Bad Books, "Bad Books" 10/25/2010
By Brendan Harte Gilsenan
✭✭✭✭
Atlanta band Manchester Orchestra caught the attention of the alternative rock world with their sophomore album, 2008’s Mean Everything to Nothing. Their success has been propelled by the undeniable songwriting talent of front man Andy Hull. In 2007, singer-songwriter Kevin Devine opened for Manchester Orchestra, and a seed was planted for what would eventually grow to be Bad Books.
Having played alongside each other for the past several years since then, Hull and Devine decided it time to finally record an album together. The two called upon the remaining members of Manchester Orchestra to help flesh out their sound.
Although this super group of sorts is overloaded with members of Hull’s main project, Bad Books delivers a sound of its own. Having each written five songs on the album, Hull and Devine split lead vocal duties. Together the two have produced a high quality indie folk rock album.
This debut splits time between fuzzed-up lo-fi indie rockers and stripped down folk tunes. Lead single “You Wouldn’t Have To Ask” offers a crunchy pop sound that is new territory for both Hull and Devine. Clocking in at under two minutes it gets to the chorus quickly and serves its purpose well as a short but sweet catchy number.
Others such as “Holding Down The Laughter” and “Please Move” are the more uptempo of the bunch. “Laughter”’s lack of an actually chorus is heavily overshadowed by its strong pop melody. It is a worthy contender for best song on the album.
Burying their softer side, the band’s “Please Move” is the hardest rocking track on Bad Books. It, more than any of the others, is evidence of Manchester Orchestra’s involvement with the record. The palm-muted verses create a tension that builds in the pre-chorus, and finally resolves with Hull and Devine shouting away in the chorus.
Nearly half of the album is comprised of stripped down acoustic recordings. The open space in these tracks gives room for the listener to focus on the words being recited. Hull and Devine each have a great knack for imagery in their songs, and these slower numbers showcase that. “Mesa, AZ” and “Texas” are well worth the listen, though won’t get stuck in your head.
But a lot of times folk songs are not about the memorable melodies, but rather the sentimental meaning in the lyrics and delivery. Either Hull or Devine singing to a lonesome guitar, these tracks are more personal and offer an intimate connection to the music.
In the final seconds of the album Hull’s scratchy voice whispers, “I am a towel that is soaked to the core, heavier now than it’s gotten before. And something inside of me needs more and more, sooner than later, never no more.”
For a pair of men who find time to write and record a stellar album amidst heavy involvement with both main projects and touring upwards of 300 days out of the year, this seems a very fitting way to close an album that was created out of the sole ambition to make more music.
1. How This All Ends
2. The Easy Mark & the Old Maid
3. Baby Shoes
4. You’re a Mirror I Cannot Avoid
5. Holding Down The Laughter
6. You Wouldn’t Have To Ask
7. I Begged You Everything
8. Please Move
9. Mesa, AZ
10. Texas
✭✭✭✭
Atlanta band Manchester Orchestra caught the attention of the alternative rock world with their sophomore album, 2008’s Mean Everything to Nothing. Their success has been propelled by the undeniable songwriting talent of front man Andy Hull. In 2007, singer-songwriter Kevin Devine opened for Manchester Orchestra, and a seed was planted for what would eventually grow to be Bad Books.
Having played alongside each other for the past several years since then, Hull and Devine decided it time to finally record an album together. The two called upon the remaining members of Manchester Orchestra to help flesh out their sound.
Although this super group of sorts is overloaded with members of Hull’s main project, Bad Books delivers a sound of its own. Having each written five songs on the album, Hull and Devine split lead vocal duties. Together the two have produced a high quality indie folk rock album.
This debut splits time between fuzzed-up lo-fi indie rockers and stripped down folk tunes. Lead single “You Wouldn’t Have To Ask” offers a crunchy pop sound that is new territory for both Hull and Devine. Clocking in at under two minutes it gets to the chorus quickly and serves its purpose well as a short but sweet catchy number.
Others such as “Holding Down The Laughter” and “Please Move” are the more uptempo of the bunch. “Laughter”’s lack of an actually chorus is heavily overshadowed by its strong pop melody. It is a worthy contender for best song on the album.
Burying their softer side, the band’s “Please Move” is the hardest rocking track on Bad Books. It, more than any of the others, is evidence of Manchester Orchestra’s involvement with the record. The palm-muted verses create a tension that builds in the pre-chorus, and finally resolves with Hull and Devine shouting away in the chorus.
Nearly half of the album is comprised of stripped down acoustic recordings. The open space in these tracks gives room for the listener to focus on the words being recited. Hull and Devine each have a great knack for imagery in their songs, and these slower numbers showcase that. “Mesa, AZ” and “Texas” are well worth the listen, though won’t get stuck in your head.
But a lot of times folk songs are not about the memorable melodies, but rather the sentimental meaning in the lyrics and delivery. Either Hull or Devine singing to a lonesome guitar, these tracks are more personal and offer an intimate connection to the music.
In the final seconds of the album Hull’s scratchy voice whispers, “I am a towel that is soaked to the core, heavier now than it’s gotten before. And something inside of me needs more and more, sooner than later, never no more.”
For a pair of men who find time to write and record a stellar album amidst heavy involvement with both main projects and touring upwards of 300 days out of the year, this seems a very fitting way to close an album that was created out of the sole ambition to make more music.
1. How This All Ends
2. The Easy Mark & the Old Maid
3. Baby Shoes
4. You’re a Mirror I Cannot Avoid
5. Holding Down The Laughter
6. You Wouldn’t Have To Ask
7. I Begged You Everything
8. Please Move
9. Mesa, AZ
10. Texas
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Weezer, "Hurley" 09/07/2010
By Brendan Harte Gilsenan
✭✭ ½
Weezer fans document the band’s history into two eras: “Classic Line-up” Weezer and “Post-Pinkerton” Weezer. Post-Pinkerton begins with the band’s return from hiatus, and the release of their third album, and second self-titled, dubbed by fans The Green Album.
Although very successful, The Green Album was too generic. It missed the mark on the individuality and personality that had been a staple of Weezer’s first two releases. It may have been a good pop record, but The Green Album did not quite sound like the same old Weezer everyone had once known.
The band’s original bassist Matt Sharp, who left at the end of Weezer’s “classic” era, once said, “The one thing that is apparent about working with Rivers, that I’ve never experienced with anyone else, is that you really get a sense that he has an unlimited potential as a songwriter. That’s not supposed to be a touchy-feely, ass-kissing moment. I always felt that if his potential was ever fully realized, he would be considered in the upper echelon of melody based songwriters—like Brian Wilson or Paul McCartney.”
For years, album after album, Weezer’s fan base had been waiting for Rivers to get back on track with this description that so fittingly suited him during the band’s early years. Unfortunately, upon each release, no matter how good some of the songs may have been, it was never quite Weezer. The sound, the feeling that listeners fell in love with during the ‘90s was never quite recaptured.
Then came 2008’s The Red Album, and finally, finally we all had back the Weezer that had mysteriously disappeared at the turn of the century.
Songs like “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” and “Angel and the One” matched up with the best of the best from the band’s classic catalogue. The sound, the emotion, the feel; it was all there. This was the Weezer we had been waiting on to return (disregarding the three tracks written and sung by the other members of the band). Rivers was back in form. It had been worth the wait.
Then something changed.
What that something was is up for debate. Regardless, The Red Album’s follow up, Raditude, came out of left field to surprise and disappoint. Although there were aspects reminiscent of old Weezer, it was not a Weezer album. And that is where we are left with Hurley.
Having signed with indie-label Epitaph, Weezer had more creative control over their final product. Instead of letting the songs sit, boil, and overcook like they had for most of the 2000’s, the other members of the band did not learn the songs until Cuomo presented them in the studio, ready to be recorded. Although a better effort than Raditude, Hurley is still not a Weezer album in the sense that The Blue Album, Pinkerton, and The Red Album are. The Blue Album and Pinkerton are Weezer perfection from start to finish. At least half of The Red Album consists of songs that are Weezer perfection.
