Sydney born, UK singer Sam Sparro’s self titled debut comes at you with an energizing attempt to unify the funk/soul style of Stevie Wonder with modern electronic dance. Does he succeed? No, not completely, but he does shine on some moments…and these moments (particularly the single Black & Gold and Pocket) are fantastic. The majority of the rest of the LP is filled with smooth vocals and deep beats. Nothing to complain about, but nothing to write home about either. On Black & Gold, Sparro dives deeper and finds he can bury pieces of his soul into a song and let it explode to life (apparently it’s a song he wrote back when he work at a coffee shop, trying to make ends meet). This is what Wonder is famous for. Creating soulful and danceable songs that carry a powerful lyrical meaning. Sparro skims that edge enough on this debut to keep my eyes open for the next release.
mp3: Sam Sparro – Black & Gold
mp3: Sam Sparro – Pocket
You really never know what you’re going to get with Ivan and Kelly of The Rosebuds. Their Unwind EP stroked my interest while their LP Birds Make Good Neighbors made me a legitimate fan. Then they released their electro-dance infused Night Of The Furies and caught many (including myself) by surprise with the dramatic change in sound. I eventually was able to accept the transformation and enjoy the album (though initially I was put off). Now they’re back again. What’s up? Well apparently over the last year or so they spent time at home in Raleigh, NC recording demos and sketches of songs. They realized they had more than enough material for a new album and decided to put things under way. Ivan and Kelly have put the dance-tronics behind them and went with the more personal acoustic style that got them to where they are. The album is called Life Like and is due out October 7, 2008 on Merge and features Portastatic’s Matthew McCaughan, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, and Ashley Stove’s Jim Brantley. We’ll let you know more as we know more. Until then, enjoy one of my favorites…
mp3: The Rosebuds – Unwind
Recorded in her New York home/studio with label-mate Gary Levitt (Setting Sun…see our review here), Erica Quitzow has just released her second album, Art College. With sounds sewing in the likes of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, CSS, and Beck, Quitzow has truly put out a wildly expressive and entertaining album full of experimental soundscapes, bedroom electro-pop, and Enon style crazy rock. While that may sound like Art School is a bit all over the place (which it is), everything coagulates behind Erica Quitzow’s voice which tends to shift between Karen O and Beth Gibbons. Oh and she also plays about a bazillion instruments on this album (including a cat…trust me). Impressive. Most impressive.
mp3: Quitzow – Stay Away From John
mp3: Quitzow – Art College
There are three dynamite shows up in Philly tonight. Johnny Brenda’s has Icy Demons, Buffalo Stance, and Make A Rising. The TLA has Portugal, The Man, RX Bandits, and Maps and Atlases. Finally the Electric Factory has the great Wolf Parade with Wintersleep.
mp3: Icy Demons – Miami Ice
mp3: Wolf Parade – Language City
Paper Kingdom is, as the picture says, a collection of posters from Baltimore music shows. It dates from the 90’s hardcore scene to todays wham city links and everything in between, and pretty generally sounds cool. And its all about B-more music….which is also cool. Also included are lots of interviews with the likes of Dan Deacon, Beach House and many more. The book release party will be at the Creative Alliance in Patterson Park on August 10th.
To help celebrate, Beach House, Viking Moses, and Cass McCombs will all be performing.
Limited copies of the book will be available at the show, but if you can’t make it, order yours HERE.
mp3: Beach House – Gila
Here in Baltimore tonight don’t miss at Bedrock, the Heiroglyphics tour rolls in to town with Souls Of Mischief, Casual, and more. Also in Charm City is Portugal, The Man, RX Bandits, and Maps And Atlases at the Ottobar. Down in DC you can catch The Extraordinaires, Light Pollution, and The Holy Attack at the Velvet Lounge. If you’re up in Philly, Johnny Brenda’s has We Are Scientists, Oxford Collapse, and Apache Beat. Also in Philly, the TLA has Spiritualized, Dirtbombs, and The War On Drugs, while the Wachovia Center has The Police and Elvis Costello.
mp3: We Are Scientists – Can’t Lose
mp3: Apache Beat – Your Powers Are Magic
mp3: The War On Drugs – Arms Like Boulders
mp3: Heiroglyphics – Dune Methane
Over an eight month period in Brooklyn and Oregon, Forest Fire’s Mark thresher, Adam Spittler, Myisha Battle, Natalie Stormann, Nathan Delffs, and friends put together Survival, their debut LP out earlier this year. This album is complex yet simple…vast but timid. Survival was gradually built from sessions of Forest Fire’s members and friends passing through, where ever they were, doing minimal takes then expanding each song with extensive overdubbing and production. Guided by the rough croon of Thresher, many of the songs come at you like a coffee house serenade, then build into an uproarious Woodstock sing-a-long complete with horns and the like. Forest Fire’s Survival is an experience that definitely has me searching for my long lost tambourine. Photo by Victoria Jacob
mp3: Forest Fire – Fortune Teller
mp3: Forest Fire – Slow Motion
Tonight in Baltimore our friends Savory James take on the Lo-Fi Social Club with Change The Station, Combat Zone, and Albatross. Also in Baltimore is The Herd Of Main Street which plays the 8×10 with Sons Of Bill and Will Hoge. In DC, the Black Cat has Icy Demons and Mr. Moccasin. Finally in Philly, Johnny Brenda’s has the Extraordinaires, The Sounds Of Kaleidoscope, The Company Corvette, and Dog and Pony. Enjoy!
Recent Comments