»Album Reviews For Release Date: 05.08.12
by Joshua Krage

Great collection this week, lots of color:

Damon Albarn, Dr. Dee – so weird to see a solo album from the mastermind of Blur, Gorillaz, God Save the Queen, and so many others, but Albarn clearly has enough songs. Centered around oblique Elizabethan-era secret-seeker Dr. John Dee, the tracks on this album are different from his other work, very regal and arranged with lots of space and deliberate non-pop colors to create a cinematic tone. Albarn’s voice is eerie enough when slowed down to this speed to conjure the feeling you’re creeping around downtown London after dark, and the instrumentation and vocal accompaniment are very well thought out and executed to the standard to which we’re accustomed from such a diverse talent. An amusing and elegant departure.

ALO
Atmosphere
Barenaked Ladies – rarities
Big K.R.I.T.
Bone Thugs

S Carey, Hoyas EP – this is Bon Iver’s drummer, and if you can picture the bonny bear releasing an instrumental EP, this would be it. Very ambient and atmospheric, relaxing x1000, minimal vocals muddying up the mix, mostly just brilliantly sparse soothing layers of soft noise.

Cattle Decapitation
Eyedea & Abilities
Melanie Fiona
Glenn Frey

John Fullbright, From the Ground Up – surprisingly fulfilling debut studio album from this Oklahoma troubadour. Organic and unadorned with mostly just guitar, piano, or a simple rhythm section, these songs sound like they were reaped from the soil, and Fullbright’s voice is piercingly forthright, so beautifully honest it’s hair-raising. Great harmonica playing as well, focused and subtle. Overall, he strikes me as a mix of Martin Sexton and Pete Seeger– in only the best ways of both.

Here We Go Magic, A Different Ship – the word “magic” is definitely applicable wherever Luke Temple puts sound to tape, and the subtle dynamics on this album are surprises all over– though Temple’s clear wistful voice is still the driving force in this wizardry. A bit more reflective and subdued on this album.

John 5
Karmin

Keane, Strangeland – I guess there’s some sort of concept to this album, but I’m just glad there’s plenty of Tom Chaplin’s awesomely cherubic voice singing finely-crafted pop tunes. They’re a bit over their arena rock jones displayed on the past couple albums; these are a bit more mellow and grandiose in scope rather than in volume.

KIDZ BOP!!1!

Greg Laswell, Landline – finally poised to make a mainstream impact, one of the most subtly entrancing voices of our generation ropes in some big name guest spots from Sia, Ingrid Michaelson, Elizabeth Ziman (of Elizabeth & the Catapult) and Sara Bareilles for this stunning new album. His last LP, Take a Bow, absolutely decimated me with its heart-breakingly affective lyrics and pitch-perfect arrangements. This time around he’s in better spirits, thankfully, and these tracks are bigger and more lush, with surprise strings and small electronic flourishes in the corners.

Marina and the Diamonds
Mary Mary
M83
OFF!
OST – Dark Shadows (Danny Elfman)

The Parlotones, Journey Through the Shadows – under-the-radar arena rock, courtesy of South Africa. These indie gents have a tight pop/rock sensibility and frontman Kahn Morbee’s voice is large and lavish while staying cool and cathartic, great mix of all the best colors of rock and roll. Catch them through the Americas later this and next months.

Trevor Rabin, Jacaranda – joyous instrumental genre jaunt from the Yes guitarist and sometimes film scorer. Very world-savvy and proggy.

The Secretions
Silversun Pickups
Matt Skiba & The Sekrets
Dee Snider
Storm Corrosion
Tank

Sara Watkins, Sun Midnight Sun – Nickel Creek’s female and fiddle component, Sara brings plenty of heartland roots foundation to this solo effort but branches out into some great territories, and her soft, clear voice is dazzling and comforting in all the right places. Surprising collabs with Taylor Goldsmith and Fiona Apple(!) are stunners, and the variety present here is a true delight, both to NC fans and newcomers.

Rita Wilson, AM/FM – yes, Tom Hanks’ wife and gorgeous movie star Rita Wilson, singing standards. She’s just adorable, as is this simple and straight-forward collection of pop gems from radio’s golden era of ’60s and ’70s.

The Wood Brothers – live vol 1

Right? Right.

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.