Hurley shows signs of the band that reemerged with 2008’s The Red Album, but is not quite a Weezer album in the same sense.
“Ruling Me”, with the personality of The Blue Album, and the perfected vocal melodies of The Green Album, is accompanied by a cringe worthy bridge. Others, such as lead single “Memories”, simply sound too bland.
“Brave New World” keeps up with the tradition over the last four albums of including at least one track that simply should never have been written.
“Smart Girls”, aside from “Ruling Me” sans the bridge, is the most Weezer-esque of the bunch. Cuomo’s runoff of feminine counterparts’ names is reminiscent of Pinkerton’s “Tired of Sex”.
Instrumentally, guest to the band over the past year and a half Josh Freese, while a very proficient drummer, is a bit too systematic for a Weezer album.
Some lyrics seem forced in order to finish the song and have missed out on the labor needed to find the right words.
In the end we are left with a fine record, nothing too special, nothing too detrimental. A fair amount, if not a majority, of this record is catchy and enjoyable. The disappointment lies with the fact that it is not the product of the elite songwriting that Cuomo proved in 2008 he is not completely out of touch with.
1. Memories
2. Ruling Me
3. Trainwrecks
4. Unspoken
5. Where’s My Sex?
6. Run Away
7. Hang On
8. Smart Girls
9. Brave New World
10. Times Flies
✭✭ ½
Weezer fans document the band’s history into two eras: “Classic Line-up” Weezer and “Post-Pinkerton” Weezer. Post-Pinkerton begins with the band’s return from hiatus, and the release of their third album, and second self-titled, dubbed by fans The Green Album.
Although very successful, The Green Album was too generic. It missed the mark on the individuality and personality that had been a staple of Weezer’s first two releases. It may have been a good pop record, but The Green Album did not quite sound like the same old Weezer everyone had once known.
The band’s original bassist Matt Sharp, who left at the end of Weezer’s “classic” era, once said, “The one thing that is apparent about working with Rivers, that I’ve never experienced with anyone else, is that you really get a sense that he has an unlimited potential as a songwriter. That’s not supposed to be a touchy-feely, ass-kissing moment. I always felt that if his potential was ever fully realized, he would be considered in the upper echelon of melody based songwriters—like Brian Wilson or Paul McCartney.”
For years, album after album, Weezer’s fan base had been waiting for Rivers to get back on track with this description that so fittingly suited him during the band’s early years. Unfortunately, upon each release, no matter how good some of the songs may have been, it was never quite Weezer. The sound, the feeling that listeners fell in love with during the ‘90s was never quite recaptured.
Then came 2008’s The Red Album, and finally, finally we all had back the Weezer that had mysteriously disappeared at the turn of the century.
Songs like “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” and “Angel and the One” matched up with the best of the best from the band’s classic catalogue. The sound, the emotion, the feel; it was all there. This was the Weezer we had been waiting on to return (disregarding the three tracks written and sung by the other members of the band). Rivers was back in form. It had been worth the wait.
Then something changed.
What that something was is up for debate. Regardless, The Red Album’s follow up, Raditude, came out of left field to surprise and disappoint. Although there were aspects reminiscent of old Weezer, it was not a Weezer album. And that is where we are left with Hurley.
Having signed with indie-label Epitaph, Weezer had more creative control over their final product. Instead of letting the songs sit, boil, and overcook like they had for most of the 2000’s, the other members of the band did not learn the songs until Cuomo presented them in the studio, ready to be recorded. Although a better effort than Raditude, Hurley is still not a Weezer album in the sense that The Blue Album, Pinkerton, and The Red Album are. The Blue Album and Pinkerton are Weezer perfection from start to finish. At least half of The Red Album consists of songs that are Weezer perfection.
Hurley shows signs of the band that reemerged with 2008’s The Red Album, but is not quite a Weezer album in the same sense.
“Ruling Me”, with the personality of The Blue Album, and the perfected vocal melodies of The Green Album, is accompanied by a cringe worthy bridge. Others, such as lead single “Memories”, simply sound too bland.
“Brave New World” keeps up with the tradition over the last four albums of including at least one track that simply should never have been written.
“Smart Girls”, aside from “Ruling Me” sans the bridge, is the most Weezer-esque of the bunch. Cuomo’s runoff of feminine counterparts’ names is reminiscent of Pinkerton’s “Tired of Sex”.
Instrumentally, guest to the band over the past year and a half Josh Freese, while a very proficient drummer, is a bit too systematic for a Weezer album.
Some lyrics seem forced in order to finish the song and have missed out on the labor needed to find the right words.
In the end we are left with a fine record, nothing too special, nothing too detrimental. A fair amount, if not a majority, of this record is catchy and enjoyable. The disappointment lies with the fact that it is not the product of the elite songwriting that Cuomo proved in 2008 he is not completely out of touch with.
1. Memories
2. Ruling Me
3. Trainwrecks
4. Unspoken
5. Where’s My Sex?
6. Run Away
7. Hang On
8. Smart Girls
9. Brave New World
10. Times Flies
The Toadies, "Feeler" 09/07/2010
By Brendan Harte Gilsenan
✭✭✭✭ ½
After 14 years, the follow-up to the Toadies’ 1994 multi-platinum selling Rubberneck has finally been released. Although not as notorious as Chinese Democracy or Brian Wilson’s Smile, Feeler gained mythical status amongst Toadies fans after failing to receive the green light from record label Interscope. The Toadies wouldn’t release another album until 2000, and shortly after broke up.
After reconvening and releasing a long overdue album of fresh material in 2008, the Toadies thought it time to finally release their proper sophomore effort. For years, tracks from the original Feeler sessions have been floating around the Internet in unfinished forms. After failing to recover the masters to those tracks from Interscope, the band decided to enter the studio and record the album fresh.
The result: a decade-old time capsule on par with the best of 90’s post-grunge and alternative rock. Why the label gave up on Feeler in the first place is hard to understand.
This in-your-face album packs a powerful punch in only nine songs. “Waterfall” steadily builds from its bass intro to a hard-hitting, angst-ridden bulldozer of a track. Repeating “now’s the time, the time is now”, front man Vaden Todd Lewis creates an anxious anticipation for the song’s explosive and strained chorus.
The use of unusual timing throughout the album gives it that very classic Toadies feel. Feeler maintains a use of memorable melodies and hooks from songs like single “City of Hate” and the lover-obsessive “Mine”. Others, such as “Dead Boy” and “Suck Magic” keep alive the aggression of heavier early-mid 90’s alternative rock.
Although the band had enough material to exceed the 28 minutes of the final product, their restraint shows a focus on an album as opposed to a compilation of songs from the same era.
1. Trust Game
2. Waterfall
3. Dead Boy
4. City Of Hate
5. Mine
6. Suck Magic
7. ATF
8. Joey, Let’s Go
9. Pink
✭✭✭✭ ½
After 14 years, the follow-up to the Toadies’ 1994 multi-platinum selling Rubberneck has finally been released. Although not as notorious as Chinese Democracy or Brian Wilson’s Smile, Feeler gained mythical status amongst Toadies fans after failing to receive the green light from record label Interscope. The Toadies wouldn’t release another album until 2000, and shortly after broke up.
After reconvening and releasing a long overdue album of fresh material in 2008, the Toadies thought it time to finally release their proper sophomore effort. For years, tracks from the original Feeler sessions have been floating around the Internet in unfinished forms. After failing to recover the masters to those tracks from Interscope, the band decided to enter the studio and record the album fresh.
The result: a decade-old time capsule on par with the best of 90’s post-grunge and alternative rock. Why the label gave up on Feeler in the first place is hard to understand.
