The Morning News talks to six mp3 bloggers about what makes them tick, what problems they face, and what the record companies should do next.
Nora O’Connor – Til The Dawn
Nora O’Connor – Til The Dawn (Bloodshot)
If you’ve been paying attention to the Chicago insurgent country scene over the past half-decade, you’ve probably noticed Nora O’Connor, albeit indirectly. She’s been a member of such Chicago favorites as Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire and the glam-twang outfit The Blacks. And if that wasn’t enough to fill up any sane person’s schedule she’s also played or recorded with the likes of The New Pornographers, Archer Prewitt, Neko Case, The Aluminum Group, Otis Clay, Chris Mills, Janet Bean, Frisbie, Justin Roberst, Billy Corgan, Jeff Tweedy and Kelly Hogan. All this while still serving up drinks at the best bar in Chicago. She’s definitely put her bid on winning the hardest working woman in alt-country, if not all entertainment.
This time around Nora O’Connor gets to step out of the shadows and take the spotlight with her latest release for Bloodshot Records, Til The Dawn. Pulling in favors from friends she’s made over the past handful of years playing around town, she’s assembled a damn impressive guest roster of musicians in the likes of Andrew Bird, Gerald Dowd, Ryan Hembrey, Kelly Hogan, Andy Hopkins, and Scot Ligon, which gives her latest album the well worn and comfortable sound of people that have been playing together for a long time.
Til The Dawn falls into that comfortable place between folk and honky-tonk, with just the right measure of torch song lullabies and hipster country to keep things moving along smoothly. With a couple of self-penned originals, a handful of spirited cover selections, and a few contributions from friends, O’Connor presents a delightful grouping of songs that make for an entertaining selection of urban twang.
The first of two James Mathus cuts, “Bottoms”, is a traditional lament of lost love is set against plucking banjo, fiddle, and strumming guitar. A Fleetwood Mac song is stripped down to it’s country soul effectively with “That’s Alright.” My favorite track, “Revolver” by The Drapes’ Kevin McDonough, is a folksy rock tune that has shades of Shawn Colvin’s “Sunny Came Home”. O’Connor’s original, “Tonight”, is filled with beautiful harmonies, swelling violins and inspired lap steel.
The album stumbles a bit with the “Love Letters.” On its own this Kitty Lester cover is welcoming with breathy vocals and a nice arrangement, but is out of place against the rest of the album.
Overall, an impressive solo outing filled with wonderful songs, inspired musicianship, and endearing vocals. It may not grab you the first time through, but with repeated listening you’ll find you’ll understand that’s she’s worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with her labelmates Neko Case, Kelly Hogan, and Sally Timms.
The Go – Hey Ya!
“Hey Ya!” by the Go. Via Motor City Rocks.
The Handsome Family – Singing Bones
The Handsome Family – Singing Bones (Carrot Top)
A novelty can get you attention, but what then? Successful acts use their novelty to get a foot in the door and then let loose with the real deal once inside. Ask the White Stripes—or the Handsome Family.
The Handsome Family got their foot in the door as a husband & wife duo (Rennie and Brett Sparks) singing spooky dirges supported by a drum machine that was started and stopped by hand on stage. It was quirky, it was neat, and it was novel. But the Handsome Family realizes that only goes so far and they’ve expanded their sound (and their charm) on Singing Bones. Sure, the lyrics still lean into the creepy zone, but the instrumentation and production are now worthy of Rennie’s lyrics and Brett’s musical arrangement. Purists may shout out “Judas,” (can you imagine?), but Singing Bones is the Handsome Family finding their confidence as recording artists.
The Album Leaf – In A Safe Place
The Album Leaf – In A Safe Place (Sub Pop)
With the third offering from his side project The Album Leaf, Tristeza’s Jimmy Lavalle presents an ambient soundscape accompanied by slight percussion and subdued vocals that eases the listener toward that dreamlike state. With assistance from friends from Sigur Rós, Múm, and The Blackheart Procession, Lavalle builds upon his signature sound adding vocals and varied percussion to achieve a more accomplished sound, one that finds him eclipsing the musical largesse achieved during his involvement with Tristeza.
To find inspiration while crafting this album, Lavalle traveled to Mosfellsbaer, Iceland to record at Sundlaugin, Sigur Rós’ home studio and the fruits of his journey and collaborations are evident. Shedding his comfortable surroundings of Southern California, Lavalle finds himself in the half way across the world and in unique surroundings that help shape the dreamlike atmosphere of this album.
Sparse, soft, intricate and fluid, In a Safe Place is an album that should be listened to in its entirety. “Window” sets the mood of the album with subtle beats and a plucking organ allowing things to evolve. “On Your Way” (mp3) introduces vocals to the mix of ambient sounds and beats that follow the organic progression of the album. Sigur Rós’ Jon Thor Birgisson lends sweetly eerie background vocals to “Over the Pond.”
