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White Laces

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white-laces

How rare is it that you get to say that every release a band has put out has been your favorite of theirs to date? I can say that about White Laces. It’s as much a winning streak as it is evidence of the band’s searching nature. They’ve changed a bit with each release, and with No Floor, I think they’ve found something really remarkable.

There’s more synth/programming than ever on this album, and heading in that direction has opened up a powerful pairing — the precision of synthetic elements and the fluidity of Landis Wine’s voice, which is one of the most distinctive in town. The effect is almost visual; when I close my eyes and listen to the choruses of “Cheese” or “Mall Madness,” I see sharp edges layered with colorful, rolling hills. I see contrast. Not dissonance, necessarily, just contrast.

Tori Hovater’s vocals work similarly — they’re such a complement to Wine’s — and I’m wild about the minor turn the grinding synth sound takes during the chorus of “Youth Vote.” It came as a surprise the first time I heard it, but the contrast it builds with the major sound of the verse makes it a surprise that rewards over and over.

On the meaningful and memorable “Dots,” Wine sings “I used to think about time as a living thing.” It seems to me that, by drawing inspiration from the 1980’s, White Laces has found a really exciting way forward — one that has them sounding as lively as ever.

White Laces — “Cheese” [Spotify/iTunes]

The Turtles

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The Turtles

My father-in-law gave me his vinyl collection a couple years back — the boxes that weren’t ruined when the Susquehanna River flooded and filled their basement when my wife was a kid. He gave me lots of really great stuff, so I’m still making my way through it all. I put sticky notes on the albums I wasn’t familiar with so I’d have a visual reminder to check them out at some point, and one I recently pulled the sticky off of is The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands.

Steady Sounds posted a picture of a patron holding it a little while back, and when I went in shortly thereafter, I saw the album in the used section and asked Marty what he thought of it. He said that it really was made to sound like a battle of the bands, with varied tracks and styles. I gave my father-in-law’s copy a spin this week and enjoyed the whole thing, but it was the last track, “Earth Anthem,” that stopped me. Literally — I stopped what I was doing (I think I was folding laundry), went over to the turntable and played it again. Then I played it again. It didn’t just feel like a different group — it felt like it was from a different time. Like something recent that was supposed to sound like something old, if that makes any sense.

Check it out below. It’s simple, but it packs quite a punch, I think.

The Turtles — “Earth Anthem” [Spotify/iTunes]

Shovels & Rope

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Shovels and rope

Shovels & Rope played the song below at Friday Cheers this year, and I was insta-smitten. The choruses — each one is a little different, though they end with the same line — are so sweet and tight and concise, and I remember wanting to bottle the song up then and there. I didn’t know its name, I didn’t know when a studio recording would surface, but I knew I loved it.

Now that the studio version is here, along with a touching video (NPR has the backstory), I’m even more smitten. It’s called “St. Anne’s Parade,” and I’m posting it below so you too can happy-cry your way through Wednesday.

Shovels & Rope — “St. Anne’s Parade” [YouTube]

Durand Jones & The Indications

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Durand Jones

Talk about wish fulfillment.

Last Friday, I whined about being late to the Durand Jones & The Indications party, and how it meant I likely wouldn’t get my hands on a copy of the group’s self-titled debut album, which was pressed in relatively small numbers.

BK Music to the rescue.

They just got in an incredible haul of used vinyl, and to get the word out, they did something that I’m seeing more and more — they posted a short video of disembodied hands flipping through the albums. I saw Durand Jones was in there, blacked out, and when I came to, I was listening to it on my turntable. Feeling very lucky right now.

Quick, related side note: A coworker once told me about how her daughter was hooked on these YouTube videos in which disembodied hands (OK, so there really are bodies attached, you just can’t see them) open up plastic or paper mache eggs and show what’s inside. Toys, candy, whatever. Depending on how your brain’s reward system is wired, you’re probably either saying to yourself “What’s the big deal?” or “I TOTALLY GET IT.”

And I totally get it, because I’m pretty sure those videos poke the exact same part of the brain that makes it so fun to flip through records. The element of surprise… the possibility that the next item could be the very thing you’re looking for… and experiencing that vicariously online is such a logical extension of that impulse. Not as great as being at the store to dig in person, but it’s still pretty great.