This in-your-face album packs a powerful punch in only nine songs. “Waterfall” steadily builds from its bass intro to a hard-hitting, angst-ridden bulldozer of a track. Repeating “now’s the time, the time is now”, front man Vaden Todd Lewis creates an anxious anticipation for the song’s explosive and strained chorus.
The use of unusual timing throughout the album gives it that very classic Toadies feel. Feeler maintains a use of memorable melodies and hooks from songs like single “City of Hate” and the lover-obsessive “Mine”. Others, such as “Dead Boy” and “Suck Magic” keep alive the aggression of heavier early-mid 90’s alternative rock.
Although the band had enough material to exceed the 28 minutes of the final product, their restraint shows a focus on an album as opposed to a compilation of songs from the same era.
1. Trust Game
2. Waterfall
3. Dead Boy
4. City Of Hate
5. Mine
6. Suck Magic
7. ATF
8. Joey, Let’s Go
9. Pink
Weezer, "I'm A Believer" 05/21/2010
By Brendan Harte Gilsenan
✭✭✭
This spring, the final installment to the Shrek franchise will end how it began: with a cover of the Monkee’s “I’m A Believer”. While the 90’s “All Star”-famed Smash Mouth (oh yeah… remember them?) was called upon to record the tune for the series’ first film, this time around the duty has been handed off to Rivers Cuomo and the gang.
This is not the first time Weezer has been slated to record a song for a Shrek film. In 2004 the band was intended for inclusion on Shrek 2’s soundtrack with a song that would eventually land on their Make Believe track list, “My Best Friend”. Perhaps a blessing in disguise, the song was eventually passed on in favor of the Counting Crows’ “Accidentally In Love”. To this day “My Best Friend” holds its place among the worst of the worst in released Weezer material. Weezer’s recording of “I’m A Believer” is a far better representation of what the band has to offer.
While Smash Mouth ska-ed up the song in order to suit their sound, Weezer stayed more true to the original, yet still made it their own. Although there is nothing groundbreaking, nor particularly memorable in the cover, it is indeed a fun recording with lots of energy.
The foursome added that classic Weezer crunch to the song, aiding it in achieving a sound more in line with their older material than that of recent years (save for The Red Album). The track is a to-the-point power-pop song, much along the lines of the band’s first hit, “Buddy Holly”. With “I’m A Believer” Weezer delivers a fun reinterpretation of this classic, and a quality addition to the final Shrek soundtrack.
✭✭✭
This spring, the final installment to the Shrek franchise will end how it began: with a cover of the Monkee’s “I’m A Believer”. While the 90’s “All Star”-famed Smash Mouth (oh yeah… remember them?) was called upon to record the tune for the series’ first film, this time around the duty has been handed off to Rivers Cuomo and the gang.
This is not the first time Weezer has been slated to record a song for a Shrek film. In 2004 the band was intended for inclusion on Shrek 2’s soundtrack with a song that would eventually land on their Make Believe track list, “My Best Friend”. Perhaps a blessing in disguise, the song was eventually passed on in favor of the Counting Crows’ “Accidentally In Love”. To this day “My Best Friend” holds its place among the worst of the worst in released Weezer material. Weezer’s recording of “I’m A Believer” is a far better representation of what the band has to offer.
While Smash Mouth ska-ed up the song in order to suit their sound, Weezer stayed more true to the original, yet still made it their own. Although there is nothing groundbreaking, nor particularly memorable in the cover, it is indeed a fun recording with lots of energy.
The foursome added that classic Weezer crunch to the song, aiding it in achieving a sound more in line with their older material than that of recent years (save for The Red Album). The track is a to-the-point power-pop song, much along the lines of the band’s first hit, “Buddy Holly”. With “I’m A Believer” Weezer delivers a fun reinterpretation of this classic, and a quality addition to the final Shrek soundtrack.
David Bazan, "Curse Your Branches" 04/20/2010
By Doug Kaplan
✭✭✭ ½
There are three distinctive events that occurred in my childhood that I largely credit with having shaped who I am as a person.
The first was a discovery that happened in fifth grade. Until that point my mother had obediently packed my brown bagged lunch with those ever popular Polly-O String cheeses, never missing a beat, with the exception of April 5th 1996 when my cheese curiously slipped into my sister’s lunch pale causing the catastrophic collapse of my world largely referred to as The String Cheese Incident by my extended family. The real discovery, however, occurred when suddenly I had begun to balloon and no longer felt comfortable playing pool basketball with the neighboring children. Cheese has a lot of fat, and that upset me. I will be sure to tell my children this fact while they are still in the womb, just to avoid any confusion that could occur later on in elementary school.
The second event involved being bitten by my families puppy, a curiously adorable Silky Terrier named Chester, when he had no interest in being woken up during the commercial breaks of Sunday night’s 60 Minutes. It was traumatizing to know that something so cute and cuddly was capable of attacking me.
It is for the same reason that even now, some twelve years later, I will no longer date blondes. While they are undoubtedly the most attractive females, I know that when push comes to shove they will most likely not stick around to make me omelets in the way John Lennon and Paul McCartney so faithfully described in “When I’m 64.” Furthermore, with this ridiculous craze of vampire films appearing, discussed in my Bondy review, I am rightfully scared of the cultural role-playing sure to emerge in my age group.
The last, and most significant event to shape my childhood, occurred in late 2005 when David Bazan announced his separation from Seattle’s truth-child Pedro the Lion. The band had produced low-fi midnight tunes that could captivate any and every audience by drastically altering the room’s mood.
From ‘95 to 2005, Bazan had various musicians backing his songwriting. In his bitch-slap single from his first solo effort EP, Fewer Moving Parts, Bazan writes
Fewer moving parts means fewer broken pieces
When every other start requires a brand new thesis
One good friend remarks with a rightfully angry
Jesus dude! None of us know what to do with you
To which I in pride responded
I've got news for you
None of you have to 'cause
I still run the show
It appeared that the curtain Bazan had encompassed most of Pedro’s metaphors with was no longer protecting anyone. He had an ultimatum, and he no longer cared who knew it. And this is dangerous.
This is dangerous because Bazan is such a brilliant songwriter. In just a decade he has joined the ranks of Conor Oberst, Jeff Mangum, and Elliott Smith. So after four official Pedro albums, one all-too-similar to Ben Gibbard’s Postal Service Headphones side project album, and one solo EP, we arrive at Bazan’s first official full-length solo effort. This would be similar to Rogert Ebert calling a documentary made this year by Peter Jackson his “first film.” Bazan has a ton of experience and I had very high expectations for his new album.
Curse Your Branches, a ten-song effort, was released earlier this month. It is different from his previous work in that it attempts to take an introspective look at spiritual events, rather than girlfriends and drinking, which compile most of his discography. The album begins with a largely instrumental track, “Hard to Be”, which builds so much momentum, it’s hard not to feel like Rocky at the top of that Philadelphia staircase when the refrain finally hits. It is here that Bazan begs for us to begin asking questions. It is hard to be/hard to be/a decent human being.
Track three, “Please Baby Please”, appeared acoustically on his American Flags EP released earlier this year. The track sounds better than ever and chronologically follows the life of his daughter. Those pair of two big blue eyes/stare me down and they watch me fall/but what makes a man realize/that he is about to lose it all. Track four, the title track, is unflickeringly the best song on the album. When every hired gun/I’ve ever fired/is making love to you/while I look on. The chorus is so stereotypically Bazan that it makes me laugh. He demands that all leaves curse their branches for not letting them decide where they should fall.
From this point on, the middle chunk of the album is the most captivating. The next song, “Harmless Sparks”, is a track Bazan had been pairing with an acoustic Christmas cover called “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” when played on promotional performances. It is here that the religious imagery can no longer be denied. They might have burned/but the priests were all taking turns/showing nuns what they had discerned/about their bodies/in the dark.
