Music that will make you cry

You know how some albums hit you right in the guts, rip your heart out and smash you right in the face with their fist? The Antlers’ “Hospice” is one such album. And Peter Silberman is one of those song writers whose sole purpose sometimes seems to be to make you cry (and no, I don’t mean that in a bad-trashy-Hollywood-romantic-comedy-kinda-way, but in a damn-this-man-is-a-talented-storyteller-kinda-way). The lyrics on “Hospice” evoke Bon Iver’s maudlin uplift and emotional intelligence, and a lot of the time Mr Silberman’s voice too resemblance that of Justin Vernon/Bon Iver even though his falsetto is less frequent than that of Justin Vernon’s. Listen to Bear and you’ll know exactly what I mean… “When we get home we’re bigger strangers/ Than we’ve ever been before/ You sit in front of snowy television/ Suitcase on the floor.” This is a song that would’ve fit perfectly into Bon Iver’s mighty “For Emma, Forever Ago” tracklist.

Tiny Mixtapes describes “Hospice” this way: “In the hands of a lesser artist, Hospice could have been a complete clusterfuck. A concept album about childhood trauma precipitating adult dysfunction, with nightmares, ghosts, hospital machinery, and attempted suicide, the album could have very easily buckled under the weight of all this sodden imagery and self-seriousness. Yet against all odds, its oxidized bones stubbornly refuse to bend and its spires continue to wind their way heavenward.” Honestly, there’s no way I could’ve said it better. This is an album that moves you. It takes you places you might not always want to go. It’s not a sweet and gentle lover, it expects things of off you and questions your version of the truth. If you’ve ever cared for a second about Lady Ga-Ga you should, quite frankly, stay the fuck away from The Antlers. But. If music means anything to you, and if you’ve ever defined yourself by a song, or used music to feel things, then please, don’t miss out on this Brooklyn trio.

“Hospice” is an album of rare beauty, and even if none of the musicians that contributed to it ever records  any music again they can at least always go back and pat themselves on the shoulder for contributing to this one.

“I only talk when you are sleeping/ That’s when I tell you everything/ I imagine that/ Somehow you’re going to hear me…”

Bear :: The Antlers

Two :: The Antlers

Epilogue :: The Antlers

Earlier this year The Antlers played a session at WOXY. This stripped down acoustic set you can find here.

Oh, I almost forgot; the Antlers self-released “Hospice” initially and were turned down multiple times by different labels. When writing this I think they’ve been picked up by French Kiss, and hopefully get the backing they need to keep doing what they do best. Music.

A 20 minute live clip of The Antlers playing a session for NPR’s All Songs Considered;

A morning with Papercuts

As a devoted follower of the Bay Area music scene I get extremely thrilled when there’s San Francisco act that really stands out and shows potential to reach a national, or international, audience. This year I’ve fallen for two acts in particular; Girls and Papercuts. Girls came out with their debut “Lust for Life” earlier this year and that I’ve already covered here a few weeks ago.

Jason Robert Quever, aka Papercuts, hails from Humboldt County, Ca, but eventually settled down in San Francisco. Earlier this year his third album, “You Can Have What You Want”, was released and even though it’s not brand spanking new, super funky fresh, hot off the press, the most cutting edge of cutting edge, or anything like that anymore it’s still worth your time. Especially if you love dreamy 60′s pop.”You Can Have What You Want” follows up the sleepy, vintage folk-pop of the expansive and overlooked “Can’t Go Back Now” (2007) with a darker, but equally elaborate, batch of new songs.

Support the local Bay Area music scene. Go catch a show. Go see Papercuts. Or at least listen to a couple of songs.

Once We Walked In The Sunlight :: Papercuts

Future Primitive :: Papercuts

Band of Skulls

Ok I have to admit, I’ve been slacking recently. Or, rather, I’ve been crazy busy trying to put food on the table, so don’t judge me to hard for not writing more. However, tonight I think I’ll manage a short break from whoring for the man to play some catch up with myself. First out; British trio Band of Skulls.

Band of Skulls play dirty and wonderfully heavy and loud New Orleans blues-rock. Well at least most of the time they do. They find some time for mellower and more melodic tunes too, like “Impossible”, but it’s without doubt the gritty guitars that defines the band’s sound. It’s impossible listening to the Band of Skulls without noticing the similarities with the White Stripes and Yeah Yeay Yeah’s. The band’s full length debut, “Baby Darling Doll Face Honey”, came out just a couple of weeks ago (July 28th) and right now the gang of three is out touring the world.

Alright…I’ll stop writing now. This is the kind off band, and album, there’s no need to talk about or analyze; just turn the volume up and play the fuck out of it.

