. "Blackbird" - Recorded 5/22/76
15. "Yesterday" - ??
16. "You Gave Me the Answer" – Recorded 6/23/76
17. "Magneto and Titanium Man" – Recorded 5/22/76
18. "Go Now" – Recorded 6/23/76
19. "My Love" – Recorded 5/21/76
20. "Listen to What the Man Said" – Recorded 5/29/76
21. "Let 'Em In" – Recorded 6/23/76
22. "Time to Hide" - Recorded 5/25/76
23. "Silly Love Songs" – Recorded 5/25/76
24. "Beware My Love" – Recorded 6/7/76
25. "Letting Go" – Recorded 5/29/76
26. "Band on the Run" – Recorded 6/7/76
27. "Hi, Hi, Hi" – Recorded 6/7/76
28. "Soily" – Recorded 6/7/76

Here is where keeping up with the bonus discs get a bit tricky – the “Deluxe Edition Box Set” includes “the original 28-track album, a bonus tracks disc, DVD of the TV documentary Wings Over the World, 112-page book, assorted memorabilia, 60-page photograph book, 80-page sketch book and download link to all of the material”. The bonus CD contains eight live tracks recorded at The Cow Palace in San Francisco. Wings played two shows there on 6/13-14/76 but, as I don’t have this bonus disc, I have no clue as to which show these tracks came from.

Wings Over San Francisco Track List
• "Let Me Roll It"
• “Maybe I'm Amazed"
• "Lady Madonna"
• "Live and Let Die"
• "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)"
• "Bluebird"
• "Blackbird"
• "Yesterday"

Adding to the different options – the Best Buy edition of Wings Over America contains the Wings Over San Francisco disc ($16.99). If you are interested though – grab this one quick as this edition is sold out in stores and is only available on the shelf in whichever stores still have copies.

The bonus DVD, Wings Over the World, runs just over 75 minutes and contains some great footage from Wings’ American tour. While this documentary traces the evolution of Wings and starts with early rehearsal footage of the McCartneys with Denny Laine along with footage of the McCartneys on their farm in Scotland, the focus is on the ‘75/’76 world tour. This disc contains 15 complete performances from the Wings Over the World tour. Between each of the songs is ‘behind the scenes’ footage that ranges from press interviews to backstage footage and relevant snippets from the band’s travels. What is particularly amusing is an Australian interviewer commenting that Macca may be a bit old for rock and roll now that he is 33. Other footage includes Ringo joining the band backstage, Elton sitting next to Cher at the show at the Forum in Los Angeles, Macca carefully working with the venue sound engineer on the sound check and more.

The size of the crowds lined up outside these venues is also amazing – the big general admission shows (which I assume this is) were before my time so I can’t really imagine being a part of the body-to-body lines. My experience with arena rocks shows is at the Madison Square Gardens, which is less than 1/3 the capacity of the Seattle Kingdom, which was where “Soile” was filmed. The disc ends with Wings leaving the stage and Macca’s final comment was “See you next time”. This is a great documentary as this was Macca’s one-and-only trip to the States with Wings and it would be thirteen years before he returned to the US.

Links:
Paul McCartney

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Alessi's Ark - 'The Still Life' CD Review / Show at Mercury Lounge on June 14th (Bella Union)

(photo: Rebecca Miller)

I listen to a lot of CDs and it is generally fairly easy to find an immediate reference point but Alessi's Ark's third disc, The Still Life, takes a lot of pleasantly surprising twists and turns which showcases the maturity of 22 year-old singer Alessi Laurent-Marke's songs. The thirteen-track / 32 minute disc incorporates a wide range of styles, which combine "Suzanne Vega-style" semi-confessional, personal lyrics with with a range of music styles that includes 'electonica' dance beats, dream-pop and 90's alt-rock and the instrumentation and percussion is surprisingly complex and diverse.

Only a few short years into her career, the London-based Laurent-Marke – who began playing music and launched a fanzine, Brain Bulletin, during her secondary school years in West London – is already prolific: her first, self-released EP, 2007’s Bedroom Bound, garnered the then-teenage artist a major label deal and attention around the globe.  While The Still Life still has strong ties to Laurent-Marke's acoustic/folky roots, this new disc is much more experimental and varied than previous outings. 

“I wanted to create a musical landscape that varied in sound,” Laurent-Marke says, “but an overriding feeling of ‘stillness’ remained throughout the album. I also wanted to step back from playing acoustic guitar and immerse the songs in very different sound settings from previous recordings.”

While the music on The Still Life takes a number of twists and turns, the centerpiece of all of the songs is Laurent-Marke's clear and upfront (and frequently waife-like) vocals.  The disc opens with "Tin Smithing" which grabs the listener's ear right away with  innovative, syncopated percussion and big backing vocals on the chorus.  Immediately shifting gears on the next number, "Veins are Blue" has a shuffling 60's beat, a call-and-response sing-along chorus and hints of shoe-gazer echo in some of the the guitar work.  Seemingly never content to stand still, "The Rain" fully makes the plunge into shoegazer territory but adds an electronica/trip-hop backbeat.  Coming full circle back to her earlier work, this track is followed by "The Good Song", a wistful folky number.  While there are a lot of strong tracks on this disc, my favorite is a cover of The National's "Afraid of Everyone", which is recast with a slow-burning, dance club beat and dark vocals harmonies that bring bring back fond memories of the best elements of Luscious Jackson.