In summary, I have the brain of an addict, record stores everywhere should be doing this, and BK makes dreams come true.

Back to Durand Jones. This album cuts to the core of what I love most about soul music. It’s not about being polished or elaborate. Tons of legendary soul songs were recorded minutes after the band ran through them for the first time. It’s about the magic in the air when you do hit the record button — the emotion in the singer’s voice, the groove the band finds — and Jones & Co. have that magic in droves. See what you think:

Durand Jones & The Indications — “Tuck N’ Roll” [Spotify/iTunes]

Thunder Tillman

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Thunder Tillman

Very, very fond of this Thunder Tillman EP.

I have Pitchfork to thank for the heads up, and it’s indicative of a new normal I’ve fallen into. Lately, I’ve been checking the site in the morning and giving one or two of the albums a spin without reading the reviews. For me, this is the perfect middle ground between curation and discovery. There’s enough info on the front page to pique interest (artist name, album name and art, genre, the implication that it’s notable for some reason) and a wealth of information waiting in the review if I like what I hear. The score and whether the reviewer liked the album — they’re not irrelevant, they’re just secondary, which I’ve found to be a more beneficial hierarchy.

I don’t mean to crap on Pitchfork here — that’s a pastime I tend to opt out of. Just sharing what’s been working for me. Given more time, I think I probably would read every review they publish. Pitchfork’s writing remains the strongest and most consistent in the realm of music criticism, and I’ve been enjoying their new Sunday reviews of notable past albums. (Be sure to check out Amanda Petrusich’s take on Tusk.)

Speaking of good writing, I love how narrative Thunder Tillman’s music is. I was hooked halfway through the EP’s first song, “Exact Location Of The Soul,” in large part because I felt like added elements and changes in mood were advancing a story.

See if you agree:

Thunder Tillman — “Exact Location Of The Soul” [Spotify/iTunes]

The Most Americans

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The Most Americans

There are two belated and related birthdays I’m excited to acknowledge jointly:

  • America! Your birthday was last week and I didn’t even say anything! I did get to see some fireworks in Hilton Head — someone was firing loud-ass mortars on the beach right in front of the house we were staying in, yet Toddler YHT somehow slept through the whole thing. Not sure if I should be proud of her sleeping skills or worried about underdeveloped startle reflexes. A little bit of both?
  • Kevin Walsh! A happy belated birthday to the multi-talented drummer of The Most Americans, the Boston-based band you might have seen me praise in the past. They’ve just released a new album with a fantastic title: International Conflict for Beginners. That title and the group’s name may seem tongue-in-cheek, but the lyrics demonstrate genuine concern and care for the way we interact with the media, politics, entertainment, and ourselves. The past couple of weeks have shown that Americans are in desperate need of self-reflection, and that questioning spirit can be found all over ICFB, as can rhythmic fireworks and gravity-defying harmonies and melodies courtesy of Mr. Walsh himself.

Happy birthdays, Kevin and America. Love you both.

The Most Americans — “1,000,000 Views” [Bandcamp]

Doll Baby

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Doll Baby

I’m enjoying this new Doll Baby EP. Funny that the tides of 2016 have washed two “polliwog” references ashore. The first track on Sturgill Simpson’s new album is called “Welcome To Earth (Polliwog),” though he’s referring to an inexperienced sailor, whereas Doll Baby may have actual tadpoles in mind. Not sure. Fantastic word either way.

You know what else is great? “Drift.” Lots to like here: Vocals that dip and rise with that combined sense of style and purpose that makes Marissa Paternoster’s singing so compelling, a great drumming passage at the 2:00 mark, guitar sounds that levitate in the verses and swiftly crash down in the choruses… My brain wants those thunderous moments to last longer, but the brevity of that payoff is part of what keeps me coming back. MUST HEAR THOSE TWO MEASURES AGAIN. AND AGAIN. AND AGAIN.

I keep finding myself listening to “Drift” at the intersection of Staples Mill and Dickens, for whatever reason — waiting at that light and looking over at the Comcast building, with that ridiculous shrub area that runs along the front, like the building has a big, green mustache. It’s on the way to daycare, so Toddler YHT is probably developing the same insatiable appetite for the song. Not sure if she has an opinion on the shrubbery.

