Friday News and Notes

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Heart

That’s a heart-shaped leaf I found on the sidewalk, because I love all you weirdos. And these are Friday News and Notes!

  • Congrats to Adam Henceroth — Mr. EggHunt Records himself — on this great Style Weekly profile. EggHunt is on one hell of a winning streak, and the albums they’re putting out are serious points of pride for this city. Adam is also just a very friendly person, so it’s nice seeing him get this kind of recognition. Applause emojis all around.
  • Anyone else think this fairly snazzy new Britney Spears song would sound right at home on The 20/20 Experience? Is that you I hear, Timbaland? And can someone tell me why I have to look up the spelling of Britney Spears’ first name every time I type it?
  • Really wish I would have found out about this Durand Jones & The Indications album before it’s resell price got up to $75…
  • Y’all see that they just pressed John Prine’s In Spite Of Ourselves to vinyl for the first time? Feel very fortunate to have snagged a copy at BK. It’s a fantastic album of duets, and the title song might be my favorite song of his.
  • I’m enjoying the hell out of next week’s Off Your Radar album, Dear Bo Jackson by The Weeks. Not sure what I’m going to say about it, but it’s definitely getting filed under “How on Earth did I miss this?” Southern rocky, soulful, horns, pedal steel — like shooting fish in my musical preferences barrel.
  • Just bought a bunch of concert tickets I’d been meaning to get. Car Seat Headrest and Mountain Goats are coming to the National on consecutive Mondays — that’s going to be a fun week. And Drive-By Truckers just went on sale today, and I grabbed a couple for the Friday show. That Thursday show is pretty tempting as well, though. Hm.
  • Did y’all know that video killed the radio star?

Hope a great weekend awaits each and every one of you, and that random heart-shaped things pop out at you wherever you look.

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]

Stockholm Syndrone

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Feist

Officially putting CD Monday on hold in favor of the new morning commute paradigm, which I’m calling Stockholm Syndrone. These are the songs Toddler YHT  hears, likes, and then asks for repeatedly, giving me a sanity-irrespective glimpse into their deepest depths.

In all seriousness, I’ve been meaning to keep track of what she likes, like a vicarious version of my That’s My Jam Spotify playlist. Would be fun if she just took it over one day.

I’ve mentioned “Video Killed The Radio Star” a few times, but the first Stockholm Syndrone arrived via Leslie Feist’s appearance on Sesame Street. Mrs. YHT and I managed to gradually replace the audio from that skit with the version from The Reminder a few months back, but it still kills. Consistently generates encore (“Again!”) requests and even the occasional “Good idea, Daddy.”

The Reminder was actually a recent CD Monday pick, I’m still in awe of how well it holds up, and how much bigger a song like “1234′ is than the sum of its parts. It’s fun trying to guess at what my daughter sees in the songs she latches onto, and while Sesame Street was definitely the catalyst here, I’d guess something more universal is at work here. Remember how huge this song got? It turned into a genuine pop hit — commercials, chart success, the works. Reminds me of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know.” Both make good on the promise that, as stacked as the deck may be in favor of a small group of already-famous artists, music still functions as a meritocracy in its best moments.

Maybe it’s the exuberance “1234” builds, or the bright, positive feeling you get when listening to it, despite the fact that some of the lyrics are dark. Who knows. This I do know: It’s the original Stockholm Syndrone.

Feist — “1234” [Spotify/iTunes]

Friday News and Notes

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Avers

A few quick notes heading into the weekend:

  • CD Monday update: CD Monday is on the ropes, y’all. Once again, I didn’t get to listen much to the week’s album — this time it was because Toddler YHT has started requesting “Video Killed The Radio Star” the moment any other music starts playing. As repetitive as it may be, The Buggles are 1000% preferable to Daniel Tiger singing about his feelings. It reminds me a little of when I worked at Buffalo Wild Wings one summer: I thought I’d get sick of chicken wings — I went home smelling like one every night — but I ended that summer more hooked on Bdubs than ever. I think the same thing is happening with “Radio Star,” as my daughter calls it.
  • Avers Note #1: My vinyl copy of the new album came in the mail earlier this week, and it’s excellent. Can’t wait to write a longer thing about it.
  • Avers Note #2: Congrats to the band on the Billboard advance stream! Love thinking about how many new ears they’ll be reaching.
  • Avers Note #3: Tonight’s the big release show at the Broadberry! I’ll be gigging tonight, but y’all should all go and get your faces rocked off. And be sure to hit the merch table while you’re there — Omega/Whatever is a must-have.
  • This is very random, but I brought a VCR to the Corolla last week, and one of the movies we watched was Disney’s foxy version of Robin Hood. While it was playing I found out that the Watkins Family Hour album from last year has a fantastic cover of “Not In Nottingham.” Did y’all know Roger Miller wrote that? And the “Oo De Lally” song? How cool is that?
  • Ryan Adams writes a lot of spontaneous mid-concert throwaway songs, but this has to be one of his best. By the way, if you haven’t heard his set from Newport — the one he did with The Infamous Stringdusters –it’s definitely worth a listen.
  • Next week’s Off Your Radar will cover Gillian Welch’s Time (The Revelator), and I am so damn excited that I have no idea what to write. Tune in on Monday to see what happens when that confused excitement collides with my Sunday submission deadline!