The diverse range of styles on this disc shouldn't scare anyone off as Laurent-Marke's vocals provide an anchor and common ground between all of the tracks and this is complemented by producer Andy LeMaster's warm and shimmery productions.  “I hope that this album is good company for the listener,” says Laurent-Marke, “I tried to create something that would leave them happy, leave them with a feeling of peace. To me, the best thing an album can be is a friend you can rely on.”



Alessi's Ark 2013 Tour Dates 
MAY 17 -- BARCELONA, ES, BARTS (Barcelona Arts on Stage)
MAY 24 -- HAY ON WYE, UK, HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN FESTIVAL
MAY 25 -- CARDIFF, UK, BUFFALO
JUNE 3  -- SEATTLE, WA, SUNSET TAVERN*

JUNE 4  -- PORTLAND, OR, HOLOCENE*

JUNE 6  -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA, THE CHAPEL*

JUNE 7  -- LOS ANGELES, CA, BOOTLEG THEATER*

JUNE 11 -- EVANSTON, IL, SPACE**

JUNE 14 -- MERCURY LOUNGE, NYC 
(Early show supporting The Ludlow Thieves;  Show starts at 7:30PM and advance tickets are $12)


JUNE 16  -- PHILADELPHIA, PA, JOHNNY BRENDA'S*

JUNE 19 -- BOSTON, MA, TT THE BEAR'S*

JUNE 20 --  PORTLAND, ME, ONE LONGFELLOW*

JULY 20 -- HILL FARM, OXFORDSHIRE, UK, TRUCK FESTIVAL

AUG. 31 -- BIRMINGHAM, UK, MOSELEY FOLK FESTIVAL

* supporting Sam Amidon

** supporting Patterson Hood

Links:
Alessi's Ark

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Kopecky Family Band - "Kids Raising Kids" CD Review (ATO Records) // Show at Mercury Lounge on May 16th

Nashville buzz-band Kopecky Family Band (KFB) just re-released their playfully exuberant eleven-track debut disc, Kids Raising Kids, via ATO Records. The new disc mixes foot-stomping orchestral pop with vocal harmonies and ringing guitars that sound straight from the 60’s Laurel Canyon scene.

While the band’s music will strike a familiar chord with fans of music collectives like Broken Social Scene and The Polyphonic Spree, KFB seems more willing to reach beyond the boundaries of the genre than some of their contemporaries and frequently utilize the ‘exploding’ verse-chorus-verse alt-rock song structure that become popular in the 90’s. A prime example of KFB’s balance between multiple genres is found in the first two songs on the disc. “Wandering Eyes” starts out with a melancholy orchestral arrangement, which shortly gives way to an anthemic stomp-along. This is followed by the disc’s first single, “Heartbeat”, which is a slinky dance number that brings back fond memories of DC’s Quix*o*tic. In the second half of the disc, the band throws in elements of shimmery, echo-drenched dream-pop, which help ease the listener down from the colossal high of the disc’s earlier tracks.





The bright, irrepressible songs on Kids Raising Kids deal with navigating waters of change and facing challenges, and also see the band challenging themselves by creating a bigger sound than anything they've done before. In an interview with Pop ‘stache, Kelsey Kopecky said that the “title [of the disc] came from an idea Markus [Midkiff] had. He has a little girl named Ella who’s three and a half and it made us think, it was just that idea of young people having kids. After we started playing with the idea, we realized it was more than that. At heart, we’re all kids raising kids in this world. We’re all in this together with this sharing of experiences."


Kopecky Family Band Tour Dates:

APR. 3 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- BRICK AND MORTAR
APR. 4 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- THE SATELLITE
APR. 5 -- SAN DIEGO, CA -- SODA BAR
APR. 6 -- PHOENIX, AZ -- PUB ROCK
APR. 8 -- ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- LOW SPIRITS
APR. 18 -- CLARKSVILLE, TN -- RIVERS AND SPIRES FESTIVAL
APR. 27 -- OXFORD, MS -- DOUBLE DECKER FESTIVAL
MAY 8 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- THE BLACK CAT*
MAY 9 -- PITTSBURGH, PA -- CLUB CAFÉ*
MAY 10 -- CHILLICOTHE, OH -- PAPER CITY MUSIC SERIES*
MAY 11 -- CINCINNATI, OH -- MOTR PUB*
MAY 14 -- CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA -- THE SOUTHERN
MAY 15 -- NEW HAVEN, CT -- BAR

MAY 16 NEW YORK, NY  -- MERCURY LOUNGE
Note: Tickets are $10 and doors are at 9:30PM (late show). Charlotte, NC’s Matrimony is opening the show.