Check out the rest of the Doll Baby EP here, and if you’re digging them, you can hear a live track (I’ve heard they’re excellent live) on Polliwog producer Bryan Walthall’s latest installment of the Live from G5 series, which is now three volumes deep.

Doll Baby — “Drift” [Bandcamp]

Hiss Golden Messenger

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ATOZ_12in_TIPON

I’ve had occasion to write this post a number of times, but this Oxford American piece about Hiss Golden Messenger from a couple years back is just such a great example of why I love Amanda Petrusich’s music writing, and I’d like to point out two quick things:

Thing 1: In every AP piece, there are sentences that are put together so perfectly and are so insightful that I stop reading and physically look around to try to figure out what to do next. Do I read it to the person nearest to me? Do I tweet a link to the article and quote that line? Do I take up engraving so I can engrave it on something? Here’s one from the HGM article:

If you think about art long enough—what’s good and why, how it works on you—it becomes clear that every argument for or against a work is predicated on the notion that we’re all capable of saying something true.

The whole article is great, and that section is particularly incisive, but holy crap — that sentence totally stopped me in my tracks, and I decided I had to write a post to finally satisfy this “I have to do something!” impulse that’s hit me so many times before. So here we are.

Thing 2: I savor Petrusich’s music writing like fiction. There’s almost always a moment while reading an article she wrote when I realize that I don’t want it to end, scroll to the bottom to see how much is left, and portion out the rest deliberately, so I won’t accidentally wolf it down too fast. I felt similarly about her Do Not Sell At Any Price book, which I’d recommend buying before you finish reading this post, if you haven’t already.

That’s it. I don’t mean to go on and on, I just (as described above) had to say something. Do yourself a favor and keep an eye out for her articles in The New Yorker and elsewhere. They’re consistently fantastic.

Hiss Golden Messenger — “I’ve Got A Name For The Newborn Child” [Spotify/iTunes]

Bob Dylan

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Bob Dylan

Me: [clicks on link to Pitchfork article with a headline that contains the words “Animal Collective” and “Bob Dylan” because of course I did]

Me: How the hell do you “remix” a Bob Dylan song?

Me: [presses play]

Me: Oh… I… this is really good…

Me: [keeps listening]

Me: There’s the guitar!

Me: [starts looking forward to pressing play again before the song is even over]

Bob Dylan — “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (Animal Collective remix) [Soundcloud]

Avers

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Avers

New Avers!

EggHunt, man. They could easily be sitting back and basking in the brilliance of their recent successes, but it’s full steam ahead with another preorder-worthy release, Omega/Whatever. Out July 29. Love the cover art.

I got to see Avers last Thursday night at the Broadberry as part of a three-band celebration of Virginia Tourism’s new “Virginia is for Music Lovers” campaign (which you should definitely check out — Andrew Cothern is doing really inspiring things in his new role there). No BS! Brass Band was first, Galax-based singer-songwriter Dori Freeman followed (you can read more about her set over at Doug Nunnally’s blog), and Avers closed the show.

I’ve gotten to see Avers a number of times, and have favorite tracks from both their Empty Light LP and their Wasted Tracks EP, but a song I wasn’t familiar with grabbed my attention. “These are the days when everything hurts” it said. “I feel ya,” my internal monologue responded. Turns out it’s one of the tracks on Omega/Whatever, “Everything Hz,” and Consequence of Sound just wrote it up. Very cool.

Avers is packed with capable songwriters, and I’m not sure who penned this one, but the title reminds me of the way The Trillions (another Charlie Glenn outfit) name songs — references to technology, with lyrics that often convey an uneasy feeling about internet culture and digital-age relationships. According to EggHunt’s site, Omega/Whatever traffics in similar concerns: “It’s an album about balance, too, centered around the struggles of living in the modern world.”

Sounds like this is going to hit extremely close to home. Balance is something I’ve been struggling with lately, and I’m really looking forward to hearing what Avers have to say on the subject. “Everything Hz” is certainly a strong, relatable start.

Avers — “Everything Hz” [Soundcloud]