January 2011
VIDEO: DAVID LYNCH'S NEW SHORT FILM
January 31, 2011
Dang, David, you really went all out for this "television commercial" for Dior. Starring Marion Cotillard, this incredibly shot and produced short film, titled "Lady Blue Shanghi," clocks in at about 16 minutes. The best short film we've seen since Ramin Bahrani's "Plastic Bag"? Yeah, probably. Such a strange surprise.
Also, how great is Marion Cotillard? Sure, she's got a great face for film, but her voice is amazing and she has sooo much power in her performances. Check out the videos below ...
Posted by G. William Locke
ALBUM: WHITE WILDERNESS
January 25, 2011
It took me maybe, I don't know, maybe all of 12 seconds to love White Wilderness, the eighth proper album from the analog-recording whiz from Portland, Oregon. Recorded with The Magik Magik Orchestra and arranged by Minna Choi, White is the by-far best produced (and most ambitious) Vanderslice record to date, sounding big and beautiful at every turn. While Vando has always been an interesting songwriter, producer and arranger, by working with Choi and the MMO, he's really stepped his game up, creating what is - in this writer's opinion - his by-far best ever record. Yeah, I'm gushing. This is a gusher sort of a record - the kind you e-mail friends about.
After self-releasing a stellar EP titled Green Grow the Rushes late last year, Vanderslice (who recently moved from the Seattle-based Barsuk Records to the Indiana-based Dead Oceans, most recently releasing 2009's great Romanian Names) decided to go for it all, quietly recording the endlessly grand (yet often fragile sounding) White while the indie world celebrated simple records by bands like Best Coast, Wavves and No Age. Now, still new label hoisting him high, he's crafted one of the best winter-season records I've heard since those early Badly Drawn Boy discs. While the mood here shifts around quite a bit, the vibe is always somber (and epic), most likely due to Vanderslice's vocal style (always the focus) and the consistent use of string arrangement and dramatic swells. If you're somehow not already familiar with this indie mainstay, think Andrew Bird, XTC, Beulah and, if your ears are more of the mainstream pedigree, Owl City (or so I'm told). All that said, this is very original music that is hard to compare to anything else out right now.
The grandiose "The Piano Lesson," however, does remind instantly of both Sufjan Stevens and Shugo Tokumaru, arranged in a way that separates Vanderslice from most of the indie pack, coming off like something you'd expect a master like Brian Wilson to listen to on an off day. The overall vibe here is elegance, Choi, MMO and Vanderslice delivering nine fully-baked songs in about a half an hour that are delicately crafted and meticulously arranged and executed. And, of course, there are Vanderslice's forever underrated lyrics, which hold the whole mess ... (Continued)
Posted by G. William Locke
ALBUM: GROWN UNKNOWN
January 24, 2011
Probably part of some arts scene in some arts city somewhere in the U.S., singer/songwriter Lia Ices' webpage is stocked with great pieces of unique work. Songs, videos, photographs, artwork - you name it. At first, for me, the draw was Dylan Eastgaard's tasteful video for an older Ices track called "You Will." The subtle winter-friendly style of the video and song sucked me in, demanding that I look closer at this very feminine songwriter who, if I'm being honest, makes a kind of music that I very rarely listen to. Next came the video for "Half Life," directed by Simone Montemurno and Joana Bovay and also not included on Ices' latest release, Grown Unknown. Damn good. Great, even. I had to look even closer.
Ices, a striking artist who looks like a mix between a young Alanis Morissette and Joanna Newsom and sings a bit like a more delicate version of Basia Bulat, released Necima recently before signing with Jagjaguwar, who are just now releasing her first internationally distributed record, the above mentioned Grown Unknown. The initial word that came to mind while first working my way through the record's nine-song, 38-minute playlist is elegant, Ices coming off like a new age Joni Mitchell. A new age Joni, that is, if Joni floated on clouds and never befriended a slew of jazz players. Best described as an avant garde pop singer with a sultry, silencing croon, Ices (who is actually part of the forever booming Brooklyn arts scene) makes the kind of puzzle piece girl pop that fans of Kate Bush, Tiny Vipers and Tori Amos - and even more accessible artists like Feist and Bulat - should flip for. Having trained at New York University's Tisch School, she mixes a classical background with an experimental drive, crafting string-backed piano compositions that work as something of a yin to Nina Nastasia's less-perfected yang.
