I'm a huge fan of David Lynch's work. He has the capability of painting beautiful scenic environs hiding a dark and brooding underbelly. (Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks) Think of Natascha Leonie as the David Lynch of music. Before I go on, I should say that this is a good thing. Love songs can be so simplistic that after a few of them you are in sugar overload. Natascha never lets that happen. Forget Humble is a collection of dark love songs that bleed, brood and even brag. The composition of these tracks is complex, the lyrics thick with meaning and the music-always beautiful.
Monument kicks off this collection with a vengeance, punctuating the lyrics with just the right emphasizing beat. And the lyrics? Oh my! Take the second stanza for instance:
"Knowing no consideration at all
You use your keen mind for a cunning call
Your attempts to be evil
Are so wretched and I don’t get
Why you fake why you hurt why you lie"
This is an example of the type of pointed lyric that is evident throughout this collection. If Monument lyrically is dark, you only get a hint of that in the music. Again, this is a quality that runs throughout Humble.
On the title track, Forget Humble, the beauty takes over full force. The piano and cello on this track are magnificent. The up-beat Bisquit is perhaps my favorite track on this collection, though it's hard to really finger a favorite. Bisquit's alt-country composition and Natascha's straight-forward delivery bob and weave and please at every turn. A counter-point to Bisquit is the brooding Bridge, with the sadness of love lost. Each offers one of the best lyric lines that I've ever heard.
"‘Cause you are like a stone in my happy shoe
you’re under my toe everywhere I go"
Indeed, all of us have probably experienced people who have left us with a pain that won't go away-like a stone in our shoe. Armchair talks about meeting someone in a bar and thinking that it would have been better if they had just stayed in that situation rather than taking the relationship further. Black Ice is perhaps the darkest song on Humble and yet still lovely in its presentation.
There is plenty to love and ponder on Forget Humble. Production is slick, calculated and generally well suited to the music. German born Natascha Leonie currently lives in the U.K. and is flanked on Humble by a host of very talented Musicians. You can find out more about Natascha Leonie and listen to a few full samples from the Humble by visiting herweb page or her MySpace page. You can purchase Forget Humble from CD Baby or digitally from AmieStreet.com, among other sources.
In 2007, Austin, Texas band-mates Wiretree issued the wonderful "Bouldin." Now, two-years later, they are scheduled to release (October 20, 2009) their second long-player entitled "Luck." All I can say is, "It's about time!"
Think of Wiretree is a throwback to late 60's or early 70's pop. It's retro; But everything is accessible in the here and now. "Luck" pretty much picks up where "Bouldin" left off. In fact, the first three tracks are nearly an echo of "Bouldin" which would be disappointing if the music weren't so good anyway. Wiretree redeems themselves however, when the bouncy "Days Gone By" starts. It's just enough different to keep you listening. The mid-tempo ballad, "Falling," follows up "Days Gone By" proving that Wiretree has a somewhat mellow side as well.
"Information" and "Satellite Song", however, are where "Luck" really sets itself apart from "Bouldin" and for that matter from pop CD's everywhere. "Information" has a truly infectious melody that insinuates itself into your feet and your mind. It is the kind of pop tune that will make you want to go back and listen again. It's a "feel good" and a "Wow!" song.
"Satellite Song" has the coolest barroom piano bit in the background. It's a little out of tune and sounds like it has been dropped from a truck to the ground. The texture this piano adds is infinitely better than it would have been if it had been just a straight piano. The tune is, like "Information," so infectious that it demands repeating.
The title track,"Luck," brings into play the second mid-tempo ballad and it swings and sways, holding to the retro-ballad feel. All in all this is a wonderful collection from a band that deserves more attention.
Wiretree consists of singer songwriter, Kevin Peroni, and band members Joshua Kaplan, Rachel Peroni and Daniel Blanchard. You can find more information about the band from their website and listen to a few complete tracks from "Bouldin" and "Luck" at their MySpace Page.CDBaby has both "Bouldin" and "Luck" for a very inexpensive $10 each (ok, $9.99). For the digitally bound download lovers, you can purchase the tracks from i-Tunes or from AmieStreet.com.
I'm introducing a new feature on the blog this week called "Hard Copy-From the Archives." The whole purpose of this feature is that when things get slow, I can rummage through my CD collection and discuss an old purchase which still holds my attention. Today's offering is "I Could Live in Hope" by Low. Low is perhaps one of the first ambient or slowcore bands. Alternative in their approach back in 1994 when this CD was first issued, they still sound fresh and new today.