We don’t generally have much to report on the cinema front, but Wes Anderson‘s films are notably heavy-handed when it comes to their accompanying scores and soundtracks. With a soundtrack release date set for May 22nd and a film premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 25th, the Moonrise Kingdom album includes music from Hank Wiliams, Mark Mothersbaugh, Benjamin Britten, and an original suite by film composer Alexandre Desplat, among others.

The film was co-written by Anderson and Roman Coppola and stars Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Jason Schwartzman.

Alexandre Desplat’s “The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Part 1: A Veiled Mist” is streaming now, and you can pre-order the album on Amazon.

album cover art by Michael Gaskell

Tracklisting

01. Leonard Bernstein & the New York Philharmonic – “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34: Themes A-F”

02. Peter Jarvis and His Drum Corps – “Camp Ivanhoe Cadence Medley”

03. English Chamber Orchestra, Benjamin Britten – “‘Playful Pizzicato’ from Simple Symphony, Op. 4″

04. Hank Williams – “Kaw-Liga”

05. Trevor Anthony, Owen Brannigan, David Pinto, Darian Angadi, Stephen Alexander, Caroline Clack, Marie-Therese Pinto, Eileen O’Donovan, Chorus of Animals, English Opera Group Orchestra, Merlin Channon, Norman Del Mar – “Noye’s Fludde, Op. 59: ‘Noye, Noye, Take Thou Thy Company’”

06. Alexandre Desplat – “The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Part 1: A Veiled Mist”
07. Alexandre Desplat – “The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Part 2: Smoke/Fire”

08. Alexandre Desplat – “The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Part 3: The Salt Air”

09. Choir of Downside School, Purley, Emanuel School Wandsworth, Boys’ Choir, London Symphony Orchestra, Benjamin Britten – “A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 2: ‘On the Ground, Sleep Sound’

10. Hank Williams – “Long Gone Lonesome Blues”

11. Leonard Bernstein & the New York Philharmonic – “Le Carnaval des Animaux: ‘Volière’”

12. Françoise Hardy – “Le Temps de l’Amour”

13. Alexandra Rubner, Christopher Manien – “An die Musik”

14. Hank Williams – “Ramblin’ Man”

15. Choir of Downside School, Purley, Viola Tunnard, Benjamin Britten – “Songs From Friday Afternoons, Op. 7: ‘Old Abram Brown’”

16. Alexandre Desplat – “The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe Parts 4-6: Thunder, Lightning, and Rain”

17. David Pinto, Darian Angadi, Stephen Alexander, Owen Brannigan, Sheila Rex, Caroline Clack, Marie-Therese Pinto, Eileen O’Donovan, Patricia Garrod, Margaret Hawes, Kathleen Petch, Gillian Saunders, Trevor Anthony, Chorus of Animals, English Opera Group Orchestra, Merlin Channon, Norman Del Mar – “Noye’s Fludde, Op. 59: ‘The Spacious Firmament on High’”

18. Trevor Anthony, Chorus of Animals, Sheila Rex, David Pinto, Darian Angadi, Stephen Alexander, English Opera Group Orchestra, Merlin Channon, Norman Del Mar – “Noye’s Fludde, Op. 59: ‘Noye, Take Thy Wife Anone’”

19. Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic – “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34 Fugue: Allegro Motto”

20. Choir of Downside School, Purley, Viola Tunnard, Benjamin Britten – “Songs From Friday Afternoons, Op. 7: ‘Cuckoo!’”

21. Alexandre Desplat – “The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the Universe, Part 7: After The Storm”

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Learn more about Moonrise Kingdom at the official website.

Though their latest release, Civilized Man, delightfully drifts through sounds and genres, the live translation of these songs makes them truly shine. Once you see them live, it’s easy to become a Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes groupie. My only regret leaving this show was the fact that I forgot to buy a t-shirt.

Here’s the show in pictures and a severe blue wash:

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Band photo by Will Vastine
For more from Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes, visit danielellsworthandthegreatlakes.com.

This has been a tough review to write because there’s so much good stuff on the new Harper Blynn album to write about. There may be lots of “indie” bands who do a few things right but I can’t remember many who have done so much right in one of their first full-length albums. Tight, jangly guitars? Check. Smart keyboard ambience? Check. Amazing, affecting lyrics? Double-check. HUGE chorus hooks that lodge in your braincase? Take that CHECK to the bank. But even with all these, it’s the small things that dazzle the most: the extra beat here and there, the backing vocal layers in just the right spot, the airtight rhythmic dynamics. There’s a lot to boast about on this album, yet it’s all delivered with unassuming, even-keeled confidence– straight onward and straight upward.