That Grown Unknown was released during the coldest months of the 2011 is no mistake. Mostly quiet and gentle, these are the kinds of songs made for cold, grey days - the kind you spend reading books and grasping onto the nuances of incredibly arranged pop music. And while Ices' is surely an original, I do find little bits of influence to grab onto. For example, there are moments in the very good "Daphne" (a song that features Bon Iver's cameo-happy Justin Vernon) where I feel the spirit of Fiona Apple floating in the mix. Another influence I keep coming back to are Will Oldham's Bonnie "Prince" Billy albums. I can't help but sense that Ices has listened to nuanced masterpieces like Master and Everyone ... (Continued)
Posted by G. William Locke
ALBUM: ASKA
January 21, 2011
That's right, all caps, baby. And forget that ASKA, a Japan-born, LA-based composer/songwriter/singer, has worked with Flea, Nick Zinner, Money Mark and many other LA- and NY-based hipster types. Forget that her self-titled debut EP is pretty damn good. Forget it all. You know what stands out, aside from the caps? The press release that came along with the advance copy of the music. Sure, it tells you how ASKA has played piano her whole life and has done quite a bit of score work. And sure, it comes with the music and album cover and a somewhat generic bio. But what stands out is her press photo. Her nude press photo. Have we really sunk so low? Have we taken to signing, selling and producing artists based on not just the shapes of their bodies, but their willingness to show said shapes? Needless to say, my knee-jerk reaction was to press delete and never listen to a note.
But, because I have a rule about listening to every promo I get (so as long as it's not goddamn metal or goddamn Bieber), I pressed play. Glad I did, too. ASKA, boobs, caps and all, is a mostly solid introduction to a unique songwriter who just might be capable of great things. Over the EP's seven tracks we feel the tension of a refined youth juxtaposed against a punk-spirited backbone. And while that punk spirit never quite rises to the top, musically speaking, it's always there in a counter-culture sort of way (which may explain the press photo). Mostly, what we hear is the work of an artist raised on classical music who was then, likely because of her looks and swagger, thrown into the world of glamour and glitz. And big city art culture. The result is a very cinematic, very classically-minded debut that, at times, feels fully formed.
If I had to guess, I'd say that Sophia Coppola's Lost In Translation is one of ASKA's favorite films. The hazy, moody, overly dramatic, sexy and muted vibe of that work is all here, spread throughout ASKA's seven very well-baked computer compositions. In fact, after recording the song "There Are Many of Us" (track three on the EP), ASKA played the song for her friend, filmmaker (and former Coppola beau) Spike Jonze. The filmmaker loved the song so much that he made it the theme for his most recent project, the excellent I'm Here. It was supposedly that gesture that inspired ASKA to take her work ... (Continued)
Posted by G. William Locke
SCREENTIME: OUR GOLDEN REACTION
January 19, 2011
So here’s the difference between the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards: A mostly unknown (and supposedly amazing) miniseries called “Carlos” can beat two very disappointed-looking legends (Tom Hanks and Al Pacino); the host and guests drink and chat all through the show; a brilliant nut like Ricky Gervais (aka, the night’s host) can cockily make fun of industry power houses Tom Cruise, John Travola, Angelina Jolie and cool guy Johnny Depp in one breath; and, more unfortunately, we have to pretend things like “Glee” are actually worthwhile. Can’t win ’em all. Mostly, we get a bunch of pretty people hanging out in a small room, hoping the host doesn’t brutally make fun of them on national television. My biggest issue with the Globes is that the winners are always far more predictable than those at the Oscars. Here it is, ScreenTime’s quickie breakdown of this year’s Golden Globes show …
Female Acting Awards (Film): Jennifer Lawrence, the young lead from the great Winter’s Bone, didn’t win the Best Lead Actress in a Drama statue, but she looked classy at the show and, thanks to her performance, has already landed some solid indie roles and, for what it’s worth, a paycheck job playing Mystique in the upcoming fourth X-Men film. At age 20, something tells me Lawrence’s days at awards shows are just beginning. This year’s winner for Best Lead Actress in a Drama, the great Natalie Portman (Black Swan), was a deserving winner, giving one of the best lead female performances of recent memory. The Best Supporting Actress award went to Melissa Leo (The Fighter), edging out castmate Amy Adams, while Best Lead Actress in a Comedy went to Annette Benning (The Kids are All Right). As for the men, Colin Firth took the Best Lead Actor in a Drama for his amazing performance in Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech while ScreenTime favorite Paul Giamatti took home the award for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy. One of the most deserving winners of the night, Christian Bale, took home the Best Supporting Actor statue for his instant classic performance in The Fighter. All very predictable ... (Continued)
Posted by G. William Locke
UPDATE: SCREENTIME ARCHIVES
January 18, 2011
Head over to the 2010 ScreenTime archives now (HERE) and check out all of our updates! Since we were down for about a month, we missed 10 or so of the columns. Everything is now up-to-date, even if, in most cases, the content is already a bit out-of-date.