Each song on "Hope" is an exercise in plodding melody, perfectly blended harmonies and minimalist instrumentation. It is easy to think that you will be able to put this CD on as background music and just read the paper or do something quiet while it plays. That is not, however, what happens when you listen. Before the opener "Words" finishes, you feel as if you've been pulled into a vortex of the bands creation. Soon you are straining for each nuanced phrase, searching for meaning or just lost in the music itself.
"Fear's" two minutes and twelve seconds is not the shortest song on this CD, but it is simplistically beautiful. "Slide" introduces a beautiful vocal lead from Mimi Parker. Her vocals are stronger and more pristine than those of Alan Sparhawk, But when the two share an equal emphasis the results are more haunting and complete. "Lazy" exhibits this trait, with the interplay between Sparhawk and Parker sharing an equal emphasis on the chorus. As if there weren't enough things to draw you inwards into the body of the music, "Lullaby," the longest track on this offering, weighing in at just under 10 minutes, uses a uniquely crafted echo of Parker's voice that doesn't disappear until almost four minutes in when the piece transitions into an instrumental. "Lullaby" also rocks harder as it moves forward through the instrumental outtro until it ends virtually where it began.
My favorite tracks on this CD include "Words,""Fear," "Slide," "Lazy," "Sea" and my all time favorite version of the Jimmy Davis and Charles Mitchell track "Sunshine," which is the set closer. Low had difficulty with labels and personnel going forward. They have released several CD's since this debut back in 1994-many of which are in my collection, but as is the case with many new bands that achieve a certain success early on, have had difficulty capturing the magic again that "I Could Live in Hope" offered. "Hope" stands as a promise unfulfilled for the band, but it also stands on its own musically. Though many bands have tried to emulate the slowcore magic of "Low", I don't believe that most really understood what they were attempting to accomplish. Perhaps only "Low" in this offering knew and that is why it feels so worthy, so complete, to listen to.
Low was formed in Duluth, Minnesota in 1993 and was comprised of the husband and wife team of Alan Sparhawk (guitars and vocals) and Mimi Parker (drums and vocals) with bassist John Nichols, when this CD came out. The band has a website with pop out MP3 player and sample tracks. You can also purchase CD's, including this one that is still in print, at Amazon.com.
If there has ever been any proof of the impertinence of the role of radio music programming in the advancement of good new music, Katzenjammer is it. The radio ready, yet largely ignored, first single "A Bar in Amsterdam" from Katzenjammer's 2008 debut, "Le Pop" was posted on AmieStreet.com a few months back, and ever since that time, I've been searching for a US copy of the "Le Pop" CD. Apparently available shortly after its release on such sources as Amazon, the CD has been listed as unavailable since I started searching, although the mp3's are available from both Amazon and i-Tunes. The band has assured me that the international version of "Le Pop" will be re-released this fall in the USA. After digging, I did find the original release of "Le Pop" with a US currency option at Grooves-Inc.com, a Swedish reseller.
From the opening of "Overture," which slams non-stop into "A Bar in Amsterdam," you know that you are in for an experience that rivals musical theater. Katzenjammer's brand of alternative pop is accessible yet eclectic. Three parts gypsy caravan, three parts pop, one part rock and roll, a dash of folksy goodness and a splash of Vienna seasoning make for a completely individual sound.
"Le Pop's" mostly upbeat numbers keep the party rolling from "Amsterdam" to "Tea with Cinnamon" to the outstanding "Hey Ho On The Devil's Back," Katzenjammer pops from the silly to the profound without letting the carnival stop. Speaking of silly, the title track is so much fun you will be laughing within seconds of its start!
Just when you think you have Katzenjammer figured out, though, they slip you something unexpected; the sad yet beautiful "Wading in Deeper." This is just an intermission however, proven by the follow up tracks "Play My Darling Play,""To The Sea," the waltzing "Mother Superior" and set closer, blues rock number, "Ain't No Thang."
Katzenjammer's four woman collective, made up of Soleig Heila, Anne Marit Bergheim, Turid Jorgensen and Marianne Sveen, jump from instrument to instrument interchangeably. Those instruments are many, too, including but not limited to accordion, melodica, mandolin, guitar, harmonica, trumpet, tuba, drums and balaika bass.