Track seven, “Lost My Shape”, brings back the familiar theme of alcoholism to long time fans. It reminds me specifically of a Kevin Devine track, mainly his newest single I Could Be With Anyone. It has a specifically calculated repetition representative of KD’s style. Nonetheless, it is still an easy listen, and much in the same way that Neo-realistic film was so boring that it forced viewers to think about other things, I found myself drifting into thought specifically around the words prodigal, prophecy, and burn as if they were dragging me by the coattail. Now you hate what you’ve made/and you want to watch it burn.
In Stiches, the concluding track, Bazan brutally continues his quest.
When Job asked you the question,
You responded, "Who are you
To challenge your Creator?"
Well if that one part is true,
It makes you sound defensive
Like you had not thought it through
Enough to have an answer
Or you might have bit off more than you could chew
Overall, the album did not let me down. Its topics are ones that will not get boring. In an interview during Manchester Orchestra’s documentary, Let My Pride Be What’s Left Behind, front-man Andy Hull makes note that since his songs are not about girlfriends the topics are not ones that will become boring and unemotional. I feel that this is specifically true about Curse Your Branches. I can not wait to see what questions Bazan asks next.
1. Hard To Be
2. Bless This Mess
3. Please, Baby, Please
4. Curse Your Branches
5. Harmless Sparks
6. When We Fell
7. Lost My Shape
8. Bearing Witness
9. Heavy Breath
10. In Stitches
✭✭✭ ½
There are three distinctive events that occurred in my childhood that I largely credit with having shaped who I am as a person.
The first was a discovery that happened in fifth grade. Until that point my mother had obediently packed my brown bagged lunch with those ever popular Polly-O String cheeses, never missing a beat, with the exception of April 5th 1996 when my cheese curiously slipped into my sister’s lunch pale causing the catastrophic collapse of my world largely referred to as The String Cheese Incident by my extended family. The real discovery, however, occurred when suddenly I had begun to balloon and no longer felt comfortable playing pool basketball with the neighboring children. Cheese has a lot of fat, and that upset me. I will be sure to tell my children this fact while they are still in the womb, just to avoid any confusion that could occur later on in elementary school.
The second event involved being bitten by my families puppy, a curiously adorable Silky Terrier named Chester, when he had no interest in being woken up during the commercial breaks of Sunday night’s 60 Minutes. It was traumatizing to know that something so cute and cuddly was capable of attacking me.
It is for the same reason that even now, some twelve years later, I will no longer date blondes. While they are undoubtedly the most attractive females, I know that when push comes to shove they will most likely not stick around to make me omelets in the way John Lennon and Paul McCartney so faithfully described in “When I’m 64.” Furthermore, with this ridiculous craze of vampire films appearing, discussed in my Bondy review, I am rightfully scared of the cultural role-playing sure to emerge in my age group.
The last, and most significant event to shape my childhood, occurred in late 2005 when David Bazan announced his separation from Seattle’s truth-child Pedro the Lion. The band had produced low-fi midnight tunes that could captivate any and every audience by drastically altering the room’s mood.
From ‘95 to 2005, Bazan had various musicians backing his songwriting. In his bitch-slap single from his first solo effort EP, Fewer Moving Parts, Bazan writes
Fewer moving parts means fewer broken pieces
When every other start requires a brand new thesis
One good friend remarks with a rightfully angry
Jesus dude! None of us know what to do with you
To which I in pride responded
I've got news for you
None of you have to 'cause
I still run the show
It appeared that the curtain Bazan had encompassed most of Pedro’s metaphors with was no longer protecting anyone. He had an ultimatum, and he no longer cared who knew it. And this is dangerous.
This is dangerous because Bazan is such a brilliant songwriter. In just a decade he has joined the ranks of Conor Oberst, Jeff Mangum, and Elliott Smith. So after four official Pedro albums, one all-too-similar to Ben Gibbard’s Postal Service Headphones side project album, and one solo EP, we arrive at Bazan’s first official full-length solo effort. This would be similar to Rogert Ebert calling a documentary made this year by Peter Jackson his “first film.” Bazan has a ton of experience and I had very high expectations for his new album.
Curse Your Branches, a ten-song effort, was released earlier this month. It is different from his previous work in that it attempts to take an introspective look at spiritual events, rather than girlfriends and drinking, which compile most of his discography. The album begins with a largely instrumental track, “Hard to Be”, which builds so much momentum, it’s hard not to feel like Rocky at the top of that Philadelphia staircase when the refrain finally hits. It is here that Bazan begs for us to begin asking questions. It is hard to be/hard to be/a decent human being.
Track three, “Please Baby Please”, appeared acoustically on his American Flags EP released earlier this year. The track sounds better than ever and chronologically follows the life of his daughter. Those pair of two big blue eyes/stare me down and they watch me fall/but what makes a man realize/that he is about to lose it all. Track four, the title track, is unflickeringly the best song on the album. When every hired gun/I’ve ever fired/is making love to you/while I look on. The chorus is so stereotypically Bazan that it makes me laugh. He demands that all leaves curse their branches for not letting them decide where they should fall.
From this point on, the middle chunk of the album is the most captivating. The next song, “Harmless Sparks”, is a track Bazan had been pairing with an acoustic Christmas cover called “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” when played on promotional performances. It is here that the religious imagery can no longer be denied. They might have burned/but the priests were all taking turns/showing nuns what they had discerned/about their bodies/in the dark.
Track seven, “Lost My Shape”, brings back the familiar theme of alcoholism to long time fans. It reminds me specifically of a Kevin Devine track, mainly his newest single I Could Be With Anyone. It has a specifically calculated repetition representative of KD’s style. Nonetheless, it is still an easy listen, and much in the same way that Neo-realistic film was so boring that it forced viewers to think about other things, I found myself drifting into thought specifically around the words prodigal, prophecy, and burn as if they were dragging me by the coattail. Now you hate what you’ve made/and you want to watch it burn.
In Stiches, the concluding track, Bazan brutally continues his quest.
When Job asked you the question,
You responded, "Who are you
To challenge your Creator?"
Well if that one part is true,
It makes you sound defensive
Like you had not thought it through
Enough to have an answer
Or you might have bit off more than you could chew
Overall, the album did not let me down. Its topics are ones that will not get boring. In an interview during Manchester Orchestra’s documentary, Let My Pride Be What’s Left Behind, front-man Andy Hull makes note that since his songs are not about girlfriends the topics are not ones that will become boring and unemotional. I feel that this is specifically true about Curse Your Branches. I can not wait to see what questions Bazan asks next.
1. Hard To Be
2. Bless This Mess
3. Please, Baby, Please
4. Curse Your Branches
5. Harmless Sparks
6. When We Fell
7. Lost My Shape
8. Bearing Witness
9. Heavy Breath
10. In Stitches
Springfest Music Hits Obstacles 04/19/2010
Pictured: Mike Lehman (yellow hat), Matt Sullivan ('zombie' t-shirt)
By Brendan Harte Gilsenan
The past three years senior Mike Lehman has performed at the James Madison University (JMU) Springfest in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The scene is nothing new to him. For this year’s event, Lehman adopted the privilege and responsibility of determining and booking which bands were to perform at the outdoor party. Without the backing of the University, Lehman tackled the challenge of organizing the festivity’s live acts all on his own.
Springfest, which took place for the fourth annual year, is unaffiliated with James Madison University. Located off-campus at apartment complexes, this alumni-weekend block party is organized and staged by students determined not to see the tradition fade.
With an increase in interest by bands wanting to perform, and last minute location changes, planning the music for this year’s annual Springfest became a much larger task than it previously had been.
“In previous years it was just, ‘Let’s get the JMU bands out [to play] who we like’,” says Lehman, who, this year, was contacted by bands from New York to West Virginia. “Because it was advertised a lot bigger on Facebook this year… people saw that there were going to be a lot of people in attendance, and wanted to have a part in playing it.”