Also check out our new 2011 ScreenTime archive, already in the works! Stay tuned for more tomorrow!
Posted by G. William Locke
VIDEO: "PHILADELPHIA" (MUSIC BY METAVARI)
January 17, 2011
Posted by G. William Locke
ATTENTION: NOTE TO THE READER
January 16, 2011
Just a quick word with you, the reader. As you may have noticed, we've started things back up! There's really no telling yet if/how the website will respond, but we wanted to give it another go. Back in late October it was taking us up to two hours per update, due to some serious problems with Google Sites. As of right now, things seem slightly better. Basically, the formatting was taking on a mind of it's own once we uploaded and things kept freezing up while we were in the process of working on the homepage. We have a feeling that it might be the artwork causing the problem, so, for now, there won't be any artwork on the homepage. The archives are all updated as per the usual, so be sure to browse through those pages - lots of good stuff, we think.
Also, we don't plan to do daily updates any longer. We maintained that sort of schedule for months and it was, to say the least, something of a headache. We're going to try to do at least 15-20 updates per month from here forward, likely skipping weekends.
Thanks, as always, for reading. Tell your friends about us!
Posted by G. William Locke
ALBUM: BE BRAVE
January 15, 2011
Okay, fine, I'll admit it: I kind of have a crush on Austin, Texas garage rockers The Strange Boys. All of 'em, even the gal with the blonde afro who plays the sax, Jenna Thornhill-deWitt. Following 2008's breakout debut, The Strange Boys and Girls Club, the youngish slacker rockers found a solid niche market in the U.S. and, unpredictably, a solid fan base in the U.K. No bother, they went back into the studio and, ignoring the hype and pressures that surround a sophomore record, recorded Be Brave, an equally good - if much different - record.
Be Brave opens with "I See," an instantly enjoyable twanger that sees frontman Ryan Sambol singing - in slurred verse - some surprisingly well written words of passive poetry, adding a harp-driven pseudo-power-hook to the track's already very accessible accompaniment. It's a great opener that sees these Boys peeling away some of the fuzzy grit in favor of a stound akin to pre-Aftermath Rolling Stones.
From there Be Brave is a solid garage rock ride, filled with incomprehensible vocals (many of which seem to deal with political themes), jangle guitars, bratty vibes and bouncy rhythms. The title track, for sure, is an instant standout, sounding like some lost Nuggets-era pop single. Mixing elements of country, R&B and punk into their sound on Be Brave, presenting a fluid and lean 12-song record that, despite the band's limited palate, never drags or bores, instead feeling like a singles collection for slackers.
Modestly produced by Sambol himself, the Boys have a different line-up on this record, one that features some very well-thought-of members of the ongoing garage rock revival. For starters, original drummer (and founding mem ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM: AN INTRODUCTION
TO ELLIOTT SMITH
January 14, 2011
Hits collections make for hit records around the holiday season, or so I learned during my decade or so of time spent working at record stores. So many have milked this concept, from The Beatles to Radiohead to Sarah McLachlan. Too many to count. And while a hits collection of Elliott Smith cuts from the forever credible Kill Rock Stars imprint might sound a bit odd, I have to admit to kinda/sorta loving the idea.