There aren't enough good words to describe this band. Oslo, Norway is lucky to have them as citizenry and we need to see more of them in the USA.
You can listen to tracks from the band on their MySpace Page and purchase their CD from the aforementioned Grooves Inc.com page. You can read more about the band on The Bonoroo site and let's not forget the bands own official web site. A search for some of Katzenjammer's videos on YouTube, etc., will give you the flavor of the band's live performances as well.
If you take pride is listening to and acquiring great music, you owe it to yourself to check out this amazing band!
It's Friday, September 18, 2009, and Sunlight Square Podcasts has released 2 new podcasts on their site. Be sure to refresh your feeds! Sunlight Square Podcasts. Not sure what Sunlight Square Podcasts are? Check out this blog article.
Actress turned singer Samantha Shelton (episodes of "House," "CSI: Miami" and "Gilmore Girls" to name a few) has found her true calling in musically interpreting the past in the present tense. Following in the footsteps, albeit not to closely, of such groups as "Squirrel Nut Zippers" and artists such as "Nellie McKay," Shelton's new 4-song EP, "Cranky Moon" lifts styles from old standards in the vein of a ragtime crooner.
"Maybe" lilts and rolls, gently provoking, sounding like it was lifted from the 1920's, if not for the references to boxed wine and phone texting. "No One Knows" ups the beat a little bit while Shelton's breathy vocal intones "Oh what you do to me, no one knows." "Cranky Moon" the title track, sounds as if it could have been a soundtrack from an old black and white and includes a chorus of female vocals that could have backed up early Sinatra. The track includes the F-word as one of the lyrics, thus projecting the whole thing into the present day. It's a delightful track, and a fitting title track to this small set. Finishing a bit like it began, "Sit and Sigh" boom-chick-chick-boom beat is a proper book-end to set opener "Maybe."
Musically, the instruments are simple and perfectly matched to Shelton's vocals. Perhaps the only complaint I have about this collection is that it is too short. I'll anxiously await a long-player from Shelton in this style. The EP is available digitally from AmieStreet along with a previous long-player in a quite a different style "Are You Kidding Around?". You can also hear complete tracks from both offerings on Shelton's MySpace Page.
A fundamental philosophy that I've followed when searching for music is "New and Different." That doesn't mean the music has to be necessarily "new" but "new to me." Enter Ann Arbor, Michigan's "The Ragbirds" and prepare for a blender full of different. The Ragbirds mix folk, pop and middle eastern sounds combined with accomplished lead vocals provided by band founder, Erin Zindle. Other band regulars pull off a perfect blend of instrumentation and spare background vocals; T.J. Zindle, guitar, Dan Hildebrand, bassist, Randall Moore, drums and Tim Dziekan, percussion. Erin also switches between violin, percussion, accordion, banjo and other instruments as well as her lead vocal position.
With the band's August 2009, long-player "Finally Almost Ready,The Ragbirds show their stuff by combining all of their diverse styles into a blender for an entirely pleasing, if eclectic, collection. The first single "Book of Matches" has reached the No. 2 position on the Japanese top 40, but a quick listen will tell you that The Ragbirds are anything but a caterer to the top 40 sound.
"Finally Almost Ready" has many pleasing moments, not counting "Matches", including the mid-tempo rocker "Get In", the folk styled and absolutely wonderful, "The Frame" and toe-tapping, head-rocking "Getting Dark" to name only Four of the 12 great tracks on this CD.
One thing that my son always likes to hear are full-length samples of the music, and since I'm able to do this without compromising copyrights by simply pointing you to the bands web site, I've done that in the link attached to this post. Just click the title of this blog entry to take you there.
You can find more information on the band from their MySpace Page and you can purchase the tracks from AmieStreet Here for a pittance.
Things have been a little cluttered on AS for the last couple of weeks and I haven't had much time to sift through the offerings there. Yesterday, a friend of mine asked me to check out a funk group called "Sunlight Square" which I never did find, but I did end up finding a pretty cool podcast for those of you that want something a bit different to listen to musically.
There are 8 pod casts on this site, and they all have a slightly different focus. The pod casts look like they only come every 6 to 10 months, so this will be a brief (about 8 hours) listen until they issue a new podcast. I've really enjoyed listening to this, and hope that you will love it too.
My recommendation would be to start listening to the pod casts from the newest (number 8) to the oldest. The flavor will change as you go, but there are some very interesting styles covered and some really interesting covers too.