Lehman stressed the fact that priority was given to bands consisting of all, or mostly JMU students. After that, he looked to other acts from the area that would benefit from the local exposure. Others, who originally saw Springfest as an opportunity to cash in due to the large crowd, pulled their names from the running upon learning that the party’s music is, and always has been, a free benefit for the students.
Up until the day of Springfest, the event was in danger of not happening at all. Usually partying at the Fox Hills apartment complex, off of Devon Lane, students learned that the property owners were not allowing the social gathering to be held at its usual location. Although the block party finally found a home at Forest Hills Manor, the music became much more difficult to organize due to the unknown status of the event’s happening.
“For being unorganized, it was as good as it could be,” said Lehman, who originally had booked five bands and five DJs for Springfest.
Junior Matt Sullivan, who jammed with Lehman during a set, also felt the music turned out successful, despite the obstacles.
“The only thing that was lost was the amount of acts that we [had planned for].”
While previous years have seen bands performing under a tent and on stage, this Springfest made use of some more creativity. While a DJ blared tunes from a balcony, Lehman opened his door for students to come in and listen to live music in his living room.
“It was cool being up close to everybody, with them dancing and all,” said Sullivan. Although he pointed out that “it would have sounded better if we were on stage.”
Unfortunately, Lehman predicts this Springfest to be the last, at least for a while. He is afraid the rioting that took place at the Forest Hills block party the following day has forever tarnished the Friday’s event, both of which traditionally comprise Block Party Weekend.
“They’re separate entities, and they’re being ran together, and it’s giving Springfest a bad name,” says Lehman. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Forest Hills block party never happens again, and I feel like [Harrisonburg] is going to try to crack down on Springfest, even though that’s a totally separate entity that went over fine.”
The past three years senior Mike Lehman has performed at the James Madison University (JMU) Springfest in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The scene is nothing new to him. For this year’s event, Lehman adopted the privilege and responsibility of determining and booking which bands were to perform at the outdoor party. Without the backing of the University, Lehman tackled the challenge of organizing the festivity’s live acts all on his own.
Springfest, which took place for the fourth annual year, is unaffiliated with James Madison University. Located off-campus at apartment complexes, this alumni-weekend block party is organized and staged by students determined not to see the tradition fade.
With an increase in interest by bands wanting to perform, and last minute location changes, planning the music for this year’s annual Springfest became a much larger task than it previously had been.
“In previous years it was just, ‘Let’s get the JMU bands out [to play] who we like’,” says Lehman, who, this year, was contacted by bands from New York to West Virginia. “Because it was advertised a lot bigger on Facebook this year… people saw that there were going to be a lot of people in attendance, and wanted to have a part in playing it.”
Lehman stressed the fact that priority was given to bands consisting of all, or mostly JMU students. After that, he looked to other acts from the area that would benefit from the local exposure. Others, who originally saw Springfest as an opportunity to cash in due to the large crowd, pulled their names from the running upon learning that the party’s music is, and always has been, a free benefit for the students.
Up until the day of Springfest, the event was in danger of not happening at all. Usually partying at the Fox Hills apartment complex, off of Devon Lane, students learned that the property owners were not allowing the social gathering to be held at its usual location. Although the block party finally found a home at Forest Hills Manor, the music became much more difficult to organize due to the unknown status of the event’s happening.
“For being unorganized, it was as good as it could be,” said Lehman, who originally had booked five bands and five DJs for Springfest.
Junior Matt Sullivan, who jammed with Lehman during a set, also felt the music turned out successful, despite the obstacles.
“The only thing that was lost was the amount of acts that we [had planned for].”
While previous years have seen bands performing under a tent and on stage, this Springfest made use of some more creativity. While a DJ blared tunes from a balcony, Lehman opened his door for students to come in and listen to live music in his living room.
“It was cool being up close to everybody, with them dancing and all,” said Sullivan. Although he pointed out that “it would have sounded better if we were on stage.”
Unfortunately, Lehman predicts this Springfest to be the last, at least for a while. He is afraid the rioting that took place at the Forest Hills block party the following day has forever tarnished the Friday’s event, both of which traditionally comprise Block Party Weekend.
“They’re separate entities, and they’re being ran together, and it’s giving Springfest a bad name,” says Lehman. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Forest Hills block party never happens again, and I feel like [Harrisonburg] is going to try to crack down on Springfest, even though that’s a totally separate entity that went over fine.”
By Doug Kaplan
✭✭✭✭
I’ve never been in a midnight organ fight. I’m not even positive on what exactly that type of incident would necessarily entail. I envision two people, one dressed in red and the other in blue, sitting on competing stages that look something along the lines of a presidential debate mixed with that old-school American Gladiator arena. Then, in one swift motion, someone waves a checkered flag and suddenly both pianists begin playing Bb’s and C#m’s at each other until finally one can no longer take the piercing notes, and collapses off his bench, dazed and defeated.
Going to school in upstate New York, I do know a lot about winter and mixed drinks, both of which are crucial topics on Scottish indie-rock Frightened Rabbit’s commercial sophomore effort, A Winter of Mixed Drinks. The band generated a lot of hype with its first commercial success, The Midnight Organ Fight, back in 2008. Before that, the band released an album in 2006 that I never gave too much attention to, called Sing the Greys. For the most part the band has generated hype on the indie circuit for lead singer Scott Hutchinson’s heavy Scottish accent and chiming rhythmic guitar accents typical of the Silversun Pickups or the All Get Out. The band’s newest album stylistically is very similar to the old.
Track one, “Things”, is a pop-oriented jingle, reuniting old fans with a familiar sound all the while introducing new ones to Hutchinson’s Scottish roots. It is an anti-capitalism anthem. The second track, “Swim Until You Can’t See Land”, is the album’s leading single. It is unusual for me to favor a song that is selected for the single as one of the best on the album, but in this case I find the song irresistibly catchy. It is easy to sing the refrain, Swim, until you can’t see land, are you a man or are you a bag of sand?, because it is repeated roughly about 36 times (complete and utter estimate).
Track 3, “The Loneliness”, never fails to remind me of something Chris Martin would put out on a newer Coldplay album. It is simple, but captivating. Track 6, “Nothing Like You”, is a great tune for the broken-hearted. Scott tells a story of finding a new girl, yet her still not “being the cure for cancer.” The next track, “Man/Bag of Sand” sounds as if it started out as the single discussed earlier, but was never built into anything. It is acoustic and repeats the refrain for a full two minutes before finally fading into the second half of the album. It does have a certain déjà-vu quality, however.
Two tracks later the second best song on the album appears. “Not Miserable” is lyrically brilliant and continues the album’s universal theme of water, sea, land, body, and sky. The proceeding track, “Living in Colour”, sounds so much like a money-making, Chris Martin-penned, Coldplay song that I actually had to check and make sure he was not credited with writing the song as to not appear like a fool in this article. The final song, “Yes, I Would”, provides systematic closure to a midlife crisis that lead singer Scott Hutchinson clearly experienced when composing his newest effort - My cry for a fistful of sand/breeds silence/hold me I am folding/the world just blinks/lead me I’m stupid from a lesson learned/you’ve learned nothing.
If you like Scottish accents, indie rock, and spiritual metaphors then this album will have a long life in your car’s heavy rotation glove compartment. The band has continued doing what they do best, and I imagine large commercial attention to ensue. Unlike the Kings of Leon, however, I hope Scott will live up to the nickname his mother provided him, which inspired the band’s name, (Frightened Rabbit) and have enough sense to stay off VH1.
