April 01, 2014
February 24, 2014
Music pick of the day: Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else
With only two months gone by 2014 is shaping up to be a good year for new records. Like this one from Columbus, Ohio's Lydia Loveless called Somewhere Else.
I'd heard her name and probably a song or two in the past I told my friend Jay Minkin when, a few weeks ago, he asked if I was going to see her at The Beachland. I shrugged my shoulders and gave it a jaded "meh". He told me I must check out her new album. I did just that and have been streaming it in heavy rotation since then.
Loveless' show is this Thursday. It's in the Tavern which should make it a real treat.
Artist: Lydia Loveless
Album: Somewhere Else
Review: Cleveland.com
Here's Loveless being interviewed by a kid at the Columbus location of Big Fun.
October 31, 2013
Resurrecting some Nigerian funk music
Aside from all the great new music that's released every year (and if you don't believe that you're certainly not paying attention) I take pleasure in those obscure artists whose work is resurrected to shine a brighter light. That's how Nick Drake became popular in the 1990s.
William Onyeabor is much more of an unknown than Nick Drake was before his posthumous comeback. And Onyeabor is still alive. This Nigerian funk musician self-released eight albums between 1978 and 1985. He then became a reborn Christian, refusing to discuss or even acknowledge the psychedelic grooves he'd created.
Luka Bop, the label started by David Byrne, has been trying to put together a compilation of Onyeabor's work with much difficulty. Finally, on Tuesday they released the album Who Is William Onyeabor.
I had no previous knowledge of Onyeabor but once I heard his music yesterday I had to share this discovery. You can hear the African rhythms we've heard from various artists over the years but Onyeabor adds crazy synthesizer work throughout his songs. Most of them are over seven minutes long, becoming hypnotic mind benders.
This music isn't for everyone. You need to be adventurous. This is not the sound of Fela Kuti. This comes from another world and I'm loving it.
August 14, 2013
Music pick of the day: Washed Out - Paracosm
The third Washed Out album coudn't have been released at a better time. The warm and inviting Paracosm came out yesterday amidst a ridiculously cool August here in Cleveland and elsewhere.
The high temperature yesterday was 68 and the forecast calls for the same today. Luckily putting this music on helps make it feel a bit more summer-like.
Ernest Greene, the man behind the artist name, begins with the sounds of birds in a forest which many times can lead to some new agey blandness found in those little shops with the rain sticks and whatnot. Luckily Greene's electronics begin to create a world ruled by warm and lush sounds.
The new Washed Out isn't going to replace an 85 degree summer day but it'll help.
Artist: Washed Out
Album: Paracosm
Review: Filter
April 10, 2013
Music pick of the day: Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Daze
Kurt Vile's last album, Smoke Ring For My Halo, was one of my favorite albums of 2011. I got turned onto it after seeing him at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass fest that fall. Quite frankly, I much more enjoyed the album than his live performance but that could've been because I wasn't familiar with the music yet.
Now that I know and love Vile I've been anxiously awaiting the release of his new album, Wakin On A Pretty Daze. Well, the wait is over as it was released yesterday. The verdict? It's fantastic and everything one could hope for.
WOAPD has catapulted its way to my top five of the year thus far. And that's only after a couple of listens. It still has Vile's lazy,hazy folk feel but with a touch brighter production. Someone said he sounds like a drugged-out Tom Petty. In a good way, of course.
It's hard to get psychedelic folk music right. Oft times it comes off as cheesy or too earnest. Vile's songs and style sound natural. The ten minute title cut which opens the album sets the laid back mood perfectly. It'll be on my summer soundtrack for sure.
Artist: Kurt Vile
Album: Wakin On A Pretty Daze
Review: Music OMH
March 29, 2013
Music pick of the day: Rhye - Woman
I'd heard a little bit about the duo Rhye who first garnered attention in the UK a year ago, even though they're based out of Los Angeles, with the release of some singles. Now their first full length, Woman, is out and word is spreading on this side of the Atlantic.
That was helped by an appearance at SXSW a couple of weeks ago. The takeaway from that show? Everyone thought the lead singer was a woman. Wait until you listen to it. You'll be just as astonished.
Here's a record that crosses the smooth sound of Sade, vocal stylings and all, with electronic chill music. The album is sultry and sexy with an androgynous twist which the two members are playing on by titling the album Woman.