CD Monday

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Iron Lung Corp

Back from Corolla, kicking off what’s sure to be a crazy week with an Iron Lung Corp album that my brother-in-law Brian has guitar credits on. He gave me a copy last week, and I can think of no better accompaniment to confronting the harsh reality of being back than industrial covers of songs by the likes of Peter Gabriel, The Cure, and Pink Floyd.

Iron Lung Corp — “The Blood” (The Cure cover) [Discogs]

Friday News and Notes

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Commonwealth of Notions

Very special edition of Friday News and Notes: It’s time for Commonwealth of Notions Presents! WRIR and venerated DJ/writer/bassist/Off Your Radar contributor Shannon Cleary are teaming up for a sixth iteration of the always-entertaining and brilliantly booked local music showcase/station fundraiser. 13 bands. Two nights. Two venues. Tonight at Gallery5, tomorrow at Strange Matter. It’s the perfect way to simultaneously support and explore Richmond’s music scene.

In that same spirit, here’s an almost-exhaustive bulleted Bandcamp sampler of what’s about to go down:

Friday @ Gallery5 (suggested donation $5)

Saturday @ Strange Matter (suggested donation $7)

Apologies to K.A. PEDERS, who has music on MySpace but my laptop won’t play it for some reason, and I’m not sure I could embed it regardless. All the more reason to head to Strange Matter on Saturday night!

Click here for more info on both nights.

The Big Payback

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The Big Payback

Have to break vacation silence because I’m too excited about this River City Magazine article to stay quiet: I had the chance to chat at length with Kelli Strawbridge, who fronts Richmond’s beloved James Brown tribute band, The Big Payback. He’s an incredibly inspiring person to talk music with. His interests are both broad (his other projects include KINGS, Mikrowaves, and Mekong Xpress & The Get Fresh Horns) and deep, given his clear passion for the pivotal soul that Brown made in his heyday. I learned a ton from speaking with him, and I was also lucky enough to chat with Bob Miller, who joins Strawbridge in both Payback and Mekong Xpress. I decided to write this article because the talent you’ll find in Richmond’s tribute bands is so much more illustrious and interconnected (Miller also plays in Fear of Music, which honors Talking Heads) than some may realize, and Strawbridge and Miller are excellent examples. Many thanks to both for all the help with the article.

Two upcoming shows I want to make sure to plug:

Click here to read the Payback article over at Richmond Navigator’s site.

James Brown — “Payback” [Spotify/iTunes]

Friday News and Notes

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Butcher Brown

  • CD Monday update: Didn’t end up listening to Blauklang much this week. Lots of singing on the way to daycare. Toddler YHT damn near did a recital yesterday. The setlist: “Old McDonald” -> “ABCs” -> “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” -> “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” -> “I’m Bringing Home A Baby Bumblebee.” It was [insert fire emoji here].
  • Speaking of fire emojis, congrats to Butcher Brown on the new EP. Love the title — Virginia Noir — and I love how tight they sound. What a machine they are. Fierce and smooth at the same time, somehow.
  • New Hiss Golden Messenger, y’all. 10/7. So damn excited.
  • Also excited for this new Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket) solo album. “In The Dark” has that same breezy, jazzy feel his older solo stuff has. Can’t wait to hear more.
  • I already posted to Instagram about it, but cheers to Steve Gunn and Steady Sounds for the in-store on Tuesday. What a treat that was. Eyes on the Lines is my first experience with his music, and I’m not sure I would have jumped in with both feet if it weren’t for Tuesday’s performance. Just voice and two guitars, but man, was it good. Both instruments totally under control, ebbing and flowing, effects on, effects off, singing, no singing… the whole thing was like a comfortable, confident conversation.
  • Are y’all as bananas for this new Avalanches record as I am? It feels like I’ll be getting to know it — the samples, verses, and interludes — for some time, like a book I know I want to reread while I’m reading it for the first time. So much going on, and so much fun to listen to.
  • No show recommendations this week — heading out of town again next week. But keep an eye out for next week’s recommendations…

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]