MAY 18 -- ANNAPOLIS, MD -- RAM'S HEAD ON STAGE
MAY 20 -- ASHEVILLE, NC -- ISIS MUSIC HALL
JUN. 21-3 -- DOVER, DE -- FIREFLY MUSIC FESTIVAL
* supporting He's My Brother She's My Sister

Links:
Kopecky Family Band

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Pink Cream 69 - 'Ceremonial' CD Review (Frontiers Records)

German melodic hard-rock band Pink Cream 69 is back with their eleventh disc, Ceremonial, which is their first studio disc since 2007’s In10sity. For anyone who isn’t up to speed with PC69’s music - to give a reference point - the band’s original vocalist Andi Deris left in 1994 to join Helloween. This isn’t to say that PC69 is a power metal outfit – rather they play gritty but melodic, guitar-driven arena rock and their sound would fit well sharing a bill with a band like Helloween. For those who are familiar with the band, Ceremonial includes a familiar mix of hard-rock AOR anthems and rock ballads but - this time out - the band adds some heavy, blues-based numbers, which feature thick guitar riffs wrapped into a near-claustrophobic wall of sound.

The disc starts out strong with “Land of Confusion”, which opens with a brief middle-eastern guitar line before the band kicks in with some big, bluesy, groove-oriented riffs. “Wasted Years” and “Special” follow this track and these two songs are a return to PC69’s classic AOR sound. “Find Your Soul” and “Right From Wrong” go back into the bluesy dirge (sort of AIC sounding) of the first track which “Find Your Soul” complements with some psychedelic leanings. The band keeps pushing the borders of the genre with “Let the Thunder Roll”, which shows them almost crossing over into power metal territory. The band slows the tempos and brings in some acoustic guitar for ”Passage of Time” and “King for One Day” (which sounds a bit like Whitesnake) but both of these numbers have more teeth and b*lls than most of the current rock ballads of today. The disc ends on a high note with “Superman”, which is a slow-burning rocker that sounds like late 70’s Bad Company.

While Pink Cream 69 may not (yet) have a lot of name recognition in the US, fans of melodic hard rock would be well served checking out this new disc.



Links:
Pink Cream 69

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Snakecharmer - 'Snakercharmer' CD Review (Frontiers Records)

Newcomers, UK rock band Snakecharmer is a super-group comprised of long-time veterans from some very successful British blues/hard-rock band and the band’s self-titled debut album comes out on Frontiers Records on Feb. 5th. The band plays bluesy, guitar-driven arena rock so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the band was brought together by original Whitesnake members Micky Moody (guitar) and Neil Murray (bass). Other members of the band include Adam Wakeman (Ozzy/Black Sabbath) on keyboards, Laurie Wisefield (x-Wishbone Ash) on guitar, Harry James (x-Thunder, Magnum) on drums and Chris Ousey (x-Virginia Wolf, Heartland). Similar to Moody and Murray’s previous project, Company of Snake, this new band is closer in sound to Bad Company than Whitesnake but you can hear elements of the ‘snake and even early Foreigner in some of the songs.

“I met up with Neil Murray a couple of years ago and we spoke about playing a few gigs together for fun and old times' sake," says Micky Moody. "The obvious choice was early Whitesnake material, so when Neil suggested Laurie Wisefield and Harry James, I jumped at it. Chris Ousey was highly recommended and Adam had depped for Company of Snakes some years back. We went out as Monsters of British Rock mostly performing the songs of early Whitesnake, Thunder Heartlands and a Laurie Wisefield original and we caught the attention of Martin Darvill, head of QEDG Management, who suggested we record an album of original material, which we did. The result is Snakecharmer on the Frontiers label."



The disc kicks off with “My Angel” – which clearly takes a page out of the Whitesnake songbook and starts with Chris Ousey singing backed by an acoustic guitar. The rest of the band doesn’t join in until about a minute later to kick the song into high gear, with one of the two guitarists laying down some chunky guitar riffs. Right as the song hits full throttle, the band seamlessly breaks away for a short keyboard and acoustic guitar(s) interlude but Micky Moody joins in to pick up the pace with some killer slide guitar riffs. This song is a good indication of the sound of the rest of the disc as most of the other songs are variations around a similar guitar-driven, hard-rock core.

“To The Rescue”, “A Little Rock and Roll” and “Turn of the Screw” are all bluesy rockers in the style of Bad Company and any of these songs could be a big hit on classic rock radio. “Stand Up” and “Guilty as Charged” showcase Adam Wakeman’s keyboards alongside the duo guitar attack and sound similar to early Foreigner. “Fallen Leaves” is a welcome throwback to when rock ballads still had teeth (maybe Bon Jovi or Poison could learn something from this disc) and the remainder of the tracks are melodic hard rockers.



This disc will have an immediate appeal to fans of Whitesnake and Rainbow. Snakecharmer will also strike a familiar chord with anyone who went to an arena rock show in the 70’s or 80’s as these are the types of songs that you can sing along to after one or two listens and there isn’t bad track on the disc.

Shakecharmer made their live debut just over a year ago as special guests of Uriah Heep. The band played a small number of high-profile festivals over the course of 2012 and more dates are supposed to follow later this year.