1. Things
2. Swim Until You Can't See Land
3. The Loneliness and the Scream
4. The Wrestle
5. Skip The Youth
6. Nothing Like You
7. Man/Bag of Sand
8. Foot Shooter
9. Not Miserable
10. Living in Colour
11. Yes, I Would
✭✭✭✭
I’ve never been in a midnight organ fight. I’m not even positive on what exactly that type of incident would necessarily entail. I envision two people, one dressed in red and the other in blue, sitting on competing stages that look something along the lines of a presidential debate mixed with that old-school American Gladiator arena. Then, in one swift motion, someone waves a checkered flag and suddenly both pianists begin playing Bb’s and C#m’s at each other until finally one can no longer take the piercing notes, and collapses off his bench, dazed and defeated.
Going to school in upstate New York, I do know a lot about winter and mixed drinks, both of which are crucial topics on Scottish indie-rock Frightened Rabbit’s commercial sophomore effort, A Winter of Mixed Drinks. The band generated a lot of hype with its first commercial success, The Midnight Organ Fight, back in 2008. Before that, the band released an album in 2006 that I never gave too much attention to, called Sing the Greys. For the most part the band has generated hype on the indie circuit for lead singer Scott Hutchinson’s heavy Scottish accent and chiming rhythmic guitar accents typical of the Silversun Pickups or the All Get Out. The band’s newest album stylistically is very similar to the old.
Track one, “Things”, is a pop-oriented jingle, reuniting old fans with a familiar sound all the while introducing new ones to Hutchinson’s Scottish roots. It is an anti-capitalism anthem. The second track, “Swim Until You Can’t See Land”, is the album’s leading single. It is unusual for me to favor a song that is selected for the single as one of the best on the album, but in this case I find the song irresistibly catchy. It is easy to sing the refrain, Swim, until you can’t see land, are you a man or are you a bag of sand?, because it is repeated roughly about 36 times (complete and utter estimate).
Track 3, “The Loneliness”, never fails to remind me of something Chris Martin would put out on a newer Coldplay album. It is simple, but captivating. Track 6, “Nothing Like You”, is a great tune for the broken-hearted. Scott tells a story of finding a new girl, yet her still not “being the cure for cancer.” The next track, “Man/Bag of Sand” sounds as if it started out as the single discussed earlier, but was never built into anything. It is acoustic and repeats the refrain for a full two minutes before finally fading into the second half of the album. It does have a certain déjà-vu quality, however.
Two tracks later the second best song on the album appears. “Not Miserable” is lyrically brilliant and continues the album’s universal theme of water, sea, land, body, and sky. The proceeding track, “Living in Colour”, sounds so much like a money-making, Chris Martin-penned, Coldplay song that I actually had to check and make sure he was not credited with writing the song as to not appear like a fool in this article. The final song, “Yes, I Would”, provides systematic closure to a midlife crisis that lead singer Scott Hutchinson clearly experienced when composing his newest effort - My cry for a fistful of sand/breeds silence/hold me I am folding/the world just blinks/lead me I’m stupid from a lesson learned/you’ve learned nothing.
If you like Scottish accents, indie rock, and spiritual metaphors then this album will have a long life in your car’s heavy rotation glove compartment. The band has continued doing what they do best, and I imagine large commercial attention to ensue. Unlike the Kings of Leon, however, I hope Scott will live up to the nickname his mother provided him, which inspired the band’s name, (Frightened Rabbit) and have enough sense to stay off VH1.
1. Things
2. Swim Until You Can't See Land
3. The Loneliness and the Scream
4. The Wrestle
5. Skip The Youth
6. Nothing Like You
7. Man/Bag of Sand
8. Foot Shooter
9. Not Miserable
10. Living in Colour
11. Yes, I Would
Surfer Blood, "Astro Coast" 03/16/2010
By Brendan Harte Gilsenan
✭✭✭ ½
For a bunch of guys who have no experience surfing, Surfer Blood sure seem to be influenced by the sport a fair amount. The West Palm Beach crew not only derives its name from the pastime, but also seldom sings of it, all the while using a touch of that surf rock-type music the Pixies were able to implement without actually becoming a surf rock band.
Throughout Astro Coast, Surfer Blood strings together a collage of simple, catchy riffs to form complete songs. This debut has often been likened to Weezer’s The Blue Album, but the similarities have been prematurely made. The simple, straightforward pop hooks are reminiscent of the early 90’s geek-rock album, but the overall aesthetics give Surfer Blood a new face.
The band has turned the reverb up to 11, and produced one of the best, if not only, albums created in a dorm room. Their ability to create a catchy, stuck-in-your-head riff is matched by the overall guitar work on the album. The instruments collectively create a wall of sound that periodically subsides to allow the main riff to once again shine through.
The album opens with one of its strongest numbers. “Floating Vibes” offers strong chords overlaid with a pleasant guitar lick. Front man John Paul Pitts’ vocals swoon over the verses, and are accompanied by peppy handclaps midway through.
Lead single, “Swim (To Reach The End)”, is an angst-ridden anthem filled with monster riffs, syncopation, and funky rhythms. Surfer Blood uses the reverb heaviest on this track, causing Pitts’ lyrics to become almost undistinguishable at times. However, the powerful vocal delivery and memorable melodies make this an acceptable artistic choice and result in a fantastic inclusion on the album.
On the second half of the album, the songs begin to blend into each other, and slightly lose their individuality. This isn’t helped by the fact that two consecutive tracks are called “Fast Jabroni” and “Slow Jabroni”. The second of which exceeds six minutes, only to be followed by yet another six-plus minute track. Although these songs are still quality music, they fail to hold the same memorability as earlier tracks, or the album’s closer, “Catholic Pagans”.
“Pagans” takes the title as having the best chorus of the bunch. The lyrics seem to constantly come from left field (Please don’t padlock your parents bomb shelter or fill her up with dust and ash and Barack Hussein Obama would have a field day if he knew at all), but the tune is an undoubtedly catchy three-minute indie pop rock piece.
Closing out on a high note, Surfer Blood leaves its listeners fully satisfied with having spent the last forty minutes with Astro Coast. These youngsters still have room to grow, but they have created themselves an excellent debut album that will soon become an indie classic.
1. Floating Vibes
2. Swim (To Reach The End)
3. Take It Easy
4. Harmonix
5. Neighbour Riffs
6. Twin Peaks
7. Fast Jabroni
8. Slow Jabroni
9. Anchorage
10. Catholic Pagans
✭✭✭ ½
For a bunch of guys who have no experience surfing, Surfer Blood sure seem to be influenced by the sport a fair amount. The West Palm Beach crew not only derives its name from the pastime, but also seldom sings of it, all the while using a touch of that surf rock-type music the Pixies were able to implement without actually becoming a surf rock band.
Throughout Astro Coast, Surfer Blood strings together a collage of simple, catchy riffs to form complete songs. This debut has often been likened to Weezer’s The Blue Album, but the similarities have been prematurely made. The simple, straightforward pop hooks are reminiscent of the early 90’s geek-rock album, but the overall aesthetics give Surfer Blood a new face.
The band has turned the reverb up to 11, and produced one of the best, if not only, albums created in a dorm room. Their ability to create a catchy, stuck-in-your-head riff is matched by the overall guitar work on the album. The instruments collectively create a wall of sound that periodically subsides to allow the main riff to once again shine through.
The album opens with one of its strongest numbers. “Floating Vibes” offers strong chords overlaid with a pleasant guitar lick. Front man John Paul Pitts’ vocals swoon over the verses, and are accompanied by peppy handclaps midway through.
Lead single, “Swim (To Reach The End)”, is an angst-ridden anthem filled with monster riffs, syncopation, and funky rhythms. Surfer Blood uses the reverb heaviest on this track, causing Pitts’ lyrics to become almost undistinguishable at times. However, the powerful vocal delivery and memorable melodies make this an acceptable artistic choice and result in a fantastic inclusion on the album.