“Streamside” Lavalle sheds the beats and organ for a more elemental sound built with acoustic guitars and strings. The vocals return on “Eastern Glow,” set against a backdrop of strings, beats and organ, pulling elements found throughout the album into one track before moving toward a tranquil exit with the placid “Moss Mountain Town.”
Fans of ambient, post-rock and IDM will find this a rewarding album. And for those who generally overlook those categories, you may be surprised at how engaging the encompassing aural soundscape on In A Safe Place can be.
More MP3s from the Album Leaf.
For Sale: 3 Tickets to the Underground Garage Fest
Buy a date with Johnny Loftus to Little Steven’s Underground Garage Fest in New York City, August 14. Three general admission tickets at $20 each. Johnny gets final say on who gets them – this isn’t first come first serve. Who wants ’em? Email Johnny.
Album Leaf – On Your Way
“On Your Way” by the Album Leaf from In A Safe Place. Via Fingertips.
Gary Young’s Hospital – The Grey Album
Gary Young’s Hospital – The Grey Album (Omnibus)
You know Gary Young. The spaced-out hippie that sat behind the drums and mixing board on early Pavement releases. The guy who used to do handstands mid-song during their sets. The guy who handed out vegetables at their shows. The unlucky bastard that got the shaft just as Pavement became the seminal 90s indie rock band. Then again, maybe you don’t. And it’s probably all the same to him.
While only releasing three albums since he ran around with Pavement, he’s been busy running his own studio, Louder Than You Think, designing the universal microphone shock mount, and living in general obscurity.
Gary Young is the sort of fringe artist that few indie snobs may think of as a genius, but he is something of a curiosity if nothing else. With The Grey Album we find Gary Young plucking a nearly half the songs from his out-of-print 1999 release The Things We Do For You, and assembling a hodgepodge of filler to round it off. The songs are typical indie rock pap that falls somewhere between Yes, Syd Barrett, and the Tall Dwarfs. For some, that may sound amazing, but unfortunately for all the good intentions that are presented within this album, it all falls short.
The album has a few high points such as the simple indie pop punk of “Vegetarians Are A Token.” And the eccentricity of “Fred Named Friend” (mp3) is bound to catch a few folks’ attention. Though the album offers a few glimpses of what could have been a decent album, overall its erratic content and overall blandness leave it to be little more than a curiosity.
Announcing… Glorious Noise Records
A couple years ago, I read the book Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azzerrad. I was blown away by all the stories of people who created their own scenes. Who ended up with something where once there was nothing. Whether it was starting a fanzine, booking an all-ages show at a K of C hall, or forming a band and driving across the country in a van, these were all inspiring tales of people doing it themselves. Not waiting around for anybody to tell them it’s okay or to set something up for them. Do it yourself.
Steve Burns – Songs for Dust Mites
Steve Burns – Songs for Dust Mites (Pias America)
When he asked, he got answers. The defining elements of Nickelodeon’s wildly popular “Blue’s Clues” were the expectant pauses of host Steve Burns, stretches of still screen and silent air when he offered a striped-shirt Mona Lisa smile after posing a question to his audience. As he waited patiently, a flurry of activity would erupt in living rooms the world over as his young viewers triumphantly reported that they’d found it – Blue’s clue was in the left corner! On the table! The answer was always within arm’s reach.
And then it wasn’t – for Burns, anyway. After five years of gamboling with singing eating utensils and entrancing children in 60 countries, he walked away from the show in 2001 (or “went to college,” in the show’s typical educational prodding to its devotees). Released from the technicolor pup’s leash, he disappeared into the real-world playground – and surfaced years later with an admirable, sweeping rock album.
Songs for Dustmites is a space-case of an indie album. Softly orchestrated with ambrosial strings and techy effects, it kicks up the dust that settled after Yoshimi battled the pink robots – and not coincidentally, as the Flaming Lips’ Steven Drozd and Michael Ivins played a part in the album’s creation (with production and bass, respectively). The mostly mid-tempo, progressive tracks saunter along with folk and americana leanings, often turning to single piano and guitar lines before transitioning entirely to vocal emphasis. The resulting sound is an intimate, if sometimes melodically fragmented, pattern that binds the entire album together well and pulls attentive ears towards Burns’s arresting, gently serrated croon.
Always the costar, Burns’s strong presence cedes to his pacific self-doubt. The roaring opening track, “Mighty Little Man,” (ram, asx) sounds less an acceptance of the juicebox icon’s slight stature than a conscious, not-quite-smiling nod to his internal shortcomings. “What I Do On Saturday,” (ram, asx) possibly the catchiest track and also the best example of the singer’s distinctive warble, repeats resolutely and nonchalantly, “I’m just a boring example of everybody else.” The other songs follow a similar self-deprecating bent, though they snap back upright before the moaning reaches crescendo, and flow fluidly with nary a glaring weak spot.
Songs for Dustmites is a solid soundtrack for the grown-up that isn’t done growing. It inspires a sort of maternal pride in the knowledge that Burns, after years of waiting for answers, found his own musical talent to fill the silence. God knows he looked around enough.