Busy Hands
Release Date: April 17th, via Baby Jackal Records

01. In Another Life
02. I Think I’m Falling in Love
03. Lovely Thing
04. Knife
05. Sucker
06. Come Home to Me
07. Busy Hands, Empty Hearts
08. Marigold
09. I’ve Got Time
10. Summer in Exile
11. High End Melody
12. Dandelion Head
13. Exit

Right off the bat with opener “In Another Life,” they hit the ground running with J Blynn’s warm tenor taking us out of our skin within the first verse, driven by Sarab Singh’s doubletime drums and co-frontman Pete Harper’s warm keyboard bed before the guitars kick in and some pitch-perfect “OooWOO-oooh”s show us they’re shooting for the stands. This is just the first cut.

There are just no low points here. Every track has some huge hook, some clever lyric or melody, some element of dynamic interplay that lifts it miles above average songcraft. Blynn, Harper, and bassist Whynot Jansveld lock in to perfect harmonies and vocal stabs in all the right places, and Singh hovers over these rhythms like a beat chemist.

Some of my favorite moments– the aforementioned “OooWOO-oooh”s in the opener, the ascending chords in “I Think I’m Falling in Love”s second half of the chorus, “Lovely Thing”s explosion of intensity and chord invention, the little extra double-stop as Singh locks the bass drum into the words on the chorus of “Sucker,” Blynn’s pure sorrow in the words “but when she runs away” in “Come Home to Me,” the bright, unstoppable “shut me ooooouuuttt”s of “Summer in Exile”… Let me say it again: NO. LOW. POINTS. This album is kicking my ass with awesomeness. I have to stop listening, but I can’t; I keep finding more good stuff to write about with each listen.

By the time album closer, “Exit,” fades into being, you’ll be out of breath. This album is a relentless journey of rhythmic, melodic, and compositional dominance, performed with pitch-perfect vocal arrangement and vocals which never stop short of stunning on every count, rush after mind-boggling rush. This band is to be feared, this band is to be enjoyed. You can download their album for free at harperblynn.com. You will not be sorry.

Bonus Note: If all that’s not enough to rub in how good this band is, these guys have also been touring America as the backing band for other notable artists like Cary Brothers, Elizabeth and the Catapult, Greg Laswell and more. Because even though their own music is better than yours, it’s not challenging enough just to play their OWN stuff better than you, they can play YOUR music better than you, too! Proof:

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Band photo by Anthony Saint James
For a free download of Busy Hands and more on Harper Blynn, visit harperblynn.com.

»Album Reviews: The April Wrap-Up
by Joshua Krage

Got a few weeks’ worth of goodies here. Observe:

April 10:

Accept
Amadou & Miriam
Black Dice
Coldplay – DVD
The Damned
Demon Hunter
Florence + The Machine – MTV Unplugged
Monica
John Oates
Prince Royce
Real Estate

Scars on 45, Scars on 45 – such pitch-perfect pop ambience on this debut from the Yorkshire, UK five-piece. Stunning vocal interplay and strong hooks all over this album, a real score all over the place. Out on ChopShop Records, so likely to appear on a killer high-profile film soundtrack sometime soon.

Sucre, A Minor Bird – if you’re a fan of elven, angelic vocals but Eisley’s songs come across as too twee for you, check this project from Stacy DuPree King with hubby Darren King (MuteMath’s drummer!) and instrumental genius Jeremy Larson. Stacy’s voice soars and sighs in perfect relation with these lushly arranged compositions, revealing and complementing some rather grandiose orchestrations. Powerful showcase of vocal talent, drumming restraint, and musical prowess across the board.

Elliot Yamin

April 17:

Battles – Dross Glop (Gloss Drop remixed)
Big Daddy Weave
Chris Botti
Billy Bragg & Wilco – Mermaid Avenue complete sessions
Cowboy Junkies
Curren$y
Dragonforce
Dry the River
Future
Grinderman – Grinderman 2 remix
Horse Feathers
Eric Hutchinson
Jack Johnson & Friends – Best of Kokua Festival
Janis Joplin
Lisa Lampanelli – best of
Lightships

Maps & Atlases, Beware and Be Grateful – great subtle vocals and strange guitar adornments pepper this second album of bright dynamics and more-accessible indie eclecticism. Catch them on tour this spring with Sister Crayon.

