The Western States Motel is the name given to the work of Monterey, CA native and Los Angeles resident Carl Jordan, whose first endeavor was the soundtrack to a short documentary on Johnny Cash’s infamous 1968 concert at Folsom Prison. His latest EP, Painted Birds Flying in the Orange Mirror Sun, was recorded in the confines of his LA home and sounds like a sunnier, more optimistic Elliot Smith. And that’s A-OK by me.
As much as I hate The Warfield, seeing Southern rock gods, Kings of Leon, play there Saturday night was well worth it. It was like seeing a southern version of U2 play in teeny tiny venue. The crowd was so into it, singing along with every song they played, pumping their fists in the air. Having sold out two nights at The Warfield, it seems like people are finally catching on to this good ‘ol American rock-n-roll band. They seem poised for superstardom, despite Pitchfork’s pitiful 3.8 rating of their new album, Only by the Night. They’re a bunch of snobs anyway.
I’m a sucker for their rock ballads, so my favorite song of the night was ‘Arizona‘.
I’m the first to admit I like a lot of weird music and enjoy the novelty of discovering an unchartered sound. But there’s a new crop of critically acclaimed experimental/punk bands emerging like Times New Viking, No Age and, the subject of this post, Ponytail that I don’t frankly get.
I took some friends to see Ponytail and High Places (mostly the latter) last week at Bottom of the Hill to check it out in person. And, I still don’t get it. Instrumentally, the band is tight. But lead singer Molly Siegel is just whacked on so many levels, which perhaps is part of the allure. After seeing her in person, I question whether she’s human. Or sane. Without question she operates on a different frequency. She moves like Thom Yorke in an epileptic trance and sounds like a cross between Bjork and Yoko Ono.
To say the experience was jarring is an understatement. My music buddies all hated it, yet somehow can’t stop talking about it. A photographer friend of mine, Rich Trager, took this shot of the wall in the mens bathroom. And it seemed fitting for this post because it begs the question: is it art or is it trash? Ultimately you decide, whether or not you agree with the critics. But Ponytail sure did stir something up in our group. Everyone felt that performance. And while no one may want to go back and visit that feeling again, it certainly won’t be forgotten. Not be me either. I’ll always be known as the one who drug my friends to that crazy show.
The best thing about my ‘job’ as a blogger (I say that with air quotes), are the presents I get in my inbox from new artists and record labels promoting their goods. It’s like a treasure hunt, sometimes the hunt leaves you empty handed but other times you hit jackpot. That’s the way I felt this week as I listened to two new releases from Canadian artists, The High Dials and Wintersleep. Check it out for yourself.
Montreal-based The High Dials make lush, intelligent psychedelic pop; dreamy anthems built on bittersweet melodies, bright harmonies and moody guitar sounds. They already have a notable fan base with the likes of Brian Jonestown Massacre, who’ve declared them the ‘best band in North America’ and Rod Argent, legendary songwriter of the Zombies. Their new album ‘Moon Country‘ released this week.
The High Dials play this Saturday, October 18, at The Hotel Utah in San Francisco.
I’ve been listening to this album from Halifax- based, Wintersleep, repeatedly since I got it. Their new album, ‘Welcome to the Night Sky’, rose to the top of the Canadian indie rock charts drawing comparisons to acts such as Radiohead, Mogwai and Low. The album, which has been called a masterpiece by many, is now available in the US and expected to take America by storm. I’m hooked.
Don’t miss Wintersleep at Slims in San Francisco November 24.
Artist: Juana Molina Album:Un Dia File Under: Folktronica, World Music Recommended if You Like: Beth Orton, Four Tet, David Byrne Featured Track: Un Dia
Argentinean singer/songwriter, Juana Molina, is an amazing interpreter of sound. I discovered her by chance many years ago at Bimbos, opening for a band I can’t even remember now because her performance was so compelling and mesmerizing I’ve forgotten everything else about that night. I’ve been an ardent fan of her dreamlike, hypnotic music ever since.