Smith, who died in 2003 from stab wounds to the chest, never quite found a mainstream audience, though he did come close on multiple occasions. Like any great artist who dies in their prime, Smith's star has burned brightest in his wake, his records selling consistently ever since. His labels have issued posthumous records, reissued his records and commissioned his songs to be used in films. And while he remains something of a cult hero, I believe it's now safe to say that Smith will likely go down as the solo singer/songwriter of his era, penning a huge number of songs that somehow just keep on sounding better and better with each passing winter season ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM: TSOL
January 13, 2011
Watching Shad bounce around through alleys - big smile glued to his face and bright teal shoes dominating the frame - in the video for "Rose Garden," the lead single from TSOL, I can't help but think of Pharcyde. And De La Soul. And Murs. The happy rappers who, armed with their extremely developed styles, made classic hip-hop albums that should've been bigger than any Black Eyed Pea (with a pee stain). A Canadian emcee who was recently nominated for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize, Shad was born in Kenya, a place he seems to have much affection for to this day. Making his name in 2007 with the underground classic The Old Prince (also a Polaris nominee), Shad has slowly been building his fan base since the release of his 2005 debut, When This Is Over (also solid). So, yes, you could say that Shad is the best kept secret in hip-hop right now, at least as far as the U.S. circles go. In fact, I insist that it be said.
TSOL, my favorite-yet record from the often perky emcee, features organic, cohesive production from a number of his friends, including DJ T Lo, Ric Notes, Relic, Rich Kidd and Shad himself. A number of surprising guests pop up as well, including Broken Social Scene, Lisa Lobsinger, Justin Nozuka, Relic the Oddity and Lady Londa. (If you're unfamiliar with the above mentioned artists, it may be due to the fact that many of them are semi-obscure Canadian indie rockers.) The result is a very quickly passing 13-track, 11-song (plus bonus track) hip-hop record full of timeless beats, amazing rhyme patterns and clever writing. The often-incredible punchlines avoid the cheap novelty factor of artists like Jay-Z and Kanye West, instead letting Shad's long-brewing style shine ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM: THE SOCIAL NETWORK
January 12, 2011
Modern film scores are, by large, not what they once were. Strings and piano, mostly, composed in a way that the director hopes will aid the listener in following the emotional impact of what's playing out on the screen. A device used to keep - and control - viewer's experiences, really, is what the art of the score has become in Hollywood. From time to time a director will pop up who really puts time into selecting music for their film, using the once-very-important element to add to the overall style, mood and aesthetic of the film. Mark Mothersbaugh, who often works with director Wes Anderson, has recently done some great stuff, as have Jon Brion, Jonny Greenwood, Yann Tiersen, the Dust Brothers, Badly Drawn Boy and a handful of others. Still, I rarely find the urge to pick up a score; because of this, I was thrilled to leave the theater after David Fincher's excellent The Social Network ended, off on my way to hunt down a score that struck me as both interesting and unique.
Once I located said score I was stoked to see that it was the work of Nine Inch Nails honcho Trent Reznor and his regular collaborator, producer Atticus Ross. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the Nine Inch Nails catalog. It's work that I respect and see the value of, but almost never feel the urge to actually listen to. Not unless, you know, I feel like stabbing pencils into my ears. In fact, not until I heard the mellow second disc of 1999's The Fragile did I think Reznor had much to offer outside the world of industrial music. That disc in particular hinted at the man's interest in ambient, progressive and electronic music, as well as his less obvious experimental side. When 2008's Ghosts I-IV arrived I was more onboard the Reznor train than ever. A two-disc set of mostly mellow instrumental music that reminds of everything from Tangerine Dream to Brian Eno and Krautrock, I was sold, even if I didn't much care for the signature NIN sound of records like The Downward Spiral and With Teeth ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM: IT'S WHAT I'M THINKING
January 11, 2011
Damon "Badly Drawn Boy" Gough's career is one of many variations of the all-too-perfect example of how the music industry has lost its mind. His breakthrough debut, 2000's The House of the Bewilderbeast, came along just as rampant file sharing crimes were hitting their stride. Within three years there were two million new bands on the Internet, countless music blogs and a huge number of failing record labels, artists and record stores. Bewilderbeast, a classic debut that easily ranks among the best intro records of the Naughts, set the bar high for BDB - a bar he easily hurdled with his second release, a soundtrack for the film About a Boy. Seeming on his way, BDB never again found the acclaim, fandom, attention or sales the first two records brought, instead, fading into the endless crowd of modern indie.