Bob Marley
Mates of State
Medicine
Moonface
Jason Mraz

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Wasted- this is Willie Nelson’s kid, but he ain’t making no country music. This is raw Americana-fed rock and roll.

Neon Trees
OST – Treme vol. 2
Our Lady Peace
Primal Rock Rebellion
Rainer Maria
Spiritualized
Sebastian Tellier
Thousand Foot Krutch
Yann Tiersen
Tiesto
Train
Dar Williams
Hank Williams III
Yanni – live

April 24:

Josh Abbott
Mickey Avalon
Brendan Benson

Brad, United We Stand – Shawn Smith’s voice just keeps stunning, so glad Stone Gossard keeps steady in this band while Pearl Jam idles in neutral for EdVed’s solo stuff. Mostly live-recorded, lots of piano-driven soul here, but some tasty rock edges keep it salty.

Lee Brice
Crystal Fighters
Dandy Warhols
Death Grips
Deep Purple
Electric Guest
Eve 6
Warren Haynes
Houratron
Sarah Jaffe
Jamiroquai
Carole King

Greg Laswell, Landline – finally poised to make a mainstream impact, one of the most subtly entrancing voices of our generation ropes in some big-name guest spots from Sia, Ingrid Michaelson, Elizabeth Ziman (of Elizabeth & the Catapult) and Sara Bareilles for this stunning new album. His last LP, Take a Bow, absolutely decimated me with its heart-breakingly affective lyrics and pitch-perfect arrangements; this time around he’s in better spirits thankfully, and these tracks are bigger and more lush, with surprise strings and small electronic flourishes in the corners.

LP
The Maccabees
Magic Wands
Barry Manilow
Ministry
NOFX
OST – Eastbound and Down
Prodigy
Prong
Rasputina
Rush
Joe Satriani – live
Suckers

Torche, Harmonicraft – visceral, progressive, catchy, this is the one metal band that keeps things thick, interesting, and dynamic while not having to resort to mindless screaming or guitar noodling to do so. They have a free song on iTunes this week, check it out.

Toro Y Moi, June 2009 – collection of some previously-released goodies, catch the progression of Chaz’ sound even just over the last three years. It’s astounding!

The Waco Bros
The Wanted

Jack White, Blunderbuss – call it Jack White: Unchained. The raconteur ponies up all his Nashville mojo and stuns with rockers, rollers, and serene stunners all over this album with a full cast of players and top-drawer guest vocalists. Read the full review here.

That should hold you for awhile. Enjoy.

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To view past reviews, visit our archives.

First off, no one so unique and diversely talented should tease us with an album title like Out of the Game. We simply do not have any other artist who encapsulates such a wide range of musicality, theatricality, vocal prowess, poetic perfection and full-on moxy as Rufus Wainwright does. It would be downright punishing to take himself away from our ears.

Out Of the Game
Release Date: May 1st, via Decca Records

01. Out Of The Game
02. Jericho
03. Rashida
04. Barbara
05. Welcome To The Ball
06. Montauk
07. Bitter Tears
08. Respectable Dive
09. Perfect Man
10. Sometimes You Need
11. Song Of You
12. Candles

This album arrives at a time when the man has racked up quite the cap full of feathers. He has proven his overall skill on multiple canvases (rock/pop, opera, theater, solo piano, and so on), thus the songs on Out of the Game are a colorful collection of confidence, chock full of perfectly-crafted pop sensibility but delivered with a dancer’s finesse. From the build-up “look at you”s, into a dazzling chorus on the leadoff title track, to the lavish layering of “Montauk” buoying his sultry tenor as it pirouettes through a cascading backdrop of classically-trained panache, these are songs that sound more choreographed than composed.

Short stop-time segments on “Perfect Man,” pretentious strutting on “Welcome to the Ball,” impassioned shades of doo-wop on “Rashida” and so much more, all artfully adorned with precise vocal flourishes and impeccable arrangements; nothing out of place but many colors and sounds deployed. Wainwright’s command of composition is staggering on this album, and he never fails to find the perfect outfit for his creations to wear.

My favorite lyric from this work– and one of the most representative– comes from shantytown centerpiece “Respectable Dive”: I’m not able / To put my cards on the table / And if you only knew of the hand that I’m holdin’ / You would be blushin’, and I am so far from bluffin’ / In this respectable dive. This is one of the albums greatest tricks, slow-playing a menagerie of stunning performers across the sonic stage, giving us just partial glimpses of the full talent that’s waiting, lurking, grinning behind the curtain. Rufus Wainwright’s greatest strength is his effortless ability to weave together intricate slices of storyline with smooth showmanship, binding every line and lyric together in his comforting coo while his music sparkles and fades in concert with its moods.