If you've been here before, then you know that for some strange, inexplicable reason, the podcast links are broken. So I've replaced them with a link to the site's podcast page. Just click the link below and then subscribe to the podcast based on your PC's environment.
I've been a loyal member of AmieStreet.com since it was still in Beta several years ago. During that time, I've accumulated over 6000 songs, some of which are, in my opinion, excellent. As a way of jump starting the new focus of this blog, I've decided to post some of the highlights here. If you enjoy the music, please do the group a favor and purchase it from one of the venues mentioned. AmieStreet.com is doing it's best to re-shape the music business into a consumer-driven model. We can help, by purchasing the media or the digital tracks.
My intent is to focus music into categories that work well Folk, Alternative, New Age/Jazz, Blues, Country, etc. This way you can skip, if you like, to categories that you like. That said, some of my biggest and happiest surprises were found listening to a track that fell outside of my comfort zone.
If you would like to suggest a group for me to listen to (it doesn't have to be an artist on AmieStreet.com), please do so! I've been dredging bins of LP's and CD's for many years now to find great music. Generally, this music is well below the radar screen. Also, if you enjoy a track, let me know that as well. If I can, I'll respond to you with additional information.
Blues-Classic Rock
In the style of Dan Zanes "Cool Down Time" "Flippinstrip" blends blues styling with modern and classic rock elements to bring a new flavor to the blues. There to help is a great testament to this entire digital offering.
Bluegrass
The youthful "The Greencards" bring a bounce to bluegrass that is simply awesome. They have three offerings on AmieStreet.com, all excellent, but this one is by far my favorite track.
For more information on "The Greencards" check out their home page or check out their purchase page that redirects to CD-Baby at their store
Pop-Folk
Over a year ago, "Susan Enan" released an 2 song EP entitled "Acoustic Sessions" on Amie Street. Recently, she released her "Plainsong" long player on AS with a host of people chomping at the bit to purchase it as soon as it hit their door. As I write this, "Plainsong" is the number one seller in the AS Top 25. Check out this sampling of "Plainsong."
Pop-Modern Rock
One of my favorite groups-favorite enough that I wrote a blog post and a review on the two offerings available on AmieStreet.com-is "Illustrated Man." On their "Music for Own Personal Drama" offering, "Wise" is a personal favorite. Check out their latest offering too, "Welcome to Your Life," winner of several New Mexico music awards.
A local favorite in the should be a pop-star category, is the "Penny in the Pocket" offering from singer/songwriter "Leesha Harvey." Take a sampling of all of the tracks here.
"Chris Merrit" Doesn't necessarily break any new ground musically. Sometimes that's not important. More important is how the music makes you feel and how much you enjoy listening to it. In a very pop/modern rock vein, "Madison" gives you some of Chris's flavor.
"Katie Todd" is just quirky enough to transcend the borders of pop-friendly, radio ready, pop. One of those early purchases that I still find very pleasing today. Check out "Leave."
"Enter the Haggis" is another band that deserves the full offering sample. These Celtic Rockers have released several offerings on AmieStreet.com, all fabulous. I'll share with you samples from the one that got me hooked for good, "Soapbox Heroes."
In the up-and-coming with a bullet category, check out "Hoarse Box" another set of Irish rockers that have what it takes to make you tap your feet and sing along. "Cuckooland" appears to only be available on Amie Street for US purchasers. Check out samples from this marvelous EP.
Jazz
One of my very first purchases on AmieStreet.com was Jack Zerby's "The EP." Check out this great track from Jack.
In the jazz as comedy category, you have to check out "Lee Presson and the Nails" and his version of "Pink Elephants on Parade." You won't see the Disney Classic "Dumbo" without laughing afterward.
Afro-Beat
Move to the music! "The Daktaris" "Soul Explosion" is a good blend of beat, soul and jazz.
Electronic/Instrumental
Carnival Music on crack. That's how I'd describe "sisesisis." This is insane music, but what fun!
In the next few weeks, after encouragement from a few people, I will begin a music blog highlighting music on Amie Street (http://amiestreet.com) as well as other music offerings and music news. If you feel inclined to comment, please do. Also, send me your music suggestions. While the blog focuses on music from Amie Street, it won't be the only source, and full purchased CD sites will also be available, as well as other blog links and sources.
If you love music, as I do, then keep me posted with your findings!