Links:
Snakecharmer

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Wake Owl - 'Wild Country' CD Review (Vagrant) // Show at Rockwood Music Hall on Feb. 22nd

Wake Owl began with primary member Colyn Cameron, who started writing songs around age 16. The Vancouver, by way of Southern California, native traversed the world in his late teens and early 20s and his vast travels acted as a songwriting catalyst: after returning home to British Columbia and spending a brief period playing in other bands, Cameron began creating and recording his own songs as Wake Owl. Now also comprised of multi-instrumentalist Aiden Briscall and additional supporting players, Wake Owl has toured Canada supporting Bahamas, Zeus and The Jezabels, and have played a number of their own US shows. The band's debut EP, "Wild Country", comes out January 29th on Vagrant Records.

"Wild Country" is comprised of six tracks and has a distinctly Southern California sound. Cameron's lyrics are introspective but he breaks away from his alt-folk contemporaries by adding rich vocal harmonies and the band's pedal steel, violin, and brushed drums take on a mellow rock sound rather than alt-folk. The end result sounds like something that could have come out of Laurel Canyon in the 70's and has elements of both Crosby, Stills and Nash and the initial albums from the Lindsey Buckingham lineup of Fleetwood Mac.

The music is fairly varied across the disc's six tracks - opener "Wild Country" starts out with a acoustic guitar providing the foundation for a twisting and bending electric guitar line but other instruments kick in shortly thereafter and the song molds itself into a moody SoCal rock number. "You'll Never Go" is an upbeat number that is powered by Cameron's upfront vocals and the song has a repetitive, catchy rhythm that is likely to have a live audience swaying in place. This is followed by "Gold" which has a melancholy aura as the sparse piano and emotive vocals of the song's beginning build up to a sing-along chorus where Wake Owl sounds a sounds a bit like Fleetwood Mac. A demo version of "Gold" closes this disc and this is a nice counterpoint as this demo version is stripped down and rawly emotive. Overall, the six songs on this new EP pass by way too quick leaving me looking forward to a full-length release from the band.



Wake Owl Tour Dates:
Feb 08 - Sunset, Seattle, WA
Feb 09 - Bunk Bar, Portland, OR
Feb 14 - 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN
Feb 17 - Old Town School of Folk / Szold Hall, Chicago, IL
Feb 20 - Cafe 939, Boston, MA

Feb 22 - Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2), New York, NY
* Tickets are $10 and this is an early show - 6:30PM doors.  Opening band is (probably) Andy Shauf

Feb 23 - First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
Feb 25 - Jammin Java, Vienna, VA
Feb 26 - Brillobox, Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 28 - Basement, Nashville, TN
Mar 03 - Riot Room, Kansas City, MO
Mar 04 - Hi-Dive, Denver, CO
Mar 07 - Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles, CA
Mar 08 - Hotel Utah, San Francisco, CA
Mar 09 - Crepe Place, Santa Cruz, CA

Links:
Wake Owl

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Asia - 'Resonance : The Omega Tour' Live in Basel, Switzerland CD Review (Frontiers Records)

In looking at the current state of some of the bigger prog-rock bands of the 80's, King Crimson has gone on indefinite hiatus, Genesis became a pop band before going out with a whimper (and a poorly received new lead singer) and Yes is on the cusp of heading onto the greatest hits/revival circuit having replaced Jon Anderson with a second tribute band vocalist. Thirty years ago, who would have thought that Asia (who started off as AOR/pop band) would have matured with such grace and end up as the last of the great prog-rock bands?

Similar to Asia's Spirit of the Night live album which documented the band's 2009 Phoenix tour, Resonance is a 2CD/DVD set that captures the band in front of an enthusiastic audience during their Omega world tour. This show was recorded on May 4th 2010 in Basel, Switzerland and John Wetton describes the show as "Asia live on the road, in-your face and for your pleasure".



What is refreshing is that the band does a nice job of balancing material from Omega (five tracks from this disc are part of the live set) and Phoenix with the obligatory greatest hits. Even the greatest hits though get new life breathed into them as a number of these songs are reinterpreted as stripped-down numbers or extended jams. What is also a pleasant surprise is that the set includes "Go" from the post-Howe disc Astra as I've seen video bootlegs of the Payne/Downes/Howe lineup where Howe would leave the stage when the band played "Go" (and the rumor was that Howe wouldn't play on anything from Astra).

Here is how the band mixed up the set list: "Don't Cry" is John singing with just Geoff playing behind him, "All's A Chord" and "The Valley of Rocks" are songs from Steve Howe's solo albums and it sounds like he is the only one on the stage at the time and the extended version of "Don't Cry" starts with just Geoff and John before Carl Palmer fires up the drums midway through the song and Steve Howe follows right behind. Some of the other highlights are Carl Palmer's drum solo during the extended version of "The Heat Goes On" and Steve Howe playing Mandy Meyer's (Krokus) metallic licks on "Go".

The band sounds in great form - John Wetton's voice has held up well through the years and Carl Palmer hasn't slowed down so the song tempos remain crisp. Both Howe and Geoff Downes are integral contributors to the "warm sound" of the show and their melodic riffs, chords and experimental flourishes keeps the set sounding fresh. Resonance was recorded after the reunited band had been back together for four years and this show documents the sound of a band that has maintained their musical chops and aged with grace.