Rufus Wainwright has succeeded here in weaving all his past achievements into the album for the man who has everything– a piece of all the colors of the rainbow, perfectly cast and dressed for a night on Broadway. Well worth the price of admission.

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Find out more about Rufus Wainwright and Out Of the Game over at rufuswainwright.com.

Though the filming of Out Of Focus began last year, the story of Butch Walker is one his fans have been falling in love with for years. Captured in his music videos, told in interviews, and then re-told during his live shows, Butch’s parable has become the indie rock fairy tale that we never want to stop hearing. To be a fan of Butch Walker’s music is to be equally enamoured by the journey that has led him to being one of today’s most acclaimed and respected singer-songwriters.

Out Of Focus follows the songwriter/producer/singer through his life and the recording process of his most-recent release, The Spade. Directors Shane Valdes and Peter Harding capture rare and intimiate moments with Butch’s family and band members, acquainting new fans with the musician’s music and introducing old fans to a side of him rarely seen by the public. As Harding and Valdes follow him to his hometown of Cartersville, Georgia, the audience is introduced to Walker’s parents and, more specifically, his father. The introduction of “Big Butch” examines the closeness of the Big/Little Butch father/son relationship and the translation of that bond through the musician’s relationship with his own young son, James. (Caution: Tender moments. Bring Kleenex.)

As an official selection of the Nashville Film Festival, Out Of Focus premiered on April 24th to a sold out audience that included Shane Valdes, Peter Harding, and Butch Walker. Before the premiere, the directors introduced their film with a brief introduction; after the movie, Butch thanked everyone for coming out and– as candid off screen as he was on it– apologized for leaving in the middle of the directors’ Q&A with the audience by adding, “but I have to pee.”

In one of the quieter moments of the documentary, a director asks Butch what he’s trying to prove during his career as a musician. “I guess if I want to prove anything, I just want to prove to people just how much I still love it,” Butch replies. If this film centers on any recurring theme in Butch Walker’s life, it is his unwavering passion for music. Out Of Focus follows Walker’s unending devotion to trying to give back to music what he feels it has given to him. And as he continues his mission, his fans will continue to be lucky enough to reap all of the benefits.

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For more about Out Of Focus, visit the official site.
Find more on Butch Walker over at butchwalker.com.

The frustrating thing about seeing fun. perform on television is that late night never seems to capture the charm and passion that goes into their live show or the full scope of Nate Ruess’ voice. The great thing about seeing them perform on Letterman, however, is seeing fun. perform on Letterman.

Last night the band was introduced as a “very popular band”(!!) by David Letterman before Jack Antonoff counted them into the intro of the song that has been playing on repeat in car radios across the U.S. for months.

Watch fun. perform “We Are Young” on last night’s episode of The Late Show With David Letterman:

From the look of things, fun. are going to be on tour for the rest of their lives. From California, to Australia, to Scotland, you can find a tour date near you over here.

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For more on fun., visit ournameisfun.com.

In the most recent episode of “Sit Down, Shut Up, Christina Aguilera,” Tony Lucca considered Aguilera’s unnecessarily harsh and personal assessment of his talent and fired back with a stoic and Mouse Club-friendly “fuck you” in a language she could easily understand.

On last night’s episode of The Voice, Tony received a standing ovation from the crowd and advanced to the top three contestants on Team Adam after his rendition of Britney Spears’ “… Baby One More Time.”

It is worth watching:

After a performance that strong, it goes without saying that Tony Lucca has not been eliminated from The Voice this week. But keep voting, nonetheless.

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For more on Tony Lucca and how to keep him from being eliminated from The Voice, go to tonylucca.com.

Last week Josh Foster teamed up with the Prince brothers (of Nashville’s The Gills) and took the stage for his first post-Parachute Musical solo show at 3rd and Lindsley, where he played a surprisingly extensive set of brand new material that sounds very good live. We’ve given you a vague rundown on what to expect from Josh, but these new songs make a smooth transition from acoustic and solo to the drums/bass/guitar/steel guitar setup Foster and his band employed onstage to play them.

See Josh Foster live as soon as possible but, in the interim, here are some pictures of his 3rd and Lindsley gig:

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For more on Josh Foster, visit joshfostermusic.com.