Stun Me All Wonderful :: Band of Skulls

Blood :: Band of Skulls

Bomb :: Band of Skulls

The first days of spring

If I’m not entirely mistaken it’s almost exactly a year ago that I first wrote about Noah and the Whale. Their debut, “Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down”, was one of my favorite albums from last year with its gleeful pop and catchy hooks. However, with its sophomore album “The First Days Of Spring” (due Aug 31st on Mercury) the band sure takes on quite a bit more than than they did with their debut. “Peaceful The World Lays Me Down” comes across as downright immature and innocent when put aside the much more thoughtful and intricate “The First Days Of Spring”. The latter sure starts out with folky pop tunes like Our Window but it gradually moves towards a more orchestral sound in songs like Instrumental I and Love for an Orchestra.

Noah and the Whale have not only taken on a bit more musically with the new album; it’s also the soundtrack to a film of the same name created by guitarist/vocalist Charlie Fink.The film stars Daisy Lowe, Alex Barker and Ben Lloyd-Hughes and will, like the album, be out Aug 31st. By the look of the trailer the movie promises to be as frank, catchy, and beautiful as the album, at least if you, like me, have a thing for beards, beats and broken hearts.

My Broken Heart :: Noah and the Whale

The First Days of Spring :: Noah and the Whale

Stranger :: Noah and the Whale

Blue Skies (Twelves remix) :: Noah and the Whale

The track featured in the trailar is Blue Skies which will also be the first single from the album.

A Monday Friday Night

Today it’s very much been a Monday and the Monday blues has been hitting me unusually hard. So, what do you do? Hell if I know but I’d say that you have two choices (not necessarily mutually exclusive); do drugs, or play some good ol’ electronica. This shit is usually not my forte, but tonight the good ol’ electronica was the winner. Futurecop is an English band with a serious thing for anything 80′s and a love for synthesizer heavy music. Nuff said.

N.A.S.A (Cryptonites remix) :: Futurecop

Ain’t That Fresh :: Futurecop

Far Away v Diamond Cut Blend :: Futurecop

Boom :: Futurecop

Don’t haunt this heart

Just when you thought the mass of widely hyped Canadian bands labeled the new Arcade Fire, the new New Pornographers, or the new Broken Social Scene was drying up there’s another one. The Rural Alberta Advantage is from Toronto, and they’re the latest band to storm the Rainbow Bridge after being widely hyped and compared to the aforementioned trio. The Rural Alberta Advantage self-released their full-length debut “Hometowns” in 2008 and created a fairly substantial following and hype on the internet. In 2009 Saddle Creek Records picked the album up and re-released it, giving the band another push towards indie-rock stardom.

“Hometowns” isn’t the kind of album you need time to fall in love with, it has more in common with the girl you rest your eyes on in a bar after a few pints than with the soul mate that you’ll spend the rest of your life being in love with. The album is filled with lovely harmonies, catchy hooks and sounds you wouldn’t have expected to go that well together. Although resting on a solid pop base the band integrates folk, country, and punk in the mix and somehow make it work. In the process they create a sound that ultimately is their own and which make them stick out from your everyday catchy pop-band (no, I don’t really think they sound like the holy trinity of Canadian bands mentioned above). Even though I, at the time of writing this, sort of just wish they were from somewhere else, I have to admit that “Hometowns” definitely is one of my favorite albums this year.

Don’t haunt this heart,
Don’t haunt this place,
Your heart beating slow as it beats out a pace,
West side apartment grows lonely and dark,
West side apartment is two more empty hearts.

I see your keys hanging in the same place,
They haven’t moved for a month or even a day,
This was hard it was fun,
We should do it again,
Give ourselves some time,
Ten years for the day.

Don’t Haunt This Place :: The Rural Alberta Advantage

Franck, AB :: The Rural Alberta Advantage

Sleep All Day :: The Rural Alberta Advantage

Son Volt

Jay Farrar was one half of the creative duo behind Uncle Tupelo, one of the most influential bands in the alt country scene that exploded in the 90′s. Uncle Tupelo’s background when starting to meddle with traditional country was punk and rock. The band from Belleville, Il, released four albums and gained a lot of respect and critical acclaim and came to be a focal point and defining factor for the entire alt country scene. The magazine No Depression, that more than any other forum gave the new scene a voice, took its name after the the bands debut album.

However, as time went by it became clear that Jay Farrar didn’t get along with Uncle Tupelo’s other driving force; Jeff Tweedy, and 1994 he left the band. Mr Tweedy gathered the remaining Uncle Tupelo musicians and formed Wilco whereas Jay Farrar rounded up new band mates and started Son Volt. Ever since Mr Farrar and his Son Volt have been compared to the way more successful Wilco, even though the two bands very soon started to develop in different directions. Mr Tweedy became more and more experimental and his music moved towards more of a pop sound. Mr Farrar however stuck to his guns and tried to develop his guitar driven, soulful country rock without any grander gestures than an obvious wish to tie his music closer to the classic American literature.