Asia - Resonance Track List
CD1:
I Believe
Only Time Will Tell
Holy War
Never Again
Through My Veins
Don't Cry
All’s A Chord
The Valley Of Rocks
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
Open Your Eyes

CD2:
Finger On The Trigger
Time Again
An Extraordinary Life
End Of The World
The Heat Goes On
Sole Survivor
Go
Heat Of The Moment

Links:
Asia

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Rolling Stones - 'GRRR!' CD Review (ABKCO)

"GRRR!" is sound most Rolling Stones fans make when realizing they have to buy yet another greatest hits compilation to hear two new songs (of middling quality). If fans choose to trade up to the 'super deluxe edition' ($139.88 on Amazon), they can also get the official release of the 1963 IBC Demos along with a 1964 BBC session (both of which have been widely bootlegged and readily available for the past couple decades). With all of the economic pundits on the news attempting to forecast the country's economic direction (consumer spending, etc.) for 2013, a pure cash grab, like this box set, would seem to provide a good leading indicator.

Here is the track list for the three-disc set:
(Note: Also on Forty Licks - FL)

Disc 1:
1. Come On
2. Not Fade Away (FL)
3. It's All Over Now (FL)
4. Little Red Rooster
5. The Last Time (FL)
6. (I Can t Get No) Satisfaction (FL)
7. Time Is On My Side
8. Get Off Of My Cloud (FL)
9. Heart Of Stone
10. 19th Nervous Breakdown (FL)
11. As Tears Go By
12. Paint It, Black (FL)
13. Under My Thumb (FL)
14. Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow? (FL)
15. Ruby Tuesday (FL)
16. Let's Spend The Night Together (FL)
17. We Love You

Disc 2:
1. Jumpin' Jack Flash (FL)
2. Honky Tonk Women (FL)
3. Sympathy For The Devil (FL)
4. You Can't Always Get What You Want (FL)
5. Gimme Shelter (FL)
6. Street Fighting Man (FL)
7. Wild Horses (FL)
8. She's A Rainbow (FL)
9. Brown Sugar (FL)
10. Happy (FL)
11. Tumbling Dice (FL)
12. Angie (FL)
13. Rocks Off
14. Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
15. It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (FL)
16. Fool To Cry (FL)

Disc 3:
1. Miss You (FL)
2. Respectable
3. Beast Of Burden (FL)
4. Emotional Rescue (FL)
5. Start Me Up (FL)
6. Waiting On A Friend
7. Undercover Of The Night (FL)
8. She Was Hot
9. Streets Of Love
10. Harlem Shuffle
11. Mixed Emotions (FL)
12. Highwire
13. Love Is Strong (FL)
14. Anybody Seen My Baby? (FL)
15. Don't Stop (FL)
16. Doom And Gloom
17. One More Shot

So - what you have with GRRR! is a huge overlap with Forty Licks but Forty Licks included four new songs to GRRR!'s two. Unfortunately, another similarity to Forty Licks is that a number of tracks on GRRR! are edited versions - which makes little sense as none of this set's three discs clock in over an hour. The one thing GRRR! has going for it is that it presents the tracks in chronological order but...the problem with this is that you can quickly hear the quality of the Stones' output in decline as you get into the second half of Disc Three.

Now for the new tracks - "Doom and Gloom" is a decent mid-tempo rocker that is somewhat in the same vein as "Don't Stop". While Jagger's vocals are immediately recognizable, Richards teases but never never throws down any memorable guitar licks and there is nothing striking from the other members of the band so this sounds more like a Jagger solo track than "the new single from the Rolling Stones". "One More Shot" is a slower bluesier number that starts off with some strong guitar licks but the song fizzles into blandness as it never kicks into high-gear (no drive, no energy, weak chorus).





Jumping over to the bonus tracks on the 'super deluxe edition':

The Stones' IBC Demos (IBC Studios, Portland Place, London, March 11, 1963) mark the Stones' first trip into the recording studio where they recorded five blues numbers with engineer Glyn Johns. My biggest complaint is that I would have expected more than 15 minutes of bonus tracks given the high price point of this set.

1. Diddley Daddy
2. Road Runner
3. Bright Lights Big City
4. Honey What's Wrong
5. I Want To Be Loved

The tracks on the 7" EP were originally recorded for the BBC's "Blues in Rhythm" program (5/9/64):
1. Route 66
2. Cops & Robbers
3. You Better Move On
4. Mona

It is a sad statement when the bootlegger outdo the major label record companies as these tracks PLUS two Saturday Club Sessions and Chess Studio, Chicago sessions were included as bonus tracks on the Russian reissues of England's Newest Hit Makers and Now!.