The consensus has been, amongst both writers and listeners it seems, that BDB hasn't done much worth listening to since those first two records. Sure, you'll find the loving press for each album, but, in general, one would think that - on paper - BDB's career died in 2003. Not true. Every BDB album I've heard (and there have been lots) is at least decent and includes a few great songs. The problem is that the sound has never been as shockingly unique as it was on Bewilderbeast. That, and the fact that, once you lose your steam in this modern day music world, you're all but done, regardless of how good ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM: ALL DAY
January 10, 2011
On the opening track of Gregg "Girl Talk" Gillis' new record, All Day, he samples nine songs I dearly love - Jay-Z's "99 Problems," The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop," Shuggie Otis' "Strawberry Letter 23," MIA's "Paper Planes," Jane's Addiciton's "Jane Says," Slick Rick's "La Di Da Di" and so on. Pretty obvious stuff. And damn, I know this is what the kids stay up all night flirting with each other to these days, but it kinda works, especially if you're a music fan with a deep collection. By simply piecing different elements of the song out, finding BPMs that work together and cleverly cutting everything together, Gillis puts together a track, titled "Oh No," that in just three or four minutes highlights almost everything I love about pop music. He adds slight dance beats and makes all the songs run together into one schizophrenic piece of music. Then he does it all over again on the 12-track album, all coming together as one of the most masterful and inventive products from the DJ world you'll hear in 2010.
And sure, Gillis has done this all before, four other times, to be exact. His 2006 record, Night Ripper, made him a buzz name and his 2008 record, Feed the Animals, made him an indie sensation. With All Day, which is currently available as a free download, Gillis aims to become a household name, seemingly saving all the best samples ever for this record. Or I could be wrong. Maybe it just so happens that Gillis just happened to be into a lot of the records I like when be put All Day together. Sure, it could be a coincidence … but I doubt it. As good as Feed the Animals was, All Day is Girl Talk's all-out record, the one that might matter ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM: ALBUM OF THE YEAR
January 9, 2011
Detroit based producer/emcee Curtis "Black Milk" Cross really went for it all with his previous record, 2008's Tronic, attempting, like so many hip-hop artists before him, to create a new kind of hip-hop record. For the effort, Milk attempted to mix the elements of classic boom-bap with experimental electronic music. The project was neither an extreme departure from his previous work nor a complete failure, instead feeling like a slight side step for an artsit in development. For his latest, the still recent Album of the Year, Milk has jumped right back into his creative circle of trust, creating a record that should launch him to the top of today's underground heap.
All along, while Kanye West acted foolish on TV, gave away music via his G.O.O.D. website and, eventually, released the year's most celebrated hip-hop record, I kept thinking of Album of the Year. And it's true, Milk is cut from the same cloth as West - an excellent producer who also has ambitions to be a rap star. The difference is that, while West works to catch the popular eye (often by focusing on hooks, gimmicks, slang and popular guests), Milk plays it straight, here coming off like a classic underground lyricists, made perfect for the now-long-gone Rawkus era, dropping punchlines like "my s#%& is Martin Luther / Your S#%& is Martin Lawrence." Both artists clearly better producers than emcees, Milk's rhymes will hold up much better over time, as will his much better developed style. If Milk were to tighten up his jeans, smile big and wide and buddy up with the hotshots, I'm certain he'd be on his way. That said, this is an underground artist, through and through ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM: TOMORROW MORNING
January 8, 2011
Mark Oliver Everett, E, The Eel, etc., is once again all over the place with Tomorrow Morning, the final album in a trilogy that included recent albums Hombre Loco (not so great) and End Times (not too bad). The record, an 18-song double album if you grab a copy from the first pressing (or a 14-song single disc record if you don't), is the best of the trilogy, stocked with some of E's most memorable songs yet, including at least five cuts that could easily be strong radio singles in a different era.
Following 2005's proper double album, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, my personal favorite from the band, E took a break, eventually emerging with a new batch of mediocre tracks for the Yes Man soundtrack, then a book, then, of course, this trilogy, which explores a number of themes, including loss, desire, pain, age - you know, the normal themes bearded songwriters sink into. The sound is classic Eels (think Daisies Of the Galaxy) mixed with the cinematic, autumnal vibe of Blinking Lights. But, unlike that very long record, Morning manages to feel concise, passing quicker than anything else E has thus far produced - one of the fastest passing double albums you'll hear.