On the second half of the album, the songs begin to blend into each other, and slightly lose their individuality. This isn’t helped by the fact that two consecutive tracks are called “Fast Jabroni” and “Slow Jabroni”. The second of which exceeds six minutes, only to be followed by yet another six-plus minute track. Although these songs are still quality music, they fail to hold the same memorability as earlier tracks, or the album’s closer, “Catholic Pagans”.
“Pagans” takes the title as having the best chorus of the bunch. The lyrics seem to constantly come from left field (Please don’t padlock your parents bomb shelter or fill her up with dust and ash and Barack Hussein Obama would have a field day if he knew at all), but the tune is an undoubtedly catchy three-minute indie pop rock piece.
Closing out on a high note, Surfer Blood leaves its listeners fully satisfied with having spent the last forty minutes with Astro Coast. These youngsters still have room to grow, but they have created themselves an excellent debut album that will soon become an indie classic.
1. Floating Vibes
2. Swim (To Reach The End)
3. Take It Easy
4. Harmonix
5. Neighbour Riffs
6. Twin Peaks
7. Fast Jabroni
8. Slow Jabroni
9. Anchorage
10. Catholic Pagans
Gobotron, "On Your Mark, Get Set..." 02/27/2010
Doug Kaplan
✭✭✭✭
It’s no secret that I am most likely the single greatest and undisputed Manchester Orchestra fan that exists in this solar system. It is not uncommon to find me on Sunday mornings outside churches engaging in debates over why Moses is slightly less significant than 5’6” front man Andy Hull. So when I heard that the youngest member of the Atlanta-based band, 22-year-old Robert McDowell, was releasing a solo project, needless to say I became intrigued. I wondered if Andy’s cathedral vocals and life disrupting lyrics would rub off on his lead guitar player. They didn’t, not quite.
McDowell’s first solo attempt, On You Mark, Get Set…, was released earlier this month. It is an album that you would be hard pressed to find being promoted anywhere outside of the sparkly gates of Favorite Gentleman Record Label. McDowell’s band name, Gobotron, was evidently derived from various nicknames Andy and Chris Freeman have referred to McDowell by over the years.
The entire album was written and recorded in his parent’s house in Georgia. He is a true one-man band and every instrument is masterfully played by himself. The sound of the album is much different than that of Manchester Orchestra. It’s not quite straightforward pop, nor does it match up with some of the newer, heavier MO material. Instead, it sounds as if GirlTalk’s Greg Gillis took all the forerunners of the indie/alternative/rock scene (i.e. Ben Kweller, My Morning Jacket, Jack’s Mannequin) and asked them to fuse their sound together. Then, to top things off, Jeff Mangum got a hold of the album and added that beautifully distorted finishing touch, typical of Neutral Milk Hotel and early Mountain Goats. All these things I’ve been writing could sound negative. Does this album sound like Andy Hull had anything to do with it? No. Does it sound original, unique, or groundbreaking? No. But this album is amazing.
McDowell has surely hit a homerun with his first attempt. He has created 10 pop-oriented jingles that will capture your attention, and then your heart. He has a lot of good ideas all in one place. This is most likely due to the untraditional writing method used for this album. McDowell was quoted as saying that he started by writing little parts of songs, and then building hooks or verses around those parts. For this album, this technique absolutely worked.
Oddly enough the only song on this album I have nothing good to say about the opening track. For sake of convincing you to buy this album, because I promise it’s worth your money, I’m simply going to pretend the 49 second track, “Nothing”, doesn’t exist. So we begin at track two. “Nice Things”is sure to ring a bell with a wide audience, from fans of the Beach Boys to those of Weezer. It screams to be played. And it should be, because it’s great.
The third track, “I Don’t Forgive”, begins with a marching band-strumming rhythm. The lyrics are catchy, but confusing - I lost my will/while carrying your luggage/I don’t forgive. The best track on the album is track four. “Never Turn Around”is a song that features distinctive vocals producing a very classic, Beatles melody. I played the song on the weekly radio show that I DJ at school, and many people asked me whom the band was. I imagine Rob would be more than happy to hear that.
The song “Cobbler” begins, my fingertips are opening to being judge/with backwards lanes and English bars/and people tuning my guitar. It is a strange phenomenon for me to really have no idea what most of these songs are about. Lyrically they seem simplistic, but I find it challenging to get a grip on their meaning. That might be what makes this album so captivating. I feel as if there is a secret I am missing out on, and I keep listening in hope that it will come to me.
The last song on the album, “Gold”, is the only song which resembles something Andy might have written. That might be why I think it’s one of the best on the album. The title is an extremely accurate depiction of the medal that this album would receive this winter Olympic season. It’s an album absolutely worth hearing, and I cannot wait to see if MO will begin to play any of these songs live. Until then, I will wait for McDowell’s sophomore effort.
1. Nothing
2. Nice Things
3. I Don’t Forgive
4. Never Turn Around
5. Got It!
6. Cobbler
7. Empty
8. I Lied
9. Pull It Too
10. Gold
✭✭✭✭
It’s no secret that I am most likely the single greatest and undisputed Manchester Orchestra fan that exists in this solar system. It is not uncommon to find me on Sunday mornings outside churches engaging in debates over why Moses is slightly less significant than 5’6” front man Andy Hull. So when I heard that the youngest member of the Atlanta-based band, 22-year-old Robert McDowell, was releasing a solo project, needless to say I became intrigued. I wondered if Andy’s cathedral vocals and life disrupting lyrics would rub off on his lead guitar player. They didn’t, not quite.
McDowell’s first solo attempt, On You Mark, Get Set…, was released earlier this month. It is an album that you would be hard pressed to find being promoted anywhere outside of the sparkly gates of Favorite Gentleman Record Label. McDowell’s band name, Gobotron, was evidently derived from various nicknames Andy and Chris Freeman have referred to McDowell by over the years.
The entire album was written and recorded in his parent’s house in Georgia. He is a true one-man band and every instrument is masterfully played by himself. The sound of the album is much different than that of Manchester Orchestra. It’s not quite straightforward pop, nor does it match up with some of the newer, heavier MO material. Instead, it sounds as if GirlTalk’s Greg Gillis took all the forerunners of the indie/alternative/rock scene (i.e. Ben Kweller, My Morning Jacket, Jack’s Mannequin) and asked them to fuse their sound together. Then, to top things off, Jeff Mangum got a hold of the album and added that beautifully distorted finishing touch, typical of Neutral Milk Hotel and early Mountain Goats. All these things I’ve been writing could sound negative. Does this album sound like Andy Hull had anything to do with it? No. Does it sound original, unique, or groundbreaking? No. But this album is amazing.
McDowell has surely hit a homerun with his first attempt. He has created 10 pop-oriented jingles that will capture your attention, and then your heart. He has a lot of good ideas all in one place. This is most likely due to the untraditional writing method used for this album. McDowell was quoted as saying that he started by writing little parts of songs, and then building hooks or verses around those parts. For this album, this technique absolutely worked.
Oddly enough the only song on this album I have nothing good to say about the opening track. For sake of convincing you to buy this album, because I promise it’s worth your money, I’m simply going to pretend the 49 second track, “Nothing”, doesn’t exist. So we begin at track two. “Nice Things”is sure to ring a bell with a wide audience, from fans of the Beach Boys to those of Weezer. It screams to be played. And it should be, because it’s great.
The third track, “I Don’t Forgive”, begins with a marching band-strumming rhythm. The lyrics are catchy, but confusing - I lost my will/while carrying your luggage/I don’t forgive. The best track on the album is track four. “Never Turn Around”is a song that features distinctive vocals producing a very classic, Beatles melody. I played the song on the weekly radio show that I DJ at school, and many people asked me whom the band was. I imagine Rob would be more than happy to hear that.
The song “Cobbler” begins, my fingertips are opening to being judge/with backwards lanes and English bars/and people tuning my guitar. It is a strange phenomenon for me to really have no idea what most of these songs are about. Lyrically they seem simplistic, but I find it challenging to get a grip on their meaning. That might be what makes this album so captivating. I feel as if there is a secret I am missing out on, and I keep listening in hope that it will come to me.