"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" - John Lydon

Links:
Rolling Stones

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Young Things - 'Hello Love / Goodbye Sexual' CD Review

After having recently slogged through too many releases where I either couldn't figure out what the band was trying to accomplish or was simply being bored by the release, Brooklyn's Young Things' debut disc Hello Love // Goodbye Sexual goes a long way toward re-establishing my faith that there is still exciting music out there. Young Things seem to take vocal queues from Queen but combine this with soaring melodic hooks and garage-rock riffs that fall somewhere between The Killers and The Bravery and add a slice of Beatles-era McCartney on top of all this. It is a crazily compelling mix that will likely get a cooler-than-thou crowd at Mercury Lounge swaying a bit, if not dancing.



The 11-track disc (30 minutes) starts out somewhat similarly to The Bravery's The Sun and The Moon as the first track, "No One Taught You How to Fall in Love Alone", is a minute-long intro to the dark and anthemic track "All Human Life". While the intro track has a glam/Queen vibe, "All Human Life" is a fist-in-the air chant-along number with hypnotic, tribal drumming and grimy guitar riffs. Switching complete gears, the band goes from here into the urgent rock tale of suburban bliss gone awry, "Lucy Bloody Tuesday", which seems to capture elements from both The Beatles and Beck. Keeping the dance party going and never letting the listener get complacent, "Golly Gee" is a loping Brit-Pop number with clear ringing vocals from Mikey accompanied by some stiff-backed drumming. "Talking Too Loud" has a two-tone/dancehall feel and you can quickly hear the McCartney vibe being channeled on "Hello Love" and "Easy Lie". "Goodbye Sexual" is the big alt/punk-rock dance floor number with edgy, angular guitar riffs and Mikey trading off vocals with Har Mar Superstar. The disc ends with the chill-out number "A Long Time Ago Tomorrow Morning" which starts with Mikey singing out someone bottoming out backed with just an acoustic guitar.

It doesn't look like Young Things have any upcoming shows but - for anyone who needs additional music - the band has posted the Holiday EP ("Modern Christmas Music for Tomorrow's Men & Women") they recorded last year as a free download on their website.

Links:
Young Things

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The Velvet Underground & Nico 45th Anniversary CD Review [Super Deluxe Edition]

I'll be glad when this wave of $100 'super deluxe edition' / 'experience edition' box sets passes. Most of these releases seem like overkill and are either targeted to the 'newbie' who wants a multi-disc, greatest hits collection (plus the inevitable 'bonus tracks' exclusive to the box set) or completists who think having '50 takes' of the same song is a cool concept. The problem I have with the "super deluxe edition" of Velvet Underground & Nico is that this box seems to be targeting both the completists and the 'newbies' and, while there is some great stuff within this box, $14/disc is a steep price point.

Taking the box apart disc-by-disc, here is what you have:

Disc 1: Velvet Underground & Nico - Stereo Edition
Tracks 1 - 11 are the standard 11 studio tracks; tracks 12 - 16 are alternate takes, mixes and backing tracks. While there are some minor differences in these alternate versions, there isn't anything shocking here. These last five tracks are:
- "All Tomorrow's Parties" (Alternate Single Voice Version)
- "European Son" (Alternate Version)
- "Heroin" (Alternate Version)
- "All Tomorrow's Parties (Alternate Instrumental Mix)
- "I'll Be Your Mirror" (Alternate Mix)

Disc 2: Velvet Underground & Nico - Stereo Edition
This disc has the same 15 tracks that came out as Disc 2 of the 2002 "Deluxe Edition" of Velvet Underground and Nico (This "deluxe edition" sells for $18.05 new from Amazon 3rd party sellers or $8.99 used) and was later broken out of this set as a single disc "rarities" edition ($6.22 new from Amazon 3rd party sellers).

Disc 3: Nico - Chelsea Girl
I don't know what the record company's fascination with this release is as tracks from this disc were tacked on to the 'stereo disc' with the 2002 "deluxe edition". The issue I have is that Nico's solo material is an acquired taste - this is like getting a Yoko Ono solo CD in a John Lennon box; it really doesn't matter (except to completists) that Lennon (or in this case, various members of the Velvet Underground) played on the disc.

Given that the record company cleaned up a 2CD mono bootleg for this release, it would have been pretty cool if they had replaced this disc with a cleaned up version of Lou Reed & Nico's post-Velvet's "Bedroom Tape" or even a rehash of the Le Bataclan '72 show (with Reed, Nico and Cale).

Nico's Chelsea Girl is selling for $2.68 new from Amazon 3rd party sellers. Take a listen to the title track and see for yourself...



Disc 4: Velvet Underground - Scepter Studios Sessions & Rehearsals at the Factory, Jan. 3, 1966
This disc has both its good and bad points...the Scepter Studios Sessions are the rejected first mix of the band's VU & Nico album. It is a great raw take on these songs and "European Son" works up a head of dirgy, pre-Swans noise, "Heroin" is raw and primitive and someone sings falsetto backing vocals on "Femme Fatale" (I can't imagine either Reed or Cale taking this part but, it is unlikely it was Sterling Morrison).