Many of the more annoying Eels hallmarks are still present, often as ever, such as the sudden hip-hop drum loops, the way-too-obvious lyrics and, well, all those other E-centric things that keep him one of the more tragically overlooked outsider pop writers of his era. Mostly, I think the record should, with time, stand as one of the band's best works, mixing all the things E has done so well over the years ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM: THE AGE OF ADZ
January 7, 2011
I refuse to allow myself to go into an overly intellectual exploration of Sufjan Stevens' new record, The Age of Adz, even if it is the kind of record that demands just that. (Too many others have already nearly spoiled the record by attempting to do just that.) I will say, though, that I listen to Adz with the same excitement and attention that I gave both Radiohead's Kid A and Wilco's Summerteeth back when those game changers first came out. I love Adz a little more every time I hear it. Every time I find a new, brilliant detail burring in these somewhat clumsy - and almost always overly decorated - arrangements. Over the record's 11-song playlist I don't feel major strategic changes from Sufjan as much as I do a progression - and general mixing up - of what he's done so well in the past. The grandiose sound of Illinoise is here; the pinpoint sound of Enjoy Your Rabbit matters; the deep attention to thematic detail of Seven Swans and Greetings From Michigan lingers. Sure, the record has a new sound, but since when is that a bad thing for a serious musician?
But, despite all that love, I do sometimes find myself struggling with the Wes Anderson-level of detail put into every second of these compositions. But is ornamental detail bad? No, bad is Bieber. Bad isn't someone trying (and trying very hard at that) to do something new. But this isn't Trans, a record Neil Young made to accommodate his own strong (and completely unsuccessful) need to experiment and surprise, even is casual ears would argue that is it. This is a successful record that may or may not go down as an experiment. My personal listening experience with the record thus far most clearly resembles the first few times I heard The Fiery Furnaces' experimental Blueberry Boat opus. I went on to love that very scatterbrained, anything goes record for a while before cooling on it. These hugely produced albums of deep artistry don't come around too often, mostly because artists know how risky - and difficult - it is to have success with ambition in the mainstream. Few pull is off, and even when they do (such as Wilco with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or The Flaming Lips with Embryonic), the common listener doesn't come around for months, if ever. Records like Adz just aren't for casual listeners who trust their own knee-jerk opinions about art too much. Like a wise man once said, "art ain't for knee jerk jackoffs"; Yankee, Embryonic and Adz - these are records for the beautiful idiot minds that obsess over detail and progression. The ones who embrace confusion and the wandering spirit of a true artistic mind ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM: III/IV
January 6, 2011
For a couple of years now I've been wondering if all these lingering Ryan Adams loyalists are any different from the late-era Counting Crows fans who insisted that the rest of the world was just missing out. Following a handful of records that were supposed to "make" Adams, the speedball-loving manchild broke up with his longtime lady, Parker Posey, claimed he was losing his hearing, wrote a couple of books, attempted to be a painter and, most importantly, put out the first mediocre record of his career. Recently, with the smallest amount of press coverage he's seen since his early Whiskeytown days, Adams self-released his first proper record since 2008's Cardinology, a double album titled III/IV that sets his career back on track.
It's title a reference to Adams' last double album, 2005's Cold Roses, Adams' new release reminds most of his 2003 toss-off, Rock N Roll, in appeal. That record, which Adams claimed he made simply to satisfy his label (and, by doing so, get out another record he'd made called Love Is Hell), is a straightforward rock album that has become something of a cult record. III/IV, said to be leftovers from Adams' Easy Tiger sessions, also reminds of his 2002 record, Demolition, a loosely assembled sampler record that took a few songs from five yet-unreleased albums he recorded after getting a taste of success with his 2001 major label debut, Gold. What strikes me most is how little these new songs resemble anything from Easy Tiger. The vocals on Tiger were big and pretty (and clearly labored over) while the vocals on these 21 new tracks sound - for Adams at least - rough and raw. Spontaneous, even. Also, Tiger was a songwriter-sort of record that had some serious twang appeal while III/IV is a pop record full of dummy vocals ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM: DUST LANE
January 5, 2011
Yann Tiersen's score for Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 2000 French comedy, Amelie, remains, many insist, the great film score of its time. Rather than relying on classical composition (as do most big budget Hollywood films) or the quirky minimalism of most American indies, Tiersen's name-making score established the composer's name by utilizing, for example, accordions and harpsichords in the place of cellos and violins. Big, fancy, details productions that sounded like nothing before, yet were organic and dramatic. Following the Amelie score, which was never properly released in the U.S., Tiersen continued making solo records across the pond, eventually composing another well-thought-of score for a movie called Goodbye, Lenin - also great. Now, all these years later and after a huge amount of success in France, Tiersen has released his first proper stateside record, Dust Lane, for U.S. indie Anti- Records.