Beyond the mysterious vocals of Canadian Mike Milosh is that the guy creating the electronic music is named Robin Hannibal. Actually the Danish citizen's real last name is Braun. I wonder why he changed to Hannibal. Perhaps he's a fan of the Tom Waits song "Going Out West" in which Waits says "I think I'll change my name to Hannibal". I, of course, was born with the surname.
Anyway, this album should help warm the weather up.
Artist: Rhye
Album: Woman
Review: The Guardian
January 24, 2013
Music pick of the day: Yo La Tengo - Fade
The notion that good music stops being produced in some arbitrary year, based on your aging process is ridiculous. But you hear it all the time, no matter if it's from a baby boomer, a gen Xer, or whatever they're calling 30-somethings these days. They'll make their bold statement, and it saddens me that they've lost that adventure to seek out the good.
We're only into the third week of 2013 and already there's a candidate for album of the year with the long awaited release of the new Yo La Tengo album, Fade.
Yo La Tengo is pretty much the poster child of indie rock. Their lo-fi production, pop sensibilities and odd noises are the architectural building blocks of many indie bands. And Fade has me recalling what a damn fine band they still are.
The percussive opening track "Ohm" is followed by a song in which a string section sounds pleasant next to an inescapable drone while lead singer, Ira Kaplan sings a wonderful melody. Next comes a simple pop ditty with a cute organ line. And that's followed by a more atonal sound, reminiscent of their long time friends Sonic Youth.
There's a kind of hush that is emblematic in a Yo La Tengo album. You'll be able to identify the band the moment you hear it. And that's a happy feeling.
Artist: Yo La Tengo
Album: Fade
Review: Paste Magazine
Spotify: Yo La Tengo - Fade
August 23, 2012
Music pick of the day: Grimes - Visions
I look at alot of music sites on the internet. I think I can definitively state that, as of now, the Grimes album is the most buzzed about contender for top spot on end of year lists. I'm talking about the indie scene here. The mainstream has no idea about Grimes and that's too bad.
Grimes is the moniker for Claire Boucher, a 24 year old electronic musician who resides in Montreal, Canada. She was signed to 4AD records last year and her debut for the label, Visions is a beautiful piece of work.
A complete listen of Visions will reveal it to be nearly flawless. There's not a bit of filler to be found. Though it will sound foreign to the more traditional music listener with it's odd vocal effects and complex song structures, it's filled with plenty of pop hooks that can't help but draw you into her world.
Artist: Grimes
Album: Visions
Review: AV Club
Listen to it on Spotify
July 12, 2012
Two break-up albums to ruin your summer
One of the more interesting approaches to a concept album is the break-up. Adele's highly acclaimed 21 is such a record. Other classics that come to mind are Dylan's Blood On The Tracks and Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. This summer has me listening to two new entries which couldn't be farther apart stylistically.
The Athens, Ga. band The District Attorneys have released an album called Slowburner. I'm not sure if they'd consider the album a break-up concept but one listen to these lyrics, often disguised in jangly pop reminiscent of The Connells, and I'm convinced someones heart's been broken.
Spencer Krug's With Siinia: Heartbreaking Bravery isn't hiding anything. Here's an album where the wounds of love are still wide open. The visceral feel created by Krug (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown) and the Finnish band Siinai is palpable. I was lucky enough to see this show live in New York City a couple of weeks back.
Everyone's had their heart broken and it's nice to have records that make you feel like you're not alone in this pain. And if you're in the midst of such a terrible period let these two albums serve you well.
June 14, 2012
Cleveland's Bobby Womack is resurrected
We've seen R&B singers have comebacks before. Gil Scott-Heron and Solomon Burke, both now deceased, come to mind. But I'm pleasantly surprised to see Bobby Womack, born and raised in Cleveland, now counted as another one.
The comeback can be credited to British musician Damon Albarn who selected him to sing a song on the last Gorillaz album. This led to Albarn producing a new album for Womack, The Bravest Man In The Universe, released on Tuesday.
Music from the album is already charting in the UK where, it seems, many a forgotten US soul singer goes to rejuvenate their career.
This is not standard R&B fare but rather uses modern glitch tracks and electronica more often than not. It's also given modern cred with a duet by Lana Del Ray.
Womack's voice is in fine form and the result is a winner of an album. Whether this will translate into sales or a successful tour here in the US remains to be seen, but the critics are on board.
Artist: Bobby Womack
Album: The Bravest Man In The Universe
Review: Entertainment Weekly
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