All respect to Mr Farrar for sticking to his visions and what he believes in, but at times it’s fair to say Son Volt’s sound has grown a bit stale and mushy. However, at the band’s new album, “American Central Dust”, Mr Farrar and his mates are sounding better than they have in a long time. They’re back where they started, with acoustic guitars, accordion, steel guitars, and fiddles. Farrar’s lyrics are telling stories about his country, its history, its legacy and its people – it’s a remarkable blend of the big and the little stories in that respect. The album never really reaches the same epic heights as the bands debut, “Trace”, it’s lacking some dynamics for that, but still, “American Central Dust” is showcasing a song writer way to talented and with a voice that is to much his own for him to deserve to stand in the shadow of some else.

Dynamite :: Son Volt

Cocaine & Ashes :: Son Volt

Down to the Wire :: Son Volt

William Elliot Whitmore & Daytrotter

Let me say this right away; William Elliot Whitmore is probably the most underrated artist I know. Mr Whitmore’s voice sounds like that of an old gospel preacher, but one that has walked through hell and come back to the living again. It sounds cliche, but his upbringing at a horse farm on the banks of the Mississippi River outside of Keokuk, IA, shines through in his music. Most often Mr Whitmore’s burnt voice is just accompanied by a banjo or a guitar, and percussions. It’s music fit for a dusty bar in the company of a pipe and a scotch on the rocks.

Mr Whitmore released his debut “Hymn for the hopeless” in 2003, and early 2009, already three albums deep, he released his fourth full length “Animals in the dark”. The new album is very much a William Elliot Whitmore album; there’s whiskey, not a shot, but a few bottles, there’s death, there’ sin, there’s damnation, and there’s redemption. Although centered around mr Whitmore’s voice and his banjo, the songs are layered with organ, church chants, banjo, stomping, guitar, and soul and gospel transformed into americana.

Earlier this year Mr Whitmore made his second appearance at Daytrotter. If you don’t know about Daytrotter already it’s a site that invites artists to play stripped down, acoustic sets of their music, and then gives the music away for free. Daytrotter started out small a few years ago but have grown and now have an amazing library of music with some 700 sessions or so. During this, his second session, with Daytrotter Mr Whitmore played a cover of Bad Religion’s Don’t Prey on me, and not only is it one of my absolute favorite tracks this year, but also made me remember exactly how great Bad Religion is. Really, the songs posted below are good, real good, but make sure to check his two Daytrotter sessions out. Personally that’s how I think his songs should be played…

William Elliot Whitmore Daytrotter session May 28, 2009

William Elliot Whitmore Daytrotter session Dec 3, 2006

Don’t Prey On Me (Daytrotter session) :: William Elliot Whitmore

Hell or High Water :: William Elliot Whitmore

Old Devils :: William Elliot Whitmore

There’s Hope For You :: William Elliot Whitmore

Mutiny :: William Elliot Whitmore

J. Tillman, Fleet Foxes and the Black Cab Sessions

So, there’s been a lot of Fleet Foxes and J. Tillman lately. And. It’s not entirely over yet cause some things just needs to be shared. I found this video, directed by Tyler T. Williams, randomly when browsing around J. Tillman songs and, on top of the song being something extraordinary, I also found the video very moving. The song is J. Tillman’s Take Care from his “Documented Tour EP”.

myspace.com/jtillman

myspace.com/tylertwilliams

If you haven’t checked out the awesome project “The Black Cab Sessions” you better get on it right now. And I don’t mean in a little bit. Now. Right now. The lads behind “The Black Cab Sessions” have produced some of the most awesome alternative live takes to be found online. The video below, with Fleet Foxes, might very well be my favorite Black Cab video so check it out..

Asobi Seksu

Asobi Seksu released their third album, “Hush”, in February 2009. The album marks something of a change in sound for the band – they still have a foot in the shoegaze world but definitely moved towards a more poppy, dreamy, lush sound. Yuki’s vocals are  transcendent and sweet throughout “Hush”, and fit the new sound perfectly. (But don’t get me wrong, Yuki will rip your head off when you see the band live, the sweetness is all in the sound…)

Asobi Seksu has been around since 2001, although their first “real” album release was in 2004. Despite the fact that they come across as the latest stylish, glitzy, Japanese pop import they came through the New York music scene after The Strokes massive success in 2001 revitalized it. Yuki Chikudate, the keyboardist/singer sings sometimes in Japanese, sometimes in English, and supposedly Asobi Seksu is a Tokyo term meaning “playful sex”. Live the band effortlessly moves from sweet pop to rough guitars and Lots of noise.

In The Sky ::  Asobi Seksu

Me And Mary :: Asobi Seksu

Thursday (acoustic) :: Asobi Seksu

Strawberries (“Cassettes Won’t Listen” Remix) :: Asobi Seksu

I’m Happy But You Don’t Like Me :: Asobi Seksu