Though Americans know Tiersen mostly as a whimsical-yet-technical composer, he has, in his native land, released music that can be grouped in with a number of different genres, including post-rock and even progressive rock. For Dirt Lane Tiersen has taken the guitar-driven style he's flirted with along the way, creating an eight-song epic that should alert a new fan base, likely comprised mostly of 20- and 30-something males who dabble in early 70s electric jazz, loved Radiohead deeply for a period and now talk mostly about Canadian collectives, "movements," Sigur Ros, Mogwai and, probably ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM: SONG ISLANDS VOL. 2
January 4, 2011
Phil Elverum, the man behind the always busy Mount Eerie (fka The Microphones), has recorded as many big productions over the last decade as anyone, only slowing once during his current run to record the minimalist indie hit Lost Wisdom. Like any DIY recording junkie, Elverum has accumulated a giant mess of leftovers through the years, the first batch of which, titled Song Islands, was released under The Microphones moniker in 2002. Now, with Song Islands, Vol. 2, were have the first batch of Mount Eerie-era songs that didn't appear on any of the many proper records released over the last eight years.
The result is a very long double album (available as either a download or four-side LP) that, while always sounding like Elverum (due to his unique and detailed production sound), is all over the place. Opener "Where?" works as more of a loose intro to the record than a song, quickly easing its way into "Calf In Pasture," an instant standout and one of my personal favorite recordings of 2010. The song - slow, gentle and groove-driven - is classic Elverum, displaying his word power, otherworldly production sound and, maybe best of all, his always-growing vocal style (which, like all things Elverum, is unlike any other artist out there). Next up on the 31-track odds and sods record is "The Intimacy," one of a few of the collection's works that feature two or three distinct movements, going from drum/bass instrumental to delicate songwriter work in the blink of an eye ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
FEATURE STORY: KEVIN HAMBRICK
January 3, 2011
Haven't you heard, the man who just might one day go down as the Fort Wayne rocker, Kevin Hambrick, is single again. Well, he's happily married (as far as we know), but he is, for the first time in years, a man without a band. Having spent time with Blueberry Hurricane, Big Red and Rojo, probably a nine other bands and, most recently, The Orange Opera (who recently called it quits after longtime bassist Bryan Brubaker decided to leave the band to focus on other things), Hambrick is now something of a lone wolf.
"Well, I think the end was bound to come at some point," Hambrick told me in a recent interview when asked about the demise of the Opera. "You never truly want to admit that, but it is what it is. Bru was pretty burned out all together with music and touring and, you know, waiting in bars for hours to play a show. I totally understand what he was going through and no one was mad at him. It was more of just a sad feeling to see something end that you've been doing for so long.
"We pondered the idea of looking for a bass player but really came to the shared opinion that Bru was such a solid fit that we just couldn't replace him with any 'ol bass player, no matter how skilled they are. I think that says a lot about Bru's playing and stage energy."
Having gone through four guitarists since the inception of the Opera (Hambrick and Brubaker were always joined by drummer Kevin Hockaday), Hambrick said that, having gone through the task of teaching so many guitarists the songs already, he also couldn't imagine doing it again, only this time with a bassist. He added that the band could be back with a new lineup someday, but for now, the idea of more or less starting over was not one he had much interest in.
After winning the whatzup Battle of the Bands in September of 2007, Hambrick and the boys were on a roll, playing shows with national indie bands, touring and building relationships with labels and sister artists everywhere like Dr. Dog, The Teeth and And The Moneynotes, to name just three. The band's excellent final release, Year of the Beard, marked a new creative high point in the long story of Kevin Hambrick, making it appear, seemingly, that the band was on their way to bigger things ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
FEATURE STORY: CHURCH SHOES
January 2, 2011
I remember seeing The B-Sharps, a then-group of very young men rockers, in 2006 for the first time, then again in 2007, at which point they were a well oiled stage machine. By 2008 the Sharps were not only the best live band in town, but some of the members were finally old enough to legally enter the bars they'd been playing for years. Then, just a few months ago, the Sharps called it quits on the same day they released their excellent sophomore record, The "B" Is For Party. Great rock bands, the ones who get on stage, play loud, bounce around and own the audience, only seem to ever get so far. They splinter or fizzle or overdose or move on, almost always to something more song-oriented. That, or they end up with the dreaded "bar band" tag, playing a mix of covers and originals in exchange for drinks.