The Factory rehearsals are both brilliant and disappointing. This was predominately a jam session and was allegedly recorded a week after Nico arrived in America. You can hear Reed trying to teach Nico the lyrics to "Venus In Furs" and both she and Reed take run-throughs of "There She Goes Again". What is disappointing is that these five tracks are from the same recording as an eleven-track bootleg that has been floating around since the mid-90's. For anyone curious, the bootleg has the tracks:
- Walk Alone (3:28)
- Buddy Holly jam (1:15)
- Venus in Furs/Crackin' Up (3:50)
- Blues jam (5:15)
- R & B jam (2:22)
- Run Run Run intro into Miss Joanie Lee (11:48)
- Day Tripper into Boom Boom Boom Boom (6:18)
- Heroin (6:10)
- Green Onions (5:57)
- There She Goes Again (Lou Reed vocal) (3:29)
- There She Goes Again (Nico vocal) (4:18)

Discs 5&6: Velvet Underground - Valleydale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, November 4, 1966
The show has been bootlegged (in its entirety) for 'forever' (vinyl bootlegs like the 1966 LP (the show's first and last song) and The Warlocks/The Falling Spikes (the rest of the songs) have been around since the 80's and the entire show was also on the more recent CD bootleg Caught Between The Twisted Stars) but this is the first time the show sounds halfway decent. The power and ferocity of the set - starting and ending with 30 minute noise pieces ("Melody Laughter" and "The Nothing Song") must have both scared the college audience and inspired many of the noise bands that followed in the 70's and 80's.

The show was recorded on a mono deck and has gone from a (bootleg grade) of VG/- to VG. It is very listenable but this isn't the sort of thing that you would play for an audio purist.

Coming back full-circle - there are essentially three discs of new material in this set. The Scepter Studios/Factory Rehearsal disc is available as part of the 2CD version of The VU & Nico 45th Anniversary Edition, along with the stereo mix of the album which includes the five bonus tracks mentioned above ($16.72 new from Amazon).

The real question is what is the value to the listener of having a cleaned-up copy of the Valleydale Ballroom show. Given that all of the other discs in this set are available outside of this set for a cheaper price, that makes the price of this box set extremely prohibitive.

Links:
Velvet Underground

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Fear (Lee Ving) - 'The Fear Record' CD Review (The End Records)

Well...I've done a side-by-side comparison between The Fear Record and Fear's - The Record (the 1991 Slash/London CD version) and here is how the two compare.

To start with the obvious differences, the Slash/London contain the single "Fuck Christmas", which was recorded during the sessions for The Record but wasn't issued until after the record was released. The Fear Record contains re-recorded versions of all fourteen tracks that were originally on The Record but most of the tracks run a few seconds longer than the original versions (though there is nothing noticeable added, so not a big deal). What is somewhat strange is that the tracks have been re-ordered on The Fear Record but there doesn't seem to be a discernible reason for this.

Here is what is different about the music...the sound of the The Fear Record is noticeably louder and a lot more 'dense' instrumentation has been added. The Record has a clean sound but there isn't much of a bottom end where there is a big bottom end on this new disc. What is also very noticeable is that original guitarist Philo Cramer's clean, angular guitar lines have been replaced by more metallic riffs and the drums on this new disc aren't quite as crisp sounding as the original recording. Lee Ving's voice has held up well over the years and the vocals are pretty comparable between the two recordings.

What this disc reminds me of is The Meatmen's 1988 'farewell' album We're the Meatmen...And You Still Suck!!! where these 'later period' guitarist Stuart Casson added a much more metallic edge to the music than the studio discs with his predecessor Brian Baker. All-in-all, The Fear Record isn't a bad disc - it just isn't different enough for anyone to want to go out and replace their copy of The Record.

Check out the 2012 lineup of Fear and you will get a sense for what the differences on The Fear Record sound like.



Links:
Fear

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Stevie Ray Vaughan - 'The Fire Meets the Fury: The Radio Broadcasts 1999" CD Review

Let's start with the obvious questions - this disc was not recorded in 1999 but in 1989, on the final dates of Stevie Ray's tour with Jeff Beck. This disc is also not a 'bootleg' but a copyright gap CD where (if I understand the UK laws correctly) artist permission is not needed to reproduced radio broadcasts that are more than twenty years old. As such, the disc is readily available through Amazon.co.uk and third-party sellers have this disc available for an affordable price on Amazon.com.

This disc was originally broadcast on King Biscuit Flower Hour and was bootlegged shortly after the broadcast under the title Last Farewell. The track list and locations are:

1)The House Is Rockin'
2)Tightrope
3)Look At Little Sister
4)Texas Flood
5)Leave My Girl Alone
6)Wall Of Denial
- Live at Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico, November 28, 1989
(Note: There is a 7-track limited edition vinyl version of this show that recently surfaced and is available for sale at the major UK retailers. The additional track is "Let Me Love You Baby".

7)Superstition
8)Cold Shot
9)Life Without You
10)Crossfire
11)Voodoo Chile
- Live at McNichols Arena, Denver, Colorado, November 29, 1989

While there don't appear to be any videos online from these particular shows, below is a live version of "Life Without You" that was recorded a few nights earlier.



As the music on this disc was originally broadcast on FM radio, the sound quality is perfect. Audio purists may want to note though that a 1989 radio broadcast can't quite compare to today's uber-digital multi-track recordings.