Listening to Juana Molina is an experience in and of itself. She’s mastered the art of looped acoustic guitar, percussion, keyboards, feedback and melodic vocals to bring to life the most far-out hypnotic sound you’ve ever laid your ears on. Seeing her live, however, the experience transcends to another level for you realize all of this sound is created solely and independently by her. She’s a one woman show and her talent is mind boggling.
Her fifth full length album, Un Dia, is more adventurous, upbeat and rhythmic than prior releases – making it probably more of a cross over album for her. The feature track here, ‘Un Dia’, will give you a good sample of the beats to come on her album. And it just gets better from there, looping and building in layers and complexity. ‘Los Hongos de Marosa’ is a highlight of the album for me.
If you’d like to dig deeper into Juana’s musical psyche, take a look at this video.
Brett Dennen, named by Rolling Stone as “One of the 10 Artists to Watch in 2008”, has made his new album, Hope for the Hopeless, available for pre-order through AmieStreet.com for $5. Starting today, October 14, you have two weeks to pre-order the album for just $5. For each album purchased, AmieStreet.com will donate $5 to the Mosaic Project, an organization of close personal significance to Brett Dennen.
San Francisco-based Geographer have that lush baroque pop sound that draws lots of comparisons to Andrew Bird and Arcade Fire. Their new album Innocent Ghosts released this summer and is getting good attention. Listen to Can’t You Wait:
This is my favorite San Francisco indie rock band at the moment. Their debut album, Lust for Life, is one of the contenders for the 2008 SF Weekly Music Awards. We’ll find out later this week if they take the prize. I’m so intrigued by lead singer, Christopher Owens, in both his personal style and vocals. He’s got all the qualities of an eccentric rock star and sounds like Elvis Costello to boot. Featured is the track Hellhole Ratrace.
Oakland-based The Heavenly States is also a contender in the 2008 SF Weekly Music Awards in the Indie Rock category. Their vibe is wholly different with a pure, straight up rock sound reminiscent to The Hold Steady. Take a listen to ‘Lost in the Light‘ from their self-produced album Delayer.
This up and comer from South London calling himself Arch M has been enthralling me lately with his lo-fi aesthetic. His EP cassette, Mountain Tan Commericials, is available for free download here, and his full album Moon Tan should be released on the Cavern label some time soon.
Artist: Chad VanGaalen Album: Soft Airplane File Under: Indie Rock Recommended if You Like: Neil Young, Beck Featured Track: Willow Tree
I once heard Chad VanGaalen described as the schizophrenic son of Neil Young. And that completely made sense to me. The comparisons to Neil Young are obvious artistically and personally. Both are famously recluse and seem to favor the self-sufficiency of being a one-man band with a penchant for delicate, wavering vocals and a homemade aesthetic.
It’s here that the similarities end, however. As Chad is a much darker character. His lyrics are renown for being morbid and macabre. He seems fascinated by his own death, as the lyrics on ‘Willow Tree’ attest: “You can take my body / put it in a boat / light it on fire / send it out to sea.” Or the notion of his neighbor eating his dog in his own basement on ‘Cries of the Dead’.
I know, it sounds ridiculously depressing, but you really don’t need to have a morbid fascination to appreciate this album. There’s a stark beauty in the basement-recorded ‘Soft Airplane’ (as well as a nice cover of The Shins ‘City of Electric Light’). And while it’s true that the basement can be a dark and scary place at times, it can also be filled with wonder and surprise.
Not to be confused with Deerhunter, which I used to do early on, Deerhoof definitely falls into that category of local ‘experimental’ bands. Like most bands in this genre, I usually have one of two reactions – 1) the band is being weird for the sake of being weird or 2) I’m intrigued by the tension created by the music’s unexpected shifts and dissonance. Deerhoof falls into the latter category for me.Listen to ‘Offend Maggie’:
I don’t know much about Oakland-based girl band, Dreamdate, other than their tunes are short, catchy and make me feel good. And at the end of the day, isn’t that all that matters? Listen for yourself and see.
San Francisco-based Film School is just the kind of psych/garage rock, newgaze sound I like. Listening to them is like a game of ‘Name that Tune’ or early 90s musical influence – The Jesus and Mary Chain… My Bloody Valentine… New Order. Whatever the case, it all sounds good to me. Even better live.
the OCMD 