The last song on the album, “Gold”, is the only song which resembles something Andy might have written. That might be why I think it’s one of the best on the album. The title is an extremely accurate depiction of the medal that this album would receive this winter Olympic season. It’s an album absolutely worth hearing, and I cannot wait to see if MO will begin to play any of these songs live. Until then, I will wait for McDowell’s sophomore effort.
1. Nothing
2. Nice Things
3. I Don’t Forgive
4. Never Turn Around
5. Got It!
6. Cobbler
7. Empty
8. I Lied
9. Pull It Too
10. Gold
Eels, "End Times" 02/25/2010
By Doug Kaplan
✭✭✭
I am not an educated Eels fan. If you are someone who has been following Mark Everett since his solo efforts, roughly five years before I was born, then this review may seem rather unsophisticated and uninformed. However, if you happened to stumble upon Everett’s band name, or have even borrowed one of his albums from a friend, then we are in the same boat, and shoes as they say.
It was not until post high school graduation, in my efforts to find something to believe in, some life guidance and direction, that I discovered Everett’s long-term project, Blinking Lights & Other Revelations. At first I wasn’t blown away. For an album that had been reportedly recorded over an eight-year span, releasing entire albums in between, it seemed to lack any real agenda.
My best guess is that the album was half recorded while Everett was sailing on amphetamines. And the other half? A collaboration with the Blue-Man Group, while Everett played piano, triangle or whichever instrument he desired from his enormous one-man-band repertoire… while using his teeth. He lacked Elliott Smith’s reflectional self-pity and Jesse Lacey’s acoustic truths. I felt as if he had no light to show me. However, after listening to this album straight through fourteen times, according to my iTunes, I can say that I have changed my opinion. Make no mistake, that album is brilliant. But this review is not about that album.
While wasting time in a local record shop I came across Eels’ twelfth studio effort, entitled End Times. It appears that Everett has taken a less optimistic stance this time around. In classic style, the album begins with a fingerpicked acoustic track, "In the Beginning". Emoting an overwhelming loss of direction, the song speaks of how good things had once been.
The album continues on to talk about Everett’s youth with "In My Younger Days", and a crystallized theme is established. My favorite song can be heard five tracks in. On "A Line In The Dirt", Everett humorously expresses a familiar feeling with his opening lines She locked herself in a bathroom again/So I am pissing in the yard.
The title track doesn’t appear until mid-album. Singing of a man with a “crazy matted beard” (quite possibly the gas station-working Santa Clause figure appearing on the album’s cover), Everett vocalizes the character’s prophecy of how the end is near. But no one listens to the man except Everett himself who “can hear him loud and clear.” The message of the album is undeniable from this point on.
The next ‘song’, for lack of a better word, is "Apple Trees". It is a monologue over a simple guitar riff, in which Everett discusses his discovery of a street with thousands of apple trees during a road trip. He compares himself to one tree among all the others. The one tree does not particularly stand out, and Everett expresses that’s how he too felt. How’s that for direct ideology?
The rest of the album plays out much like the beginning. It concludes with a jingle called "Little Bird". This song sounds like a letter to God asking for a repaired heart. On an album whose candle of hope constantly dims and dwindles, this final track leaves its listeners with an intangible grasp that they might be saved after all.
The iTunes deluxe edition comes with a few bonus songs, which are surprisingly nothing like Everett’s other B-sides. One in particular, "Some Friend, shines through, and is up to par with the rest of the album. "Some Friend" is a tune that probably should have made the final cut had it not been for conflict in major themes with the rest of the tracks.
End Times is a combination of obscure sounds and beautifully orchestrated piano/guitar works, which fuse together to form Eels’ distinctive qualities, yet perfect ability to define the Indie/Folk genre. Overall, the album is an easy listen with pretty melodies and catchy refrains. It fits nicely into Eels’ decade-long catalog, and is a must hear for fans of the band or genre.
1. In The Beginning
2. Gone Man
3. In My Younger Days
4. Mansions of Los Feliz
5. A Line In The Dirt
6. End Times
7. Apple Trees
8. Paradise Blues
9. Nowadays
10. Unhinged
11. High and Lonesome
12. I Need A Mother
13. Little Bird
14. On My Feet
✭✭✭
I am not an educated Eels fan. If you are someone who has been following Mark Everett since his solo efforts, roughly five years before I was born, then this review may seem rather unsophisticated and uninformed. However, if you happened to stumble upon Everett’s band name, or have even borrowed one of his albums from a friend, then we are in the same boat, and shoes as they say.
It was not until post high school graduation, in my efforts to find something to believe in, some life guidance and direction, that I discovered Everett’s long-term project, Blinking Lights & Other Revelations. At first I wasn’t blown away. For an album that had been reportedly recorded over an eight-year span, releasing entire albums in between, it seemed to lack any real agenda.
My best guess is that the album was half recorded while Everett was sailing on amphetamines. And the other half? A collaboration with the Blue-Man Group, while Everett played piano, triangle or whichever instrument he desired from his enormous one-man-band repertoire… while using his teeth. He lacked Elliott Smith’s reflectional self-pity and Jesse Lacey’s acoustic truths. I felt as if he had no light to show me. However, after listening to this album straight through fourteen times, according to my iTunes, I can say that I have changed my opinion. Make no mistake, that album is brilliant. But this review is not about that album.
While wasting time in a local record shop I came across Eels’ twelfth studio effort, entitled End Times. It appears that Everett has taken a less optimistic stance this time around. In classic style, the album begins with a fingerpicked acoustic track, "In the Beginning". Emoting an overwhelming loss of direction, the song speaks of how good things had once been.
The album continues on to talk about Everett’s youth with "In My Younger Days", and a crystallized theme is established. My favorite song can be heard five tracks in. On "A Line In The Dirt", Everett humorously expresses a familiar feeling with his opening lines She locked herself in a bathroom again/So I am pissing in the yard.
The title track doesn’t appear until mid-album. Singing of a man with a “crazy matted beard” (quite possibly the gas station-working Santa Clause figure appearing on the album’s cover), Everett vocalizes the character’s prophecy of how the end is near. But no one listens to the man except Everett himself who “can hear him loud and clear.” The message of the album is undeniable from this point on.
The next ‘song’, for lack of a better word, is "Apple Trees". It is a monologue over a simple guitar riff, in which Everett discusses his discovery of a street with thousands of apple trees during a road trip. He compares himself to one tree among all the others. The one tree does not particularly stand out, and Everett expresses that’s how he too felt. How’s that for direct ideology?
The rest of the album plays out much like the beginning. It concludes with a jingle called "Little Bird". This song sounds like a letter to God asking for a repaired heart. On an album whose candle of hope constantly dims and dwindles, this final track leaves its listeners with an intangible grasp that they might be saved after all.
The iTunes deluxe edition comes with a few bonus songs, which are surprisingly nothing like Everett’s other B-sides. One in particular, "Some Friend, shines through, and is up to par with the rest of the album. "Some Friend" is a tune that probably should have made the final cut had it not been for conflict in major themes with the rest of the tracks.
End Times is a combination of obscure sounds and beautifully orchestrated piano/guitar works, which fuse together to form Eels’ distinctive qualities, yet perfect ability to define the Indie/Folk genre. Overall, the album is an easy listen with pretty melodies and catchy refrains. It fits nicely into Eels’ decade-long catalog, and is a must hear for fans of the band or genre.
1. In The Beginning
2. Gone Man
3. In My Younger Days
4. Mansions of Los Feliz
5. A Line In The Dirt
6. End Times
7. Apple Trees
8. Paradise Blues
9. Nowadays
10. Unhinged
11. High and Lonesome
12. I Need A Mother
13. Little Bird
14. On My Feet