Fans of Stevie Ray are sure to appreciate this recording as I don't think there are any other commercially available recording from this tour and Stevie Ray sounds great. This tour showcased a revitalized and re-energized SRV who had recently shaken off drug and alcohol addictions and he talks a bit about how he is glad to still be standing during the 12+ minute version of "Life Without You". The other lengthy jam on this disc is a 11+ minute version of "Voodoo Chile", which closes the disc.

Links:
Stevie Ray Vaughan

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Joshua James - 'From the Top of Willamette Mountain' CD Review ( Intelligent Noise)

Folk/Americana artist Joshua James spent five years touring the world in support of his first two discs, 2007’s The Sun Is Always Brighter and 2009’s Build Me This. In early 2011, he headed back to Utah, and, during this extended stay at home, James took to vegetable gardening, raising goats and chickens, and developed a heightened connection to the living things around him. Ultimately, his home and burgeoning farm were deemed ‘Willamette Mountain,’ a namesake that came to James in a dream. Both figuratively and literally, Willamette Mountain serves as a daily reminder of the simple beauties that can so easily be overlooked. “We’ve got a few acres, goats and honeybees,” he says, “it’s a place for reconnecting with nature, and for letting go of everything else.” It was here that James bore the songs compiling his newest album, appropriately titled From The Top Of Willamette Mountain.

The album artwork contains a number of hand-drawn photos of Willamette Mountain though James notes on an inside panel "i am not real". In James' "imaginary place where anything and everything was possible", he tells vivid narratives of hope and redemption, salvation and damnation and good and evil. The disc was produced by The Shins' keyboardist Richard Swift (who also produced Damien Jurado) who captured the immediacy and intimacy of James’ live performances.



Music on this new disc ranges from minimalistic, rustic Americana to reverb-laden 60's pop to dark-hued, full-bodied folk numbers. The disc starts out with the rustic "Mystic" where James' lyrics tell the tale of finding a little woman who had "the color of the city and the fire of a country flame" but James later laments "I sold you for a cigarette / I hope you'd sell me off for less". James shifts gears for the next track, "Queen of the City", which is the album's first single. This is an upbeat, electric number which James describes as a "'me n’ my dog' song" which he wrote after a late-night drinking session, alone at home with his dog. The song contains the line "My dog ain’t nothin, he ain’t nothin like my lover". James takes the tempo back down on the next cut, "Surrender", which is a striped-down piano waltz. Toward the middle of the disc, James heads in a more traditional Americana direction but mixes things up with "So I Did" - a shimmery, echo & reverb laden 60's pop number which sounds like it could have come out of The Zombies back catalog. The disc's strongest cuts are "Ghost in the Town" and "Holly, Halej", both of which have a "Dylanish" full-band sound that could easily attract fans of more mainstream acts like Wilco and Mumford and Sons.

Joshua's next show is at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on January 17th (Tickets).

Links:
Joshua James

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Stone Cold Fox - 'The Young' EP CD Review / Show at Bowery Electric on Dec. 7th

Stone Cold Fox formed last year but the band has an immediately recognizable sound that is rooted in the post Brit-Pop sound of the bands of the late-90’s. Vocalist Kevin Olken has a distinctive and emotive voice and the band plays intricate and atmospheric indie-pop, which easily leads to comparisons to bands like Coldplay, The Walkmen and early Radiohead.

Stone Cold Fox’ was formed last year by Kevin Olken and Ariel Loh and the duo’s acoustic bedroom project morphed into a full band group. The band’s debut EP, “The Young”, was released earlier this year and the disc has a mature sound (especially for being a debut disc) so you could easily convince your friends that Stone Cold Fox was a contemporary of the aforementioned bands. It is with good reason that Filter Magazine called the band “the new band that you all should know”.

The disc starts with the melancholy “Pictures” which is carried by Olken’s vocals for the first minute of the song before the full band kicks in and drives the song toward its big melodic chorus, which include strong vocals harmonies. The next cut, “American”, is a more upbeat number with a faster tempo and this song could be a big radio hit if this disc hits the right ears. “Father Spirit” is another standout cut with its repeating guitar riff and strong rhythm section pushing the song forward. The disc ends with the chill-out number “Wild Cats”, which prominently features Olken’s vocals with minimalist instrumentation (which sounds to include strings).

In an interview with Pop’stache, Kevin describes the lyrical themes of the disc as an “album…about coming of age. ”American” does place that theme in America specifically, but the other songs are really more about nostalgia for a loss of home. I wrote these songs in my last year of college and that is really the “coming of age” period I was thinking of. I think the “graduating college period” is a really important stage in development that I wanted to dive into. You feel you can’t go back home but you don’t have a new home to go to.”



Stone Cold Fox premiered some new songs live last month and the band is heading back into the studio later this month to start recording this new material. Below is a (presumably) new song, “Graduation”, from the band’s CMJ show at Trash Bar.



Stone Cold Fox plays Bowery Electric on December 7th along with At The Moment, Alex Vans and These Animals. Advance tickets are $8 and doors are at 6:30PM.

Links:
Stone Cold Fox

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