Nick Allison (vocals, guitar) and Mitch Fraizer (lead guitar), founding members of the Sharps, have moved on from their Sharps days in the best way possible, bringing their stage energy and songwriting prowess to Church Shoes, a quartet that feels like a natural artistic progression from the artists' beginnings.
"People seem to be surprised at how different Church Shoes sound when compared to The B-Sharps," Allison said in a recent interview. "I always try to stress that the only major similarity between [Church Shoes] and the Sharps is that we have Mitch Fraizer on lead guitar. Even though I'm still doing the majority of the writing, the songs are not the same. I'm saying and doing things I never would have in the Sharps, partly because I never wanted to and partly because I didn't know how. The B-Sharps couldn't play Church Shoes songs and Church Shoes can't play The B-Sharps songs. All the personalities that shine through in both bands are too strong and too different."
Bassist Max Forbing, a mutual friend of Allison and Fraizer from high school - and originally from Fort Wayne - spent time in San Francisco and Austin, Texas before moving back to the Fort, where he became fast friends with the Sharps boys.
"Max did the singer/songwriter thing in Austin before moving back to Fort Wayne. He's easily one of the most talented musicians I've ever come across and is a genuinely out there kind of guy."
Next up is drummer Gabe Pastura, another friend from high school.
"Gabe used to tag along with The B-Sharps on some of our tours, just to get in on the fun. One time, after finishing up a gig in Nashville at 3 a.m., he piloted our van straight through to Fort Wayne. He's a great drummer; there's nothing about him that isn't pure rock n' roll ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke
LIST: TOP 10 HIP-HOP RECORDS OF 2010
January 1, 2011
As far as the mainstream goes, 2010 was the year where Eminem was once again huge, Bone Thugs, Cypress Hill and Reflection Eternal attempted comebacks, Nas collaborated with Damien Marley (and saw what was supposed to be his "new classic" shelved), the second Madvillain still didn't come out, Drake and Nicki Minaj both made a half-good debuts that were half full of awful singing, B.o.B. attempted to further blur the lines between hip-hop and pop, and mostly tossed-off mixtapes continued to be treated as credible. But much more happened in the hip-hop world in 2010, both at the mainstream and underground levels.
In fact, 2010 was, for my money, one of the best years for hip-hop records in a long time. While most Top 10 lists out there seem to focus on one realm of the genre (be it mainstream, underground, mixtapes, local or way underground), we're going to attempt to consider all things, be them Kanye West or Earl Sweatshirt. Albums like the ones listed below make The New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones, who boldly claimed that hip-hop was dead just last year, look like even a bigger douche than usual. My guess? We'll be looking back on 2010 for years to come, calling it the beginning of a new era for hip-hop music. (Note: after writing this we received new albums from both Tyler the Creator and The Silversmiths.)
10. Das Racist - Sit Down, Man and Shut Up, Dude: First available as a free download (and later for 50 cents each), these two download-only records surely made for some of the hippest hipster nights of 2010, adding a slightly more authentic hip-hop flavor to the lives of those who usually don't listen to anything resembling "real" hip-hop music. To me, these guys are an update of De La Soul - goofy, hook-loving artists who make loose records full of style and jokes. That said, Das Racist are thus far about 1/10th as good as their many Pitchfork-issued fans think they are.
9. Cola-Zone - Immortality Skeems: Cola-Zone's proper debut is, easily, the best hip-hop record I've heard out of Indiana in ages. A record that sounds as legit as any underground hip-hop release I've heard (and even features Vast Aire), Skeems marks the public birth of a great new emcee with plenty to say and a classic-yet-new delivery that's instantly memorable. Oh, and Cola is a pretty great producer, too.
8. Earl Sweatshirt - EARL: In the year where five of my most-listened-to hip-hop albums were released only as downloads (all either free or name-your-price), Earl Sweatshirt's debut record showed the most promise. Part of the exciting Odd Future collective, Earl is a very young, very skilled emcee who had one of the year's best singles, titled "Earl." Backed by Tyler the Creator's production, the record, like all the Odd Future records, is like nothing else. The promise of a new movement is here, with Earl. WIth Odd Future and the collective's endlessly talented, interesting and creative leader, Tyler ... (Continued)
Written by G. William Locke