Musical Update #2 and the Death Of A Band

G. Love & Special Sauce
Superhero Brother
Another installment by the prolific harmonica man G. Love. Traditional fans shouldn’t be disappointed by the standard G. Love groovy jams that constitute most of the album. Then again, most of the songs on the album did feel remarkably standard and familiar. Yet, in an almost completely redeeming way, G. Love creates an acoustic blues extravaganza at the end of the album in his song “Superhero Brother”.

Matt Pryor
Confidence Man
Matt Pryor is another one of those musicians that composes music that can strike you to the core. His lyrics have the potential to stun lovers and philosophers alike. Pryor’s raspy voice has the same beautiful raw quality similar to that of one of Gomez’s multiple vocalists, and his music kept reminding me of my local up and coming band We the Living.

King Khan & The Shrines
What Is?!
Talk about a blast from the past. When you hear King Khan, you cannot help but think, when was this made? A must listen for fans of the Yardbirds and 70’s garage punk rebellion. As a side note, What Is?! is an older album by the band, but they have also recently released a new album entitled “The Supreme Genius of King Khan & the Shrines”.

Rumble Strips
Girls and Weather
Apparently there is a 50’s revival occurring in England at the moment, producing the almost unbearably fun Rumble Strips. The lyrics are not deep by any means, but no one can argue that they are not catchy. The music makes you want to dance like you are in some iPod commercial. (case in point: “Alarm Clock”). Also wise, check out their music videos, it adds a completely different dynamic to the music (not only are they well produced, but the sense of humor is undeniably British).

The Avett Brothers
Emotionalism
This review is a tad outdated, but regardless, I recently rediscovered the band, so you all can suck it. I vaguely remember checking the Avett Brothers out a year or so ago when Emotionalism actually came out, and there was just something I didn’t like about it. Having listened again, I won’t say I love the band, but I can say that much the same way that The Black Keys fused their heavy blues with indie/pop rock on Attack and Release, the Avett Brothers manage to fuse heavy banjo and bluegrass with indie/pop melodies, all producing wonderful album.

Wildbirds
Golden Daze
Now, this album was also released months ago, however, the review is timely given the band’s retirement. I remember finding the Appleton area band two years ago on Myspace (don’t judge, it’s about the only good thing about Myspace). Being a man who loves rhythmic beats and electric guitars, I fell in love with the band and couldn’t wait for their debut album. I followed them through the recording process and acquired the album as soon as it released. Songs like 421 and Shake Shake make you wanna move and head bob and the like. I can’t deny the fact that the Wildbirds and Kings of Leon made some kind of musical connection in my head, which, for the sake of the Wildbirds, meant only good things. Given certain circumstances I wasn’t exactly privy too, the band decided to break up a couple months ago and managed to book one last gig at the Brady Street Festival in Milwaukee. Given the close proximity to my house, I took the short walk to Brady Street and stood at the main stage and politely waited for the drag show that had exceeded its allotted time by about fifteen minutes to end. Finally, about an hour late, the Wildbirds took the stage and played a spectacular set. You would have never known that this was their last show unless the power hadn’t gone out three times mid song (even during the finale). The last outage really showed the band’s true feelings for one another as they all huddled and whispered together. They looked pained and unhappy, wanting to be done with the show and wishing they could keep playing together. The encore consisted of a solo acoustic version of Suzanna and the full band playing 421 with more energy than heard on the album. After concluding the song, drumsticks and picks were thrown, and the band exited the stage. At the end of the night, I released that I had witnessed the birth and death of a band that hadn’t quite lived a full life.

New Music 8/7/08

A little late on the posting. Hopefully I can start posting on Tuesday's, but hell, it's my blog and I post whenever I want.

I've been meaning to do this for some time now and I hope to write these frequently for all of you to read. I tagged those who I thought might actually enjoy/use this. Everyone else who reads it can have fun.


Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes)
Conor Oberst
As usual Oberst produces an excellent cd with his traditionally symbolic and meaningful lyrics. For those who would like to hear "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning" with a rock n roll feel, go ahead and peruse the album.

Neil Halstead
Sleeping On Roads
I could only find this older cd available for download at the moment, however, he also has a new cd out called Oh! Mighty Engine. When I listened to the album, I couldn't shake the feeling I was listening to Sufjan Stevens with a stronger folk influence. His soft voice, the horns, the lovely guitar (and thought I heard a banjo here and there), and the piano all combine for a very melodic, put you to sleep album.

Dr. Dog
Fate
Dr. Dog produces a stunning album with such a variety of influences that upon my first listen, i thought, Dr. Dog and Andrew Bird could create a kick ass band. The song "From" is great for lovers and has hints of the Beatles' "Hey Jude".

Ida Maria
Fortress Around My Heart
If you could combine Kimya Dawson with punk/brit rock, you would have Ida Maria. Some of it just makes you want to dance, some of it makes you want to laugh (case in point, the song "I like you so much better when you are naked"). All in all, a very good album.

James Jackson Toth
Waiting In Vain
I can't quite place his voice, but I can assure you it's incredibly unique. Toth has clear country roots, but fuses an excellent proportion of indie-rock to prevent the country music from being completely overwhelming.

Wild Sweet Orange
We Have Cause To Be Uneasy
This is one of those albums that throws you onto a roller coaster and expects you to follow along. One minute you are listening to a gorgeous, lyrically stunning song, and the next, you are wondering if you are listening to the same band as they rock your socks off. Of all the tracks, however, the song "Sour Milk" proved to me that they were worth the listen